CCII: Victoria Ardito

CCII: Michael Ley

Michael Ley on Agency Networks, Tech Stacks, and the HawkSoft Purple Cow | Connected Conversations in Insurance In this episode of Connected Conversations in Insurance, Ray Huang sits down with Michael Ley, Director of Network Relations at HawkSoft, to talk about what agency networks and aggregators are doing to stand out and deliver real value beyond commission splits. Michael shares his journey from a family-owned agency to HawkSoft and breaks down what agencies should look for before joining a network—from book ownership and carrier access to contract terms, transparency, and technology investments. They also dive into the modern agency tech stack, why the AMS is at the center of it all, and the tools helping agencies work smarter, including CRM, texting and VoIP, e-signatures, and streamlined intake solutions. Plus, Michael talks about HawkSoft’s customer-first “Purple Cow” philosophy and wraps things up with a fun travel-themed round of “Where Would Michael Sit?” 0:00 Networks Look Alike 00:46 Meet Michael Ley 01:37 What Network Relations Means 03:23 From Teacher to Agent 06:01 Networks vs Associations 06:33 Network Pain Points10:35 Agency Network Checklist 15:27 Tech Stack Talk 17:28 Open APIs and Data Ownership 21:35 Must Have Agency Tools 29:15 Purple Cow Branding 32:35 Culture and User Community 34:10 Travel Game Setup 34:54 Aisle vs Window Debate 35:47 Bathroom Row Stories 36:47 Family Travel Tradeoffs 37:10 Accidental Private Jet 38:02 Subway Seat Strategy 39:42 Rental Shuttle Tactics 41:19 Doctor Waiting Room Picks 41:53 Conference Room Power Seats 43:16 Movie Theater Sweet Spots 44:43 Best Seats in the Stadium 47:39 Airplane Selfie Side Eye 49:28 Season Wrap and Sponsor

CCII: Nick Berry

Nick Berry on TotalCSR, Microlearning, and Unhinged Insurance Marketing | Connected Conversations in InsuranceIn this episode of Connected Conversations in Insurance, host Ray Huang welcomes former co-host Nick Berry back to the show to share what he’s been up to since leaving Canopy Connect, including his new role as head of marketing at TotalCSR. Nick explains how TotalCSR helps agencies find, assess, and train talent across personal lines, commercial lines, and health and benefits, including license tracking and a microlearning app designed to reinforce knowledge retention—especially for complex commercial topics. They discuss common resistance to training, the need for ongoing skills checks, and how staying sharp builds trust as a “trusted advisor.” Ray and Nick then shift to marketing, emphasizing outcome-driven ads, creative that doesn’t look like ads, long-form copy, memes, and delivering value to local audiences rather than relying on direct “get a quote” messaging.00:00 Career With Cool People00:41 Podcast Welcome Back02:27 Nick Joins TotalCSR05:17 What TotalCSR Does07:16 Microlearning For Retention09:34 Canopy Connect Ad Break10:38 Custom Learning Paths13:19 Training Resistance And Trust15:02 Golf Practice Analogy17:23 Insurance Mustache Game20:49 Mayhem Ad Love21:07 Guessing Celebrity Jingle22:29 Progressive and Farmers Faces23:44 Canopy Connect Pitch24:49 Top of Funnel Marketing27:36 Unhinged Ads That Work32:26 Value First Local Ads36:06 Marketing Is Everything38:49 Wrap Up and Where to Find39:53 Final Canopy Connect Outro

