Advisors Off Script: Stories of the Independent Frontlines with Shelby Nicholl

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 with Colleen to trace her journey — from...

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-founders of Cedarwood Financial Partners, ...

What separates a smooth breakaway from a chaotic one? Spoiler: it’s not just your custodian, tech stack, or timing — it’s your brand.

In this episode of Advisors Off Script, host Shelby Nicholl sits down with Kevin Nichols, partner at Oechsli and a leading voice in advisor marketing, to unpack what really makes a successful launch.

Kevin shares what the best-prepared advisors do before they leave, why brand clarity is more important ...

Sometimes, you don’t get to casually consider change. Sometimes, you hit a wall and realize...it’s just not working anymore. That’s what happened to Lauren Williams, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Prosper Plan Wealth, based in Sacramento.

After a decade at a major firm managing a $300 million book, everything shifted—the culture, the leadership, and ultimately, Lauren herself. Burnout set in, and staying was no longer an option. But inste...

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 freedom (an...

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 full arc—from her grandfather, to her ...

 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 S-Corp approach, how tax education b...

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 why delivering massive value with prec...

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 Chapter Lifestyle Advisors and faculty at ...

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 authorship, Liz shares how embracing curiosi...

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 practice.

Larry opens up about his personal...

What if the key to unlocking your next level of growth isn't you doing more... but finding the right person to support you?

In this episode of Kick It Open, Shelby Nicholl sits down with Jennifer Goldman, founder of My Virtual COO and champion of second-in-command leaders in the advisory space. Jen has spent over two decades helping financial advisory firms streamline operations, empower leadership teams, and scale without burn...

Could your next big business breakthrough come from well-being, not just your strategy? Shelby Nicholl connects with Stevyn Guinnip, founder of Grow Wellthy, for a conversation that challenges the traditional advisor growth playbook. Reporting in from the opposite side of the globe—Shelby in Marrakesh and Stevyn in Madeira—they explore why the health of the advisor and the client might just be the most overlooked lever for sustaina...

What happens when a succession plan falls apart? For Leighann Miko, it became the catalyst for something even bigger. In this episode of Kick It Open, Leighann shares her journey from an advisor left stranded by a failed succession to a trailblazer who not only built her own firm but went on to create Avise Financial Cooperative,  the first RIA co-op platform for other advisors to join as an independent advisor.

We talk about:

• Th...

Julia Carlson is a powerhouse in wealth management—leading a team of 20, serving over 1,600 families and business owners, and authoring the book Money Loves You: Transform Your Relationship with Money and Grow Your Wealth. In this episode, Julia shares her remarkable journey, from hitting a glass ceiling at 23 to launching her own firm, Financial Freedom Wealth Management.

We dive into the mindset shifts required to scale a business...

What happens when your strategy, marketing, and client experience align? In this episode of Kick It Open, host Shelby Nicholl sits down with business development coach Kristin Harad of Full Advisor Coaching to uncover the power of alignment in building a thriving advisory practice.

With experience in financial services, entrepreneurship, and coaching top-tier advisors, Kristin shares strategies for:

• Creating a unified brand messa...

For many advisors, independence starts with an independent broker-dealer (IBD)—but is that really the best way to go independent? Or is there a better way to achieve the freedom, flexibility, and control you actually want?

In this episode of the Kick It Open Podcast, we sit down with Jason Barber, founder of Uptick Partners and Holistic Planning. After building a four-generation business at Edward Jones, Jason pivoted the family ent...

AI isn’t just the future—it’s the now, and in this episode of Kick It Open, we’re diving headfirst into how artificial intelligence is shaking up wealth management. Host Shelby Nicholl sits down with Jeannette Kuda, President and COO of TIFIN AG and TIFIN AMP, to unpack her journey from LPL Financial to leading AI-driven transformation at TIFIN.

Jeannette shares how supervised and generative AI are fueling organic growth, personaliz...

Scaling a wealth management firm is one thing—ensuring it thrives for generations is another. Chris Kerckhoff, President and CEO of Plancorp, knows exactly what it takes. During his tenure and leadership, Plancorp has grown from a small advisory firm to a $7 billion powerhouse while successfully transitioning its ownership from its founding generation to the next while also creating durability in the ownership approach.

In this epis...