Category: ASD
The Healthy Advisor: Overcoming Burnout and the Pressures of Leadership With Drew Shockley

The Healthy Advisor: Overcoming Burnout and the Pressures of Leadership With Drew Shockley

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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 personal lessons really stuck with him.

In this episode of the award-winning Healthy Advisor podcast, WealthManagement.com’s Diana Britton is joined by Drew Shockley, co-founder of Move Health, a platform that helps financial advisors forecast pre-retirement health insurance costs. He opens up about the struggles behind the success. He also reflects on building something more intentional this time around and how those lessons resonate with any entrepreneur or financial professional today.

Drew discusses:

  • His unique path from the farm to forming and selling multiple companies
  • The personal struggles with burnout and the pressure of leadership
  • Balancing personal and professional life to find sustainable success
  • His passion for personality assessments and how that has shaped his career
  • How Move Health can help financial advisors forecast health insurance costs 

Resources:

Connect with WealthManagement.com:

Connect With Drew Shockley:

About Our Guest:

Born and raised in East Tennessee, Drew Shockley moved to Indiana for college and decided to make it home. He began his career in healthcare insurance in 2005 with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, one of the nation’s largest carriers.

Over the course of his 20-year career, Drew has trained thousands of agents in the health and Medicare space and has been a founding member or investor in three successful startups within the healthcare market.

He’s been married for 19 years and is the proud father of two teenage boys. On weekends, you’ll likely find him on the golf course, cheering on the Vols at a sporting event, or spending quality time with his family.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

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The Healthy Advisor: Riding Out the Storm with Beth Bosworth

The Healthy Advisor: Riding Out the Storm with Beth Bosworth

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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 Britton, WealthManagement.com executive editor, speaks with Bosworth, head of financial planning and wealth advisor at Perigon Wealth Management, who shares how she and her community banded together under immense pressure to restore normalcy after the storm’s devastation. She did all this while continuing to serve clients and run an advisory practice. 

 Beth discusses: 

  • The unexpected impact of Hurricane Helene and how it reshaped entire communities 
  • Being prepared for natural disasters
  • The emotional rollercoaster of being cut off from communication in a world reliant on connectivity 
  • Finding strength in community solidarity amid nature’s chaos 
  • What the ordeal taught her about her own resiliency and strength

Resources:

Connect with WealthManagement.com:

Connect With Beth Bosworth:

About Our Guest:

Beth is a Wealth Advisor with Perigon and oversees the firm’s financial planning operations. Her passion is to help clients manage the risks associated with accumulating and preserving wealth. Her favorite part about her career is that she has the privilege of living life alongside her clients. She is an avid advocate of the independent wealth management space and values protecting her fee-only practice.

Beth is a CFP® professional and holds a BA from the University of Georgia. She helps manage the Atlanta office and resides in midtown with her wife and two sons. She is an avid tennis player, enjoys golf, and spends the weekends hiking with her family and two dogs in the North Georgia Mountains. Beth is also passionate about dedicating her time to worthy causes, and currently serves as the Treasurer of USTA (United States Tennis Association) Georgia and on multiple Finance Committees for the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

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The Healthy Advisor: How Vulnerability Transforms Leadership with Stacie Calder

The Healthy Advisor: How Vulnerability Transforms Leadership with Stacie Calder

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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 vulnerability, sparking a profound shift in how she showed up, not just as a leader, but as a person. That insight became a catalyst for embracing authenticity, building deeper connections, and redefining success on her terms.

In this episode, WealthManagement.com Executive Editor Diana Britton speaks with Stacie Calder, executive vice president of North American distribution and marketing at Conquest Planning, about her personal and professional evolution. The episode highlights the power of daily habits, intentional goal-setting, and community support in navigating adversity.

Stacie discusses: 

  • Her passion for fitness and nutrition, and how it shaped her early life and career
  • The pressures faced as a woman in financial services and the challenge of proving herself
  • The turbulent times of restructuring at Manulife and her eventual departure
  • Her personal experience of going through a divorce and how it altered her perspective
  • The healthy coping mechanisms that kept her grounded during challenging life transitions
  • The power of embracing vulnerability and authenticity at work

Resources: 

Connect with WealthManagement.com:

Connect With Stacie Calder:

About Our Guest:

Stacie Calder is dedicated to creating meaningful connections and inspiring boldness in those around her every day. She is passionate about eliminating obstacles, driving efficiency, and serving her colleagues and clients with purpose. Drawn to frictionless experiences and motivated by gritty, resilient individuals, Stacie brings energy and intention to everything she does.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found.

