Ivoree Jordan, Elevated an Insurance Career Into a Legacy, and Now Media and Sales Coaching

We sit down with our co-founder Ivoree Jordan to trace her path from South Central LA to Sacramento to becoming a powerhouse broker and senior leader in the male dominated insurance industry. We break down what “Range Currency” really means, how music can mirror growth, and why coaching helps you elevate when life gets hard.  

• Moving from South Central LA to Sacramento at 16 to find a better path  
• Starting in insurance through a high school internship and realizing the industry’s scale 
• Defining “Power Stance” and the recognition that marks a career milestone  
• Building a life as a wife and mom while protecting time through delegation and outsourcing  
• Explaining Range Currency as the sum of your roles, experience, and personal brand 
• Using music as a tool for nostalgia, meaning, and motivation before big moments  
• Navigating representation gaps in insurance sales with belief and visible hard work 
• Mentoring and sales coaching as a way to close the gap and give back 
• Teasing a 12-week sales training program designed to help people get unstuck  
• So wherever you are, tune in and tap in fully because the conversation might unlock something unique for you.  

Transcript

Welcome And The Range Mission

MYSHELL 0:48

Welcome to We Have Range the Podcast where Range isn't optional. It's the advantage.

IVOREE 0:56

That part, this is a space where everyday people are highlighted for their extraordinary Range. We're giving them the microphone, the respect to tell their story. 

MYSHELL 1:08

I'm Myshell, 

IVOREE 1:09

I'm Ivoree, 

MYSHELL AND IVOREE 1:10

and We Have Range.

IVOREE 1:12

So wherever you are, tune in and tap in fully 

MYSHELL 1:16

Because the conversation might unlock something unique for you. 

MYSHELL AND IVOREE 1:20

Let's get to it. 

MYSHELL 1:21

The We Have Range Podcast is an extension of our coaching practice. This platform is designed to provide a stage for people to share their journeys with the world, reflecting the Range of their capacity in leadership, in life, and in the moments that matter. We create a space where honesty, curiosity, and the courage for everyday people in the industries and communities across generations inspire the world to invest in themselves and in others. Our goal is simple: showcase the Range of humans doing dope shit in the world. Get ready. Get ready to learn, laugh, and connect with relatable people. You already know me, Myshell, co-founder of We Have Range. I'm here in SinCity Podcast Studio in Las Vegas. I'm here to introduce my co-founder, Ivoree. And let me start with her Range Card. Wife, mom, aunt, sister, entrepreneur, philanthropist, senior vice president, risk manager, and powerhouse broker in the insurance industry, sales coach, mentor, graduate of the University of Phoenix, and as I stated, a co-founder of We Have Range.

IVOREE 2:34

Hi, everybody. I'm Ivoree Jordan. 

MYSHELL 2:35

So we talked about everyday people and the launch of We Have Range. What better than to feature the co-founders of We Have Range? I want to talk to Ivoree Jordan. And from my perspective, Ivoree's Range shows up and how she leads, builds community, and moves her vision into action.

From South LA To Sacramento

MYSHELL 2:56

So Ivoree, I want you to start with telling everybody, the world, your journey. Like little pockets of your journey. California to where you are now in California. Like you moved from Southern Cal to Nor Cal. Tell me a little bit more about that journey.

IVOREE 3:14

Yeah, so I uh was born and raised in Los Angeles. Those that's the most um humble part of my roots and beginnings. Um, South Central LA specifically. 

MYSHELL 3:26

So where I I mean, is that Comptons? Is that like Long Beach? 

IVOREE 3:30

Today they call it South LA. That's the that's the new version of where Los Angeles is. But um I say that kind of loosely because I feel like I'm a nomad. I've lived all up and down the state of uh California over the course of my journey, but the most impressionable years were certainly uh where I was born and in that time of adolescence. 

MYSHELL 3:56

All right, so what took you to NorCau? 

