Podcasts about actuarial

In the latest episode of our series, Jean Rea sits down with Laura Gray, KPMG's Global Head of Actuarial, to unpack the pressing issues shaping the insurance sector in the coming months.  Laura dives into the global impact of capital regulations and explores how the evolving landscape of these regulations is driving the US insurance market. Don't miss the full conversation for more insights into the trends and challenges reshaping the industry! 

Host Victor Zhao, FSA, CERA sits down with Frank Cheung, FSA, MAAA, CEO and Founder of Accorded, to explore how modeling headaches and operational friction inspired him to launch an actuarial data and analytics infrastructure startup. Frank shares how he identified the core problem, validated it through deep industry conversations, and took the leap into entrepreneurship.

In this episode, Joe Alaimo interviews Joan Barret to discuss climate change, highlighting their impacts on the environment and everyday life and the roles actuaries play in assessing risks and solutions related to climate change.

Tony chats with Somil Jain, Principal & Sr. Consultant at Lewis & Ellis Actuarial Consultants. Somil is a creative P&C actuary specializing in helping create new MGAs. I learned a lot about what actuaries do, how MGAs work, and how new technology has enabled the creation of so many new MGAs.Somil Jain: https://www.linkedin.com/in/somiljainconsulting/Lewis & Ellis: https://lewisellis.com/Video Version: https://youtu.be/OmKJ-AaNdhs

900+ students. 40+ sponsors. Endless opportunities.For the first time ever, Be Brilliant with Jing Lang and The Official ASNA Podcast teamed up for a LIVE video podcast at the largest actuarial student convention in North America! From the heart of Niagara Falls, we captured career breakthroughs, bold leadership moves, and the stories that shape the future of the profession.

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Listen in to get those professionalism CE credits with host Jackie Lee and guest Cathy Quock. They talk about the differences between actuarial communications in a consulting role or internal company setting. They reference the Code of Professional Conduct and ASOPs.

In2Leadership keynote speaker Dale Porfilio, FCAS, MAAA, is the Chief Insurance Officer for the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) and President of the Insurance Research Council (IRC). In these roles, he leads the research and education activities of both organizations, working closely with Triple-I and IRC subject-matter experts to develop data-driven industry insights and analyses. Dale previously worked at Genworth Financial, Kemper, and Allstate for a total of 29 years. Dale is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society (FCAS) and Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA). In this episode of In the Know, Chris Hampshire and Dale discuss climate change, legal system abuse, and some of the topics that Dale will be addressing as the keynote speaker at April's In2Leadership conference.   Key Takeaways   Dale grew up knowing that insurance was always a career option. Actuarial sciences allowed Dale to apply his strengths to insurance organizations. The 2025 insurance industry is in a dynamic state. The outstanding response of the insurance industry to climate change. Risk-based pricing is a critical consideration for carriers' actuarial goals. The importance of allowing market competition and less regulatory restrictions. The name “legal system abuse” does matter. Developments in the legal system abuse sphere. The impact of third-party litigation funding on the commercial sector. Strategies for improving the practice of third-party litigation funding. Dale's pragmatic take on the five-year future of the insurance industry. Embracing technology in ways that are helpful to the future of insurance.   Quotes “For me, I always knew that insurance was an option.” “The 2025 insurance industry is in quite a dynamic state.” “Allowing market competition and less regulatory restrictions is helpful overall.” “How can we make the practice of third-party litigation funding as healthy as possible?” “Insurance companies are here to make people whole. We don't always need to have attorneys involved at the level they are today.”  

In this episode of Profiles in Risk - Nick spoke with Matthew Queen co-founder and COO of Tricura, an MGA specializing in liability risks for skilled nursing facilities. About the Guest- Company: Tricura- Focus: Managing General Agent (MGA) in the insurance industry- Expertise: Skilled nursing facilities and specialized risk management Key Topics Discussed:1. MGA Model Evolution   - Comparison with traditional carrier models   - Increased agility and innovation capabilities   - Role in modern insurance market   - Specialization advantages2. Technology and Risk Management   - Integration of modern technology   - Challenges with legacy systems   - Innovation in underwriting processes   - Data-driven decision making3. Underwriting Approach   - State law considerations   - Decision-making speed   - Risk assessment methodology   - Portfolio management strategies4. Actuarial and Underwriting Dynamics   - Comparison of actuaries to fortune tellers   - Underwriter role as calculated risk-takers   - Modern hedge fund-like approach   - Balance of art and science in underwriting5. Strategic Portfolio Management   - Claims payment importance   - Long-term profitability focus   - Risk management strategies   - Portfolio diversification Additional Context:- Episode focuses on the evolving role of MGAs in the insurance market- Highlights the importance of specialization and innovation in insurance- Discusses the balance between traditional insurance principles and modern approaches- Emphasizes the importance of agile decision-making in today's market

In this podcast episode, join host Tiana Zhao, FSA, CERA and guests Dennis Li, Director of Business Development and Partnerships at Amplify Life Insurance, and Christopher Rzany, Vice President of Strategic Marketing Alliances at Fidelity Life Association and eFinancial, to explore the dynamic world of partnerships. This podcast delves into challenges, evolution and emerging opportunities in this critical aspect of insurance and financial services industries.

Nick Kocisak, FSA, in his final episode as host, speaks with Si Xie, FSA, FCIA, CERA, about her experience working as an actuary in international markets. Si provides detailed insights into her observations from working in international markets, describes challenges and opportunities presented by international work, and offers advice on how you can establish your international footprint. 

Nick Allen is the CEO of Blue Raven Actuarial. Over the last two decades, he has exemplified excellence in the healthcare actuarial consulting industry.  Moving to Virginia as a teenager, he attended Virginia Tech University graduating with a Degree in Mathematics. Initially, he wasn't quite sure where his interest would lead until a family member mentioned actuarial science. This led him on a journey that would see him become a Fellowship in the Society of Actuaries and eventually serve as Chief Actuary for USI's retail brokerage business before founding Blue Raven Actuarial. He now combines his passion for actuarial science with technology to make healthcare expertise accessible to all.  A dedicated husband and father, he continues to influence the industry through innovative solutions and thought leadership, all because... he found the most underrated industry in business today! Blue Raven Actuarial Website: https://www.blueravenactuarial.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickallenfsa YSGAL Podcast is the number #1 source for anyone looking to learn about or join the most underrated opportunity in business today...a career in the Insurance industry. Get educated, motivated, and inspired for your journey, as you learn How and Why..."You Should Get A License" Buy the 'You Should Get A License' Book: ⁠https://a.co/d/cgjRqNT⁠  Looking to get into the industry?: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Bit.ly//Ysgetalicense⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Support this podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/ysgetalicense/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Host Social Media: IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/ysgetalicense/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tik Tok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@ysgetalicense⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Linked In: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12524487/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ About me: Greetings! My name is Rod Powell. I'm an insurance and financial services professional and Author based in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia areas. I'm multi-state licensed in Life & Health and Virginia licensed in Property & Casualty Insurance, a Chartered Life Underwriter, Registered Employee Benefits Consultant, and a Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist. This channel is not for me to offer my services directly, but to educate you on careers in the industry that has allowed me to bring a ton of value to others and has been very good to me as well. Hope you enjoy and heard something that makes you think..."You Should Get A License" Rod's Social Media IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therodpowell/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Linked In: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarrard-a-rod-powell-sr-86801616/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Join us for another exciting episode of YPAC podcast as host Ganiu Shefiu, FSA, FCA sits down with Yvonne Palm FCAS, FIA (African Actuary with a global mindset and a CAS board member) and Teju Scott ASA who had both trained abroad and have come back to Africa to contribute to the development of the Actuarial profession. They both share invaluable advice on how to navigate the new environment and what it takes to live in Africa and how they have contributed to the success of the local actuarial society in Africa. Finally, they spoke about volunteering and how that has impacted their lives. 

Hello Listeners!  In this classic episode, we heard from two esteemed actuaries: John Bertko, FSA, MAAA, an independent actuarial consultant serving as the Chief Actuary with Covered California, and Steve Goss, ASA, MAAA, the Chief Actuary at the Social Security Administration discussing the implications of a new U.S. administration on actuarial practice.  This podcast originally published in January 2021, capturing the thoughts and perspectives of our experts during a pivotal time of transition. We hope you enjoy this insightful discussion and find it as relevant today as it was when it first aired.  Sit back, relax and enjoy this Research Insights Classic!

Ryan Vigus leads CSAA Insurance Group's personal lines products, including auto, home, umbrella, and pet.  His team develops and manages insurance products and product experiences that serve the needs of AAA Members. Ryan's responsibilities include Product Strategy and Development, Product Management, Actuarial, and Data Science.  CSAA Insurance Group is a AAA insurer that serves AAA Members in 23 states and the District of Columbia.  Ryan has served on the board of directors and various committees for the Insurance Institute for Business and Homes Safety (IBHS) since 2018 and currently serves as the chair of the board of directors.  He has a master's degree in applied mathematics from Bowling Green State University (Ohio) and is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society. Highlights from the Show California is a massive economy that has had a history of difficult insurance situations. Back in the day, Auto Insurance became a problem, with rates jumping and profitability suffering. California's insurers looked to Homeowners to make up the difference to remain profitable. And then the wildfire situation changed dramatically, putting great pressure on the industry, leaving many with the need to dramatically increase rates, pull out of the state, or both. Homeowners Associations often put in place rules to govern how homes in the development look to uphold standards and consistency across homes. But what happens when those standards are at odds with the decisions that make a home more resilient to things like hail, hurricanes or wildfire? Can you install a better roof, plant different vegetation (or remove it), etc., if it means your home will still be standing when others may not? Colorado has made laws that ensure HOAs cannot restrict a homeowner from doing something that makes their home safer from losses like hail or wildfire. If your home falls victim to a flood or hail damage, and your insurer pays to repair the damage, what if there was a way to enhance how you rebuild so your house is less likely to suffer a loss in the future? Wouldn't the time to make such upgrades be when you're working on those items anyway, like upgrading the type of roofing materials you use when replacing a roof destroyed by hail? That's not how insurance works today. But what if it could be? Ryan shares an interesting perspective as we discussed ways to combat the spiraling cost of buying homeowners insurance by homeowners and providing it to them by insurers. What can you do to materially impact the chance a home suffers a loss in a weather-related event like a hurricane, flood, hail storm or wildfire?At PLRB, we see the impact of better building codes on losses, and many areas have seen the benefit in how newer construction stands up to these weather events. Ryan  discusses one hold up to making your home more resilient at a cost to the homeowner is the availability of subsidized insurance through state FAIR plans that allows people to still get coverage at a low enough cost to discourage investing in hardening your home to loss. This may be contributing to some of the issue states like California have in insurance affordability and viability. What is the long-term solution to making insurance affordable to buy and viable for insurers to sell? Do we have an insurance affordability problem? In California, Ryan  believes we don't. Instead, he says we have a “homes burning down” problem, and we in the insurance industry need to stretch beyond our traditional role of paying after a loss to thinking about how we stop the losses upfront and facilitate that. This episode is brought to you by The Future of Insurance thought leadership series, available globally from Amazon in print, Kindle and Audible audiobook. Follow the podcast at future-of-insurance.com/podcast for more details and other episodes. Music courtesy of Hyperbeat Music, available to stream or download on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music and more.

