Conquering imposter syndrome

Reflecting on her unique experiences and family background gave Tremaine Wills the confidence to go big and really help women with financial literacy

It was the women in her family who inspired Tremaine Wills to start her career in wealth management. As the founder of Mind Over Money, Wills is dedicated to championing ambitious women and helping them meet their finance goals.

However, it didn’t take her long to realize that she could be doing so much more.

“To be honest, I was afraid,” says Wills, who was named an Excellence Awardee in the InvestmentNews Women to Watch Rising Star of the Year category. “Even though I had all of my investment licenses, and some experience, I thought who was going to listen to me being so young? Still in my early 20s, I didn’t come from wealth, so I felt I should limit myself to the areas I had specific experience with.”

Ironically, it was her non-wealthy background that helped financial planner Wills see how important and far-reaching Mind Over Money could be.

“I come from a family of service-oriented women,” Wills says. “They volunteer all the time. They take care of everybody else and, I noticed even as a child, they take care of themselves last.”

While admirable, this selflessness often meant that the women in her family were left with little. But if she could equip those who are already inclined to give, she could create a ripple effect that would impact not just individuals but entire communities. And so, in 2019 after attending FinCon, a gathering for personal finance content creators, and meeting a vibrant community of financial educators, Wills made the decision to go bigger.

“That was when the lightbulb went off that I could combine my investment knowledge and skill set and really build a practice that incorporated financial literacy,” she explains. “If women had the proper financial education and resources, I could only imagine how much more they’d be able to do. I wanted to teach what I learned from the Fortune 500 space that wasn’t being taught in our communities.”

But knowing what to do and having the guts to do it are two different things. Like so many women on the precipice of success, Wills still had to wrestle with the demon of imposter syndrome, a battle that is far too common for women in corporate careers. According to research from HubSpot, 90 percent of women suffer from imposter syndrome at some point in their careers, with intrusive thoughts and a paranoia about being underqualified being the most common symptoms.

Luckily for Wills, she was able to overcome that issue with self-belief and intentional confidence.

“The biggest piece was showing up as my full self and not feeling like I had to hide or pretend to be someone else,” she says. “I am enough as I am, and the stories that I have, the experiences that I’ve had resonate with people, and sharing those stories and experiences will help.”

Now, Wills urges fellow advisors to focus on those they can serve best with their unique experiences and backgrounds, rather than fitting into a predefined mold. With her unique blend of financial acumen and teaching experience, she knows the journey on which her clients are embarking, and so she’s able to position herself as a valuable partner to them.

“Knowing the path that they’re going to go down, how I can keep them excited and motivated and engaged, even though it may seem like retirement is so far away … having those kinds of things in place is very, very helpful,” she says.