A Year of Empowerment: Reflecting on 2023 and a Vision for 2024

Leah Alter: I'm just so grateful to have this platform, to be able to have these conversations, to have the amazing guests who have come on and shared their stories and their time with us, and we're just so excited for more

Joanna Ehresman: Hi. Thanks for joining us. I'm Joanna Ehresman. And I'm Leah Alter. And this is WomenShare, a marketing guide for women in financial services. Well, first

Leah Alter: of all, happy New Year. Happy 2024, Joanna. And to all of you listeners, we appreciate you so much for being here. We're so excited for the new year. And on today's episode, we are kicking off the new year by taking a look back some of the things we've learned, some of the marketing things, the career growth that we've seen in 2023, and really how we can both apply it to our own businesses as well as your businesses in 2024. And I will just say, if you want some more insights, helpful tips, things like that, we have a weekly email that goes out. Our email subscriber gets extras that

Joanna Ehresman: maybe don't show up in

Leah Alter: us all the time on the podcast or on our LinkedIn. So if you wanna be a part of that email subscriber list, you can do that right from the homepage of our website www.womensharepodcast.com.

Joanna Ehresman: Well, as we'll get to, that is one thing we wanna continue on and, like, take our own medicine of providing more value by being good marketers and engaging our audience. I'm so excited to dig into what we've learned so far because, Spoiler alert. It's been a lot. But I think, you know, it's been so fun. This whole thing was a big experiment, right, when we got Started. Leah, you Totally. As we shared, you approached me with this concept of you have this passion, and we're both marketers and passionate about advancing women in the industry. And so the show began.

Joanna Ehresman: And, you know, with the focus, the dual focus on both marketing as well as how we can support women, let's talk first about the marketing piece of it. So as we think back on the guests that we've had or the shows we've recorded to date, I'd be curious, Leah, what are some of the marketing best practices that really stand out for you?

Leah Alter: I don't think this is gonna be a big surprise. Those, have come on and shared with us, where they're really having a ton of success is where they've gotten really specific about who they wanna work with. Right? So, again, no surprise. They're coming in with a clear brand, a clear niche, and, steps and a plan to attract and serve the type of clients that they wanna be working with.

Joanna Ehresman: One, I would say, 2, it also stems from a lot of authenticity. That's what I've loved about all of our guests so far is their brand is who they are, and it's ex an extension of themselves, which makes so much sense, right, especially as an adviser where the practice is very much the people in the practice. I think that's been so key and great to see that connection and it actually driving successful growth when people put that into practice.

Leah Alter: Absolutely. Because as marketers and coaches of advisers, we say that all the time. Right? Which is, like, the most authentic version of you is going to be the the thing that attracts the right clients, the clients that you love working with, that love working with you, but to actually get to see it in practice and kind of, like, the proof is in the pudding. It's really nice that that has consistently shown up on the podcast, like, with our guests over the last, you know, 6 months.

Joanna Ehresman: I would also say relating to how we are marketing women share too. Like, it is very much who you are and who I am and our personality, whether it's the tone we use in posts or an email or the content. So, again, it's been this has been a very interesting practice for me of being mindful of, like, practice what I preach quite literally, Right. And seeing the power of that. So Yes. Yes. Yeah. I would say another, you know, marketing tool that really jumped out for me or kind of technology that is just changing the game for advisers, for folks on the corporate side in the marketing role or any other role, quite frankly, is artificial intelligence, which we know that topic is out there everywhere.

Joanna Ehresman: But Yelena Melamed of Catch Lite, when she joined us, I believe that was episode 4 and talked about how they've taken that technology and just made it really useful to advisers because, candidly, it can seem very, I don't know, like, conceptual or, like, yeah, I get what it can do, but, really, how does it work, though, and what's a practical application in my business, I thought that was huge. So AI and its presence and how it's shaping this industry and fueling growth is fascinating, and I think something every adviser should be paying attention to.

Leah Alter: Yeah. Because it's not going away. Right? So Yeah. You can only ignore it for so long, whether you're talking about robo advisors and what that's gonna look like or using AI technology to help you market your business, help you create content. Like, again, there's a 1,000,000 different ways that AI is affecting our industry. So you can ignore it, but you shouldn't because it's only going to become more prevalent. And those that pan figure out how they it works in their business and adapt and evolve are the ones that are going to have success. And those that fight it, I think, are gonna hurt for it in the long run.

