Hustle Her
Hustle Her
Hustle Her - Lorene
Ever thought of transitioning from a corporate job to entrepreneurship? Lorene Phillips, Founder and CEO of Clarendon Wallace , did just that. She shares her inspiring journey from being a waitress, breaking into the insurance industry, to establishing her own company, Clarendon Wallace . Right off the bat, Lorene reveals the struggles and victories she faced, how she found her footing in an unfamiliar territory, and the role her insurance qualifications played in progressing her career. Get ready to be moved as Lorene reflects on her corporate life and the changes she made to navigate through the industry.
Lorene doesn't shy away from discussing the more complex aspects of her journey as well. She shares her experiences with oppression in her profession, her ambitions for Bermudians to attain influential positions, and her unwavering belief in investing in the younger generation. Lorene's story is deeply entwined with the lessons she learned from independent women within her family, shaping her perspective on balancing a career and motherhood. Tune in to hear how she evolved her life, maintaining her identity while adjusting to different situations.
The final act of our conversation with Lorene focuses on her bold move into entrepreneurship. Transitioning from a corporate role to entrepreneurship during a global pandemic, Lorene shares how she utilized technology to stay connected with clients. She also discusses the importance of mastering her craft, her family's support, and how her entrepreneurial journey has influenced her young adult sons. If you're a budding entrepreneur or an established professional looking for some inspiration, this episode with Lorene Phillips is a must-listen!
It's time for hustle her podcast. I'm your host, deshae Keynes. Hustle her is all about inspiring women through real life experiences that have helped to mold and develop not only me but my guests into the entrepreneurs and leaders we are today. If you're an enterprising woman determined to succeed and looking for a bit of motivation, a bit of tough love and some actionable takeaways to be the best you girl, you are in the right place. Hey guys, and welcome back to hustle her podcast.
Speaker 1:Super excited about our episode today. But before we get into that, we want to say a huge thank you to our sponsors, brown and company and 59 front Brown and company, a response with some of the accessories you see on set today, and we have some cool accessories that will be coming from 59 front in the forthcoming days. Make sure you follow us on Instagram and make sure you also go to the website hustle her podcastcom so you can become a VIP listener, and then, on top of that, make sure you subscribe to the YouTube channel so you can get up to date episodes and you can see when everything comes out before everyone else. So I know I say this all the time, but I'm really excited about my guests today. My guest today is the founder and CEO of Clare Den Wallace, miss Lorraine Phillips.
Speaker 2:How are you? I'm great and happy to be here. Yes, I'm so excited.
Speaker 1:Good, that's the point. Everyone comes in from the couch Jada's got her red table to Shay's got her couch, you know. So it works out great, yeah, all right. So let's get right in. We'll ask you some questions and then we will get into the Crocs interview you ready? Sounds good, all right. What was your first job?
Speaker 2:My first job was as a waitress at a Christian coffee shop in Washington Lane in Bermuda.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right, and tell me your favorite color, my favorite color is orange. Okay, hence the business. Okay, I get it. I get it, favorite season.
Speaker 2:I'm an island girl. So we'll have to be summer every time, although it's a little too hot right now.
Speaker 1:I could do without the humidity, but we're not complaining because we had 80 days and 80 nights of rain, because the humidity give us that nice supple skin so okay, that's a good way to look at it. All right, I like that. I like that, all right. Who is your celebrity crush?
Speaker 2:Okay, I don't do crushes, but I can think of individuals that come to mind for the period that was very influential to me. So I think of Michael Jackson, I think of Whitney Houston.
Speaker 1:So you know, turner.
Speaker 2:So I have a plethora of individuals that just conjures up a really nice nostalgia and makes me happy. Barry's Hammond, so I have like a groovy feeling.
Speaker 1:There you go, all musicians, this Do you sing?
Speaker 2:Yes, actually, someone asked me that question in the shower or no, no, proper. When I was in high school, both my twin sister and I sang in our high school choir, which was extremely serious and professional. Yes, I sang those and athlete I did sing in the choir.
Speaker 1:Okay, we learned something new every day. Yes, all right. And what's your favorite food?
Speaker 2:Curry goat with white rice and veggies.
Speaker 1:But I love how you said it was white rice.
Speaker 2:No, we do not have it with peas and rice or whatever rice. It's rice and peas. It's rice and peas.
Speaker 1:Thank, you very much. Yes, it is Anyone listening will know why. We'll know why, we don't even have to say anything else. Do you remember the first concert you ever went to? Concerts or memorable concert. How about that?
Speaker 2:Nothing comes to mind. Actually, yes, the Brooklyn Tabernacle. I remember the Brooklyn Tabernacle choir my husband sang with them, we knew them quite well and Carol, who leads the choir, quite well had a very close relationship, but I remember the first time seeing them perform. And, as I said, I was in a choir in high school.
Speaker 1:So I really appreciate choirs.
Speaker 2:And when they started to sing, it was like the sound just hit my chest. It was phenomenal. So yes, I do remember that that was amazing.
Speaker 1:Very nice, very nice, okay, and then, finally this will determine the course of the rest of this conversation is who is your cut match team?
