Mom and More – Nicole Reinhardt

“In America in general, there are not a lot of single moms who have the opportunity I do. So many work two or three jobs to make ends meet, so this opportunity at USHEALTH Advisors is absolutely amazing.” – Nicole Reinhardt

It wasn’t the way Nicole thought life was going to go.

Nicole Reinhardt grew up in a very small town in Wisconsin. She watched her mother and father raise a great family, including Nicole and three siblings.

“My parents were wonderful parents,” says Nicole. ‘They were each other’s first loves and a very different model then how my life ended up. I never thought in a million years I’d be a single mother and dealing with the feelings of being alone. When it first happened I didn’t know if I could do it.”

But Nicole did it and continues to soldier on. She says she knows her career with USHEALTH Advisors, which began not long after her son Christian was born, is part of the reason she has been able to bounce back and to thrive. Since coming to USHA in April 2018, Nicole has produced more than $1,600,000 in annual sales and she has led her team, as a Field Training Agent, to produce over $2,300,000 for her Division in Colorado. All the while, learning to do much of it on her own, as a new mom.

“It’s because of my son that I ended up here at USHEALTH Advisors,” Nicole says. “I left my former career in medical device sales a few months after giving birth to Christian. It was a plunge and a total leap of faith, especially with a brand new baby to care for. I found out about the opportunity on LinkedIn, then went to the pitch delivered by USHA Division Leader, Harley Brown and I absolutely loved everything he had to say. I could hear his passion for the office, the team, this career, and I was blown away by it all. I knew this is what I wanted.”

But as is the case in life, you can’t always get what you want. Sometimes, in fact, many times, you have to wait for it. So in March of 2018, after hearing Harley’s description of the USHA opportunity Nicole went back home, to wait.

“I had a huge fear in my heart as to what might happen or what I would do if I didn’t get the offer,” recalls Nicole. “I went in for recruiting earlier that day and afterward they sat me down for an interview. I asked about a second interview and they said they would call me later that afternoon. I remember crying with happiness and so excited when I got the callback. Harley called me said he’d love to have me come on and I hung up in tears of joy, I wanted to start as soon as possible.”

“I was inspired so much by Harley’s humungous passion for the USHA opportunity. I could feel the passion coming from every fiber in his being as he talked about it. I loved how he talked about building the office from the ground up and how his family was relying on him to be successful. I related to all of that with my son because he was depending on me, just me. I knew I could be successful too. I was intrigued and challenged by it and wanted to be one of the success stories Harley would later talk about.”

Stories are how we define our lives and Nicole has been living one – of breaking from the norm, experiencing tremendous change, and fighting back against the obstacles along her path.

“I loved growing up in Wisconsin and the Midwest for a lot of reasons,” says Nicole. “How green it is there, the air quality, the smell of the plants, the beauty and the people, who are so nice, it was a great place to live. But I couldn’t stand the winters at all. The coldest winter in history in the Midwest ended up being my final year there. After that winter and that experience, I was ready to try something new. A living opportunity presented itself in Colorado, so I decided to make the move. I packed my car full of everything I owned and if it didn’t fit, I didn’t take it.”

“My parents were pretty supportive, though my mom was beside herself with her daughter moving so far away. But I always remember my dad saying no matter what I did or where I went, I’d be successful because I have the drive and the passion. My parents knew I wouldn’t last in that small town where I grew up for that exact reason, my drive and passion were just too big.”

One of Nicole’s biggest passions is health – physical and mental. She started off as a personal trainer in Wisconsin and continued helping others get into shape and eating right when she made the move to Colorado. Eventually, Nicole transitioned into selling medical devices but then went looking for a long- term career, partly because she wanted a change – and partly because a change had been thrust upon her.

That change was Christian.

Nicole says in 2017 she found out she was pregnant. It was unexpected – but something just as unexpected happened about halfway through her pregnancy – when the relationship that created Christian ended. Nicole was now facing the reality of being a single mom, a place she wasn’t prepared for, mentally or emotionally.

But those who face the toughest challenges, are those who come out on the other side, better and stronger than before. Though scared and alone, Nicole knew she would have to be tough. “I knew I would need to find my way as a single mom and excel at it,” says Nicole. ” I wanted to build a great life for my son, it’s how and why I ended up at USHA.”

