Feature Spotlight #95 - Kelly McCarel

Woman Who Makes It Matter.

Some people build careers by following a perfectly mapped out plan. Kelly McCarel believes there’s a little more to it than that. “I don’t think anything we do in life is random. I think there is a path, and one thing leads us to the next thing.” Looking at Kelly’s career, that philosophy fits perfectly.

Journalism led to legal writing.

Legal writing led to communications.

Communications eventually led to title insurance.

And somewhere along that path, Kelly found the intersection of everything she loves: people, communication, education, collaboration, and creating opportunities for others to grow.

Today, Kelly serves as Vice President of Corporate Communications and Branding at Title Resources Group, and after 18 years in the title industry, she still genuinely loves the people and energy of this business. Or, as Kelly puts it much more colorfully: 

“Marketing and Communications is my home, and the title industry is my neighborhood, and I love my neighbors!”

 And honestly, how can you not love that?

From the Newsroom to Title.

Kelly began her career in journalism in Cleveland, Ohio, writing judge profiles and reporting on case law for a legal publication. From there, she produced publications for the Cleveland Bar Association and moved into corporate communications for a global healthcare company.

Then, in 2008, title came calling. Kelly joined October Research as an editor and later became its Seminars and Webinars Director. When an opportunity opened in marketing and education for a title insurance underwriter, she jumped in.

Eighteen years, multiple roles, numerous bosses, countless conferences, and plenty of career steppingstones later, she is still here and still growing.

One of the accomplishments Kelly is most proud of is actually one she rarely talks about.

In 2014, during her first year with a title insurance underwriter, Kelly was one of just two people tasked with building an in-house marketing and education department. With the support of her boss, they built a team and launched multiple programs and products at a national level, all designed to benefit agents in new ways.

Looking back, even Kelly admits she didn’t fully appreciate the significance of what they accomplished at the time. Sometimes we are so busy building the thing that we forget to stop and recognize just how big the thing we built actually was. Kelly’s passion is not simply communications or branding. What really lights her up is creating programs and opportunities that help other people become better at what they do, and from personal experience, she’s truly excellent at it.

She loves teams. She loves collaboration. And she especially loves that moment when a group of people begins working together in a way that produces something better than any one person could have created alone.

That tells you quite a bit about the kind of leader she is.

The Women Who Gave Her Strength.

Behind so many successful women is another woman who saw something in them early.

For Kelly, there are two.

The first is her mother. When asked where she finds her grit, Kelly doesn’t hesitate. Her mother has been a lifelong role model, a source of strength, and someone who showed Kelly what was possible. She also instilled the importance of education early, creating a foundation Kelly still carries with her today.

And then there is Syndie Eardly. Syndie hired Kelly for her first job out of college in 2000, long before either woman was working in title. Their careers would eventually cross at four different companies, including two within the title industry. Kelly describes Syndie as an incredible influence both personally and professionally, but one lesson has stayed with her for nearly two decades: I am enough.”

Syndie reminded Kelly that:

What she gave her family was enough.

What she gave her children was enough.

What she accomplished at work was enough.

For someone who admits she can be her own worst critic and tends to put her all into everything, those words mattered. They still do.

Syndie also taught her to pause, be present, and create space to simply breathe and think. Just as importantly, she modeled a leadership style that cared about employees beyond their daily output. Kelly now works to pay those lessons forward.

Ask the Question.

If Kelly could give women entering title one piece of advice, she wouldn’t tell them to wait until they know more. She’d tell them to start now.

“Don’t sit on things. Ask questions. Ask, ask, ask.”

Be curious. Listen. Process what you learn. Look for the gaps and figure out how you can fill them. And when you have an idea? SPEAK UP. Kelly believes women should have enough confidence to bring their ideas forward rather than waiting for someone else to invite them into the conversation.

Her own “why” is equally straightforward. She wants to know that what she contributes is making a difference and helping someone else do their job more effectively. That may sound simple, but there is something powerful about building a career around making other people better.

