HEART CENTERED PLANNING Guide 8: Building Community
HEART-CENTERED PLANNING Eight Guiding Principles For Advisors Seeking To Build Practices—And Lives—With Greater Intention. Building Community Heart-Centered Planning | Guide Eight While this is the final guide in the Heart Centered Planning series, it is not the end of the conversation. If there is one lesson that has become increasingly clear throughout my career, it is this: meaningful success is rarely built alone. Over the course of this series, we’ve explored grounding, authenticity, personal power, leading with your heart, speaking your truth, living your vision, and discovering your purpose. Each of these principles matters. But none of them reach their full potential without community. The advisors who build lasting businesses rarely do it in isolation. They intentionally surround themselves with people who challenge their thinking, expand their perspective, and encourage them to continue growing—both personally and professionally. Community isn’t built by collecting contacts or attending more networking events. It’s built by cultivating meaningful relationships grounded in trust, generosity, and shared values. The right community creates space for honest conversations, fresh perspectives, and mutual support. It reminds us that leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about being willing to learn, contribute, and grow alongside others. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with extraordinary advisors across the country. While every practice is different, the most fulfilled and successful professionals share one common characteristic: they never stop investing in relationships. Because relationships are what sustain us. They strengthen our businesses, enrich our lives, and often become the catalyst for opportunities we could never have created on our own. Not the biggest community. Not the loudest community. The right community. The one that encourages you to lead with integrity, pursue meaningful work, and become more of who you’re meant to be. Because success is more rewarding when it is shared, and the most meaningful journeys are rarely walked alone. I hope the Heart-Centered Planning series has encouraged you to approach your business—and your life—with greater intention, authenticity, and purpose. ✦ Pause. There is nothing to solve right now. Take a moment before continuing. Notice… As you reflect on the entire Heart-Centered Planning series, which principle has stayed with you most? What has shifted in the way you think about your work, your leadership, or yourself? Reflect… Who are the people who help you become your best self? Where might you intentionally deepen existing relationships or create space for new ones that align with your values and vision? Carry Forward… What’s one commitment you’ll make—not just for your business, but for the kind of life and community you want to help create? There is nothing to solve right now. Simply notice what resonates and carry it with you into your work, your relationships, and your life. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your journey. The journey continues—one intentional choice, one meaningful relationship, and one heart-centered decision at a time. Access the complimentary guide below and continue the conversation. Season One Discussion Featuring Aaron Houghton, creator of the Founders First Systems Watch the webinar Access The Complimentary Guide Fill out the form below to access the complimentary guide:
HEART CENTERED PLANNING Guide 7: Live Your Purpose
HEART-CENTERED PLANNING Eight Guiding Principles For Advisors Seeking To Build Practices—And Lives—With Greater Intention. Live Your Purpose Heart-Centered Planning | Guide Seven Purpose is one of those words that gets used often, yet rarely explored deeply. It’s easy to mistake purpose for a career, a title, or a milestone. We begin to believe that once we achieve enough, earn enough, or accomplish enough, purpose will naturally follow. In my experience, the opposite is true. Purpose isn’t something we arrive at. It’s something we choose to live each day. Throughout my career, I’ve met advisors from every stage of business. Some managed large practices. Others were just beginning. What separated the most fulfilled professionals wasn’t the size of their firm or the assets they managed. It was the clarity with which they understood why they did the work in the first place. Purpose has a way of bringing everything else into focus. It shapes the decisions we make, the clients we choose to serve, the relationships we invest in, and the legacy we hope to leave behind. When your work is aligned with your values, success becomes more than a destination. It becomes a natural expression of who you are. Living your purpose doesn’t mean every day is easy. It doesn’t remove challenges or uncertainty. What it does provide is something far more valuable—a reason to keep moving forward with intention, even when the path isn’t perfectly clear. I’ve come to believe that meaningful businesses are built the same way meaningful lives are built: one intentional decision at a time. Not because purpose changes. But because life has a way of pulling our attention toward urgency instead of significance. When we reconnect with our purpose, we often rediscover the clarity, energy, and conviction that first set us on this path. Because the most meaningful measure of success isn’t simply what we’ve built. It’s who we’ve become while building it. I hope this guide encourages you to reflect on the work you’re creating, the lives you’re impacting, and the purpose that continues to guide both. ✦ Pause. There is nothing to solve right now. Take a moment before continuing. Notice… When you think about why you began this work, what feelings or memories come to the surface? What still rings true today? Reflect… Where have urgency, expectations, or the pace of business pulled your attention away from what matters most? Where do you feel most aligned with your purpose? Carry Forward… What’s one decision you can make this week that reflects not just what you want to achieve, but who you want to become? There is nothing to solve right now. Simply notice what resonates and carry it with you into your work, your relationships, and your life. Watch the discussion below and access the complimentary guide to continue the conversation. Featuring Amy McIlwain Watch the webinar: Access The Complimentary Guide Fill out the form below to access the complimentary guide:
HEART CENTERED PLANNING Guide 6: Live Your Vision
HEART-CENTERED PLANNING Eight Guiding Principles For Advisors Seeking To Build Practices—And Lives—With Greater Intention. Live Your Vision Heart-Centered Planning | Guide Six Vision is often mistaken for a business plan. In reality, it’s something much deeper. A business plan tells you what you want to accomplish. A vision reminds you why it matters in the first place. Throughout my career, I’ve met advisors with extraordinary talent, impressive businesses, and ambitious goals. Yet the advisors who create the most fulfilling careers aren’t necessarily the ones moving the fastest. They’re the ones who have a clear vision of the life they’re building—and who allow that vision to shape the decisions they make every day. Vision isn’t about predicting the future. It’s about developing the clarity to recognize what is worth pursuing and the courage to continue moving toward it, even when every step isn’t visible. When your vision is clear, decisions become simpler. Opportunities become easier to evaluate. Distractions lose their influence. And success becomes less about chasing what everyone else is doing and more about building something that reflects your values, your priorities, and the legacy you hope to leave behind. I’ve come to believe that vision isn’t reserved for extraordinary moments. It’s revealed through ordinary choices made consistently over time. Every conversation. Every client relationship. Every opportunity you accept—or decline. Every decision either moves you closer to the life you’re intentionally creating or further away from it. Not because your goals have changed. But because clarity has a way of getting buried beneath urgency. When we take time to rediscover our vision, we often rediscover ourselves. Because the future isn’t built by accident. It’s built through intentional choices that honor both who we are today and who we’re becoming. I hope this guide encourages you to lead with greater clarity, make decisions with greater confidence, and build a business that reflects the vision you hold for your life. ✦ Pause. There is nothing to solve right now. Take a moment before continuing. Notice… As you read this guide, what vision kept coming to mind? What kind of life—or practice—are you quietly being called to create? Reflect… Where have urgency, busyness, or other people’s expectations distracted you from that vision? What decisions already reflect the future you’re intentionally building? Carry Forward… What’s one choice you can make this week that brings your daily actions into closer alignment with the life and business you truly want to create? There is nothing to solve right now. Simply notice what resonates and carry it with you into your work, your relationships, and your life. Watch the discussion below and access the complimentary guide to continue the conversation. Season One Discussion Featuring Stephani Lucas, Founder & CEO of The Annuity Consultants Watch the webinar: Access The Complimentary Guide Fill out the form below to access the complimentary guide:
HEART CENTERED PLANNING Guide 5: Speak Your Truth
HEART-CENTERED PLANNING Eight Guiding Principles For Advisors Seeking To Build Practices—And Lives—With Greater Intention. Speak Your Truth Heart-Centered Planning | Guide Five There comes a point in every career when experience teaches you something success never could. You realize that your greatest strength isn’t found in saying more. It’s found in becoming more aligned with who you are. In an industry filled with opinions, expectations, and constant noise, it’s easy to believe that the most successful people are simply the loudest. But the advisors who build the deepest trust rarely rely on volume or persuasion. They communicate with clarity. They lead with integrity. And over time, their words and their actions become impossible to separate. Speaking your truth isn’t about having all the answers or convincing others to see the world the way you do. It’s about having the courage to communicate honestly, set healthy boundaries, and build a business that reflects your values rather than someone else’s expectations. I’ve found that authenticity has a quiet