Christian was already a few months old when in the spring of 2018, Nicole found USHEALTH Advisors. The challenge of being on her own with her son and the challenges of the new career had to be dealt with and dealt with head-on.

“I struggled at first to get some of my things in order,” says Nicole. “Mentally it was hard to have a commission-based position, but I was already a strong person, and being a mom made me even stronger in my dedication to being physically and emotionally present in all that I do. I worked from home at first and tried to watch Christian, prospect, and do presentations while he napped. There was really no other option until I could find babysitters and I decided I was going to make it happen no matter what.”

It was that same belief that Nicole’s dad says he always saw in his daughter, drive and passion.

Coming to USHA also meant some very important mentors entered Nicole’s life, those who had been where Nicole was, living the reality and immersed in the challenges of being a single mom. One of those women was Nicole’s Field Sales Leader, Giana Greenwood.

“I still remember how Giana was there for me,” Nicole says. “She is also a single mother and was separated when her child was young. Giana had been through this experience in life. I appreciated her advice. Giana inspired me so much and was a big part of how I got off the ground and running here. She was the single mom mentor I needed at the time and what she did for me I want to do for other people. It’s all about helping people become better in life and growing to levels of potential they never thought they could reach.”

Life gets easier and more fulfilling when you live the truth you desire to teach. The more obstacles you face and overcome the more lessons you learn, and in turn, can share with others. Your struggle is your gift the world will fall in love with. Nicole knows her struggle means she has more to give.

“Challenges and accomplishments go hand-in-hand,” says Nicole. “Adapting to my new life seemed incredibly challenging at first, emotionally, and mentally wrapping my head around all of it and getting to the right place in my mind. As I launched this career it took me several months to be who I wanted to be for my son, but some great leaders in my USHEALTH Advisors office were always there to help. It’s incredibly rewarding because new agents who come on and struggle, I see it, I feel it and I can help them because I lived it myself. I don’t really see things as challenging because of everything I went through before to get here.”

Nicole says her days are filled with work, caring for Christian, keeping up her health and fitness, and when she can, heading up into the mountains of Colorado.

“I love working out,” says Nicole. “It’s one of the first things I do when I’m by myself to keep my mind and body fit. I also absolutely love reading. There’s nothing like a good book and a glass of wine. I love to read, whether it’s self-help, books on nutrition, geography, history, or romance novels. I also enjoy getting out and into nature. I love the mountains and try to do weekend trips. The mountains have their own special beauty, going up there is just amazing. It’s a piece of heaven on earth. You see these gigantic mountains and they make you feel mighty in their presence and so small all at the same time.”

Time is a huge focus for Nicole, as she divides it between her two most important responsibilities in life, raising Christian and growing her business and her team at USHA.

“I get to work at about 8 am and make a lot of dials with my team,” she says. “I try and make the dials around my leadership responsibilities. I do a lot of one-on-one training and help my agents to understand the why behind each part of the policy, so they can sell with emotion and passion. I also teach them how customer service is so important, to be sure to tend to their clients’ needs not only to help them but also to encourage those same clients to refer others to your business. Training can take a few hours of the day, but I definitely try, no matter what I have going on, to hit 300-to-500 calls a day and keep up my personal production as well.”

“I have to leave the office no later than 6 pm to get Christian from daycare. Once I get home and get Christian settled many times I work from home, and work until 10:30 or 11 pm, doing presentations or other work. But I almost always work until six at the office and later on any days I don’t have him.”

Nicole’s role as an entrepreneur with USHEALTH Advisors and as the sole provider for her family have taught Nicole so much. Entering only her third decade in life, Nicole says her advice to others is to learn from all the experiences you are a part of. “One thing I would say is to don’t be afraid to take risks or pursue what is challenging. Do what you love and don’t be afraid of the challenge because the reward is there, you just have to work and have faith to see it. Don’t be afraid of what life has to offer, go out and go get it.”

Sounds like solid advice from someone who knows better – a mom.

Until next time, thanks for taking the time.

Your Storyteller,
Mark Brodinsky