There are two ways for Insurance Companies, Banks, Private Equity firms, MGAs, and insurtechs to approach complex risk in 2025:

1. Rely on generic solutions, potentially overlooking critical gaps.
2. Partner with specialized expertise that delivers clarity and tailored protection.

Many sit in the first category, often underserved by mega-brokers.

Your institution has unique strengths and ambitions. 

But is your risk management truly aligned? 

Or are you unknowingly exposed due to:

–  Coverage gaps hidden in the fine print?

–  Lack of access to sophisticated global markets?

–  Decisions made without credible peer data or advanced analytics?

–  Impersonal service that doesn’t grasp your specific operational realities?

The bigger problem?

You're leaving strategic advantage on the table and potentially facing significant financial or reputational risk down the line.

The solution?

Transform your risk management from a necessary cost center into a strategic asset through a bespoke, expert-driven partnership.

That’s my focus at LION Specialty.

My approach combines:

– Penetrating technical analysis honed by deep experience (including handling complex Fortune 100 accounts) to uncover what others miss.

– Global market access (London, Bermuda) and perspective, crafting solutions beyond standard domestic offerings.

– Process mastery & advanced analytics delivering clarity and confidence, not complexity.

– Authentic human connection, building partnerships that thrive.

(informed partly by my wellness background as a Pilates instructor… sustainable success requires balance)

–  Are you serious about closing critical coverage gaps?

–  Are you ready for risk management bespoke to your institution's needs?

–  Is it time for a partner who brings both sophisticated expertise and a refreshingly collaborative approach?

Let's connect and explore how we can elevate your strategy together.

Natasha Kiemnec

I was 24 years old, the youngest person in the room by at least 15 years.

And I was terrified of asking the wrong question.

The client was one of Aon's marquee accounts. The meeting was high-stakes. Everyone around the table had decades more experience than me.

So I stayed quiet.

I nodded along. I took notes. I tried to look like I belonged there.

But halfway through the conversation, something wasn't adding up.

The numbers the client was describing didn't match the risk exposure we'd outlined in the proposal. It seemed like a pretty basic disconnect, but no one was addressing it.

I figured I must be missing something obvious. These senior leaders would've caught it if it mattered, right?

But the gap kept nagging at me.

So I took a breath and asked what felt like the most obvious question in the world:

"Can we walk through how you're calculating exposure? Because I'm seeing a difference between what you're describing and what we've modeled."

The room went quiet.

Then the client looked at his CFO and said, "That's a good question. Can we?"

Turns out, they'd been using an outdated methodology. And no one on their team had flagged it because they all assumed someone else understood it.

My "obvious" question uncovered a $2M gap in their coverage.

That moment taught me something I still carry today:

Technical excellence doesn't come from pretending to know everything.

It comes from being curious enough to ask the questions everyone else is afraid to raise.

Now, when I'm mentoring the next generation of actuaries at LION, I tell them this:

The questions you're embarrassed to ask? Those are usually the ones the room needs to hear.

Because the most dangerous assumption in any technical field is that someone else has already figured it out.

Your lack of experience isn't a weakness. It's permission to question the status quo without ego getting in the way.

So ask the obvious questions. Challenge the assumptions. Speak up when the numbers don't add up.

That's how you build real expertise—not by faking confidence, but by staying relentlessly curious.

What's one question you've been afraid to ask in your work that might actually be worth raising?

Natasha I.  Kiemnec, ARM

Managing Partner & Co-founder of LION Specialty | Global Financial Institutions & Private Equity Broker | Classical Certified Pilates Instructor

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In my first broker role, I caught what 3 senior brokers missed in a major insurance program.
And there's such a simple reason why:

I actually read the policy.

All 200 pages.
Every endorsement. Every exclusion. Every definition. 

The senior brokers had reviewed the summary of coverage.

Confirmed the limits. 
Negotiated the premium. 
They'd been doing this longer than I'd been alive.

But on page 157, buried in a definition nobody checks, was language that invalidated coverage for the majority of the client's operations.

"Financial Interest" was defined to exclude any subsidiary with less than 50% ownership.

The insured had 47 subsidiaries. 31 were minority stakes.

Their biggest exposure - a 49% stake in an overseas operation - had zero coverage.

Massive uncovered liability. 
Exposed for years.

When I raised it in the meeting, the room went silent.

The senior brokers pulled up the policy. Read the definition. Re-read it. Called the carrier.

That's the unfortunate truth about coverage summaries.

Carriers write them. Carriers set what counts as "standard." And carriers count on brokers not reading page 157.

At LION, every team member - from associate broker to partner - reads every policy.

Not summaries. Not excerpts. Every single page.

Because experience without diligence is just confident ignorance.

And ignorance at page 157 can destroy everything.

~

Every Friday we share insights that cut through insurance complexity.
Comment 'brief' and I'll get you on the distribution!
LION Specialty 🦁

Legally, a drone is an aircraft.
That one definition nearly created a multi-million dollar uninsured loss.


I was reviewing a policy for an insurance carrier client.