This segment explores the FHA's actuarial report, its implications for MIP premiums, and how evolving market dynamics are impacting borrowers and lenders in the mortgage industry.----------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

In this episode, Reko Daye, The Actuarial Foundation STEM Stars Program Manager talks with STEM Star, Emily Roman about how the STEM Stars program has positively changed her life. 

Hello Listeners! Tune in to our latest Research Insights Podcast Episode “Actuarial Rock Stars”! Hear Greg Jacobs and Shane Chalke share their incredible journeys from very successful actuarial careers to scuba diving and jazz music. Don't miss these inspiring career and life experiences! Send us your feedback at ResearchInsights@soa.org 

In this episode, we explore key aspects of actuarial modeling, including the importance of balancing accuracy and speed, the benefits of simplicity, and the need for effective communication.

Imagine if the key to faster growth and deeper connections was something as simple as being yourself—authentically. In this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, Erin Hatzikostas reveals how authenticity, when used intentionally, becomes a powerful tool for CEOs to lead with confidence, build trust, and create a lasting impact in their organizations.Key Insights from the Episode:1. Authenticity is a Strategic AdvantageErin Hatzikostas makes a bold claim: authenticity isn't about just "being yourself"—it's a strategic tool for leadership and business success. She defines authenticity as being genuine, original, and authoritative. By focusing on these traits, leaders can create trust and connection, both internally and externally. Erin explains that many leaders mistakenly believe they are already authentic, but true authenticity is more nuanced and requires intentionality.“Authenticity isn't about you; it's about showing up for others. It's an absolute fast pass to connection, trust, and differentiation,” Erin explains.2. The Myth of "Being Yourself"Erin debunks the common belief that authenticity simply means being yourself. Instead, she explains that authenticity must be in service to others, meaning it's about how you show up for your team, your customers, and your partners in unexpected ways. It's about being genuine in moments where people least expect it, and knowing that being transparent doesn't always mean oversharing.“It's not how you act in a room with your direct staff—that's easy. The real challenge is showing up authentically in high-stakes situations, like board meetings or client interactions,” Erin points out.3. Authenticity in Action: Where It Matters MostFor CEOs, the opportunities to be authentic go beyond one-on-one conversations with direct reports. Erin emphasizes that the real challenge lies in high-stakes settings—like board meetings, client interactions, and public communications. It's in these moments where authentic leadership can truly shine and create a lasting impact.Erin explains, “CEOs need to focus on what's needed, not what's normal. If you're delivering a message and it isn't genuine and authoritative, you're not going to keep people's attention."4. The 50% Rule: Innovate Your Way to SuccessErin shares a practical strategy she calls the "50% Rule," which allows leaders to break free from traditional playbooks. Instead of trying to follow every best practice, CEOs should adapt by taking what works and infusing their own originality. By doing this, leaders can create something that is both innovative and authentic to who they are and what their company stands for.5. Reducing the Zero Moments of TruthErin introduces the concept of "zero moments of truth," explaining how CEOs can reduce the time it takes for potential clients to know, like, and trust them. Building authentic connections early through thought leadership and strategic content allows CEOs to build relationships faster and more effectively. Erin encourages leaders to reduce these zero moments through consistent and authentic interactions, both online and offline.Action Steps for CEOs:Start with Authenticity: Make a conscious effort to show up genuinely in high-stakes settings. Authenticity can be your differentiator.Apply the 50% Rule: Don't feel pressured to follow every rule. Take what works, discard what doesn't, and add your own unique spin.Create Trust through Consistency: Whether it's online content, meetings, or public communication, reduce the zero moments of truth by showing up authentically and consistently.Final Thought:In today's competitive market, authenticity is more than just a personal trait—it's a powerful strategy for success. Erin Hatzikostas shows us that by being genuine, original, and authoritative, CEOs can not only build trust but also differentiate themselves and their companies.Listen to the full episode with Erin Hatzikostas to learn more about how you can use authenticity to transform your business.Chapters00:48 - Introducing Erin Hatzikostas - Erin Hatzikostas is introduced as the guest, with a teaser about the power of authenticity as a strategic advantage.01:42 - Defining Authenticity - Erin begins to explain what authenticity truly means and how it differs from common misconceptions.02:08 - Authenticity as a Strategic Advantage - Discussion on how authenticity can set companies apart in a business world where inauthenticity is the norm.03:30 - The Misconception of Easy Authenticity - Erin challenges the notion that authenticity is a given and explains its complexity.04:13 - The True Meaning of Authenticity - Authenticity is defined through the Greek root as being genuine, original, and authoritative.06:00 - Authenticity in Unexpected Places - The importance of displaying authenticity in places like board meetings and public appearances.08:30 - Genuine, Original, and Authoritative Messaging - How these three elements should guide communication, especially in crises.10:33 - Zero Moments of Truth - Introduction of the concept of reducing zero moments of truth to build trust more efficiently.14:46 - Content Creation and Cold Outreach - How CEOs can leverage content creation and cold outreach to reduce zero moments of truth.16:25 - The 50% Rule - Erin introduces the 50% rule, which encourages leaders to adopt half of established guidelines while bringing their unique approach to the other half.18:23 - Applying the 50% Rule - Examples of how the 50% rule has been successfully applied in various fields, from Broadway to business development.22:47 - Juxtaposition for Impact - The power of combining traditional methods with unexpected elements to create memorable and impactful results.26:20 - The Humans Framework - Erin introduces her "Humans" framework, which includes humility, unexpectedness, modeling, adapting, narrating, and sparking.28:19 - Final Thoughts and Resources - Erin shares final thoughts on using authenticity as a strategic advantage and recommends books, podcasts, and how to connect with her.About GuestErin is the best-selling author of You Do You(ish), a TEDx and keynote speaker, coach-sultant, and the co-host of an offbeat career and leadership podcast, b Cause with Erin & Nicole.Erin's talks have reached hundreds of thousands of people and her thought leadership has been featured on ABC, CBS and published in Business Insider, Fast Company, Well+Good, among several others. ​Erin spent her career “first half” working at a Fortune 50 company, where at the age of 42, she became the CEO of their $2bn AUM subsidiary company, PayFlex. In just three years, she took a struggling company and turned it around, tripling earnings and sending employee engagement skyrocketing. Her secret? Radical authenticity.​Erin holds a BBA in Statistics from Western Michigan University and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Connecticut. She is married to her husband, Manny, who she met while stumbling through (and failing) an early career in the Actuarial field. Erin and Manny have two highly authentic children - Ella (16) and Mick (13). In Erin's free time you can find her coaching basketball, running, skiing, drinking wine in her fat pants, or dancing wherever you're not supposed to dance.Social Links Connect with Erin on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-hatzikostas/Check out Erin's website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/b-authentic-inc/Check out Erin's books: The 50% Rule I Sassy Self-Help & Business Innovation Book | Erin Hatzikostas (the50percentrule.com)Amazon.com: You Do You(ish): Unleash Your Authentic Superpowers to Get the Career You Deserve eBook : Hatzikostas, Erin: Kindle StoreCheck out Alice's website: https://aliceheiman.com/Connect with Alice on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/

Join us for the September edition of the YPAC podcast as host Derek Camenga, ASA, is joined by Ross Starfeldt, FSA, who discusses the various roles and challenges he has encountered throughout his career as an actuary. From his start in consulting to traditional actuarial functions to strategic leadership positions, Ross has seen a wide variety of ways in which an actuary could provide value and shares his thoughts on how these roles shaped his career for the better. Ross also shares tips on how to position yourself for different opportunities and for succeeding in any role you hold as an actuary. 

In this episode Roy Ju, FSA, CERA, MAAA, joins host Nick Kocisak, ASA, to discuss how to build credibility early in your career and accelerate your professional growth. Roy shares his experience through his exam journey and highlights some of the key actions and perspectives that have fueled his success. 

Host Nick Kocisak, ASA, is joined by Austin Kang, FSA, MAAA, CERA, to discuss the importance of being more than just a "number cruncher" as you fulfill your actuarial duties.  Austin shares his experience working in the health consulting industry and provides lessons learned on how to leverage your actuarial background to gain trust and confidence with your clients and coworkers. 

In this podcast episode, Virginette Scott, The Actuarial Foundation's Stem Stars/Math Motivators Program Specialist sets the spotlight on The Actuarial Foundation's Math Motivators program. Virginette's guests are Barry Jacobson, retired actuary and the visionary founder of Math Motivators, and Jill Geritano, the parent of a former and a current Math Motivators student, who both thrived in the program. We will delve into the history of the Math Motivators program with Barry and explore its transformative impact on the educational journeys of students who have participated.

