Lead. Empower. Grow. Podcast

Hosted by First Financial Security

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Latest episode

Sep 2026

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EN-US

About the show

A podcast from First Financial Security, Inc. showcasing entrepreneurs' stories about protecting families and communities from financial risk and life’s uncertainties.

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33 recent

September 15, 2026Episode 57 min

Choosing the Right Strategy Before Life Speeds Up

In the final episode of the College Funding Collection, Jeff and Andy bring the conversation back to the decisions families actually have to make. They discuss how fees, account rules, contribution limits, FAFSA considerations, and other tradeoffs can affect the college planning conversation. They also talk about why even “low-cost” options still come with costs, and why understanding those details matters when comparing different approaches. There is more to college than money. But money matters too. As the College Funding Collection comes to a close, the final question is simple: What are you willing to do now to help make that future moment possible? To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies , visit our website .

April 29, 2024Episode 731 min

Becoming Undeniable feat. Efen Thao

Join us on the latest episode of Lead. Empower. Grow. as we sit down with Efen Thao, a former law enforcement officer from Alaska who made a dramatic career pivot to become a successful business builder in financial services. Efen shares his unique journey and the common thread of protection that runs through both of his careers. From sharing the challenges he faced in law enforcement to explaining how he helps secure the financial futures of families, Efen’s story is one of resilience, learning and empowerment. Tune in to discover how Efen found his path to becoming someone's superhero in unexpected ways. To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies , visit our website .

April 15, 2024Episode 618 min

Educator Highlights for Financial Literacy Month

April is financial literacy month, and Lead. Empower. Grow. has partnered with the Real Secrets of Money program to highlight the importance of financial educators. We have so many great clips of past guests talking about financial literacy and the great work they do as financial educators, so we gathered some of their best pieces of wisdom and advice over the years and put them all in this insightful episode. To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies , visit our website .

April 1, 2024Episode 526 min

Pulling Back the Bow feat. Thuan Bui

Today's guest is a swerve from last week: our host spoke to a young agent on the rise, Regional Marketing Director Thuan Bui. We had a great talk about how important good leaders and mentors are to an entrepreneur's success — not least because they in turn teach you how to lead and mentor your future teams. Listen to Thuan's energetic story and hear his great "bow and arrow" metaphor for overcoming setbacks in this insightful episode. To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies , visit our website .

March 5, 2024Episode 313 min

How to Be Reliable feat. Dah Htoo

For today's episode, we had the honor of speaking to Dah Htoo, a Field Vice President who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Myanmar (or Burma, as it was known until 1989) 15 years ago and started dedicating his life to helping refugees adjust to American life. After working his way through various jobs, he landed as a caseworker for Lutheran Family Services, aiding families who were new to the country. Since then, Dah has transitioned to the world of financial services and dedicated his life to helping others understand how to protect their finances and find peace of mind. Dah talked to our host about how to be there for people who rely on you and what it takes to help families adjust to a new country in this insightful episode of Lead. Empower. Grow. To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies , visit our website .

February 19, 2024Episode 225 min

No Reason to Fear feat. Cindy Rivera

In this captivating episode of Lead. Empower. Grow. , we sit down with Cindy Rivera, who shares her insights on perseverance, the importance of financial preparedness and how she navigated personal and professional challenges to achieve success. Her story is a profound reminder of the power of courage and the impact one can have when you dedicate yourself to helping people without fear. Join us for an episode filled with inspiration, lessons learned and the drive to empower others on their paths to success. **After our talk, Cindy realized she had left out part of her daughter's story that she wished to share. We were not able to redo the interview to fit it in the final episode, so she shared some words on what she wanted to add: "Because we were not aware that living benefits existed until after my daughter was already diagnosed, we never had that protection for her. We never had a chance to use it because we didn't know about it, but we never want other people, especially our friends and families, to miss it when they need it. So that is the reason I also fell in love with the product." To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies , visit our website .

February 5, 2024Episode 132 min

Compete with Yourself feat. Choua Yang

It's a new season and a new year for the Lead. Empower. Grow. Podcast, and we couldn't have asked for a nicer guest to get 2024 off to a good start than Choua Yang. One thing becomes clear when talking to this National Marketing Director from FFS: she has a lot of determination and she represents the power of believing in yourself in the face of many challenges. Today, we'll dive into the lessons Choua learned throughout her career and her advice for anyone looking to make a meaningful impact in their life and the lives of others. To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies , visit our website .

November 20, 2023Episode 624 min

FFS Gives Thanks

To celebrate Thanksgiving this week, we put together a special montage episode of Lead. Empower. Grow. to feature stories of gratitude that have been shared by our past guests on the podcast over the years. Gratitude is part of our industry by its very nature — whether it's a death benefit that eases stress at an already painful time, living benefits that save a client from crushing medical debt or simply securing a healthy retirement, just about every FFS agent has a story of a client saying thanks and filling them with pride and joy for the impact they've made by helping people. We dug back through the archives to highlight a bunch of little stories of gratitude as our way of saying thanks to our guests for spending time with us on the podcast. This episode features the following speakers: 1:37 — Leyna Nguyen 2:49 — Daniela Dubach 4:39 — Bridget Biermann 5:31 — Mark Biermann 5:43 — Alan Guerra 11:06 — Victoria Le 17:29 — Youa Khang 18:49 — Sean Weaver 19:51 — Polly Outhay 21:14 — Daniela Dubach 21:43 — Leyna Nguyen 22:35 — Vicki Diep Happy Thanksgiving! To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies , visit our website .

November 6, 2023Episode 525 min

Dancing in the Storm feat. Julie Lor

Today's guest entrepreneur is Area Marketing Director Julie Lor, who was an emcee for one of our General Sessions at this year's Leaders Convention 2023. Julie talked to our host about her life serving her community as a health worker before she built her business, what it means to be a people person and what it means to "learn to dance in the storm," which gave us some new vocabulary for overcoming adversity. Find out exactly what we mean by listening to this insightful episode. To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies , visit our website .

October 23, 2023Episode 431 min

The Psychology of Finance feat. Youa Khang

Youa Khang, a Senior Marketing Director from Sacramento, is the 2023 winner of First Financial Security's Give Back Visionary of the Year Award, which is given to honor entrepreneurs who impact their community through charity, volunteer work, financial education and other efforts that go above and beyond their duty to help other people. Youa does her charity work through the Saving Angels, a nonprofit that's focused on financial literacy, and a lot of her curriculum is focused on financial psychology. It's a fascinating topic that we discuss for most of this amazing episode, and she can teach you a lot about what it takes to break a habit and learn to make your money work for you. To connect with a First Financial Security agent about entrepreneurship opportunities or products and policies , visit our website .