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The Healthy Advisor: Getting Past the Seven-Year Fog with Dr. Preston Cherry

The Healthy Advisor: Getting Past the Seven-Year Fog with Dr. Preston Cherry

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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 WealthManagement.com, sits down with Dr. Cherry as he opens up about his challenges—bankruptcy, self-medicating behaviors and racial microaggressions—all while searching for balance, healing and true fulfillment.

He discusses: 

  • The realization of his “seven years of fog”
  • The concept of life and money misalignment
  • Thoughts on money buying happiness
  • How his experiences inspired his new book “Wealth in the Key of Life”
  • What his journey has taught him about having empathy and compassion for clients

Resources: 

Connect with WealthManagement.com:

Connect with Dr. Preston Cherry:

About Our Guest:

Dr. Preston Cherry, Founder & President of Concurrent Financial Planning, leads the Financial Planning Program and directs the Charles Schwab Center for Personal Financial Planning at UW–Green Bay. With over 15 years of experience, he empowers people to shape their financial stories for wellness and freedom. His research focuses on personality traits and financial risks. Cited by top publications, he’s an Investopedia Top 100 Advisor and Financial Therapy Association President. Preston is also a poetry-writing, vinyl-loving uncle.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found.

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The Healthy Advisor: Climbing the Ladder as a Single, Young Mom With Mary Saylor

The Healthy Advisor: Climbing the Ladder as a Single, Young Mom With Mary Saylor

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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 giving birth to her daughter, she graduated from Penn State and started working in corporate accounting roles, earning her CPA and working her way up the corporate ladder as a single mother in her early 20s. While she had the support of her firm and her family, the grueling hours and time away from home were difficult for her and her daughter.

 In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton speaks with Mary Saylor, Senior Director of Wealth Management at Choreo, an RIA with nearly $25 billion in assets under management and advisement, about her journey as a single, young mother working her way up in the industry.

 She discusses: 

  • Her initial shock and the support received after finding out she was pregnant during college
  • Her experience being pregnant on campus
  • How she navigated this big life change at a young age
  • The challenges of balancing work and personal life as a single parent in the industry
  • What kept her going during these hard times and motivated to be successful in her career
  • Lessons learned and moving forward as her daughter has now gone off to college

 Resources: 

 Connect With Mary Saylor: 

 Connect with WealthManagement.com:

 About Our Guest:

 Mary Saylor is the director of wealth management at Choreo. She works with high-net-worth individuals and multi-generational families as well as institutions (non-profits, endowments, foundations, and corporate retirement plans) to find solutions to their wealth management needs. Mary’s high-net-worth clients include corporate executives, professionals and business owners, their families, corporate retirement plans and private institutions.

 

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

 The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found.

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The Healthy Advisor: Beyond the C-Suite With Aaron Klein

The Healthy Advisor: Beyond the C-Suite With Aaron Klein

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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 raising three children.

In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton sits down with Aaron Klein, co-founder and board member of Nitrogen, to delve into the highs and lows of his career and personal life.

Aaron discusses: 

  • The challenges of international adoption
  • Navigating bureaucratic hurdles and unforeseen changes
  • Balancing professional responsibilities with the demands of adoption
  • The impact of PANS diagnosis on his son and the healing journey 
  • How he came to the decision to step down as CEO of Nitrogen
  • What’s next for him

Resources: 

Connect With Aaron Klein:

Connect with WealthManagement.com:

About Our Guest:

Aaron Klein is the co-founder of Nitrogen, the growth platform for wealth management firms, which started life as Riskalyze in 2011. As its first CEO, he led the company through 42 consecutive quarters of growth, scaling to serve tens of thousands of financial advisors, and twice being named one of the world’s 10 most innovative companies in finance by Fast Company Magazine. He passed the baton to his successor in 2023, and continues to serve on the firm’s Board of Directors.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found.

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The Healthy Advisor: Betrayal on the Dock and the Road to Financial Independence With Michelle Begina

The Healthy Advisor: Betrayal on the Dock and the Road to Financial Independence With Michelle Begina

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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 with Michelle Begina, a senior partner, managing director and private wealth advisor with Snowden Lane Partners in New York City. She shares her personal experiences with financial insecurity masked by wealth and how it shaped her current approach to financial advising.

Michelle discusses:

  • The emotional and financial shock of losing her college fund
  • Her decade-long journey working to self-fund her college education
  • The grief she carried for years without realizing it
  • How she dealt with her parents’ betrayal and found healing
  • The challenges and revelations that emerged from her childhood money stories

Resources:

Connect With Michelle Begina:

Connect with WealthManagement.com:

About Our Guest:

If you still think of wealth as purely a numbers game, you haven’t met Michelle Begina. Michelle joined Snowden Lane Partners in 2017 as a Managing Director and Financial Advisor, bringing with her a passion for financial literacy that marries the science of wealth management with the art of financial therapy. 

