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Welcome Back to Gratitude Through Hard Times! You’ll learn on this episode how one of the nation’s insurance leaders is fueled by authenticity and vulnerability, superpowers available to all of us if we’re brave enough to go there. In the case of our guest, Heath Ritenour, a bout with cancer proved an opportunity to drop the corporate mask in favor of prioritizing human connection among the 1,500 employees and 72,000 customers affiliated with Insurance of America (IOAUSA), among the nation’s largest private agencies. We learn about how Heath came to embrace the family business, founded by his parents, and carve out a leadership style that has supported exponential growth. As he explains to Host Chris Schembra, Heath has reaped profound rewards through the practice of gratitude, personally and in the workplace context. He doesn’t bother with the posturing and business armor so many of us reflexively wear, looking instead for those human places where relationships flourish. It’s a formula that attracts and retains great talent and cements loyalty among customers in direct proportion. “The transformational side of building deeper relationships and being open, of being connected with your team, is more growth, more profit and a happier, more cohesive team,” says Heath. And that’s exactly how things have played out at Orlando-based IOA’s 60 locations and counting. Empathy is woven into the corporate fabric and serves as an invitation for growth through hard times. So go ahead! Be brave. Drop the mask and make that shift. When we remember to witness life’s blessings, we are generating more of the same. It’s all a question staying mindful, says Heath: “It’s not what you gotta do but what you get to do!”
Want to follow what the thought leaders at IOAUSA are up to? You can find their blog at this link. You can also learn all about their corporate 1° Difference philosophy by clicking here.
If you’d like to learn more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link.
Click hereto hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainerswho have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times.
KEY TOPICS:
QUOTABLE
LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES:
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Heath has been in the insurance industry for over 20 years, and I currently serve as chairman of Insurance Office of America (IOA). He also holds the property and casualty general lines (2-20) and health and life (including variable annuity contracts, 2-15) insurance licenses. His experience with insurance includes personal, business, risk management, and countless other types of coverage. Since becoming a member of the team in 1996, Heath has worked with his peers and professional network to continue expanding and improving IOA — which is now one of the largest privately held insurance agencies in the country.He also plays an active role as president of the IOA Foundation and is proud to have been acknowledged as an industry leader.
FOLLOW OUR GUEST:
WEBSITE | LINKEDIN
ABOUT OUR HOST:
Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times.
FOLLOW CHRIS:
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN| BOOKS
4.7
1818 ratings
Welcome Back to Gratitude Through Hard Times! You’ll learn on this episode how one of the nation’s insurance leaders is fueled by authenticity and vulnerability, superpowers available to all of us if we’re brave enough to go there. In the case of our guest, Heath Ritenour, a bout with cancer proved an opportunity to drop the corporate mask in favor of prioritizing human connection among the 1,500 employees and 72,000 customers affiliated with Insurance of America (IOAUSA), among the nation’s largest private agencies. We learn about how Heath came to embrace the family business, founded by his parents, and carve out a leadership style that has supported exponential growth. As he explains to Host Chris Schembra, Heath has reaped profound rewards through the practice of gratitude, personally and in the workplace context. He doesn’t bother with the posturing and business armor so many of us reflexively wear, looking instead for those human places where relationships flourish. It’s a formula that attracts and retains great talent and cements loyalty among customers in direct proportion. “The transformational side of building deeper relationships and being open, of being connected with your team, is more growth, more profit and a happier, more cohesive team,” says Heath. And that’s exactly how things have played out at Orlando-based IOA’s 60 locations and counting. Empathy is woven into the corporate fabric and serves as an invitation for growth through hard times. So go ahead! Be brave. Drop the mask and make that shift. When we remember to witness life’s blessings, we are generating more of the same. It’s all a question staying mindful, says Heath: “It’s not what you gotta do but what you get to do!”
Want to follow what the thought leaders at IOAUSA are up to? You can find their blog at this link. You can also learn all about their corporate 1° Difference philosophy by clicking here.
If you’d like to learn more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link.
Click hereto hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainerswho have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times.
KEY TOPICS:
QUOTABLE
LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES:
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Heath has been in the insurance industry for over 20 years, and I currently serve as chairman of Insurance Office of America (IOA). He also holds the property and casualty general lines (2-20) and health and life (including variable annuity contracts, 2-15) insurance licenses. His experience with insurance includes personal, business, risk management, and countless other types of coverage. Since becoming a member of the team in 1996, Heath has worked with his peers and professional network to continue expanding and improving IOA — which is now one of the largest privately held insurance agencies in the country.He also plays an active role as president of the IOA Foundation and is proud to have been acknowledged as an industry leader.
FOLLOW OUR GUEST:
WEBSITE | LINKEDIN
ABOUT OUR HOST:
Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times.
FOLLOW CHRIS:
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN| BOOKS
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