JN Life Financial Advisor of the Year Excels Despite Odds
The year 2022 was perhaps the darkest period in Kinesha Hamilton’s life. What was supposed to be a good year with her starting a new job at JN Life Insurance Company, was instead a low point after her sister was diagnosed with an illness that subsequently took her life.
Rather than plunging into depression, however, the Clarendon native used the unfortunate situation as motivation. That determination was rewarded earlier this year when she was named JN Life Insurance Company Financial Advisor of the Year 2023, an achievement she credits to her desire to overcome the tragic event.
“I am the shining example of, whatever your mind conceives you can achieve,” Ms Hamilton stated. “I had one of the most difficult years ever in 2022, when my sister was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer that ravaged her body. I was her primary caregiver and I had to watch my sister suffer.”
She continued: “When she passed, I hit a new low of human desperation and frustration, which affected my ability to work. This was the tipping point in my life. I could have gone left or right; I could have continued to wallow in my misery. But I decided to use my challenges to propel me to greater things.”
Ms Hamilton described her achievement as a ‘golden triumph’ because she was performing at the highest level and was able to exceed all her targets in 2023. The Clarendon College past student surpassed total premiums by 160 per cent and sales by 156 per cent.
She also qualified for the Million Dollar Roundtable (MDRT) – the premier association of insurance and financial advisors representing the top 10 per cent of insurance sales agents in the world. She outdid her target by 148 per cent to qualify for the prestigious recognition.
“JN Life has many hard-working sales advisors, so to come out as the top advisor was a great feeling,” she expressed. “However, I could not have done it alone. I have to thank all those who believed in me and my team lead, Deon Graveney, who always encourages me to give as good as I’ve got to manifest everything that was poured in me, and this also motivated me to believe I could excel.”
While being named Sales Advisor of the Year was a proud moment, qualifying for the MDRT and attending the conference in Canada in June was another important milestone.
“Being an MDRT member is every advisor’s dream. Once you get into the insurance industry you want to qualify. You’ll hear about them and their conferences and hear other people coming back and sharing their experiences. So being there for yourself is a great achievement. I found my trip there to be very informative and educational. Once you go to an event like that you come back with high spirits and feel motivated to conquer the world,” she revealed.
Ms Hamilton’s career in insurance began when she attended a job fair in May Pen, Clarendon in the early 2000s. At the time, she had no idea what the profession was about. However, she has no regrets choosing it as a career path.
“Insurance found me,” she shared. “I went to a job fair and based on your qualifications they told you which field you were best suited for. There were a few slots remaining for the areas I could choose, and I chose insurance although I had no idea what it was about. But once I started doing it I fell in love with it.”
“Every day is a little different sometimes. I get to travel all across the island and get the opportunity to give other people access to generational wealth,” she said.
The mother of three explained that settling a claim for a client also gives her a feeling of satisfaction.
“The other day I had a client who was diagnosed with a critical illness,” she said. “She came to me, and I sorted out the claim and she was able to get her benefit. That was a good day for me because it made me feel good that I was able to assist her.”
Ms Hamilton joined JN Life Insurance Company because it was an environment she believed she would enjoy.
“In 2022, when I was making the transition because I needed to provide for my family, I did my research and found out that JN Life was the best place for me and it helped that I had worked with Mr Blagrove before,” she related.
That’s Othneil Blagrove, JN Life’s Senior Manager for Sales and Marketing, who has total strategic oversight for the sales and marketing of all the company’s products and its sales supervisors and agents like Ms Hamilton. He underscored her ability to excel under difficult circumstances.
“Miss Hamilton showed great resolve to overcome a tragic situation to excel and go above what was expected. She has consistently shown since joining the team that she is able to achieve great things. I believe that this will motivate her to go for greatness. On behalf of the management of JN Life Insurance Company, I congratulate her and wish her even more success,” said Mr Blagrove.
Ms Hamilton has set her sights on going beyond MDRT in the near future. The self-described team player who enjoys reading and dining out when time allows, hopes to accomplish all the accolade that comes with her profession. She is so passionate about her job that she is prepared to encourage anyone who wants a career as a financial advisor.
“To be a financial advisor is a commission-based job where you work to pay for yourself and not everyone is able to do that. However, if someone wants to do it, I would definitely recommend that they do it because it can be rewarding,” she stated.
