Thinking differently in the age of AI: Sara Holtz on leadership, clarity and building stronger teams

As part of HousingWire’s Editor’s Choice awards spotlight series, we’re spotlighting past Women of Influence honorees whose careers, leadership and insights continue to influence the industry. This series offers a closer look at the experiences and decisions that have shaped their paths.

HousingWire spoke with Sara Holtz, chief marketing officer at Optimal Blue, about leadership, navigating change and how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the way organizations think, prioritize and execute.

Holtz recently expanded on many of these same themes during her presentation at HousingWire’s 2026 The Gathering in Austin. In “Using AI as Your Chief of Staff: Expanding Leadership Capacity at Work and at Home,” she discussed how leaders can use AI to improve decision-making, create alignment and operate more strategically in a rapidly evolving market.

Holtz was recognized as a 2025 Women of Influence honoree for her leadership in marketing, strategy and innovation across the housing industry.

Women of Influence recognizes the leaders making a meaningful impact across mortgage, real estate and homebuilding. Nominations for the 2026 Women of Influence awards are open now through May 31.

HousingWire: What are you most focused on right now either within your organization or in response to broader industry shifts?

Sara Holtz: Right now, my focus is on helping our team think differently, not just move faster. With the pace of change, especially around AI and evolving customer expectations, execution alone isn’t the differentiator it once was. The advantage comes from how we make decisions, how we prioritize and how we align across the company.

I’m focused on building that collective muscle: better thinking, clearer strategy, and stronger connection between vision and action.

HW: What’s one leadership lesson you’ve learned that more people in this industry should understand?

Sara Holtz: Self-awareness isn’t a soft skill – it’s a leadership requirement. Understanding how you show up under pressure, how you make decisions and how others experience you directly impacts outcomes.

Without that awareness, it’s easy to over-index on control or perfection. With it, you can course correct in real time, empower your team more effectively, and lead with both clarity and trust.

HW: What’s one decision that changed the trajectory of your career?

Sara Holtz: One of the most important decisions I made was to stop equating performance with leadership.

For many years, I focused on delivering, executing and proving value through outcomes, and that’s an effective approach as you move upward. But at a certain point, I realized that what got me to this executive role wouldn’t scale me further.

I had to shift from being the person with the answers to the person creating clarity, alignment and momentum through others. That decision to evolve how I show up, not just how I perform, changed everything.

HW: Looking back, what experiences most prepared you for the leadership role you’re in today?

Sara Holtz: The most formative lessons came from moments when things didn’t go as planned. Navigating ambiguity, receiving tough feedback and owning decisions that didn’t land the way I intended built the kind of judgment you can’t shortcut.

Those experiences forced me to develop self-awareness and resilience, and to separate my identity from any single outcome. That’s what prepared me to lead at an executive level: the ability to stay steady, learn quickly and move forward with clarity.

HW: What advice would you give to the next generation of women working toward senior leadership roles in housing?

Sara Holtz: Learn to fail earlier — and use it. Don’t wait until something is perfect before putting it forward. Growth happens faster when you test, learn and adjust in real time; I call it “launch and iterate.”

Invest in understanding how you operate authentically: your instincts, your tendencies, your blind spots. The more clarity you have about yourself, the more intentional you can be in how you lead.

And never lose sight of the fact that our work helps people step into homeownership. There’s real purpose in that and it’s a powerful anchor as you grow into leadership.