February 27, 2025 • 42 mins
Suzanne Yoon is a recognized private equity investment executive with over 25 years of experience investing in and advising middle market companies. Throughout her career she has led, sourced, and closed over $3B of middle market deals and advised on global restructurings totaling over $10B in asset value. Suzanne currently serves as Founder and Managing Partner of Kinzie Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm. She launched Kinzie in 2017 as part of her long-standing vision to advance the use of technology and innovation to help companies unlock value. In 2020, Kinzie was recognized by the Private Equity Women Investor Network (PEWIN) as the North American Female Founded Firm of the Year. Prior to Kinzie, Suzanne held executive positions with Versa Capital Management, CIT Group and LaSalle Bank/ABN AMRO.
As an active member of the business and civic communities and a champion for diversity initiatives, Suzanne serves on several private company and philanthropic boards including on the Board of Trustees for the National Philanthropic Trust, a $37B donor advised fund, and on the Chicago Bears’ first-ever Women’s Advisory Board. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Chicago’s John G. Shedd Aquarium, the University of Iowa Center for Advancement, The Economic Club of Chicago and the Chicago Public Library Foundation. Suzanne also serves on the Steering Committee for PEWIN and is active with the Women’s Association of Venture & Equity (WAVE). She has earned extensive professional accolades from many organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, Mergers & Acquisitions and Chicago United.
A Chicago native, Suzanne lives in the city with her husband and three children. She earned her B.A. in Economics from the University of Iowa and is an Executive Scholar of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Check out the Women Inspire Chicago Podcast and be inspired!
The Women Inspire Chicago podcast is sponsored by @Potbelly.
As an active member of the business and civic communities and a champion for diversity initiatives, Suzanne serves on several private company and philanthropic boards including on the Board of Trustees for the National Philanthropic Trust, a $37B donor advised fund, and on the Chicago Bears’ first-ever Women’s Advisory Board. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Chicago’s John G. Shedd Aquarium, the University of Iowa Center for Advancement, The Economic Club of Chicago and the Chicago Public Library Foundation. Suzanne also serves on the Steering Committee for PEWIN and is active with the Women’s Association of Venture & Equity (WAVE). She has earned extensive professional accolades from many organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, Mergers & Acquisitions and Chicago United.
A Chicago native, Suzanne lives in the city with her husband and three children. She earned her B.A. in Economics from the University of Iowa and is an Executive Scholar of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Check out the Women Inspire Chicago Podcast and be inspired!
The Women Inspire Chicago podcast is sponsored by @Potbelly.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
iHeartMedia Chicago presents the Women Inspire Chicago podcast, hosted by
Angela Ingram, iHeart Chicago's Senior vice president of Public Engagement and.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Produced by iHeart Chicago's Paulina Row.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Angela hosts inspiring conversations with some of Chicago's top women
executives as they share their personal stories of success, including
their triumphs, detours, pitfalls, and challenges. Suzanne Yune, founder and
managing partner of Kinsey Capital Partners, joined Angela for her
latest episode.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Check it out and be Inspired.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Suzann Yune, I am so excited that you have joined
us today. You are the founder and managing partner of
Kinsey Capital Partners, and so as we enter Women's History Month,
it is such a blessing to have you with us.
I mean, you, why don't you share your background with us?
Speaker 4 (00:46):
Well, I'm so honored to be here, and I think
Women's History Month is so important because it's been kind.
Speaker 5 (00:54):
Of a short history for us, right.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
So you know, maybe you know, as I go into
my background, I grew up in Chicago. My parents were
immigrants from South Korea. My father was an engineer, my
mother was a nurse, and I think he quickly realized
that he wasn't going to be able to get promoted
because he had some language barriers in the company he
(01:18):
was working with, and he ended up borrowing money really
from friends and family and bought his first business, which
was in Cicero, Illinois, and at that time it was
a very Italian neighborhood, and we moved there from Rogers
Park and I was about four years old, and that's
really where I first was exposed to being part of
(01:42):
a small business that was for and then from there
my father worked really hard. I went to work with him,
partly because out of necessity, because we didn't have an
extra babysitter around for a while. And then my grandmother
ended up coming to live with us from Korea when
I was about six, and then I didn't have to
go to work as often with my parents, but my
(02:04):
mother continued to be a nurse during that time. So
I became really self sufficient like quickly, and became my
grandmother's translator and grew up kind of running around with
my dad on the on the weekends and after school
with with the businesses that they owned. And then eventually
(02:25):
they started to expand into the west and South sides
of Chicago and and so had various businesses that you know,
he it was like the American dream. And I remember
him telling us that all the time, like how America
was like the best place ever because you could, you know,
someone like him who came from nothing, could really build
(02:48):
a life for his family, and that he expected us
to do very well in school and you know, make
you know, be be like the next generation, you know,
of our family. And unfortunately he passed away an armed
robbery when I was ten, and that really changed.
Speaker 5 (03:04):
The trajectory of kind of where we were going.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
My mother quickly sold all the businesses, the small businesses
that we had, which included some dry cleaners and a
sandwich shop and some smaller grocery stores and pay telephones,
and quickly moved us to the North Shore.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
And she wanted.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
A place where the education was good, a public school
system where testing was high, somewhat like a Tiger mom,
you know that we all hear about having a Korean mom.
And so we moved out of the city into the
North Shore. And that was actually quite a bit of
a culture shock for me, coming from really diverse kind
(03:49):
of neighborhood and background. But it was also really a great,
probably great start to the exposure I had to what
was possible in terms of career, and particularly a probably
career in finance, because I had a lot of friends
whose parents were in banking and CEOs of companies and
(04:11):
had owned businesses or had you know, kind of worked
their way up into large organizations and had exposure to finance.
And I realized that, you know, I really wanted that
type of financial security. And so that's that was the
start of my kind of journey into thinking about, you know,
(04:31):
creating some financial security for myself and for my family.
I was the oldest of four children, and you know
that it allowed me so I focused on school.
Speaker 5 (04:43):
I did well. I went to the University of Iowa.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
When I graduated, I joined a bank, aby and armoral
Le style bank here in Chicago initially, and then ended
up moving to New York for quite a bit of
time and worked for other firms along the way, and
eventually ended up in private equity, which is what I
do now, And then started Kinsey seven years ago and
moved back to Chicago, and I started Kinsey seven years ago.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Before we recorded this podcast, we had an event here
at iHeartMedia Chicago where we bring in women executives that
network with the women of iHeartMedia Chicago and have a
conversation about your your story. We all have a story.
And when I think about what you shared with us
(05:33):
earlier today, what are your defining values that you would
like to share?
Speaker 4 (05:38):
You know, I think this just goes back to my
childhood and to some extent, and the idea of the
American dream is that you know, my mother has told me,
you know, in the past, that opportunity is is not
(05:58):
I'm sorry. You know, my other has told me in
the past and has shared and I share this with
actually a lot of people that God distributes talent evenly,
but opportunity is not. And so you know, I've always
kind of taken the approach of if you don't if
you see an opportunity, you have to grab it and
(06:21):
you have to work really hard for it.
Speaker 5 (06:22):
So luck is not. Luck is not you.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
Know, you create your own luck, which means, like you
have to work really hard. So if there's something that
really defines me as a person, I do believe in,
you know, like effort given is what comes out right,
So the like you have to really you have to
want it you have to believe in it, but you
also have.
Speaker 5 (06:45):
To work hard at it.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
In the event earlier today, you mentioned work hard multiple
times that you really believe in working hard. You wanted
to make money, but your key was being able to
work hard. When you think about the next generation of
leaders working hard, do you think this at the forefront
of their mind.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
I think when people want something enough. You know, we
learned this from professional athletes. We learned this from you know,
I think from executives, from leaders generally, I don't know
if any of them would tell you that hard work
was not part of the strategy. Everyone it looks easy
(07:26):
from the outside, and I generally find that if something
looks really easy, it's probably because someone worked really hard
at it. And you know, Einstein used to say there
are like four levels of intelligence, and it was like smart, intelligent, genius,
and simple, and so the easier it looks, probably.
Speaker 5 (07:45):
The harder it actually is.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
I think that's true for and in some In some ways,
I think social media has really kind of degraded that
concept because everything's supposed to just you're supposed to wake
up looking beautiful every morning, and you're supposed to be
ripped without working out. I mean, those things don't happen
as we all know, like in the real world, Like
(08:08):
if you want to be in good shape, you actually
have to like work out. You know, you can't eat
junk food every day.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
You have to.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
And that's true for any type of profession or work
or anything you want out.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Of your life. You know, that is one of the
reasons why we created women in spar Chicago, because we
hear so many people say, oh, it doesn't take much
to get to the corner office, it doesn't take much
for this, and they don't understand the work behind it.
