Her Life, Her Practice, Her Way

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Podcast by Tara Conti Bansal

Her Life, Her Practice, Her Way

The "Her Life, Her Practice, Her Way" podcast—was created for female financial advisors who want more than just success on paper. It’s for those of us who care deeply about our clients, our families, and ourselves, and who are looking for real connection, support, and inspiration as we navigate the complexities of life and work. What You’ll Find Here: Stories of women building financial advisory practices on their own terms Honest conversations about challenges, growth, and fulfillment Practical insights from women who are redefining success A supportive community of like-minded, exceptional female advisors I believe that we do our best work—and live our best lives—when we honor our values, trust our instincts, and leverage our unique strengths. This is a space where we can explore what that looks like together. Whether you’re new to the profession, evolving your practice, or simply seeking a little more ease and joy in your day-to-day, you’re so welcome here. Let’s build something meaningful—together. 👉 Join the Community by subscribing on the podcast website: www.herlifeherpracticeherway.com 👉 Learn More About Coaching by contacting Tara on the Contact page of www.herlifeherpracticeherway.com

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Latest episodes

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17 March 2026

From Tax to Planning: Joanne Burke’s Path to Birch Street Advisors

Joanne Burke didn’t start her career in financial planning. She began in tax at KPMG, working with ultra-high-net-worth families and developing deep technical expertise. But over time she realized that what interested her most wasn’t just the numbers—it was the conversations about what people actually wanted their lives to look like.

That realization led Joanne to build Birch Street Advisors, where she focuses on thoughtful planning and long-term client relationships.

In this episode of Her Life, Her Practice, Her Way, Tara talks with Joanne Burke about her journey from tax to planning, the courage it takes to evolve your career, and how her definition of success has changed over time.

Joanne also shares how she is entering the next phase of her firm—hiring and mentoring a new team member—and what she hopes the future of her practice will look like.

It’s a thoughtful conversation about clarity, growth, and building a practice that supports the life you actually want to live.

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04 March 2026

Passionate Clarity: Impact and Enough with Ella Taylor

What happens when you get crystal clear about your impact — and equally clear about what is enough for you?

In this episode, Tara sits down with Oakland-based CFP®, Ella Taylor to explore environmental sustainability, systemic investing, philanthropy, and designing a life that truly fits.

Ella’s mission is bold: move as much capital as possible toward positive impact for our planet and the people on it. Her firm integrates sustainable investing, shareholder engagement, philanthropy consulting, and systemic investing — all grounded in deep, relational financial planning.

But this conversation is about more than investing.

Motherhood reshaped her ambition. She paused growing her firm. She stopped taking new clients for more than two years. She redefined what “enough” looked like. And now she is growing again — with more clarity and intention than ever.

In this episode, we explore:

What systemic investing really means
Why outsourcing felt harder than it looked
How scarcity mindset can hide inside high performers
Designing a firm around your values
Letting ambition evolve without losing your drive
Defining success on your own terms

Ella reminds us that impact does not require burnout — and that success can expand and evolve as we do.

Episode Highlights

From pastry chef to CFP® — and rediscovering creativity inside finance
Launching her firm at the start of COVID and feeling unexpectedly abundant
Environmental sustainability as a true north
What “systemic investing” means and why it’s the next iteration of impact investing
Including a philanthropic consultant as part of the advisory experience
Wrestling with money scarcity while building a thriving firm
Extending maternity leave and pausing growth without regret
Redefining ambition and deciding what “enough” looks like
Choosing 60 households, four days a week, and deep relationships as her version of success
Hiring from alignment, not urgency

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17 February 2026

What Is Enough? with Melissa Yano

Melissa Yano didn’t get into financial planning because it was some lifelong dream.

She got into it because she thought she needed it as a young single mom.

Growing up, money was a source of stress and wasn’t talked about. It wasn’t something that was taught but she thought it was something she should learn so she started taking the financial planning classes and kept going.

She enrolled in a CFP program because she wanted and needed those skills for herself. She then wanted to help others with the knowledge and skills that she had learned. She knew that this information could make a difference in people’s lives.

Today, Melissa owns her own firm, Capital Wealth Planners, and primarily works with small business owners — many of them women who are the primary breadwinners in their families like she is. She understands them deeply because she had to learn how to run her own business too. She wasn’t trying to become a business expert — she had to become one.

In this conversation, we talk about:

Why money is a learned skill (and why no one should feel embarrassed about not knowing it)
The pressure women feel in this industry to prove themselves
Choosing depth over scale
Letting go of “more is better”
And defining what “enough” really looks like

Melissa loves the impact she has on her clients’ lives. She helps business owners move from just trying to make ends meet… to being strategic, intentional, and building something that supports both today and their future.

There is always more to learn in this profession. And there is always more room to grow — not just financially, but personally.

This conversation felt honest and steady. I could relate to so many of the things Melissa said. I hope the episode gives you permission to build your practice — and your life — in a way that truly fits you.

