Discovery Series: Unplugged

What happens when the very product you've been recommending to clients your entire career ends up being the thing that saves your family? For Kat Naguiat-Madarang, that question is personal.

In this episode, Kat takes us on a journey that spans three generations. From her grandfather, who founded one of the first insurance agencies in the Philippines in the 1950s, to her mother, who rebuilt her career from scratch after immigrating to Canada, to Kat herself, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in late 2024 and had to navigate surgery, recovery, and the emotional weight of facing a serious illness while running a business with her husband.

Kat shares what it felt like to receive her diagnosis, the decisions she faced, and how her critical illness policy, set up by her mother years earlier, gave her something money can't manufacture on its own: choice. The choice to step back from work, to focus on recovery, and to take her kids to Japan.

She also opens up about paying five critical illness claims that same year — four of them before her own diagnosis — and how living through cancer changed the way she shows up for clients going through the same thing.

This one is equal parts raw and real. Kat's story is a reminder of why we do what we do.

To mark the 5th Anniversary of the Discovery Series, host Reh Bhanji sits down in our Halifax studio with award-winning financial advisor Alyssa Anderson from DFSIN South Western Ontario. Alyssa is an avid, long-time listener of the show whose real-life career embodies the core values we’ve celebrated for five incredible years: Community, Connection, Collaboration, and Consistency.

From growing up watching her father run a relationship-first local business in Windsor to shifting her career from speech pathology to financial services, Alyssa has intentionally built a brand rooted in visual authenticity and deep client empathy. In this episode, she opens up about her ultimate test: transitioning from student to leader overnight during a sudden succession crisis while simultaneously managing intense personal adversity. Alyssa breaks down why she rejects industry isolation in favor of deep team collaboration, proving that legacy is quietly built in the spaces between moments—simply by choosing to show up every single day.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Relationship DNA: How watching her father run a local community-based business shaped a modern brand strategy.

• The Financial Translator: Why a clinical background in speech pathology is the ultimate secret weapon for helping clients articulate goals they can't yet name.

• Holding the Bridge: The raw reality of navigating a sudden business succession crisis in the wake of a mentor's sudden medical emergency.

• Collaboration Over Competition: Why building a team-based practice is the ultimate structural win for client stability and advisor continuity.

• Intrinsic Drive: Tap into personal purpose to navigate professional bottlenecks and profound adversity at the exact same time.

🎥 Watch the full video episode on Spotify, or listen to the audio on your favorite podcast platform!

Disclaimer:The information and opinions being presented are for informational purposes only. None of the speakers or Desjardins Insurance has been engaged for the purpose of providing legal, taxation, or other professional advice. No one should act upon the examples or information provided without a thorough examination of their specific legal or tax situation with the appropriate professional advisors.

In this episode of Discovery Series: Unplugged, host Reh Bhanji sits down with Dr. Tracy Parnell, a Canadian physician and Chair of Primary Care and Rural Medicine at Teladoc Health Canada. Dr. Parnell has dedicated her clinical career to expanding healthcare access for underserved and rural communities. But when she faced a severe health crisis as a patient in her 30s, her entire relationship with her profession completely changed.

Dr. Parnell shares the raw reality of moving from medical insider to vulnerable patient, and how that paradigm shift fueled her mission to bring clear, empathetic navigation to modern medicine.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Clinical Turning Point: The exact moment a personal health crisis forced a practicing physician to experience the medical system from the other side of the bed.

• The Challenge of Navigation: Why knowing where to go, who to trust, and how to look at the full picture matters just as much as a medical diagnosis.

• Bridging the System Gap: How clinical leadership can design better pathways, clear communication, and practical support to build patient trust.

• Caring Beyond Systems: Why real healthcare transformation requires putting human connection and true empathy ahead of bureaucratic processes.

"Better outcomes don't just come from systems—they come from people who care enough to make them better." Dr. Parnell’s journey is a powerful masterclass in purpose, perspective, and finding clarity when life feels overwhelming.

Tune in to the full video episode on Spotify and follow Discovery Series: Unplugged for more!

Disclaimer: Please note, the following episode includes discussion of Teladoc Health Canada. These services are not a contractual obligation of Desjardins Financial Security and may be withdrawn at any time. The information shared reflects personal experience and should not be considered a guarantee of service or outcomes.

In Part 2 of our underwriting series, Discovery Series: Unplugged goes behind the scenes of financial underwriting with Andrew Lalonde-Welby, Senior Underwriting Consultant at Desjardins Insurance.

Building on the previous episode about holistic underwriting, this conversation focuses on how advisors can better position complex cases through stronger preparation, clearer context, and more effective cover letters.

Andrew breaks down why financial underwriting goes beyond the numbers, including how underwriters think about insurable need, affordability, ownership structures, existing coverage, pending insurance, and the purpose behind the application.

