How a Girl With No Lunch Money Built a Wealth Empire

And they're like, "I'm not qualified."

“Men go, "Oh, I got 50 percent of this, so I'm going for it."”

If I've learned anything, you don't wait, you don't, you just raise your hands and say, "Yes." Yes, I'll do that, and whatever you do, you figure it out along the way. Victoria Woods is a dynamic, down to earth, and a student wealth management specialist, and the CEO of Chapel Wood Financial Services. Harnessing her extensive financial expertise and signature wit,

she helps individuals and entrepreneurs master their wealth management, empowering them to maximize their assets, and build a foundation of long-term economic stability and true financial freedom. You've accumulated this money, there's three steps. You accumulate it first.

Then you want to protect it, though, like with your life, and then you want to distribute it. And whatever you don't decide to spend, you have a legacy. You give it to your favorite charities, and we set that all up for you, but for people that I call it, we crack the code on millionaires.

People go, "For how do you know what they want? How do you know what they need?" I go. [music playing] It spans the globe. Like a super high school.

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It's our over, I'm telling our weird. The living, your legacy podcast, for those who live, to leave a legacy. [music playing] [music playing] [music playing]

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Welcome back to another amazing episode of the living, your legacy podcast.

Joining me today is the financial diva, Victoria Woods herself. Victoria, how do you feel? Is it pink? Oh, yes. I feel fabulous, right?

Thank you for asking, but I feel fabulous today. You look fabulous. Thank you. You, we literally, uh, Lauren just literally set you to room and ask you all these questions about you. She did.

And we filmed this episode of "Women of Power, Correct?" Yes, we did. I mean, how do I feel? It was amazing. I lived my whole life through Lauren, talking about things that I had not thought about in a long time.

Several things. I mean, literally like a baseball game in high school. Where I got an little, we bit a trouble. Oh, yeah. Dancing with Paddy LaBelle.

Right on. Yeah, right here in Miami, actually. It was over at the Ritz Crawlton. It was just accidental, but fun. Now, you know, A-Rod was there, but I was dancing with Paddy LaBelle.

So, you know, like this book. Yeah, well, thank you. I love being back in my, especially South Beach because I don't get down here. When I come, it's over. It's by condos, all the real estate people, you know.

This is a lot more fun. I have to tell you. For sure, yeah. The hotel that Y'all recommended was fabulous. I love there.

Yes. Yeah, it's, and I'm having dinner at Janice tonight. So, that's going to be great. Yeah, thank you.

I can't wait. Well, I want champagne, but we don't have any. We already drank it on. And that's thanks to a fellow colleague, Carrie Campbell. Yeah, Carrie.

She's out of that chair. Yeah, and she drank, and she drank all my champagne. Yeah, she did. She will make it up to me. Trust me.

I know her. She will make it up to me. I'll gilter into it. Oh, she's definitely good for it. Yeah, she is.

So, let's talk about your journey. What is your why? What brought you here besides your episode? Some minutes about why we're doing this women in power.

“I believe it is extremely important to really showcase women”

that have built great companies like myself, like Carrie. I know a plethora of women that, you know, this is documenting the stories and our impact and the things that we've done. And the things that we want to continue to do. Absolutely.

It's just a way of taking a whole career and putting it in because we didn't just talk about the company. And we talked about childhood. We talked about being a teenager. We talked about, you know, transitioning and how did you get?

I mean, where did you go from being a little girl who didn't have lunch money? You know, cooking on a cook plate for your brothers and sisters to, you know, building one of the top wealth management companies, seriously, in America.

We are in the top 2.96 percent of revenue earners in the, in America.

Top 100 women to know, you know. And when you put all these together, it's kind of overwhelming when I was being interviewed by Lauren and she was saying, you had had some fun life. And I went, I don't take it for granted either.

And that's just like when you, you know, I mentor young women. And they, you know, seem to be hesitant about something. I go look. If I've learned anything, you don't wait. You don't, you just raise your hand and say, yes, yes, I'll do that.

And whatever you do, you figure it out along the way.

“And that's what man, they're studies that have proven this.”

Man, if there's a job interview, women look at the job interview and they think, okay, I don't,

I fit, you know, I qualify for 75 percent of this.

Yeah. And they're like, I'm not qualified. Men go, oh, I got 50 percent of this, so I'm going forward. Just going forward. And I mean, studies show it again and again.

And women have gotten better, but we're not, you know, we're not there yet. So helping young women, being a mentor like I did not have, and being in a predominantly men's industry, you know, creating what I created in a male-dominated industry with no mentors and no guidance because I came from nothing. I just, I started with a white piece of paper, right?

I don't know, like, I'll figure it out. Yeah. Uh, and if I would have asked for help, I really encourage young women to ask for help. Because people like me are willing to help.

And you think, oh my God, she's too busy.

She's too important. Like, no, no, no. Anyone that really wants to succeed, all we have to do is has somebody. That's already very successful, and they're going to, they really do want to help. So in any, they either want to introduce you to somebody.

They want to teach you something. They want to cheer you on, but your biggest cheerleader. So, you know, don't hesitate to ask. I, I'm so bad at it, right? What I had to do was design these cards and their goal cards.

So, for me, I had to create something because I don't, I'm not good at asking. And I would just present the card. And after somebody asked me for whatever they want to ask me,

“then I would say, you know, what am I going to do to support him?”

And I say, no, if you don't mind, I would like to ask you. Please look at my gold cards and tell me which one of these you can help me with. Sure, so let's have a tear card reading. Hmm, the hardest part, shut your mouth. I love it.

And it's hard. Last time I was here in Miami, it was actually a year ago. August 23rd or 24th. And this meeting in these guys is just a bunch of men. And I asked this gentleman and I sat there and shut up.

Well, I had a business coach with me at the time. And he goes, I cannot believe you did that. Yeah. I cannot believe you sat there in silence until he finally said, well, you know what, I can introduce you to so-and-so.

And there's a women's group here that needs to get speaker and blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, you got to have the patients to hand it, sit back, oh yeah. And shut up, give them time to read it to think and then what you do though. And this is what I love training webinar. But I do get speaking for women's conferences.

Please let me train them on this because, you know, shut up is most important.

But you will be surprised and the more you do it, the more successful you're going to be.

“And people will say, well, who do you not give it to?”

Or who is inappropriate? There is no one. First time I gave it to the governor. I know you laugh, people go, you did, oh yes, I did. You know for sure.

But you know what he said? I hand to the governor and I said, and this is after a fundraiser and everything. And I'm in the kitchen and he walks in and I say, oh, governor, by the way, I've got this little card I like you to look at this for me and tell me, you know, I'm just honored to support you.

But tell me what, which one of these things you can, my goals you can help me with. And then just shut up and stand there because we're in the kitchen and I just stand there. And I stand there and he quietly, seriously, reads all and don't do more than like four or five. Guess speaking appearances, introduce me to someone. He's a financial advisor, introduce me to a multi-millionaire.

You know, what is it and he's reading these and all of a sudden he takes it and hits it. I have one of my purse like here, you're going to get one for our leave. His sitting goes, Sarah and I look up and he goes, Sarah, get in here and she, that's his wife. She walks in, she goes, what in the world can, and he goes, look at this. This is why she's succeeding, and he's hitting the card.

Yeah, this is why she's successful, not only does she have goals. She writes them down and then she hands them out to people and asks them to help her. And I thought, oh, darling, you don't understand. I just started this couple years ago. I'm still, I'm still a newbie at this.

For sure. But I had to come up with something because I am not comfortable. I am the problem solver.

telling them all what to do. Right on, I was going to say before you get into the wealth management, it sounds like you have a wealth of experience, tell me how that equates to folks leading on you for their wealth management. Oh, you mean the resources that we have resources, your experience, your life energy to say, hey, I have destined to do to manage your wealth.

Well, and it's because, you know, first, I came from, you know, my father abandoned us,

so that's what happened, right? And so when I was 11. Daddy is because that was the answer. That's what it brought us all.

“That's how, and this and that how everything really started.”

Yeah, that's how everybody's passion for, like, daddy's issues or mommy issues. So for it on, but. If you're mommy issues, you'd clearly, you're wearing yellow. Yes, I would, but my, my father abandoned us when I was 11. And we had to move in with my aunt, well, God bless her, though.

I was just gonna say. Yeah, Aunt Edy, and, you know, moms for rambunctious kids. Beautiful. Uh, but when mom was going to look for a little hat trying to find a place to get out of poor aunt Edy's, and she, she found this little house.

Well, I always went to every house when we moved and we moved 14 times from the time I was like three

until I was in junior high. That's not good for your education just so, you know, this is messes everything up and you don't know. There's no connection anywhere. It's amazing.

“I know what a verb is and I'm telling you are four plus four is.”

But when, when that happens to, you, you know, it really makes an impact in your life. Oh, no. And then there's those pivotal moments when things happen and you've got to say, hmm, I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this and I, and when you're success, you're, okay, you're born bossy.

