What makes an insurance conference actually worth attending?

In this episode of Agency X, Casey sits down with Drake Slaikeu-Lawhead, Head of Growth at InsureTech Connect (ITC) and the leader behind ITC Agents, to talk about what makes the insurance ecosystem, and the conferences built around it, so complicated.

Drake breaks down how ITC Agents was created to give independent agents a more practical experience inside one of the largest insurance and technology events in the world. They talk about how agents can prepare for ITC, how to identify the technology and people they actually need to meet, and why sometimes the best conference strategy is simply getting away from the day-to-day operation of the agency long enough to think differently.

Then the conversation takes a turn.

Casey and Drake get into birding in Las Vegas, favorite books, Radiohead and Regina Spektor, movies, the illusion of free will, and why maybe we should give ourselves a little less credit when things go right and beat ourselves up a little less when they don't.

It's a conversation about insurance, technology, conferences, people, and a few things Casey definitely wasn't expecting to talk about.

And if you're an independent agent heading to ITC, there's a discount code waiting for you at the end.

ITC Registration - $100 Discount Code 1AGSPKSNB

Learn more about the CIAC program

Learn more about Sonant's AI receptionist

Most AI advice is already outdated before you finish reading it.
Save this if you work in insurance - this is exactly why we built CAIC. 

If AI is moving this fast, the old “learn it once and you’re done” model does not work anymore.

Jay Green said it best: you don’t need more hype. You need a way to actually understand AI, use it safely, and keep up as it changes.That’s what this certification is built for:

• Start with zero knowledge
• Learn the foundations first
• Build guardrails before you automate
• Stay current instead of falling behind

If you’ve been waiting to get serious about AI in your agency, this is your sign.

Jay Greene on Building CAIC and the Future of AI in Insurance

In this episode, Casey Nelson talks with Jay Greene, founder of Agentic Holdings LLC and the Certified AI Insurance Credential (CAIC), about why insurance agencies need a better way to understand and govern AI. Jay shares the origin story behind CAIC, how his experience across the insurance industry shaped the program, and why he believes AI will create a new kind of agent-to-agent workflow in the future.We also cover Agency X’s own mission to document real agency operations, technology decisions, and implementation lessons, including why the show is using Sonant’s AI receptionist, to reduce phone volume and free up staff for higher-value work.

Sonant AI receptionist notes

Agency X is testing Sonant, an AI receptionist built specifically for insurance agencies, to address one of its biggest operational challenges: high phone volume.

Sonant’s AI receptionist is designed to:

• Answer incoming calls
• Collect information for quotes
• Create service requests in the CRM
• Schedule callbacks
• Take messages
• Handle calls during evenings and weekends
• Support the team when employees are busy during the day

The goal is not to replace the agency’s employees. Instead, Ellie is intended to handle repetitive intake and administrative tasks so the team can spend more time solving problems, advising clients, and doing work that requires human judgment.

Agency X is documenting the implementation process openly, including what works, what does not, and whether Sonant actually solves the phone-volume problem it was purchased to address.

Key discussion points

• Phone volume is taking significant time away from the agency team.
• Employees are spending too much time answering calls, collecting information, taking messages, and handling service requests.
• Sonant is being implemented as an AI receptionist for both daytime overflow and after-hours coverage.
• Ellie can collect quote information and create service requests in the agency’s CRM.
• The agency’s objective is to create more staff capacity, not eliminate human involvement.
• The implementation will be evaluated based on real-world results rather than marketing promises.
• Agency X will share the onboarding and setup process as part of its broader behind-the-scenes documentation.

Main Episode Takeaway

AI can be most valuable when it removes repetitive work and gives people more time to focus on the parts of insurance that require empathy, expertise, and judgment.