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How do you transition from running a successful business to building a multimillion-dollar enterprise that spans healthcare, insurance, and community infrastructure? You stop being a manager and start becoming an architect of systems.

This week, Misty sits down with Gary T. Hartfield, a serial entrepreneur, two-time author, and 2025 Titan 100 Honoree.Gary is the Founder and CEO of Serenity Village Insurance & Consulting and has built a sprawling healthcare enterprise that employs over 100 Floridians. From the boardroom to his leadership roles at CareerSource and HART, Gary is one of the most influential voices shaping the future of Tampa Bay.

Gary shares his "Zero-BS" philosophy on what it takes to lead across multiple industries, why growth requires a complete reimagining of your "playbook" every few years, and the reality of protecting the downside when you’re operating at scale.

What you’ll learn:

• The "Serial Builder" Mindset: How to apply the same winning systems across completely different industries.
• Championship Roster Construction: Gary’s philosophy on why filling a seat is never enough—and how to hire for responsibility.
• Navigating the Audit: How Gary’s businesses have evolved over the last five years and why the "old plays" no longer work.
• Risk at the Intersection: Understanding the relationship between business growth, insurance strategy, and civic responsibility.
• The "Game-Saving Play": Real-world insights into when insurance protects the mission and what happens when the ball is dropped.

Who this episode is for: Serial entrepreneurs, healthcare executives, insurance professionals, and any leader who wants to scale their business while deepening their impact on their community.

Guest: Gary T. Hartfield, Founder & CEO — Serenity Village Insurance & Consulting | Founder — All Hart Foundation.

🎧 Listen to learn how to move from playing the game to building the system that wins it.

Subscribe & Review: If Gary’s vision for leadership inspired you, follow The Policy Playbook and leave a review—it helps us bring more high-level strategies to leaders like you.

Links:

🔗 Subscribe → The Policy Playbook

💌 Join the newsletter → Play of the Week

🤝 Connect → LinkedIn

💻 Website → The Playbook Consulting Group

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How do you stop reacting to double-digit healthcare renewals and start playing offense? You stop negotiating the scoreboard and start redesigning the game itself.

This week, Misty sits down with Jeff Bak, CEO and President of Imagine360. With over 30 years in the healthcare arena, Jeff is a seasoned executive who has seen the system from every angle—from global practice leadership to spearheading the charge for self-funded employers.

Jeff pulls back the curtain on why traditional insurance plays no longer work and how Imagine360 is helping employers regain control over their healthcare spend while actually improving outcomes for employees and their families.

What you’ll learn:

• The "Inside-Out" Perspective: How Jeff’s 30-year journey through the healthcare system informed his mission to disrupt it.
• Redesigning the Game: Why the secret to lowering costs isn't better negotiation, but better system design.
• The Self-Funded Advantage: How mid-to-large scale employers are taking the power back from traditional carriers.
• Reactive vs. Intentional Leadership: Why waiting for the renewal notice is a losing strategy and what to do instead.
• The Industry Bet: The one trend Jeff is betting on that most business owners are completely missing.

Who this episode is for: CEOs, CFOs, HR Directors, and business owners who are tired of healthcare costs eating their margins and are ready for a "zero-BS" alternative.

Guest: Jeff Bak, CEO & President — Imagine360.

🎧 Listen to learn how to stop playing defense with your healthcare spend and start building a playbook that actually protects your bottom line.

Subscribe & Review: If Jeff’s insights on healthcare disruption resonated with you, follow The Policy Playbook and leave a review—it helps us get these strategies into the hands of more leaders.

Links:

🔗 Subscribe → The Policy Playbook

💌 Join the newsletter → Play of the Week

🤝 Connect → LinkedIn

💻 Website → The Playbook Consulting Group

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How do you build a leadership system that stays fast and precise while scaling across the Southeast? You build it like a championship team.

This week, Misty sits down with Tye Fowler, the Chief Strategy Officer of SGD Communications and a nationally recognized leadership speaker. Tye operates in the high-pressure world of low-voltage and technology solutions—a space where technical precision and trust are the only things that keep the lights on.

Known for his energy and authenticity, Tye pulls back the curtain on driving long-term vision in the telecom and MSP space. From the boardroom to his Dapper and Poised Mentorship Programs, Tye’s mission is simple: help people lead with clarity and elevate every environment they enter.

What you’ll learn:

• The "Championship Team" Philosophy: Why you should stop filling roster spots and start building for performance.
• Scaling Through the Noise: How SGD Communications evolved its strategy to stay ahead in a fast-moving technical industry.
• The Art of the Audible: Developing the judgment to know when to pivot versus when to stick to the original play.
• Identity & Discipline: How Tye’s work with young leaders through mentorship influences his corporate leadership systems.
• Leadership Simplicity: Practical tools to spark action and simplify communication across technical teams.

Who this episode is for: Business owners in technical trades, MSP leaders, construction executives, and any leader tired of playing defense while trying to scale.

Guest: Tye Fowler, Chief Strategy Officer — SGD Communications & Founder of Dapper and Poised Mentorship.

🎧 Listen to learn how to build a playbook that protects your people and your performance when the pressure hits.

Subscribe & Review: If Tye’s energy and insights sparked action for you, follow The Policy Playbook and leave a review—it helps more leaders build a better strategy.

