00:00 - John Isner: Some of the best moments of my career was when I was in my 30s and that's a little bit atypical. People see the match but they don't always see everything behind it.
00:00 - Gregg Greenberg: Hello and welcome to InvestmentNews TV. I'm Gregg Greenberg. Today's conversation focuses on the power of preparation and support in building confidence. We'll explore how strong support systems and long-term planning shape success both on and off the court. Joining us are Jim Wagner, Senior Vice President and Chief Distribution Officer at Protective, and John Isner, Protective's brand ambassador and retired professional tennis player. Welcome, guys.
00:30 - Jim Wagner: Thanks.
00:30 - John Isner: Thank you very much, Gregg. It's good to be on here.
00:30 - Gregg Greenberg: So, we'll start with you, Jim. Why did Protective choose to partner with John and what makes this relationship a strategic fit for the company?
00:30 - Jim Wagner: Yeah, thanks. We chose John because he represents more than athletic success. You know, he really embodies preparation, discipline, consistency, and a commitment to family. Those qualities align really closely with Protective's values. In tennis, people see the match but they don't always see everything behind it. The years of preparation, the support system, the daily commitment required to be ready when the when the moment arrives. And that's what stood out to us about John. At Protective, we're guided by a similar belief that confidence is built over time through preparation and support. Whether that's on the court or in life, the best outcomes often come from, you know, doing the work before the moment matters most and that's why John's story and what he represents felt like such a good fit to for our company.
01:30 - Gregg Greenberg: And what about you, John? What made Protective such an attractive company to partner with?
01:30 - John Isner: Well, it was I mean, for me it was it was an easy decision for me to partner with them. I appreciated first and foremost the trust that they added me from the beginning to be um a brand ambassador for Protected, but also to be a great one at that. I've tried my best, but I do think as Jim said, um especially the last like 8 years of my life, when things have changed for me, certainly. So, professionally, I got on tour and you know, I don't have a family when I first started out on tour at 22 years old. Yeah, obviously I meet my now wife and um life goes on, we get engaged, we get married, I start a family, but I'm still playing tennis at the same time. So, my priorities kind of change, right? Of course, you know, once I started my family, we have a I have a big, healthy, happy family, I'm so blessed in that regard. And I was still playing at the same time, my priority first and foremost became my family. Tennis, I didn't necessarily put it second, right? But it was like 1B for me, um but having that great for me, that great support system um behind me in my wife and in my kids and the rest of my family, it actually allowed me to play some really, really good tennis in my mind uh towards the end of my career. Some of the best moments of my career was when I was in my 30s, and that's a little bit atypical. You don't you don't see it that much. Most people play their best mid to late 20s, but for me it was I'm my early to mid 30s, and I think that that came from just a knowing and an understanding and a peace that I had about myself that life is pretty good off the court and my family comes first and that allowed me, I think, to relax and to enjoy everything I was doing and play some good tennis after that.
03:28 - Gregg Greenberg: And Jim, how does the athlete team relationship mirror the financial professional client relationship?
03:28 - Jim Wagner: Yeah, I think that comparison works because in both cases, really the visible moment is only part of the story. In sports, the athlete may be the one people see competing, but there's usually a whole team behind that person, whether it's the coach, the trainer, the family, as John alluded to, the people helping them prepare and to make, you know, good decisions. And the same is true in financial services. You know, a client may be making an important decision around protection or retirement or income or health needs or legacy planning, but they aren't they're not doing that in isolation and they're relying on a financial professional to guide them through simplifying that complexity and help them think through what really matters most. And then those financial professionals needs support behind them and that's where Protective comes in. We want to really be part of that support system. We want to help the financial professional deliver guidance with confidence and help you know, help clients move forward knowing there's preparation and there's stability behind that plan.
04:22 - Gregg Greenberg: And John, why does that comparison work for you?
04:22 - John Isner: Well, yeah, it definitely works for me because I of course I I've played tennis my whole life and I played growing up of course I played high school tennis. I played um college tennis and professional tennis. It's yes, tennis is an individual sport, but there's so much behind the scenes that goes in to um procuring success on the court um that at any level, at the junior level, high school level, college and even in the pros, you see what you see on TV, yes, is the final product. It's the players going at it one-on-one, but there's so much that goes into it. It's there's coaches, it's their physical trainers, it's their um the rehab people they have associated with their team, it's their dieticians, it's how much um you sleep at night, how much you drink and who's telling you, you know, what to do and how to prepare yourself. There's so much that go that goes into it. Really throughout my career at all times at the very least I always had a coach with me and I always had a physiotherapist with me as well. Um and then when I was at home training away from the tennis tour whether it be for a couple weeks here and there. I had my strength coach. I had a chef at some points. I had a dietitian. Everything was really just dialed in just to get me ready and get me prepared for the next slew of tournaments that I had on my schedule. And I got used to that. I enjoyed that part of it all. I would always make investments in myself and in my career in my mind by hiring the right people, coaches and physical therapists, whatever it may be. And that allowed me to have a I think a long successful career. I played 17 years of professional tennis. And that's after playing 4 years of college tennis. I started a little bit late. So, that discipline and what came, you know, all the decisions I guess is what I'm trying to say that I needed to make to allow myself to stay on the court and stay healthy was just critical to my success.
06:23 - Gregg Greenberg: So, John, as you just explained, tennis is a solitary sport, but no one succeeds alone. So, how does having the right support build confidence?
06:23 - John Isner: Oh, it builds so much confidence. You have to have I mean, confidence first and foremost on the tennis court, it comes from or on the match court, it comes from the practice court. And you have to have that confidence in your team, with your coach, um you know, with your physiotherapist, whatever it is. You got to get your body right. You got to get your mind right. And all that work is done beforehand. All that hard work is done before you get to the tournament site. One of my favorite sayings, it's like the hay's already in the barn. And once you get to the get to the tournament, it really should be easy. You're not really You shouldn't be trying to find something with your game. That's what you're doing on the practice court the week or the 2 weeks prior. So, um certainly success does not happen alone. Even though tennis is it is an individual sport, there's nothing individual about it.
07:20 - Gregg Greenberg: And Jim, in the financial game, how does having the right support build confidence with clients?
07:20 - Jim Wagner: Yeah, I think um I think confidence sometimes is also misunderstood. It doesn't mean that there's no pressure or uncertainty, right? It means you have prepared, you have thought through those possibilities, and you have people around you who can help you navigate what comes next. You know, that's true in sports, as John just alluded to, but it's also true in life and financial planning. Clients are often making decisions during major life moments, whether it's protecting a family, preparing for retirement, or thinking about income, or planning for future health needs, or leaving something behind. So, those moments can feel real complicated, and the role of the financial professional is to help bring clarity. And our role at Protective is to help support those financial professionals with, you know, solutions, trainings, tools, responsiveness, and really that long-term stability, so they can help their clients feel more confident in those decisions that they're making.
08:12 - Gregg Greenberg: And John, how has your perspective changed since retiring from competition?
08:43 - John Isner: Oh, well, I mean, it's definitely changed. I mean, my focus for as I said earlier at the onset of this interview, like my focus first and foremost when I first turned pro, it was sort of all about myself, right? And there's nothing wrong with that, right? I mean, I got to get myself ready to play. This is how I'm earning a living, and I want to do it for a very, very long time. And then towards the middle of my career, I was fortunate enough to start an amazing family, and that's certainly my focus right now um for myself and my wife. I mean, our focus is it's our faith and my family right now. And everything I else I do like professionally, I think come second, but if I have that stuff buttoned up um at the top of my life, I think everything else seems to seems to flow uh very, very smoothly. Um but yes, I mean, I'm just trying to be the best husband and the best father I can possibly be now. Um I want to try to teach my kids what I've learned uh as a professional um athlete, professional tennis player for so long, the discipline the discipline that it takes to succeed in a very, in my mind, tough industry, if you want to call it that, for a very, very long time. So, trying to pass down what I've learned and the experience I have to my kids as best as I possibly can.
09:34 - Gregg Greenberg: And Jim, professional athletes tend to retire younger than the average American. So, can you talk about perspective and retirement when it comes to your client experiences?
10:04 - Jim Wagner: Yeah, I think that's where, you know, working with a financial professional really matters in helping athletes or professionals start to think through kind of their plan in advance of the moment where, you know, the career starts to shift. Whether it's, you know, planning to work, you know, planning to have a family or start to plan to lean into retirement or do something different than what they've been focused on or preparing and working through their sports career. So, that's where again, long-term planning we see the most success working with financial professionals. And then obviously that's where Protective can also help with different training and support tools through those conversations.
10:32 - Gregg Greenberg: And finally, Jim, how is Protective supporting financial professionals and helping clients feel confident about their plans?
11:01 - Jim Wagner: Yeah, Protective we're focused on, you know, providing financial professionals with education, insights, and that product experience that I mentioned. You know, as clients' needs evolve, you know, we invest in those training programs and educational resources and maybe thought leadership that helps simplify those complex topics, you know, life insurance, protection strategies, or retirement planning. And our goal is really to be a trusted source of knowledge and support so those financial professionals have access to all the information they need to help guide clients through those important through those important decisions that they have to make. You know, at the end of the day, uh our intention is pretty simple. We want to help financial professionals guide clients like John through life's many moments with more confidence, fewer obstacles, and support that's enduring and lasts.
11:29 - Gregg Greenberg: Well, as we've heard, confidence isn't built in isolation. It comes from preparation and the support systems that help us through life's defining moments. Whether in sports or in financial planning, the shared goal is the same, moving forward with confidence. Thank you, Jim and John.
11:57 - Jim Wagner: Thank you.
11:57 - John Isner: Thank you very much, Gregg. Jim, thank you so much.
11:57 - Gregg Greenberg: And this has been Gregg Greenberg for InvestmentNews TV. Thanks for watching.
