Category: ASD

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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FEATURE
The Healthy Advisor: Becoming Victorious, Not a Victim With Marissa Nehlsen

The Healthy Advisor: Becoming Victorious, Not a Victim With Marissa Nehlsen

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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, and podcast host. 

In this episode, Nehlsen, the founder and CEO of Freedom Financial Group, discusses her journey from a challenging childhood on a North Dakota farm to leading a successful financial advisory firm. She offers a story of hope for others in pain, as she has yet to slow down or limit her goals.  

Marissa discusses:

  • How she fought back against domestic abuse initiating a major change in her life
  • Learning resilience while living in a trailer park with her mother and siblings
  • Workplace challenges like sexism, favoritism and rejection
  • Her battle with Stargardt disease and how her brother helped her through it
  • Mourning the death of her fiancé
  • The importance of faith and community support in overcoming life’s hardships

Resources: 

Connect With Marissa Nehlsen:

Connect with WealthManagement.com:

About Our Guest:

Marissa Nehlsen is the founder and CEO of Freedom Financial Group. She rose from humble beginnings as a rural North Dakota farm girl to build a multi-million dollar financial services company.

As an accomplished leader with proven results, Marissa Nehlsen’s unique style and approach enable clients to achieve extraordinary and sustainable outcomes. Fueled by the growth of others, she has over 23 years of solid experience. She built a holistic planning firm based on the core principles of educating, empowering, and equipping individuals, organizations, and businesses to make wise choices. Marissa Nehlsen delivers results by connecting with people to share her practical ideas and techniques, helping them achieve their goals and transform their lives through coordinated tax plans, legal plans, and financial plans.

 

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: Struggling With Anxiety With RBC’s Shareen Luze

The Healthy Advisor: Struggling With Anxiety With RBC’s Shareen Luze

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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 challenges, having struggled with anxiety for years. She first realized she had the mental health disorder after the birth of her first child, a son. At the time, she wanted to make it look like she had everything together to the outside world. But on the inside, she was dealing with feelings of excessive worry, an inability to relax or sit still, and lack of sleep. She was diagnosed with postpartum anxiety.

 WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton speaks with

Shareen Luze, head of culture and field experience at RBC Wealth Management U.S., who opens up about her mental health and how these experiences have shaped her approach to employee well-being.

 Shareen discusses: 

  • Her journey with postpartum anxiety and her realization about her mental health
  • The impact of perfectionist tendencies and societal pressures on mental well-being
  • Why she initially avoided talking about her mental health at work
  • How her life changed after being more vulnerable at work
  • Her experience with breast cancer and how she dealt with her anxiety during that time
  • The biggest mental health challenges facing financial advisors

 Resources:

 Connect With Shareen Luze:

 Connect with WealthManagement.com:

 About Our Guest:

 In her role as head of culture and field experience for RBC Wealth Management–U.S., Shareen Luze dedicates herself to ensuring the firm’s purpose-driven culture and strong values are at the core of every business decision. She has built a career around providing compassionate advice and counsel to employees, managers, and leaders.

 

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: From Near-Death to New Purpose with Martine Lellis

The Healthy Advisor: From Near-Death to New Purpose with Martine Lellis

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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 ceremony performed by a Catholic priest for someone who was dying.

 Thankfully, she woke up three weeks later to make a full recovery, although the road back to normal functionality was difficult.

 Diana Britton speaks with Martine Lellis, principal of M&A partner development at Mercer Advisors, on her near-death experience, its profound impact on her life, and how it has fueled her passion for making bold, compassionate choices in the financial services industry.

