Healthy Advisor is a podcast from WealthManagement.com focused on advisors’ personal wellbeing and healing. In this podcast we explore some of the deepest struggles and hardships that many advisors face and bring these issues out into the open so that others may find healing. Join us for this journey where we explore ways to overcome the stresses and anxieties as Diana draws from years of expertise and guest experts to manage the personal challenges of advisors.
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Michael Kitces has spent years studying what drives satisfaction among financial advisors, going beyond firm performance metrics to focus on personal wellbeing and career fulfillment. His latest research, the 2025 Advisor Wellbeing Study, reveals how advisor happiness has shifted in recent years and what factors are shaping those changes. Drawing from responses across the industry, the study…
Carolyn Armitage spent decades building a career in wealth management while privately carrying the emotional effects of childhood trauma. For years, she compartmentalized those experiences, believing she could simply push through them while focusing on work, achievement and daily life. After an emotional breaking point following her mother’s funeral, Carolyn began exploring deeper forms of…
Terri Kallsen has had an outstanding career in financial services over the last 30 years. During her tenure at Charles Schwab, she led 7,000 employees and managed $1.6 trillion in assets, played a key role in transforming Wealth Enhancement Group as COO and over the last two years, she has been instrumental in building Rise Growth Partners, the RIA investing company started by former United…
Throughout his career, RJ Moore has led some of the largest wealth management firms in the industry through challenging times. He’s held CEO positions at Cetera Financial Group, Legal & General Investment Management America, and ABN AMRO La Salle Bank. He’s also the former president of LPL Financial. But perhaps his biggest challenge came during the summer 2023, when he was diagnosed with Stage IV…
This month, Jamie Hopkins’ new book, “Your Retirement Sketchbook,” co-written by Bonnie Treichel, hits bookstores, and a lot of advisors know Hopkins as a retirement planning expert. Less known is his own personal story, which includes the passing of his father in a job-site accident when he was 8 years old. “This has impacted so many things in my life—my desire to be a dad, a sense I would die…
In 2018, Melissa Caro’s perfectly healthy 72-year-old mother was suddenly diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, and within 24 hours she became her sole caregiver, her financial planner, her life coach and her healthcare advocate. At the same time, her 87-year-old stepdad was falling apart and spiraling into dementia, and her husband was in the hospital with severe back problems. As a Type A…
After facing divorce, financial hardship and even losing her home in a wildfire, Bridget Venus Grimes rebuilt her life and career around helping other women do the same, taking control of their finances, finding community and redefining success on their own terms. In this episode of The Healthy Advisor, host Diana Britton sits down with Grimes, president of WealthChoice and co-founder of Equita…
For 35 years, Mark Singer owned an independent financial planning firm, Safe Harbor Retirement Planning, in the Boston area, a Commonwealth Financial Network affiliate. During that time, he was living life at full speed—running three businesses, exercising, playing golf, boating, spending time with grandchildren—until he had a life-changing stroke in October 2022. He lost his ability to speak,…
Ryan Marcus has a passion for helping the wealth management industry better serve the neurodivergent community. He argues that the industry is not serving them in an intentional way. Neurodivergence refers to divergence in mental or neurological function from what is considered typical or normal. It’s frequently used with reference to autistic spectrum disorders. The issue is personal to Ryan,…
Lisa Erickson spent 37 years in financial services, ultimately leading the Public Markets Due Diligence team at U.S. Bank, which manages over $500 billion in client assets. In addition to her business acumen, she was best known for her selflessness, positivity and character. But earlier this year, Lisa chose to retire early after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a movement disorder of the…
The summer after his freshman year in high school, John Connell went on the Texas Giant rollercoaster in Arlington, Texas, the tallest wooden rollercoaster in the U.S. at that time. John ended up in the hospital, with injuries the doctors weren’t sure he’d recover from. That became an “origination point,” a wake-up call that forever changed the trajectory of his life. In this episode of The…
After a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry—rising from clinical research to business development and marketing—Paula Nangle took a step back to raise her young children and reflect on what truly mattered. Motivated by her early experiences with money and a desire to make a meaningful impact, she reinvented herself as a Certified Financial Planner, helping others navigate their…
Drew Shockley grew up on a dairy farm in Tennessee. He started working in insurance for $7.50/hour, and by his 30s had built and sold multiple companies—including an eight-figure exit in 2020. From the outside, it sounds like a dream. But the road to Drew’s success was not a straight path. Along the way, he experienced burnout and struggled with the pressure of leading a much larger team. The…
When natural disasters hit, your life can turn upside down. Beth Bosworth experienced this firsthand when Hurricane Helene hit her town of Asheville, N.C. on Sept. 27, 2024. The hurricane caused severe damage to the city, including fallen trees, destroyed power lines, and flooded roads. Her neighborhood is still feeling the effects of that storm several months later. In this episode, Diana…
When Stacie Calder first joined the financial services industry, she pounded the pavement and quickly climbed the corporate ladder. But her rise came with a cost. In this episode, she opens up about the persona she adopted to fit a traditional mold of leadership, one that silenced her authentic voice in favor of external approval. A turning point came when a close friend called out her lack of…
What happens when professional achievement outpaces personal well-being? Dr. Preston Cherry, founder of Concurrent Financial Planning, seemed to have it all—a thriving career and a secure six-figure salary in his late 20s. But beneath the surface, he was stuck in a seven-year fog, struggling to align his personal life with his financial success. In this episode, Diana Britton, executive editor at…
Mary Saylor had been working hard to earn her accounting degree at Penn State University when she got some shocking news at the beginning of her senior year—she was pregnant. And while many women would think of it as a roadblock, Saylor saw it as a blessing. It didn’t stop her from pursuing her degree and a career in financial services. If anything, it made her more determined. Not long after…
Many advisors know Aaron Klein as the super-friendly, charismatic leader of Nitrogen, formerly Riskalyze, the company he founded about 13 years ago as a risk tolerance documentation tool. He’s since stepped down from his role leading the company. What most advisors probably don’t know is Aaron’s personal journey—the challenges he faced balancing running a major fintech company with adopting and…
Michelle Begina started her journey to financial independence after an unexpected betrayal. When she was just 17 years old, her parents used her college fund to buy a yacht instead of supporting her education. Michelle then had to forge her own path, overcoming adversity and reshaping her perceptions of money and trust. In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton sits down…
George Kinder, raised in St. Clairsville, Ohio, was inspired by his passion for freedom and creativity to explore a deeper purpose for his life beyond traditional career paths. His work as a tax preparer revealed a universal longing for fulfillment, leading him to pioneer life planning, a method empowering individuals to pursue their true aspirations. And while he has trained hundreds of advisors…
Adventure racing—an off-road, navigation-based sport that fuses endurance, strategy, and teamwork—became a life-changing journey for Ryan VanGorder. What started as a casual comment while watching The Echo Challenge with friends transformed into a relentless pursuit of his physical and mental limits. Since 1999, Ryan and his team have tackled grueling competitions that stretch from a few hours to…
Having grown up around financial planning, Matthew Newman realized the importance of having everything in place before tragedy strikes. His father’s advice to plan for the negative moments was a lifeline. At age 39, he was diagnosed with Grade 3 Astrocytoma, a form of brain cancer. At the time, he had three children under 5, and his father-in-law was battling pancreatic cancer. All of a sudden, he…
It was not just one struggle in her life that shaped Marissa Nehlsen. Since her formative years, she’s faced adversity and come out stronger every time. Despite significant hardships, including the loss of her family farm, enduring domestic abuse from her father, and coping with Stargardt disease, which has led to blindness, Marissa has built a seven-figure business and become a coach, speaker,…
In her role as head of culture and field experience at RBC Wealth Management U.S., Shareen Luze is responsible for making sure the firm’s 2,200 financial advisors feel supported and have a similar employee experience as those in the home office. One particular area of focus, which has become more acute in the global pandemic, has been mental wellbeing. But Shareen has had her own mental health…
