Inside Wealth

Tom Spencer, Founder - Finden Advisory

The purpose of the Inside Wealth podcast is to provide our listeners with an insight into the mind and makeup of the most successful Leaders, Disruptors, Entrepreneurs and Relationship Managers in the market. By holding conversations with a diverse range of guests, we hope that our listeners will come away with new concepts and ideas which they can implement into their own professional lives. This cover topics such as leadership, personal well-being, time management skills, influencing skills, etc.

  1. From Drama School to MD -Resilience & Bringing Your Whole Self to Work with Rachel Kitching Burrows

    2 DAYS AGO

    From Drama School to MD -Resilience & Bringing Your Whole Self to Work with Rachel Kitching Burrows

    Rachel Kitching Burrows, Managing Director of Chesterton House, shares her extraordinary journey from aspiring actress to financial services leader. She opens up about her unexpected entry into the industry, the transformative power of true financial planning, and the life-altering moment she was diagnosed with breast cancer at seven months pregnant all while navigating new motherhood and rebuilding her career with remarkable resilience and vulnerability. In this episode, Rachel discusses: • Her drama school years at Bretton Hall and how storytelling became her secret weapon in business • Falling into financial services as an administrator and proving early doubters wrong (“you’ll never be technical”) • The defining experience at Chesterton House discovering cash-flow modelling and fee-based planning long before it was industry standard • The dramatic post-2008 transformation at Cooper Perry and rising through paraplanning to leadership roles • Being promoted to director while pregnant, then receiving a breast cancer diagnosis at seven months and the year that followed with early delivery, surgery, chemo, and her newborn son’s battle with Group B strep • The “triple brain fog” of baby brain, chemo fog and chemical menopause and how it forced her to question everything • The gift her cancer journey gave her: radical vulnerability, presence, and the ability to sit comfortably with discomfort • Returning to Chesterton House as Operations Director and now leading as Managing Director feeling like she’s “come home” • Her leadership philosophy: bring your whole self to work, use EOS/Traction for clarity and accountability, and lead with storytelling and authenticity Key takeaway: Rachel proves that the greatest leadership strength often comes from life’s hardest chapters. By embracing vulnerability, rejecting other people’s limiting labels, and bringing her full authentic self to work, she turned personal tragedy into rocket fuel for resilience, connection, and purposeful leadership.

    47 min
  2. From Idea to Impact: Building Mylo Inside Aegon with Nathan Thompson

    25 FEB

    From Idea to Impact: Building Mylo Inside Aegon with Nathan Thompson

    Nathan Thompson Founder of Mylo shares how an internal idea evolved into a live digital proposition now engaging close to a million customers. He reflects on career acceleration, building products inside a large organisation, and why solving the help gap in pensions and wealth is more important than ever. In this episode, Nathan discusses: • Falling into financial services via an unconventional route, starting with a music degree  • How relationships, curiosity, and global exposure accelerated his career at Aegon  • Lessons from working across international teams and large-scale transformation projects  • Why moving from advisory roles to owning delivery became a turning point  • How the idea for Mylo emerged from market shifts, personal curiosity, and timing  • Pitching a new growth concept internally using prototypes, storytelling, and focus  • Why pensions need help and guidance, not just products or digital advice  • Designing Mylo around real life moments, emotions, and customer behaviour  • Launching Mylo at scale and reaching close to a million workplace customers Key takeaway: Nathan believes meaningful innovation in financial services comes from curiosity, customer obsession, and the courage to build — even inside large, complex organisations.

    59 min
  3. Launching an Independent Advice Consolidator with David Carter

    18 FEB

    Launching an Independent Advice Consolidator with David Carter

    David Carter, CEO of Absolute Financial Group, shares his journey from a disciplined military upbringing to leading a new independent advice consolidator. He reflects on leadership, independence, consolidation, and what building a sustainable advice business really means post–Consumer Duty. In this episode, David discusses: Growing up between Salford and Germany in a military family and how discipline shaped his mindset Why frequent moves made him adaptable, people-focused, and comfortable with change Choosing not to go to university and backing work ethic over traditional career paths Entering financial services at the ground level and building experience across every role Progressing rapidly by embracing responsibility, meritocracy, and opportunity How regulatory change (RDR) accelerated his career and reshaped advice businesses Becoming a director and later CEO, shifting focus from advising to operating and scaling a firm Building adviser academies, developing talent in-house, and creating long-term career paths Leading through growth, M&A, and increased regulatory expectations Being approached to help build Absolute Financial Group from a blank sheet of paper Why independence, culture, and legacy matter deeply to advice firm principals Challenging misconceptions around private equity and modern consolidation The risks of over-vertical integration and loss of adviser autonomy Absolute’s vision: scaling while protecting client outcomes, people, and local identity David believes the future of financial advice depends on independent thinking, strong culture, and long-term client trust, not consolidation at any cost.

