The Women of Waltman Interview Series
From executive team to recent college graduates, the women on our team are crucial to our firm's success.
During International Women's Week, we took a moment to highlight their stories as women in financial services. Below are their insights on their role models, their experiences with clients, their advice, and more.
Why did you decide to work in financial services?
- When I was growing up, I observed friends whose families struggled financially. I saw the impact it had on my friends as individuals and their parents’ marriages. I was drawn to the industry for relational reasons—I wanted to support healthy families by empowering them to make wise financial decisions.
Did you have an impactful mentor or role model?
- Growing up, we spent a lot of time with my mom’s best friend, Cathy (who was a single mom), and her son. We vacationed with them, ate dinner with them throughout the week, celebrated birthdays together, etc. Cathy talked openly about saving for a new car, supporting herself by making prudent spending decisions, planning for the future financially, etc. I admired her as an independent woman. Her voice would come back to my head when I faced financial decisions. I wanted to be financially like her when I “grew up.”
Do you have any words of wisdom for women hoping to work in finance?
- This profession needs more strong female voices! Empathy, compassion, emotional intelligence and warmth are all important to the work we do with our clients. Men and women are both capable of the preceding, but women tend to naturally possess them more frequently and that is a huge gift to our clients. Ladies in our profession, which is still largely male dominated, should embrace the “touchy feely” side of money and stand firm that leaning into that space allows us to better care for our clients.
Why did you decide to work in financial services?
- There are three things that I love: Getting to know and serve people, working with numbers, and planning for the future and building towards it. Financial planning combines those three things. I enjoy going to work each day knowing that I have the opportunity to serve people and help them solve problems or reach goals.
What is the most impactful part of your job?
- When a client leaves a meeting feeling calmer or at peace than when they came in, that brings me joy. Money can be an incredibly emotionally charged topic, and it can impact people in many different ways. I enjoy walking alongside a client in a difficult time or a stressful situation and providing support to relieve their burden.
What is the hardest part of your job?
- We can’t fix every problem. Sometimes our role is simply to listen to someone grieving and grieve with them. When negative life events happen, we can’t change them, we can just help families adjust, redirect, and focus on the future.
Why did you decide to work in financial services?
- I liked the idea of leveraging my accounting degree and love of relationships to directly serve others in such a practical way. I love that financial planning is not limited simply to a person or family’s finances. We have the privilege of sitting across the table from people of all walks of life and helping them navigate where they are today to a bright and more fulfilling tomorrow.
Did you have an impactful mentor or role model?
- My mentor in college, Dr. Stacie Rhodes, was instrumental in both my personal and professional development. Her extraordinary accomplishments in the fields of accounting, financial services, and academia, as well as her love for her students, greatly impacted me and gave me quite an example to look up to. Stacie’s prayers and mentorship have meant the world to me over the years. She has always used her own personal experiences to pour into me, and for that I am abundantly grateful!
Do you have any words of wisdom for women hoping to work in finance?
- I would encourage women hoping to work in finance to reach out to other females in the field and glean what insight you can from their experiences. If you are presently in college, or nearing graduation, try to stay connected to some of your female peers as you enter the work force. Surrounding yourself with other women in the field can bring a great sense of community, encouragement, and support when you may feel isolated.
Why did you decide to work in financial services?
- Working in financial planning felt like a very tangible way to help people. Money is often a stressful topic, so being able to lend a helping hand and provide peace of mind is a joy and privilege.
Did you have an impactful mentor or role model?
- My grandmother worked in banking her whole career. Growing up watching and hearing about her work ethic and impact on people’s lives showed me the importance of financial work and inspired me to follow a similar career path.
Do you have any words of wisdom for women hoping to work in finance?
- The financial industry has a great need for women. There are so many doors and opportunities for women in finance right now. I would encourage them to create a network of individuals in the industry that they respect and always be open to learning.
PYA Waltman Capital, LLC (“PYAW”) is an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. More information about PYAW’s investment advisory services can be found in its Form ADV Part 2, which is available upon request. PYA-23-14.
