Balancing Career Progression with Parenthood | with Faye McDonald

It's been a chair, but why don't you stop? You can't stop. You don't know why that put so much pressure on myself, but I think I rise from that. Why are you passionate about financial planning?

What is your thing with it? Today I am joined by the lovely guy, Donald. Very random to end up in financial services after 200 drama degree. So when I returned back from maternity leave, I was now chartered and I trained financial planner, so it was a big change.

I think once I got that first exam and, you know, started to progress, I got I got the book for it. I'm definitely not one who can just sit. No, I've noticed that. Finance doesn't come easy to everyone.

Yes. To the normal person, it's really difficult to understand it and make it easy. I would always want someone to respond to my parents and how I respond to them. 100% with what you're saying, it goes hand in hand that if you provide a great service, naturally that you will win the business anyway.

Yes. Welcome back to another episode of Hoxton Life. With me, Chris Ball, CEO and founder of Hoxton Wealth. And today I am joined by the lovely Faye McDonald, who has been with us now for just under a year, must be coming up.

Yeah. Started in our Liverpool office, transitioned over to our Dubai office. She's a chartered financial planner with our business, and I'm really excited to have her on today. Thank you.

It's the first one we've done, isn't it? It is. It is. Exciting.

Yeah? A little bit nervous, but here we are. I'm sure you will do amazingly, amazingly well. Um so first off, I'd be very keen to just, or for the viewers, to give them a brief background on yourself and how you actually got into the financial planning profession.

Because it wasn't a the normal conventional route that you just but that all the way through school, you wanted to be a financial planner. Because you actually did drama, didn't you, at university? I did. Very um, very random to end up in financial services after doing a drama degree, but it does it does help.

It does help on the people side, you know, speaking to people, having the confidence to meet new people and ask the right questions and things like that. So it helps a little bit also. I told myself the fees were worth it. Yeah.

Um but yeah, it wasn't it wasn't anything I suppose I thought I'd end up doing. Um I fell into financial services coming out of uni, um, working on the phones in Santander, actually. And then I went into a nine to five job for pensions administration. So working on the phones was that like customer service?

Customer service, yeah. So um and anyone who had banking problems needed to go into branch, needed internet banking fixing, all of those core banking problems. Um, but I knew that wasn't a forever job. Yeah.

It was shift work, it was weekend work, I was dying to get a Monday to Friday nine to five job. Um, so I went into pensions admin and then went into a trainee paraplanner role. Nice. Where I started to do my exams.

Who was the pensions admin with? That was with MESA, so that was doing financial um final salary pensions admin. So quite complex. Yeah.

Um at a time where the pension freedoms come in and everybody wanted to transfer out. Um, you know, lots of transfer quotes, lots of dealing with members online, nothing happens quick in pensions. So, you know, managing client expectations and kind of having that association with clients as the first first point of contact was what kind of made me really enjoy the client side and the the pit the people side to financial services. But there was a kind of ceiling to where that would have ended, and I was very pigeonholed into pensions.

So that's why I took the sideways step to do a trainee paraplan role. Um that was not as client-facing, yeah, much more back office, but complex, you know, research, report writing. Um, but it was great to learn the other sides, not just pensions, you know, the other sides of financial services while I was doing exams. And who was that with?

That was so my first position was with a smaller company called Wealth at Work. Okay. And then I developed into a paraplanner role in InvestTech. Okay, nice.

So I moved on again and decided to do my charters exams because once you get the buzz of passing one, it's I'm not doing another one, you know, I've got a busy life. Um, and then yeah, I just kept going, just kept doing my exams. Even whilst having my little boy whilst pregnant, I was still determined to, you know, keep doing exams and finally got them done while I was pregnant with my daughter, my second daughter, who's now four. Wow.

So that was uh been a journey. Yeah. It's been a journey, but once you start, you can't stop. On to the next stage.

Well, you could stop, but you chose not to because obviously you're very ambitious. Yeah. And I think, look, like But that hasn't always been the case either, is it? No, I wouldn't say I come from an ambitious family.

Um, and that's fine. Look, everybody, my mum and dad were always very much get a secure job. As long as you can afford to do nice things and go on a couple of holidays and you're in a secure job and you're saving for your pension, that's all they wanted, and that I was happy in the role. Doing exams would have been alien to them, especially after doing a degree.

You know, I think they always thought I'd kind of go back into that um drama route. But I think once I got that first exam and, you know, started to progress, I got I got the bug for it. And I'm a people person, so the interaction with clients really kind of made me want to progress. But yeah, I wouldn't say I come from an ambitious family who've kind of, you know, do as many exams, get as highly qualified as possible.

That's just something that happened naturally for me over time. And from me and my husband, who is very ambitious, kind of, you know, it it spreads. It's you know, it's contagious. It's been around like-minded people, isn't it?

