What’s the good news, ladies? It’s the final countdown

As Colleen Blum is known for saying in our office: “Holy Hannah!” Raise your hand if you are FINE (aka, Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic or Emotional?  Not sure about you all, but everyone I talk to in our industry is spent.  The only time open enrollment / 4^th Quarter has felt this insane before was my first ACA open enrollment many moons ago.  Not sure if people just ignored things last year or what, but it’s like everyone is coming out of the woodwork!  We are working on taking things one week at a time, but sometimes it seems like all the weeks want to collide together until we cry “Uncle!”

Anytime I would get frustrated or overwhelmed as a kid (or adult), my dad used to say, “You got this, Suz, it’s no step for a stepper.”  After he passed, I got that tattooed on the inside of my wrist on his following birthday and I find myself looking at it often these days.  During the month of November, I try to focus on gratitude, because I have oh so much to be thankful for, but man, I’m just going to recognize…it’s rough.  So, if you are struggling these days and think you are on an island, know you are not alone. I see you and so many others in our industry do, too.  I am grateful that I have the Wonder Woman Mastermind that came out of this series as well as my Blueprint Mastermind run by Kyle Gorman where I can connect with other industry folks and brokerage owners around the country when I need a quick check-in.

One of the other things that keeps me grounded and motivated is meeting these incredible women each month and hearing about what they are doing, their passion for our industry and how they are striving to make it even better.  If you are looking for some motivation, you’ve come to the right place. Get ready to be wowed by Helen and Jeanora, the newest members of our Wonder Woman Crew!

Helen Ornellas, Ornellas & Associates Insurance Services

“In the last 12 months, I’ve really made some big changes about how I want to work moving forward. The first is that I’ve let go of partners and clients who no longer fit my business model, for many different reasons. This has made room to move to the next level of client and service. Next, having very specific goals for my daily production and how I’m going to get there has been life changing. Lastly, the launch of my podcast, “On Life with Helen”, is where I put some fun back into my business.

I advocate for all my clients by looking at their individual health and financial needs to best match them to the right carrier, then I get the job done. I’ve been in the insurance industry for 20 plus years and still wake up every day full of passion for life and my industry. Knowing that business owners, partners, and families are covered and prepared for the future means I’ve done my job by providing solutions to meet their needs.

I live in a Northern California town called Auburn with my husband, Specs. We have our dog Luci, who brings us lots of joy every day. In my spare time, I’m a member of Auburn Rotary and I’m a docent at the California State Railroad Museum, because as long as I’m on this “insurance train” I figured it was a good work / life balance move to teach others about a different kind of train!”

Jeanora Mairs, iBenefit Communication

“Over 15 years ago, I started my journey in the insurance industry working as VP of Sales andClient Service for a hospital billing and collections company. I got to see firsthand how the majority of employees do not understand their benefits and the frustration they encounter because of the lack of education within this area.  Taking that knowledge, I switched to the benefits carrier side of the industry to work with brokers and consultants and help them understand the importance of implementing various lines of coverage, outside of a major medical plan, to empower employees with financial security.

Today, I am the Southwest Sales Director at iBenefit Communication. I believe that in this business, if you are not expanding your scope of perception, you can’t effectively create the best solution.  My goal is to help my broker and consultant partners streamline the open enrollment process to make it impactful, simplistic, and informative for not only employees, but for the HR team as well.

Employee benefits communication is imperative.  It’s the bridge between confusion and clarity.  With this focus on clarity, I bring a holistic approach, from understanding the employee experience, to implementing multiple benefit carriers, to driving and creating effective custom communication and benefit education strategies for my broker and consultant partner to help them deliver it to their clients.”

Do you know an incredible woman who fits the profile of Rockstar Insurance Woman?  Whoever just came to mind, shoot me an email at scombs@combsandco.com to make sure I know them too!