Speaker 2:Okay, so my husband is from St David's. George's area, so I'm going to lead with that, to say that, therefore, my team is St George's and I'm committed, despite the data. I am a St George's fan.
Speaker 1:Alright, interview over guys, but just joking. It's okay. We will allow for the minor laps in judgment and we will take on everything else. There we go, there we go, alright. So, lorraine, tell me about little Lorraine, like young Lorraine, what does she want to do? When she was growing up? What did she get into sports? And he said you like to sing. Tell me about little Lorraine.
Speaker 2:So, as you may or may not know, I am a twin and most people think we're identical, but we're not. We're actually fraternals but we're like identical fraternals, meaning we look very, very much alike but we are fraternals, so we're always together. I was born with a sidekick. I'm the younger of the two. I try to emphasize that when we're going up, my twin sister would say remember, I'm older Now she doesn't bother with that distinction as we've matured. So as a child, I was always, we were always well known. We were just known as the twins, and so the benefit of that is that I never had to learn to make friends, because everyone wanted to be friends of the twins. So that was interesting.
Speaker 2:We were very good athletes. We were very good students. We're very all around it. I just remember playing a lot in school. I don't remember like learning anything, I just remember playing a lot and I loved the school. I loved learning. I was very curious. I loved words. I liked reading. My mom had a habit of buying us books that were two, three years ahead of our ages, because we would read so profusely, we would just speak to the book so quickly.
Speaker 2:So I remember just being fascinated with words. I would challenge myself to learn a new word every week and then try to use that word in a sentence. I made stuff like that up. But I remember loving words and poems. I used to write a lot, write poetry. When kids were writing letters I would write prose. So I had a love of words and writing very creative.
Speaker 1:So what did you want to be when you were younger?
Speaker 2:Like everybody else lawyer, doctor, teacher I was raised in an era where it was just get a very good degree and get a good job. I won, really, and quite what I loved and what I was passionate about. So I've just shared with you some of the things that I enjoyed doing as a child, but that was not reflected in what I ended up studying at university. What did you study? Economics, really. I had a passion for business. I was naturally good at it. I was a very good student and I had an amazing economics professor. I fell in love with the subject and so it was just a natural thing to do. I didn't really give it much more thought than that. Now, looking back with hindsight, if I had to do it all over again, I probably would have explored more my creative side, my writing side, my love for words. That just kind of took a backseat and I was set to be an attorney.
Speaker 1:That was my plan.
Speaker 2:And then life changed when I decided to take a year off after doing my undergraduate. And I fell into this business called insurance.
Speaker 1:I feel like there's not one person. Well, this generation now is a little different, but that it was been an insurance for a really long time. That was just like yeah, I really wanted to work in insurance. Yeah, who just said no one?
Speaker 2:Seriously no one. And I had gotten a scholarship from a broken firm called Johnson Higgins leader, acquired by Marshall McLennan, and so I was exposed to insurance and I did internships et cetera, but I never really saw it as a career of choice for me. I didn't see anyone that looked like me working in the market. I didn't think it was possible, and when I came back from university the CEO said what are you gonna do?
Speaker 2:And I said I'm gonna take a year off and figure where I wanna go. Do I wanna go to law school? Do I wanna do an MBA? What is it? I?
Speaker 1:wanna do.
Speaker 2:And he said well, you can work first and then take it from there. And I thought, great, I don't have to apply for a job. This is awesome, and that's where my career started.
Speaker 1:And I was just really really blessed to have had a wonderful mentor and Kathy Lord.
Speaker 2:I met her when I was 18, 19, when we were making the rounds when I got my scholarship, they were introducing me to all the senior people and I think she was the last person I met and black Bermudian woman at a very high level and I was just enamored with her and I wrote her a letter. He wrote letters back in between and I was like thank her for her time and asking her would she like to be my mentor? And she said yes, that's amazing.
Speaker 2:And she's been my mentor ever since and she's been just a rudder and a ground, keeps me grounded, and that's when I realized that it was possible. If Kathy could do it, then I could do it. That's where my journey started.
Speaker 1:That's great. So what did you do while you were in insurance? Walk me through that journey.
Speaker 2:So I worked for Johnson Higgins for a year, decided that I wanted to get my insurance qualification as quickly as possible, because that's how I do things it's all or nothing. And I didn't want to do the four year work study type thing. And so I found a college in Kent, in Seven Oaks, and decided I was going to apply and I was going to go to this college and I was going to knock out these exams in a few months, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:I was determined.
Speaker 2:But while I was there I was going to work as well. I wanted some work experience in Lloyds in the London market and through my boss at the time she was able to extend her network to me and I was able to get some opportunities to work in the market. That was wonderful. I look back in hindsight because I got to try out the broken side of the business, the underwriting side of the business. I really got to come into my own and to study and work and to be completely focused. And I returned to Bermuda in 1991 into a recession and no one was hiring. Oh my gosh, I was so disappointed and I remember calling Cassie up and I said I did everything right and I cannot get a job.
Speaker 1:And I remember she said don't worry, let me make some phone calls.
