Losing her little brother gave Kristy a whole new appreciation for life insurance

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Kristy Goodwin has always been a take-charge kind of person. Since she was 19, she’s been working at Protective, where she loves helping people and solving problems.

It wasn’t until she lost her little brother at a young age, though, that she realized just how important life insurance really is.

This is her story.

Meet Kristy Goodwin

Kristy Goodwin was born and raised north of Birmingham in the town of Corner. She now lives in Locust Fork, just 13 miles from where she grew up. 

Married for 29 years, she’s the proud mom of two grown children—both newlyweds—plus two dogs.

At Love’s Crossings Church of God, she teaches the college and career class.

This year, she started making jewelry and donates the proceeds to Eagles Wings Ministries—a charity that supports women in recovery.

Kristy’s story, in her own words

This past August, Kristy shared her personal story of loss at a divisional town hall meeting at Protective.

Death does happen

“The reality is that in life, death does happen. It isn’t optional and it doesn’t respect titles, responsibilities or our plans.

I have 25 years of life insurance experience. Then I found myself notifying a company of the death of my brother. That’s when I realized just how important it is to have life insurance.

Seven years ago, my 38-year-old baby brother, Michael, had a massive heart attack and died suddenly. He was a divorced single dad of two minor children. So it was my responsibility to take care of his final expenses. 

Fortunately, I found some documents that confirmed he had purchased protection for his loved ones. 

Michael was my brother, my best friend and partner in life to help figure things out.

Being the wonderful person he always was, he had planned for this day.”

Life insurance offers financial security

“That peace of mind gave me the opportunity to grieve and spend more time comforting his children than worrying about how we were going to take care of things.

Afterwards, I walked back through the doors at Protective with so much more passion and enthusiasm for the work. We are truly making a difference in people’s lives. 

As someone with individuals in your life that you love, prepare for this.”

Her brother’s death became a new start for Kristy

Losing her brother helped Kristy realize what was important in life. Although she knew she needed to get life insurance, she wasn’t insurable. 

At the time of her brother’s death, Kristy weighed 325 pounds. After weight loss surgery, she lost 167 pounds. 

“I had to protect my family so it was that shock for me of ‘it’s time, girl—get ahold of yourself.’”

At work, she shifted to a position that let her help others who had lost someone like her. This new position was focused on serving “inforce customers,” which also supports the claims process.

“I wanted to expand my exposure to the business which allows me to grow and be a better employee.”

She emerged from the experience with a new perspective on how short life is. And with that, she was committed to protecting her family and helping others do the same.

“I don’t believe in accidents. Everything happens for a reason. I’m where I’m supposed to be, doing what I’m supposed to be doing. So I want to do it to the very best of my ability.”

Learn more about Protective’s culture today.

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Protective refers to Protective Life Corporation and insurance company subsidiaries, including Protective Life Insurance Company (Nashville, TN) and Protective Life and Annuity Insurance Company (Birmingham, AL). Protective is a registered trademark of Protective Life Insurance Company. All trademarks, logos, and service marks are the property of Protective Life Insurance Company and are protected by copyright, trademark, and/or other proprietary rights and laws.