confidence about it. It doesn’t need to compete for attention. It doesn’t need to perform. It simply creates consistency between what we believe, how we lead, and the promises we make to the people we serve. When our words and our actions are aligned, trust naturally follows. Not because we’ve perfected our message, but because people can sense when someone is leading from a place of genuine conviction. The strongest voice you’ll ever develop isn’t the one that sounds the most polished. It’s the one that consistently reflects your values, your experience, and the promises you make to the people you serve. Not the one the industry expected you to have. The one that genuinely reflects your experience, your values, and the impact you hope to make. Because the strongest businesses are built on trust. And trust begins when people know they’re experiencing the real you. I hope this guide encourages you to communicate with greater clarity, lead with greater authenticity, and discover the freedom that comes from building a business that is fully aligned with who you are. ✦ Pause. There is nothing to solve right now. Take a moment before continuing. Notice… What part of this guide felt most like your own story? Which words reflected something you’ve known, but perhaps haven’t fully trusted? Reflect… Where in your business are you speaking from genuine conviction? Are there places where you’ve been filtering your voice to meet someone else’s expectations? Carry Forward… What’s one conversation this week where you can communicate with greater honesty, clarity, or courage while remaining deeply respectful of the person in front of you? There is nothing to solve right now. Simply notice what resonates and carry it with you into your work, your relationships, and your life. Watch the discussion below and access the complimentary guide to continue the conversation. Season One Discussion Featuring Carol Campos Watch the webinar: Season Two Discussion Featuring Robin Hanover Watch the webinar: Access The Complimentary Guide Fill out the form below to access the complimentary guide:
HEART CENTERED PLANNING Guide 4: Leading With Your Heart
HEART-CENTERED PLANNING Eight Guiding Principles For Advisors Seeking To Build Practices—And Lives—With Greater Intention. Leading With Your Heart Heart-Centered Planning | Guide Four Leadership is often measured by results. But over the years, I’ve come to believe that the leaders who leave the greatest impact are remembered for something else entirely. How they made people feel. In an industry built on trust, technical expertise will always matter. But knowledge alone isn’t what creates lasting relationships. People remember the advisors who listened before they spoke. Who remained calm during uncertainty. Who cared enough to understand what truly mattered to the families sitting across from them. Leading with your heart isn’t about leading with emotion instead of wisdom. It’s about allowing compassion, integrity, and presence to shape the way you serve, communicate, and make decisions. The strongest leaders understand that confidence and empathy are not competing qualities. They strengthen one another. I’ve found that the most meaningful client relationships are rarely built through perfect presentations or polished conversations. They’re built through consistency, genuine care, and the willingness to show up fully present for another human being. That kind of leadership creates trust. And trust creates the foundation for everything else. Leading with your heart isn’t about becoming someone different. It’s about returning to the qualities that inspire trust, deepen relationships, and remind people why they chose to work with you in the first place. Because leadership isn’t simply about what you accomplish. It’s about what your presence makes possible for others. I hope this guide encourages you to lead with greater intention, cultivate deeper relationships, and discover that some of the most enduring strengths in business are also the most deeply human. ✦ Pause. There is nothing to solve right now. Take a moment before continuing. Notice… Which part of this guide felt most familiar? Where did you recognize the kind of leader you already are? Reflect… Think about the people who trust you—clients, colleagues, friends, or family. How do they experience your presence when life feels uncertain? Carry Forward… What’s one way you can lead with greater compassion, curiosity, or presence in your next conversation? There is nothing to solve right now. Simply notice what resonates and carry it with you into your work, your relationships, and your life. Watch the discussion below and access the complimentary guide to continue the conversation. Season One Discussion Featuring Whitney Yarnall Watch the webinar: Season Two Discussion Featuring Scott Robinson Watch the webinar: Access The Complimentary Guide Fill out the form below to access the complimentary guide:
HEART CENTERED PLANNING Guide 3: Nourish Your Personal Power
