IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Karlynn Piper

This edition of The Other Side of the Coin features Karlynn Piper, our Senior Life Insurance Specialist. Karlynn’s impact on her peers and her leadership are highly valued by each team member at WD Wealth. Karlynn has been an essential member of the WD Wealth team for over four years. Karlynn’s deep understanding of the industry enables her to provide tailored solutions that align with our clients’ unique needs and long-term goals. With her unwavering dedication and meticulous approach, Karlynn continues to make a significant impact, enhancing outcomes for our valued clients and contributing to the success of our firm.

Karlynn, it appears our company is overflowing with Colorado natives. And you are one of the many, right?

“So, yeah, I'm a Colorado native. We grew up all over Denver, but mostly around South Denver. My dad was a minister, and he pastored a church in Englewood for over 25 years. My parents also owned a Christian bookstore where we worked since we were kids.” 

Since you are a native, are you feeling the itch to move somewhere else, or see new horizons? Or, is living in Colorado where you want to be?

“Oh, I love it here! I really enjoy traveling, but every time we do, I am so glad to come back home to Colorado. I've never lived anywhere else, and I don't necessarily foresee myself wanting to live anywhere else. My husband, Seth, sometimes impulsively throws it out there that we should sell everything and move to Florida, or Texas, or someplace else. When it all comes down to making a decision, I feel like I could never leave my family. I have so many relatives here, giving me so many reasons to stay and so many reasons to never leave Colorado.” 

I think you have a very interesting story about how you came to pursue your current vocational path at WD Wealth. 

“You are right about that! After high school, I went to cosmetology school and completed a two-year program. Just prior to completing my coursework, I was hired at Hair Club for Men and Women. Then, from there, I worked my way up into the sales department. So, I started out as a hairstylist, thinking that is what I was going to do with my life. But the management team had other ideas. They recognized that I had good people skills. At that time, my mindset was to excel, to move up, to do better. As it turns out, things came together for me to actually not be cutting hair, but instead developing a transferable skill set in sales and management. For five years or so, I worked there in new business sales. It was quite a promotion and pay raise for someone planning on one thing and doing something completely different.” 

So, please amplify the details about what you do at WD Wealth.

“After some time went by, I was exploring the possibility of making a change so that I could work from home to be with my kids. My son was about two years old, and I wanted something that would allow me to work from home and still have a career. It turns out that my brother-in-law is Will Duffy, the founder of WD Wealth. My sister approached me, thinking I would be a good fit for a more generalist position with some exposure to life insurance application prep. When I first started, I was handling investment pipelines along with life insurance. Eventually, we grew to the point that we needed an additional person to handle our expansion in both areas. I chose to stay with the life insurance aspect of the business and have never regretted it. 

What I keep coming back to about this job is I have never begun the day on a Monday and dreaded going to work. It’s the complete opposite. I absolutely love what I do! I'm very introverted, so I enjoy doing the data collection associated with preparing an application. There's a lot of background work that needs to be done, a lot of data collection, a lot of data entry. I have really enjoyed learning the system, learning how to work with various life insurance companies. Often, because of the overall investment strategies we use, our team wants to implement the policy immediately so they can take advantage of the benefits of that.

It’s interesting that I am also a people person too. I love to communicate with people, make sure they know that I'm on top of these details. Process management and seeking out efficient timeframes is critical to our success. I also like it that my job helps people put things in place to give them and their children a good future. Our clients are like family to me.”

As one of the people with the most tenure here at WD Wealth, can you speak to how WD Wealth has evolved and where you see the company going? 

“Yes! From the beginning, when I first started working here, I never knew that you could have coworkers that you just truly enjoy. And, it's not me just saying that. Was it hard to learn so many new things? Of course it was. I was completely overwhelmed. But at the same time that I was being overwhelmed, I was being supported in the most comprehensive way by all my coworkers. That is still the defining culture of WD Wealth Strategies. We are all learning and growing each day, and we thrive because of this culture of support where we learn by making mistakes and growing through those mistakes together.”

If you had to name your favorite movie what would that be? 

“It has to be Man On Fire because who doesn't like a story of poetic revenge, justice, and ultimate love? Also, Denzel Washington is my favorite actor!”

Do you have an interesting or favorite quote you’d like to share?

“I came across this quote from Tony Robbins: ‘Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change’. I love the constant pursuit of personal growth and feel like this quote epitomizes that journey.” 

What about recommended reading? Is there a favorite book you are reading now?

“I am currently reading The Courage to be Disliked by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi. I have been a people pleaser ever since I can remember. That may sound like a good thing, but it can be detrimental to yourself and others if it controls how you navigate life. This book is thought provoking and has the ability to be transformative. I think it can also cause what I would call brain damage if you were to try to implement the philosophy all at once. I highly recommend reading it, even if you're not a recovering people pleaser like me. 

I highly recommend another book that has changed my life: Choice Theory by William Glasser. It has impacted me for many of the same reasons as The Courage to Be Disliked. 

Lastly, this past year, I completely lost myself in Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. It’s a great fiction story if you want to escape the reality of life.”

Can you share a favorite financial podcast that you follow?

“I follow Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Radio Show. Growing up, my dad was a pastor, but he was also a business owner/entrepreneur. The first book he told me to read when I showed an interest in the financial world was Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I like the concept that financial success doesn't require a high income and that it’s attainable to anyone willing to do the work and make smart choices. Also, I like the show because it steers far away from any get-rich-quick-mainstream approaches.”