You know, we're survivors as women, and we're surviving because
we worked hard no matter what our field is. You
(08:42):
have a significant command in the world of finances, and
so congratulations for that. But when you think about the
financial world, what's the difference between men and women when
it comes to finances.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
I think there and it's probably somewhat cultural, but men
are expected to know and own their money, and it
is almost a little bit taboo, and we're and women
are portrayed sometimes negatively if they say they want money
and they want to have money, right, it's it's and
(09:16):
this is going back through history, it was always the
gold digger concept. Nobody nobody describes men necessarily as gold diggers, never, right,
And so I think from the from the start, like
in finance, you know, money for women has historically been
a dirty word and it's something that the men take
(09:40):
care of. Now. I think today that has changed quite
a bit, but it hasn't been that long since women
could actually own their own credit. So if you can't
own your own credit and sign for your own bank accounts,
and it's only been really since eighties since we could
do that, we weren't allowed to think about money, right
(10:01):
because that wasn't what women did. And so the narrative
has changed significantly, And so just in terms of even
the business of finance, it is it's rare to see
women at my level, you know, in the Gen X
and even more so the baby boomer generation, because we
(10:21):
weren't really supposed to know about it. I think that
narrative has changed today, and I hope it continues to change.
But I think women really have to take ownership of
their own lives and their own money and know that
that is important to have because that is where a
lot of power and influence comes from.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
When you mentioned that it hasn't been that long ago,
and you're right. My father died when I was young,
and so in the early seventies is when he passed away.
And so when my mother went to buy a home
after he had paid, it was very difficult for her
to do that because she was single. And I remember
looking at the first deed for our home and it
(11:03):
had my mom's name listed and spinster in parentheses, not widowed. Wow, Spencer,
and we're talking fifty plus years ago. It hasn't been
that long. And then you mentioned the eighties, which really haven't.
And so as women, I think sometimes when we hear
the word money and finance, we tense up. And you know,
(11:25):
we because I think when you look at men, it's
about the necessities. You know, we are looking at times
about the glitter and the glamour, and we need to
have this what do you thinkline. Paulina Row is the
new producer for Women in spar Chicago, and you can
hear her daily on The Fred Show on one on
three five Kiss FM. But we want to bring you
into the conversation as well.
Speaker 5 (11:44):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
Yeah, I definitely feel like there's always there's always shame
around money for women, and growing up in an immigrant household,
there was a lot of things that I think, like
my mom would say, right that I look at it.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
I look at it very differently now as an adult.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
A lot of times, even even when it comes to jobs,
for example, right, I believe in today's society, it's no
longer the same. So I'm gonna give an example of like,
you know, you work in a job, You literally go
to a job, you work there for whatever, thirty plus
years and or I guess sixty years or whatever it
might be, right, then you pretty much retire and that's it.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
And I think even like that looks different today.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
And I think there's so much around just money career
that is so different for women in today's society. But
I do think there's a lot of shame around it.
We're shamed for wanting money, we're shamed for spending money.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Because think about it.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
And I heard this on a podcast I want to
give credit to the podcast or that I love and
Financial Feminists. She mentioned this, right, and I thought it
was such an interesting point. When men spend money, right,
they're golfing, they're networking, they're doing this or doing that.
That's obviously money they're spending. But when nobody ever shames
a man for doing that, but when a woman does
something right, when it's oh, you know, we're gonna let's
(12:53):
just say buy this latte or whatever it might be, right,
we want to go buy this purse, whatever it might be.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Even though we're.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Deserving of these items, by the way, we very much
deserve them. No nobody bats an eye at the man,
but for the woman. I feel like we're constantly getting
shamed for that. And I think that's really interesting, and
you brought it up, but I thought it was such
a good point, because like, we're shamed for wanting money,
spending money, and sometimes earning money.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
You know, I think there is shame and it's something
that we have to fight I think in also earning money.
And I think you bring up a lot of really
good points, because as you were talking, I was like, oh, yeah,
we're all nodding our heads over here.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Yes, that sounds about right.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
But even today, people will always find it incredulous that
a woman could out earn her husband.
Speaker 5 (13:39):
That is so true or her partner so.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
True, and there are real tensions around that. I have
a lot of executive friends. You know other other women
who have you know, we we share that. I mean,
we're we're all. I'm very fortunate, you know, to have
a partner that that is not think that way would
probably is like just ecstatic.
Speaker 5 (14:04):
That I would learn more than he does.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
But but I I think in general there is a
there's a stigmatism, and part of that is just how
the way we've all been raised at thinks. Societally, there's
an expectation that, you know, men should take care of
their families and the money is made by you know,
the man, right or the majority of it. Now, I
(14:27):
do think generationally that that concept has changed because we
have boys, like my boys I have. I have three
boys who see that I work probably as hard as
their father, if not, if not more.
Speaker 5 (14:42):
And there are more demands.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
It's not because I work harder than my husband, but
I certainly there are more demands on my time that's
a great way then than on his. And I think
they recognize that and so their their mindset is shifted.
Speaker 5 (14:55):
They don't see.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
Anything different like why women can't do the same things
that you know men can do in terms of not
physically but mentally as leaders or building companies or whatever.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
That might be, and so I do think.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
That there's still a stigma, and you know, we have
to keep talking about it so people are educated about
it so that they get over it.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
And you know, dynamics in a relationship can be affected
by finances. Yes, and some men are as you mentioned,
okay with the woman making more money, and some are not.
And then there are some women that are challenged that
they are not making as much, you know as their
husband and so and you mentioned earlier in our session.
You got to choose the right person or you want
(15:42):
to make sure God chooses the right person for you.
And I am grateful and thankful that my husband has
tremendous financial leadership, but that does not happen always and
sometimes the woman has to step up to the plate
or the man has to step up to the plate.
But the key is that you're a team and you
work together, and if you working together, you don't think
about what he has versus you is one, right, it's one.
Speaker 4 (16:07):
It's one pot and I think that's the other. You know,
just if there's a learning for us to have in
today today is that if you are one, then then
everyone in the family, both parties, whether you're in a
relationship or not, or you are your own person. You
(16:29):
should really have a good handle on your own money, right,
meaning where is it invested?
Speaker 5 (16:36):
How is it invested?
Speaker 4 (16:38):
You know how important it is to save money and
you know, have a real like and I think our
society in general has this money is such a taboo
thing to discuss, right, And because it's so taboo, our
children don't learn about it early enough, are you know?
(16:58):
And and then it becomes like secretly kind of this
responsibility of the band, you know, or like someone else.
And so I mean these discussions I think have to
start earlier to know, like you're you need it to
live you like, this is what things cost? Like understanding
(17:21):
you know, the value of money is really really important.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
I think when I was growing up, I cannot say
that I had everything I wanted, but I had the
best of everything that I needed, and that was the blessings,
Like here's what we need. That's a one. But we
learned that early on, and so you carry that on
into your adulthood when you start to think about it.
I really want that, but do you need it? And
(17:47):
so as women, and you mentioned it and I'm not
a parent, but I am my aunt and you know,
you have to really push that home that it is
is important to understand your money. So when you think
about that, you know, obviously understanding your money brings influence.
What is your definition of influence?
Speaker 5 (18:06):
Wow, that's a great question.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
Actually, you know, when I think about influence in for myself,
you know, and what what I want to leave kind
of like the legacy I want to leave behind, it's
really that I left the world a better place than
where I started it.
Speaker 5 (18:23):
And how do you do that? Right?
Speaker 4 (18:26):
How do you think about not only just in terms
of you know, value or money, because we're talking a
lot about money, but really you know, what you bring
to society and you know there's that obviously everyone talks.
I've heard this from a million places, so like this
isn't new to me. But I do think a lot
(18:47):
about to those who much has been given like much
is expected. And how do you know, leave kind of
your influence and legacy? And you know, for me, that
is sharing like the good fortune that I've had, making
sure that the philanthropies and the community that i'm you
(19:09):
know that I'm serving that I continue to give back
to the communities that I'm in, which includes Chicago and
the schools I've attended who have you know, you know,
like University of Iowa who provided me scholarship to go there.
I you know, I think you always have to continue
to think about how are you going to pay it forward?
