March 27, 2025 • 35 mins
After surviving a devastating car accident at 18, Stephanie Waldrop turned personal adversity into a game-changing approach to employee benefits.
From insurance executive to founder of Employee Benefits International, Stephanie reveals how strategic benefits planning can drive retention, cut costs, and transform workplace culture. She exposes the misaligned incentives in the healthcare system and shares how her high-touch service model gives employers the insights they actually need.
Packed with leadership lessons, resilience, and the secrets to balancing a thriving business with raising five sons, this conversation will leave you inspired to rethink how benefits can work for you.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Confidence Curve with Ashley and
Rick Bowers, where personal andprofessional journeys define
the art of scaling withconfidence.
Whether you're a businessleader navigating change or
someone seeking personal growth,this podcast offers insights
and actionable advice to helpyou thrive.
Now let's dive into today'sconversation with our incredible
(00:26):
guest.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Welcome to the Confidence Curve podcast.
My name is Ashley Bowers.
I'll be your host today withApex GTS Advisors.
Our guest today is StephanieWaldrop.
She is the CEO of EmployeeBenefits International.
I've had the great pleasure toget to know her quite a bit over
the last few years, and evenmore so in the last year and a
half or so, and just brings awealth of knowledge to the
employee benefits space, reallycaring about your business,
(00:52):
caring about your employees andwhat the entire benefits process
can do for your organization.
So welcome, stephanie.
Thank you for being here,thanks for having me, absolutely
, if you want to just kick usoff and tell us a little bit
about your background andEmployee Benefits International.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Sure, sure.
So, gosh, I have been in theinsurance industry for
approaching 30 years it givesyou a little bit of an aging but
for a long time spent over 10of those years on the insurance
carrier side, really learningthe guts behind the machine, if
you will, and had a real passionto bring that knowledge to
(01:28):
advocate on behalf of employersand their employees, to control
their benefits cost and pull theright levers.
That took me to the consultingand agency side and a little
over 10 years ago now startedEmployee Benefits International
in the Arizona marketplace, andthat's how the journey began.
So to speak.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Yeah, you know a lot of people get into business
because they have a passion in aspecific area and, in addition
to that, you really have apassion for scaling your
organization.
So talk a little bit about thatjourney that you're on and
what's really driving you tomake a bigger impact across the
employee benefit space.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Sure, well, I guess, starting with the first part of
that question and, you know,getting into the business
because you have a passion forit I was in the unfortunate
situation of having a tragic caraccident at the age of 18 and
ended up breaking my neck in twoplaces.
Just due to family dynamics,among many other things, I was
(02:28):
left navigating the health caresystem really by myself at that
point, with a pretty severesituation, and didn't know
whether I had insurance or not,and so that led me down quite a
journey and really opened myeyes to a lot of the challenges
that exist today and gettinggood quality health care and
(02:48):
navigating insurance, and reallycreated not only a strong
knowledge base at a very earlyage but also a real passion
within me to leave an indeliblemark for anyone that I encounter
in their experience and journeywith the healthcare system.
So that's really how my passionfor the industry was born, so
(03:11):
to speak.
And in terms of leadership andscaling, you know that's been an
evolution.
You know, maybe like the stoneat the bottom of a river, I've
been molded over time.
I certainly didn't set out tolead and scale, but naturally,
when you take care of people andare accountable and have energy
(03:34):
to solve their problems versussell them, something you know.
The reciprocal of that is thatyou usually have the ability to
grow in a pretty rapid way, andthat's certainly been our
experience.
So I'd like to say we're reallyblessed to have had the scaling
(03:55):
challenges that we've had inthat regard and really that
journey has become somethingthat I've come to enjoy but
hasn't always been that way.
You know, learning to make surethat our systems and our team
and knowledge base across alllevels of the organization are
keeping pace and that we'relooking into the future for
(04:19):
where those developments need togo long term.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
You know, I mean leading organizations, benefits
is that thing?
I mean, obviously it comes upevery year and it's a necessary
evil and we have to have it.
And what about the attrition?
And there can be just thisdaunting feeling every single
year and I've had the privilegeto get to see a little bit, you
know, behind the scenes with EBIand the constant talk track
about how you're making it,making a difference with the
(04:45):
benefits but and not only forthe employees but also for the
employer and understanding howit can be an attraction and a
retention tool without it beingthis thing that you know they're
up against every single year,with the right data and
analytics and sophistication,one like what drives you to go
that deep, because I think thatthat's really incredible.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
And then, if you want to give any insights into that
process, yeah, I mean I guess atthe core of that is, you know,
at EBI we aim to serve clientsthe way we would want to be
served and you know some of theinherent challenges with the
industry is that there are a lotof misaligned interest in every
(05:24):
facet of our healthcare system,and you know that's a whole
separate podcast, so to speak.
But specifically, as it relatesto the brokerage and consulting
world that EBI lives in foremployee benefits, you know
there's higher profits in theeasy button and as more and more
(05:46):
agencies get gobbled up byprivate equity and are beholden
to stockholders and things ofthat nature, those conversations
about profitability get veryintense and the service model
gets squeezed.
I mean, that's the inherentoutcome inherent, you know,
(06:12):
outcome and so I just I thinkthat we focus on having a very
high touch service model andproviding employers with the
insights, level of analysis andoverview that we would want in
making those same decisions.
And the outcome is, you knowgenerally and this ranges from
small employers to employerswith several thousand employees
that they oftentimes tell usthat for the first time they
(06:33):
feel like they really understandand appreciate benefits in a
different way for theirorganization.
Versus that, I could think,very daunting process that you
teed off the question with, andso it is a matter of a lot of
employers don't reallyunderstand how benefits actually
impact attraction or retentionor have the insights the
(06:54):
meaningful insights thatactually tell them how to impact
it or where the program needsto be tweaked.
So that's generally part of anannual process for us that we're
looking at that year over yearand making sure that employers
do know how their program stacksup and discussing is this a
pain point?
And benefits isn't the end-allbe-all for attraction and
retention.
It's a piece, it's a componentof total compensation.
(07:16):
Obviously, culture comes intoplay.
There's lots of differentfacets of this.
We launched an HR consultingaspect of the business last year
that's going very well, aimedto solve some of those
challenges, because, as we diveinto these conversations,
employers need more resourcesthan just the employee benefit
programs and engagement todeploy, and so we're really
(07:40):
looking to partner with them oncreating a holistic conversation
.
The beginning of the engagementwith any client is always about
solving their immediateproblems.
You know they're reaching outto us for a reason.
Sometimes they're reaching outto us for multiple reasons, but
at the end of the day we'restill going to deploy on all of
(08:04):
the different pillars that areimportant, to have a holistic
conversation with them and leavethem in a very good place with
their benefit program and, youknow, measurably solving for
what we can each year, meetingthem where they are from a
budget, from a bandwidth, all ofthose.
You know dynamics have to comeinto play, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Well, thank you, switching a little bit to your
leadership style.
What are some lessons that youwish you would have learned
earlier in your career?
Maybe attributes that you'vedeveloped you know more recently
that you wish you would havehad as you were starting out,
either in leadership in otherorganizations or as you started
EBI.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
Yeah.
So you know, much like scalinga business, leadership is an
area where I would say I'm amolded.
I'm a stone that's being molded.
