Meet Trailblazer Stephanie Ellsworth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Ellsworth.

Stephanie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
After getting my degree in Accounting from Lehigh University, I began my career within the commercial real estate development industry. During the recession in 2008-9, I was working for myself as an independent consultant doing specialized tax-saving strategies for commercial real estate owners. I am sure you can guess how that was going during that time. I needed to make a change because there was no business left for me and I knew there wouldn’t be for years.

It was actually a very good friend of mine that suggested I should look into doing financial planning. I was always helping my friends with their budgets. So, I thought, why not give it a try. I haven’t looked back. I love what I do. As a financial advisor, I work with individuals and families on their overall financial well-being, everything from investment accounts, retirement, insurance, etc. and I love every aspect of my job.

However, it was a couple of years ago, I started to notice more and more that women were approached a lot less than men were about money and how little money was discussed amongst women.

I truly believe that women deserve better than this. Women today are being taught and encouraged to conquer the world. And we are. We are taking on the challenge with great success. But how do we as women stay at the top with confidence and strength if we do not have the support of our community, including those that are in the financial industry. If the proper financial structure is not in place, it doesn’t matter how high a woman gets. Things can crumble in an instant. Women need a place to start thinking about and discussing money. To start making plans for themselves in an environment that they feel safe and comfortable in.

This is why I started Her Slice of the Cake.

Her Slice of the Cake is a series of pop-up financial literacy events designed for women. We have a variety of topics and travel all over the Phoenix Metro area to host them. They are always free. We believe everyone deserves proper financial guidance and they should not have any barriers preventing them from receiving it.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a very bumpy road for me. To say the least.

I had a couple of children while running a full-time business. As many women will tell you who have been in similar shoes, this is a huge adjustment in business. The work-life balance is real and it is H.A.R.D. The list of struggles changes on a daily basis, but they are there. From “mom-guilt” to make my appointments on time to get enough sleep. It is an ongoing struggle that many women deal with. I wouldn’t change it for the world; I love my little people more than life itself but being a working mom is very difficult and at times tough to navigate.

My advice to women getting started in any career is to find yourself a mentor. Particularly, a female if there is one. Women need to lean on each other and I think there are a lot of advice tenured women would have to pass along to younger women about their own struggles but also what has really worked for them.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
My role is to help people navigate the complexities of financial planning and guide them on their own individual financial path to achieve their goals in life.

I am known for the time I spend with my clients educating them on their options. I recognize that financial planning comes with making very large decisions and those decisions could affect them for the long term, possibly the rest of their lives. They are not to be taken lightly. I spend the time needed with my clients to make sure they feel financially confident.

We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
I think there are several barriers today for females when it comes to leadership.

I believe there is still a large gap in understanding the working mother. A lot of companies want to have more women in leadership roles and are trying to figure out how to make this happen, but I do not think that many companies have taken the time to really understand that a working mother has different needs and wants in a career than what the average man needs/wants. I think working mothers are still very stereotyped and it will take more companies to look past that stereotype and see the value that working mothers bring to these leadership roles.

In my industry, I would say the lack of female mentorship is the biggest barrier. This will change over time as more and more women get into the industry. I would assume this is the case for a lot of industries that are traditionally male-dominated. As we break those barriers of increasing our numbers in these industries, there will be more female mentors available for those just starting out.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hersliceofthecake.com
• Email: contact@hersliceofthecake.com

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