(19:31):
And that also includes all the all the professionals and
executives and leaders that have helped me kind of break
glass dealings, because I certainly didn't do that by myself.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
And if I didn't.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
Have a lot of supporters, and most of them being men,
I don't know that I would not be in the
seat I am today. So I do think about that
a lot, like I certainly didn't do it myself, and
how do you continue to kind of pay that forward?
And you know, influences an interesting thing because everyone has influence.
(20:05):
It's just a question of how do you use it right?
Speaker 5 (20:08):
Are you living? Are you leading your life.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
As an example to somebody else that in itself is
an influence?
Speaker 5 (20:16):
Are you.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
Do you recognize the situations and the people who are
around you and help them be better? Are there ways
for you, as you're creating wealth to give back to
your community when you can't do it with your own
time to make sure that there are good outcomes that
you really want to see, you know.
Speaker 5 (20:37):
Those are all things that.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
I ask myself pretty frequently, and especially when people are
close to me. And it is really easy sometimes just
to write a check and be like, I made a
donation to a scholarship fund. But what if it's someone
really close to you? Because there's someone right that can't
afford to go to school that can't might only be
(21:00):
one degree of separation or two degrees of separation, or
someone is struggling like emotionally and mentally, like how do
you help them?
Speaker 5 (21:09):
You know, if they're close to you.
Speaker 4 (21:10):
So I start with kind of my center and I
and I find that I'm the center of a lot
of my universes, right Like I run a company, so
I'm the center, really like the center of that. I
feel like I am the center of my home and
my family, and then the people who kind of work,
you know, work around me and for me. And then
(21:31):
as the oldest child, I also had to think about
my siblings and my mother and just making sure that
they are all in like good places and making sure
that if they need me, I'm still there.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Your humility amazes me, Helena. I mean when you look
at her success and particularly in a in the financial world,
correct humility. I didn't even have to ask you about
giving back, right, but I mentioned influence. Did you see
how quickly that she went to giving back. Yeah, and
(22:04):
that's why you've been blessed. That's why you're where you are,
because you believe in giving back. I always say, as
a door opens for me, I don't want to close
the one that I just came out of.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
Oh that's great, I love that. I will I will
remember that.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
I want you to bring someone else through the door.
And remembering I think about that. You talk about the
university said, I don't forget the university where because it
had it not been for them, I would not have
had an internship. I would not have been with this
company forty plus years. All of it works together for
our success. And that's the key that I want everybody
to understand. This doesn't happen overnight, and nor do you
(22:42):
happen Nor does it happen solo.
Speaker 5 (22:45):
No, it definitely does not happen.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
So we have a team. As there's a team around us,
whether it's visible or not, you know, it exists. There
is something that I heard and this is and No,
it's not a coincidence because you're on a number of boards.
But I also know is that you were on the
Chicago bears first ever women's advisory board. So last night
I'm watching the news and the Bears have a new
(23:08):
coach in Johnson. Something he said, and I thought, this
is just gonna tie rite in. I've got to ask Suzanne.
He said, being comfortable with the uncomfortable. When you hear that.
Speaker 5 (23:19):
Phrase, there is.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
Something I actually live by is that really resonates with
me because there's never change in progress without discomfort. And
a lot of times I wake up in the morning,
I have a lot of different people that report to me.
We have multiple portfolio companies, and they all of them
(23:47):
have surprises, issues, you know, that come up on a
regular basis because we're dealing with hundreds and thousands really
of employees right on a daily basis across those folio companies.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
And my rule of.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
Thumb is generally I know where my attention has to
go if something makes me uncomfortable, like if I have
issues on the table, and I usually look at what
is the what is the thing that is making me
like the one thing I least want to deal with today,
and that's the one I go head in on. And
I do think there is there is a relentlessness that
(24:28):
you really need to have. And why I love, why
I love football so much is there's a lot of
reasons why I love football. And I'm really honored to
be on the Bears Advisory Board, the Women's Advisory Board,
and not only because I've been a lot lifelong Bears fan,
(24:48):
but there's just the game of football itself like just
requires such a relentless spirit and it's the best of
the best, and you have to you have to be
like push yourself to grow. And I'm very excited about
Ben Johnson, by the way, but.
Speaker 5 (25:07):
He doesn't know that yet and he hasn't met me.
But I do think there is there.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
Like there's a book I just read called Relentless Solution
Focus by Jason Selk and he is now a world
renowned like author New York Times bestseller, but he used
to be a sport who was a head sports psychologist
for the Cardinals when they won the World Series years back.
(25:34):
And his book is called Relentless Solution Focus, and it
means like really understanding when something is not is making
you anxious, creating you know, listening to your body cues,
like really understanding when something's uncomfortable, and how you create
a solution around that, not ignoring it, you know, attacking
(25:58):
the problem like you know, head on. And I think
that is one of the things that I didn't mention, Like,
you know, I talk a lot about hard work. I
think that's also another factor of when I look at
really successful people and teams and organizations, like that's what
they get over Like mentally, every time it's like something's
(26:21):
really hard, how am I going to calm myself down,
think through it, create a solution and get out of it.
Speaker 5 (26:27):
What is the next thing I need to do?
Speaker 3 (26:31):
So you've had a very successful journey. Any bumps in
the road.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
Oh my god, so many bumps? Yeah, I you know,
I'm I've had bumps. But I think that that's that's
part of the growth. If you don't have the bumps
and you don't have the failures, And man do I do.
I make a lot of I know, we're not to
say making make mistakes. I know people don't like the
(26:55):
word mistakes, but mistakes if you want to call them
learning moments. I have a many many learning moments in
my in my life, and you know a lot of
them have been around, you know, growing as a manager,
leader and also as an investor and really being able
(27:16):
to look at the miss you know, the mistakes that
were made, learning from them and really doing everything in
your power not to make those same mistakes again. And
unfortunately sometimes it's like a couple of times before you
learn not to do it, but really kind of training
and knowing like that you have to work at it.
(27:40):
You know, things don't just happen overnight either. So you
made a mistake, Why did you make that mistake? Sometimes
it's because you didn't practice hard enough, you didn't work
hard enough, you didn't put enough time into it, and
or you overestimated your ability or underestimated someone else's ability.
So those are i would say, at the top. And
(28:02):
then my own mistakes as going from doing work to
being a manager to being a leader and a coach
and really understanding that people don't always get to the
same place that you do the same exact way, but
it's not wrong, you know, and and really giving people
(28:25):
grace and giving yourself grace to make those mistakes and
have those learning moments.
Speaker 5 (28:31):
And because we can really be hard on ourselves.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
No kidding, especially women, especially women. That is a grace factor.
As we start to wrap up, what's your future outlook
for women in leadership?
Speaker 5 (28:45):
I still don't understand how women don't run the world.
Speaker 4 (28:48):
So and I think a lot of men, by the way,
I think, I also think a lot right, Yeah, I
think actually a lot of men would agree with me
on that.
Speaker 5 (28:56):
I don't.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
You know. It's like, I have this conversation, I'm like,
I'm fascinating that women don't run the world, and I
get a.
Speaker 5 (29:02):
Lot of me too's, But.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
You know, I think it's not you know, I feel
like we take two steps forward one step back, but
it's still a step forward. So, you know, I think
the trajectory for women in leadership is really it's it's
the best that it's been. I think people are really
open to it. You have a new generation of leaders
(29:25):
coming up in you know, the Millennials and gen z
that are are have grown up in a different era,
you know, have grown up with moms who can actually
own their own homes, in their own businesses and don't
see the restrictions that I think we did or that
I did, you know, growing up, And so I'm very optimistic,
(29:48):
and I also see just incredible talent and that women
as they continue to like own their own strength and
power and have more confidence in their own abilities and
in their ability to financially control their own destinies, because
I think that is a critical factor. And understand that
you know that they have power in their own money
(30:10):
and purses, that that things will change and they'll continue
to change. But I also think that we have to
continue to fight for it. It's not a given. It's
never it's never given when you're the when you're the minority.
And not that women are minority. Women are the majority
of the population, but we are the minority in terms
(30:31):
of you know, positions of power, and so you know,
we have to continue to kind of fight for it,
work hard for it, and be graceful about it.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
What or who inspires you?
Speaker 4 (30:42):
You know, I'm I'm inspired by so many people, and
I think that just comes from you know, my starting point,
which is gratitude. You know, I'm I'm grateful for all
the people who help me along the way, and you know,
I'm inspired by my mom's journey and and and I
(31:05):
think you know, today, I know I'm a I'm a
team oriented player, so I will always play better and
harder for a team than I would for myself. So
I'm I'm really inspired by my team at Kinsey that
shows up every day and they really do give it.
