GENNY HEIKKA

I have been in my current role at CBH Homes for about four and a half years, serving as both Director of Leadership Development and Director of Marketing. My journey in leadership development spans over 20 years, with about 15 years focused specifically on coaching and development work. My passion for helping women find their voice was truly birthed when I served as Communications Director for Courage Worldwide, a nonprofit that rescued girls out of sex trafficking. I worked there for about 3 years, and it was an amazing opportunity where I got to work with girls through writing exercises and other methods to help them find their voice. Out of that experience came this deep passion for working with women, and one thing led to another - I ended up starting my own coaching practice. I got certified in emotional intelligence and did a lot of leadership work, leadership workshops, and things like that over the years, primarily with women. There has been so much joy for me in helping women feel more confident, helping them find their unique voice, their strengths, and their purpose. I had my own coaching practice for a little over 5 years and was doing leadership workshops at CBH Homes when doors just opened for me to join the company full-time. While I no longer actively take one-on-one coaching clients, I still do leadership speaking as part of my current role. I also co-founded LIFT (Live Inspired, Fearless, and Thriving) about 8 or 9 years ago with a couple of other women. Since starting at CBH Homes, I passed the leadership baton to one of my co-founders, but I still speak at all the events. We created this organization here locally in the Boise area as a gathering place to help women from all walks of life, all ages, come together in a safe place to be encouraged and increase their confidence. We do one-day retreats and larger events - we did one at Boise State with about 350 women. I usually speak on topics having to do with purpose and passion. In my current role, I love having an amazing marketing team and seeing the impact they have in bringing value to people and helping them. What is so rewarding about our industry is that we are not marketing widgets - we are helping people get into homes, and to me, home is everything. Home is where it all happens. The other part of my role, leadership development, allows me to come alongside leaders and help them through inspirational sessions, tools, equipping, and resources. It is truly a dream job, and I feel so blessed and lucky to work with such an amazing team.