In all the ways to look at a new year ahead, why not do it with the eagerness and love for the newness that’s to come?
In that same vein, we thought a great way to do just that would be to introduce a new member of our team that has a special love for new adventures.
With roots grounded in Phoenix, Arizona, through many states, to right here in Southern Oregon, we are happy to introduce the smiling face of a new addition ready for her continued journey right here at home.
We’d like you all to meet Kirsten Michael.
From There to Here: Kirsten Michael’s Adventure to Ashland, Oregon
Now when Kirsten says she loves adventures and new places, she isn’t just talking about a little weekend trip to discover the perfect spot for a getaway (though, with all the places she has been, I’m sure she has a number of wonderful suggestions!)
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Kirsten would make her mark, planting her Point A that would begin her adventure through the states as she made her way north towards our very own Rogue Valley.
Kirsten spent some time living on Lake Powell in Page, Arizona but even one of Arizona’s gateways to the desert gems and adventures of the area didn’t keep her for too long.
She continued onward and landed in states across the southwest, still making her way northwards bit by bit.
From New Mexico to Boise, Idaho to Salt Lake City, Utah, Kirsten traveled, discovered, and enjoyed her time as continued on.
Before moving here to Ashland, she rented an A-frame out on one of the many lakes in Montague, California.
There she engrained herself in living the way the land presented itself. She built her own raised garden beds for organic gardening. She practiced both composting and vermicomposting. She fished at the end of her work days, and she swam every weekend.
In short, you could say she was swimming, fishing, and floating her way through to a Pacific Northwest life that was ready to have her.
And the work she was doing while in Montague? It was actually right here in Southern Oregon.
Kirsten would drive the hour commute through the Siskiyous daily. How could she manage that daily drive for nearly 3 years? Well, as she put it, “the beauty took my breath away every single day, I never got tired of the drive.”
Beautiful drive aside, after years of the many miles, oil changes, and gas, Kirsten decided to head further north once more.
Now living here with us in Ashland, Kirsten is still taken by the beauty around her, feeling lucky to call the Rogue Valley her home.
Whether in the arid deserts of the southwest, through to the cities of Salt Lake and Boise, up through to the doorstep of the Trinity Alps and Shasta, Kirsten’s versatility and experience has equipped her to move through each unique experience and location with eyes wide open, and curiosity piqued.
A Journey Through Professions: Kirsten Michael’s Path Gathering Experience
Kirsten didn’t just collect zipcodes, she also dabbled in working across a number of industries.
Immediately following her graduation from high school, she became a preschool teacher. For 4 years Kirsten worked with kids and helped shape the beginning of young minds as they start their own journeys of learning.
After that, she moved into contractor account management. A position she loved, she held this position during her time in Utah. Definitely a bit different from working with the young kiddos of preschool, Kirsten would assign landscapers to property management companies and associated properties, as well as offering quality control coaching.
From there, following her move to the cabin in California, Kirsten held the position of contractor sales account manager at Home Depot in Phoenix, Oregon.
It was here she was helping contractors with pricing and outsourcing materials for the rebuild after the Almeda and Obenchain fires.
This was no easy task either, as this was also at a time of extensive shortages for lumber, wire and pvc– highly needed materials for the rebuild initiative.
Kirsten didn’t just sit back and watch as folks came in and out, looking for what was needed, to find it or unfortunately, not.
It was through Home Depot she began volunteering to help restore the Phoenix area.
She laid pavers around Blue Heron Park. She built sifter screens for people to use as they sifted the ashes to find their belongings– something that was needed to find some of the smaller more important pieces of memories that may or may not have been lost. One couple was even able to find their wedding rings using these sifters.
And this is when Kirsten really fell in love with this community. She witnessed people coming together through such a devastating loss. It’s something that left so many of us that much more connected and speechless, and it had the same effect on Kirsten.
Tying Each Place and Point Together: Kirsten Michael Arriving at Ashland Insurance
Over the miles she has collected, and the industries she has worked in, one thing becomes clear– Kirsten has the versatility and commitment to community engagement that made coming on with Ashland Insurance a natural next step.
Ashland Insurance serves nearly all the states she has lived in, giving her that much more present knowledge, making the service she provides relevant and real.
The industries she has worked span the very areas of life protected and covered by the right policies– from family, to home, to overall expansion (and even to recovering from something that you would hope you have the right agent to help you through).
For Kirsten, working with Ashland Insurance is “the best job I’ve ever had, working for and with the sweetest people I’ve ever met.”
For a woman not afraid of a move, of an adventure, or of something new, she didn’t shy away from diving into insurance when she first stumbled across the opportunity with Ashland Insurance. Even as she was looking at expanding in her position with Home Depot, there was something that felt right in the movement towards even more connected community service.
From her experience within this tough insurance market we are currently in, she finds joy in reviewing coverages with customers to really fine tune their policies to fit their specific needs and find a few places to save them money while delivering the exact coverage and protection they need.
“I love when customers come in or call and are initially confused, maybe even frustrated and really need help with a claim…and I’m able to go through their policy with them one-on-one and answer all of their questions until they leave with a smile on their face knowing that they are in good hands with Ashland Insurance.”
The Adventure Doesn’t Stop: Kirsten Michael Continuing Right Here in the Rogue Valley
If there is one thing to take away from learning about the journey Kirsten has traveled, its this: through her experience in different places, working in different industries, alongside different folks, she has developed a wide perspective that she uses when approaching life, and the challenges presented to her.
As she continues with Ashland Insurance, she moves through each day, packed with it’s unique challenges, utilizing her creative problem solving skills to help take care of her clients. It is with this outlook and experience she has acquired over the years, she is able to create and fit the right solution for the right folks seeking her help.
She has also found the right fit for herself in the community around her.
Outside of work, Kirsten is digging in even deeper.
She is a member of the Crater Rock Museum’s “Roxy Ann Gem and Mineral Society” rockhounding group that goes on camping field trips all over Oregon.
She also volunteers at the SanctuaryOne Animal Rescue in Jacksonville every other Sunday.
She started yoga classes last month and in the coming spring will be starting stained glass and crocheting classes.
She truly is setting her roots and exploring the adventures right here at home.
“I could not be happier that all of my whirlwind adventures somehow brought me to this spot.”