I continue to be molded as Iexperience new endeavors in that
category, but I would say oneof the biggest lessons I've
learned over time is to listenmore.
(09:03):
You know, the people around mehave really great insights and
generally have ideas on how tosolve a problem, and oftentimes
they don't share thatinformation with you because
they haven't been asked.
So it's about engaging the teamand bringing them along for the
journey and making sure thatyou're getting those key
insights engaging the team andbringing them along for the
(09:23):
journey and and making sure thatyou know that you're getting
those key insights from from the, the team members that are in
the day to day of a of aspecific process.
You know, I, I.
It brings to mind a story of, Iguess, a leadership faux pas
that that we had as anorganization.
Where you know, at theleadership level, we, we vetted
organization.
Where you know, at theleadership level, we vetted this
(09:44):
really.
You know, seemingly greattechnology that was going to
solve some big problems for theorganization, a lot of
complaints from the team andmanual processes associated with
, you know, a key part of thework that we do, and so we were
very excited about thetechnology and deployed it to
(10:04):
the team, you know, at the worsttime of year, thinking it was
going to be a Hail Mary and thatthey were really going to love
and appreciate this new resourcethat they were provided.
And you know, you know wherethis is going because I said it
was a faux pas, but thetechnology was not as
user-friendly as was anticipated.
(10:26):
The learning curve with the teamwas greater than anticipated,
the time of year was absolutelyincorrect to deploy and
ultimately it cost theorganization quite a bit of
money and resources to deploysomething and then have to pull
it back right.
And, of course, the grief thatthe team felt along the way
(10:47):
didn't go unnoticed.
So you know, I think in termsof that often when we're making
big decisions that impact, youknow, day-to-day processes and
I'm very careful now to makesure that the conversations are
being had at the right levelsand that the conversations are
being had at the right levelsand that the team's being
brought along for the journey atdifferent touch points.
(11:08):
And timing Timing is anotherbig leadership lesson.
There is a good time and a badtime for just about everything
as it relates to leadership.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Every once in a while .
You don't know what it is untilafter it's done and you're like
oh, okay, now I know it wasthere.
That's where we were at.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Yeah, and I would, I would say another leadership.
You know, there are some thingsthat are adaptable, some things
that are less adaptable about,about leadership styles, and
that usually has something to dowith willingness to change or
desire to change in thatcategory, and so I move,
personally, at a pretty fastpace and have a high sense of
(11:46):
urgency for things, and not noteverybody's wired that way, and
so so, you know, I've alsolearned, you know, the right,
the right types of team membersto surround myself with to to
ensure that we're going to berowing in the same direction and
not have a paddle that's, youknow, causing us to go in
circles in the journey.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
So, yeah, no, that makes sense.
You know, one of the big likeleadership wins that I look at
over my career is like when I'vehad an exit that maybe didn't
go in an ideal way.
Right, you know you have to makea decision or you're leading
them down a path to make adecision, and it you know you
have to make a decision oryou're leading them down a path
to make a decision, and it'shard in that moment.
(12:29):
But a year later, two yearslater, that individual is coming
around and wanting to havelunch or get together for coffee
and suddenly you're talkingabout everything that you helped
them with and how they see itvery differently now than they
saw it in the moment.
And they're thanking you forthat time because, as much as
they wanted to hang on that itwas the right place.
It wasn't the right place forthem, because that does happen.
It's a part of being inbusiness, um, and so that's one
of the things like.
I love the fact that peoplecome back around and have that
(12:51):
conversation with me.
Even in those hard moments,what is something as a leader
that you want to be known for?
Speaker 3 (13:01):
you know, I think the the word that jumps out at me,
just gut instinct, and thenresponse to that is opportunity.
I, you know, coming from veryhumble beginnings myself, have
had an immense opportunity inthis industry to not only impact
lives but also to impactpersonally my family's life.
And and I I'm a big believer in, you know, mentoring, giving
(13:27):
opportunity, giving skill sets,helping people grow and develop.
So so that's, you know,something that that stands out
to me is, you know, I want everyteam member who walks in our
door to know that there is, youknow, a open dialogue and
pathway to success, whateverthat looks like for them, as
(13:49):
long as it's in line with the,you know, the company's
direction and core values, anddevelop that conversation over
time.
And you know, not everybodywants the same pathway.
Not everybody wants to be, youknow, the same pathway.
Not everybody wants to be, youknow, challenged to grow right.
So I mean, thirst for growth isone of our core values and, and
(14:13):
we we do lean on attractingteam members that that want to
grow and want new opportunity,um, through their journey.
Uh, but you know we've alsolearned that that's that's not
always the case, but I aim toprovide people with opportunity
and help them reimagine.
You know what their impact canbe.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Sure, that's awesome.
Yeah, yeah, I feel like that'sone of the lessons I wish I
would have learned earlier in mycareer that not everybody wants
to just go up and work crazyand that you actually need the
balance as your organizationgets larger and larger and
larger.
right, you need people who wantto stay at that front desk
forever because it's such a hardposition to fill and you have
those different things andsometimes you might see
opportunity in them andpotential in them, but you also
(14:53):
have to meet them where they'reat right.
I could have benefited fromthat a few times in my career.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Yeah, I mean, I think of a particular circumstance
where we had a team member thatcame in and had never even, you
know, worked in an office jobbefore.
And you fast forward threeyears later and they're, you
know, making a very high wageand a big impact on the
organization.
But each step along the way wasa huge challenge to comfort
(15:21):
zone and you know, pushing theirboundaries and limits in
different ways with you knowwhat their prior experience was
versus what their aptitude andcapability was.
And at the end of the day, youknow, sometimes you have to
recognize to your point that noteverybody wants that growth and
(15:45):
sometimes, just becausesomeone's capable of doing more,
it can be detrimental to youknow, to encourage them to do
more if they don't want tostretch.
So yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Focusing in on the industry a little bit.
Obviously you know thehealthcare industry has a lot of
external factors impacting itall the time.
What are the biggest factorsthat you see impacting the
industry this year?
And you know what do some ofthe larger employers you know
need to be kind of on thelookout for as they're going
through their process.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
Yeah, you know, I think that probably some of the
biggest impacts in the comingyear are more on the legislative
front right, I mean we haveobviously a new administration
and kind of a complete turnoverin a lot of those seats, and
there is already a lot ofdiscussion and talk about
(16:38):
transformation that's needed,transformation that's needed and
particular to the healthcareindustry.
I expect to see, not just atthe state level but also at the
federal level, discussionssurrounding pharmacy benefit
(17:00):
management entities, maybe someon the wholesaler side for
prescription medications, butthat's clearly been an area of
desired impact and it'snecessary to have some
disruption there.
I think, just based on theescalation of pharmacy cost as a
percentage of spend.
I mean, I think back to myinsurance carrier days, you know
, and it was very clearly thatyou would expect pharmacy to be
(17:22):
somewhere between 13 and 15percent of your overall spend,
and and now it's, um, you know,very typical for it to be in the
in the low 20s to 30 percentrange for an organization and so
so that's an area that'scontinued to escalate.
