Money impacts almost every aspect of our lives. It affects where we live, the car we drive, and how we manage it can even impact the quality of our relationships. Money is the thread that is woven through so many life plans and decisions. Co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT, bring together their respective expertise in financial planning and family counseling to discuss how to build healthy relationships, build your wealth, and build your life.
Dr. Matt Morris LPC & LMFT, Erik Garcia CFP®
We have an ethos in America that quitting is bad. Quitting is weak. Quitting is for losers. We preach… “One step at a time.” “Life is not a sprint.” “Keep grinding.” Grit, Grind, and Persistence are critical for achievement and success. But…there's also a time to quit and for good reasons. Listen in as Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT, and Erik Garcia, CFP® discuss why winners sometimes quit. Episode Highlights: Erik & Matt discuss the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. (0:53) Matt & Erik discuss the idea of quitting in general. (5:09) Matt mentions that the quitter should not be shamed. (9:04) Matt discusses the mentality of the word don't quit. (10:32) Matt explains that sometimes people must give up something in order to pursue something better. (14:17) Matt mentions that people sometimes quit something that is now inconsistent with their values. (17:04) Matt discusses how people may stop something because it is counterproductive to their preferred quality of life. (19:54) Erik defines the term "return of investment". (21:11) Matt mentions that another good reason to quit is when what you're doing is harmful. (23:16) Matt gives an example of a good reason for a marathon runner to abandon the race. (24:32) Matt explains that there are occasions when it's a wise choice to end a partnership. (26:50) Matt and Erik talk about the pros and cons of divorce. (30:10) Erik believes that there is a time to get away to gain clarity in order to figure out what is going on and what the next step should be. (36:24) Matt mentions that relationships are naturally difficult. (39:14) Matt explains that relationships do not begin as harmful or abusive. (44:24) Matt and Erik talk about their decision to quit the podcast. (47:04) Key Quotes: “There is a really good time and reason to quit. And we shouldn't shame the quitter. Sometimes it's good to quit.” - Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT “People choose different paths, and we can respect both positions, we can support both positions and both positions can be healthy at different times for different people for different reasons. There is a time to quit, and there are clear benefits to quitting.” - Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT “There are things that you're doing that are inconsistent with that value of freedom of your own time, if that makes sense. So it's almost like a rediscovery of your values and realigning behaviors with those values.” - Erik Garcia, CFP® Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
Why do people do what they do? And, is it possible for one to be who they would ideally like to be, more often? In this episode of the Building Us podcast, Ryan Goulart, co-author of Leveraging Your Financial Intelligence: At the Intersection of Money, Health and Happiness, joins Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT, and Erik Garcia, CFP® to discuss how financial stress impacts our physical health, emotional well-being, and why understanding your values helps guide your behaviors. Episode Highlights: What's a typical vacation for Ryan? (5:01) Ryan gives a brief background of what Think2Perform is all about. (11:31) Ryan mentions the five values he utilizes on his best day. (14:24) Ryan explains why one of his values is health. (16:16) Ryan shares why he had viewed himself as indestructible. (18:07) Ryan explains what financial intelligence means. (20:36) Ryan shares why it's important to understand values. (25:07) Ryan mentions why values are a huge point of differentiation. (33:01) What were Ryan's foundational ideas that have become clear in a new way over the last 18 months? (35:02) Ryan explains the alignment model. (42:27) Key Quotes: “My values happen to be integrity, family, health, excellence, and achievement. So, on my best day, I am utilizing all five. Now, that's extremely, extremely hard for a lot of variables. But, if I see that and reflect on my values, and think about those values as I make choices throughout my day, then my behavior gets in line. Then, my goals for myself get in line.” - Ryan Goulart “One of my values is health, and I want to be healthy. I define health as I want to be both mentally healthy, financially healthy, and physically healthy. So, I need to do something in the moment right now to be able to fix that.” - Ryan Goulart “Values and value-based decisions can help guide that behavior. It's not going to mean that just because you know your values, you're going to be immune to poor decisions, but it increases the likelihood and increases the probability that the decisions you make will be value-based.” - Ryan Goulart Resources Mentioned: Ryan Goulart LinkedIn Think2Perform Think2Perform Facebook Leveraging Your Financial Intelligence: At the Intersection of Money, Health and Happiness Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
Should couples have married or separate financial accounts? Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT, and Erik Garcia, CFP®, dive into the pros and cons of each – as well as some of the underlying psychology. The goal of today's podcast is not to defend separate or joint accounts. However, we do want to explore some of the obstacles around joining accounts. Establishing a healthy dialogue about finances can help couples get on the same page and result in happier relationships in the long run. Episode Highlights: Erik explains the point of today's podcast episode. (2:06) Does Matt think that money is often a more difficult part to integrate with relationships? (4:24) Erik gives a couple of interesting statistics about couples having joint or separate bank accounts. (8:22) Erik shares some of the pros and cons of having joint accounts. (9:58) Matt explains the first obstacle of merging your accounts. (15:56) Matt gives his thoughts on the next obstacle: the idea of control. (20:18) Matt shares why income disparity has become a common concern. (24:02) Matt shares his thoughts on the final obstacle, which is debt disparity. (27:32) Matt mentions what his couples regularly tell him. (30:31) Matt gives some advice to the couples that are navigating their finances. (31:41) Key Quotes: “I want people to have the healthiest relationship that they can possibly have. Being connected in a very healthy and secure way with our spouse can be one of the most meaningful things we experience in this life.” - Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT “If you and I were to go into business together, we would probably have a joint business account to help us meet the goals of the business. So, just for relationships, for family, there's an aspect of family that's business. To meet the goals of the family business, you probably would enjoy yourself in an account.” - Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT “Any kind of secret, any kind of hidden stuff, any kind of suspicion, lie, paranoia, ends up eroding that connection and eroding that feeling of safety and security. Financial transparency is a way to kind of just bring us all back on the same page. If this is what we have, this is where we're going.” - Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
