In this episode, I interview Natalie Arroyave, Strategic Growth Manager at Specialty Adjusting and host of the Adjuster Hour podcast, to talk about her path in the insurance industry. From rebuilding her life after Hurricane Katrina and turning personal resilience into an unstoppable career, to building an authentic space for adjusters through her live podcast, Natalie shares why she remains a fierce advocate for keeping the human touch at the heart of claims.

She opens up about turning profound personal hardship into a ticket for independence, launching a thriving community for adjusters, and why empathy remains irreplaceable in an increasingly automated world. She also shares the power of mentorship, overcoming burnout while working remotely, and how giving field professionals a seat at the table is the key to a more equitable future in insurance.

This special episode was recorded from a webinar in partnership with the Women In Insurance Collective (WIIC). Drawing from over 100 candid interviews across the industry, this webinar moves past corporate buzzwords to share the collective wisdom and lived experiences of women in insurance.

InsHER host and WIIC Communications & Awareness Committee co-lead, Megan Bell, asks every guest a single, powerful question: “If you had a seat in the C-suite, what would you do to create a more equitable playing field?” This session unpacks the patterns found in those answers, revealing that for many leaders, true equity is an ongoing balancing act rather than a checkbox exercise.

Join us for a human-centered discussion exploring the ideas, suggestions, and realities shared by the InsHER guests. We’ll examine operational friction, long-standing industry norms, and ideas of how to approach sustainable progress while maintaining organizational balance.

In this second episode, in partnership with the National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA), I interview Rebekah Ratliff, International Mediator and Arbitrator at JAMS. Rebekah is a servant leader and long-standing NAAIA advocate. Rebekah shares her remarkable 35-year journey, from earning a psychology degree to becoming a commercial claims professional and global dispute resolver. Throughout our conversation, she reflects on how staying curious, leading with faith, and leaning into continuous learning have shaped her career, while offering invaluable insights on the critical difference between workplace authenticity and assimilation.

Rebekah also details her passion for uplifting the next generation of diverse insurance professionals. She highlights the powerful impact of trade associations like NAAIA. She shares her visionary work with HBCU Impact, including her insurance course at Howard University School of Law, the Global Impact initiative taking students to London, and expanding cross-border connections in Africa. Rebekah champions focused mentorship and career development as the true keys to securing a vibrant, inclusive future for the industry.

In this episode, I was thrilled to interview industry leaders Sabrina Hart, President and Chief Executive Officer of Munich Re Specialty Insurance North America, Christina Colby, Chief Customer Officer at Guidewire, and Rita Jupe, Founder of The Jupe Group, for an engaging discussion in partnership with the ISC Group. The group explored the remarkable two-decade evolution of ISC Group, reflecting on how this global community has grown from early gatherings into a powerful development program that actively shapes leadership pipelines and drives inclusive cultures. The three leaders discussed the unique community spirit of the insurance industry, which is rooted in a shared mission to protect society, and emphasized why diversity and inclusion must be treated as strategic business enablers rather than mere HR checkboxes.

The conversation also looked ahead to the future, examining how emerging technologies like AI can serve as a workplace equalizer by streamlining routine tasks and creating more flexible ways of working. The group closed with valuable insights for C-suite leaders on fostering equitable playing fields through intentional succession planning, spotting non-obvious talent, and modeling active sponsorship and mentorship.

In this episode, I interview Kateryna Monastyrska, Head of Sales and Marketing at DICEUS, for a candid conversation on modernizing insurance technology and leading with purpose. Kateryna shares how a custom software project first drew her into the industry, highlighting the striking contrast between the complex, high-stakes decisions insurers make every day and the outdated, spreadsheet-heavy systems supporting them. We dive into how alternative risk organizations, captive managers, and RRGs can move away from legacy processes to achieve real efficiency, and why successful AI adoption must always start with solving a clear business problem rather than just chasing tech trends.

Beyond digital transformation, Kateryna reflects on the uniquely open and supportive community of women in insurance, sharing how high-level mentorship from female C-suite leaders helped shape her own career trajectory. She opens up about the realities of balancing an ambitious insurtech career with motherhood across time zones, the power of leading through trust and results over optics, and her vision for building true equity, from sponsoring women into key roles to attracting top talent earlier into our industry.

In this episode, I interview Natalie Golubski, Professional Lines Broker at Jencap Group. Natalie shared how she initially found insurance through a family connection at Russell Bond and why she's stayed: the incredible people, the deep-rooted Buffalo insurance community, and an office culture where colleagues truly feel like family. We dive into how mastering operational foundations built the strong base she relies on as a producer today, and why she believes bringing your 100% authentic self to work beats wearing a corporate mask every single time.

Natalie also shares her deep commitment to giving back, from her leadership roles across local insurance organizations like the Insurance Women of Buffalo to her viral "Bald for Bucks" challenge where she raised over $6,300 for the Roswell Park Cancer Institute and donated her hair to support children facing hair loss. Natalie also shares her vision for a more equitable playing field in our industry by introducing diverse, lower-income students to insurance careers early on.

In this episode, I interview Stephanie Dewald, Executive Vice President and Zonal Distribution Leader for Major Accounts at Chubb, who brings over three decades of exceptional industry experience. Stephanie shares her unexpected journey into insurance after starting out as a computer science nerd, and how those early tech roots continue to fuel her adaptability and curiosity today. We also dive deep into her powerhouse background as a Division I tennis alumna and endurance athlete, exploring how the discipline, structure, and lessons learned from handling defeat gracefully have shaped her professional resilience.

Beyond her athletic and career milestones, Stephanie offers powerful insights into modern leadership, discussing how she fosters a safe, collaborative environment for her team by treating mistakes as solvable learning opportunities rather than reasons for fear. We also examine the evolution of female leadership since the 1990s, the importance of embracing authentic strengths, and what it truly takes to drive sustainable, top-down equity and inclusion in the insurance industry so that leadership genuinely reflects a diverse customer base.

In this episode, I interview Angela Ripley, President of VW Brown Insurance Service and national chairperson of the Big I, who shares her journey growing up around an insurance agency and later rising to lead a 130-year-old organization. Angela shares the evolution of leadership styles, the power of mentorship, and why she believes in focusing on true talent and skill development across the board rather than siloing demographic groups.

Angela also shares the special connections she has made with female agency owners across the country in states like Alaska, Montana, and Maine. We also explore exciting industry topics, from breaking away from gimmicky insurance advertising to attract the next generation of professionals to the positive impact of technology and AI on our daily work.