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Purpose-Focused Succession Planning for Financial Advisors with Rob Brown

Release Date: 07/29/2025

What to Do When You’re Behind on Succession Planning

Total Succession

Succession planning is often postponed, not because it’s unimportant, but because taking care of clients always feels more urgent. Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour unpack why “later” quietly becomes “now,” how life events can force decisions before you’re ready, and why clarity beats shame every time. Tune in to learn how to get started where you are and move toward an outcome that happens on your terms, not by accident. Today’s episode kicks off with Tyson Ray sharing the main reason why founders put succession planning off, even if they know it matters. “The urgency of caring for...

The Messy Middle of Succession: Not Out, Not In, Still Here

Total Succession

Succession planning isn’t just about stepping away, it’s about who you become once you stop doing everything yourself. Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour dive into the messy middle of succession planning, where identity, control, and clarity collide and founders are forced to evolve. You’ll hear why succession is built through trial and adjustment, how to create a business that can live beyond you, and the powerful question every advisor must eventually answer: If you’re no longer running the show… who are you now? Tyson Ray kicks the conversation off by sharing something he was once told:...

20 Years of Trial and Error: Lessons From Tyson’s Personal Succession Journey

Total Succession

Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour discuss Tyson’s 20-year journey and reveal the raw truth behind his internal succession plan, and why he eventually chose the joy of client impact over the lure of a multi-million dollar buyout. You’ll hear about common succession planning mistakes and the hard-won processes that finally ended Tyson’s cycle of “burning through people”, including the S.P.A.C.E. framework and EOS to build a firm with staying power. If you’re wondering why mastering succession planning is more critical than ever, as the industry faces a widening advisor shortage, this...

Why Succession Planning Fails Financial Advisors… And How to Fix It with Jackie Wilke

Total Succession

Succession planning succeeds or fails in just a few critical places, and most financial advisors don’t realize where they’re vulnerable. Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour are joined by Jackie Wilke to break down the three make-or-break factors in succession planning, from redefining rainmaking to building leaders who can truly care for clients. You’ll hear why succession is your final act of client service, how to future-proof your firm, and what it really takes to prepare the next generation of advisors to step up. Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour are joined by Jackie Wilke to dig into the three...

Succession Planning, Legacy, and Letting Go: The Story Behind the Total Succession Book

Total Succession

Tyson Ray’s new book, Total Succession, actually didn’t start as a book idea… but as a responsibility. Kim Cochenour turns the mic on her co-host Tyson, to explore why succession is about far more than just retirement, and how identity, control, and legacy shape the decisions advisors struggle to make. Tune in to hear the personal moments, hard-earned lessons, and the S.P.A.C.E. framework behind Total Succession – and why none of us get to the next chapter alone. This episode sees Kim Cochenour interview co-host Tyson Ray to discuss something that has been years in the making, and...

Should You Sell Your Advisory Practice? How to Handle Unsolicited Offers

Total Succession

When a buyer comes calling, it can feel flattering, urgent, and surprisingly emotional, but an offer is NOT a succession plan. Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour break down how advisors should think about succession when acquisition conversations start, from asking the right questions to understanding what you may be giving up beyond the numbers. You’ll learn how to evaluate opportunities on your terms, protect your clients and culture, and avoid regrets in a world where there is no such thing as a perfect exit. This episode sees hosts Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour address the scenario in which...

How to Rethink Your Exit When Succession Doesn’t Go as Planned

Total Succession

Succession planning doesn’t always go the way you expect… and when it falls apart, that moment can reveal the truth you’ve been avoiding. Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour break down why plans derail, how to trust your gut over external pressure, and what founders should do when people or expectations start to crumble. You’ll learn why a broken plan can ultimately protect your legacy, strengthen client care, and open the door to a better path forward. Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour discuss what to do when your succession plan falls apart, and how advisors can protect their legacy even when the...

How Faith and Fit Shape a Better Succession Plan with Brian Church

Total Succession

Succession planning isn’t just a business strategy, it’s an identity shift. Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour are joined by Brian Church to explore the emotional and practical realities founders face as they scale, surrender control, and redefine their best vocational life. You’ll hear hard-won lessons from Advisory DNA’s journey, why advisors must seek trusted community, and how letting go can actually lead to more clarity, freedom, and growth. Brian Church kicks things off by sharing Advisory DNA’s origin story, the inspiration behind its creation and the gap he was trying to fill with...

