Why do you think women should explore this career?
"I think this is a fantastic career for women. I have three small children and I'm able to work while my husband works, but at the same time juggle it all. I have the freedom to build my practice as I see fit. Within my firm, we're encouraged to be entrepreneurs, they give us support we need; there's nothing else a woman can ask for."
Can you describe how you work with your clients and what that means to you?
"I love that I get to know people personally and that I'm actually helping them in their lives. I work closely with them and I learn about their hopes, their dreams, their children and grandchildren. I can help them feel more financially organized and together, we can help them find a better, safer financial place - it's so rewarding!"
What three things would you share with women interested in a career as a Financial Professional?
"I would remind them about perseverance, thick skin, and fire in the belly. Because if you don't have fire in the belly, this business isn't right for you, but I think most women do have fire in their belly and want to effectuate change. You have to have thick skin, you have to realize you can't take this business personally. I think women often take things personally that they shouldn't; put every interaction into context, why are people reacting to you in a certain way? What is really going on in their lives? And persistence, you have to keep at it because this business is about keeping at it, driving activity, and building your client base."
Can you describe a defining moment in your professional life? A time when you truly understood the nature of the work you do with your clients?
"That's very clear. My husband was a very high profile restaurateur in Manhattan, and still is. About three and a half years ago, he got sick. All the planning that I had put in place, I actually had to put into action. And because it was my own life, it was very impactful, and I'm happy to say that I was able to see firsthand what we do for people. My children's lives were literally uninterrupted. That gave me a new perspective, a broader perspective, and a powerful understanding of how important and meaningful our work is - how important it is that no matter how challenging things get, we have to be out there, delivering our message to the next interested person."
What is your greatest challenge?
"My greatest challenge is keeping things in perspective and not worrying about being a perfectionist. I think that's something that holds women back - we're so inclined to want to be "perfect" that we never take a chance because we think, "Oh, it's not perfect, I'm not going to even touch that." But we have to let go of that idealism of perfectionism because it doesn't exist, and we need to just be the best we can be. Once we can let go of the fear and get out there and give it a try and take a little risk, we can see that failure isn't always the result, and if we do fail, it's okay. We learn from experience, we learn from hearing "No", which gets us closer to "Yes!"
