Agency Leverage

Benefits Influencer

Business EN ↓ 110 episodes

Every week we hear from the leaders that are impacting, innovating and elevating Employee Benefits and HR. If you’re looking for actionable insights for your business or your clients, you’ll find them here.

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: www.benefitsinfluencer.com

Author

Agency Leverage

Category

Business

Podcast website

www.benefitsinfluencer.com

Latest episode

May 21, 2025

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Episodes

Finance Has Entered the Chat: Innovative Cost-Savings Solutions w/ Steve Santangelo 21.05.2025

In this episode of Benefits Influencer, host Dennis Carlson interviews Steve Santangelo , Chief Revenue Officer at Garner Health , about their unique approach to healthcare cost management through provider quality assessment. The conversation offers benefits brokers and consultants valuable insights into innovative solutions for addressing rising healthcare costs at a time when employers are seeki...

Connecting Health and Wealth: The Future of Personalized Benefits w/ Sina Chehrazi 07.05.2025

In this episode of  Benefits Influencer, host Dennis Carlson sits down with Sina Chehrazi , founder and CEO of Nayya. Nayya is an AI-powered platform that unlocks the value of Health & Wealth programs for employees in real time. They discuss how Nayya is transforming employee benefits by connecting disparate data points to create a personalized experience throughout the benefits lifecycle - f...

Mission Alignment: Employers & Consultants w/ Kristen Rivers 23.04.2025

In this episode, Dennis Carlson sits down with Kristen Rivers, SVP of Sales at ParetoHealth. They discuss how mission-aligned benefits consultants and employers can access premium healthcare solutions typically reserved for large companies through captive healthcare models, highlighting the limitations of traditional fully-insured and level-funded plans while emphasizing the value of actionable da...

Supporting Employees in Times of Crisis w/ Rachel Schneider 22.01.2025

In this episode of Benefits Influencer , host Dennis Carlson interviews Rachel Schneider , the CEO and founder of Canary, a company revolutionizing how employers support their workforce during times of crisis. Canary manages employee emergency relief funds, allowing companies to formalize a compassionate and equitable response when employees face unexpected hardships. Schneider, drawing from her e...

ICHRA: Are You Playing Offense or Defense? w/ Brandy Burch 26.12.2024

Brandy Burch , CEO and founder of benefitbay , joins Dennis to discuss Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs). Brandy shares her expertise on the evolution of the ICHRA market, strategic considerations for brokers, and the importance of a comprehensive technology platform for successful ICHRA implementation.   Listen in as we discuss how to go from a defensive ICHRA st...

Digital Health Companies: A Benefits Consultant Perspective w/ Ryan Koo 06.11.2024

Dennis chats with Ryan Koo, an Employee Benefits Consultant who specializes in working with digital health companies. Ryan has just returned from the HLTH conference and shares his recap of the conference as well as his view on the digital health space. Tune in to learn about how digital health companies should be thinking about the employer channel as well as the employee benefits consultant chan...

Innovating in Employee Benefits w/ Garrett Viggers 23.10.2024

Dennis Carlson and Benefits Influencer return with a recap of InsurTech Connect (ITC) with CEO & Co-Founder of Zoë Foundry, Garrett Viggers. Check out Zoë Foundry at www.zoefoundry.com Reach out at hello@zoefoundry.com Benefits Influencer is the #1 podcast for Employee Benefits Brokers and Advisors .  

Big Benefits for Small Business w/ Ty Wang 04.10.2024

Dennis chats with Ty Wang, Co-Founder & CEO of Angle Health . Angle Health wants to make health benefits more accessible by connecting vendors that handle different services like telehealth and health savings accounts on a single platform. That way, employers of all sizes can offer a similar stack to the benefits you’d expect from a Fortune 500, but tailored for small to medium-sized businesses. T...

AI and The Future of Healthcare 09.08.2023

Dennis welcomes SVP & Senior Partner at Burnham Benefits, Chris Krusiewicz back to the podcast. Chris has been tracking AI as it relates to healthcare and employee benefits for years and brings his latest insights to the benefits community. Chris and Dennis discuss AI and its impact on the employee benefits and healthcare industries today and what we can expect in the future. Check out Season 1 Ep...

Winning New Business in a Micro-Niche w/ Charles Specht 19.07.2023

This episode originally aired in January 2020 Charles Specht  from  The Permission Group  shares how Benefits Brokers who target a micro niche can grow a massive book of business and better serve their clients. Connect with Charles at  charles@permissiongroup.com

Discover Your Secret Sauce w/ Becky Patel 05.07.2023

This episode orginally aired in March 2022. Ned Schaut talks with Becky Patel, CEO at Amwins Connect, about mentorship. Becky has over 35 years of experience in this business and shares the importance of both having a mentor and being a mentor. During the conversation they focus on the need to be authentic and know your secret sauce in the business.

