Patty Kodabakshian
CA LIC#: 0G15832
818.419.5052
Mrs.Patty Kodabakshian is definitely a superwoman in our club! She is a 52 year old wife, a mother of two daughters Preni and Elene, who are 17 and 14, and one ambitious entrepreneur with a big heart.
Dr. Lena Magardechian sat with Mrs. Kodabakshian over Starbucks coffee to meet with her and recognize her as being a true role model in our society, community, and world. In response to this open invitation, Mrs. Kodabakshian was very receptive and open to being interviewed on her life. Please read the interview questions below with Mrs. Kodabakshians responses.
- Mrs. Kodabakshian, can you tell us a little more about you and your upbringing? We’d love to hear where you were born and what growing up in America was like for you. Certainly. I was born in W. Berlin, Germany and was 2 years old when my parents and I went to Iran, where they are from. I lived in Tehran, Iran until I was 11 years old. We immigrated to the US in 1978, right before the revolution, and have lived here ever since. When we came here, I did not speak English and had to learn the language. Obviously through going to school here, I learned English. Growing up here back in the last 70’s was very tough because it was during the American hostage crisis. I was teased a lot because they knew I was from Iran. The kids in school were very cruel. I really didn’t like it here. I stood out because of my race. I decided that I was never going to tell another soul that I am from Iran!! Due to all the bad experience, my parents decided to put me in a better educational environment where there would be less hate. So, for high school, I went to a private Armenian school, with my own people!
- During our sit down you mentioned that you didn’t know you were going to become an entrepreneur, especially in the life and health insurance field. Can you tell our readers what made you get licensed in this field and what other experiences and degrees you have? I was in the legal field for 16 years, working as a paralegal, specializing in Estate Planning and transactional law. I loved what I did, but I was capped and limited. There was no growth and if I wanted to grow, I’d have to go to law school, which was not an option. In 2003, I became a mom and it became harder for me. I wanted flexibility, more time to be with my daughter and make more money. As it turned out, when I was pregnant with my second daughter, my boss was diagnosed with cancer and died shortly thereafter. This gave me the opportunity to take a year off to spend with my kids, all while my weighing my options. I decided that if I became my own boss, I would have the flexibility to be with my kids. As a working mom, you need to your own time. Working around their schedule was what gave me the flexibility to be able to pick them up from school, or take them to the dr. It’s been like this for 11 years now and I love it.
- In your line of work, what motivates you and drives you to stay focused and helpful? What tips would you give other women striving to achieve “success”?What motivates me the most is helping my clients uncover their unrealized needs. We as women can be vulnerable and not really understand what we need help with. I’d say be unstoppable and relentless in whatever it is you do. Give your all no matter what.
- You did such a great job explaining the process and importance of life insurance Mrs. Kodabakshian. Could you show in a simple step by step diagram how women especially can benefit and need to take care of their finances by investing in life insurance? Life insurance has evolved so much. People don’t just need it if they die anymore. Now, you can utilize it while you’re alive and take advantage of what features and benefits it offers, such as tax free retirement and need for long term care when you’re older and get sick. You can create a huge wealth with life insurance by a stroke of a pen you create dollars that never existed before!
- During our interview you talked briefly about your daughters. If you are okay with us asking, can you tell us more about what you instill in your daughters and what you do or do not teach them about feminism? I tell them to be open minded. I tell them to speak their minds. As a mother, I’m their role model. I have to be transparent as much as possible. I teach them to have good values and morals. Don’t be dependent on a man to take care of you in the future. They need to be self-sufficient. They need to be independent. As far as feminism goes, girls nowadays understand about women’s rights so much more than I did when I was their age. They know about abortion, date rape, when to say no, Pink Tax, equal pay in the workforce. I think they could teach me a few things on that matter!
- The #WomensAdvocacyClub is currently running a campaign called #HeelsHealCampaign. The campaign is about empowering women to heal from past rape, molestation, hurt, heartache, abuse, or anything that left them feeling pain and unheard. Do you have anything you would like to share with us that applies to this? If so, can you also provide us with a picture of you in your heels? We want to post it on social media and support your healing success. As a survivor of date rape and molestation, I’d say rise above it and don’t allow any man to take advantage of you, EVER.
- Lastly, we’d like to ask you to tell our readers a little bit about why you decided to get involved with Women’s Advocacy Club and what it means to you to be a part of a global movement? I decided to get involved because we need a platform like this to allow women share and learn from one another. We need to come together as a community and empower each other, celebrate our successes and lift each other up.
For more information about our member, Mrs. Patty, please go ahead and click on her Facebook Link here to connect:
Insurance and Financial Solutions by Patty K.
WAC 