Bound & Determined℠ with Meg McKeen

If you've ever felt like the *only* woman who has ever doubted herself, her capabilities, or her authority, let this conversation between commercial lines underwriting leader Danielle Morales and host Meg McKeen be the reminder that indeed, you are not.  In this episode, hear more about Danielle's experience with imposter syndrome, finding and leveraging her own leadership voice, and the changes, like the seasons, that we experience in our relationships, too. 

Danielle Morales is a commercial lines underwriting leader, having underwritten or sold customized insurance products to meet the needs of businesses and the people who own them for almost 15 years.  Passionate about people, Danielle is an accomplished leader who is driven each day to support engaged & diverse teams in achieving their goals.

Connect with Danielle on LinkedIn here.

To learn more about this podcast, and the work Meg McKeen does to support insurance professionals, visit Adjunct Advisors. For fun stories and anecdotes, captured in her Dear #digitalnomad Diary series, head on over to Instagram and check Meg's stories there.

Like the show? Leave your review on iTunes – please and thank you!

Whether it's advocating for more pay or making a complete pivot, career coach Andrea Yacub Macek joins host Meg McKeen for the most candid conversation yet about the transition so many women in insurance are in as we evaluate our relationship with work and what might be next. We talk about why it's so hard to talk about money and where we place flexibility on our priority list - not surprising, it's at the top! We acknowledge that the insurance industry, like many systems women navigate, wasn't built with women in mind and the challenge to navigate it with clarity and confidence is real.

Andrea Yacub Macek's non-linear and unique background allows her to deeply connect with and expertly guide career changers to a fulfilling career. She is an experienced change management professional that's coached and managed teams through organizational and culture change with minimal disruption to performance and business results. She honed these skills and created massive change in her own career, and she was able to do that without the “right” education or credentials. 

Andrea is passionate and experienced in working with mid-career professional women that are managers and rising leaders. She shows her clients how to create professional change without compromising who they are or what they want. Andrea shows her clients how to simplify a career change and make it uncomplicated. She works closely with her clients to help them figure out what’s next in their career and identify the skills and experience they already have to get them there. Andrea helps you create and practice powerful communication that gets you in front of the right opportunities. She will walk you through how to use that communication across networking, applications, resumes, interviews and LinkedIn profiles. Andrea holds a Master’s in I/O Psychology, a Bachelor's in Psychology. Stay up-to-date when you subscribe to Andrea's weekly newsletter here.

You can read the latest McKinsey Women in the Workplace 2022 report here. 

To learn more about this podcast, and the work Meg McKeen does to support insurance professionals, visit Adjunct Advisors. For fun stories and anecdotes, captured in her Dear #digitalnomad Diary series, head on over to Instagram and check Meg's stories there.

Like the show? Leave your review on iTunes – please and thank you!

Ashley Fitzsimmons: Millennial. Beyonce of Insurance. Director of Professional Development & autoimmune disease badass (both literally & figuatively). Connect with Ashley here on LinkedIn.

To learn more about this podcast, and the work Meg McKeen does to support insurance professionals, visit Adjunct Advisors. For fun stories and anecdotes, captured in her Dear #digitalnomad Diary series, head on over to Instagram and check Meg's stories there.

Like the show? Leave your review on iTunes – please and thank you!

Jody LaVoie, the founder of Widows in the Workplace, joins host Meg McKeen on this episode of Bound & Determined. Through the learning and healing experienced following the tragic loss of her spouse and partner, Jody now supports women navigating their own relationship with work, family, grief - and themselves. As many continue to evaluate the place "work" fits in our "life," Jody highlights the need to think creatively about the meaningful ways we can support - and show up for - the employees who choose to work in our organizations. 

Jody LaVoie is a CEO, certified coach, speaker, and a widow.  She has lead a multimillion-dollar supply chain technology business and was the CEO of the nonprofit Female Strong. Today, through Widows in the Workplace, Jody uses her 20+ years of professional experience to help widows reground to find productivity and purpose again in the workplace and at home so they can move forward confidently, find joy again, and build everyday resilience.

To learn more about this podcast, and the work Meg McKeen does to support insurance professionals,  including growth and leadership consulting, visit Adjunct Advisors. For fun stories and anecdotes about her travels as a #digitalnomad, captured in her Dear #digitalnomad Diary series, head on over to Instagram and check out Meg's stories there.

