After facing divorce, financial hardship and even losing her home in a wildfire, Bridget Venus Grimes rebuilt her life and career around helping other women do the same, taking control of their finances, finding community and redefining success on their own terms.

In this episode of The Healthy Advisor, host Diana Britton sits down with Grimes, president of WealthChoice and co-founder of Equita Financial Network, to explore her journey from Wall Street trader to pastry chef to financial planner for breadwinner women.

From personal struggle to powerful purpose, Grimes reveals how she built a network to uplift female advisors and how coaching, balance, and connection helped her thrive through life’s toughest seasons.

She discusses:

• The unconventional path that led Bridget from trading floors to Paris kitchens and back to finance
• How divorce, debt and disaster shaped her passion for empowering women through financial planning
• Why pay inequity and lack of flexibility persist for women in financial services
• What inspired her to create Equita Financial Network
• How coaching, community, and boundaries can protect advisors from burnout

Resources:

• Listen to The Healthy Advisor on Wealth Management
• Subscribe and listen to The Healthy Advisor on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe and listen to The Healthy Advisor on Spotify
• The Healthy Advisor: Overcoming Insecurities and Self-Doubt With Stephanie Bogan
• Focused on the Future: Breadwinner Women, Gen Z, and Succession with Bridget Venus Grimes

Connect with Wealth Management:

• Wealth Management
• LinkedIn: Diana Britton
• diana.britton@informa.com
• LinkedIn: Informa
• LinkedIn: Wealth Management

Connect With Bridget Venus Grimes:

• LinkedIn: Bridget Venus Grimes
• bridget.grimes@wealthchoice.com
• Equita Financial Network
• LinkedIn: Equita Financial Network
• WealthChoice LLC
• LinkedIn: WealthChoice LLC

About Our Guest:

Bridget Venus Grimes, CFP, is President of WealthChoice, a wealth management firm for women executives, and Co-founder of the SEC-registered investment advisor Equita Financial Network, a community of women-led financial planning firms. Bridget began her career in 1987, trading stocks for private hedge funds in New York City, before pursuing her passion for financial planning for women.

Bridget believes in empowering women to take confident steps toward a better life. She authored the best-selling book Corner Office Choices: The Executive Woman’s Guide to Financial Freedom and has written countless articles for major US media channels. Her commitment to women’s financial education extends not only to women professionals but also to fellow financial planners. She has spoken at major industry conferences and co-hosted the Financial Planning Association’s Women’s Knowledge Circle.

Bridget splits her time between Arizona and California and enjoys boating, golf, entertaining, anything French, and, most of all, cooking. She holds a B.A degree in German language and literature and a minor in Art History from Mount Holyoke College.

For 35 years, Mark Singer owned an independent financial planning firm, Safe Harbor Retirement Planning, in the Boston area, a Commonwealth Financial Network affiliate. During that time, he was living life at full speed—running three businesses, exercising, playing golf, boating, spending time with grandchildren—until he had a life-changing stroke in October 2022.

He lost his ability to speak, swallow, eat and perform the most basic functions. His recovery forced him to slow down and retire from the business earlier than he expected.

In this episode of The Healthy Advisor, host Diana Britton talks with Mark Singer, a retired financial advisor, about how the stroke reshaped his view of success and identity. His story points to the strength of resilience, perspective and compassion, both in business and in life.

Diana and Mark discuss:

• Mark’s journey from textile manufacturing to founding Safe Harbor Retirement Planning in Boston
• The moment the stroke upended his life, and how he figured out a way forward
• Mark’s mantra of “focus on the what is, not the what if.”
• How things played out with his financial planning business
• The role of friendships, community and client relationships in his recovery
• Lessons learned from 35 years as an advisor

Resources:

• Listen to The Healthy Advisor on WealthManagement.com
• Subscribe and listen to The Healthy Advisor on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe and listen to The Healthy Advisor on Spotify

Connect With Mark Singer:

• LinkedIn: Mark Singer
• mark55retire@gmail.com

Connect with WealthManagement.com:

• WealthManagement.com
• LinkedIn: Diana Britton
• diana.britton@informa.com
• LinkedIn: Informa
• LinkedIn: WealthManagement

About Our Guest:

Author Mark Singer has been recognized for his vision and creativity within the world of financial planning. He is the author of two books, and the most recent, The Six Secrets to a Happy Retirement, is available on Amazon.com. Drawing upon his over three decades as a founder of one of the leading retirement firms in Boston, the book profiles the financial, emotional, and physical issues associated with the transition into retirement.

He retired from his role as president of Safe Harbor Retirement Planning in 2022, and had served as the Retirement Guide to thousands of investors since 1986. Mark’s approach was to focus on each individual client and ask the questions that other advisors and investors often overlook.

Mark is a frequent speaker and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, ABCNews.com, FoxNews.com, and Bloomberg Radio, as well as locally (Boston) on NECN and WRKO.

Mark is also a multiyear recipient of Boston Magazine’s 5 Star Wealth Manager Award.

Ryan Marcus has a passion for helping the wealth management industry better serve the neurodivergent community. He argues that the industry is not serving them in an intentional way.

Neurodivergence refers to divergence in mental or neurological function from what is considered typical or normal. It’s frequently used with reference to autistic spectrum disorders.

The issue is personal to Ryan, whose nephew, Nicholas, is on the spectrum. That experience revealed how unprepared the wealth management industry is to serve this growing community, even as trillions in wealth shift to younger generations.

In this episode of The Healthy Advisor podcast, WealthManagement.com Executive Editor Diana Britton speaks with Ryan Marcus, chief business development and engagement officer at Binah Capital, about what he’s learned from his nephew, why authenticity matters, and how advisors can embrace practical, human changes that make a big impact.

Ryan discusses:

• His personal connection with his nephew and the lessons he’s learned about authenticity
• The financial obstacles neurodivergent clients face, from sensory overload to complex communication
• Small office and meeting adjustments that remove barriers and improve comfort
• The gap in how the financial services industry serves the neurodivergent community
• The opportunity advisors have to better serve individuals on the spectrum
• How financial literacy and wealth management both play critical roles in long-term well-being

Resources:

• Listen to The Healthy Advisor on WealthManagement.com
• Subscribe and listen to The Healthy Advisor on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe and listen to The Healthy Advisor on Spotify

Connect with Ryan Marcus:

• LinkedIn: Ryan Marcus
• Website: Binah Capital
• Ryan.Marcus@Binahcap.com

Connect with WealthManagement.com:

• WealthManagement.com
• LinkedIn: Diana Britton
• diana.britton@informa.com
• LinkedIn: Informa
• LinkedIn: WealthManagement

About Our Guest:

A recognized connector in the wealth management industry, Ryan Marcus has over two decades of experience leading strategy and client engagement across respected firms such as United Capital, RBC Advisor Services, and MarketCounsel Consulting. He has driven growth by aligning people, ideas, and opportunities, with a focus on enhancing client experience and deepening relationships. Known for building trust and offering strategic insight, Ryan has shared his perspective through industry panels and publications. His work continues to shape how firms think about client service, business development, and scalable infrastructure in an evolving regulatory and competitive landscape.