Nolan Pearson, President and COO of Apex Benefits Group, spent 9 years managing employee benefits from the buyer side before ever working for a broker. He's heard every pitch, sat through every renewal, and lived the frustration of being told "the claims are just the claims" when costs spike.

In this bite-sized cut from a longer conversation with Josh Schumacher, Nolan breaks down why so many CFOs stay in reactive broker relationships even when they know something's wrong. He also explains what separates a real consultant from a broker who's doing the bare minimum, and the exact questions leaders should ask before deciding to stay or go.

If you want to listen to the whole conversation, head on over to this link to hear the full version.

Highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:00) Why Every Broker Pitch Sounded the Same

(01:57) “Claims Are Just the Claims”

(03:23) Wanting Something Different From a Broker

(04:54) Questions to Ask About Pharmacy and Claims

(07:01) Questions Every Leader Should Ask

Resources:

Apex Benefits website: https://apexbg.com/

Apex LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/apex-benefits-group-inc-/

Josh’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-schumacher-apexbg/

Nolan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-pearson-91a44770/

Most employers don't lose money because their benefits plan fails. They lose money because nobody stopped to ask if it still works.

In this episode, Amanda Gilbert, Vice President of Client Strategy and Engagement at Apex Benefits, moves the conversation from theory to practice. She walks through real client relationships: the problems they were stuck in, the strategy sessions that changed direction, and what happened once they got creative.

From a private university that solved a difficult renewal without disrupting a single employee, to a healthcare client whose growth plans reshaped their entire self-funded strategy, Amanda breaks down what separates a broker who shows up once a year from a trusted advisor who's in it year-round.

Highlights
(00:00) Why Best Practice Is a Broker Review Every 3-5 Years

(01:34) Why Employers Get Complacent

(02:04) What Complacency Actually Costs Employers

(03:36) Case Study: The Private University's Custom Network

(05:40) The Questions That Uncover a Real Strategy

(07:57) Building a Strategy That Lasts Beyond One Year

(09:31) What These Three Clients Had in Common

(11:57) How to Evaluate Your Broker Without the Heavy Lift

(13:41) Broker vs. Trusted Advisor

(14:32) Why Benefits Strategy Is a Year-Round Conversation

(14:59) The Real Impact of Getting Creative

(16:05) Final Advice: You Don't Have to Repeat the Same Outcome

Resources

Apex Benefits website: https://apexbg.com/

Apex LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/apex-benefits-group-inc-/

Amanda Gilbert’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-gilbert-b59bb62a/

Josh’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-schumacher-apexbg/

A renewal meeting should not be the first time your broker talks about controlling benefits.

In this episode, Amber Chittenden, President of Apex Benefits, explains why employers need more than a transactional partner. Drawing on more than 30 years in the employee benefits industry, she shares how the broker role has shifted from shopping rates and negotiating renewals to helping organizations actively manage one of their largest business expenses.

Amber and Josh explore what employers miss when they focus only on fixed costs, why claims management requires year-round attention, and what separates a trusted advisor from a broker who simply brings back quotes. They also discuss how benefits should connect to broader business goals and what employers can ask to determine whether their current partner is truly accountable for results.

For any organization still treating benefits as a once-a-year renewal conversation, this episode offers a better standard for managing healthcare costs.

Highlights

(00:00) The Hidden Cost of Transactional Benefits
(00:30) Meet Amber Chittenden
(01:09) How the Broker Role Has Changed
(06:10) Why Transactional Brokers Still Exist
(07:57) The True Cost of Ignoring Your Benefits Strategy
(09:02) Why Employers Focus on the Wrong Costs
(10:18) Why Renewal Season Is Too Late
(11:40) What's Next for Employee Benefits
(14:10) Building a Benefits Strategy That Starts With Business Goals
(15:34) What a Strategic Advisor Should Actually Do
(17:45) How to Evaluate Your Broker
(20:05) The First Step Toward Breaking the Cycle

Resources

Apex Benefits website: https://apexbg.com/
Apex LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/apex-benefits-group-inc-/

Josh's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-schumacher-apexbg/

Amber’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberchittenden/

Most employers think they're evaluating their broker relationship correctly. They're not.

In this episode, John Gause, Founder and CEO of Apex Benefits Group, pulls back the curtain on 23 years of building something different, and why the benefits industry's default approach to measuring broker performance is costing employers real money.

John shares the journey from group underwriter to industry disruptor: how he saw the gaps early, why he left a national firm to build something benefits-only, and how Apex pioneered the data, clinical, and pharmacy capabilities that most brokers are only now beginning to understand.

The conversation cuts to the heart of what employers should actually be asking: not what am I paying my broker, but what am I getting for it? Because if your trend is running at 7 or 8% every year and no one's talking about why, that's the real problem.