It is, yeah. And um, and now that I'm in that position where, you know, I am qualified, I'm so glad I put that time in then because being a parent is hard, and trying to find that time now would be really difficult with my two children at home and trying to get that done. So I think that's definitely advice I'd give to people or you know, other women coming through financial services who or who are at the start of their career, you know, get your head down, get in the office early, do the revision before work, get the exams done because you don't know if that's going to be feasible later in life when you've got a busy home life.

So yeah. Which is which we'll come on to in a minute. Yes. But I think what uh what sticks out most to me was that you were pregnant, then you had uh Joshua.

Joshua, yeah. Uh and then obviously you uh were still doing your exams, so you had a little baby, yeah, and then you continued with your exams, and then you fell pregnant again. Yeah, 18-month age gap. Don't ask me why.

And still doing your exams. I mean, that must have been that must have been like a hard time. I mean, I'm not gonna hold my hands up and say that I was doing night feeds and all the rest of the stuff because my wife would definitely uh tell you otherwise. But you know, that was a stressful time uh having kids at that, you know, at that young age.

So how did you fit it all in? Um early, early mornings. I I just asked for support a couple of hours a day where parents could mind the baby, or and I'd get a couple of hours, even if it was nap time, you know, I was very conscious of trying to make sure my children slept in a cart rather than on me. And a lot of my friends were doing the opposite, you know, they loved the contact naps and they loved I was quite disciplined and that I need to put this baby down to get my two hours to revise at the kitchen table.

And when they wake up early, they'd be in a rocker and I'd be still revising, kind of, you know, with my foot on the rocker, and just it that's the way it was. And I must, I'm not saying I'll just arise in all day, but I'd try and get two hours or an hour in a day, whether that being I woke up a little bit earlier, or you know, I would do it at nap times, or if my I was lucky enough that my parents would say, I'll take the baby, you know, I'd use that, I'd use that time to just try and get through.

Because these exams are they only sit at certain times in the UK. So you generally have them sitting twice a year. So it in my head, I was like, if I miss out on this one, then I'll be back into full-time work by the end of the next one. And you know, I'll have missed my baby, so I won't want to then come home and start revising.

Yeah, I'll want to spend time. So I was always looking a couple of months ahead. Yeah. And that worked best for me to just try and get through them while I had support.

Everyone loves minds and a baby. Yeah. Not everyone loves minds and a toddler. So I was like, well, the babies and people want to, you know, help out.

Um adjust, I just got it on. Yeah. Fair plates, yeah. I mean, that's that's very, very commendable.

And I think that kind of falls through as well into how great you are today at managing life, which we'll talk about as well. Uh, because it didn't stop you. But I think that's you know, that's a lesson for everyone, no matter what you have going on. There's, you know, if you can do it with two children under the age of 18 months and still get your exams, that to me shows that anyone with what they've got going on should be able to uh to accomplish it.

If you've got the right support and the right people pushing you. And it's also because you wanted it. Like you must have had to really want it to do it because if you didn't want it, there was a very valid excuse. Or excuse is that you shouldn't have had to do it, yeah.

Look, we've all got busy lives, whether that be little children or working two jobs or you know lack of support at home, there's there's always something going on, but even if it takes a little bit longer, you know, I didn't do my exams back to back. You know, there were there was there was breaks in there and it it took me a few years to get the chartered exams, but that's okay. Because you know, as long as you're as long as you're getting real experience, because exams are exams at the end of the day.

100%. You know, we we can all pass the exams, but as long as you're out speaking to people, mixing with the right mentors and asking questions and you know, doing doing doing the job on the go, then it doesn't matter how long it takes you to get the exams because that's what we need to be regulated and to get to give good advice, but it's the experience that we do on the side of that. So if it takes a bit longer, it doesn't matter because you're still learning in the other in the other departments, you know.

So so let's talk about your experience then. So what what kind of propelled you forward at the you know at the at the rate you have? So you know you've gone from pensions admin uh to it sounds like admin at the you know, an admin role at the the first uh wealth management business. Yeah, it was that was more, yeah.

And then you progressed into paraplanning with Investtech. Yeah, you must have got the bug for financial planning at that point, because again, like you know, it's could have been just I'll just stay with what I'm doing and very happy and kind of go, but to propel at the rate that you have, you must have been very passionate about it. And generally with a lot of successful people that I know and that I've spoken to, one thing that they all have is they're passionate about what they do.

What why are you passionate about financial planning? What what get you know what what is your thing with it? Yeah, I think where I was in in paraplanning, so I I done the trainee paraplan enroll, I got my exams, I went into a technical paraplanning role in InvestHech. And I always, there was always the part, the client interaction to me was important.

I am a people person, I love speaking to people. I think people tell me things naturally, which is really nice. I I don't like going through, you know, a fact find as though it's a questionnaire or, you know, like an interview. I think we I really have a natural approach in terms of the conversation, but I didn't get that from paraplanning.

