What happens when you leave a steady 17-year career… and step into a commission-only world with setbacks, doubt, and a whole new learning curve?

In this episode of the Life Insurance Academy Podcast, we sit down with Brian Jackson—former deputy sheriff turned life insurance agent—to talk about the real transition: the mindset shift, the "part-time with full-time commitment" approach, and what it takes to keep moving forward when the early days are rough.

We dig into:

• How Brian went from law enforcement to insurance (and why alignment at home matters)

• The "what if" trap (fear + regret) — and how to flip it into "what if it works?"

• Why conviction (not persuasion) is what makes business stick

• The power of raising the stakes by getting clients to talk about their family

• The role of community + bootcamps in building confidence, consistency, and production

• Brian's personal wake-up call: a massive heart attack at 38—and how it changed everything
  
  

If you're a new agent (or you've been taking hits lately), this one is a reminder: it's hard… but it's worth it.

👇 Subscribe, drop a comment, and tell us where you are in your journey (new agent / rebuilding / scaling).

Connect with Brian:
Instagram: @abundantlifeins
Facebook: Abundant Life Insurance Group
TikTok: Abundant Life Insurance

#LifeInsurance #Telesales #SalesTraining #InsuranceAgent #Mindset #LifeInsuranceAcademy

Where there is no value, there is no price low enough.

In this Life Insurance Academy Podcast episode, Roger breaks down one of the most misunderstood—and feared—parts of the sales conversation: money. If you've ever heard a client say "I want to think about it" or "That's too expensive", this episode will completely change how you hear (and handle) those objections.

You'll learn:

• The 5 real reasons people don't buy (and why "no money" usually isn't the real one)

• Why price is rarely the problem—perceived value is

• How to confidently isolate and eliminate objections instead of chasing follow-ups

• The psychology behind money conversations in final expense vs. mortgage protection

• How to lead with empathy, clarity, and affordability—without discounting or apologizing

• Why great agents don't pressure… they guide
  
  

This episode introduces The Money Dial—a practical framework to help clients connect price to purpose, move from hesitation to confidence, and make buying decisions that actually stick.

If you want higher close rates, better persistency, and more confident money conversations, this is a must-watch.

👉 Take action:
Before your next appointment, write down your three most common objections and script two empathetic clarifying questions for each. Practice them out loud. Lead with value—and watch your results change.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly training
👍 Like if this helped you
📤 Share this episode with an agent who needs to hear it

What if 2026 isn't just "new year hype"… but the year you build a system that forces results?

In this Life Insurance Academy episode, Roger, Chris, and Zach recap the lessons of 2025 and map out a clear, executable game plan for 2026—starting with a story from the 2008 USA "Redeem Team" that every agent needs to hear: Kobe Bryant, 4:45 AM, and four words that change everything:

"I got goals."

Inside this episode, you'll learn:

• Why most goals fail (they're vague, vanity, and unsupported)

• The difference between dreaming and goal-setting (hint: a plan + daily action)
  A simple framework to build your 2026 plan: Vision → Math → Method → Metrics
  How to reverse-engineer your income/production goal into monthly, weekly, and daily targets
  The key inputs to track so you can control your outcome: dials, contacts, conversations, presentations, apps, premium, placement rate

• The 3 goals every agent needs:

• 1. Production goal

  2. Process goal

  3. Personal development goal (pick skills that make you dangerous in 2026)
     
     

• A practical 30-day execution checklist to start strong and stay consistent
  
  

🔥 Free Resource: We also mention a Goal Setting Calculator you can download for free at https://lifeinsuranceacademy.org/agent-financial-journey-calculator/ to help you run the math and build your plan.

✅ Ready to stop "hoping" and start executing?
Join the Life Insurance Academy coaching calls + get plugged into the community.
👉 Learn more at: LifeInsuranceAcademy.org

CTA: If this episode helped you, like, subscribe, and comment "I GOT GOALS"—and tell us your #1 target for 2026.

