Melissa Ballard, PYA Waltman Capital, LLC

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Melissa Ballard, 38, Director of Financial Planning Services, PYA Waltman Capital, LLC

Melissa Ballard has taken the typical financial planner role and morphed it with servant leadership. The result has been an example of what a motivated executive can bring to a business.

Ballard, shareholder and the director of financial planning services at PYA Waltman Capital, has grown in her role within the business while maintaining an active role in helping the firm’s next generation of leaders, as well as the students and potential candidates she meets through recruiting efforts.

When you reflect on your career so far, which achievement stands out most?

When I reflect on my career, what rises to the top from an achievement standpoint is the joy it brings me to see those I helped recruit and train achieve growth, promotion and the ability to serve our clients with confidence and excellence. Through that process, our team is equipped to care well for more and more families in our community. That’s incredibly rewarding.

What is the greatest professional obstacle you’ve had to overcome and how did you overcome it?

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I tend to be hard on myself. Learning to show myself grace and acknowledge that knowing everything is impossible was difficult for me. I often tell our young staff what it took me years to learn: Striving for excellence means you care deeply, which is wonderful, but it also means you can fall into the trap of beating yourself up. Reflect on where you can improve, but celebrate what you’ve done well. Then, get up and try again. I’m blessed to have grown up professionally under humble and encouraging leaders who taught me this by example.

What will you focus on in 2025?

In 2025, I’ll focus on our next level of growth at Waltman Capital through continued recruiting and coaching of new and existing staff. I’ll also continue to strive to find the best rhythm (I find that to be a more accurate word than “balance”) between being a wife and mom, while also seeking to grow in a fulfilling career.

What is your biggest professional dream?

As I noted earlier, pouring into the next generation brings me great joy. Having the opportunity to impact the lives of students and young professionals interested in the financial planning field on a broader scale would be an incredible blessing. Whether that looks like teaching at some point or continuing to build out our recruiting and professional development efforts for our young staff, I’m not sure. But I’m excited to see what’s to come.

What mistake did you learn the most from?

I learned early in my career that for most individuals, there is no such thing as over-communication. The risk comes with under-communicating. Communication should be clear, concise, on time (if not early) and followed by frequent updates, particularly when helping an individual navigate a stressful life transition. This brings peace of mind and builds trust. I learned this through client relationships but have seen its benefits in many areas of life.

What motivates you?

It provides me great motivation to receive feedback from our clients that our team has allowed them to feel heard, supported and well-guided. It motivates me to keep growing the next generation of advisors so we can serve more and more families with the same level of commitment.

What is the most overrated piece of business advice you’ve heard?

“The customer is always right.” While we go to great lengths to give our clients an excellent client experience, in reality, we serve imperfect humans (just like ourselves) who can have unrealistic expectations and at times act inappropriately. Gratefully, this is rare. But as a firm, we believe that putting our team members first will result in them showing better care to our clients. No individual client is more important than our team. Our mission statement intentionally lists our employees first: “Empowering our employees and our clients to live more fulfilling lives.”

What trait do you most want in a co-worker?

Our firm’s president, Bill Waltman, calls it “fire in the belly.” I would define that as a deep desire to achieve, work hard and continually improve, but with a healthy dose of humility and a servant’s heart.

What about Knoxville would you like to improve?

I would love to see additional child care options. This is certainly not an issue unique to Knoxville but, as a working mom with a working husband, finding great child care was stressful. If not for the incredible flexibility of our employers, we would have struggled. I have an abounding respect for single parents and hate that the challenges of child care can add extreme stress and affect the ability of those who want a fulfilling career outside the home to have one.

What don’t people know about you?

Most people who know me would consider me strait-laced and conservative by nature. That is generally true, but I love a sense of adventure. I’ve been skydiving, and my husband and I have enjoyed ice climbing in Alaska. There are more adventures to come!

Family: Jim Ballard, husband; Bob and Tami Kesling, parents; Cathy Brown, Wayne & Linda Fogle, my “other parents”; Bill Waltman, my mentor
Years worked at current company: 16
Degrees and certifications: Bachelor of Science, business administration, Queens University; Certified Financial Planner
Community involvement: Harmony Family Center, director of the board of directors; Sevier Heights Baptist Church, budget and finance committee member

This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.

-Tyler Whetstone

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