The year 2022 was perhaps the darkest period in Kinesha Hamilton’s life. What was supposed to be a good year with her finding 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, the Clarendon native used the unfortunate situation to motivate her. That determination paid off earlier this year when she was named JN Life Insurance Company Financial Advisor of the Year for 2023, an achievement she credits to her desire to overcome the tragic event that occurred.
“I am the shining example of, whatever your mind conceive you can achieve,” Miss Hamilton stated. “I had one of the most difficult years ever in 2022, when my sister was diagnosed with an illness 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.”
Miss 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 products sold by 156 per cent. She also qualified for the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) – the premier association of insurance & 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 award.
“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; my family, my friends and my Team Lead Deon Graveney, who always encourages me to give as good as I 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 moment.
“Being an MDRT member is every advisor’s dream. Once you get into the insurance industry you want to qualify. You’ll hear about MDRT and their conferences and hear other Advisors 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.
Miss Hamilton’s career in insurance began when she attended a job fair in 2018. She chose an organization that she knew nothing about. However, in the end she had no regrets.
“Insurance found me,” she shared. “I went to a job fair and based on my qualifications, I had a number of slots that I could choose from. I chose a company not having any idea about what they did. After learning more, I found out it was insurance, I immediately fell in love.”
“Every day is a little different sometimes. I get to travel all across the island and get the opportunity to give people access to money to take care of unexpected eventualities. I also assist in creating generational wealth,” she said.
The mother of three explains that settling a claim for a client also gives her a feeling of satisfaction.
“Recently, I had a client who was diagnosed with a critical illness (cancer),” she said. “She came to me and I was able to assist with her claim. Seeing her receive her benefit made me very happy and it was a very good day for me.”
Miss Hamilton joined JN Life Insurance Company because it was an environment she believed she would enjoy.
“In 2022, when I was making the transition 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.
Mr. Othneil Blagrove, Senior Manager, Sales and Marketing, said Miss Hamilton showed her determination and resilience under the (difficult) circumstances to exceed her targets.
“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.
Miss Hamilton has set her sights on going beyond MDRT in the future. The self-described team player who enjoys reading and dining out when time allows, hopes to accomplish all the accolades 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, not everyone is able to do that. However, if someone wants to join the industry, I would definitely recommend it, because while this job is a lot of work, it can be very rewarding,” she stated.
