Welcome to WomenShare, a celebration of women in financial services. In this very special episode, hosts Joanna Ehresman and Leah Alter reflect on nearly two transformative years of building a platform devoted to sharing women’s stories, building community, and catalyzing change in the financial services industry.

This episode serves as both a heartfelt look back and an honest assessment of where WomenShare stands today. Since its inception, WomenShare has operated as a true passion project, bootstrapped by Joanna and Leah’s commitment to amplifying women’s voices and providing a much-needed platform in a traditionally male-dominated field. As the show hits its 49th episode, the hosts speak candidly about the inflection point they're at — balancing the emotional fulfillment of past conversations with the practical realities of sustainability and growth.

Key Takeaways:

1. Purpose-Driven Content Can Build Powerful Communities: WomenShare’s success is rooted in authenticity, resilience, and genuinely valuing stories that often go unheard in financial services. Even a niche podcast can be a wellspring of connection and influence.
2. Sponsorship and Partnership are Essential for Growth: For WomenShare to continue, the next step is securing long-term sponsorship. The team invites listeners, organizations, and individuals to reach out and help sustain the platform for future episodes and generations.
3. Industry Momentum is Real — But There’s More to Do: While progress has been made in the representation and visibility of women in financial services, much work remains. The WomenShare community has an active role to play in breaking down silos and rowing collectively toward a more equitable future.
4. Authenticity > Perfectionism: Personal and professional growth comes from embracing imperfection and showing up authentically — a lesson modeled by Joanna and Leah both behind the mic and in their careers.
5. The Power of Trust and Letting Go: Both hosts convey that true impact and fulfillment come not just from strategy and grit, but from faith in the journey — trusting that what is meant for you genuinely won’t pass you by.

Get Involved:

WomenShare is at a pivotal juncture. If you or your organization resonate with the show’s mission and are interested in becoming a presenting sponsor or a pay-it-forward episode sponsor, please reach out at WomenSharepodcastmail.com. Partnership is essential to keeping this community and important conversation alive.

Thank You to the Community:

To every listener, past guest, supporter, and champion who has helped WomenShare reach this point: thank you. Your engagement, encouragement, and advocacy are what have made this journey so impactful. Whether or not WomenShare returns for more episodes, Joanna and Leah remain passionate advocates for change, cheering on every woman in financial services as the industry moves forward.

Welcome to WomenShare, a celebration of women in financial services. In this episode, hosts Leah Alter and Joanna Ehresman are joined by Amy Young—a transformative speaker, intuitive, and coach who specializes in guiding women to reclaim their power and lead from their intuition. Amy is the creator of Invincible, a rite-of-passage experience for women ready to step into their most authentic selves.

This episode explores how the divine feminine—a concept rooted in embracing intuition, being, and authentic emotional expression—can bring profound change to industries often dominated by conventionally “masculine” models of success. Amy’s personal journey dovetails with the experiences of many women in financial services who find themselves out of step with traditional industry norms and in search of a more aligned, fulfilling leadership style.

Leah and Joanna connect the dots between Amy’s teachings and the realities of life in financial services. Citing industry research and personal stories, they discuss how many women have started their own advisory firms after feeling out of place at larger institutions. Amy illuminates this "forced entrepreneurship" as a natural creative response, rooted in feminine energy’s urge to build something more aligned.

Throughout the episode, Amy shares her own awakening—moving from experiencing burnout as a business owner, to discovering the importance of slowing down, listening to her inner knowing, and allowing her feminine energy to guide decision-making. She describes the challenges and rewards of reorienting her life and work around these values—including navigating the fear of change, being okay with messiness, and modeling transparent leadership for others.

Embracing Divine Feminine in Finance: Amy explains how embracing the feminine principles of being, feeling, and creation can help women navigate industries that prioritize action, achievement, and logic. Recognizing and honoring these energies brings a sense of homecoming and new appreciation for women’s unique strengths.

