A little bit of my story

How insurance sales led to connective coaching

In 2007, I was living in Atlanta, working as an insurance broker, and 4 years into a relationship I thought would last the rest of my life. I was happy enough. I had fun with my friends. I made good money. I had enough time off to travel a little bit. But I didn’t feel fulfilled. My soul wasn’t satisfied. And I probably didn’t even have those words at the time. I knew that I felt a distinct sense of lack, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

Between a couple of jobs, I took 4 weeks to stay and work at The Hostel in the Forest in south Georgia. And I got my mind blown. I was introduced to the importance of food, the endless potential of relationship, and the possibility of traveling as a way of life. I realized that all of the futures I’d imagined were actually a very narrow band of the limitless potential of the Universe. I decided that, as soon as possible, I’d quit my new job and start a life on the road.

So in 2009, I walked away from a six-figure career, a Mercedes and a fiance. To follow my heart towards a life of purpose.

That path led me deep into the natural world. For six years I slept under the stars more often than under a roof. I woke up with the sun and lived my days in sync with the rhythms of the world around me. Most meals I cooked over a fire, and most nights I gathered with loved ones around a fire. I ran through forests, scrambled up trees, and canoed down long rivers, with charcoal under my nails and birdsong in my ears.

I awakened my natural soul.

In 2012, for my 30th birthday, I sat on a hill for 4 nights and 5 days, listening deeply to … all the things we can’t hear with our ears. I heard many things clearly. One of those things was to go back to selling insurance. “Wait, really?” I asked. “Yes. Really.”

After 3 years of working the 7-week busy season, and continuing to travel the rest of the year, the insurance carrier I had contracted with asked me to start an agency to recruit, hire and train new agents. As I built this insurance agency from the ground up, I applied the nature-based principles of the 8 Shields Model. When I saw how this perfectly natural model created a solid, expansive and holistic foundation for business, I knew I was onto something.

Since then, I’ve worked with clients to apply the simple yet profound wisdom of 8 Shields Model to staff trainings, program design, role descriptions, and so much more. To see how I and this perfectly natural model can help you take everything you do to the next level, use the button below to schedule a chat.