Dori Walsh

I attribute my success to taking that bold step to develop my own business and gaining the trust of my clients. My most notable professional achievement was having the courage to leave the corporate banking environment and establish Walsh Financial on my own terms. What really matters to me is that I was able to gain the trust and knowledge that clients believed in - so much so that they came with me when I made that transition. I've never been focused on numbers or aggressive growth. Instead, I keep my head down, find solutions for my clients, and maintain my values and morals. I don't sell commission-based products just to make a sale. I've always worked through word of mouth, keeping my values and morals at the forefront. The achievement I feel most proud of is that my clients have hung in with me through everything, and I want to continue hanging in with them for as long as I can truly serve them well.

The most impactful advice I've received came from my father, who was my inspiration. He gave me some true hard facts about life and work. He told me, 'Don't think it gets easier,' and reminded me that life isn't fair - you just have to deal with it. He was somewhat hard-headed but very sensible, and that straightforward approach has helped me tremendously through difficult times. More recently, my spiritual director over the last two and a half years has made a very big impact on me with her guidance about perseverance, belief, and grace. She's taught me to give myself grace, which has been transformative. I'm hard on myself and set responsibilities rather than just goals by numbers - I'm not going to let anybody down. But I've learned to be a little more lax on that and give myself some grace, and I haven't had any pushback. I'm thinking I could have maybe helped myself with some stress along the way if I'd learned that lesson earlier.

I would tell a young woman entering this field that I'm proud of her, because there are fewer women than men in this industry. Sometimes you might feel intimidation, but don't let that stop you. You've worked hard for this, and this is your aim. Use what you have with your self-service and your communication skills. Product learning is actually down on the list compared to forming your trust and your communication styles. I say it's a great field, but you need to be focused and open to learning and creating. The most important things are building trust and developing strong communication - those matter more than just knowing products.

The biggest challenges in my field today stem from its increasingly revenue-driven and consolidated nature, along with evolving licensing and testing requirements that can create disruptions for even the most experienced advisors. At the same time, succession and continuity planning for advisors approaching retirement is a growing concern. I also see a significant opportunity to mentor and support more women entering the industry, helping to foster the next generation of leadership.

The values most important to me are trust, communication, and maintaining strong relationships with the people I serve. I've always believed in keeping my values and morals at the forefront - I don't sell commission-based products just to make a sale. I set responsibilities rather than goals by numbers because I'm not going to let anybody down. I have a system within myself where I don't let somebody go without a phone call return for more than 24 hours. Right now, my biggest focus is my granddaughter - I lost my son two and a half years ago, and I want to be there for her. She just turned 13, and I'm in the same city as her, which allows me to pick her up after school and take her to dance. I also have a grandson who's two and a half hours away with my older son. Balancing my family responsibilities with caring for clients who have become very close friends is important to me. It would be a hard walk away from my clients because of how much heart I've given to my friends and clients that I've worked with for 30-plus years. I'm soul-searching about whether I can still give what my clients deserve while being present for my family.