Don't Do That

On this episode of Don't Do That, Kelly Waltrich sits down with Anita Knotts, founder and CEO of the Lotus Women's Institute, for conversation about women in wealth management, agency at work, and the real cost of waiting. Anita coaches women at pivotal points in their careers, from client service professionals weighing an advisor role to advisors who hit a wall five years in. Her curric...

On this episode of Don't Do That, Kelly Waltrich sits down with David Coyle, head of growth at Aqua, for a conversation built on decades of shared history in fintech and financial services. David walks through a career that started with a boiler room stock brokerage job in the late 1980s and moved through Merrill Lynch, a marketing firm he co-founded, a Middle East expansion for a fintech sta...

In this episode of Don’t Do That , Kelly Waltrich sits down with Mary Ellen Harden, a relationship marketing expert and greeting card advocate at Hallmark Business Connections, to discuss why personal gestures still matter in an increasingly digital world. Mary Ellen has spent nearly 20 years helping businesses use greeting cards to strengthen customer relationships, with much of her work focused...

In this episode of Don’t Do That , Kelly Waltrich sits down with Cary Carbonaro, CFP®, Managing Advisor and Women and Wealth Ambassador at Ashton Thomas Private Wealth, for a candid conversation about making wealth management work better for women. Cary’s commitment to women began long before her career in financial services, from founding a sorority at SUNY Cortland to becoming the person female...

In this episode of Don’t Do That , Kelly sits down with Mike Barrasso and David DeCelle, co-founders of Wealth Reach, to break down how modern advisory firms should think about growth, prospecting, and technology. They explore the shift from passive referrals to proactive, data-driven outreach and why combining intent data with human follow-up is driving real results. The episode features a powerf...

In this thoughtful and insight-packed episode of Don’t Do That , Kelly sits down with Mike Betz, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Nitrogen, for a wide-ranging conversation on wealth tech evolution, advisor workflows, AI, and one of the most common (and costly) mistakes professionals make: overcomplicating what should be simple. Kelly and Mike cover: 00:56 Mike’s background across advisory fir...

In this candid and fast-moving episode of Don’t Do That , Kelly sits down with Chuck Failla, Founder and CEO of Sovereign Financial Group , for a conversation about growth, operational scale, advisor support, marketing, and the technology decisions that can make or break a firm. Kelly and Chuck cover: 01:01 Chuck shares Sovereign’s growth from a $100M lifestyle practice to a $1.2B firm 02:23 Build...

In this energizing and forward-looking episode of Don't Do That, Kelly Waltrich sits down with Reed Colley , President of Technology at Orion , for a conversation about where the advisory industry is heading and what it takes to stay ahead of the curve. The heart of the episode, though, focuses on something more fundamental: the advisor-client relationship. Reed argues that AI should not repl...

In this powerful and deeply human episode of Don’t Do That, Kelly Waltrich sits down with history-making Broadway star Sandra Joseph to explore the pressure of performing at the highest level—and the dangerous temptation to hide behind perfection. Sandra holds the record as the longest-running leading lady in The Phantom of the Opera, spending more than a decade in one of the most demanding roles...

In this thoughtful and energizing episode of Don’t Do That , Kelly Waltrich sits down with Bonnie Treichel , Chief Solutions Officer at Endeavor Retirement and Endeavor Law , to explore why retirement planning—and entrepreneurship—should never follow rigid, one-size-fits-all rules. Bonnie shares her path as a multi-business founder serving financial advisors in the retirement plan and wealth manag...

In this inspiring and heartfelt episode of Don’t Do That , Kelly Waltrich sits down with Matt Schulte , the longtime head of financial planning at eMoney Advisor, who recently retired after 25 remarkable years. Together, they explore what it takes to build a world-class financial planning platform, the power of advisor-driven innovation, and why staying close to your clients is the ultimate compet...

In this candid and deeply thoughtful episode of Don’t Do That , Kelly Waltrich sits down with Dani Fava, Chief Strategy Officer at Carson Group, to unpack leadership, AI, career growth, and one of the most common (and dangerous) professional traps: building your identity around being needed. Dani shares how Carson is using AI to radically increase advisor capacity, why data infrastructure is the r...

