Episode summary
Caroline Gaynor discusses professional follow-up, work and life and the role of athletics in her career.
Key takeaways
- Following up is an important part of professional relationships.
- Passions outside work can support perseverance.
- The conversation considers how women can lead in finance.
About this episode
In this episode of Rocking Finance, RTSWS CEO Ashley Leftwich speaks with Caroline Gaynor, VP Relationship Director & Investment Specialist at Avantis Investors, for a candid conversation about the importance of follow-up, lessons regarding work/life grounding, and athletics. Caroline explains how women can lead and how passions outside of work can help you preserver.
Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter for more career insights.
Learn more about Rock The Street, Wall Street and our mission to bring the M in STEM to life: https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com/
Disclaimer: All financial and investment information contained in this podcast is merely for educational and informational purposes. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice. Should you decide to act upon any information in this podcast, you do so at your own risk.
Listen to the episode
Transcript
Transcript supplied by Riverside; it may contain transcription errors.
speaker-0: Welcome to Rocking Finance, the Rock the Street Wall Street Podcast. Real stories, real access, real path into finance. Join us for candid high-impact conversations with industry leaders sharing the insights, experiences, career pivots, and journeys that can help young women advance through the financial industry with great confidence. Rock the Street Wall Street equips high school and university students, especially young women, by bringing the and STEM to life through financial and investment fundamentals. We provide direct industry access and guidance supporting students and young professionals on their journeys from classrooms to careers while expanding participation in the capital markets. Through cohort-based learning, mentorship, and individual career connection, we help students build confidence, capabilities, and networks that open doors. Our goal is clear: expand participation in the capital markets and strengthen the future of finance one cohort at a time. Today I'm your host, Ashley Leftwich, CEO of Rockmistry Wall Street, that lets rock finance. Carolyn Gaynor, welcome to Rocking Finance. You're a vice president, relationship director, and investment specialist at Avantis Investors, where you work closely with the advisor community. With nearly two decades of experience in financial services, you've built a career centered on helping others succeed. Outside of work, you're an accomplished endurance athlete and have spent years guiding blind and visually impaired athletes through triathlons and Iron Man competitions. helping them achieve goals many might think are impossible. Your story is one of perseverance, purpose, leadership, and service. And I'm excited to share it with our students, alumni, and listeners today. Carolyn, thank you for joining us. Let's jump in.
speaker-1: so excited to be here with Brock the Street Wall Street. Thank you so much for having me.
speaker-0: Like many students today, you didn't have an entire career mapped out while you were in college. Looking back at your time at Columbia, what were you passionate about? What were you still figuring out? And how did those experiences help shape the career and life you've built today?
speaker-1: I was still figuring everything out. I think that I really had no idea what I wanted to do. And it's it's so interesting when I talk to kids now and they're 16 years old and they already have a path laid out. I I mean I was a history major in college. I wanted to learn how to think and read and write. And then as I moved toward junior and senior year, I started becoming a little bit more interested in finance. But not even for the right reasons. I just noticed that that's where a lot of the really competitive and smart people that I knew were headed. And so I wanted to understand more about why they were gravitating towards that that space. And also, what did what does finance even mean? I don't think I really I mean it's such a broad, a broad thing and I definitely didn't have a clue when I was in college.
speaker-0: I mean, your story is a great reminder that success often comes from settings setting ambitious goals really and staying committed and striving to improve. So how did those lessons from athletics influence your approach to building your career in finance?
speaker-1: I mean, failure is part of everything. And I actually I think back to when I was in high school and it was between my sophomore and junior year, I started to learn the value of hard work. I was sort of a mediocre runner and I set a goal to run just train with the varsity team. And I was not one of the girls that could show up at the beginning of season having done nothing all summer and still be able to run that fast. So that summer I ran every day. I think I dropped like two minutes on my two and a half mile time. And that was when I realized like, you don't have to be the most talented, but if you work the hardest, a whole lot can be accomplished. and so I've really tried to apply that to my career. I can't say it worked at the beginning just because I was still trying to figure out my purpose, but it is absolutely something that I still abide by today is hard work beats most things.
speaker-0: actually one of the themes that we talk about often at Rock the Street Wall Street is resilience. And I really appreciate the fact that you share that failure is part of everything. Yep. I mean you've spoken very candidly about professional challenges and learning experiences along the way. What have setbacks taught you and how can students learn to view obstacles as opportunities for growth?
speaker-1: When you experience your first failure, it can feel like the world is ending, whether that's getting negative feedback at work, losing a job, not getting a promotion, it can truly feel like, especially for people who really are passionate, it can feel like your world is is ending. But if you can just get past, it's so hard. But if you can get past that initial crushing feeling, the resilience element, it comes into play. It makes you better, stronger. more capable in in future roles, it also helps you realize where do you need to to work on things? It makes you take a hard look at yourself. And so if you can use those as learning moments, I I really think you can become unstoppable. The people I worry about are the people that have never experienced failure because it comes for everybody. And I'm in a sales role, if I were not able to handle rejection, there's no way I could do this job. So everyone has experienced it. Not everyone's honest about it, but I think that welcome Your first failure, your first criticism, because that that's the starting point and that's what's gonna get you to the best version of yourself.
speaker-0: I mean, truly treating those as learning opportunities makes all the difference. And I really love that you said that it makes you unstoppable whenever you recognize them and then move forward from them and treat them that way. At Rockmastry Wall Street, we help students build financial knowledge and meaningful professional connections. And our listeners have heard this many times, but I'm a big believer in compounding. Not only in the investing side, but also in careers and your connections. Those small actions and relationships can create lasting impact over time. How have mentors and professional networks influenced your career and helped open doors bond the way?