IVOREE 3:58

So I was a 16-year-old kid, and I was in search of a better life with more positivity. Growing up in Inner City, Los Angeles, where there's violence and gangs and drugs and uh lots of things that I knew were not going to ever lead to a positive outcome in my life, was something I was wanting to get away from. So um I had an aunt, shout out to my aunt Deora, who was willing to take me in and allow me into her home during high school, and I restarted a new journey in search of what it meant, and that was in Northern California in Sacramento.

MYSHELL 4:38

Okay. So early years, SoCal, then you moved to Sacramento. What was your journey from there into business?

Insurance Internship Sparks A Career

IVOREE 4:49

So uh senior year of high school, you know, I it was uh I had moved around a lot of high schools as a kid, and I finally said, you know what, I need to figure out what my next step is. So I was working overtime to get out of um class in senior year, and there was an internship opportunity that led me into the insurance industries, answering phones, filing papers, yes, paper for these new generation people. Um digital age, they know nothing about paper. We answered Wheel phones that were on the desk, you know, not you know, and so it was it was certainly a different time, but it was interning as a as a effectively a secretary in the insurance industry. And um, from there I discovered, wow, insurance is a trillion dollar industry. If I actually buckle up, get a license, which took all of two weeks and $200, I that chartered me on the course to uh ultimately Silicon Valley and changing the course of the rest of my life. Okay.

Power Stance And Woman Of Year

MYSHELL 5:57

What has been the biggest moment in your career that signifies your Power Stance?

IVOREE 6:05

The biggest moment in my career, I would say I've had a few. Well, but let's back up.

MYSHELL 6:11

What's a Power Stance in your opinion? Like, what is a Power Stance?

IVOREE 6:15

A Power Stance from my perspective is a moment, an accomplishment, something you've achieved where you're like, you know, thinking about all your dreams when you're a young person and you're trying to be like, how do I become the best of myself? It's moments that you kind of stop, smell the roses, and be like, I did that shit. So what are those things? And so for me, um, certainly a moment I can think of is when I won woman of the year a few years ago. I working at a a uh Silicon Valley insurance brokerage, I had there was an opportunity for people to say, who's the most impactful person that has been helpful to you, that you respect, and it had to be voted by your constituents, your peers, if you will. And so um, out of over 600 women, the that the industry came together in my firm and said, it's me. I had the most number of nominations. I was so proud of that moment. And it was like one of those things of like, wow, I'm doing it.

MYSHELL 7:22

Okay.

IVOREE 7:22

I was on fire.

MYSHELL 7:23

What's your ultimate goal of your Power Stance though?

IVOREE 7:26

The ultimate goal of a Power Stance or my Power Stance is to never stop working hard, never stop living. So for me, it's about capturing moments, like acknowledging where I'm at, and then from there thinking, okay, what's next? I think um at least what we've grown up to understand is that we become a thing and then we pat ourselves on the backs, and then it's time to retire. No, I feel like throughout the course of your life, you can always be checking in on those Power Stance moments and then continuing to elevate and change your world and your future.

MYSHELL 8:04

That's amazing. Let's dive into your Range Card.

Family Priorities And Delegation

MYSHELL 8:08

The mom. Tell me about the mom. How much do you love being a mom or hate it? Listen, no one says you have to love it, but I know you love it. Tell me about being a mom, a sister, a wife. All the things. All the things.

IVOREE 8:21

So um, I'll start with my husband. Okay, because outside of my faith, God, um, my husband certainly comes first. He is my rock. Um, he is my world, he is my everything. He is my partner, he inspire me, inspires me. He puts the air under my wings to be better. So I always say I start with my foundation, which is my husband. Okay. Um, Dion. And together we have four children. And um, Zy, Mimi, a lot of kids. Levi, yes. How do you guys do it? We we we uh we do it, we love it. Um, so we're the  American blended family, if you will. We have three girls and our son, Levi, together. And um, I would say they're part of what inspires me. Um, kids keep you really honest. They um they will inspire you. Um, certainly you have moments as a parent where you're like, why did I do this in my life? Why did I decide to be a busy executive mom, mogul, powerhouse? How did I want to mix all this together? Yeah. Um, but when I think about being a wife and a mom, I mean, what else in this life really matters outside of the people you love, the people that you can share it with? And it means so much more having my husband and our children.

