In this episode of Business Refocused, Lindsay and Carey talk with Col. (Ret.) Robert “Cujo” Teschner, former F-15 and F-22 fighter pilot and author of Debrief to Win. Cujo shares how a childhood dream of flying fighters led to a 20-year Air Force career, what happened when a colorectal cancer diagnosis forced him out of the cockpit, and how he rebuilt his purpose as an entrepreneur and leadership coach. He walks through the accountability and debrief system used in elite fighter squadrons and shows how those same tools help business leaders create high performance teams, lead through disruption, and handle feedback without blame.

Throughout the conversation, Cujo and the hosts connect these lessons directly to independent insurance agencies: finding meaning in “numbers work,” leading teams through transition, and staying grounded when your identity is tied to your role. It is a practical, story-driven playbook for any owner or leader who feels stuck, burned out, or on the edge of a big change.

What you’ll learn

• How fighter pilot debriefs translate into a simple, repeatable accountability process for your agency
• A forward focused way to talk about mistakes that improves performance instead of creating fear
• How to reframe disruption, illness, or career change so your story “gets better” instead of smaller
• Why purpose drives better results than quotas, and how to reconnect your daily work to real impact
• Practical ideas for leading your team through uncertainty, tough feedback, and major transition

Sponsored by AgencyPoint

This episode is brought to you by AgencyPoint, your full-service partner for Accounting, Tax, Legal, and HR solutions built specifically for insurance agencies. AgencyPoint helps independent agencies streamline operations, stay compliant, and make confident financial decisions. Learn more at https://www.myagencypoint.com/partners/insurancerefocused

Connect with us:
Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused

On Business Refocused, Lindsay and Carey sit down with serial entrepreneur Alan Ringvald, CEO of Relativity6, to talk about what today’s entrepreneurs and leaders can learn from the startup world. Alan shares the lessons he picked up building companies across industries, from launching tech products to navigating early-stage chaos to finding real product-market fit.

He explains why entrepreneurs need to focus on the problem before the solution, how to test ideas in the real world, and why great data has become a competitive advantage for both carriers and agents. Alan also breaks down how AI has accelerated innovation, what founders often misunderstand about adoption, and how to stay resilient when the work gets messy.

What you’ll learn

• Why solving the right problem matters more than having a clever idea
• How to validate new concepts quickly using real customer feedback
• The role of accurate underwriting data in profitable growth
• How AI is reshaping decision-making
• What long-term resilience looks like inside a high-growth company

Sponsored by AgencyPoint

This episode is brought to you by AgencyPoint, your full-service partner for Accounting, Tax, Legal, and HR solutions built specifically for insurance agencies. AgencyPoint helps independent agencies streamline operations, stay compliant, and make confident financial decisions. Learn more at https://www.myagencypoint.com/partners/insurancerefocused

Connect with us:
Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused

On Business Refocused, Lindsay and Carey sit down with Trace Meek, a third-generation agency owner and founder of Ask Fetch, to talk about one of the most persistent challenges in personal lines: the underwriting bottleneck. From appetite confusion to slow carrier responses to the loss of institutional knowledge, Trace explains why agencies get stuck and how tools like Ask Fetch are helping teams move faster and stay competitive.

He shares the turning point that inspired him to build a solution, the operational lessons he learned running his family agency, and why speed is now one of the strongest predictors of winning new business. This episode offers practical fixes, smarter workflows, and a deeper look at what high-performing agencies are doing to improve underwriting clarity.

What you’ll learn

• Why underwriting friction slows growth
• How speed impacts your close ratio
• Where appetite confusion really starts
• How Ask Fetch helps decode carrier rules faster
• How to reduce reliance on tribal knowledge inside your agency
• How modern workflows help new hires quote and bind sooner
• The mindset shift that moves agencies from overwhelmed to intentional

Business Refocused exists to help leaders remove roadblocks, improve operations, and build agencies that run with confidence.

Sponsored by AgencyPoint

This episode is brought to you by AgencyPoint, your full-service partner for Accounting, Tax, Legal, and HR solutions built specifically for insurance agencies. AgencyPoint helps independent agencies streamline operations, stay compliant, and make confident financial decisions. Learn more at https://www.myagencypoint.com/partners/insurancerefocused

Connect with us:
Follow AgencyFocus for more conversations that help agency owners build clarity, confidence, and long-term value. Learn more at https://agency-focus.com/

Show previously named Insurance Refocused