Links:

🔗 Subscribe → The Policy Playbook

💌 Join the newsletter → Play of the Week

🤝 Connect → LinkedIn

💻 Website → The Playbook Consulting Group

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Most business leaders treat workers’ compensation like an insurance problem.

It’s not.

In this solo episode of The Policy Playbook, Misty Carson breaks down why workers’ comp is actually a leadership, operations, and culture issue that shows up on your insurance policy months or years later.

You’ll learn why experience mods are lagging indicators, how the first seven days after an injury determine claim severity, and why safety programs fail when leadership behavior doesn’t match policy language.

If your work comp costs keep rising and you can’t explain why, this episode will change how you look at risk, accountability, and control.

Smart strategies. Straight talk. Zero BS.

📝 Show Notes

Workers’ compensation is one of the most controllable lines of insurance, but only when leaders understand what actually drives cost.

In this episode, Misty explains why claims aren’t random, why your experience mod reflects past leadership decisions, and how culture shows up in claim severity every time. This conversation reframes work comp as a system issue, not a carrier issue.

What You’ll Learn

• Why your experience mod is a lagging indicator, not a scorecard
• How the first seven days after an injury decide claim outcomes
• The leadership behaviors that increase claim severity without anyone noticing
• Why safety manuals don’t reduce claims but leadership behavior does
• How return to work programs directly reduce cost and litigation
• Why two similar companies can have drastically different work comp results

Who This Episode Is For

• Business owners frustrated by rising work comp premiums
• Leaders managing safety, operations, or HR
• Organizations with recurring injuries or high claim severity
• Anyone responsible for controlling insurance costs, not just buying policies

Links:

🔗 Subscribe → The Policy Playbook

💌 Join the newsletter → Play of the Week

🤝 Connect → LinkedIn

💻 Website → The Playbook Consulting Group

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You can have millions in property coverage and still go out of business after a covered loss.

In this solo episode of The Policy Playbook, Misty Carson breaks down business income coverage, the most misunderstood coverage on a commercial policy and one of the biggest reasons companies fail after a fire, tornado, or major equipment loss.

You will learn what business income actually covers, what it does not, and why most businesses have the wrong limit, the wrong period of restoration, and no plan for extra expense. Misty also explains contingent business income, the coverage you need when your supplier goes down and your building is fine but your operation is dead.

If you have not stress tested your business income limit in the last two years, this episode is for you.

Smart strategies. Straight talk. Zero BS.

Links:

🔗 Subscribe → The Policy Playbook

💌 Join the newsletter → Play of the Week

🤝 Connect → LinkedIn

💻 Website → The Playbook Consulting Group

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Hiring is not an HR task, it is a business protection strategy.

In this episode, Misty Carson sits down with Tamara Galla, President and CEO of PDI Connection, to break down what most leaders miss about recruiting, culture, and the real cost of turnover. Tamara built her firm on three non negotiables, Passion, Drive, and Integrity, and she explains why the fastest hire is rarely the right hire.

They cover why candidates prefer recruiters, why posting and praying is dead, and how leaders can protect their business by building a roster, not filling seats.

What You Will Learn

• Why your talent strategy is your business strategy
• The hidden cost of turnover and mis hires
• How recruiters reduce time, risk, and disruption
• What Passion, Drive, and Integrity look like in real hiring decisions
• Why culture fit starts with leadership, not perks
• How to build a team you would protect at all costs

Guest

Tamara Galla, President and CEO of PDI Connection

PDI stands for Passion, Drive, and Integrity, the core values behind how she builds championship rosters for growing businesses.

Links:

🔗 Subscribe → The Policy Playbook

💌 Join the newsletter → Play of the Week

🤝 Connect → LinkedIn

💻 Website → The Playbook Consulting Group

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Leadership isn’t just about growth. It’s about protecting what you’ve built before pressure exposes the cracks.

In this episode of The Policy Playbook, Misty Carson sits down with Samantha Greer, Principal and CEO of SG Consulting, to talk about what leadership really looks like when the stakes are high and the margin for error is small.

Samantha operates in public, high-accountability environments where one misstep can stall momentum, damage reputation, or derail a mission entirely. She shares what leaders often get wrong about risk, why reaction is far more expensive than preparation, and how organizations can position themselves for growth without becoming overwhelmed by success.

This conversation goes beyond titles and tactics. It’s about anticipation, discipline, and making smart decisions before pressure forces your hand.

If you lead an organization, manage reputation, pursue funding, or operate in complex systems where waiting is already a risk, this episode will change how you think about protection, strategy, and leadership.

This is not an insurance podcast.

This is the playbook leaders need when the game is on the line.

Links:

🔗 Subscribe → The Policy Playbook

💌 Join the newsletter → Play of the Week

🤝 Connect → LinkedIn

💻 Website → The Playbook Consulting Group

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In this episode of The Policy Playbook, I sit down with Frank Rygiel, a leader who understands what responsibility really looks like when decisions impact people, operations, and outcomes.

Frank shares candid insight on leadership, ownership, and the realities business leaders face that rarely get discussed openly. We talk about decision making under pressure, long term thinking, and why consistency and accountability matter more than trends or titles.

This is a grounded, practical conversation for leaders who carry real responsibility and want to build organizations that last.

If you are responsible for people, performance, or risk, this episode will resonate.

Links:

🔗 Subscribe → The Policy Playbook

💌 Join the newsletter → Play of the Week

🤝 Connect → LinkedIn

💻 Website → The Playbook Consulting Group

Support the show