100 Women in Insurance

Summary
Kirsteen Young shares a career journey that moved from law into insurance and healthcare claims. She talks about recognising what she was good at, discovering where those skills could take her, and why you don't need to know exactly where your career is heading to take the next step.

A big part of Kirsteen's story is finding her voice. From being surprised by positive feedback to realising that her high standards and willingness to take on responsibility could sometimes work against her, she shares how experience, relationships and encouragement helped her confidence grow.

She also talks about the importance of women supporting women, creating opportunities for younger generations and building genuine relationships. Her decision to create a healthcare claims conference from scratch is a brilliant example of what can happen when you see an opportunity and simply decide to give it a go.

And for Kirsteen, great leadership comes down to something deceptively simple: listening.

Understanding what people need, recognising the quiet high performers and creating an environment where people feel safe enough to speak up can make all the difference.

Key Takeaways

Your career doesn't have to follow a straight line.

Follow what you're passionate about and stay curious about where it might lead.

Use your voice, even if that means stepping outside your comfort zone.

Bring younger women with you and help create the relationships that will shape their careers.

Great leaders listen and understand that different people need different things.

You don't need the whole plan before you take the next step.

About the Guest
Connect with Kirsteen Young on LinkedIn.

About the Host
Connect with Laura Witcher on LinkedIn.

Sign up to Coffee with Sandra to stay up to date with 100 Women in Insurance and future podcast episodes.

Join The Pink Book — a private LinkedIn community connecting women in insurance through mentoring, speaking opportunities, networking and career support.

Summary
In this episode, Kirstin Duffield reflects on moving into a new chapter after more than 30 years in the insurance market, and why reinvention is not erasure.

Changing career, company or direction does not mean leaving everything behind. The experience, knowledge and transferable skills we have built along the way become the foundation for whatever comes next.

Kirstin and Sandra explore the value of recognising what we already bring to the table, from organisational and technical skills to the behavioural skills and experience that can take years to develop.

They also discuss authenticity and how we may adapt depending on the people and environments around us without losing who we are at our core.

A thoughtful conversation about recognising your own value, carrying your experience forward and seeing your next chapter as an evolution of everything that has come before.

Key takeaways

You rarely start from scratch. When you change career, company or direction, you take your experience, knowledge and transferable skills with you.

Reinvention is not erasure. Your previous experience can become the raw material for something new rather than something you need to leave behind.

Experience is portable. Skills developed in one industry or role can have value in completely different environments.

Authenticity can adapt without disappearing. We may naturally adjust how we show up depending on who we are interacting with, but authenticity comes from staying connected to who we are at our core.

Resilience is not endurance. Resilience is not about absorbing more and more indefinitely. Recovery is an important part of resilience too.

Being in the room is not the same as having power in the room. Representation matters, but so does who is making decisions, holding authority and influencing outcomes.

About the guest
Connect with Kirstin on LinkedIn.

About the host
Connect with Sandra on LinkedIn.

Sign up to Coffee with Sandra to stay up to date with 100 Women in Insurance and future podcast episodes.

Join The Pink Book — a private LinkedIn community connecting women in insurance through mentoring, speaking opportunities, networking and career support.

Summary
In this episode, Sandra Lewin speaks with Charlotte Halkett, about transferable skills, career opportunities, feedback and the importance of knowing yourself. Charlotte shares how her own career has evolved across actuarial, commercial, leadership, insurtech and consulting roles, without ever following a detailed plan.

She challenges the traditional career boxes within insurance and encourages us to look beyond job titles to the skills, tasks and experiences we already have.

The conversation also explores how to use feedback as data rather than criticism, why we don't need to be perfect at everything, and how understanding our strengths can help us build stronger teams and make more confident career choices.

Ultimately, this is a conversation about giving yourself permission to explore what you're capable of, and being open to positively surprising yourself along the way.

Key Takeaways

Look beyond your job title and recognise your transferable skills.

Don't let traditional career paths put you in a box.

Treat feedback as data. Listen, learn and decide what to do with it.

You don't need a detailed career plan. Following opportunities is a great plan.

Stay curious about what you want to learn, experience and explore.

