Looking for something new? Weasked our readers to share their favorite books, podcasts, TEDTalks or other sources of information and inspiration.

Always shufflin'

I keep my content on shuffle mode. Here are a few of my currentgo-tos:

Podcasts: Relentless Health Value: Offers deepdives into specific health care supply chain conversationsReconstructing Healthcare: Offers a consultant mindset approach toconversations with vendors for both broad and narrow topics

ShiftShapers: Similar to the above but on a broaderspectrum.

The Phia Group, LLC: Often as entertaining as it isenlightening.

Heads Up Adviser: It's one thing to learn the content, andanother to be able to apply the knowledge.

I also rotate in other fun shows like Humans 2.0 Podcast and TheJordan Harbinger Show. In addition to industry reads likeBenefitsPRO, I rely on other newsletters. And AhealthcareZ.com—Eric Bricker is the king of engaging, relevant and digestiblecontent.

Axios' Vitals newsletter is a good way to get started every day,and blog.riskmanagers.us offers deep dives into the dark side ofhealth plans.

Derek Winn, president, DistilledConcepts

Get your $@# in gear!

I often listen on the train into or home from work. I try to mixup motivational and success podcasts or YouTube clips to keep itrelevant for all aspects in my life, because although we have beentaught to leave our personal life at the door, that doesn't holdtrue in reality. The information I listen to can be used for work,gym motivation, life motivation for just a kick in the rear. Someof the podcasts, such as GaryVee, use some intense language so fairwarning to non-NY or NJ folks!

Top podcast about the industry: What the Health– reporters from The Washington Post, New York Times, etc., giveupdates on the latest news regarding health care and policychanges.

TED Talk: Julian Treasure – How to speak sothat people want to listen YouTube: Gary Vaynerchuk's (GaryVee) Top10 Rules For Success

Books: "Start with Why" by Simon Sinek "How toWin Friends & Influence People" by Dale Carnegie "Year of Yes"by Shonda Rhimes "You Do You" by Sarah Knight

Colleen M. Blum, VP, Combs &Company

Taking notes

I have five pages of notes from just two books: "Why NobodyBelieves the Numbers" and "Cracking Health Costs." Innovationthrough education and a reduction in wasteful and unloved programs.How to see through fuzzy math. Al Lewis s a gem.

Joseph Andelin, founder, OlavieGroup

Overcoming life's obstacles

2018 was the worst year of my life, while 2019 was a year ofprofound transition. Books and podcasts helped me get through. Oneepisode of the"How I Built This" podcast featured Arthur Blankdescribing his challenges and victories relating to the foundingand growth of Home Depot. It resonated with me as he spoke abouthow he went from having no customers show up to the store's grandopening to becoming a billion-dollar brand.

The second was a book entitled "The Miracle Power of Your Mind"by Joseph Murphy, which had a profound impact on me and helped memaintain my sanity during a year in which I experienced a nastydivorce, the loss of my mom, and losing our firm's largest case andrevenue generator after 15 years. It taught me how to quiet thatvoice of anxiety and depression so that I could better focus on mybusiness and how to get to the next level by controlling mythoughts and manifesting what I wanted. Without this book andothers like "Traction," "Think and Grow Rich," and "The MotivationManifesto" I don't think I could have made it through.

Felipe Barganier, CEO, GABInternational

Texts for context

I'm currently reading "Exit, Voice, and Loyalty" by Albert O.Hirschman. Chapter 4, "A Special Difficulty in Combining Exit andVoice," is a story of how consumers, managers, workers andinvestors react to decline and deterioration in quality or pricing.It draws a parallel to the client who uses "exit" to jump fromproduct to product based on price. But as it explains, "exit"doesn't recuperate value very well. The consumer is stuck with adisproportionate response of "exit" because "voice" is thedisproportionate response of the consumer who gets dissatisfiedwith quality and who has the ability to "fight from within" tocorrect the quality of a product. This illustrates the widening gapbetween health plans where we see a lower quality world reactingupon price in preset products and higher quality plans whereleadership has invested and focused on quality and stabilizedpricing.

"A Generous Orthodoxy" by Brian McLaren is another book thatparallels my journey through insurance. It follows the tenet:"Generosity without orthodoxy is nothing, but orthodoxy withoutgenerosity is worse than nothing." Taking a step back from mymicrocosm of experiences and knowledge put me on a multi-yearjourney to question what I knew about the client experience, thestruggles of putting life in context of a product and price, andlearning how to walk a mile in someone else's shoes as Iinterviewed clients, other brokers, solution providers, and watchedmy family members experience a spectrum of crisis moments.

The reading, mindset shift, and the personal experiences haveled to the mindset to keep the discussion going and never become soabsolute in dogma that we can't learn or adopt a more generousunderstanding and path forward together.

Bret Brummit, founder, GenerousBenefits

A healthy roster

The publications I'm reading capture the exciting developmentswe are seeing in the population health and well-being landscape,including the push to destigmatize mental health conditions, anemerging emphasis on women's health, leveraging well-beingofferings to improve recruitment and retention, overcoming barriersto engage employees in their health, and macro trends on policy andthe economy.

Here's my list: e-newsletters from AHIP, HERO, Business Group onHealth and Morning Consult, and the New York Times and Wall StreetJournal. For updates on important new research, I also read theJournal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and the AmericanJournal of Health Promotion.

Seth Serxner, CHO and SVP of population health,Optum

Open your mind

Although I'm not going to pinpoint one specific podcast or book,I would highly recommend books, videos and podcasts that focus onmindset and communication. So many are only digestingindustry-specific content. More knowledge won't win you morebusiness, but effectively communicating the knowledge you havewill!

Andy Neary, health care strategist, The OlsenGroup

Ideas and interactions

I have found LinkedIn to be an invaluable resource. It includesa plethora of content creators and is a tremendous aggregator ofrelevant information, offering access to industry-specificknowledge and education.

More importantly, I have also found it to be the perfectplatform to learn from other consultants and share ideas. I amconstantly seeking out strategic partners who offer unique insightand specialized expertise, and LinkedIn provides real-timeengagement with like-minded professionals. Furthermore, LinkedInallows for direct interaction with prospects and other high-levelcontacts who you might not otherwise be able to get in frontof.

Kevin Kennedy, benefits consultant, TriBenInsurance

Girl power

I started the year with the book "Dare to Lead" by Brene Brown,and I'm currently reading the book "How Women Rise" by SallyHelgesen and Marshall Goldsmith. It details 12 habits that womenshould consider letting go of if they want to be stronger leaders.The book was recommended to me by Patricia Griffey, the currentpresident of NAHU, when she was on my AlignWomen Podcast discussingthe lessons she has learned in her various state and nationalleadership roles in our industry.

Amy Evans, president, Colibri InsuranceServices

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