On Episode 128 of the Agent Boost Podcast, Mike sits down with longtime agent and agency owner Riley Garner for a conversation that starts personal and ends up being a masterclass in why experience, both lived and professional, is what actually builds trust in healthcare. Riley opens up about his son's sudden health crisis: a routine day swimming in the Virgin River turned into E. coli, then Shiga toxin, then HUS, then dialysis at Primary Children's Hospital. As a licensed agent himself, Riley walks through what it's actually like to be on the other side of the desk, dealing with ACA coverage through Molina, life flight bills, a denied ambulance claim, and the appeals process, and how even industry veterans get surprised by their own EOBs. It's a real time case study in why insurance gets a bad rap until the day you actually need it, and why agents who've lived through a claim fight understand something no training manual can teach.From there, the episode traces Riley's full arc in the business: Chick fil A to personal trainer to a last minute Medicare license earned three days before the deadline, into Connection Point, then Go Health during the 700 enrollments a season era, through the Covid era collapse of the big box telesales shops, and into the hybrid field and digital model that Dan and Mike built out of that chaos. Riley became a team lead, grew the WellCare book, moved to Tampa to build out that market, and has now come full circle, opening his own agency, Health Plan Assistance, in St. George, Utah, combining phone, virtual, and face to face enrollment under one roof. Dan and Mike make the case that this hybrid, trust first model is exactly where the industry is headed, and Riley's path is a live example of what building it the right way looks like.If you're an agent thinking about going independent, opening a physical office, or just want a real story about what insurance means when it's your own family on the line, this episode is essential listening.**Chapters**00:00 Welcome & Introducing Riley Garner02:15 Riley's Son's Health Crisis: E. coli, HUS & Primary Children's Hospital05:11 Riley's Own ACA Coverage and the Molina Bills10:21 Why Even Agents Struggle to Understand Their Own EOBs12:40 Chick fil A, Meeting His Wife & Getting Licensed in 3 Days16:04 Utah as a Medicare Call Center Hub & the Old War Hero Era19:34 How Big Box Telesales Went Off the Rails24:13 The Two Types of Telesales Agents & Becoming a Team Lead26:55 Growing the WellCare Team & Moving to Tampa30:14 Building Health Plan Assistance in St. George33:08 Why Face to Face Is Making a Comeback36:42 Riley's 5 Year Vision & How to Reach Him40:34 Wrap Up💻 Website: www.agentboost.com💰Get Contracted: https://agentboost.com/get-contracted👨🏼‍🎓Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/606332946546184/📬 Our Weekly Newsletter: https://agentboost.com/subscribe-to-our-newsletter/

In Episode 127 of the Agent Boost Podcast, Dan and Mike open with a "week of survival" tone. AEP certifications are dropping, the agent force is demoralized, and the industry feels like it's in a constant state of flux. On a lighter note, both of their sons got licensed this week, a small but meaningful signal that the business still has a future for those who approach it the right way.The centerpiece of this episode is a raw, unfiltered breakdown of why the telesales model in Medicare is dying, and why it's happening from three directions at once. Regulatory pressure has systematically outlawed nearly every outbound marketing mechanism, leaving consumer-generated inbound calls as the last legal lane. Even that lane is compromised, as lead generators routinely run unapproved URLs behind a single CMS-submitted site, meaning almost none of them are truly compliant. The 1-to-1 marketing rules that were supposed to clean up the industry have instead choked off the lead supply entirely.Carriers are finishing the job. They've made clear they prefer local, field-written business over phone enrollments, and they're backing it up with 100% call audits on telesales, requiring human review (not AI), and forcing agencies to write up agents even when the consumer never complained. It's a Salem witch trial environment, and field agents are held to zero equivalent standard. The agents getting burned are often the best ones left, the ones who survived 4+ years without a termination, while 2.5 to 4.5 million Medicare Advantage members are