We reached the "Aircraft and Operational Machinery" exclusion.

The CFO stopped me.
"Wait. We use drones to inspect property claims. If this exclusion stands, are we covered?"

Technically? No.

If the policy excludes "aircraft," and the FAA defines a drone as an "aircraft," the carrier can deny the claim.

Most brokers would wave this off.

"It’s a standard exclusion. They know what you do. It’ll be fine."

I don't rely on "fine." I rely on the contract.

We added a carve-back:
"This exclusion does not apply to the use of unmanned aircraft for claims handling and loss assessment."

One sentence.

Total protection.

Standard forms are written for hypothetical companies.

Manuscript policies are written for your operations.

How many "standard" exclusions in your policy are silently blocking your actual business operations?

Book a review. We usually find the first gap in 15 minutes.

A single word just split a federal court ruling.


Most financial institutions treat their Crime Bond and their Cyber Policy as two separate safety nets.
But a recent ruling (Hartford vs. HSB) just proved why that is a dangerous assumption.

The Bond was dismissed. The Cyber policy survived.
The difference wasn't the loss itself. It was the definition of "Causation."

Here is the nuance that most programs miss:

1. The Bond: Often excludes losses where an employee is "tricked" into sending money (Social Engineering). It requires the computer itself to be the cause.

2. The Cyber Policy: Applies a more permissive "direct result" standard that holds up even when human error is involved.

If you are relying on a $250k Social Engineering sublimit to cover a seven-figure wire fraud loss, you are exposed.

I’ve spent years architecting programs for financial institutions, and I always look for this specific friction point.

You cannot map these coverages in silos. They have to work together.

We broke down the full legal framework in this week’s Boardroom Briefing.

Comment "BRIEF" and I'll send it over.

Eighteen years in insurance taught me what no training manual covers.


Here are the unspoken rules that matter most:

1. Relationships outlast resumes.
The best placements don't come from knowing the product. They come from knowing the underwriter who can make an exception. Build the relationship before you need the favor.

2. Saying "No" is a skill.
Early in my career, I said yes to everything. I learned the hard way that overcommitment leads to mediocrity. Boundaries create the space for excellence.

3. Ask the "Junior" questions.
I was 24, manuscripting policies with General Counsels. I asked questions that probably annoyed them.
But asking when you don't understand builds expertise faster than pretending you do.

4. Own mistakes immediately.
Coverage errors happen. The brokers who survive own them fast. The ones who spiral try to hide them. (This one I learned early days from my parents.)

5. Physical discipline supports mental performance.
You cannot sustain high performance on declining physical capacity. Insurance rewards endurance. Train for it.

Nobody told me these rules at 22.
I learned them through trial, failure, and watching others burn out.

What has been the key to your most career success?

Ps. Also! Make the most of the travel, and make it fun.

Eight auto insurers paid New York $19 million for the same mistake.

Hackers stole driver's license numbers through their online quote tools. These were the same tools insurers use to capture new business.

Hartford paid $3 million. Liberty Mutual paid $2.7 million. Farmers paid $2.775 million plus extra penalties for not reporting on time.

These weren't sophisticated attacks. DFS warned about these exact vulnerabilities in 2021. Four years later, companies were still exposed.

The department has now collected $144 million in cybersecurity penalties across 27 entities.

The message is clear. If they found violations in your most basic public-facing application, what else are you missing?

And if you miss the 72-hour breach notification window, you pay twice. Farmers and Infinity learned that the hard way.

We break down regulatory signals like this every week. Comment NEWSLETTER for the link.

Your broker is either your greatest strategic asset...
...or the most expensive false sense of security you'll ever buy.
The difference comes down to three things: 

how deeply they know your world, whether their systems were built for it, and what happens when a claim hits.

A generalist broker works hard. 

They juggle manufacturing on Monday, healthcare on Tuesday, and your credit union on Wednesday. 

That effort is real. 
But effort and immersion are different animals.

After 15+ years serving only financial institutions, we've reviewed hundreds of FI programs. 

We've seen what breaks. 

We know that a mutual bank's volunteer board creates different D&O exposure than a community bank's paid directors. 

We recognize the regulatory triggers that turn routine exams into coverage events.

Pattern recognition compounds over decades. 

A generalist sees your program once a year. 

A specialist has seen your exact problem a hundred times—and remembers how it played out.

Financial institution risks don't behave like other industries. 

Your exposures intersect in ways that require fluency, not familiarity. 

Cyber meets professional liability. 
Regulatory action triggers D&O. 
Crime losses cascade into reputational damage.

A broker who doesn't live in this world can't see these connections coming.
Immersion determines whether your coverage works when everything depends on it.

🦁

Florida homeowners just got 8.7% rate cuts.
That's the headline. Here's what actually happened…

CFOs, CUOs, and board members at regional insurers, mutuals, and MGAs…

I've watched litigation costs shape premium volatility more than any catastrophe season. 

Florida used to account for 8% of national homeowners claims while generating nearly 80% of litigation costs.

After 2023 tort reforms, the state dropped from 2nd to 10th in national nuclear verdict rankings. 
Seventeen new carriers entered.
 Private capacity returned. 