Of course. So I, you know, would love it when my advisors I worked with would say, you know, ring this client for me and we'd have a conversation and I'd come out feeling great about it. But I always had a think, a ceiling on whether I could be an advisor or not. It was because it was never in the trajectory, it was never my plan.

It there was always a can I do that, and I suppose a lack of self-belief. But it was dependent on which advisor I worked for, which is quite interesting. As a power planner, you work for different advisors doing their research, their reports, and things like that. And some advisors I'd work for would be I'd think that's not really my style.

And some I'd think I can do this, I've got this. And anyway, when I was pregnant with my daughter, um a role came up for a trainee financial planner in InvestTech. So I'd left to go on maternity leave as a paraplanner, and this role came up when my daughter was six months old, and I thought I'm gonna go for it. These roles don't come up in big corporate businesses like this that often.

Um so I applied and I got the job. So when I returned back from maternity leave, I was now chartered and a trainee financial planner, so it was a big change. That also says a lot about InvestEc as well. Yeah.

You know, offering the role and knowing that you're on maternity, it could have been an easy choice for them as well. So, you know, kudos to them for creating the opportunity and making it. But even more kudos for you for going, I'm gonna go for it. Yeah.

You know, because a lot of people in life don't. They're like that, it's that fear in their mind that they're like, you know, false emotions appear in real. Well, if I do go, you know, it's like, no, no, no, just go for it. And this is it.

And look, when you're when you're on maternity leave, there's you don't need those butterflies in your belly about a job. No, an interview. You know, you're meant to not think about work and you're meant to be signed off, like just to look after your children and have this new way of life. But it is one of those when these opportunities come up, you have to, you have to grab them and deal with it later.

Just so Ed I'd done the interviews while I was on maternity leave, and yeah, it that's how it started. It's it's very much you pushing yourself outside your comfort zone. That's like that's a recurring theme that we've had here. Yeah, it's like you that like when you get comfortable, you're like, right, push.

Onto the next one. Yeah, onto the next thing. When I'm in the moment, I'm like, why have I done this? I'm never doing it again, you know.

Why do I put so much pressure on myself? But I think I thrive from that. You'd be ignored if you didn't. I would, I will.

I'm definitely not one who can just sit. No, I've noticed that. 6 a.m.

messages from you and all the rest of the good stuff, which we'll come on to in a minute. But um, but yeah, I think um I think comfort and you know, if you're in your comfort zone, you don't grow. And if you're ambitious, you have to be constantly trying to get outside of your your own comfort, yeah comfort zone. So that kind of leads you to, you know, with InvestTech.

So you're a trainee financial planner. Talk us through that. How the how was the training? Was it yeah?

So the training was a program, it was about 18 months. So I was a trainee financial planner where I was mentored. I had really good mentors in InvestTech. Obviously, these guys are the bread and butter is high net worth clients, UK.

Um, so I had a mentor who would attend all meetings with me. I'd done role play training, all all the all the usual. Um my exams were already done and dusted, so I didn't have to worry about that side of it. It was just the client experience sitting in on meetings.

I'd I started by taking, you know, holding a part of the meeting, whether that be discussing the investment performance, or if somebody had an inheritance tax calculation, it would be me to lead a section of the meeting. Okay. And the financial advisor who or my mentor was would lead the rest of the meeting. So it was kind of learning the process there.

Then I moved on to an associate financial planner, which may sound the same as trainee. It's it is in in you know, generally, but what that title change allowed, it gave me the autonomy to then advise supervised so I could put the advice in my name. And it was all very, you know, um structured. Yeah.

And then after I got signed off at that, I got financial planner. Yeah. And um a portion of the mentor I was working with, senior financial planner, a portion of his clients I looked after. Amazing.

So, and that I love that. I love speaking to the clients, you know, even in natural time of training where I developed a relationship that was I knew I've made the right decision in moving into the financial planning. What do you love about client servicing? Because it does come very natural to you.

You are a people person, you know. It's I've not met anyone that has come across and said, Oh, you know, strange girl. No, but you are you're very approachable, easy to talk with, you know, like you you come across as confident, but you know, not arrogant, like you know, it's what but what brings you into client servicing? Why do you care so much?

I I treat everyone how I want my parents to be treated, you know. All of my family, they get something through the post about finance, and to to me it's like the answer's in the first line. Yeah. But it's ask Faye about that, send that letter to Faye, and I know they finance doesn't come easy to everyone.

Yes, it may be an easy answer to us, but to you know, to to to the normal person, it's really difficult to understand. They don't make it easy. So I wouldn't I would always want someone to respond to my parents and how I respond to them. And you know, I th I don't think clients want a lot.

They just want a response. Yeah. Even if that's a holding email, like I've I've got your email, I don't know the answer right now, but I'll come back to you. Rather than trying to find the answer and then them having to chase you, that's where it all starts to, you know, starts to go wrong.