MYSHELL 9:43

Yeah, I feel that. I'm a mom, not married, but I am a mom. Tell me more about you as a mom managing a successful career, um, and what that journey looks like, and some of the sacrifices you've had to make in order to get to where you are.

IVOREE 10:02

Right. And I would say um, I say sacrifices, I really think of those as opportunities. Okay. Because I think you can really decide what you want your journey to be, where you spend your time, and what your priorities are. And for me, that's my family. Um, so certainly, could I get more done in a day if I didn't have um a large growing uh family? But I also believe I wouldn't be as uh motivated or inspired to kick ass. And so, um, from my perspective, um, making it all work, my husband will call me the master delegator. So uh, I outsource. I am the queen of outsourcing. I can witness that. If anything is gonna take too much of my time, um, and which time is currency. That is literally what matters most to every single person. We all only have them same 24 hours. So I take the things that um I'm really good at and I spend my time on those, and the things that I don't care for, um, you know, uh, that has changed over over life. And so um I'm a master delegator. If it, if it's not making me money, if it's not pouring into my soul, if it's not um something that inspires me, I don't want to do it.

MYSHELL 11:21

I love that.

Range Currency Meets Personal Brand

MYSHELL 11:22

We kind of touched a little bit on the Range Currency. Um, do you want to describe what Range Currency is for We Have Range? It's something that we've coined, um, but I think it's so powerful. So, from your perspective, what is your Range Currency? And what is Range Currency actually before that?

IVOREE 11:40

Yeah. So before that, Range Currency is, I would say that is our defined terms of what might folks think of their bio, their background, their credentials. But what we believe is your Range is the sum of all of those things. I cannot show up as a powerhouse executive and not bring forth the fact that I'm a mom and a wife and a woman of God and all the things that inspire me. They're the sum of all of those things. Yeah. So whether I'm in the boardroom, I'm giving a presentation, I'm, you know, at a rap concert, I'm speaking before Congress, whatever it is.

MYSHELL 12:18

And by the way, she's done all those things.

IVOREE 12:20

Whatever the hat is that I am carrying in that moment represents the Range. And those different parts of me make me who I am. I have a lot of talent. I have a lot of things that I can bring to the world and a lot of experiences. And I think they all matter.

MYSHELL 12:39

So, would you say that your Range Currency is your personal brand?

IVOREE 12:43

Absolutely. It is the sum of who you are. In my case, Ivoree Jordan Inc. is my Range Card.

MYSHELL 12:51

Spoke before Congress, rap concert, mom changing diapers, executive leading sales team.

Music, Nostalgia, And Growth

MYSHELL 12:59

I mean, but last night, we can't keep going until we talk about the new edition concert last night.

IVOREE 13:05

It was fun.

MYSHELL 13:06

It was so epic. 

IVOREE 13:07

And for those who may or may not be familiar with new editions

MYSHELL 13:15

Sorry if you're not. Um that concert last night uh did everything for me from late 80s, all of the 90s. It was nostalgic. It was it spoke to uh every moment from elementary, high school, college. And I sat there and I was like, these words mean something different. Have you ever thought about say friends you read a book and then you read it like in high school and then you read it again as an adult? And when you revisit, it has such a different meaning for you. 

IVOREE 13:47

Absolutely. 

MYSHELL 13:48

That concert did that last night. I was listening to the words like From Boys to Men. That's a song about growth. Like I would have never thought about that when I was, I don't know, 15, maybe when that song came out. And last night I just listened to the music so differently. How did you feel? I mean, first of all, we're in Vegas. We're balling out, we're having a great time. Part two tonight, by the way. But last night, it just, it was such, a moment of launching us into today and talking about the Range that we have.  I was just in LA last week, traveling for work, doing whatever, pedaling some insurance somewhere. But you know, then ending in Vegas and having this moment with you, I felt like it set a tone for you. What did it mean for you, today as we talk about having this beautiful Range from mom, to boardroom, to community, to sister, and wife? Tell me what did it mean for you?

