Meet Amanda Johnsen

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amanda Johnsen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Honestly, my purpose found me through a mix of life experience and work experience coming together.

I spent years working in HR and operations, and one of my favorite parts of that job was helping employees understand their benefits. Insurance can feel so overwhelming and full of jargon, so it always felt good to sit down with someone, explain things in plain language, and see them leave the conversation feeling relieved instead of stressed.

But what really shaped my purpose on a deeper level was what happened in my own family. My father passed away unexpectedly without life insurance, and it was heartbreaking to watch my family navigate not just grief, but also the financial strain and uncertainty about what he would have wanted. A few years later, we lost my father-in-law — but he was a planner. He had life insurance, had talked through his wishes, and had thought everything through. His planning lifted such a huge burden, so the family could focus on grieving and remembering him instead of scrambling to figure out details.

Living through both of those experiences made me realize just how powerful it is to plan ahead — and how much peace of mind it can give a family during the hardest moments. That’s really when it clicked for me: I wanted to help other people avoid the stress my family went through and experience the relief that planning can bring.

So now, as an independent insurance agent, I see my role as more than just helping people pick a policy. It’s about listening first, educating, and making sure people feel protected and understood. At the end of the day, that’s what drives me every single day.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

If I had to sum it up over coffee, I’d probably say: yes, I’m an independent insurance agent — but really, what I do is help people feel less stressed and more protected.

Every day is different, and that’s part of what I love. Some days I’m walking someone through Medicare for the first time, other days I’m talking to a family who wants to make sure they’re covered if something unexpected happens, or a business owner trying to balance cost and care for their team.

What makes me happiest is when someone says, “Wow, I actually understand this now,” or “You made this so much easier than I expected.” That moment when it all clicks for them… that’s the best part of my day.

Besides working one-on-one, I also run educational classes for seniors and the wider community. It’s a way to protect people beyond just paperwork, by helping them see what to watch out for, what questions to ask, and where to get help.

I think what sets me apart is that it’s never about selling the biggest policy. It’s about listening first, really getting to know what matters to someone, and being the person they know they can call anytime, not just once a year at renewal.

At the end of the day, it’s not flashy. But it’s honest, human, and it makes a difference — and that’s what keeps me excited to do this work every single day.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

If I had to pick three things that really shaped my journey, I’d say listening, empathy, and staying curious.

Listening might sound simple, but truly letting someone talk, asking questions, and not rushing to give an answer makes such a difference. People can sense when they’re actually being heard, and that builds trust so much faster than any sales pitch.

Empathy grew out of my own life. Seeing firsthand what happens when a family has good planning in place, and what happens when they don’t, gave me a perspective I bring to every client conversation. But empathy also comes from slowing down and really imagining what it feels like to be in someone else’s situation, especially when insurance feels overwhelming or scary.

And then there’s staying curious. Things change all the time — new products, new rules, and people’s lives change too. Being curious keeps the work interesting and helps me keep learning so I can serve clients better.

For anyone starting out, my advice wouldn’t be to memorize every policy detail right away. Focus on really listening, lead with genuine empathy, and keep asking questions. Those habits build trust and confidence, and in this business, that matters more than anything else.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

One of the most impactful books I’ve read is The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. Honestly, it didn’t teach me anything completely new — I’d already believed deeply in the importance of serving others first. But what the book did was give those beliefs a story and a clear framework, which really helped me put it all into perspective.

The way it explains the Law of Value — that your true worth comes from how much more you give in value than you take in payment — really hit home. It put into words what I’d been trying to do intuitively for years: focus on making a real difference in people’s lives, rather than just selling insurance policies.

Then there’s the Law of Influence, which talks about how your influence grows when you genuinely put other people’s interests ahead of your own. That idea reinforced for me the importance of really listening and understanding where someone’s coming from before offering solutions — because that’s when I can truly help.

And the Law of Authenticity — that the most valuable thing you bring is simply being yourself — was a powerful reminder to stay grounded and genuine, even in a business where it can be tempting to just push products or numbers.

What I really appreciate about The Go-Giver is how all these laws fit together to form a philosophy that’s not just good for business but good for life. It didn’t change what I believed, but it gave me the words and the structure to build my agency’s mission and vision around: listening, serving, and building real, authentic relationships with people.

That foundation keeps me focused every day — reminding me that insurance isn’t about selling policies; it’s about helping people protect what matters most to them. And that’s what I’m most passionate about.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amandajohnseninsurance.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandajohnseninsurance
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandajohnsen/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/amandajohnseninsurance