WomenShare Leah Alter and Joanna Ehresman

"It’s about being great where you’re at. Learn, challenge yourself, protect your current commitments, and excel in your present role. You’ll build the foundation for future success."
Welcome to WomenShare: a celebration of women in financial services. Today’s guest is Sarah Walter, Managing Director at Northwestern Mutual with 20 years of dedicated service within the company. In this episode, Sarah shares valuable insights on career growth, support systems, and the evolving landscape for women advisors and investors.
Sarah has held seven different roles at Northwestern Mutual and attributes her success to persistent mentors who saw her potential. Her journey is marked by a solid commitment to continuous learning, challenging herself, and excelling in her current roles. Sarah discusses the importance of leveraging the strengths of others, particularly within smaller offices without extensive marketing teams.
Sarah, Leah, and Joanna reflect on the incredible opportunities at Northwestern Mutual, particularly in terms of training and development support for advisors, with an astounding 98% of new recruits coming from non-industry backgrounds.
Key Takeaways:
Be Great Where You Are: Sarah Walter emphasizes the importance of excelling in your current role, learning, and challenging yourself. This dedication builds a robust foundation for future success in the financial industry.
Support Systems and Shared Services: Smaller offices can thrive by adopting shared services and leveraging strengths within the organization. Sarah mentions Northwestern Mutual's significant support, ensuring even less resourced offices can deliver comprehensive marketing strategies, client events, and community partnerships.
Mentorship and Community Involvement: Both mentors and community involvement play critical roles in career advancement. Sarah highlights how local offices build their brand through events and community engagement, enhancing visibility and trust.
Training and Development: Northwestern Mutual invests heavily in the training and development of new representatives. Their national training program provides resources on the sales cycle, product know-how, insights from seasoned advisors, and much more, fostering a sense of preparedness among new recruits.
Inclusivity and Diversity: Creating an inclusive environment is pivotal for fostering a sense of belonging and ensuring the best performance from advisors. Northwestern Mutual's focus on DEI initiatives and training in various languages illustrates their commitment to meeting the needs of Gen Z and diverse communities.
Generational Wealth Management: The firm has seen substantial growth by focusing on generational planning and wealth management. This includes maintaining relationships over generations and meeting the evolving needs of their clients.
Entrepreneurial and Leadership Opportunities: Sarah, the first female managing director in her office in over a century, underscores the entrepreneurial leadership opportunities within the company. She emphasizes that one can build a meaningful and passionate career in the industry.

“I truly believe that we are better together than we are alone. And for advisors to feel like they have support behind them, especially independent advisors, and that they have a family of people that actually care about them. I knew that I needed to go back to that because I that's what I really love.”
Welcome to WomenShare: a celebration of women in financial services. In today’s episode, we’re uncovering the strategies behind growth and success in the financial advisory space.
Our guest is Abby Salameh, the Chief Growth Officer at RFG Advisory and one of the founding partners of Investment News. She is an industry pioneer with over 25 years of building growth services for independent financial advisors and she’s giving us her insights into the crucial aspects of event communication, marketing automation, and ROI analysis.
We also explore the support that RFG Advisory provides to advisors for branding and marketing strategy implementation, resulting in an impressive 19% organic growth rate. Abby emphasizes RFG's hands-on approach to developing and executing marketing plans, which sets them apart in the industry.
Key Takeaways:
1. Event Communication & Marketing Automation: Abby Salameh highlights the significance of tracking event communication and registrations. The integration of marketing automation tools can streamline these processes, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of event-driven campaigns.
2. Utilizing Data & AI for Marketing: The episode underscores the pivotal role of data analytics and artificial intelligence in creating targeted marketing strategies. Leveraging these technologies helps in understanding audience behavior and improving campaign outcomes.
3. Importance of Visualizing Data Insights: Abby advocates for the visualization of data insights to make informed marketing decisions. Visual data representations can help in identifying trends and measuring the impact of marketing efforts.
4. Ongoing Marketing Optimization: Continuous optimization of marketing strategies is crucial. Abby and the hosts stress the need for regular assessment and tweaking of campaigns to ensure sustained success and optimal ROI.
5. Setting Realistic Campaign Goals: It's essential to set achievable and realistic goals for marketing campaigns. Abby discusses how understanding what does not work is as important as knowing what does, leading to more refined and effective strategies.
6. Amplifying Referral Processes: Reflecting on the power of referrals, Abby shares how RFG Advisory supports advisors by providing tools to amplify their referral processes, harnessing the potential of word-of-mouth marketing.
7. Integrating Sales and Marketing: Achieving a flywheel effect through the seamless integration of sales and marketing teams is highlighted as a critical factor for success. This alignment ensures a cohesive strategy that drives growth.
8. Support for Independent Financial Advisors: RFG Advisory’s commitment to supporting independent financial advisors is emphasized, showcasing their hands-on approach in helping advisors grow their businesses organically.
9. Career Insights and Advice: Abby fondly reflects on her diverse career journey in financial services, discussing the evolution of her roles and the valuable lessons learned along the way. She emphasizes the transient nature of career phases and the opportunity cost associated with success.
10. Empowering Women in Financial Services: The conversation also touches upon Abby's early career challenges and the importance of fostering a supportive environment for women in the financial services industry.

