28. When Plans Fall Apart: Navigating Client Disappointment and Your Own Emotional Response Artwork

Planning & Beyond®

Planning & Beyond® transforms how financial advisors approach client relationships by bridging psychological insights with practical planning strategies. Hosted by Ashley Quamme, a licensed therapist and financial behavior specialist, each episode delivers actionable techniques you can implement in your next client meeting.

Unlike traditional financial planning podcasts that focus primarily on technical aspects, Planning & Beyond® explores the behavioral and psychological elements that shape client relationships. Through in-depth conversations with leading experts in behavioral finance, financial psychology, and financial therapy, you'll gain evidence-based strategies to navigate emotional client situations, build lasting trust, and create more meaningful relationships.

Whether you're preparing for discovery meetings, helping clients through major life transitions, or looking to deepen client connections, you'll walk away from each episode with practical tools and confident approaches to enhance your practice. Join a community of advisors who understand that exceptional financial planning goes beyond the numbers.

Topics include:

Mastering discovery and prospect meetings
Navigating difficult money conversations
Understanding client psychology
Building trust and deepening relationships
Managing emotional client situations
Enhancing communication skills
Developing behavioral finance strategies
Supporting clients through life transitions

New episodes release bi-weekly. Subscribe now to transform how you connect with clients.

All Episodes

Planning & Beyond®

28. When Plans Fall Apart: Navigating Client Disappointment and Your Own Emotional Response

July 03, 2025 • Ashley Quamme

Text us to share what you found helpful!

In this case consultation episode, Ashley teams up with fellow advisor and podcast host Yohance Harrison to tackle a challenge many financial advisors face: when carefully crafted plans fall apart due to circumstances beyond anyone's control. Yohance brings a real scenario involving clients whose homebuying dreams were derailed by skyrocketing interest rates and housing prices, creating emotional challenges for both advisor and clients.

This vulnerable conversation explores the often-overlooked emotional landscape advisors navigate when plans don't work out as expected. Ashley guides Yohance through a framework for understanding the three critical components of difficult client scenarios: the advisor's emotional response, the client's experience, and the relational dynamics between them.

Through honest discussion, you'll discover how to manage your own feelings of defeat and self-doubt when plans fall short, while learning practical strategies for supporting disappointed clients. The episode demonstrates how vulnerability and transparency can actually strengthen advisor-client relationships, even in challenging circumstances.

Whether you're dealing with market volatility, unexpected life changes, or external factors that derail client goals, this episode provides a roadmap for navigating these situations with emotional intelligence and professional confidence.

Key Takeaways:

Recognize the Three Components: Every difficult client scenario involves your emotional response, the client's experience, and the relational dynamics between you—address all three for effective resolution.
Validation Before Information: Clients need emotional validation before they're ready to receive technical solutions or alternative strategies.
Ask Permission to Share Perspective: Pause and gain permission before jumping into advisor mode—this prevents wasted energy and creates space for clients to process emotions.

Resources and Guest Information: