Women Rocking Wall Street - A Podcast Dedicated To Women In Financial Services

WRW32: Proving Them Wrong with Jeanne Fisher   Hello again!  I hope you’re having a great week and feeling happy and inspired. This week’s guest is truly a woman who is rocking Wall Street. Jeanne Fisher is a Certified Financial Planner with ARGI Financial Group and an ambassador for the CFP Board. A true believer in education, Jeanne has her CFP, a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics and a Masters in Business Administration. She is also one of the first female Certified Financial Planners in Bowling Green, K.Y.   Upon graduating, Jeanne found herself applying for positions in the financial industry as a 22-year-old female. Instead of receiving job offers, she was told to sell cell phones and apply for the job again in 5 years. In one interview, she was offered a secretarial position, even considering all her credentials. While Jeanne faced one negative response after another, her internal mantra of “I’ll prove you wrong” motivated her to continue. Needless to say, she proved them all wrong.   For th

WRW031: Woman and the Nasdaq with Maureen Lowe Just imagine the sense of achievement you would feel if you were asked to ring the Nasdaq bell. That’s what my guest this week had the opportunity to do. Maureen Lowe is the President and Founder of Financial Technologies Forum (FTF), a media company for Wall Street, which provides content, specifically for people and companies that drive the post-trading processing industry.                       While she has grown a successful business, which has gained enough notice that she and her team were asked to ring the Nasdaq bell, Maureen still faces challenges because she is a woman on Wall Street. Over the years, she has developed a thick skin and has worked at building up her confidence around being a successful businesswoman within the financial industry.   Being a female entrepreneur on Wall Street is challenging, but Maureen has proven that it is possible. When asked what advice she would give to her 27-year-old self, Maureen says, “there will be tough times.

WRW030: Planning to Be a CFP with Eleanor Blayney   Intro Hello there, and welcome back to Women Rocking Wall Street. A couple weeks ago, I spoke with Renee Amochaev about her fight for gender equality on Wall Street. And on this episode, I’m continuing the theme and encouraging women out there to research the opportunities that a career in financial planning can bring. Well, who better to speak about this topic than Eleanor Blayney, author of “Women’s Worth: Finding Your Financial Confidence.” In addition to being an author, Eleanor is a CFP and consumer advocate for the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.   In 2013, the CFP Board launched Women’s Initiative (WIN). Under the leadership of Nancy Kistner, then chair of CFP Board’s board of directors, WIN conducted research about why there are so few women in financial planning—the number has remained flat at 23% for several years. Based on the research, the WIN Advisory Panel released a white paper called “Making More Room for Women In the Financi

WRW 029: Investing in Gender Parity with Eve Ellis   Welcome back! I hope you’re still enjoying some nice, warm weather – wherever you may be. I am excited for this week’s episode of Women Rocking Wall Street because I have the pleasure of speaking with Eve Ellis, Financial Advisor with The Matterhorn Group at Morgan Stanley.   Competitive by nature, Eve started her career as a professional tennis player. Having served her well on the court, she now uses her competitive drive to help her clients prepare for their individual financial goals. In addition to supporting men, women and nonprofits, Eve is also the portfolio manager for The Parity Portfolio, a capital investment strategy that only buys into companies that has a minimum of three women on their boards.   According to Eve, gender parity on S&P 500 company boards are minimal and the progress is slow. Over the past two and a half years, the number has only increased by 2.3%. Although Eve is working to change that, she is also benefiting her clients.

WRW 027: Fighting for Change On Wall Street with Renee Amochaev   Hello, and happy summer! This week, I’m thrilled to share the story of a woman who rocked Wall Street in a major, major way. You might remember the name Renee Amochaev from news headlines. Several years back, Amochaev and three other women brought a gender discrimination lawsuit against Smith Barney, which resulted in the brokerage firm paying a whopping $33 million settlement.   Renee was inspired to seek legal action for what she said were differences in the way she was treated compared with her male colleagues. Among other things, Renee said her office was smaller and she was required to go through broker training—despite being fully licensed—while her male counterparts didn’t have to. Eventually, Renee said she came to work one day to find that her entire book of business was inaccessible, and she was told to write essays to retain her accounts. Through conversations with a couple women at the office, Renee said she discovered she wasn’t al

WRW 027: Playing a Bigger Game with Sheri Fitts (and Michael Knouse) Welcome back! I hope you’re having a great summer and enjoying the warm weather. I wanted to switch things up this week and provide you with some insight into who I am as a person, business owner, and woman rocking Wall Street.   Several weeks ago, I had the privilege of being a guest on my dear friend Michael Knouse’s podcast, The Startup Sessions. Michael is a business coach, unconventional startup strategist and entrepreneur who not so long ago was selling software solutions to corporate clients. Knowing that he hand-selects his show guests based on their experience creating their own meaningful businesses, I was honored that he approached me to share my experience with ShoeFitts Marketing.   On this episode, Michael and I dig into some of the challenges that hold many women entrepreneurs back, including setting appropriate rates for services. Are you afraid to charge what you’re worth because you believe it will hurt your chances of suc

WRW026: Realigning Your Voice with Hilary Blair   Happy summer, everyone! This week, I’m excited to invite a communication chiropractor to Women Rocking Wall Street. You’re probably thinking, “What the heck is a communication chiropractor?” Hilary Blair, CEO of ARTiculate: Real & Clear, helps clients align verbal and nonverbal communication with their messages. The result is a voice that connects the head, heart and spirit.   On this episode, Hilary walks us through vocal habits that can unintentionally send messages of insecurity, indecisiveness and all that other bad stuff. Maybe you’re using little girl voice to avoid being “too much,” or perhaps you’re trailing off at the end of sentences because you’re scared to push an idea. Or maybe you’ve reverted to the “surfer-dude voice,” known as vocal fry, because you don’t want to seem overly enthusiastic.   Whatever the case, a little practice and awareness can give your voice warmth and clarity. Strive for musicality with a nice blend of bass and treble.

WRW 025 What’s Behind Your Investments? With Tim Smith   What an exciting episode! This week, I’m pleased to invite my second male guest to Women Rocking Wall Street. Tim Smith is co-chair of the investor committee for the 30 Percent Coalition, which may sound familiar to those who have been listening to the podcast for a while. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing several people from this coalition, which strives for women to hold 30% of board seats across public companies. (Check out the related podcast episodes: “Let’s Get to 30%” and “The Getting Along Paradigm”).   Tim is here today to share some ways the 30 Percent Coalition has rallied to increase the number of women on boards. He’ll also provide tips for how investors can ensure their votes are counted on issues such as board diversity, climate change and equal employment opportunity.   Last year, the 30 Percent Coalition wrote letters to 160-plus companies in the Russell 1000 list who had no women on their boards. The coalition sought to remind th

WRW024: Making Connections with Maureen Adolf   Welcome back, and I hope you’re feeling happy, healthy and inspired. On this week’s episode of Women Rocking Wall Street, I’m thrilled to introduce Maureen Adolf, who’s an expert in government relations and pubic [CH1] policy. She’s also president of the Financial Women’s Association, a New York-based organization dedicated to accelerating women’s careers in the finance industry.   FWA recently conducted some very interesting research around the value of women’s internal networks at various firms. (Check out the full report here). Among the most compelling findings: 39% of respondents said they believe women’s internal networks could contribute to their reason for staying with their current firms. Internal networks have the power to make women feel like their firms are more invested in their wellbeing, which in turn fosters loyalty. On this episode, we’ll dive into the research and best practices for internal networking groups.   If you’ve been thinking about

Susan RoAne: How to Work a Room    For many of us, the mere thought of a networking event causes sweaty palms and a racing heart. Susan RoAne, author of How to Work a Room, joins us on this week’s episode of Women Rocking Wall Street to share how we can float gracefully through a room and give a lasting first impression.    On this episode, Susan explains the distinction between networking and working a room—as you’ll discover, there are some big differences! Working a room involves socializing and making people feel welcome, while networking is about the follow-up.     So how exactly do you work a room? Put yourself in the shoes of the nervous person standing in the corner (because we’ve all been there, right?) Think about how to make others feel comfortable, whether it’s striking up a conversation with someone standing alone, or simply taking a step back to let someone into a conversation circle. As Susan says, if we can get past our own nerves and take on the responsibility of helping other people relax, i

