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Total Succession

Total Succession

By: Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour
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 So you've built a business helping others plan their future. But what's the plan for yours? Your future deserves the same attention you give your clients every day. It's time to protect what you've built and prepare for what's next. Welcome to the Total Succession Show, your resource for learning how to exit confidently, be fully compensated, and keep your clients' interests first. Hosted by veteran financial advisor Tyson Ray and co-host Kim Cochenour, each episode will help you navigate the emotional and strategic challenges of succession planning through real-life stories, insights from industry experts, and Tyson's SPACE framework: See, Prepare, Act, Commit, Exit. Tune in each week and head to totalsuccession.com for free tools to help you start preparing for what's next.2025 Career Success Economics Personal Finance
Episodes
  • 20 Years of Trial and Error: Lessons From Tyson's Personal Succession Journey

    20 Years of Trial and Error: Lessons From Tyson's Personal Succession Journey
    Jan 20 2026

    Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour discuss Tyson's 20-year journey and reveal the raw truth behind his internal succession plan, and why he eventually chose the joy of client impact over the lure of a multi-million dollar buyout.

    You'll hear about common succession planning mistakes and the hard-won processes that finally ended Tyson's cycle of "burning through people", including the S.P.A.C.E. framework and EOS to build a firm with staying power.

    If you're wondering why mastering succession planning is more critical than ever, as the industry faces a widening advisor shortage, this episode and Tyson's new book, Total Succession, are for you.

    • Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour kick the conversation off with Tyson sharing where he's currently standing when it comes to his succession journey.
    • Tyson is set on having an internal succession – he explains why that's the case.
    • "Burning through people to get to the right people and realizing that I didn't have the processes I needed to have the right people" is what Tyson sees as a challenge he faced for about 20 years.
    • A more recent challenge was letting go of the facade that a multi-million dollar check was going to fill or replace the joy from making a difference in a client's life.
    • Did you know that while the number of advisors servicing clients is declining, the number of people needing advice is actually increasing?
    • Tyson and Kim touch upon the S.P.A.C.E. framework for succession planning, Gino Wickman's Entrepreneurial Operating System (or EOS), and debunk some succession-related myths.
    • Tyson talks about what he considers to be the most unexpected gift of his journey.
    • Curious about how Tyson's book Total Succession: 5 Steps for Financial Advisors to Exit Confidently, Be Fully Compensated, and Keep Clients' Interests First can help you get started with succession planning? Tyson has a couple of recommendations for you.

    Mentioned in This Episode:

    TotalSuccession.com

    TotalSuccession.com/podcast

    FORM Wealth Advisors

    Tyson Ray

    Kim Cochenour

    Tyson's book - Total Succession: 5 Steps for Financial Advisors to Exit Confidently, Be Fully Compensated, and Keep Clients' Interests First

    Gino Wickman's EOS
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    23 mins
  • Why Succession Planning Fails Financial Advisors… And How to Fix It with Jackie Wilke

    Why Succession Planning Fails Financial Advisors… And How to Fix It with Jackie Wilke
    Jan 13 2026
    Succession planning succeeds or fails in just a few critical places, and most financial advisors don't realize where they're vulnerable. Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour are joined by Jackie Wilke to break down the three make-or-break factors in succession planning, from redefining rainmaking to building leaders who can truly care for clients. You'll hear why succession is your final act of client service, how to future-proof your firm, and what it really takes to prepare the next generation of advisors to step up. Tyson Ray and Kim Cochenour are joined by Jackie Wilke to dig into the three biggest areas where succession planning either takes off or falls apart.Jackie kicks things off by sharing her industry insights regarding succession and its relationship to team builders and building an advisor transition team.She notes that estimates forecast 37% to 46% of advisors planning to retire over the next 10 years – yet, most of them don't have a succession plan in place.Despite what you may have thought, at the end of the day, succession planning is about the client.Jackie is a fan of a quote by one of her clients, who referred to succession planning as "their last act of client service."Tyson sees the advisory industry as focused on wanting Gen 2 to be the rainmaker, not realizing that, at some point, the team needs caretakers for their clients.Jackie touches upon a mindset shift she believes could help advisors: redefining what rainmaking means. The modern rainmaker should be something that achieves business development-propelled growth, not because they're selling something, but because they're serving someone."Human capital is such an advantage in our industry", says Jackie while sharing several considerations leaders should keep into account to shape the future leadership bench of their firm.One of the biggest mistakes Tyson sees advisors make with their successor is to expect them to follow exactly in your footsteps to get to where you got to.However, if you think about it, what you did 5, 10, 20 years ago to get here now probably needs a different "who", "how", and "why"..!Jackie, Tyson, and Kim discuss ways to find talent and the right approach to firm growth and to develop a growth mindset.Fun fact: only 19% of kids stay with their parents' advisor.Jackie touches upon what she thinks makes a business more attractive to a potential buyer or to a successor who wants to take over.Taking a minute to evaluate where your firm is at is the first step Jackie suggests taking to future-proof the next generation of advisors.Tyson explains why, over the last few years, he purposefully capped his income – and the impact that move has had on his firm. Mentioned in This Episode: TotalSuccession.com TotalSuccession.com/podcast FORM Wealth Advisors Tyson Ray Kim Cochenour Tyson's book - Total Succession: 5 Steps for Financial Advisors to Exit Confidently, Be Fully Compensated, and Keep Clients' Interests First Jackie Wilke on LinkedIn First Trust First Trust blog and resources J.D. Powers The American College of Financial Services LinkedIn The Wolf of Wall Street
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    46 mins
  • Succession Planning, Legacy, and Letting Go: The Story Behind the Total Succession Book

    Succession Planning, Legacy, and Letting Go: The Story Behind the Total Succession Book
    Jan 6 2026

    Tyson Ray's new book, Total Succession, actually didn't start as a book idea… but as a responsibility.

    Kim Cochenour turns the mic on her co-host Tyson, to explore why succession is about far more than just retirement, and how identity, control, and legacy shape the decisions advisors struggle to make.

    Tune in to hear the personal moments, hard-earned lessons, and the S.P.A.C.E. framework behind Total Succession – and why none of us get to the next chapter alone.

    • This episode sees Kim Cochenour interview co-host Tyson Ray to discuss something that has been years in the making, and that is finally here: the Total Succession book!
    • Tyson's motivation for writing the book comes from his passion for being a teacher-student who likes to learn things and share them with others.
    • When Tyson became a father, he started to work on his estate planning, as well as on his clients and their roles beyond him.
    • "If you have people that are entrusting you with their life savings, you might want to have a backup plan because none of us are guaranteed to be here tomorrow," Tyson points out.
    • Kim stresses that succession isn't really about retirement or the reason why advisors struggle to plan – it's wrapped around their identity, control, legacy, and the things they've sacrificed along the way.
    • Tyson and Kim go through the S.P.A.C.E. acronym – Seeing, Preparing, Act, Commit, Exit – and the role it plays within succession planning.
    • As Kim emphasizes, "you didn't get to where you are on your own, so you're not going to get to that next stage on your own."

    Mentioned in This Episode:

    TotalSuccession.com

    TotalSuccession.com/podcast

    FORM Wealth Advisors

    Tyson Ray

    Kim Cochenour

    Tyson's book - Total Succession: 5 Steps for Financial Advisors to Exit Confidently, Be Fully Compensated, and Keep Clients' Interests First
    Show More Show Less
    22 mins
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