Speaker 2:So that's the value of having a mentor that has your back and is willing to extend their network to you. And later on that day I got a phone call to go for an interview at the registrar of companies in their insurance division.
Speaker 2:I had no idea what the registrar of companies was, and I certainly didn't know about the insurance division and did my homework back then. You didn't have the internet, so I had to do the paper reading, et cetera Went to the interview, interviewed at Malcolm Butterfield. He was at the end of the registrar and, as on my way out after the interview, pushed the button, waiting for the elevator to come up, I was taking forever. This is in the government building. I think it still goes very slow. I think it's the same elevator, so I decided I'd take the staircase and so I started going down the stairs. I never forget it. Malcolm rushes out, leans over the banister and says hey, if you want a job, it's yours. Oh, my gosh, you can start on Monday. And that's what started. What wasn't the plan that I had, but it started a journey.
Speaker 2:I didn't see it at the time, but it was a perfect place for me to be. I got a bird's eye view of the industry. I knew who the top four or five markets were. I selected the ones that I would like to work at, eventually in the private sector, and one of those companies I chose was Excel. And at the registrar I met the number ones and twos of all the companies. So I was actually in the perfect spot. So how I got into the market was I saw an advertisement for an underwriter. Now, the honest truth is I have never been an underwriter, but I applied for the job.
Speaker 2:I applied for the job because it was on the list of my top five companies and I got an interview and I thought, oh my goodness, I'm not an underwriter, this is not going to go very well, but I knew that once I get in, once I get in front of that person, I can tell my story. So I got into the interview and I can. It was Keith Fisher. He was sitting there and he said no, you know, you're not an underwriter. Why did you apply for the job? I said Well, it got me here, didn't it? There you go. And we ended up having a wonderful conversation. He said I see, you have an economics degree, you have your insurance qualification. You've done this, you've done all the right things. Clearly, this is not the role for you, but we're starting up a new team in professional lines.
Speaker 2:And I'd love to recommend you and put your name forward. They'll be starting in six months and he said that was it and I just thought he was being polite. But about six months later I got a phone call and I was asked to come in for an interview. And then I got the job at this little company called Excel Insurance.
Speaker 1:Little then yes, little DeJune yes.
Speaker 2:And I was the second underwriter to be hired. Wow, working with Sharon.
Speaker 1:Williams now. She was Sharon Allen at the time and we became very best of friends.
Speaker 2:And my first day, patrick Tanner came over and welcomed me into the market, and it was just so wonderful to see more people that looked like myself. I enjoyed the environment and the camaraderie and the support that I had and the rest is history.
Speaker 1:So how would you say, how do you feel about how the industry is now versus what it was like when you came in? Like are you proud of where the industry is? Do you think of some things we have to work on, Like walk me through how you feel about that.
Speaker 2:So, to give you some context, I moved from insurance underwriting at Excel. Then I went into claims and I handled professional lines claims. Then I got pulled into a new startup called Allied World at the company from the very beginning Like employee number 26 and really developed my skill building portfolios, building books of business Very clear that I only wanted to train local talent. I was very, very clear about that from the beginning only local talent or spouses of, Because I really envision an industry that was successful in Bermuda for Bermudians, that was sustainable and I've always been sold out to that commitment.
Speaker 2:And then I went off to London to work for Allied World. They moved me to London to write a portfolio in Lloyd's great opportunity and I had these dreams of what I would experience when I returned to Bermuda. So I came back to Bermuda in 2019 and there were a few things that I was very unsettled about. I was unsettled about the fact that the same people that were there when I left almost six years ago to work in the London market Were the same people that were there.
Speaker 2:I wanted to see more progression. I want to see more of us in positions of influence and authority at a higher level. So there's some work for us to do. There is, there are still opportunities for us to plug into the younger generation and to guide them and propel them, and it needs to be intentional. Yeah, so I was disappointed. This is Loreen speaking.
Speaker 2:I was disappointed in the lack of acceleration that I thought would have occurred over the last five or a half to six years, so I'm glad to be home. I started a platform called the HODL, which is geared towards our Gen Zers and younger millennials for the primary purpose of being able to support and equip them, not just for the insurance and the reinsurance space, but for any market that they find themselves in. I will continue to do that until the day I die, because someone invested in me when I was the young generation. Yeah, someone saw my potential, somebody saw my ambition, someone saw me, and our young people need to know that we see them.
Speaker 1:No, I totally agree with you. I think it's so important I say this all the time we shouldn't be still breaking the glass ceilings that were broken before us. We have concrete ceilings.
Speaker 2:To be honest with you At least that's been my experience and I've said this before Glass ceilings suggest that you can look through and you can see above. Many times in my career I look up and I can't see anything. So it's even more oppressive, and so that is why the way that we can change that is by investing in the next generation and the next and the next to replicate that and to make it possible. I am an optimist by nature, so I'm committed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, and I think one who feels it knows it right or sees it, however the ceiling goes, and I think, when you feel it and you did mention that you did have a great mentor when you understand what that looks like for some people, it's easier to do better by the next generation.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and that's a responsibility that we have. I define my success not based on the things I have, but I define it based on the relationships that I have and the legacy that is going to outlive me long after I am gone, and that is dependent on how I use my time and the people that I choose to invest in. One of my first mentor in the market was an 18 year old and I'm still her mentor to this day. Not mentored many, many people over the years, but there are some that stick to you and I just considered an honor to see her just blossom and grow and she's doing amazing things, yeah, and to still be a part of her life.
