Lori Swanigan

My journey into insurance began 21 years ago when someone enrolled my mother in the wrong Medicare Advantage plan. That experience ignited my passion to help every person like my mom, every senior who needs help navigating the dynamics and nuances of Medicare. Before insurance, I spent seven and a half years in corrections at a juvenile facility where I worked as a teacher and Director of Training and Development. When that institution went out of business, I migrated into corporate America, working as Director of Training and Recruitment at the Commercial Appeal, one of the largest publications in the world, where I oversaw the sales department. I then moved to ITT Tech Institute in the same role. Most of my career has been in the recruitment and training space, which ultimately led me to purchase Sevier Insurance Training, one of the oldest insurance schools in the Mid-South covering Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi. What makes this story remarkable is that I attended this very school 20 years before buying it. During my class, I found it a bit boring and told the owner, Tom Sevier, 'I'm gonna own the school one day.' Twenty years later, when he was retiring, he called me and said he remembered my words. Even though 10 other people wanted to purchase the school, he believed I would carry on his legacy and sold it to me. I've now owned the school for 5 years, and I walk into it every day with pride, knowing this man laid the groundwork for me as an African-American female. We're cultivating relationships and building the foundation for success, bringing more insurance agencies into the fold. The school prepares students for state licensing exams with a 98% pass rate and offers continuing education credits. I also own an insurance agency with over 300 agents. My day-to-day involves creating systems, developing strategies, managing agents and leads, and putting on member retention events where we bring entertainment to our office. Our biggest platform is educating seniors on Medicare benefits at no cost to them, covering Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare Supplements, dental, vision, hearing, annuities, and hospital indemnities. I also host a radio show on the Bev Johnson Show on iHeart Radio, where people can download the app and listen from all over the world. I serve clients from California all the way to Mississippi.