The Original Protege a Year Later with Derek Hayden, Episode #207

Few industries reward consistency, discipline, and patience quite like middle-market commercial insurance. Initially, every producer starts with a different story, background, and path into the business. However, the ones who rise are the ones who learn to embrace the long game. Moreover, while success may take time, those who persevere ultimately reap the benefits. Furthermore, this industry values resilience, and those who remain committed often find themselves achieving great success in the end.

In today’s performance-obsessed culture, achieving elite status in your profession can often come with a hidden price. Tania Khazaal, known to many as Tanya the Herbalist, knows this truth firsthand. After climbing the ranks in the insurance industry and landing in the top 1% of sales professionals, she found herself at a crossroads. Despite the accolades, international travel perks, and consistent recognition, she was suffering from a quiet crisis: burnout.

In the fast-paced world of commercial insurance, the grind of daily operations often blinds agency leaders to the foundational cracks forming beneath them. Producers are focused on closing deals. Account managers are buried in servicing. Agency principals are juggling leadership, sales, operations, and finance. Yet in the midst of this hustle, many agencies lack the one thing that can unlock the next level of growth: organizational clarity.

Brian’s journey isn’t one of shortcuts or overnight success. It’s the story of a man who has faced battlefields, boardrooms, and hospital beds — and come out the other side with an unshakable sense of purpose. His agency is young, his vision is clear, and his “why” runs deep.

Every producer wants to win. But only a small percentage ever reach the level where winning becomes inevitable—not because they get lucky, not because the market is soft, but because they commit themselves to mastery. They study harder, niche deeper, build better networks, and execute with more consistency than everyone else around them.

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a buzzword for tomorrow. It’s today’s most powerful tool for increasing efficiency, lowering costs, and growing your book of business faster than ever before. For insurance producers and agency owners, this isn’t a matter of curiosity or a “nice to have” anymore. It’s a necessity. The reality is that your competition may already be using AI-powered tools to identify prospects, streamline service, and close deals before you even realize you’re in the game.