Roaring Fork Leadership took some time to catch up with Katie Preston-Higbee, RFL Mastermind Alum, to learn about what she’s up to and how she has taken what she’s learned and evolved herself, her purpose, and her career. Here’s the Q + A with Katie:
Q. Reflecting on your time in the RFL Mastermind program, what was most impactful for you – either personally or professionally?
A. Hands down the community connection. Being in a room with talented, values-driven women who genuinely care about meaningful things created a rare kind of support, equal parts encouragement and accountability. I left many sessions feeling more grounded and more energized, because we weren’t just sharing ideas, we were helping each other solve real problems and expand what we believed was possible.
Q. You’ve recently gone through a business rebrand. Can you share what inspired that shift and what it represents for your work moving forward?
A. At Mastermind, I was able to share my vulnerability of feeling like a black sheep in my industry, and had the guidance and advice from other leaders who at some point had felt the same. The rebrand was me opening the door of uncertainty by having trust and faith in what I valued professionally. Now that I kicked that door down, my journey in the independent space has allowed my rebrand to offer this new standard of practice. This framework came from a long season of asking myself why I felt so impassioned by a different focus than many of my peers in this industry and from a deep knowing that finance desperately needs a higher standard of how fiduciaries understand a person’s best interests. The SEC is clear that a fiduciary’s duty is to put the client’s interests first, providing advice with due care, skill, and diligence, fully disclosing conflicts, and never using the relationship to benefit the adviser at the client’s expense. I’ve always been an outlier in how seriously I take that duty, not just in technical competence, but in being deeply human and intentional, and in truly understanding how each client defines their own authentic “best interests” as the core driver of my fiduciary guidance and advice.
Financial Awakening is what I’m building next: a framework that goes beyond investment performance and spreadsheets and prioritizes the human side of financial decisions; stress, values, identity, relationships, and the pressure to consume. As a standard of my practice offerings, people can expect a calm, practical experience that gives them clarity and tools they can implement right away.
Q. As a business owner, what have been some of the biggest lessons or mindset shifts that have shaped how you lead and grow your business?
A. The biggest shift has been realizing that growth doesn’t come from doing more, it comes from doing what matters with consistency and integrity. Through vicarious lessons learned that have profoundly shifted me to the core, I now live as my truth: The power is in the pause. Trust yourself, do the thing. Little Eyes are Watching. Lead by Example. I’ve learned to sit in silence with myself and have learned how to hear my authentic inner voice, and to trust my voice. I’ve developed a system that has built clarity around my values, and I’ve found supporting resources to secure my professional obligations without diluting my work to fit traditional expectations. When I lead from clarity and purpose, the right clients (those who are ready for this shift in their financial lives) and opportunities naturally follow.
Q. Your upcoming event, Financial Awakening: Conscious Wealth Management, is such a compelling concept. What inspired you to create this experience, and what can participants expect?
A. Financial Awakening was inspired by what I see every day: people are so capable and hardworking (and motivated!), but money still creates stress, avoidance, or conflict because of how deeply tied to identity, nervous system patterns, and the constant, constant constant pressure to consume. Historic societal standards that have failed to adequately educate and prepare us to be financially free.
For over a decade now I’ve always practiced within a strict fiduciary framework, industry standards that were defined generations ago and still matter deeply but are antiquated in how they are applied. Through my own life-altering experiences, and through years of walking alongside clients in their dreams, their challenges, and the most important seasons of their lives, I’ve gathered hard-earned wisdom that goes beyond the traditional model. I’ve taken those lessons and built them into a higher standard of process….one that honors both the money and the human.
My workshop offering is a condensed version of my professional service offerings, the standard framework I offer as a financial advisor, as a retirement counselor and as a fiduciary – what I truly believe should be a standard across the industry. I’m offering it for people who are ready for a calm, practical reset with their own money relationship: a chance to step out of financial noise and reconnect with clarity.
Participants will leave with simple, proven tools that can be integrated into daily life for people ready to level up with their money. And from that clarity and consciousness, the awakening happens: they build an authentic financial system that supports peace, purpose, and connection.
Q. How does your approach to financial guidance differ from more traditional models, and what does “conscious wealth management” mean to you in practice?
Traditional financial models often center primarily on numbers, products, and performance metrics. While those elements matter, my approach starts with 
something deeper: clearly defining the client’s authentic true best interest. Legally, a fiduciary is required to act in the client’s best interest based on a prudent understanding of the client’s needs and the recommended strategy. I honor that standard fully, but I believe meaningful guidance goes beyond simply meeting an industry requirement (that was defined many generations ago).
To me, conscious wealth management means making financial decisions with awareness: awareness of authentic values, awareness of emotional and behavioral patterns around money, awareness of long-term tradeoffs, and awareness of what a well-lived life actually requires. I differ because I take a significant amount of time to define “best interests” as what truly matters to the client. That means creating simple systems, clear decision-making frameworks, and repeatable rhythms that help people consistently act in alignment with their deepest priorities, not just in moments when they feel motivated, but in everyday life. I also hold myself as an accountability partner to my clients once they have a clear definition of their values and purpose behind their money.
Q. Mastermind brings together a diverse group of women leaders. How did that community influence your confidence, decision-making, or willingness to take risks like a rebrand or launching new offerings?
A. It reminded me that bold choices don’t have to be lonely. Being surrounded by women who lead with courage and integrity made it easier to take aligned risks—like jumping from the corporate certainty and into a journey of rebranding and launching something new. Mastermind normalized growth and reinforced that it’s okay to evolve publicly. That support helped me move faster and with more trust in myself.
Q. Are there any additional events, speaking engagements, or offerings you’re excited about right now that you’d like the RFL community to know about?
Yes….this year I’m expanding the Financial Awakening series into focused workshops including Generations (family wealth + legacy conversations) and Partners (money + relationships), hosted at True Nature in Carbondale. I continue to offer wealth management and financial advising services with my firm Roaring Fork Wealth Management. I’m currently building a resource library that will be available on my social media and business website so people can keep the momentum going beyond a single event (coming soon!).
