Insurance Town

In this episode of Insurance Town, I release an episode of Connected Conversations, host Carrie  of Canopy Connect. She interviews Brooke Liu, of MarshBerry, about the “quiet, creeping” burnout high achievers often hide—what Brooke calls operating in “low power mode.” Drawing from her work with her peers and her own intense travel schedule, Brooke explains that burnout is a capacity issue, not a motivation problem, and shares early warning signs like fatigue and declining sleep quality. They explore why women may carry extra burnout weight through credibility pressures, emotional labor, and difficulty delegating, and why asking for help can protect credibility more than masking struggle. Brooke offers practical strategies—accountability partners, communicating priorities, time-and-energy audits, and rejecting constant work-life balance in favor of seasonal grace—plus organizational ways to spot and reduce burnout through surveys, benchmarks, staffing, process standardization, and technology.

Connect with Brooke:Email:  [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brookeacliu/Marshberry LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marshberry/

Sponsors of Insurance Town

Canopy Connect
Bind AI
V!Va Teams

This week in insurance town te Mayor Heath Shearon sits down with Christ Warren of Determined Vision for a conversation about how AI, mentorship, and a serious mission mindset are changing the way insurance professionals prospect, serve, and grow. Christ shares his journey from Cameroon to the United States, the discipline that shaped him, and why he sees life insurance as a way to give families choice when the worst happens.They also dig into practical agency lessons: how to use AI and VAs to protect time, why mentorship shortens the learning curve, and how to keep sales conversations centered on the real problem instead of the product.

Timestamps

00:00 - Welcome to Insurance Town and sponsor overview
 00:58 - Meet Christ Warren and clear up the pronunciation of his name
 03:37 - How Christ found the podcast using AI outreach
 04:42 - Using AI for prospecting and audience targeting
 06:30 - Why credibility and core values still matter in insurance
 08:50 - Christ’s move from Cameroon to the United States
 09:17 - Growing up as the oldest of seven, with six sisters
 11:27 - From biology and medical school to insurance
 13:18 - Learning from a mentor who scaled from six figures to millions
 16:54 - The Mamba mentality and doing the reps
 20:11 - Why mentorship matters at every level
 23:36 - Focus, repetition, and mastery over chasing shiny objects
 24:34 - Slowing down to speed up in business
 25:06 - Christ’s partner helps shape the AI and exposure strategy
 26:37 - The Eisenhower framework for urgent, important, and delegable work
 29:23 - What agency owners should protect as their highest-value activity
 31:28 - Why purpose and client impact matter more than admin tasks
 32:57 - The call log test and surrounding yourself with stronger people
 34:44 - Why Christ sees passion as a superpower in life insurance
 35:06 - Volunteering and seeing end-of-life reality up close
 36:53 - Keeping the mission front and center in agency training
 39:00 - Why repeating the vision helps shape the culture
 41:19 - What life products Christ works with
 42:01 - Diagnosing first before recommending coverage
 43:14 - The ripple effect when a breadwinner dies uninsured
 46:20 - Why the work is serious, not just sales
 47:50 - Real examples of families changing spending habits after the right conversation
 49:50 - How Cameroon still shapes Christ’s view of choice and planning
 54:48 - AI and VA systems helping the industry return to old-school fundamentals
 57:43 - Technology should create more time for relationships and service
 58:45 - Where to find Heath and the upcoming AI conference in New York

Sponsors
Canopy Connect
Bind AI
V!va Teams

On this episode of Insurance Town, I sat down with Joseph Varga, founder of Forge Orbital, for a conversation about AI governance, agentic AI, and what businesses especially those of us in highly regulated industries like insurance need to be thinking about as this technology continues to move at an unbelievable pace.

Joseph breaks down the difference between the AI most of us have gotten comfortable with and the proactive, agentic systems that are beginning to take action on our behalf. And while that creates incredible opportunity for efficiency and growth, it also creates a whole new set of questions around accountability, transparency, data, and trust.

One of the biggest ideas we unpack is the concept of the AI “black box.”

If an AI system drafts an email, makes a recommendation, assists with underwriting, or helps influence a claims decision, can you explain exactly how it arrived at that answer?

And more importantly, could you recreate that decision two years from now if a regulator, customer, carrier, or attorney asked you to?

That’s where Joseph believes governance becomes critical.

