Advisors Off Script: Stories of the Independent Frontlines with Shelby Nicholl
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. 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.
Advisors Off Script: Stories of the Independent Frontlines with Shelby Nicholl
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 and host of the Mitlin Money Mindset podcast, shares how a single question — “What did you do today that brought you joy?” — became a guiding principle that reshaped not just his client conversations, but his entire practice.
Larry opens up about his personal journey into wealth management, inspired by his father’s struggle to juggle family and finances after his mother's passing at age 47. That early experience planted the seed for Larry’s belief that money should be a tool to create joyful, meaningful lives — not just retirement projections.
We explore how Larry has intentionally prioritized his family over the years, including his early decision to take Fridays off to be fully present with his kids — a move he calls a “non-negotiable.” We also dive into how this mindset has fueled Mitlin’s record growth, strengthened client relationships, and attracted like-minded advisors to the firm.
Larry also shares about his involvement in the Rebl Dads group — a community of remote entrepreneur dads — and how experiences like their retreat to Necker Island helped him recommit to living and leading with purpose. And finally, we discuss how the support of Carson Group’s platform is enabling Mitlin to scale its joyful approach without losing its soul.
This episode is packed with practical wisdom and heartfelt inspiration for advisors who are ready to grow — not by grinding harder, but by building a business that reflects who they are.
Learn more at MurielConsulting.com
Schedule a discovery call with Shelby Nicholl: Zoom Scheduler
Produced by Shelby Nicholl.
Edited by Aaron Sherman.
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll License code: EV5ON7Y3CSESDSEU
