Cyber Risk Isn’t Just Tech—It’s Business Continuity

Cyber threats aren’t just a tech problem—they’re a business problem. In this episode, we bring together a CISO and a senior cyber broker to show how organizations can prepare, protect, and recover when ransomware, email compromise, or vendor outages hit at the worst possible moment.

You’ll learn:

• What the latest FBI numbers really mean and why human error drives most losses
• How to move from vague worry to an evidence-based risk register leadership can fund and track
• The essential building blocks of a modern security program: policies people follow, technical controls that stick, and alignment to frameworks like NIST CSF 2.0 or CIS Controls
• Recovery strategies that work under pressure: tested business continuity, documented incident response plans, disaster recovery, and the 3-2-1 backup strategy with routine restore testing
• Cyber insurance demystified: first- and third-party coverage, breach response, forensic support, business interruption, cyber extortion, social engineering, regulatory actions, and reputational harm
• What underwriters expect today—MFA, EDR, offline backups, and phishing training—and how brokers can advocate for better terms
• AI-driven scams and verification protocols to strengthen defenses

We also break down how to align your cyber insurance with your security posture, so coverage responds when you need it most. With layered defenses, practiced playbooks, and clear coverage, you can absorb shocks and keep revenue moving.

If this episode helps you spot a gap in your defenses, subscribe, share with a teammate, and leave a review highlighting the one control you’ll implement this quarter.

In this powerful episode of Risk & Resolve, Ben Conner and Todd Hufford sit down with Chris Deacon—former New Jersey Treasury official, whistleblower, and author of The Great American Healthcare Heist. Chris shares how she uncovered widespread fraud and manipulation in one of the country’s largest public health plans, why she walked away from her role, and the moral, personal, and professional cost of exposing the truth. From pharmacy benefit games to $100M settlements, this is a rare, behind-the-scenes look into how the system really works—and what it takes to change it.

Main Talking Points

• Chris’s background: from bankruptcy attorney to managing an 820,000-member state health plan
• The questions that exposed flaws: “Discount off what?” and “Don’t we want smart disruption?”
• Her discovery: being billed $2.1M for a $675K procedure—and the rigged system behind it
• How vendors manipulated EOBs and plan billing against contract terms
• Filing the whistleblower case that led to a $100M+ recovery for New Jersey
• Why she left government—and the chilling threats she faced afterward
• The broader problem with PBMs, rebates, and healthcare middlemen
• Her call to action for fiduciaries and employers to stop accepting “that’s just how it’s done”
• Her book, The Great American Healthcare Heist, and what it reveals
• What’s next: unsealing the rest of the case and continuing the fight for transparency
  
  
  

In this forward-looking episode of Risk & Resolve, Ben Conner and Todd Hufford share predictions for 2026 across interest rates, employment trends, healthcare innovation, and the rising costs of insurance. They discuss the economic forces driving employer benefits strategy, how drugs like Zepbound and Mounjaro are reshaping budgets, and why some employers may start treating healthcare like a utility. From remote work realignment to the rise of PBM bypass tools, this is a must-listen for CFOs, benefits advisors, and business leaders planning ahead.

Main Talking Points

• Interest rate history, outlook, and its downstream impact on business investment
• Return-to-office movement: trends, motives, and generational career impact
• The GLP-1 effect: Zepbound, Mounjaro, and why Eli Lilly is reshaping Indiana’s economy
• Why 2026 might be the most expensive year yet for employer health plans
• Large claimants and unit cost inflation as primary insurance drivers
• The potential return of Medicare-for-All momentum and political implications
• Direct-to-consumer pharma: LillyDirect, Trump Rx, and bypassing the PBM
• How GoodRx, Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus, and Scriptco are disrupting traditional pharmacy
• Employers rethinking benefits: the need for felt value and compensation ROI
• Long-term goal: managing health plans to CPI, not medical inflation myths

Insurance sounds straightforward—until markets tighten, umbrellas shrink, and carriers pull back. In this episode, we sit down with Steve Duff, CEO of the Big “I” of Indiana, to unpack what’s really shaping the future of independent agencies. From rising premiums and courtroom pressures to capital, consolidation, and community, Steve brings clarity to the forces colliding across the industry—and what it takes to keep local expertise strong when the stakes are high.

Steve shares his journey from a 22-year-old lobbyist to association leader and opens the playbook on how Indiana sustains a resilient property-casualty market through targeted advocacy, practical education, and intentional connection. It’s a candid look at leadership, market realities, and the systems that help agencies not just survive—but stand up stronger.