Now rate relief is flowing across homeowners, auto, and commercial lines.

That's not just a Florida story. 

Seven states built the blueprint.

Meanwhile, financial services topped the 2025 breach list with 387 incidents in H1 alone. 

Experian predicts AI agents will overtake human error as the leading cause of breaches next year.

Two patterns converging. 

One board conversation.

We unpack all three developments in this week's Friday Five Boardroom Brief.

Read the full breakdown in this week's Boardroom Brief. Comment "BRIEF" below and I’ll get you on the distribution.

P.S. one of my favorite places to travel for work! does your job take you anywhere cool?

At the American Bankers Association Risk Management Conference in Orlando?

I’m on the Brightline Trains on my way up. 

Would love to meet up! Send me a note. 

(And yes, I changed my hair)

If your insurance coverage doesn't work in a simulation, it won't work in a crisis.


We don't just place the coverage and file the binder.

We stress-test it.

Before the program binds, we run "Mock Claim" scenarios against the proposed language.

We simulate the specific nightmares that keep the C-Suite awake:

1. The Friday Night Hack

A ransomware event hits at 6 PM. Who do we call? Does the "Breach Response" definition actually trigger immediate counsel, or are we stuck waiting for carrier approval?

2. The Regulatory Subpoena

A short-seller report triggers a stock drop. The SEC calls. Does the policy cover the "Informal Investigation" costs, or does it only trigger after a formal Wells Notice?

3. The Nuclear Verdict

A jury awards $50M. Does the excess tower sit flush on top of the primary, or is there a gap in the attachment point that leaves you exposed?

We usually find the cracks during the simulation.
It is infinitely better to find them in a conference room than in a courtroom.

You stress-test your software.
You stress-test your financials.
Start stress-testing your risk transfer.

Ready to see if your program holds up?

DM me "STRESS TEST" and let's run a scenario.

Ps. This is how we react when we hear of another prospect’s program not working and they need a LION!

Twenty-seven reciprocals formed between 2017 and 2024.

Eighteen of them launched in just the past year. Premium volume grew 83% in two years.

Traditional carriers pulled out of Florida and other cat zones after massive losses. Reciprocals stepped in to fill the gap. They now bring $51 billion in premium capacity to the P&C market.

The sector runs in two tiers now. Established players like USAA, Farmers, and Erie have fortress balance sheets and decades of history. The newcomers bring innovation, but eight of them scored below 30 on ALIRT's financial strength scale.

AM Best called reciprocals a "compelling answer to market gaps." Policyholders control rates, strategy, and overhead. Insurer and insured interests align because they're the same party.

If you're a financial institution evaluating a reciprocal partnership, understand the model first. Surplus notes provide initial capital. Management fees fund operations. Subscriber control creates alignment.

DM me if you want to talk through how these structures actually work.

The difference between Lloyd's manuscript forms and domestic policies, explained 
(because insurance contracts are complicated and most people never see how they’re actually built):

Lloyd's is a marketplace of syndicates.

Each syndicate underwrites risk independently. And brokers with the right authority can draft custom manuscript forms specifically for their client's exposure.

But Lloyd's syndicates don't hand manuscript authority to just anyone.

You earn it.

How? Through decades of trading relationships. Clean claims reporting. A track record of accurate underwriting.

We earned ours over 20 years.

When does Lloyd's make sense?

3 situations where I recommend it:

• Complex FI risks that don't fit standard domestic forms  
• Need for affirmative coverage language (not just silence on coverage gaps)  
• Operations that span multiple coverage lines in ways domestic carriers won't touch

The structural difference is massive:

Domestic policy: 200+ pages of assembled forms, endorsements, and exclusions bolted together. 

You're hunting through layers to figure out what's actually covered.

Lloyd's manuscript: 40 pages. Custom-drafted for the specific risk. 

Everything in one place.

Clarity vs. ambiguity.

Lloyd's isn't always the answer.

For straightforward risks, domestic markets are faster and often more cost-effective.

But for certain FI risks - especially those with unique exposures or operations that don't fit the standard boxes - Lloyd's is the only option that makes sense.

Because you need coverage that actually responds when there's a claim. 

Not coverage that leaves you in a 3-year coverage dispute.

By the way…

Every week we share curated insights that cut through insurance chaos and help you make the best policy decisions.

Join here: https://lnkd.in/garzxSxG

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Classical Pilates Certification 

Associate in Risk Management - Enterprise Wide Risk Management (ARM-P)

Advanced Open Water Scuba Diver

Co-Founder & Managing Partner

NFP is a leading insurance broker and consultant that provides employee benefits, property & casualty, retirement, and individual insurance and wealth management solutions through our licensed subsidiaries and affiliates.Our expertise is matched only by our personal commitment to each client’s goals.

Senior Vice President

Vice President

JLT Specialty USA is the U.S. platform of the leading specialty business advisory firm Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group. Our experts are specialty focused and have extensive experience in industries and products serving leading U.S. and global firms. We focus on complex areas of industry or product need, where innovation and optimization are critical. 

