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

Kristen Kaweck, MBA, iLAB

"Nine months ago, I received amaster's degree in business administration while working full-time.My degree in Organizational Leadership has catapulted me into a newcareer and a new life. I left my previous job working for a healthinsurance carrier and began to offer products as an independentbroker. In early December 2019, I built a website that offersinternational travel medical insurance products for individualstraveling outside their home country for work, play and study. Ialso started working full-time for a quality assurance testingcompany called iLAB in sales. I am on the Leadership and Operationsstaff for a professional womxn's* ultimate frisbee team in thePremier Ultimate League (PUL), called Indianapolis Red. I haveplayed on Indy Red for the past two years, but unfortunately, willhave to take a step back in 2020 to recover from a knee injury.

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

Heather Bowers, Lone Star Benefits, Inc.

2019 was a great year for me! I had been in correspondence witha prospect for three years and they reached out to me in thefall of 2019 and moved their business to me. I was able to pullthem out of a disastrous situation that their long-standing brokerhad moved them to and I helped to rebuild the employee morale bymoving them to a reputable benefits solution with a strong carrier.It was a great feeling to see that my persistence paid off andultimately, 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 ofmy clients $460k annually in premium by moving them to a creativeplan strategy while still providing very competitive benefits totheir employees.

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

Pamela J. Sams, CRPC, BFA, Jackson Sams WealthStrategies

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

One of my passions is being a strong voice in the area ofpersonal finance for women.  Because of this, and alwaysbeing on the cutting edge of education in my area, I have beenselected for a variety of public speaking opportunities and beingused at as a frequent source in financial publications across thecountry.

One of the things I am most proud of is my Behavioral FinancialAdvisor (BFA) designation.  This designation is awarded toadvisors who have undergone training to learn to help clients makefinancial decisions using a rational, value-based approach. BFA'sintegrate techniques founded in traditional finance andneuroscience to positively influence clients' spending and savingbehavior in the presence of challenging emotions.

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

2020 is filling up with incredible women doing incrediblethings, but I do have space available if you know of great women inthe field who are working hard to make this this industry eventbetter. 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!