Category Archives: Life Management

#97 – Sustainable Success for Financial Advisors – Integrating Work and Life with Kristin Harad, CFP

Life Management, Practice Management, , , , , , , , ,

Many advisors build thriving practices, only to feel trapped by the very work they love.

What if your career could energize, rather than drain, your life?

In this intriguing conversation, Referral Coach Bill Cates, CSP, CAPE interviews Kristin Harad, CFP®, founder of Full Advisor Coaching, who explains how financial advisors can embrace work-life integration rather than chasing an elusive balance.

Kristin unpacks her five-part framework for designing a business that fuels a life of fulfillment, freedom, and intention.

Kristin and Bill Discuss:

  • Why “work-life balance” is a myth and how to think instead in terms of integration
  • Common friction points high achievers experience when pursuing both career and personal goals
  • Her five-part framework for envisioning an integrated work-life future 
  • The importance of mindset shifts like embracing progress over perfection
  • Practical steps advisors can take, including calendar audits and giving
    themselves permission to prioritize life alongside work
  • …And more!

Sponsors:

Connect With Kristin Harad:

Resources: 

About Kristin Harad:

After years in financial services marketing with companies like Visa, Charles Schwab, and JPMorgan Chase, Kristin Harad set out on her own in 2006.

She founded VitaVie Financial Planning, the first fee-only financial planning firm focused on expectant parents and growing families in the San Francisco Bay Area. Starting from nothing, she built it into a six-figure business in under three years.

The freedom of entrepreneurship brought Kristin the satisfaction and fulfillment she had always craved, sparking her desire to help other firm leaders achieve the same. In 2014, she transitioned full-time into training and coaching independent financial advisors. She launched her coaching business to share the strategies and systems she had developed to grow her own firm and create a life she loved.

As Kristin began sharing insights from launching and scaling her successful RIA, she discovered the joy of helping fellow entrepreneurs reach their dreams, both within their businesses and beyond. She has since guided hundreds of financial advisors and understands what works for solo practitioners, boutique firms, and enterprise RIAs alike.

Kristin is passionate about helping advisors renew their entrepreneurial energy, focus on what matters most as leaders, and discover the success and fulfillment they’ve been searching for.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS | More

Feature

#94 – From Stuck to Scaling: How Top Advisors Build Momentum with David DeCelle

Life Management, Practice Management, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Are you building a business you love — or one that’s wearing you down?

In this episode of Top Advisor Podcast, I interview David DeCelle, CEO of Model FA, whose passion is helping advisors fall in love with their practice – either “again” or for “the first time.”

David shares actionable insights on scaling your business while maintaining passion and enthusiasm.

David said, “Success in financial advising is about more than strategies; it’s about loving your business and creating genuine connections.”

How can financial advisors simplify operations to regain focus? What practical steps foster trust and meaningful growth?

David discusses strategies for systematization, identifying personal strengths, and the importance of nurturing client relationships authentically. 

Bill and David discuss:

    • Why advisors lose enthusiasm and how to reignite it.
    • The four personality types in advising and the tailored growth method.
    • Creating balance by leveraging the “Energy Audit” framework.
    • The “Deposits vs. Withdrawals” approach to deepening client trust.
    • Utilizing AI to enhance business efficiency without replacing human connections.
    • …And more!

Sponsors:

Connect With David DeCelle

Resources: 

Connect With Bill Cates:

About David DeCelle:

Raised in a middle-class household, David knew at an early age that he wanted to redefine success for his generation of the family. Making money was a big motivation, but knowing how to put money to work was his main goal. That’s why he chose to become a financial advisor. And he’s never looked back. He’s a compulsive learner, the guy who cares the most, and one of the hardest workers you will ever meet. He loves nothing more than acquiring layers of life-enhancing knowledge – from social media strategies to self-actualization – and sharing it to help others grow and succeed. His most treasured moment is watching a financial advisor fall in love with the business again.

He is equally committed to his own mind and body fitness, and to intentionally spending quality time with family and friends.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS | More