Marvin Vaughn & Alexis Vaughn shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Marvin & Alexis, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Right now, we’re stepping into something bigger by volunteering more in ministry. Together, we’ve become certified biblical marriage counselors, a natural progression since we’ve always been the ones our friends turned to for relationship advice. Taking this step as a team felt right.
Alexis is also in the process of becoming a licensed minister, something she never imagined possible before. However, the growth of our company and the support we provide to one another have made it attainable. We’ve found our own version of balance between life, career, family, and faith.
As entrepreneurs, our spiritual connection has deepened in tandem with our professional journey. We realized that building a strong foundation in faith was essential for blending business with marriage. That grounding allows us not only to grow together but also to guide others through their own challenges with love, wisdom, and purpose.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
We are Marvin and Alexis Vaughn, co-founders of Off Course—a multifaceted group of companies spanning consulting, technology, media, learning, talent, and insurance distribution. Together, we’re driven by one mission: to transform how the world experiences insurance and insurtech by blending innovation, education, and human connection.
Alexis is a 20-time global award-winning insurance distribution expert, bestselling author, insurtech influencer, and adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut. She has spent 15 years shaping the future of property & casualty, life & health, and reinsurance through her work as an agent, MGA owner, Big 4 broker consultant, and insurtech executive. Her bestselling book “Insurance Distribution of the Future: An Interactive Guide for Agents and Brokers” has quickly become a global resource for agents, brokers, and innovators in every area of the insurance industry.
Marvin brings two decades of strategy, leadership expertise across Insurance, Healthcare, Technology, Talent, HR, and Strategy consulting. As CEO of Off Course Tech and COO of our wider companies, Marvin drives strategy, operations, and innovation across a multifaceted organization, shaping the future of insurance and insurtech.
He leads a global team building AI-powered SaaS platforms for carriers, reinsurers, MGAs, and fintechs. His background with Korn Ferry, MetLife, Country Financial, and Delta Airlines gives him a unique ability to align people, process, and technology to scale organizations globally.
What makes Off Course unique is that we don’t just consult or build products; we live at the intersection of strategy, technology, talent, and distribution. From mentoring students and speaking at global conferences to launching new insurance agencies and designing AI platforms, we’ve built a brand that is as much about impact as it is about innovation.
Right now, we’re focused on expanding Off Course Insurance Agency into high-net-worth and specialty lines, scaling Off Course Tech’s AI-driven solutions, and continuing our work as educators, mentors, and community leaders. Our story is one of partnership, both in business and in life, and we believe that the balance between faith, family, and entrepreneurship is what gives our brand its strength and staying power.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before building companies and reshaping insurance, Alexis was a professional recording artist, studio vocalist, and songwriter. From *American Idol* Season 2 (Top 32), to *X-Factor*, to *Showtime at the Apollo*, her life seemed destined for the stage. She even had a backup plan to sit in the anchor chair as a news reporter on the 5 o’clock news. Those early years taught her discipline, resilience, and how to stand confidently in front of any audience, skills that now power her career as a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and industry thought leader.
Marvin began his journey as a semi-pro baseball player, catching for the Iowa Cubs in AAA. He later shifted into broadcast journalism and media, where he won eight awards for videography, editing, television news, and radio production. That mix of athletics and media gave him a unique foundation in leadership, storytelling, and teamwork—qualities that now shape his role as a strategist, technologist, and builder of global teams.
Looking back, both paths may seem worlds apart from insurance and entrepreneurship, but they actually prepared us for everything we do today. The performance, discipline, and communication we honed in our “before” lives became the building blocks of our brand. They remind us that reinvention is possible, and that who you were doesn’t disappear, it evolves into the foundation for who you are meant to become.
And today, those same qualities define the culture of Off Course. Creativity, resilience, and teamwork are not just values we talk about; they are lived experiences that guide how we build companies, mentor talent, and lead with both innovation and heart.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Absolutely. Entrepreneurship is not for everyone, and that’s why we never encourage people to quit their jobs without a solid plan and a scalable strategy. The truth is, our journey started with failure. Back in 2019, when we each launched our own businesses, we ended the year with only two clients apiece. It was discouraging, and for a moment, we questioned whether we were cut out for this path, so we went back to corporate.
But in 2023, Off Course was born out of a turning point. Alexis was laid off from what we thought was her dream job. That forced us to step into entrepreneurship, not because it was glamorous, but because we needed flexibility and the ability to control our own schedules. Six months in, we had already replaced both of our six-figure salaries and hadn’t even been in business a full year. That was the moment we realized we had something special, something the industry needed that only we could deliver.
What got us through was faith, strategy, and partnership. Marvin’s ability to build a framework for scaling allowed us to grow from solopreneurs into the global organization Off Course is today, serving clients across the U.S., U.K., Europe, and South America. Along the way, we also learned the power of playing to our strengths and not stepping on each other’s toes. That balance, along with a clear vision, is what has allowed us to not just survive, but to impact a 100-year-old industry in multiple countries in only two years.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Our closest friends would say that what truly matters to us is building a legacy, one that impacts not only our family, but also our community. Business, faith, and family are at the center of everything we do. We pray before every client meeting, asking God for wisdom and strategy to help us pour into the businesses we serve.
At the core, we want our clients to win. Education is also a big part of who we are, we believe in breaking things down so people can learn from each other in ways that make sense, no matter their starting point. That’s the heart of our legacy: helping others build, succeed, and step into everything they’re meant to do.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
We’re doing what we were truly born to do. For a long time, we thought our paths were leading elsewhere, but what we’re building now is something we never could have imagined, and it’s more fulfilling than anything we dreamed. Alexis leans into her passion as the “insurance nerd,” while Marvin brings his multifaceted expertise across industries as a strategist. The balance we’ve found in business, and what we’ve built with Off Course, allows us to blend all of our passions into one purpose-driven mission.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.offcourse.ai
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/off-course-consulting
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChFf3AlPLSDg91flgl2IcvA
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexis-cierra-vaughn-77573862/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvinvaughncplc/
Image Credits
Sean Allen Photographer all photos
Only Photo in grey suit jacket Photography-The Founders Chair