We also get into the idea of having AI check AI. On the surface, having one model review another sounds like a strong safeguard. But as Joseph explains, if both systems are probabilistic, you may simply be getting a second opinion—not actual proof.

For insurance professionals, that distinction matters.

Joseph also shares how Forge Orbital approaches governance differently by operating as a deterministic layer in the background—helping organizations create rules, evidence boundaries, audit trails, and human checkpoints without creating yet another dashboard employees have to manage.

And yes, we absolutely talked about dashboard fatigue.

This conversation isn’t about being afraid of AI.

It’s about using AI responsibly.

Because the more AI moves from answering questions to actually taking action, the more important it becomes for agencies, carriers, MGAs, and insurance technology companies to understand what’s happening behind the scenes.

If you’re already experimenting with AI, building AI into your tech stack, or simply trying to understand where all of this is headed, this episode will give you a few things to think about.

Joseph’s biggest message is a simple one:

Use the technology. Take advantage of what it can do. Just make sure you understand what it’s doing on your behalf.

Because AI is moving fast. And the companies that win won’t just be the ones that adopt it fastest—they’ll be the ones that learn how to use it responsibly.

Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Insurance Town
00:30 – A big thank you to our sponsors: Canopy Connect, Bind AI, and VIVA Virtual Solutions
02:54 – Meet Joseph Varga of Forge Orbital
05:25 – Joseph’s background and his path into AI technology
07:35 – What does “AI governance” actually mean?
09:52 – Human-in-the-loop vs. true AI governance
11:17 – The evolution from reactive AI to proactive, agentic AI
13:16 – Where AI could be headed next
15:07 – When will government regulation catch up with AI?
16:28 – Where Forge Orbital fits into AI governance
17:26 – Is having AI check other AI actually enough?
20:07 – Why companies need to start preparing for AI governance now
21:46 – What insurance agencies and carriers should be doing today
24:17 – How Forge Orbital integrates into an existing tech stack
26:07 – AI governance use cases for independent insurance agencies
27:41 – Building Forge Orbital for highly regulated industries
29:50 – Why governance shouldn’t mean another dashboard
32:33 – What happens when employees use AI from their phones?
34:07 – Why Joseph became passionate about AI governance
36:11 – How to learn more about Forge Orbital
37:54 – Joseph’s final advice for businesses adopting AI
39:04 – Closing thoughts

A Big Thank You to Our Sponsors

Insurance Town would not be possible without the partners who continue to support this community.

Canopy Connect helps agencies simplify insurance intake and collect the policy information they need faster. Check them out at usecanopy.com/heath.

Bind AI helps insurance agencies use AI to uncover opportunities, create capacity, and work more efficiently across the commercial insurance lifecycle. Learn more at Bind.ai.

V!VA Virtual Solutions provides insurance-trained virtual assistants who can help agencies create capacity across quoting, renewals, service, and other key workflows. Visit VIVATeams.com/InsuranceTown to learn more and receive $1,000 off

You can learn more about Joseph and Forge Orbital at ForgeOrbital.com.

This episode is live from the Santa Monica Peir at Insurance Fest 2026.

Sponsors:
Canopy Connect -Making it easier for agencies to collect insurance information directly from clients and prospects, helping speed up the quoting process and improve the customer experience.

Bind AI-  An AI-powered digital teammate built to help insurance professionals automate repetitive work, increase efficiency, and give their teams more time to focus on the human side of the business.

V!VA-  Helping insurance agencies scale with trained virtual professionals who can support service, operations, marketing, and more giving your team additional capacity without sacrificing the customer experience. 

This week in Insurance Town, Mayor sits down with longtime friend and fellow insurance leader Heath Barnett, co-owner of Legacy, for a conversation about growth, culture, ownership, and building a business people actually want to be part of.

Heath Barnett is an insurance agency leader and co-owner of Legacy. After beginning his career in the captive insurance world, Heath transitioned into the independent channel and helped build Legacy into a multi-state insurance organization.

His leadership philosophy centers on developing people, creating opportunities for ownership, giving local leaders autonomy, and building an organization where professional success doesn’t have to come at the expense of family and the things that matter most.

Heath’s story starts in Memphis, Texas, where he grew up around agriculture, small-town relationships, and a family Farmers agency. After working alongside his grandfather and eventually purchasing the agency, Heath began seeing opportunities beyond the captive model. That journey ultimately led him into the independent insurance world and to what has become Legacy—an organization that has grown to roughly 250 people across multiple states.

