2024 Ones to Watch Rising Stars: <br>Michelle Quirk, USI

“Recently, a client faced a challenge when they needed coverage for an upcoming dangerous weather event. Time was critical with millions in property values at stake. The client contact was new in her position and was struggling with information requirements. Although Michelle had never handled a situation like this, she used her initiative and judgement to secure coverage prior to the storm. Michelle’s confidence, knowledge, and industry relationships ensured coverage and minimized risk exposure. She handled herself and the situation beautifully in a manner normally expected of a more senior person!” - JoAna Dowd, Commercial Lines Team Leader at USI.

Who are the key people in your life that have contributed to your success? At this point, many influencers have entered and exited my life. The continuous support of my parents and my older sister/best friend is a blessing - both there to celebrate success and to pick me up if I stumble. My boyfriend is a key contributor to my success by always taking the initiative to find things he can do to remove stress. However, a pivotal person is my mentor, Christine Chipurnoi. She shared with me her inspiring story of triumph and success. Day after day, she works to develop me into a more educated, diversified, and polished insurance professional. Her passion for the insurance industry has been the largest motivating factor for me to further my career and continue to strive for excellence. I hope to one day return this favor to a young woman who choses this path.

How do you balance your rising career with your personal life? Living in NYC where the go, go, go mentality is so prevalent, finding balance between a career and personal life is a continuous journey. Out of necessity, I established a daily practice that helps me find balance in these two arenas. The most impactful practice for finding balance is the one I do every morning. Upon waking, I begin with a breathing exercise and then move into a guided meditation with a focus on what I want to achieve for the day. Somedays I may need to focus on finding calmness. On others, I may cultivate greater clarity of mind. These practices help me show up with the best mindset possible thus increases my productivity while alleviating stress. I then return home with energy for my relationships, fitness, and my love for cooking and entertaining.

Beyond your professional achievements, what are some of your passions or hobbies? Throughout my life, I have immersed myself in a multitude of passions and hobbies. Through the learning process, some amazing qualities such as persistence, grit and humility have become ingrained in my being. From a physical standpoint, I enjoy yoga, snowboarding, hiking, rock climbing, weight training, flow arts and stand up paddleboarding. Outside the physical arena, I enjoy spending my time reading, listening to podcasts, writing poetry, cooking, sewing, and both playing & listening to music.

Outside of your career, where else do you seek continuous learning and personal growth? “An idle mind, is the devil’s playground.” I could not agree more. Life is ever changing and to show up as the best version of ourselves we must continue to learn and grow. I seek information and learn from three primary sources - reading, listening to an audio book, or listening to a podcast. I am interested in the human mind and body and I find that much of the content that I gravitate to is non-fiction related to mindset and wellness practices, nutrition, and exercise for longevity. I also feel that there is invaluable learning through travel. Seeing and experiencing different cultures, people and landscape enriches and expands how we see ourselves, how the world sees us, and how we solve problems.