Happy New Year! You remember when2020 seemed like a lifetime away?  I can't believe it isliterally next year!  I also turn 40 this year (gah!) andthat's hard for me to believe too.  My Gramma Ruby Fernalways said, “You'll always be 25 in your heart.” No truer wordshave ever been spoken in my book.

My office started the year with a bang and we are still on aroll.  I also got introduced to many new incredible womenthat I'll be telling you about this year and that is completelyinspiring to me.  So, let's get this show on the road!

To kick off the year, I'm very happy to introduce you toCharity, Jeyalene and Suzy, who have all been focusing on educationand wellness, whether it be for their clients or themselves.

CharityDaniels, Bottom Line Benefits, LLC

“I spent 2018 focused on educating clients on wellness andconsumerism tools. In an environment of rising premium andout-of-pocket costs, it is important that members are aware of theways they can do their part to keep health care costs down. Overthe last five years, there has been a significant rise inlevel-funding plans in the small group space. While brokers do a great jobexplaining the concept to the decision makers, members are oftennaïve about the notion that their utilization has a direct impacton how that group's plan runs.

I conduct educational meetings with groups, so I have a chanceto share tools such as third-party RX savings, telemedicine,on-site health screenings, and premium discounts through wellness(when available), all of which have direct savings on a healthplan.

My favorite story is a 50 life attorney firm who fought me on awellness program for years. They finally rolled it out and received$36,000 in wellness credits this year. Teaching employees aboutthese programs and seeing them reaping the benefits has been veryrewarding. Our revenue has increased 20 percent year over year andI look forward to another educational and successful year in2019!”

JeyaleneBaron, Raffa Financial Services, Inc.

“2018 was a year of shifting for me.  I was pleasantlysurprised when I asked one of my centers of influence for anintroduction, and decision that will be a game changer for2019.  They connected me to a prospective client withseveral hundred employees and my team is in the process offinalizing our engagement with them now!  I couldn't bemore grateful.

I was also approached by a formerclient who had moved on to a larger organization and asked for myhelp, as they had recently gone through a merger.  Mergersalways come with a lot of change and moving parts.  I amhumbled that they thought of contacting me as their go to resourcewhen there were many other brokerage firms to choose from.

Lastly, I began writing.  My company has a blog that Iwrote an article for called, “Finding purpose through work.” Thishas really helped me put a lot of things into perspective and asresult, I have become even more passionate about the work that I doto serve my clients.  I'm excited to see what's in storefor 2019.“

Suzy Alberts,Comprehensive Benefits, Inc.

“Coming into 2018, I decided to make some changes to mypriorities and commitments.  My “MO” has always been totry to do everything, then never give my best effort toanything.  Getting clear on my prioritiesshowed me that I was continuing some commitments just because I hadalways done them, not because I was truly committed.  Ihad to let go of some activities that were dear to my heart, so Icould focus on what was really important.

Making these somewhat painful changes allowed me to experiencemy best year ever from a business perspective and spend morequality time with my family.  Now that I am clear on mypriorities, I am free to pursue other opportunities that trulyalign with personal and business goals.

My greatest accomplishment for 2018 was gaining clarity on whatis really important to me and letting go of things that do notalign.  While this has been a painful process, I am nowlooking forward to using my talents in new ways and with a clearermind.”

As always, if you know of great women in the field who areworking hard to make this this industry event better, send me anemail introduction to [email protected]. I'd loveto connect!