In this episode of Financial Behavior Thought Leaders, host Dr. Mary Bell Carlson sits down with Dr. Kristy Archuleta, a true pioneer in the field of financial therapy. Dr. Archuleta is a licensed marriage and family therapist, certified financial therapist, and professor of financial planning at the University of Georgia. As a cofounder of both the Financial Therapy Association and the Journal of Financial Therapy, Kristy has played a crucial role in integrating mental health and personal finance. Her groundbreaking work is reshaping how financial professionals understand stress, anxiety, and the emotional experience of money.

The episode takes you behind the scenes as Kristy shares her journey from growing up in a service-oriented farm family to breaking new ground at the intersection of therapy and financial planning. She discusses her early passion for helping people, her academic path, and the powerful “aha” moment when she realized that couples’ money issues were a critical—yet overlooked—factor in relationships. Kristy and Mary also explore the evolution of her career from nervous public speaker to sought-after keynote presenter, and why integrating psychology into financial services is more essential than ever.

During their conversation, Kristy unpacks her most popular keynote, "Managing Financial Stress and Anxiety,” and reveals why financial professionals must understand both their clients’ and their own emotions. Through engaging stories from her work and research, she illustrates the difference between stress and anxiety, and offers practical tools for making complex psychological concepts accessible and actionable for advisors and their clients.

Five Key Takeaways:

1. Merging Mental Health and Money is Critical—for Clients and Advisors Alike: Dr. Archuleta emphasizes that finance is fundamentally a people business. She highlights how unresolved mental health dynamics—like stress, anxiety, and conflict—shape financial decisions. Yet, traditional financial training rarely addresses these issues, making it vital for today’s advisors to develop emotional intelligence and counseling skills.
2. Financial Stress and Financial Anxiety Are Not the Same Thing: A central message from Kristy’s keynote is that financial stress (triggered by specific stressors that can be resolved) is distinct from financial anxiety (an ongoing, generalized worry—even once stressors are removed). Understanding this difference helps advisors target their interventions more effectively and develop true empathy for clients’ struggles.
3. Your Emotions Directly Impact Your Clients’ Experience: Citing research and her own experience, Kristy reminds professionals that their own unaddressed stress and anxiety can “show up in the room” and affect their clients. Self-awareness and personal emotional regulation are therefore just as important as technical knowledge in building trust and promoting client well-being.
4. Therapeutic Tools Can Be Adapted for Financial Planning: Kristy discusses how frameworks from psychology—such as solution-focused therapy—can be adapted to advising and planning. By making these well-researched tools practical and relatable, she empowers advisors to support real behavioral change, without stepping outside their scope of practice.
5. The Power of Story—Both in Client Work and on Stage: Through memorable stories from the University of Georgia’s Love and Money Center, Kristy shows how collaborative, integrative approaches can make a dramatic difference for clients. She also reflects on making “hard things normalized” in her presentations, holding space for vulnerability and growth, and encouraging advisors to get comfortable with the emotions that inevitably arise in financial conversations.

If you’re looking for an engaging, insightful speaker for your next...

In this episode of Financial Behavior Thought Leaders, host Dr. Mary Bell Carlson sits down with Tim Maurer, CFP®, Chief Advisory Officer at Signature FD and a renowned figure in financial planning and behavioral finance. Known for his dynamic keynotes and practical wisdom, Tim brings over twenty years of experience in financial services, along with appearances on major outlets like The Today Show and contributions to Forbes.

This conversation centers around Tim’s flagship presentation, “Winning The Work: A Threefold Growth Plan for Professional Advisors,” and unpacks how advisors can integrate personal values, professional skill, and business development for sustainable, holistic success.

Mary and Tim begin with a behind-the-scenes look at Tim’s path to the stage, sharing candid stories of his first (rain-soaked and almost-late) media appearance and how teaching at Towson University led him to rewrite the textbook—literally—for financial planning students.

Their discussion then shifts to the heart of Tim’s keynote. Tim explains his belief that “personal finance is more personal than finance,” emphasizing the necessity of blending behavioral insights with the technical side of advising. The episode delves into his threefold framework: business development, professional development, and—often neglected—personal growth. Tim also shares the value of true relationship management, grounding the conversation with practical examples and the power of following through on intentions.

You’ll hear a powerful, personal story from Tim’s own life—a near-fatal car accident—that shaped his commitment to vulnerability, growth, and purposeful storytelling from the stage. Behind every presentation, Tim reveals, is a drive not only to teach, but to engage and entertain, ultimately building deeper trust with every audience.