While studying at Duke University, Martine Lellis started to feel sick. It developed quickly into a hospital visit where she was diagnosed with pneumonia in both her lungs. The condition escalated into a near-deadly situation, so her doctors decided to induce a coma even before her parents were able to reach her. It became so serious that while in a coma, she received her last rites, the religious…
Kimberly Sanders followed a typical path into financial services, gaining an undergrad in finance and working for a series of banks and brokerage firms. When she became pregnant, she made the decision to stay home for eight years to raise her kids. But when it was time to return to work, the path was not so smooth. For Anna Howard, her path into the industry was driven by a desire to earn…
At the end of 2022, Kristine McManus got an unexpected breast cancer diagnosis. Yet doctors thought it was the least aggressive form and easily treatable. Shortly after her surgery, she received multiple messages from the hospital; it turns out she had the most aggressive form of breast cancer, triple-negative. Her outlook on life changed as she was forced to miss one of the most important years…
As the staggering number of Opioid overdoses and deaths continue to increase, so does the threat on family finances and retirement dreams. Cheryl Canzanella knows that all too well. In August 2017, she lost her husband to an accidental overdose, exposing her to the horrific realities of the opioid crisis. Since his death, she’s made it her mission to educate employers and her peers in the…
At just 10 years old, William Hoffman’s son Liam was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis (NF), a rare genetic condition that causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. When Will and his family got the news, they could have succumbed to despair. Instead, Will leaned into it, and has made it his mission to find a cure for Liam and set an example for his sons around overcoming the struggles…
While wellbeing and mental health have become a more mainstream conversation among the wider U.S. population since the pandemic, it’s a topic still largely untouched by the financial services industry. New research from Kitces.com aims to measure and track trends across advisor wellbeing, just as the industry benchmarks anything else. Over 1500 members of financial advisory teams responded to The…
After selling her business in November 2022, Tina Powell earmarked 2023 her “year of health.” The first step on that journey was to get a full body scan at the Princeton Longevity Center on Martin Luther King day 2023. That scan would change the trajectory of her life. That day, her doctors discovered a 2.1 cm tumor on her right lung. Despite being a healthy, fit non-smoker, she was launched into…
As a busy and often stressed-out executive at one of the top RIAs in the country, James Bogart found himself neglecting his well-being, resulting in weight gain and various health issues. A series of hospital visits prompted him to hire a concierge doctor and a nutritionist, leading to a remarkable 70-pound weight loss over the course of several months. In this episode, Diana Britton, managing…
Facing the hurdles of disadvantaged youth, Heather Kelly’s life was marked by a single mother, a disabled sister, and limited opportunities. She moved out of her home in Ozone Park, Queens, at the young age of 16. On top of that, she has struggled with dyslexia, a learning disorder and neurological condition that posed additional challenges in her educational journey. Despite these obstacles,…
When financial advisor Cary Carbonaro met her first husband, she thought she had it all. She had a great upbringing in New York, wonderful family and friends. She was very successful. And while her fiancé looked very good on paper, the relationship turned out to be toxic. Behind closed doors, the marriage was a nightmare, with Cary facing physical, mental and verbal abuse from this man on a daily…
When Mike Wunderli started his journey into wealth management, he was excited about a career that had a combination of sales and finance, interpersonal and analytical. He built up an impressive book of business, helping entrepreneurs and business owners engineer liquidity events for their companies. But then, the 2008 financial crisis hit, causing the downfall of large financial institutions like…
Maria Castillo Dominguez grew up in Ronda, a small mountaintop town in the south of Spain. And while she had a great support system, she also had a very humble childhood, and things were difficult for her family financially. And because of that background, she lacked a lot of opportunities. Most of her family members worked labor jobs, and no one went to college. But Maria was determined to be the…
After selling her firm to EP Wealth in 2016, Lynn Ballou became a fixture among EP’s leadership team that worked to take the RIA to new heights. She’s also served as a mentor for younger advisors and a fierce advocate for greater diversity in the wealth management industry. Lynn had to put all of that on hold when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer. But…
