Influential Woman · Insurance and Writing Fiction

Susan Levy

Published Author, Simon & Schuster

Owings Mills, MD

Her Story

About Susan

I work in the insurance field where I believe strongly in being well-rounded rather than narrowly specialized. If you focus only on life insurance, I think you need to expand your menu to include other areas like property and casualty or finance. It's crucial to continually educate yourself and improve your skills, especially as insurance becomes increasingly specialized over time. Beyond insurance, I've pursued my passion for writing and decided to cultivate the printed word by writing a fictional novel. I wanted to give voice to this calling because I believe fiction gives the public reading pleasure and catharsis to our imaginations. My investments right now are going into publishing my book, which represents an important personal and professional milestone for me.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Susan

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to a feeling of presence and the ability to express myself. It's about being present in what I'm doing and giving voice to my inner person and inner voice.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I've received is to focus on what you're doing, and if there's something that you want to do that you weren't doing because work or family is holding you back, find time to do it. Make that your dominant calling. We're so much more than our roles define us as parents or work. We all have so many different parts and doors, so open up that door, and have a passion for opening it, and focusing on it. If you have a slight interest but you feel like you can't do it, just pour yourself into it and do it. You don't have to have formal training for a lot of these things. You can learn plenty by diving in.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

If you have an interest, even a slight interest, but you feel like you can't do it, just pour yourself into it and do it. You don't have to have formal training for a lot of these things. I have a cousin who's a professional coach who didn't go to school for it, but she has her own school and learned much on her own. You can learn plenty by diving in. Open up that door, have a passion for opening it, and focus on it. We're so much more than our roles define us as parents or work, and if there's something you want to do that work or family is holding you back from, find time to do it and make that your dominant calling.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

As far as insurance is concerned, it's better to be well-rounded than not be. If you're focused on life insurance, you might have to add to your menu of balance another area like property and casualty, as opposed to finance. So it's important to continually educate yourself and improve your skills, because even if we feel like insurance becomes quite specialized as time goes on, you need that breadth of knowledge and expertise.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

The values most important to me are consistency, improvement, and being true to your inner person by giving voice to your inner voice. I believe in continuously improving and maintaining consistency in what I do, while also staying authentic and expressing my inner self.

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