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It’s an honor to welcome Chelsea Emery, accomplished journalist and highly respected editor, to In The Suite. Chelsea Emery is Senior Editor at Deke Digital, an expert news solutions company that powers national, business and trade news pieces with expert insights, data, and intuition. 

“Events are changing, media is changing, social media is changing,” says Chelsea. In this episode we chat about how to make it to that next stepping stone of life, channeling the “this too shall pass” motto during tough times, and the impact of news and information in an ever-increasingly tech-driven world.

Chelsea Emery’s resume is impressive not only because of her experience but because of the sheer variety—from accepting a role to work alongside a visionary founder and innovative, expert news engine known as Deke Digital, to running an award-winning trade news platform at FinancialPlanning, to teaching Japanese after living in Japan. 

“Walk through the open doors. They're there all the time, and you don't necessarily see them,” Chelsea says. Perhaps that’s how she shifted and steered her roles over her career, with eyes and ears open, always listening for that soft whisper of the winds of change, and opportunity.

As you’ll discover in this episode, Chelsea has the magic of movement, of keeping her eyes open to undiscovered opportunities, and then charging right into the door to absorb what awaits.

Join the conversation to hear about:

• Embracing every aspect of change (06:00)
• Being willing to throw yourself through the open doors of life (09:00)
• How Chelsea got her job at Bloomberg (12:40)
• What qualities make for a really good reporter? (14:40)
• Talking about the value of money with your children (18:00)
• What’s Deke all about? (20:30)
• Determining ROI of content (25:05)
• Developing new tech tools (30:00)
• The best thing you can do right now as a leader (31:25)
• What is breaking news? (33:10)
• The most important thing Chelsea found in building her career  (37:45)
• Channeling the “this too shall pass” motto during tough times (39:50)
• What is Chelsea’s superpower, mantra, or ritual? (44:15)

Referenced Materials

• Chelsea Emery - LinkedIn 
• Chelsea Emery - Twitter
• Deke Digital - Website
• Deke Digital - LinkedIn
• Financial Planning - Website
• Bloomberg - Website

🤩 Thanks for listening, we appreciate your support and 5-star reviews of our show!!!

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Today’s episode of In The Suite with Sheryl O'Connor is all about retirement and finance. Sheryl comes with 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. She’s a CEO and Founder of a SaaS product called IncomeConductor®.

She has earned a notable list of accolades such as being listed as a 2020 inspiring fintech female in the founder division for NYC FinTech Women. She’s a Board Member for the Connecticut Technology Council (CTC), a senior member of Women in Finance Association/WIFA, and more.

Above all, Sheryl has an intense caring and kindness that you can pick up on right away. She cares for people, the world, not just family or clients. You can tell because she personally invites listeners to contact her with open arms with questions. You won’t want to skip this exciting and necessary discussion.

In this podcast episode, Sheryl shares utterly insightful information on all things retirement, from why you should interview your financial advisor to the reality of aging, retirement, medical costs in the 21st century.

She is an inspiration and we’ll leave you with this nugget from the podcast “Just open your mind up and be a lifelong learner, shut the TV off, get outside,” Sheryl says.

Join the conversation to hear about:

• How Sheryl got her start in retirement planning and financial services (06:40)
• Sheryl’s parents and the reality of aging, retirement, medical costs (11:10)
• The 401k generation and rising cost of health care (17:35)
• Commission vs. fee-based financial advisors (20:45)
• What is a dual registered advisor? (24:50)
• RICP and CFP (28:00)
• How to use IncomeConductor®: no two retirements at the same (28:50)
• Why you should interview your financial advisor (32:15)
• All about the 4% rule (34:40)
• Has retirement planning philosophy changed? (40:30)
• What it’s like for Sheryl to work with her son (43:40)
• Why communication is such an important skill to have (47:25)
• Instilling lifelong learning in your children and own life (51:40)
• Sheryl’s superpower and guiding principle  (55:30)

Referenced Materials

• Sheryl O’Connor - LinkedIn
• IncomeConductor® - Website
• IncomeConductor® - Contact Page
• IncomeConductor® - Twitter
• 2020 Inspiring Fintech Females
• Insights on Using the 4% Withdrawal Rule From Its Creator- Bill Bengen
• The 3-Day Effect Book by Florence Williams  - Amazon

🤩 Thanks for listening, we appreciate your support and 5-star reviews of our show!!!

