How To Jump Start Your Insurance Career with Hayden Partaiin

Hey. Hey. Andy Neary here. Before we dive into today's podcast episode, think back to how you came upon this podcast. Maybe it was through a post, a share, or one of your own peers shared this podcast with you. I don't take any ads. I don't take any sponsorships. The only way this podcast grows is through word of mouth. So if you would be so kind to share this with a peer where with a teammate, with a friend, a family member, I would be forever grateful to you. This is how we impact more business professionals, and this is how this podcast grows. All right, let's dive into today's episode. Hey. Hey. Welcome back to the Bullpen Sessions podcast. My name is Andy Neary, and this is episode 275. Today, I'm excited to have Hayden Partain join me. Hayden is a former professional soccer player turned employee benefit advisor. Today he is advising companies in the Dallas Fort Worth market as a consultant for McGriff. But in this episode, we talk about Hayden's very successful soccer career as he rose the ranks in high school soccer in Dallas Fort Worth, and ultimately on to Wake Forest University, where he found himself playing in the NCAA championship his senior season and turned that season into success at the professional level playing soccer for the Sacramento Republic and the United Soccer League. But I wanted to have Hayden on today because Hayden has had some very quick success in the insurance industry. He's only been with McGriff for a little 13 months, and I thought he could bring such a good perspective to our listeners about what it is like to get in the industry today, what drove him to get in the industry and what lessons he's learned early in his career and what lessons he applied in soccer that are helping him have success today in insurance. So whether you're new to the industry or you've been going at it for 25 years, I guarantee Hayden's words of wisdom today are going to help you out. If nothing more, re spark a flame in you to get back out and get after it. So. So I'm excited to bring Hayden to you. With no further ado, here's my interview with Hayden Partain. Hayden Partain, welcome to the Bullpen Sessions podcast. How are you today, my friend?

Good. How are you?

I am good, man. I'm excited to have you on because we tried this. I think it was in November and had some technical difficulties. So we're back at it now, recording again here early in 2024. But I really wanted to have you on because you've been been in the insurance industry for a short period of time. And you've had some success in a short period of time, which is awesome. And I, when we look at our viewers that, that tune into this every single week, we definitely see people who are newer to the industry looking for some help. But I think your advice is going to be good, even for the veterans out there, because it is always, I think it's always a good idea to get the perspective of somebody who's newer at the newer in the industry because they may come at it from a totally different angle. That creates an epiphany you weren't aware of because even as a veteran, you kind of get stuck doing what you've always done. And it's good to get new perspectives sometimes. So I'm excited to share, share your story. So let's just kick it off right away. Born and raised in Dallas. We're going to talk about your soccer career and you've had a very, very prolific soccer career. But talk to me about your upbringing in Dallas in the world of soccer, because, you know, we talk about genes and the blessing you have sometimes of who you were raised by. Raised in a soccer family, you mean. Your dad played at UCLA in the Centenary, and he also played professionally in Europe and mom played at Texas Christian University. So what was it like? I assume you were raised in a household that really preached the love of soccer.

Yeah, no, that was, that's exactly right. I think I, I don't remember a time where I didn't have a ball at my feet. So I think it was once I was walking, they, they put a ball there, you know, and the cool thing was is that they didn't ever push it, you know, so it was all. I was always around it, but I always loved it. And so my career was all from me wanting to, to play, not just them, but with two parents like I had, you know, I had unbelievable resources, people to lean on, to communicate, and then networks from that, you know, to continue to be successful into my college and after college.

What was it like playing soccer in Dallas? Because obviously everybody thinks of high school football in Texas. I gotta believe in Dallas, Fort Worth, the soccer competition is equally as strong.

Yeah, I'd say it's, it's a hub for sure. I mean, I'd say Florida, Texas and California are like three main hubs where great players come from. So, yeah, the competition is high. I kind of was in the realm of where the soccer system was, was developing. So I played club in high school like my freshman year, and that was hard. I think I played almost 100 games that year. My high school team, we fortunately actually ended up winning state. So it was cool. I got newcomer of the year, all those things. But then after that they changed. If you played in academy league, which was the highest league at the time, that you couldn't play high school anymore, but yes, it's. It was super competitive. We've got the FC Dallas Academy here, who's grown the most homegrown players in the whole country, all of mls. So young talent is not hard to come by. It's just competing against the best of the best here in your local city.

What is that? Walk us through for somebody who may not know the sport of soccer all that well, you know, growing up you've talked about like FC Dallas Academy and things like that. So growing up, you know, I played Little League, peewees, Pony League and baseball and then eventually get into high school travel ball and things like that were not as big when I was in high school. But growing up playing soccer, what is that like for a kid, especially somebody who does have a high level of talent? Do you have to choose between playing like academy and playing in high school? I mean, ultimately, do you have to make that choice as to one or the other?

Yeah, absolutely. I think once you get to the high school age, when you're 14, 15 going into freshman year, you have to make that decision. If you don't make that decision, you're playing only local ball rather than regional, regional or national. And now there's a league, it's MLS next. And that's the highest league that you can really be in. That as well as a league called ecnl. I can't remember what division off of it. There's so many different leagues now from when I played. But yeah, you have to make that decision because you're not going to be playing against the best talent and the exposure to scouts, you know, recruitment for college or to go sign for your homegrown team, you're just not going to get that opportunity.

Yeah, I. Well, I'd love your opinion on this because, you know, I look at my nephew who's now playing college baseball, and he was a really talented baseball player here in Wisconsin. And I look at the landscape of high school sports today, today, and recruiting is so different than it used to be. Do you feel like for a kid growing up in a metroplex like DFW who has aspirations of playing high major college, so D1 college, are they going to most likely have to play on a travel or be in a travel team? Or be in an academy if they want to have a chance to get recruited at that level?

Yeah, absolutely.

I.

As sad as it is, just the way the landscape is now, you. You've got to not play high school. If you're going to play soccer at a high level, you got to play club, and you got to try to be at the highest level within the club that you're. That you're in, whatever city you're in, because they're not going to be there. It doesn't matter if you score 100 goals, just the level is dropped drastically because of the legislation and movement of leagues. That's really where you're going to be able to. To find success or get exposure, like I said.

Yeah, no, I used the word sad. It's very interesting these days how kids are recruited, and I know a lot of young athletes have that struggle because they know they have to go play, travel, or in an academy, in the case of soccer, to get to the next level, which means they're often leaving the comfort of playing with friends, the kids they grew up with. Right. And I know that's not an easy choice for a lot of athletes. So bring me back or bring us back. You know, I remember the night I got the call from the head coach at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and I was offered a scholarship to go pitch there. You know, you went on to play college soccer at Wake Forest, which is an extremely successful soccer program at the Division 1 level. What was it like? Do you remember the moment you got the scholarship offer at Wake Forest?

I do, but it wasn't like one moment where it was a call, you know, like a Draft day situation. It was kind of like a slow periodization because I was talking.