08/31/2026
I thought starting a new career meant starting over.
For the first few months, almost every day came with some version of, “I am SO new at this. Am I even doing what I’m supposed to be doing?”
Now there are people in my office who are newer than me.
Getting to help them through some of the same questions and emotions I had when I started has made me realize just how much I’ve learned. But it’s also made me realize that I didn’t come into this career empty-handed.
Before this, I worked in pet retail, powersports, and automotive sales before helping build an automotive business of our own.
On paper, those experiences don't necessarily scream “financial services.”
But I use what they taught me every single day.
Each role taught me how to wear a lot of hats, juggle responsibilities, work with different personalities, and most importantly, help people find the solution that made the most sense for what they were trying to accomplish.
Whether I was helping someone figure out the right setup for a new pet, choosing the parts that made sense for their car build, or now helping someone think through the plans to put in place for their family and future, the process really isn't that different.
Ask thoughtful questions.
Understand the person and what they're trying to accomplish.
Know what you know, and know when to bring in someone who knows more.
Then make the solution as simple to understand as possible.
I'm still new. There is an incredible amount I have left to learn, and I'm surrounded by people with decades more experience than I have. I'm starting to appreciate that being new doesn't mean starting from scratch. When you find where you're meant to be, sometimes a new career is where all those seemingly unrelated experiences finally start coming together.