So I just think having those little early interventions and managing expectations and explaining things in easy to understand format because that's what I have to do to my family members. Um I've kind of learned that on the on on the job. But yeah, if if there's no good client service, then clients aren't gonna stay. No.

There's someone who will provide a good service. Clients buy service, yeah. They buy people and they buy service and they buy people who they can relate to. And you know, it's sometimes wealth is a big part of life, you know.

People worry about money a lot. A lot. And it's our job to disarm clients when they're worried, you know, relieve their stress and anxiety, um, and be that common person. It's not all about the next sale, because the next sale will develop if you do a good job.

Yeah, 100%. And look, and ultimately it is, you know, we we we aren't a charity as a as a business. It is uh, you know, it's a is uh it's a business that has to earn revenue. However, it you know, 100% with what you're saying, it goes hand in hand that if you provide a great service naturally that you will win the business anyway.

Yes, that happens. And look, all of our clients have friends in the same age category, in the same business, you know, with similar pensions. They have colleagues with, you know, who are going to have the same pension queries. If you do a good job and answer that effectively and you know manage expectations, like I said, they'll speak to their friends about that and and and when they're looking for help, you'll be the name on the front.

I just I'm a people person, I just love speaking to people and you know if there's a if there's a way to pick up the phone and speak to somebody, I'd rather do that than sending a big email. That can be misconstrued. So yeah, definitely. It's my it's it's that personal touch, isn't it?

Definitely when you read things, WhatsApp messages or um or or emails, yeah, you can always take them the wrong way. A hundred percent. And look, can I there's in financial services, we're not the only we're not the only person who is accountable. We've got providers, you know, pension providers, um, you know, accountants.

There's we work with a lot of different people. It's not just our service, but we can be the kind of glue and you know, we can chase all all of those different people. So it's just about, you know, common clients and being that person who they can reach out to. 100% just being there to them when they need when they need you.

So so you've got so you're InvestEch and then you've gone to another financial planning business. Yeah. Um, and then you've joined Hoxton after that. I've got the career journey.

Yes, yeah, yeah. So I went to a smaller financial planning business and it was only a short period of time, basically. For I was meant to get clients, but it would it didn't turn into that type of role. It turns into more of a business development role, which didn't suit my family dynamic.

I I I had come from service and clients and looking after clients and kind of growing naturally through the client bias that I'd that I had through good service to then having no clients and having to go out and you know network and business develop. I'm I'm I'm okay with that. You know, I have made so many good relationships from that short period of time with solicitors, countons, you know, other stakeholders. Um but when you've got a busy family life and a stressful family life at home, the you don't want to be worried about too many targets.

No, I get it. It's that's another thing. Like, obviously, I love a challenge. Yeah, I love, but I have got to be realistic in that, you know, I actually really love the service, and so why move away from that when I know I can do my business development organically through that?

Taking those clients away and and growing a book from scratch is not the right stage of where I am in my life. Maybe 10 years' time, 15 years' time, give me the challenge, I'll I'll take it. But right now it's uh that wasn't right for me. But saying that, I think you know, when you speak to new clients, obviously I you know I've stopped taking on clients now, and you and I have been working together helping service my client bank, um, and you've been working with with the team to to do that, and you know, working with Simon in client services to start really building out that UK part of the uh client services proposition for the international uh base clients, which is which is fantastic.

Um But you know, I think you know you are very good as well in front of new new the new business uh stuff, but I get what you mean. It's that kind of the business development where you you need it to be more structured in terms of your your life because it has to fit in around what's most important, which is your family. Yeah, and I think look where I am now, say 75% of my time is servicing clients, yeah, and I've still got that 25% of growth, and you know, and that's good for me because it gives me something to focus on outside.

You know, I don't want to get too comfortable, I still want to be able to service new clients and and meet with new clients because starting a process from the beginning is is great as a financial planner, you know. Um, so that's great, but in the previous role, it was a hundred percent doing that, which just wasn't right with the with the timing of that wasn't right for me. So let's talk about your new role. Yeah.

So let's talk about your role, what you're coming over, and what you're doing at Hoxton Wealth now, and you know, how you're helping clients within our business. So I am look as you said, looking after servicing your clients. So I am working on the service and team with Simon Picking, who you've um who has been on this. So Simon, me and Simon, I'm looking after more of the UK serviceon.

Um and uh there's two other financial planners who I am mentoring to, you know, put through this training. Um and yeah, we're looking after after the clients, making sure that everything remains suitable and yeah, hopefully growing that part of the business out, you know. Any any advisors who feed clients into the service and team, we will take that on then. Um especially if they've got UK asset, I'll be definitely having oversight of that.

So yeah, it's it's building building that up and making sure everybody's happy. So let's talk about the management piece as well, because that's been a new piece again. So that's more ambitious. Take it now, starting to have people work uh underneath you and you're helping their growth as well.