From predictive modeling to a six-year internal study showing Apex clients averaging just 2.2% claim cost growth, this episode makes the case for a different standard. One where your broker isn't just servicing your account, they're changing your future.

Highlights

(00:00) The Real Cost Is on Claims

(00:13) Welcome to Break the Cycle

(00:46) Meet John Gause

(01:48) Why John founded Apex Benefits Group

(07:41) The healthcare cost shifts reshaping employer benefits

(09:14) Moving from reporting to predictive analytics

(12:40) Building the capabilities needed to change outcomes

(15:32) Why broker ROI should matter more than fees

(18:31) Evaluating broker performance through healthcare trends

(20:59) The resources required to bend cost trends

(25:33) What employers should expect from their brokers today

(26:47) Why healthcare decisions need financial oversight

(31:10) The first step toward breaking the cycle of rising costs

Resources

Apex Benefits website: https://apexbg.com/

Apex LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/apex-benefits-group-inc-/

Kinetiq Health website: https://kinetiqhealth.com/

Kinetiq Health LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kinetiq-health/

The employee benefits system has been stuck in a cycle of rising costs, reactive decisions, and limited visibility into what’s actually driving outcomes.

In this episode, Nolan Pearson, President and COO of Apex Benefits Group, shares what he learned from sitting in the CFO seat, managing benefits decisions that directly impacted both the business and its employees. He unpacks why so many organizations operate reactively, what happens when high-cost claims hit without warning, and why most brokers fail to offer anything meaningfully different.

From stop-loss surprises to long-term claims that drive ongoing costs, we explore what it really takes to move from reacting to proactively managing your benefits strategy and why that shift matters more than most leaders realize.

Highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:29) Meet Nolan Pearson

(01:06) From CFO To Benefits Leader

(02:09) Why The Industry Felt Broken

(03:11) The Frustration With Reactive Strategies

(05:40) Real Examples Of Costly Surprises

(07:00) The Hidden Impact On Employees And Leadership

(09:38) Why Leaders Accept The Status Quo

(11:00) What Actually Differentiates A Broker

(12:30) The Complexity Of Pharmacy Costs

(14:57) Why Process And Expertise Matter In Claims Review

(17:32) What Proactive Benefits Management Looks Like

(18:24) When To Evaluate And Switch Partners

(19:30) How To Assess Broker Credibility

(22:12) Questions Nolan Would Ask Today

(23:10) Advice For Leaders Stuck In The Cycle

Resources:

Apex Benefits website: https://apexbg.com/

Apex LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/apex-benefits-group-inc-/

Josh’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-schumacher-apexbg/

Nolan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-pearson-91a44770/

Healthcare costs don’t just rise on their own. There’s always a reason behind them, and most employers never get to see the full picture.

In this episode, Sarah Michaels, Chief Clinical Officer at Kinetiq Health, joins us to break down what’s actually driving healthcare spend and why the traditional approach of reacting to claims after the fact continues to fail employers.

We explore how the system itself is designed, and why convenience often comes at a significantly higher cost. Sarah also shares what employers are missing when they rely on data alone without understanding the story behind it, and how a more proactive, clinically informed strategy can change both outcomes and costs.

From high-cost claims to everyday decisions that quietly drive spend, this conversation reframes how employers should think about healthcare and what they can do differently moving forward.

Highlights

(00:00) Why Claims Are More Than Just Claims

(00:45) Introducing Sarah Michaels

(01:13) From Nurse To Benefits Strategist

(02:20) What’s Broken In The Healthcare System

(03:00) The Hidden Cost Of Referrals And Convenience

(04:08) The Financial Fear Behind Every Diagnosis

(05:18) Why Employers Need A Full Benefits Strategy

(07:00) Why Wellness Programs Often Fail

(08:40) What Actually Drives Rising Claims Costs

(10:00) Data Isn’t The Problem—Decisions Are

(12:20) Real Story: Second Opinion That Saved A Life

(14:00) How Employers Can Take Control Of Healthcare Spend

(17:00) Using Data To Target High-Impact Interventions

(19:00) Preventing Catastrophic Claims Through Primary Care

(20:00) Why You Must Act On Data Before Renewal

(21:00) Final Advice: Find The Story In Your Data

Resources

Apex Benefits website: https://apexbg.com/

Apex LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/apex-benefits-group-inc-/

Kinetiq Health website: https://kinetiqhealth.com/

Kinetiq Health LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kinetiq-health/

Josh’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-schumacher-apexbg/

Sarah’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlmichaels/

Every year, the same cycle repeats: rising costs, reactive planning, no real answers.

Break The Cycle says what the rest of the industry won't. Each episode unpacks what's really driving the problem, features leaders and experts who've found a better path, and delivers the strategies you need to stop reacting and start leading. No spin. No sugarcoating. Just the clarity employers have been looking for.