Welcome to WomenShare: A Celebration of Women in Financial Services. Sound different? Since launching, we have been the marketing guide for women in financial services. This is the first episode with our updated mission.
On today’s episode, Joanna Ehresman and Leah Alter are reflecting on the journey we’ve taken with this podcast, from starting as a marketing guide to becoming a vibrant community celebrating the voices and impacts of women in financial services. We’re sharing how we came to the decision to shift our focus, what will and will not be changing as we move forward, and what we’re looking forward to in coming episodes.
While this show, and the personal connection between the hosts, was initially grounded in marketing, our community's feedback has led us to embrace a more holistic celebration of women’s achievements across the financial sector. We underscore the importance of community, especially through mentoring and sponsorship. 
WomenShare is more than just a platform; it’s a community fostering real connections and support among women. Looking ahead, we’re excited to bring even more diverse voices to the platform, including industry leaders and innovators who share our commitment to empowering women in financial services.
Key Takeaways:
 1. Evolution of WomenShare's Focus: Joanna and Leah discuss the transformation of the podcast from a marketing guide for women in financial services to a broader celebration of women in the industry. This shift reflects our responsiveness to audience feedback and a desire to embrace more inclusive and diverse conversations about women's roles and achievements in financial services.
2. Engagement and Community Building: We are excited about the growth of our community, both in terms of the listener base and the interactions on platforms like LinkedIn. We emphasize the significance of building a community where women can connect, share experiences, and support each other, hence fostering a space of openness and safety.
3. Importance of Authenticity in Branding: Through our discussions and guest insights, Joanna and Leah highlight how important it is for financial advisors and businesses to maintain an authentic brand that truly reflects their values and origins. This authenticity attracts clients and builds trust, which is crucial for growth and retention in the financial services industry.
4. Role of Male Allies: We are reaffirming our commitment to inclusivity by recognizing the vital role that male allies play in the advancement of women in the financial industry. This episode discusses how support from men in the industry is crucial for creating a more balanced and equitable environment.
5. Future Guests and Exciting Topics: Looking forward, we are thrilled about the upcoming episodes featuring influential figures in the financial sector. Our future conversations on various topics will further inspire and empower women in the industry, and hopefully enhance the impact that we can have on our community.
We’re also excited to be announcing our new partnership as we welcome Axtella as the presenting sponsor of WomenShare! Axtella is dedicated to helping financial professionals take their practices to new heights.
If you’re ready for a firm that goes the extra mile for its advisors, visit go.axtella.com/womenshare.

“It's such a gratifying thing to get to be able to know so many different families and to be part of their success stories is just wonderful. We just need more people to understand what a great industry it is.”
Welcome to WomenShare: a marketing guide for women in financial services.Today’s guest was recently named one of the top women wealth advisors by Forbes. Debra Brennan Tagg, CFP® is President of BFS Advisory Group and the creator of the DBT360 Financial Plan, a proprietary program that helps her clients use their money to have the life they want by prioritizing their goals, leveraging their resources, and addressing their risks, all through a framework of their personal values. 

With a $30 trillion wealth transfer from men to women expected to take place by 2030, Debra is sharing her insights on the false narratives that have been fed to women and how the financial services industry will need to evolve over the next six years. 

We’re also discussing the significant underrepresentation of women in wealth management and the pivotal roles of mentorship, education, and sponsorship in bridging the gender gap.

As we advocate for more inclusive spaces and celebrate the strides made towards female empowerment in the industry, let's keep the conversation going. Because when women thrive, industries revolutionize. 