There's no slowdown in sightthere, um, in the environment,
(17:43):
outside of change, just due tothe fact that most of the
medications that are indevelopment are specialty or,
you know, medications that altergenetic, and so those are very
expensive medications and theyhave big implications on the
cost of health care, and thereneeds to be some discussion
(18:04):
surrounding how that getshandled, because whether an
employer is fully insured orwhether an employer is
self-funded and we serve thatwhole gamut and there's the
in-between but at the end of theday, no matter how the employer
is funding their insurance cost, escalations in health care
cost overall throughout thesystem are born through premiums
(18:26):
and are funded by employers.
So, um, the smallest employersaren't insulated from the
long-term impacts of of thesetypes of developments in our
health care system, when theyessentially end up footing the
bill.
So um.
So there's, you know there's alot to be said there.
Um, some of the legislation willonly impact Medicare, which is
(18:49):
unfortunate, I think, for ourcommercial insurance clients.
But there's a site of carelegislation that's being looked
at that would essentiallyrequire that the same services
receive a similar compensationregardless of if it's at the
hospital or if it's at adoctor's office.
If it's at the hospital or ifit's at a doctor's office, huge
(19:16):
implications in terms of thecost of care and savings in the
cost of care, if that were topass, because it's no dirty
little secret that you can pay$400 for an MRI at a
freestanding facility or severalthousand dollars in an
inpatient or an urgent carefacility or imaging center
that's associated with thehospital and there's been a lot
of acquisitions of those typesof facilities to bill at the
higher rate in the system.
(19:37):
So I'd love to see some of thatlegislation come into the
employer space.
But but I think you know, asfar as on the horizon, I do
expect to see some decisionsover the next administration
related to legislative outcomes.
And then, in terms of employers,I would say that the main thing
(20:01):
that we're seeing there is thatmore and more employers are
awakening I say maybe gettingred-pilled to the fact that
there are many aspects of healthcare costs that they do have an
ability to control and impact.
And that's probably, you know,that's where we spend the vast
majority of our time and focuswith clients that have more than
(20:22):
100 employees, where we can getraw claims data and really dive
into what is driving their costand how can it be impacted.
And so I just we're definitelyseeing all the benchmarking
supports it that more and moreclients are entering into the
types of programs where theyreally do have the ability to
(20:43):
take control, and then it, youknow, and then it really matters
to have a partner who knows howto analyze the data and also,
you know, solve for the problemsthat it represents.
Everyone will say they do thatin this space when you get into
that large employer marketplace.
But the reality of thecircumstances is that many, many
(21:05):
firms try to deploy as littleresources as possible to include
that as a pillar, and we aim tomake a difference and control
the cost for the employer.
Ultimately, we aim to impactthe lives of the employees.
So to do that, we have to helpthe employer control their cost
so that they can deliver ahigher value of benefit for
(21:25):
their budgetary spend to theemployee in the form of richer
benefits or reduced cost.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
So yeah, thank you so much for all of that.
And it's such a scary place andso often I think, as leaders
inside organizations, weliterally are looking at it once
a year and really need to belooking at it more holistically
and throughout the year.
And giving time and theeducation process of the
employee population too of howto use the benefits and where to
(21:52):
go and who to call and all ofthose things too, I think is
such a big factor in all of it.
Kind of flipping back to theleadership side of things and
you know so many seniorexecutives have like, oh,
they've got it all together, andyou know we'll use a phrase
like, you know, duck on water,right, like we look, like we've
got it all, we're there, we haveit, but we still have the same,
(22:12):
you know, talk tracks in ourheads and the same, you know,
like demons on our shoulders attimes and so the thought of like
imposter syndrome, right, Ithink most of us go through that
at some point in our career.
Have you ever felt like you'vebeen in that place of you know?
Is this really happening?
Am I really here?
Should I be here?
And, if so, how did you dealwith it?
(22:33):
If you haven't done that, like,how have you managed to stay
away from it?
What's your?
Speaker 3 (22:38):
secret.
Yeah, yeah, I don't have asecret.
So I think everyone goesthrough that at some point in
their career.
right If you're, if you'resoaring to new heights.
At some point you're going tofind yourself in a room where
you say how did I get here andhow am I viewed in the room,
which you know is essentiallyhow imposter syndrome is born.
I would say, very early, I hadsuccess very early on.
(23:02):
So in my early twenties I, youknow, was very quickly climbing
and found myself in very largeboardrooms with senior
executives and, I guess,presenting to CEOs and CFOs in
my early 20s, and I was alwaysunderestimated in those
(23:22):
environments, I think, andalways the youngest person by a
margin in the room, and soperson by a margin in the room.
And so you know, I, I overcamethat mostly by knowing, by
knowledge.
So nobody was going to out,understand the dynamics of the
(23:43):
problems we were solving for andhave opinions on them.
Uh, the way that I did, cominginto those meetings and so I
never shrunk away from being anactive voice at the table and,
and I think that that's probablyone of the, you know, the
biggest way I over.
I overcame that as, as Ievolved into, you know,
leadership roles versus justthat.
You know that early dynamic ofof being green, so to speak.
(24:08):
I would, I would say that theway I overcame that is
surrounding myself with otherentrepreneurs, you know, making
sure that I really understoodwhether the challenges that we
were facing as an organizationwere unique to us never are, by
the way.
Or, you know something thatevery business deals with and
(24:29):
what are the tools and resourcesto solve those problems.
So it for me having resources,you know, through Arizona Growth
Advisors or EntrepreneursOrganization, eo.
Those are two venues where I'vejust found a lot of
collaborative, you know,entrepreneur CEO type.
(24:50):
Um, think space if you will forfor resolving and growing uh as
an organization.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Yeah, and so I mean on that, you just mentioned
Arizona growth advisors and EO.
Um, what other ways do youcontinue to grow and develop as
a leader?
I know you're a big reader likehow do you find the time to
invest in your own growth?
Speaker 3 (25:10):
I was just going to say what other things do I do?
Speaker 2 (25:12):
with what time yeah.
It's a valid question.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
So I don't watch a lot of TV and I can't honestly
remember the last time that Ithat I did.
So I'm, I'm.
I'm not up to speed on any ofthe latest series on streaming.
You know none of that, but I ama junkie for documentaries and
podcast.
So you know some of those aremore on the personal and health
(25:38):
side of things which absolutelyimpact me as a leader, but
oftentimes they're also thoughtleadership, you know, related to
what we do every day, and so Iusually have a podcast or some
content that I'm listening to asI get ready in the morning is a
big time that I am.
It's more audio content for me.
(26:00):
I'm usually doing calls in thecar so I don't get that time
that some entrepreneurs find awindow with um.
In terms of reading, I willlisten to books on audio.
I prefer the 1.5 speed, as fastas possible, um and and uh, and
you know, and I will um moreoften read in downtime.
(26:23):
You know when I'm, when I'm notnot during the work week, just
because my my brain's kind of onoverdrive in the work week
solving for other challenges,but I am an avid reader.
Just finished Gap in the Gain,which is a great book, great
perspective, and so I seek outthought leadership on business
(26:44):
growth and leadership andscaling and solving for the
healthcare industry challenges.
Those are all areas that Ispend time learning, but the
bulk of my time outside ofreading and you know, podcast
would be related to the time Ispend with EO and Arizona Growth
Advisors and there's not awhole lot more time I could give
(27:06):
in that category.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
I know, and even in those things and I mean I'm not
afraid to say it on podcasts,right, it's like that morning's
like, do I really have time forthis today?