Why Burnout Isn’t Your Fault: Many high-achieving women blame physical exhaustion on health or capability, when often it’s the result of operating in a model that doesn’t honor natural cycles or ways of working. Smaller, more cyclical bursts of productivity paired with intentional rest can lead to more sustainable success.

The Power of Creation: Leaving ill-fitting workplaces and starting new ventures is not just a necessity, but also a manifestation of feminine energy’s drive to build belonging, connection, and innovation.

Universal Balance: Every individual, regardless of gender, contains both masculine and feminine energies. The key is not to suppress one in favor of the other, but to seek balance—this leads to healthier workplaces and more fulfilling careers.

Leadership Through Vulnerability: Amy and Leah discuss the value of showing up transparently—even (and especially) when navigating messy periods of change. This models resilience and gives others permission to honor their own journeys.

Permission to Be Messy and Evolving: Transitions are rarely clean or immediate. Both Amy and Leah recount how giving themselves time and grace in career transitions led to more authentic alignment and personal growth. Trusting the process, even in phases of "unrest and destruction," paves the way for genuine renewal.

Courage to Challenge Industry Norms: Financial professionals don’t have to choose between certainty and authenticity. By...

Welcome to WomenShare: a celebration of women in financial services. Today, hosts Joanna Ehresman and Leah Alter sit down for an insightful and heartfelt conversation with Nina Smith: a seasoned growth and business development leader known for her marketing ingenuity and her passion for community leadership. Nina joins the show at a pivotal transition point in her career, moving from a seven-year tenure at boutique firm Kendall Capital to an exciting new role at global powerhouse UBS.

The interview kicks off with Nina’s signature career philosophy—never fleeing, always advancing. Nina traces her decision to leave a role she genuinely loved at Kendall Capital for a bigger stage at UBS, sharing the inner workings of her decision-making process, the value of listening to your gut, and the importance of not waiting until you’re dissatisfied to make a bold move. Her story powerfully reframes what courage and timing look like for women aiming high in financial services.

Joanna and Leah also dive into Nina’s playbook for leaving jobs on great terms, maintaining relationships, and nurturing a robust network that pays dividends throughout one’s career. Nina reflects candidly on her New York agency days, her pivotal years at Capital One, and her success in fostering long-lasting professional connections—including turning former bosses and clients into references and partners.

You'll get a behind-the-scenes look at Nina’s “Women and Wealth” client development program—rooted in community, fun, and low-pressure engagement. From pickleball socials to lavender farm gatherings, Nina explains how she prioritized authentic relationships over transactional networking, with an emphasis on events that create belonging and loyalty rather than sales quotas.

As the discussion turns personal, Nina opens up about the challenges and joys of balancing her role as a mom with her professional ambitions. She reveals her strategies for managing the ever-evolving demands of work and home, and the critical importance of asking for help, cultivating a supportive community, and modeling ambition and adaptability for her children.

Key Takeaways

1. Run Toward, Not Away: Nina’s anchor advice—credited to her close friend and HR executive Melanie—reminds women not to wait for unhappiness to drive career decisions. Instead, look for opportunities that inspire excitement, and don’t be afraid to revisit doors you once closed.

2. Relationships Are Your Legacy: Professional moves can be amicable and even mutually empowering. Nina’s career is a testament to the value of keeping bridges unburned and actively sustaining relationships with references, mentors, and colleagues, especially among women in financial services.

3. Healthy Departures Require Honesty and Openness: Both Nina and Leah share how transparency—with the right timing—about growth ceilings or changing ambitions can lead to smoother transitions and continued support from previous employers and peers.

4. Community-Focused Client Development Works: The most successful business development efforts are about genuine connections. Nina’s “Women and Wealth” events emphasize fun and wellness, swapping hard pitches for experiences that foster trust and a sense of belonging. Her approach demonstrates that a light touch and consistency build better business than aggressive prospecting.

5. The Power of Women’s Networks: From ex-bosses to clients to peers, Nina’s story demonstrates how investing in long-term, supportive female relationships opens doors and creates opportunities—personally and professionally.

6. Balancing Ambition and Family with Flexibility: Nina is transparent about the demands of raising children while pursuing growth....