Amy Werling: Winner – Women Leader in Insurance Claims Advocacy | International Women Awards 2026
- Great Companies
- Aug 28
- 6 min read
The 8th International Women Awards 2026 by Great Companies celebrates women leaders who are creating meaningful impact by solving real-world problems, educating communities, and helping people navigate complex systems with greater confidence.
Among this year's distinguished winners is Amy Werling, Founder and Lead Educator of Policyholder Advocates, honored as the Winner – Women Leader in Insurance Claims Advocacy.
Based in Murray, USA, Amy has built Policyholder Advocates around a mission that goes beyond helping people after property damage occurs. Her work begins with education—helping homeowners understand their insurance coverage, identify potential gaps, document their property properly, and become better prepared before they ever need to file a claim.
Through documentation guidance, policy education, claim-file organization, and preparation for potential next steps, Amy is helping policyholders approach the insurance process with greater knowledge, confidence, and organization.
Company Overview
Founder & Lead Educator: Amy Werling
Business: Policyholder Advocates
Location: Murray, USA
Established: 2025
Award Category: Insurance Claims Advocacy
Profession: Public Adjuster
Website: www.policyholder-advocates.com
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/metropolicyholderadvocates/
Empowering Policyholders Through Education
Policyholder Advocates was created to help people involved with property damage claims better understand the documentation and organizational requirements involved in the insurance process.
Property damage can become a complicated and stressful experience.
Homeowners may be dealing with damage to their property while simultaneously trying to understand insurance terminology, gather evidence, communicate with insurance companies, obtain contractor estimates, and determine what information they need to provide.
Amy's approach is designed to make that process more understandable.
The organization focuses on:
Claim Documentation
Policy Education
File Organization
Documentation Guidance
Insurance Process Literacy
Communication Records
Contractor Estimate Tracking
Preparation for Potential Claim Resolution
The objective is to help policyholders become more informed and better organized when navigating property insurance matters.
Educating People Before They Need an Advocate
One of Amy's strongest differentiators is her belief that insurance education should happen before a crisis.
She does not want homeowners to discover the importance of documentation only after their property has suffered damage.
Instead, she encourages people to understand their policies, identify potential coverage gaps, speak with their insurance agents about their expectations, and maintain documentation of their homes and belongings.
This proactive philosophy is at the heart of Policyholder Advocates.
Amy's favorite part of the work is helping people become knowledgeable enough to ask better questions before they ever need assistance.
Why Documentation Matters
One of Policyholder Advocates' central messages is simple:
Documentation matters.
Homeowners are encouraged to photograph and video their properties regularly, including areas and belongings that are not always immediately visible.
This can include:
Interior Rooms
Exterior Areas
Closets
Drawers
Pantries
Jewelry Cabinets
Safes
Personal Property
Structural Features
Valuable Belongings
Amy also recommends maintaining copies of documentation in cloud storage so that important records are not lost if a computer or phone is damaged.
Annual policy reviews provide another opportunity to update photographs and videos as the home changes through remodeling, rearranging, purchases, replacements, or other improvements.
The purpose is to create a clearer record of the property's condition and belongings over time.
Building a Strong Claim File
When property damage occurs, having information is one thing.
Having it organized is another.
Policyholder Advocates helps homeowners create a structured claim file that can include:
Chronological Timelines
Photo & Video Evidence
Communication Logs
Contractor Estimates
Supporting Documentation
Policy Information
Records of Property Conditions
This structured approach can make it easier for policyholders and professionals to understand the history and details of a claim.
Amy's focus is on helping homeowners build an organized record rather than allowing important information to become scattered across phones, emails, paperwork, and conversations.
Making Insurance Language Easier to Understand
Insurance policies and claims processes can be difficult for homeowners to understand.
Industry terminology, policy provisions, documentation requirements, and regulatory timelines can create confusion at exactly the moment when people are already dealing with property damage.
Amy's educational work helps policyholders become more familiar with:
Insurance Terminology
Policy Coverage Concepts
Documentation Practices
Record-Keeping
Process Expectations
Claim File Organization
The goal is not to overwhelm people with technical language.
It is to help them understand what information they have, what questions they should ask, and how to keep better records.
Preparing for the Next Step
Not every property damage claim follows the same path.
If a claim becomes significantly undervalued or denied, additional professional assistance may be necessary.
Policyholder Advocates helps clients prepare an organized historical timeline and documentation package that can be handed over to appropriate professionals, including appraisers, public adjusters, or policyholder attorneys.
This creates continuity and helps ensure that the history of the claim and supporting documentation are easier to understand.
Amy's role is therefore centered on education, documentation, and preparation.
A Public Adjuster's Perspective
Amy's professional experience as a public adjuster provides an important perspective on the property insurance process.