You don't have to be perfect or be everything to everyone.

Understand your strengths and build teams that complement them.

Authenticity means being yourself while still being professional.

Give yourself the opportunity to discover just how much you're capable of.

About the Guest
Connect with Charlotte Halkett on LinkedIn.

About the Host
Connect with Sandra Lewin on LinkedIn.

Sign up to Coffee with Sandra to stay up to date with 100 Women in Insurance and future podcast episodes.

Join The Pink Book — a private LinkedIn community connecting women in insurance through mentoring, speaking opportunities, networking and career support.

Summary
In this episode, Laura speaks to Kacey-Angel Anderson, who’s career in insurance began almost by chance, through a Facebook job advert.

Since then, she has built a career in commercial marine insurance while becoming a passionate advocate for neuro-inclusivity, women in insurance and young people entering the industry.

Kacey-Angel shares what it means to find your place when you do not necessarily fit the traditional mould.

From questioning whether her background was a disadvantage to recognising how it has shaped the empathy and understanding she brings to her work, she reflects on the importance of taking up space, asking for what you need and staying true to what matters to you.

She also explores what genuine workplace inclusivity can look like, why small changes can make a meaningful difference for everyone, and why creating space for others is just as important as finding your own.

Key Takeaways

You do not have to follow a traditional route. There is not one background or pathway that leads to a successful career in the industry.

Your differences can become your strengths. Experiences that may initially feel like disadvantages can shape the empathy, perspective and understanding you bring to your work.

Taking up space doesn’t always mean feeling confident. Sometimes it means walking into the room despite feeling like you do not belong, putting yourself forward and asking for what you need.

Inclusivity should include everyone. Kacey-Angel challenges the idea that workplace adjustments should only benefit one particular group, advocating for broader changes that create an environment where everyone feels comfortable asking for support.

About the Guest
Connect with Kacey-Angel on LinkedIn.

About the Host
Connect with Laura on LinkedIn.

Sign up to Coffee with Sandra to stay up to date with 100 Women in Insurance and future podcast episodes.

Join The Pink Book — a private LinkedIn community connecting women in insurance through mentoring, speaking opportunities, networking and career support.

Summary
In this episode, Laura speaks with Shanika-Marie, about what really happens behind the scenes of recruitment, and what happens when your own career suddenly takes an unexpected turn.

What begins as a conversation about recruitment quickly becomes a much more personal discussion about resilience, confidence and rebuilding. After unexpectedly losing her role and spending 16 months out of work, Shanika shares honestly how redundancy affected her confidence, mental health and sense of identity, and how therapy, family support and a belief in herself helped her navigate one of the most challenging chapters of her career.

Alongside her personal story, Shanika offers a fascinating insight into the world of Talent Acquisition, what candidates often misunderstand about the hiring process, and how employers can shape the candidate experience.

She also shares practical advice for anyone navigating today's competitive job market, from making your CV stand out to understanding the growing impact of AI on applications.

For anyone who has experienced redundancy, a career gap or the uncertainty of searching for their next opportunity, Shanika's story offers a powerful reminder that your career is only one chapter of your story.

Key Takeaways

In a competitive job market, how you present yourself, including your CV and social media presence, matters.

AI is changing the way candidates approach applications and how recruiters assess them.

Try to detach from the outcome during your job search and avoid allowing individual rejections to define your confidence.

Your personal brand is something to protect and build throughout your career, not only when you are looking for a job.

Leading people who are more senior than you can be an opportunity to grow rather than something to fear.

Redundancy can affect far more than your career. It can impact your confidence, identity and mental health.

A career gap doesn't have to be something you hide or apologise for. You can own your story and explain what that period meant for you.

Your career is only one chapter of your story, it does not define your whole identity.

About the Guest

Connect with Shanika-Marie John on LinkedIn.

About the Host

Connect with Laura Witcher on LinkedIn.

Sign up to Coffee with Sandra to stay up to date with 100 Women in Insurance and future podcast episodes.

Join The Pink Book — a private LinkedIn community connecting women in insurance through mentoring, speaking opportunities, networking and career support.