Financial Planner Life Podcast
Welcome to The Financial Planner Life Podcast. Financial Planner Life is an independent podcast, that share stories from financial planners from across the profession.
Host Sam Oakes covers an intimate and honest account of what it’s really like to work in the financial planning industry. Guests share their stories of success, failures, and learnings, as well as what to expect from a career in the industry.
The podcast covers a multitude of topics, from mindset and motivation, health, and wellbeing all the way to diversity and inclusion.
Hear directly from St. James’s Place Partners and Advisers as they share their career journeys, experiences, and perspectives on the financial advice profession.
Episode 1 - Gee Foottit
Sam Oakes welcomes back Gee Foottit, who leads the St James's Place Academy, the longest running adviser training programme in the profession, for a look at what has changed for 2026 and why the numbers coming out of it now shape the whole market.
Almost 50% of financial advisers in the UK are over 50, and fewer than 30% are under 40. The Academy was built as a succession plan for a business that wants to be around in a hundred years, and it has ended up doing something bigger. Of everyone appointed as a new financial adviser last year, over half came through this one programme.
Gee and Sam go through the whole route: the six CII exams, the three terms, the selection process, the business plan and network analysis nobody expects, and the two ways out into your own practice or an existing one.
Watch the episode here
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Episode 1
Gee Foottit
Watch now
Sam Oakes welcomes back Gee Foottit, who leads the St James's Place Academy, the longest running adviser training programme in the profession, for a look at what has changed for 2026 and why the numbers coming out of it now shape the whole market.
-
Episode 2
Samantha Wood
Watch now
In this episode of the Financial Planner Life podcast, Sam Oakes speaks with Samantha Wood, founder of Wood Mitchell Financial Planning and a Partner at St. James’s Place.
Samantha’s career began in the British Army, where she progressed from soldier to officer and developed the discipline, leadership and adaptability that would later shape her career in financial services.
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Episode 3
Natalie Cheesman
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Natalie Cheesman, a St. James's Place partner running her own financial planning firm, joins Sam Oakes for this episode to talk about leaving mortgage advice for financial planning.
This is an episode for mortgage advisers thinking about a move into financial planning, for planners in their first few years building a client bank from scratch, and for anyone who has faced a serious health setback and wondered how to come back from it.
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Episode 4
Adele & Victoria Cable
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Adele Cable changed career at 53, convinced she was nearly on the ‘scrapheap’. Victoria Cable started at 23, convinced nobody would trust someone her age with their finances. Together they've built a practice worth £2.8 million in three years, and Victoria's own business is already valued at £400,000 after just a year and a half.
Gee Foottit
Sam Oakes welcomes back Gee Foottit, who leads the St James's Place Academy, the longest running adviser training programme in the profession, for a look at what has changed for 2026 and why the numbers coming out of it now shape the whole market.
Samantha Wood
In this episode of the Financial Planner Life podcast, Sam Oakes speaks with Samantha Wood, founder of Wood Mitchell Financial Planning and a Partner at St. James’s Place.
Samantha’s career began in the British Army, where she progressed from soldier to officer and developed the discipline, leadership and adaptability that would later shape her career in financial services.
Natalie Cheesman
Natalie Cheesman, a St. James's Place partner running her own financial planning firm, joins Sam Oakes for this episode to talk about leaving mortgage advice for financial planning.
This is an episode for mortgage advisers thinking about a move into financial planning, for planners in their first few years building a client bank from scratch, and for anyone who has faced a serious health setback and wondered how to come back from it.
Adele & Victoria Cable
Adele Cable changed career at 53, convinced she was nearly on the ‘scrapheap’. Victoria Cable started at 23, convinced nobody would trust someone her age with their finances. Together they've built a practice worth £2.8 million in three years, and Victoria's own business is already valued at £400,000 after just a year and a half.
Outgrown your career?
Whether you're ready for a new challenge or considering a return to work after a career break, a career in financial advice could be your next step. Discover how the St. James's Place Financial Adviser Academy is helping more women build flexible, rewarding careers with purpose
