Traci Brooks, D.D.
Dr. Traci G. Brooks is a Director at PHP Agency, Inc. and an Independent Licensed Agent based in the Greater Chicago Area, serving as Founder of Brooks Financial Institute, LLC. She is a dynamic leader in life insurance and financial literacy, dedicated to helping individuals and families understand wealth-building strategies, legacy planning, and the broader value of financial protection beyond traditional death benefits. Her work is rooted in a mission to empower middle-class communities through education, clarity, and purpose-driven financial guidance.
Her professional journey into the financial services industry was shaped by a diverse background in media, ministry, and the arts, including early involvement in acting in the Christian soap opera The Awakening in Chicago during the 1990s. She later transitioned into the financial space after a radio interview led to a pivotal connection with industry leader Matt Sapala, introducing her to People Helping People (PHP). Through this network, she became actively involved with the AAO (Against All Odds) team under the mentorship of Tori and Maurice Hansberry, where she developed her approach to financial education, relationship-building, and community impact. She emphasizes a “builders model,” focusing on authentic connections, mentorship, and teaching financial concepts in an accessible and practical way.
In addition to her financial services career, Dr. Brooks brings a strong foundation in leadership development, personal growth, and education, shaped by decades of experience in academia and mentorship. She is deeply influenced by a wide range of mentors, including her father an entrepreneur and lifelong leader in business communities her mother, her pastors including Clifford E. Turner, and her husband, Charles Brooks, whose legacy is honored through leadership recognition within Toastmasters. She actively invests in continuous learning, drawing insight from influential works such as Atomic Habits, The Magic of Thinking Big, Think and Grow Rich, and The Obstacle Is the Way, among others. Guided by values of gratitude, authenticity, and service, she integrates faith, education, and personal development into her professional philosophy while continuing to inspire others toward financial freedom and purposeful living.
• Traci Brooks -
John C. Maxwell Team
• National Louis University - Ed. S., Educational Specialist
• National Louis University - M.Ed.
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - BA, English Language and Literature, General
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to putting the Lord Jesus Christ first in everything and spending quality time with Him every day. Living a life of gratitude is absolutely essential - I can't stress that enough. I'm grateful to God for everything, and I tell Him thank you constantly. I thank Him for the people He's surrounding me with, like Maurice and Tori Hansberry and my team, and I show them how grateful I am, not just with lip service but actually showing them. My values and morals center on being able to honor God in my business and in my personal life. What you see is what you get - I am who I am, on the court and off the court, 24-7. My most notable professional achievement is growing my team and watching them grow, because this business is not about me, it's about my team. We do things together, and my team has now taken on an animal of its own. When I can help to develop my team, that's what's most fulfilling. I'm still growing - I don't know everything - but this is a business where you can leverage other marketing directors and agency owners, and they pour into you what they know. It's a system: Save Yourself Time, Energy, and Money.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is that if you want to develop, there are three things you need to be aware of. Number one, it's the books you read. Number two, it's the conferences you attend. And number three, it's the people you hang around. That is the best career advice that has helped to develop me. If you don't read books, you don't attend conferences, and if you hang around the wrong people, you're gonna have the same thing. As Miles Monroe said, if you keep doing the same things over and over expecting different results, that is an exercise in futility. All successful people are reading books, they're regularly attending conferences, and they surround themselves with successful people. Proximity is everything.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would advise young women entering this field to focus on three key principles: the books they read, the conferences they attend, and the people they surround themselves with, as proximity plays a critical role in personal and professional growth. It is important to recognize and move beyond limiting mindsets, including the “crabs in a barrel” mentality, by intentionally placing oneself in environments that foster growth, positivity, and the right mindset. Faith has also been a guiding foundation in my journey, as I believe and live by the principle that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Although I entered the business with academic credentials, including advanced degrees, I quickly learned that success in this field is not dependent on prior industry experience but on a willingness to be coached, remain humble, and embrace continuous learning. Ultimately, it is not titles or prior knowledge that determine success, but a coachable spirit—approaching every opportunity with the mindset of a beginner, staying open, adaptable, and committed to growth.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge when new people come into this business is objection, and sometimes they take objection as rejection when it's not. As people grow in this business and we're sharing the opportunity with people, if they don't want the opportunity, great, we just pivot. I always ask them, 'Listen, maybe this isn't for you right now, but let me ask, by any chance, do you and your family have life insurance?' If they give an objection and say no, that's not something they're open to right now, no problem - I ask if I can call them in about 3 months and put that on my calendar. But new people that come in think objection is rejection. They say, 'Oh no, they said no! Oh no, they didn't show up!' I tell them, listen, it's like pouring coffee. When you go out to dinner and they're pouring coffee and ask if you want coffee, some people say yes, some people say no. Does that waitress crumble because you said no? They don't crumble because you said no. It just means not now. Come back later. Same thing. Objection is not rejection, it just means not now. I just had to walk someone off the ledge yesterday about the same thing. It's okay if people say they're not open right now - that's fine. When they say you can contact me in 3 months, great, contact them in 3 months. Just follow up. It's what you make it, and that's why I say if you change the way you see things, then the way you see things will change, because there's timing in everything.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Having the Lord Jesus Christ as number one is most important to me. Putting the Lord first in everything, spending quality time with the Lord every day, and living a life of gratitude. I can't stress that enough - living a life of gratitude. I am grateful to God for everything, and I tell Him every day, 'Lord, thank you. I thank you. Thank you for the people you're surrounding me with. I am grateful for Maurice and Tori Hansberry. I'm grateful for my team.' And I'm showing them how grateful I am, not just lip service, but actually showing them how grateful you are. That is the most important thing - my values and morals is being able to honor God in my business and in my personal life. What you see is what you get. I am who I am, on the court and off the court, 24-7.