Key Topics We Cover

• Indiana’s association structure and why it works
• Shifts from classroom CE to online learning
• Community building through low‑cost events
• Legal support, E&O access, and M&A guidance
• Agency consolidation, valuations, and regeneration
• AI as efficiency, not a relationship replacement
• How lobbying actually works at the Statehouse
• Tort reform priorities and nuclear verdict costs
• Third‑party litigation funding and transparency
• Perpetuation planning and leadership lessons

We close by connecting the dots between the Statehouse, the courthouse, and your clients’ premiums. Steve explains how education-first lobbying, coalition building, and targeted tort reform could stabilize capacity and pricing—and why nuclear verdicts ultimately hit everyday families, farms, and small fleets. He also reflects on leadership lessons learned, the responsibility of serving members well, and his goal to leave the association stronger than he found it.

If you care about keeping insurance local, affordable, and smart, this episode delivers insight you can use now. Subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway or question—we’ll feature listener feedback in an upcoming episode

What if the most valuable benefit in your company isn’t a perk, but a person? In this episode, we sit down with Marcus Schrader—president and CEO of Workforce Chaplains—to explore how confidential, relational care inside the workplace is addressing the emotional and spiritual needs that traditional EAPs and wellness programs often miss. From shop floors to corporate offices, Marcus reveals why more leaders are investing in chaplains and care coaches to strengthen culture, retention, and performance. Here’s what we dive into:

• faith roots and discovery of corporate chaplaincy
• founding story and early risks
• scale across companies, states and locations
• post‑2020 surge in need and demand
• inclusive care model without proselytizing
• where and how conversations happen
• triage boundaries and referral networks
• part‑time team model and recruitment
• ROI for leaders, retention and culture gains
• transformation stories and long‑tail impact
• fatherhood insights that shape care
• resolve to lead at home and at work

Whether you’re rethinking employee support, exploring care coaches, or building a culture where people feel truly seen, this conversation gives you a practical roadmap to start. If the insights resonated, subscribe to the show, share this episode with a leader who values people, and leave a review to help others discover these conversations.

In this episode, Ben and Todd sit down with Dr. Chad Nowlin, a Doctor of Physical Therapy and founder of Energy Physio. Dr. Chad shares his journey out of the traditional corporate physical therapy model and unveils his cash-pay approach focused on root cause pain relief. He opens up about the limitations of diagnosis-based care, the power of preventative MSK strategies for employers, and his discovery of the Keystone Reset, arguing that better outcomes are achieved by changing the way people move, not just how they feel.

Main Talking Points

• Dr. Chad's path from a high-volume corporate physical therapist to a cash-pay entrepreneur.
• The critical differences between insurance-based and cash-pay physical therapy models.
• The philosophy behind the Keystone Reset and treating the whole body (ankles, hips, shoulders) to solve local pain (e.g., low back).
• Why pain is a "lagging indicator" and the focus should be on leading indicators like movement quality.
• The huge opportunity for preventative MSK screening for employers and its ROI.
• A new model for triaging care using virtual assessments and navigating patients to high-quality local cash practitioners.
• How this preventative framework can drastically reduce employer work comp and health plan claims by addressing issues before they require surgery, injections, or excessive medication.

In this episode, Ben and Todd sit down with Michael Klein, Executive Vice President of Personal Insurance at Travelers. Michael shares his 35-year journey through the industry from actuary to executive leader and opens up about setbacks, leadership, early career talent, digitization, and why insurance is one of the most misunderstood but meaningful careers in America.

Main Talking Points
• Michael’s path from math major to actuary to EVP
• Career setbacks, resilience, and leadership insights
• Travelers strategy and the future of personal lines
• Digitization in the independent agent channel
• Why insurance is misunderstood and why it matters
• Early career talent, internships, Gamma Iota Sigma
• Agency and carrier partnership opportunities
• Stewardship, legacy, and investing in the next generation

Discover how Tommy Martin, CEO of The Tebow Group, turned early business failures into nationwide success and now dedicates his life to amplifying faith, hope, and love through the Tim Tebow Foundation. In this inspiring episode of Risk and Resolve, Tommy shares:

• His journey from an “accidental” business owner to building billion-dollar financial firms.
• Lessons learned from early business failures that fueled future success.
• How timing, innovation, and relationships created rocket-ship growth.
• The mission of the Tim Tebow Foundation to serve the “real MVPs” – the most vulnerable people.
• Behind-the-scenes stories of anti-human trafficking, orphan care, and special needs ministries.
• How impact-driven investing is changing the game for business owners and communities.