Five Key Takeaways:

1. Personal Finance is Inherently Personal: Tim reiterates that technical knowledge, while essential, is insufficient on its own—advisors must recognize and address the emotional and behavioral components driving client decisions. By making personal finance more about the person than just the numbers, advisors can foster stronger client relationships and drive real change.
2. Threefold Growth for Advisors is Essential: Tim’s “Winning The Work” keynote centers on the interconnectedness of business development, professional development, and personal growth. Excelling in just one or two areas can leave an advisor limited; true success comes when all three are intentionally cultivated and aligned with core values.
3. Relationship Management is More Than a Job Title: Authentic relationship management means being a trust-builder in one’s community and staying accountable for keeping in touch and following up—going beyond surface-level intentions. This simple practice can set financial professionals apart and opens doors to new opportunities, deeper trust, and personal satisfaction.
4. Vulnerability and Storytelling Build Trust: Sharing personal stories—even those rooted in difficult or painful experiences—can forge genuine connections with audiences. Tim’s willingness to be vulnerable on stage is a powerful reminder that advisors don’t have to be the “smartest person in the room” to make an impact. Instead, relatability, honesty, and humanity are key drivers of trust and memorability.
5. Creativity and Fun are Integral to Career Fulfillment: Tim discusses how speaking, writing, and creating serve as outlets for his creativity and make his work deeply satisfying. He encourages other advisors to find and embrace their own creative “itch,” stressing that the best financial professionals infuse their practice with enjoyment, self-expression, and a sense of purpose—making financial advising not just a job, but a dream profession.

If you’re...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Financial Behavior Thought Leaders! In this kick-off conversation, guest host Dr. Kristy Archuleta turns the tables on our regular host, Dr. Mary Bell Carlson, putting her in the hot seat to share her own story. Together, they invite you behind the scenes of the Financial Behavior Keynote Group (FBKG) and explore the mission of this podcast: to shine a light on top financial thought leaders and help professionals and event planners discover dynamic speakers driving impactful change in financial services.

Mary opens up about her own journey from Pentagon presentations to PhD research and the pivotal moment that inspired her to democratize access to world-class financial speakers. She explains why this podcast exists—to make the expertise of leading thought leaders accessible to a broader, global audience, whether you’re booking your next keynote or looking for inspiration to ignite your practice. Kristy and Mary discuss the unique evolution and growing demand for financial behavior topics, shedding light on why skills like emotional intelligence, empathy, and the psychology of money are more essential than ever.

The conversation also covers the origins of the Financial Behavior Keynote Group, the special “community of artists” it fosters among thought leaders, and what truly sets FBKG apart from traditional speaker bureaus. Mary shares practical insight into booking a speaker and reveals how even smaller events can spark life-changing “aha!” moments for both clients and advisors.

Five Key Takeaways:

1. Democratizing Financial Thought Leadership: Mary founded this podcast and FBKG to make important, research-driven financial topics accessible to more people—not just those lucky enough to be in the room for a live event. The goal is to break down barriers and empower both financial professionals and the audiences they serve with transformative ideas.
2. The Rise of Financial Behavior and Essential Skills: There’s an industry-wide shift from technical know-how alone toward the “human side of money”—skills like emotional intelligence, financial empathy, and client communication. Mary and Kristy discuss how these so-called “soft skills” are now recognized as essential skills for driving real change, meeting client needs, and staying relevant in a rapidly evolving, tech-driven field.
3. Where Evidence Meets Experience: FBKG is uniquely positioned at the intersection of research and real-world practice. Speakers are experienced professionals with deep academic credentials, able to deliver evidence-based insights in engaging, actionable ways that connect with both advisors and clients.
4. Community Over Competition: The origin story of FBKG is rooted in collaboration. What started as a small mastermind group has grown into a vibrant “artist community” where thought leaders support and elevate one another. Mary believes in an abundance mindset—“rising tides lift all boats”—and emphasizes that breakthroughs happen when practitioners and researchers bridge their worlds.
5. Accessible, Impactful Experiences for Every Audience: Booking a high-impact financial behavior speaker isn’t just for big conferences—smaller team trainings and intimate client events can be just as transformative. FBKG streamlines the process, matching event needs and making logistics easy, whether you have a firm plan or just a spark of an idea. Sometimes, the most profound changes happen when a fresh voice helps people see money and themselves in a new way.

Subscribe to Financial Behavior Thought Leaders and stay tuned as we bring more behind-the-scenes conversations with the brightest minds in financial behavior and advice!

Watch Dr. Michael Thomas’s TedX Talk on Financial Empathy: