Jesica Ryzynski | Mitch Insurance

Jesica Ryzynski, Claims Specialist, Mitch Insurance

Voted most likely to chain herself to a fence outside Queen’s Park in high school, Mitch Insurance Claims Specialist Jesica Ryzynski says, “It makes complete sense that I now work in the P&C industry.”

Always wanting to pursue a path that made her feel she was making a difference and advocating for others, she found her calling in personal lines.

“It’s cliché to say I fell into the industry,” she says, “so I don’t like to frame it that way. We stay, and there’s a reason we stay, and I still truly believe I was supposed to be here.”

A licensed broker for 27 years, Ryzynski knows clients need to be more than a number. One of her strengths – a strength in claims specialists in general, she says – is being really good at seeing people and being able to explain things fully and be empathetic when someone bounces a payment or has put in a claim, for example.

“It can be traumatic,” she says, “and clients need that support.”

In fact, in a bid to offer even stronger support to clients after joining Mitch Insurance in Fall 2022, Ryzynski approached her team lead with an idea. She wanted to exclusively dedicate herself to claims that had, in her words, hit a wall and were facing complications or delays for one reason or another. She was awarded the role as a pilot project for the company, and a passion project for herself.

The team lead who agreed to test the idea was female, but Ryzynski says she currently has a male team lead and has felt no less supported. She does admit, though, that has not always been the case.

“When I first entered the industry,” she says, “I saw exceptional challenges.”

When she worked in sales, being personable and attentive to clients, just as her male counterparts were, resulted in accusations of flirting with prospects to write their business. When she worked in retention, expressing concerns over the stereotyping of people that management wanted to avoid writing resulted in accusations of being a bleeding heart and too emotional. When she sat in on one particular meeting, she even witnessed male owners make a pact to limit movement between brokerages to ensure women could not leave potentially toxic workplaces or move up the corporate ladder.

Fortunately, Ryzynski says, “we’ve come a long way. I since have worked with some really amazing men. The old boys’ club is retiring, and their sons and relatives are now doing things differently. We are in a much better place.”

Of course, still more can be done. “As women,” says Ryzynski, “we sometimes hold ourselves back because we worry about being perceived as emotional, worked up, or irritable when we are really just standing up for ourselves and others.

“We need to decide we are not going to hold back anymore, and we need to encourage the next generation of women to do the same. Trust your abilities, your knowledge, your expertise. Just keep going. I’ve learned it’s not always the easiest way, but it’s the best way.”

To managers and leaders, Ryzynski says, “find as many ways as possible to say, ‘Yes.’ Be encouraging, be open to the conversations. And even if you can’t say yes, clearly explain why not and express appreciation to others for bringing their suggestions forward.”

No one, she says, should ever stay where they are not respected or listened to.

“If you want to voice your opinion,” she says, “do it anyway. And don’t stop until you find your people and your place.”