HEART-CENTERED PLANNING Eight Guiding Principles For Advisors Seeking To Build Practices—And Lives—With Greater Intention. Nourish Your Personal Power Heart-Centered Planning | Guide Three Personal power is not about ego, status, performance, or external validation. It is the quiet confidence that comes from knowing who you are, understanding what you stand for, and leading from a place of authenticity rather than expectation. Within the insurance and financial services industry, advisors are often conditioned to measure success by production, visibility, or growth alone. While those outcomes matter, they are not what create lasting influence. Over time, chasing external metrics can disconnect advisors from the very qualities that inspire trust, deepen relationships, and make their work meaningful. True leadership begins with alignment. When advisors understand their values, communicate with clarity, and allow their unique perspective to shape the way they serve clients, business becomes less about convincing and more about connecting. Confidence becomes natural rather than performed. Visibility becomes an extension of authenticity rather than marketing. This guide invites you to explore how personal power shapes the way you lead, communicate, make decisions, and build relationships—creating a business that reflects both your values and your vision. The Heart-Centered Planning series was created for advisors who want to build exceptional businesses without losing themselves in the process. It is an invitation to lead with greater intention, strengthen the foundation beneath your success, and create a practice that reflects both professional excellence and personal integrity. Because the most influential advisors are not those who try to become someone else. They are the ones who become more fully themselves. ✦ Pause. There is nothing to solve right now. Take a moment before continuing. Notice… Where did you recognize yourself while reading this guide? Which idea stayed with you after you finished? Reflect… In what areas of your life or business are you leading from genuine confidence? Where might you still be seeking approval, validation, or permission? Carry Forward… What’s one way you can express your authentic voice this week—with a client, a colleague, or even yourself? There is nothing to solve right now. Simply notice what resonates and carry it with you into your work, your relationships, and your life. Watch the discussion below and access the complimentary guide to continue the conversation. Season One Discussion Featuring Bradford Scott Walton Watch the webinar: Season Two Discussion Featuring Brittany Anderson and Bryan Sweet Watch the webinar: Access The Complimentary Guide Fill out the form below to access the complimentary guide:
HEART CENTERED PLANNING Guide 2: Create an Abundance Mindset
HEART-CENTERED PLANNING Eight guiding principles for advisors who want to build practices—and lives—rooted in clarity, alignment, and intention. Create an Abundance Mindset Heart-Centered Planning | Guide Two Abundance is not simply measured by financial growth. It is a way of leading that is rooted in possibility, clarity, generosity, and the confidence to believe there is more than enough opportunity to create meaningful success. Within the insurance and financial services industry, advisors are often conditioned to operate from scarcity—competing for clients, protecting information, and measuring their worth against external benchmarks. While these habits may produce short-term results, they rarely create businesses that are sustainable, fulfilling, or deeply aligned. An abundance mindset offers a different path. It shifts the focus from competition to contribution, from fear to trust, and from transactional growth to long-term relationships. Advisors who embrace this perspective become more collaborative, make clearer decisions, communicate with greater confidence, and create value that extends far beyond financial outcomes. This guide explores how an abundance mindset influences leadership, decision-making, client relationships, business development, and the vision you create for both your practice and your life. The Heart-Centered Planning series was created for advisors who want to build exceptional businesses without losing themselves in the process. It is an invitation to lead with intention, cultivate lasting trust, and build success from a foundation of purpose rather than pressure. Because abundance is not something you chase. It is something you create. ✦ Pause. There is nothing to solve right now. Take a moment before continuing. Notice… Where did you feel yourself nodding in agreement? What challenged the way you’ve been thinking about success, opportunity, or abundance? Reflect… Are there areas of your business or life where fear, comparison, or scarcity have quietly shaped your decisions? What might change if you approached those same situations from trust instead? Carry Forward… What’s one choice you can make this week that reflects an abundance mindset—whether with your time, relationships, generosity, or business? There is nothing to solve right now. Simply notice what resonates and carry it with you into your work, your relationships, and your life. Watch the discussion below and access the complimentary guide to continue the conversation. Season One Discussion Featuring Jennifer Spor Watch the webinar: Season Two Discussion Featuring Ellen Tyler Watch the webinar: Access The Complimentary Guide Fill out the form below to access the complimentary guide:
HEART CENTERED PLANNING Guide 1: The Importance of Being Grounded