But then you go and it's like,oh, this is exactly what I
needed today.
And that whole point ofself-care, whether it's, you
know, doing something like thatand getting around peers where
you have a little bit of a grouptherapy session, if you will,
right, and be able to kind oftalk about issues that, um, out
(27:28):
loud, that maybe you can't inother rooms, or whether it's a
massage, whether it's a workout,whether it's a hike, um, you
know, I hate the word balance,because what does that actually
mean, right?
Um, but obviously you have afamily um you know and and like
to do things and createexperiences there.
So how do you get those, orwhat do you do to get those
recharge moments to kind ofcreate that sense of balance in
(27:51):
a world that's obviously very,very much, you know, work-driven
?
Speaker 3 (27:55):
Yeah, well, first of all, I'll just comment on the
peer group aspect that youshared.
I think it's that old adage ifyou all throw your problems into
a pile, you'll quickly betrying to get yours back, and so
I think part of that journey iscertainly the content and the
learning and the solvingproblems with other business
leaders for their organizationsthat you may not have
(28:16):
encountered yet or you alreadynavigated, and you can be.
You can be more of anexperience share, resource for,
but, but you're right, in themorning of time being spent in
those environments, it's like,how do I, you know?
Do you're right?
In the morning of, uh, timebeing spent in those
environments, it's like, how doI, you know?
Do I?
Do I have the space for thistoday?
Um, but, uh, I can.
I can honestly say I neverregret committing the space, and
(28:38):
so, um, it's funny that thatquestion parlays into balance,
because it's one of those thingsthat can create more imbalance.
Right, yeah, but at the end ofthe day, I truly feel in this
type of a role where you'releading an organization and
you're also, you know, servingclients and have a family.
(29:01):
I mean, my husband and I have afamily of five boys.
Now I say five boys, five youngmen.
Now we're in a different seasonof our life.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
I was going to say like boys, young men Now we're
in a different season of ourlife.
I would say like boys becomingmen.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
But yeah, they're 20 to 27 now.
So we're on a different, adifferent cycle.
But, um, but, but balance is abig, is a big key part of it.
And how do, how do I find thattime I think, um, you know, I
will incorporate more micro type, uh, physical exercise into my
day, which means I might do ahundred squats in the morning,
(29:32):
or, you know, lift some, someweights and and while I'm on a
lymphatic machine and also infront of a red light therapy,
right Like I'm stacking thesethings because my time is so
precious.
But you know, limited, limitedtime to make sure I'm, I'm, I'm,
moving weights, whether that'smy body or physical weights, in
a in a day is is somewhatimportant, but something I never
(29:56):
easily part with is anafternoon walk.
So at the end of the day, nomatter what time I get home
putting on sneakers and andwalking out my front door, I'm
very fortunate to live at thebase of a hill, so it gives me a
nice little, a little more thana mile, you know, round trip
jaunt.
That has a good elevation to itand you know that's that helps
(30:19):
me physically, it helps merecharge, it helps, you know,
I'm super blessed when it's atsunset, because I can never get
enough of the beautiful Arizonasunsets.
But it's just a, you know, it'sa cherished part of my day.
That, you know, also has a lotof other tertiary benefits to it
so yeah it's the little littlethings that you just add up.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Well, and the stacking, yeah Right.
Um, well, we were in a sessionon Friday and I was talking
about stacking the differentthings to hit the things that
are most important to you.
And so if you can elevate yourmindset, your relationship and
your physical by going on a walkwith your spouse or your
significant other, you know, youcan kind of hit three important
and core areas of your life allwith one activity versus three
(30:59):
separate ones.
So, yeah, definitely a bigpiece of that.
Is there a particular book orpodcast that has really shaped
your career?
When new leaders are sayinglike what should I read?
What?
Would be something you wouldsuggest.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
I don't know that I can point to a book that shaped
my whole career.
I mean, if maybe there's one,the Purpose Driven Life you know
, there's a lot of good nuggetsin that.
I believe at my core that ifyou're going to devote such a
huge part of the time that youhave uh here, uh to something,
(31:35):
that it should be something thatyou feel purpose around and
alignment with and um, so Ithink there's a lot in
developing.
Where do you have passion andpurpose as a person?
Um, and and aligning the timethat you spend in the mark that
you leave with that purpose.
So you know, that's what Iwould say.
And then just another resourcethat has a big gamut of
(31:58):
leadership and business, butalso personal development.
I love the diary of a CEO.
It's a big go-to for me, justthat you never know what topic's
going to be discussed.
But there's always something tolearn from a bright mind who's
very purpose-driven andpassionate, and so I love that
genuinely as, just thought,leadership in general.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
Yeah, absolutely.
So kind of final question andthen we'll do some wrap-up.
Okay, what advice would yougive your younger self knowing?
What you know today, it'salways a hard one.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
It is a hard one, you know, and I'm not one of those
types of people who spends a lotof time dwelling on what would
I have done differently, to bevery, very honest with you.
So that is a hard question toponder, but advice I would give
my younger self to ponder.
(32:53):
But advice I would give myyounger self.
I think that every single partof the journey that I've been on
, professionally and personallythe hardest times and the best
times all cumulative, I would, Iwould give more credit to the
tough times.
When you're going throughsomething really tough, it's
easy to.
I think it's easy for us all ashumans to go to the place of
(33:16):
why is this happening to me?
Or having it be somethingpersonal or out of your control,
or, you know, there's a numberof ways that we cope with
difficult situations when we'restretched beyond our ordinary
comfort zone.
But I think it's thatstretching that really is the
fuel behind our growth.
And when I look back and thinkof some of the toughest things
(33:38):
that I've gone through over thecourse of my career, it's landed
me in a place.
In each of those scenarios, Ican find that silver lining
where.
I wouldn't take back the toughthing that happened right, and
so the advice I would give myyounger self going through any
of those tough situations wouldbe to find that silver lining as
(33:58):
quick as you can and have thatbe your focus, because if you
focus on the problem or thetrauma such an overrated word
today- or the trauma or the youknow or what have you then.
Then you end up in this kind ofnegative cycle with whatever
that is, and you you miss thegrowth from it a lot of times.
So I guess that would be Iwould.
(34:18):
I wish I would have learnedthat at an earlier age, that
that tough situations,challenges, problems, if you
will, are really gifts if you,if you use them to your
advantage.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
I love that Well, obviously I'm sure you're
connecting with a ton of ourlisteners and just how you run
your business, how you lead yourlife, your leadership persona
that you have.
How will people get a hold ofyou if they want to talk to you
about their benefit cycle?
Speaker 3 (34:42):
Yeah, sure.
So I'm on LinkedIn.
You can certainly reach out andconnect with me there.
Stephanie Waldrop is.
My profile is under that name.
Employee Benefits Internationalis also.
It can be followed on LinkedIn.
Our website is wwwebintcom.
So certainly another platformfor outreach All right.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Thank you so much for being here.
We enjoyed having you and Ijust appreciate the relationship
and the friendship andeverything we're doing together.
So thank you, awesome Thanksfor having me Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
Thanks for tuning in to the Confidence Curve.
We hope today's episode leftyou inspired and ready to
embrace your journey confidently.