In this podcast episode, Jonas Brobbey hosts Elizabeth Dietrich FSA, CERA, MAAA, who takes us through her career journey from Actuary to CFO and provides actionable tips on navigating and forging a successful career as an Actuary.   

In this episode, host Jing Lang interviews Dave Dillon, a consulting actuary at Lewis & Ellis. They discuss the role of an actuary, particularly in the health insurance industry, and Dave's career path. They also talk about Dave's passion for writing and speaking about the actuarial profession, as well as his involvement in volunteering for the Society of Actuaries (SOA). Dave shares his motivation for running for the position of SOA president and his desire to promote the actuarial field and inspire others to get involved in volunteering. The episode concludes with a rapid-fire Q&A session.

Join host Nick Kocisak, ASA and guest Taylor Pickett, FSA, MAAA for a discussion of the importance of leveraging foundational actuarial principles and communicating effectively when working in innovative areas of the profession. Taylor shares his experience working with accelerated underwriting programs around the industry and provides insights into how he and his team help insurers get comfortable with the assumptions developed for each unique program. 

When should you claim Social Security? It's an important question. One study found that retirees have lost $3.4 trillion because they started taking Social Security too early. In this episode we'll look at two strategies. One optimizes Social Security assuming you and your spouse will live long past your life expectancy. The other optimizes the claiming strategy based on life expectancy.Join the newsletter: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

Explore with us how AI is poised to transform the actuarial landscape. We interview Dan Kim, an actuary pioneering AI innovation to streamline research and enhance efficiency. He delves into the challenges of AI hallucinations and bias, highlighting the need for transparency and accuracy. This episode uncovers the exciting potential and critical considerations of integrating AI into actuarial work. First in a Series.

In this episode, Dave Dillon has a conversation with Ashwag Alzahrani; Saudi Arabia's First Female FSA. 

Join new host Nick Kocisak, ASA, and Mike McPhee Anderson, FSA, to learn about Mike's unique educational background and the importance of data science know-how in the actuarial world.  In this episode, Mike discusses some advantages of continuing education and dispels data science "dirty words" like Poisson distribution and decision tree in hopes that actuaries will embrace these advanced techniques and continue to drive the profession forward!

Nichole Semprit, The Actuarial Foundation Senior Program Specialist and  Channy Cornejo, AP Calculus and AP Statistics Instructor at Santa Teresa High School discuss how the Foundation math competitions, Modeling the Future Challenge and The Hardest Math Problem Student Contest help students expand their skills, build confidence and win college scholarships.

Join us for another exciting YPAC podcast as host Shawn Stender, FSA, MAAA, discusses unique actuarial career journeys with Lana Marozava, ASA, CERA, and Joe Long, ASA, MAAA. This podcast will shed light on the numerous different paths that young professionals can take on their journey to become an actuary. Whether that means changing careers from a teacher, project manager, or data scientist or just taking the exams at your own pace—this podcast will help young actuaries understand that there is more than one way to be successful in actuarial work.  

Our Profile interview this evening is Nthato Selebo, Executive Director for the South African Actuarial Development Programme (SAADP). The South African Actuarial Development Programme (SAADP) unveils its rebranding initiative, marking a transformative shift in its identity to better reflect its mission, vision, and commitment to empowering black actuarial professionals across South Africa and Mr Selebi brings a wealth of experience, passion, and dedication to youth development and transformation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Frank Yeager, FSA and Chris Smith, ASA for an insightful discussion about leadership, the future of actuarial consulting, and the value of strong relationships. Frank shares his advice for aspiring and early-career actuaries gleaned over the course of a two-decade long career at Mercer that has culminated in his latest role as US Health Actuarial and Financial Group Leader.

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Tonight at 8:30 pm CST, on the Flyover Conservatives show we are tackling the most important things going on RIGHT NOW from a Conservative Christian perspective! TO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONSERVATIVES SHOWS - https://flyover.live/show/flyoverTO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONTENT: www.flyover.liveTo Schedule A Time To Talk To Dr. Dr. Kirk Elliott Go To ▶ https://flyovergold.comOr Call 720-605-3900

Join Jim Cristallo, FSA and Chris Smith, ASA for an insightful discussion as they dive into the topics of entrepreneurship, blockchain, baseball cards, and - of course - tips and tools for early-career actuaries.

Prepare for a dynamic conversation on the YPAC podcast as host Silver Zhou, FSA, engages in a rich discussion with special guest, Kelly Hennigan, FSA, CFA, a leader in business who transitioned away from traditional actuarial roles. From the impactful influence of mentors on career paths, navigating trust in the workplace, and the intricacies of working with non-actuaries, this episode promises special insights and perspective. Also, discover the secrets of staying motivated and dedicated to giving back to the profession as Kelly shares her experiences as a longtime volunteer.

Jeff Johnson, The Actuarial Foundation immediate past board chairperson talks with Andy Ferris, current board chairperson and incoming board chairperson, Sharon Robinson about the vital work being done by the Foundation. The group highlights how the Foundation's advancement efforts positively influence the lives of our students and how the actuarial community drives our impact. Visit the https://actuarialfoundation.org/ for more information.

It's a new year and a new episode! Listen in as Ryan Wodarski, ASA, and host Chris Smith, ASA, discuss how to stand out to employers, transition successfully from the ASA to the FSA exam track, and plenty of other tips for early career actuaries.

In this podcast, fast-rising leader in the reinsurance space, Stephen Abrokwah Ph.D, FSA, CERA, MAAA, shares some general knowledge about reinsurance and delves a bit more into his own career journey and experience as a client-facing reinsurance Actuary.

In this episode of NucleCast, host Adam Lowther interviews Joe Buff, an MIT-trained mathematician and author, about applying actuarial sciences to nuclear deterrence. The conversation explores the prediction of human behavior in deterrence, the application of actuarial sciences to improve deterrence strategies, and the importance of vetting assumptions in deterrence models. Joe Buff also shares his three wishes related to the topics discussed: the need for Americans to know and care about nuclear deterrence, building the right workforce for deterrence efforts, and ensuring a smooth modernization process. The episode concludes with a comprehensive look at deterrence in the 21st century.Socials:Follow on Twitter at @NucleCastFollow on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/nuclecastpodcastSubscribe RSS Feed: https://rss.com/podcasts/nuclecast-podcast/Rate: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nuclecast/id1644921278Email comments and topic/guest suggestions to NucleCast@anwadeter.org

Welcome back Listeners!  We have another great episode of the Society of Actuaries Research Institute Research Insights Podcast!  Hear discussion of the report “Challenges and Opportunities with Rethinking Fairness Metrics for Life Insurance Processes: An Actuarial Perspective” which focuses on issues with respect to fairness in the context of processes involved in developing and managing life insurance, especially risk classification, without offering specific solutions or engaging in legal or political debate. Author and Host:  Lisa A. Schilling, FSA, EA, FCA, MAAA Advisory Panel Guests:  Hezhong (Mark) Ma, FSA, MAAA, Bruce A. Friedland, FSA, MAAA Landing page:  https://www.soa.org/resources/research-reports/2023/fairness-metrics-life-insurance/