First of all, my mother said, you were born bossy. You've got your three brothers and sisters, your three cousins, and you're the run. And you're out there and the, you know, get these go out and play. Don't let the screen door slam you in the butt, go play. And you're out there telling them what the game is going to be and who's going to play and how this is going to happen.

But as you progress and you just, now when you look back, it's easy to connect the dog. Sure. In that the way they say, you cannot connect the dog's going forward, but you sure can't going backwards. And so this experience, women in power, experience really, you know, doing that whole connect the dog things, you can see those pivotal moments.

Oh yeah. But when I knew that I was so successful in sales, everything I did, I was top sales.

Top sales in fashion, top sales in cosmetics, top sales in lingerie, top always top sales.

So I was obviously earning a lot of money because I would say, oh, just let me be on commission. I don't know, they were like, well, Victoria, you know, this salary. I go, no, no, no, no, I don't need a salary. That's all. No, when I got into finance, this had just given me a little base salary and then just let me, let me earn.

Sure, because people had, I went through a period where this gentleman, the corporate world, they dictate where your level's going to be, what, what you can, your compensation. And I just went at 23, I went, ah, I'm not doing this anymore. But I've been working since I was 12. I started my first business babysitting because I didn't have lunch money.

And there was an apartment complex behind this little matchbox house at my mom found. And she walked in and cried going, I know what she was thinking. I can't bring my children to live here because it's all she could afford. And I said, mom, you know, and I'm not the oldest, I'm the middle. But I go, mom, I said, look, we put a little curtain up over there, we clean this up, it'll be fine.

Well, then we found out that the stove didn't work. I had to cook for everybody on a cook plate. I mean, it was, you know, really comical when you look back. But you know what, you survived. And then I saw that apartment complex.

And I am watching those kids and I am going over their organizing games.

“And I think, these women need a babysitter for their kids.”

Because they're all single moms. So I took on one job and then I thought, what this is nothing at 12. Who would do this nowadays that I would not let a 12 year old? Yeah. It's probably watch my dog.

But, you know, I did. I just said, you know what, I was babysitting six kids at a time. And one was an infant. I looked back and I think this women were crazy. But I demonstrated that I could manage it all.

Like I'm bossy. I got it and I did everybody has a game and we just keep people engaged. So when I actually when I got into finance, I started with a blank sheet of paper. But I knew because I was, and it took him seven months to recruit me from fashion to finance.

But I kept, I was honestly, I kept thinking, well, this is going to be boring.

“Or this, this, the money that I can earn is not, no, it's not true.”

It's like, I just, I kept going back asking question after question. I knew, though, that this would bless people's lives. Number one, what I would be doing would bless people's lives. And if you don't know what to do and you're earning a lot of money and you don't know what to do, what do you do?

Yeah. Spend it. I had the best guards. I had the best jewelry. I had the best clothes.

I had the best friends because I all wanted a party with me. I mean, I work hard, but I play hard. Sure, sure.

So that was my passion to say, okay, first, I'm going to bless other people because there's

got to be more people like me that just don't know what to do. So if I learn what to do and help them, I'm going to learn what I should be doing. I can bless other people and that just became my passion. And I went from just helping individual business owners at the time. It was business owners in their employees.

But then it was like, we came really passionate in what I didn't realize. When I finally went from just being a consultant to let's form a real company here. And then I do that. And then let's not just save the world. Let's go raise it a bar and so now we're in the top 2.96% of revenue.

And we're trusted advisors to millionaires from California to Florida. And we're very selective. We only take on clients to be light. Sure, of course. So, but it says you better, you know, make her like you because this is a victorious family.

And she's very protected. It's your tribe, of course. And these are my people and it's a blessing to be able to. Because when you first start, I mean, anything, anything, any entrepreneur will tell you,

“where's it, where's it, where's the, where's the knife?”

You take anybody, I don't glad you're out there. Yeah, fogging, fogging, you know, mirror. You take anybody fogging a mirror. That means they're alive so that you can get started. But then you decide what kind of company you want and how you want to grow it.

And the kind of people you want to work with. And once, you know, I decided like these are my people. Because I want to be more holistic. We don't just, we're not stock brokers that smile and endow and just, you know, telling you the hot endow tip that, you know, goes around planet Earth.

Because that is what people assume that are not educated. And, you know, we help educate them that it's truly, you've accumulated this money. There's three steps, you accumulate it first. Then you want to protect it, like with your life. And then you want to distribute it.

And, you know, whatever you don't decide to spend, you have a legacy. You give it to your favorite charities. And we set that all up for you.

