Episode Overview:
In this episode, the Tern team recaps an action packed week featuring their final 2025 webinar, major product milestones, and behind the scenes reflections from the entire R and D org. Hosts David Shull (CEO and Co founder), Brad Turner (Head of Design), and Molly Johnson (Head of Product) dive into the chaos, adrenaline, and community love surrounding the event. From faster trip planning improvements to the first ever fully automated booking flows in Tern, it is a fast paced look at how the platform is evolving to better support travel advisors. Plus, a peek into upcoming host agency tools and the future of AI powered trip building.
Episode Topics:
(00:00) Kicking Off and Community Appreciation
The hosts return after a short break, sharing gratitude for listeners and reacting to jaw dropping Spotify Wrapped stats.
(01:31) Post Webinar Hangover and Team Reflections
Brad and Molly talk about the energy and exhaustion of shipping a massive release, plus the emotional impact of seeing real time chat reactions from advisors.
(04:49) Webinar Recap and Behind the Scenes
David walks through the tightly timed final hours leading up to the event, engineering pushes at 1:30 AM, and the surreal moment of booking something live for the first time.
(07:40) Faster Trip Planning
Molly reveals a last minute surprise feature: drag and drop day swapping powered by AI assisted coding and quick engineering refinement.
(10:39) AI Assist Improvements
The team explains the move from 4.0 to 5.1 models, new agentic workflows, and the groundwork being laid for smarter, more interactive trip building.
(12:56) Your Photo Library in Tern
Brad breaks down why the new personal photo library is a game changer for advisors who rely on their own site visit media, and David explains how licensing and sharing permissions work.
(18:45) Upgraded Out of the Box Photos
Molly introduces the switch to Unsplash for higher quality default images and previews how AI will eventually auto suggest or auto insert relevant photos.
(22:03) The New Era of Booking in Tern
Brad and David outline the first integrations with Project Expedition and insurance partners, the philosophy behind eliminating admin heavy booking work, and the long term vision for a fully automated booking ecosystem.
(27:17) How Advisors Can Influence Integrations
A call to action for advisors to nudge their preferred suppliers toward integrating with Tern.
(29:56) Insurance Partners and Choice
David clarifies how Tern evaluates partners and why user demand and flexibility matter more than dictating supplier relationships.
(30:23) Host and Sub Agency Updates
Molly previews the forthcoming host agency model with multi layer accounting support, while she and David address unexpected community concerns around MLM terminology.
(34:08) Company Retreat and What’s Next
The team prepares for their annual retreat, outlines support expectations for the upcoming week, and previews a special year in review episode.
Show Highlights:
Major AI Assist improvements powered by the 5.1 model
New personal photo libraries that bring itineraries to life
The first ever live booking flow demonstrated in Tern
Stronger insurance and activity integrations that reduce admin
A new architecture for host and sub agency models
Upgraded Unsplash photo sourcing for beautiful itineraries
A surprise “swap days” feature that kills a thousand clicks