Our specialty team has clear alignment around our clients’ best interests and are judged and rewarded based on our clients performance. With decisive insights, our team is fact-based and analytics-driven to create the best insights and value for our clients. 

Our culture enables a rewarding and challenging environment to attract and develop the best talent in the industry. We encourage creativity and are free to challenge conventions. With teamwork and collaboration, we are working together to share knowledge, solve problems and deliver the best solutions for our clients. 

Jardine Lloyd Thompson is one of the world’s leading providers of insurance, reinsurance and employee benefits-related advice, brokerage and associated services. JLT’s client proposition is built upon its deep specialist knowledge, client advocacy, tailored advice and service excellence. JLT is quoted on the London Stock Exchange and owns offices in 40 territories with more than 10,600 employees. Our global foundation is unparalleled and provides experts worldwide in 135 countries. 

For further information about JLT, please visit our website www.jltus.com

Broker Director and Officer's liability insurance for clients around the globe.

Assistant Vice President

Development Intern

Developed Business Plan

Intern

Managing Partner & Co-founder of LION Specialty | Global Financial Institutions & Private Equity Broker  | Classical Certified Pilates Instructor

French

Most executives discover their D&O coverage gap the day they get sued—not the day they sign the policy.


Here's the brutal part:

CFOs and general counsels spend weeks negotiating premium rates and policy limits. But the language that actually determines whether you're covered? Most never read it.

I've reviewed hundreds of D&O policies. And the same technical gaps show up over and over.

These aren't edge cases. They're the exact provisions insurers use to deny claims when executives need coverage most.

Here are 3 policy traps that sink real claims:

1/ Fraud exclusion language with a "dishonesty”trigger

Vague fraud exclusions let the insurer deny coverage based on allegations alone—no final judgment required. Executives are left funding their own defense. 

✅ Protective: "Fraud as determined by final non-appealable adjudication"
❌ Risky: "Fraud resulting from dishonest acts" (no adjudication requirement)

2/ Hammer clauses forcing lowball settlements

This provision penalizes you for rejecting settlement offers the insurer wants to take.

Refuse a settlement? The policy limits your recovery to what you would've paid if you'd accepted.

✅ Protective: No hammer clause, or "modified hammer" (insurer shares excess costs)
❌ Risky: "Insurer's liability limited to settlement amount offered"

3/ Representations language that outright excludes coverage and relies on all being material

If your policy application becomes part of the contract, any misstatement—even unintentional—can be used to deny 

This includes statements made by people you don't even know about facts you can't verify.

✅ Protective: "Severability of applications" + "only material items to acceptance can be used to deny"
❌ Risky: "Application is part of this policy and all statements are warranties"

I've seen GCs negotiate policies for months and yet miss some key details like these

Which of these gaps exists in your current D&O policy?

The AI honeymoon is over for insurance.

78% of P&C insurers are using generative AI in some capacity. But Only 4% have scaled it across their organizations.

And that gap should tell you everything.

I've been watching this play out with carriers for the past year. Everyone bought the tools. Everyone ran the pilots. Everyone presented to the board about transformation. Now the boards are asking a different question: where's the return?

The carriers who actually scaled past the pilot phase did something different. They didn't start with "we need an AI strategy." They started with "renewals are slipping" or "quote turnaround is killing us" and worked backward from there.

Look at where the big carriers are placing their bets. State Farm, USAA, and Allstate hold 77% of all insurer AI patents. They're protecting claims automation, telematics, customer service. Boring stuff. Stuff you can measure.

For the carriers I work with, the question I keep asking is:

Can you tie your AI spend to a number? If the answer is no, that's worth a conversation before your next board meeting.

P.S. If you want to talk through how AI deployment is showing up in underwriting conversations, DM me.

“The stiff and unbending is the disciple of death. The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life". 


A quote from the Tao Te Ching. 

In building a business, being around friends at different phases of life, from different cultures, marrying someone of a different ethnicity, and trying at all times to immerse myself in culturally rich cities, I’ve found this to be true to almost an unnerving point. 

If you’re not willing to bend
Change your habits
Continually grow
Apologize for your wrongdoings
Shift your path based on another 

You’ll find yourself in the same place for most if not all of your life. 

I was reminded of this quote in finishing the book Atomic Habits by James Clear . 

While on the face it’s about habits, I took away more the ability to

- take what is automatic and make it a deliberate practice 
- Learn to master the process of narrowing your focus to truly the most important element of success
- Constantly review and reflect

And more importantly than anything learning to fall in love with the mundane. 

Why does any of this matter?

Because it’s what makes people great. 

To be applied anywhere of deep success:

Successful entrepreneur
White glove service
Professional athlete 
Fighter pilot
The charismatic wealthy friend who seems to have it all 

Which all comes with the desire to master as task but always being willing to grow. 

Most do not have this level of discipline especially these days with AI, social media, and attention spans being less than 10 seconds. 

So for those who fall in this camp.  I applaud you, and hope to meet you someday!

Happy Saturday. 