(31:26):
They're all And I'm inspired by my family and everything
that they've been through and and really just the every
day I feel like I meet great One of the
best best things about my job is that I get
(31:47):
to meet leaders that have built businesses that are you know,
looking maybe to exit their businesses, but their stories and
meeting other leaders and like what they've been through. It's
never easy. It looks easy from the outside, but you know,
(32:09):
companies that have been around for fifty years, one hundred years,
it started with nothing, most of them there, It started somewhere,
and it usually started with nothing, with an idea, with
maybe some money borrowed from a friend or family or
money saved and everything you know, thrown but you know,
into it and then their lives. And so that's one
(32:33):
of the reasons I love what I do is I
just get I do get inspiration, like very regularly all
the time because the stories generally are around like grit, grit,
hard work, a vision and inspiring a team to like
follow them.
Speaker 3 (32:49):
Thank you, Susanne Paulina, you have any questions, anything to
add just one question.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
But I'm a new mom and I mentioned you have
three congratulations and oh my god, it's a lot going on.
But I'm so inspired by you to be able to
build this career right and then obviously have a family
and raise your children. So you know that good old
balance question that we all get as mom's.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
I kind of want to.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Know where you get you know your your balance or
like how do you kind of do both?
Speaker 4 (33:21):
Yeah, it's I would say, especially given the career path
I chose, which is even early in my career it
was seventy eighty.
Speaker 5 (33:31):
Hundred hour weeks.
Speaker 4 (33:33):
Yeah, oh yeah, and you know I closed a deal
like two weeks after I gave birth to my first son.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (33:40):
And I would not recommend that to anyone because there
was there was no one to tell me that you
need to rest.
Speaker 5 (33:46):
After you have a baby.
Speaker 4 (33:47):
It's not good for you, I think in some ways,
and maybe it's just like the male influence, but I
have a lot of people were treating me like I
was going on like vacation, yeah, and maturnity leave just
for all of the listeners out there, there's no vacation
in a maternity leave. It is especially with the first child,
it is like rocks your world in every way physically,
(34:08):
I mean, I mean it's worse than a major surgery.
Speaker 5 (34:12):
We can get into that like a whole nother time.
Speaker 4 (34:14):
But I do find it's fascinating that women are expected
to just get up and start going after three days
when it's like bigger than any major surgery. You just
like literally gave birth to a child, and so you
know there is a medical component to it. So anyway,
I would say it wasn't easy. I navigated it, but
(34:36):
I think what I knew, like deep down for myself
was I was gonna be a much better mother if
I was satisfied in my career. And this is me personally.
I think people have to make those choices for themselves.
And I loved what I did. I still love what
I do, and I find a lot of my identity
(35:00):
and my own pride and control of my life because
of the career that I've built and I won't and
I knew I was never going to be able to
give that up and be a good mother, and so
I structured my life, including having a lot of family
around moving back to Chicago, starting my firm here because
(35:21):
both my husband's family and my family are here.
Speaker 5 (35:23):
Your village.
Speaker 4 (35:25):
I made sure that I had a village, made sure
my kids were out of school in a community that
was really helpful, and I made sure I had a
lot of help. I invested. Again, this is the it
costs money to have good help. That is not you know,
there's no such thing as free, and so you know,
it was very important to me that I looked at
(35:48):
it that way, and I made sure that I invested
in the help I needed while I was on maternity leave.
I invested in the help I needed post maternity leave
to invest in myself and my career. Yeah, so that
I knew my children were taking care of well. And
they will tell you, yes, my mom is really busy
and you know she's not home a lot. But I
(36:11):
think if you ask them, is your mom a good mom,
they would all tell you, yes, she's the best mom.
Speaker 5 (36:17):
So I'm not around. And by the way, they don't
think they do know I have a very busy career.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
But they're also it's not above them to like come
and wake me up and be like, can you make
me food. Can you make me a sandwich? Now, I'm
still I'm still mom at home.
Speaker 5 (36:33):
I'm still a mom at home. And when they're sick,
like I'm the one.
Speaker 4 (36:37):
Who's like patting on the heads right and taking their
temperatures and calling the doctor.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
So those things don't change.
Speaker 4 (36:44):
And but I do have very good help and backup
help at home, and my husband is really really engaged
as well.
Speaker 1 (36:53):
I love that, and I love that you even said
money is a tool that you can use when it's
you know, time for those listening who want a family
right or whatever it might be, because all of those resources
are so necessary I think to have a positive experience
in motherhood.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
And that's what I've learned. That's why I waited. I
was thirty two.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
You know, I planned it, not you know, per se,
because I feel like you can't plan everything, you know,
it's God's plan. But I also was like, well, I
want to beat a certain age a certain point because
I knew that I wanted certain resources I wanted, you know,
I waited for the right partner because I knew all
of that was important, you know what I mean. Like
my village is four minutes away from the house that
we live in and I thought, I'm purpose that was
(37:35):
strategic because I was like, hey, I want Grandma to babysit,
and Grandma is a four minute drive, so Grandma will
be coming over. And it worked out the way that
I wanted to, I think, because you know, I planned
as best as I could.
Speaker 2 (37:47):
But to me, that was all so important.
Speaker 5 (37:49):
You know, yeah, I did the exact same thing. It's
really important to me.
Speaker 4 (37:53):
And I am really lucky that because I was the oldest,
I have younger siblings and none of them had kids,
and they were obsessed with myne my kids, all right,
So we had a lot of help, even outside of
the you know, the paid help that we had, and
even you know, what I will say is there are
(38:13):
some extraordinary childcare professionals, yes, out there that really love
your children. And I'm really I feel also very grateful
for that that we have had some extraordinary nannies and
my kids. I will tell you, my my kids think
it's sad when other kids don't have nannies. They can't
(38:36):
imagine their lives without their nanny.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
Yeah. I used to be nanny, a former nanny. Yeah,
so that means a lot.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
I think it's so important because like obviously you know,
mom and dad are mom and dad, but right behind them,
you know, are the super nannies, right And as a
former nanny, like, we love your children so much, you know,
and like that bond that we build with them and everything.
It's like we're not here to replace, you know, your
role at all. I think we're just the additional helping
all the additional you know, figure that is in their
(39:03):
lives that loves them and they know that, you know, and.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
It's like it's just it's great all around.
Speaker 4 (39:08):
Am I just you know, I really believe like kids
can't have enough love and and my like just my
stylistically I am.
Speaker 5 (39:17):
I am probably very sharp. I am a strict mother.
Speaker 4 (39:20):
I don't I'm not as soft, you know, I would.
I didn't have natural maternal instincts, you know, as as
a young woman and until I had my own kids,
and even then it wasn't natural for me. And so
I I don't think I will tell you without the
(39:42):
help of professionals, like I don't know that my kids
would be as.
Speaker 5 (39:46):
Well rounded and balanced as they are if it was
just me.
Speaker 4 (39:51):
And I joke that I'm like, oh they might have
had they might not have been as happy, you know,
like turnout as happy you know, with without that, because
I'm happy.
Speaker 5 (40:02):
When I'm home. You know, when I'm home, I'm.
Speaker 4 (40:06):
Just a better person because I get to do what
I love and enjoy and build my career and what
I what I identify with. So when I'm home, it's
really like quality time with them.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
It makes a difference and it becomes a part of
your value system. I was blessed my grandmother lived with us,
so we had built we had a built in babysitter.
And yesterday was her the fiftieth anniversary of her death.
And I still cry every year. And it's because I
don't think I make a move during the course of
a day that what she instilled in me that doesn't
(40:43):
come into play. Yes, my mother was there, and but
my grandmother was there every day all day. It was
a formative years while my mother was a nurse, like
you know, while she was while she was nursing. But
when I think about the value system between my grandmother,
my mother, and my sister, those are the three. Because
I mentioned my father died when I was very young.
(41:04):
But it's that it's who is there when you wake
up in the morning, when you come home from school
and doing the course of the day and you can't
put a price tag on it.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (41:14):
I had a similar experience with my grandmother, and I
think my boys have a very similar experience with their grandparents.
Speaker 5 (41:22):
On both sides. Yeah, they love them so much.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
Yeah, yeah, I say all the time, my grandmother said,
my grandmother said, And I'm sure they say, well where
was her mother? She was right there too, She was
right there too. But it's just something about a grandmother
that is just and I'll never forget her. Like I said, yesterday,
she's gone fifty years, but it seems like it was yesterday. Well, Susanne,
thank you so much for being with us today. Thank you,
(41:48):
I mean it has. I have been inspired, I've been blessed.
