Robert C Slayton - Grief to Joy and Inspiration

How Humbling Foot Surgery is, especially when shopping at Walmart

. Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Written 4/30/2026 I’m a little over a week into my eight week recovery from bunion surgery and a hammer toe repair (complete with a pin sticking out of the tip of my second toe). I have been avoiding it for 5 years, but when my bones started grinding every time I walked, it was time to bite the bullet. The doctor says it could take 3 to 5 months, but I’m giving it 2 months. At the 2 month mark I hope to be dancing West Coast Swing (very smooth dance) and riding my motorcycle. I also am excited about getting back to running which I imagine may take closer to 3 months to accomplish. The foot is bound and I can only put weight on my heel. They will rebandage the foot at the 2 week mark and that will be the first time I truly see what they did. I’ve always been “the man in the arena” fully participating in life. This surgery has taken me out of this for a short period of time. Furthermore, I had to rely on someone else (GF) to help me through this initial phase. I couldn’t have done the first day myself without risk. I’m very thankful I had such a wonderful, loving person looking after me. I don’t like to rely totally on another. It’s not my modus operandi. I’m a guy, guy’s are supposed to be self reliant. Our worth is measured by what we provide, not who we are (which really sucks, but I don’t make the rules). It’s taught me to allow people to help me and that it’s okay to rely on other people. A shout out to my ex who is keeping my dog an extra week while I heal through this (we share her every other week). I had a really humbling experience shopping at Walmart yesterday. I needed groceries and thought I’d try walking around. I got 50 steps into the store and realized it wasn’t going to happen, so had to grab a motorized cart. I felt embarrassed by my need for the cart. I swallowed my pride and rode around. There was no way around it and after a little while I forgot about how I looked and just shopped with my GF putting things into the cart. As we age, we end up needing more and more help. This is okay as it gives others the opportunity to feel good by serving you. If taken the right way, it keeps you humble and kind. That said, please pray for my swift recovery. Thanks, Robert This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rslayton.substack.com/subscribe [https://rslayton.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Insurance Doesn’t Have an Ethics Problem

Written 4/3/2026. Let’s get something straight. Ethics training for insurance agents didn’t happen because the industry suddenly cared more about doing the right thing. It happened because the system kept producing the wrong results. What actually went wrong For years, regulators saw the same patterns: * Agents overstating what policies covered * Replacing policies just to generate new commissions * Products so complex that the average person couldn’t realistically understand them So the response became… ethics training. But that assumes the problem was a lack of understanding. It wasn’t. The real problem The system pays for behavior. And people follow the money. If you pay someone more to sell something new than to maintain what’s already in place, what do you expect to happen? The system wasn’t broken. It was working exactly as designed. Then we made it worse Insurance products didn’t get simpler—they got more complicated. Variable life.Annuities with caps, triggers, and riders. At some point, this stopped being about “explaining things better.” The complexity itself created space for manipulation. Why ethics training exists After lawsuits, media attention, and regulatory pressure, something had to be done. So ethics training became mandatory. Not to make agents ethical. To create accountability. It does three things: * Defines a minimum standard of behavior * Gives regulators something to enforce * Protects carriers and states legally If something goes wrong, the answer is simple: “You were trained. You knew better.” What it actually accomplishes Let’s be honest. Ethics training does not eliminate bad behavior. It filters out the most obvious violations. That’s it. Because the underlying system hasn’t changed: * Commissions still drive decisions * Products are more complex than ever * Consumers are still at a disadvantage So what would actually fix it? You have to change the incentives. Not the training. If doing the right thing is harder, slower, or less profitable… most people won’t do it consistently. A real-world example When I help someone with individual health insurance outside of open enrollment, I might get paid $20 per month. Many of these policies only last a few months. That means I might earn $60 total. For one to two hours of work. That doesn’t work economically. And when the math doesn’t work, behavior changes. The Medicare problem (and unintended consequences) Agents generally can’t charge fees for Medicare advice. Sounds consumer-friendly. Until you look closer. If someone needs help choosing a Part D drug plan, the compensation is often minimal—sometimes nothing. So what happens? Most agents don’t offer that service. Not because they don’t care. Because they can’t afford to. And now seniors are left making complex decisions on their own—often choosing the wrong plan. In trying to protect consumers from fees, the system actually reduced access to good advice. What needs to change If agents could charge transparent fees: The question shifts from👉 “What pays me?” to👉 “What’s best for this person?” That’s a meaningful change. But here’s the catch Consumers have to value expertise. You can’t demand unbiased advice while insisting it should be free. Because it’s not free. You’re just paying for it in ways you don’t see—and often in ways that don’t align with your best interest. Bottom line Ethics training isn’t the solution. It’s a patch. Until incentives change, the outcomes won’t. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rslayton.substack.com/subscribe [https://rslayton.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Day 2 to You Powered, stopping at the Choo Choo Hotel in Chattanooga Tennessee

Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Written 2/21/2026 Day two dawned with less on our plate. He had the obligatory stop at Waffle House for breakfast. Why? Because who doesn’t want to hang out with a bunch of questionable people and have the waitress call us “darlin.” We struck up a conversation with a truck driver about Rock City. We planned on stopping there before ending up in Chattanooga. He gave us tips and advice and then we were off. We started driving towards Rock City Tennessee when GF thought to herself whether she should check to see whether the main attraction was open. It wasn’t. So we rerouted directly to Chattanooga. We didn’t have a hotel booked and on our journey, we dropped by a rest area where GF’s family used to stop on their way to Florida. It was her dad’s favorite place, surrounded by a lake. During that discussion, she mentioned that her dad always talked about the choo choo hotel in Chattanooga. It was a place where if you book far enough in advance, you could stay in an actual train car for the night. As an aside, her dad wasn’t doing well health-wise. He was 80 and a lifelong smoker who had contracted pneumonia along with a couple other conditions. He had never stayed at the hotel, so we decided to book a room there. We weren’t able to get a train car, but the hotel is classically beautiful inside and the room gave off the feel of an old time train car. As we were celebrating our anniversary, they gave us a bottle of wine. We settled in and relaxed before going out. There was a place that had line dancing which we were going to check out after dinner. Dinner was at Elsie’s Daughter, the restaurant on the campus. It was a lovely place that had heaters to keep it warm (as it was still colder here than in Chicago). I sat down and promptly broke the bench. In all fairness, it was just a metal bench that one sets out in the garden and the nut holding the bolt that secured the back was missing. We laughed and I replaced the bench with a chair so we could sit next to one another. Dinner was delicious. We ordered and shared everything. She had an espresso martini while I had a diet soda (yes, I’m such an exciting guy). From there we got ready to dance at Westbound Honky Tonk bar. They had line dancing lessons from 6 pm to 8 pm and we danced then and until the college crowd came and took over the bar. The instructors were really nice and helpful and the drinks were relatively cheap. We wandered down the strip and stopped in at STIR. A more metropolitan feel where we sat at the bar and had a drink. The bartenders and other people were really nice to chat with. After a nice stroll, we went back to our hotel and crashed for the night. In the morning, we ate at the Frothy Monkey. With a name like that, how could you NOT eat there. It was in the old train station with a soaring ceiling and exposed architecture. Very pretty. They had a multicolored flag to welcome people of all orientations. The food was delicious and servers were great. Then it was off to Savannah. Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rslayton.substack.com/subscribe [https://rslayton.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Secret bookstore corners and hidden clues

Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Written 2/23/2026. This is how I’d create the most awesome bookstore ever! First, you have no advertisement, no street-side signs indicating there is a book store. Like a secret speakeasy, someone had to tell you where it is. As you step up to the non-descript door, you have to give the secret knock. Only then can you step inside the foyer and find the next clue on how to open the door to the book store (maybe a statue where you have to pull the arm down or an idol which you have to remove and replace with another idol). This part changes monthly based upon the book of the month. Once inside, it opens up to a maze of aisles filled with old and new books. There is a colored stripe on the floor that guides people to the checkout desk and separate door people exit from. Nobody who comes in the front door leaves from the front door. There is a sign with clues as to where to go to find the genre of books you are looking for. The clues are based upon the genre. For kids books, the clues are easy and obvious so that young children can figure out and find their way as simple as color coding and having colors along the aisles to guide them to that section. If a person is looking for mysteries, then they need to solve a simple mystery to figure out where that section is. Romance, maybe write a love note on an iPad that will then give you directions. Fantasy may be pointing a wand at a target. You get the idea. Next is as you get closer to the section, the books/corridor change to reflect the genre of books you are coming up to. You could stack books to resemble an arrow. Then when you arrive at the section, if it’s romance, you’ll have romance adornments (hearts, male mannequin with flowing hair and amazing chest embracing a beautiful woman). Think silk, could be leather ropes and handcuffs, make it fun and almost tasteful. Fantasy may have armor, wands, cloaks, maybe a tree nymph. Little houses/scenes. Mysteries may have guns/daggers, cloaks, fingerprints left over some cases that have been “shattered” and there is a crime scene. Rotate images as often as you can, preferably monthly to keep people guessing. Why does this work? Readers love to see their interior worlds of their mind come to life in the real world. We get a dopamine hit when we feel we are special and find new things to discover. A book store nobody can find except you. A maze of books allowing you to wander and discover new reads. Thanks for reading Robert’s Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. Readers don’t like being spoon fed, so give them little challenges along the way that they need to figure out to find what they are looking for. If you want to double down, you have the exit lead into a cozy coffee shop lined with used books where people can grab a drink and pastry and sit down and either read the books they bought or pull one off the shelf and read it. Note that the exit from the book store has to lead into the hallway of the coffee shop so that it’s not obvious where people are coming from (maybe the exit leads to the corridor where the restrooms are located). This exit is one way, nobody can get into the book store from that direction. They may only leave. I’d probably own both the book store and coffee shop as they go well together. If you skip the stealth getting into and out of the shop, you can have a regular shop/coffee shop all in one space. Let me know how you’d design your perfect book store. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rslayton.substack.com/subscribe [https://rslayton.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

My Adventure down to YOU Powered Symposium and how to add a little extra fun and gifts into the mix

Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Written 2/9/2026 It’s been awhile since I’ve written. Frankly, I’ve been on the road and distracted by several major projects happening simultaneously. If all go through as expected, it will dramatically change my personal and professional landscape. Let’s get into this. Every year I attend the YOU Powered Symposium. The premier conference in my industry. Emma Fox is creator and organizer. An amazing, powerful, thought leader in our industry. She created this conference to disrupt other conferences in the field of benefits. She’s a friend, colleague, and plays to the top of her game and our field. It was being held in Savanna Georgia at the beautiful Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa starting Sunday February 1st in the evening. I decided to see if my girlfriend (yes, my future forever person) wanted to come along for the ride. We’d make a weekend of it. When I first mentioned this (about a month into our relationship), she thought I was crazy. Then after dating another month, she decided to say yes. We set it up to leave Friday morning early and make our first stop of the night Louisville. We decided to book a distillery tour and Woodford Reserve had spaces open, so it was set for 1:30 pm Friday. It asked whether we were celebrating anything and of course I checked the “yes” box. Then it asked what we were celebrating… As we weren’t really celebrating anything I asked for suggestions. GF suggested our anniversary. It was kind of true as our 4 month anniversary would be on February 5th, so I said “anniversary.” We left before 5:30 am on a dark and cold morning and had good roads except for a 45 minute backup due to a fatal car crash. Due to the backup, we weren’t able to grab lunch beforehand, but we did make the tour. When the lady checking us in noticed we had a celebration listed, she asked what we were celebrating (I was required to put it into the notes). I replied “anniversary!” and then she handed me a card. The card was signed by all of the workers there who managed the tours and included a card for free engraving on any bottle we purchased. Cool. The tour was great and we got to taste both whiskeys and bourbons. We chose a whiskey and had our names and 2026 engraved on the bottle. A really nice souvenir. We were hungry, so stopped by The Stave. A local restaurant. Due to the whether that had occurred the prior weekend, this was the first day they were open that week. To tell the truth, the road to the distillery off the main road was a little dicey. Luckily I had a big AWD Pilot which I was very thankful for. I got a fried bologna sandwich since the last time I had one was when I was a kid (and used to fry up the bologna myself). I kid you not, the slice was over an inch thick. Holy Mother of God. Really? Due to timing, we couldn’t make Buffalo Trace Distillery, so headed into Louisville. GF and I dance, so we found that there was a line dance/country swing dance at the Hotel Louisville. I looked at the pictures online and then called about booking a hotel as it looked like the rate was cheaper by booking directly. I asked to book a room for the next night and the lady refused, saying that I can just come in and get the room. No reservation needed as they have never not had a room available. We show up and it looks like a homeless shelter. Old bedding strewn about and a security guard at the door asking what my business was. I inquired about a room and then left. “I have good news and bad news.” Okay, she replied. “They don’t have any rooms. That’s both the bad news and good news.” So we sat in the parking lot and booked a Holiday Inn Express 4/10s of a mile away and drove over. The general manager checked us in and here was the conversation. “Your parking space is around the back, I gave you the handicapped spot.” “But I’m not handicapped.” “It’s okay. It’s closest to the door to get into the hotel out back.” “It’s perfectly safe and secure. We have a security guard who patrols the parking lot every hour at night. That said, please take ALL of your belongings out of your vehicle.” My thought: perfectly safe and secure, take all of my belongings into the hotel. WTF. I mentioned we were celebrating our anniversary and he upgraded us to their top floor room with two walls of windows. It was a great space, even it their top floor was just the 4th floor. I asked about the breakfast in the morning and he replied that they hadn’t gotten their shipment of food in for the day, so wasn’t sure what they’d have other than they’d have something. Sigh… We drove around back to park in front of a homeless guy smoking a used cigarette in front of the door to the hotel. He tried to waive us off parking in the handicapped space until I put the paper showing that this was my spot in on the dashboard. He left shortly thereafter and we unloaded EVERYTHING and went up to our room. It had been a long day and we still wanted to attend the dance that night, so we took a brief nap. Then I went downstairs to the restaurant to grab something to eat for us. I walked through the door to an empty restaurant and no one behind the counter. I rang the bell and a person came. I asked about food and he said, “I can make you chicken. That’s all I have. We have no lettuce, burgers, or anything else.” So upstairs I went figuring we’d grab fast food (worst case) as there was a McDonald’s close by. The dance was at the Hotel Louisville (the same place we didn’t stay). We parked and walked in. Years ago, this was a grand hotel with beautiful woodwork and layout. Today it was a tired reflection of the grandness of what it used to be. We said high to the first security guard and got directions. Then the second security guard walked us to the room. It was a nice space with a large wooden dancefloor… and six other people. It turned out that the dance had been cancelled due to weather (it was colder in Louisville than in Chicago), but 6 people went rogue and decided to dance. Everyone was very nice and Jim took us under his wing to tell us all the great things about dancing in Louisville. The dance usually hosted between 60 and 90 people. I’m just glad there were people dancing. We got to line dance, swing dance, and two step, practicing our skills all along the way. They called it at 9 pm, so we started heading back to our hotel. GF wanted milk for her coffee, so we dropped by McDonalds as they were close and open and we knew they had milk. I pulled up to the drive through and here’s the conversation. “I’d like milk.” “What?” “Milk, a carton of milk.” “Wait, what did you want?” “Milk, the milk that comes with a kid’s meal.” “Oh, chocolate milk.” “No, white milk please.” “Okay, that will be $2.” I pull around and hand the cashier a $5 bill. Then wait. We see the cash drawer open (it’s 5 feet off the floor, the cashier has to stand on her tippy toes to see into the drawer). After a couple of minutes, she said that they didn’t have enough change, so gave us back a dollar bill, dollar coin, and 85 cents with apologies. That was funny… We made it back to the hotel and went to the bar where Adrian was serving. What a hilarious guy. Very opinionated about what was going on at the hotel. Adrian was going to Chicago to work as a bartender there. He was going to stay with a friend until he got a job. We chatted with him and others at the bar and finally headed upstairs. That was the end of our first day on the road. Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rslayton.substack.com/subscribe [https://rslayton.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]