What does a theater degree have to do with running a financial planning firm?

In this episode, Jude Boudreaux and Caleb Arringdale sit down with Matt Mercer, Chief Operating Officer and shareholder at The Planning Center, to talk about leadership, priorities, and the hidden work that keeps client relationships running smoothly. Matt shares how his theater background shaped his approach to people, process, and change, and why curiosity beats judgment when challenges arise. He opens up about the lessons of fatherhood, the mantra “you can do anything, not everything,” and what it means to put the right people in the right work. Listeners will hear how operations act like WD-40, removing friction so clients feel cared for, and why cooling down after change matters as much as the change itself.

What to expect:

•  How curiosity creates trust in leadership and planning
• Why “right person, right work” is client care in disguise
• Practical rhythms for balancing work and family
• Change management lessons that actually stick
• And more!

Resources:

• Learn more at theplanningcenter.com
• Follow The Planning Center on LinkedIn and YouTube for new episodes.

Connect with Jude Boudreaux CFP®: 

• The Planning Center
• LinkedIn: Jude Boudreaux
• jude@theplanningcenter.com
• Phone: (504) 717-4862

Connect with Caleb Arringdale:

• LinkedIn: Caleb Arringdale
• caleb@theplanningcenter.com 
• Phone: (309) 797-4030

Connect with Matt Mercer:

• LinkedIn: Matt Mercer
• eric@theplanningcenter.com
• mattm@theplanningcenter.com
• Phone: (309) 797-4030

About Our Guest:

As the Chief Operating Officer at The Planning Center, Matt Mercer focuses on optimizing our people, processes, technology, and compliance. Matt’s role involves everything from setting the company’s strategic plan to supporting our operations staff in their daily workflows, onboarding, and training on new technologies, updating internal processes, and overseeing special projects.

After graduating from St. Ambrose University with my B.A. in Theatre, Matt spent ten years working in Operations with multiple companies in the Quad Cities area. He is fortunate enough that these experiences have brought him to The Planning Center, where he enjoys working with our team. In my role, I aim to help build an efficient infrastructure that assists our advisors to focus on their clients.