Ps. A brand that definitely has this dedication to constant improvement and refinement! Their location in France was quite the experience!
Ruinart

The single biggest leverage point in any insurance negotiation is time.


Most brokers start the renewal process 30 days before expiration.
They flood the market with submissions. They cross their fingers. They hope for appetite.
You get daily emails asking for "just one more thing" while trying to close your quarter.

We operate on a 150-day cycle.

Day 150: The Strategy
We map out exactly where we are headed. We identify the story we need to tell before we ever open a submission file.

Day 120: The Build
We construct the submission. We test every angle of the risk narrative.

Day 90: The Approach
The carriers see our first approach now. We are reading the market, not reacting to it.

Day 60: The Options
We have your options locked down.

Day 30: The Bind
Bindable terms in hand. No drama. No surprises.

One client saw their limits jump 25% at flat premium simply because we had the runway to position them properly.

You negotiate effectively when you control the clock.

If your renewal is July 1st, we should be starting right now.

DM me "TIMELINE" and I'll share our 150-day execution roadmap.

The client didn't trust me. I was young, the account was complicated, and standard solutions wouldn't work.

This was a $250K commercial account with exposure across 3 different liability classes. The existing broker had left gaps in coverage that put the client at serious risk.

And I had one shot to prove I could handle it.

Here's what I did to turn a skeptical prospect into a 7-year partnership:


Step 1: I stopped pitching standard packages

Most brokers would've pulled out their usual markets and called it a day.

Instead, I spent 6 hours reviewing their operations, claims history, and contract language. I found 4 specific exposure gaps the previous broker had missed—including one that could've cost them $100K+ in an uncovered claim.

I presented those findings before I ever mentioned a single carrier.

Step 2: I built custom manuscript forms for their unique risks

This client had operations that didn't fit into standard ISO forms. So I drafted manuscript policy language that actually addressed their exposures.

I used my background working with London syndicates to structure coverage that matched their real-world risk profile—not just what was easy to place.

Step 3: I showed them the math on every coverage decision

For each coverage gap, I laid out:

• The specific scenario that could trigger a loss
• The dollar amount they'd be exposed to
• The premium cost to close the gap
• My recommendation (and why)

No insurance jargon. No pressure. Just clear trade-offs so they could make informed decisions.

The outcome?

They signed. And years later, they're still a client.

Not because I sold them the cheapest policy or had the flashiest pitch.

Because I did the work to understand their business and gave them coverage that actually protected them.

That's what client-centric risk management looks like.

If you're a broker or risk manager, here's my question: What's one thing you could do today to understand your client's operations better before you present a single policy option?

I'd love to hear how you approach complex accounts.

There is a quiet dysfunction that plagues even the best mega-brokerages.


It’s the account manager who doesn't remember the coverage conversation from six months ago. It’s the service team that treats every interaction like a fresh start. It’s the senior partner who shows up for the sale, then vanishes until the renewal.

How do we know this?

Because we lived it for decades.
We thrived inside the machine. We did exactly what the industry required: we wore "exhaustion" like a badge of honor.

Long hours. Weekly travel. Drinking too much.
We kept telling ourselves, "It's just the business. It's just the way it is."
Reality: it was grueling and massively unhealthy.

It became crystal clear when my co-founder Flip and I walked away from it all at the end of 2022.
It took us six months just to decompress.

I spent that year getting certified as a Pilates instructor.
Four hundred fifty hours of training.
I watched high performers show up depleted, push through, and then return to environments that broke them down.

My insight was sharp:
"The workout wasn't the problem. The recovery system didn't exist."

Meanwhile, Flip was coming to the same conclusion from a different angle.

A friend recommended The Blue Zones Kitchen.
He started studying Okinawa and Sardinia—places where longevity is a system, not an accident. 

A concept which I’ve long been interested in since my nana lived to 103!

We realized the industry’s problem wasn't training, technology, or talent.

The problem was that the people serving you are running on empty.

So we asked: "What if we built a brokerage using Blue Zone rules?"

A place where high performance doesn't require normalizing anxiety.

This is what we built—and why a "Corporate Blue Zone" is the safest place for your risk program to live.

If you didn’t catch it, we wrote about this in our Wednesday intelligence which dropped yesterday. Want a copy - comment WEDNESDAY.

This is what we want every client to experience. 

White glove service:

getting back to you quickly, not wondering where we are, and knowing we will always come through for you. 

Creativity and “bespoke” solutions:

So many brokers move through the motions but actually understanding a client’s risk profile means the difference between average and exceptional results. 

To feel like they are our only client:

We strive for high touch, responsive, creative, early, easily reached, results oriented, and positive so that every client feels like they are our only client. Their size, location, and risk profile does not matter in terms of our attentiveness - each one is equally importantly. 

Thanks Brooke!! This made our week!

General Counsel at American Coastal Insurance Corporation

We made the switch to Lion Specialty and immediately saw exceptional results. Everything highlighted in their recent newsletter mirrors our own experience — responsive service, technical expertise, and a true solutions‑focused approach. The Lion team delivers exactly what they promise, and the impact on our placements has been clear. A great read from a partner who really follows through.

https://lnkd.in/eskSdDcQ​

Open article: What Fortune 500 CFOs get that you don't by lionspecialty.ck.page

Innocent until proven guilty" is a legal right.
It is not an insurance right.