Heart-Centered Planning Eight guiding principles for advisors who want to build practices—and lives—rooted in clarity, alignment, and intention. The Importance of Being Grounded Heart-Centered Planning | Guide One Leadership is changing. The advisors creating the greatest long-term impact are no longer driven by urgency alone, they are rooted in clarity, integrity, and intention. True leadership begins from within. It is built on clarity, presence, integrity, and the ability to remain grounded regardless of external pressure or changing circumstances. Within an industry often driven by production, urgency, and constant performance, it is easy to become disconnected from the values that create lasting trust. Yet the advisors who leave the greatest impact are rarely those who move the fastest—they are the ones who lead with intention, communicate with authenticity, and make decisions from a place of confidence rather than reaction. Grounding is not about slowing your ambition. It is about creating a stable foundation from which sustainable success can grow. This guide explores how being grounded influences leadership, decision-making, client relationships, communication, and the long-term vision you create for your business and your life. The Heart-Centered Planning series was created for advisors who want to build exceptional businesses without losing themselves in the process. It is an invitation to lead with greater presence, cultivate deeper trust, and create success that reflects both professional excellence and personal integrity. Because every lasting business is built on a strong foundation. And every strong foundation begins within. ✦ Pause. Notice…What part of this guide felt immediately true for you? Reflect…Where in your business or life do you feel most grounded? Where do outside pressures pull you away from that center? Carry Forward…What’s one practice, boundary, or ritual that helps you return to clarity when things become busy or uncertain? There is nothing to solve right now. Simply notice what resonates and carry it with you into your work, your relationships, and your life. Watch the discussion below and access the complimentary guide to continue the conversation. Season One Discussion Featuring Hass Sadeghi Watch the webinar: Season Two Discussion Featuring Raj Jana Watch the webinar: Access The Complimentary Guide Fill out the form below to access the complimentary guide:
Eight Principles To Attract The Clients You Want
We’ve all seen the headlines and ads claiming there is a secret to success, top tips promising they will grow your business and ensure financial gain. But nine times out of 10, these promises are empty gimmicks, or they involve more effort than they’re worth. In order to see any real results, you must buy a product or service, add more funds to your already tight budget, grow your team or learn a new skill. But what if you could grow your business without buying anything at all? In fact, what if you already had all the tools you needed to succeed? Every agent and advisor already possess the skills they need to be successful. It’s just a matter of looking within. In business, we tend to operate from the analytical part of our minds, not our hearts. If more agents and advisors would lead from their hearts, their businesses could change dramatically. If you’re doing the right things for the right reasons, the money will follow. Our motivation should stem from how we can positively impact others, be the best versions of ourselves and focus on serving our clients. So where do you start? These eight principles have transformed my personal life and my business, and I recommend them to all agents and advisors seeking more fulfillment in business. 1) Stay grounded First and foremost, it’s important to stay centered and grounded. In business, challenging issues arise that can trigger an emotional response. A difficult client, a stressful meeting, an impending deadline — all of these are examples of stressful situations agents and advisors face regularly. When an emotional reaction starts to arise, it can be difficult to get past it and see the situation for what it really is. Staying grounded and having a practice that helps you maintain a level of calmness allows you to not only diffuse the feelings of the moment, but it also allows you to remain levelheaded to make sound decisions and offer solid advice for your clients. A few simple ways to stay grounded? Slow down. Take deep breaths. Get some fresh air. Meditate. Exercise. These practices take only a few minutes but make a world of difference. 2) Practice a growth mindset Sometimes it’s all about perspective. Do you focus on the negatives more than the positives? If you could achieve anything, what would it be? Start focusing on what could be possible for your business rather than dwelling on the obstacles and setbacks. Practicing a growth mindset shifts the focus from scarcity to abundance. When you focus on immediate gain all the time, other possibilities may go past you unnoticed. Instead, look forward to what you want to achieve, and envision the clients you’d like to attract — even if it doesn’t seem possible right now. Leaders who have an abundance mindset focus on future possibilities and see everything as an opportunity. Refuse to settle for mediocrity. It is important to stay present and be able to visualize and feel as though you already have achieved your desired outcome. Read the full article here.
