Story & Lesson Highlights with Justine Bell of Lansing Area

Justine Bell shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Justine, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is a normal day like for you right now?
Open enrollment starts October 1st, so my whole day is geared towards that right now. I’m up at 6:50 am to get my kiddo to school and in the office each day by 7:45. Then I’m working through client phone calls to schedule each person a space before open enrollment begins, and interspersing that with all the required training for the different plans that we have to do! Things are crazy this time of year!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Sure! My name is Justine Bell, and I am the owner of Beneguides, short for Benefit Guides. We help people find health insurance, from children to families, group to Medicare. I love what I do because each person brings me their information – their income, doctors, prescriptions, needs, etc, and then I get to put that all together into what feels like a crossword puzzle where we can figure out what the best plan is for them. I lead a team of six agents, and we all get to help people every day! I’m a total health insurance nerd, I could honestly talk about it all day long.

I am also super blessed to have an amazing team around me. Liz and Andrea handle Marketplace coverage, Lauren and Kylee are our Medicare agents, and Daniel handles group health insurance.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
Easily my relationship with my mom. She always believed in me an supported me. She let me make my own decisions and face my own consequences (within reason, of course), and taught me how to be kind to others and regulate my emotions. I owe everything that I am today to her.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I think one of the most important lessons that I have learned is that it is better to communicate in a direct way with the people who are important to me rather than let something fester. There is always a way that you can express your needs and boundaries with care and kindness, but making the choice to avoid them isn’t serving anyone because you still have the problem. Then, by the time you address them, you have to explain not only that it is a problem, but that you’ve been avoiding talking to them about it for a long time, which only deepens the hurt. Being honest IS caring, and is one of the most important things you can do for a relationship that matters to you.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
In college we read a paper called The Tragedy of the Commons, which outlines a story about a village where everyone lived around a central pasture and had two sheep. The pasture was the exact size that was needed for each family to have two, and everyone was happy. Then, one day, someone brought in a third sheep. Why shouldn’t they, they argued, the land belonged to the whole village and they could use it as they pleased. But, because one person took more than their share, the balance shifted and others thought that they also deserved to have such wealth. They forced other families to take less, or to leave, so that they could have more. I try to keep this in mind every day, and no matter what the topic is – money, clothing, food, I try to only take what I need (even if I could take more) to make space for others. People generally don’t feel like their small choices make a difference, but they do. For instance, if everyone who went to a particular hotel took all of the toiletries, the hotel would be forced to raise their prices because they would have to order more. All choices ripple out to others in ways we don’t often think about.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Oh, goodness, yes. If I don’t do a thorough job, even if no one else knows it, it stresses me out. In school I was always in the library the day after an assignment was given, not the day before it was due. Putting things of or doing them only halfway makes me too anxious!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beneguides.com