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

Pat Roche: Get In the Game  Pat Roche is never one to shy away from a challenge. In college, she took on four internships—back when internships weren’t even a thing. By age 24, she founded her own company, Business Boomers, which helps business professionals find success through marketing, promotions and events. And eventually she found a very interesting niche—Golf For Business Bootcamps. These training courses cover everything from learning golf etiquette, to volunteering at golf events, to making connections on the course. Pat has found a unique career helping people feel comfortable around a sport that affords opportunities to not only make business connections, but also raise money for charity.  From a birdie to a bogie, Pat makes it her mission to teach the fundamentals of golf. Like etiquette at a dinner party, the game of golf requires certain manners that can help golfers not only enjoy the game for the sportsmanship, but also for the potential business connections they can make on the links. As Pat

Kathleen Burns Kingsbury Ski Like a Girl    With a background in wealth psychology, it’s no surprise Kathleen Burns Kingsbury has amazing career insight to share with us on this week’s episode of Women Rocking Wall Street. Kathleen is the founder of KBK Wealth Connection, which empowers financial advisors and teaches them to communicate effectively with clients. On this episode, Kathleen will chat with us about the relationship she’s noticed between sports—specifically, skiing—and her career, and how understanding this link can help you (even if you don’t ski!) Kathleen has learned many lessons from this male-dominated sport that translate to her job. She’s proud to “ski like a girl”—as the saying goes—by embracing her femininity while competing with men and having fun. Here, she tells us about how she used her experience on the trail to excel as an entrepreneur, from tackling fear to accepting falls.  When skiing a steep trail, it may feel uncomfortable to lean forward, but leaning back will actually cause y

Constance Freedman: Nail Your Niche What can you bring to the table that’s unique and valuable, both professionally and personally? On this week’s episode of Women Rocking Wall Street, Constance Freedman shares how she found her uniqueness, and I hope it inspires you to find your niche as well. Constance has quite an interesting story, beginning her career as a real estate agent during college, where she studied information systems and technology. After graduating, she spent seven years at two different technology companies, garnering lots of great opportunities during the .com boom. Little did she know, both her technology and real estate expertise would converge to create the perfect career path for her. Today, she is the managing director of Second Century Ventures, initially capitalized by the National Association of Realtors. “It was an opportunity for me to pull all of my background together,” Constance says. Second Century Ventures began by investing in tech companies that were pushing innovation in re

Say What You Mean  Did you know the average employee spends about 28 percent of the workweek managing their inbox? Writing and reading emails takes a lot of time! Think of all the hours you’d save and the ways your business relationships would improve if everyone said what they needed—quickly and clearly. That’s why I’ve invited Susan Weiner to chat with us in this week’s podcast about the link between effective email communication and business success. Susan is a prolific editorial contributor who’s built a successful career through writing and editing articles and commentary for investment and wealth management firms. She also has a fabulous Investment Writing Blog and even wrote a book about financial blogging. (Sign up for her newsletter to receive her free e-book, “Investment Writing Top Tips.”) On this week’s episode, Susan walks us through some great tips for improving our emails, from targeted subject lines to summary sentences. As Susan says, a great email subject line is like an airport landing stri

Jackie Harder: Navigating Negotiation  The new year offers a chance for renewal and improvement, making it the perfect time to sharpen your negotiation skills. Many companies are gearing up for their annual reviews, so it’s important to prepare now for getting the salary you deserve. On this week’s episode, I’ve invited Jackie Harder, founder of Key Dynamics Coaching & Consulting, to offer some great tips for helping women successfully navigate negotiations in the workplace. The first step, Jackie says, is realizing you don’t need to be afraid to ask for what you want.  Negotiating doesn’t have to be scary; all you need is confidence and practice. If you believe you deserve a pay raise and do the legwork preparing your case, your chances of getting what you want are considerably higher. And even if the answer is no, remember that every moment is a chance to learn. Maybe hearing “no” compels you to move on to another job opportunity, or perhaps it gives you a deeper understanding of what you can improve. C

Michelle Duval: From Fatal Diagnosis to Renowned Coaching Business    On today’s episode of Women Rocking Wall Street, I have the pleasure of chatting with Michelle Duval, founder of Equlibrio International. Michelle is a woman who has found success in a variety of roles including coach, speaker, writer and survivor. Inspired by her self-treatment of two autoimmune diseases that doctors diagnosed as fatal in 2003, Michelle travels around the world speaking about her discoveries in integral healing. Through collaboration with a colleague, she was able to identify actions that worsened her symptoms and within five years was miraculously declared cured.    Michelle has applied the same wisdom she learned about her health to success in business and leadership. She specializes in studying the motivations and attitudes of entrepreneurs and has found several interesting differences between men and women in the workplace. Among the most notable is that women are generally more patient than men and seek more external

WRW006: Loreen Gilbert: Her Unwavering Love for the Finance Industry, Even During a Recession   This week I’m happy to welcome Loreen Gilbert, president of WealthWise Financial Services, on Women Rocking Wall Street to share her experience in the finance industry. Over the years, Loreen has seen the highs and lows of the market, but even the 2008 recession reinforced her love of the business. Success comes down to personal fortitude, Loreen says. Finance is a difficult business, and you have to love it to stay in it.    To run a successful business, Loreen wears hats as both an advisor and business owner. It’s paramount that her clients always feel comfortable and have the resources they need to accomplish their goals. As a business owner, she also spends time each week focusing on her company’s growth. She’s a firm believer in visualizing goals, planning and tracking them. What are your business goals, and how do you track them? Share your insights in the comments below!    

