The Advisor Journey

Jason Wenk, Founder and CEO of Altruist, joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation about what advisors should be paying attention to next and what many have overlooked during an unusually forgiving market cycle. Jason reflects on the state of the advisory industry after years of strong markets, demographic tailwinds, and easy growth. He breaks down why high margins can be misleading, how some...

Emlen Miles Mattingley has never been afraid to experiment. What he learned the hard way is that experimentation without focus can leave advisors busy, but stuck. In this episode of The Advisor Journey , Emlen shares the real story behind his marketing journey, from trying every platform and tactic to eventually narrowing his focus and taking control of his business. He breaks down the difference...

Yohance Harrison has built a thriving advisory practice without chasing trends or relying on constant outbound marketing. Instead, he focused on trust, vulnerability, and a repeatable referral system rooted in real relationships. In this episode of The Advisor Journey , Yohance, founder and CEO of MoneyScript Wealth Management, shares how he scaled his firm by intentionally activating his existing...

Brian Portnoy believes that great financial advice starts long before portfolios and performance. It starts with understanding what actually matters to people. In this episode of The Advisor Journey , Brian, founder of Shaping Wealth and author of The Geometry of Wealth , shares how behavioral finance, psychology, and purpose-driven conversations can transform the advisor-client relationship. He i...

Gideon Drucker didn’t set out to simply maintain a successful practice. He wanted to build something that could grow beyond any one person. In this episode of The Advisor Journey , Gideon, president of Drucker Wealth, shares how he helped transform a founder-led, rainmaker model into a planning-first, ensemble firm managing more than $1B in assets. He walks through the early years of putting in th...

Aaron Sherman has never been interested in chasing growth for growth’s sake. In this episode of The Advisor Journey , Aaron, president of Odyssey Group Wealth Advisors, shares how his firm chose a slower, more intentional path—one centered on deep client relationships, long-term clarity, and values-led decision-making. Aaron walks through his journey from Commonwealth to full independence, the dec...

Manish Khatta took over Potomac in 2017 with a $3M SBA loan, two young kids, and a firm that soon dropped from $185M to $140M in assets. Today, Potomac manages more than $3B. In this episode of The Advisor Journey , Manish shares the real story behind that growth — the bets he made, the setbacks he fought through, and the discipline that shaped his leadership. He talks about the importance of unde...

Khe Hy spent 15 years rising through the ranks on Wall Street, eventually becoming one of BlackRock’s youngest managing directors. Then he walked away. In this episode of The Advisor Journey , Khe shares how he traded a high-status career for a life aligned with his values. He talks about the immigrant work ethic that shaped him, the internal voice advisors often battle, and the “magic window” tha...

Aaron Cirksena built one of the fastest-growing virtual advisory firms in the country by treating marketing like a real business function, not an afterthought. In this episode of The Advisor Journey, Aaron shares how he went from a one-man shop to a multi-advisor, fully remote firm by mastering paid digital marketing, tracking key metrics, and building a repeatable system for growth. He breaks dow...

Tim Farley has spent over a decade shaping what great advisory leadership looks like. In this episode of The Advisor Journey, Tim Farley, founding principal of Tempo Wealth, shares the story behind launching a new RIA with his two business partners, Bernie Garrah and Corbin Blackburn, that quickly grew to manage more than $700 million in client assets. He explains how genuine relationships, deep s...

Advisors spend nearly half their time on tasks that take them away from clients. Hazel was built to change that. In this episode of The Advisor Journey , Dasarte sits down with Altruist’s Gokul Ramanathan and Fernando San Martín to share how Hazel, Altruist’s new AI-powered assistant, is helping advisors work smarter and focus on what matters most. They discuss Hazel’s origins, its role in simplif...

Danika Waddell’s journey from solo founder to firm leader is a masterclass in intentional growth. In this episode of The Advisor Journey , Danika—founder of Zena Financial Planning—shares how she built a practice centered on professional women in tech, the lessons learned from evolving her business model, and what it takes to create lasting partnerships. From starting her firm in 2020 to merging w...

Cameo Roberson has made it her mission to rescue advisors from operational chaos. In this episode of The Advisor Journey , Cameo—founder and managing partner of Atlas Park Consulting—shares how she helps growing advisory firms build infrastructure, clarity, and confidence as they evolve from practitioners to business owners. With over 20 years of experience in wealth management, Cameo brings a uni...

Shawn Tydlaska built the kind of firm most advisors dream about—steady referrals, a growing team, and over $1 million in annual revenue. But behind the milestones was a different story. In this episode of The Advisor Journey , Shawn sits down with Dasarte to talk about what happens after you hit every goal and still feel stuck. He opens up about burnout, redefining success, and the decision to sto...

Doug and Heather Boneparth are redefining what it means to build wealth together. In this episode of The Advisor Journey , the founders of BoneFide Wealth share how partnership in both life and business has shaped their approach to advising clients and leading a modern firm. They discuss the lessons behind their new book Money Together , their experience transitioning over $100M in assets to Altru...

Ami Shah has one mission: to change the way families experience financial advice. In this episode of The Advisor Journey , Ami Shah, co-founder and CEO of Steward, shares how her path from McKinsey and Facebook led her to build a firm designed for first-generation wealth builders. She opens up about the personal story that sparked her calling, the operational systems that fueled Steward’s $60M gro...

In this special The Advisor Journey episode recorded live from Futureproof, Altruist founder and CEO Jason Wenk sat down with Doug and Heather Boneparth of Bone Fide Wealth to talk about their firm’s transition to Altruist, the evolution of independence in wealth management, and their new book, Money Together . Doug and Heather shared how they’ve built a firm centered on the next generation of cli...

Eden Ovadia, co-founder and CEO of Finny, joins The Advisor Journey live from Future Proof 2025 to share how her team is tackling one of the industry’s most pressing challenges: organic growth. Before starting FINNY, Eden worked in private equity and M&A at Boston Consulting Group, where she saw firsthand how unsustainable acquisition-driven growth had become for advisory firms. That experienc...

Nyle Bayer, CMO of Future Proof, joins The Advisor Journey to share how he helped turn a bold idea into one of the most innovative events in wealth management. Drawing from his background as an advisor and now event builder, Nyle explains the principles behind Future Proof’s growth, from creating unforgettable experiences to engineering meaningful networking opportunities. He breaks down what advi...

Torie Happe, Head of Partnerships at Holistiplan, joins The Advisor Journey to discuss how tax planning has become a cornerstone of modern wealth management and why advisors leveraging tools like Holistiplan stand out in today’s competitive landscape. In this engaging episode, Torie shares Holistiplan’s journey from a grassroots solution with just a few thousand users to a platform now serving ove...

Cathy Curtis, founder of Curtis Financial Planning, joins The Advisor Journey to unpack how she built a thriving advisory practice focused exclusively on serving single women, sustaining steady growth for over two decades. In this insightful conversation, Cathy shares the pivotal shift she made after floundering as a generalist, and how committing to a clearly defined niche accelerated her success...

Kevin Thompson, former MLB player and founder of 9Innings Capital Group, joins The Advisor Journey to share his experience transitioning from professional baseball into financial advisory and his strategic approach to building an independent advisory firm. Kevin discusses his intentional shift away from commission-based products toward holistic financial planning driven by authentic client relatio...

Emily Binder, founder of Beetle Moment Marketing and WealthVoice, returns to The Advisor Journey to share her deep expertise in financial services marketing. Emily dives into the critical shifts she's witnessed over her eight years in the industry, emphasizing the democratization of content creation and the evolving landscape shaped by short-form video and social media. In this insightful epi...

Alex Newman returns to The Advisor Journey to share his innovative two-pronged approach to growing Grape Wealth Management: building a vibrant community of retirees through in-person events while implementing advanced AI systems for practice efficiency. Alex reveals how his "Retire Temecula" events have evolved from just five attendees to gatherings regularly drawing 80-150 people, creat...

In this special host-only episode of The Advisor Journey , Will Steiner and Dasarte Yarnway discuss how advisors can effectively integrate AI into their businesses to drive growth and efficiency. They break down practical strategies for using AI to enhance marketing, streamline operations, and improve client experiences. Plus, they cover essential tools every advisor should know, address common mi...