If you've ever felt like you're "winging it" on the phone, this episode is for you.

In this Life Insurance Academy Podcast interview, Sydney Deshotel shares her journey from serving/bartending and working in a hospital to becoming a top-producing independent agent—and how everything changed when she discovered what most agents are missing: a repeatable sales process.

Sydney opens up about:

• Walking into her first bootcamp feeling nervous, intimidated, and behind

• The "aha" moment when she learned to focus on who the client is protecting + why they filled out the form

• Why selling off "personality" alone is exhausting—and how structure creates confidence

• How community, daily training, and live dials help agents stop feeling alone and start thriving

• Her heart for helping new agents (especially women) find a culture that's healthy, supportive, and built to develop people
  
  

If you're a newer agent, rebuilding, or ready to stop guessing and start improving your consistency—this conversation will hit home.

Connect with Sydney:

• Instagram: sydney_deshotel

• Facebook: Sydney Kate Deshotel
  
  

👉 If this episode encouraged you, drop a comment to cheer Sydney on, like, subscribe, and share it with an agent who needs a better process (and a better room).

Families are depending on you—and the only thing standing between them and financial disaster is your ability to help them make a decision.

In this episode, Chris and Roger break down the 5 real reasons people don't buy (and why "I want to think about it" is usually a smokescreen). If you're hearing the same objections over and over, this framework will help you identify what's actually happening, remove the barrier, and confidently guide clients to protect the people they love.

• The 5 barriers behind almost every objection: No Trust, No Need, No Want, No Urgency, No Money

• How to build trust fast using authority + empathy (especially in telesales)

• Why "need" can't be created—only discovered and uncovered

• The 4 stakes questions that move a client from "need" to "want" (and "want" to urgency)

• How to avoid killing the close by making the end confusing or transactional

• How to handle affordability with dignity and still get the application
  
  

✅ Drop a comment: Which barrier do you see most often—trust, need, want, urgency, or money?
✅ Share this episode with an agent who keeps hearing "Let me think about it."
✅ Subscribe for more training that helps you sell with clarity and confidence.

https://lifeinsuranceacademy.org/

Objections aren't killing your sales — misunderstanding them is.

In this episode of the Life Insurance Academy Podcast, Roger Short breaks down why objections are not rejection, but signals of uncertainty, fear, and missing clarity. Top producers don't fear objections — they welcome them, because they know objections are part of the process, not a disruption to it.

You'll learn:

• Why objections are emotional, not logical

• The three most common objections in life insurance sales — and what they really mean

• How to use internal-based questioning to guide prospects instead of pushing them

• How to reframe "no" into "not yet" — and lead it to a confident yes

• Why your role isn't to overcome objections, but to dissolve them through clarity and empathy
  
  

This episode will change how you hear "I need to think about it," "It's too expensive," and "I already have coverage."
If you want calmer conversations, higher trust, and more applications written — this is a must-watch.

🎧 Listen. Learn. Lead with confidence.

👉 Subscribe for more sales psychology, principled selling, and agent development
👉 Share this episode with an agent who struggles with objections

Our mind is STILL blown. 😳

In just 2.5 days, Elvir Bazdarevic from Modern Financial wrote $39,846 in annual premium, became the 2025 Ultimate Telesales Showdown Champion, and walked away with the belt 🏆

In this episode of the Life Insurance Academy Podcast, we unpack exactly how he did it — and how you can level up your telesales game without becoming a pushy, high-pressure closer.

