Episode Summary
Meg McKeen welcomes Erin Keller to the podcast to share more about her experience with motherhood in the pandemic - who has the manual for that, right? We chat about the insurance industry's favorite sport: golf, and the importance of "me" time.
In This Episode
Join host Meg McKeen, founder of Adjunct Advisors, LLC, as she welcomes Erin Keller, Business Relationship Manager at Donegal Insurance Group to Bound & Determined!
0:00 - 03:04 | Let's meet Erin Keller. We talk about the plans that changed earlier this year and Erin's reality in this moment.
03:05 - 03:59 | Erin is a mother to four, ages ranging 15 to 5; her life changed in a big way when COVID hit.
04:00 - 04:49 | Erin's kids have become her co-workers. Can you relate?
04:50 - 05:19 | Research indicates women working outside the home will be most significantly impacted as a result of the pandemic. The pressure to do it all has never been greater.
05:20 - 08:09 | A day in Erin's life - physically and emotionally. Even with a background in education, Erin wasn't ready to be a teacher as well as a mom and employee. There's a certain mourning that we do when plans change unexpectedly.
08:10 - 08:59 | Summer provided a welcome break. Erin shares more about the importance of validating your own feelings.
09:00 - 10:19 | School resumed this past fall with a hybrid schedule; part-time school presents its own unique challenges. Clear communication has been so necessary.
10:20 - 12:18 | As a non-parent, Meg appreciates that the challenges parents face are real. Life hasn't stopped because of the pandemic.
12:19 - 14:34 | Erin shares her experience in her work during the pandemic and her shift from working in a headquarters environment to being in the field. She shares more about working in a larger company and her current role, being able to have a more direct impact on the bottom line, and the challenge of getting to know your teammates when you're not working side-by-side.
14:35 - 15:24 | Erin's days now are spent in her home office; she recognizes the silver lining in her current reality.
15:25 - 18:44 | Meg recognizes Erin's use of social media to stay engaged with the insurance agents she works with. Her use of social media to express her personality and connect despite the opportunity to do so in person is so smart.
18:45 - 23:59 | Let's talk about golf. Meg expresses her lack of love, to put it mildly, for the sport, and Erin shares the opposite - how she's learning to love the sport. We talk about its presence in the insurance industry and ponder what an alternative might be, if any.
24:00 - 25:49 | What does "self-care" even mean in today's reality? "Unplugging" doesn't always have the desired effect - and we're learning as we go.
25:50 - 27:46 | Driving as an act of self-care; our time today is so different now that we don't have a commute - and the blank space we do have often leads to more questions than answers.
27:47 - 29:21 | One silver lining for Erin - more sleep! and more time with family - while there's still so much to worry about, those she loves are home and safe.
29:22 - 30:24 | A silver lining for Erin at work? Better systems and more efficiency - and time for more meaningful conversations with her customers. A reminder that we are humans having a human experience.
30:25 - 33:21 | Connect with Erin on LinkedIn or by email (erinkeller@donegalgroup.com). And Erin started a "mom blog!" Check it out here.
Join Meg for Plan Your 2021: A Workshop for Insurance Agents on November 8 or 9. Learn more here.
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