Success is a journey, not a destination
Kelli Gabriel’s talent and passion for wealth management are evident when you look at her curriculum vitae. With over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, Kelli’s tenure at some of the world’s most recognized public investment firms demonstrates her ability to generate multimillion-dollar revenues. Kelli taps into her wealth building strengths and knack for developing top producing teams in her current role as President of Nashville Private Wealth Management.
Originally from upstate New York, Kelli spent most of her adult life in Washington, D.C. But when an opportunity to move to Nashville was presented, Kelli moved her financial services practice to Music City. But Kelli was after more than just a change of scenery. “Many firms have great proprietary products, but I didn’t want to feel pressured to use those if another non-proprietary product was a better fit for my client.” So Kelli made the decision to become an independent financial services advisor, meaning that she could use whatever financial product made the most sense for her client.
Kelli is intent on redefining what it means to be a financial services representative for one simple reason: a love of what she does. “I love what I do. I truly believe that I make people’s lives better by helping them get their financial house in order and keeping it that way,” says Kelli. Candidly, she shares, “People call me the money therapist.”
But Kelli admits that rebuilding her financial services practice in Nashville was difficult at first. “I never knew I was a girl until I moved to Nashville,” says Kelli. “Gender was not an issue up north and overcoming the boy’s club mentality here was a challenge. I’ve never been called “princess” in a business setting until I moved to Nashville.”
But Kelli was not disheartened by her rocky start. She deftly navigated the stumbling blocks and now uses her platform to empower other women. “I didn’t realize how important it was to support other women until I got further on in my career. But once I learned to appreciate the sacrifices of women before me and the plight of those still fighting to get a seat at the table, I wanted to be part of getting them there. But, you can only effect change from the inside.” So she got involved.
Kelli serves as the new Advocacy Chair for NAWBO Nashville where she hopes to use her extensive experience and familiarity with Washington D.C. antics to make sure women have a voice.
And for women working to balance it all, Kelli shares this advice: “Be kind to yourself. Know that there will be days when you don’t get it all done. Success is a journey, not a destination.”