Her website notes that she maintains a separate individual Utah Public Adjuster license, used exclusively for formal representation assignments through Metro Public Adjustment.
This distinction supports the educational focus of Policyholder Advocates while allowing Amy to bring practical industry knowledge to the guidance she provides.
Her broader mission remains focused on helping homeowners become smarter, better prepared policyholders.
Building Community Awareness
Amy believes insurance education should not be limited to people who already have a property damage claim.
That belief has led Policyholder Advocates to organize educational events for communities and organizations.
These programs bring together professionals who can educate homeowners about:
Property Damage Prevention
Insurance Coverage
Documentation
Home Maintenance
Claim Preparation
Protecting Home Equity
Community events provide an opportunity for homeowners to ask questions and learn about issues before they become emergencies.
This proactive approach reflects Amy's larger philosophy:
Education is one of the best forms of protection.
Creating Free Educational Resources
Policyholder Advocates also provides free educational materials designed to help homeowners become more prepared.
Resources include guidance on:
Filing and Double-Checking Claims
Interior & Exterior Damage Awareness
Neighborhood Fire Damage Awareness
Property Documentation
Policy Coverage Reviews
Photo & Video Documentation
These resources reinforce Amy's belief that people should have access to useful information before they need professional assistance.
The Challenge of Constant Learning
Amy describes one of her biggest entrepreneurial challenges as the sheer amount of information required to operate in an ever-changing industry.
Insurance, property damage, documentation, regulations, and industry practices involve a significant amount of knowledge.
Rather than seeing continuous learning as a disadvantage, Amy embraces it as part of the responsibility that comes with serving policyholders.
Her willingness to keep learning enables her to continue improving the educational resources and guidance she provides.
Building a Business Around Prevention
Many services in the insurance industry become relevant after something has already gone wrong.
Amy's model takes a different approach.
She wants people to become prepared before the emergency.
That means encouraging homeowners to:
Review Their Policies
Understand Their Coverage
Identify Coverage Gaps
Document Their Property
Store Records Safely
Maintain Organized Files
Ask Questions Early
This preventive philosophy is one of the most distinctive aspects of her work.
Instead of waiting for homeowners to discover what they should have documented after a loss, Amy encourages them to build their documentation habits today.
Leadership Through Genuine Care
Amy's leadership philosophy is rooted in authenticity and empathy.
She believes entrepreneurs should:
Be Real With Themselves.
Be Honest With Others.
Develop Strong People Skills.
Genuinely Care About People.
Maintain Healthy Boundaries.
These principles are particularly relevant to advocacy work, where clients may be dealing with stressful and uncertain circumstances.
For Amy, professional expertise is important—but how people are treated matters just as much.
Advice for Women Entrepreneurs
Amy's advice to women entrepreneurs is straightforward:
Be real with yourself and others.
She encourages women to develop strong people skills and genuinely care about the people they serve.
At the same time, she emphasizes the importance of boundaries.
Entrepreneurship can demand enormous amounts of time and emotional energy, and sustainable leadership requires knowing when to give, when to step back, and how to protect your own well-being.
Her philosophy can be summarized in four principles:
Authenticity.
Be honest about who you are and what you are building.
People Skills.
Learn how to communicate, listen, and build meaningful relationships.
Care.
Genuinely care about the people you serve.
Boundaries.
Protect the energy and values that allow you to continue leading effectively.
The Future
Policyholder Advocates is positioned to continue expanding insurance education and documentation awareness among homeowners and communities.
Future opportunities include:
Expanding Community Education Events.
Developing More Homeowner Resources.
Increasing Policy Coverage Awareness.
Promoting Better Property Documentation.
Helping More Policyholders Build Organized Claim Files.
Expanding Awareness Around Property Damage Prevention.
Amy's broader vision is to create a more informed community of homeowners who understand their policies, maintain better records, and feel more confident navigating the property insurance process.
Official Recognition
Amy Werling, Founder and Lead Educator of Policyholder Advocates, has been honored as the Winner – Women Leader in Insurance Claims Advocacy at the 8th International Women Awards 2026 by Great Companies.
The recognition celebrates her contribution to policyholder education, insurance claims advocacy, property documentation awareness, and her commitment to helping homeowners become more informed and prepared when navigating the insurance process.
Her journey demonstrates that advocacy does not always begin when something goes wrong.
Sometimes, the most powerful form of advocacy is teaching people how to be prepared before they need help.
About the International Women Awards
The International Women Awards by Great Companies celebrates inspiring women entrepreneurs, founders, executives, professionals, and leaders who are creating meaningful impact through leadership, innovation, resilience, and purpose-driven work.
The awards recognize women whose expertise and dedication are helping transform industries, strengthen communities, and create better opportunities for the people they serve.
Amy Werling's story reflects that spirit through a simple but powerful mission:
Educate before the crisis. Document before the damage. Advocate when it matters.