I'm grateful, and you're really one for the history books
generations to come will read about you.
Speaker 4 (41:57):
Well.
Speaker 5 (41:57):
I'm very inspired by both of you too. I love
your story.
Speaker 3 (42:00):
Oh, thank you. I appreciate it. So you have to
come back.
Speaker 5 (42:04):
Thank you. I'd love to once you show up.
Speaker 3 (42:07):
You're part of the iHeart family, So you have to
come back. But thank you so much for being here
with us today. I can't think of a better guest
to have for Women's History Month, I mean, yeah, I can't.
And so we're just so thankful for Susan Yun, who
is the founder and managing partner of Kinsey Capital Partners
here in Chicago.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
Thank you, thank you, Thanks for listening to the Women
Inspired Chicago podcast hosted by Angela Ingram, produced by Paulina Rowe,
presented by iHeartMedia Chicago, and sponsored by pot Belly.
Speaker 2 (42:36):
Feed your group from small to larch with pot Belly Catering.
Pot Belly, you Gotta Get It Hot.
iHeartMedia Chicago presents the Women Inspire Chicago podcast, hosted by
Angela Ingram, iHeart Chicago's Senior vice president of Public Engagement and.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Produced by iHeart Chicago's Paulina Row.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Angela hosts inspiring conversations with some of Chicago's top women
executives as they share their personal stories of success, including
their triumphs, detours, pitfalls, and challenges. Suzanne Yune, founder and
managing partner of Kinsey Capital Partners, joined Angela for her
latest episode.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Check it out and be Inspired.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Suzann Yune, I am so excited that you have joined
us today. You are the founder and managing partner of
Kinsey Capital Partners, and so as we enter Women's History Month,
it is such a blessing to have you with us.
I mean, you, why don't you share your background with us?
Speaker 4 (00:46):
Well, I'm so honored to be here, and I think
Women's History Month is so important because it's been kind.
Speaker 5 (00:54):
Of a short history for us, right.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
So you know, maybe you know, as I go into
my background, I grew up in Chicago. My parents were
immigrants from South Korea. My father was an engineer, my
mother was a nurse, and I think he quickly realized
that he wasn't going to be able to get promoted
because he had some language barriers in the company he
(01:18):
was working with, and he ended up borrowing money really
from friends and family and bought his first business, which
was in Cicero, Illinois, and at that time it was
a very Italian neighborhood, and we moved there from Rogers
Park and I was about four years old, and that's
really where I first was exposed to being part of
(01:42):
a small business that was for and then from there
my father worked really hard. I went to work with him,
partly because out of necessity, because we didn't have an
extra babysitter around for a while. And then my grandmother
ended up coming to live with us from Korea when
I was about six, and then I didn't have to
go to work as often with my parents, but my
(02:04):
mother continued to be a nurse during that time. So
I became really self sufficient like quickly, and became my
grandmother's translator and grew up kind of running around with
my dad on the on the weekends and after school
with with the businesses that they owned. And then eventually
(02:25):
they started to expand into the west and South sides
of Chicago and and so had various businesses that you know,
he it was like the American dream. And I remember
him telling us that all the time, like how America
was like the best place ever because you could, you know,
someone like him who came from nothing, could really build
(02:48):
a life for his family, and that he expected us
to do very well in school and you know, make
you know, be be like the next generation, you know,
of our family. And unfortunately he passed away an armed
robbery when I was ten, and that really changed.
Speaker 5 (03:04):
The trajectory of kind of where we were going.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
My mother quickly sold all the businesses, the small businesses
that we had, which included some dry cleaners and a
sandwich shop and some smaller grocery stores and pay telephones,
and quickly moved us to the North Shore.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
And she wanted.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
A place where the education was good, a public school
system where testing was high, somewhat like a Tiger mom,
you know that we all hear about having a Korean mom.
And so we moved out of the city into the
North Shore. And that was actually quite a bit of
a culture shock for me, coming from really diverse kind
(03:49):
of neighborhood and background. But it was also really a great,
probably great start to the exposure I had to what
was possible in terms of career, and particularly a probably
career in finance, because I had a lot of friends
whose parents were in banking and CEOs of companies and
(04:11):
had owned businesses or had you know, kind of worked
their way up into large organizations and had exposure to finance.
And I realized that, you know, I really wanted that
type of financial security. And so that's that was the
start of my kind of journey into thinking about, you know,
(04:31):
creating some financial security for myself and for my family.
I was the oldest of four children, and you know
that it allowed me so I focused on school.
Speaker 5 (04:43):
I did well. I went to the University of Iowa.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
When I graduated, I joined a bank, aby and armoral
Le style bank here in Chicago initially, and then ended
up moving to New York for quite a bit of
time and worked for other firms along the way, and
eventually ended up in private equity, which is what I
do now, And then started Kinsey seven years ago and
moved back to Chicago, and I started Kinsey seven years ago.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Before we recorded this podcast, we had an event here
at iHeartMedia Chicago where we bring in women executives that
network with the women of iHeartMedia Chicago and have a
conversation about your your story. We all have a story.
And when I think about what you shared with us
(05:33):
earlier today, what are your defining values that you would
like to share?
Speaker 4 (05:38):
You know, I think this just goes back to my
childhood and to some extent, and the idea of the
American dream is that you know, my mother has told me,
you know, in the past, that opportunity is is not
(05:58):
I'm sorry. You know, my other has told me in
the past and has shared and I share this with
actually a lot of people that God distributes talent evenly,
but opportunity is not. And so you know, I've always
kind of taken the approach of if you don't if
you see an opportunity, you have to grab it and
(06:21):
you have to work really hard for it.
Speaker 5 (06:22):
So luck is not. Luck is not you.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
Know, you create your own luck, which means, like you
have to work really hard. So if there's something that
really defines me as a person, I do believe in,
you know, like effort given is what comes out right,
So the like you have to really you have to
want it you have to believe in it, but you
also have.
Speaker 5 (06:45):
To work hard at it.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
In the event earlier today, you mentioned work hard multiple
times that you really believe in working hard. You wanted
to make money, but your key was being able to
work hard. When you think about the next generation of
leaders working hard, do you think this at the forefront
of their mind.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
I think when people want something enough. You know, we
learned this from professional athletes. We learned this from you know,
I think from executives, from leaders generally, I don't know
if any of them would tell you that hard work
was not part of the strategy. Everyone it looks easy
(07:26):
from the outside, and I generally find that if something
looks really easy, it's probably because someone worked really hard
at it. And you know, Einstein used to say there
are like four levels of intelligence, and it was like smart, intelligent, genius,
and simple, and so the easier it looks, probably.
Speaker 5 (07:45):
The harder it actually is.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
I think that's true for and in some In some ways,
I think social media has really kind of degraded that
concept because everything's supposed to just you're supposed to wake
up looking beautiful every morning, and you're supposed to be
ripped without working out. I mean, those things don't happen
as we all know, like in the real world, Like
(08:08):
if you want to be in good shape, you actually
have to like work out. You know, you can't eat
junk food every day.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
You have to.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
And that's true for any type of profession or work
or anything you want out.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Of your life. You know, that is one of the
reasons why we created women in spar Chicago, because we
hear so many people say, oh, it doesn't take much
to get to the corner office, it doesn't take much
for this, and they don't understand the work behind it.
You know, we're survivors as women, and we're surviving because
we worked hard no matter what our field is. You
(08:42):
have a significant command in the world of finances, and
so congratulations for that. But when you think about the
financial world, what's the difference between men and women when
it comes to finances.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
I think there and it's probably somewhat cultural, but men
are expected to know and own their money, and it
is almost a little bit taboo, and we're and women
are portrayed sometimes negatively if they say they want money
and they want to have money, right, it's it's and
(09:16):
this is going back through history, it was always the
gold digger concept. Nobody nobody describes men necessarily as gold diggers, never, right,
And so I think from the from the start, like
in finance, you know, money for women has historically been
a dirty word and it's something that the men take
(09:40):
care of. Now. I think today that has changed quite
a bit, but it hasn't been that long since women
could actually own their own credit. So if you can't
own your own credit and sign for your own bank accounts,
and it's only been really since eighties since we could
do that, we weren't allowed to think about money, right
(10:01):
because that wasn't what women did. And so the narrative
has changed significantly, And so just in terms of even
the business of finance, it is it's rare to see
women at my level, you know, in the Gen X
and even more so the baby boomer generation, because we
(10:21):
weren't really supposed to know about it. I think that
narrative has changed today, and I hope it continues to change.
