Who's already feeling the love this year?  Everyone I to talk to in the business is really excited about trying some new strategies and implementing new systems.  We have shifted a couple of vendor relationships and are really excited about how much more efficient our office has become.  And that's one of the things that is great about meeting so many incredible people in our industry, whether it be through writing this series or attending conferences These peer-to-peer mentorship relationships I find are priceless.  This month, I'd like to introduce you to some real innovators in our industry. Meet Kristen, Heather and Pam.  Buckle up and get ready to be inspired!

Kristen Kaweck, MBA, iLAB

"Nine months ago, I received a master's degree in business administration while working full-time. My degree in Organizational Leadership has catapulted me into a new career and a new life. I left my previous job working for a health insurance carrier and began to offer products as an independent broker. In early December 2019, I built a website that offers international travel medical insurance products for individuals traveling outside their home country for work, play and study. I also started working full-time for a quality assurance testing company called iLAB in sales. I am on the Leadership and Operations staff for a professional womxn's* ultimate frisbee team in the Premier Ultimate League (PUL), called Indianapolis Red. I have played on Indy Red for the past two years, but unfortunately, will have to take a step back in 2020 to recover from a knee injury.

*The term womxn is used to be inclusive of all womxn and non-binary people."

Heather Bowers, Lone Star Benefits, Inc.

2019 was a great year for me! I had been in correspondence with a prospect for three years and they reached out to me in the fall of 2019 and moved their business to me. I was able to pull them out of a disastrous situation that their long-standing broker had moved them to and I helped to rebuild the employee morale by moving them to a reputable benefits solution with a strong carrier. It was a great feeling to see that my persistence paid off and ultimately, it was a win-win for both the client as well as me.

A very exciting part of 2019 was that I was able to save one of my clients $460k annually in premium by moving them to a creative plan strategy while still providing very competitive benefits to their employees.

I was very excited last year to assist a client with launching a full-blown wellness program and seeing the happiness of employees as they began to work with health coaches and started losing weight and eliminating prescriptions that they had been taking for years. It resulted in lower claims cost and ultimately, a much more attractive renewal offering from their carrier."

Pamela J. Sams, CRPC, BFA, Jackson Sams Wealth Strategies

"For 18 years, I have been helping women improve their financial wealth through solid financial life planning. I focus on helping my clients meet their financial needs and help them work to achieve financial security so they can sleep well at night.

One of my passions is being a strong voice in the area of personal finance for women.  Because of this, and always being on the cutting edge of education in my area, I have been selected for a variety of public speaking opportunities and being used at as a frequent source in financial publications across the country.

One of the things I am most proud of is my Behavioral Financial Advisor (BFA) designation.  This designation is awarded to advisors who have undergone training to learn to help clients make financial decisions using a rational, value-based approach. BFA's integrate techniques founded in traditional finance and neuroscience to positively influence clients' spending and saving behavior in the presence of challenging emotions.

I'm excited to see what 2020 will hold and look forward to continuing to advocate for women and their finances."

2020 is filling up with incredible women doing incredible things, but I do have space available if you know of great women in the field who are working hard to make this this industry event better. Send an email introduction to me at [email protected].I'd love to connect!  Also, if you plan to attend the BenefitsPRO Broker Expo in Austin coming up in May, I'd be happy to meet up!