Like the show? Leave your review on iTunes – please and thank you!

Precious Norman Walton is a champion for education - and change - in the insurance industry. In this episode, Precious shares her wisdom about the skills we accumulate in our lives and careers - they're transferable, even if you can't see how - and what a less conventional career path might look like when we align those skills with our talents and beliefs. An expert storyteller, Precious and Meg chat through our relationship with failure and perfectionism - it's complicated! 

Precious Norman Walton, CPCU, TRIP, SHRM-CP, AIC, AINS, AIS, has served as an insurance and risk management professional for 17 years.  Her career has spanned personal lines claims, commercial account management, leadership, and underwriting. She was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal where she shared more about her decision to embrace her silver hair in the workplace, and is the recipient of the 2022 Elite Women recognition by Insurance Business America. Precious currently serves as a leadership council member for the The Institutes CPCU Society, where she acts as the liaison between the CPCU Society Interest Groups and Leadership Council. 

You can connect with Precious Norman Walton on LinkedIn here, and learn more about her newest endeavor, Lovejoy Risk Management, here. 

To learn more about this podcast, and the work Meg McKeen does to support insurance professionals,  including growth and leadership consulting, visit Adjunct Advisors. For fun stories and anecdotes about her travels as a #digitalnomad, captured in her Dear #digitalnomad Diary series, head on over to Instagram and check out Meg's stories there.

Like the show? Leave your review on iTunes – please and thank you!

Together with host Meg McKeen, Jenn Walsh shares strategies for finding and using your voice in the workplace - a coach can help! - and what it looks like to take the lead with your clients, too. We chat through the agent/producer and service personnel dynamic and wrap up with a reflection on the unique opportunity service professionals have to succeed in a sales role. One of the smartest conversations to date!

Jenn Walsh is the founder and CEO of GenuineShift, a business consulting company that delivers learning & development programs to fuel growth, optimize profitability and minimize friction for insurance brokerage firms of all sizes. She created the Client Service Academy in 2019 to address our industry's talent crisis when she realized her clients weren't going to have enough people to support their ambitious sales goals.  

Jenn has 30+ years of hands-on experience driving organizational growth as a salesperson and business development leader. She developed her expertise in employee benefits within insurance carriers, a full-service brokerage firm, and by holding several national industry association leadership roles.  

A sought-after speaker and industry expert, Jenn advocates a Client Service First Framework™ where Sales and Client Service teams align investment, mindset, and work style with a Clients hire you to be led™ focus. The goal of the programs Jenn has created include onboarding new talent, upskilling junior colleagues and resetting and recharging veterans - a particular passion for Jenn.

Jenn lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, adult children, and a chihuahua, Lolo, the 39th rescue she accidentally adopted in 2020. #fosterfail #fullnest

You can connect with Jenn Walsh on LinkedIn here, and learn more about the work she does to support industry professionals here.

To learn more about this podcast, and the work Meg McKeen does to support insurance professionals,  including growth and leadership consulting, visit Adjunct Advisors. For fun stories and anecdotes, captured in her Dear #digitalnomad Diary series, head on over to Instagram and check out Meg's stories there.

Like the show? Leave your review on iTunes – please and thank you!

Licensed therapist Lauren Martin joins host Meg McKeen for a candid conversation about burnout. If you’re feeling it, know you’re not alone. Since burnout can be sneaky - that you’re headed for it might not be so obvious to you or those you love. Lauren reminds us that navigating life with and after burnout can be tricky, and requires us to inventory our energy - and in some cases, redraw our boundaries - but it’s possible. 

Lauren Ruth Martin is a therapist, speaker, and the host of the podcast 9toKind. Lauren discusses burnout and perfectionism to colleges and companies of all sizes, and her workshops have been known to give new language to the burnout experience and offer practical strategies to shift work culture. Her dream is for people to have more margin without having to sacrifice. Learn more at https://www.laurenruthmartin.com/.

References in this episode:

The Power of Vulnerability, TED Talk by Brené Brown

We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers

To learn more about this podcast, and the work Meg McKeen does to support insurance professionals, visit Adjunct Advisors. For fun stories and anecdotes, captured in her Dear #digitalnomad Diary series, head on over to Instagram and check Meg's stories there.

Like the show? Leave your review on iTunes – please and thank you!

Host Meg McKeen shares more about her digital nomad lifestyle, answering the questions she's asked most frequently. Have a listen to learn more about the logistics and the lessons she's learned in her nomad life.

For fun stories and anecdotes, captured in her Dear #digitalnomad Diary series, head on over to Instagram and check Meg's stories there!

To learn more about this podcast, and the work Meg McKeen does to support insurance professionals, visit Adjunct Advisors.  

Like the show? Leave your review on iTunes – please and thank you!

Before we get started, a special shout-out to listener Wendy for her lovely feedback about the podcast and her financial support. Learn more here. 

00:00 - 02:24 | Welcome to Bound & Determined℠, Dustyne Bryant and Cat Ferris!  Dustyne and Cat are each one-half of the duo that hosts the podcast Awkward Insurance, sponsored by The National Alliance. 

02:25 - 05:54 | Meg is checking from Denver this time - the sun is shining for her today. Dustyne is in central Arkansas and has a different feeling about winter weather after a recent trip to Florida. Cat is in north-central Florida - where you can wear both a parka and flip-flops in the very same day. Meg shares more about the wardrobe challenges she faces as a #digitalnomad. Limited options mean she's wearing things out which helps her to appreciate what she has in a different way.

05:55 - 06:44 | When three podcast hosts come together on a podcast, it's natural to talk about...a podcast! Meg was previously a guest on Awkward Insurance and is viewing this conversation as a continuation of the great dialogue they started there. One of the challenges of hosting a podcast is the willingness to go deeper into topics - holding space for our guests to do the same.

06:45 - 09:30 | Cat shares more about her start in podcasting; Dustyne hosted for a full year before Cat joined the show, which helped her to see her own path to success. Embracing social media has been the true challenge for her in this season of her life - letting others have a glimpse into our personal lives can be a real shift - and a rush. 

09:31 - 11:32 | The 5 Love Languages are a real thing - Meg shares that hers is "words of affirmation" and social media can provide that dopamine hit that she craves. But strangers on the internet are just that - and unless those consuming content with those who create it choose to engage, there can be a loneliness to showing up on social media. Social media helped provide a bridge during the pandemic, too, in many cases.

11:33 - 12:44 | Do you have a best friend at work? Both Cat and Dustyne started in their current roles working remotely. Building and maintaining connection in the virtual world is a challenge. 

12:45 - 16:59 | Dustyne shares more about the origin of Awkward Insurance - she didn't start hosting willingly, but has been able to embrace the role of host beautifully. Having a mentor who sees our abilities and pushes us in a healthy way to see our potential is an invaluable gift.

17:00 - 18:53 | We are 100% our own worst critics. Dustyne felt a vulnerability - keeping her in her head and up at night. It gets better with time, but can feel so heavy. 

18:54 - 20:09 | Dustyne talks through the idea of having split social media personalities - work and personal - and how she's challenged to do this. She's created a work-around that allows her to share the open parts of her life, but it's not a perfect solution. 

20:10 - 22:59 | Boundaries are so important - even as podcast hosts, there are things we still won't talk about, and that's the decision each of us has to make. Some push those boundaries and others don't - either way, this is real life and is different for each of us. Cat reminds us that we don't owe anyone more of ourselves than what we're willing to share. 

23:00 - 24:59 | Parenting opens up a whole new set of challenges when it comes to sharing on social media. Young adults today have had so many of their life's milestones shared on social media, and are now living with the consequences of having that information so accessible.

25:00 - 26:59 | Meg recently changed her Instagram handle from her business name to her personal name. When we show up in different ways, it can be hard to bundle them up in one cohesive way and opens up a whole new sense of vulnerability. Meg reflects on her experience with the podcast and all that she's learned as a result.

27:00 - 30:43 | Cat shares more about her disdain for small talk. Deep, meaningful conversations fill her up - her love language is an extra one - sharing secrets. We talk about passion - do we need to have passion for the work we do? Meg shares more about her passion - holding space for stories. Relationships are fuel - the good, real, raw stuff - and Meg relates so closely to Cat in this way.

 30:44 - 34:09 | Let's chat about building relationships in the virtual world. Those of us who have been at this for a while have the benefit of past experience and credibility. Starting from the beginning is a totally different story. Dustyne shares more about her decision to join an organization remotely just before the pandemic shut-down.