You’ll hear why a well-crafted cover letter can make a meaningful difference, how collaboration with regional sales directors and underwriters can reduce friction, and why telling the client’s full story matters.

For advisors, this episode is a practical reminder: underwriting is not just a decision point. It is a safeguard built to protect clients, advisors, and the integrity of the insurance process.

Every advisor knows the moment.

You submit a case… and wait.

In Part 1 of this two-part Discovery Series: Unplugged series, we go inside the underwriting process with Andrew Lalonde-Welby, Senior Underwriting Consultant at Desjardins Insurance, to explore how underwriting is evolving, and what it means for advisors.

This episode introduces the concept of holistic underwriting, a more complete way of understanding a client’s situation beyond what’s captured in an application.

We cover:

• What holistic underwriting means in today’s environment
• How underwriters assess risk within established frameworks
• The role advisors play in providing context and clarity
• Why strong field underwriting can improve outcomes
• How better communication can reduce friction in the process

This conversation is focused on helping advisors better understand the process, ask stronger questions, and position their cases more effectively.

What does the future of financial advice really look like?

In this episode of Discovery Series: Unplugged, Andrew Fink, President of HUB Financial Inc., shares how a life-changing moment early in his athletic career reshaped his perspective and ultimately led him to help redefine how advice is delivered in Canada.

From personal experience with family disability to leading one of the country’s largest MGAs, Andrew brings a clear message: the value of advice has never been higher, but access to it has never been more uneven.

In this conversation, we explore:
• The growing advice gap, and why most Canadians still aren’t getting help
• Why education, not just products, is the real opportunity for advisors
• How technology can enhance—not replace—the human side of advice
• The role of mentorship and next-generation advisors in shaping the industry
• Why preparation, not luck, drives long-term success

A thoughtful discussion on where the industry is heading, and how advisors can play a bigger role in delivering clarity, confidence, and better outcomes for Canadians.

What does it take to step into a family business - and still build something that’s truly your own?

In this episode of Discovery Series: Unplugged, Lucas Ippolito, Desjardins Insurance Agent and Agency Owner, shares his journey from growing up in the industry to finding his footing as a young advisor and leader. 

From early doubts and tough first months to setting bold goals and building confidence with clients, Lucas opens up about what it really takes to grow in this business.

You’ll hear:

• The reality of starting out—even with experience around you

• How he worked through self-doubt and earned credibility

• Why humility and curiosity shaped his growth

• The shift from talking about products to solving real problems

• What legacy means when you have to build it yourself

A grounded conversation about pressure, progress, and becoming the kind of advisor clients—and your team—can trust.

What happens when life doesn’t go according to plan?

In this episode of Discovery Series: Unplugged, Michael Wills shares a journey that moves far beyond theory. From working as a dive master and paramedic to experiencing a serious illness within his own family, Michael has seen firsthand how quickly everything can change. 

Michael opens up about the moments that shaped his perspective on risk, the emotional and financial pressure that follows a health crisis, and why so many families feel unprepared when it matters most.

You’ll hear:

• What emergency situations taught him about staying calm under pressure
• How illness impacts more than just health - it affects income, relationships, and decisions
• Why critical illness planning is often overlooked until it’s too late
• How advisors can have more honest, meaningful conversations with clients

What if true wealth isn’t just about what you earn, but how you live?

In this episode of Discovery Series: Unplugged, CFP Anna Knight shares her remarkable journey from growing up in communist Poland to building a purpose-driven financial planning practice in Canada. Along the way, she transformed early experiences with scarcity into a powerful philosophy centered on vision, wellness, prosperity, and impact. 

Anna explains how advisors can help clients connect money with meaning—aligning financial plans with personal purpose, family goals, and long-term legacy.

This conversation explores:

• Turning financial planning into a tool for life design
• Helping clients move from survival to abundance
• The importance of multiple income streams and structured planning
• Why purpose and wellness belong in every financial conversation

A powerful discussion on how advisors can help clients build wealth with clarity, intention, and soul.

Real estate success often comes with financial complexity.

In Episode 115 of Discovery Series: Unplugged, we’re joined by JoAnne Martin, CEO and Lead Financial Planner at The PREC Planners, to unpack the realities of financial planning for incorporated real estate agents.

From deciding whether to form a PREC to managing volatile commission income, corporate tax strategy, and wealth deaccumulation, JoAnne shares practical insights advisors and entrepreneurs need to hear.

She also explains:

• Why incorporating isn’t about income — it’s about lifestyle needs

• The most common mistakes real estate professionals make

• How to think about corporate investing and risk protection

• Why education and simplicity are the foundation of good planning

  
  

If you work with real estate professionals — or want to build a niche by solving real problems — this episode is for you.