 

Diana and Martine discuss:

  • Martine’s near-death experience and its aftermath
  • Her recent experience meeting with the doctor who saved her life at Duke
  • Another health scare she had with long COVID
  • How overcoming significant health challenges shaped her professional and personal outlook
  • The importance of gratitude and resilience in her leadership role
  • Her current philanthropic efforts and commitment to giving back to the community

 Resources:

 Connect With Martine Lellis:

 Connect With Wealth Management & NREI:

 About Our Guest:

 Martine is Principal, M&A Partner Development, and is responsible for driving the growth and expansion of the organization through strategic mergers and acquisitions of other RIAs. Based on her more than two decades of experience in the independent wealth management space, she leads like-minded firms in their transition decisions, including assessment of fit, due diligence, financial analysis, talent mapping, and deal negotiations. Martine also currently serves as Chief Talent Officer, overseeing Talent Management and HR Operations for the company, with a focus on developing and growing the talent of the organization. She has been a member of the Executive Leadership Team at Mercer Advisors since joining the firm in 2020.

 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: The Juggle Is Real With Anna Howard and Kimberly Sanders

The Healthy Advisor: The Juggle Is Real With Anna Howard and Kimberly Sanders

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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 validation from her father, also an executive in financial services. Later in her career, she realized the path she took and focused on building a more authentic and fulfilling life for herself. She and her husband recently went through a multi-year process to become foster parents, so now they’re managing four kids, two of which have special needs, while working full-time.

 In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton explores the balance between work and home life with Anna Howard, head of Private Wealth at LPL Financial, and Kimberly Sanders, head of Strategic Wealth Services at LPL.

 They touch on:

  • The unique struggles faced by women in the financial services industry, particularly with work-life balance
  • The journey back into the workforce after taking a hiatus and the obstacles encountered along the way
  • The importance of male sponsors
  • Strategies for managing personal well-being and family life while pursuing a demanding career
  • The importance of mentorship, advocacy, and building a support network for women in finance

 Resources: 

 Connect With Anna Howard:

 Connect With Kimberly Sanders:

 Connect With Wealth Management & NREI:

 About Our Guests:

 At LPL Financial, Anna Howard focuses on serving high-net-worth advisors and their clients, launching LPL Private Wealth Management to offer industry-leading benefits and enhanced service. Prior to LPL, she advanced her career at First Republic Bank and Wells Fargo Private Bank, where she developed innovative resources and grew assets under management.

 Kimberly Sanders, Senior Vice President, Advisor Solutions at LPL Financial, leads LPL Strategic Wealth Services, a modern supported independence solution that enables advisors and business owners to build and grow their firms according to their vision. In this role, Kimberly oversees a seasoned management team that enables advisors to optimize on LPL’s relationships, resources, and services to build equity in their brand and business so advisors can continue to thrive. Prior to LPL, Kimberly served RIA clients and prospects at Schwab Advisor Services, providing business consulting to support the custodian’s existing and potential clients. 

 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: Living Life Urgently with Kristine McManus

The Healthy Advisor: Living Life Urgently with Kristine McManus

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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 in her children’s lives due to treatments. From that moment on, she focused on the value of living life urgently and cherishing meaningful moments.

In this episode of the Healthy Advisor Podcast, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton speaks with Kristine McManus, chief advisor growth officer at Commonwealth Financial Network, about her journey battling breast cancer and the profound lessons learned about living life to the fullest and not “saving for best.” 

Kristine discusses: 

  • Her initial breast cancer diagnosis and the unexpected turn of events
  • The challenges and treatments she faced during her battle with breast cancer
  • The importance of not saving the best for later and embracing the present
  • Lessons learned about gratitude, cherishing moments, and living a more urgent life

Resources: 

Connect With Kristine McManus:

Connect With Wealth Management & NREI:

About Our Guest:

Kristine McManus consults with financial services companies and advisors to enhance revenue growth and establish robust practices. Central to her approach is highlighting the unique qualities of the advisor, utilizing branding, communications, client events and marketing strategies to foster business development.

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: Resiliency and Other Lessons Inside Lehman

The Healthy Advisor: Resiliency and Other Lessons Inside Lehman

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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 Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, where he worked at the time. Lehman became the largest bankruptcy ever, and that event would have a profound impact on Wunderli’s life—personally, and professionally. 

In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton is joined by Mike Wunderli, current managing director at ECHELON Partners, who opens up about that dark time in his life, his struggles with unfulfillment, and the lessons learned watching Lehman and the economy collapse from inside the trenches. 