❤️ Please follow us on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/inthesuitepod/

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Today’s episode of In The Suite with Maree Moscati, CEO of Copytalk, is an inspiring one that you won’t want to miss! Maree is a leader in the financial services industry with over 30 years of experience and is the poster child for going all-in and finding something that ignites your passion. In this episode, she has so much sage advice on how to be a better person and leader.

Maree is CEO of Copytalk, a mobile scribe transcription service that makes documenting your important information faster and easier than ever before. From CRM and API integrations to macros to fresh tech, Copytalk is making strides with Maree at the wheel. 

Whether she’s working with a financial advisor, an auditor, her live transcriptionists, in-house customer success team, IT team, and to other women in financial services, she is truly a servant of all people In The Suite.

Maree is an icon with experience and qualifications that ooze from her essence. She holds FINRA Series 24, 7, & 63 licenses, has won coveted awards, and is one of the most celebrated female leaders in financial services. Maree is a proud mama and Soul Cycle fan! You won’t want to miss this valuable episode. 

Join the conversation to hear about:

• Intro to Maree (0:50)
• How Maree started in the fintech industry (06:05)
• Bringing back the “keep it simple” mantra (12:50)
• Documentation is not just for facts, it’s for relationship building (18:00)
• Copytalk’s announcement for a helpful copyrighted template (25:50)
• New Copytalk projects: language transcription and closed captioning (28:40)
• The power of live transcriptionists (33:40)
• Building a collaborative and connected team environment (37:15)
• Voice recognition and Copytalk’s “operator” feature (43:05)
• Maree’s deep passion for the FinTech industry (48:55)
• Moving up the ranks in the financial world (53:00)
• The power of supporting men and women in the industry (55:15)
• What Maree’s superpower is  (62:10)

Referenced Materials

• Maree Moscati - LinkedIn
• Maree Moscati - Twitter
• Copytalk - Website
• Copytalk - Dynamic Women
• Copytalk Reg-BI Dictation Template 
• Syncworks - Trusted and Experienced Sync Experts

🤩 Thanks for listening, we appreciate your support and 5-star reviews of our show!!!

❤️ Please follow us on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/inthesuitepod/

📧 Want to get in touch? Email me at [email protected]

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We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Virletta Bryant In The Suite. This week’s episode is a slight departure as we focus on topics such as race, mental health, trauma, and more. Dr. Bryant is a licensed clinical social worker and licensed Mental Health Service Provider who has taught at Coppin State University and Washington Adventist University for 20 years combined.

This episode is powerful as Dr. Virletta Bryant gives us mighty tips to understand how our brains work, how our bodies work, and how to understand the emotions behind getting triggered. We also dive into trauma, generational trauma, and how to host impactful conversations about race. 

"The same way that you experience it is the same way that you begin to heal from it. There's only one way and that's through it," Dr. Virletta Bryant tells us so eloquently. 

During this episode, we ask Dr. Bryant to teach us how to have productive discussions about race in the workplace and build more inclusive cultures with remote teams, using her "Create a Culture of Belonging" DEI training that she did with our team at C-Suite Social Media. The overall effect was transformational and brought us much closer together. If you would like more information on Dr. Bryant's corporate workshops for DEI - Diversity Equity and Inclusion Training - delivered over Zoom meeting, you can visit The Art of Healing Center to learn more. 

