A View From the Intersection of Wealth and Psychology, with Marlis Jansen

Our guest, Marlis Jansen, is the founder and CEO of Graddha. There, she uses her experience as a licensed psychotherapist and member of a multi-generational financially successful family to help clients navigate their financial and emotional worlds. As Marlis discusses, she has always been fascinated by where wealth meets psychology.

Earlier in life, Marlis observed parts of her family being torn apart by money disagreements that became personal. From this, Marlis learned the importance of putting values and relationships in front of money matters. That is why Marlis is laser-focused on the meaning of one’s life and how wealth fits into the picture.

During the conversation, Marlis shares what it was like to first learn about and interact with her family’s family office. If you are wondering what a family office is, be sure to listen to the financial insight at the end of this podcast.

Marlis is trained in wealth psychology and a sixth-generation member of a family of stewardship. This combination of professional training and lived experience gives her a unique perspective on the nuances and complexities of owning financial wealth.

Prior to founding Graddha, Marlis worked for several healthcare startups and spent a decade as a stay-at-home mom. As a product developer in the healthcare information technology space, she designed strategies to maximize trust and safety for patients to help them take ownership of their health decisions. Marlis also served as Director of Business Development and Director of Product Development in a couple of health care startups. Her experience as a mom inspired her to contemplate how we ascribe value to people and work.

Marlis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Harvard University, a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Financial Psychology and Behavioral Finance from Creighton University Heider College of Business.

She is an active member of the Purposeful Planning Institute, Financial Psychology Institute and the Financial Therapy Association. She serves on the Board of the Stone Age Institute and, since 2009, has served as Vice President of The Springcreek Foundation, her family’s private philanthropic foundation.

Marlis speaks French well and is proficient in Spanish and Norwegian. She loves to enjoy home-cooked family dinners, hike Mt. Tam with her family and dogs, travel in unfamiliar countries and cultures, and stay up late playing board games.