Alliance NOW! Risk & Insurance Podcast Series

Hosted by The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research

Careers EducationInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

151

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

The Alliance NOW! Risk & Insurance Podcast Series provides listeners with rich, nuanced conversations that deepen learning and promote the successful completion of Risk & Insurance Education Alliance programs.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 15, 202633 min

Product Recall and Subsequent Business Continuity Risks in Food and Beverage

Why product recalls in the food & beverage industry are becoming more frequent and complex How large-scale production and rapid distribution increase the potential impact of a recall The role of supply chain risk and why contamination often originates upstream Understanding strict liability and exposure across the entire stream of commerce Key differences in regulatory oversight between FDA and USDA Why certain products (e.g., those without a “kill step”) carry higher contamination risk How modern traceability and testing accelerate the speed of recalls The importance of responding quickly to remove affected product from the market Financial and operational consequences, including production shutdowns and revenue loss Why business continuity planning is essential to maintaining operations during a recall The need for clear crisis response plans, defined roles, and rapid communication How reputational damage can escalate without coordinated response strategies Gaps in traditional insurance coverage and the value of product recall insurance How proactive risk management, visibility, and preparedness reduce overall exposure Why recalls are not one-time events but continuous risks requiring ongoing attention Want to go deeper on the strategies behind managing complex risks like product recalls? The Alliance’s Control of Risk course offers practical frameworks to help you strengthen risk evaluation and response. Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

June 8, 202615 min

Environmental Strategist Podcast: Environmental Exposures Impacting High Net Worth Insureds

Topics Covered: Why high net worth individuals are considered “industry disruptors” in insurance The limitations of traditional personal and commercial insurance when addressing environmental risk Real-world environmental loss scenarios, including: Why many high-net-worth insureds are unknowingly self-insuring environmental exposures Environmental liability exposures tied to complex asset portfolios, including: How environmental risks for HNW individuals can rival those of corporations The disconnect between agent assumptions (e.g., mold coverage) and actual environmental coverage gaps The importance of integrating personal and commercial insurance into a cohesive environmental program How tailored environmental insurance solutions can eliminate gaps and reduce hidden liabilities Why education and expertise are critical for advisors serving high-net-worth clients The role of proactive environmental risk planning in protecting wealth, operations, and reputation How many environmental exposures are your high-net-worth clients unknowingly self-insuring? The Certified Environmental Strategist (eS) self-paced course gives you the tools to uncover those risks and help protect what matters most. Environmental Strategist Resources: Hazardous Transportation Liability & Physical Damage Application Contractors Pollution Liability (CPL) Application New Business Application for Environmental Impairment Liability (EIL) Insurance StorageTank Pollution Liability Application Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

June 2, 202646 min

Predicting and Preventing Crashes

Why rising claims costs, nuclear verdicts, and premiums are reshaping fleet risk management The shift from reactive claims handling to proactive crash prevention strategies Why crashes are predictable when you focus on leading indicators instead of outcomes The importance of identifying high-risk drivers and understanding behavior patterns How data sources like MVRs, telematics, and violation tracking reveal hidden risk The role of continuous monitoring vs. one-time or annual reviews Why increasing deductibles without a strategy can increase exposure Common gaps in fleet risk programs, including a lack of visibility and inconsistent workflows How to align brokers, carriers, and insureds around a shared risk mitigation strategy The connection between driver behavior, accountability, and safety culture Practical approaches to building a repeatable, data-driven prevention program Why combining analytics with real-world execution produces the best outcomes How better risk management reduces total cost of risk, not just insurance premiums Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

May 18, 202630 min

From Onboarding to Belonging

Why onboarding should be treated as an experience, not just a checklist The critical difference between onboarding and true employee belonging Why first impressions extend beyond day one and shape long-term outcomes Common mistakes organizations make by focusing too heavily on tasks and compliance How understanding individual motivations, personalities, and learning styles improves engagement The role of curiosity and early feedback in building trust with new hires Practical ways to personalize the first-day experience and create meaningful connections Why onboarding should be a shared responsibility across leaders, managers, HR, and peers How involving cross-functional teams improves integration and team cohesion The importance of clear expectations and consistent communication from the start Simple, thoughtful gestures that can make employees feel welcomed and valued How better onboarding experiences drive retention, performance, and culture Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

May 11, 202639 min

Beyond the Claim: The Human Element of Workers Compensation

In this episode: Why workers’ comp should be viewed beyond the claim How fear, uncertainty, and poor communication affect outcomes Why tone, timing, and clarity matter in claim conversations The employer’s role in building trust after an injury How return-to-work supports healing, dignity, and recovery Why consistency across HR, supervisors, and adjusters matters What agents and brokers should understand to better advise clients Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