“But for people that I call it, we crack the code on millionaires.”

People go, "True, how do you know what they want? How do you know what they need?" I go, well, first of all, design this form and it's four steps. And they figure it out. And I help them.

We, it's called discovery. Millionaires don't fill out forms. Yeah, no, no, no, no, no. We just, we ask questions and we do this and you're right. One time I, this guy told me, this HR guy told me in California,

with the business owner sitting across the table and told him,

"Now, this is $20 million."

And he has this one little 140,000 IRA that's been sitting out there for bloody, you know, 25 years. And the HR person at the head of the table tells the owner and me that, well, what Mr. Hodges needs to do is he just needs to go online and he needs to do this and he just transfer the money. I couldn't even look over it. Juggie, I just went, let him pay.

Wait, and I said, " Dawn, I tell you what. Why don't you and I get together and we will do the paperwork from Mr. Hodges?" He said, "Okay, with you, is that work?" Well, that specific tone of voice and that pitch, that resident sound, yeah. Yeah, I couldn't breathe because I couldn't look at him.

Like, because he's, you know, he wears black, blue jeans, gray cowboy boots, snake skin, you know, Tommy Bahamas shirt, he's leaning back like this, you know, and we're going, I can't look at him, because he's going to kick your chair and you're going to be fired. I mean, like, you want the people experience comes in there, yeah.

Yes, like, know your people, you work for him and you have you lost your mind, you're going to ask him to spend his time for $140,000, which is a lot of money to a lot of people, but to him is he-- Not to any one of that room. That thing, you feel like, can't be bothered. I got to ask people we kind of start wrapping up,

like, when I hear about money and wealth, I always deter to not deter,

but I always say, money is energy.

or that, that understand that has been preached, that is very real? Well, you're just saying it in a different way than I would say, right? I love that, which you just said, and I'm probably going to use it just so you know. Welcome. Absolutely. It's why I'm here. I'm going to steal all your ideas, right? Got it. I better see you in pink and black stripes next time. I'm going to see you.

But I say, you know, first of all, your health is your will. And if you don't have that, you really have nothing. It doesn't matter. And also do what you can while your health allows you. Oh, yeah. So these people that say, oh, when I retire, oh, when this happens, when that happens, and I say, no, no, no, no, that's the old way of thinking.

“Now that you must do these things while you're healthy. So let's figure out what is”

it the most important thing you want to do. I want to go to our last conclusion.

But we're going to do that in 10 years, 15 years. Let's see if we can plan to do it now. And oh, my gosh, it warms my heart when people are on vacation. They send us pictures. They're on their vacation on the last conclusion. They send us all these pictures. Or they're, I mean, they're everywhere. They're in New Zealand. They're in Portugal. You know, somebody buys a new condo that we helped them. They said, well, I didn't think we could do this.

I'm like, yeah, we can do this. Why are you spending money every single year? Why don't we get you your own condo? So whatever their passion is, I want to know what that is. So we can figure out how to get it to you now, because you think about this. The energy is that money is simply a tool. It is a tool to bless other people, to take care of yourself, to take care of your family, to take care of your community, your charities. It's just a tool. However, it's all about the money

Annie and if you choose to live on planet Earth, just let that sink in. If you choose to live on planet Earth and guess what, you're here. So you better figure it out. You are doing something with money 24 hours a day. Nobody has ever challenged me on that, because when I'm in a room with 450 entrepreneurs or women, the first thing I do and I guess speaking appearance, right? It's like,

“let's get this out of the way. How many of y'all really believe it's all about the money?”

You're going to that segue. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Hold it up. Yes. It's all about the money, Annie. But when I ask that question and everyone looks around, they just look around like, okay, my supposed is this a trick question, what's to deal, and some people rice or hand and I'll say, okay, let me ask you a question. How many of you in this room or being paid to be here? You know, they're employers paid the registration. You're saying

principles amazing. You're playing in here and they're like, and I said, how many of you are contributing

right now to a 401k? How many of you are giving drafting? I have money out to a charitable organization. You know, I said, let's be honest. And in my book, we talk about you are either earning it. You don't make it. Printers make money. We earn it. We exchange what we do. Our experience, our products, our something. We exchange that for compensation. And your compensated based on how well you do. So just focus on that. The money will take care of itself. You just focus on

doing the best job you can for your clients. And that's as simple as it is. But you're either earning, you're giving, you're spending, you're doing something with money every single day. So it's important to be intentional in my view, be intentional. Oh, definitely. Yeah, about where you spend your time, who's your spend your time with? Where you put your money? It is critically important, unless you just don't care. I frankly don't know people that don't care. No, everybody cares about

their money. Oh, absolutely. I was just going to say the intention, like, that when you start putting your energy into an intent and that your laser focus, that's part of the journey truly begins. Because you've already burned in your ending or you're beginning. Absolutely. You know,