In this episode of Building Us podcast hosted by Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT, and Erik Garcia, CFP®, Erik and Matt explore some of Warren Buffet's life-changing philosophies. ‘Hit fewer bad shots' is Erik's advice for improving his golf game...But, what does Warren Buffet advise about your internal scorecard of success? Listen up! Episode Highlights: Erik shares a recent article from inc.com, entitled, Warren Buffett Believes 3 Decisions in Life Separate Those Who Succeed From Those Who Fail. (1:05) Erik explains more about who Warren Buffet is. (1:25) Erik gives us the first piece of advice from Warren Buffet, that separates those who succeed from those who fail. (8:21) Erik discusses Warren Buffet's philosophy on clear communication. (10:15) Matt explains how you can learn to become a better communicator. (10:52) Matt shares the second piece of advice from Warren Buffet: How to measure success by using your inner scorecard. (17:36) Erik explains the importance of scorecards and measuring. (22:44) Matt gives us the final piece of advice from Warren Buffet: Pay attention. (27:07) Erik shares some advice from a financial advisor's standpoint. (32:19) Key Quotes: “If you can make less poor decisions with your money, not better decisions necessarily, just less bad once consistently... that's going to add up, it's going to accrue, it's going to accumulate, and you have a good shot at being successful.” - Erik Garcia, CFP® “Other ways to invest in yourself will really help you insulate yourself against unknowns in life, and economic downturns, and changes in the job market. If I can continue to grow and develop, and be flexible, I can usually find success somewhere out there.” - Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT “If you invest in your relationships, they're not perfect investments, but you'll most likely receive a lot of love and care and concern that will make your life full.” - Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Resources Mentioned: Warren Buffett Believes 3 Decisions in Life Separate Those Who Succeed From Those Who Fail Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
In today's episode of the Building Us podcast, Jennifer Garcia and Erik Garcia, CFP® recount their journey of discovering their son's severe food allergies, and carefully guiding their family through it. 17 years later, now, they're tackling the college experience. Episode Highlights: Erik introduces his wife, Jen Garcia. (3:45) Jen shares how their son's severe food allergy started. (5:57) Erik mentions one of the things that comes commonly with food allergies. (8:52) Erik explains the difference between food allergies and food sensitivities. (10:40) Jen explains why they carry more than one epi-pen. (12:15) How did Jen and Erik explain their son's condition to other family members? (21:24) Jen shares some of the home modifications they did for the safety of their son. (26:43) Erik shares how he coped with all of the adjustments they did. (29:31) Erik shares the lessons he's learned from food allergies. (45:09) Key Quotes: “Honestly, I just wish people would allow us to keep him alive. That's all I'm trying to do, that's all he's trying to do is just to stay alive and enjoy other parts of life.” - Jennifer Garcia “I've told people many times, we can't come to your house, but, you are more than welcome to invite yourself to ours. And, the friends that have done that for us, those are the ones that have stuck by us and it's made this doable.” - Jennifer Garcia “I wish people understood the severity of food allergies...that it's not like respiratory allergies, where treatment is a little bit of exposure and small amounts, like food allergies. Any exposure of any amount is not good. A lot of people think that if I just have a little bit it's not going to hurt. A little bit is all it takes.” - Erik Garcia Resources Mentioned: Jennifer Garcia Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
What's the best financial advice you've ever received? Financial advisor Xavier Angel joins Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT, and Erik Garcia, CFP® to share golden nuggets of financial wisdom in this episode of the Building Us podcast. Episode Highlights: Xavier shares the best advice he has ever been given. (3:03) Xavier explains what generational wealth is. (3:41) Xavier discusses savings goals. (5:18) Xavier shares a story about a conversation with his oldest daughter, several years ago. (12:50) Xavier mentions the importance of proper planning. (25:27) Xavier shares why a mortgage is something that people really have to think about. (34:18) Xavier gives his closing thoughts on the best financial advice. (43:16) Key Quotes: “I want my children to be in a better position than what I'm in today. And, that's why we have to make sure we're saving and we don't buy those big purchases.” - Xavier Angel “How much you save is going to depend on the individual. Not everyone is going to be able to save 25%, and give 25%, and live off of 50%. But, I think putting together that strategy or building a plan while leaving something behind… that's where you start.” - Xavier Angel “We need to teach our children that as they save, teach them what compound interest is. Because, what they're putting away today, whether it's $2 or $5. Today, here's what it could potentially grow to when they're 60 or 65 years old. And that's going to be how we start that generational wealth... by teaching our children at an early age.” - Xavier Angel Resources Mentioned: Xavier Angel, ChFC, CLTC, LinkedIn Angel Wealth Strategies, LLC Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT, and Erik Garcia, CFP® are joined by Xavier Angel to discuss the worst financial advice given to them. "Free" credit cards, fancy jeans, expensive cars, and big houses... Episode Highlights: What's the worst financial advice that Xavier has ever received? (2:38) Xavier mentions some of the goals he had, when he moved to Holland. (3:59) What happened when Xavier tried to purchase his first car? (9:34) Xavier explains how his credit card debt demotivated him. (15:16) Xavier mentions how debt becomes a cycle. (21:34) Xavier shares a story about the phone call he received a couple of weeks ago. (34:22) Xavier gives his closing thoughts on bad financial advice. (40:40) Key Quotes: “I think walking into the bank and having family members talk to you about how money works… that is lost in today's age.” - Xavier Angel “These individuals graduating from college or in their mid to late 20s, they just don't realize how much that debt that they've accrued over their short lifetime... the effects that it has going forward. Whether it's purchasing a home, whether it's purchasing a car, that debt has a lasting effect on them.” - Xavier Angel “You still have that bad advice when you're looking at those salespeople coming in and trying to do something that's going to better themselves. They're still out there doing that same practice that you experienced.” - Xavier Angel Resources Mentioned: Xavier Angel, ChFC, CLTC, LinkedIn Angel Wealth Strategies, LLC Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