Remember whether you're leadinga team, growing your business
or pursuing personal growth,each step forward builds your
curve.
If you enjoyed today'sconversation, don't forget to
(35:38):
subscribe, share and leave us areview For more insights and
resources.
Visit us at apexgtscom.
Until next time, keep climbingthe curve.
Welcome to the Confidence Curve with Ashley and
Rick Bowers, where personal andprofessional journeys define
the art of scaling withconfidence.
Whether you're a businessleader navigating change or
someone seeking personal growth,this podcast offers insights
and actionable advice to helpyou thrive.
Now let's dive into today'sconversation with our incredible
(00:26):
guest.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Welcome to the Confidence Curve podcast.
My name is Ashley Bowers.
I'll be your host today withApex GTS Advisors.
Our guest today is StephanieWaldrop.
She is the CEO of EmployeeBenefits International.
I've had the great pleasure toget to know her quite a bit over
the last few years, and evenmore so in the last year and a
half or so, and just brings awealth of knowledge to the
employee benefits space, reallycaring about your business,
(00:52):
caring about your employees andwhat the entire benefits process
can do for your organization.
So welcome, stephanie.
Thank you for being here,thanks for having me, absolutely
, if you want to just kick usoff and tell us a little bit
about your background andEmployee Benefits International.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Sure, sure.
So, gosh, I have been in theinsurance industry for
approaching 30 years it givesyou a little bit of an aging but
for a long time spent over 10of those years on the insurance
carrier side, really learningthe guts behind the machine, if
you will, and had a real passionto bring that knowledge to
(01:28):
advocate on behalf of employersand their employees, to control
their benefits cost and pull theright levers.
That took me to the consultingand agency side and a little
over 10 years ago now startedEmployee Benefits International
in the Arizona marketplace, andthat's how the journey began.
So to speak.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Yeah, you know a lot of people get into business
because they have a passion in aspecific area and, in addition
to that, you really have apassion for scaling your
organization.
So talk a little bit about thatjourney that you're on and
what's really driving you tomake a bigger impact across the
employee benefit space.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Sure, well, I guess, starting with the first part of
that question and, you know,getting into the business
because you have a passion forit I was in the unfortunate
situation of having a tragic caraccident at the age of 18 and
ended up breaking my neck in twoplaces.
Just due to family dynamics,among many other things, I was
(02:28):
left navigating the health caresystem really by myself at that
point, with a pretty severesituation, and didn't know
whether I had insurance or not,and so that led me down quite a
journey and really opened myeyes to a lot of the challenges
that exist today and gettinggood quality health care and
(02:48):
navigating insurance, and reallycreated not only a strong
knowledge base at a very earlyage but also a real passion
within me to leave an indeliblemark for anyone that I encounter
in their experience and journeywith the healthcare system.
So that's really how my passionfor the industry was born, so
(03:11):
to speak.
And in terms of leadership andscaling, you know that's been an
evolution.
You know, maybe like the stoneat the bottom of a river, I've
been molded over time.
I certainly didn't set out tolead and scale, but naturally,
when you take care of people andare accountable and have energy
(03:34):
to solve their problems versussell them, something you know.
The reciprocal of that is thatyou usually have the ability to
grow in a pretty rapid way, andthat's certainly been our
experience.
So I'd like to say we're reallyblessed to have had the scaling
(03:55):
challenges that we've had inthat regard and really that
journey has become somethingthat I've come to enjoy but
hasn't always been that way.
You know, learning to make surethat our systems and our team
and knowledge base across alllevels of the organization are
keeping pace and that we'relooking into the future for
(04:19):
where those developments need togo long term.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
You know, I mean leading organizations, benefits
is that thing?
I mean, obviously it comes upevery year and it's a necessary
evil and we have to have it.
And what about the attrition?
And there can be just thisdaunting feeling every single
year and I've had the privilegeto get to see a little bit, you
know, behind the scenes with EBIand the constant talk track
about how you're making it,making a difference with the
(04:45):
benefits but and not only forthe employees but also for the
employer and understanding howit can be an attraction and a
retention tool without it beingthis thing that you know they're
up against every single year,with the right data and
analytics and sophistication,one like what drives you to go
that deep, because I think thatthat's really incredible.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
And then, if you want to give any insights into that
process, yeah, I mean I guess atthe core of that is, you know,
at EBI we aim to serve clientsthe way we would want to be
served and you know some of theinherent challenges with the
industry is that there are a lotof misaligned interest in every
(05:24):
facet of our healthcare system,and you know that's a whole
separate podcast, so to speak.
But specifically, as it relatesto the brokerage and consulting
world that EBI lives in foremployee benefits, you know
there's higher profits in theeasy button and as more and more
(05:46):
agencies get gobbled up byprivate equity and are beholden
to stockholders and things ofthat nature, those conversations
about profitability get veryintense and the service model
gets squeezed.
I mean, that's the inherentoutcome inherent, you know,
(06:12):
outcome and so I just I thinkthat we focus on having a very
high touch service model andproviding employers with the
insights, level of analysis andoverview that we would want in
making those same decisions.
And the outcome is, you knowgenerally and this ranges from
small employers to employerswith several thousand employees
that they oftentimes tell usthat for the first time they
(06:33):
feel like they really understandand appreciate benefits in a
different way for theirorganization.
Versus that, I could think,very daunting process that you
teed off the question with, andso it is a matter of a lot of
employers don't reallyunderstand how benefits actually
impact attraction or retentionor have the insights the
(06:54):
meaningful insights thatactually tell them how to impact
it or where the program needsto be tweaked.
So that's generally part of anannual process for us that we're
looking at that year over yearand making sure that employers
do know how their program stacksup and discussing is this a
pain point?
And benefits isn't the end-allbe-all for attraction and
retention.
It's a piece, it's a componentof total compensation.
(07:16):
Obviously, culture comes intoplay.
There's lots of differentfacets of this.
We launched an HR consultingaspect of the business last year
that's going very well, aimedto solve some of those
challenges, because, as we diveinto these conversations,
employers need more resourcesthan just the employee benefit
programs and engagement todeploy, and so we're really
(07:40):
looking to partner with them oncreating a holistic conversation
.
The beginning of the engagementwith any client is always about
solving their immediateproblems.
You know they're reaching outto us for a reason.
Sometimes they're reaching outto us for multiple reasons, but
at the end of the day we'restill going to deploy on all of
(08:04):
the different pillars that areimportant, to have a holistic
conversation with them and leavethem in a very good place with
their benefit program and, youknow, measurably solving for
what we can each year, meetingthem where they are from a
budget, from a bandwidth, all ofthose.
You know dynamics have to comeinto play, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Well, thank you, switching a little bit to your
leadership style.
What are some lessons that youwish you would have learned
earlier in your career?
Maybe attributes that you'vedeveloped you know more recently
that you wish you would havehad as you were starting out,
either in leadership in otherorganizations or as you started
EBI.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
Yeah.
So you know, much like scalinga business, leadership is an
area where I would say I'm amolded.
I'm a stone that's being molded.
I continue to be molded as Iexperience new endeavors in that
category, but I would say oneof the biggest lessons I've
learned over time is to listenmore.
(09:03):
You know, the people around mehave really great insights and
generally have ideas on how tosolve a problem, and oftentimes
they don't share thatinformation with you because
they haven't been asked.