But this episode isn’t simply about getting bigger.

It’s about how you grow without losing who you are.

Heath and Mayor talk about the importance of training agents to understand what they are actually selling instead of competing on price alone. They dig into what the captive world can teach independent agencies about carrier training and development, why Legacy intentionally recruits coaches and teachers, and why the right culture can become one of the strongest recruiting and retention tools an agency has.

They also get into ownership, succession planning, producer autonomy, burnout, family priorities, faith, and creating an organization where people have the opportunity to build something of their own.

If you’re an agency owner thinking about growth, recruiting, producer development, culture, or succession, there are plenty of nuggets in this one.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Insurance Town
03:21 – Meet Heath Barnett
09:27 – Leaving the captive model for the independent channel
10:34 – Rebuilding culture in the independent insurance world
15:43 – What Farmers got right about training and support
18:26 – Stop selling price and start understanding the product
21:54 – Why Legacy recruits coaches and teachers
29:19 – Burnout, family priorities, and faith at work
32:53 – The original vision for Legacy’s growth
36:54 – Why producers choose the Legacy model
41:41 – Ownership, succession, and protecting an agent’s book
43:42 – Why Legacy moved beyond the traditional last-name agency model
44:53 – Connecting with Heath Barnett and Legacy
45:45 – Legacy’s growing multi-state footprint
46:02 – What could be next for Legacy
49:19 – Texas football, Texas Tech, and the Longhorns
51:15 – Closing thoughts

Learn more about Legacy at legacyinsurance1.com.

Proud Partners of Insurance Town

Canopy Connect
Stop chasing down declaration pages and PDFs. Canopy Connect helps insurance professionals collect verified insurance information directly from prospects and clients in seconds, creating a faster and easier experience for everyone involved.

Bind AI
Formerly 1Fort, Bind AI is helping insurance organizations put AI to work as a digital teammate—supporting workflows, increasing capacity, and helping teams spend more time on the work that requires human judgment and relationships.

V!VA Virtual Solutions
V!VA helps insurance agencies build effective virtual teams by focusing on more than simply placing a VA. Their approach centers on processes, training, accountability, and helping agencies create measurable return on their investment.

Insurance Town listeners can receive $1,000 off when getting started with V!VA Virtual Solutions.

Thank you to our partners for supporting Insurance Town and helping us continue bringing real conversations, practical ideas, and stories from people doing the work across the insurance industry.

One change I particularly like here is positioning the episode around the question, “How do you grow without losing who you are?” That feels very on-brand for Insurance Town and gives the entire episode a stronger through-line.

in this weeks episode, Heath Shearon sits down with Rob Lopez, CEO of V!VA, for a wide-ranging conversation about insurance, outsourcing, virtual assistants, and AI. Rob shares how his path from broadcast journalism and sports radio led him back into the insurance world, and why his focus has always been on building real departments not just filling seats.

They also dig into what makes V!VA different: process-driven onboarding, bilingual support, nearshore staffing in El Salvador, and a consultative approach that helps agencies document workflows before adding talent.

https://vivateams.com/insurancetown

Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome, sponsors, and introducing Rob Lopez from V!VA