Raising a special needs child is a mixed bag of emotions. This week Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT sit down with David and Andrea Carothers as they share the joys and struggles of raising their special son. Whether you have a special needs child or not, you DO NOT want to miss this episode. Episode Highlights: Andrea and David introduce themselves. (1:53) Andrea shares how the pandemic affected her. (2:59) Andrea gives a background about their son, Ethan. (7:09) David the difficulties of not having control. (8:56) How did Ethan's special needs affect their family? (15:55) David gives a piece of advice to the parents that have multiple kids in a household, with a special needs child. (21:19) Andrea gives us some context on Ethan's capabilities. (23:17) David mentions the biggest struggle for him, coming from the business world. (39:51) Andrea explains why mental health is so important. (45:12) Key Quotes: “I tell people all the time he couldn't have been born to two better parents. He's exactly where he needs to be for those reasons.” - David Carothers “What scares me to death is the number of kids out there that don't have parental advocates. Whether it's because they don't understand they need to do it, or they're just disinterested, it's insane to think there are that many kids going without people fighting for them.” - David Carothers “I'm a firm believer in this: Nobody is going to advocate to make sure your kid gets what you need, other than yourself. And, if you believe in something, and you want to change... you have to be that driving force.” - Andrea Carothers Resources Mentioned: David Carothers LinkedIn Florida Risk Partners Andrea Carothers LinkedIn PRC-Saltillo Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
Your net worth is a simple calculation that can help you keep “score” of how well you are doing financially over time. In this third installment of the SIMPLE: Money Edition series, Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT, and Erik Garcia, CFP® provide you with a simple, practical, and tactical strategy for helping you calculate and track your net worth. Start now by improving your finances, improving your home, and investing in your relationships with this simple task. Episode Highlights: Erik mentions today's SIMPLE series, Money Edition. (00:56) Erik explains the definition of net worth. (2:52) Erik shares why tracking our net worth is significant. (4:44) Erik mentions the difference between income and wealth. (5:18) Erik shares how we calculate our net worth. (5:34) Erik explains what liabilities are. (8:08) Erik explains what happens if your net worth increases. (11:01) Key Quotes: “I love this SIMPLE: Money series because it's just getting back to the basics about the simple things that we can all do to improve our financial security.” - Erik Garcia, CFP® “The reason why we track net worth... it's a measurement of how we're doing financially, because it's advancing us towards some goal, some objective, some end that we find valuable.” - Erik Garcia, CFP® “I like to say what gets measured gets done. So, the idea is to increase your net worth to increase your financial position. This is a good measuring tool, if you will, to kind of see where you are.” - Erik Garcia, CFP® Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
Where is all my money going? I spent how much on what? In this, the second installment of the SIMPLE: Money Edition series, Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT, and Erik Garcia, CFP® provide you with a simple, practical, and tactical strategy for helping you get a handle on your spending. Start now by improving your finances, improving your home, and investing in your relationships with this simple task. This is SIMPLE: Money Edition, from Building Us. Episode Highlights: Matt mentions why he’s excited about this series. (2:39) Erik mentions today's simple technique. (3:31) Erik shares why printing the last quarter’s worth of statements is beneficial. (4:38) Erik explains the first part of reviewing your statements. (5:33) Erik gives us the second part of reviewing your statements. (6:59) Erik mentions why tracking your expenses is a painful thing for some people. (8:07) Erik shares how to categorize your expenses. (10:06) Erik explores some factors about credit cards. (12:53) Erik gives us the final part of reviewing your statements. (16:06) Key Quotes: “It's not necessarily the big expenses that keep you in a position of not being able to advance financially. It's the little things. It's all the little bitty expenses that you buy throughout the month that add up consistently over months and over years.” - Erik Garcia, CFP® “We're creatures of habit… which you start to find is like, your spending becomes very predictable. So you know, we spend money at the same places. We shop at the same places. So, once you start to get kind of a baseline, you start to understand your spending habits, and you can start to make some changes in some improvement.” - Erik Garcia, CFP® “I don't have a problem with separate accounts in general. But if separate is hiding, if separate is privacy... like, I'm married to you, we have a shared vision of a future and I don't want you to know what I spend... that seems problematic.” - Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
Self-discipline will often let you down. In this, the first installment of the SIMPLE Money Edition series, Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT, and Erik Garcia, CFP® provide you with a simple, practical, and tactical strategy for overcoming your procrastination. Use technology to help you improve your finances and improve your home. Invest in your relationships. Episode Highlights: Erik shares how their teaching presentations have been doing recently. (2:30) What is the SIMPLE money task for today’s episode? (4:00) Erik explains the idea of automating. (4:32) Erik mentions three ways to automate your finances. (5:20) Erik explains how to automate your debt payments. (6:36) Erik explains the idea of short-term savings. (8:55) Matt shares his testimonies about automating. (10:26) Erik shares the third automation idea. (12:10) Key Quotes: “If you can help people level up their financial management and clean some things up, that might give them a better shot at better stronger relationships. And, that's kind of the idea of our presentations.” - Erik Garcia, CFP® “Most of us don't have the self-discipline to do the things that we know we need to be doing to meet our goals, or to... whatever. We just lack as human being self-discipline. So, we need to build in these guardrails, if you will, and one of the techniques is to automate.” - Erik Garcia, CFP® “Finances are generally not the main reason for divorce, but they're a huge part of the conflict that can lead to divorce.” - Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
In this episode of Building Us podcast hosted by Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT and Erik Garcia, CFP®, counselors, listen in as Dr. Matt discusses the 5 things he wishes he knew before launching his private practice. As a bonus, Tralana Eugene, marriage and family therapist, discusses the 5 things she's considering as she prepares to launch her practice. Episode Highlights: Does Tralana think that selling is part of the counseling business? (4:49) Tralana shares her opinion about strong arming and counseling. (8:41) Tralana tells us what she’s actively thinking about. (10:43) Tralana mentions a book she’s currently reading entitled Primalbranding, by Patrick Hanlon. (14:36) Does Tralana think that marketing is somewhat tied to an ideal client? (16:36) Tralana mentions why a lot of therapists depend on other types of platforms. (29:46) Tralana shares what a therapist’s office should look like. (40:47) Tralana mentions why the burnout rate for counselors is something that people need to be thinking about. (47:30) Key Quotes: “It’s very important to think about what you’re passionate about...If you're starting a practice, you definitely want to make sure you're putting it out there, so that the clients that you prefer to work with... those are the clients that you're attracting.” - Tralana Eugene “If my website had everything that a client needs to know about the work… If I answered those common questions that I typically get asked in that phone consultation… now, I’ve just saved money, because I've saved myself 20 to 30 minutes, right?” - Tralana Eugene “Working from home can be great but, sometimes it's actually nice to have to work outside of home. So, I'm thinking about self care boundaries... things like that.” - Tralana Eugene Resources Mentioned: Tralana Eugene LinkedIn University of Holy Cross Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
