Ryan Marcus has a passion for helping the wealth management industry better serve the neurodivergent community. He argues that the industry is not serving them in an intentional way.

Neurodivergence refers to divergence in mental or neurological function from what is considered typical or normal. It’s frequently used with reference to autistic spectrum disorders.

The issue is personal to Ryan, whose nephew, Nicholas, is on the spectrum. That experience revealed how unprepared the wealth management industry is to serve this growing community, even as trillions in wealth shift to younger generations.

In this episode of The Healthy Advisor podcast, WealthManagement.com Executive Editor Diana Britton speaks with Ryan Marcus, chief business development and engagement officer at Binah Capital, about what he’s learned from his nephew, why authenticity matters, and how advisors can embrace practical, human changes that make a big impact.

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About Our Guest:

A recognized connector in the wealth management industry, Ryan Marcus has over two decades of experience leading strategy and client engagement across respected firms such as United Capital, RBC Advisor Services, and MarketCounsel Consulting. He has driven growth by aligning people, ideas, and opportunities, with a focus on enhancing client experience and deepening relationships. Known for building trust and offering strategic insight, Ryan has shared his perspective through industry panels and publications. His work continues to shape how firms think about client service, business development, and scalable infrastructure in an evolving regulatory and competitive landscape.

Lisa Erickson spent 37 years in financial services, ultimately leading the Public Markets Due Diligence team at U.S. Bank, which manages over $500 billion in client assets. In addition to her business acumen, she was best known for her selflessness, positivity and character.

But earlier this year, Lisa chose to retire early after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a movement disorder of the nervous system. She now enters a new phase of her life, having to deal with this illness.

That wasn’t the first personal hardship she’s faced. In 2020, she lost her husband, Chris, to a sudden and aggressive illness.

In this episode, WealthManagement.com Executive Editor Diana Britton is joined by Lisa Erickson, retired head of the Public Markets Due Diligence team in U.S. Bank’s Wealth Management’s Asset Management Group, who opens up about these personal struggles. These past few years have tested her strength in unimaginable ways, but they’ve also revealed lessons about grief, faith and finding purpose in the face of adversity.

Lisa discusses:

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About Our Guest:

Lisa Erickson is a seasoned financial professional who recently retired as Head of the Public Markets Due Diligence Team at U.S. Bank’s Wealth Management group, where she helped manage over $500 billion in assets. Beyond her successful career, she’s faced profound personal challenges, including the sudden loss of her husband and her own Parkinson’s diagnosis. Through it all, Lisa remains committed to living with gratitude, faith, and resilience, inspiring others with her courage and openness.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at [email protected].

The summer after his freshman year in high school, John Connell went on the Texas Giant rollercoaster in Arlington, Texas, the tallest wooden rollercoaster in the U.S. at that time. John ended up in the hospital, with injuries the doctors weren’t sure he’d recover from. That became an “origination point,” a wake-up call that forever changed the trajectory of his life.

In this episode of The Healthy Advisor podcast, WealthManagement.com Executive Editor Diana Britton talks with John Connell, co-founder and CEO of Focal, about the life-changing experience. It shaped his perspective, inspired his relentless curiosity, and ultimately led to the creation of Focal, an artificial intelligence meeting management solution for financial advisors.

John opens up about the accident that nearly claimed his life as a teenager, how it fueled a lifelong commitment to impact, and why he believes hardship is a hidden teacher. He also shares how his global travels, time at Microsoft and passion for scaling meaningful change converged to create a company that helps advisors spend more time with clients and less on paperwork.

John discusses:

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About Our Guest:

John leads Focal as CEO, an AI note-taking platform and automation services provider. Focal goes beyond AI note-taking by helping firms automate KYC, onboarding, planning, and more. We are trusted by executives across Ritholtz, Fidelity, Vanguard, KPMG, and more as the industry’s most secure note-taker and automation provider, helping advisors save 8 hours a week and scale serviceable clients by 30%.

John started his career at Microsoft, where he managed a $1B P&L for Office 365 and contributed strategically to Microsoft’s landmark acquisition of LinkedIn. After relocating to San Francisco, he joined a video conferencing startup that was acquired by Dialpad. He then leveraged his expertise in enterprise SaaS and AI/ML to invest at a $5B AUM venture capital fund, later scaling an AI/compliance startup from its early stages as the first business hire to securing $36M in funding within three years.

