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Kick it Open with Shelby Nicholl
Welcome to Kick It Open—the podcast for financial advisors and wealth management professionals ready to break free from limits, build thriving practices, and take control of their success.
The wealth management industry is evolving fast, with AI, new fee models, shifting client expectations, and emerging business structures reshaping the landscape. Staying ahead means embracing change and kicking open the doors to opportunity.
Each episode features bold conversations with top advisors and industry leaders, sharing actionable insights on growth strategies, leadership, practice management, and the future of financial advising.
If you're looking to scale your firm, navigate industry shifts, and take charge of your career, this is the podcast for you.
🎧 Listen now and start kicking open new opportunities.
Wondering why it's called Kick It Open? Muriel Siebert, the first woman member of the NYSE, famously said: “When a door is hard to open and nothing else works, sometimes you just have to rear back and kick it open.”
About the Host
Shelby Nicholl is the founder and lead consultant at Muriel Consulting, where she helps financial advisors break free from limits, align their businesses with their ambitions, and build thriving practices. With 25 years in leadership roles at firms like LPL Financial and Edward Jones, she combines deep industry experience with her passion for empowering advisors to take bold steps toward independence and success.
She is also the founder of Muriel Network, a digital community for women in wealth management seeking connection, inspiration, and growth.
Through Kick It Open, Shelby shares inspiring stories from industry leaders who are transforming wealth management and achieving their highest potential.
Kick it Open with Shelby Nicholl
What Happens After a Failed Succession Plan? Breakthroughs, Innovation, and Resilience
What happens when a succession plan falls apart? For Leighann Miko, it became the catalyst for something even bigger. In this episode of Kick It Open, Leighann shares her journey from an advisor left stranded by a failed succession to a trailblazer who not only built her own firm but went on to create Avise Financial Cooperative, the first RIA co-op platform for other advisors to join as an independent advisor.
We talk about:
- The hard lessons of succession plans gone wrong
- The leap from employee to independent firm owner
- Why she chose a cooperative model—and how it’s changing the game for advisors
- The future of advisor ownership and why traditional firm structures might be holding professionals back
If you’re an advisor contemplating your next move—or just love a story of resilience and reinvention—this one’s for you.
To learn more about Leighann Miko visit:
LinkedIn - Leighann Miko, CFP® | LinkedIn
Equalis - Equalis Financial | Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Financial Planner, CFP
Avise - Avise Financial — Genuine Financial Advice
Learn more at MurielConsulting.com
Schedule a discovery call with Shelby Nicholl: Zoom Scheduler
Produced by Shelby Nicholl.
Edited by Aaron Sherman.
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll License code: EV5ON7Y3CSESDSEU