IVOREE 14:48

Yeah, so um actually when we talk about the sum of who we are, I actually think of Boys to Men and a song I remember um from my beginning as an adolescent when I was living in inner city, Los Angeles. And I remember going to the first funeral I had ever been to, for a young man who had lost his life to gang violence. And um, so back then I was a kid. That particular song reminded me of a moment of sorrow. Okay. But when I look forward, and I look at, you know, when I look back on my life and where I am today and having come so far in my journey and listening to it today and its relevance and where I am centered as a um a whole person that's grown from those situations. I think about growth. So as I listen to those words, it represented, oh my gosh, you can start in a different place and end up somewhere totally different if you really just put your mind, your energy, your faith, um, and some hard ass work into elevating. And so it was nostalgic for me, for sure. Um, and also incredibly humbling and appreciative of the moment that we were having in Las Vegas.

MYSHELL 16:10

You know, it made me think about something because we've never been to a concert together.

IVOREE 16:13

Yeah.

MYSHELL 16:13

And one of my favorite songs is by Nas. It's called Moments. And he's talking about those, the you can't redo things. Yeah. It's like the moments you can't relive. Yeah. And so it made me think about our first concert in Vegas, New Edition. It's a moment we won't ever relive. Right. How do you feel about songs that resonate and bring you to spaces, like your power song, the song that centers you, your hype song? Like, what does that look like for you?

IVOREE 16:42

Yeah. So, in terms of like a song that like, lists breathes in life into my soul, inspires me. When I think of the Power Stance moment, winning woman of the year with my firm, I think about Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys. Um, and I won't try to sing the rendition here, but I I absolutely love Alicia Keys and I love that song. I think it represents empowerment, um, courage, overcoming, succeeding. It really centers me when I'm continuing to chase big moments. Um, so that's that part of me. But when we talk about Range, you mention what hyp me up. Um, so uh certainly my husband will know about this song because he has to hear my alarm clock go off. But uh DJ Khaled, all I do is win, win, win, no matter what. Of course, that would be yourself. So I wake up to that song as part of my alarm because listen, if you're not trying to win the day, whether it is winning professionally, personally, written on whatever that stage is you are on for that day, what are we doing? So um, I definitely listen to that before I'm headed into big meetings, big moments, um, big deals, um, like today. Yeah. Uh, with our launch of We Have Range. And so um I just love to pour into different songs and different music that kind of speak to the sum of who I am in my Range.

Breaking Barriers In Insurance Sales

MYSHELL 18:12

I love that. Let's pivot back to your Range Card. You mentioned you're, I mentioned, you didn't, but you're a million-dollar broker, you're in the insurance industry, heavily male-dominated. Talk about navigating that landscape and that environment and what it means for you to create this legacy within such an industry that's evolving. Not quite there yet, but it's evolving. But you've somehow charted this path. Talk about it.

IVOREE 18:44

Yeah. So uh, first of all, um, certainly the insurance industry is not quite where it needs to be in terms of representation, and diversity, and all the things. I think um. I am very grateful and humbled by being a millennial young Black woman professional um in the industry and having come as far as I come from. And I just say that because when you look up and see someone who looks like you or see someone representative of your background, or your circumstances, or your experiences. You go, Oh, if I can see them, I can be them. Yeah. And so in our particular industry, when I started over 20 years ago, when I looked at who the salespeople are, the executives, the founders of firms, I didn't look up and see people who represented me. And so I was like, but I loved the idea of being out in front, being client-facing, having a public persona. So for me, it was just like a matter of, and this is something my mom always inspired me on, just believe that you can. It starts with that. It starts with a belief.

MYSHELL 19:54

Yeah.

IVOREE 19:55

And so I just I got inspired over the years as I worked in industry behind the scenes and ultimately uncovered that I just need to raise my hand. I need to show my stuff. And my uh my mom, who's one of the people I look up to the most and still gives me um career coaching advice today. She just said, you know, if you're a paper filer or you're answering phones or you're pushing  a broom, whatever you're doing in your company, you be the best at it. If you sorting paperclips, you be the best paperclip sorter. Okay. You know, because people recognize hard work. They recognize when you're putting in the effort. That speaks more than anything you say. So for me, um, I I believe I've come from the very humble roots of being a, you know, ordinary person in the industry, in a trillion dollar industry where I didn't know if there was a place for me to being the broker powerhouse, you know, multi-million dollar deals on Wall Street by just believing that I could, working my ass off at it, and making sure whatever room or whoever I was working with, saw it or knew about it. And that's to me, is what led me to the success I have today.

MYSHELL 21:09

What advice would you give someone if they wanted to get into the insurance industry or honestly, in any industry where there's not necessarily someone that looks like them, but there's a desire to do the thing?

IVOREE 21:22

First of all, let's talk about how sexy we make insurance look. So let's um let's definitely start there. Okay. Uh, we make insurance look damn sexy. Uh, it is an industry where um, listen, if you want to get into it, it's more simple. I say the barrier to entry is very low.

MYSHELL 21:47

And I say it's generally sometimes the self, the person.

IVOREE 21:51

Literally. Yeah. Literally. Not believing. Not believing. So um I would say it's the most inexpensive, you can almost put it in a category of a trade.

MYSHELL 22:01

Yeah.

IVOREE 22:01

Even though there's lots of different corners of the industry you can end up with where some credentials do show up and they do matter. But generally, there are so many ways to get into the business. Um, if you just, you know, start with the license, start with your research, um, and just come ready to learn and eager. And so I'd say it's um it's the one industry where there's a unique opportunity um to get into it, but part of it is just having awareness. And I'm glad in our platform, if we as we talk about our Range, uh we also highlight uh an industry that we love and that's helped craft our lives as well.

MYSHELL 22:37

Okay.

Coaching, Sales Skills, And Giving Back

MYSHELL 22:38

Mentor, coach, what does that mean for you, and why is it important that you're in that space? And you're helping other people from a mentoring standpoint? And talk a little bit about your aspirations on the sales coaching and the coaching you've done today, so far.

IVOREE 22:54

Yeah. So I like to say everybody has a coach. So if you think about some of the most prominent sports stars, whoever comes to mind, yeah, NFL and beyond down, everybody who has been great. When we talk about the greats, has had a coach. So mentoring and executive coaching has been vital for me. I mean, we only know what first of all, it starts with our whatever our own lived experiences are and whatever we think of ourselves and however we think we're supposed to act. But when you go from having just your own self to then, you know, finding that person or that community that mentors you faster along, you close the gap between stardom and success. And so um, having coaching and being mentored, I would say is one of the top three uh tools that I use to succeed in in my career and in life.

MYSHELL 23:51

But you as a coach, you're also a coach, you're a sales coach. I am talk about why sales coaching, and I know why. You know, we we both are women of color in an industry where we're not generally the face of the thing. Yeah. IE the sales organization or um lead the sales for organization. Um for you, you're on the other side of the business, and you're not, if you think about the other sales brokers, there's not many that look like you.

IVOREE 24:23

No.

MYSHELL 24:24

So that's a moment of like extreme pride. Yeah. So what's the motivation in getting into sales coaching? Um, because being the only is very lonely. Yeah. So talk about that motivation.