Yay! They had their baby. In this episode of the Building Us podcast, hosted by Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT, listen in as Izabela Cormier and Lee Cormier share their experience of having baby Cormier #1. Check out their initial conversation with Lee and Izabela. Episode Highlights: Lee introduces the new member of their family. (2:10) Izabela shares how her pregnancy went. (8:58) Lee shares the feeling of being involved in Izabela’s pregnancy. (15:33) What were Izabela and Lee’s first experiences like holding their newborn baby? (20:41) Izabela shares what happened after waking up from her pregnancy. (24:37) What are some of the unexpected experiences in Lee and Izabela’s new parenting journey? (26:31) Izabela shares her anxiety experience. (33:31) Lee discusses the protective instincts he’s experiencing as a parent. (38:06) Key Quotes: “Since then, we've had a couple of scares here and there. And, most of them due to us being new parents, and not knowing what we're doing, and trying our best to know what we're doing, and to keep her safe and healthy.” - Lee Cormier “ As a dad, as a partner, your role is to be the best sidekick possible, and alleviate any type of pain and pressure and stress. Then, you can do the best job in the world.” - Lee Cormier “I think me, as a mom... it's brought out depths that I didn't know were there. And, I can be a lot more empathetic with a lot more people now. Like, other people who have had children, who have had losses, and things like that... I can understand what they're going through.” - Izabela Cormier Resources Mentioned: Lee Cormier Izabela Cormier Canal Street Church Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
We take the ability to speak for granted. Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT sit down with Erica Edenfield and Austin Edenfield, ATP/SMS as they share their story of helping their daughter find her voice. Austin's unique professional experience and Erica's motherly instinct lead them to advocate for their daughter to get to the bottom of their daughter's disability. #ApraxiaAwareness Episode Highlights: What kind of technology is Austin working on? (4:27) Austin mentions how he met Erica. (6:40) Erica explains what childhood Apraxia is, and its symptoms. (10:18) How did they notice that their child has Apraxia? (12:26) How does Austin’s career of helping people express themselves begin to intersect with his daughter's life? (18:29) Erica mentions the difference between a phonological disorder and a motor planning disorder. (20:11) Austin shares how his work started to connect with speech disorders. (21:51) Austin mentions one thing he noticed about their therapist. (25:43) Erica and Austin speak about how people tend to interact with those who have disabilities. ? (28:48) Austin mentions one of the things people may not be aware of. (38:19) Key Quotes: “Her having an iPad to communicate now, that success isn't always measured by what she can voice, but people can communicate through technology now.” - Erica Edenfield “Now our daughter is around the best kind of communication intervention, the best kind of team that she could be around. We're around some of the best of the best here in the Nashville area. So, a lot of positives have come out of it.” - Austin Edenfield “Knowing that person's why is as important as knowing what they know. People can always acquire knowledge down the road, right? But, if someone's passionate and driven to help your child, I would take that over someone who has a Ph.D. and all these other things.” - Austin Edenfield Resources Mentioned: Erica Edenfield LinkedIn Missio Mosaic Austin Edenfield, ATP/SMS LinkedIn Pride Mobility Products Corporation Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
New Orleans Mom writers Seleigh Taylor and Joey Yearous join couples counselor Dr. Matt Morris and financial advisor Erik Garcia to discuss how the pandemic has disproportionately impacted moms. Moms are the foundations and cornerstones of our families . They are the epitome of what it means to “invest in your relationships” as they sacrifice so much for their families. Moms don’t listen alone! Invite your spouse to join in as Matt, Erik, Seleigh, and Joey wrestle with questions like: Is balance real? Would you rather hire someone to do your laundry or cook your meals? What’s worse, too much routine or not enough? How do you have hard conversations with your partner about your feelings of overwhelm? Moms: Visit NewOrleansMom.com for a chance to win a Staycation here in New Orleans. You have 2 chances to win thanks to our partners at Higgins Hotel and Southern Hotel in downtown New Orleans. Building-Us.com NewOrleansMom.com
We teach our kids not to...maybe we should be teaching them how to. Every week Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT and Erik Garcia, CFP® end the show with the encouragement to “Invest in Your Relationships.” But how? How do you invest in something that feels intangible? It’s SIMPLE. The Simple series provides you with simple, everyday, practical, and tactical strategies for investing in your relationships and Building Us. Matt and Erik believe these strategies are guaranteed deposits in your emotional bank account. This is SIMPLE from Building Us.
It’s so delicious. Why wouldn’t you want to do this? Every week Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT and Erik Garcia, CFP® end the show with the encouragement to “Invest in Your Relationships.” But how? How do you invest in something that feels intangible? It’s SIMPLE. The Simple series provides you with simple, everyday, practical, and tactical strategies for investing in your relationships and Building Us. Matt and Erik believe these strategies are guaranteed deposits in your emotional bank account. This is SIMPLE from Building Us.
How many times do you wish you would have…? And it’s so meaningful when someone does it for you. It’s so simple. Every week Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT and Erik Garcia, CFP® end the show with the encouragement to “Invest in Your Relationships.” But how? How do you invest in something that feels intangible? It’s SIMPLE. The Simple series provides you with simple, everyday, practical, and tactical strategies for investing in your relationships and Building Us. Matt and Erik believe these strategies are guaranteed deposits in your emotional bank account. This is SIMPLE from Building Us.
Leave it to the couples therapist to make this suggestion. You know you want to. Every week Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT and Erik Garcia, CFP® end the show with the encouragement to “Invest in Your Relationships.” But how? How do you invest in something that feels intangible? It’s SIMPLE. The Simple series provides you with simple, everyday, practical, and tactical strategies for investing in your relationships and Building Us. Matt and Erik believe these strategies are guaranteed deposits in your emotional bank account. This is SIMPLE from Building Us.
It costs you next to nothing, and pays serious dividends. It's simple. Every week Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT and Erik Garcia, CFP® end the show with the encouragement to “Invest in Your Relationships.” But how? How do you invest in something that feels intangible? It’s SIMPLE. The Simple series provides you with simple, everyday, practical, and tactical strategies for investing in your relationships and Building Us. Matt and Erik believe these strategies are guaranteed deposits in your emotional bank account. This is SIMPLE from Building Us.
