Episode 31: How Non-Traditional Backgrounds Survive Trading and Markets - with Chloe Shepherd

Is trading really what everyone thinks it is? 📈Welcome to the THIRTY-FIRST episode of The Smart Money Show; today, we are joined by Chloe Shepherd, a Credit Repo Trader whose path in the market is anything but conventional. Growing up in Lancashire, Chloe became the first in her family to attend university, studying History and Maths at Glasgow, before breaking into top institutions like Citi and RBC Capital Markets. Alongside her career on the trading floor, she serves as a Development Board Member for upReach.Across this conversation, we explore Chloe’s journey into trading, starting with the early moments that made certain paths feel out of reach. Chloe opens up about the realities of working on a markets desk, the pressure that sometimes follows you home, and the parts of the job that rarely get spoken about. We also explore what it means to navigate moments of self-doubt, the role of a strong support system, and the ongoing work of managing imposter syndrome.This episode is an honest, grounded, and inspiring look at resilience, identity and what it means to carve out space in an industry that wasn’t built for everyone in mind.Contact:Chloe Shepherd - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloe-shepherd-7bb45410b/🎥 Recorded: 14th January 2026Chapters: 0:00 – Intro 🎙️2:59 – Growing Up in Morecambe & Education as a Way Out 🌊6:37 – A-Levels, Rejections & Choosing Glasgow Over London 📨9:41 – Switching Degrees & Landing a Trading Internship 🔁11:48 – Grades, Apprenticeships & Rethinking Talent 🎓18:37 – Validation, Money & The Emotional Reality of Success 💭20:31 – Breaking Into Markets Without a Traditional Background 🚪27:15 – RBC and Citi: Culture, Teams & Learning on the Desk 🏦39:08 – Repo Trading Explained & Life on a Trading Floor 📈46:13 – Soft Skills, Pressure & Taking Work Home 🧠55:53 – Identity, Class & Belonging in Finance 🧬1:02:30 – Social Mobility, UpReach & What Firms Still Get Wrong 🤍1:20:00 – Outro 👋🏼As always, stay tuned to us regularly as we bring you unheard insights, professional guests and a few laughs! 💚 Check out our work and connect with us here: https://www.thesmartmoneyshow.co.uk/Please be advised, none of our episodes constitute as financial advice and we will never attempt to do so.