Most D&O policies contain a "Conduct Exclusion."
It states the insurer will not pay for claims arising from fraud or criminal acts.

That sounds reasonable. You shouldn't be insured for committing crimes.

The problem is the trigger.

In standard policies, the carrier can often stop paying defense costs as soon as there is a "fact in dispute" or a credible allegation of fraud.

If a plaintiff accuses you of fraud, the carrier can say:

"This looks like it falls under the exclusion. We are pausing defense payments."

You go bankrupt proving you didn't do it.

We change the trigger.

We demand "Final Adjudication" language.

This means the carrier must pay your defense costs all the way through trial and appeal.

They can only apply the exclusion if a judge or jury issues a final, non-appealable ruling that you actually committed the act.

We shift the burden of proof from you to the contract.

Check your policy for "Final Adjudication" wording.

If it's not there, you are exposed to the allegation alone.

This is just one of 10 tweaks we make to the conduct exclusion alone to ensure that you have defense cost coverage. 

DM me "CONDUCT" and I'll help you find them.

Over the last 14 years, I’ve built two successful companies and have spoken in over 14 international countries, sharing my expertise with a growing community of over 100,000 people.

My mission is to help companies create engaging content, generate leads, and profit from social media, and empower speakers to gain confidence, secure paid gigs, and become thought leaders.

I’m the founder of ZC Social Media, where we specialise in social media strategy, content creation, and lead generation, and of The Credibility Formula, dedicated to helping speakers become professional speakers and recognised thought leaders.

My portfolio:

→ I'm the founder & CEO of ZC Social Media, a social media agency with a vibrant online community of over 100,000 people
→ I’m the founder & CEO of The Credibility Formula, where I coach speakers to build their confidence and secure paid speaking engagements
→ I offer bespoke 1-2-1 training and consultancy to help businesses and individuals master social media
→ I lead the ZC Social Media Growth Academy, a programme designed to help businesses grow their online presence
→ I am a published author, recognised as a Top Voice on LinkedIn, and have made appearances on BBC, ITV, and BBC World News to share my insights on social media and thought leadership
→ I’ve had the privilege of speaking for NATO, a top brand to work with, further establishing my credibility on the global stage

My results:

→ 100k+ online community
→ 14+ years as the owner of ZC Social Media Agency
→ Speaker at events in 14+ international countries
→ Published author and recognised thought leader
→ TV and radio appearances on BBC, ITV, and BBC World News, Sky News, Ch4 and KMTV

If you want to learn more about how I built this, you can join my newsletter and receive a free video on “How to Get More Speaking Gigs from LinkedIn”:

→ GO HERE: http://www.zcsocialmedia.com/newsletter

If you want to explore 1-2-1 training or consultancy, visit my personal site:

→ GO HERE: http://www.zcsocialmedia.com

If you want to join the ZC Social Media Growth Academy:

→ GO HERE: http://www.zcsocialmediaacademy.com

If you want to join The Credibility Formula to gain confidence, get paid gigs, and become a thought leader, DM me.

Instagram: @zcairns
Facebook: ZoeCairnsUK
Twitter: @zoe_cairns
YouTube: @ZoeCairns

Zoe Cairns

THEY ASKED ME TO PAY TO SPEAK. I SAID NO!

Over the last week, I’ve had a few speaking invitations land in my inbox. 

Which two did I turn down? One in London. One international. Both came back asking for a speaker fee… from me. 

And yes, I was shocked. 

But I’m also seeing this happen more and more across the industry.

Let’s be clear about something. 

Speaking is not a favour.
Speaking is preparation.

It’s experience built over the years.

It’s credibility, travel, delivery, and taking responsibility for the room you’re standing in front of.

I’ve spoken on stages in over 14 countries worldwide. 

I don’t say that to impress anyone, but to be very clear about this: I am a professional speaker, and I treat speaking as a profession.

When I’m presented with a speaking opportunity, I look at it in three very clear ways.

1. Paid speaking: This is where I’m hired for my expertise. 

I create a bespoke talk for that specific audience, based on their needs, their challenges, and their goals. That fee reflects my time, preparation and experience.

2. Unpaid speaking: On occasion, I’ll consider this, but only when it’s a strategic decision. 

Who is in the room is critical. Are they my ideal audience? 

If not, it’s a no. I also look at whether there are genuine opportunities to share my work, have meaningful one-to-one conversations, and build my list in a way that leads directly into my wider offers. 

Early in my career, back in 2011, I spoke anywhere I could. Now, I choose carefully.

3. Pay-to-speak: This is not something I do. 

I’ve invested years into building my knowledge, reputation and authority. I invest time into preparation and delivery, and I show up fully for every audience I speak to. 

Paying for the privilege to do that is not an option for me. It may suit some people right at the start of their journey, but even then, it’s worth pausing and asking what you’re really gaining.

