Influential Woman · Banking

Natasha Smith

Relationship Banker, Bank of America

Kansas City, MO

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) - Nutrition (in progress) Degree Biopharma Program (3-month cohort Degree Completed) Cert Biopharma Certification Cert National Academy of Sports Medicine (Nutrition - in progress)

Her Story

About Natasha

I'm a relationship banker at Bank of America, and I'm currently in my fifth week of training. My journey into finance was unexpected - I was referred to this position by one of my personal training clients, Lisa Shaw, who works with Merrill and saw potential in my work ethic. What inspired me to take this leap was my background. I come from a pretty decent-sized family where financial stability was always a struggle, whether it was having one parent in the home or not having the resources to feed all my siblings. I wanted to prepare for my own family and future, and I realized I could educate not only myself and my clients, but my family and the generations to come. My grandparents are first-generation Mexican-American, and there's a lot they didn't know due to language barriers and other obstacles. I want to be able to help Hispanics and people who aren't from America but still want to be prosperous. Before banking, I wore many different hats - I worked in chiropractic care, personal training, and even door-to-door sales. I've learned that your outcome is based on how you show up, and even though I didn't come from a financially stable background, I'm always up for challenging myself because that's how you grow.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Natasha

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to God. It's God that opened these doors for me, but it's me doing the other half of taking that first step. I was raised in church and have always known God, but it wasn't until my back was against the wall and my feet were on fire that I truly understood - God wouldn't be putting me through this if he didn't love me. I realized I didn't want a genie to just hand stuff to me; I wanted to work hard for it. The way my parents raised me, they wouldn't just buy me a car but would show me what I needed to do, and it feels so much better when you do it yourself. When I feel like I can't do something, I reflect on what I've already accomplished - I've lost weight, dropped from 200 pounds to 135, I dropped out of high school and still have been successful in my career. God didn't bring me this far just to bring me this far. There's always a lesson, and I'm always going to get something out of every experience, whether it's good or bad. Even my dad passing away taught me lessons - I lost some friends along the way, but I realized I didn't need them in my life because they had alternative motives. There's always something that comes out of every situation, good or bad.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I would definitely say that your outcome is based off how you show up. I've worn different hats - worked in chiropractic, personal training, door-to-door sales - and even with all that background, I still didn't think I could do finance because I wasn't financially stable, and I don't come from a family with financial stability, so that's not something I could really relate to on the good side. But I'm always up for challenging myself, and as long as you're challenging yourself, you're growing. It's kind of a way to stay alive, and you don't really lose anything. Finances can be scary, and a lot of people don't think they have enough, but this is a topic or subject that almost everybody can relate to, from a homeless person to Steve Jobs. Anybody can relate to this. So just starting off with that and being curious, if not for anybody else but for yourself, is just enough of a flame to start a fire, in my opinion.

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