Awkward Insurance

Bradley Flowers- Bradley is a nationally recognized insurance agency owner and business enthusiast. He runs the day-to-day operations at Portal Insurance in Mobile, Alabama, a scratch independent agency he founded and is building on the back of social media, personal branding, content, and technology. In 2019, Portal Insurance was named the "Agency for the Future'' by Safeco Insurance for the Southeast United States. In 2020, Portal Insurance became the subject of the YouTube series "Making the Donuts'' which shows the everyday behind-the-scenes of the agency. Bradley is the co-host of the “Insurance Guys Podcast” one of the most listened to podcasts in the insurance industry which is featured on iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud, and iHeart Radio. Through his podcast, Bradley has interviewed hundreds of influential individuals including Gary Vaynerchuk, Dave Meltzer, and Jesse Cole.

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Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

David R. Carothers, CIC, CRM, is the Principal of Florida Risk Partners, LLC, Catalyst Funding Solutions, LLC, The Founder of Killing Commercial Insurance Training, Host of The Power Producers Podcast, and Creator/Producer of The Protégé. David is also the international best-selling author of The Extra 2 Minutes: How spending an extra 2 minutes on nearly anything in your sales career will take you from good to best in class!  He also has a new book, The Dirty 130 hitting shelves in January 2022.  David is also the managing member of Game Changers Marketing, LLC the entity that handles the distribution of advertising and marketing across all media channels in his portfolio.

David has degrees in Management and Marketing from Birmingham Southern College. He has spent nearly two decades in the Insurance and Risk Management space. David started his career with a multi-million dollar commercial risk management firm, where he was repeatedly recognized for exemplary achievement. 

In 2016, David followed his entrepreneurial spirit and launched Florida Risk Partners, an insurance and risk management firm focusing on middle-market commercial accounts. Florida Risk Partners has multiple office locations in the five counties surrounding the Tampa Bay region.

Because of his success at Florida Risk Partners, David often gets tapped to be a keynote speaker and breakout session presenter at industry conferences and associations, speaking on sales, prospecting, marketing, appointment setting, and closing accounts. 

While David is busy, it is important to note that his priority is his family. David and his wife Andrea live in Valrico, FL, with their children Grayson, Landon, Ethan, Caroline, and their faithful Golden Retrievers, Tanner, and Tucker.

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

Download a Learning Path to Get Started On Your Own RMI Journey!

• Meg McKeen, CIC: A believer that there is a story within every story, Meg's career journey took a sharp left turn in 2017 when she exchanged her corporate j-o-b for a year of self-discovery. The following year, she launched Adjunct Advisors LLC with the simple belief that the people that buy, and those that sell, insurance deserve a better experience. Meg now leverages more than 20 years of industry experience and studies in the social sciences to change the way we interact with insurance. Her journey is not unique - but her ability to make insurance - and entrepreneurship - approachable and relatable, with humility, humor, and heart, is a gift. 

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

Learn More about neon from b atomic!  and Listen to Olivia's Podcast: Liv Louder!

• Oliva Schmitt, CIC, CISR  brings her insurance agency experience and vast industry knowledge, strong leadership track record, and small business expertise to the b atomic team.  Olivia started her insurance career in 2004 when she joined TRICOR Insurance as a customer service representative.  In 2013 she was selected to lead the company’s development of a division geared towards small business growth.  The role allowed Olivia to hone her skills by creating a strategic development plan for the department, overseeing operations, and hiring a team— experiences she continually draws on today. Olivia also hosts the “Liv Louder” podcast where she highlights women in insurance and leadership with the goal of creating space for others to share their struggles and insight, seek advice, encouragement, and growth opportunities in their careers. Olivia Schmitt is a proud mom of three children who keep her busy!  Olivia enjoys downtime with her kids, quiet evenings with a good movie, cooking delicious food, and playing and singing along to great music way too loud (according to her kids)!

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

Start your own career path with a custom Account Manager, Producer, Risk Manager, or Underwriter Learning Path!