In his financial advisory practice, Paul Peeler specializes in planning for mental illness caregivers and their families. But Paul has his own story of caring for a family member with a mental illness and the emotional toll the experience has taken on him. When a close family member spiraled into a mental health crisis, he was forced to deal with the crippling emotions, while also struggling to…
A lot of people in the industry know Stephanie Bogan; she’s a sought-after business and practice management coach and speaker. Before starting Limitless Advisor, her current coaching firm, she founded a consulting firm at the age of 24 and sold it in a 7-figure deal to a Fortune 200 company. She then joined Joe Duran’s executive team at United Capital, which was eventually acquired by Goldman…
Sathya Chey Patterson was born into struggle. She came into the world in a Thai refugee camp, as her family had just escaped from the Cambodian genocide, an explosion of mass violence that saw between 1.5 and 3 million people killed at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, a communist political group, in the 1970s. Her family then arrived in the U.S. financially destitute. Yet her humble beginnings and…
Trigger warning: This episode discusses content some listeners may find upsetting. A lot of folks in the wealth management industry know Tyrone Ross; he’s a frequent speaker at industry events, an active “finfluencer” on social media, and a thought leader in the crypto asset space. Less known is his life journey and how he got to where he is today. Raised in New Jersey in a family where no one had…
A little more than six years ago, Robert started living a healthier lifestyle, working out a lot more, in an effort to lose weight. But one day while working out, he had a widowmaker heart attack, which happens when you have a blockage in the biggest artery in your heart. The name of it leaves no question about the severity of it—only 12% of people suffering from this heart attack outside the…
Mary Martin had always been very health conscious, making sure she ate right and stayed in shape. But several years ago, she had a miscarriage at five months’ pregnant, although she didn’t know she was pregnant at the time. The experience helped her learn that from an emotional standpoint, she wasn’t really present in her body. She came to realize what it was like to truly be a human being, not…
Trigger warning: This episode discusses content some listeners may find upsetting. Journalist Davis Janowski grew up in the Panhandle of Florida, where he grew accustomed to sunny weather and developed a deep passion for the great outdoors. But when he moved to Syracuse, N.Y., at age 25 for grad school, the cold weather and lack of sunlight and exercise began to impact his mental health. The…
When Lori Eisel first found out her son had an addiction problem, she tried to do everything in her power to get control over the situation and help him. But even years later, he is still on the road to recovery. In this episode, Diana Britton, managing editor at WealthManagement.com, speaks with Lori Eisel, president of fee-only financial planning firm Arcadia Financial Partners, who shares the…
Advisor Joseph R. Biondo Sr. just recently celebrated 60 years in the financial services industry, but his path to success was not a linear one. In his 83 years, he has experienced his fair share of struggles—both personally and professionally. In fact, his life began with tragedy. Just three weeks before he was born, his father passed away, leaving his mother a widow with two young boys at age 30…
A little over a year ago, advisor Jonathan DeYoe was in a healthy place; he was meditating on a regular basis, working out, eating and sleeping right. But in the summer of 2021, he tragically lost his only brother and business partner when he drowned in the Pacific Ocean. He says his life came to a “screeching halt” that day. While coping with grief, he struggled to stay healthy. Since then, he…
On average, there are 130 suicides per day, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and individuals who work in financial services are 1.5 times more likely to commit suicide than the national average, according to the National Occupational Mortality Surveillance. Right before advisor Larry Sprung was set to break away and launch his own firm, his brother-in-law Keith Milano,…
In 2020, Danika Waddell’s prior firm was audited by the State of Washington, and the state found that her U4 was never filed properly, after four years of working with clients. The whole ordeal was traumatic for her. In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton is joined by Danika Waddell, president and founder of Xena Financial Planning in Seattle. Danika shares how the…
The loss of a loved one can lead to a tidal wave of emotions before reaching acceptance and continuing on in life without them. Before starting his own practice, advisor Vance Barse experienced profound grief after losing five family members, including his biological father who he had never met. However, this darker time in his life was followed by a period of life-changing introspection, which…