May 5, 202630 min

Getting your Agency Ready for AI

In this episode of Alliance Insights, Noelle Codispoti of the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance is joined by Ron Hocutt of Angela Adams Consulting for a practical discussion on what AI readiness really looks like for today’s insurance agencies. Ron reframes the conversation away from “Which AI platform should we buy?” and toward the far more important questions of how we best use technology, how we ensure data quality, and how we encourage operational discipline. The episode breaks down the differences between generative AI and agentic AI, clarifying how each can support agency workflows without replacing licensed professionals or transferring legal responsibility. Ron explains why current AI tools remain limited in scope, why liability always stays with the agent or agency, and why fears of full automation often overlook regulatory and legal realities. Listeners are guided through real world applications—such as workflow coordination, policy analysis, client communication, and renewal preparation—while learning why inconsistent workflows and poor data can undermine any AI initiative. The discussion also highlights the competitive risks agencies face if they fail to prepare, emphasizing that efficiency gains, not job replacement, will define winners and losers. Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

April 24, 202627 min

Alliance Insights: Insuring Contractors The Additional Insured Basics You Need to Know-Part 2

Alliance faculty member and nationally recognized coverage expert Cathy Trischan returns with Part II of Insuring Contractors: The Additional Insured Basics You Need to Know. Building on the history covered in Part I, this discussion focuses on how today’s ISO additional insured endorsements operate in real-world contracts. Cathy explains the intent and limitations of commonly used forms—such as CG 2010, CG 2033, and CG 2038—and why understanding their wording is critical to effective risk transfer. The episode highlights the impact of privity of contract and key court decisions that narrowed automatic additional insured coverage, creating uncertainty across jurisdictions. Cathy also breaks down the often-misunderstood divide between ongoing operations and completed operations coverage, explaining when separate endorsements are required and why completed ops remains a persistent challenge. Throughout the episode, she emphasizes the importance of scrutinizing carrier proprietary forms, identifying hidden restrictions, exclusions, and contract-based triggers that can undermine coverage. The takeaway is clear: navigating additional insured requirements today requires careful endorsement selection, contract awareness, and a practical understanding of how coverage language plays out after a loss. Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

April 24, 202638 min

Insuring Contractors: The Additional Insured Basics You Need to Know - Part 1

This episode of Alliance Insights features Alliance faculty member and nationally recognized coverage expert, Cathy Trischan, covering Part I of Insuring Contractors: The Additional Insured Basics You Need to Know. Listen in as she unpacks why additional insured requirements remain one of the most complex—and misunderstood—areas of contractor risk. From the evolution of ISO endorsement forms to real-world court decisions that reshaped coverage intent, Cathy explains how language like “arising out of,” “ongoing operations,” and “completed operations” can dramatically change who is protected and when. The episode explores why requests for older endorsements persist, how primary and non contributory demands complicate placement, and what today’s agents and risk professionals must understand to navigate contracts with confidence. This discussion lays the foundation for smarter coverage analysis—where knowing the history of additional insured endorsements is critical to managing today’s risk. Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

April 10, 202628 min

Environmental Strategist Podcast - EFA Essentials: What Every Insurance Professional Must Know

Topics Covered: What Environmental Financial Assurance (EFA) is and why it exists The regulatory origins of EFA, including Superfund and CERCLA How contracts and environmental indemnifications can create hidden self‑insurance Why insurance is often the most efficient tool for meeting EFA requirements Common industries impacted by EFA: construction, real estate, mergers and acquisitions, and environmental services Real‑world examples of contracts requesting the wrong environmental coverage Differences between insurance, bonds, letters of credit, escrow, and self‑funding How EFA strategies protect balance sheets, cash flow, and reputation The risks of discovering inadequate coverage only after a claim occurs Why Environmental Strategists focus on education, alignment, and structured EFA planning Resources from Environmental Risk Managers, Inc. Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

April 8, 202637 min

Best Practices for Utilizing Ai in Insurance

Why AI adoption in insurance has shifted from “experimental” to operational Robin Spaulding’s career journey and perspective from claims to leadership How Roots uses agentic AI to automate underwriting, claims, and policy servicing Key workflows primed for AI: Claims indexing and first notice of loss Claim summaries and document classification Policy and submission review for complex commercial policies The hidden cost of manual work in claims and underwriting Balancing straight‑through processing with “human in the loop” decision‑making Improving job satisfaction by removing repetitive administrative tasks How better data flow between claims and underwriting improves outcomes Why empathy and human judgment remain critical in claims handling What insurance professionals should focus on to prepare for an AI‑enabled future Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.