How can a little fresh air make a deposit in your relational and emotional "bank account"?" It's simple. Every week Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT and Erik Garcia, CFP® end the show with the encouragement to “Invest in Your Relationships.” But how? How do you invest in something that feels intangible? It’s SIMPLE. The Simple series provides you with simple, everyday, practical, and tactical strategies for investing in your relationships and Building Us. Matt and Erik believe these strategies are guaranteed deposits in your emotional bank account. This is SIMPLE from Building Us.
Ashley Angelico and Elizabeth Schmelling built New Orleans' premiere digital parenting resource. Serving both residents and visitors to New Orleans, Ashley and Elizabeth have become ambassadors for New Orleans and advocates for families. Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT, and Erik Garcia, CFP®, discuss with these "life bosses", the secret to their success, while maintaining work-life balance. Ashley and Elizabeth share how their side hustle turned into a full-time job, all the while doing what they are passionate about…building families. Episode Highlights: Elizabeth and Ashley share their background. (3:47) What’s Elizabeth’s top transferable skill that she brought from corporate accounting to the New Orleans mom blog? (6:47) Ashley shares why the enneagram has been immensely helpful. (11:21) How does Elizabeth manage a work-life balance? (14:47) Ashley gives a little background about their business. (17:45) Elizabeth shares how their business has evolved. (20:06) How did they transition from part-time to full-time? (23:15) Ashley talks about their first ever event and plans for the future. (25:40) Elizabeth shares a personal story in a blog she’s written. (32:17) What are some topics Elizabeth has discovered moms are really interested in? (36:15) How do Ashley and Elizabeth approach creating content for diverse groups? (38:34) Key Quotes: “The website is designed to be optimized for people that are specifically looking for what we're offering. That's... things to do in New Orleans, raising a family in New Orleans, traveling to New Orleans with kids. So, we've worked really hard over the past nine years to make sure that we're a top-ranked website when it comes to seeking that information out. So, anybody who finds us can use us.” - Ashley Angelico “Finding stories and local moms who have experienced the same thing, to help you feel that you're not on this journey alone...To advocate for yourself, your kids, and your family. I feel like if that's one of the ways we can help others and navigate through those challenges... then, that's what we're here for.” - Elizabeth Schmelling “A lot of humans, not just moms, are nervous and intimidated by the idea of sharing their voice. A lot of people think that they don't have something to say, or they don't have something of value to say. Elizabeth and I always try to remind people... if you are human, you have something to share. It doesn't matter if you're a professional writer or if you've ever written before, formally. If you have been through something...which if you're human, you have...we want to hear from you.” - Ashley Angelico Resources Mentioned: Ashley Angelico LinkedIn Elizabeth Schmelling LinkedIn New Orleans Mom Lafayette Mom Red Stick Mom Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
We are having our first baby, in one month! Listen in as Lee Cormier and Izabela Cormier, of Canal Street Church, share their pregnancy story and talk about the physical and emotional aspects of becoming a parent as they prepare to welcome baby Cormier into the world in this episode of the Building Us podcast, hosted by Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT. Episode Highlights: Izabela and Lee share a little bit about themselves. (6:51) How’s the pregnancy been going for Izabela? (10:03) Izabela shares one of the factors that surprised her about being pregnant. (13:21) Lee shares one of the factors that surprised him. (16:45) Lee mentions why there still isn’t an emotional connection. (17:10) Lee shares one of the factors that made an emotional connection to him. (21:25) What is Lee’s main concern? (24:17) Izabela shares why she’s been focusing all of her energy and thoughts on the actual labor and delivery. (25:31) Is there any aspect to finances that stresses Lee and Izabela the most? (35:38) Key Quote: “I'm a pretty loyal and protective person. If I care about you, if you're my friend, or if we have a deep relationship, I care for you deeply. I want to protect you at all costs.” - Lee Cormier “I hope that I will be able to transfer the receiving gifts part, even like buying things for myself and giving it to our child and being a father who gives good and abundant gifts to our children. And that's how I'll find satisfaction.” - Lee Cormier “I'm bringing our child into a healthy environment where its needs will be taken care of. So when things do come up that are potentially stressful financially, I just kind of fall back on being grateful for the position we're in.” - Izabela Cormier Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates Lee Cormier Izabela Cormier Canal Street Church
One year later, "Feeling Upside Down?", the poem Dr. Laura Hernandez penned to help kids cope with the pandemic, is still relevant. Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT and Erik Garcia, CFP® discuss with Dr. Hernandez the lessons adults can learn from kids in dealing with complicated circumstances in this episode of the Building Us podcast. Episode Highlights: Dr. Laura Hernandez shares her background. (5:45) How has the pandemic impacted Dr. Laura Hernandez’s practice?. (6:46) Dr. Laura Hernandez shares how the pandemic has changed her personal life. (7:36) Why do disruptive events force people to change? (9:34) Dr. Laura Hernandez shares her poem entitled, Feeling Upside Down. (15:16) Dr. Laura Hernandez shares the origins of her poem. (18:59) What is one of Dr. Laura Hernandez’s biggest passions? (21:02) Dr. Laura Hernandez shares why it's okay to feel a little upside down. (23:35) What would Dr. Laura Hernandez recommend to help kids stay grounded? (28:10) Dr. Laura Hernandez discusses ways to practice gratitude. (38:01) Dr. Laura Hernandez shares the significance of flexibility. (44:04) Key Quotes: “I knew having more time with each family, the parents, the children and adolescence was going to be so fulfilling. I think just the switch... human beings, we don't love change. So, I think just kind of shifting from what I was used to, with a typical school setting was sort of an adjustment. But, it's been really fun. I feel like I'm growing and loving it.” - Dr. Laura Hernandez “When our world seems rocky, like we're on a roller coaster going too fast... think about all you've learned to help you on your path. Remember, we're all in this together. Take one moment at a time. Things are a little different. But let's be an encourager and be kind.” - Dr. Laura Hernandez “I think the mindful piece of it is that big pause button has helped us to reevaluate and be mindful of the things that either we need to add into our day, or things we were doing that maybe we didn't even realize were, or part of, what made us who we were.” - Dr. Laura Hernandez Resources Mentioned: Dr. Laura Hernandez Be Well NOLA Counseling Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
College is CRAZY expensive. As a parent, where do you start planning for your child's Higher Ed? There is so much competing for money. How much should you be saving? Should you prioritize college savings over retirement or paying off debt? How much should I take out in college loans to pay for college? What are ways that can plan for the cost of college other than loans? In Part 2 of this two-part series, John Hupalo, founder of My College Corner and Invite Education, joins Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT to wrestle with these tough college planning and college funding questions. Episode Highlights: John mentions the only factor that will not change around higher education. (3:59) John shares when the idea of the shifting sands started. (4:48) John shares that student loans should be the last resort and not the first option to pay for college. (9:14) Does John think that kids who work through college to help pay for college tend to outperform kids who don't work through college? (13:20) What are some tools that families have access to that they can use to pay for college? (14:43) John mentions the program in Louisiana called the Student Tuition and Revenue Trust (START). (19:02) How does John help people make decisions around taking on student debt? (31:51) John shares why the federal student loan program is beneficial. (33:24) John shares the two reasons why student loan debt is good. (46:16) Key Quotes: “There's a myth out there that if you save too much, you're going to be hurt in the financial aid process and there's a myth out there because it's a myth.” - John Hupalo “I think there has to be student loan debt because when properly used, you can apply that to get the leverage of the investment and get a return on that...I say though, student loans should be the last resort, not the first option to pay for college.” - John Hupalo “The young adults, no longer your toddler, have a responsibility here. Right? The more skin they have in the game, and the more it's real for them, the more success I think that they can have. They can define that success how they need to, but the whole idea is making sure they have the right tools to do that.” - John Hupalo Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates John Hupalo LinkedIn Invite Education
College is CRAZY expensive. As a parent, where do you start planning for your child's Higher Ed? There is so much competing for money. How much should you be saving? Should you prioritize college savings over retirement or paying off debt? How much should I take out in college loans to pay for college? What are ways that can plan for the cost of college other than loans? In Part 1 of this two-part series, John Hupalo, founder of My College Corner and Invite Education, joins Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT to wrestle with these tough college planning and college funding questions. Episode Highlights: John shares his background. (2:41) John mentions how Invite Education started. (4:07) Why is borrowing from a 401k a bad idea to pay for college? (6:50) John shares his understanding of how to afford college. (7:52) John mentions the piece of advice that Erik said to Matt. (8:26) John shares the benefits of saving. (9:05) Does John have any kind of rules in terms of how parents and students should make decisions in terms of what's next for them? (11:09) John mentions why emotion is the problem. (11:17) John mentions the three aspects to identify if a college is a good fit. (15:21) John mentions his book entitled, Plan and Finance Your Family's College Dreams. (17:00) John shares how to utilize their website. (25:37) Key Quotes: “I think a lot of parents have that perspective that we're going to do the best we can and we're going to kind of figure it out. The problem for some families is, when they get to that “we're going to figure it out” point, that's when they start over-leveraging, right? And then the emotion overtakes the reality” - John Hupalo “No matter how old your kid is, I don't care if they're like six months from graduating from high school or they're six months old, just open a savings plan and start saving. So I say, it's never too early, never too late to start saving.” - John Hupalo “You have no idea if a college is affordable for you until you get the financial aid award letter in your hand. Right? Because it might be that you're going to get a full ride...and what you think is the most expensive school that you could never afford may be perfectly affordable.” - John Hupalo Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates John Hupalo LinkedIn Invite Education MyCollegeCorner.com FAFSA Student Loans ARCollegeSaver.org
What are some of the key takeaways from The Next Normal series? In this episode of the Building Us podcast, hosts Erik Garcia, CFP and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT share and reflect on a few of The Next Normal highlights. Episode Highlights: Erik explains where the idea for the Next Normal series came from. (1:47) Matt shares a clip from Brandon Ecker. (2:42) Matt mentions why he loves the idea of intentionality. (3:53) Brandon mentions a book entitled One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way to Success, by Dr. Robert Maurer. (6:55) Matt shares a clip from Dr. Jose Calderon. (9:36) Dr. Jose Calderon gives a piece of advice on how to have good health. (11:20) Erik shares a clip from Dr. Sarah Fallaw. (17:49) Dr. Sarah Fallaw mentions the significance of discipline. (18:37) Erik mentions why most people lack sufficient self-discipline. (19:49) Matt shares why families must be headed in the same direction, financially. (22:46) Erik shares a clip from Dr. Billy Williams. (25:52) Dr. Billy Williams enumerates the 5 best customers. (26:40) Matt shares a clip from Sr. Rochelle Perrier. (31:17) Sr. Rochelle Perrier shares a piece of advice for the listeners. (32:10) Erik mentions why people must make time for their spirituality. (38:50) Key Quotes: “Sometimes change is thrust upon us. But we are empowered to a certain degree to dictate how we respond to that change. And it's that intentionality in the purpose in which we move forward. So I love this idea of…I want to do things on purpose.” - Erik Garcia, CFP® “I think that for me in 2021, I'm just thinking about the ways that I can continue to contribute to my overall health knowing that maybe one day when I'm not expecting it, I might take a withdrawal. And so I want to make sure that I'm accumulating the health capital to sustain me through whatever difficult time might be on the horizon.” - Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT “Oftentimes solutions are simple, they're not easy. But accountability, to help with others, the support of others is going to get us to where we need to go. And that's why Matt and I are so passionate about this idea of building us, in the idea of investing in relationships.” - Erik Garcia, CFP® Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
