Advisors Off Script

In this special episode, Shelby steps out from behind the interviewer's chair to talk about a company she just launched. The Vested Network is the first wealth management-specific talent marketplace, built to solve a problem Shelby, Jill Barnett, and Claire Vitale had each been watching play out for years: great firms and great talent that simply weren't finding each other. Jill brings n...

James Bogart launched Bogart Wealth from his basement — folding tables, a garage postage station, and clients signing paperwork at the dining room table. Six years later, the firm is approaching $4 billion in AUM with 63 team members, 100+ inbound leads every month, and a next-gen advisor training program that drew 119 applicants for four open slots. None of it was perfect. And James will be the f...

Most advisors are thinking about what a new AI tool can do for them. Fewer are thinking about what it does to them. In this episode, Shelby sits down with Adrian Johnstone, co-founder and CEO of PractiFi, for a direct and practical conversation about technology risk in wealth management. Adrian has spent 15 years helping firms simplify their tech stacks. Now, as AI floods the market with point sol...

In this conversation, Shelby Nicholl and Natalie Hales explore the intricacies of branding within the financial services sector. Natalie shares her personal journey into the industry, emphasizing the importance of niching for advisors to create a clear and resonant brand. They discuss the layers of a niche, the distinction between industry voice and client voice, and the risks of brand dilution. T...

Feeling trapped by your employment agreement? Attorney Andrew Shedlock joins Shelby to unpack the legal clauses that are reshaping advisor transitions — and what you can do about them before it's too late. In this episode, you'll learn: The difference between non-solicit, non-service, non-accept, and liquidated damages clauses — and which pose the biggest risk How state law can make or b...

Matt Bragg has been a financial advisor for over 30 years. He grew up watching farm families lose everything because no one talked about money. That experience never left him — and it shaped every decision he has made about how to run his practice. In this episode, Shelby sits down with Matt and his associate Kellie Schleicher, a two-person team based in rural Missouri that has tripled in size ove...

Steve Lockshin has been doing things differently since before "going independent" was a trend. He founded his first RIA in the 1990s, co-founded Advice Period, and is now chairman of Vanilla — an AI-powered estate planning platform built specifically for advisors. In this conversation with Shelby, Steve gets direct about the things most advisors won't say out loud: that AUM fees cre...

What if the fastest path to a $3M or $5M practice was giving business away instead of hoarding it? Most advisors are wired for scarcity — protecting every client, every lead, every dollar. But Nathan Bennett, Managing Partner at Summit Financial Group, has built a nearly $30M revenue firm approaching $4B in assets on the exact opposite philosophy. In this episode, Shelby sits down with Nathan to u...

By 2030, women will control over $30 trillion in investable assets — and yet 70% of women change their financial advisor in their moment of greatest need. That stat hasn't moved in 20 years. So what does it cost your practice to keep ignoring it? In this episode, Shelby sits down with Shannon Spotswood, CEO of RFG Advisory and the force behind "Strong-her Money" — RFG's practic...

Do your clients ever glaze over when you explain markets, risk, or retirement? In this episode of Advisors Off Script , Shelby Nicholl sits down with Jesse Hurst, CFP® , CEO of Impel Wealth Management , to unpack a simple (and surprisingly effective) way to make your message land: use pop culture to make complex financial ideas memorable . Jesse shares how his writing cadence ramped up during COVI...

Are you wondering if you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? To leave your firm and forge your own path? In this episode, Shelby talks with Derrick Kinney—America's Financial Educator, author of Good Money Revolution, and former advisor who built and sold one of the nation's top firms. Derrick shares how a $50 gift card changed his business, why "you care about what we care ab...

Considering an exit isn’t about timing retirement—it’s about maximizing the value of what you’ve built before the window shifts. In this episode of Advisors Off Script , Shelby Nicholl talks with Scott DiGiammarino of JPTD Partners about what’s driving advisor valuations today, how private equity and PE-backed buyers evaluate firms, and what advisors can do now to command premium multiples. Scott...

What are your clients really feeling during a transition—and how can advisors reduce stress while strengthening trust? In this episode of Advisors Off Script , Shelby Nicholl is joined by Libby Greiwe, founder of The Efficient Advisor , to explore the psychology clients experience during onboarding and firm transitions. Libby shares how building systems through the lens of client experience—not ju...

