Advisors Off Script
Advisors Off Script is the podcast where financial advisors step away from the polished talking points and get real about what it takes to build, break away, and boldly grow. These are stories from the independent front lines. Every advisor has a choice: follow the script laid out by the industry—or write your own.
Formerly known as Kick It Open, the show is hosted by Shelby Nicholl, founder of Muriel Consulting and known as the “RIA Whisperer.” She brings candid conversations, insider insights, and practical strategies that help advisors move from uncertainty to clarity and from frustration to freedom. Because this isn’t just a podcast—it’s your playbook for building boldly and living off script.
Get ready for amazing guests, including advisors who have tread the journey before, leaders from the firms serving independent advisors and partners who help advisors create thriving practices.
Here at Muriel Consulting, we're helping advisors kick the door open on their personal success by living a life off script.
About the Host
Shelby Nicholl is the founder and lead consultant at Muriel Consulting, where she helps financial advisors break free from limits, align their businesses with their ambitions, and build thriving practices. With 25 years in leadership roles at firms like LPL Financial and Edward Jones, she combines deep industry experience with her passion for empowering advisors to take bold steps toward independence and success.
She is also the founder of Muriel Network, a digital community for women in wealth management seeking connection, inspiration, and growth.
Advisors Off Script
Burnout, Breakaway, and the “Minimum Viable” Move: How Lauren Williams Rebuilt to $200M AUM in 18 Months
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Sometimes you don’t get to casually consider change. You hit a wall and realize, this isn’t working anymore.
Lauren Williams (Co-Founder + Co-CEO of Prosper Plan Wealth) spent a decade at a large RIA, built a $300M book, and then watched culture shifts, constant turnover, and resource constraints push her into burnout. Instead of making an emotional leap, she built a min / mid / max transition forecast and set a surprisingly low “income replacement” floor (the minimum AUM she needed to rebuild).
Now, about 18 months later, she and her team are nearing $200M AUM, with a model designed for consistency, client experience, and real freedom.
In this episode, we cover:
- What burnout looked like inside a “business within a business”
- The forecast model Lauren used (min / mid / max) to plan a safer breakaway
- Why “the ability to leave” can make you want to stay (contracts + autonomy)
- Why she chose New Edge instead of launching her own RIA (resources vs overhead)
- The behind-the-scenes reality of “earth-scorching” tactics, and why it backfired
- The real vision: being the best planning firm in Sacramento, without corporate drama
If you’re considering independence and want a practical way to model risk before you move, this conversation is a blueprint.
Learn more at MurielConsulting.com
Hosted by Shelby Nicholl. Produced and edited by Aaron Sherman. Operations and Guest Coordination by Shelly Hadel.
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