    1 hr
  4. Leading Wealth with a Dealmaker’s Mindset with David Kendrick

    11 FEB

    Leading Wealth with a Dealmaker’s Mindset with David Kendrick

    In this episode, we’re joined by David Kendrick, Managing Director of Cooper Parry Wealth. David shares his journey from corporate finance and deal-making into leading one of the UK’s most respected wealth management businesses, and what that transition taught him about leadership, people, and sustainable growth. David’s career journey from corporate finance into transactions and advisory work Key turning points and “sliding doors” moments that shaped his path The realities of scaling and leading fast-growing professional services businesses Moving into a CEO role and managing the pressure that comes with rapid growth Experiencing an exit after years of advising others through theirs Transitioning from advisor to operator within a larger group Stepping into leadership at Cooper Parry Wealth Why wealth management is fundamentally a people- and trust-led business Building strong leadership teams as the foundation for long-term success A thoughtful conversation on leadership, growth, and building businesses with intent. Key Talking Points:

    53 min
  5. Reframing Insight: Building Verve from Nothing with Cathi Harrison

    4 FEB

    Reframing Insight: Building Verve from Nothing with Cathi Harrison

    What does it really take to build a business from scratch with no safety net? In this episode, host Thomas Spencer sits down with Cathi Harrison, founder of the Verve. From growing up on a council estate to building a multi-service support platform for financial advice firms, Cathi shares a powerful story of grit, resilience, and swimming against the tide. This is an honest conversation about entrepreneurship, culture, risk, and what it really means to build something different in financial services. In this episode, Cathi shares: Growing up in a low-income household and how instability shaped her resilience and drive Discovering financial services by chance and falling into a career she never planned Taking the leap into self-employment with no safety net and surviving the early months How one referral kickstarted sustainable growth and ended constant cold calling Scaling from a solo paraplanner to building Verve and expanding into compliance and training Creating a one-stop support platform now used by hundreds of advice firms Learning to separate personal identity from the business and make difficult leadership decisions Why culture, values, and intentional leadership matter more as a business grows Launching the Verve Foundation to support new entrants and protect the future of financial advice Hit play to hear an inspiring story about resilience, leadership, and building a business that refuses to follow the standard path.

    55 min
  6. Reframing Insight: Building a Global Wealth Consultancy – Episode 56 – Sebastian Dovey

    29/05/2025

    Reframing Insight: Building a Global Wealth Consultancy – Episode 56 – Sebastian Dovey

    What happens when you spot a billion-pound gap no one else sees? Today host Thomas Spencer sits down with Sebastian Dovey, the insight pioneer who built and sold Scorpio Partnership. In this episode they talk about building a global consultancy, transforming the wealth sector, and why understanding clients is still the biggest competitive advantage. In this episode, Seb shares: What it was like growing up across 11 schools and 8 countries by age 12 How a 2cm newspaper ad led him to a reporting job in Hong Kong and into wealth management The founding story of Scorpio Partnership and why he saw customer insight as the industry's missing link Why “talking to customers” was once seen as a risk and how that mindset needed breaking The long-game mindset behind scaling a global consultancy and preparing for exit What boardrooms still get wrong about insight and why emotion, not math, drives client loyalty Hit play to hear what the wealth industry still gets wrong and where the real opportunities lie.

    1h 1m
  7. Exploring Neurodiverse Leadership in Wealth Management - Episode 55 - Douglas Boyce

    14/05/2025

    Exploring Neurodiverse Leadership in Wealth Management - Episode 55 - Douglas Boyce

    Get an inside-look at the benefits of neurodiverse leadership in the financial sector in this conversation between your host, Thomas Spencer, and Douglas Boyle, the CEO of Halo Financial.  During the episode, Doug shared his story of adapting to his ADHD diagnosis and shaping his career to suit the way he works, playing to the different strengths that his neurodiversity gives him.  He emphasised the benefits of taking on a leadership position at a young age, despite not going through the traditional university route that a lot of his peers took.  Doug also shared insights from his career history, including his time at Halifax and City Index.  He also discussed the future for Halo, as well as what drew him to the company in the first place, stating that even small teams can make a big impact when their people are properly supported.  Tune in to hear from a different perspective of the wealth management sector.

    1h 9m
  8. Data, Connectivity and Collaboration - Episode 54 - Nicky Sevel

    30/04/2025

    Data, Connectivity and Collaboration - Episode 54 - Nicky Sevel

    Nicky Sevel isn’t your typical founder. After growing up in Perth, backpacking across Eastern Europe at 20, and building a career across two continents, she saw what others overlooked: the advice industry isn’t held back by bad intent — it’s held back by disjointed systems and unreliable data. In this episode, Nicky talks about betting on herself, facing down rejections, and why founding Woven Advice meant tuning out the noise and building something the industry didn’t realise it needed. If you’ve ever been underestimated — or had a napkin idea you couldn't shake — this one’s for you.

    59 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

The purpose of the Inside Wealth podcast is to provide our listeners with an insight into the mind and makeup of the most successful Leaders, Disruptors, Entrepreneurs and Relationship Managers in the market. By holding conversations with a diverse range of guests, we hope that our listeners will come away with new concepts and ideas which they can implement into their own professional lives. This cover topics such as leadership, personal well-being, time management skills, influencing skills, etc.

Information

  • Creator
    Tom Spencer, Founder - Finden Advisory
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    61
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Tom Spencer, Founder - Finden Advisory
  • Show Website
    Inside Wealth

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