How to Take Control of Your Wealth When Your Life Changes

What happens when you suddenly find yourself in full control of your finances after a major life change? In this episode, Glory Gray explores how women can take ownership of their wealth after transitions like divorce, the loss of a spouse, or retirement. Learn how to shift from uncertainty to clarity, apply the skills you already have to your financial life, and start making confident, intentional decisions that align with the life you want to build.

Guest: Antonia Medeiros at www.antoniamedeiros.com

Musical artists in this episode:

• Purple Planet Music; Jawberry; Midnight Riot; The Honeytones; Palm City

Hosted by Glory Gray, BSc Finance, MFA

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Transcript

ANNOUNCER:

You're listening to the Women's Wealth Canada podcast with Glory Gray. 

Be sure to download and subscribe using your favourite podcast app and like us on Facebook.

GLORY GRAY:

Welcome to Women’s Wealth Canada — the show where we help Canadian women take control of their money and build YOUR life YOUR way.

I’m your host, Glory Gray — Financial Planner and Wealth Manager.

In today’s episode, we’re talking about something that many successful women don’t always recognize in themselves:  Leadership.

If you’re a woman over 45 with significant wealth — whether that came from building a business, growing your career, inheritance, or simply decades of disciplined saving — you’ve already demonstrated something powerful.

You’ve demonstrated the ability to build.

But the next step is something a little different.

The next step is learning to lead your life the way a CEO leads a company.

I call this idea: “You Incorporated.”

Let’s talk about what that really means.

Many women I work with have spent decades caring for others.

They’ve supported partners.

Raised children.

Helped employees.

Guided clients.

Contributed to their communities.

And along the way, their financial life often became something that simply… happened around them.

Someone else handled the investments.

Someone else made the decisions.

Someone else was “in charge.”

But when your net worth grows — and when your life enters a new chapter — something important shifts.

You are no longer just participating in your financial life.

You are responsible for leading it.

And leadership requires a different mindset.

I often tell my clients: 

Your life is the most important enterprise you will ever run. 

Think about how a CEO operates.

A CEO doesn't drift through the day reacting to whatever appears in front of them.

They think strategically.

They look at the big picture.

They ask questions like:

Where are we going?

What are our priorities?

What resources do we need?

And what decisions today will shape the next decade?

Your financial life deserves that same level of leadership.

But here’s the interesting thing.

Many women already have these skills.

They just haven’t recognized them yet.

Let me share a personal example.

Before I worked in finance, I was actually a vocalist in a touring rock band.

Now that might sound like an unusual path into financial planning. But looking back, that experience taught me something incredibly valuable.

It taught me how to pivot.

It taught me how to reinvent myself.

And it taught me that the skills we gain in one chapter of our lives often become the foundation for the next.

Eventually I chose to study finance and investments and became an investment banker; someone who helps businesses find the money they need to grow. Those earlier experiences helped me see the financial world differently.

They helped me understand what makes businesses succeed — and therefore what makes investments succeed.

And more importantly, they helped me understand people.

This is something I see all the time with my clients.

A woman might come to me after a major life transition — perhaps a divorce, the sale of a business, or the loss of a spouse.

Suddenly she finds herself responsible for managing a large amount of wealth.

And her first reaction is often uncertainty.

She might say:

“I don’t feel qualified to handle this.”

Sometimes we call this “imposter syndrome.”

But when we start talking about her life, a different picture appears.

She may have run a successful company.

Managed a household for decades.

Negotiated contracts.

Led teams.

Solved complex problems.

In other words — she has already been acting as a CEO.

She just hasn’t applied that mindset to her personal wealth yet.

One of my clients — let’s call her Jenny — experienced exactly this.

Jenny had built a successful business. But after her divorce, she suddenly found herself managing her personal finances on her own for the first time.

Even though she ran a thriving company, she didn’t feel confident making decisions about her own money.

So I asked her a simple question.

“How do you run your business?”

She explained that she regularly reviewed her cash flow, reinvested profits, and made strategic decisions about growth.

And I said:

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do with your personal finances.”

Because the truth is, the principles are the same.

Income becomes cash flow.

Investments become assets.

Your long‑term goals become your strategic plan.

Once Jenny saw it this way, something shifted.

She stopped feeling like a passenger.

She stepped into the role of leader.

And that leadership extends beyond numbers. Another important part of being the CEO of your life is boundaries.

Many women have spent years being the person who says “yes.”

Yes to helping others.

Yes to extra responsibilities.

Yes to putting themselves last.

But as we mature, something interesting often happens.

Our tolerance for unnecessary stress — what I sometimes call “BS” — becomes very low. Sometimes we may even seem a bit cranky!

But it’s actually a gift.

Because CEOs understand something essential.

They cannot do everything.

They must focus their time and energy on the decisions that matter most.

Sometimes that means delegating.

Sometimes that means saying no.

And sometimes it means redefining what success looks like in the next chapter of life.

Here’s how my friend, Antonia Medeiros said it back in Season 4, Episode 3 of the podcast: 

“I think also, (and I often laugh about this with my clients - as we get older motherhood does it and perimenopause and menopause does it also), our tolerance for BS becomes extremely low. After motherhood, you just can't deal with BS. And then perimenopause and menopause is the icing on the cake where you're like, “okay. I'm done with all of this. It's my time. 

[...] Because they're not going to take it anymore. And they don't know what to do with that. They're like, “I need to set boundaries. I need to start saying NO. How do I do that? What's going to happen?”

It's a chance and an opportunity to redefine yourself. You're shedding something you no longer need. You let go of that and you finally embrace the truth - the next chapter of your life where you can really feel free to do what you want. You're free to have the relationships that you want. You're free to say, no. “

When you begin thinking of yourself as “You Incorporated,” your financial decisions start to look different.

You stop asking:

“What am I allowed to spend?”

And you start asking:

“What kind of life am I building?”

You stop making choices out of fear.

And you start making them with intention.

Your money becomes a tool — not a source of anxiety.

A tool to create freedom.

A tool to support the people and causes you care about.

And a tool to design a life that reflects your values.

This shift doesn’t happen overnight. Just like running a company, building your personal financial strategy takes time, reflection, and thoughtful planning.

But the mindset change is powerful.

Because once you begin to see yourself as the CEO of your life, something important happens.

You stop waiting for permission.

You stop assuming someone else should be in charge.

And you start making decisions that move your life forward.

In our next episode, we’re going to talk about the next step after the CEO mindset.

Because once you’re leading your financial life, the natural question becomes:

“How do you actually use your wealth to support the life you want?”

How do you confidently spend from your portfolio — without the fear of running out of money?

Specifically, we’ll talk about something I call the “Playcheck.”

And we’ll explore it together next time.

Meanwhile, If you’re at the stage where you don’t want to guess anymore, and you’d like a personalized look at your financial situation, I offer exploratory conversations for women who want clarity without pressure. You can find the details on my website.

Thanks for listening. I’ll see you in the next episode.

ANNOUNCER:

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice. It is not an offer to sell or buy or an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any entity or security cited. Mutual funds offered through Portfolio Strategies Corporation. Other products and services provided through Glory Gray Wealth Solutions.