Choosing the Challenge with Johnell Holly

Choosing the Challenge with Johnell Holly

June 23, 2026 · 39 min

About this episode

In this episode, Justin Smulison interviews Johnell Holly about his life experiences and leadership lessons.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society. In this episode, Justin interviews Johnell Holly about growing up in Compton, serving in the military, and eventually becoming one of the most senior leaders at FM. They discuss experiences that shaped his mindset and lessons from his early years that still guide his leadership. They discuss what Johnell learned in the military that influences his decision-making. Johnell explains why he left the military and how he started working for FM. Johnell shares his life advice: choose the hard things; they will prepare you for opportunities to improve yourself. Johnell relates his early experience in sales and how it shaped his career. Lastly, they discussed the Spencer Educational Foundation and how Johnell became involved. Listen for advice on overcoming hard circumstances and showing up at your best. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:16] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is Johnell R. Holly, the Executive Vice President for U.S. and Latin America Operations at FM. He is also the Board Chair for the Spencer Educational Foundation. We…

More episodes of RIMScast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the RIMScast podcast page.