I always say I took the scenic route of becoming a financial adviser because it was not a straightforward journey. I loved finance & economics at school, and my A levels reflected that. However, my economics class consisted of two girls, myself included, and a teacher who regularly referred to us as his econ boys. Combining this with the fact that I was dyslexic (which unfortunately, was not diagnosed until university), I felt I could not keep up with the fast-paced lessons that made me believe that perhaps finance was not a world where I belonged. What’s more, as much as I loved finance – I had no idea the kind of roles available or the right people to reach out to for further information.

Therefore, I decided to pursue an education in event planning at university, which led me to launch my wedding & events company in 2020. Nevertheless, like many people, the pandemic changed the trajectory of my journey, including relocating from York to Marlow and working for Eight Wealth Management in their Marketing department, where I oversaw all their events. Of course, this was a role I thoroughly enjoyed, yet the more I worked within the financial industry, the more I became aware of the financial disparities between genders and the different financial challenges women faced. This compelled me to immerse myself in the matter and become an active factor that strives to resolve these challenges. As a result, I spoke to my manager and decided to take my exams. Nine months later, I was a fully qualified financial adviser.

Now, my day-to-day varies, but, I have 2-3 client meetings – this could be an annual review, something ad hoc or maybe a brand-new client coming to talk about their finances. In any case, I am passionate about my clients’ journeys. A lot of people who meet with a financial adviser are taking control of their finances for the first time, and I understand that money can be a sensitive or nerve-wracking topic for many people, and it is my responsibility to provide reassurance based on knowledge rather than “it’ll be fine!”‘ which is not necessarily helpful!

Being a financial adviser requires a love of interacting with people every day – which might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But there’s a whole host of financial roles that aren’t client-facing that I would never have known about before this job.

The phrase ‘the harder I work, the luckier I am’ has a lot of truth in it. When I moved to Marlow, I had a plan for what I wanted to achieve & how I was going to get there. I began building my ‘network’ whilst studying so people knew who I was when I qualified. Networking is such a powerful tool because sometimes we have questions but aren’t sure whom to ask & having a strong network gives you lots of people to speak to, who may have more experiences or connections to point you in the right direction.

No matter what industry you want to enter, doing your research is crucial. I also believe that finding a part of your job you love and are passionate about is vital. I love being an adviser. However, it is not always the most creative role, and being dyslexic means the ‘admin’ aspect of the job can present some challenges and take me longer than my colleagues. I combat that by being quite active on social media and creating an Instagram page for financial education called @bigsisterfinance, which allows me to have some creativity in my day-to-day.

It’s important to remember that just because the first position in your chosen industry isn’t right for you doesn’t mean you’re not right for the industry; it could just be a different position you’re looking for. One thing I think is crucial, particularly for women in STEM, is to have someone inspiring – this could be someone you’ve followed through social media or a colleague. I was extremely fortunate to have an incredible mentor who showed me what a woman in the financial industry can achieve.

Eight Wealth Management Ltd is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc ( which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website at www.sjp.co.uk/products.