In today’s episode, host Lorie Jones sits down with the remarkable Libby Greiwe, owner of the Efficient Advisor and an inspiring force in the world of financial planning. Libby’s journey is anything but ordinary: she went from engineering physics to sports marketing, eventually to start a seven-figure financial planning firm while working just three days a week to be a super-present mom. More than just a process-driven, organized powerhouse, Libby is refreshingly honest about her struggles—from moments of overwhelm and burnout to learning the strength of imperfection.
Lorie and Libby discuss powerful strategies for setting boundaries, the art of saying no, and why investing in your growth is never a selfish choice. Their conversation highlights the importance of having champions in your corner and refusing to shrink back when success comes calling.
For ambitious women ready to shape their careers on their terms, this episode offers refreshing perspectives and real-world inspiration—so, hit subscribe and get cozy to hear from Libby Greiwe!
Show Highlights:
- Libby Greiwe’s powerful journey in the financial planning industry. [06:37]
- Making career shifts with redefined work–life balance success. [08:52]
- How to say no strategically and set intentional priorities. [10:11]
- The power of investing in personal development with a coach. [13:04]
- Reacting to mansplaining in male-dominated fields and executing plans fearlessly. [16:16]
- Who owns your business ownership and voice as a woman? [23:00]
- Advice to break away from people who don’t “clap for you.” [30:26]
- Embrace the imperfect beginner stage of your fledgling career. [33:06]
- Gendered industry challenges and leveraging femininity. [36:19]
- Key tips for early-career women and how to do a “Camp You.” [42:24]
Connect with Libby on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/libby-greiwe/
If you enjoyed this episode, please go to Apple Podcasts and leave a review!
For more information about Lorie Jones, go to https://fearlessfinancialadvisors.com/fearless-females.
00:01.62
Lorie Jones
Good morning, fearless females. So I am so excited today. We have Libby Greiwe. She’s the owner of The Efficient Advisor. and we are like BFFs, like spiritual sisters.
00:14.27
Lorie Jones
I swear to you, like the idea of productivity is my thing.
00:15.49
Libby Greiwe
Kindered spirits.
00:18.31
Lorie Jones
So thank you so much, Libby, for doing this for us.
00:21.27
Libby Greiwe
Oh my gosh. I’m so excited. Thank you for having me.
00:24.51
Lorie Jones
So my very first question is my favorite. I am a reader. I love reading. Tell me what your favorite book is.
00:29.96
Libby Greiwe
Okay, same. So I struggled with this question because I’m like literally all of them. I want to read all of them. So I have like two different categories. so if I had to choose for fiction, which feels like it doesn’t happen nearly as often as it does.
00:42.87
Libby Greiwe
my This is so embarrassing, but my guilty pled ah my guilty pleasure are Bridgerton’s books.
00:49.58
Lorie Jones
Oh yeah.
00:50.83
Libby Greiwe
totally dive into this like period romance where women are so oppressed. And I mean, obviously I’m here for the good parts, you know, but, um, the like women are so oppressed and it’s just such a fascinating point in time for me. And I love that the main characters in this book are always women who are trying to break out of that mold that society had cast them in.
01:13.55
Lorie Jones
Just a little bit different.
01:14.12
Libby Greiwe
So that’s my fiction. Yes.
01:15.85
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
01:17.66
Libby Greiwe
So my business, my favorite business book is one of these, like I probably read one to two like personal development business books, but there’s one called Built to Sell by John Morillo.
01:29.09
Lorie Jones
Okay.
01:29.23
Libby Greiwe
It is the most oddball little Funny little book. It’s a business book about you know productizing your service and building your business to sell and to have an exit strategy, but it’s written like a novel.
01:43.29
Libby Greiwe
It is just like the most quirky, obscure little book, but it’s done in such a way that it’s a super fast read, which as an ADHD-er, I love a good like get it done in 90 to 90 minutes to two hours, but it’s so impactful.
01:58.35
Libby Greiwe
And I remember a lot of the details better because it was told like a fiction story.
02:02.70
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
02:03.01
Libby Greiwe
And I’ve, I’ve recommended it to, oh my gosh, probably hundreds of people at this point. And everybody comes back to me is like, I loved that book.
02:10.74
Lorie Jones
yeah
02:10.90
Libby Greiwe
And it’s just so quirky and weird.
02:13.00
Lorie Jones
I love it. I do. I love an idea of telling a story because I will get done reading a book sometimes. And I’m like, I literally have to go right back and read it again because I’ve, I’ve been multitasking or my mind wonders, or I’m like, what did I just read?
02:26.57
Libby Greiwe
For sure.
02:28.22
Lorie Jones
And so if they put it in the idea of a story that sticks with me, I’m like, oh, this is the best. So I love that suggestion.
02:35.59
Libby Greiwe
Yeah, and I love anytime someone takes a risk, right? There’s not a lot of business books that are written like a fiction novel. And so I just find it so endearing.
02:44.87
Lorie Jones
I know. There’s one that um that i would I was reading by Goldwaith is the author. And it was a it’s a story about, um of all things, it’s like a ah supply chain um issues and where you end up with ah like a supply chain slowdown, right?
02:59.97
Libby Greiwe
oh you I probably would.
03:05.07
Lorie Jones
ah You actually would probably love it. And so… Yeah, I read it for my MBA school and I am like, I was recommending it for the next year. i thought that was the best book because it was, it was just, it, it just, for some reason drew me in.
03:19.52
Lorie Jones
And one would think that supply chain management and, and interruptions were not the thing. So, yeah, so I get it when you, when they write a good business book that sticks with you and like makes, makes a difference and like interests you, like you totally are go for that.