If a speaking opportunity lands in your inbox, slow down before you reply. 

Ask questions. Who’s attending? What’s the outcome? What opportunities are actually on the table? Those answers will tell you very quickly whether it’s aligned or not.

You don’t have to say yes.
You don’t have to justify your experience.
You don’t have to fit someone else’s event model.

Know your worth.

International Social Media Speaker and Trainer |Social Media Consultant | Social Media Strategist | BSc Hons

I’ve had more messages about this than I expected…

Thank you to everyone who’s messaged saying they’re excited… and also to those of you trying very hard to get it out of me what this actually is! 

I promise I’m not being awkward, I just genuinely can’t say yet.

We’re launching it tomorrow.

What I can say is this. 

AI is a bit of a minefield for a lot of business owners. 

You’re already running a business, you’re trying to think about marketing, and then AI gets added into the mix and suddenly everything feels more complicated than it needs to be.

That’s exactly why we’ve been working on this.

So… tomorrow at 10am, we’ll finally be sharing it properly. 

I can’t wait to talk about it openly and show you what we’ve been building.

Nearly there 👀

p.s The photo of me and Susie was taken in 2015 at a cheese and wine night!

I’ve been working behind the scenes on something fun and exciting with Susie Warran-Smith CBE DL.

We’ve worked together and been good friends for over ten years now, which honestly feels mad when I think about it. We’ve had some brilliant times, plenty of laughs, and a lot of proper business conversations along the way.

What I really value about working with Susie is that she brings inspiration and seriousness in equal measure, and she’s very good at pushing me out of my comfort zone when I need it. Those are the best people to have around you.

When you combine Susie’s depth of business knowledge with all the AI, content creation and social media geeky stuff I share on here, something interesting starts to happen. And that’s exactly what’s been going on.

We’ve come up with something we’re genuinely excited about.

We can’t say much just yet, but on Tuesday at 10am we’ll be announcing our new thing. That’s all I’m saying for now.

What I can tell you is this. It’s happening in March. It’s in person. And we cannot wait to share it with you.

Watch this space 👀

This looks exciting! Who else got one? 

Dragon Coworking I’m wondering if this is you behind the scenes 🫣

It’s live 👏 

Susie and I are finally sharing what we’ve been working on behind the scenes.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve talked a lot about the same things I keep hearing from business owners. 

AI feels confusing. Marketing feels messy.

And when you’re already running a business, it can all start to feel like a lot.

That’s exactly where this came from.

WTF to Ninja is a one-day, in-person working day in March. 

It’s for business owners who want things to feel clearer, simpler and more joined up. 

Not more tools. 

No more noise. 

Just better direction and a sensible way to approach AI and marketing.

This isn’t a sit-and-listen kind of day. It’s about working things through, making decisions and coming away knowing what to focus on next.

We’ve put a lot of thought into this, and I’m really glad we can finally share it properly.

All the details are now live here: https://lnkd.in/eth5vQva

P.S. If AI and marketing have been sitting in the “I know I should deal with this” box for a while, it’s definitely worth a look.

The easiest way to stop AI sounding like AI

If AI keeps giving you generic content, it’s rarely the tool.

It’s usually the prompt.

Strong prompts aren’t clever. They’re clear.

Here are five things that consistently improve the quality of what AI gives back.

→ Give it context. Tell AI who you are and what you do before you ask it to create anything. The clearer the role, the better the output.

→ Define who you’re speaking to. A post written for small business owners will sound very different to one written for marketers or corporates. AI needs that distinction upfront.

→ Be clear on the outcome. Are you educating, starting a conversation, building trust, or encouraging action? Without intent, the response will be vague.

→ Set tone boundaries. Explain how you write and how you don’t. This is where you remove the “AI voice” by being specific about language, structure, and style to avoid.

→ Reuse what works. Save your strongest prompts and refine them over time instead of starting from scratch every time.

That’s prompt engineering in practice.

Not complicated. Just intentional.

P.S. Come along to From WTF to Ninja on the 23rd March to learn how to give AI good prompts that get you better results, faster. https://lnkd.in/eth5vQva

Followers don’t equal revenue. Engagement does.

At this time of year, I’m having a lot of conversations about followers.

People are setting goals, watching creators with huge audiences, and assuming that more followers automatically means more money.

It doesn’t.

I’ve worked with creators and influencers with tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of followers, who openly say they’re not making any money from it. Their content is strong, the audience is there, but the conversion piece is missing.

I’d take 1,000 engaged followers over 100,000 passive ones every single time.

Here are three things I always encourage people to think about instead.

→ Look at the audience you already have

If even a small percentage of the people already following you took action, how different would your business look right now?

Growth doesn’t always come from chasing more people.

Often, it comes from serving the right people better.

→ Get clear on your core offering

One clear service or product will always outperform mixed messaging.

Different platforms attract different audiences, and your offering should reflect that.

For example, LinkedIn is where I focus on speaking, consultancy, and social media management. Instagram and Facebook are where I share my Growth Academy and digital products.

