
Money Is an Emotion: The 80% of Wealth Management Nobody Talks About, with Gillian Stovel Rivers
Why do we treat money like it’s just a number when it’s actually one of the most powerful emotions we experience? In this episode, we explore how true leadership in wealth management isn’t about managing billions, but about helping people live their best lives. In this episode of the Spirituality in Leadership podcast, Andrew Cohn welcomes Gillian Stovel Rivers, a senior wealth management advisor based in Toronto. Drawing on her unique background as a former performing artist and a self-described highly sensitive person, Gillian brings a deeply human, person-centered approach to the traditionally technical world of finance. The conversation explores Gillian’s Flourish Framework , a holistic model based on the Harvard Study of Adult Development. It combines the five key factors for a long, healthy life, including positive social connection, meaning and purpose, physical and mental health, autonomy, and growth, with four forms of wealth: time, energy, money, and attention. This framework helps her guide clients to see money not as an end in itself, but as a tool to build a life of fulfillment and connection. Tune in to discover how compassion, artistry, and a focus on purpose can transform the way we think about wealth and leadership. Key Takeaways Spirituality in leadership can look like person-centered service that refuses the status quo. Money is not just currency; it’s an emotion with a physical representation. Ignoring feelings misses 80% of the work. The technical side of wealth matters, but it exists to support meaning, purpose, and connection. The Flourish Framework combines five pillars of well-being with four forms of wealth: time, energy, money, attention. Positive social connection is the #1 factor in long-term health and fulfillment. A powerful “magic question” for deeper conversations about money is: “Tell me about your family.” You can have a lot of money and still feel very, very empty. Resources and Links Spirituality in Leadership Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spirituality-in-leadership/id1713365406 Gillian Stovel Rivers Website: https://flourishfamilywealth.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillian-stovel-rivers/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gillianstovelofficial/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GillianStovelOfficial The Flourish Feed Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-flourish-feed-podcast/id1840614313 Andrew Cohn Website: https://www.spiritualityinleadership.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcohnusa/ Music: Kodiak: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4rURKtnJr3jeHvZ0IVRQCe