Speaker 2:And now I see her not just as a mentee, but as a friend. Yeah, and now we have those really mature conversations.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's great when those types of relationships morph into more than just a mentee, mentor relationship, and it's like someone who's there, a part of you, you know their family.
Speaker 2:You've seen all your journey Exactly.
Speaker 1:And sometimes more like than your family, in an intimate way, especially career based right.
Speaker 2:Oh yes, because you know, like with Kathy I mean, she just tell it to me straight, honestly Some days I'm like seriously like you couldn't have said it yeah, a little nicer, and that's exactly what I need, and I know that she does it with love and she does it with the best of intention. Yeah she's always been right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's also really good too, because sometimes I don't know for you when it comes to your parents and we'll get into that shortly but sometimes, like, our parents don't necessarily understand the industry that we were in, so the advice that they give wouldn't really be helpful.
Speaker 2:Sometimes they don't give any advice. I remember going to my mom and I'll be explaining stuff. She says oh, just got to pray about it. Okay, thank you very much you know that was well, yes, but that's all she had to offer.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I had to find my own network of supporters that that that could provide the support that I needed to navigate the politics, to make sure that I'm not sabotaging myself, to help me to count to 100 if I have to, in terms of being able to deal with with some unexpected situations, which happens quite often. And so, yeah, I think my parents gave me the best that they can, but it wasn't always what I needed. So I think we have to be the we have to manage and own our own careers and our own lives, and if we need help, we must ask for it and go out and find it.
Speaker 1:That's our responsibility, and I think knowing that it's okay to ask as well is also really helpful.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, in in. I don't know how you were raised, but in certainly my culture. I was raised to be very independent and I will tell you that is not a good thing, because you can only pull yourself up by the bootstrap so much. So many times you're going to run out of energy.
Speaker 2:You're going to run out of so much you can do, and what I love about the work that I do now is that I am able to help others to get more comfortable, understanding that asking for help yeah, it's one of the most powerful, empowering and more freeing option that you can ever give yourself is to be able to say I need help, I need support. It's easier if the burden is lighter and it's more fun when you can do this with others.
Speaker 1:What do you think is black people we are, and black women in particular right? Why do you think we're raised to be so independent?
Speaker 2:That's such oh, how much time do we? Have you know um, I was raised by very independent women and educators and that's what I saw modeled in front of me. My parents were divorced when we were quite young, so my dad was in my life, but kind of here and there. So my mom is really my vision, meant an embodiment of what a woman is.
Speaker 2:I have learned since which to create that which is my own and what works for me. I was saying to my husband the other day it was a domestic chore at home. And I said, just to remind you, I'm not a feminist and because he was like women, mow the lawn too.
Speaker 1:And they do not around here.
Speaker 2:I said I'm sure they do, but not here.
Speaker 1:Not here.
Speaker 2:So, you know, I've kind of developed my own sense of what womanhood and what that looks like. And even as I was building my family and deciding, we decided very early on in our marriage, the first year, we wanted kids. That was very unheard of. Back then, when I was having my kids, everyone thought that's a career ending decision. And I will tell you, each time we had our each kid, it was not a good career decision. Ok, it really wasn't, yeah, but they were the most perfect three decisions I've ever made. So I think we have to find what's right for us, what works for us, and always checking our North Star. Has the North Star moved? Yeah, are we making decisions based on all the values? Yeah, have those values changed? And so my decisions have changed over the years as I have grown and I've become even more clear what those values are. The order of those values yeah, reflects.
Speaker 1:Reflects my choices yeah, definitely, and I like how you said. You know you had to kind of change what you saw. Yes, yes, your mom now being a married woman, a mother of four, I'm sorry, of three. Sorry, I gave you extra child there, my husband to determine. So now, being a mother of three and a married woman like that independence. Where does that go?
Speaker 2:I just had to find another definition and context of what independence look like for me. I remember when we just got married, my mom would invite us over dinner. She would call my husband up and ask him what he would like, and he would give her his order steak. How would you like it? And blah, blah, blah. She never called me. So I remember having a conversation with her because you know we had a pretty heated conversation. Every time we leave my mom's house and the quest goes something like this your mom always calls and you know she asks me what I want, and you know she makes it just right and I was like that's her house, that's not our house.
Speaker 2:So I talked to my mom about that and she said you know, that's just how I was raised, you know, so whatever. But what I did get from her was the spirit of what it is that she was doing, and so I took that. And what I took from that was that my husband does like when I make special dishes for him. That's an expression of love. So I do different things, but I did take the heart and the spirit of what it is that she was doing. So basically, what I learned was that it's not just, it's not about right or wrong, it's just expressing it differently, in a way that honors and aligns with you and where your life is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and adapting right Like it really is. Definitely. That's definitely what I got from. That is, you know it doesn't mean you have to change who you are, but sometimes you know we can adapt to different situations to be different, but be yourself, be yourself Exactly. So you mentioned about your career. You know, having the having kids kind of changed your career at that time. Like how did you kind of work your way, I wouldn't say back, but how did you get back into your career, into the swing of things after having children?