Key takeaways: 

Impending Wealth Transfer: By 2030, women are expected to control approximately $30 trillion in financial assets, marking a significant shift in wealth dynamics. This presents both challenges and opportunities within the wealth management industry to cater to and empower this fast-growing demographic.Gender Gap in Financial Advisory Roles: Despite the potential, only 20-25% of financial advisors are women. This episode highlights the critical need for the industry to evolve and embrace more inclusive recruitment and retention strategies to balance gender representation in financial services.Strategic Inclusion Efforts: Debra Brennan Tagg discusses actionable strategies for attracting women to the wealth management profession. These include enhancing industry appeal through targeted educational initiatives and simplifying the entry points for both potential advisors and clients.The Importance of Mentorship and Sponsorship: The discussion underscores the pivotal role of mentorship and sponsorship in advancing women's careers in wealth management. Effective allyship, particularly from male colleagues, is crucial in fostering an environment that supports career advancement for women.Communicative Clarity and Client Confidence: Ensuring that financial advice is understandable and accessible is paramount. The industry must focus on clear communication to help clients, particularly women, feel confident about their financial decisions and the management of their wealth.

“Empathy can be a skillset, too. Learning how to just be able to sit with somebody, learning how to ask, what do you need right now? Do you need me to fix it? Do you need advice? Do you need me to just listen?"
Welcome to WomenShare: a marketing guide for women in financial services. On today’s episode, Joanna Ehresman and Leah Alter are joined by executive and well-being coach, Holly O’Hanlon to get to the heart of financial services (literally).
Holly helps business leaders thrive by focusing on self awareness, well-being, and emotional literacy. In our conversation, we explore the intricate layers of emotional intelligence, breaking down concepts like empathy and vulnerability, and how these can be channeled in the workplace to foster deep connections and enhance well-being. Holly will guide us through understanding the spectrum of emotions beyond the basic "mad, glad, sad," and why naming and feeling these emotions is critical for high EQ.
Holly will share her insights on how to transform a client’s journey from transactional to relational dynamics, discussing how financial advisors and leaders can anchor themselves as the support clients and team members need during life's pivotal moments.
Key Takeaways:
1. Emotional intelligence isn't just buzzworthy – it's the foundation for deeper connections. Honing our capacity to feel beyond 'mad, glad, sad' is crucial. Let's learn the full spectrum of emotions for richer interactions.
2. Empathy is a superpower in leadership. To truly lead, we must be willing to sit with others in their emotions without judgment or an agenda to fix. It’s not about solutions; it’s about presence.
3. Vulnerability is about risk, exposure, and stepping into uncertainty. In finances or leadership, it breeds trust and authenticity. Dare to ask the deeper questions. It's transformational.
4. Stories we tell ourselves can shape our reactions. Understanding our emotions keeps us from reactive states and allows for meaningful conversations. Pause and reflect before you project.
5. Best career advice: Remember the kaleidoscope. Like its endless patterns, every challenge has multiple perspectives. Open up to different angles and you'll find innovative solutions every time

“I believe in advocating using grassroots efforts, authentic engagement, and unyielding commitment, and those being the true catalysts for effecting lasting change. Those are essential in passing a bright shining torch to the next generation.”
Welcome to WomenShare: a marketing guide for women in financial services. On today’s episode, Joanna Ehresman and Leah Alter are joined by Maria Bethel, the senior vice president of marketing and communications at Axtella.
Maria and her team are championing diversity and inclusion in the financial services industry, especially when it comes to the representation of younger advisors. She is joining us today to discuss the importance of advocating for lasting change through grassroot efforts, authentic engagement, and unyielding commitment. 
The next generation of advisors is filled with untapped potential and Maria is sharing her strategy to discover it, incorporating storytelling, social media, and thought leadership to inspire and engage young professionals. 
Key takeaways:
1. The importance of grassroots efforts and authentic engagement in marketing, and unyielding commitment as true catalysts for effecting lasting change.
2. The significance of redefining the purpose and mission in the financial services industry to inspire the next generation of financial professionals and investors.
3. The need to address the limited public awareness and understanding of the independent broker-dealer and the transformative influence that financial professionals have in helping individuals realize their dreams and aspirations.
4. The necessity to meet the next generation where they are by utilizing social media platforms and visual content to effectively communicate and engage with them.
5. The career advice to speak up, always be respectful, and courageously share your voice, while balancing wisdom with intuition.