Top Advisor Podcast – Episode #97

Sustainable Success for Financial Advisors – Integrating Work and Life with Kristin Harad, CFP
Host: Bill Cates | Guest: Kristin Harad, CFP
Date: September 10, 2025

EPISODE OVERVIEW

In this episode, Bill Cates welcomes Kristin Harad, CFP, founder of Full Advisor Coaching and host of her own podcast, to dive into the concept of work-life integration—a refreshingly honest alternative to the elusive “balance” so often promised to high-performing financial advisors. Kristin and Bill examine why traditional balance doesn’t work, how high achievers can intentionally design their life and business for lasting fulfillment, and actionable frameworks and mindset shifts to move from friction to flow. Advisors get tactical ideas to create a sustainable path—where work fuels life, not fights against it.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

Defining Work-Life Integration vs. “Balance”

[04:04]

• Kristin throws out the old binary of work-life balance, describing it as “like trying to keep things even... something has to give on one side to get the other.”
• Instead, she urges advisors to view their whole life as the canvas and suggests intentionally designing their professional career to support fulfillment across all areas.
  • “How is it that we can use [work] to fuel our bigger life of fulfillment and satisfaction? How do we integrate it in?” (Kristin Harad, [04:52])

The High Performer’s Friction: Always Wanting More

[06:16]

• Bill notes that most high achievers have the sense they always need to do more, never feeling “enough.”
• Kristin identifies the “friction” as a lack of permission—advisors rarely allow themselves to hold personal goals in as high regard as professional ones.
  • “Are you giving yourself permission to pursue goals and pursuits that are outside of the professional realm? And it’s okay. You’re allowed to do both.” (Kristin Harad, [06:50])

Reflecting on Purpose: The “Version 2.0” Transition

[08:23]

• Many seasoned advisors reach a point where it’s time to redefine success—Kristin helps clients articulate their “Version 2.0” business and life, focusing on what’s truly fulfilling.
  • “That’s when we get into the what’s enough conversation—which changes for different people.” (Kristin Harad, [09:10])
• Bill asks about underlying beliefs driving the urge for more; Kristin highlights importance of addressing limiting beliefs, not just accepting overwork as the only path.

Recognizing Competition (Work vs. Life) Instead of Fueling

[10:06]

• Warning signs of unhealthy competition for time:
  • Calendar dread (“How am I going to fit everything in?”)
  • Sacrificing things that bring excitement or connection due to work overload
• “When you start finding yourself wondering how you’re gonna possibly fit everything in... it’s a time again to say, hey, how am I setting up my work to fuel my life versus the other way around?” (Kristin Harad, [11:45])

THE FIVE-PART FRAMEWORK FOR INTEGRATED WORK-LIFE DESIGN

[15:23] Kristin’s tactical system for advisors to clarify their future and build a business that supports life, not the other way around:

1. Environment

• Where and how do you want to live and work?
• Are you intentionally designing your physical and work environments to support your best self?
• Example: Upgrading your office to feel inviting, investing in home-office tech for hybrid flexibility.
• Memorable Coaching Story: “Is that a crib behind you?” (Bill, [19:02]); Advisors need a dedicated, uplifting workspace, not just makeshift solutions.

2. Time

• What is your ideal weekly, monthly, or annual schedule?
• Structuring work to enable personal time (e.g., taking afternoons off for family, batching meetings, adapting growth plans).
• Example: A client dialed back growth plans to intentionally be home for her kids—structured the business accordingly.

3. People

• Who do you want to spend your time with—family, friends, community, clients?
• Ensure your business allows for meaningful personal and professional relationships. Don’t just settle for clients or colleagues by default!
• “Let’s make sure you’re working with people you like. It seems fundamental. But how many times...have you heard people say, ‘Well, if I could, I’d get rid of that one’?” (Kristin Harad, [25:08])

4. Well-Being

• How do you want to feel physically, mentally, emotionally?
• Integrate well-being into the business: healthy snacks in the office, supporting staff time off or exercise, cross-training so leaders can truly unplug.
• “I remember there was a time when my employees were getting a lot more time off than I was. I’m going, what’s wrong with this picture?” (Bill Cates, [27:06])

5. Experiences & Impact

• What experiences or contributions give your life meaning? Do you want to travel, volunteer, or support causes?
• Use your business as a platform for community engagement, supporting team philanthropy, or creating space for memorable adventures.
• Example: Firms advocating for team volunteer days or enabling projects tied to personal passions.

Intentional Design:

• “It’s all about intentional design and leading with the life first and saying, ‘What do I want in my life?’ and then, ‘How do I make decisions around that in my work life to fuel that or enable that?’” (Kristin Harad, [28:55])

MINDSET SHIFTS: FROM PERFECTION TO PROGRESS

Progress Over Perfection

[32:15]

• Kristin’s most popular podcast episode centers on “progress, not perfection”—high-achieving advisors often struggle to make changes unless they can do it perfectly.
  • “When it comes to the delivery of financial advice, you really do need to be more perfect...but with work-life integration, we’re just trying to make incremental progress. We don’t need to be perfect.” (Kristin Harad, [33:10])
• Bill echoes that the mindset shift is about permission—to experiment, to rest, and to be a little different than what got you here so you can get to what’s next.

ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS & TACTICS

Practical Action Steps

[35:21]

• Calendar Audit: “Take a look at your week...I challenge everyone to free up a two-hour block in the next week.” ([35:21])
  • Push meetings, cancel non-essential tasks, delegate.
  • Use that time for something non-work: a walk, a hobby, just rest.
  • “Find that hour and do something different or new in a time where you wouldn’t usually do it just to feel the discomfort and be okay with it.” ([36:33])
• Pattern Interrupt: Bill highlights the value of not squeezing life around work, but integrating it into the workday, not just the fringes—doctor appointment at lunch, workout mid-day, and be fine with shifting patterns.
  • “That’s the integration. Right—integrate that thing into the day, into the workday.” (Bill Cates, [38:19])
• Release Old Guilt: Kristin notes the lingering guilt (sometimes generational!) about not being in the office constantly. Challenge this outdated framework and ease into new freedoms.

MEMORABLE QUOTES & MOMENTS

• “Are you giving yourself permission to pursue goals and pursuits that are outside of the professional realm? And it’s okay. You’re allowed to do both.”
  — Kristin Harad [06:50]

• “When you have intentional design and the vision of what you’re creating, it informs your day-to-day decisions.”
  — Kristin Harad [24:00]

• “Let’s make sure you’re working with people you like. It seems fundamental.”
  — Kristin Harad [25:08]

• “I remember there was a time when my employees were getting a lot more time off than I was. I’m going, what’s wrong with this picture?”
  — Bill Cates [27:06]

• “When it comes to a lot of things in our life...we’re just trying to make some incremental progress. We don’t need to be perfect.”
  — Kristin Harad [33:08]

RESOURCES & FURTHER LEARNING

• Worksheet: Kristin’s “Work Life Worksheet” for applying the five-part framework (linked in the episode show notes)
• Connect with Kristin:
  • fulladvisorcoaching.com (Request a call directly via the site)
  • Connect via LinkedIn
• Bill Cates’ New Book: thehiddenheist.com – A business parable on beliefs about money

FINAL THOUGHT

This episode offers financial advisors a practical, honest reframe: sustained success comes from integrating, not balancing, the demands of work and the joys of life. With intentionality, tactical design, and a mindset of permission and progress—not perfection—advisors can fuel both personal fulfillment and business growth.

For timestamps and specific quotes, see relevant segments detailed above. Skip ads and non-content sections as recommended.