Nicole Hayes, M.S.
Nicole Hayes, M.S., is a Houston, Texas–based entrepreneur and licensed insurance professional who owns The Habakkuk Group, LLC. She specializes in policy review services, helping individuals and families understand and secure coverage for end-of-life planning, legacy protection, and financial preparedness. Through her work, she focuses on client education and correcting inadequate or outdated policies to ensure families are not left with unexpected financial burdens. Before entering the insurance industry, Nicole spent nearly a decade as a special education teacher with the Texas Education Agency, where she served as an instructor, case manager, transitional specialist, and student advocate. In that role, she supported students with academic planning, individualized education programs (IEPs), and post-secondary transition services. Her background in education shaped her communication style and her emphasis on guidance, structure, and service in her current business practice. Nicole holds multiple college degrees, including a Master of Science in child development from Texas Woman’s University, and she is currently pursuing a health license, to add to her services and professional portfolio. As a first-generational college graduate and at that time a single mother, she built her career while raising her daughter and later transitioned into the insurance industry to pursue long-standing goals of independence and entrepreneurship. Today, she continues to cultivate her practice while combining her experience in education with her commitment to helping families protect their future against uncertainties.
• Life Insurance License
• Texas Educator License
• Texas Woman's University - MS
• European Invite For Sprinters
• National Team Championship
• Olympic Trial Prospect
• Sigma Alpha Pi Member
• Track and Field Scholarship
• National Society of Leadership and Success
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to prayer and the support of my husband. Prayer keeps me grounded and focused, while my husband continually encourages me to keep going and reminds me of my abilities, often telling me I am the smartest person he knows.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received was to simply go for it, take the leap, this advise came at a time when I was considering transitioning from teaching into entrepreneurship, that advice ultimately stayed with me and became the most impactful guidance I’ve received.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The advice I would give young women entering the industry would be to think big, bold and beyond what the natural eye can see, and follow your dreams regardless of how misunderstood the insurance sector may be, and to understand that women are needed in more male dominated professions, and stand proud as an outlier amongst society, where women have been encouraged to take on more traditional roles and women have been programmed to not challenge the "glass ceiling theory." I'd say to young women entering the industry to absolutely break the glass ceiling, and reach for the stars!
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges I’ve faced in my former role as an educator stem from the pressures and limitations within the public education system, which ultimately influenced my decision to leave teaching. Simultaneously, I see a major opportunity in improving public awareness and understanding of life insurance and financial preparedness, since many families remain unprotected and often rely on uncertain options like crowdfunding during crises.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are faith and prayer, family time and serving others. I also value entrepreneurship and continuous learning, which is reflected in my interest in reading and research—for example, I’m currently reading The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy. Outside of work, I appreciate a simple lifestyle, working out, taking nature walks and spending quality time with my husband.