Benefits Communication Strategies to Drive Value w/ Chesley Gaddis 21.06.2023

This episode orginally aired in July 2020. Dennis and Chesley discuss ways to make employee benefits communication meaningful, relevant and timely in order to drive value for employers and employees. Connect with Chesley: chesley.gaddis@intrepid7.com http://intrepid7.com/

Executive Benefits: A Tool to Attract & Retain w/ Rachel Rutherford 24.05.2023

Dennis chats with Rachel Rutherford of ArmadaCare about Executive Benefits and how to position Executive Medical reimbursement to attract and retain top talent. Find Rachel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelgann/ Reach out at rrutherford@aramadacare.com visit https://armadacare.com/ for more info

Leveraging Social Media for Sales w/ Spencer Smith, CSFS 19.04.2023

Dennis chats with Spencer Smith about how benefits advisors can leverage social media to grow their pipeline and increase sales. Find Spencer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/ Check out Spencer's podcast here: https://spencerharlansmith.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerSmithSelfFunded For more info on Plansight visit: https://www.plansight.com/ &nbsp...

Winning with Ancillary: 3 Strategies for Benefits Advisors w/ Kevin Curran 29.03.2023

Dennis chats with Kevin Curran, Founding Partner of Salt Margin a Baldwin Risk Company. Listen in as they discuss ways Benefits Brokers can win with a too often overlooked part of the benefits package, ancillary. Kevin outlines three ways brokers and advisors can get started with becoming true consultants on ancillary, just like they already are on medical insurance. Kevin uncovers some key group...

Positioning Disability Insurance: Strategies for Benefits Brokers w/ Chris Carlson 08.03.2023

Dennis chats with The D.I. Coach, Chris Carlson about how benefits brokers and advisors can better position (or start positioning for the first time) disability insurance with their clients. Chris began his insurance career as a Brokerage Consultant with Provident Life and Accident in 1984.  After working with Provident as a Consultant, District Manager and Branch Manager, he formed his own i...

Executive Benefits: Solutions for What Keeps Owners Up at Night w/ Helen Ornellas 22.02.2023

Dennis chats with Executive Benefits expert, Helen Ornellas.  Helen is the President and Founder of Ornellas & Associates Insurance Services. Based in California, Helen Ornellas specializes in Executive Benefits using Life Insurance, Disability, and Long Term Care to provide solutions. With over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, Helen represents many different insurance compan...

The Hidden Cost of Bad Benefits Data w/ Shannon Goggin 08.02.2023

Dennis chats with Noyo CEO and Co-Founder, Shannon Goggin. Listen as they discuss how poor data quality prevents the benefits industry from delivering the modern experiences today’s consumers want. Addressing these challenges at the carrier and ben-admin level with clean, always updated enrollment data lets HR professionals and brokers truly remove friction for members — while paving the way for f...

Predictable Growth for Benefits Advisors w/ Kevin Trokey 25.01.2023

Dennis chats with Kevin Trokey.  Kevin is the Founding Partner of Q4intelligence, a marketing and sales enablement firm committed to the preservation and transformation of the independent agency system. He writes prolifically regarding the many challenges being faced by today’s agencies, providing guidance to overcome those challenges. He is a frequent industry speaker and has been recognized...

Leveraging Thought Leadership to Win Small Group Business w/ Rosario Avila & Andrew McNeil 11.01.2023

Dennis interviews Benefits Advisors Andrew McNeil and Rosario Avila of Arrow Benefits Group.  They discuss how winning awards and writing columns contribute to their position as thought leaders in the community and with their clients.  They also discuss strategies they've found work well with small group clients in a post-COVID environment. Find Andrew and Rosario on LinkedIn: https://ww...

Why Benefits Brokers & Advisors Should Address Student Debt Now w/ Laurel Taylor 28.12.2022

Six years ago, Laurel Taylor was on the fast track to reaching her career goals. But the weight of the student debt she and her mother had racked up to fund her education rang in at almost $200,000 — and could have held her back from reaching her full potential. Laurel took matters into her own hands, and in 2016 founded Candidly (formerly FutureFuel.io) to address the unmet and urgent market need...

Why Self-Billing for Benefits is a Win-Win-Win 14.12.2022

Dennis chats with CEO of Beneration, Josh Winigrad. They discuss why every benefits broker should be talking about self-billing with their clients. Josh shares: How to master self-bills by learning the COUNTIFS and SUMIFS formulas. Why you should encourage your clients to use self-bills with carriers rather than EDI feeds. The danger of self-auditing invoices against payroll deductions. Connect wi...

Employee-Led Benefits w/ Jaclyn Chen 30.11.2022

Dennis chats with Jaclyn Chen, Co-Founder & CEO of Benepass.  Benepass is a flexible technology platform that allows employers to offer employees robust categories of perks and benefits around things like wellness, mental health, entertainment, and more. Check out https://www.getbenepass.com/ to learn more. Benefits Influencer is the #1 highest rated podcast for Employee Benefits Brokers and...

True Transparency: An Advisor, Employer, and Ecosystem Perspective w/ Brittney Bello 16.11.2022

Dennis interviews Co-Founder & President of SolV Independent Insurance Associates, Brittney Bello. Employee Benefits Brokers and Advisors will want to listen in as Dennis and Brittney go beyond the buzzword of "transparency" to uncover what it looks like when advisors, employers, and the benefits ecosystem all align around transparency. Find Brittney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittn...

The Practical Realities of Small Group Medical w/ Nancy Giacolone 02.11.2022

Dennis chats with Advisor, Keynote Speaker, Podcast Host and President & Owner of Olympic Crest Insurance, Nancy Giacolone. Reach out to Nancy and follow her via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-giacolone/ Check out Olympic Crest Insurance here: https://olympiccrest.com/   ---- Benefits Influencer is the #1 highest rated podcast for Employee Benefits Brokers and Advisors. Visit www...

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