Tamra Nicholas-Nelson, ALMI

I attribute my success to the independence and resilience I developed early in life. When my parents got divorced at age 18, I was off on my own and had to figure things out quickly. College wasn't my path right out of high school - I actually joined the Army National Guard when I was 18, got a job at Securian, started living on my own, and even bought a house when I was 21. I think there's nothing that I can't do if I put my mind to it, and that's been my mentality throughout my life. I've been very lucky to meet great people along the way and have had wonderful managers and leaders, but I really attribute my success to just hard work. If you can put your head down and work hard and you can get along with people, I think the world is your oyster. When I'm determined enough and there's something that I want, I definitely put my mind to it, and there's not a lot that can stop me. There's a force within me that drives me - if I want something bad enough, I will make it happen. That's why I've had success in both my professional life and my personal life.

Throughout my career, I've been fortunate to work with several strong female leaders who have really shaped my approach to leadership. Jamie Shedd, a VP here at Aflac, is someone I deeply admire for the way she leads with empathy and care for those who report to her. I would honestly follow Jamie anywhere because of the way she supports and inspires her team. At Prudential, I worked with Cassandra Schmidt, who was a very strong, powerful woman that led with grace and humility. I've always admired people who can be transparent and willing to say when something's not working and try a different avenue, while being open to other people's ideas and thought processes. Brianna Lambertes is another strong leader I worked with at Securian Financial who later went to Prudential as well. She's been a wonderful, strong female leader who inspired me with her grace and how she leads. All three of them have been wonderful to work with and work under, and I definitely appreciate leaders that empower others. What I've learned from these women is that effective leadership comes from being approachable, empowering, and people-focused - leading with humility, openness, empathy, and helping others grow and succeed.

I would tell anybody going out into the workforce that if you have the right mindset and grit, and if you work hard, put your head down and work hard, and have a positive attitude, I think the world is your oyster. If you can think of business culture as a jungle gym instead of a hierarchy, I think you're going to have a lot of success. You can train someone to do just about any job, but you can't train attitude and effort - those are the two things that you can control. I would really encourage young women with a lot of grit and a can-do attitude to go into sales, because that's one avenue where there's a need for more females. The sales aspect of this industry is very male-dominated, but the benefits teams and HR teams we work with are often women, so they really relate to women in the field. There's a lot of opportunity within the sales realm for females to start making their way. My advice is to go for it - don't sell yourself short. As females, it's our nature to not go for something unless we're 100% qualified, but men will go for positions even when they're not necessarily always qualified. Don't wait until you feel perfectly ready. When you're determined enough and there's something you want, put your mind to it, because there's not a lot that can stop you if you want it bad enough.

I think there's always been the stigma of insurance being a good old boys industry, so there's always this challenge of being a female and being a strong female within this male-dominated industry. That's something you're always facing to some degree. I've also noticed a difference in mindset between men and women when it comes to pursuing opportunities. Men will go for positions even when they're not necessarily always qualified, but as females, it's our nature to not go for something unless we're 100% qualified. I think sometimes I've sold myself a little bit short in that aspect. However, I do know that when I'm determined and there's something that I want, I definitely put my mind to it, and there's not a lot that can stop me. There's a force within me that if I want it bad enough, I will make it happen. I really see a tremendous opportunity for more females within the sales aspect of this industry. If I hadn't been a single mom and so dependent on steady income, I probably would have really liked the sales aspect. The benefits teams and HR teams we work with are often women, so they really relate to women in the field. There's a lot of opportunity within the sales realm for females to start making their way and bring their perspectives to this industry.

I think treating everybody with kindness and grace is fundamental, and being grateful for whatever situation you're in - there's always something to be grateful for, even in a roadblock. Working hard has always been important to me throughout my career. But I think the value that's most important is being able to be at a company where you don't have to change who you are, where you walk in and your morals and your values align with that company and that corporation. When you have that alignment, it helps you bring your passion to whatever you do every day. I'll be honest - group insurance is not sexy, right? My wife is a teacher and she's changing lives every day, and I'm like, what I do doesn't have that same immediate impact. But what we do every day matters in some way too. On the personal side, my greatest joy comes from the life I've built with my family. I'm married to my spouse Rachel, who's a teacher, and we have four kids - three biological children and a foster kid that we fostered who's now 19. We've got some older kids growing up and getting into their own lives, which is kind of neat, and then we've got the baby who's 9, so he keeps us grounded and busy. We enjoy going to national parks, exploring nature, hiking and biking, and golf has been our latest hobby. Family is truly why we exist in this world - I love spending time with my family and my friends.