Joanna Ehresman: Yeah. Just get further behind. And I think there are really simple ways you can just get used to leveraging AI. So you and I have talked a lot about using it for content ideation. You know? I think you said you use Google's Bard quite a bit. I Yeah. Like Claude dotai. It's from a company called Anthropic.

Joanna Ehresman: Chat GPT is great. Bing. But, you know, using it, just getting used to going in and experimenting, writing a few prompts. Even on LinkedIn post, they have the AI generated post recommendations. So I think it's just establishing that level of comfort. And to be clear, like, there's still a lot I have to learn about all of the facets of AI and where it can go, but it's been, at a minimum, a huge efficiency win for me personally this year, but I think it's also going to continue to be an accelerator.

Leah Alter: Yeah, I mean, any sort of solopreneur when you can utilize the technology to make you more efficient. I mean, you'd be silly not to figure out how it could help you. And, I know it saved me a ton of time as well. Okay. So another thing and, again, I I've said this when she was on the show. Okay. So a little inception here, but, really, the power of podcasting. I think that we have seen it firsthand of how you are able to connect with an audience by using this format a little bit longer format content, and it's really conversational.

Leah Alter: It's very personal. And just the feedback we've gotten from launching this from people who know us and from people who don't know us has been really validating and that it is a powerful medium to get your message out, to get your brand out. Yeah. And I

Joanna Ehresman: think it's something that once you get into the routine of it like, I think of how anxious I'd feel when we were recording our 1st couple of episodes. Right? And quite frankly, I Still cringe listening to myself today, but but especially in those first few. But it's something that I think you once you get used to having the microphone in your face and and having these conversations, you realize just how natural it is and that, again, the authenticity of how we show up and how you can represent yourself. People are gonna listen and decide if that's a fit for them or not, and that's okay. Right? You're just being you're showing up as yourself, building your brand, and I agree. Podcasting has been really just a great tool, and I think it's really applicable for for advisers or larger institutional brands. Although, obviously, many larger RIAs those in broker dealer platforms and etcetera, have podcasts, but I think it's evidence that it works, and it's a great way to build that community.

Leah Alter: A great Yeah. A great. Yeah.

Joanna Ehresman: So as we think about you know, as this year moves forward and given the lessons that we've learned, like, we're talking about what are we where do we wanna take things with the show? And I think it is continuing to go deeper on some of the strategies that advisers are making work. So we actually have some episodes coming up where an adviser like, one of the top questions I would get in my time, on the corporate marketing side is we really wanna I'm an adviser, and I wanna build out my brand or this niche within a large employer. So we wanna go deeper into that strategy and rate and other lead generation platforms that advisers are making work. So I think it'll be so fun to bring those insights and really practical applications of some of these marketing programs to the show as we move ahead this year.

Leah Alter: Yeah. And we'd love to hear from you guys. If you've heard anything, any tips from the folks that have been on the show that you are trying to or committed to, you know, trying this year. We'd love to hear from you. That is, I think, is really fascinating. One of the things we know about setting goals is if you write them down and you tell people about them, you're more likely to do them. So if you feel like sharing that, we certainly would love to hear that. Yes.

Leah Alter: I think that's always really fun. Mhmm. So another part of the show this year that we both just, like, gush about and talk all about all the time is the career stories of sort of everyone's very unique paths that we've heard from our guests, and it's just been so powerful. So let's talk about some of those experiences? What are, you know, some of the themes and and some of those stories that have really kind of stood out to you of the women in this industry?

Joanna Ehresman: There are so many. And, again, I think most people are taking in this podcast, you know, auditorially or, you know, just listening. But if you watch the videos, there's so much vigorous nodding that you and I have on camera. When when our guests are Speaking, one that really has just been a through line, especially for our guests who are on the adviser side, is often being the only woman in the room. Right? Yeah. The only one at the conference. And that really that really resonates. And, obviously, that shows up in the numbers in the industry of percentage of women that are advisers or corporate leaders, that sort of thing.

Joanna Ehresman: I just I think it's really interesting whether you are a man or a woman to to think about the fact that the women in the room are probably, a, you know, very aware if they're the only ones, and then, b, the additional kind of mental burden that comes with thinking about how I need to present myself because I am a woman in the room, and how are you still authentic and owning your power. But there's just more of that, I think, uses the term the tight rope. Right? You don't wanna be too yeah, soft, but not too harsh and that sort of thing. So that just resonated with me. It's an experience I've had over and over in my career, And I just really value people sharing what that's like and helping us all to be more mindful of that dynamic and supporting each other with it.