In this candid, hilarious, and deeply insightful episode of Don’t Do That , Kelly Waltrich turns the microphone on longtime friend and industry creative force Matt Ackermann. Known for asking the questions, Matt opens up about his unconventional career path - from financial journalism and multimedia storytelling to shaping brand, culture, and content inside one of the fastest-growing RIAs in the i...

In this powerful and wildly insightful episode, Kelly Waltrich sits down with Jack Devine, former CIA spymaster, intelligence expert, and the man who helped shape some of the most pivotal moments in modern geopolitical history. Jack opens up about the guardrails of intelligence work, the chaos of today’s global landscape, how wealth managers can navigate uncertainty, and why, despite everything, h...

What happens when you inflate your firm's numbers in a press release?  Jimmy Moock , Managing Partner at StreetCred , has a simple answer: reporters will check, you'll get caught, and the damage will spread fast. In this episode, Jimmy and host Kelly Waltrich cut through the noise to reveal what actually makes news in financial services and what should stay in the drafts folder. Kelly an...

What happens when talented advisors spend significant money on marketing but see little to no results? For Lara Galloway , Head of Growth at Elevation Point , the culprit is a common misconception: mistaking activity for strategy. Volume won't fix a lack of vision, and good intentions paired with tactical execution but no underlying plan leave money on the table. In this episode, Lara and hos...

What's the career mistake that can derail your confidence, drain your energy, and impact every area of your life? For Graham Thomas , Chief Revenue Officer at The Compound Media , it's falling in love with a job before asking the hard questions. In this episode, host Kelly Waltrich sits down with her friend and industry peer Graham to discuss the evolution of digital media, the power of...

What does it take to build a platform that attracts entrepreneurial advisors while simultaneously making strategic acquisitions that most firms wouldn't even consider? In this episode, host Kelly Waltrich sits down with Nate Lenz, CEO and Co-Founder of Concurrent, to discuss scaling with purpose, avoiding the trap of busyness, and why the best growth strategies often come from solving problem...

What’s the one operational mistake that can quietly erode margins and stall growth? For Matt Sonnen, COO of Coldstream Wealth Management and creator of The COO Society, it’s misinterpreting fiduciary duty, a trap that leads RIAs to overserve clients at the expense of profitability. In this episode, host Kelly Waltrich sits down with Matt to unpack lessons from his career as a COO and consultant to...

What does it really take to succeed in financial services—and in life? On this episode of Don’t Do That , Kelly Waltrich welcomes Ryan Marcus , Chief Business & Engagement Officer at Binah Capital Group , a financial services enterprise empowering RIAs and independent wealth managers. Ryan’s journey is anything but linear: from professional baseball, to launching a corporate travel business, t...

What happens when marketing generates hundreds of leads but conversion rates stay stubbornly low? In this episode, Kelly Waltrich sits down with Michelle Winkles, Partner and Chief Marketing Officer at Mission Wealth, to dive into the messy reality of digital marketing for RIAs. From her seat overseeing marketing for a national firm with $14 billion in AUM and 200+ team members, Michelle has learn...

Host Kelly Waltrich sits down with her longtime friend and industry icon Patti Brennan, CEO of Key Financial, to talk about leadership, culture, growth, and why clarity about the future of your business is non-negotiable. Patti shares her remarkable journey from ICU nurse to building a nationally recognized wealth management firm with over $2.7B in AUM, and the lessons that shaped her along the wa...

What’s the one trait that can make or break your growth journey? For Joe Steuter , Partner at Intention.ly , it’s resourcefulness — and he’s learned it from a lifetime of solving problems, starting with early mornings on a dairy farm in Nebraska. In this episode, host Kelly Waltrich sits down in-person with her friend and business partner to unpack the lessons from 20+ years in financial services,...

Are you chasing marketing metrics but still feeling disconnected from your audience?  On this episode of Don't Do That , Kelly Waltrich welcomes Mark Forman, CMO of Optifino, a company rooted in one simple but transformative concept: truly knowing your audience through genuine human connection. Mark shares how his journey from poetry major to marketing leader taught him that the best marketer...

What if the secret to success isn't what you should do, but what you absolutely shouldn't? What do brilliant jerks, head trash, and the "parent thing" have in common? They're all career killers that successful leaders have learned to avoid—the hard way. Kelly Waltrich curates the most eye-opening "Don't Do That" moments from 20+ industry titans who've m...