Being authentic is where your power sits and rises – Julie Tran
Power, Legacy, and the Next Generation: My Conversation with Julie Tran
Julie Tran, Founder and CEO of The West Mortgage Group
This is Julie’s WHY.
I sat down with Julie Tran, Founder and CEO of The West Mortgage Group, to talk about her “why” behind supporting the BeaYOUtiful Foundation, and what it means to empower the next generation of girls. To make the conversation extra special, we also were joined by her daughter Alyssa, who at 18 has already played a role in mentoring with the foundation.
From the first moment we connected, I could immediately feel her energy. Sharp, self-assured, and full of purpose. Julie is the kind of woman who walks into a room and reminds you that ambition is beautiful. But more than that, Julie is building a legacy, one that her daughters, and countless young women, will inherit.
Julie has been in the mortgage industry for 17 years, spending most of her career in banking before making the bold move to start her own brokerage five years ago. Her reason? She wanted to “create something of [her] own that [she] can eventually pass down to [her] daughter”. But it also mattered deeply to her that it be women-owned and operated.
Julie is the kind of woman who walks into a room and reminds you that ambition is beautiful.
When I asked how she first connected with BeaYOUtiful, Julie smiled and said it started with meeting Taylor. “[Taylor] founded BeaYOUtiful when she was 17 and Alyssa was 17, and that just really hit home for me”, she said. Julie discussed how “it was such good timing to be able to have a foundation that creates confident, strong, young women, and there’s not many causes out there like that”, especially “being women and having daughters.”
Julie’s daughter, Alyssa, spent her final high school semester volunteering as a Jr. Soul Sister with BeaYOUtiful, shadowing leaders under the organization and helping support youth beneficiaries at workshops. Alyssa mentioned how she was deeply inspired that Taylor had created the organization at her current age, 17, and “really enjoyed helping out with the younger girls and sharing [her] experiences and advice” with the next generation.
When Julie reflected on her attendance at our organization’s inaugural gala, The BeaYOUtiful Benefit, she mentioned how inspired and touched she was. While she recalled how the night itself was beautiful, it was the speeches from two young BeaYOUtiful participants that stayed with her. “They were so well-spoken and confident. That’s what we’re raising money for that night — to create these beautiful young women who are just so confident in themselves at such a young age.”
As a mother, Julie’s connection to the cause runs deep. Her daughters are growing up in a digital, hyper-connected world, one that brings both the “good and bad.” She explained, “Sometimes, kids don’t come to their parents for help”, so it’s very important “to be able to have something where young girls can create the confidence that they need to empower themselves.” Julie emphasizes how she envisions “a younger generation growing up with the confidence that we do now” and for them to “build that confidence way earlier is super special.”
Before we wrapped, I asked Julie what she would say to anyone considering supporting BeaYOUtiful. Her answer was immediate: “Wholeheartedly, I support the foundation and the cause.” Julie placed great importance on “being able to provide a younger generation the confidence to be able to continue what we’ve started as a movement for women empowerment.”
And when I asked for her one piece of advice to young girls? Julie didn’t hesitate: “Be as authentic as you can. Being authentic is where your power sits and rises.” Alyssa offers this advice: “find the right group of people who allow you to be yourself”, emphasizing how you shouldn’t be scared to be who you want to be.
Walking away from our conversation, I was reminded that Julie’s story isn’t just about professional success or personal passion. It’s about using both to change the world for the women coming next. And that, to me, is power.
Written By Michelle Yu