John graduated from the University of Texas, combining studies in Finance and Management Information Systems with foundational experiences in wealth management at Merrill Lynch and equity trading at Jefferies in New York.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at [email protected].

After a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry—rising from clinical research to business development and marketing—Paula Nangle took a step back to raise her young children and reflect on what truly mattered. 

 Motivated by her early experiences with money and a desire to make a meaningful impact, she reinvented herself as a Certified Financial Planner, helping others navigate their financial lives with clarity and confidence.

 In this episode, Diana Britton speaks with Paula, who’s now president and senior wealth advisor at Marshall Financial, on finding balance, overcoming career transitions, and integrating mindfulness into daily life.

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As President of the firm since November 2016, Paula is laser-focused on instilling the values that have guided Marshall Financial for 40+ years. “Running the firm is truly a team approach, with everyone in our management group working together seamlessly and in the same direction,” she says.

 That allows Paula to spend most of her time doing what she loves best: Working with clients as a Senior Wealth Advisor. In fact, the opportunity to build close, impactful relationships played a big role in her transition from a pharmaceutical career to financial planning.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at [email protected].

Drew Shockley grew up on a dairy farm in Tennessee. He started working in insurance for $7.50/hour, and by his 30s had built and sold multiple companies—including an eight-figure exit in 2020.

From the outside, it sounds like a dream. But the road to Drew’s success was not a straight path. Along the way, he experienced burnout and struggled with the pressure of leading a much larger team. The personal lessons really stuck with him.

In this episode of the award-winning Healthy Advisor podcast, WealthManagement.com’s Diana Britton is joined by Drew Shockley, co-founder of Move Health, a platform that helps financial advisors forecast pre-retirement health insurance costs. He opens up about the struggles behind the success. He also reflects on building something more intentional this time around and how those lessons resonate with any entrepreneur or financial professional today.

Drew discusses:

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Born and raised in East Tennessee, Drew Shockley moved to Indiana for college and decided to make it home. He began his career in healthcare insurance in 2005 with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, one of the nation’s largest carriers.

Over the course of his 20-year career, Drew has trained thousands of agents in the health and Medicare space and has been a founding member or investor in three successful startups within the healthcare market.

He’s been married for 19 years and is the proud father of two teenage boys. On weekends, you’ll likely find him on the golf course, cheering on the Vols at a sporting event, or spending quality time with his family.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at [email protected].

When natural disasters hit, your life can turn upside down. Beth Bosworth experienced this firsthand when Hurricane Helene hit her town of Asheville, N.C. on Sept. 27, 2024. The hurricane caused severe damage to the city, including fallen trees, destroyed power lines, and flooded roads. Her neighborhood is still feeling the effects of that storm several months later.

 In this episode, Diana Britton, WealthManagement.com executive editor, speaks with Bosworth, head of financial planning and wealth advisor at Perigon Wealth Management, who shares how she and her community banded together under immense pressure to restore normalcy after the storm’s devastation. She did all this while continuing to serve clients and run an advisory practice. 

 Beth discusses: 

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About Our Guest:

Beth is a Wealth Advisor with Perigon and oversees the firm’s financial planning operations. Her passion is to help clients manage the risks associated with accumulating and preserving wealth. Her favorite part about her career is that she has the privilege of living life alongside her clients. She is an avid advocate of the independent wealth management space and values protecting her fee-only practice.

Beth is a CFP® professional and holds a BA from the University of Georgia. She helps manage the Atlanta office and resides in midtown with her wife and two sons. She is an avid tennis player, enjoys golf, and spends the weekends hiking with her family and two dogs in the North Georgia Mountains. Beth is also passionate about dedicating her time to worthy causes, and currently serves as the Treasurer of USTA (United States Tennis Association) Georgia and on multiple Finance Committees for the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at [email protected].

When Stacie Calder first joined the financial services industry, she pounded the pavement and quickly climbed the corporate ladder. But her rise came with a cost. 

