Episode 109: Grit, Grind, and Heart - Kelly Gorman on Purpose, Protection, and Leading the Future of Advice

What does it take to rebuild an organization, inspire a profession, and lead with purpose in a rapidly changing industry? For Kelly Gorman, CEO of Advocis, the answer begins long before the C-suite—back to an 11-year-old girl in Chatham, Ontario, learning resilience, responsibility, and independence from a single mother who worked tirelessly to build a better life.

In this powerful episode of Discovery Series: Unplugged, Kelly shares how early life lessons, personal experiences with illness, and a transformative insurance claim shaped her understanding of protection, financial security, and the true value of advice.

Her journey—from accountant, to securities regulator, to CEO of Canada’s largest professional association for financial advisors—reveals a leader driven by clarity, conviction, and deep respect for the advisor community she now serves.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How resilience is built early—and how Kelly’s upbringing shaped her leadership

• Why a real-life claim experience reframed her belief in the purpose of insurance

• The emotional and financial impact of illness—and how protection buys families time

• Why Canadians need trusted advice more than ever, despite growing protection gaps

• How Advocis is rebuilding with purpose through education, advocacy, and advisor community

• What leadership really requires—and the one skill Kelly believes all great leaders share

This is an honest, thoughtful conversation about life, leadership, purpose, and the profound impact advisors make every single day.