Leah Alter: Yeah. And just even acknowledging that, most men don't have the same experience. Right? They don't Yeah. They just walk they just walk into a room.

Joanna Ehresman: Yeah. And it's like And it feels the same.

Leah Alter: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I hope that that one of the themes that was really interesting was around change and adapting and not being afraid to

Joanna Ehresman: make a

Leah Alter: different move or change jobs or create front move or change jobs or create a better situation if somebody if you didn't respect the leadership or a situation or if it just wasn't the right fit. And sometimes making that change even when you didn't know where it was gonna lead. And, obviously, the guests that we have had on are, you know, reach a certain level of success and have that story. So it's led somewhere good in most cases. You know, we also acknowledge that that's a privilege. Not everyone is able to walk away from a situation. But when you can make changes, you know, a lot of the stories and the theme we saw in a lot of the stories is this wasn't working, so I had to go create something else that would, or I had to join an organization that was more in line with my values.

Joanna Ehresman: Yeah. Well and and the lesson I learned from so many of our guests is to that point, take the time to reflect on, is this still working for me? Right? And and aware of your energy that you bring to work each day and that sort of thing. Again, on a On a personal level, I've been in situations where I'm like, gosh. I if I reflect back on it, I was probably not in a great place for a while, But I think I was just in the grind and doing it and showing up and not pausing to think about I have the power to change this. So I thought that was really Great to hear from our guests and hopefully something that sparked insight for listeners.

Leah Alter: Well and, you know, there's there's comfort in just to being in a situation that you know, even if it's not the best situation. Yeah. We get really comfortable with, like I know that, you know, 25% of my day isn't gonna be great, but 75% is, and so maybe I'm okay. And you start to play those games with yourself, but it's not until you leave those situations and you're in more aligned situations that you realize, to your point, maybe I wasn't happy for a lot longer than I thought.

Joanna Ehresman: Mhmm. Mhmm. One thing that I've found helpful because especially moving into consulting, Right? There's a lot of mind drama in involved with that is but but even when I went inside

Leah Alter: yes. Yes.

Joanna Ehresman: Is taking time to actually, like sounds cheesy, but sit down and, like, journal and write out my thoughts. Because a lot of times, I can't articulate where my angst is coming from or where I'm at until I sit down and actually make that space for it. Because it to your point, it's so easy to just get into your day and go through the motions and kinda let it live you, but really being intentional about that and then reflecting on, so what am I gonna do about it? Everything is is within your power to change and make better. And so you gotta challenge yourself of what are you willing to tolerate and what aren't you? That's right. So yeah. A third area in the the realm of kind of being a woman in financial services, like, that we heard loud and clear is the power of mentorship and allyship and sponsoring other women. And I think there's there's a lot of nuance around what are those different, What do those different terms mean and how do we actually show up and and help women? And, like, we've talked the responsibility doesn't just fall to women to help other women given the weighting toward men in this industry. And you and I have both benefited from having men in our careers who were absolutely our allies and our advocates.

Joanna Ehresman: And so I think that that theme of being mindful of how are you giving back and doing that for others, and then how can you seek that yourself It's really

Leah Alter: It's definitely a a a it's a both and. Right? Like, we all need mentors and advocates, and we also need to be mentors and advocates. You won't always need to be both at the same time, but we all need them throughout our careers to be successful. And I think going into 2024, continuing this year, I think that's gonna show up a lot more. Not to tease future episodes or anything.

Joanna Ehresman: But Let's just do it.

Leah Alter: We we've got some we got some goodies coming, around that that I think are gonna be really interesting and very actionable for any of our listeners.

Joanna Ehresman: Yeah. Well, and I think that's the key is sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming of, like, this is a really big macro problem. Good luck, everyone. You know? And it's like, how do we How do we just really make it you know, think think globally, act locally type of thing. So Yeah. Excited for that.

Leah Alter: Yeah. So as we move forward, we're gonna continue to learn from amazing guests. We have we already have an amazing pipeline and calendar for the Q1 of this year and broader trends in the industry, how we're looking at data, how we're looking at, women in the industry and the moves they're taking and making. Mhmm. And I think the theme that is going to be even more prevalent is, you know, around elevating these voices, and we're just really excited to be part of that. Whatever part we are, we're excited to be part of it because it's so aligned with our mission here. Mhmm.

Joanna Ehresman: Well and I would also say if if you as a listener have someone that you think would be a great guest. We do have an area on our website. Like, either send it to us via a contact us form, or they can apply to be a guest. We've got a number of people lined up that we're very excited about, but we certainly haven't seen every powerhouse woman and asked To be on the show or had her approach us yet. So if you have any ideas or someone you'd love to hear from, please let us know.

Leah Alter: Yes. Yes. Yes.

Joanna Ehresman: Okay. So launching the show last year. It was just like I like we said earlier, a big adventure for both of us. We'd never done this before. So curious to hear from you more, you know, just your personal perspective, Leah. Like, what was your favorite advice that you heard from one of our guests so far?

Leah Alter: I will say every guest, like, really put thought into this, and so it made this question really hard. It did. Because we got some really great, powerful advice. I think if I had to pick 1, it would be from Carrie Jackson at Fish and Associates, and her advice was start where you are. And she talks about how it was both for herself and when she made a career change, but also how she works with her young professional clients who feel, you know, overwhelmed or I've started too late or, you know, the various kind of stressors around starting, you know, a financial planning process. And I just think, whether it's your career or your life or anything, start where you are is just such a great piece of advice, which is you can't achieve goals or get out of a situation or change your situation until you start. So whatever that first step is, as small and as insignificant as you might think that first step is, when it's all said and done will probably be one of the most impactful things that you've done for yourself, for your career, for your life.

Joanna Ehresman: That is such a good one and also advice that I've taken to heart. Well, I get all of the advice. I feel like I've really

Leah Alter: I know.

Joanna Ehresman: Like, oh, Such wisdom. So good. I would say for me, just because this was so personally relevant to the journey I was on in 2020 3 is when Sara Lohse of Favorite Daughter Media and the Branded podcast, also the producer of our show. Hey, Sara. She said, you know, it wasn't advice she had received directly, but read, from the author Austin Kleon called show your work. And This resonated for a number of reasons, but I think from launching the show and starting my own consulting practice, that was the 1st time that it's like, I gotta put my work out there so publicly, and that was definitely pushing my growth edges this year. It was uncomfortable. It, you know, creates a lot of, I guess, challenge and vulnerability in being like, what well, what is my perspective? And, wait, I do have something to say about this.

Joanna Ehresman: And this is you know? And guess what? Some people might not like it or some people might not agree. And just having to let go of that concern of what will people think. Because guess what? People don't think about you as much as you are afraid they do or believe they do anyway, but,

Leah Alter: like, you should be able to in that, you know, I had I mean, I knew immediately I wanted you to be my cohost on this show. And that also makes me, you know, kind of reflect back, which is people who know you probably think that you can accomplish and do so many more things than you think you can yourself. Right? Like, I had no doubt that you where the perfect puzzle piece for this project. So whatever doubts you had, I was like, I I had the confidence. Right? And I think that's also a good lesson in showing your work, which is maybe we allow the good that other people see in us sink into.

Joanna Ehresman: Yes. Yes. Well and it And it makes me think of, you know, how easy it is to, like, give positive feedback about someone else's writing or their work or design or whatever it may be, and but you can't as easily do that yourself. So I love that idea of just by showing your work, it allows you to actually get out of your own way and take the feedback from other people. Yeah, heart constructively and, you know, praise. So that was this is a big year of just getting uncomfortable, so that resonated.

Leah Alter: Alright. So what was one of your favorite moments from 2023? Maybe through the podcast or in your new business or in life? You know, as you reflect back on the year, what were some of the standouts for you?

Joanna Ehresman: Yeah. I think it was figuring out or, like, needing to establish my perspective and my philosophy fee as a marketer. So this was through both launching my consulting practice and saying, like, this is my approach, and this is the theory, and this is how I work with clients and the value I bring. I'd never been tasked with writing that down before, and it always been I We're in I was in these larger organizations where we had the way we did things. And so it was the hardest work I've ever done, but Also the most rewarding to step back and say, gosh. If I'm working with a client and I'm given effectively not a blank slate, but a pretty wide open slate of build a marketing strategy and a plan, how would I go about that? And it's been really rewarding to prove to myself that that I know it, and I can do it, which, again, sounds silly. Of course, I can do it. But when you have to get out there and actually do it, that's that's a next next venture.

