May 2024 Wrap Up - The highlight reel, but a little deeper

This is my second LinkedIn “article”, though I think it is going to read more like a journal entry as a recap of May 2024. I am going to try to be more vulnerable because I always post the good stuff, just not a fan of writing about the rough patches along the way. Susan Rider, MS, GBHR, REBC, ASF, CSFS, CDHC, PBC, CFAA got me thinking when she helped proofread my candidate statement for the state chapter of my trade association, CAHIP. I’m not sure how this vulnerability thing really feels on me, LOL, I am going to give it a shot.

?May started with an announcement of being nominated in the inaugural California Broker Magazine “Shine the Light” Campaign (read here ). ?And with candidates, I am honored to share the pages with. Thank you so much for the beautiful words and nomination?!

?Then I got to go on a “doggie vacation” (a drivable getaway) with Michael, my mom and both of our dogs. ?I could not wait to check out for a few days since 2024 kicked off at a fast pace and didn’t slow down (can you relate?). We explored near the Sequoias and had the coolest Airbnb that was near enough to a small town for convenience yet felt secluded and surrounded by nature. Got to see the Savannah Bananas. If you don’t know them google or find them on Instagram. They are great entertainment and Michael says they play some good baseball. Those are the highlights - the lemon of that story is that the day we had tickets for there was a big storm, almost cancelled the game, but they played on and we were drowned rats. #netpositive as Jolene Bibian always says. ?

?Came home to celebrate Mother’s Day. Michael and I both have the luxury of having our mom’s on earth and this Mother’s Day, Carlene - Michael’s mom, was particularly loving. ?You see she has suffered with Alzheimer’s for 10+ years now and while she still calls out for Jodi (Michael’s sister) and Michael, she doesn’t always let us know she knows we are there. This Mother’s Day she was chatty and happy; my favorite line was “I really do love this group” reminding me that even though we may not think she is there, she definitely IS. ?Made me feel like she really knew we were all there to celebrate with her, and Michael was so happy she said she loved him. The path of Alzheimer’s and Dementia is one of the most painful things to watch a loved one go through, if you need someone to talk to I will gladly lend an ear. And if you want autonomy the Alzheimer’s Association has a help line available 24/7, as well as many education courses to understand more. That is all you can do with this terrible disease.?https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-dementia

?The very next day I headed to Sacramento with 100+ of my colleagues to advocate for our clients and our industry. It was a doozy - we were fighting a single payer bill that would cost CA taxpayers crazy?$$$ AND a Medicare Supplement bill that could have caused current policy holders to see an even larger premium increase on top of the craziness that will ensue this AEP with PDP plan redesign, payment plan and CMS rules that are STILL not completely clear. So much! ?And guess what? ?Our work on educating about the experience we have with our clients every day helped to stop the bills from moving forward. And if you completed the “operation shout” I was sharing – THANK YOU – your action IS impactful.

I get so frustrated with “our” (humanity’s) complacency because I have seen firsthand how much the “citizen” voice matters. ?I also understand because it feels like voting is not trustable, or that it doesn’t matter because “we the people” keep being presented with candidates that are less than desirable to much of our population. Not getting political or taking sides on this - I think most of us would be closer in thought than what is portrayed by social media, heck ALL media. There has to be a way we can find the “best good” and this polarizing behavior does not get us there. #BeKindtoEachOther

More on the May highlight reel - at this California Agents & Health Insurance Professionals (CAHIP) event I was officially elected as President Elect of our State chapter, CAHIP. AND THEN I was presented with an unexpected award by our President Tim Kanter as the Executive Board Member of the Year! Pinch me! Mentorship and learning with colleagues has certainly lifted me into a league I would not know without it in this industry. Please consider joining if you are not already a member. If you have followed me for a while you know I’m passionate about my trade association. I have found so much alignment with what feels like my purpose serving for a greater cause than myself. And the more I learn the more I want to share so that we can make real changes and address the real issues in our system - like price transparency and workforce shortage. ?We keep having to fight these missiles aimed at targets that are just missing the mark! Leaves a lot less time to work on the real solutions.

?I also got to help plan two surprises for milestones in friends lives - a beautiful couple expecting their first child Faith Borges , a good friend and fellow Female Entrepreneur, Tonyel T. and her 5 years in business milestone. My brother took his 3 year sober chip – I believe this is the longest he has been substance free since before he was 18. Incredible to have so much to celebrate in such a short period of time. That’s the blessing, being present in the lives of those we care for and that care for us.

Oh and I got COVID??So catching up to my paying job put me on the struggle bus. I have been fortunate that the people I work with are supportive and understanding. Makes me want to do better for them!

The video that is paired with this article is the highlight reel of this story that also includes a slide of the service for a colleague, and someone I called friend, lost too early, Allen Health Academy . ?Thank you for sharing the memorial service link Emma Fox, CHVA . I met Marshall for the first time at her 1st YOU Powered event and appreciated not only his work, but as so many said in his 3-hour celebration of life, he was someone that connected with you as a person and always had time for you. ?No matter how famous he was! I am committed to helping ensure his consumer education efforts continue and am so grateful for the opportunity to have got to know him.

?As I write this article waiting with my husband in the ER, I can’t help but be grateful. Grateful we have access to get treatment before things get worse, grateful for our hospital workers who are getting the short end of the stick, grateful for the many blessings in my life and my ability to share them. Grateful for the bumps in the road and the experience we gain and lessons we learn from them. Grateful for the people in all areas of my life.

PS – Michael will be ok, and it was a great lesson in trusting your gut.? We were not going to go in but wait and see if the pain he was experiencing subsided – glad we didn’t, or he might have needed emergency surgery (or worse) rather than some IV antibiotics and a couple days in the hospital. At least we hope that’s the extent.

Looking forward to a slower pace for the summer – enjoying the longer days and lighter schedules, getting out in the sunshine a little more. If you read this far, thanks for letting me share what, upon reflection, was an extraordinary month with the full spectrum of life’s ups and downs. Happy Summer!

Want to see the picture version of this story? Click here.