Same business.
Different audiences.
Different needs.

→ Be honest about why you want more followers

If it’s about awareness, credibility, or building a community, followers matter.

But if you want to sell a service, a product, or a book at some point, engagement matters far more than the number under your name.

An audience that trusts you, interacts with you, and takes action will always outperform a larger one that scrolls past.

It’s not about followers alone.
It’s about connection, relevance, and engagement.
That’s where real growth comes from.

Question for you:
Are you focusing more on growing your numbers this year, or strengthening the audience you already have?

If AI and marketing feel harder than they should, you’re not imagining it.

Most business owners I speak with aren’t against AI or marketing. They’re just trying to work out what actually matters and where to start, without adding more noise to their week.

That’s exactly what we’ve been working on behind the scenes.

I can’t share the details just yet, but it all goes live on Tuesday at 10am.

If this feels familiar, keep an eye out.

More AI tools won’t fix your content. A better setup will.

One of the biggest causes of AI overwhelm I see is people jumping from tool to tool, hoping the next one will magically make things easier. What works far better is having a small, intentional AI toolkit where each tool has a clear role and fits into a wider workflow.

Here’s what I actually use for social media content creation and client work.

→ ChatGPT
This sits at the centre of my workflows. I use it to map processes, streamline repeatable tasks, repurpose content efficiently, and reduce the time spent starting from scratch. It helps turn ideas, notes, and long-form content into structured outputs that can actually be used.

→ Nano Banana
Used for creating AI visuals when I want something more creative than standard stock imagery.

→ Perplexity
Great for research, summaries, and sense-checking topics when I want clarity and sources. You can do research in ChatGPT too, but this is my preference when I’m in research mode.

→ Opus Clips
Used to identify strong moments, cut clips efficiently, and then refine them with human judgement so they fit the brand and platform.

→ Fathom
This captures meetings, pulls out key insights, and helps turn client conversations into content ideas without relying on memory or messy notes.

The tools themselves aren’t the value. The value is knowing how to use them together to save time, reduce friction, and still produce work that’s thoughtful and on brand.

You don’t need every AI tool. You need the right few, used with purpose.

P.S. This is exactly the kind of thing we’ll be covering at From WTF to Ninja, our one-day, face-to-face event with me and Susie. Clear AI choices, simple workflows, and using AI without the overwhelm. https://lnkd.in/eth5vQva

Is AI helping your business… or just adding more noise?

There are so many AI tools popping up every week that it’s easy to jump from one to another, hoping the next one will be the answer. Most of the time, that’s where the overwhelm creeps in.

The issue usually isn’t the tool. It’s choosing tools before you’re clear on what you actually need.

Here’s how I suggest approaching it so AI works for you, not against you.

→ Spend a couple of weeks writing down what you actually do. Daily tasks, weekly tasks, the repetitive stuff, the things that drain time and energy. Once it’s on paper, highlight what could realistically be automated or supported by AI. This step alone brings focus.

→ Then start looking at tools. Brainstorm a short list based on those tasks, not on what’s trending. Ask peers what they’re using, get recommendations, and do your research so you understand what each tool is designed to do.

→ Trial out the tool. Map one clear task or workflow and test whether the tool can actually deliver the outcome you want. If it doesn’t fit, move on without guilt.

AI should simplify your work, not create another decision you have to manage every day.

P.S. This exact process is what we’re covering on From WTF to Ninja, a one-day, face-to-face event with me and Susie, focused on making AI practical, usable and aligned with how you actually work. 

Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/eth5vQva

These are brilliant interviews Rachael Bryant and Ben Bryant I’m watching one per evening 😀

🎬 Be the Hero of Your Brand! | Video Podcasting Strategist | Helping Businesses Tell Their Story & Build Trust with their Audience | Keynote Speaker & Podcast Host 🎙️

I’m a little bit of everything, all rolled into one: I’m a b(rand w)itch, I’m a (culture) lover, I’m a child, I’m a mother. You know you wouldn’t want it any other way 😉

Please take a moment to think about how you can help support women, men and children affected by domestic abuse in Kent and Medway.

1) Grab a friend, and buy two tickets (it'll be less than £50 for a fun night out)

2) Share with some others who you think SHOULD be interested.

3) Get a group together to have a table all to yourselves - your sports group, mum's chat, old Uni mates, neighbours...book club...erm...anyone you know.

4) Ask your employers to book a table for a staff bonding sesh.

5) Invite your customers to a night out on you - to thank them for being lovely.

6) Just like and comment for reach!!!

You can choose any or all of these options, but please do AT LEAST ONE OF THEM.

You'll be helping some amazing people, offering support and life-saving help for those affected by domestic abuse in Kent and Medway.

Inspiring speakers, music, a raffle, the chance to put on your posh clothes AND hide behind a mask. What's not to like??

Link to purchase tickets in the comments below - please do what you can, but don't do nothing.

Oasis Domestic Abuse Service Katy L. Hollie Dowding Rebecca Foreman  Charlotte Budd Mark Brooks OBE Wendy Gannon 📸

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The Battle

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