Ms Milne, originally from Dundee, and now based in Bristol, has worked in financial services for more than 25 years. She shares her story, including her experience of life-threatening illness and financial ruin.

She had to start again from scratch but has since gone on to increase business at Milne Wealth Management in tenfold within a decade of setting it up.

Ms Milne said: “I’m grateful for my current success, which has involved hard work and starting over more than once.

“I’ve learned more from my failures than I have from my successes. I now feel more capable of handling challenges and believe my experiences have made me smarter, more compassionate and a better financial adviser all-round.”

Ms Milne’s journey began in hospitality before transitioning to financial services. Early success was interrupted by a life-threatening illness and redundancy.

She was on the brink of organ failure when doctors realised she had a combination of glandular fever, pneumonia, and hepatitis A. It would be months before she could work again. Shortly after returning to the office, she learned she was to be made redundant, along with the entire sales force.

She said: “I was extremely unwell and it took a long time to build my strength up. It was around four years before I had recovered.

“Then when I heard about the redundancy I thought ‘am I ever going to get a break?’”

She rebuilt her career after being hired by a Bristol independent financial adviser, who introduced to the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), a global association of financial services professionals. However, personal overspending led to financial devastation and the loss of her home. She returned to Scotland and was later declared insolvent.

Ms Milne explained: “I kept spending because I felt the need to show I was successful, rather than actually be successful. I also wanted to prove I had made the right career choice.

“I lacked experience and treated my career like a sprint rather than a marathon just to please others. In the end, I couldn’t keep things going and lost everything – my house and all my belongings. It was devastating and I felt like a failure. For a time, I was just trying to survive.”

Back at home, she found support and eventually a new role in estate planning. This experience, Ms Milne believes, made her more empathetic “with any client situation” and able to “pre-empt future issues they and their families may face”.

Now a member of the Million Dollar Round Table, Ms Milne helps clients across the UK achieve their financial goals. She remains connected to her Dundee roots, serving clients and contributing to the community through charitable work.

Ms said: “I’ve come from a place of financial devastation and am now fortunate to be able to help others. I believe money can be a force for good. It can help protect us, our families and future generations - and make our lives and the world a better place.”