Su Jin Letellier

I attribute my success to having a nurturing nature and living by the philosophy of service above self. I'm a Rotarian, and I believe that busy people get things done - idle hands are the devil's plaything, so if I keep myself busy truly helping people, doing service projects, and making connections with my community, my clients, and people from the area, we can do so much. It just takes more hands to make less work. I also stay true to my core morality, because you're going to be successful as long as you're true to yourself and the people you're working with. I believe in taking care of the lives that were entrusted to me and taking that on as a personal mission, seeing not numbers, but people.

The best career advice I've ever received is to be true to your core morality, because you're going to be successful as long as you're true to yourself and the people that you're working with. One of my big proponents is I believe in taking care of the lives that were entrusted to me and taking that on as a personal mission, seeing not numbers, but people. Your actions always speak louder than your words, so don't just say you're going to do something - show up, be there, be a part, be involved.

Don't be afraid to be yourself and show that you care. People think that once you get to the level where you're in big boardrooms with CEOs of huge companies, you need to come in with this super dominant female attitude. No, be yourself. Be true to who you are, and that shines through so much brighter than coming in with an attempted dominant or alpha female type personality. It's truly those who move people with their words and their passion, rather than direct action and accusation. This is a male-dominated field, I'm not going to lie, and I think it takes kind of a mothering nature to try to help fix it.

The biggest challenge in my field is actually finding ways to proactively get people to use their insurance once they do have it. We set up advocacy options where we are advocates first, on top of showing people that there's more than just bronze, gold, and silver health plans. They look great on podiums, but if you're seeing bronze, gold, and silver on a health plan offer, that means they didn't do the research or take the time. They're just taking the top-tier plans recommended by the carriers. We do a deep dive, run the analytics, and see where there is potential for loss and where things aren't being taken advantage of, so we can maximize the overall benefit for all employees, not just the top echelon. The opportunity is showing employers that this can trickle down and create loyalty and retention and even attract really good employees.

First off, transparency and honesty. It's too much work to tell a lie and keep up with who or what you lied to - that's just a whole other mission in itself. So honesty, transparency, consistency, and knowing that your actions always speak louder than your words. Don't just say you're going to do something - show up, be there, be a part, be involved. I'm very transparent and make sure that people are aware of what's going on.