Smashing serves to banking burnout, forging a new path... 🎾

Welcome to the TWENTY-FOURTH episode of The Smart Money Show, where we're joined by Vitoria Okuyama. She first scaled the heights of tennis, ranking #118 in the world U18, before climbing the Citi towers on Wall Street, working as an IB analyst.

Three years in, she decided to step away from investment banking in a bid to find what truly inspires her and grow her ambition sustainably. Today's conversation explores what it takes to achieve such a high level, comparing sports with finance, and the importance of reflecting on your emotions when pursuing such high-pressure roles.

Guest Contacts:

Vitoria Okuyama -

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitoriaokuyama

🎥 Recorded: 8th Sept

Chapters:

0:00 - Intro 🎙️

3:18 - The First Chapter: Forging a Pro Tennis Career in Brazil 🎾

7:55 - The Pivot: Why She Swapped the Tennis Court for Finance 💼

11:01 - College Life as a Student-Athlete & The Mental Toll 🧠

14:39 - Breaking In: The Unconventional Grind for a "Dream" Internship ✍️

20:04 - The Reroute: Using a Master's for a Second Chance at Wall Street 🔄

21:42 - Landing the Job: How Networking Got Her into Citi 🏦

24:24 - The Brutal Reality of Wall Street: 10 AM to 4 AM & Burnout 😨

28:04 - A Full Circle Moment: Pride, Pain & What She Learned 🌟

37:28 - The Recovery Journey: "It's Easier to Repair Than to Rebuild" ✨

42:39 - Life After Banking: The Next Chapter of Reinvention 🗺️

45:21 - Final Reflections & Career Advice 💡

48:23 - The Biggest Takeaway: Reverse-Engineer the Life You Want 💌

49:16 - Outro 👋

As always, stay tuned to us weekly as we bring you unheard insights, professional guests and a few laughs! 💚

Check out our work and connect with us here: https://www.thesmartmoneyshow.co.uk

Please be advised, none of our episodes constitute as financial advice and we will never attempt to do so