03:35.40
Libby Greiwe
Yeah.
03:36.98
Lorie Jones
Well, um Libby, tell me a little bit about your journey. Like, where did you get started? um how did you end up where you’re at today? And like, what do you do? Like, tell us just a little bit about you.
03:50.42
Libby Greiwe
Well, we were joking about this before we before we started recording that like, what is your job title? And I’m like, I don’t know what I do. Can I just say literally everything? I do all of it. So I had sort of an atypical, I always joke like, you know, it was a really natural a path to becoming a financial planner. So I went to college originally for engineering physics.
04:11.80
Libby Greiwe
Then I went into sports marketing and worked for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. And then I became a financial planner. So, you know, it makes tons of sense, just your typical financial planning journey.
04:17.53
Lorie Jones
Thank you.
04:21.43
Libby Greiwe
um But I started my practice back in 2004. I grew it to seven-figure firm as a solo advisor and kind of became quote-unquote known for doing that while working just three days a week so that I could just be a super present mom. Like it was something that was really, really important to me. So I built this practice and then I sold it in 2019. And somewhere along the way, advisors all over the country started getting wind of what I was doing, that there was this really young female who was working part-time and just totally crushing it.
04:54.22
Libby Greiwe
And i started speaking and coaching other advisors somewhere around 2014. and eventually I sold my financial planning practice, took a two-year sabbatical, and then came back to the coaching side of things, I just felt really, really strongly called to help other advisors build their businesses in a way that’s allowed them to serve their clients really well, but that also served their own life.
05:17.83
Libby Greiwe
And I have a real heart and passion for people who are so good at this business, but yet always on the verge of burnout or just constantly living in that state of overwhelm. Like those are, those are my people.
05:27.91
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
05:29.73
Libby Greiwe
So podcaster, author, speaker, business coach, I don’t know, literally all of it.
05:35.48
Lorie Jones
All of the things. So that is so interesting because I love the idea. Like I’m always encouraging women. I’m like, this is a really good business for a mom because you can you can adjust a little bit. You know, like a lot of times your clients need you during off hours and and then you can go to the school presentations and stuff like that. So it’s so interesting that you built your practice when you were building it.
06:02.70
Lorie Jones
around that idea of being present for your family.
06:07.08
Libby Greiwe
Yeah, I mean, and that was one of the beautiful things. like I can remember being like, you know, like my super, I wish I knew what I knew now, like dumb 22-year-old starting my business and thinking like, oh, being an entrepreneur is going to be so amazing. I can sleep till noon and work till midnight and I’m going to all this freedom and flexibility.
06:25.52
Libby Greiwe
And like while that was all true, Right. it was It was starting to really figure out like who I was as a woman and what I really wanted in life. And it was very easy. I mean, I was working around the clock when I started my practice, 70, 80 hours a week.
06:38.52
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
06:40.26
Libby Greiwe
And I remember just finding out I was pregnant and I was like, this is great because I want a baby, but this is so scary because… I’ve built this big beast. And I i remember being in that position where i I, you know, was looking at my growing belly thinking like, okay, I want to be the world’s greatest mom.
06:56.89
Libby Greiwe
And I don’t want to sacrifice the dream that I have for my, my business. Like I, you know, kind like your typical woman, right? I want all of it. I want to do it all.
07:05.16
Lorie Jones
yeah
07:06.14
Libby Greiwe
And really, really realizing that I had to build some super strong boundaries in my life. I had to get really, really clear on what my priorities were. And I had to get really good at saying no.
07:18.79
Lorie Jones
Man. And do you teach that like what you do now? Is that everything? Do you teach people to say no? Because I need that class.
07:27.63
Libby Greiwe
Well, one of the biggest tricks that I learned, and this is, I do teach this like inside of our group coaching program for financial advisors, is every time you say yes to something on your calendar, um before you say yes, you literally have to look at it and say, what am I going to say no to in order to say yes? And you have to verbalize it out loud.
07:47.71
Libby Greiwe
And so for me, that was a really like really powerful exercise that if someone was like, hey, do you want to volunteer to be on the p PTA? Do you want to take on this speaking engagement? Do you want to write this article? And I’d look at the amount of time that it would take.
08:02.64
Libby Greiwe
And I’d have to say, okay, here’s what I’m going to say no to. I’m going to say no to going to the gym because I’m going to have to show up early to get this done. I’m going to have to say no to my kids because it’s going to take me away from my family for an additional evening. And like and I just had to say it out loud because one thing I found that financial advisors specifically and really you know any female business owner were so bad at math.
08:24.59
Libby Greiwe
like We just say yes, yes, and we add, add, add, and we never think about what we have to subtract in order to make that happen. And we just kind of keep going and trying to like, oh, I’ll fit it in somewhere.
08:36.43
Libby Greiwe
And the only one that pays the price for that is is is you, right?
08:39.98
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
08:40.32
Libby Greiwe
You’re the one that doesn’t eat healthy, doesn’t take care of yourself, don’t get the… downtime that you need and is just constantly in go, go, go state. And so that was something for me that like verbally articulating it out loud, what I was going to say no to in order to say yes to it and making sure that the balance was there was a great exercise.
08:58.16
Lorie Jones
I love that. I love that idea. And you do, you know, as a woman, you do tend to say yes and yes and yes. And you and you try and do everything for all people all the time.
09:08.95
Lorie Jones
And that’s why we have higher burnout rates. And that’s why we have harder times, you know, making sure that we’re we have that balance in our life. Because you have to, you may not have to have a perfectly balanced life. I think that There are times that work will take priority and times that home will take priority and stuff like that.
09:27.67
Lorie Jones
But you do have to have at least balance in your life. You know, like, like sometimes home needs to take priority. It can’t always be work that’s taking the priority or always these things.
09:39.67
Lorie Jones
So.
09:40.06
Libby Greiwe
Yeah, I know. like I wish I had like a man’s brain sometimes. like I’m always so jealous of how men can just compartmentalize everything so well. And like that whole you know men’s brain are waffles, women are spaghetti. like They can just be like, nope, I’m in my home box now and that’s where I am. And nope, i’m now I’m in my work box and that’s where I am. And I’m always so envious of that.
10:02.74
Lorie Jones
yeah Yeah, I know. That would be a great skill to learn. So tell me a little bit, Libby, about is there an investment that you’ve made in yourself along this journey where you can kind of look back and be like, oh, my goodness, I am so glad I did that. I mean, just all the difference in my world.
10:21.22
Libby Greiwe
You know, one of the biggest things, and if I could go back and like tell my younger self this, or as I meet younger women, just telling them to, just because you can figure it out doesn’t mean you have to. And hiring coach…
10:36.61
Libby Greiwe
to help expedite whatever process you are on and investing in yourself. So whether that’s hiring a therapist to help you improve your emotional intelligence and to help you think through certain circumstances and situations, hiring ah business code coach if you’re a business owner, hiring a personal trainer if you’re trying to work.
10:56.29
Libby Greiwe
Like I have just found that you know we have We have Google, we have ChatGPT, we can literally figure anything out these days, but having someone who has done it, has that experience, is emotionally invested in you, and helping you just kind of say, instead of you figuring it out, like saying, I’ve got the track that you can run on, and I can help you do this exponentially faster than you could on your own.
11:19.78
Libby Greiwe
um gosh, I really wish I would have done that earlier in my life because when I did make that investment and hire coaches, the results were always so much better and so much faster.
11:30.15
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
11:30.75
Libby Greiwe
And man, I could have had so much more success with certain things earlier on if I would have just invested in myself as opposed to always feeling like yeah that it was selfish to spend that kind of money on my own personal development.
11:44.00
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. That’s a really smart thing. you know That’s just a really wise idea too. like The idea of um investing in you um in all areas of your life and trying to find people that can get you there a little bit faster, a little bit smarter. I had one woman that I was talking to, very successful, multimillion dollar business. And she said,
12:06.91
Lorie Jones
basically, she said, you have no business doing some of these things like doing your own bookkeeping. You should not be in there. You’re just going to make a mess of it, you know, because that’s not your passion. You hate it. You don’t want to do it and and you put it off and you don’t do it very well. Like just invest in in someone to either help get you there faster or do it for you if you’re not interested in doing it. I like that idea.
12:31.73
Libby Greiwe
Oh, for sure. The other investment that I, and this one’s a silly one, but LASIK. Oh my goodness gracious. For anyone who was like, I wonder if I should get LASIK. The answer is yes, you absolutely should. it is the most amazing experience to be able to just like open up your eyes and be able to see in the morning. Like it is unbelievable to swim in the ocean and to be able to not worry about your contacts falling out all of the time. That would be the other one.
12:55.60
Lorie Jones
That’s so funny, Libby, because I’ve actually heard that answer before on this podcast.
12:58.98
Libby Greiwe
Have you really…
13:00.29
Lorie Jones
Yes.
13:00.74
Libby Greiwe
Stop it.
13:00.94
Lorie Jones
and Yes. It was so funny. i’ve i had Lasix as well, and I’ve been through like a couple of years without glasses, and it was It’s just amazing. it’s It really is.
13:11.49
Libby Greiwe
Life altering.
13:12.58
Lorie Jones
Yeah, life-altering. It’s so weird that you would think that, but but this is like the third time that someone said that. So apparently, get Lasix, everybody.
13:20.21
Libby Greiwe
so funny. Yes, there you go.
13:23.67
Lorie Jones
So what about some really bad advice? Have you ever gotten, like, what’s the worst advice that you’ve gotten? And did you did you take the advice or did you not take it? Did you learn something from it?
13:35.25
Libby Greiwe
Yeah, I had a lot of a lot of bad advice. you know So being in an industry that is yeah arguably 80% to 90% male, i had a lot of just very mansplaining male advice coming at me All the time. And one in particular, so I was with a broker dealer and they were starting to identify ah few advisors who were running these like crazy, amazing practices.
14:03.75
Libby Greiwe
and and And they wanted us to like host workshops for other advisors to come in and like see how we were doing things. And I remember they approached me about doing it and I wanted to um to share about how I was working part-time. Like that was really what I wanted to build my workshop around. And I remember a male kind of management boss person at the time telling me that,
14:27.87
Libby Greiwe
If that’s how I’m going to market this, that nobody will be interested. Like nobody who is a successful advisor, and he said specifically men, no one is going to give a crap about working part-time. Like if you kind of use that as the…
14:44.05
Libby Greiwe
the premise or kind of the illusion of like what you were trying to accomplish. And I was like, well, no, it’s more about systems and processes and being more effective with your time. So man, even if you want to work full time, you might as well make two or three times as much money.
14:56.46
Lorie Jones
Right.
14:56.84
Libby Greiwe
And he was like, that’s what you, and I was like, no, I really, I really want to talk about working less.
14:56.77
Lorie Jones
Uh-huh.
15:02.70
Libby Greiwe
And I remember him saying, if you do that, this will be the biggest failure and you will regret it. And I redid all of my marketing materials. We renamed the workshop.
15:13.31
Libby Greiwe
And at the last minute, I pulled the plug and went with my original idea. And i am so glad that I did. We had more men than women come to our workshop. We had hundreds of advisors over the next year or two that were all so excited about having a better work-life balance, that were excited about working
15:30.08
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
15:33.20
Libby Greiwe
And you know I know we we we’re in this industry, and I feel like this is just true of society in general, where like more is more, right? like Why have a business if you can’t 10x your 10x to the 10x and 100x your And it’s always about scale, scale, more, more, and more. And there is this subset of the population that wants success and wants a life. like you know we Not everybody wants to work 80 hours a week, 100 hours a week. Not everybody wants to 10x their And there are people who want to grow and do really well and have really rich, full lives. And I’m so glad. i mean, I totally let him get to my head. I mean, I spent so many hours reworking everything.
16:14.00
Libby Greiwe
And I’m so glad at the very end, i was talking to a male colleague and he was like, you know I might not want to admit it publicly, but like I would love to do what you’re doing. And I was like, you know what? but You can’t be the only one that feels that way.
16:25.47
Libby Greiwe
And I’m so glad that I didn’t follow that because now I’ve built an entire business in my post-advisory life
16:25.79
Lorie Jones
Thank you.
16:33.74
Libby Greiwe
built on the premise of working less. and And I still get this imposter syndrome every now and then that like, well, that’s not what people want. People want a 10X. Like you still need to talk to the masses about making more money and tripling your revenue per hour. but And while that’s all good and true, you know, I’m so glad that I stuck with it because this business has grown and become successful because there’s so many people that still identify with that idea.
16:57.33
Lorie Jones
I like that idea. idea Well, and it does tend to like, in order to have more women in financial services, which is admittedly and unabashedly my goal in life, right?
17:10.40
Lorie Jones
You kind of have to make the environment fit them. We have caretaking responsibilities that a lot of times fall almost entirely on our shoulders.
17:21.13
Lorie Jones
um You’ve got single moms out there. And in order to to have the kind of life and provide the kind of life that we want for our families, we do have to do it and more efficiently in less time. And and and we’re not looking at 10Xing or 100Xing.
17:40.33
Lorie Jones
I mean, it’d be great, but like we’re looking at making sure that we’re at our kid’s kindergarten programs and we’re showing up for their, um you know, for their sports events and for those important moments, because, because you can go back and look at your life.
17:51.71
Libby Greiwe
Mm-hmm.
17:57.76
Lorie Jones
And I promise you, if you don’t put the things that are at the top of your values list, at the top of your priorities, you are going to regret where, where you end up.
18:08.84
Libby Greiwe
Yeah, and it’s so interesting. So we’re recording this before Mother’s Day. And I was on Instagram, think last night, and I got this, i follow this woman who’s a hospice nurse. And I just think she is so interesting. And she’s always sharing like life lessons from her clients that are better dying.
18:27.61
Libby Greiwe
And she was sharing that the number one word that’s like the last word that someone says with their dying breath is mom. And of course I’m like, you know, super emotional about it with mother’s day coming around the corner and my kids getting older and stuff.
18:38.94
Lorie Jones
Bye.
18:42.51
Libby Greiwe
And it was just this like amazing reminder to me that like you are literally there everything when they’re little people and they’re big people. And it’s such a blessing and so such a gift. And like, they’re not saying money and they’re not saying, you know, second home or boat. They’re, they’re saying mom. And I thought that was just like such a great reminder that what really matters is what really matters.
19:06.07
Lorie Jones
Yeah, yeah. and and And do keep it at the top. Like I’ve got, ah you know, a vision board here with my values where I put my values on that. and and And then I look at my calendar and say, hey, am I doing the things that…
19:22.39
Lorie Jones
are congruent with what my, what I believe in, or is this not quite right?
19:24.71
Libby Greiwe
Mm-hmm.
19:27.23
Lorie Jones
And, and I do that with my, you know, the things I spend money on too, like my investing. And am i really, if I have a client that tells me that they believe, you know, their, their number one value is family and they’re working 90 hours a week and spending no time with their family, I’m like,
19:46.80
Lorie Jones
you know, we got to, we got to fix this because you’re, you’re saying this is your value, but you’re not putting it as your top value and and you’re not going to have a good life until the two come together.
19:57.72
Lorie Jones
So I love that you mentioned that. I think that’s really, really important to remember.
20:02.43
Libby Greiwe
Yeah, I love that.
20:02.70
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
20:03.19
Libby Greiwe
What’s that saying? Show me your calendar and I’ll show you your priorities. Yeah, I love that.
20:07.38
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. What about something that I’m not going to say regret, but is there something you would do differently if you could kind of go back and take all the knowledge and everything that you’ve learned and go back to a situation that you handled and and redo it?
20:17.99
Libby Greiwe
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
20:23.82
Libby Greiwe
ah
20:23.80
Lorie Jones
what What would you do?
20:25.60
Libby Greiwe
It’s such a hard question. So like as a woman of faith, like I firmly believe everything happens the way it’s supposed to. And there’s a silver lining at everything. And, you know, there’s so many things that, you in my life, i have lots of challenges and struggles that I’m like, man, if I could go back, would not do this or would I do that? And I think, well, no, because that all was part of that beautiful process of what got me to where I am and made me the woman that I am today.
20:49.59
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
20:53.18
Libby Greiwe
So if I had to like really pick something, it would be when I sold my financial advisory practice, i wasn’t really ready to sell.
21:04.08
Libby Greiwe
My now ex-husband was going through some major, major, major mental health stuff. And I felt like I was on somebody else’s timeline. And I think that’s kind of a reoccurring thing for me. Like when I think about regret or whatever version of that word, it’s when somebody else kind of pushed me into something and made me do something that didn’t feel right in my gut.
21:26.65
Libby Greiwe
So while I’m really glad I sold my business, I’m really glad it led to what I do now. It led to a beautiful two-year sabbatical where part of that we lived in Hawaii. I mean, it was a lot of really good things, but having somebody else dictate that timeline It it’s still feels like I didn’t love the way that it all transitioned.
21:48.05
Libby Greiwe
I wish we would have had longer. i think the attrition or, i mean, I just wish I would have been able to stay present for my team, for my clients, for myself a little bit longer than we ultimately did.
22:00.06
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
22:01.94
Libby Greiwe
So that’s one of those things where… It’s just when somebody else is driving the decision or pushing it and something feels off inside, I wish, and I feel like those were all learning opportunities for me to trust my gut a little bit more and to use my voice more and to um just kind of make sure that what I’m doing is in alignment, kind of like you were just saying, like like and that my opinion in it all really actually does matter.
22:31.36
Lorie Jones
hu i I find sometimes I do have a hard time with, with making my voice heard and it’s not anyone not listening. It’s me not saying, you know, and, and coming out with that. So how would you, how would you have done that differently and like been authentic, kind of listen to your gut? Like, how would you have, what did, what would that look like?
22:56.33
Libby Greiwe
Yeah. I just, I feel like it just like, I should have used my voice more and put my foot down more, especially when it was my business. Like it kind of letting other people, the the guys that were buying me, my now ex-husband kind of like determine some of the factors. And I remember feeling like, well, i don’t want to disappoint people. And gosh, we already have someone who’s in a bad position and I don’t want to be a burden to them.
23:21.47
Libby Greiwe
And right. Like that, that kind of that, I always want to make sure everybody else feels really comfortable and that everybody else is happy.
23:26.55
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
23:28.14
Libby Greiwe
And in that constant, like putting myself on the back burner in service of others. And I do feel like that was the the growth piece for me. And all of that was that even when I was being told, like,
23:43.81
Libby Greiwe
don’t say anything. Like, let me handle this. Or I want to, you know, like my husband, my ex-husband wanted to broker the deal and like work through all of the legal details. Cause he was like, well, that’s not your job. Your job is to transition. Like, and I was like, no, I really kind of want to be part of that. And i was like, sh no, I’ll take care of that. You take care of that. That way we can get it done faster.
24:03.90
Libby Greiwe
And there’s a piece of me now that I wish I would have just put my foot down and been like, no, I’m not signing anything. Absolutely not. This is, this is my business. This is my baby. um Versus I always try to approach it as that this is our business and this is our baby. Like, you know, and instead of just really stepping into that, like, no, I did this. This was me. And that’s okay for me to say it was me.
24:23.40
Lorie Jones
Mm hmm. I love that. Yeah. And I think that like maybe taking some time and kind of writing down like, like, how do you put yourself out of the ah ah because I’ve been in those situations where you need the contracts or you feel like you’re getting a lot of pressure to get this contract signed and like,
24:41.33
Libby Greiwe
Yeah.
24:42.31
Lorie Jones
you know, so, so how do you take a step back and say, ah okay, I need more. I, I need to think a little bit about this. I need to, I need to, you know, write down what I really want and make sure that that’s, I i need people to take a step back and stop pressuring me to sign this contract or get this deal done because I need to feel like right about it rather than every, that like it’s most important for me to feel good about this.
24:50.92
Libby Greiwe
yeah
25:11.93
Libby Greiwe
Yeah. And, and that’s really, that’s really the, the hardest part was like, okay, I get to pause. Like I get to pause. I get to step back. I get to take a few breaths. I don’t have to make a decision right away. i you know,
25:28.22
Libby Greiwe
If it’s meant to be, it will happen. And that that was just a really big takeaway for me is that I can slow down and I can think about things and I don’t have to respond immediately.
25:40.03
Libby Greiwe
And ah so it was like, even now I see it show up in… speaking contracts. Well, they’ll have some crazy clause in there. and I think to myself, well, I mean, know I guess if I want this job, I have to, and it is amazing to me when you push back and say like, oh, I’m not really comfortable with that clause.
25:54.59
Libby Greiwe
The attorneys on the other side will go, oh, okay, we’ll take it out. And you’re like, well, that was, that was way too easy. Like I, you know, and I just, it’s it’s just been a really, a big journey of finding my voice and using it.
26:06.62
Lorie Jones
here
26:07.27
Libby Greiwe
And not everybody is going respond to it poorly.
26:10.90
Lorie Jones
Yeah, I love that. I really think that’s something so important to remember on your journey up is to find your voice and use it. um A lot of times people aren’t silencing you, you’re silencing yourself.
26:25.15
Libby Greiwe
Yes.
26:25.03
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
26:26.13
Libby Greiwe
Yes. Like in this one negotiation I was just in, I remember about like, they were having these weird little fits about funny little things. And i was like, I’m i’m not going to sign that. and finally, i was like, you know what, you guys came to me. If you’d like me to speak at your event, I would love to do that. And here are my terms.
26:40.16
Libby Greiwe
If you, if you aren’t okay with it, that’s okay. You know, we don’t have to work together.
26:43.14
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
26:45.65
Libby Greiwe
And of course, it’s amazing then, you know the very next day, like, oh, here’s everything that you wanted. And we took out all the stuff that you weren’t comfortable with. And here you go. And it’s just that constant reinforcement. And also, I think that confidence in self that, you know what, if this doesn’t work out, it’s not because I’m disagreeable or it’s not because…
27:04.36
Libby Greiwe
I’m being a Karen or kind of a pain in the butt. It’s I’m doing what’s best for me, for my IP, for my family. And at the end of the day, what what’s supposed to be for me will be.
27:16.57
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. That’s so hard too when you’re on the early end of things where you’re like just like,
27:22.67
Libby Greiwe
For sure.
27:22.75
Lorie Jones
But this is the difference between like macaroni and cheese and actual hamburger, right?
27:26.77
Libby Greiwe
Right, right. And paying a mortgage. Yeah. yeah
27:30.45
Lorie Jones
um
27:31.38
Libby Greiwe
That’s right.
27:31.24
Lorie Jones
Yeah. but But it is true. If you can hold those lines when you’re when it does make a difference whether or not you get that contract, then you can hold those lines later on. And it’s so important to set up those boundaries and those boundaries.
27:47.07
Lorie Jones
um listen to your gut. And really, I really appreciate you saying that. It makes a huge difference. So Libby, what about you could go back and talk to your 20 year old self?
27:57.53
Lorie Jones
Was is there anything you’d tell her?
27:59.73
Libby Greiwe
Ooh, yes. So in addition to sharing with her that she’s allowed to take up space and that her voice absolutely matters, the other thing I would share with her would be look for the people who are clapping for you.
28:15.18
Libby Greiwe
yeah And look for the people who genuinely are there for you, excited for you. And the ones who aren’t clapping for you, walk away. Don’t invest time and energy and surround yourself with people who are excited for you, excited for your growth, um happy for your successes.
28:34.37
Libby Greiwe
not coming from a place of jealousy, but from a place of like inspiration and admiration and find a group of women that you can clap for and have those same experiences. And that, ah like, if I, if I could just warn her about the, the people who can’t clap for her and how to just stay away from them. Oh, I totally would.
28:55.46
Lorie Jones
I love that idea because there is there are those people in your life. and And if you keep putting effort into them, then you lose out on some of the so the people that really truly do believe in you and your mom.
29:09.12
Libby Greiwe
Yeah, yeah.
29:09.70
Lorie Jones
Your mom is definitely one of those. Yeah.
29:11.86
Libby Greiwe
Right, yeah, mom. Yes, I mean, and that’s really, I mean, that’s a big piece of it, right? Like, you know, you want, And that’s part of that like emotional growth that i I feel like I had this.
29:22.88
Libby Greiwe
So many things happened that like led to that where it was like, okay, I don’t want to not be able to share my success with somebody because I’m worried about how it’s going to make them feel about themselves. So I want to be able to be around people that I can share something great and not worry about their reality. Let them be responsible for how they feel about it and not always be like, oh, well, if I say this, I’m going to make everybody else feel small. or you know, I can’t take up too much spotlight because everybody needs a spotlight.
29:52.97
Libby Greiwe
And just really realizing like, I’m not creating shadows. There’s enough light for everybody. And if people want to step into that spotlight, they absolutely can. And I’d love to give them a hand and and help them up in any way that I could and finding women that felt the same way.
30:05.97
Lorie Jones
Yeah, I love that. um I had one of my guests who she said something really memorable, and I’ve repeated it a million times, but she says, never make yourself smaller to make somebody else feel big.
30:18.25
Libby Greiwe
Yeah, yeah.
30:18.29
Lorie Jones
You know, but I like the idea there’s enough light for everybody, you know, like there, there is, there’s, you, you help other people grow. And the it just expands it, there isn’t that scarcity mindset, that abundance that there’s enough for everybody.
30:33.08
Libby Greiwe
Absolutely.
30:34.37
Lorie Jones
What about, um did anything scare you? Does anything scare you when you first started your career? Does it still scare you now? Like, how would you learn?
30:43.46
Libby Greiwe
When I first started, you know as you know, with financial services, there’s just so much to know. and I remember just being afraid of not being able, like, how can I do a really good job for people if I don’t literally know everything that there is to know about everything? And I had to embrace being a beginner. and and And it was not a comfortable feeling for me. I did not love the idea of fake it till you make it, learn as you go. Like that was not natural for me. I was so afraid of making the wrong choice or going in the wrong direction you even worse, taking somebody’s life savings and leading them down the wrong path.
31:23.47
Libby Greiwe
And I really had to learn how to just do things messy and just something, doing something is better than doing nothing perfectly. And and just moving forward in this idea of just constantly being in forward motion and just doing it messy. And I can always come back and make it fancy later.
31:41.81
Libby Greiwe
And then frankly, by the time I actually mastered something, yeah at least in our world, right, it would change as soon as I mastered it. Like the tax code would change or something, legal requirements or DOL, something would change everything anyways.
31:48.13
Lorie Jones
Oh, yeah. Hmm.
31:56.17
Libby Greiwe
So I used to just be so scared of being a beginner. And now I feel like I just really embrace it and lean into it. And I’m actually in a position now where I am enjoying being a beginner at something and like fumbling my way through it.
32:11.72
Libby Greiwe
yeah and And I think people like when you’re not perfect and you kind of air some of that. So like right now I’m going through this journey where I’m learning to use teleprompters and I’m sharing it and all of the mistakes and like the crazy stuff that’s happening And I’m finding that people are just like drawn to it. And like inside of my group coaching program, there’s a couple of videos that I made with a teleprompter and I used AI. You could tell I was reading and i’m like, okay, I’m trying to practice this and get better at it.
32:38.79
Libby Greiwe
So used AI to correct the eye gaze to make sure it looked like I was looking at the camera. Well, the AI like gave me a few moments where my eyes are black and it looks like, you know, Satan has taken over and just like, I’m not going to edit it because it’s actually kind of funny.
32:49.09
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
32:51.98
Libby Greiwe
And I want people to know, like, you don’t have to be perfect in order for the content to be great.
32:55.29
Lorie Jones
yeah
32:57.16
Libby Greiwe
Like you just have to keep moving forward. And it’s one of people’s favorite videos because it’s so stupid and silly.
33:02.65
Lorie Jones
Yeah, yeah. I like that idea too, that like there’s just growth. There is growth that comes. And as long as you’re willing to learn and try and grow. and and there are times when I’ve had to go and say, hey, I made a mistake on that. I’m so sorry.
33:17.71
Lorie Jones
Like, you know, like this this particular piece of paperwork isn’t the one I needed. And I really need you to, you know, sign another piece of paperwork. And I’m sorry, that was my fault. It was my mistake.
33:29.44
Lorie Jones
um I think that people are willing to to give you that grace if you if you always are just trying your very hardest to do.
33:38.03
Libby Greiwe
Yeah. And embracing that humanity and giving yourself the grace for it too.
33:39.60
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
33:41.74
Libby Greiwe
Mm-hmm.
33:42.49
Lorie Jones
Yeah. What about throughout your journey? Have you had any unique challenges because you were a woman?
33:49.93
Libby Greiwe
Girl, yes.
33:50.56
Lorie Jones
but I know. Yeah.
33:51.38
Libby Greiwe
Like, how long do we have? How long of a podcast is this?
33:56.55
Libby Greiwe
Oh my gosh, absolutely. Being in a male-dominated industry, starting when I was 23, having a really fast escalation. So within just a few years, I was in the top 25 of my organization and just, I would get mistaked at conferences for being a secretary or people asking me if I was there with my dad.
34:18.16
Libby Greiwe
I can remember going to conferences with my husband. And even though I had, you know, the lanyard on with like all the ribbons, like down to my knees, people would still walk up to my husband and shake his hand and congratulate him for being there. And it was just, it was so interesting. And I remember like early on, i always joked that I was surrounded by the FBFs and I called them fat, bald and 50. And now that I’m like, you know,
34:41.55
Libby Greiwe
chubby balding and 40. Like I’m kind of like, okay, maybe I shouldn’t have used that term, but here we are. and I just remember it was like this atmosphere where all of the the few women that there were, everybody was trying to be more masculine, like masculine in their, the way that they dressed and the way that they did business and the way that they designed their offices.
35:00.81
Libby Greiwe
And it was such a
35:00.83
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
35:02.90
Libby Greiwe
a hurdle for me to figure out how to just embrace my femininity in um such a male dominated industry and actually use that femininity to my advantage without constantly being made to feel like guilty for it or to be, you know, like pat on the head, like, Oh, that’s so cute. That’s so sparkly and pretty. And you’re so feminine, you know, like I, it it really was a struggle. And I can remember being on panel after panel, um, where the moderator would ask me about,
35:32.44
Libby Greiwe
what it’s like parenting and like being a mom and working and like, what about my mom guilt? And it was interesting because they never asked but by my panel mates and I want to be like, well, i want to hear what Jeff thinks about dad guilt, right?
35:45.22
Libby Greiwe
Like, and it was, it was so obvious that I was different.
35:45.63
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
35:49.67
Libby Greiwe
um And it used to make me crazy because I hated the fact that like, just because I was a woman, you’re asking me about guilt over parenting and working. And you’re not asking that a male counterpart counterparts, but at the same time, like i also appreciated the conversation because it is just different.
36:07.02
Lorie Jones
yeah Yeah. Yeah. And it, it does tend to, I, when I, um, did fearless financial advisors, I said, the only thing I want is a little bit of pink in my logo. Like we just do, I did, it’s green, it’s blue, it’s the business suits. You just, i just wanted a little bit that felt like me.
36:27.34
Lorie Jones
So I, I fully understand that.
36:27.54
Libby Greiwe
Yes.
36:29.73
Lorie Jones
And it, and it, it is hard sometimes to show up. Um, I bet, though, that it was really nice to have an example of a fearless female advisor that others could kind of look up to because I didn’t have that. by you know I realized for years there was just no one that looked like me.
36:50.07
Lorie Jones
As you went to conferences, there was. But… um But like in the companies I worked for, I worked for small RIAs. There just isn’t a whole lot of of women in those spaces. And so um it must have been nice to have a hello ah female advisor that they can look up to and say, if she can do it.
37:08.10
Libby Greiwe
One of my favorite things now, so doing a lot of keynote speaking at conferences, I love going to a conference and actually having to wait in line at the ladies’ room.
37:08.15
Lorie Jones
but up
37:17.28
Libby Greiwe
It’s like so exciting for me because I’m like, look how many women there are.
37:17.52
Lorie Jones
oh
37:20.39
Libby Greiwe
We actually have a line for the bathroom where that was never a problem for me when I first started back in 2004, right? Being one of the one or two women in the room.
37:27.29
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
37:29.68
Libby Greiwe
Now it’s like so cool that there’s enough women to cause a backup at the at the restroom.
37:36.64
Lorie Jones
I know. I’ve talked to a woman engineer and she’s like, I never wait for the bathroom. She’s like, I’m waiting for the day that I go to the conference and I get, I wait for the bathroom. ah Libby, what is the thing you are most proud of?
37:49.41
Libby Greiwe
I feel like the obvious answer is my kids. Like I always feel like that’s not like that’s the go-to, know, as a mom, like, and I am, ah they they are like my absolute greatest invention of all time. um But really would say if I had to pick,
38:03.94
Libby Greiwe
it would be my resiliency. Like this this resiliency that I have built as ah as a woman, as a business owner, um continuously building this bank of proof, this evidence that I can bounce back, that I can transform, that I can do things that I didn’t think I was capable of, that things didn’t really actually break me when I thought that they would.
38:26.75
Libby Greiwe
And whether things have gone well for me not, wrong for me that I’ve had to, I’ve had to overcome a lot personally. And it’s just, I’m so grateful for the struggle.
38:39.94
Lorie Jones
hu
38:40.72
Libby Greiwe
And every time i’ve overcome something, whether it’s big or small, it’s, it’s reinforced that everything is figureoutable and that this too shall pass.
38:52.45
Libby Greiwe
And then as long as I, you know, show up with intention that I’ll be able to get through just about anything.
39:00.00
Lorie Jones
I love that. my My very first value is we can do hard things. And I think that’s what you’re talking about.
39:05.12
Libby Greiwe
Yes.
39:06.30
Lorie Jones
Like you you do the hard things, you learn from the hard things. And then next time you do the hard thing, you’re like, oh, I’ve done this.
39:14.23
Libby Greiwe
Yeah.
39:14.12
Lorie Jones
I’m actually good at it now.
39:16.69
Libby Greiwe
And we have so much imposter syndrome. It’s like, I’m now like, you know, you’re like, look back, like, look at all the stuff that you’ve done. I think like women, we have a really distorted, broken review mirror where we tend to like, forget, like, look at, remember you gave birth.
39:29.05
Libby Greiwe
like, and you like created a human with lungs and an eyeball, and then like you brought them into this universe and then you kept them alive for 16 years already.
39:30.91
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
39:36.52
Libby Greiwe
Like, that’s amazing. Like you have done amazing things and you are capable of incredible things. And we tend to just like forget all of that.
39:46.86
Libby Greiwe
And, and we don’t, we don’t tend to think about how much we’ve actually overcome.
39:46.94
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
39:51.64
Libby Greiwe
So reminding ourselves to pat ourselves on the back and and embrace that messy middle that is everything, knowing that you’ve got all of the evidence to show that you’ve you’ve survived literally everything to this point.
40:02.51
Lorie Jones
Yeah. And you can do it. You can do it. Yeah. Love that. and Any advice for a young lady who’s just starting down this path that you’re successful at?
40:11.72
Libby Greiwe
Ah, yes, you do not come last. You do not come last. It is okay for yourself to be on the list of people that you are trying to please. And you are a whole person with hobbies and interests and needs. and saying yes to something means that you have to say no to something else. So saying yes to yourself is not selfish.
40:36.36
Libby Greiwe
It’s actually one of the the best things that that you can do. And by investing in yourself, giving yourself space by being a whole person and not being wantless or needless and having unique desires and dreams of your own makes you a huge role model to other women, to other men, to your children.
41:03.03
Libby Greiwe
And, um,
41:02.99
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
41:04.51
Libby Greiwe
yeah boundaries are really important and protecting your inner peace is really important, but it would really be, you know, you, you are not last on your to-do list. You should be first.
41:16.48
Libby Greiwe
And something I started doing a few years ago and it’s now become an annual tradition for me is it’s called Camp Libby. And every year I pick a day. So it started off as just a day and now it’s grown into, it’s four days where every year i take off from all responsibilities, no kids, no spouse, no job. And I do whatever I want for those four days. So all the stuff that I’m like, oh, wouldn’t that be so nice to lay in a hammock and read a book?
41:43.80
Libby Greiwe
Or wouldn’t be so fun to go to HomeGoods and walk around for three hours? But when you do, you feel guilty that you should be getting something done or you have all these projects at the house. that So I’ve just started carving out time for myself and and doing it without any guilt whatsoever. And if I decide i want to sleep on the couch for four hours and watch trashy television, that’s okay.
42:04.59
Libby Greiwe
And I’m not going to judge myself for it. And just giving myself that freedom to explore my interests and do things that don’t feel productive or maybe aren’t like viewed as like, oh, that’s how you should spend your spare time.
42:18.83
Libby Greiwe
But man, it has been transformative by putting myself on the list of things to do.
42:23.72
Lorie Jones
I love that. Camp Libby. I love that. I’m going to steal it. I totally am.
42:28.80
Libby Greiwe
I have a logo and everything. I mean, I make it into like a whole, a whole thing.
42:34.45
Lorie Jones
oh I love it. Oh, i that’s the best. I’m totally going to steal it. Well, thank you so much, Libby, for spending some time with us and just sharing your journey and your story and your insights. If I have a listener who wants to get hold of you and ask you some questions or um how does she do that?
42:50.17
Libby Greiwe
Yeah, the best place is LinkedIn. You can find me on LinkedIn, Libby Greiwe, G-R-E-I-W-E, or you can go to theefficientadvisor.com and you know connect with me there.
43:01.50
Lorie Jones
Well, thank you. Thank you so much. i appreciate yeah your your time and your insights.
43:06.70
Libby Greiwe
Aw, thanks so much for having me. This was fun.