Manisha's story.

I was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. During my early life experiences, I started to become aware that my surroundings were dominated by a distorted belief system. It was my dream to change the trajectory of my future lineage and open opportunities for them so they can live life on their own terms.

I picked Australia as the country that would provide myself, and potentially my future lineage, the opportunity to buck the trend. Due to a lack of financial support, pursuing further education in paid institutions was not an option. So, at age 19, I registered as a student with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) UK, ordered books from London and self-taught myself Chartered Management Accounting.

For six years, I was my own student and my own lecturer. The grit and the willpower to not give up was propelled by the fact that if I didn't make it through, it would be a disservice for generations to come. In May 2006, I qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant, and in March 2007 I immigrated to Australia. Both my children are born in Australia.

Any milestone from that point, I gracefully accepted as icing on the cake.

I am a Financial Adviser and Wealth Strategist with a broad range of experience across Accounting, Tax, Investing, Estate Planning and Behavioural Finance. I help my clients sit in their own space and awareness, and help them extract and map out what a happy, content, meaningful life means to them at every phase of their lives — both financial and non-financial.

I assign a tangible monetary value to these life experiences and goals at every phase, and design strategic, holistic, all-encompassing, sustainable wealth creation and wealth protection strategies so they can achieve their set goals and life experiences across their life span. With this approach, I help business owners, professionals, and women seeking economic empowerment with their wealth management strategies.

Being aware of my own mortality, and a broader self-awareness that we exist on a finite timeline, inspires me to lead a life that is full of love, compassion, inclusivity and positive impact — both personally and professionally. This awareness cascades through my client conversations.

Over the last 12 years as a Financial Adviser, I have had the privilege to connect with many clients and learn about their life journeys, their trials and triumphs, and their dreams and goals of wanting to live a fulfilling future. It is this aspect that motivates me to continue to show up as the best version of myself in all aspects, professionally and personally.

Working on being the best version of myself means continually working on all aspects of my life — from physical and spiritual to emotional — and continually pursuing education to enhance my technical capabilities to remain on top of my Life Game. I am a self-proclaimed geek with a love for numbers!