Stephani Lucas, Founder of The Annuity Consultants, Is Transforming the Insurance/Financial Industry
For decades, the insurance and financial planning industries have been pegged as stuffy and antiquated, or even worse, manipulative and calculating. When Stephani Lucas founded The Annuity Consultants more than a decade ago, she vowed to do things differently. Nearly 20 years ago, Stephani was putting herself through college and working at a real estate company when one of her clients recruited her to join their FMO (Field Marketing Organization) that specialized in wholesale annuities in the independent insurance channel. Although she enjoyed the work, she felt something was missing. So after a brief period, she left the company and posted her resume online, assuming that her career in the insurance industry had come to an end. However, the universe had other plans as is often the case, and her resume caught the eye of another FMO. She was hired by this new company, and over the next few years, she continued to hone her skills and fell in love with the marketing aspect of the insurance world. By 2008, she had graduated with a dual degree in International Business and Marketing, but the company she worked for was tanking along with so many others in the recession. Stephani decided to move on, and in 2010 she took a bold leap. She set out on her own and founded The Annuity Consultants. Prior to founding her own company, Stephani had worked in nearly every aspect of the business and had experienced a front-row seat to all the inefficiencies that plagued the industry. With all this knowledge of how not to do things, she approached The Annuity Consultants with a fresh perspective, and with the help of technology and social media, she set out to build something spectacular. Over the next 9 years, Stephani grew the business and experienced a series of highs and lows in her personal life that challenged, strengthened, and shaped her. Through the process of getting sober in 2013 and all of her deep inner work, she also found her passion for this industry. It was while traveling through Bali in 2019 that she was struck with the realization she wanted to build something that would deeply, positively impact people in the insurance and financial industry. “I realized how many advisors approached insurance in the financial planning process from entirely the wrong way,” she explains. “Our motivation should stem from the ways we can positively impact others, be the best versions of ourselves, and do what we were put here to do.” Her 8-part Heart Centered Planning Series was born out of this inspiration. The series was created to help agents and advisors realign with their personal purpose and learn to love themselves, so that they can pour out the same love and compassion into the world and the people they work with on a daily basis. In her words, it’s all about “changing the industry from the inside out.” “When you have a full tank, you can give so much more to the other people in your life,” says Stephani. “This includes friends, family, and the clients you work with.” This series is especially relevant and needed now that the new DOL Fiduciary Rule has been finalized and will be rolled out in early 2021. . Regulations and suitability has plagued the industry, taking annuity applications from 1.5 pages to over 40 pages in the last two decades. This is due to agents and advisors doing business in a way that isn’t in their clients’ best interest. It’s unfortunate these changes are happening in the industry, but it’s all the more reason for Stephani to work diligently on spreading the word about the Heart Centered Planning series. The free 8-part series provides agents and advisors with a holistic approach to living their lives and doing business. They start by explaining the “Importance Of Being Grounded.” According to Stephani, “This is the foundation of it all; it’s all about community. We are all in this together. We need each other; we have to start by understanding why it’s important to do our own inner work.” From here, agents and advisors are lead through guides 2 and 3, where they learn how to “Create An Abundance Mindset” and “Nourish Your Personal Power.” The fourth guide, and perhaps the most related to the main theme of the series, addresses the impact of “Leading With Your Heart.” Stephani explains, “In business, we operate within the analytical part of our mind, not our hearts. If more people could come from the heart, the business could change. If you’re doing the right things for the right reasons, the money will follow.” The fifth guide encourages agents and advisors to “Speak Your Truth.” Stephani’s understanding of it is that, “This makes a huge difference in your business, even if it means having a difficult conversation, you’re being authentic to yourself, and that will attract the right kind of people.” Guides 6-8 teach clients on these topics: “Live Your Vision,” “Live Your Purpose,” and “Building Community.” Each guide includes a personal testimonial from a featured agent or advisor who has implemented the principles into their life and business. In addition to the guides themselves, the series also includes webinars with special guest speakers who share the many ways this shift in mindset has changed their lives. No matter what the years ahead hold for the financial industry, one thing is for certain: Stephani Lucas is dedicated to helping transform it for the better.