Is your child getting enough sleep? Dr. Nilong Vyas, the Owner of Sleepless in NOLA, discusses why children must have an adequate amount of sleep and why it makes a big difference in this episode of the Building Us podcast, hosted by Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT. Episode Highlights: Dr. Vyas mentions the term pregnancy brain. (5:27) Do pregnancy brain and lack of sleep brain have similar concepts? (5:49) Dr. Vyas shares the latest recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics. (6:40) Why do people sleep, and how does our body reach to sleep? (13:45) Dr. Vyas shares why it’s significant that children must have an adequate amount of sleep. (16:35) Dr. Vyas mentions the benefits of having kids who sleep well. (23:30) How does Dr. Vyas’ consultation work? (23:59) At what point in their childhood does a kid have to sleep independently? (25:37) Dr. Vyas shares why falling back to sleep is one of the first skills that kids must learn. (28:07) Dr. Vyas mentions why parents must be on the same page when it comes to their children’s sleep. (34:43) Key Quotes: “It's during sleep that everything that they saw, felt, heard, touched throughout the day gets those connections to get made. So, it's super important to ensure that kids are getting an adequate amount of sleep so that those connections can get made.” - Dr. Nilong Vyas “I always tell parents, it's not like kids won't ever learn to write, walk or talk, of course, they will. But they may not do it at their full potential if they're not getting the sleep that's required for their developmental age.” - Dr. Nilong Vyas “I think if people work together and realize the benefit of teens getting more sleep, and making those changes in the routine, and schedule it, it will impact them in a more positive way. But it's got to be a whole community.” - Dr. Nilong Vyas Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates Dr. Nilong Vyas LinkedIn Sleepless in NOLA
Being a religious sister for 55 years, Sr. Rochelle Perrier, a member of the Marianites of Holy Cross, shares her knowledge and expertise on religion and spirituality and discusses how to be grateful in the midst of a pandemic in this episode of the Building Us podcast, hosted by Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT. Episode Highlights: Sr. Rochelle shares her background. (4:34) Did Sr. Rochelle ever get lost in the Marianites of Holy Cross building? (7:06) What are Sr. Rochelle’s thoughts on religious centers being physically inaccessible and affecting people's spirituality? (12:43) How did Sr. Rochelle pivot successfully or unsuccessfully, during the pandemic? (17:34) Sr. Rochelle shares about being grateful in the midst of the pandemic. (22:16) Sr. Rochelle mentions a website called Gratefulness.org. (23:16) How does spirituality connect to religion? (24:45) What encouragement does Sr. Rochelle have for everyone, in terms of accessing, utilizing, and leveraging our spirituality this year? (36:08) Sr. Rochelle gives a piece of advice to those who are spiritually discouraged and have been struggling. (51:39) Key Quotes: “I believe that during these times, we become aware of the loss of control of our lives, our powerlessness, and we realize that we're not in charge and what it reminds me of is the first step in a process. We realize that we are powerless and we know that there's someone out there that is greater than we are. Whoever that person is, whether it be God or whatever, we named that person. But it's just a total loss of control, your world has been changed.” - Sr. Rochelle Perrier “It’s good to feed the physical body, it's wonderful to feed the mind, body, and spirit, and the mind by education. But, the spirit needs to be filled with something deep within. And I do believe that there's a divine quality, a divine spirit within each of us that keeps us alive, and keeps us going.” - Sr. Rochelle Perrier “We belong to humankind, we belong to the whole universe. When somebody else suffers, we suffer or we should suffer. We suffer in the sense of feeling their pain and wanting to help do something about it.” - Sr. Rochelle Perrier Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates Sr. Rochelle Perrier Marianites of Holy Cross Gratefulness.org
What do we need to do to be successful? Billy Williams, Ph.D., the President of Inspire a Nation Business Mentoring, shares his knowledge and expertise in business mentoring and the four types of discipline in this episode of the Building Us podcast, hosted by Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT. Episode Highlights: Billy shares how he got his street cred. (6:05) Billy mentions one of the things that people have to understand. (6:42) What do we need to be doing to have business success this year? (13:58) Billy shares the four types of discipline. (20:40) Is it possible to automate self-discipline? (27:12) What are the most effective ways to make money? (41:45) Billy gives a real-world example of how he uses data in his decision-making process. (42:53) Billy shares the significance of having automation, technology, and outsourcing. (46:25) Key Quotes: “I've figured out how to succeed at a lot of things. And a lot of people can't succeed because they're afraid to fail. And I've never been afraid to fail and learn from that failure. You try it, you fail, you learn, you try something else, you fail, you learn, until you figure out what works. Just by the power of elimination, you're left with what works versus just throwing a whole bunch of stuff at it.” - Billy Williams “Only a fool thinks they're the smartest person in the room. And I mean, that's just not the way it works. You can learn from anybody about anything.” - Billy Williams “Never rely on self-discipline in your business, it will always fail you. Because self-discipline is nothing more than a form of emotion. It's tied to your emotions. Think of it as a diet. Everybody that's on a diet does great, as long as they're not hungry.” - Billy Williams Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates Billy Williams Inspire a Nation Business Mentoring
Does your household need a Chief Financial Officer? Sarah Fallaw, President at DataPoints, shares her knowledge and expertise on saving money and being financially successful in this episode of the Building Us podcast, hosted by Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT. Episode Highlights: Sarah shares her background in industrial psychology, and how she applied the data and research that her father began back in the 80s. (4:20) What are Sarah’s thoughts about income and wealth? (6:52) What did Data Points find through the research that they recently did? (7:15) Sarah shares what the household CFO is all about. (9:12) How do you decide who's the household CFO? (13:04) What’s their whole purpose at Data Points? (19:46) Sarah discusses some of the things that we can do to perform better tasks as household CFO. (22:10) What’s the correlation between setting aside time to manage money and amassing wealth? (32:57) Key Quotes: “No matter where you are, if you are kind of being frugal living below your means, ignoring what the people around you are doing, those folks tend to build wealth faster than those who spend everything that they have.” - Sarah Fallaw “The more disciplined we are, when we have a plan, the better off we are. If we're able to create a plan that makes sense, that has a goal that’s meaningful to you, and you're able to be disciplined in following the plan, you have a better chance of success.” - Sarah Fallaw “What can we automate and what will you be responsible for? I think that by doing that, make sure nothing slips through the cracks. But then, you've got this discipline in place even if it's something that’s using technology, it's a discipline.” - Sarah Fallaw Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates Sarah Fallaw DataPoints