Actuarial science is all about calculating risk – risk of injury, illness, death, risk of market shifts and financial outcomes. Part one covers the earliest population tables and early examples of life insurance and assurance.  Research: Bell, John. “London's Remembrancer … “ E. Cotes. London. 1665. Accessed online: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A27350.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext Bellhouse, David R. “A New Look at Halley's Life Table.” Journal of the Royal Statistical Society.” 174, Part 3, pp. 823–832. 2011. https://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/epidemiology/hanley/c609/material/BellhouseHalleyTable2011JRSS.pdf Bennetts, N., (2019). MORGAN, WILLIAM (1750 - 1833), actuary and scientist. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 22 Dec 2023, from https://biography.wales/article/s12-MORG-WIL-1750 Boyce, Niall. “Bills of Mortality: tracking disease in early modern London.” The Lancet. April 11, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30725-X Chatfield, Michael and Vangermeersch, Richard, "History of Accounting: An International Encyclopedia" (1996). Individual and Corporate Publications. 168.https://egrove.olemiss.edu/acct_corp/168 CLARK, GEOFFREY. “Life Insurance in the Society and Culture of London, 1700-75.” Urban History, vol. 24, no. 1, 1997, pp. 17–36. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44612859 de Roover, Florence Edler. “Early Examples of Marine Insurance.” The Journal of Economic History, vol. 5, no. 2, 1945, pp. 172–200. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2114075 Fouse, L. G. “Policy Contracts in Life Insurance.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 26, 1905, pp. 29–48. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1011003 “James Dodson's tables of premiums, 1756.” Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. https://www.actuaries.org.uk/learn-and-develop/research-and-knowledge/library-services/historical-collections/archive-equitable-life-assurance-society/highlights-equitable-life-archive/james-dodson-s-tables-premiums-1756 Eggen, Olin Jeuck. "Edmond Halley". Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Dec. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edmond-Halley Greenwood, Major. “The First Life Table.” Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London. October 31, 1938. Volume 1, Issue 2. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1098/rsnr.1938.0017 Harford, Tim. “What makes gambling wrong but insurance right ?” BBC News. March 20, 2017. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-38905963 Ivry, David A. “Historical Development of Some Basic Life Insurance Terminology.” The Journal of Insurance, vol. 28, no. 3, 1961, pp. 65–69. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/250376 Lewin, Chris. “The Creation of Actuarial Science.” ZDM – Mathematics Education. 2001. Vol. 33. https://subs.emis.de/journals/ZDM/zdm012i2.pdf Ogborn, M.E. “The Professional Name of Actuary.” Journal of the Institute of Actuaries. 1956. https://web.archive.org/web/20081217144303/http://www.actuaries.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/25382/0233-0246.pdf Rose, I. Nelson. “How Insurance Became (Mostly) Not Gambling.” Gaming Law Review and Economics.Nov 2014.864-872.http://doi.org/10.1089/glre.2014.1892 ROWELL, A. H. Journal of the Institute of Actuaries (1886-1994), vol. 88, no. 3, 1962, pp. 387–89. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41139514. Accessed 27 Dec. 2023. Thomas, R., & Chambers, Ll. G., (1959). PRICE, RICHARD (1723-1791), philosopher. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 27 Dec 2023, from https://biography.wales/article/s-PRIC-RIC-1723 “Actuary Overview.” Best Jobs. U.S. News and World Report. https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/actuary Walford, Cornelius. “History of Life Assurance in the United Kingdom.” Journal of the Institute of Actuaries and Assurance Magazine, vol. 25, no. 2, 1885, pp. 114–33. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41135809 Walford, Cornelius. “History of Life Assurance in the United Kingdom (Concluded).” Journal of the Institute of Actuaries (1886-1994), vol. 26, no. 6, 1887, pp. 436–65. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41136141 Whittle, Matt. “How To Become An Actuary: Responsibilities, Practice Areas And Certifications.” Forbes. Nov. 29, 2022. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/become-an-actuary/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode of Welcome To Cloudlandia, I share the story of my unexpected adventure travelling to Buenos Aires for a pioneering knee stem cell treatment. I describe how my blood and fat cells were transformed into new cartilage and transported across continents for the procedure. I also recount my partner Babs' experience treating an inflamed toe and the vitality we've regained. Our discussion explores the pursuit of longevity and regenerative medicine's potential to make 156-year lifespans attainable through the normalization of audacious goals. We delve into hopes for abundant years energized by purpose and new ventures. Additionally, I discuss the art of self-talk and strategies like daily focus tasks negotiated through self-management.   SHOW HIGHLIGHTS Dan shares his transformative experience with stem cell treatment in Buenos Aires, describing the process of turning his own cells into cartilage. We discuss the broader implications of regenerative medicine and how it might extend our lifespans and rejuvenate our vitality. The episode touches on the concept of setting ambitious longevity goals, like living to 156 years, to guide life's endeavors and encourage significant projects. Dean talks about the importance of mental self-management and compares it to a daily negotiation to focus on critical tasks. We delve into the balance between productive 'focus days' and the freedom of 'buffer days', and how each contributes to overall productivity and creativity. The conversation includes insights on the internal quest for happiness and whether the 'fountain of youth' might be a state of mind. Dean and I examine the concept of 'Dean Landia', a metaphor for the mental environment we create and have control over. We discuss the entrepreneurial mindset, emphasizing the role of deadlines, and the Danger, Opportunity, and Strength (DOS) and Money, Labor, and Time (MLT) frameworks for success. The episode reflects on how personal goals influence our actions and the normalization of extraordinary ambitions to build confidence. Dean describes his experience with stem cell treatment for his knee injury and his partner Babs' treatment for an inflamed toe, highlighting the physical and psychological benefits they've experienced post-treatment. Links: WelcomeToCloudlandia.com StrategicCoach.com DeanJackson.com ListingAgentLifestyle.com TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Dean: I wouldn't have it any other way. Welcome, Mr Claude Ladiak. Mr. Dan: Jackson. Mr Jackson, yeah Well, very pleasant woman who, and you know, I was the first one on today and she said you're the first one to Join the call, the others will join pretty soon and so far, in about seven years, only one person has shown up. So I want to know who the? Others are. Is this the National Security Agency? Is this the Communist Party of China? I'm just trying to get a handle of who the others are. Dean: I think you're probably right once, two or more Gathered that everybody is. Dan: Yeah, but I found that just the two of us is more than enough. That's the truth. Dean: Well, I am excited to hear about all of your Adventures here You've been. You've been all over the world. Here seems like you've been in Chicago. You've been in most exciting Lee Buena Flores. Yes, I'm excited to hear all about the Adventure here. Dan: Yeah Well, spire Chicago goes. I missed the bullets, so that's all I can report on we're not. We're not in the part of the city that's in the crossfire zone, but anyway yeah. Buenos Aires was interesting. It's only the second time I've been to South America, and the first time was just to land in Ecuador, co City in Ecuador, and then we took a flight to the Galapagos Islands and this was as the guest of Richard Rossi, who put together, you know, a gathering that went to the Galapagos Islands and you know the plain lands and one of the islands, and then you take a National Geographic boat and I think it's Linblad and National Geographic and then you know we investigated all the sea life and the animal life which are, you know, very distinct from what's found elsewhere, and that was great, but it was mostly just painting out, with a whole bunch of people that were interesting to talk to. So that's only the first time and that was a long time ago. And then we just do Create the setting here. The context, again, as a result of being a guest of Richard Rossi, has a mastermind group which is called Da Vinci 50, and Babs and I took us two or three years to get our schedule right so that we could Guarantee our attendance at all the different meetings, but the very first one, this was in New Orleans. This was last January. I met a doctor, babs. I met a doctor there from Buenos Aires by the name of Gustavo Mabilia, and, and he told a story about what he's doing with stem cells and these are your own stem cells, white blood cells and fat cells that if you collect them and then send them. It's not an entirely easy process to get them to Argentina, but we got them there and he would then convert them into the stelle, the stem cells that you're having problem with your and your body and I have an orthopedic injury in 1975. I tore my cartilage in the left knee and in those days they would Take out the torn cartilage. They wouldn't do that today, but that's you know, that was the best that was going 48 years ago. And he said oh, we can regrow your cartilage. She said we can the part that was snipped out. We can regrow that cartilage and I said that's cool. That's cool. Yeah, I was convinced that Babs has a chronically inflamed right toe that really impedes a lot of her walking or exercise and it's inflamed bones. So I didn't know that bones got inflamed. It shows up on MRIs when you do an MRI. So long story short, through dr Hasi, who's our main Medical guide and explorer for us in Nashville, tennessee. He's got a clinic there called Maxwell Clinic. He did all the, you know the coordination before us to. You know, make sure that our stem cells were there, make sure that the they turn it into a magic potion I don't know too much more about it and he arranged with for our trip down. So we went. This is so. Yesterday was Saturday, we're talking on Sundays, it was two. Two Saturdays ago we took an overnight flight to Buenos Aires, where it's now springtime because they're in the other hemisphere. Yeah, it's more complicated than I'm telling you, but that's the upshot of it for the week and and so, as far as the you know, the brain cells and the vascular cells, the only thing I can say and I have to be, I think I have to be cautious here, but because I have, like a lot of entrepreneurs do, I have the ability to create my own placebo's. Dean: Right. Dan: Yeah, okay so all. I can say I've come back after the trip and we had. We came back after seven days and and this week I have felt more energized and more confident. Dean: Then I can remember recently sounds like quite an adventure and the upside yeah, gonna be. The upside is gonna be a total new development of cartilage in your knee specifically. Second, what's the Hope for it Like? Are you gonna have the knees of a preteen Swedish boy, or are you gonna Just have the normal knees of 79? Dan: well, basically yeah, I'll basically have the, basically the knee I had before the injury. Okay so that's 48 years, so six months, and the orthopedic is pretty easy for them. I mean, they're doing some advanced work and other parts of the body, but the cartilage is, you know, it's pretty, it's not a complicated thing, right? But what happens is they take my blood cells and my fat cells and they turn, essentially turn it into new cartilage cells and that's. You know, that's what stem cells are that? How? Dean: does it gather. Dan: Yeah, well it's. This was all done in Nashville and. So, what they do is they? You know it's, it's basically a centrifuge and you have an IV in both arms and the blood that gets taken out and it's, and they take the white blood cells out and then you know it's simultaneously they're taking blood out now return it to your body, but they're taking the white blood cells, which is far prior less of your blood than your red blood cells. Okay, actually it was like a two hour, two hour session and it was like a cup full. You know, after a big cup, a big mug full, and so that's the white blood cells and then the fat cells. You go to a plastic surgeon Because they're used to taking you know it's part of plastic surgery of taking out fat cells and so and you get enough they're, they're told how much of each are required for them to basically do a year's worth of. You know we're going to go down probably four times during the next 12 months, starting with the first trip two weeks ago. And they'll have enough just from that one extraction, extraction of both, they'll have enough. So next time I go down I broke both my Achilles tendons in the 1970s. That was a bad decade. That my in 1970s were just a really bad decade anyway. So anyway, and the Structurally, I mean they're shortened because of the surgery, the tendons, are shorter, but they've developed calcification. Oh yeah which reduces flexibility, and it's got pain attached to it. So next time they'll Take my same fat cells and white blood cells and they'll turn it into something that gets rid of all the Calcification and my and my tendons. Yeah, so, and that will give me more push-off, it'll give me more flexibility to go along with the new cartilage. So I think probably, you know, probably I'll be gaining back about 30 or 40 years of Running ability out of my legs, you know. Dean: I always Run for his money yeah. Dan: Well, yeah, I just want to run again. I enjoy running and I haven't been and it's been too painful to do for the last 10 years. And then the whole thing is the overall, the Direct injection. You're just going after a particular issue, but the IV, the, it goes into your brain and it looks for anywhere where your brain cells Are not performing correctly and it wakes them up. So the stem cells don't cure anything, they just wake up the natural cells that are there and they start growing again. And the same thing with the Vax vascular system. That's your, but I. I would say that Knowing that now I have the means to repair anything in my body as soon as it's identified as a problem is Very confidence. Dean: It's very confidence building you know it's very and. Dan: I was noticing that I had sort of blot into Sort of why I know I'm wearing down and I know that there's an end to it at some point, but I hadn't realized how much that was until I got the other thought that, no, almost anything that's going wrong with you you can repair now and you can rejuvenate it, and so that's a. That's a huge confidence builder. Dean: Yeah, and it's really I mean perfectly timely, right as you're entering into, you know, in my ninth decade. Yeah, exactly entering into your ninth decade with the goal of it being the best decade ever which I love that framework, by the way and at a time when normally it would be, you know, physical deterioration happening, you're like physical rejuvenation. Dan: You're going