So it's about engaging the teamand bringing them along for the
journey and making sure thatyou're getting those key
insights engaging the team andbringing them along for the
(09:23):
journey and and making sure thatyou know that you're getting
those key insights from from the, the team members that are in
the day to day of a of aspecific process.
You know, I, I.
It brings to mind a story of, Iguess, a leadership faux pas
that that we had as anorganization.
Where you know, at theleadership level, we, we vetted
organization.
Where you know, at theleadership level, we vetted this
(09:44):
really.
You know, seemingly greattechnology that was going to
solve some big problems for theorganization, a lot of
complaints from the team andmanual processes associated with
, you know, a key part of thework that we do, and so we were
very excited about thetechnology and deployed it to
(10:04):
the team, you know, at the worsttime of year, thinking it was
going to be a Hail Mary and thatthey were really going to love
and appreciate this new resourcethat they were provided.
And you know, you know wherethis is going because I said it
was a faux pas, but thetechnology was not as
user-friendly as was anticipated.
(10:26):
The learning curve with the teamwas greater than anticipated,
the time of year was absolutelyincorrect to deploy and
ultimately it cost theorganization quite a bit of
money and resources to deploysomething and then have to pull
it back right.
And, of course, the grief thatthe team felt along the way
(10:47):
didn't go unnoticed.
So you know, I think in termsof that often when we're making
big decisions that impact, youknow, day-to-day processes and
I'm very careful now to makesure that the conversations are
being had at the right levelsand that the conversations are
being had at the right levelsand that the team's being
brought along for the journey atdifferent touch points.
(11:08):
And timing Timing is anotherbig leadership lesson.
There is a good time and a badtime for just about everything
as it relates to leadership.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Every once in a while .
You don't know what it is untilafter it's done and you're like
oh, okay, now I know it wasthere.
That's where we were at.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Yeah, and I would, I would say another leadership.
You know, there are some thingsthat are adaptable, some things
that are less adaptable about,about leadership styles, and
that usually has something to dowith willingness to change or
desire to change in thatcategory, and so I move,
personally, at a pretty fastpace and have a high sense of
(11:46):
urgency for things, and not noteverybody's wired that way, and
so so, you know, I've alsolearned, you know, the right,
the right types of team membersto surround myself with to to
ensure that we're going to berowing in the same direction and
not have a paddle that's, youknow, causing us to go in
circles in the journey.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
So, yeah, no, that makes sense.
You know, one of the big likeleadership wins that I look at
over my career is like when I'vehad an exit that maybe didn't
go in an ideal way.
Right, you know you have to makea decision or you're leading
them down a path to make adecision, and it you know you
have to make a decision oryou're leading them down a path
to make a decision, and it'shard in that moment.
(12:29):
But a year later, two yearslater, that individual is coming
around and wanting to havelunch or get together for coffee
and suddenly you're talkingabout everything that you helped
them with and how they see itvery differently now than they
saw it in the moment.
And they're thanking you forthat time because, as much as
they wanted to hang on that itwas the right place.
It wasn't the right place forthem, because that does happen.
It's a part of being inbusiness, um, and so that's one
of the things like.
I love the fact that peoplecome back around and have that
(12:51):
conversation with me.
Even in those hard moments,what is something as a leader
that you want to be known for?
Speaker 3 (13:01):
you know, I think the the word that jumps out at me,
just gut instinct, and thenresponse to that is opportunity.
I, you know, coming from veryhumble beginnings myself, have
had an immense opportunity inthis industry to not only impact
lives but also to impactpersonally my family's life.
And and I I'm a big believer in, you know, mentoring, giving
(13:27):
opportunity, giving skill sets,helping people grow and develop.
So so that's, you know,something that that stands out
to me is, you know, I want everyteam member who walks in our
door to know that there is, youknow, a open dialogue and
pathway to success, whateverthat looks like for them, as
(13:49):
long as it's in line with the,you know, the company's
direction and core values, anddevelop that conversation over
time.
And you know, not everybodywants the same pathway.
Not everybody wants to be, youknow, the same pathway.
Not everybody wants to be, youknow, challenged to grow right.
So I mean, thirst for growth isone of our core values and, and
(14:13):
we we do lean on attractingteam members that that want to
grow and want new opportunity,um, through their journey.
Uh, but you know we've alsolearned that that's that's not
always the case, but I aim toprovide people with opportunity
and help them reimagine.
You know what their impact canbe.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Sure, that's awesome.
Yeah, yeah, I feel like that'sone of the lessons I wish I
would have learned earlier in mycareer that not everybody wants
to just go up and work crazyand that you actually need the
balance as your organizationgets larger and larger and
larger.
right, you need people who wantto stay at that front desk
forever because it's such a hardposition to fill and you have
those different things andsometimes you might see
opportunity in them andpotential in them, but you also
(14:53):
have to meet them where they'reat right.
I could have benefited fromthat a few times in my career.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Yeah, I mean, I think of a particular circumstance
where we had a team member thatcame in and had never even, you
know, worked in an office jobbefore.
And you fast forward threeyears later and they're, you
know, making a very high wageand a big impact on the
organization.
But each step along the way wasa huge challenge to comfort
(15:21):
zone and you know, pushing theirboundaries and limits in
different ways with you knowwhat their prior experience was
versus what their aptitude andcapability was.
And at the end of the day, youknow, sometimes you have to
recognize to your point that noteverybody wants that growth and
(15:45):
sometimes, just becausesomeone's capable of doing more,
it can be detrimental to youknow, to encourage them to do
more if they don't want tostretch.
So yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Focusing in on the industry a little bit.
Obviously you know thehealthcare industry has a lot of
external factors impacting itall the time.
What are the biggest factorsthat you see impacting the
industry this year?
And you know what do some ofthe larger employers you know
need to be kind of on thelookout for as they're going
through their process.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
Yeah, you know, I think that probably some of the
biggest impacts in the comingyear are more on the legislative
front right, I mean we haveobviously a new administration
and kind of a complete turnoverin a lot of those seats, and
there is already a lot ofdiscussion and talk about
(16:38):
transformation that's needed,transformation that's needed and
particular to the healthcareindustry.
I expect to see, not just atthe state level but also at the
federal level, discussionssurrounding pharmacy benefit
(17:00):
management entities, maybe someon the wholesaler side for
prescription medications, butthat's clearly been an area of
desired impact and it'snecessary to have some
disruption there.
I think, just based on theescalation of pharmacy cost as a
percentage of spend.
I mean, I think back to myinsurance carrier days, you know
, and it was very clearly thatyou would expect pharmacy to be
(17:22):
somewhere between 13 and 15percent of your overall spend,
and and now it's, um, you know,very typical for it to be in the
in the low 20s to 30 percentrange for an organization and so
so that's an area that'scontinued to escalate.
There's no slowdown in sightthere, um, in the environment,
(17:43):
outside of change, just due tothe fact that most of the
medications that are indevelopment are specialty or,
you know, medications that altergenetic, and so those are very
expensive medications and theyhave big implications on the
cost of health care, and thereneeds to be some discussion
(18:04):
surrounding how that getshandled, because whether an
employer is fully insured orwhether an employer is
self-funded and we serve thatwhole gamut and there's the
in-between but at the end of theday, no matter how the employer
is funding their insurance cost, escalations in health care
cost overall throughout thesystem are born through premiums
(18:26):
and are funded by employers.
