Episode summary
The Healthy Advisor: Viewing Cancer as an Opportunity, Not a Fight with RJ Moore
Summary
RJ Moore describes how a 2021 melanoma removed from his back returned in 2023 as metastatic stage 4 disease that had spread widely, including to his brain, heart, lungs, liver, lymphatic system and other parts of his body. He says the diagnosis initially brought the prospect of only months to live, but he tried to respond with calm rather than panic.
Moore argues that he chose not to treat cancer as a fight or battle. Instead, he centered himself on “grace and gratitude,” using meditation, breathing practices and daily reflection to stay present. He says the support of his wife Sarah, family, friends and the advisory community helped turn dark moments into light, and he credits rapid advances in immunotherapy for his full remission 63 days after diagnosis.
The conversation also connects his health crisis to leadership and succession at Private Advisor Group. Moore says the planned handoff to Frank Smith was accelerated, which gave him confidence to step away and focus on treatment. He closes by urging advisors to embrace mortality as a reason to live more fully, breathe, and notice ordinary moments.
Key takeaways
- Moore says he replaced a cancer “fight” mindset with grace and gratitude, which helped him stay present during treatment.
- He credits meditation and breathing exercises with helping him process a diagnosis that doctors said could leave him with months to live.
- Moore says immunotherapy, not chemotherapy, drove his recovery and he reached full remission 63 days after diagnosis.
- The planned succession to Frank Smith at Private Advisor Group was accelerated before Moore’s diagnosis, reducing leadership uncertainty during treatment.
- Moore argues that vulnerability and gratitude can improve well-being and make advisors more effective helpers of others.
Notable quotes
“I made a decision not to have it be a fight or a battle. And instead, I turned to grace and gratitude”
“today I choose to live with grace and gratitude for the love that fills my heart”
“Diana 63 days after that diagnosis I was in full remission”
“being vulnerable or being willing to be vulnerable is an act of kindness to yourself”
How the episode opens
Discover practical solutions to drive your firm's growth at Wealth Management Edge, the only conference covering investment, technology, and growth strategies, June 9th to the 11th. Register today at wealthmanagementedge-event.com. Welcome to the Healthy Advisor, a podcast from Wealth Management focused on advisors, personal well-being, and healing.
I'm Diana Britain, executive editor of wealth management. And in this podcast, we explore some of the struggles and personal development issues facing adviserss and financial services professionals and how to get to a place of healing for mind, body, and spirit. Hello and welcome to the latest episode of the Healthy Advisor podcast and thanks for joining us.
As you may know, this is the podcast focused on financial advisor health and well-being. And today's guest definitely counts on that score. His name is R.J.
Moore, a partner at Private Advisor Group. R.J., thank you so much for being on the podcast.
Thank you, Diana. I'm very happy to be here and thank you for having the broadcast. I think it's a really great great thing to do for our profession.
Yeah, thank you so much. I'm really excited about this one. I know, you know, R.J.
I've known you for for many, many years. You've had an extremely impressive career in financial services. Before joining Private Advisor Group, he held CEO positions at Satara Financial Group, Legal and General Investment Management America, and ABN, Amro, uh, Lasal Bank.
He was also president of LPL Financial. So, you know, you've led major organizations in this industry. Um, but in in 2023, he was diagnosed with advanced stage 4 melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, and had to step away from leadership a little bit.
Um, you know, the the cancer tested him in ways he didn't expect. it brought new challenges to his personal life and completely changed his perspective.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- cancer mindset
- melanoma diagnosis
- meditation and breathing
- advisor wellbeing
- leadership and gratitude
Companies and tickers mentioned
- LPLA
- Cetera Financial Group
- Legal & General Investment Management America
- ABN AMRO La Salle Bank
- LPL Financial
- Private Advisor Group
Watch the episode
Watch “The Healthy Advisor: Viewing Cancer as an Opportunity, Not a Fight with RJ Moore” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
More from WealthManagement.com
-
The WealthStack Podcast: AI, Video and the New Rules of Client Engagement with David Moricca -
401(k) Real Talk Episode 216: November 11, 2026 -
The Planning Opportunities Hidden in High-Net-Worth Conversations -
Wealth Management Invest: Expanding Access to Private Markets with Blackstone’s Farhad Karim -
401(k) Real Talk Episode 215: November 4, 2026 -
How Advisors Can Use AI Without Losing the Human Relationship with Rron Rexha
WealthManagement.com, this episode and its artwork belong to their owners. Octagon is not affiliated with the show; this page is an independent summary.