backwards on that thing, yeah, I mean yeah, you know the there's so many factors that are involved in aging, and some of it is just the fact that your cells only reproduce 50 times. Okay, there's a thing which is called the Haflick barrier. This is a I don't know quite what kind of scientists he was, but he found that every cell in the body and there's 20, I think, 26,000 different types of cells in the body, some number like that they all reproduce only 50 times, as far as they can tell, but they don't do it equally. They don't, they don't. They're not doing it at the same time. Heart muscles might be faster, other cells are slower, but it sort of reaches the limit of everything by the time you're 120. We only have one person on record where there's actual valid records of birth who has lived 120. She also lived, she also. She got to 122. She died. A French woman who died about 10 years ago. Dean: And that's the only person that. Dan: I mean, there's all these claims, you know, you know around the world, the people who lived at 200 and 300 and everything else, but they don't have any valid records which actually established that. So anyway, but but most people don't get to 120. Dean: Right, exactly. Dan: Yeah, I mean, even if you only got to 120,. I said, even if you only got to 120,. I said well yeah, I mean, if you're an entrepreneur and you're at top of your game at 60, and you're saying, no, I guess I have to retire pretty soon. Well, the decision to retire is sort of telling your body it doesn't matter how long the body lasts now I mean, it can go really quickly. But if I know I'll be 18 next May and if I know that I can stay in top form for another 25 or 30 years at the top of my game right now, then that's a big deal. Dean: Yeah, I look at, I saw me. You know, bob Barker died earlier this year at 99. And the thing that was going around with that, he got to as close to 100 as he could without going over the big showcase showdown. Kind of close to 100. Dan: But you know George Burns, the comedian, very famous mid-century 20th century, you know, 40s through the 80s or 90s. He had a goal that he was going to do a full show at the Palladium in London, big Venue in London, england, and he did it. And then and I always gave him as an example because he was performing full time in his 90s and then- did an actual 100th birthday. And then he was in a shower about four weeks later, he slept, broke his hip and he died two weeks later. And I said, George, you didn't understand what you did. You should have set another date for when you were 110. Exactly. Dean: Isn't that amazing, I wonder? Yeah, I mean, that's kind of a. You've been programming yourself for 156 for as long as I've known you Since 1987, you know since 19, 36 years right now, yeah. Yeah. So that's kind of you know. You're just approaching or just at the halfway mark there ramping up, gaining speed, gaining momentum. Dan: Well, people say do you really think you're going to live to 156? And I said I know I won't if I don't have it as a goal. Amen. Dean: Well. Danny just setting yourself up for disappointment. Dan: Well not me everybody who ends up with my messes after I'm gone. You know when I'm gone. What do I care? Dean: Exactly, that's the point. I love that. Dan: I love, I laugh. Dean: I tell people that all the time, when you said the just for you, it's just going to be live, live, that's better. There, you go, you're not going to experience the disappointment. Dan: There's a great French philosopher from the 1600s named Blaise Pascal. Dean: And there's a blaze. Dan: There's a Pascal wager. And he says you know, when you think about it, all of us regarding if there's anything after this life, it's a guess. You know it's a guess and it's a bet and he says but let's just take a look at the two bets. There's nothing after you die. Okay. Dean: Okay well that's cool. Dan: The other one is there's a whole other world after I die. And he says it's not so much which makes the best sense after you die. It's what bet makes the sense right now? Because if you think that there is a whole world afterwards and it turns out there's nothing, well you really haven't lost anything, because you know there's nothing, but what? If you believe your whole life there isn't anything after death, and then you find out that there and they said you know, and you said geez, if only I had. Oh my God, if I had known this and he's believing there's a afterlife is a much better bet, psychologically and emotionally, for right now. Yeah, yeah so I'm kind of a. I'm a kind of a Pascal wager kind of guy. Mm, hmm, that, I mean, is so back then everybody you know lived a life that took the natural course. You know I mean living to 60 and 70 in those days was kind of an achievement, with all the different ways you could die back then disease and you know and violence unless you were, unless you were, matthew's a lot. Yeah, yeah, but birth records. Dean: No documentation. Dan: I'm sorry, Matthew's a lot. I'm sorry, but where's your come on? Where's your papers? That's everybody. Dean: Every time I think about muscle, I think about our Aubrey, aubrey de Grey. Yeah and the Missusola prize. Have you heard any updates on that? I've kind of lost the past. No, I saw video. Dan: I saw a video of him talking and I got a feeling that that Living living two or three times more than natural, but not being happy right now is probably Not a good bet, because I didn't get the sense that he was a happy. I didn't get the sense that he was a happy person, you know. So I mean you never know, I mean people who never saw aren't necessarily unhappy, and people who smile all the time aren't necessarily happy, you know. Dean: I mean happiness. Dan: Yeah, an internal disc, it's an internal disposition, yeah. But anyway, you know I'm just reporting back. I'm sort of a bit of a trailblazer in relationship to this stuff, but I'm only. I will tell you, dean, I was thinking about this when I was in Buenos Aires that if I didn't have that goal of living to 156, I wouldn't be doing this stuff right now. Dean: Yeah, that's true, right, you're already in traditionally if you speak about like. I'm beyond refund right now. You know, I mean, you're out of warranty. Right now You're an extra innings Actuarial tables. You're an actual outlier. Dan: Yeah, but I'm really a profit center for the insurance companies. It's just been me paying them, just been me paying them up until now. I love it. Dean: Dan is so great. I think this is like that's one of the great things of you know being alive at this time in particular, just all the access to these things. That's only gonna get better, as we understand. I remember when I went to the first, the first abundance 360 and Richard Rossi's friend, gary Kaplan, was there with us. I think you've met Dr Kaplan. Dan: Oh no, Gary. Yeah, Gary, you know, I see him every, I see him at every defense. She 50 maybe. Dean: You know, he's a great guy Okay yeah. Yeah, I really went to the go out there. Dan: I went to the go out because silence with Gary, so we had a lot of time to talk. Dean: So I've known him for a long time, you know, well, I remember when this was. This had to be Almost 10 years ago, right 9, 9 years ago. Anyway, the first abundance 360, not the very first one, the first one in LA Beverly Hills Hotel there, and you know I'm sitting with him and he was Saying you know, when you look at all the medical advancements that are coming right now, this is back then you said it's gonna. It's gonna seem like we've been Throwing rocks at people to get them healthy, you know, compared to what's actually coming. I mean, yeah, we would describe what you know regenerative, and that's a good word. That's kind of become, you know, newly minted. Regenerative medicine is All the things from the on a cellular level regenerative Regeneration, replacement. You know we're pretty much going to be able to replace everything Before we repair it or repair it. Yeah, replace repair, regenerate right. Dan: And that's pretty cool. So, yeah, I like well, I think, the hmm, I got involved with Peter Diamandas in I'm just trying to think. There was December of 2011, the first before a 360 meeting. We didn't have a name for it, but this was in Silicon Valley and and one of the things that sort of connected Peter and Peter and me Was really the fact that we both had this commitment to living way beyond normal age, you know. But I had a thinking process, you know. Of course it's the first hour of strategic coach, which is the lifetime extender. And he came in at that time and I said you know it's not a goal you can achieve unless you can normalize it as a normal thought. I said you know our brain, and Our brain really resists abnormal thoughts. We, it has to be normal. So I set myself the goal in 1987 that every time I thought of my lifetime I would just think 156, you know, you know, at that time, life expectancy for males you know of my background and you know the thing was 78, so 156 is twice and so it took me about three years before it was just a normal thought. So whenever I you know I'm pushing 80 now and you know, and I said, well, what's my lifetime, I said 156. So at 80. That makes me very ambitious because I know I've got in my own mind, I've got, a way you know, enormous amounts of time left, really twice a lifetime 76 years. Yeah, yeah, I got 76, 76 years to get things done, so it makes me Totally confident about starting new, big, new big things. And I mean your whole life is either happy or unhappy. Unhappy based on the kinds of conversations you're having with yourself. I agree. Dean: I agree a hundred percent. I mean, you realize, I was realizing, I've been thinking a lot about this. You know, this straddling of the mainland and the cloud land via, and those thoughts then brought me into the actual game, which is game land is where at all happened and I realized that how much of you know Dean landia is affected by the inputs and circumstances and the Context and relationships and conversations and environments that you voluntarily Put yourself in, you know, surrounding yourself with the environment that's going to shanty people yeah, people, I mean. Dan: Yeah. Dean: And. Dan: I just had a thought, and that was triggered by your Dean Landia, that I only have direct access to one human being on the planet. You know, and same goes for you, and a lot of people spend their life. A lot of people spend their life trying not to be, not to deal with the one person they have direct access to you know they're hoping they're going to be saved from the proof that they hope something else will save them from the person that they're actually inside of, and you know so. so my, my whole point is why don't you just take ownership for the, the relationship that you have just with this one person, and you know there's new dimension, there's new dimensions presenting themselves all the time. And and the other insight I had and that comes from our conversations, because we're we've got a very similar approach to life on a lot of different fronts and I was thinking, you know, I've been trying to control my brain up until I think, about two years ago. I was going to control my brain and, you know, make sure my brain was focused on this and that. And I said why don't we change the relationship here and take for granted that you want, I have no control over my brain. And the other thing is why don't we just see where it goes every day? Because it's totally unpredictable. I spent one day and just sort of locked in where my brain was going that day and there was absolutely no predictability to what's forever. And I said, okay, why don't we just I'm just going to do it deal with my brain wherever it goes? During that day I wanted to do three useful things for my plans. You can go anywhere you want, but by the end of the day, I want progress on this, I want progress on that, I want progress on that, okay just have fun, you know, do whatever you want, but by the end of the day, if you and I are going to sleep happily tonight, you know, I got to see progress on these three things. Dean: Oh, my goodness, Dan, that's so funny. You know, it's like I've been having these exact conversations with myself here. It's like taking over the management. You know, it's all in that vein of you know, imagine if you applied yourself your FELF, these things of taking over the management, you just you hit it on the head that I only have direct control over one human on the planet and that's me. And I thought about entering and I realized that my brain, my desires, my ambition, my you know vision, the visionary in my brain here is not necessarily the one in control of the, the doing part of my brain, the labor management versus labor right. And so I was thinking about I heard one time that there's a form of contract where a you know production will enter into a contract with an actor or a celebrity, that with their company on an SSO contract which is for services of. So it would be enter, as I thought it's kind of like entering into a contract with my brain here for services of being Jackson and thinking what you just said is like those. If I could just like allocate time and attention to you know I've I've thought a lot about your thing of three, three things a day. How much I'd love to hear from you how, on a buffer day when you are I don't know how you define whether buffer day or focus you've got workshop focus days where those are like the Bob's fled run kind of thing. That you know what's happening on a workshop day. You get up and I'm sure your car arrives at a certain time and you get taken to the workshop and everything is for my computer, or my computer does, because some of them are virtual. Yes, exactly Okay. And then but on the days where I never struggle with those, I realized that everything that I do get done has that external exoskeleton or that scaffolding to make sure that gets done. If you're just in the right, all you have to do is, you know, get in the car and the rest of it is taking place, or open up the computer and sit down and you're. You know you're able to focus and deliver the workshops. But I'm curious about your free range time, where I think I may have, like I crave and do a lot to carve out big blocks of uninterrupted time, only to end up having nothing to show for it. Because, I don't get myself to sit down and do the things that I've carved out all this time to do. I'm curious how, what your experience is on getting Dan to do stuff that requires his own batteries, I guess I'd love to hear your experience. Dan: Here again, I think we're very similar and I think that's why our podcasts are so enjoyable, because to a certain extent, neither of us wants it to end when we get going. But I have one of our models in the strategic coach is a theater model which is front stage, back stage, and front stage is really, whether you have a viable company or not, it's your front stage your profitable front stage impact is what determines whether you're getting paid to take care of everything else, and I don't have to be motivated for a front stage impact. You know, and workshops is an example, podcasts is another example, creating new thinking tools is another example, and writing books is another example, or videos or audios. So these are all front stage. In other words, if I can get this done, then it has a multiplier impact out in the world on other people, and that either me directly interacting with the world, or our coaches or our team members interacting with the world, and that ends up in profitability. Okay, so those are my focus days, but some of the days that