# 80. Built Different: The Ethos Story w/ Chelsea Ryckis & Donovan Ryckis

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-business-of-benefits-podcast-6744252/80-built-different-the-ethos-story-w-chelsea-ryckis-donovan-ryckis
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-business-of-benefits-podcast-6744252/80-built-different-the-ethos-story-w-chelsea-ryckis-donovan-ryckis.md
Podcast: [The Business of Benefits Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-business-of-benefits-podcast-6744252)
Published: 2026-06-18T12:30:02+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/80-built-different-the-ethos-story-w-chelsea-ryckis-donovan-ryckis--72571625
Audio file: https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72571625/80_final_audio.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-business-of-benefits-podcast-6744252/episodes/80-built-different-the-ethos-story-w-chelsea-ryckis-donovan-ryckis
Duration seconds: 2119

## Resource

The benefits industry is broken. $37,824. That's the average cost of a family of four on an employer-sponsored health plan in 2026 and it's growing at 9% a year. So how did we get here, and what does it actually look like to fight back? In this episode, host Austin Townend sits down with Chelsea Ryckis (President) and Donovan Ryckis (CEO) of Ethos Benefits for the origin story nobody asked for but everyone needs to hear. From Donovan's background as a fiduciary securities advisor who saw the same conflicts in healthcare and couldn't look away, to Chelsea getting hit in the head with a softball and learning the hard way that you can run but you can't hide from medical debt... this is the story of how Ethos was built different on purpose. Take the next step in your career. Start your CEBS journey today at CEBS.org. https://bit.ly/48k4aeZ What You'll Learn Why Donovan left a lucrative securities career to fix a bigger problem in healthcare Chelsea's personal experience with medical debt and how it shaped the Ethos mission The real definition of fiduciary — and the three things it actually requires Why there is zero fiduciary standard in insurance (and what that means for you) The $37,824 number every employer needs to hear A claim is a dollar, not a condition — and why that distinction changes everything The four things you can do with healthcare risk: reduce, avoid, retain, or transfer Why brokers go straight to the transfer (and how that lines their pockets) How to vet whether your advisor is actually living the fiduciary standard — not just marketing it Where the industry is headed over the next five years, including PBM legislation and litigation at Connect with Chelsea Ryckis: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-ryckis-8508a192/ Connect with Donovan Ryckis:…

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