But I think women really have to take ownership of
their own lives and their own money and know that
that is important to have because that is where a
lot of power and influence comes from.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
When you mentioned that it hasn't been that long ago,
and you're right. My father died when I was young,
and so in the early seventies is when he passed away.
And so when my mother went to buy a home
after he had paid, it was very difficult for her
to do that because she was single. And I remember
looking at the first deed for our home and it
(11:03):
had my mom's name listed and spinster in parentheses, not widowed. Wow, Spencer,
and we're talking fifty plus years ago. It hasn't been
that long. And then you mentioned the eighties, which really haven't.
And so as women, I think sometimes when we hear
the word money and finance, we tense up. And you know,
(11:25):
we because I think when you look at men, it's
about the necessities. You know, we are looking at times
about the glitter and the glamour, and we need to
have this what do you thinkline. Paulina Row is the
new producer for Women in spar Chicago, and you can
hear her daily on The Fred Show on one on
three five Kiss FM. But we want to bring you
into the conversation as well.
Speaker 5 (11:44):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
Yeah, I definitely feel like there's always there's always shame
around money for women, and growing up in an immigrant household,
there was a lot of things that I think, like
my mom would say, right that I look at it.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
I look at it very differently now as an adult.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
A lot of times, even even when it comes to jobs,
for example, right, I believe in today's society, it's no
longer the same. So I'm gonna give an example of like,
you know, you work in a job, You literally go
to a job, you work there for whatever, thirty plus
years and or I guess sixty years or whatever it
might be, right, then you pretty much retire and that's it.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
And I think even like that looks different today.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
And I think there's so much around just money career
that is so different for women in today's society. But
I do think there's a lot of shame around it.
We're shamed for wanting money, we're shamed for spending money.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Because think about it.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
And I heard this on a podcast I want to
give credit to the podcast or that I love and
Financial Feminists. She mentioned this, right, and I thought it
was such an interesting point. When men spend money, right,
they're golfing, they're networking, they're doing this or doing that.
That's obviously money they're spending. But when nobody ever shames
a man for doing that, but when a woman does
something right, when it's oh, you know, we're gonna let's
(12:53):
just say buy this latte or whatever it might be, right,
we want to go buy this purse, whatever it might be.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Even though we're.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Deserving of these items, by the way, we very much
deserve them. No nobody bats an eye at the man,
but for the woman. I feel like we're constantly getting
shamed for that. And I think that's really interesting, and
you brought it up, but I thought it was such
a good point, because like, we're shamed for wanting money,
spending money, and sometimes earning money.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
You know, I think there is shame and it's something
that we have to fight I think in also earning money.
And I think you bring up a lot of really
good points, because as you were talking, I was like, oh, yeah,
we're all nodding our heads over here.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Yes, that sounds about right.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
But even today, people will always find it incredulous that
a woman could out earn her husband.
Speaker 5 (13:39):
That is so true or her partner so.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
True, and there are real tensions around that. I have
a lot of executive friends. You know other other women
who have you know, we we share that. I mean,
we're we're all. I'm very fortunate, you know, to have
a partner that that is not think that way would
probably is like just ecstatic.
Speaker 5 (14:04):
That I would learn more than he does.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
But but I I think in general there is a
there's a stigmatism, and part of that is just how
the way we've all been raised at thinks. Societally, there's
an expectation that, you know, men should take care of
their families and the money is made by you know,
the man, right or the majority of it. Now, I
(14:27):
do think generationally that that concept has changed because we
have boys, like my boys I have. I have three
boys who see that I work probably as hard as
their father, if not, if not more.
Speaker 5 (14:42):
And there are more demands.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
It's not because I work harder than my husband, but
I certainly there are more demands on my time that's
a great way then than on his. And I think
they recognize that and so their their mindset is shifted.
Speaker 5 (14:55):
They don't see.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
Anything different like why women can't do the same things
that you know men can do in terms of not
physically but mentally as leaders or building companies or whatever.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
That might be, and so I do think.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
That there's still a stigma, and you know, we have
to keep talking about it so people are educated about
it so that they get over it.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
And you know, dynamics in a relationship can be affected
by finances. Yes, and some men are as you mentioned,
okay with the woman making more money, and some are not.
And then there are some women that are challenged that
they are not making as much, you know as their
husband and so and you mentioned earlier in our session.
You got to choose the right person or you want
(15:42):
to make sure God chooses the right person for you.
And I am grateful and thankful that my husband has
tremendous financial leadership, but that does not happen always and
sometimes the woman has to step up to the plate
or the man has to step up to the plate.
But the key is that you're a team and you
work together, and if you working together, you don't think
about what he has versus you is one, right, it's one.
Speaker 4 (16:07):
It's one pot and I think that's the other. You know,
just if there's a learning for us to have in
today today is that if you are one, then then
everyone in the family, both parties, whether you're in a
relationship or not, or you are your own person. You
(16:29):
should really have a good handle on your own money, right,
meaning where is it invested?
Speaker 5 (16:36):
How is it invested?
Speaker 4 (16:38):
You know how important it is to save money and
you know, have a real like and I think our
society in general has this money is such a taboo
thing to discuss, right, And because it's so taboo, our
children don't learn about it early enough, are you know?
(16:58):
And and then it becomes like secretly kind of this
responsibility of the band, you know, or like someone else.
And so I mean these discussions I think have to
start earlier to know, like you're you need it to
live you like, this is what things cost? Like understanding
(17:21):
you know, the value of money is really really important.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
I think when I was growing up, I cannot say
that I had everything I wanted, but I had the
best of everything that I needed, and that was the blessings,
Like here's what we need. That's a one. But we
learned that early on, and so you carry that on
into your adulthood when you start to think about it.
I really want that, but do you need it? And
(17:47):
so as women, and you mentioned it and I'm not
a parent, but I am my aunt and you know,
you have to really push that home that it is
is important to understand your money. So when you think
about that, you know, obviously understanding your money brings influence.
What is your definition of influence?
Speaker 5 (18:06):
Wow, that's a great question.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
Actually, you know, when I think about influence in for myself,
you know, and what what I want to leave kind
of like the legacy I want to leave behind, it's
really that I left the world a better place than
where I started it.
Speaker 5 (18:23):
And how do you do that? Right?
Speaker 4 (18:26):
How do you think about not only just in terms
of you know, value or money, because we're talking a
lot about money, but really you know, what you bring
to society and you know there's that obviously everyone talks.
I've heard this from a million places, so like this
isn't new to me. But I do think a lot
(18:47):
about to those who much has been given like much
is expected. And how do you know, leave kind of
your influence and legacy? And you know, for me, that
is sharing like the good fortune that I've had, making
sure that the philanthropies and the community that i'm you
(19:09):
know that I'm serving that I continue to give back
to the communities that I'm in, which includes Chicago and
the schools I've attended who have you know, you know,
like University of Iowa who provided me scholarship to go there.
I you know, I think you always have to continue
to think about how are you going to pay it forward?
(19:31):
And that also includes all the all the professionals and
executives and leaders that have helped me kind of break
glass dealings, because I certainly didn't do that by myself.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
And if I didn't.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
Have a lot of supporters, and most of them being men,
I don't know that I would not be in the
seat I am today. So I do think about that
a lot, like I certainly didn't do it myself, and
how do you continue to kind of pay that forward?
And you know, influences an interesting thing because everyone has influence.
(20:05):
It's just a question of how do you use it right?
Speaker 5 (20:08):
Are you living? Are you leading your life.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
As an example to somebody else that in itself is
an influence?
Speaker 5 (20:16):
Are you.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
Do you recognize the situations and the people who are
around you and help them be better? Are there ways
for you, as you're creating wealth to give back to
your community when you can't do it with your own
time to make sure that there are good outcomes that
you really want to see, you know.
Speaker 5 (20:37):
Those are all things that.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
I ask myself pretty frequently, and especially when people are
close to me. And it is really easy sometimes just
to write a check and be like, I made a
donation to a scholarship fund. But what if it's someone
really close to you? Because there's someone right that can't
afford to go to school that can't might only be
(21:00):
one degree of separation or two degrees of separation, or
someone is struggling like emotionally and mentally, like how do
you help them?
Speaker 5 (21:09):
You know, if they're close to you.