are not focused days, I have to be preparing for those days. Okay, but anytime. I think of front stage impact preferably. I don't need to be motivated to do that, I love doing that. Dean: Okay. Dan: And that's my usefulness to myself, that's my usefulness to everybody I engage with. But just going back to my decision over the last two years of just letting my mind wander, when I'm not directly engaged in front stage impact activities, my brain can do anything at once. It can go anywhere and so I don't really care. Before I used to care. I'm not making use of my front stage, my back time, I'm not making it. I said leave it alone, just let it go where it wants to go, let it run, let it go out and frolic, let it explore and everything else they really run. So I mean, it took me till practically age 78 to come to this agreement with my brain, and so I'm either in hyper focus, actually doing the things that make money and spread the reputation and do all sorts of good things, or it's free reign. I really don't care. Dean: And to me what it does. Dan: It frees me up from the tyranny of time and effort. That you're absolutely maximizing the use of your time. I said I don't care about my time and I don't care about my effort, as long as I make a front stage a profitable front stage impact. If it takes me an hour to do that, and it's an hour if it takes me a full day workshop, then it's a full day workshop, but I don't really care about the time and the effort, I just really care about the impact. And then backstage. I just say brain, go and do whatever you want to do, think about anything you want to think about, and I couldn't care less. You don't have to justify your existence. My brain doesn't have to justify its existence when it's not on stage. Dean: That's very interesting when you're creating a new tool. For instance, you introduced a tool on Friday for our pre-melt connection. Call yeah, your melt tool, and what's happening? How does that come about? What's your process? Dan: for that. Dean: That's one of the key outputs that you're providing is new IP and thinking tools for the thing, so how does that come about? If your mind goes, you mentioned you've read Peter Zion's book seven times now. Dan: Yeah, the end of the world is just the beginning. I think it's the most important book in the world. I'm reading and I read it seven times. So it's Peter Zion. Dean: Z-E-I-H-A-N. Dan: And the book is called. Dean: The. Dan: End of the World is Just Beginning and he's written. This is the fourth book that he's written since 2014, where he's just predicting that everything we were expecting to happen 10 years ago ain't going to happen that way, and a whole new world is going to happen. Dean: And he's got very plausible readings. Dan: I'm not going to explain the book here but it has a profound impact on me. But it seemed to me that he was operating at a macro geopolitical level and I said well, is there a simple sort of set of gauges, if you will underneath, that determines in any place at any time whether things are moving forward or they're stagnating or they're falling behind? And I came up, it just sort of fell out of. He doesn't talk about this directly, but after I'd read it a whole number of times, it just struck me that it was the cost of four things that determine this, and one of them was the cost of money. How much is it cost you to get money? And that comes in two forms how much is it cost you to get a loan and how much is it cost you to get an investment? Those are the two main, the financial vehicles that underlay growth. And then your profitability is the third one. Are you keeping a lot of what you're making? Dean: That's savings. Dan: And then the cost of energy and all of its different forms and the cost of labor getting really top notch. You have access to other people's skills, and how much is it cost you to do that? And then the cost of transportation, because we live in a physical world and to move a pound costs money including your own pounds and that costs energy and I just started playing with this. I know we did. I was mentioned on a previous one of our podcasts Mike Kenix, we did it on that and everybody I talked about it. It had a simplifying effect on their thinking. I said this is a good tool. That's all I do If you come up with an acronym and it's. M-e-l-t. And I said I think we're going into a great meltdown next 30 years where everything of those four factors is going to cost more, and you can see it. Yeah, I mean you can see it. All you have to do is read the news every day. Most of this is going up, energy is costing more, labor is costing more and transportation is costing more. And I said so. You know, I think it's a neat way. So what I did is I just introduced a tool to the free zone entrepreneurs, just two days ago, when you were there and I said if this is true, let's just suppose that it's true, that these costs are going to go up for everyone else and what's your biggest advantage and opportunity over the next 30 years? And that's just. That would be a thinking tool, and it has two qualities it's a sudden new thought, it provokes your interest, but it brings your right back to what you, as an entrepreneur, can take advantage of. So those are my criteria for a new thinking tool for a strategic coach. It took me from the time the thought occurred me to Friday, because that's the first time I did it. It took me six months of playing around with the idea, checking with other people you know conversation and then just looking at the news and saying, is the news going in the direction of the theory? You know? Dean: Yeah, and then. So when you like to get it to that tool, state that's part of your when you're letting your mind wander. It's so funny, dan, I've been talking about this idea of the self-milking cow, the idea of embracing your bovinity and realizing that you're the one that can create the milk. And if you set up an environment like I've moved towards, is that we basically have things divided into three divisions. I call it the pastures, which is me out roaming the pastures, you know, exploring and being a happy cow. And then we have got a milking shed and the milking shed is set up for me to come in and be, milked, essentially to turn my thoughts, free range thoughts, into, you know, into digital milk, meaning that we're recording something about my you know I'm doing it either through a podcast or through a Zoom or interview or whatever we've got with my team. And then we have the processing plant, where they take the digital milk and they process it into podcast, courses, tools, anything like that. So I'm curious, like it sounds like one of your pasture roaming activities is reading things like the like Peter Zion's book and your six you know your of daily input from real clear politics and the Wall Street Journal and All the things that you do. You put those all in and then ruminate on them and and then outcomes the things. When you're turning it into a tool, though, are you consciously like? Are you starting with, like illustration, journaling, doodling? What's your, what's your kind of creation process for? Dan: yeah, I do, because our tools come in in One page written. There's boxes and the box. You know the number of boxes, the kind of boxes you have so with with the melt tool. All I did was have it's called your great meltdown and your great meltdown DOS. Okay, so DOS is a previous tool that we have in coach is that and any human activity. There people are responding to dangers that they're fearing loss of some sort. The other thing is opportunities, where they're excited about the possible gain of something. Dean: And then their strength. Dan: These are the things that they already have going for them. And I said I think all human beings, every day, operate within a unique DOS framework of things that are fearful about, things are excited about and things that they're confident about. So what I did is I did a matrix and matrixes are cool, so the cool way of structuring where you have MLT, money, energy, labor, t and then I had four arrows going up for, I think, cost, and then down the side I had danger, opportunity, strength. And then I said to the entrepreneurs, because they're familiar with the DOS, everybody At the level that you're at in coach, the free zone. This is an old tool. This is, you know, 20 years old and some of you have been there 20 years and I said so from your standpoint that all of your clients and potential clients, customers, are going to have the danger of rising melt costs. What's your opportunity in this? Okay. So what's there the opportunity with dangers? What's the opportunity? Yeah. What's your opportunity with other people's opportunities? And what's your Opportunity with other people's strengths? And then you go through it and there's another exercise which I won't go into right here, and you come back and then you just have a general conversation, you have breakout sessions and conversation, and the room goes crazy, you know, and because everybody's done thinking about their thinking, they've talked about their thinking, and they come back and they hear everybody else's thinking and that's what produces the workshop. But the thing that triggers all this motion is that I have deadlines to create new things. Dean: Yes, I got it and that's really how it all comes out and that's, I think, do you have a sense of what your, how much of your time? Is that free range versus you know the structured workshops? And so I guess it's getting left, or more and more Free range. Dan: Well, I would say even on my most intense front stage days. Still, the majority of the day is free range and then when I don't have that type of thing. It's all free range, yeah, but it's not a. Yeah, without a commitment to someone else to deliver something, giving myself deadlines is worthless. Yeah, me too. Dean: I've discovered that about me giving myself a backstage free range deadline. Dan: Well, first of all, I think free range and deadline is a contradiction in terms. Right. Dean: Yeah, this is what I like about the, you know is doing a workshop or scheduling a milking session. Is I know that if I've got a milking session Scheduled, like I've been going to the studio? Yeah you know, on Thursday morning, 10 o'clock to 12 o'clock, and I know that you know I'm prepared for For being milked at that at those times, you know. So I'm either, yeah, doing something myself. Some of the best things that I've done have been just preparing myself to record a State of the Union or a new, you know, record myself as a thought. I do find those a little more that I have to. You know, if I have to have that time set aside, right, that's how I've been. How I did the convert more leads book was I Could free range, I get my thoughts together for this section of the book and then I go and talk that out. So it gives me that structure. One thing that I have realized and that's been very helpful is this idea that Reality you know, the mainland, the real world here, applying yourself, moves at the speed of reality, which is 60 minutes per hour. And, yeah, if I'm going to embark on a project that's going to take 20 hours, that there's no possible way to allocate or Put in those 20 hours without actually putting in the 20 hours and that I can't do it. All at once. So the only thing I've got an infinite. I've got an infinite Opportunity list of all of the things that I could possibly do, but what I've been experimenting with that's very helpful is Just loading in my next 10 hours. What if I? What can I do in the next 10? 50 minute focus sessions that I have? you know that's really that narrow. That helps me prioritize and make a decision, which is the first step of you know my acronym of playing golf a goal, optimal environment, limited distractions, six time frames. So a goal is the decision of what am I going to do at Tuesday from 10 o'clock to 12 o'clock I've got two potential hours that I can allocate there and what am I going to do in those times. You know, that's really been a big help. Dan: Yeah, yeah and. I, you know and I've got a reputation that goes back, certainly the full extent of the Coach program, which goes back. I mean we'll be 35 years Next November. We're in our 35th year of the coach program. Dan always delivers. Yeah, and I have a Absolute commitment to never in any way undermining that reputation. So whatever it takes, dan always delivers, okay me too. And you know if you handle that, whatever it takes to deliver, you know life gets real, simple. Dean: Yeah even though it's sometimes. You've seen that illustration of the you know assignment made, accepted, deadline here the timeline, and then the little five percent at the very end and the 95% all allocated is goofing off. And then five percent, all the work done, while crying. Dan: No matter what. Dean: Yeah, well done, you know, yeah, yeah yeah, because your, your entire reputation is just in terms of commitment, is that you've made to other people? Yeah, and I think, though, our ability to our ability to always deliver, I think has really been, you know, honed because of our, the requirement of us always pulling a rabbit out of our hats growing up. Dan: I think yeah, even in any assignments or anything like that. Dean: We've gotten Really good at improv theater you know, yeah, I. Dan: Well, I think the other thing is if that's true, you always deliver then, what people can't see about that? Are you happy with the time you spend that other people can't see? And I would say that I'm up about 1,000 times over the last 30 years. I'm really happy with the free range time. I'm really happy with all the work backstage that I have to do. I used to be grueling. It was working nights, it was working weekends under severe pressure, and that's not true anymore, because I've got a sense of the framework of the project. I got the sense of the timing of the project. And I said you know and then you know, I've kind of worked out what the deal is with my brain. My brain always delivers at the end of the day. And I says, well, there's two of us that always deliver my brain. If I set my brain three things by the end of the day, have this self, I don't care what you do, You're not accountable for any of your time, but by the end of the day I want these three things delivered. And then I've got my commitments to deliver a front stage. So I've just worked out a two-way deal here. I love it. Dean: That's great. Well, Dan, I never yeah. Dan: I think we're kind of cosmic soulmates, you know, both the payoff and the problem. I think we're. Both of us have tried similar landscape in terms of coming to grips with ourselves. I agree. Yeah, I find these conversations infinitely interesting One takeaway that you got from today, and I'll tell you mine. Dean: So that's my big takeaway for today. It's given myself permission to just roam the pastures, to enjoy my free range, as long as I just hold up my end of the bargain right. That was a night. I got a lot out of that. Dan: Yeah, and I think that I do really interesting podcasts also with Shannon Waller which is called Inside Strategic Coach and people always want to know. Our clients especially want to know how we do, what we do backstage. And I'll just drop this as a topic for her, because I think this the greatest tension that entrepreneurs have is not front stage, but the greatest tension is backstage. Dean: Yeah, yeah, I agree, I agree. Well, I'm excited about next week. Yeah, I want to talk again even more conversation. I look forward to it. Thanks, steve, this is really great, thanks. Dan: Steve, okay, I'll talk to you next time.

