Her Story
About Shaunda
Shaunda Simmons Willis brings over two decades of experience to the customer service side of healthcare. She began her journey as a young single mother seeking stable opportunities and found fulfillment in roles that allowed her to advocate for patients and educate them on benefits and the business aspects of healthcare. After starting at Harrisburg Area Community College with an initial interest in nursing, she shifted focus to the front and back end operations, enrolling at Ashford University for healthcare communications and marketing and later pursuing healthcare information management. Her career has emphasized leadership development, coaching others, and turning hands-on experience into meaningful impact. Currently, she is independently building the Benefit Boss social media platform to educate on healthcare benefits during open enrollment and offering freelance coaching to customer service agents following the end of her contract with Blue Shield of California.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Shaunda
01What do you attribute your success to?
The ability to turn experience into impact. I've spent more than two decades learning how to solve problems, serve people, develop others, and lead through change. At this stage in my life, I don't want to use what I've learned, I want to leave something behind that helps people coming after me. I would attribute everything successful to that feeling.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Don't run after the check. Do what fulfills you, because whatever monetary satisfaction that is behind it will elevate you more. The best career advice I have gotten was just do what fulfills you, be yourself authentic, and always put yourself in the person you're serving shoes. Treat them how you want to be treated.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't allow the fact that you haven't arrived yet to convince you that you're not qualified. Experience has value, perspective has value, and something you consider ordinary because you've been doing it for years is the very thing that someone else needs you to teach.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is competing with the advance of AI and jobs being transferred to other countries. I strongly urge everyone to role with what we're going through as far as the implementation of AI, just better yourself and knowledge. We have to work with advancements in technology in the times, as opposed to fearing them and being stagnated because of them.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Maintain respect for each other, put love in everything you do. God is first in our life. Just treating everyone the way you want to be treated, giving them that respect, that empathy, that compassion. Everything revolves around respect and love. And love to laugh.
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