So it's no longer just about your own growth, it's now you're responsible for making sure that these other advisors, you know, gr grow as well. How's that been? I love it. Yeah.

Again, being a people, a people's person is is important. I think I am really looking forward to, you know, I've had some really great mentors throughout my training journey, and now I am really fortunate enough to be able to give some of that knowledge back. So yeah, I'm really enjoying working with people, working, you know, with colleagues. These are all new colleagues because I've only recently joined the office.

So yeah, I think I'm hoping everybody is enjoying working with me as well, but that's definitely another string to the bow in terms of me managing and growing people and something I'm really looking forward to for the year ahead. 100%. I think it'd be great here. I think it's just naturally in your your person to to definitely to you know to to give to give back to people as well, which I think is right, you know, which was really good.

But also, you know, I would say I would say personally that the reason why, you know, number one, you didn't like the role that you're in now is completely evolved from the role that you came in at initially. But number one, you was there when the opportunity presented itself. Number two, you put yourself forward and said, Yeah, I can do this. Um number three, um, there was no expectation from your part that that was a given.

Like you came in and did a really good job and proved yourself right from the get-go, which is you know why it's so important to come in and to get involved in as many things as you can and and be seen to help. And then naturally your personal talent shine through, and therefore, there when there is opportunity, which in a growing business or in a scaling business, there is endless opportunity, yeah, it it presents itself. So, you know, that that that's your own doing, that doesn't come as a given, it's not nothing is handed out, it's you come in, you do a great job, and then there's opportunity around it because initially you joined us on a reduced hours uh workload, um, as opposed to you know full, you know, full full-time.

Yeah. Although I would argue it was probably doing the same work in the reduced hours that most people would do in the full-time. Um, you know, how and then obviously now you've kind of you know we had a discussion about well, look, there is this opportunity, how does that fit in with you? You went away and had a think about it, and then you know, came back and said, Yes, I would I would like to do it.

Like, let's talk a bit about flexibility, let's talk about a bit about um coming in on a reduced hours basis and what that meant for you and why why you did that. Yeah, so when my son, my son Joshua, he's five, he started school last year. So while I was still in the UK, he'd started reception. And that hit me like a ton of bricks because I'd been so used to nursery, you know, the flexibility of nursery, dropping off when you want, picking up a half five, six o'clock, you could still do your full-time day.

Yeah, my son is autistic, he's non-verbal, so he has complex needs. And after school clubs don't exist when you've got complex needs, he needs a full-time one-to-one. Um, so it was difficult. I I couldn't do everything, you know.

Um he can't have anyone just picking him up. Grandparents can help so much, but they were still working at the time, so it was really difficult to manage that. And I couldn't make up those, I couldn't find time at that point to make up those hours, so I decided to reduce my hours. So I'd when I was in the UK, I finished a half two, picked them up, and that was that was fine.

Obviously, the opportunity came for us. So that was when you was in our Liverpool office. Yes, so that was Liverpool. So um, and and and that worked really well, you know.

Um and this was always meant to be a short-term thing because as and when Joshua as as Joshua develops and his communication improves, you know, there could have been opportunities for me to, you know, get some more support. But supporting the UK is difficult. Yeah, it's really difficult because you know, outside of grandparents, you can't essentially there's nothing there, you know. There's after school clubs, but they're not suitable for Joshua.

So so anyway, we had that, I had that set up and then we moved to Dubai, and that setup continued. Now I've lost grandparents, so even more difficult. I'd leave the office at one, fit pick him up, because again, not anyone can pick him up. And I had support at home, but I still have to be at home because anything can happen.

Yeah, you know, it's he's unpredictable, he's a flight risk, he could, you know, shut your eyes and he's he's climbing somewhere. If there's a way to do it, he is over the wall. He's super active, Leg. He's so active.

So yeah, work was going really well. I'm happy to do that. I was still working in the evening answering client queries because of the time difference with UK. Um, and then the opportunity could come up to, you know, kind of develop my role.

And if me and you had a conversation, and I said, I really want to do it. Yeah, but the only way it's gonna work is if I have a split shift. Yeah. So I work in the office now in the morning, most mornings, you know, just to it's nice to go in to speak to the team, because I'm mentoring that side-by-side mentorship is really important, face to face.

So we do that most mornings in the office. Leave at one, go and pick my children up from school, drop them back off at home. And sometimes, you know, as I said to you, this is not a drop and go back to work. Joshua may be unregulated in terms of how he's displaying after school.

So sometimes I may take him swimming, I may take him to soft play just to calm him down. And then I have support then who can help me and I can go away in my office, which I make sure my daughter, who's four, sees a computer in my office and she just doesn't think I'm sat at home all day. But um, yeah, it it's working, it's working really well. Um and my kids are happy, you know.