Introduction:  Oscar Trimboli is an award-winning Author, host of the Apple award-winning podcast Deep Listening and a sought-after Keynote Speaker. ·         Oscar's third book, How to listen-discover the hidden key to better communication is the most comprehensive book about listening in the work place. Along with the Deep Listening Ambassador Community, Oscar is on a quest to create 100 million deep listeners in the workplace. ·         Oscar works with Chairs, Boards of Directory and Executive Teams.   Podcast episode Summary:  In this episode Oscar shares what he means by the transformational impact of listening, often beyond words, in the workplace. He provides numerous examples of what it means to listen and how. We reference his book across the conversation to illuminate the richness of his research and to expand on the idea that listening is a skill, a strategy, and a practice – a way to balance how you communicate.   Points made throughout the Episode:   o    Who are you? Oscar responded by saying he is really a confused human. He plays many different roles, the role of Grandfather, the role of carer for his Father and someone who loves to hike in the bushlands around Sydney. o    What motivated you to get into this particular domain, that is listening? Oscar shared 3 stories to answer this question. The first is that as a teenager Oscar required years of orthodontic work and he did not want to draw attention to his features so he became very skilled at asking others questions. The second is that Oscar went to a school with over 23 different nationalities and whilst playing cards teams would tend to form around their own nationalities. Oscar became adept at reading body language. The third story speaks to a seminal moment in Oscar's career in 2008 at his employer Microsoft. He was part of a larger meeting involved in budget meeting. There were 18 people at the meeting. At the 20 minute mark in this budget meeting Oscar's boss, Tracy, says “Oscar we need to talk immediately after this meeting” This statement caused Oscar to stop paying attention and to question how he was going to communicate to those that mattered he was about to get fired. Instead the comment altered the trajectory of Oscar's career and he has dedicated his research and work to decoding the elements of Listening. Essentially his boss said “Oscar if you could code how you listen, you could change the world” o    That profound insight resulted a body of work where Oscar has coded how to listen and that body comprises 3 books, a quiz a jigsaw game and a playing card game that he runs in many organisations today. o    The difference between hearing and listening is taking action and Oscar believes he had made a dent in the business of decoding how to listen. o    What did you have to unearth or discover to know how to code listening? In the moment Oscar had no clue & about 2 weeks later he was asked to audit another budget meeting hosted by the then CFO, Brian. Despite the fact that the meeting proved almost incomprehensible with few people actually speaking, where when Brian spoke people asked clarifying questions, Oscar noticed he was taking a tally of this phenomena and then realised that he as actually beginning  to decode listening. o    Tracy asked Oscar to code how he listened in order to change the world and what he has used since then to decode how to listen  is the research of deep listening institute, the academic literature and interviews with diverse workplace workers. o    In all of this work Oscar is trying to make sense of what it takes to help  a person's listening  move from  simply nodding and muttering to listening to what is not said. o    Oscar cautions listeners not to try and use a tip they might hear over this podcast on someone that is significant to them to ward against unintended consequences and to make his point he shares a story about his friend Mick. o    What are the salient features that describe the code of listening? o    The maths or neuroscience of listening helps people understand why people are not good listeners. The math is as follows;   1.     People speak at the rate of 125 words per minute 2.     People can listen at the rate of 400 words per minute 3.     People think at the rate of 900 words per minute.   o    What this means is that people can stay in the conversation. Jump ahead and solve or go ahead and judge and anticipate, while they are waiting for the speaker to catch up. o    Oscar analyses the math and helps us understand that what the speaker shares is 14% of what the speaker thinks and means. Good listeners listen to what is said, Great listeners & deep listeners notice what is not said in the 86% o    Most of us are dialoguing using the 14% each way and we can get frustrated. If instead a listener remembers that what a speaker says is only 14% of what they think and mean then the listener can move towards helping the speaker elucidate what is in the 86% o    In teams if you are not taking the time to fully listen this frustration is N squared by the number of people in the room. o    In the workplace as a listener your job is not to make sense of what is being spoken or thought but to help the speaker express what they think and mean.  o    As a nugget Oscar shares a framework which he refers to as a listening compass. First he shares that most of us are coded through our educational systems, to listen for similarities. Pattern matching. Pattern matching trains us to listen for similarities and what is divergent. o    The first question to ask in the compass system is directional to help the speaker say more from their original draft thinking. The question is asked with empathy and genuine curiosity “Say more about that?” This helps the speaker share more about what they are thinking and meaning. o    The second question works to explore the divergent to help illuminate what else might be considered, different perspectives for example. The question is “what else” o    The third question is exquisite silence. Silence and listen share identical letters. Silence is like a magnet to draw the speakers meaning to the fore. o    Silence is a sign of respect, wisdom and authority. A leader can shape the presence of the group or team to listen to each other and not just the active speaker. o    People can immediately complain that this form of listening will take time when in fact it saves time over time. o    What are all the ways we assume we listen and we don't? o    Listening happens before, during and after the conversation and it is important that as a listener you learn how to listen to yourself. o    Many of us are not conscious of our own state, the state necessary to be able to listen. o    Many people are stuck at level one listening, listening to yourself. Level two is listening to the content, level three is listening for the context, level four is listening to what is not said and level five is listening for meaning. o    91% of workplace listeners are paying attention to a notification that is electronic, some of which are getting closer to our bodies such as our digital watches. We are distracted. We do not know the difference between paying attention and giving attention. We have so many browser tabs open in our mind, we are over flooded and what we want to do is shut them down so that we can give attention and listen. o    The best tip Oscar can give to those who host meetings it to set the time for the meeting 5 mins past the hour and to run the meeting for 50 minutes, to let people decompress from their previous meeting and be on time for the next. o    Most people are physically present when they arrive at a meeting but mentally present about 5 minutes after. o    You can change your state by changing your calendar appointments by 5 mins each side of an hour, by drinking a glass or water and by noticing your breathing and by listening to music before a meeting or conference call o    Oscar explains why he uses the negative in some of his questioning like asking people to wonder in an exercise “what am I not listening to in  myself” most people are used to listening to the noise so it takes a certain stillness to appreciate what wants to be heard. o    What are the villains of listening? Oscar, in response to a request from a CEO who wanted to help more in his organisation appreciate the value of listening, did some research to generate a quiz that organisational listeners could take. They based their survey on a few very simple questions like;   1.     “what's the other person doing when they are not listening?” 2.     “What do you struggle with when it comes to listening?” 3.     How do you rate yourself as a listener? And how would you rate others that listen to you?   o    It proved interesting that people were able to describe in much greater detail and length what others were doing when they were not listening compared to what they personally struggled with as a listener. o    Similarly there was a massive differential between a raters self-rating and their rating of others o    74% of people rated themselves well above or above average for listening and when asked the other way only 12% of people who listened to them rated well or above average. From this analysis the research company were able to build like cohorts which became the Villains of listening. 4 Archetypes emerged.     1.     People who were unproductively using emotion- they were getting hooked into the story 2.     People who were time or productivity obsessed – they tend to interrupt a lot 3.     People who came across as vague, disinterested or distracted-people who are given the label of lost 4.     A problem solver -they are kind of listening but really they are trying to fix someone -often labelled as shrewd.   o    These archetypes are useful to identify the listening behaviours and not used to label the individual o    Some of the villains are related such as the shrewd and the interrupter they are both time and productivity hungry. o    Oscar began to talk about a process question in team or group meetings that is often missed. If asked the team and group have permission to check/interrupt respectfully through the course of the meeting to see if they are on track and to adjust as necessary. o    The question is “what would make this a great conversation” The question is NOT what would make this a great question for you Tara? The reason why Oscar and his team do not add “for you” is because of an understanding about dialogue. In a 1:1 there are always 3 present, the two people concerned and the relationship they co-create between them. Oscar describes it is the speaker, the listener and the dialogue. The question is designed to ask where are we taking the dialogue. o    In teams it is important to ask this question at the start of the meeting. It is also helpful to ask everyone to jot their answer down on a piece of paper and to indicate a process for sharing as opposed to cold calling on people. o    This round of asks is not done for the purposes of the host but for every member of the team. There will be times when people drift off, get distracted lose themselves in the meeting and this process can be called up by remembering one or two of the desired outcomes. o    A good host will notice who is speaking and who is not in a meeting, He or she will determine what role they assume across the meeting. Perhaps roles such as time keeping or note keeping can be shared to increase the listening attention of the group. o    A potent question to ask during the meeting, not at the end and don't ask for feedback at the end either because there is not an opportunity to change, is “What is one thing we can we amplify & one thing we can  adjust for the balance of our meeting” o    This is a technique to get people to listen to each other in a different way. o    The antidote described above for the person who gets lost is equally valid for any of the four villains o    Oscar describes what it might sound like for a person who prescribes to the archetype of the drama or emotional listener. They listen for the drama and pull the spotlight over to themselves often to show empathy or connection – if you are this villain ask “where is the spotlight in the dialogue” Is it on the speaker, the listener or on the dialogue. Too much on the listener and it needs to shift, think instead about a third, a third, a third. o    What happens when the conversations go awry and descends into conflict? In conversation start to notice when people begin to use absolute language such as, “always, never , absolutely, precisely, exactly etc..” This language indicates & showcases the limits of our mental models Oscar shares another story from his experience. o    Two groups a Finance & Actuarial Group and  sales and marketing Group were trying to agree a pricing structure for their insurance company. The two groups could not agree and began to defend their respective positions based on their understanding of the  organisational structure, incentives, lived experience, educational experience etc.. They could not agree a way forward. Oscars construct is based on the idea that “every model is wrong and some are useful” That is a George Box quote, a statistician. o    The two groups were coming from very different orientations. In both cases everybody could only see why there model or world view was right. o    To unpick what was not said, Oscar asked each side to argue for the arguments and rationale of the other. He divided the groups into pairs, where one person from Finance and Actuarial talked with one person form Sales and Marketing o    The dialogue that ensued was much more energetic and engaged. People were reminded to put up stickies on the wall for information and understanding gleaned in the new conversations. After about 25 minutes into an exercise designed to last longer a person from finance stopped the entire conversation. He told the group that they all had to listen to what had been discovered. Essentially a piece of information assumed by Sales & Marketing to be part of the thinking held by Finance & Actuarial was absent.   o    The meeting ended early with agreement by both sides. Up until then there had been no attempt to listen for what was unsaid. This is where a group listens for difference rather than similarity as is customary. o    Many organisations live in conversations and dialogue where they speak from vested interests which has nothing to do with progressing the outcomes of the dialogue. o    I asked a question that was a version of a level four question to ask how to listen to what is not said so far. I was clumsy and asked a question that was not quite the question I had intended. I really wanted to know if there was anything I had not yet asked Oscar that would be missed by my listeners,  Oscar shared a question that might have served better. He asked “I sense there might be something really useful you could share with the audience that I have not asked into yet?” By introducing the audience we are listening from a different perspective o    The point here is that for leaders it is important to be conscious of the quality of dialogue, use of words and the intention behind questions. o    Oscar shared that the two different questions would yield two very different answers one more serving of the podcast listeners than the other. o    Oscar shared a final story to reveal the power of listening to all the voices in a room . The story of Elaine. This is a story of a team, a top team, working the issue of their growth figures compared to those of their peers. Oscar asked the group to think about two questions; 1.     What animal is our business? 2.     and what are the characteristics of those animals. o    Most people described the business as some fast moving bird or animal something that was fast and killed. Everybody has spoken except for the CFO, Elaine. The tension in the room was palpable as the CEO was anxious, angry to get to lunch. o    Oscar invited Elaine to speak with a gesture, an extended arm. She responded by saying. “I thought it was obvious” and she stopped. o    Again after a few moments and even more tension, Elaine came back and said “I thought it was obvious, I thought we are a snake” o    The animal, The Snake has negative implications in the west and very different associations in the East.  Elaine explained her reasoning for choosing a snake. She told the group that the business had failed to shed their poor practices & bad systems from the past & that was holding them back from serving their  customers o    The tension in the room evaporated and a massive dialogue ensued. o    The CEO admitted they never listened to Elaine. A few months later it was obvious that Elaine had found her voice and she had become a key member and astute commercial leader o    Oscar ended by asking the audience of the GOT Podcast- what is the cost to the business when you don't listen to Elaine and or you don't listen to all the voices in a conversation.   Resources shared across this podcast 1.     How to listen- discover the hidden key to better communication by Oscar Trimboli 2.     www.oscartrimboli.com 3.     https://www.oscartrimboli.com/ambassadors/