And Kelly has never stopped learning herself. Among the books that have influenced her are Lean In, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Start With Why, and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

The common thread feels very Kelly: understand people, understand yourself, know your why, and keep growing.

The Work Should Be Challenging, Not the People.

Kelly also has a philosophy I think we could all tape somewhere near our desks:

“The work should be challenging, not the people.”

Life already gives us enough difficult, draining, and complicated moments.

Why add to them? Kelly believes we need to become better cheerleaders for one another. She credits supportive leaders throughout her career with seeing potential in her before she could fully see it herself. “Believing in people goes a long way. It’s a simple concept that can have a powerful outcome.”

That is part of how she will ultimately measure a successful career: Did she help someone else recognize what they were capable of?

Her approach to difficult conversations follows the same people-first philosophy.

Put down the email. Pick up the phone. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Pay attention to how they communicate and adapt accordingly.

That understanding deepened when Kelly became DISC certified in 2021. Since then, she has taught DISC for ALTA’s leadership program and completed more than 150 assessment coaching sessions with title professionals. She sees understanding behavioral styles as a tremendous advantage in leadership, management, sales, and relationships.

The Village Behind the Woman.

Of course, none of us builds a career or a life completely alone.

• 

• 

• 

Kelly is quick to name her husband as her number one supporter. “He makes what I do every day possible. He is my rock and an incredible support.” There were seasons when both of them traveled frequently for work, and making their family life work required a true 50/50 partnership.

Her village stretches much further. Her two children. Her parents. Her three siblings and their families. Five close friends from high school who remain connected despite living in different states. Friends, former coworkers, past bosses, her current boss, and the people she works alongside every day at TRG.

And because no village is complete without one, her mini Aussiedoodle also made the official list. As she should.

Kelly calls both Philadelphia and Ohio home. Philadelphia is where she and her husband raised their children and built friendships that became family. Ohio is where she was raised, where much of her family remains, and, as Kelly says, where her heart will always be. It really does take a village, and Kelly knows how fortunate she is to have hers.

Yes, She Will Chase a Duck Across Pennsylvania.

Now for the part of Kelly’s story, I absolutely love. She’s a birder! I bet you didn’t see that coming, did ya? And not a casual, “Oh look, there’s a pretty bird” birder. Kelly keeps a life list, participates in bird counts, contributes to conservation data, and will absolutely travel in pursuit of a species she hasn’t seen.

At one point, she spent months trying to spot a rare black bellied whistling duck, including driving three hours in one direction and three hours back without success. Then one day, while traveling to a work meeting in central Pennsylvania, there it was. Kelly found herself standing along a remote country road, binoculars in hand, staring into a pond on a private farm at the duck she had been chasing for months. Her excitement soared!

Check. *Mission accomplished

There is something wonderfully fitting about that story.

Curiosity. Patience. Persistence. And just enough determination to keep going after something other people might not understand.

Sounds a little like building a career, doesn’t it?

Make Room for Joy.

Kelly’s legacy in title isn’t only about communications, branding, leadership, or the programs she has helped build. She also wants us to remember something we sometimes forget: Work can be fun.

“Give me a dance floor, tell me a good joke, join the engagement activities at work, tell me a good story. Let’s all laugh for 20 seconds and ease the pressure of the workday.”

She believes those moments create a mental reset. They reduce stress, improve focus, strengthen relationships, and bring people together.

A Formula for Success.

Kelly’s philosophy can be summed up in three simple reminders:

Be respectful. Be present. Be on time.

And remember. . .

Ask the questions.

Believe in people.

Make the work matter.

Take care of your village.

Keep learning.

Laugh along the way.

And every once in a while, pull over, grab the binoculars, and chase the duck!

Kelly, thank you for reminding us that a meaningful career isn’t built from one giant moment. It is built through curiosity, relationships, opportunities, lessons, people who believe in us, laughter, and all those steppingstones that somehow lead us exactly where we are meant to be. 

We are so honored to celebrate Kelly McCarel, this week’s Her. Spotlight and one extraordinary Woman of Title.

*Connect with Kelly here: mccarel.kelly@gmail.com I LinkedIn I Facebook I Instagram