• How Elvir prepared a week in advance to hit the Showdown with insane momentum

• What it's like to compete in a room full of top telesales agents ringing the bell all day

• Why community and competition can help you shatter your own production ceilings

• The principled sales process Elvir uses to ethically move clients to a better place

• How he wrote 19 applications / 19 families in 2.5 days

• The mindset shifts that took him from emotional, frustrated agent…
  to calm, consistent, half-million-dollar producer 💰

• How he helps agents go from struggling to keep anything on the books…
  to $40K–$50K+ a month issue paid

• Why "all leads suck" (and why that truth will actually set you free)

• How to use scripts, frameworks, and bootcamps to turn your own voice into a killer sales tool
  
  

This isn't just about a belt. It's about:

• Serving families at the highest level

• Selling ethically with a principle-based process

• Plugging into a community that raises your standards, your activity, and your income
  
  

• You feel stuck blaming leads, vendors, or markets

• You're tired of inconsistent weeks and emotional roller-coasters

• You want to learn telesales from someone quietly writing $500K+ in a year

• You're craving a proven framework, real coaching, and a room of people who actually push you higher
  
  

Want to connect with Elvir and learn more about his team, culture, and live coaching?

👉 Connect with Elvir on Facebook: Elvir Bazdarevic (you can also find him as "Elvis")
👉 Send him a DM and let him know you came from the Life Insurance Academy Podcast

Ready to plug into the principled sales process and community Elvir keeps talking about?

👉 Join Life Insurance Academy coaching & training: https://lifeinsuranceacademy.org/enroll/
👉 Learn more about our Telesales Bootcamps & Ultimate Telesales Showdown: https://lifeinsuranceacademy.org/bootcamps/

👍 If this episode helped you:

• Hit LIKE

• SUBSCRIBE to the channel

• Drop a COMMENT with:
  
  "I'm in for that" if you'd come see Elvir train live at a future bootcamp
  
  

Thanks for watching the Life Insurance Academy Podcast.
Let's protect more families, build real businesses, and change legacies together. 💪

What would happen if you actually bet on yourself for one month?

In this episode of the Life Insurance Academy Podcast, Roger sits down with Clark Stanley of Anchor Point – a brand-new dad and former corporate sales manager who just wrapped up the biggest month of his life:

• $101,000 in final expense AP

• 71 applications

• 25 days

• All while still making time for faith, family, and community
  
  

But this conversation isn't just about big numbers. It's about the Principled Sales Process, the power of framework over scripts, and how the right community can completely change your life and your family's future. Clark embraced the Life Insurance Academy system, coaching, and became one of our best students. We watched him steadily grow his game from a struggling start to an industry top producer in less than 12 months.

• How Clark went from a safe corporate job with a newborn at home…
  to betting on himself and going all-in on life insurance

• Why his first few months were full of chargebacks, self-doubt, and "just trying to write anything"

• The principled sales framework that helped him:

• • Stop chasing "perfect scripts"

  • Find his own voice

  • Raise his placement and persistency

• The story of Miss Shirley, an 86-year-old client whose day-one coverage paid out just days after Clark wrote the policy

• How one persistently called lead turned into more coverage and $200+/mo in savings for a family

• Why mindset, consistency, and community mattered more than any lead vendor or contract

• The real math behind:

• • Leads (Caboom Leads)

  • Investment (~347 leads)

  • 12+ hour days

  • 100k in a holiday month

• How Clark balances building a team, being a husband and dad, and staying in the trenches producing
  
  

You'll also hear Clark shout out the people and organizations that shaped his journey:
True Wealth (Mike & Jalen), Lasting Mark, Dana Nesen, Elvir Bazdarevic, Anchor Point, his brother Jack, his parents, and his faith in Jesus.

If you're a new or struggling agent, or someone sitting in a corporate job wondering if there's more – this episode will challenge your beliefs, your goals, and your excuses.

• Live training & bootcamps: https://lifeinsuranceacademy.org/bootcamps/

• Learn the principled sales framework: https://lifeinsuranceacademy.org/

• Connect with our community: https://lifeinsuranceacademy.org/enroll/

👉 Connect with Clark:

• YouTube: Life with Clark Stanley

• Email: clark@theanchorpointgroup.com

• Instagram: @clarkstanley_ @theanchorpointgroup

If this episode encouraged you, drop a comment with your next big goal and share this with another agent who needs to hear it.