Her Story
About Mary
I have been in the insurance industry since 2016, starting as a desk adjuster for property claims. My background comes from teaching - I used to be a kindergarten teacher, and working with those students was my passion. Although education doesn't always pay what you need, especially as a single mom wanting to support my children, so I decided to switch gears and jump into insurance. Once I got into it, I realized I was actually pretty good at insurance adjusting. I was able to interpret policy, I had great customer service skills based on my previous years in customer service, as well as dealing with little kids' parents who are very overprotective of their children. I learned how to talk to them and walk them through any problems or concerns. This put me in a place where I was able to talk on the phone, read and comprehend policy, and explain it to a consumer that just really didn't understand their policy or how to navigate through the claim process. Over time, I got promoted from coming in as an adjuster to a special handling adjuster, then a team lead of my own team, then a supervisor of multiple teams, and then a manager for claims where I was able to oversee an entire department for one carrier or more. Then I shifted gears and said I want to get back into what I'm passionate about, and that's being a teacher. So when a training opportunity opened up, the first time around I didn't get it - it just wasn't the right timing. But I found myself again where they came seeking me, saying they thought I was a good fit at the time but weren't able to move at that moment, and asked if I would be interested. Once I got the opportunity, it just took off. It was a journey, but I made it through, and I can say that I love what I do at this point in time - seeing the aha moment on people's faces when they get it and know how to help the insured or policyholder as they're working through the claim.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Mary
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success, honestly, first and foremost, just by the grace of God that I've made it. Like I said, it is a male-driven industry that I work in, and being a Black woman in this industry, kind of persevering through things that could possibly hold me back or give me fear, and stepping up and being in front of a room. There have been times that I've been in rooms full of insurance CEOs and CFOs, and it is extremely intimidating having to stand up and present to those guys or those heads of those companies. But I always know that God has never given me the spirit of fear. He is always with me in everything that I do, and He's always supporting me and always going to be there for me. So just always making sure that I have a good prayer life as I'm going into anything, and depending on God - that's my basis for anything that I do. Also, I think about my children. How can I motivate them by them seeing the hard work that I'm putting in, getting to see mom go to conferences and trips and things like that. I think that's also a motivational point for me as well, to let them know that they can do something like this as well at some point, or even better. Those are my bases right there. It's my God and my family.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would definitely say to be versatile, you know, be able to change, because in this industry, it's always about change. So you have to be open to change and optimistic about the change. And I would also say any new woman that is coming into this industry, it is a male-driven industry, so don't be intimidated by the fact that this has for years been a male-driven industry. But now women are stepping in, and they're stepping up to the plate, and they're taking on challenges, and taking over departments, and even being at heads of companies - I've seen it myself. Just always be open to change, always have a customer-centric idea when you are working any claim. It's like, what can I do to provide coverage? What can I do to help this person? Look for the coverage for the insurer, help them along the way, explain the process, always be available, and always be willing to talk and listen. Listen with intention to respond to help, not just to respond to get your point across. It's a lot of different areas that they can learn from, but just always being open, being communicative, and just be ready for whatever task is put in front of you.
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