One date is burned into Brittain Prigge’s memory: Sept. 13, 2024.
That’s the day Prigge was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, an aggressive form of cancer. Days later, she would undergo brain surgery, and within weeks, she started chemotherapy and radiation.
At first, Prigge said she tried to balance her recovery with a demanding career as an adviser to high-net-worth individuals.
Prigge was president of Balentine, the Atlanta-based wealth management firm she helped found in 2009.
She was at the top of her field and a prominent voice in the community, having been named by the Financial Times as one of the top 100 female financial advisers. She held board positions with organizations that include the Buckhead Coalition and Metro Atlanta Chamber.
When cancer disrupted her life, Prigge said she wanted to grasp onto the professional success she worked hard to achieve.
“I was desperate to stay involved,” said Prigge, a Buckhead resident who hails from Huntsville, Alabama. “I was desperate to still be relevant.”
But, ultimately, she decided to quit Balentine in January 2025. While she loved the work, she said it no longer felt like the right place for her to be.
“It took a little while for the clarity to say, ‘It’s not about Balentine,’” she said. “It’s about what you’re going to do with your future and what you love to do. … Ultimately, I decided to do it somewhere else.”
Credit: Estela Muñoz/AJC
Credit: Estela Muñoz/AJC
Following her successful surgery and treatment, Prigge took a new role earlier this year with Silvercrest Asset Management Group, a New York-based wealth and investment management firm. Prigge leads the new Atlanta office, serving as managing director and portfolio manager.
In a recent interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she reflected on her health journey and new role.
“This is about rebirth,” Prigge said. “My story is one of overcoming.”
Edited for length and clarity.
Q: How difficult was it to quit your job after your cancer diagnosis?
A: The hardest thing that’s ever happened in my life, beyond the glioblastoma diagnosis. Building Balentine was the huge, great accomplishment in my life.
I learned so much, and in my new career, I’m doing things differently because of what I learned. But it was very, very, very difficult.
Credit: Estela Muñoz/AJC
Credit: Estela Muñoz/AJC
Q: Do you have any advice for people who also might be facing a health battle?
A: My advice is: Don’t pretend like it’s not going on. Don’t act like it’s not a big deal. I think that’s what happened with me. I was so desperate for everybody to think I was going to be OK, because I needed to go back to work.
I needed to get back to doing what I’m good at and what I love to do, and I probably was a little too insistent on that.
When I finally quit, I finally let everything go and said, “OK, look at this as an opportunity.”
Acknowledge that opportunity and take the scary path. You’re probably stronger than you think you are.
Q: What prepared you to deal with a challenge of this magnitude?
A: My daddy died in 2021, and I said, “If I could ever be the person he thought I was, then I’ll be happy.”
And in the hospital — after all these flowers, notes, calls — I was like, “Well, maybe I am that person.” So, I think I drew on what people expected of me.
Q: How did you come to work at Silvercrest and why was it the right fit?
A: We finalized everything at the end of March (2025), selling my equity in Balentine.
I gave it a month, and started calling people and saying, “I want to talk about what I’m going to do next.” I had a noncompete (agreement) for a year, but I was determined to get back. I ultimately ended up talking to about 40 firms.
The CEO of Silvercrest, who had been my friend for 15 years, Rick Hough, comes and says, “Can I fly down and see you?”
So, we sit at this kitchen table for two hours, then go to La Grotta (an Atlanta restaurant) another two hours, come back and meet with my husband, talking about how I could make a difference in his firm, which was a $37 billion firm.
Ultimately, I said, “This is it,” and it had way more to do with the values than with anything else.
It was about culture. It was about values. It was about people.
Credit: Estela Muñoz/AJC
Credit: Estela Muñoz/AJC
Q: Considering what you’ve been through, are you approaching work differently?
A: It’s helped me not worry about what happens and just be authentic.
I will say, throughout my career, there’s been a lot of pressure about revenue and whether you lose or win it. Now, if it’s not right for my employees, we’re not doing it.
AJC Her+Story is a series in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlighting women founders, creators, executives and professionals. It is about building a community. Know someone the AJC should feature in AJC Her+Story? Email us at herstory@ajc.com with your suggestions. Check out more of our AJC Her+Story coverage at ajc.com/herstory.
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