Shannon Spotswood is the President of RFG Advisory, a $2.7 billion platform committed to serving independent financial advisors with a warrior’s mindset and a servant’s heart. Passionate about Wall Street and the world of finance since she was 14, Shannon has spent more than two decades in the finance industry. She has served as a Portfolio Manager and Director of Long-Only Equity Strategies for Symphony Asset Management, as an Investment Banker for Volpe Brown Whelan & Co., and as a Research Analyst and Junior Trader for EGM Capital, where she started her career. In addition to passionately serving as RFG Advisory’s President, Shannon is also an entrepreneur and Partner of Busy Bees, a luxury children’s clothing brand carried in more than 100 retail stores in the country.

 

Shannon joins me today to discuss the importance of intentionally cultivating a great company culture. She shares her journey through the financial industry and the lessons she learned along the way. She describes how having a female mentor in a male-dominated industry impacted her career and shares her advice to other women in the financial industry. She also discusses the power of getting comfortable with feeling uncomfortable and shares her call-to-arms for advocating for women in the finance industry.

 

“There is a real desire to promote women and foster their professional development. We need to be more intentional about it as an industry.” - Shannon Spotswood

 

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

 

• Shannon’s backstory and her winding path to becoming the President of RFG
• The importance of getting comfortable with feeling uncomfortable, and Shannon’s first foray into leadership and culture
• The importance of self-care, and how Shannon pushes through the feeling of discomfort
• The art of the “Mosaic Theory” and how research helps Shannon overcome awkward situations
• How women can find female mentors in a male-dominated industry
• What building a culture means to Shannon
• What the culture looks like at RFG Advisory and the mechanics of developing company culture
• Creating RFG 2.0 and becoming the RIA of the future
• Cultivating emotional intelligence as a step toward growing as a leader

 

Resources Mentioned:

 

• Book: You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero

 

Our Favorite Quotes:

 

• “Culture is something reiterated time and time again, especially when there is some discomfort on the horizon.” - David DeCelle
• “Don’t be afraid to work hard. The skills and resilience you build from hard situations will be paid in endless dividends through a professional lifetime.” - Shannon Spotswood
• “Culture centers the company on a single mission and determines whether decisions are aligned with that mission, vision, and values.” - David DeCelle

 

Connect with Shannon Spotswood:

 

• RFG Advisory
• Email: [email protected]
• RFG Advisory on LinkedIn
• RFG Advisory on YouTube
• RFG Advisory on Facebook
• RFG Advisory on Twitter
• StrongHER Money on Instagram
• Shannon Spotswood on LinkedIn
• Shannon Spotswood on Instagram
• Shannon Spotswood on Twitter

 

 

About the Model FA Podcast

 

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes  to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. 

 

Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. 

 

Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

 

If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.