Speaker 4 (21:10):
So I start with kind of my center and I
and I find that I'm the center of a lot
of my universes, right Like I run a company, so
I'm the center, really like the center of that. I
feel like I am the center of my home and
my family, and then the people who kind of work,
you know, work around me and for me. And then
(21:31):
as the oldest child, I also had to think about
my siblings and my mother and just making sure that
they are all in like good places and making sure
that if they need me, I'm still there.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Your humility amazes me, Helena. I mean when you look
at her success and particularly in a in the financial world,
correct humility. I didn't even have to ask you about
giving back, right, but I mentioned influence. Did you see
how quickly that she went to giving back. Yeah, and
(22:04):
that's why you've been blessed. That's why you're where you are,
because you believe in giving back. I always say, as
a door opens for me, I don't want to close
the one that I just came out of.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
Oh that's great, I love that. I will I will
remember that.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
I want you to bring someone else through the door.
And remembering I think about that. You talk about the
university said, I don't forget the university where because it
had it not been for them, I would not have
had an internship. I would not have been with this
company forty plus years. All of it works together for
our success. And that's the key that I want everybody
to understand. This doesn't happen overnight, and nor do you
(22:42):
happen Nor does it happen solo.
Speaker 5 (22:45):
No, it definitely does not happen.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
So we have a team. As there's a team around us,
whether it's visible or not, you know, it exists. There
is something that I heard and this is and No,
it's not a coincidence because you're on a number of boards.
But I also know is that you were on the
Chicago bears first ever women's advisory board. So last night
I'm watching the news and the Bears have a new
(23:08):
coach in Johnson. Something he said, and I thought, this
is just gonna tie rite in. I've got to ask Suzanne.
He said, being comfortable with the uncomfortable. When you hear that.
Speaker 5 (23:19):
Phrase, there is.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
Something I actually live by is that really resonates with
me because there's never change in progress without discomfort. And
a lot of times I wake up in the morning,
I have a lot of different people that report to me.
We have multiple portfolio companies, and they all of them
(23:47):
have surprises, issues, you know, that come up on a
regular basis because we're dealing with hundreds and thousands really
of employees right on a daily basis across those folio companies.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
And my rule of.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
Thumb is generally I know where my attention has to
go if something makes me uncomfortable, like if I have
issues on the table, and I usually look at what
is the what is the thing that is making me
like the one thing I least want to deal with today,
and that's the one I go head in on. And
I do think there is there is a relentlessness that
(24:28):
you really need to have. And why I love, why
I love football so much is there's a lot of
reasons why I love football. And I'm really honored to
be on the Bears Advisory Board, the Women's Advisory Board,
and not only because I've been a lot lifelong Bears fan,
(24:48):
but there's just the game of football itself like just
requires such a relentless spirit and it's the best of
the best, and you have to you have to be
like push yourself to grow. And I'm very excited about
Ben Johnson, by the way, but.
Speaker 5 (25:07):
He doesn't know that yet and he hasn't met me.
But I do think there is there.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
Like there's a book I just read called Relentless Solution
Focus by Jason Selk and he is now a world
renowned like author New York Times bestseller, but he used
to be a sport who was a head sports psychologist
for the Cardinals when they won the World Series years back.
(25:34):
And his book is called Relentless Solution Focus, and it
means like really understanding when something is not is making
you anxious, creating you know, listening to your body cues,
like really understanding when something's uncomfortable, and how you create
a solution around that, not ignoring it, you know, attacking
(25:58):
the problem like you know, head on. And I think
that is one of the things that I didn't mention, Like,
you know, I talk a lot about hard work. I
think that's also another factor of when I look at
really successful people and teams and organizations, like that's what
they get over Like mentally, every time it's like something's
(26:21):
really hard, how am I going to calm myself down,
think through it, create a solution and get out of it.
Speaker 5 (26:27):
What is the next thing I need to do?
Speaker 3 (26:31):
So you've had a very successful journey. Any bumps in
the road.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
Oh my god, so many bumps? Yeah, I you know,
I'm I've had bumps. But I think that that's that's
part of the growth. If you don't have the bumps
and you don't have the failures, And man do I do.
I make a lot of I know, we're not to
say making make mistakes. I know people don't like the
(26:55):
word mistakes, but mistakes if you want to call them
learning moments. I have a many many learning moments in
my in my life, and you know a lot of
them have been around, you know, growing as a manager,
leader and also as an investor and really being able
(27:16):
to look at the miss you know, the mistakes that
were made, learning from them and really doing everything in
your power not to make those same mistakes again. And
unfortunately sometimes it's like a couple of times before you
learn not to do it, but really kind of training
and knowing like that you have to work at it.
(27:40):
You know, things don't just happen overnight either. So you
made a mistake, Why did you make that mistake? Sometimes
it's because you didn't practice hard enough, you didn't work
hard enough, you didn't put enough time into it, and
or you overestimated your ability or underestimated someone else's ability.
So those are i would say, at the top. And
(28:02):
then my own mistakes as going from doing work to
being a manager to being a leader and a coach
and really understanding that people don't always get to the
same place that you do the same exact way, but
it's not wrong, you know, and and really giving people
(28:25):
grace and giving yourself grace to make those mistakes and
have those learning moments.
Speaker 5 (28:31):
And because we can really be hard on ourselves.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
No kidding, especially women, especially women. That is a grace factor.
As we start to wrap up, what's your future outlook
for women in leadership?
Speaker 5 (28:45):
I still don't understand how women don't run the world.
Speaker 4 (28:48):
So and I think a lot of men, by the way,
I think, I also think a lot right, Yeah, I
think actually a lot of men would agree with me
on that.
Speaker 5 (28:56):
I don't.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
You know. It's like, I have this conversation, I'm like,
I'm fascinating that women don't run the world, and I
get a.
Speaker 5 (29:02):
Lot of me too's, But.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
You know, I think it's not you know, I feel
like we take two steps forward one step back, but
it's still a step forward. So, you know, I think
the trajectory for women in leadership is really it's it's
the best that it's been. I think people are really
open to it. You have a new generation of leaders
(29:25):
coming up in you know, the Millennials and gen z
that are are have grown up in a different era,
you know, have grown up with moms who can actually
own their own homes, in their own businesses and don't
see the restrictions that I think we did or that
I did, you know, growing up, And so I'm very optimistic,
(29:48):
and I also see just incredible talent and that women
as they continue to like own their own strength and
power and have more confidence in their own abilities and
in their ability to financially control their own destinies, because
I think that is a critical factor. And understand that
you know that they have power in their own money
(30:10):
and purses, that that things will change and they'll continue
to change. But I also think that we have to
continue to fight for it. It's not a given. It's
never it's never given when you're the when you're the minority.
And not that women are minority. Women are the majority
of the population, but we are the minority in terms
(30:31):
of you know, positions of power, and so you know,
we have to continue to kind of fight for it,
work hard for it, and be graceful about it.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
What or who inspires you?
Speaker 4 (30:42):
You know, I'm I'm inspired by so many people, and
I think that just comes from you know, my starting point,
which is gratitude. You know, I'm I'm grateful for all
the people who help me along the way, and you know,
I'm inspired by my mom's journey and and and I
(31:05):
think you know, today, I know I'm a I'm a
team oriented player, so I will always play better and
harder for a team than I would for myself. So
I'm I'm really inspired by my team at Kinsey that
shows up every day and they really do give it.
(31:26):
They're all And I'm inspired by my family and everything
that they've been through and and really just the every
day I feel like I meet great One of the
best best things about my job is that I get
(31:47):
to meet leaders that have built businesses that are you know,
looking maybe to exit their businesses, but their stories and
meeting other leaders and like what they've been through. It's
never easy. It looks easy from the outside, but you know,
(32:09):
companies that have been around for fifty years, one hundred years,
it started with nothing, most of them there, It started somewhere,
and it usually started with nothing, with an idea, with
maybe some money borrowed from a friend or family or
money saved and everything you know, thrown but you know,
into it and then their lives. And so that's one
(32:33):
of the reasons I love what I do is I
just get I do get inspiration, like very regularly all
the time because the stories generally are around like grit, grit,
hard work, a vision and inspiring a team to like
follow them.
Speaker 3 (32:49):
Thank you, Susanne Paulina, you have any questions, anything to
add just one question.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
But I'm a new mom and I mentioned you have
three congratulations and oh my god, it's a lot going on.