Joanna Ehresman: So that's been, I think, the hardest and the most rewarding is getting my approach down, if that makes sense, which is also true of this podcast.

Leah Alter: Yeah. I mean, listen. We are all about transparency and honesty here. And I went to Joanna on multiple occasions this year and kinda very vulnerably said, why would anybody wanna listen to anything that I have to say? I'm struggling with this or this has been really challenging, and that has come from a real place. And I think,

Joanna Ehresman: mhmm,

Leah Alter: part of that is becoming a solopreneur and not having an organization to lean back on on those hard days or having teammates to, you know, pick each other up when someone's having a rough day or or whatever. And just super grateful that we have each other kind of going through this Yes. Separately, but also together I mean, I have dreamt about being an entrepreneur, and and I started my vintage business a few years ago. And And doing so gave me the confidence that I could strike out on my own and and not end up living behind a dumpster. But there are, you know, there are still a lot of ups and down moments and a lot of uncertainty. And that has you know, 2023 has been very transformative for me, both professionally and personally. In addition to stepping out on my own, I also moved back to my hometown, which was a huge move. I'd been in Austin for 17 years and Yeah.

Leah Alter: Had left my hometown, let's just say, in the nineties.

Joanna Ehresman: In the 1900.

Leah Alter: 1900 when I graduated high school and never really saw myself coming back here. And so I have followed a lot of intuitive messaging that I have gotten without a whole lot of clear direction of where that what that means and where that's going. And I'm just kinda going with it. And it's been hard and rewarding. And, you know, I think it it sets me up for whatever comes my way this year and beyond. I'll I'll be as ready for it as I can be.

Joanna Ehresman: But I would also say, Leah, it's been inspiring to me of you leaning into that intuition and knowing that you won't guide yourself wrong by paying attention to that, I just I find that very impressive, and things. I'm excited to see to

Leah Alter: see you. A little, you know, a little crazy, but, you know, we all have always said, I'm a little woo woo, especially for this industry. But for the most part, the the intuition has never has never let me down even though I'm like, what are we doing? Alright. So, let's close with kind of what we're excited about for the show in 2024 and how we're really working to bring a ton of value and great guests to all of our listeners.

Joanna Ehresman: Yes. I would. Well okay. So speaking of accountability, if we set a goal, we and we say it out louder. Right? Like, you and I set the goal of bringing more content via a blog the Women's Wear podcast website and sharing that with our email subscribers. So I'm really excited about bringing like, we've talked about our philosophy, our approach, our best practices, and adding that additional value in it beyond the show episodes. So I think, you know, it's taking our own medicine, like I said, is I think the best marketing is the marketing that truly is focused on what's gonna add value for the people in in this space. And and we are we're gonna be practicing what we preach even more.

Joanna Ehresman: And I'm very excited about that. I'm a little daunted and challenged because it's like we gotta be consistent and deliver, but I know we can do it, and We're putting it out in the universe, in the world, very publicly that this is what we're doing. So looking forward to that.

Leah Alter: Absolutely. We're also gonna continue to feature more women in the industry. I really love that we're branching out in a way where we're bringing in folks who are in kind of the nooks and crannies of the industry. So not necessarily just CMOs or, presidents, but people who are researchers and are really kind of in the weeds of understanding the nuance of the industry and also women's roles in this industry and how that's changing and evolving. So I'm really excited about that and being part of the solution. Right? And we are committed. We are really Joanna and I are really committed to this idea of community over competition. And it's truly in an effort to empower the collective.

Leah Alter: Right? When one of us succeeds, we all succeed. We're all here to cheer you all on. And, I'm just so grateful to have this platform, to be able to have these conversations, ends, to have the amazing guests who have come on and shared their stories and their time with us, and we're just so excited for more of that.

Joanna Ehresman: Amen. Well, this has been great and fun to reflect back on on everything so far and and talk about what's ahead. That that's our show for today, however. And so if ours is a mission that you wanna share in, please subscribe to Women's Share on your favorite Task platform to make sure you don't miss an episode. With that, I'm Joanna Ehresman.

Leah Alter: And I'm Leah Alter, and we'll catch you on the next episode of WomenShare