Before the Deal, Have the Talk: Why Succession Begins With the People You Love

Total Succession

Succession planning doesn’t start with lawyers, valuations, or deal terms (or at least, it shouldn’t!)... It starts at home. Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour address the topic of deeply personal conversations advisors need to have with their spouse or partner long before any transition becomes real, from aligning on “age and number” to navigating fears about the future. They discuss how to get on the same page, what to do when you’re not, and why the most important succession agreement you’ll ever sign is the unspoken one with the person who knows you best. Tyson Ray kicks things off...

The Next Wave of Succession: Why Advisors Are Rejoining Bigger Firms to Regain Freedom with Alex Goss

Total Succession

Advisors are rethinking what they want their future to look like, and the old model of “go independent and grind forever” is losing its shine. Co-hosts Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour, along with Alex Goss of NewEdge Advisors, unpack the new realities of succession – from soaring valuations and G2 buyout challenges to burnout driving many advisors toward bigger, better-resourced firms. You’ll hear about how deal structures are shifting, what buyers actually want, and why the real question isn’t just how you’ll exit… but what life will look like after you do. Alex Goss kicks the...

More Episodes

Are you treating your succession like a finish line — or a chance to rediscover your purpose?

What if the next chapter of your business and your life could be just as meaningful as the one you’re preparing to leave behind?

In this episode, Tyson Ray, Kim Cochenour, and guest Rob Brown dive into purpose-driven succession planning, helping advisors shift from urgency and overwhelm to clarity, intention, and legacy-focused decisions.

Co-host Kim Cochenour kicks things off by asking two fundamental questions: “Why are you doing this?” and “What’s the purpose behind it all?”
The purpose of this episode is to help advisors who are amazing at helping their clients plan for their future but are feeling stuck and unsure when it comes to their own transition.
Tyson Ray touches upon the phenomenon of advisors feeling overwhelmed and losing energy from doing the business, instead of getting it from the business.
Today’s guest, Rob Brown, is the founder of Truest Fan Coaching and the host of The Purpose Focused Advisor Podcast.
Rob shares his story — from his 25-year experience working as an advisor all the way to helping advisors rethink their purpose.
Rob believes that the process of helping advisors with their purpose-searching starts by being a good listener.
The Truest Fan Blueprint and the Purpose Clarity Framework are Rob’s tools for helping somebody really organize their business around the things that are most important to them - Rob unpacks these concepts further.
Thinking about the future is something we all do, says Rob. What’s important is to “Take that wondering process and put it down on paper.”
Rob goes into what he sees as the biggest shift needed from advisors to align their business with their deeper purpose.
Intention is the one thing that Rob considers missing in a lot of the planning that advisors are doing in their practices, especially when it comes to succession.
Rob wonders why advisors take 5, 10, 25 years to build a big business, but are somehow in a rush to put the perfect succession plan together… in just 12 weeks.
Kim, Rob, and Tyson discuss what to do when dealing with an advisor who’s just stuck and doesn’t seem to be able to move forward.
Tyson brings up a relevant quote from the Bible: “Don’t let the urgent crowd out the important.”
Need for succession to happen quickly? For Tyson, the quicker it needs to be, the worse it is going to be for your clients, your team, yourself, and your loved ones.
Kim, Rob, and Tyson look at how Rob helps clients reframe exit as an intentional transition rather than the finish line of their career.
Tyson notes that the right succession plan is retiring INTO something, and that a common mistake advisors make is viewing succession as an “all or nothing” thing, when it can be “both and”.
Remember: Succession is a decision, it isn’t something you just let happen to you.
Tyson shares a couple of tips for advisors who are planning to die at their desks.
Rob talks about his new book, The Truest Fan Blueprint, as well as about his Purpose Focused Advisor Mastermind.
Rob brings Max Lucado’s quote into the conversation - your purpose is at the intersection of what you love doing and what other people love that you do.