Andrea Waltz : Go For No!   Hello, and welcome back! How are things with you? I hope you’re well and enjoying some nice, warm weather, wherever you are. On this week’s episode of Women Rocking Wall Street, I have the pleasure of chatting with Andrea Waltz, co-author of the best-selling book “Go For No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There.” Andrea wrote the book with Richard Fenton, and together they own Courage Crafters Inc.   Today she’ll teach us all about the Go For No concept, which is based around letting go of the fear of rejection. Whether you are going for a raise or trying to get a new client, you’ll never hear a yes unless you conquer the fear of hearing no. In fact, when you overcome this fear of no, the yeses that you do receive will likely be grander in scale. It may seem strange to intentionally increase your failure rate, but in reality, it’s a sign that you’re really putting yourself out there and taking chances!    I encourage all of you to try hearing no for even just a week. Onc

Cathey Armillas: Rocking a TED Talk    On the latest episode of Women Rocking Wall Street, I’ve invited expert marketing strategist Cathey Armillas to share the elements of a successful TED Talk. Cathey has created an audio coaching program, “How to Rock a TED Talk,” where she covers how to get invited to a Talk, as well as how to prepare and deliver it. The tactics Cathey presents can be applied not just to TED Talks, but also on a larger scale for corporate communications.    From having a universal theme to providing supporting evidence, Cathey talks us through how to be an effective presenter. Imagine you’re pitching an idea at work—rather than just focusing on convincing your own department, think about how the concept will benefit departments across the board. How do you get everyone behind your idea?    No matter where or what you’re presenting, it all goes back to the TED Talk format. It’s about finding a useful idea and supporting it with data, whether it’s for an ad campaign, a presentation to your

Catherine Plano: See, Do, Get    Have you ever despised a boss and found yourself expending energy thinking about it? Well, Catherine Plano—this week’s guest on Women Rocking Wall Street—wants you to remember this: Whatever you focus on will grow. Catherine is an executive coach, life coach and founder of the I Am Woman Project, a program designed to help women realize their purpose, power and potential. On this week’s episode, she shares techniques for finding purpose, as well as tips for changing our mindset rather than our environment.    The “bad boss” case is a common one, in which Catherine advises clients to think of one good thing that can help them connect with their supervisors. If your boss is a mother like you, for example, you can focus on how kind she might act at home with her children. Even if you decide to find a new job, at least you’ve become more positive about the situation.  Remember that change starts within. So often, people want to change their partners or their environment, but it ju

Toughing It Out with Alice Tang   I’m pleased to welcome my friend Alice Tang to this week’s episode of Women Rocking Wall Street. Alice started her career as a financial advisor after moving to Portland in 1994, and today, she’s vice president of BPG Wealth Management LLC. Alice’s mission is to help people become financially independent and retire with confidence. As she tells us, getting to this point in her career was no easy feat.  She describes her first year in the business as cold-calling people and setting up meetings nonstop. She was exhausted and made only $2,000 in year one, but was determined to press on. Alice’s dad ran a successful business himself and once told her that no matter what happens, it’s important to remember that she planted a seed that could one day become a plant. And in time, a plant most certainly did grow for Alice.    Building a successful practice is challenging and takes time. Alice had to tough it out for years to see results; this is why in her own practice, she’s a believ

Jill and Michael Knouse: Just Breathe    We’ve all experienced workplace stress. No one knows this better than Jill Knouse, who left her job in financial services in 2005 to focus on nourishing her mind and body. Although Jill was making great money at her corporate job, it came at the cost of sacrificing her health. Her office hours were long and tiring. She felt withdrawn from her community. Simply put, she was depleted. So she bought a bungalow in Portland and left San Francisco to refuel and refresh. Today, she’s the owner of Jill Knouse Yoga, where she helps others find Zen. She even teaches onsite corporate yoga classes.   Jill's husband, Michael Knouse, found himself in a similar situation. He worked in tech for about 14 years before also branching out on his own. His reality check came when he was told to relay a message to a bank—a message he disagreed with. When he confronted his sales manager, he was told in so many words, “As long as we’re writing your check, you’ll do the things we ask.” That’s w