💥 What if you could build a thriving culture—without tipping into cultish? 💥 What if family office-level planning wasn’t just for the ultra-wealthy—but for builders and business owners in your own community? In this episode of Advisors Off Script , host Shelby Nicholl sits down with Vaughan Scott , founder of Axiom , an independent RIA based in New Albany, Indiana. Vaughan’s journey spans every...

At one point, Colleen Bowler was doing it all — leading client relationships, growing her firm, and keeping every plate spinning. Then she found her "whos" and built the firm to over $500 million in AUM. Then she sold it. Now, she’s on a mission to help other advisors scale without sacrificing themselves in the process. In this episode of Advisors Off Script , Shelby Nicholl sits down wi...

You may have seen the headlines: the largest advisor group to ever exit Edward Jones — nine advisors, nearly $1 billion in AUM, and a bold move to independence. This group embodies something we see again and again: when advisors succeed in a captive environment, they often thrive — wildly — in independence. In this episode, host Shelby Nicholl sits down with Dylan Ripley and Todd Vincent , co-foun...

A smooth breakaway is rarely decided by your custodian or tech stack. It’s decided by whether your brand looks credible the moment clients start Googling you. In this episode, Shelby Nicholl sits down with Kevin Nichols (partner at Oechsli) , who’s helped launch 150+ advisory firms in the last two years , to break down what makes a launch feel “real” versus rushed. Kevin shares the 3 C’s of a stro...

Sometimes you don’t get to casually consider change. You hit a wall and realize, this isn’t working anymore. Lauren Williams (Co-Founder + Co-CEO of Prosper Plan Wealth) spent a decade at a large RIA, built a $300M book , and then watched culture shifts, constant turnover, and resource constraints push her into burnout. Instead of making an emotional leap, she built a min / mid / max transition fo...

After 30 episodes, Kick It Open is evolving. 🎙️ Introducing Advisors Off-Script — Stories from the Independent Frontlines. When our podcast launched and we named it Kick It Open, it was podcast about opportunity — about pushing open doors and saying yes to what’s next. But over the past couple of years, something deeper has unfolded. As we built Muriel Consulting, we experienced the incredible fre...

On this episode of Kick It Open , Shelby Nicholl of Muriel Consulting sits down with Brooklyn Brock —a third-generation CFP®, succession planning expert, and founder of Ellevate Advisors —to explore one of the trickiest dynamics in wealth management: planning your own future, especially when family is involved. Brooklyn grew up inside a multigenerational financial planning firm and experienced its...

 Shelby Nicholl of Muriel Consulting sits down with Catherine Tindall, CPA and CEO of Dominion Enterprise Solutions , a tax planning firm dedicated to financial advisors. In this episode, Catherine outlines how proactive, year-round tax strategies help advisors keep more of what they earn while enhancing client trust. She discusses why LPL Financial and broker-dealer advisors should rethink their...

In this episode of the Kick It Open podcast, host Shelby Nicholl of Muriel Consulting welcomes financial advisor and Perfect RIA founder Matthew Jarvis for a straight-talking, strategy-filled conversation on one of the most underrated drivers of organic growth: consistency. Matthew opens up about his early career struggles, the turning point that led to a multi-million-dollar solo practice, and wh...

For many high-performing professionals (yes, even financial advisors), exiting a career isn’t the easy slide into golf, leisure, and legacy we imagine. In fact, it often triggers boredom, loss of identity, and a surprising lack of fulfillment— even when the money is more than enough. This week on the Kick It Open podcast, host Shelby Nicholl is joined by Susan Latremoille , co-founder of Next Chap...

Do you have the courage to be curious? In this thought-provoking episode of Kick It Open , host Shelby Nicholl sits down with Liz Schehl —executive coach, industry change agent, and author of The Courage to Be Curious —to explore what it really means to lead in today’s fast-changing wealth management landscape. From her early days in financial services to her powerful pivot into coaching and autho...

What does it look like to build a thriving wealth management firm around the values of joy and family ? In this episode of Kick It Open, Larry Sprung, founder of Mitlin Financial and host of the Mitlin Money Mindset podcast, shares how a single question — “What did you do today that brought you joy?” — became a guiding principle that reshaped not just his client conversations, but his entire pract...