The catalog

Episodes.

Real People. Real Stories. Real Perspective.

Honest, unscripted conversations with producers at every stage of the career. New episodes drop through Season 1 — press play below.

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Season 1

Episode 05 · Season 1

Authenticity & Radical Transparency — with Steve Koronczok

Jay sits down with Steve Koronczok, whose career runs from cold-calling Fortune 500 benefits decision-makers at the height of the Livestrong boom, to working rigs across Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana as a directional driller for Halliburton, to commercial insurance at USI after the 2015 oil downturn. He hit Peak Producer status in year one and nearly doubled it in year two by showing up in jeans and boots and dropping the script. They get into the pipeline slump COVID lockdowns caused for a face-to-face seller, the five-year prospect that broke it, and why calling clients early with bad renewal news builds more trust than hiding the numbers.

  • Career pivots
  • Authenticity
  • Cold calling
  • Hard-market renewals
  • Beating a slump
Listen & watch Runtime 1:16 · Video + Audio

Previously

Crossover · San Antonio Podcasting

85% of Agents Quit: How to Survive — Jay on the San Antonio Podcasting Podcast

The tables turn. Jay takes the guest chair with Matt Nelson on the San Antonio Podcasting Podcast to talk about why Production Under Pressure exists — the 85% of producers who don’t last, the year-10 dip and imposter syndrome, broker vs. consultant, why copying a top performer’s playbook backfires, what leaning too hard on AI does to critical thinking, and protecting the life outside the job. Plus Jay’s own road: D1 football, catastrophe adjusting, semiconductor sales, and employee benefits.

  • Producer survival
  • Imposter syndrome
  • Broker vs. consultant
  • AI & critical thinking
  • Work-life balance
Listen & watch Runtime 1:07 · Video + Audio

Episode 04 · Season 1

The Truth About Splitting Commission — with Matt Allison & Terry Laxson

Matt Allison is back — this time with his business partner Terry Laxson. Both came up on straight commission at Aflac, no draw and no safety net, and that grind shaped how they work now as co-producers at USI: splitting commission, splitting accounts, splitting the backend on purpose. Most agency leaders tell producers not to do this. Jay gets into why it works anyway — role-playing objections in the car so nothing surprises them inside the meeting, debriefing hard afterward without taking it personally, and the seven pillars they say a real partnership runs on. Splitting the money slowed their early revenue. Retention went up, coverage widened, and they can actually take time off.

  • Co-producing
  • Commission splits
  • Straight commission
  • Sales partnership
  • Client retention
Listen & watch Runtime 1:13 · Video + Audio

Episode 03 · Season 1

The Female Superpower in B2B Sales — with Ryan Saladino

Jay sits down with Ryan Saladino — who started in an entry-level secretarial and CRM support role, moved into account management, validated as a top producer at USI, then jumped to the carrier side. She’s honest about surviving high-pressure corporate environments, why confidence beats product knowledge, and what it actually takes to win accounts in an industry that’s still mostly men. They also dig into the gap between producers and service teams, why overpromising creates friction, and how working both sides of the house makes you a better consultant.

  • Employee benefits
  • Sales confidence
  • Women in sales
  • Broker vs. carrier
  • Service partnership
Listen & watch Runtime 1:15 · Video + Audio

Episode 02 · Season 1

Champions Are Obsessed With Not Losing — with Scott Foley

Jay sits down with Scott Foley — one of San Antonio's premier producers — to unpack what actually separates the top 1% from everyone else. From cutting his teeth in tech and medical-device sales (ADP, Stryker) to nearly a decade building a dominant book, Scott gets honest about the internal accountability, the hard boundaries, and the obsession with not losing that top middle-market producers run on.

  • Top-producer mindset
  • Competitive drive
  • Boundaries
  • Middle-market sales
  • Client retention
Listen & watch Runtime 1:25 · Video + Audio

Episode 01 · Season 1

Surviving the Grind — with Matt Allison

Jay sits down with his first producer hire — 15 years in the industry, six kids, and a hard-won approach to staying sane. They get real about therapy, the 7-to-7 rule that protects family time, why he learned to "celebrate the nos," treating account managers as true business partners, and riding the brutal ebb and flow of a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business.

  • Mental health
  • Work-life balance
  • Handling rejection
  • Lost business
  • Accountability
Listen & watch Runtime 1:12 · Video + Audio

On the schedule

Coming up next.

More producers, more honest hours — announced as they lock in.

Next up

David Mattlage

Another honest hour on what the job really takes — and how to keep going.

Coming soon

Austin Sears

More real talk from the field — announced as it locks in.

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