If you are struggling with women's issues, trauma, relationships, grief, anxiety, or major life changes, consider Dr. Bryant’s The Art of Healing Center to cope with many of life’s challenges. She provides women, and their loved ones with a wide range of psychological services in Washington, D.C. area. She also offers consulting services to different businesses and to different organizations.

Don’t miss this episode! Join the conversation to hear about:

• A warm welcome to Dr. Virletta Bryant (09:00)
• How Dr. Virletta Bryant approaches mental health services (12:15)
• The heaviness of collective trauma (16:30)
• Working on the things that we fear the most (21:55)
• Team building conversations about race (25:50)
• Discussing emotions and important topics in your relationships (30:30)
• Imposter syndrome and why you have to “show up” (34:10)
• How Dr. Bryant approaches individual client and corporate clients (39:00)
• What does getting triggered do to your body? (42:00)
• Follow this simple breathing exercise to raises your awareness (46:15)
• What is cross-generational trauma? (51:00)
• How to reframe your mindset constructively (54:00)
• How you can get in touch with Dr. Bryant (58:55)
• What is Dr. Bryant’s superpower?! (60:40)

Referenced Materials

• The Art of Healing Center - Website
• The Art of Healing Center - Contact Page
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities
• C-Suite Social Media Culture Deck
• Zaneilia Harris, CFP® - LinkedIn 
• Zaneilia Harris, CFP® - Harris & Harris Wealth Management
• Sheryl Hickerson - LinkedIn
• Females & Finance Website

🤩 Thanks for listening, we appreciate your support and 5-star reviews of our show!!!

❤️ Please follow us on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/inthesuitepod/

📧 Want to get in touch? Email me at [email protected]

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Today’s episode of In The Suite is with Suzanne Siracuse, a CEO, Founder, and leading industry consultant with a huge heart and passion for advocacy, innovation, and volunteering. She has 20+ years of experience in wealth management and the financial services industry. She's an advocate for women, diversity and inclusion, and believes in the power of creativity. She’s a lover of animals and The Beatles! 

Suzanne is CEO and Founder of Suzanne Siracuse Consulting Services, LLC where she advises financial services firms on innovative business strategies, financial literacy, next gen talent, and distinctive marketing programs and impactful advocacy initiatives around diversity. She spent 23 years at InvestmentNews in her roles as Publisher and then CEO.

She has a fantastic piece of advice to keep in mind for anyone at any stage of their career.  “One of the big lessons that I've learned is that your definition of success is going to change throughout your career,” Suzanne tells us. 

As a leading industry consultant with her own business and podcast, don’t miss Suzanne’s tips throughout the episode! 

Join the conversation to hear about:

• A huge welcome to Suzanne (04:20)
• Suzanne’s career path and origin story (10:00)
• Creating a diversity panel at T3 Advisor Conference (17:25)
• Women helping women and helping people when they need it (23:05)
• The power of enlisting a personal advisory board (25:15)
• The changes Suzanne went through after starting her business (31:55)
• Why you need to check in with yourself (37:00)
• How feedback from your close inner circle can empower you (40:30)
• Change your mind, change your mindset (44:45)
• Why having subject matter knowledge is so imperative (50:45)
• Why Suzanne believes so much in giving back (57:10)
• How to get in touch with Suzanne (63:15)
• Suzanne tells us what her superpower is! (65:40)

Referenced Materials

• Suzanne Siracuse Consulting - Website
• Suzanne Siracuse - LinkedIn
• Suzanne Siracuse - Twitter
• The Big Reveal Podcast
• T3 Technology Tools for Today - Joel Bruckenstein
• INVENT Elite Wealth Management Consulting 
• #ItzOnWealthTech Ep. 43: Female Leaders in Technology
• A Conversation with Cheryl Nash, Suzanne Siracuse and Burt White 
• Stephanie Bogan Limitless Coaching - Website
• Savvy Ladies - Website
• Invest in Others

🤩 Thanks for listening, we appreciate your support and 5-star reviews of our show!!!

