The Wealth Designers on Money Money Money
When Principal Wealth Adviser Michelle Flanagan and Senior Wealth Adviser Dawn Thomas joined Glen James on the Money Money Money podcast at the FAAA Conference in Perth, the tone was refreshingly light-hearted from the outset.
Yes, they touched on investing and mortgages – but the real heart of the episode was about people, personality and purpose.
Michelle was actually the person who gave Glen his first job in the financial advice industry, so there was a nice sense of shared history as they sat down to chat.
Their approach to advice
Rather than framing financial advice as a numbers-first profession, both Dawn and Michelle spoke about relationships.
For Michelle, it begins with connection and mutual respect. “It’s about the relationship you want to have with people. Do I respect you, do you respect me, and is this going to be a mutual relationship that we both enjoy?”
Dawn shares a similar philosophy with her own slant. “I’m all about advice with heart. Leadership with heart. Doing it together – I’m suited to people who actually want to go on the journey together.”
Both advisers acknowledged that technical expertise is essential. But what sustains a long-term client relationship runs deeper – trust, collaboration and a genuine alignment of values. Different advisers resonate with different personalities, and part of delivering great advice is recognising that fit matters.
Michelle also reflected on the broader value of financial advice. “There are lots of Australians who don’t get advice, but value can be added from restructuring assets, retirement strategies and creating certainty in a way that can really lift people’s lives.”
Women in leadership
The conversation covered leadership in what has traditionally been a male-dominated profession. At The Wealth Designers, four of our 10 advisers are women – 40% of the team – a statistic Michelle and Dawn are extremely proud of.
Dawn spoke about the energy women often bring to leadership. “Women shift their energy quite naturally,” she said, highlighting the adaptability and empathy that can shape both client relationships and internal culture.
For both women, leadership is less about hierarchy and more about influence – creating an environment where clients feel heard and supported, and where team members can thrive.
The Wealth Designers’ approach
Here at The Wealth Designers, working with clients is never transactional – it’s values-led and intentional.
Michelle summed it up simply: “I love that our approach is centred around giving people the right advice for their circumstances.”
That mindset underpins everything our team does. It’s not about products or sales – it’s about walking alongside clients, helping them navigate complexity and coordinating the many moving parts of their financial lives.
What do advisers do with their own money?
Glen shared that a student had recently asked him what he did with his own money – and he posed the same very personal question to Michelle and Dawn.
For Dawn, raising three children while building her career has been its own financial education. The cost of children’s sport, in particular, has been unpredictable. “It’s hard to budget, because you don’t know how accomplished they’re going to be,” she laughed. “My third child wants to be a goalkeeper, and that’s a whole other thing.” Three kids by 30 has meant navigating plenty of curveballs – and accepting that even financial advisers can’t forecast every expense.
Michelle, meanwhile, is pouring her focus into a long-awaited kitchen renovation. Cooking is her passion, and creating a space that reflects that brings her genuine happiness. “You can spend as much or as little as you like. We’re all spending differently to get the life we want,” she said. “Money should bring you joy.” It’s taken time and persistence, but for her, the result will be worth it.
Redefining success
Perhaps the most meaningful part of the conversation was how both women define success.
For Michelle, “it’s not defined by money – it’s the time spent with the people I care about the most.”
Dawn’s answer also focused on loved ones. “For me, success is if my kids can be well-adjusted and know how to be happy when they leave,” she said.
As well as these insights, the episode also touched on long-term investing, the perennial mortgage-versus-invest debate and the importance of recognising different life seasons.
You can listen to the full episode via Money Money Money.