What’s your career pathway been like? How did you get to where you are now?
I am an agent representing PHP agency. I went to school for finance and started working for a Fortune 500 company doing capital equipment sales. One day I ran into my now husband while visiting one of my clients. My husband, who at the time had been in the life insurance industry for 15 years at that point, exposed me to the crusade of what this industry does for families. From there I started my career as a life insurance agent. Today, my husband, Matt Sapaula, and I are on the PHP Field Advisory Board as Senior Board Council members. We are two of the four Field Advisory Board members that represent the thousands of PHP agents across the country.
What did you want to be when you “grew up”?
I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I always wanted to be in business for myself.
What do you like most about working with the National Life Group?
First and foremost, I like NLG’s mutual structure and its stability. Next, I would say I also like the customer-facing user-friendly only dynamics for customers as well as being able to track and communicate via an online portal.
Has the industry landscape changed during your career? What have you seen?
Within the past 5 years alone, there has been a tremendous focus on serving the multitude of different cultures that comprise America. Families from different demographics can properly protect their loved ones with the products and services of the life insurance industry.
Is there a particular woman who has inspired you in life?
My Mother has always inspired me. I have observed her my whole life and it is the little things that I caught from her more than anything she has taught me. She was always a professional, stayed in control of her emotions, and never let me see her hurt. She was very good with people and always had a temperature in any room she walked in.
What advice would you give to young women who are just beginning their careers?
Most people first focus on income, which is very much a good thing. You need to make income for obvious reasons. Yet I would add to also find purpose along with wanting to make income. Adding purpose, enjoying what you are doing, and tying it into how you can serve others will only allow income potential to magnify.
What leadership quality do you most admire and aspire to?
Never forgetting the perspective of where I started and always being relatable. Leadership to me is being able to duplicate a certain set of morals, principles, and values to the next version of you. You find it not only in your career but also in parenting. How well, how fast, and the number of successful people you can duplicate ties directly into the purpose of serving others. I have seen the greatest athletes in the world do this from Michael Jordan to Kobe to Brady to Tiger, their greatest attribute to the next generation is passing along their talents to make the next generation better. After all, you want to leave this world better than when you came into it.
Do you have a cause or a favorite “Do good” passion?
Anytime I can serve someone in a way that takes one less worry away, that keeps me going.
What attracted you to National Life and what would you tell someone who is considering doing business with us?
National Life Group prioritizes the experience of the client, whether it be the products, customer experience, or customer service. To me, a carrier is a partner where I do my part of educating and allowing the client to make the best decision for them and their family to a great carrier like National Life Group. The other part is once they are set up with National Life Group, I need to know they will be taken care of and have the best experience.
Any other words of wisdom you’d like to share?
Life will be filled with tests and obstacles, some ups and downs along the way as you figure out your career. But if you can always keep in mind to find a purpose and enjoy what you do, you will find a life more fulfilling than you ever thought of.
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