A Note to Transparency Listeners: In 2022, the podcast is going to be changing its name to “The Healthy Advisor” to give a clearer idea of what the podcast is about. “Transparency with Diana B.” was not quite as transparent a title as we thought.
Julia Carlson got married at age 19 and right out of high school took a job at a local bank. She learned that the glass ceiling in the financial services industry comes quickly, so she left the bank after just four years and launched Financial Freedom Wealth Management Group, taking on an entrepreneurial challenge at a time in her life when most financial services professionals are just finishing up their secondary educations.
Now she’s one of LPL’s top advisors. But the journey to where she is today was not easy. She overcame problems in her marriage. And in 2012, her then 9-year-old daughter was in a bad car accident and ended up in the ICU.
A newspaper article about Julia's daughter after her accident.
In this episode, Diana Britton, managing editor of WealthManagement.com, speaks with the founder and CEO of Financial Freedom Wealth Management Group in Newport, Ore. Julia shares her story, including the challenges she’s faced along the way and what has shaped her and the work she does today.
Julia discusses:
- What led her into financial services and her experience early in her career;
- The struggles she has faced as a female advisor in a male-dominated industry;
- The lessons she learned while trying to build her business;
- How her firm struggled in the early years to reach profitability;
- How her daughter’s accident changed her perspective on the business and led her to give up some control of her firm; and
- Her advice for other entrepreneurs and female advisors.
If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at [email protected].
The Transparency with Diana B. podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever podcasts are found.