❤️ Please follow us on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/inthesuitepod/

📧 Want to get in touch? Email me at [email protected]

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Today’s episode of In The Suite  with Jennifer Goldman, CFP®. Jen is a problem solver and a process geek with more than 30 years of experience transforming service businesses within the finance industry. She’s a mom, wife, and schools activist with a huge heart for community, service, and volunteering.

“You've got to follow your passion, and what you absolutely love to do,” says Jen.

Jen has been published in several magazines, taught workshops, and spoken at several national conferences such as T3 Technology Tools for Today, Journal of Financial Planning, Investment News, Inside Information, The Trust Advisor, FPA, NAPFA, and more. 

In this podcast episode, Jen talks about how to create a life career mission statement, why protecting your time is so essential, and so much more. She’s a woman of strategy, systems, and execution with a passion to help more consumers reach financial freedom. Be sure to listen to the full episode!

Join the conversation to hear about:

• Changes in technology since the start of COVID (06:10)
• Shifting toward permanent acceptance of a virtual business model (10:15)
• Why Jennifer chose to scale back her business (15:00)
• Why it’s easier to make choices if you have a vision for the future (20:55)
• The end of the “Yes” person (27:50)
• Transforming the people within the business (32:25)
• How to create a life career mission statement (36:50)
• What consulting with Jen looks like (39:10)
• Why protecting your time is so essential (45:10)
• Jen tells us about what it was like to create her educational courses (47:30)
• How to get in touch with Jennifer (54:00)
• What Jen’s superpower is! (58:00)

Referenced Materials

• Jennifer Goldman CFP® Consulting
• Jennifer Goldman CFP® - LinkedIn
• Jennifer Goldman CFP® - Twitter
• Jennifer Goldman CFP® Business Operations Online Courses 
• "The Challenger Sale: Take Control of the Customer Conversation" by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson, Book on Amazon 
• #FASuccess Ep 092: Taking More Vacation Time By Standardizing Workflows And Processes In Your Advisor CRM with Jennifer Goldman

🤩 Thanks for listening, we appreciate your support and 5-star reviews of our show!!!

❤️ Please follow us on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/inthesuitepod/

📧 Want to get in touch? Email me at [email protected]

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It’s a joy to welcome our guest, Faisa Stafford, LUTCF, SHRM-SCP to In The Suite . She’s a leader, a Mom, and a CEO who is passionate about streamlining processes to better serve the industry and Life Happens’ members. Prior to her role as Life Happens CEO and President, she served as the COO and CFO for more than 10 years. 

As the company’s first female CEO, Faisa has seen Life Happens grow from every angle. She’s worked at Life Happens since 2003 back when it was called The LIFE Foundation, a small non-profit fledgling working its way to fly out of the nest with the other birds of prey. Well, they flew the coop big-time! Now Life Happens has Brooke Shields as a spokesperson. 

Faisa Stafford is Chief Executive Officer of Life Happens, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers take personal financial responsibility with life insurance. Faisa balances leadership, direction, and coordination of the Life Happens non-profit while serving the Life Happens board and its stakeholders. 

Faisa dives into what’s it’s like being a woman of color in a male-dominated FinServ industry. “At some point, my work was bigger than what I look like,” she says. If you want to understand more about being a woman in finance and about why this is the best time ever to get life insurance, listen to this episode! 

Join the conversation to hear about:

• A warm welcome to Faisa Stafford (04:30)
• Why life insurance speaks to stability (08:15)
• Working with Brooke Shields as the Life Happens spokesperson (10:25)
• How can we emerge stronger and more resilient after a crisis (15:05)
• Faisa’s advice for determining your life insurance policy (19:25)
• Why financial literacy starts at home (25:45)
• Empowering young adults with the Life Lessons Scholarship Program (29:10)
• Faisa tells us about her LUTCF, SHRM-SCP credentials (36:25)
• The importance of adding new skill sets to your career (42:45)
• Becoming yourself in a male-dominated industry (46:30)
• Working successfully in a virtual environment (54:00)
• Faisa introduces us to her superpower: box breathing! (56:35)

Referenced Materials

• Faisa Stafford - LinkedIn
• Faisa Stafford - Twitter
• Life Happens Website
• Life Happens - Choose an Agent 
• Life Lessons Scholarship Program - Life Happens
• Box Breathing YouTube Video 
• A Conversation with Brooke Shields and Faisa Stafford | Life Insurance Awareness Month

🤩 Thanks for listening, we appreciate your support and 5-star reviews of our show!!!