So, um, the smallest employersaren't insulated from the
long-term impacts of of thesetypes of developments in our
health care system, when theyessentially end up footing the
bill.
So um.
So there's, you know there's alot to be said there.
Um, some of the legislation willonly impact Medicare, which is
(18:49):
unfortunate, I think, for ourcommercial insurance clients.
But there's a site of carelegislation that's being looked
at that would essentiallyrequire that the same services
receive a similar compensationregardless of if it's at the
hospital or if it's at adoctor's office.
If it's at the hospital or ifit's at a doctor's office, huge
(19:16):
implications in terms of thecost of care and savings in the
cost of care, if that were topass, because it's no dirty
little secret that you can pay$400 for an MRI at a
freestanding facility or severalthousand dollars in an
inpatient or an urgent carefacility or imaging center
that's associated with thehospital and there's been a lot
of acquisitions of those typesof facilities to bill at the
higher rate in the system.
(19:37):
So I'd love to see some of thatlegislation come into the
employer space.
But but I think you know, asfar as on the horizon, I do
expect to see some decisionsover the next administration
related to legislative outcomes.
And then, in terms of employers,I would say that the main thing
(20:01):
that we're seeing there is thatmore and more employers are
awakening I say maybe gettingred-pilled to the fact that
there are many aspects of healthcare costs that they do have an
ability to control and impact.
And that's probably, you know,that's where we spend the vast
majority of our time and focuswith clients that have more than
(20:22):
100 employees, where we can getraw claims data and really dive
into what is driving their costand how can it be impacted.
And so I just we're definitelyseeing all the benchmarking
supports it that more and moreclients are entering into the
types of programs where theyreally do have the ability to
(20:43):
take control, and then it, youknow, and then it really matters
to have a partner who knows howto analyze the data and also,
you know, solve for the problemsthat it represents.
Everyone will say they do thatin this space when you get into
that large employer marketplace.
But the reality of thecircumstances is that many, many
(21:05):
firms try to deploy as littleresources as possible to include
that as a pillar, and we aim tomake a difference and control
the cost for the employer.
Ultimately, we aim to impactthe lives of the employees.
So to do that, we have to helpthe employer control their cost
so that they can deliver ahigher value of benefit for
(21:25):
their budgetary spend to theemployee in the form of richer
benefits or reduced cost.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
So yeah, thank you so much for all of that.
And it's such a scary place andso often I think, as leaders
inside organizations, weliterally are looking at it once
a year and really need to belooking at it more holistically
and throughout the year.
And giving time and theeducation process of the
employee population too of howto use the benefits and where to
(21:52):
go and who to call and all ofthose things too, I think is
such a big factor in all of it.
Kind of flipping back to theleadership side of things and
you know so many seniorexecutives have like, oh,
they've got it all together, andyou know we'll use a phrase
like, you know, duck on water,right, like we look, like we've
got it all, we're there, we haveit, but we still have the same,
(22:12):
you know, talk tracks in ourheads and the same, you know,
like demons on our shoulders attimes and so the thought of like
imposter syndrome, right, Ithink most of us go through that
at some point in our career.
Have you ever felt like you'vebeen in that place of you know?
Is this really happening?
Am I really here?
Should I be here?
And, if so, how did you dealwith it?
(22:33):
If you haven't done that, like,how have you managed to stay
away from it?
What's your?
Speaker 3 (22:38):
secret.
Yeah, yeah, I don't have asecret.
So I think everyone goesthrough that at some point in
their career.
right If you're, if you'resoaring to new heights.
At some point you're going tofind yourself in a room where
you say how did I get here andhow am I viewed in the room,
which you know is essentiallyhow imposter syndrome is born.
I would say, very early, I hadsuccess very early on.
(23:02):
So in my early twenties I, youknow, was very quickly climbing
and found myself in very largeboardrooms with senior
executives and, I guess,presenting to CEOs and CFOs in
my early 20s, and I was alwaysunderestimated in those
(23:22):
environments, I think, andalways the youngest person by a
margin in the room, and soperson by a margin in the room.
And so you know, I, I overcamethat mostly by knowing, by
knowledge.
So nobody was going to out,understand the dynamics of the
(23:43):
problems we were solving for andhave opinions on them.
Uh, the way that I did, cominginto those meetings and so I
never shrunk away from being anactive voice at the table and,
and I think that that's probablyone of the, you know, the
biggest way I over.
I overcame that as, as Ievolved into, you know,
leadership roles versus justthat.
You know that early dynamic ofof being green, so to speak.
(24:08):
I would, I would say that theway I overcame that is
surrounding myself with otherentrepreneurs, you know, making
sure that I really understoodwhether the challenges that we
were facing as an organizationwere unique to us never are, by
the way.
Or, you know something thatevery business deals with and
(24:29):
what are the tools and resourcesto solve those problems.
So it for me having resources,you know, through Arizona Growth
Advisors or EntrepreneursOrganization, eo.
Those are two venues where I'vejust found a lot of
collaborative, you know,entrepreneur CEO type.
(24:50):
Um, think space if you will forfor resolving and growing uh as
an organization.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Yeah, and so I mean on that, you just mentioned
Arizona growth advisors and EO.
Um, what other ways do youcontinue to grow and develop as
a leader?
I know you're a big reader likehow do you find the time to
invest in your own growth?
Speaker 3 (25:10):
I was just going to say what other things do I do?
Speaker 2 (25:12):
with what time yeah.
It's a valid question.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
So I don't watch a lot of TV and I can't honestly
remember the last time that Ithat I did.
So I'm, I'm.
I'm not up to speed on any ofthe latest series on streaming.
You know none of that, but I ama junkie for documentaries and
podcast.
So you know some of those aremore on the personal and health
(25:38):
side of things which absolutelyimpact me as a leader, but
oftentimes they're also thoughtleadership, you know, related to
what we do every day, and so Iusually have a podcast or some
content that I'm listening to asI get ready in the morning is a
big time that I am.
It's more audio content for me.
(26:00):
I'm usually doing calls in thecar so I don't get that time
that some entrepreneurs find awindow with um.
In terms of reading, I willlisten to books on audio.
I prefer the 1.5 speed, as fastas possible, um and and uh, and
you know, and I will um moreoften read in downtime.
(26:23):
You know when I'm, when I'm notnot during the work week, just
because my my brain's kind of onoverdrive in the work week
solving for other challenges,but I am an avid reader.
Just finished Gap in the Gain,which is a great book, great
perspective, and so I seek outthought leadership on business
(26:44):
growth and leadership andscaling and solving for the
healthcare industry challenges.
Those are all areas that Ispend time learning, but the
bulk of my time outside ofreading and you know, podcast
would be related to the time Ispend with EO and Arizona Growth
Advisors and there's not awhole lot more time I could give
(27:06):
in that category.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
I know, and even in those things and I mean I'm not
afraid to say it on podcasts,right, it's like that morning's
like, do I really have time forthis today?
But then you go and it's like,oh, this is exactly what I
needed today.