speaker-1: I'm actually I'm gonna go back to another thing that I think I should have done better, but I think post 30, I'm now 42, I really tried to lean into my friendships, connections, network. But in my 20s, I really didn't understand the value. And so the what I would say is your network is everything. The people that you connect with find ways to stay in contact with them. And people want to help. That that's the coolest thing is just seeing how the people I know want to show up. For me and for others and giving people an opportunity to help. When I'm thinking about whoever's listening to this, especially girls in high school, reach out to those people who have the job that you want, who've had a path that you're interested in. They want to talk to you. And that is going and they'll stay in contact with you if you give them a way to. And it'll help you throughout your career.
speaker-0: It could be really intimidating for you to see people that are in the profession or see someone with a role that you want and think that I can just message them and we can just start building a relationship. But truly there are so many opportunities and you can you can find ways to connect with them initially and staying connected with them. You have ownership in that and being able to build that social capital and that network can change trajectory.
speaker-1: And the piece of advice I want to give that I wish I'd had is you send that first message, right? You don't get a response. That's fine. Email again. Well, and people in demanding jobs, I am guilty of this. I've had people reach out to me once. Maybe I write an email with give them a couple of times to meet, but then it doesn't work out. And then I never hear from them again. I've forgot at this point. But if they were to say, hey, let me get on your calendar, that's helpful to me. So I know it can feel like you're being sort of obnoxious or pushy, but it is helpful to the busy people you're trying to meet. when you're like, Hey, I'm gonna make this as easy for you as possible. Now of course if they say no, respect that, but most of the time they're not gonna say no. It's really just you need to nudge them a couple of times.
speaker-0: Speaking of busy people, you and I have talked about this previously, how important it is to have purpose outside of work. I volunteer in my community, whether it's supporting environmental initiatives or the fine arts. And I've found those experiences provide perspective beyond just my usual role, right? And your volunteer work as a guide for blind and visually impaired athletes has become a significant part of your life. And why is that important for you to have? purpose outside of your career and what lessons from those experiences have shaped the way you lead and connect with others.
speaker-1: funny guiding has been the one constant in my life when I was experiencing job changes or I was moving or relationships ending, things like that. Guiding was the thing that was always there that I could always give my whole self to. And so it really taught me the importance of having something outside of your professional life that matters to you. And you can't fake it. Don't just like pick up a hobby because you think that people want to see that. But really I think it helps weather the storm when you've got something especially that is giving to others. But again, even if it's a hobby or a passion, having something that's outside of your home life, outside of your professional life that you can devote yourself to. And it doesn't have to be a crazy time commitment. But I think that's the only reason that I've been able to be as resilient is that I've always had this other thing that I'm so interested in. And sometimes if I was injured or something and I couldn't guide, but then I had my work life or I had my relationship, I it's nice to have that balance because Everything won't always go well at the same time.
speaker-0: Really having that genuine connection to something else allows for a little bit of reprieve, even if it is for just a short period of time. Yeah. At Rock the Street Wall Street, we're focused on helping students, especially young women, see a path in finance and investing. Over your career, what progress have you seen for women in the industry? I mean, what can firms and professionals do to continue creating these environments where women thrive in advance?
speaker-1: Man, that's a hard question. I still wish there were more people who were women in these roles. I I think that's one of the things that my daughter who's seven, I hope that by the time she's my age, there are far more women. So I'm in an external sales role. So I travel. I think that firms understand the value of women, but I think often when women start having families and things like that, if you have to decide between one partner's career and the other, I've seen a lot of women take a step back. And not want to pursue the travel role or things like that. But I think that the more firms can support moms, people want to have families, and the more who you choose to to build a life with can support your your goals. I'm very lucky that my husband he knew what he was getting into when he married me, that I was really passionate about my career and he has supported that. But there's no way I could have accomplished what I have if I didn't have him sort of as the backbone of the household.
speaker-0: It's so true. I am also graced with a significant other that supports me and my career. We have two daughters and I also travel quite a bit. And it is something where I feel like my children actually understand that. They have a lot of respect for what I'm doing out in the world and really brings context whenever I come home as well.
speaker-1: thing I want add is women are just as capable of doing these roles as men. And men are just as capable of running a house as women. And we are all able to do whatever role you feel makes the most sense for you and your family, you or your your husband are just as capable. And
speaker-0: Sometimes it is putting my husband in uncomfortable spaces, like we still call room moms and in the culture is still so geared towards females. And he is very comfortable with being in those spaces where he might be the only man in the room for those. And we're on this side, being the only woman in the room at conferences and in other spaces, being comfortable in the uncomfortable, as I like to say, is really a key takeaway for students and alum who are preparing for the internships and their first jobs, what are two to three actions they can take today that will make the greatest impact on their long term success in your opinion?
speaker-1: If you get an offer for an internship, find some people on LinkedIn that you can reach out to to ask questions about the culture, expectations, dress code. I know it sounds really silly, but especially for women, we have more decisions about what we wear, how we present ourselves. It's more goes back to the mental load that we carry. But understand what you're walking into. Take that feedback and also learn from a few people because you might end up talking to somebody who has a very different opinion than someone else. Usually hopefully you'll get the same messaging if it's a corporate environment, but Reach out to people ahead of time, understand what makes people successful in those roles. That's really like the main thing I would say is do your research going into things.
speaker-0: Carolyn Gaynard, thank you for joining us today, both as a financial professional and as someone who has dedicated so much time to helping others achieve extraordinary goals. Your story is a wonderful reminder that success is about showing up, continuing to learn and working hard. Thank you for being with us on Rocking Fight.
speaker-1: Thanks for having me.
speaker-0: Thank you for joining the conversation. Visit Rock the Streetwall Street.com to learn more. Make sure to follow and join us for the next episode. Until next time, let's keep rocking findings.
