Here at Inszone, one of our missions is to make sure that every employee is appreciated, acknowledged, and recognized for their achievements. This Employee Spotlight series aims to celebrate success and highlight the talented individuals we have at Inszone, Cover Cannabis, and California Pool Association. Each month we’ll be featuring Inszone employees on our website, blog and social accounts.
Please join us in congratulating Aly Bowen, our Employee Spotlight for the month of February!
Aly Bowen, a Personal Sales Team Manager, entered the insurance industry unexpectedly after returning home from an 18-month service mission for her church. She applied for an account manager role with L.A. Bowen Insurance through a local classified listing, an opportunity that quickly grew into a long-term career. What began by chance has since become a meaningful and rewarding path rooted in service and leadership.
Aly’s background has played a key role in her success. Raised in Northern California and homeschooled from a young age, she began working early and developed a strong work ethic and love for customer service. Her first job as a cavern tour guide and her volunteer service across the Midwest reinforced her passion for helping others and solving problems. Known for her positivity and team-focused mindset, Aly believes in leading through helping, learning, and serving, while keeping morale high with humor and encouragement.
Outside of work, Aly enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, hiking, traveling, baking, and exploring new restaurants. One of her proudest accomplishments is completing her degree in business management while working and raising young children—a challenge that strengthened her resilience and empathy as a leader. With over 12 years in the insurance industry, strong mentors, and a genuine passion for people, Aly remains committed to supporting her team and delivering meaningful service to her clients.
When asked to share a few words about Aly, her direct supervisor, Layne Bowen, Utah Vice President, along with Sara Evans, President of the Mountain West Region, shared the following:
Layne Bowen said, “Aly has taken her team and instilled a vision on how they can succeed and achieve their goals. Aly leads by example! she participates with her team on meeting the same goals as she is expecting of her team members…which is the hallmark of a great leader, she doesn’t lead behind a desk.”
Sara Evans shared, “Aly is a joy to work with. She is always upbeat and sets a great example for her team by regularly hitting her own goals. Alys newest project, heading up our Inszone Private Client team, is already bringing a much-needed value ad to Inszone clients across the company.”
Q: What initially brought you to the insurance industry?
A: I came into the insurance industry by chance right after I returned home from an 18-month service mission for my church. I looked in our local online classifieds and saw an opening for an account manager position with L.A. Bowen Insurance. My future sister-in-law (unbeknownst to us both at the time) interviewed me and put in a good word to the kind young man in charge of hiring, Brian Bowen, who took pity on me and let me come on board.
Q: In what ways do you think your unique background or experiences contribute to your success in your role?
A: I grew up in Northern California in Calaveras County (super quick fun fact — that’s actually where some of the first Inszone offices were started, before it was Inszone, and where I was an official Cost-U-Less insurance customer when I first got my driver’s license!). Anyway, I was homeschooled starting in second grade and stayed homeschooled growing up. Because of that, I was able to get a job at the ripe age of 14 and keep it until I moved to Utah when I graduated high school at 17.
My first job was as a cavern tour guide, where I was able to take literally thousands of people from all over the world through two different cave systems. That’s where I fell in love with customer service and helping people. I’ve been around customers and people my entire career, especially during my 18-month volunteer church mission, where I was able to meet and serve people all across the Midwest — particularly in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. I genuinely love working with and serving anyone and everyone, and helping my team and clients solve problems and make their day a little better than it was. If I can do that, I feel like I’ve been successful.
Q: Can you share a particularly challenging situation you faced in your career and how you overcame it?
A: I would say it was choosing to finish my education while working and raising two young children — not for the faint of heart. After moving to Utah and starting college after high school, then stopping to serve my mission, coming back to get started in the insurance industry, getting married, having two babies, and serving with the youth in my church and local community, time felt very scarce.
I had always wanted to finish my degree; I just didn’t know how I was going to do it. I know I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family, the ability to do school online through BYU-Idaho, and an endless supply of gummy bears. I finally finished when I turned 31, with a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old by my side. I can’t believe I’m saying this now, but I wouldn’t change a thing. It was challenging mentally, physically, and emotionally, but it made me so much stronger and more empathetic. I am incredibly proud of myself for overcoming that obstacle and so grateful that I was able to finish my degree in business management.
Q: If you could describe your approach to teamwork in three words, what would they be and why?
A: Helping, Learning, and Serving. You’re only as strong as your weakest team member. I think the more you can help and serve your team to lighten their load, the better. Also, you’re never done learning — keep learning every day and bettering yourself so that you’re always a resource and never a burden.
Q: What do you think sets you apart, and how does it benefit your team?
A: I think I do a pretty good job of staying positive and making things fun. Let’s face it – sometimes insurance isn’t one of the most exciting industry, and things can get a little rough if you don’t have fun with it. The least I can do is throw on an extra smile or drop a corny joke in our Teams chat to make someone’s day better.
How much it benefits my team is debatable, but they at least give me some courtesy laughs every once in a while, – and I don’t even have to pay them for it.
Q: Who has been the biggest influence or mentor in your life, and what valuable lessons have you learned from them?
A: I’m going to write about two . During my church service mission, we’re assigned a mission president and his wife, who are kind of like our boss and mentor for those 18 months — and mine was just the absolute best. During his career, he was in the insurance industry, which was pretty cool to learn about afterward. While we were out there, no one worked harder, cared more about us and our success, or cheered us on more than this man. He was an absolute champion, and I’m so grateful I was able to learn from him during my time as a missionary.
My other shout-out is to a familiar face in the Inszone world: Layne Bowen. I am probably the luckiest girl in the world to have him as my father-in-law, but before that, he was my boss. I loved watching him lead the office — and now all of Utah. I would take mental notes on how he dressed, how he worked (that inbox was always empty!), how he interacted with employees, customers, and carrier reps, and I tried to soak in as much as I could. He has such a gentle but firm and kind demeanor — and he’s absolutely hilarious. The attributes that both of these men have are what I try to emulate in my day-to-day life. It’s a work in progress and probably will be for the rest of my life, as they’ve set some very high bars to hit.
Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of in your career so far, and what did it teach you?
A: This year marks 12 years for me in the insurance world, and I’m most proud of staying consistent and dedicated. Insurance can be a tricky language to learn, and I’m so glad I stuck through the tough times with cranky customers, the sad times when older — and sometimes younger — customers pass away, and the happy times of working closely with individuals and getting to know their families. I’ve had the privilege of seeing amazing milestones, being an advocate and helping hand when claims occur, and serving as a trusted resource when clients need help. I am also incredibly grateful for my team. There is so much life and work experience they share with me, and I couldn’t be more thankful for all they have taught me and continue to teach me. They are all so valuable and special to me.
Q: What are some hobbies you do outside of work that you enjoy?
A: There is nothing I love more than spending time with my three babies and my husband. They bring me the greatest joy, and we have so much fun together. We love to hike, travel, bake, try new restaurants, play sports, and of course, go visit Grandma and Grandpa.
Personally, I’m also an okay-ish cake maker and love seeing what ideas my kids come up with for their birthday cakes each year. I’m a wannabe foodie, Disney lover, picture enthusiast, and I one day hope to finish my kids’ baby books that are sitting on my craft table — hopefully by the time they’re ready to move out, I’ll have those done for them.
Aly, your hard work, leadership, and positive spirit make a lasting impact on your team and the entire company. We’re grateful for all you do and are proud to celebrate you this month!
Juan Cruz