But I'm so inspired by you to be able to
build this career right and then obviously have a family
and raise your children. So you know that good old
balance question that we all get as mom's.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
I kind of want to.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Know where you get you know your your balance or
like how do you kind of do both?
Speaker 4 (33:21):
Yeah, it's I would say, especially given the career path
I chose, which is even early in my career it
was seventy eighty.
Speaker 5 (33:31):
Hundred hour weeks.
Speaker 4 (33:33):
Yeah, oh yeah, and you know I closed a deal
like two weeks after I gave birth to my first son.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (33:40):
And I would not recommend that to anyone because there
was there was no one to tell me that you
need to rest.
Speaker 5 (33:46):
After you have a baby.
Speaker 4 (33:47):
It's not good for you, I think in some ways,
and maybe it's just like the male influence, but I
have a lot of people were treating me like I
was going on like vacation, yeah, and maturnity leave just
for all of the listeners out there, there's no vacation
in a maternity leave. It is especially with the first child,
it is like rocks your world in every way physically,
(34:08):
I mean, I mean it's worse than a major surgery.
Speaker 5 (34:12):
We can get into that like a whole nother time.
Speaker 4 (34:14):
But I do find it's fascinating that women are expected
to just get up and start going after three days
when it's like bigger than any major surgery. You just
like literally gave birth to a child, and so you
know there is a medical component to it. So anyway,
I would say it wasn't easy. I navigated it, but
(34:36):
I think what I knew, like deep down for myself
was I was gonna be a much better mother if
I was satisfied in my career. And this is me personally.
I think people have to make those choices for themselves.
And I loved what I did. I still love what
I do, and I find a lot of my identity
(35:00):
and my own pride and control of my life because
of the career that I've built and I won't and
I knew I was never going to be able to
give that up and be a good mother, and so
I structured my life, including having a lot of family
around moving back to Chicago, starting my firm here because
(35:21):
both my husband's family and my family are here.
Speaker 5 (35:23):
Your village.
Speaker 4 (35:25):
I made sure that I had a village, made sure
my kids were out of school in a community that
was really helpful, and I made sure I had a
lot of help. I invested. Again, this is the it
costs money to have good help. That is not you know,
there's no such thing as free, and so you know,
it was very important to me that I looked at
(35:48):
it that way, and I made sure that I invested
in the help I needed while I was on maternity leave.
I invested in the help I needed post maternity leave
to invest in myself and my career. Yeah, so that
I knew my children were taking care of well. And
they will tell you, yes, my mom is really busy
and you know she's not home a lot. But I
(36:11):
think if you ask them, is your mom a good mom,
they would all tell you, yes, she's the best mom.
Speaker 5 (36:17):
So I'm not around. And by the way, they don't
think they do know I have a very busy career.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
But they're also it's not above them to like come
and wake me up and be like, can you make
me food. Can you make me a sandwich? Now, I'm
still I'm still mom at home.
Speaker 5 (36:33):
I'm still a mom at home. And when they're sick,
like I'm the one.
Speaker 4 (36:37):
Who's like patting on the heads right and taking their
temperatures and calling the doctor.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
So those things don't change.
Speaker 4 (36:44):
And but I do have very good help and backup
help at home, and my husband is really really engaged
as well.
Speaker 1 (36:53):
I love that, and I love that you even said
money is a tool that you can use when it's
you know, time for those listening who want a family
right or whatever it might be, because all of those resources
are so necessary I think to have a positive experience
in motherhood.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
And that's what I've learned. That's why I waited. I
was thirty two.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
You know, I planned it, not you know, per se,
because I feel like you can't plan everything, you know,
it's God's plan. But I also was like, well, I
want to beat a certain age a certain point because
I knew that I wanted certain resources I wanted, you know,
I waited for the right partner because I knew all
of that was important, you know what I mean. Like
my village is four minutes away from the house that
we live in and I thought, I'm purpose that was
(37:35):
strategic because I was like, hey, I want Grandma to babysit,
and Grandma is a four minute drive, so Grandma will
be coming over. And it worked out the way that
I wanted to, I think, because you know, I planned
as best as I could.
Speaker 2 (37:47):
But to me, that was all so important.
Speaker 5 (37:49):
You know, yeah, I did the exact same thing. It's
really important to me.
Speaker 4 (37:53):
And I am really lucky that because I was the oldest,
I have younger siblings and none of them had kids,
and they were obsessed with myne my kids, all right,
So we had a lot of help, even outside of
the you know, the paid help that we had, and
even you know, what I will say is there are
(38:13):
some extraordinary childcare professionals, yes, out there that really love
your children. And I'm really I feel also very grateful
for that that we have had some extraordinary nannies and
my kids. I will tell you, my my kids think
it's sad when other kids don't have nannies. They can't
(38:36):
imagine their lives without their nanny.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
Yeah. I used to be nanny, a former nanny. Yeah,
so that means a lot.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
I think it's so important because like obviously you know,
mom and dad are mom and dad, but right behind them,
you know, are the super nannies, right And as a
former nanny, like, we love your children so much, you know,
and like that bond that we build with them and everything.
It's like we're not here to replace, you know, your
role at all. I think we're just the additional helping
all the additional you know, figure that is in their
(39:03):
lives that loves them and they know that, you know, and.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
It's like it's just it's great all around.
Speaker 4 (39:08):
Am I just you know, I really believe like kids
can't have enough love and and my like just my
stylistically I am.
Speaker 5 (39:17):
I am probably very sharp. I am a strict mother.
Speaker 4 (39:20):
I don't I'm not as soft, you know, I would.
I didn't have natural maternal instincts, you know, as as
a young woman and until I had my own kids,
and even then it wasn't natural for me. And so
I I don't think I will tell you without the
(39:42):
help of professionals, like I don't know that my kids
would be as.
Speaker 5 (39:46):
Well rounded and balanced as they are if it was
just me.
Speaker 4 (39:51):
And I joke that I'm like, oh they might have
had they might not have been as happy, you know,
like turnout as happy you know, with without that, because
I'm happy.
Speaker 5 (40:02):
When I'm home. You know, when I'm home, I'm.
Speaker 4 (40:06):
Just a better person because I get to do what
I love and enjoy and build my career and what
I what I identify with. So when I'm home, it's
really like quality time with them.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
It makes a difference and it becomes a part of
your value system. I was blessed my grandmother lived with us,
so we had built we had a built in babysitter.
And yesterday was her the fiftieth anniversary of her death.
And I still cry every year. And it's because I
don't think I make a move during the course of
a day that what she instilled in me that doesn't
(40:43):
come into play. Yes, my mother was there, and but
my grandmother was there every day all day. It was
a formative years while my mother was a nurse, like
you know, while she was while she was nursing. But
when I think about the value system between my grandmother,
my mother, and my sister, those are the three. Because
I mentioned my father died when I was very young.
(41:04):
But it's that it's who is there when you wake
up in the morning, when you come home from school
and doing the course of the day and you can't
put a price tag on it.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (41:14):
I had a similar experience with my grandmother, and I
think my boys have a very similar experience with their grandparents.
Speaker 5 (41:22):
On both sides. Yeah, they love them so much.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
Yeah, yeah, I say all the time, my grandmother said,
my grandmother said, And I'm sure they say, well where
was her mother? She was right there too, She was
right there too. But it's just something about a grandmother
that is just and I'll never forget her. Like I said, yesterday,
she's gone fifty years, but it seems like it was yesterday. Well, Susanne,
thank you so much for being with us today. Thank you,
(41:48):
I mean it has. I have been inspired, I've been blessed.
I'm grateful, and you're really one for the history books
generations to come will read about you.
Speaker 4 (41:57):
Well.
Speaker 5 (41:57):
I'm very inspired by both of you too. I love
your story.
Speaker 3 (42:00):
Oh, thank you. I appreciate it. So you have to
come back.
Speaker 5 (42:04):
Thank you. I'd love to once you show up.
Speaker 3 (42:07):
You're part of the iHeart family, So you have to
come back. But thank you so much for being here
with us today. I can't think of a better guest
to have for Women's History Month, I mean, yeah, I can't.
And so we're just so thankful for Susan Yun, who
is the founder and managing partner of Kinsey Capital Partners
here in Chicago.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
Thank you, thank you, Thanks for listening to the Women
Inspired Chicago podcast hosted by Angela Ingram, produced by Paulina Rowe,
presented by iHeartMedia Chicago, and sponsored by pot Belly.
Speaker 2 (42:36):
Feed your group from small to larch with pot Belly Catering.
Pot Belly, you Gotta Get It Hot.
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