Anita Stryker: Finding Your Authentic Voice  Welcome back! This week’s guest, Anita Stryker, is here to tell us all about the “authentic voice” and how it can benefit us in the workplace. Anita got into the voice-training business by first learning about her own vocal patterns. With help from Linda Brice, founder of the Transformational Voice method, Anita recognized vocal tension that was ultimately connected to fear and shame. Through breathing and posture techniques, Anita was able to reshape her vocal tone. Today, she helps others do the same through personal development workshops and speech coaching.  So what does it mean to have an authentic voice? “It’s about starting with breath, and then turning that breath into resonance,” Anita explains. The authentic voice refers to aligning vocals with posture and diaphragmatic breathing. Much how a singer fine-tunes her voice for song, it’s equally important to sharpen the speaking voice. When the voice and breath are aligned, the result is a smoother, less chop

Dr. Solange Charas: The "Getting Along" Paradigm Getting ahead or getting along at work—which approach is best? Well, according to Dr. Solange Charas, getting along in turn creates a successful team-oriented environment where companies are, in fact, getting ahead. Solange is the CEO of Charas Consulting, providing advisory services to boards and C-suite executives. She’s also a member of the Thirty Percent Coalition (see podcast: Let’s Get to 30%   According to Solange, women by nature focus on getting along at work, whereas men tend to place importance on getting ahead. But in the long run, cultures that promote teamwork rather than individual gains are going to win. “We shouldn’t be asking women to change who they are to fit into organizations,” Solange says. “That’s a losing strategy.” Rather, companies should change to adopt this getting along mentality.    Millennials, in particular, see value in this type of cordial team culture. Solange has found in talking with this generation that both millennial men

Charlotte Laurent-Ottomane: Let's Get to 30%   Welcome back! On this week’s episode of Women Rocking Wall Street, I’ve invited Charlotte Laurent-Ottomane to speak about the Thirty Percent Coalition. I first heard about Charlotte in an article and was so excited to learn more about this organization, which was formed to encourage gender diversity in boardrooms.    The Thirty Percent Coalition has several committees, including Institutional Investor, Corporate Leaders and Public Sector Initiatives. The Institutional Investor committee is the most active and has sent letters—signed by state treasurers and institutional investors—to major public companies that do not have women on their boards. The impact of these letters has been profound, with about 20% of these companies adding women to their boards.    Meanwhile, the Corporate Leaders committee encourages CEOs and board chairs to also add more women to their boards, and the Public Sector Initiatives works with government and public officials to aid the effort

Ana Melikian: Keeping an Open Mind  You can imagine my excitement when a fellow podcaster agreed to be this week’s guest on Women Rocking Wall Street! Ana Melikian is the brains behind Mindset Zone, a podcast designed to help us all cultivate a “growth” mindset that fosters learning and new possibilities. The concept of fixed vs. growth mindset comes from psychologist Carol Dweck. In her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, she explains why people succeed or fail based on a closed or open frame of mind. Ana says it’s particularly important for entrepreneurs to keep a growth mindset. For instance, some business owners may say to themselves, “I’m not good at sales. I just wasn’t born with that skill.” But having this fixed, limited way of thinking can be detrimental to a business. Even if you aren’t selling products, you’re still selling your services as a business owner. So don’t sell yourself short!  Our beliefs can determine who we are and what we achieve, so remember never to limit them! If you ass

Erin Donley: Be Bold Not Bitchy  The words we tell ourselves and tell others are truly powerful. Erin Donley is here on this week’s episode of Women Rocking Wall Street to tell us how to use our words wisely. It’s important to examine our words, Erin says, and to act with compassion through them. In a world of instant communication through email, phone and social media, people don’t often think about what they’re saying before hitting send. But learning the art of communication examination can elevate you as a leader in the business world and show that you’re a communication role model. Rather than acting on emotion and impulse and being construed as impolite, it’s important to think about our message before sending or speaking. Erin suggests asking ourselves questions such as, “Is there a selfish need in this email?” “Am I being impatient?” “What do I secretly hope will happen if I send this email?”   When we’re emotionally tethered, “communication blind spots” occur. And this can sabotage what we’ve worked