Speaker 2:I never got out of the swing of things. I stayed. My career progressed continually during my entire all the years that I was raising my kids. I was always very open about my kids. When I moved to Allied World as a startup, I remember the interview and I said oh, before we go any further, just so you know, I have three kids and they're a huge part of my life and so when I'm here, I'm here. I'm here a hundred percent, but when I'm not here, I'm with them. If you're okay with that, then we can continue with the interview. So that was a huge part of who I was.
Speaker 1:And that's a that was a very bold thing to say at that time, because only most recently have we gotten in this. You know, take time for family, it's okay, you know, and even still kind of okay, you know. So that was a really bold thing to say in an interview.
Speaker 2:It was. I wanted to do things like that, but what was interesting was I found out later on that the CEO of the company was one of three boys and he actually resonated with me. Good, so you never know, right? Yeah, never know.
Speaker 1:And that was your truth at the time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was, and you know. You have to know what your non-negotiables are. So, again, like I said earlier, you have to know what those core values are. And for us you know our kids we got one shot at raising our boys, one. There's no redo. So I don't want to mess it up. I don't want to mess it up. They are our legacy. They are a reflection of us, our kids. The way you parent your kids is a reflection of you and I wanted to tell them a good story. At the end I don't want to say so we didn't make time for you, etc. Etc.
Speaker 2:So there were times where I had to step back a little bit or do a lateral move, and my husband would step forward. As the boys grew up and they needed more of him, he stepped back and I stepped forward. So it was very, very strategic. All my moves were strategic and very there was always a target as to where I was going and how I was moving my career. So I've had about five distinct career in the market because after about five or six or seven years, I think I've learned everything I need to learn and it's time to move on.
Speaker 2:That's just how my wiring is. So I've moved left, I've moved right, I've moved up, I've moved down. So my network is pretty rich, from broken to underwriting, claims management, from insurance to reinsurance, from North American business to international and European business. So I have a very wide network. I have a wonderful appreciation for the market and the dynamic and I always encourage people don't just settle for that one job and saying I'm going to be an underwriter for the rest of my life or I'm just going to be. Challenge yourself to learn new products, go to a new company do a startup like push yourself, push your boundaries.
Speaker 2:You'd be surprised what you can learn and new things that you can find out about yourself that you're really good at.
Speaker 1:So, after all of these moves in your career in our insurance and reinsurance industry and Bermuda and overseas, and conquering all the different things that you've done, you decided to open up your own business. Walk me through what? How did that happen?
Speaker 2:So I always knew that I would end up here. I didn't know when. I certainly knew it was going to be after I had my kids. That I knew and I started the prep back in 2012. And in 2012, I started to prepare for this chapter of my life. And I'm saying that to say that if you have a desire or a dream, it takes time sometimes to execute on it, but just be patient and use that time to prep and get ready, because when the opportunity falls in your lap, you just have to run with it. And that's exactly what happened in 2012.
Speaker 2:I went to London and checked out a coaching program, fell in love with it, knew right away this is what I wanted to be. I wanted to be an executive coach. I didn't see any that looked like me. I knew that I could have benefited from having an executive coach throughout many periods of my career and I wanted to offer that up, especially to underrepresented and marginalized professionals. I want them to know that support is there for them, and so I would. I would work Monday to Friday, then I would take the BA flight on Friday night, get into London Saturday morning completely jet lag, and then I would do the course, right through to Sunday it's on the weekend, and then I would fly back on Monday and I'd be back at work on Tuesday.
Speaker 2:And I did that on and off for two years and I just kept it to myself. Just a very few inner circle knew what I was doing and I decided to do two diplomas one in corporate and executive coaching and I did one in life coaching. I did both because you're always talking about work and life together.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:And then, once I was qualified, then I had the opportunity to go to London, so that went in the back burner. It just wasn't the right time.
Speaker 2:It wasn't the right time and I coached in the back. I kept my skills and my powder dry, and then, when I came back to Bermuda, I had a few interviews in the market but, as God would have it, everything fell flat, and that's when I knew I'd lost the appetite. It just had run its course. That's not it. It's like. It's like putting on a pair of shoes you used to love to wear and it doesn't feel the same anymore.
Speaker 2:The shoes wasn't fitting right anymore, and it wasn't a bad feeling. It was a good feeling. I knew that this was the time, and so I actually had named the company. The website was already designed. My oldest son designed the website. Everything was done, so basically, I just turned the switch on in March of 2020. Wow, that's a one flick of the switch, and that was it, and I did my first LinkedIn post and the rest is, as you see, again, history.
Speaker 1:So walk me through. What is Clarendon Wallace? Where did that name come from?