❤️ Please follow us on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/inthesuitepod/

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Today’s episode of In The Suite  welcomes Marie Swift. Marie has been growing her expertise in communications and marketing for over 20 years. Marie Swift is President and CEO of Impact Communications. She has spoken at major industry conferences such as IAA, FPA and NAPFA events. She even established her own conference called the Advisor Thought Leader Summit, now in its third year. 

Marie is known for bringing some of the industry's best and brightest voices together for dialogue and debate. She seeks to welcome others into the suite with open arms, allowing them to learn, discover, and grow. 

In this podcast episode, Marie shares how she got started in the finance industry, why credibility marketing is a necessity, and what it has been like seeing the industry change and shift toward the next generation. 

Join the conversation to hear about:

• Marie talks about life in March before COVID hit (03:50)
• Updates on the future of T3 Advisor & T3 Enterprise Conferences (08:20)
• All about the Advisor Thought Leader Summit (11:50)
• Almost like magic - Marie’s origin story (19:10)
• How to make a difference and find your voice (26:05)
• Diversity and inclusion in the finance profession (29:30)
• What is credibility marketing? (36:00)
• Showing up online with something to say (40:50)
• The different types of content to show your true colors (43:30)
• Why you need to be kind to yourself (49:15)
• What it’s like for Marie to work with her son, Jonny Swift (56:10)
• Why Marie loves the Wonder Woman yoga pose (61:40)

Referenced Materials

• Impact Communications, Inc. - Website
• Marie Swift - Twitter
• Marie Swift - LinkedIn
• Advisor Thought Leader Summit
• Joel Bruckenstein’s T3 Advisor & Enterprise Conference 
• Joel Bruckenstein Twitter 
• Julie Littlechild and Steve Wershing Becoming Referable Podcast
• Mindset Mastery Podcast by NAPFA 
• Snappy Kraken Website 
• Snappy Kraken Digital Marketing for Financial Advisers - 2020 Half-Time Report 
• Twenty Over Ten Lead Pilot 
• Becoming Referable Podcast with Steve Wershing and Julie Littlechild 

🤩 Thanks for listening, we appreciate your support and 5-star reviews of our show!!!

❤️ Please follow us on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/inthesuitepod/

📧 Want to get in touch? Email me at [email protected]

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Today’s episode of In The Suite  with Rosa Chalekian is a can’t-miss. Rosa and I have been friends for years, always crossing paths since we’re in the financial circuit. Rosa is a blogger, lifestyle fashionista, future sommelier, wife, mother, and Vice President of Operations at Lake Avenue Financial and co-host of “The Chalekians” on YouTube along with her husband Alex, Founder and CEO at Lake Avenue Financial.  

Rosa does a bit of everything, with her own beautiful and dazzling personal style, and brings us into her daily life as she does it. It’s an episode that is both delightful and fun.  Rosa has fantastic insights on a lot of subjects including parenting and how she and her husband Alex educate their three sons to make wise choices with their money in order to establish a foundation for independence and a strong work ethic. We also talk about Rosa’s unexpected origin story into the world of finance #WaitForIt at Alex’s invitation. 