03:33 – Why Rob stays present in the industry

05:32 – Rob’s early life as an Allstate kid

06:30 – Broadcast journalism, the Houston Rockets, and a career shift

07:26 – The first life insurance claim that changed Rob’s perspective

07:55 – Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma

08:44 – Distribution work, aggregators, and building agency networks

09:35 – Why aggregator margins eventually hurt the value proposition

10:29 – Rob’s sports talk and media background

12:30 – Why catastrophe work mattered more than commissions

14:53 – Rob’s father and front-line catastrophe response

17:37 – Delivering a claim check and overcoming fear at the kitchen table

18:43 – Why showing up during claims builds trust

20:40 – Heath and Rob discuss the mission behind insurance

22:32 – How Rob entered the virtual assistant space

23:43 – Hiring for impact, not headcount

24:39 – The story behind V!VA’s first hire

27:18 – How that first hire became part of V!VA’s origin story

29:13 – The evolution from “VA” to trained insurance team members

30:13 – Why checklists and SOPs are essential

32:03 – Using virtual assistants to document workflows

33:27 – Why Rob is willing to say no to the wrong client fit

36:01 – Cheap labor versus true partnership

37:26 – Building departments instead of relying on one person

41:06 – Why turnover is inevitable without documented processes

42:31 – The impact of losing a virtual assistant

44:21 – V!VA’s systems and strategy review process

45:48 – Quarterly check-ins and role alignment

47:12 – Virtual assistants, licensed agents, and career growth

49:17 – Why nearshore support can be effective for insurance agencies

51:06 – AI versus humans in the agency

53:30 – V!VA Front Desk and AI-powered communication

55:22 – AI for after-hours lead capture

56:48 – Cost savings, payroll, and E&O coverage

60:04 – How to contact Rob and access the Insurance Town offer

61:26 – The $1,000 setup credit for Insurance Town listeners

Sponsors:
Canopy Connect - get dec pages , gather information , meet your clients where they are
Get a discount using my code !!

1fort.ai- it is AI for insurance agencies , save time, be more efficient and win more deals with 1 Fort AI

Viva - see why more people are going to viva for near shore talent. And get a massive discount for being a listener of the show

In this weeks episode the Mayor talks with Dave Rose, an agency operator at Bolt and former Liberty Mutual and Travelers leader, about what independent agents can learn from captive carriers, how connected distribution works, and how agencies can start using AI without overhauling everything. Dave brings a practical, operator’s perspective from both the agency side and the tech side, with a focus on real-world implementation rather than hype.In this episode, they cover the process discipline of captive agencies, the power of referrals and centers of influence in the independent channel, and why AI adoption is more about solving specific pain points than chasing tools. They also preview Dave’s ITC session on building an AI-first agency plan in 30, 60, and 90 days.

Timestamps

00:00 — Intro, sponsors, and welcome to Dave Rose
08:24 — What Bolt does as a connected distribution platform
10:25 — What Dave learned moving from captive to independent
12:40 — Why independent agency success depends on knowledge, not just choice
15:03 — Centers of influence and building referral pipelines
17:05 — Why branding and marketing matter in the independent channel
19:19 — Why Dave wanted to be both an agency operator and technology builder
20:16 — How Bolt tests technology from the agency side first
23:04 — Why AI vendors all sound similar and what actually matters
24:57 — Advice for technology vendors: think through the agency lens
27:00 — The difference between insurance-first technology and tech-first insurance
28:17 — ITC and the growing role of agents at the conference
29:36 — A real example of an agency owner unsure where to begin with AI
31:18 — Why the industry is still early in its AI journey
34:13 — Three AI myths Dave wants to challenge
36:02 — Why AI should support, not replace, relationship-driven work
38:36 — Dave’s ITC session: practical next steps for agencies
41:26 — Agent Day at ITC and the value-first approach
42:23 — Session title: The AI First Agency: Your 30-, 60-, and 90-Day Plan in 15 Minutes
46:03 — The origins of Bolt and its connected distribution mission
47:28 — How Bolt connects lead generation, quoting, binding, and servicing
49:31 — Who should talk to Bolt and who benefits most
51:29 — How to reach Dave and Bolt
52:40 — Why ITC is worth attending for independent agents
54:58 — Why ITC works because of its concentration of knowledge and conversation

Sponsors:
Canopy Connect
1fort
Viva

If you have not registered for ITC Vegas. Go check it out and use discount code : 1AGSPKSNB for $200 off

This week in insurance town Heath Shearon sits down with Martin Mashalov, co-founder of Gridpull, to unpack why buying more leads is not the same as getting more business. They dig into how appetite matching, renewal timing, and trigger-based prospecting can help agencies spend producer time more efficiently and improve conversion rates.

Martin explains how his background in applied math and insurance analytics led him to build tools for finding better prospects, not just more prospects. The conversation stays practical throughout, with examples from restaurants, commercial real estate, and new business triggers.