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for asking me that, because it's really the embodiment of me. So Clarendon is the parish that I was born in, jamaica. Okay, so I'm Jamaican if no one has picked up my accent yet and so that is me. That is home. That is where I feel a huge sense of belonging. It's a big part of my identity. I was born there and I went to high school there, so very big part of my life. And Wallace is the maiden name of my mother.
Speaker 1:She had all girls.
Speaker 2:I just felt that this was one way to recognize her and to honor her. She's since passed on. So, clarendon Wallace, when I say that name, it really is me. It really is my legacy. It reminds me of who I am, it grounds me, it reminds me of why I do what I do, which is to provide a service that impacts who's impacts, or the impact of my work is greater than me, and that's what it is.
Speaker 1:So what exactly? Outside of, I guess, the executive coaching and things like that, what else does the business do? What are you specializing in?
Speaker 2:So I had a plan in the beginning what I would do, and it's morphed into something else. So that's another thing. Any entrepreneur have a plan, but then get ready to adapt.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, immediately.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so the corporate and executive coaching is a big part, especially in the career space. I work a lot with people that are looking at transitioning from one level to the next, or they want to get promoted to the next level, or they want to change industries or they want to change jobs or whatever. It is a lot of work in the career space. I do a significant amount of corporate training, so this is where I go into organization. They give me their pain points, what you're struggling with and what I love to do. Remember in the beginning I talk about writing and creating. I actually get to tap into that skill and I get to create bespoke, customized training programs and then deliver that. And when I do that, I bring in not just the training but I bring in the coaching and I also bring in my real world corporate experience into the room.
Speaker 1:Which is so significant? Right, because a lot of times we have trainers and corporate coaches that actually don't understand the business, oh my goodness, you should drive me nuts.
Speaker 2:They say stuff and I'm thinking you have no idea what you're talking about. No, that is not a good idea. And I knew that, whatever I do with this work, I will always be honest. I will always make sure that I bring real life into what I do so that it's relevant, it's applicable. They can walk out and say, okay, this is what I need to do, absolutely, it's gonna be better. And then I'm also the Bermuda partner for the British School of Excellence it's used to be called the British School of Etiquette and this is where I focus primarily on soft skills and polish and professionalism, because one of the things that I've observed over my career is that so many times we have we black and brown individuals, we have the technical skills, but what's missing is that X factor that allows us to be able, when we get into the room, to be able to have that polish and that poise and that confidence and that executive presence.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:That allows us to be able to speak into those spaces, and no fault of our own. Sometimes we just don't have that level of exposure, and I want to fix that gap as soon as possible, and so we work with kids as young as six and all the way up to 18. And then, of course, it's in the corporate and in the adults setting as well, and we're looking at starting an after-school program where we'll be able to bring that to at a level for kids to understand emotional intelligence, understand polish and poise eating etiquette.
Speaker 2:We want to make sure that our kids, when they get into those spaces, they're comfortable with their evident interview or lunch or dinner or coffee meeting, et cetera, that they know exactly what to do and they know how to show up in those spaces.
Speaker 1:It's so important, right? Because even when we were just saying about, like, going to your parents or asking people in your environment about some things, it's crazy to think that there are people entering industry who are still first generation in industry, right, or first generation in working in these types of environments, and a lot of people just don't know Like I find in my role as well they just actually just don't know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and if you don't know, you don't know, but you get marked by the things you don't know. There's so many times I've seen where you have the smartest person doesn't get considered because they lack these skill sets. That's not their fault. So I just really want to position everyone that I work with for the best opportunity to succeed and to be their best, best self and to challenge themselves to become even better, but, most importantly, to have a sense of confidence and belonging wherever they are. And the way to be able to attain that is to develop those skill sets, and that is what I desire to do Absolutely.
Speaker 1:So I feel like your career now is so full and so rich and you deal with so many different people all the time and helping people essentially become their better selves right, their best selves, I should say and what would you say has been your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur so far?
Speaker 2:Flexibility. I'm a worker, I have very. I'm West Indian, okay.
Speaker 1:All right, Gotta work, gotta work.
Speaker 2:Yes, exactly when my middle son was young. He says to me mom, what is it that? All Jamaicans? They just work, work, work. Mommy, it's true, though. Yeah, I said you know, Brandon, that's a really good question. I'll get back to you, but you know, it's in our DNA, We've seen it. We've seen the work ethic of our parents, We've seen the benefits of what that brings. So I have that. What I desired the most when I was raising my kids and building my career was just flexibility of time. You know, I will be honest, I resent a lot of people in the pandemic. I'm thinking do you know how good it is that you can work at home? You can start supper and your kids can come home, and you're home and you can still, you know, be badass at work and at home, you know, and oh, I just wish I had that.
Speaker 2:I did get it eventually in the latter part of my career as I became more senior, but you had to earn it, yeah. So what I love is the flexibility. I get to start my day when I want to start it and I get to finish my day when I want to finish my day and I can. I'm a professional napper. That's my secret to success, and parenting.
Speaker 2:It's nothing like a good nap. I'm telling you I am so good at it, and so flexibility to work in a way that allows me to operate at my best, yeah.
