Tell us about your career path and how you got to where you are today.

I am a Senior Wholesaler selling Pacific Life Annuities & Mutual Funds in Houston, East Texas, and parts of Southwest Louisiana. I graduated in 2017 from Kansas State and was recruited to come to Pacific Life as a Sales Associate. Since then, I was promoted to Internal Wholesaler and today I am a Senior Wholesaler.

Tell us about your job responsibilities and what a typical day looks like for you.

I work alongside financial institutions and professionals to design plans for their clients (the general public) to help them reach their financial goals and objectives. Field wholesaling is a sales role, but it’s really more of a consultative role. I sit down with advisors to discuss Pacific Life products and strategies they can use with their clients at mass production but also on an individual client basis. I am supported by a great team: an Internal Wholesaler, Sales Associate, and Administrative Assistant.
 

What helped you grow your career from Sales Associate to Senior Wholesaler in five years?

What really helped me grow was asking people who had been in my position: “What did you do? How did you do it? What would you have done differently? How can I better myself?” I learned a lot from Internal Wholesalers when I was a Sales Associate. I networked and watched and learned exactly what they did. At about the six-month mark, I became an Internal Wholesaler.

I also went through the Sales Academy, which is a training program that you interview to get into as an Internal Wholesaler. The Sales Academy teaches you how to run a territory as if you were a Field Wholesaler and what it entails from Day 1 to Day 90. After I completed the program, I interviewed and became a Hybrid Wholesaler in Georgia. A Hybrid Wholesaler manages a smaller territory.

I was the first Hybrid Wholesaler to move to my prospective territory rather than flying out of Omaha to my territory for meetings. I was meeting with folks in person every day, running my territory as a traditional wholesaler would. When a job in Houston became available, I interviewed and was promoted. I moved to Houston in August of last year.

What is your best career advice?

• First, be honest with yourself about what you truly want in life. Then, be patient. If you know what you want, it’s a lot easier to wait for the opportunity that aligns with your goals.
• Never be afraid to ask a silly question or to ask someone to repeat what they said.
• Network and learn how to be successful from people in the roles you want to be in.
• Make your intentions known. Share your career aspirations with your managers.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

I’m from Kansas originally and I grew up rodeoing. I rodeoed all my life and had a full-ride scholarship to Kansas State for the rodeo team and then was a professional for a while. I always knew I wanted to live in Texas, for personal reasons, because that’s where the competitions are held. I made that known on Day 1 at Pacific Life, and here I am working in Texas!

I make my health a very large part of my life. Every single day when I wake up, I say a prayer and remind myself what I’m thankful for. I try to work out six days a week (I love Pilates and barre) and I eat well. I also make it a priority to focus on the things outside of work that I love, like setting aside time on the weekends for my horses and my friends. It’s all about making sure every aspect of your life is nurtured.