Joshua's so much there's so much more here for him in terms of me being able to regulate him without leaving our community. And that was a big driver for you moving to Dubai, wasn't it? It was like the number one driver was yeah, lovely tax-free sunshine. But the main reason that you guys wanted to move from Liverpool out to Dubai was for your son.

Yes. He he has got access to so much more support here. Yes, it's expensive. Having a special needs child is expensive wherever you are in the world because you know, even in the UK, this what you get from the NHS in terms of his speech therapy and his occupational therapy isn't enough.

You have to supplement that. But because everybody wants it, there's nothing available. Yeah, there's absolutely nothing available from you know private. Super tough, yeah.

It's so tough. And then his school said they couldn't meet his needs, but specialist school declined in a place. So we were stuck between a rock and a hard place where you know what you do, you know, you've got a school who essentially are saying his needs are too complex, but the council wouldn't fund a specialist place for him. Yeah.

So when we discussed this and move into move into Dubai, we looked at our options here, and the access to the support that he's now got is incredible. And you know, we even said mummy for the first time the other day. And they these are all like this makes it worth it. Yeah, 100%.

And this is why I am also so glad I've done all those exams now. Yeah. Because I'm so fortunate that I can do this flexibility, this split shift. I've progressed in my career, and these therapies are expensive, but we're in a position where we can, you know, give them the best, the best chance to proceed.

You've earned that flexibility as well. Like you've put in the hard graft, you've demonstrated above and beyond the, you know, like I said, I get messages from you at 5, 6 a.m. in the morning because you're up before the kids are getting up because you want to do some work, and then obviously you're you're prepping for school.

Um, and then obviously I know you, you know, when you when you're when you're out of the office, you're still 100% available. And it's not like there's a kind of a stick above your head where you say you must answer the phone, but that's just you as a person. Yeah. And therefore, that flexibility is a given.

It's not, you know, it's not kind of a reward, it's not a reward, it's just that's who you are. Therefore, you are, you know, the flexibility is there and and available to you because you are, you know, great at what you do, and ultimately we want to be surrounded by people who are great at what they do at at Hoxton, and flexibility is a must for you to be able to live your life on your terms, which is super important. And look, when you move into client services and advisor, you kind of forego that traditional nine to five anyway.

Yeah. Because if a client is worried about something at six o'clock and you've logged off, of course, if you're out and about, you can't answer questions. But again, it comes back to just send the hold an email, just say, I'll be in touch first thing. I was doing that anyway, even in even when I was working eight to one, I was always managing my clients' expectations and making sure, you know, I'd logged a to-do list of things to get back to and and sent the hold on email.

So I think when you start working with clients anyway, you kind of give up that traditional sort of Monday to Friday, nine to five, you know, I can only answer emails in a certain time frame. You've got to kind of just be a little bit more flexible anyway. Yeah. So I think there's some people their flexibility might be kicking back feet on the sofa.

You know, again, do you know what I mean? Though, like it's like, but your flexibility is around the things that matter most to you. Yeah, definitely, definitely. Um, yeah, there's no way I could sit on the sofa with my two children running around.

I have to have a double lock on the door. And I can still hear them outside. But hopefully, you know, look, this is this is a short-term solution. I'm not saying I need this split shift forever.

Um, you need it, it's available. I need it, I need it now. And as Joshua and Sophia, she's only four, you know, she's only just started school, so you know, it's a big thing move and country is anyway for her. She's actually struggling a little bit more with the change than Joshua.

Joshua's flying, you know, he's hit the ground running. Um, so it's just about as they get older and our support system is bigger here, um then yeah, you know, maybe I can do two full days in the office and three split, but it's it's there for me, and that's what I'm really grateful for because not everybody, especially in Dubai, has flexibility. No, it's definitely not giving the police. No, it's not.

And and you know, a lot of people within, you know, a lot of people have s uh have said to me before that they find us a bit unflexible as a as a business. I don't necessarily think that's true, but I think it's where we as a business aren't as flexible is probably at the junior end. Yeah. Um, because again, you're earning your stripes, you're doing your exams, you've got to kind of prove.

But for people that are proven, people that are able to do it, of course there's flexibility. I mean, it's a given. Like, we wouldn't be able you you would not be working with us, and we would not get the fantastic talent that you are within our business if we weren't able to offer flexibility. 100%.

Because I and and it was the comment comes back to the conversation that we had in terms of I really want to do this, but I just can't with the hours, and we both spoke about it, and we're about to split shift, we're about this. I know everybody in the office just knows, like, I'm off going on the school run, and you know, it's it's refreshing for a lot of people to just say, Yeah. But yeah, it's not, I'm going home, having a two-hour break, and don't stop. My arm does not touch us.

I'm actually looking forward to getting back into my office by the time I've um that's it. You come to work for a break. I literally come to work for a break. That's why I am still working because the home life is so stressful.

So And do you know what? It's obviously you're a great example of it, but there's many people. I mean, Michaela, she's just recently given birth. She's you know basically works from home full-time because she wants to be there there for her for her child.