Speaker 1:And so how would you say being an entrepreneur, as I guess, because your sons are all older now, correct? Yes, 21,.
Speaker 2:Soon to be 22, tomorrow, 24 and 27.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you're pretty much an MG Nester. Don't tell them.
Speaker 2:I miss them. But boy, this is great, it's great, it's very nice so.
Speaker 1:I guess your entrepreneurial journey kind of happened post the year sons kind of being at home right, Absolutely yes so how was that like? Is that benefited your home life, or is it like did it take a bit of an adjustment?
Speaker 2:No, it was great, it was all a part of the transition. We transitioned back to Bermuda. It was right into the pandemic. I mean, I started the business three weeks before shelter in place and I remember typing in what is Zoom? I literally remember typing in what is Zoom. I had no idea it was back in the day. It was Skype, I don't know if you remember.
Speaker 1:Skype. It was Skype for a long time. I'm not that young, I remember Skype. Okay, so you remember Skype.
Speaker 2:That's it. So I didn't know what Zoom was and it was 45 minutes was free. So I would tell my clients listen, we have five minutes left.
Speaker 1:Because you got to used to get the little notification. Remember that's right.
Speaker 2:We'll come back on and we'll get another 45 minutes. So I was just going through a lot of transition at the time. So transitioning into entrepreneurship was just another transition for me. I will tell you, there was a moment where I thought, oh my goodness, I think I'm just gonna go back and be an underwriter, make a crap load of money and just chill.
Speaker 1:I mean this is great.
Speaker 2:I mean, there are worse things in life but I couldn't. I had no appetite for it and to have done that would have been total misalignment with where I am at. And I just had to be brave again. And I just started talking to myself and I was like listen, laryne, you've done this before. You have started, restarted, rebuilt your career many times and you've done well. So pretend that this is one of those companies, except that it's called Laryne, clare Ben Wallace, and you're working for yourself. You're betting on you. And I just swiped, I just reframed it and that was it the moment. I did that nothing. I just started just trying things and experimenting and if it didn't work, I said, okay, that didn't work, and if this works, okay, I like that. That worked. And I just kept going To this day. I am not attached to any one thing. We're constantly evolving. We're constantly responding where the needs are, who knows?
Speaker 2:what we'll be in three or five years from now, but I am open to the possibility.
Speaker 1:Absolutely so. I think it's really good because I guess so your songs must be like. It's weird because sometimes when you have kids they tend to gravitate away from the things that you do. But do you give your advice and all the skills and everything that you give to everyone else to your songs and do they listen?
Speaker 2:Okay, that's two questions. Yes, so do I give advice to my kids Now as young adults? I try not to. I just ask really great questions and then by the time they're answering the question they're like okay, I got it, Got it. Yes, that's number one. Number two is they get just. They have had the privilege of the front seat, of seeing me navigate my corporate life as a woman, as a wife and as a mother. They've had front row seats to the positive and the negative aspects of trying to navigate that and keeping them a priority. I should say my marriage is the priority number one and my children are next. I don't get the two mixed up. But now they get to see me absolutely flourishing in what my heart desires and being able to apply all of those technical skills and everything I've learned in this space. So they have seen, I think they're seeing the better part of me now.
Speaker 2:The more wiser part of me, the more composed part of me, the more assured part of me, the more consistent part of me. They're seeing that, so I love the conversations that we have now. I love the questions they ask me. So one my youngest son is in the market. He works in London and he calls me and he's like Mom, I'd love to learn to build my network.
Speaker 2:What's your advice. And he pops in on the huddle as well when I run the different virtual workshops and we have these great conversations, and he'll send me a note and say a broker just called me and invited me out for something. That's a good sign, right? That means you're doing the right thing, Exactly so. They're talking to me now, not just his mom, but they're getting to see all the things that I did, but they're seeing it from a different lens now. He shared with me last week, Connor, that he was having lunch and someone says you know, tell me a little bit about your background.
Speaker 2:And he says oh, I'm.
Speaker 1:Bermudian blah, blah blah and they're like Phillips Phillips.
Speaker 2:Phillips, are you Lorraine Phillips' son? And he was just like wow, he's like Mom, everybody knows who you are because he just sees me as mom. So he says, I'm getting to know you from afar and I'm getting to understand what you did in the market.
Speaker 1:That's going to be a cool feeling.
Speaker 2:It was. I said to him you know, thanks for telling me that, because so many times you are just working away and you're doing what you know you're good at, but sometimes you don't think people notice, yeah. And he says, mom, they think you're a legend over here. I was like, well, they haven't told me, but thanks for telling me. Sometimes it happens that way. It happens, you know, but the key is just to keep doing what you're doing, hone your skills, know your craft. Yeah. And I tell anyone in any area, I said be good at what you do, master what it is that you do. Like, don't just show up anyhow, be known for what it is that you're good at and then deliver.
Speaker 2:And so that's what I tell him as like learn your craft, Be good at it and ask great questions.
Speaker 1:Absolutely so, I guess, with all this change within your career and now becoming a full-time entrepreneur like, how did your husband take on all of those things?