00:00 - Welcome to the episode and the lead buying problem  
05:22 - Why insurance complexity pulled him toward technology  
09:55 - Modeling insurer risk and learning the agency and brokerage chain  
12:04 - How lead buying became a prospecting problem  
14:39 - Why volume alone does not fix lead performance  
18:39 - What “appetite” means for agencies and carriers  
20:29 - Restaurant examples and carrier appetite edge cases  
27:17 - New business triggers as a smarter prospecting strategy  
28:21 - Permits, hiring, and licensing as insurance signals  
31:38 - Trigger stacking for stronger prospecting profiles  
33:20 - Why Gridpull was built around a real workflow problem  
34:08 - Where AI fits and where it should stay out of the way  
39:30 - How Gridpull organizes renewals, contacts, and follow-up  
42:43 - Using existing books of business for cross-sell opportunities  
44:10 - Early conversion rate and revenue gains from Gridpool  
47:40 - How Gridpull supports agencies beyond just software  
48:13 - Contact options and demo availability  
49:22 - Free trial, credits, and privacy considerations  

Sponsors :
CANOPY CONNECT
1 Fort
VIVA 

This week Drake Lawhead comes to visit us in Insurance Town to talk all things conference , and maximizing the conference experience. We get into what all goes into building a major industry event and how attendees can actually get value from showing up. They also dig into how ITC evolved from an investor-focused conference into a broader experience for agents, brokers, carriers, and the tech vendors serving them.We discuss why in-person networking still matters, how to prepare before a conference, and what makes ITC’s agent and broker programming different from a typical trade show.

00:00 - Welcome to Insurance Town and sponsor shoutouts
  08:25 - What conference planning really looks like behind the scenes
  09:36 - How conference teams handle complaints and reduce friction
  11:42 - How attendees should prepare before a conference starts
  13:25 - Why some people should attend with a plan and others should leave room for serendipity
  15:46 - Why staying present beats taking conference-day Zoom calls
  18:48 - Why in-person networking still beats digital connection
  19:49 - How ITC’s app and meeting system help people connect fast
  28:35 - Why insurance is a natural fit for technology and AI
  31:09 - What ITC Agents attendees can expect from Tuesday through Thursday
  33:43 - Expo hall, main stage, happy hours, and the closing concert
  38:05 - Why ITC was built for introverts too
  39:43 - Quiet zones, lounges, puppy park, and low-pressure networking
  42:31 - How ITC borrows ideas from other conferences
  45:01 - Why intentional networking matters more than just putting people in a room
  46:45 - Why Drake enjoys the independent agency world
  47:58 - Dates, location, and how to register
  48:59 - ITC events around the world
  50:49 - Final push to register and use the app
  51:47 - Closing thanks and signoff

Thank you to my Sponsors: 
 
 Canopy Connect
 1fort
 Viva Virtual Solutions

In this weeks Episode, I got the chance to talk to my brother, my homie, my main man, Casey Nelson of Agency X and Eclipse Insurance. We talked about a major career shift, returning to the agency side with Eclipse Insurance, and why that move is giving him a new lens on what  works and what doesnt inside an agency. They also dig into Agency X, Casey and Jessica Holder’s upcoming behind the scenes podcast about fixing real agency problems in real time. Think, Reality TV meets VLog, meets Podcast, and all rolled into some entertaining and Educational Content built for insurance agencies.

 A big part of the conversation centers on the tension between old school workflows, modern automation, and AI, plus how agencies can adopt technology without creating chaos. Let me be real , this one gets SPICY, QUICK!! 

Timestamps

00:00 - Welcome to Insurance Town and sponsor rundown
 02:25 - Casey joins the conversation and catches up with Heath
 08:51 - Why agency owner alignment on process is non negotiable
 09:46 - Paper workflows, printed emails, and missing documentation
 14:07 - Why no insurance tech is truly ready out of the box
 15:04 - Preparing clients for AI driven service changes
 20:28 - Front door theory and getting everything into the ecosystem
 22:24 - Why agents should stop using personal cell phones for business
 24:14 - Relationship business vs order taker mentality
 27:10 - The value of honest staff feedback on workflows
 31:17 - How AI adoption has changed since the Zapier era
 32:26 - Why agencies that resist tech risk falling behind
 37:46 - AI fatigue and why younger generations may push back
 39:21 - Why agencies should map pain points before buying AI tools
 40:22 - Change one variable at a time and keep a baseline
 41:38 - What is agency X
 47:40 - Casey’s ITC speaking opportunity
 49:10 - What Casey will talk about at ITC
 50:42 - Why the agent and vendor halls at ITC are worth the trip
 51:38 - ITC promo code details and closing thoughts
 52:32 - Final thanks, future guest host plans, and signoff

Sponsors:
Canopy Connect 
1Fort AI
Viva Virtual Solutions