Wealth management
For women in wealth management who are still the one who does it all
I'm Claire O'Connor, an executive coach for senior women, drawing on 15 years of elite camogie.
You're the one who gets it done, and that's how you got here. Now the job is leading, influencing and being paid for the role you already do.
What I hear
You're the one who fixes it. The firm grew, and you ended up holding operations together on nights and weekends. Then someone says they need you to go from doer to leader.
Here's what women in wealth management and financial services tell me:
- "You don't want to let anybody down, so you put a lot of pressure on yourself. A lot of the time it's me putting it on myself."
- "My brain works faster than what we need. I have to stop myself and slow down."
- "I need to be bolder and not play small."
And the goal, in one woman's words: "It is not all on my shoulders."

Why it happens
You're not failing at leadership.
In the US, 43% of women CFP® professionals say they lack leadership backing (CFP Board, Advancing Women in Financial Planning 2025). About 18% of UK financial advisers are women (FCA, Understanding the financial advice market).
What executive coaching for women in wealth management covers
I don't give investment or career-in-finance advice. I coach how you delegate, how you influence, and how you make a case that people with budgets say yes to.
Together, we work on:
- From doing to leading. What only you can do. Hand the rest off, and don't redo it at 9pm.
- Long-tenured colleagues. Bring them with you, rather than around you.
- The role without the title. A case for the title and package, with numbers.
- Leading through growth. Keep the team steady through an acquisition.
- Calm with senior leaders. Slow down. Say less. Land more.
You leave with one thing off your plate by Friday, and a name attached to it.
Which route fits
RIZE Executive Coaching is six months of private one-to-one coaching, self-funded or employer-funded, with confidentiality agreed in writing at the start. Six months leaves room to move a session. Read about RIZE Executive Coaching.
RIZE Group Coaching: 12 weeks in a small cohort. Next cohort starts Wed Nov 4.
For firms developing several high-potential women at once, RIZE for Organizations brings the work to the group.
For HR, L&D and firm leaders funding development
Your best producers get stuck there. The firm needs them doing, and the next role needs them leading. In an acquisition, they're the people you can least afford to lose.
When the firm funds coaching:
- A three-way start to agree goals with her and her leader.
- A midpoint sponsor review to check progress.
- A close-out on goals, themes and next steps only.
Session content stays out of it. Here's how confidentiality works when an employer pays. For groups of leaders, see RIZE for Organizations.
Frequently asked questions
How do I go from doing the work to leading the team in wealth management?
Start by noticing every time you take something back because you're faster. That speed got you promoted, and now it's holding you there. We pick one thing to hand off each week, agree what "good enough" looks like, and build the habit of coaching your people instead of rescuing them. Leading feels slower at first. It isn't.
I'm doing the managing director job without the title. Can coaching help me make the case?
Yes. We build the case the way your leadership thinks: what you're already responsible for, the results you've delivered, and what the formal role is worth to the business. Then we practice the conversation, including the pushback. You walk in with a clear ask and numbers, not a hope that someone notices.
Will my firm's leadership want to speak with you before approving coaching?
Sometimes, and that's welcome. In employer-funded coaching, we start with a three-way conversation to agree your goals with your leader, so they know exactly what they're investing in. If they want a short call with me before saying yes, I'm happy to do it. My guide also shows you how to ask.
How do I influence colleagues who've been at the firm for 20 years?
Respect what they know, then give them a reason to come with you. Long-tenured colleagues usually resist change they weren't part of. We map who matters, what each person cares about, and the one conversation to have first. Influence is mostly preparation and patience, and a bit of courage in the room.
How do I lead through an acquisition without burning out?
Decide what's yours to carry, because integration will happily take everything. We set a short list of priorities for the next quarter, decide what your team owns, and protect the time you need to think. Your people take their cue from you, so a calmer you means a calmer team.
Do you work with women in financial services in the UK and Ireland as well as the US?
Yes. I coach women leaders in wealth management and financial services across the United States, Ireland and the UK. Sessions are remote, so time zones and travel aren't a problem. I'm Irish and based in Atlanta, so I'm used to working across both sides of the Atlantic.
How do I build a business case my leadership will fund?
Write it the way they decide. The problem, what you've already tried, what you're asking for, and what it returns to the business. We keep it short, use the numbers you already have, and practice the meeting. You walk in with a proposal, not a hope that someone will fund a feeling.
How do I delegate when I'm faster doing it myself?
That speed is why they trust you, and it's why you're still doing the work. We pick one task to hand off, agree what done looks like, and let your person finish it even if you'd have been quicker. You coach the gap instead of taking it back. One handoff a week changes the job.
Will my firm pay for executive coaching, and how does that work?
Many firms will, and the way in is a clear goal, not a long pitch. With employer funding we start with a three-way conversation so you and your leader agree what success looks like. There's a midpoint review, and a close-out on goals, themes and next steps only. What you say in session stays with you.
What does my manager hear if my firm is paying?
Your manager hears the frame, not the diary. At the start we agree goals together. At the midpoint and the close, they hear themes and next steps. They do not hear what you said in the room. Confidentiality is agreed in writing at the start, so nobody is guessing.
Can the invoice be timed to fit our budget?
If spreading the cost across the year would help the budget, say so on your 20-Minute Capacity Call. We'll talk through what your firm needs, and I put the investment in writing once we know it's a fit. There's no price on this page, and nothing is agreed until you are.
How do I move from adviser to leader?
Your clients and your team need different things from you, and you can't keep doing both the old way. We look at what still needs your name on it, and what your people can carry if you let them. Then we practice the conversations that make you the leader in the room, not the one who stays late to fix the work.
Talk with Claire.
Book a 20-Minute Capacity Call and tell me about the role you're already doing.
Atlanta-based. Working with leaders in the United States, Ireland and the UK, in person in Atlanta or remotely.