In this episode, she opens up about the persona she adopted to fit a traditional mold of leadership, one that silenced her authentic voice in favor of external approval.

A turning point came when a close friend called out her lack of vulnerability, sparking a profound shift in how she showed up, not just as a leader, but as a person. That insight became a catalyst for embracing authenticity, building deeper connections, and redefining success on her terms.

In this episode, WealthManagement.com Executive Editor Diana Britton speaks with Stacie Calder, executive vice president of North American distribution and marketing at Conquest Planning, about her personal and professional evolution. The episode highlights the power of daily habits, intentional goal-setting, and community support in navigating adversity.

Stacie discusses: 

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About Our Guest:

Stacie Calder is dedicated to creating meaningful connections and inspiring boldness in those around her every day. She is passionate about eliminating obstacles, driving efficiency, and serving her colleagues and clients with purpose. Drawn to frictionless experiences and motivated by gritty, resilient individuals, Stacie brings energy and intention to everything she does.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at [email protected].

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found.

What happens when professional achievement outpaces personal well-being? Dr. Preston Cherry, founder of Concurrent Financial Planning, seemed to have it all—a thriving career and a secure six-figure salary in his late 20s. But beneath the surface, he was stuck in a seven-year fog, struggling to align his personal life with his financial success.

In this episode, Diana Britton, executive editor at WealthManagement.com, sits down with Dr. Cherry as he opens up about his challenges—bankruptcy, self-medicating behaviors and racial microaggressions—all while searching for balance, healing and true fulfillment.

He discusses: 

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About Our Guest:

Dr. Preston Cherry, Founder & President of Concurrent Financial Planning, leads the Financial Planning Program and directs the Charles Schwab Center for Personal Financial Planning at UW–Green Bay. With over 15 years of experience, he empowers people to shape their financial stories for wellness and freedom. His research focuses on personality traits and financial risks. Cited by top publications, he’s an Investopedia Top 100 Advisor and Financial Therapy Association President. Preston is also a poetry-writing, vinyl-loving uncle.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at [email protected].

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found.

Mary Saylor had been working hard to earn her accounting degree at Penn State University when she got some shocking news at the beginning of her senior year—she was pregnant. And while many women would think of it as a roadblock, Saylor saw it as a blessing. It didn’t stop her from pursuing her degree and a career in financial services. If anything, it made her more determined.

 Not long after giving birth to her daughter, she graduated from Penn State and started working in corporate accounting roles, earning her CPA and working her way up the corporate ladder as a single mother in her early 20s. While she had the support of her firm and her family, the grueling hours and time away from home were difficult for her and her daughter.

 In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton speaks with Mary Saylor, Senior Director of Wealth Management at Choreo, an RIA with nearly $25 billion in assets under management and advisement, about her journey as a single, young mother working her way up in the industry.

 She discusses: 

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 About Our Guest:

 Mary Saylor is the director of wealth management at Choreo. She works with high-net-worth individuals and multi-generational families as well as institutions (non-profits, endowments, foundations, and corporate retirement plans) to find solutions to their wealth management needs. Mary’s high-net-worth clients include corporate executives, professionals and business owners, their families, corporate retirement plans and private institutions.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at [email protected].

 The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found.

Many advisors know Aaron Klein as the super-friendly, charismatic leader of Nitrogen, formerly Riskalyze, the company he founded about 13 years ago as a risk tolerance documentation tool. He’s since stepped down from his role leading the company.

What most advisors probably don’t know is Aaron’s personal journey—the challenges he faced balancing running a major fintech company with adopting and raising three children.

In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton sits down with Aaron Klein, co-founder and board member of Nitrogen, to delve into the highs and lows of his career and personal life.

Aaron discusses: 

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About Our Guest:

Aaron Klein is the co-founder of Nitrogen, the growth platform for wealth management firms, which started life as Riskalyze in 2011. As its first CEO, he led the company through 42 consecutive quarters of growth, scaling to serve tens of thousands of financial advisors, and twice being named one of the world’s 10 most innovative companies in finance by Fast Company Magazine. He passed the baton to his successor in 2023, and continues to serve on the firm’s Board of Directors.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at [email protected].

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found.