Who I help
Founders. Financial planners. Wealth management teams. Businesses transitioning into AAB Wealth.
How I help
Leadership coaching. Team coaching. Mindset and behavioural change. Supporting founders and their teams through the transition of becoming part of something bigger.
“It’s tragic that there’s such a difference between what we are and what we could be.”
Monique Ferguson works with founders, financial planners and their teams as they make the transition into AAB Wealth. For many founders, joining a larger group represents a significant milestone. But it’s also a deeply personal change. They’ve built their businesses from the ground up, shaped their own culture and ways of working, and built relationships with the people around them. Becoming part of something bigger can bring huge opportunities, but it can also bring uncertainty, discomfort and a shift in identity.
That’s where Monique comes in. With a background in financial planning and investment management, followed by a career in professional coaching within the wealth sector, Monique brings a rare combination of commercial understanding and behavioural expertise. She understands the language of financial planning and EBITDA, but is equally comfortable having the deeper conversations about people, purpose, identity and what really matters.
Her role is to help people understand what’s happening beneath the surface of change, develop the skills and mindset they need to move forward, and ultimately find the motivation to embrace what’s possible.
Change starts with people
“I’ve learned that when we’re going through change, it’s very easy to focus on the practical things. Processes. Systems. Structures. What needs to happen and when. But if we ignore what’s happening psychologically, we miss a huge part of the picture. For founders and their teams, becoming part of AAB Wealth can be a significant emotional and professional transition.
They’ve often spent years building something themselves. Asking them to change how they work isn’t simply a process exercise. It can challenge their sense of identity and ownership. My role is to help people understand that. Not to tell them how to think, but to give them the skills and tools to understand their own thinking and make choices about how they respond.”
Looking beyond the first story
“One of the things I bring to my relationships with clients is curiosity. I don’t always accept the first story someone tells me. We’re all very good at creating narratives about situations, people and our own lives. We repeat them so often that they start to feel like facts.
But we always have a choice to reinvent our perspective. That doesn’t mean ignoring reality. It means being willing to question the assumptions and beliefs that might be holding us back and asking whether there’s another way of looking at things. That’s often where meaningful change begins.”
The commercial value of people
“There’s sometimes a perception that coaching and team development are the softer side of business. I find that challenging. Profit isn’t a soft issue. Neither is effective leadership. If people aren’t engaged with a transition, if teams aren’t working well together or if leaders aren’t equipped to take people with them, there is a real commercial impact.
The psychological side of change is just as important as the processes and procedures. In fact, it can be the difference between an integration that works and one that doesn’t. Ultimately, it’s about creating the conditions where people can perform at their best. That benefits the business, the team and, importantly, the end clients whose financial affairs we’re trusted with.”
From stuck to motivated
“The most rewarding part of my work is seeing someone go from feeling stuck or lost to feeling reinvigorated. When someone leaves a conversation feeling differently about a situation and goes back out into the world motivated to do good things and get results, that’s incredibly satisfying.
I don’t see my role as helping people in the traditional sense. I give people the skills and tools to help themselves. The change has to belong to them.”
Finding a sense of belonging
“One of the things I’ve come to realise is that you can never underestimate the power of belonging. I feel incredibly proud to belong to AAB and to work alongside such excellent, progressive and inspiring people.
There’s a real sense of people wanting to make a difference. Being surrounded by people who challenge and motivate you makes a difference to how you show up yourself. For me, that’s one of the most rewarding parts of being part of AAB Wealth.”
A different kind of conversation
“My background gives me an unusual combination of perspectives. I understand financial planning. I understand investment management. I understand the commercial language of EBITDA and business performance.
But I also understand the human questions that sit underneath all of that. What does this change mean for me? Who am I in this new environment? What am I trying to achieve? What does success actually look like? Those deeper conversations can sometimes be the missing piece of the puzzle.”
The conversations people need to have
“One of the greatest compliments I’ve received from someone I’ve worked with was: “I can speak to you about things that are in my mind that I cannot speak to anyone else about.” That means a lot to me.
Creating a space where people feel safe enough to have honest conversations is a big part of what I do. Sometimes those are conversations about leadership. Sometimes they’re about uncertainty, confidence or identity. Whatever the subject, people need to know they can be honest without being judged. That’s when you can start making real progress.”
Bringing commercial and behavioural expertise together
“My career has taken me from financial planning and investment management into behavioural coaching, and I think that combination is one of the biggest strengths I bring to AAB Wealth. I understand the commercial drivers. I understand the wealth industry. I understand what successful businesses need to achieve.
But I’m equally fascinated by what makes people tick. I’m passionate about effective and inspiring leadership, and I’m not someone who likes to waffle. I want things to be useful, practical and delivered. For me, the sweet spot is bringing all of those things together to help people and businesses close the gap between where they are today and where they want to be.”
