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.
Episodes
45 episodes
What Your RIA Contract Is Actually Saying — And How to Protect Yourself with Attorney Andrew Shedlock
Feeling trapped by your employment agreement? Attorney Andrew Shedlock joins Shelby to unpack the legal clauses that are reshaping advisor transitions — and what you can do about them before it's too late.In this episode, you'll learn:
Tripled to $2 MM Top-Line in 5 Years – Growing in a Rural Market | Matt Bragg & Kellie Schleicher
Matt Bragg has been a financial advisor for over 30 years. He grew up watching farm families lose everything because no one talked about money. That experience never left him — and it shaped every decision he has made about how to run his pract...
The Value Stack Framework Top RIAs Won't Stop Using | Steve Lockshin
Steve Lockshin has been doing things differently since before "going independent" was a trend. He founded his first RIA in the 1990s, co-founded Advice Period, and is now chairman of Vanilla — an AI-powered estate planning platform built specif...
Give It Away to Grow: How to Build a $4B Practice on Abundance | Nathan Bennett
What if the fastest path to a $3M or $5M practice was giving business away instead of hoarding it? Most advisors are wired for scarcity — protecting every client, every lead, every dollar. But Nathan Bennett, Managing Partner at Summit Financia...
Women, Wealth & Organic Growth: A Blueprint for Advisors Who Want to Win the Next Decade | Shannon Spotswood
By 2030, women will control over $30 trillion in investable assets — and yet 70% of women change their financial advisor in their moment of greatest need. That stat hasn't moved in 20 years. So what does it cost your practice to keep ignoring i...
Are You a “Boring” Advisor? How Jesse Hurst Uses Pop Culture to Make Finance Memorable
Do your clients ever glaze over when you explain markets, risk, or retirement?In this episode of Advisors Off Script, Shelby Nicholl sits down with Jesse Hurst, CFP®, CEO of Impel Wealth Management, to unpac...
Overcoming Fear and Leading with Purpose with Derrick Kinney
Are you wondering if you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? To leave your firm and forge your own path?In this episode, Shelby talks with Derrick Kinney—America's Financial Educator, author of Good Money Revolution, and former adv...
Considering an Exit? Max Your Value First with Scott DiGiammarino
Considering an exit isn’t about timing retirement—it’s about maximizing the value of what you’ve built before the window shifts.In this episode of Advisors Off Script, Shelby Nicholl talks with Scott DiGiammarino of JPTD Partne...
The Client Mindset at Transition: It’s More Important than the Paperwork with Libby Greiwe
What are your clients really feeling during a transition—and how can advisors reduce stress while strengthening trust?In this episode of Advisors Off Script, Shelby Nicholl is joined by Libby Greiwe, founder of The Efficient...
Building With Purpose: Culture, Calling, and Family Office Planning in Middle America with Vaughan Scott
💥 What if you could build a thriving culture—without tipping into cultish? 💥 What if family office-level planning wasn’t just for the ultra-wealthy—but for builders and business owners in your own community?In this ...
Build the Right ‘Whos,’ Scale the Right Way: Lessons from a $500 Million Advisor with Colleen Bowler
At one point, Colleen Bowler was doing it all — leading client relationships, growing her firm, and keeping every plate spinning. Then she found her "whos" and ...
From Edward Jones to $2 Billion: How Cedarwood is Proving What's Possible in Independence with Dylan Ripley and Todd Vincent
You may have seen the headlines: the largest advisor group to ever exit Edward Jones — nine advisors, nearly $1 billion in AUM, and a bold move to independence.This group embodies something we see again and again: when advisors succeed i...
Brand First: The 3 C’s That Make Breakaway Advisors Look Credible on Day One with Kevin Nichols
A smooth breakaway is rarely decided by your custodian or tech stack. It’s decided by whether your brand looks credible the moment clients start Googling you.In this episode, Shelby Nicholl sits down with Kevin Nichols (partner...
Burnout, Breakaway, and the “Minimum Viable” Move: How Lauren Williams Rebuilt to $200M AUM in 18 Months
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, a...
Introducing Advisors Off Script
After 30 episodes, Kick It Open is evolving.🎙️ Introducing Advisors Off-Script — Stories from the Independent Frontlines.When our podcast launched and we named it Kick It Open, it was podcast about opportunity — about pushing open d...
Are Financial Advisors Failing at Their Own Exit Planning?
On this episode of Kick It Open, Shelby Nicholl of Muriel Consulting sits down with Brooklyn Brock—a third-generation CFP®, succession planning expert, and founder of
Can You Scale Faster With a Better Tax Plan?
Shelby Nicholl of Muriel Consulting sits down with Catherine Tindall, CPA and CEO of Dominion Enterprise Solutions, a tax planning firm dedicated to financial advisors. In this episode, Catherine ou...
Can Consistency Be Your Secret Weapon for Growth?
In this episode of the Kick It Open podcast, host Shelby Nicholl of Muriel Consulting welcomes financial advisor and Perfect RIA founder
Does Life End with Retirement, or Can We Rewire?
For many high-performing professionals (yes, even financial advisors), exiting a career isn’t the easy slide into golf, leisure, and legacy we imagine. In fact, it often triggers boredom, loss of identity, and a surprising lack of fulfillment—<...
Do You Have the Courage to Be Curious in 2025?
Do you have the courage to be curious? In this thought-provoking episode of Kick It Open, host Shelby Nicholl sits down with Liz Schehl—executive coach, industry change agent, and ...
Can a Joy-First Approach Fuel Long-Term Growth for RIAs?
What does it look like to build a thriving wealth management firm around the values of joy and family?In this episode of Kick It Open, Larry Sprung, founder of Mitlin Financial...
Struggling to Scale? It Might Be Time for a Second-in-Command COO.
What if the key to unlocking your next level of growth isn't you doing more... but finding the right person to support you?In this episode of Kick It Open, Shelby Nicholl s...
What If the Key to Practice Growth Is Actually Health, Not Wealth?
Could your next big business breakthrough come from well-being, not just your strategy? Shelby Nicholl connects with Stevyn Guinnip, founder of
What Happens After a Failed Succession Plan? Breakthroughs, Innovation, and Resilience
What happens when a succession plan falls apart? For Leighann Miko, it became the catalyst for something even bigger. In this episode of Kick It Open, Leighann shares her journey from an advisor left stranded by a failed success...
Are You Ready to Ditch the Hustle and Scale to 8 Figures?
Julia Carlson is a powerhouse in wealth management—leading a team of 20, serving over 1,600 families and business owners, and authoring the book Money Loves You: Transform Your Relationship with Money and Grow Your Wealth. In this epis...