And we've got people like Jonathan Brooks, more senior advisor, who splits his time between different countries, Michael Ew lives in France. So it's not like every advisor or every person in our business is changed, chained to their desk. But I think, and it comes back to put the work and be in the office as much as possible in the early days. Yeah.

Because it's so important to integrate yourself. To integrate yourself, but other people to see that's good. Yeah. Because if you sat at home, you you know, deals in financial services can take a long time to land.

If you were sat at home for the whole time, people would be like, what are you know, what are they actually doing? Whereas if people can hear you constantly, you know, giving it your best shot, constantly asking questions. And then that's the thing. Don't be scared in the early years to ask questions.

You're not expected to know everything. And I think that's kind of a pressure on younger people coming through financial services. What if I don't know this answer? What if you know You're not gonna?

You're not gonna. That's why we're in a job because legislation is constantly changing, the rules are constantly changing. You're not gonna know every answer to every question, but be honest. Yeah.

Say you'll get back to somebody and then go and ask a senior person in the office for time. Because people will give you. Yeah. 100%.

I use mentors still, yeah. You know? How have you have you found people in the office? Because obviously you worked in a lot of different places.

Do you find that people are approachable, that you're able to speak with them, you're able to converse? Because you know, now everyone knows you. Yeah, you know, who you are and what you do. Yeah, so I obviously I am qualified in the UK, I can advise in the Gulf, but there's clients who come across with questions for for America or for Australia.

And there are advisors who are really good in those areas and so approachable. Yeah, you know, when I'm asking questions. If I've not once has anybody said, no, I haven't got time, you know. Um, so I often email somebody and say who's the best person to ask, and I'll go over and we'll spend some time together and get the answer.

I'm not the finished article, you know, as a financial planner across the world. I can't know everything, but I I I know who to ask and people will, people are willing to help. What other exams are you gonna do? Well, I said when we first started when I first got the job, I was like, what exam do you want me to do?

And then slowly the client work creeped up. Yeah, America is on my list. And look, that's quite difficult for me because we spoke about the time difference in America and you know, I mean, when would I stop? When would I breathe?

If I was, you know, finishing my UK client work and then moving on with the time zone. However, for me, it's not just about, and again, I'm looking three couple of years in advance here. This is not about me potentially growing a big book of American clients or clients who have have American assets. This is about me being able to service the clients who may move on to America and not have to and and be able to look after those, and there may be few and far between.

But also, if I'm looking at my own growth as a leader in service and a mentor, a managing people, I want to have those exams as well. Yeah. To be best placed to help. Because sometimes people want a second opinion.

Yeah. Clients want a second opinion, and just having that extra, those extra exams to help my colleagues will pay dividends, I think. Definitely. It's it's leading from the front as well, isn't it?

Like if you you can't expect other people to do things that you're not willing to do yourself. So I keep meaning to pull Rebecca, who helps with our series 65, um, the the the US exam, and that's next on my list. Yeah. It was October, now December.

But as long as I've got a date pencils in, that's what you've just got to keep doing. 100% and when it fits in as well, because there's no point in putting yourself under an insane amount of pressure. An insane amount of pressure. You've got enough of that at at home.

Yeah, you've moved, you've got your you know, you've got your kids, yeah. New job, new new country. Like there's a lot going on. It's um it's a lot, but I I always think if you've got something penciled in and you've made a decision to do it, it's better to kind of keep moving it than not think about it at all.

Because otherwise it kind of just disappears as a and it's definitely something that's on the agenda. Probably be next year now, because my focus for the for the end of this quarter is making sure all the clients I look after are absolutely where each and every one of them need to be, that none of them have any ongoing concerns, and if they do, they know they know where I am and where to contact. So that's still a work in progress because we're, you know, I'm getting to know them, obviously.

Um, but yeah, so maybe 2026. I'm sure, I'm sure, I'm sure it's on the radar and I knew, and then you'll just turn up one then and say, I've done it. But how like then let's talk about pressure and you know how you cope with that. Because obviously, as I said, your home life is busy.

Uh it's you know, you there's a lot of stress on you at the moment. Do you find the office to be a stressful place? Do you, you know, do you like do you does does work de-stress you or do you find it stressful at work? You know, are you put under a lot of pressure?

You know, how how do you cope? I don't find the office stressful. I I actually find it the opposite. So coming into the office and having people conversations is takes my mind off what is going on.

Yeah. You know, at home. That is so important because there's nothing when I'm working from home, I look, I need working from home days because I've got a lot on my plate, and sometimes I think I don't need a commute today, I need to get my head down, and I don't want anyone to I've got a job, a list of jobs to do, and I'll I I might take that opportunity maybe once or twice a week, dependent on how busy things are. Being in the office is it's just uh it's just a buzz.

