What’s the good news, ladies? March Madness

Raise your hand if your bracket is busted!  If you’ve followed me for long, you know I love this time of year.  I’m always strategic, do plenty of research, and typically have a pretty good bracket, but this year…not so much.  I literally did my bracket in 5 minutes at the Las Vegas airport when I was flying back from the Women’s Leadership Summit and man, it shows.  I was emotional with my picks (as a Missouri girl, I’ll be damned if I put KU in my Final 4) and I’ve already eaten a lot of crow in the flavor of Tennessee orange!

OK, enough about the Madness of March. Let’s meet two of the incredible women that I connected with in Vegas at the Women’s Leadership Summit!  You know those people who walk into the room and you just feel a connection?  The people that your energy matches and you just know you are going to like them?  That’s how I felt when I met Sam and Desaré. And the more I got to know them, I knew my gut was right with these two (even if my gut was way off on my March Madness picks)!

Sam Siders, Siders Insurance Solutions

“I have always been a dreamer, a visualizer – always looking to manifest my successes in life. I’ve wanted to own my own business since I was a child. I was recruited to the insurance industry when I was 23 years old and quickly achieved a successful career on the carrier and then GA side of our business. Last year, I not only started my own agency, but we crushed our client and revenue goals, becoming a top agency with many of our carrier and GA partners and receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews from clients. But my biggest accomplishment has been watching my account manager succeed and flourish in a position that she loves and continues to grow in. My purpose for existing is to help others succeed. Being a part of Kendyl’s journey toward her success is one of my greatest achievements.”

Desaré  Kallingal, Amwins Connect*

“In 2020, the world felt suffocating and overwhelming due to the pandemic; my self-pressure todo it all was at an all-time high.  Be a great mother, stay positive, assist with schoolwork while hosting Zoom calls in between, and continue to close sales to keep revenue generating to support the company.  During this time of chaos,  I  achieved a career milestone in sales production.  By third quarter, I hit $24,000,000 in annualized premium, which was the first time a female sales rep within our organization had achieved this amount of new business in one year, let alone in nine months.  It was a very proud moment for me! I had envisioned this production marker in my future, but not during a time when my focus was split in so many different directions.   Ladies, women are powerful, and when life gets tough, I put my red cape on and made it all happen.  You can too!”

*Just a quick “hell yeah” for Desaré’s headshot here!

I’m looking forward to connecting with more women and peers at the BenefitsPro Broker Expo in May!  Let me know if you are going, as I’d love to connect!  Also, we are continuing to slot Wonder Women for 2022!  Do you know a rockstar woman who fits the profile? Shoot me an email at scombs@combsandco.com, as I’d love to connect with them!

Shameless Plug:  Curious about the book?  Pancakes for Roger a series of quick, straightforward snapshots delivered with no fluff and a whole lot of heart.  It offers lessons from my father, Roger, and others so that you can lean on them, too, as you set out to slay your own dragons. – SLC