IVOREE 24:38

I think it starts there. II I love our world that we live in because it's representative of so many things and so many people. Yeah. Um, and so for me, um, I I like that saying, if you can see her, you can be her. And, so um, when I think of myself, and so for me, because I have the experience, I have traveled through the journey of being just at the early infancy to being now a successful um broker. And for me, I think it just centers on um, you know, wanting to give back, wanting to help people, wanting to let folks who are like, how do I start and how do I become successful at being a salesperson? How do I open doors? I'm afraid of hearing no. If if I stopped at the number of times that people told me no, I would still, I would be nowhere today if I just accepted no as an answer. So I think there's so much opportunities, especially uh for newer career people and also people who have just been stuck for too long, who want to do something new and try something different. I believe that sales can unlock so many aspects of who you are, whether it be a business that you own and operate, you're in sales. And I like to say everyone in any corner of any industry, you think about it, there's a sales component to it. You're either selling a product or a service, or you are selling yourself all of the time. So uh, and speaking of that, we're here.

Building The 12-Week Sales Program

MYSHELL 26:18

I was gonna actually, do you want to give a teaser of what We Have Range’s doing?

IVOREE 26:21

Yeah. So speaking of that, being in media, yeah, this is the our media phase of our careers, and having a platform like we have. What are we developing? Talk about it. We are developing a program that uh gives you the access and the tools and the experience to elevate your life and to make sure you are crafting and owning your Range in terms of what you want to do. And we're leading with sales and executive coaching and incredibly excited and proud of it.

MYSHELL 26:55

So we're developing, just to add a little bit more, Ivoree's being pretty modest right now. But we are hype it up. Yeah. Hype it up. What are we doing, my we are developing a 12-week sales training program, and we are trying to meet people where they are to bridge the gap of representation. And for us, we're super passionate about it. Like we're giving you the tools that have made us very successful in what we're doing. She's a million-dollar broker. I am not a million-dollar broker. Um, but don't you worry about me. I'm doing well. Um, I will say that this is probably one of the most exciting things I've done in a long time is to give the sales tools to people to go be in any room to close any deal um and match up against anyone with real, real sales techniques to uh ultimately close a deal.

IVOREE 27:54

Absolutely, absolutely. And I would even say taking it a step further. Okay. Having uh dedicated coaching, having people with the experience like ourselves and our industry, it it changes lives. Um, you can take what you do in career, you can take what you learn and apply it to where you are today. And like I like to say, get stuck. Get unstuck, not get stuck, you don't want to get stuck. We don't want to get them stuck. We're trying to get them unstuck. Right. So we want you want to get unstuck, and you want to unlock all the Range of who you are. And we're here to give you the tools to do that. And rather you are uh again a newer career person or someone who's like, how do I polish my skills? This is the program for you.

MYSHELL 28:38

So we're introducing you to the world.

Elevate Mindset And Farewell

MYSHELL 28:41

What's the one word or one thing that you want them to know about you? They walk away today. What's the one thing that you want them to remember about Ivoree?

IVOREE 28:54

I would say the one word that comes to mind.

MYSHELL 28:57

Or thing, or theme, or sentence, or statement, whatever that is. 

IVOREE :Elevate. 

MYSHELL: Love that.

IVOREE 29:04

Elevate. I say that because, the goal is, so many people are always aspiring to do things, achieve things, whether it's I think of the thing you're chasing, whether it's money or uh a lifestyle or whatever it is that you're after in lit in life. You're gonna have bumps in the road. This shit has been hard. Make no mistake. It is difficult to overcome, to thrive, to break barriers, to um get to nothing, to turn something that's nothing into something and to make something in this world. It is it is a difficult journey. Uh, but I when I think about the roadblocks, I've had along the way, um, whether that be in partners that have been chosen or friends that, you know, um I needed to rethink, or whatever, or just life happens, you know, life happens to you. Sometimes you're trying to do everything right, and life still happens to you. And so what comes to mind is how do I rise in spot of, in spite of whatever those circumstances are, how do I elevate and continue to elevate? And so rising above and elevating for me comes to mind when I think of the word, when you think of Ivoree.

MYSHELL 30:22

And as we continue with We Have Range Podcast, you will learn more about her. That was just literally scratching the surface. That is the Range that she has, and that's how vision moves.