It's like a buzz environment. Everybody's there to get the head down, do well, and everybody in the office has their own ambitions and you can feel that. Um, and now that I'm growing a team, I've got people, or now that I've got people, you know, in my team, I've got people asking me questions more and you know, coming to go you know, ask me for meetings and things like that. And that constant busyness is is refreshing.

Um so I actually think the officer coming in coming into the office is great. And like yesterday I had an appointment for my son, a a medical appointment for an ADHD assessment. Had I not had a couple of meetings? To keep me busy in the evening.

And this might sound bizarre to some people. I would have been more stressed. Yeah. Because I'd have overplayed the conversation in my head again.

And this is part and parcel of being a special needs parent. You know, the amount of people involved in your child's life and the judgment you get, you know, can he do this? Can he do that? It's so upsetting.

But I would dwell on that if I didn't have a focus elsewhere. Yeah. And it must it must be tough. And I I get it, it completely takes your mind off.

It takes your mind off. You know, if I can help someone else solve one of their problems, like that makes me feel good. Sometimes, obviously, the pressure. And I'm quite good, you know, I'm quite good at recognising when things are creeping up on me, you know, in terms of workload and not trying to do everything myself and delegating.

And you know, I was, and and that's why the team, I'm so grateful for the team now and mentoring them into how like please help me. Yeah. It's a two-way thing. It's not just you constantly telling them what to do, it's they've provided you help as well.

Um, and again, people are willing to do it. It's not everybody's happy to work together and collaborate. So, yeah. So, moving on then, over the next few years, what what what's happening for Faye?

Where do you see things going? I I'm really looking forward to working with Simon and developing the client service proposition. Yeah. Um, really streamlining that for obviously I can I can help with the UK, the UK clients and having that as a hub where other advisors, you know, look at us as our own team, you know.

I think it's still developing at the moment, but you know, I'm really looking forward to building that out and mentoring people, growing people um and making advisors confident in how they deal with clients. I think given your track record, it's gonna be a given. You're gonna do very, very well. Fingers crossed.

You're gonna do very, very well at it. Um, it's also I also the other thing that I th I I I've thought when we were talking about this as well, which was really nice, is your daughter seeing you growing up and like that whole I can be a mum and I can be working, you know. That's super important. That's what I want to see.

My daughter, you know, it's like you don't, you know, you don't, it's not one or the other. It's it is every time she draws a picture. I've bought a big cork board for my office at home. And every time she draws a picture, I say, Where's that going?

And she goes, in your mummy's office. Yeah. And then make sure she comes in and she pins it herself. Because as I said before, I want her to see that mummy's got to go to work.

And you know, I I'll say, Mummy's got a quick haul. And mummy's super successful, yeah. Like, you know, she's sh she's exactly like me. So have we got another another financial planner in the making, do you think?

Oh my goodness. Uh I don't know, honestly. She's yeah, she's um she's a bit bonkers like me, but yeah. God knows where what she'll end up.

She's yeah, she's she's very funny, but she's um she loves coming in my office and having a, you know, having a little browse and um putting her pictures on the wall. And I'm like, well, we've got to get rid of one. Make more, buy a bigger board. So I've just got a wall full of pictures.

It's nice to paper plates that it's but also when your uncles and you look over it, kind of, it just reminds you of why you do things as well. It does, it does, and it's so important, and they are they are fine with me being at work, and I think that's the good thing about my split shift. I don't have that sort of yes, I'm working and I am locked away. Locked away, but locked in my room.

I do have to put the lock on because they would, you know, run in. Of course. They would run in as any child would, but um it's nice that I'm just there and around and able, you know. If I make myself a cup of tea, I can my daughter can see me.

I'm there while I'm still so young. 100% that'll hopefully develop over time, whereas uh I spend more time in the office. But as I said, you still need those working from home days to zone in and and and get stuff done. Um but yeah, it's and there's no pressure either to go back in, you know.

It's like you do you've got to do what's right for you and your family ultimately at the end of the day. That's the most important thing. Yeah, and I'm and I'm just thankful to be working and have that opportunity to to be working because I mean, not a lot of places even offer part-time working, which is what I come to Oxton on. Reduced hours.

I I I know I I tell my husband off all the time when I went when I when I first went part-time. I was like, I'm not part-time. I've worked too hard to be part-time, I have sat too many exams with a belly out here, and now I'm part, what was it all for? So I was like, I'm just reducing my hours slightly.

So I always said I'm on a reduced hours contract. Um, but yeah, back to full-time now. Good, and we're very lucky to have you. Thank you.

And I'm looking forward to doing another one of these hopefully uh soon. I know we could probably go on for hours and hours and hours. But um, it's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you.

Thank you very much for coming on. And uh, I hope whoever's uh listening to this takes a lot of inspiration out of it because I think your story is very, very inspirational for people looking to get into financial planning uh and that anyone, no matter what they've got going on, can make time for exams and can and can have a great career. Thank you. Thank you very much.