Mike discusses:

  • How he entered the wealth management industry
  • Advisor satisfaction and culture at Lehman
  • His experience inside Lehman leading up to the bankruptcy
  • Why client assets were tied up after the bankruptcy
  • Rehypothecation and other risks that surfaced during the financial crisis 
  • Why he felt unfulfilled professionally in the years following the collapse
  • How he came back from tough time in his life

Resources: 

Connect With Mike Wunderli:

 

Connect With Wealth Management:

About Our Guest:

Mike Wunderli is a Managing Director at ECHELON Partners and is integrally involved in all aspects of the firm’s activities. Prior to joining ECHELON, Mr. Wunderli founded Connect Capital Group (CCG) where he advises private, middle-market companies on pre-transaction planning, growth financing options and the development and execution of exit strategies. He also works closely with the private-equity and venture-capital communities to evaluate acquisition and investment targets and source proprietary deal flow.

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: A Refugee’s Journey and the Power of Sound Healing With Sathya Chey Patterson

The Healthy Advisor: A Refugee’s Journey and the Power of Sound Healing With Sathya Chey Patterson

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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 financially challenged upbringing have defined her truth.

 The experience taught her resilience and built habits of frugality that few others can grasp. Today, she uses those skills in her own wealth management practice.

In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton is joined by Sathya Chey Patterson, Wealth Advisor and Managing Partner at Arise Private Wealth, in discussing how her experience has shaped her perspective on life and the work she’s doing now.

Sathya discusses: 

  • How life in refugee camps during the Cambodian genocide shaped her childhood
  • How her family provided for the children once they came to the U.S.
  • How her experience growing up changed the way she explains money habits to clients
  • Why she became a financial advisor and what drives her in this career
  • How meditation and sound healing have helped her overcome challenges and heal from the past

Resources: 

Connect With Sathya:

Connect With Wealth Management:

About Our Guest:

Sathya Chey Patterson is a Managing Partner of Arise Private Wealth, an independent wealth management firm that consistently guides clients to pursue an elevated perspective.

Sathya is more than a wealth advisor, she is her clients’ financial beacon, consistently offering an informed perspective so they can craft and implement an effective investment strategy that is suited to their specific needs and desires. Sathya understands the many complex financial decisions her clients may face, as well as the intricacies of their portfolios and investment markets, and ensures her clients are cared for today and in the future.

While receiving her BA in finance from Cal State Fullerton and an MBA from USC Marshall School of Business, Sathya began building experience in wealth management at Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors, LLC. She then joined the Carlsen Elliott Wealth Management team at Wells Fargo Advisors before launching her independent wealth management company, Arise Private Wealth, with her business partner Steve Carlsen.

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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Transparency with Diana B.: Dealing With the Emotional and Physical Abuse of the Past

Transparency with Diana B.: Dealing With the Emotional and Physical Abuse of the Past

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When he was about six or seven years old, Rob Bartenstein’s parents got divorced. The rest of childhood had its ups and downs, with some emotional and, at times, physical abuse caused by the men in his mother’s life.

His family also faced financial hardships, especially when his stepfather declared bankruptcy. Living on government cheese, processed cheese provided to welfare beneficiaries, the family had very little money to get by, putting further strain on the adults raising him. He eventually found his way into the military, which put him on a better path. But then an expected hospitalization and risky heart operation ended his military career and changed his perspective on life.    

In this episode, Diana Britton, managing editor at WealthManagement.com, speaks with Bartenstein, CEO at Kestra Private Wealth Services in Austin. He shares some painful memories of his upbringing and describes how he ended up in financial services.

You will learn:

  • What Rob’s childhood was like
  • The emotional and physical abuse Rob dealt with at a young age
  • How Rob navigated through the dark moments in his life
  • How his life experiences informed his worldview, and ultimately his path to financial services

 Listen now to hear Rob’s life story and how several events led him to where he is now.

Resources: WealthManagement.com | Diana Britton LinkedIn | Kestra Private Wealth Services | Rob Bartenstein on LinkedIn | Contact Rob Bartenstein | Contact Diana

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