“the only thing I have, I have a 12th of a beautiful office. And it's on three and a half acres,”

4500 square feet. It looks like the blusher, you know, 14 foot ceilings. I mean, in my office. But I have a 12 foot black granite credenza. And I have family pictures and all, but the one thing I have on there, you will love this, right? Picture of me. You know, not yet. Not yet. Because I

don't have one for you. But I had, and it's this focus. And a friend of mine said, Victoria, I've never met a woman.

So blusher focus. And it's this focus and it's one of those golf greens that is in the middle of the water. And it's like, everything out of the way. And if you, if you focus, like you said, like, you focus on the grain, you're going to hit the grain. If you focus on worrying about you're going to get in the water, guess where you're going. Right in the water. Yeah. So this,

your intentions are and do everything with intention. Bring those home. Let's let's have an intention to end our episode here. But I want to wrap it up with the financial divide. Did I say that or did I get that right? Is the financial diva something that you are or is a program? What is the financial diva? Well, it is Victoria Woods. So yes, I was doing an interview with a mortgage company. And the gentleman Jason, good buddy. And I love his name, Jason Schartran. Oh well.

And Jason's a really high energy fund guy. And he is looking at me. We're in the radio studio. And he says, Victoria, you have been such, you know, one segment. He said, you've been such a

“wealth of advice and value. He said, would you mind staying with us through the next segment?”

I said, I'd be happy to. I love to. And he said, great. He looks at the producer. And he says, you know, we're going to take a hard break. Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be going to say with us going back in 60 seconds with the financial diva, Victoria Woods. Right on. Well, when a man I have learned, he gives you a nickname. You better go with it. And I thought it for over a year.

I would say, oh, my clients and friends call me. And then finally, you just embrace it. So now

it's on water bottles. It's on t-shirts. It's the water bottle right there. Oh, yeah, it doesn't everybody have their own water bottle. I'm working on it. There you go. I got connections for you. Yeah, no. Right on. And people do enjoy it. And they do love that. And when they hear, you know, financial diva, and they did a whole, my radio show has this intro that is so great. And it's like, you know, the financial diva, Victoria Woods, you know, is all about the money, all about the

money, all about the kitchen, kitchen. I'm already helping you out here with the sound effects.

I know, and I love that radio ID. That's amazing. Yeah, it is, it is pretty fun. Well, very cool.

Well, I gosh, thank you so much for your amazing pink energy, financial diva, Victoria Woods.

“Thank you for finding you. Oh, of course, how do people find you? How can people follow your journey?”

We are everywhere. I mean, just, I tell people sometimes what I meet somebody like in the airport and they'll say, they immediately people want to Google you. And I go, you may not want to do that. Yeah, same for me. Yeah, it's like Victoria Woods. But, but I don't like your phone go blows out. But it is. We have, and I thank you for asking. But sure. We certainly are everywhere. Our website is chaplowood.com. That's the name of my firm that I founded now 30 years ago.

I'm shocked. Wow. I am shocked, right? But 30 years ago, chaplowood.com. And that's two piece, one L. And, of course, we're on Instagram, financial diva underscore. Oh, they're scoring. I know, it is Victoria people look on the arcade. Why aren't you on our way? Because it's under financial diva. We're of course, we're on LinkedIn. And we're on Facebook. And there's chaplowood pages and Victoria pages. And there's financial diva pages. There's pages everywhere

about us. So, and we're on all the podcasts. So, they take already a show and break it up. So, that we've only been number six in finance. And that really breaks my CFP, Damon's heart.

“I think we're four once. He says, just people. I just want to be number one once, you know.”

Right. Yeah. Financial diva. Yeah. We are pretty much everywhere. Cool. Well, I'm glad that I was a little piece of that everywhere. And that was we were here to capture some of that energy of whom we had a fantastic time here at Inside the Fest. To to our next encounter with Kary Campbell and we'll all be wearing black and pink stripes. Absolutely. Let's do it. Well, the bull horns and educating the masses. Yes. And don't forget the bubbly. We got to have the bubbly. Oh,

we definitely got to bring out the bubbly. And with that, that concludes yet another amazing

episode of the Inside Success podcast. No, that's incorrect. The living your legacy podcast for Inside Success. This is the financial diva I'm Regretira's. Have an amazing night.