34:10 - 37:04 | We circle back to the concept of having a "workplace bestie" - but making and growing connections with colleagues is a real thing. How do you approach someone? How do we navigate different work styles? Dustyne and Cat have had to navigate this as they go, creating a safe and bold dynamic despite the distance.

37:05 - 40: 19 | How many times have you over-shared on a Zoom or Teams meeting? It's Meg's nature to second-guess what she shares from time to time. It's an experience so many of us share. Communication isn't a perfect journey; how can we give one another the grace to share, even when it's uncomfortable for us?

40:20 - 42:19 | Cat's love language isn't words of affirmation; honoring the space that others take to share their stories is so important. Self-awareness is required in order to see others' love languages - but the rewards from doing so can be so fulfilling.

42:40 - 44:56 | Dustyne leaves us with an important final thought on communication. Thanks for being here, Dustyne and Cat, and for having this conversation with us.

To learn more about the work they're doing to support insurance professionals, connect with Dustyne on LinkedIn and follow her on Instagram, and connect with Cat on LinkedIn and follow her on Instagram. Learn more about Awkward Insurance and join the community when you head on over here.

To learn more about this podcast, and the work Meg McKeen does to support insurance professionals, visit Adjunct Advisors.  

Like the show? Leave your review on iTunes – please and thank you!

00:00 - 03:29 | Welcome to Bound & Determined℠, Carrie and Patty! Carrie and Patty are girlfriends - and the co-founders of Hello Again Products. In this episode, we're talking about menopause. Whether you're thinking ahead, in menopause, or on the other side of it, there's something for you here. We take a minute to celebrate that we are living in a time when open conversations like this can take place as we honor the individual journeys we are on. 

03:30 - 08:11 | Let's dig into the signs and symptoms of menopause - it will be different for each of us. It manifested differently for both Carrie and Patty.  Sleep, hot flashes, and brain fog are just a few things on the list.

08:12 - 11:00 | Carrie and Patty learned by accident that they were navigating their individual experience with menopause - and that the support they needed didn't exist. Their unique, yet shared experience led them to a dispensary where they started the journey that would become Hello Again.

11:01 - 13:59 | Cannabis has turned the insurance industry on its head - which is exactly how Carrie and Patty felt as they began to develop the knowledge they'd need in order to build their business. We talk about what other people think, naysayers, and the nagging doubts that creep in when we're trying something new. What happens when we just say out loud what we want? For Carrie and Patty, so many doors opened.

14:00 - 17:59 | With age comes wisdom, right? Carrie and Patty share some of their own experiences - starting with the awkward conversation about menopause itself - and it doesn't have to signal the end of life, but rather a new and vibrant chapter. We talk about perfection - that's boring, right? 

18:00 - 22:09 | Carrie and Patty have developed a CBD-infused vaginal suppository to alleviate some of the symptoms of menopause. Carrie and Patty are customers and advocates - and Meg shares a couple of fun asides about makers of products who are also users of them! Meg is so much more aware today of the products she consumes as well as the businesses she supports.

22:10 - 25:19 | What do you wish you would've known as you were navigating your own menopause journey? Patty shares more about the knowledge she wishes she'd had - and Carrie talks about the very real fluctuations our hormones have leading up to and during menopause. Our hormones are fluctuating so much - and it can't be said enough. Aging is a physical process - fine lines, wrinkles, age spots  - all provide evidence that our bodies are moving into the next phase of life. 

25:20 - 30:44 | How can we support a woman who is in menopause? Understanding is key - and we acknowledge that both men and women are aging, our bodies manifest this change very differently. Meg shares more about her decision to stop coloring her hair - and the learning that experience provided. Leading with a sense of curiosity is key in the process.

29:00 - 30:44 | Thanks for being here, Carrie and Patty, and for having this important conversation with us.

In Carrie + Patty's words: Curiosity drove long-time friends Carrie Mapes and Patty Pappas to a dispensary for the first time. There they asked questions about all the products, brands, and delivery systems.  What they learned led to them creatively solving their own menopause experiences.  They formulated the product they wanted to use but didn't exist on the dispensary shelves.  Hello Again is a menopause solution that uses cannabis to help women feel healthy, not high.

To learn more about Carrie + Patty, visit www.helloagainproducts.com, or follow Hello Again on Instagram (@helloagainproducts).

To learn more about this podcast, and the work Meg McKeen does to support insurance professionals, visit Adjunct Advisors.  

Like the show? Leave your review on iTunes – please and thank you!