These days, we’re all glued to our smartphones. Whether at the grocery store, a concert or work event, the online world sometimes captivates our attention more than the real world, and this can have serious effects. On today’s episode of Women Rocking Wall Street, I have the honor of speaking with Allison Clarke, an advocate for tuning into our surroundings and listening to others. As president of the Oregon Chapter of the National Speakers Association and founder of Allison Clarke Consulting, she’s a true listening maven and motivator.    Before starting her consulting firm, which offers leadership and presentation training among other coaching areas, Allison spent 16 years in leadership training at Dale Carnegie.  As she tells us today, mastering the art of listening can have a significant impact on your career. I hope you enjoy today’s segment! If you have comments or suggestions, please share them below.    

WRW004: Ellen Lander: The Evolution of Women in Finance  Today’s episode of Women Rocking Wall Street features Ellen Lander, principal of Renaissance Benefit Advisors Group. As a 401(k) geek myself, I’m thrilled to talk with a woman who’s a true leader in the industry—she’s been named among Planadviser magazine’s Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisers of the Year and was even one of the top five finalists for the 2014 award. Ellen has worked on both the provider and advisor side of the industry, beginning her career in an actuarial consulting firm. Today, she’s principal at a firm that advises over $1.5 billion in retirement plan assets.  Working in finance since “before the dinosaurs,” as Ellen puts it, she’s seen the industry evolve in many ways, especially when it comes to hiring women. Although our industry has come a long way since Ellen began her career, there’s still much to be done. Did you know women still only account for about 30 percent of financial advisors? You, too, can be a leader in helping the ind

Jania Stout: How She Found Entrepreneurial Success … Even in a Recession! Today I’m excited to introduce you to Jania Stout, managing director of Fiduciary Plan Advisors at HighTower. Jania’s been in the retirement plan business for 20 years, beginning on the provider side. Eventually, she made the move to the advisory sector, as she felt a natural calling to be on the same side of the table with clients, helping them achieve financial security.    Although going out on her own to work in the advisory business was scary—especially during the 2008 financial crisis—Jania said it was the best decision to grow professionally.  And her hard work in the industry hasn’t gone unnoticed—last year, Jania won NAPA’s 401(k) Advisor Leadership Award. In a world where women make up only 19 percent of senior level positions in financial services and 2 percent of CEO roles, Jania is a true inspiration for women wanting to pursue their passion and succeed at it!   I hope today’s episode of Women Rocking Wall Street inspires y

Today I’m excited to share some wisdom from Farnoosh Brock, founder of Prolific Living. Farnoosh’s “Act 2” of her career, as she calls it, is a far cry from the industry where she began. Farnoosh started in electrical engineering school and over the years held roles in project management, sales operations and executive communications, always looking for the ultimate job fulfillment. But after 11 years of feeling uninspired, Farnoosh took the leap and started her own company.    Through Prolific Living, she now empowers others to do the same, whether becoming entrepreneurs or taking leadership roles in their current jobs. If you want to leave a legacy, as Farnoosh says, it’s critical to find a job that speaks to your passion and core values. On this episode of Women Rocking Wall Street, Farnoosh shares some of her best tips for tapping into your true calling and rising to leadership roles.    I hope today’s podcast inspires you! Please share all your comments and suggestions below. And for more of Farnoosh’s v

Confidence isn’t in our DNA—it’s something we learn. Talk about a great piece of advice from Tracy Hooper, founder of The Confidence Project, who’s here on today’s episode to teach us all about exuding more assuredness. Tracy’s background is interesting to say the least, with experience in TV reporting, voice-over work and hotel management. All the skills she learned from these jobs were critical to The Confidence Project, she says.  Today she’s offering us some of her best tips for being more confident and, in turn, positively affecting our professional and personal lives. This is especially important for women, as there seems to be a considerable gender gap when it comes to confidence. Even things as seemingly small as improving our posture and body language can have a big effect on our confidence and ultimately on our workplace success. As Tracy says, there’s a reason Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk about power poses is the second most-watched TED talk segment of all time, with 20 million viewers.    If you enjoyed t

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Women Rocking Wall Street! I’m excited to bring this podcast to all women working in finance, or those who are thinking about joining the ranks. Did you know women only represent about 30% of jobs in financial services? We need more women. We need you. My hope through this podcast is to help women find their inner rock stars so they can feel confident about pursuing a job in a male-dominated field. This isn’t about putting men down to elevate ourselves or blaming anyone for the gender disparity in finance—it’s about empowering women and helping them pave the way for success.  In each weekly episode, I’ll be interviewing some “kick aspiration” women who will share their experience and provide lots of good tips for surviving and thriving in the financial industry. As I launch this podcast, I’m reminded of a lovely quote from Jack Canfield: “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” Let’s get to the other side and see how much we can achieve!    I’d love to hear your