Her Story
About Karyn
Karyn Kirk serves as Commercial Account Manager at Walker Hughes in Mishawaka, Indiana. With 25 years in the insurance industry, she began her career by happenstance after working as an office manager for a plumbing and excavating firm, when her insurance agent offered her a position in commercial insurance. In her role, Kirk prioritizes building personal relationships with clients to understand their businesses inside and out, fulfill their needs, answer questions, and ensure there are no gaps in coverage that could lead to financial harm. She takes pride in being invited to clients' personal events such as birthdays and Christmas parties, viewing these as signs that she has become an extension of their companies rather than just their insurance agent. Kirk is researching opportunities to donate her time to programs that bring younger people into insurance and risk education in high schools. Her advice to young women entering the field is to relax, be confident, read the forms, enjoy the work, and learn from mistakes by embracing them and stepping away stronger. She aims to become a senior account manager and retire from Walker Hughes, where the company values align with her own.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Karyn
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Relax, be confident, you're smart, read the forms, enjoy it, learn all you can even if you make a mistake. I've learned my best lessons by making mistakes. Just take them, embrace them, own up to them, and learn from them, and just step away a better woman.
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