In this episode of Benefits Influencer, host Dennis Carlson interviews Rachel Schneider, the CEO and founder of Canary, a company revolutionizing how employers support their workforce during times of crisis. Canary manages employee emergency relief funds, allowing companies to formalize a compassionate and equitable response when employees face unexpected hardships. Schneider, drawing from her extensive experience researching the financial well-being of working Americans, shares her journey of creating Canary and its impact on countless lives. Listeners will gain invaluable insights into: The ..read more

Brandy Burch, CEO and founder of benefitbay, joins Dennis to discuss Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs). Brandy shares her expertise on the evolution of the ICHRA market, strategic considerations for brokers, and the importance of a comprehensive technology platform for successful ICHRA implementation.   Listen in as we discuss how to go from a defensive ICHRA strategy to playing offense to better serve employer clients.   Show Notes (generated using AI)   Brandy's Background and benefitbay (2:00): Brandy discusses her background in accounting and fi ..read more

Dennis chats with Kevin Trokey.  Kevin is the Founding Partner of Q4intelligence, a marketing and sales enablement firm committed to the preservation and transformation of the independent agency system. He writes prolifically regarding the many challenges being faced by today’s agencies, providing guidance to overcome those challenges. He is a frequent industry speaker and has been recognized by the National Association of Health Underwriters as their speaker of the year. Kevin is currently serving as the National Chair of the NAHU Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. He recently ..read more

Dennis interviews CEO and Founder of GenuineShift, Jenn Walsh.  Follow Jenn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walshjenn/ About Jenn: Jenn Walsh is the founder and CEO of GenuineShift, a business consulting company that delivers learning & development programs to fuel growth, optimize profitability and minimize friction for insurance brokerage firms of all sizes. She created the Client Service Academy in 2019 to address our industry's talent crisis when she realized her clients weren't going to have enough people to support their ambitious sales goals. Jenn has 30+ years of han ..read more

Dennis chats with Ryan Koo, an Employee Benefits Consultant who specializes in working with digital health companies. Ryan has just returned from the HLTH conference and shares his recap of the conference as well as his view on the digital health space. Tune in to learn about how digital health companies should be thinking about the employer channel as well as the employee benefits consultant channel. Ryan also shares his view of what's most exciting for the future of digital health. Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanmkoo ..read more

Dennis Carlson and Benefits Influencer return with a recap of InsurTech Connect (ITC) with CEO & Co-Founder of Zoë Foundry, Garrett Viggers. Check out Zoë Foundry at www.zoefoundry.com Reach out at hello@zoefoundry.com Benefits Influencer is the #1 podcast for Employee Benefits Brokers and Advisors.   ..read more

Dennis welcomes SVP & Senior Partner at Burnham Benefits, Chris Krusiewicz back to the podcast. Chris has been tracking AI as it relates to healthcare and employee benefits for years and brings his latest insights to the benefits community. Chris and Dennis discuss AI and its impact on the employee benefits and healthcare industries today and what we can expect in the future. Check out Season 1 Episode 3 for the earlier interview we reference in this episode. Find Chris on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriskrusiewicz/ Check out Burnham Benefits here: https://www.burnhambenefi ..read more

Dennis chats with Ty Wang, Co-Founder & CEO of Angle Health. Angle Health wants to make health benefits more accessible by connecting vendors that handle different services like telehealth and health savings accounts on a single platform. That way, employers of all sizes can offer a similar stack to the benefits you’d expect from a Fortune 500, but tailored for small to medium-sized businesses. Ty Wang is the Co-Founder and CEO of Angle Health, the digital-first, fully-licensed health insurance platform. Before founding Angle Health in 2019, Ty was at Palantir, where he met his co-founder ..read more

This episode originally aired in January 2020 Charles Specht from The Permission Group shares how Benefits Brokers who target a micro niche can grow a massive book of business and better serve their clients. Connect with Charles at charles@permissiongroup.com ..read more

This episode orginally aired in March 2022. Ned Schaut talks with Becky Patel, CEO at Amwins Connect, about mentorship. Becky has over 35 years of experience in this business and shares the importance of both having a mentor and being a mentor. During the conversation they focus on the need to be authentic and know your secret sauce in the business ..read more