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 3 - 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.
Natalie ran a mortgage and protection business alongside her father for 15 years, building a client bank of around 1,200 people. A conversation with one of her own mortgage clients, a St. James's Place partner, changed the direction of her career. She explains why she took the CII Investment Advice Diploma, opting for its multiple-choice exam format because she felt it suited her better than essay-style papers, and how she sat those exams while still running her mortgage business and raising her children. She also talks about how she built introducer relationships with mortgage advisers and accountants to generate new clients, and about being struck by ME, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia around 11 years ago, and the three-day programme that played a part in her recovery.
Watch the episode here
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Episode 1
Gee Foottit
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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.
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Episode 2
Samantha Wood
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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
Watch now
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