Join the conversation to hear about:

• Rosa’s origin story on how financial services unexpectedly found her (6:45)
• What it’s like working with her husband at Lake Avenue Financial (12:40)
• Raising a blended family: two college-aged and a high school freshman (16:00)
• The genesis of creating “The Chalekians” YouTube channel with her husband Alex (20:20)
• Learning Mexican family recipes and home cooking (24:20)
• Alex’s viral Tweet (yes, that viral tweet) calling out inappropriate behavior out towards women and minorities (27:00)
• How Rosa and Alex teach the value of money to their children (41:15)
• Why community college is an excellent option (45:50)
• What Rosa’s superpower is! (52:15)
• Rosa’s favorite wine and goals to become a sommelier (53:05)

Referenced Materials

• Rosa Chalekian - Website
• Rosa Chalekian - LinkedIn
• Rosa Chalekian - Instagram
• “The Chalekians” - YouTube 
• Lake Avenue Financial - Website
• Alex’s Viral Tweet 

🤩 Thanks for listening, we appreciate your support and 5-star reviews of our show!!!

❤️ Please follow us on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/inthesuitepod/

📧 Want to get in touch? Email me at [email protected]

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Today’s episode of In The Suite with Shannon Spotswood brings me back to the glory days when we first met at the Orion’s Fuse Hackathon in Park City, Utah. Surrounded by teams of resilient coders and developers pulling all-nighters against the backdrop of the majestic mountains of Park City felt like a reality TV show⸺with Shannon and I playing supporting roles as judges, taking power walks to the set of The Fuse House. 

Fast forward nearly 5 years later and Shannon’s career is still energized. As President of RFG Advisory, a hybrid RIA, multi custodial, based in Birmingham, Alabama, Shannon was presented with an amazing opportunity to help build RFG 2.0 with her partner Bobby White, Chairman and CEO of RFG Advisory. 

It was a chance encounter of what she describes as a quest to “seek the intangible.” But in true reality show format, it started out simply as a filler-meeting with Bobby marked by the proverbial, ideas engraved on a cocktail napkin. 

At the time of this interview, RFG has 55 independent advisors in 14 locations across the United States with $2.2 billion and growing. Rick Wedell, RFG’s Chief Investment Officer, also joined the C-suite at RFG as a partner creating the ideal trifecta of Bobby, Shannon, and Rick. “We're never trying to make it perfect. We just want to keep iterating towards excellence,” says Shannon.

In this podcast episode, Shannon shares some of her guiding philosophies in her professional life at RFG and at home, being a wife and a mother of 3 children. She also takes me by complete surprise in talking about hitting a wall in her career which led to a major pivot in her personal life. It was a moment I didn’t expect but one we can all relate to, right? “Either you’re all in or you’re not,” Shannon declares. They are unforgettable words-to-live-by Shannon Spotswood, In The Suite. 

Join the conversation to hear about:

• Fond memories of how Shannon and Tina met (5:05) 
• How a crisis can lead to inspiration and innovation (8:45)
• Meeting her business partner, Bobby White, Chairman & CEO of RFG Advisory (10:00)
• Building the RIA of the future (11:30)
• The power of the commitment to be all in (24:40)
• Finding what lights your fire (32:40)
• Describing building RFG 2.0 with her partners Bobby White and Rick Wedell (35:20)
• Building a collaborative workplace and work culture (38:20)
• Unleash the entrepreneurial spirit at your firm (43:50)
• Why this is the most exciting time in wealth management (48:00)
• Careers and getting hired as a women in a male-dominated industry (52:05)
• What is Shannon’s magical superpower? (58:40)

Referenced Materials

• RFG Advisory - Website
• RFG Advisory - Facebook
• RFG Advisory - Twitter
• RFG Advisory - LinkedIn
• RFG Advisory YouTube 
• Shannon Spotswood - Twitter
• Shannon Spotswood - LinkedIn
• Ben Horowitz, The Hard Thing About Hard Things on Amazon 
• Busy Bees Kids Clothing - Website 

🤩 Thanks for listening, we appreciate your support and 5-star reviews of our show!!!

❤️ Please follow us on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/inthesuitepod/

📧 Want to get in touch? Email me at [email protected]