Joshua Pyle joins us in a discussion about managing bias in the actuarial sciences. Together with Andrew's and Sid's perspectives from  both the economic and data science fields, they deliver an interdisciplinary conversation about bias that you'll only find here.OpenAI news plus new developments in language models. 0:03The hosts get to discuss the aftermath of OpenAI and Sam Altman's return as CEOTension between OpenAI's board and researchers on the push for slow, responsible AI development vs fast, breakthrough model-making.Microsoft researchers find that smaller, high-quality data sets can be more effective for training language models than larger, lower-quality sets (Orca 2).Google announces Gemini, a trio of models with varying parameters, including an ultra-light version for phones Bias in actuarial sciences with Joshua Pyle, FCAS. 9:29Josh shares insights on managing bias in Actuarial Sciences, drawing on his 20 years of experience in the field.Bias in actuarial work defined as differential treatment leading to unfavorable outcomes, with protected classes including race, religion, and more.Actuarial bias and model validation in ratemaking. 15:48The importance of analyzing the impact of pricing changes on protected classes, and the potential for unintended consequences when using proxies in actuarial ratemaking.Three major causes of unfair bias in ratemaking (Contingencies, Nov 2023)Gaps in the actuarial process that could lead to bias, including a lack of a standardized governance framework for model validation and calibration.Actuarial standards, bias, and credibility. 20:45Complex state-level regulations and limited data pose challenges for predictive modeling in insurance.Actuaries debate definition and mitigation of bias in continuing education.Bias analysis in actuarial modeling. 27:16The importance of identifying dislocation analysis in bias analysis.Analyze two versions of a model to compare predictive power of including vs. excluding protected class (race).Bias in AI models in actuarial field. 33:56Actuaries can learn from data scientists' tendency to over-engineer models.Actuaries may feel excluded from the Big Data era due to their need to explain their methodsStandardization is needed to help actuaries identify and mitigate bias.Interdisciplinary approaches to AI modeling and governance. 42:11Sid hopes to see more systematic and published approaches to addressing bias in the data science field.Andrew emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between actuaries, data scientists, and economists to create more accurate and fair modeling systems.Josh agrees and highlights the need for better governance structures to support this collaboration, citing the lack of good journals and academic silos as a chaWhat did you think? Let us know.Do you have a question or a discussion topic for the AI Fundamentalists? Connect with them to comment on your favorite topics: LinkedIn - Episode summaries, shares of cited articles, and more. YouTube - Was it something that we said? Good. Share your favorite quotes. Visit our page - see past episodes and submit your feedback! It continues to inspire future episodes.

To hear the full episode, subscribe at patreon.com/TrueAnonPod --------- We talk with our ol' friend Jathan Sadowski about regimes of actuarial governance, AKA The Insurance Industry; how highly financialized insurance products have come to have such power over our lives and what new capacities technologies and networked devices are unlocking in the Insurance Industry's quest to capture more and more value. Total life insurance: Logics of anticipatory control and actuarial governance in insurance technology by Jathan Sadowski: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03063127231186437