Michelle got her official start in the world of financial planning with American Express Financial Advisors, where she counseled high net worth individuals to not only manage their wealth and build their legacy, but to experience a sense of ease in their relationship with money. It’s a concept she’s honed throughout her career: our relationship with money (yes, it’s a relationship!) impacts our ability to create and enjoy prosperity.

Michelle has brought this unique approach to each of her successive roles, serving as District Investment Specialist and later Annuity and Compliance Specialist for Northwestern Mutual Life, New York City District Financial Planning Specialist for Merrill Lynch, and Vice President – Wealth Management for Smith Barney/Morgan Stanley before finding her home at Snowden Lane.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found.

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The Healthy Advisor: Using Life Planning to Turn Inward With George Kinder

The Healthy Advisor: Using Life Planning to Turn Inward With George Kinder

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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 to use life planning with their clients, he also hopes advisors will use it inwardly. Kinder recently released his new book, The Three Domains of Freedom: Each Moment is Yours, Your Life is Yours, Civilization is Yours, which he considers to be a health and wellness book for financial advisors.

In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton sits down with George Kinder, president and founder of the Kinder Institute of Life Planning. He says advisors can achieve better health and balance by modeling life planning principles, adopting mindfulness practices, and prioritizing their own well-being alongside their clients’.

George highlights: 

  • The origins of life planning in his personal journey 
  • The three domains of freedom and their impact on health and wellness
  • Balancing life planning with career demands
  • Mindfulness practices for financial professionals
  • The role of fiduciary responsibility in today’s world

Resources:

Connect With George Kinder:

Connect with WealthManagement.com:

About Our Guest:

Harvard-educated George Kinder revolutionized financial advice for more than 35 years by training over 5,000 professionals in 30 countries in the field of financial life planning. He founded the Kinder Institute of Life Planning in 2003 after 30 years as a practicing financial planner and tax advisor. 

George Kinder’s latest book, Reflections on Spectacle Pond: The Weekly Edition, is available as a free email subscription through Substack. Inspired by the 30 years he has spent living at the edge of a small New England pond, the book is a meditative guide to living in nature’s cycle, week by week, and moment by moment. Among his seven books, he has written one on mindfulness,  Transforming Suffering into Wisdom, and another book of photography and poetry, A Song for Hana. 

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found.

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FEATURE
The Healthy Advisor: How Adventure Racing Shaped My Life and Business With Ryan VanGorder

The Healthy Advisor: How Adventure Racing Shaped My Life and Business With Ryan VanGorder

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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 several days, pushing themselves against nature and their own endurance. 

But Ryan’s path took a harrowing turn when a race led to a life-threatening medical emergency, landing him in a coma. Emerging from that experience, he embraced a fierce commitment to living fully, adopting a “YOLO” mindset that fuels both his life and his approach to business.

In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton sits down with Ryan VanGorder, CEO of Opto Investments, to share his story of survival, resilience, and how his brush with death reshaped his outlook on life and work.

Ryan discusses:

  • His introduction to adventure racing and the unique allure that hooked him
  • Memorable moments from races across rugged landscapes
  • The life-changing near-death experience during the Primal Quest race in Moab, Utah
  • How adventure racing taught him valuable lessons for managing risk in business
  • How adventure racing helped him find balance and meditation

Resources:

Connect With Ryan VanGorder:

Connect with WealthManagement.com:

About Our Guest:

Ryan VanGorder is Opto Investments’ Chief Executive Officer.

Prior to joining Opto, Ryan was a managing director at BlackRock, leading finance in the Asia Pacific region. Ryan has more than 20 years of financial services experience and began his career in 2001 at Quellos, a Seattle-based hedge fund of funds. When he’s not focused on building Opto into a world-class business, you might bump into Ryan running or biking on a trail near you.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found.

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FEATURE
The Healthy Advisor: The Fragility of Life and the True Value of Planning With Matthew Newman

The Healthy Advisor: The Fragility of Life and the True Value of Planning With Matthew Newman

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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 saw life through a new set of lenses. 

Throughout his battle, he sought to make his journey a communal one. He began writing and sending emails about his experiences and reflections to friends and family, which unexpectedly grew into an audience of 20,000 people. His journey resonated deeply and offered a beacon of hope to many enduring struggles.

In this episode, Managing Editor Diana Britton speaks with Matthew Newman, a wholesaler at Pacific Life and author of “Starting at the Finish Line,” about his journey and the impact it had on his life.

Matt discusses: 

  • What happened leading up to his diagnosis
  • How he received the diagnosis 
  • His treatments
  • Where his strength comes from
  • What became his outlet 
  • The importance of revisiting the journey in daily life
  • What his experience can teach advisors 

Resources: 

Connect With Matthew Newman:

Connect with WealthManagement.com:

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found.

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