expected to be displaced this AEP with fewer and fewer agents available to help them.Dan and Mike also make a strong case for why FMV commissions are actually a bargain for carriers. When you pay an agent, you're not just paying for a sale. You're paying for acquisition, ongoing customer service, and retention, all bundled into one nominal fee. Carriers cutting brokers out of the equation will have to replace all three components with internal infrastructure, and they won't save money doing it.The episode closes with a timely breakdown of the Walmart retail program for 2027, covering tiered A/B/C stores, first right of refusal for agents in good standing, and cost-sharing through FMOs. Both hosts are bullish on retail as the landing spot for displaced telesales agents, and they urge agents not to wait until September. Stores will be gone before AEP kicks off.If you're a telesales agent wondering where to land this cycle, an agency owner trying to understand why the economics stopped making sense, or a field agent who wants to know what the carriers are actually thinking, this episode is essential listening.***Chapters***00:00 Welcome & Week of Survival — Both Sons Get Licensed01:09 The State of the Industry Going Into AEP Certifications04:29 Why Everything Is Changing Faster Than Ever Before07:29 Telesales Is Dead — Setting Up the Core Argument09:55 How 1-to-1 Marketing Rules Choked Off the Lead Supply13:21 The Lead Generator Problem — Noncompliant URLs and the Washing Machine19:51 The Economics of Telesales Are Broken — CPA vs. LTV Explained24:54 "The Juice Isn't Worth the Squeeze" — The Math No One Wants to Do27:52 Carriers Don't Want the Business — And They're Showing It33:31 Salem Witch Trials — Carrier Crackdowns on Phone Enrollments38:16 Carriers Are Turtling — What That Means for Distribution41:14 The Warning for Displaced Telesales Agents — There's Nowhere Left to Hop42:05 War Hero or War Criminal? Why 700 Enrollments Is No Longer a Badge of Honor43:34 The FMV Argument — What Carriers Actually Get for That Commission49:40 Walmart 2027 — Tiers, First Right of Refusal, and the Retail Opportunity57:27 Wrap Up & Final Thoughts

In Episode 126 of the Agent Boost Podcast, Mike sits down with his best friend and fellow agency owner Seth Cottle, founder of Alchemy Health Plans, for a candid conversation about what it actually takes to build a thriving insurance agency in one of the most challenging markets the industry has ever seen.Seth spent years working at Comcast while quietly building his book of business on nights and weekends before going all in on insurance. He shares exactly how he made that transition, why it worked when it doesn't work for most agents, and how that same work ethic became the foundation for everything he teaches his agents at Alchemy today.This episode goes deep on the concept of the diverse, dynamic agent, why you can no longer survive as a Medicare-only or ACA-only agent, how to properly layer products without overwhelming your team, and why the agencies that built their entire book around one product line are the ones getting wiped out right now. Seth and Mike also break down income-producing activities, the real reason agents lose momentum and leave the industry, and what a new agent's first 90 days should actually look like.If you're a new agent trying to shortcut your path to success, a seasoned broker looking to diversify, or an agency owner trying to build something that lasts this episode is essential listening.---**Chapters**00:00 Welcome & Introducing Seth Cottle of Alchemy Health Plans01:06 How Mike & Seth Met & Seth's Path from Comcast to Agency Owner06:11 Building on the Side First — The Right Way to Make the Jump10:03 Income-Producing Activities — What Actually Moves the Needle12:39 The Hoodie Agent — How One Part-Timer Outsold Everyone15:44 You Can't Be a One-Trick Pony — Diversification Is Survival20:02 How Seth Layers Products & Trains Agents from Day One27:48 Agency Value & Why Diversification Determines What You're Worth33:55 Medicare Advantage Benefits Are Drying Up — The Ancillary Opportunity Is Now35:08 Seth's Advice for New Agents — Burn the Boats & Go All In---💻 Website: [www.agentboost.com](https://www.agentboost.com)💰 Get Contracted: https://agentboost.com/get-contracted👨🏼‍🎓 Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/606332946546184/📬 Our Weekly Newsletter: https://agentboost.com/subscribe-to-our-newsletter/