Speaker 2:So interesting. I love that question because when we got back I said listen, I'm an entrepreneur now, so that office? I said that office is mine. So my husband had an office at home. I said that's offices mine, now it's my turn. And he says okay, and I said I need two years of your support, 100%. I said because I cannot do this by myself. And he's an IT professional, he's a computer guy. When things are all over the place he comes steady hand and he just was just right there. My son was my you know web web guy and marketing slash dot dot dot. Yes, that was my oldest son, he's the creative.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it just became a family thing. I was very open. Yeah, this is what.
Speaker 1:I'm doing.
Speaker 2:This is the route that I'm going. And the other thing that I did, which I will emphasize, was in preparing for becoming an entrepreneur, I didn't just prepare in terms of getting my skills, making sure that I was trained, qualified and the best, I got my financial house in order Absolutely. And you know, there's an expression into make a little little, make much, much, and I believe in that. You know, just start small and build. So there was a financial plan in place that allowed me the freedom to be able to invest in Clarendon Wallace.
Speaker 1:Which is so incredibly important because and I say this all the time being an entrepreneur right now is like cool Right.
Speaker 2:Like I want to be an entrepreneur. I mean, everyone's like an entrepreneur. Yeah, oh, I'm an entrepreneur.
Speaker 1:I have all this flexibility and people don't realize how much work it takes. Like being an entrepreneur is an all consuming thing, like it literally consumes your life.
Speaker 2:It's, it's like having a child. So I'm glad that I don't have my kids with me, because I would not have the capacity. So I admire entrepreneurs who are in the throes of it and raising their families and may have another full time job. That's just not for me. So you have to be true to who you are. Yeah, and you know, for me I want to. You know, the clients that I work with are very stressed, very high level. I am the voice of reason and also the voice of calmness. I cannot show up horrid and, you know, frazzled and kuffufled. Yeah. So I need to embody the very thing that my clients are looking for.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:My life has to be structured in a certain, in certain way to be able to deliver that high level of service over and over and over again. So you know, entrepreneurship is all about, first of all, being honest with yourself. Yeah, take care of yourself, because you cannot give people what you don't have If you're not well you cannot. You cannot give that. So very much. So Take care of yourself so that you can deliver that high level of service on a consistent, basis.
Speaker 1:So you know what a successful career looks like in insurance and reinsurance and claims management. What does a successful career successful career as an entrepreneur look like for Clare Den Wallace and Lorraine Phillips? Yeah, because that's one and the same yeah.
Speaker 2:And I was deliberate not in naming the company of myself, because my idea is that it would outlive me and I didn't want my name to be the name that drives the company Gotcha. But a successful business is one where I am impacting the lives of individuals, particularly underrepresented and marginalized individual. One session at a time, one training at a time, one person at a time, and and letting individuals know that asking for help and getting support is powerful. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Lorraine. I have more questions, but we are coming up on time, which is crazy, so thank you. But I guess before you leave the couch every woman, for they leave the couch we want to know what you want to be remembered for. You did say you want the business to outlive you, but when Lorraine Phillips is no longer on this planet and someone says your name, what do you want to be remembered for?
Speaker 2:Forgiving individuals a trusted space to be vulnerable, ask for what they need and then be able to provide the help that they need Wow.
Speaker 1:Good, I love that that works great. Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate this. Literally, I have I'm halfway through my my notes right now, but we have to do a part two one day, absolutely, and they have to come back. I'm here. Yes, we didn't get into the books or anything like that. It's okay, we'll. We'll figure out another time.
Speaker 2:I have to leave some for the next time. There you go, got to leave them one and more. Yes, it's okay.
Speaker 1:So if my listeners want to know more about Clarendon Wallace, how can they find you?
Speaker 2:Just go to our website, wwwclarendonwallacecom, or you can follow me directly on LinkedIn and where I have just a ton of content and thanks to everyone that really read my content Some days I'm like people are really reading this stuff. So thank you so much, because I get to do what I love every day and I get the opportunity to impact individuals, lives, one person at a time.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you again. I appreciate my pleasure Absolutely. Thank you so much. All right, guys.
Speaker 1:We had an amazing episode today with the rain Phillips, who is the founder and CEO of Clarendon Wallace here in Bermuda.
Speaker 1:If you want to learn more about her, please visit her website, or you can definitely follow her on LinkedIn, where she links a lot of great content about coaching, about being your best selves in the working environment and being polished in a professional environment as well.
Speaker 1:So make sure you follow her and you can find out more about everything that she has going on with her business on those particular platforms. Once again, make sure you subscribe to the channel so you can stay up to date with all the new episodes that we have coming out, and also head over to the website hustleherpodcastcom and sign up to become a VIP listener, do some great giveaways with some of our sponsors, and it's also a really cool way to get ahead of the game with all the episodes that come out. Again, thank you to our amazing sponsors, browning Company and 59 Front, for allowing us to have this episode and being our season sponsors for season four. Thank you again for watching Hustle Her Podcast. We also have the 29 Keyds to Parenting and Win. If you want to buy any of these books, especially the Rean's books, make sure you head over to the bookmark at Browning Co.
