Let's Talk About It: Dawn Rybak
- Kinetic Kares
- Nov 14, 2024
- 6 min read
“Let’s Talk About It” is a series presented by Kinetic Kares to enhance our collective knowledge base about our finances. We think talking about salaries, personal lessons we’ve learned, and experiences in our financial journeys could be advantageous to women anywhere – especially when these topics are still not regular conversation items. We’re picking the minds of brilliant women and asking them advice on some questions that have real life implications for our day to day.
November 2024
Dawn Rybak is currently the Chief Compliance Officer of Kinetic Investment Management, Inc. which is a SEC Registered Investment Advisory in Los Angeles, CA. The company is an advisory firm with advisors throughout the U.S that offers holistic financial planning. We had the pleasure of chatting with Dawn this month!
Kares: What was your journey to becoming a Chief Compliance Officer?
Dawn: My early career started in banking. It was where I learned about good money habits, budgeting and savings as the pillars that support financial decisions. I worked in Seal Beach, CA near a senior living community and the majority of clients I talked to were in the midst of retirement. I was very interested in learning about financial products and the stock market, so I acquired my life insurance license in 1993 and series 6 and 63 securities registrations. I sold annuities, life insurance and mutual funds. With the pursuit of acquiring additional securities registrations, I transitioned into Compliance for a major broker dealer and held several suitability and compliance management roles over the years for large corporate organizations. Compliance was not a popular job then and is still not today. Being a woman navigating a male dominated role was definitely challenging. Over the years, I’ve worked closely with producers, sales and operations teams, marketing departments, carriers, attorneys, regulators and developed many great relationships. One of the main reasons I came to Kinetic was being able to use my experience in a meaningful way by working with a smaller boutique company.
Kares: We heard a rumor you're an incredible baker as well...what's your favorite thing to bake?
Dawn: Oh my goodness, I bake so much. Picking one... I'd probably say it's cookies. I got into baking through my mom. My mom was a very good cook. I think the thing about baking I like the most is that it's something I'm naturally good at and it's a stress reliever. It's fun to be in the kitchen, put ingredients together and make something kind of magical.
Kares: Having tried your baked goods, we can attest; they're magical! How beautiful that your mom introduced you to the love of baking. Speaking of woman guidance, have you had any great woman mentors over the years and where/how did you find her?
Dawn: I’ve been fortunate to have several female mentors that have taken me under their wings over the years. There are 5 or 6 that stand out as having made a significant impact to support my growth and development. The first being my Mom who passed a few years ago. She was a dynamic role model that was unconditionally supportive, always encouraging me to learn, stand up for myself and pursue challenges. In many of my past roles, I’ve been fortunate to know hardworking, intelligent and passionate women that I naturally gravitated towards. There was a Bank Manager that I worked with that inspired me to pursue sales and develop my customer service skills. I used to watch her talk to clients and think she makes it look so easy. How can I learn from her? She was so comfortable in her skin and a very genuine person. I also worked with a Compliance Manager at a major insurance carrier that was a great advocate for me and a wealth of information. She had a long career at the company taking on multiple leadership roles. It wasn’t enough being a part of your own team but understanding how the company worked as a whole. She helped me understand how departments interact together under an organization and how to refine, organize and streamline business processes. Her favorite quote was “ the sum of us are greater than the parts” which I have always remembered.
I worked for several years with a Marketing Manager in the Sacramento area that made marketing and advertising fun. She was the most organized, creative and business-savvy person. She was also the cornerstone to the whole office and provided emotional support to many. There have also been two women attorneys at firms that have been powerhouse influencers on me.
Being able to watch, listen and learn from them when dealing with litigation and regulatory matters was a career highlight for me. I was lucky to cross paths with all these women and hope some of their brilliance rubbed off on me.
The mentor relationship with these women just naturally developed over time. It normally involved a senior leader that I befriended that was willing to share advice, support and coaching or was open to introducing me to other networks and sectors. This involved lots of meaningful conversations, active listening, remembering personal details, and providing regular feedback. It was fostering a sense of connection, trust and encouragement, leading to enhanced engagement, and professional growth.
I’ve also been asked to mentor a few new colleagues over the years under a structured mentoring program and this normally involved a time commitment of 60-90 days to help get a junior colleague acclimated to a department or adapt to company culture.
Kares: In your experience of working in the corporate world, do you see challenges navigating work/life balance as a woman?
Dawn: Yes, of course work-life balance can be challenging especially if you are responsible for caring for children or other family members. This can vary for women depending on what life stage you are in. If you are single, married or in the midst of motherhood, these can all impact your ability to create a healthy balance or prioritize career and personal development. Women often have to juggle multiple responsibilities and that’s when the need for flexible work arrangements come into play. I think hybrid work schedules are attractive to many women for this reason when dealing with life’s curveballs. Flexibility in “where or when” work takes place will continue to be on the radar for women in the workplace.
For me personally, taking care of my elderly father has become more prominent in the last year. If I’ve got the ability to go to his doctor’s appointment or be present for cataract surgery on a workday, it means so much to me personally knowing I can be there to support him.
Kares: You are in and have been in many leadership roles, what's your best piece of advice for women trying to get into positions of leadership?
Dawn: If I were giving advice to anyone just starting out on their career path in leadership or needing some encouragement, I would share the following:
Be fearless! Be flexible! Keep moving forward. Be your own advocate. Don’t’ be afraid to learn lessons, make choices and develop a unique perspective.
When I first started in the financial services industry, I worked for companies where I was the only woman within a team or department of male counterparts. I’ve always had a good sense of humor so it didn’t bother me to know they thought I would quit or cry by the end of my first week. It’s kind of funny looking back that I would go on to manage several of these employees over the years and become close friends.
I never let what they thought deter me from pursuing a promotion or management role. Gradually the compliance world evolved with more women taking on C- level roles. From my personal experience, women are resilient, proactive with solutions and there is so much to learn from their experiences.
If you can find a mentorship opportunity or peer support, it can play a vital role in your career development and advancement. There is so much to be learned from others. Everyone has a story to tell – if we take the time to listen. I know I’ve learned valuable life lessons from co-workers, Managers, CEO’s and various Presidents by listening to stories about where they came from and how they got to be where they are. They have shared countless nuggets of wisdom of which I’m truly grateful.
Some of my favorite roles and jobs weren’t the ones that I initially got hired for. The ones that I loved the most were roles that gradually morphed into other responsibilities over time due to company mergers and acquisitions.
Being flexible and open to possibilities has always opened another door in my career. The only constant in life is change.
Thank you, Dawn, for taking some time to talk to us and share your wisdom. If you want to find out more about Kinetic Investment Management, Inc., you can visit their website: https://www.kineticinvestment.com/.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Disclosure: This advice is not intended as specific financial advice for your specific situation. Please work with a financial advisor for personal advice. Kinetic Investment Management, Inc. is owned by the founder of Kinetic Kares. This article is not intended as promotion for Kinetic Investment Management, Inc.
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