In this episode, I interview Rachel Druckenmiller, Keynote Speaker + Founder, UNMUTED, and former Director of Well-Being and Employee Engagement at a benefits consulting firm. Rachel opens up about her unexpected 13-year journey in the insurance industry, which began as a simple summer administrative role and evolved into pioneering an award-winning corporate wellness initiative from scratch. Facing tight budgets and early resistance, Rachel shares how she and a colleague eventually built a national exemplar of workplace wellness by experimenting with innovative ideas internally before offering them to clients. She dives into the art of service differentiation, detailing how providing unique, personalized value not only cements client retention but also positions insurance professionals as indispensable industry leaders.

Rachel also introduces me to the concept of "internal muting", the ways professionals, particularly women, silence their own voices due to internal, relational, or structural fears. Drawing from her own raw experience with burnout and health challenges while at the height of her corporate career, Rachel breaks down how authentic self-confidence is fundamentally rooted in self-trust. She shares actionable leadership strategies for overcoming self-silencing, including the "Reflected Best Self" feedback practice and the transformative shift of asking "what if it were just right?" instead of focusing on the worst-case scenario. What resonated most is her perspective on championing ambitious talent, not to be threatened by it.

Rachel also shared these original songs!

• Somebody: https://song.link/somebody-rachel
• Believe In You: https://song.link/believeinyou

In this episode, I interview Natina Berry, Senior Underwriter at Freberg Environmental, with over 20 years of expertise in commercial insurance and strategic account management. Natina shares her fascinating career journey with me, which began with a specialized training program through The Hartford. Beyond her corporate role, Natina discusses her extensive leadership in the industry, including serving as president of the NAAIA New York Tri-State Chapter and on the board of RIMS New York, explaining how getting involved in committees builds genuine confidence and visibility. Natina is also a single mother of four boys, and opens up about the "five-shift" daily structure she used to approach parenting and her career.

Our conversation goes deep into the true meaning of professional development, moving past surface-level networking to focus on building authentic relationships, mentorship, and sponsorship. Natina highlights how unexpected skills, like learning to play golf, opened unique doors for connection. From inspiring the next generation at a local Girl Scouts event to preparing diverse teams for the impact of AI, Natina defines leadership as actively opening doors for others.

In this episode, I interview Sarah Abrams, Executive Vice President at RT ProExec and the new voice behind The D&O Diary. Sarah shares how she went from practicing law as a coverage attorney in Chicago to handling complex professional liability claims, moving into underwriting, and ultimately stepping into one of the most respected thought leadership platforms in the D&O space. Along the way, we talk about the career pivots that shaped her path, including how becoming a mother influenced her professional decisions and led her to seek new opportunities that aligned with both her ambitions and her life outside of work.

We also explore the power of writing, storytelling, and thought leadership in an industry often known for its technical complexity. Sarah opens up about the honor and responsibility of co-authoring The D&O Diary, a publication she considered essential reading long before she became an author. We discuss overcoming self-doubt, handling criticism with grace, and why sharing ideas publicly can be both vulnerable and rewarding.