CCII: Peter Wood

Peter Wood on Mentorship, Community, and Collaboration in Insurance | Connected Conversations Peter Wood didn't find insurance. Insurance found him. In this episode, Carrie sits down with Peter, agency owner at Kraken Insurance Services based in Chandler, Arizona, to talk about what it really takes to build a thriving agency, a strong community, and a mentorship culture that actually works. Peter shares how Kraken grew from around $5,000 a month in commissions to $350,000 in just 18 months, why he believes your problems are never as unique as you think, and the hard truth he has had to accept about helping people who are not ready to be helped. He also gets into what makes the Winning at Insurance Facebook community different, why listening matters more than talking in this business, and the three pieces of advice he gives every agent whether they are brand new or years into their career. If you have ever felt like you wanted to help someone more than they wanted to help themselves, or wondered whether the grass is really greener at a higher comp rate, this one is for you. 00:00 Insurance Found Me 00:55 Meet Peter and Kraken 01:30 From Copiers to Captive 03:26 Joining Kraken Growth 06:07 Nationwide Footprint Event 07:25 Collaboration Over Competition 10:06 Peer Learning Communities 11:32 Value Without Expectation 12:51 Fact Finding Sore Thumb 14:20 Coaching With Parma 16:51 Feedback That Stings 18:54 Building Group Culture 20:21 Value Without Expectation 21:40 Mentorship Learning Curve 24:22 Book Recommendations for Leaders 28:35 Listening to Understand 31:31 Canopy Connect Ad Break 32:37 Advice for Agents 33:03 Mentors and Red Flags 36:47 Compensation vs Support 39:58 Closing and Outro

CCII: Austin Panter

Austin Panter on Client-First Tech, Canopy Connect, and Using AI Without Losing the Human Touch | Connected ConversationsIn this episode of Connected Conversations, Canopy Connect host Carrie Thornbrugh speaks with Austin Panter of Kevin Panter Insurance in Blue Ridge, Georgia, about modernizing agency operations by adopting technology that prioritizes client convenience. Austin shares how his agency uses Canopy Connect as a secure, encrypted intake link to quickly gather dec pages and verified policy data, reducing manual scanning and duplicate entry, and how clear communication helps overcome occasional security concerns or internal resistance. He highlights a tech stack including HawkSoft, Risk Advisor, and AI tools like PowerBroker AI for comparing policies and improving efficiency, while cautioning against over-automation that removes relationships from a relationship-driven business. Austin explains that insurance is a “noble profession” focused on helping clients in crises, and closes with advice to always do what’s right for the client.00:00 AI and Agency Change00:42 Podcast Welcome and Guest Intro01:36 Austin’s Path Into Insurance03:17 Client First Tech Philosophy04:18 Canopy Connect in Practice08:11 Building a Modern Tech Stack09:25 Ad Break Insurance Intake10:29 Real World Wins With Tech12:34 Handling Objections and Security16:43 Future of Insurance and AI Tools19:09 Ad Break 10 Second Handshake20:15 Balancing Automation and Relationships24:57 Why Insurance Matters Most29:26 Doing the Right Thing Closing31:13 Final Thanks and Outro Ad

CCII: Casey Nelson

Casey Nelson on SOPs, Front Door Theory & Content as a Growth Differentiator | Connected Conversations Casey Nelson joins Carrie Thornbrugh for the Connected Conversations season finale to talk about why agencies struggle with tech and operations—and how to fix it. He breaks down Catalyit’s role, the three common “origin stories” that lead to messy systems, and why solid SOPs, training, and accountability actually make tech work.Casey also shares his “front door theory” for standardizing how requests come in (so your data isn’t a mess), plus some practical tips for getting your team on board with change. They wrap with a look at why content will be a key differentiator as tech becomes more commoditized—and a simple upgrade: ditch the generic “contact us” and use structured forms with automated replies.00:00 Why Tech Fails00:41 Season Finale Intro01:48 Meet Casey Nelson04:33 From Teaching to Insurance08:28 Teachers as Sales Pros11:15 Canopy Connect Ad Break12:22 Why SOPs Break Down12:48 Three Agency Origin Stories16:05 Resistance and ROI Objections17:57 Front Door Theory22:37 Accountability and Change25:10 Implementation at Canopy25:45 Driving Full Adoption26:12 Getting Team Buy In27:49 Pain Points Before Tools30:20 Avoid Shiny Object Traps31:40 Canopy Connect Ad Break32:47 Content As Differentiator36:59 Wrexham Story Marketing39:39 Simple Content Ideas41:16 Fix Your Contact Flow43:26 Wrap Up And Final Plug