And that whole point ofself-care, whether it's, you
know, doing something like thatand getting around peers where
you have a little bit of a grouptherapy session, if you will,
right, and be able to kind oftalk about issues that, um, out
(27:28):
loud, that maybe you can't inother rooms, or whether it's a
massage, whether it's a workout,whether it's a hike, um, you
know, I hate the word balance,because what does that actually
mean, right?
Um, but obviously you have afamily um you know and and like
to do things and createexperiences there.
So how do you get those, orwhat do you do to get those
recharge moments to kind ofcreate that sense of balance in
(27:51):
a world that's obviously very,very much, you know, work-driven
?
Speaker 3 (27:55):
Yeah, well, first of all, I'll just comment on the
peer group aspect that youshared.
I think it's that old adage ifyou all throw your problems into
a pile, you'll quickly betrying to get yours back, and so
I think part of that journey iscertainly the content and the
learning and the solvingproblems with other business
leaders for their organizationsthat you may not have
(28:16):
encountered yet or you alreadynavigated, and you can be.
You can be more of anexperience share, resource for,
but, but you're right, in themorning of time being spent in
those environments, it's like,how do I, you know?
Do you're right?
In the morning of, uh, timebeing spent in those
environments, it's like, how doI, you know?
Do I?
Do I have the space for thistoday?
Um, but, uh, I can.
I can honestly say I neverregret committing the space, and
(28:38):
so, um, it's funny that thatquestion parlays into balance,
because it's one of those thingsthat can create more imbalance.
Right, yeah, but at the end ofthe day, I truly feel in this
type of a role where you'releading an organization and
you're also, you know, servingclients and have a family.
(29:01):
I mean, my husband and I have afamily of five boys.
Now I say five boys, five youngmen.
Now we're in a different seasonof our life.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
I was going to say like boys, young men Now we're
in a different season of ourlife.
I would say like boys becomingmen.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
But yeah, they're 20 to 27 now.
So we're on a different, adifferent cycle.
But, um, but, but balance is abig, is a big key part of it.
And how do, how do I find thattime I think, um, you know, I
will incorporate more micro type, uh, physical exercise into my
day, which means I might do ahundred squats in the morning,
(29:32):
or, you know, lift some, someweights and and while I'm on a
lymphatic machine and also infront of a red light therapy,
right Like I'm stacking thesethings because my time is so
precious.
But you know, limited, limitedtime to make sure I'm, I'm, I'm,
moving weights, whether that'smy body or physical weights, in
a in a day is is somewhatimportant, but something I never
(29:56):
easily part with is anafternoon walk.
So at the end of the day, nomatter what time I get home
putting on sneakers and andwalking out my front door, I'm
very fortunate to live at thebase of a hill, so it gives me a
nice little, a little more thana mile, you know, round trip
jaunt.
That has a good elevation to itand you know that's that helps
(30:19):
me physically, it helps merecharge, it helps, you know,
I'm super blessed when it's atsunset, because I can never get
enough of the beautiful Arizonasunsets.
But it's just a, you know, it'sa cherished part of my day.
That, you know, also has a lotof other tertiary benefits to it
so yeah it's the little littlethings that you just add up.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Well, and the stacking, yeah Right.
Um, well, we were in a sessionon Friday and I was talking
about stacking the differentthings to hit the things that
are most important to you.
And so if you can elevate yourmindset, your relationship and
your physical by going on a walkwith your spouse or your
significant other, you know, youcan kind of hit three important
and core areas of your life allwith one activity versus three
(30:59):
separate ones.
So, yeah, definitely a bigpiece of that.
Is there a particular book orpodcast that has really shaped
your career?
When new leaders are sayinglike what should I read?
What?
Would be something you wouldsuggest.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
I don't know that I can point to a book that shaped
my whole career.
I mean, if maybe there's one,the Purpose Driven Life you know
, there's a lot of good nuggetsin that.
I believe at my core that ifyou're going to devote such a
huge part of the time that youhave uh here, uh to something,
(31:35):
that it should be something thatyou feel purpose around and
alignment with and um, so Ithink there's a lot in
developing.
Where do you have passion andpurpose as a person?
Um, and and aligning the timethat you spend in the mark that
you leave with that purpose.
So you know, that's what Iwould say.
And then just another resourcethat has a big gamut of
(31:58):
leadership and business, butalso personal development.
I love the diary of a CEO.
It's a big go-to for me, justthat you never know what topic's
going to be discussed.
But there's always something tolearn from a bright mind who's
very purpose-driven andpassionate, and so I love that
genuinely as, just thought,leadership in general.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
Yeah, absolutely.
So kind of final question andthen we'll do some wrap-up.
Okay, what advice would yougive your younger self knowing?
What you know today, it'salways a hard one.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
It is a hard one, you know, and I'm not one of those
types of people who spends a lotof time dwelling on what would
I have done differently, to bevery, very honest with you.
So that is a hard question toponder, but advice I would give
my younger self to ponder.
(32:53):
But advice I would give myyounger self.
I think that every single partof the journey that I've been on
, professionally and personallythe hardest times and the best
times all cumulative, I would, Iwould give more credit to the
tough times.
When you're going throughsomething really tough, it's
easy to.
I think it's easy for us all ashumans to go to the place of
(33:16):
why is this happening to me?
Or having it be somethingpersonal or out of your control,
or, you know, there's a numberof ways that we cope with
difficult situations when we'restretched beyond our ordinary
comfort zone.
But I think it's thatstretching that really is the
fuel behind our growth.
And when I look back and thinkof some of the toughest things
(33:38):
that I've gone through over thecourse of my career, it's landed
me in a place.
In each of those scenarios, Ican find that silver lining
where.
I wouldn't take back the toughthing that happened right, and
so the advice I would give myyounger self going through any
of those tough situations wouldbe to find that silver lining as
(33:58):
quick as you can and have thatbe your focus, because if you
focus on the problem or thetrauma such an overrated word
today- or the trauma or the youknow or what have you then.
Then you end up in this kind ofnegative cycle with whatever
that is, and you you miss thegrowth from it a lot of times.
So I guess that would be Iwould.
(34:18):
I wish I would have learnedthat at an earlier age, that
that tough situations,challenges, problems, if you
will, are really gifts if you,if you use them to your
advantage.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
I love that Well, obviously I'm sure you're
connecting with a ton of ourlisteners and just how you run
your business, how you lead yourlife, your leadership persona
that you have.
How will people get a hold ofyou if they want to talk to you
about their benefit cycle?
Speaker 3 (34:42):
Yeah, sure.
So I'm on LinkedIn.
You can certainly reach out andconnect with me there.
Stephanie Waldrop is.
My profile is under that name.
Employee Benefits Internationalis also.
It can be followed on LinkedIn.
Our website is wwwebintcom.
So certainly another platformfor outreach All right.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Thank you so much for being here.
We enjoyed having you and Ijust appreciate the relationship
and the friendship andeverything we're doing together.
So thank you, awesome Thanksfor having me Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
Thanks for tuning in to the Confidence Curve.
We hope today's episode leftyou inspired and ready to
embrace your journey confidently.
Remember whether you're leadinga team, growing your business
or pursuing personal growth,each step forward builds your
curve.
If you enjoyed today'sconversation, don't forget to
(35:38):
subscribe, share and leave us areview For more insights and
resources.
Visit us at apexgtscom.
Until next time, keep climbingthe curve.
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