Episode Highlights

Melissa’s path into financial planning as a single mom who needed and wanted the skills for herself
Growing up without conversations about money — and how that shaped her mission
Why money is a learned skill, not a moral judgment
Becoming a business owner — and realizing she had to learn how to run one and once again wanting to share that knowledge and expertise
Working with small business owners who are often just trying to “keep the doors open”
Helping clients shift from reactive to strategic
The unique pressures women face in a male-dominated industry
Choosing a smaller, deeper practice instead of chasing scale
Delegating, outsourcing, and creating margin for herself
Defining what “enough” looks like — personally and professionally

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54:06

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03 February 2026

Kim Abmeyer: Becoming the Advisor You’re Meant to Be

In this episode, Tara talks with Kim Abmeyer, founding equity partner of Ascentis Wealth and Ascentis Asset Management, about responsibility, growth, and the importance of women supporting one another in financial services.

Kim shares how she grew into the role of advisor over time—initially not wanting to be an advisor—and why that early hesitation may be one of her greatest strengths today. She reflects on building long-term client relationships, creating asset models, and finding fulfillment in the positive impact she makes.

The conversation also explores the value of community, including the women’s group Kim is part of that prioritizes connection, friendship, and mutual support over competition.

This episode is a reminder that there’s no single right way into this profession—and that caring deeply, even feeling scared at first, can be a sign you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.

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Disclaimer - The opinions expressed in this podcast are for general informational purposes only and not for specific, individualized advice.

The information does not constitute financial or legal advice.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

The RIA is not liable for actions taken based on the podcast content.

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59:16

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20 January 2026

Planning for Success, Not Just Survival — with Amy Irvine

What happens when fear becomes a signal to pay attention to, rather than a stop sign?

In this episode, Tara sits down with Amy Irvine to talk about the courage it takes to build a financial planning practice that truly fits your life. Amy shares how loss became a wake-up call, why she walked away from a traditional AUM model, and what she learned when she realized she had planned for failure—but not for success. It’s a thoughtful, honest conversation about values, mentorship, and trusting your own voice as you design what comes next.

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In this episode of Her Life, Her Practice, Her Way, I sit down with Amy Irvine, founder of Rooted Planning Group, for a deeply human conversation about courage, intention, and what it really means to build a practice that fits your life.

Amy’s story isn’t one of chasing growth for growth’s sake. It’s a story shaped by loss, reflection, and a quiet but persistent inner voice asking, Is this the life I want to be living? After the sudden loss of her uncle, Amy found herself questioning not just how she worked—but why she worked the way she did. That moment became a catalyst for change.

She shares what it was like to leave a traditional AUM-based firm, launch a values-driven planning practice before “remote work” was normalized, and build a flat-fee model that prioritizes people over portfolios. Along the way, Amy speaks candidly about fear, self-doubt, and the realization that she had planned carefully to avoid failure—but not fully for success.

What stands out most is Amy’s humanity: her commitment to mentorship, her generosity with other advisors, and her willingness to talk openly about the emotional complexity of leadership and succession. Now, as she thoughtfully transitions her firm to the next generation, Amy is once again modeling what it looks like to trust, let go, and lead with integrity.

This episode is a reminder that you don’t have to follow someone else’s blueprint. You can build a practice rooted in your values, your voice, and the life you actually want to live.

Episode Highlights

How personal loss became the wake-up call that changed everything
Why Amy chose a flat-fee, planning-first model over traditional AUM
The fear she didn’t talk about—and what finally pushed her forward
“I planned for failure, not success”—and what she learned from it
Building a practice before remote work was the norm
Mentorship as both a gift received and a responsibility carried forward
Navigating succession, identity, pride, and grief—at the same time

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47:14

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16 December 2025

For the Love of Systems: Being Good Humans First with Kristen Lux

Operations coach and business owner Kristen Lux shares her journey from working in restaurants to systems / operations consulting and coaching. She talks about what it’s really like to run a business with her husband, and why entrepreneurship is personal development on steroids. We talk ADHD, boundaries, couples counseling, and why being good at this work starts with being a good human.

Episode Highlights

How Kristen's childhood and her parents' divorce shaped her and led to years of disassociation and depression as a teen.
What the restaurant industry taught her about people, prioritization, and operating in constant chaos — and why she still has “server nightmares.”
Being passed over twice for management in favor of older men, and how that painful experience eventually pushed her out of restaurants and onto something different.
Moving into commercial real estate and then the solar industry, where she essentially built “a company inside a company” and discovered she was an operations person at heart.
Feeling like the “junk drawer” at work — the person everything gets handed to — and how that fueled her passion for dignifying operations roles.
The leap into entrepreneurship and how her husband nudged her into it, even when stability felt safer.
Why she calls business ownership “personal development on steroids” and what happens when things aren’t working and the mirror points straight back at you.
Bringing her husband into For the Love of Systems: their complementary strengths, shared clients, proprietary frameworks — and the stress and uncertainty that surfaced a challenging season.
Habit Story: the assessment that maps behaviors to the stories we tell ourselves, and how retaking it showed her how much she had actually changed.
Trauma therapy, couples counseling, and the deep inner work that helped them come out the other side with a stronger marriage and clearer roles in the business.
Her people-first approach: paying a small team well, offering benefits, and designing a digital-first company so she can treat employees like how she wants to be treated.
Why she loves working with financial advisors - strong values alignment, and believes the future of advice is female — with mentorship as a key lever.
How systems and tech (and good boundaries) help her manage ADHD and avoid burnout in both life and business.
Designing a life around walking in nature, being close to trails in Columbia, MO, and defining success as freedom — including the dream of a four-day workweek.
The sweetest part of all: after a hard season, her marriage is now the thing bringing her the most joy.

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