A bank executive says women in mortgage wear burnout like a badge, and it needs to stop
Exhaustion is not proof of commitment, and women in Canada's mortgage industry need to stop treating it as such, according to Janne Farias, chief internal auditor at Wealth One Bank of Canada.
Farias made the case on September 24, at the Women in Mortgage Summit Canada in Toronto, when the summit's leadership panel on burnout and boundaries was asked which habit women should let go of.
"I'd say is the fact if you are tired all the time doesn't mean that you're committed," Farias said.
"So we need to stop saying that, you know, if being exhausted or tired is a proof of commitment. So if you're always the person that people rely on, either your team or your management team, it doesn't mean that you're the most committed person in the room."
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When capacity becomes the plan
"Build a system around you that is resilient, that you can actually delegate, that you can rely on other people," Farias said.
"Otherwise it becomes too much on us. And as women, we tend to do that. We always put our hands up for everything."
"Your team needs you at 100%. They don't need you at 100% access," she said. "How many times I've been in a meeting where I was there, but I was so exhausted."
Statistics Canada's 2022 Time Use Survey found women aged 15 and older spent an average of 3.7 hours a day on unpaid work, versus 2.6 hours for men.
At last year's summit keynote on mortgage burnout, Dr. Samra Zafar told attendees, "So don't wait for burnout before taking care of your mental health."
Leadership, learning, connection, and a lot of honest conversation. That's been the theme of the morning at the #WomenInMortgageCA Summit.
— Canadian Mortgage Professional Magazine (@CMPmagazine) September 24, 2026
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Full Agenda: https://t.co/b04QQ6f7Bl pic.twitter.com/1zAyMENoxP
Why balance isn't perfection for mortgage leaders
Sofia Hondrogiannis, associate vice-president of national distribution, broker services, at TD Bank, and one of Canadian Mortgage Professional's Top 50 Women of Influence for 2026, offered a related lesson.
"I think I've learned that balance does not mean you have to be perfect at everything. Balance just means balance," she said.
"It's like, listen, it's not super all the time, and that's how it's gonna be, and you have to be okay with that."
Elena Robinson, vice-president of residential sales at First National Financial LP, described a similar shift.
"When I started, I worked damn hard, and I fixed things, and I was dependable. But now it's shifted," she said.
"I think that just letting go that you don't have to be that person anymore that does everything."
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Moderator Leanne Conroy, regional director of sales at MCAN Home Mortgage Corporation, said that with "less mothering to do," she finds herself "taking on more because I have that time."
Farias, whose children are also older, said her husband now asks whether she is sure about volunteering for "one more thing."
"But then I said no yesterday," she said, "so which is a good thing."
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