• Natalie Russel, CIC joined the Central Region Team as a Senior Territory Manager for Northwestern Arkansas.  Natalie is a familiar face to many of us as she had an 8-year tenure as a Senior Territory Manager before leaving to own and operate an independent agency in Hot Springs, AR. Natalie resides in Hot Springs with her husband, Andy, and are proud parents to twins, Cazzie and Josie, and son, Van, and the lovable Boxer, Moonpie. She has always been around the industry having started working as a teen in her family’s agency. Outside of work, Natalie loves traveling, working out, and attending kids’ sporting events.  

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

Do you have an Awkward Insurance story?  Email us at [email protected] and you may be featured in an episode!

Dustyne Bryant, CIC, CISR, MBA:

Dustyne Bryant, is the Personal Lines Academic Director at The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, is a self-professed and colleague–backed wholehearted Personal Lines Insurance geek. Supported by multiple degrees and designations over the course of a decade and rising, her thirst for knowledge is never-ending and ever-growing. Her passion for educating others in Personal Insurance is even greater. She is an advocate of permanency for children in foster care and relishes all the joys of being a soccer mom, minus the minivan.

Cat Ferris, CIC, CRM, CPCU, CLCS, AU:

Cat Ferris, is the Commercial Lines Academic Director at the National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. In her twenty years of experience within the industry, Cat has focused most of her career in commercial underwriting, and independent agency training. Based out of Gainesville, Florida her hobbies include bodybuilding, gardening, and spoiling her dogs more than her kids.

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

Send us topics that you want to hear discussed in future episodes, and stay tuned for Season 2!

• Cat Ferris, CIC, CRM, CPCU, CLCS, AU  is the Commercial Lines Academic Director with the National Alliance. In her twenty years of experience within the industry, Cat has focused most of her career in commercial underwriting, and independent agency training. Based out of Gainesville, Florida her hobbies include bodybuilding, gardening, and spoiling her dogs more than her kids.
• Mac Leberman is the Podcast Producer for The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research and oversees the conception, creation, and production of Awkward Insurance, Nat Alliance NOW, and Risk & Reward podcast series’. 

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

Need more tips on how to handle tough convos with clients?  Check out episode #2, I’m Your Agent. Let’s Talk about Sex.

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

Aaron Gordon, CAPI, CCIC, is a second-generation insurance professional working to merge his parent’s “boutique-style” insurance agency with modern insurance technology for the first time. He’s finding success everywhere he turns but has found recently that the hiring pool of available qualified insurance professionals is quite murky. Aaron discusses the difficulty he has had with hiring while Dustyne explores whether the CISR High School Program and University Associate Programs offered by The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, might be the solution to this growing industry struggle.

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

We want to hear from you! Send us your questions, comments, and praises to [email protected]!

About our guests:

• Cat Ferris, CIC, CRM, CPCU, CLCS, AU- is the Commercial Lines Academic Director with the National Alliance. In her twenty years of experience within the industry, Cat has focused most of her career in commercial underwriting, and independent agency training. Based out of Gainesville, Florida her hobbies include bodybuilding, gardening, and spoiling her dogs more than her kids.
• Paul Martin, CPCU- is the Director of Academic Content and Academic Director Team Lead for the National Alliance for Insurance Education &Research. Paul works with Alliance faculty, agents, and other industry professionals to deliver high-quality insurance content and education. During his career, Paul worked as an adjuster, underwriter, special agent, company manager, and independent agent. Paul has been an insurance educator in Texas for over twenty years.
• Sarah Warhaftig, CRM, JD- is the Academic Director of Risk Management programs for The National Alliance where she is responsible for the Certified Risk Manager, the Certified School Risk Manager, and the Certified Personal Risk Manager designation programs.
• Jay Williams, CIC, CRM, CRIS, MLIS, AIP, AAI, ACSR- started his insurance career in 1979. He spent 21 years in the agency business, 9 years at the Florida Association of Insurance Agents, and 7 years on the insurance company side of the industry.  Jay was the interim CEO for Applied Client Network and CEO of a construction risk wholesale operation.  Prior to coming to The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, he was an insurance educator, a consultant to agencies, companies, and industry partners, and an expert witness for both technical insurance and agent E&O cases. In addition to being an Educational Consultant, Jay is a member of the National Faculty, teaching CISR, CIC, Ruble Graduate Seminars, and PROFocus topics across the country.

Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.