How does the mind-body connection contribute to illness or wellness? Jose Calderon- Abbo, MD, a Psychiatrist and Medical Director at Imagine Recovery, shares his knowledge and expertise on mind-body medicine and the GI tract in this episode of the Building Us podcast, hosted by Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT. Episode Highlights: Jose mentions that mind-body medicine is a discipline within medicine that understands the interconnection of multiple systems in the body. (9:23) Jose shares that mind-body practices help us to understand holistically our well being, the connection within ourselves, and to our environment. (10:41) Jose mentions that integration organizes living systems and greater integration is a natural evolutionary step of both individuals and society. (15:54) Jose shares that in the eastern traditions, mindfulness is about mind-heart, as one element. While in western traditions, mindfulness is about the realization and recognition that there is a cognitive element and an emotional element. (21:36) Jose shares that the GI tract has the largest number of neurotransmitters outside the brain, and it’s connected to the brain physically through the vagus nerve and innervates the entire GI tract. (23:25) Key Quotes: “From my mind-body perspective, medications are very helpful tools, but they’re not the only tool. Lifestyle and our social determinants of health are the ones that are actually weighed the most, that determine our health, well-being or illness.” - Dr. Jose Calderon-Abbo “We need to make a concerted effort because we are elements of habit and elements of comfort. When the path of least resistance leads you to industrially tailored foods that are meant to create greater consumption and electronic media that is meant to create greater consumption, then the path of least resistance is problematic. We need to be putting the effort not to fall into it.” - Dr. Jose Calderon-Abbo “How are we going to take care of each other? In thinking that taking care of each other in so many ways, the financial aspects of others, the communities of others, the health disparities and inequities that are happening. In taking care of others, we're taking care of ourselves. So that to me is my message for 2021.” - Dr. Jose Calderon-Abbo Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates Jose Calderon-Abbo, MD Imagine Recovery
How can consistency help you achieve your goals? In today’s episode of the Building Us podcast, Brandon Ecker M. Ed., Certified CrossFit Trainer and Head Coach at CrossFit NOLA joins co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP® and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT. Brandon talks about the significance of daily consistency, motivation empowerment, and what Crossfit is all about. Episode Highlights: Matt introduces Brandon Ecker. (5:38) Brandon shares that the motivation and empowerment that you gain when focusing on winning each day are more rewarding and more predictive of lasting change. (8:44) Brandon thinks that consistency is significant. (12:14) Brandon shares that from his experience, he has some lofty fitness goals, but it's hard to stay focused when they are far away chronologically. (12:38) Brandon mentions one of the elements that empowered him was getting his design from his coach and treating it like a checklist. (13:00) Brandon thinks that the design of the micro class, and the structure of the warm-up and cooldown, is one of the things that they have done well. (16:16) Brandon shares that controlling the situations where you do have to make a tough decision and succeeding, could draw a lot of mental strength. (27:23) Brad mentions that mental hardening potentially builds someone’s character. (27:54) Brandon shares that you can benefit from all of the good habits that you've put into place. Because they're part of you now, and you're just chipping away goals along the way. (34:33) Brandon mentions that CrossFit is about mechanics, consistency, and then intensity. (40:44) Brandon shares that developing motor patterns that are incorrect are more difficult to change than coming than, than having like, no movement patterns at all or starting. (46:45) Brandon mentions a book called One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way, by Robert Maurer. (56:02) Key Quotes: “Each morning, when we wake up, we get to start a new day. And like, it seems less daunting to think about winning the day or achieving what you need to achieve during the day than it does to think about winning the week or the month or year.” - Brandon Ecker “So, if your goal is to show up, and you kind of are dotting those i's and crossing those T's for a while, then it's not a goal that you really have to work for anymore. It's just like a habit. And then you can push that envelope a little bit to the next level.” - Brandon Ecker “If the small steps can create the type of person that is achieving these benchmark goals that can always be progressed, then not only are you getting those things and cashing in on those transactions, but you’re also growing as an athlete, as whatever endeavor you're in.” - Brandon Ecker Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates Brandon Ecker M. Ed. CrossFit NOLA One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way
Is marriage constraining or liberating? In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT explain why marriage is a straight jacket to some people, the aspects of premarital love, and how marriage makes you a better person. Episode Highlights: Erik shares a study from Harvard that said, happiness and health aren't the result of wealth, fame, or working hard. But instead, it comes from our relationships, and being in a stable relationship is linked to both physical and mental health benefits. (1:43) Matt shares a small detail about their 2021 mini-series called, The Next Normal. (2:39) Matt thinks that love and marriage are at times crazy-making and at times gloriously beautiful, and experiencing both are part of being married. (7:31) Matt shares that if you accept them the way they are, they’re more likely to grow and change that there is a relationship between acceptance and change, or acceptance and growth. (9:13) Matt shares that marriage reveals our selfishness, and being married to the right person will still reveal your selfishness which you'll be then motivated to grow through and change so that both are focused. (13:42) Matt mentions that marriage doesn't mean you can keep doing whatever you want, for the rest of your life. But if that's your definition of a straightjacket, then maybe your expectations about marriage need to change. (15:34) Erik shares that the beautiful aspect of marriage is the commitment that two people make to each other, to accept, and love each other, unconditionally. (17:33) Matt shares that we need a partner with whom to go through life and we crave to create both love and family, and having a relationship that’s similar to marriage gives us the best opportunity. (20:02) Matt mentions that marital love is made up of different strands woven together, and he explains the meaning of each strand. (21:24) Matt shares that there’s an aspect of restraint to marital love. But not all marital love is restraining. There's a lot of freedom, fun, and enjoyment in marital love as well. (23:16) Matt mentions that not all marriage experiences the freedom to become their true self to the fullest. (28:29) Matt shares a story about how marriage is both constraining and liberating, at the same time. (37:29) Matt thinks that marriage is not a straight jacket. Rather, it comes with constraints that will lead to a greater sense of freedom and joy. (45:58) Key Quotes: “I think there is a protective element to a healthy marriage that does enhance our life that does bring health and wholeness and protection and security and a better judgment to our life. It makes us better people.” - Dr. Matt Morris “My experience in being married is the woman who absolutely adores and absolutely loves, and has the ability to make me feel the happiest and the most joy inside has also the ability to evoke the complete opposite reactions and that crazy feeling.” - Dr. Matt Morris “The adventure of marriage should continually be inspirational, that I should find inspiration from both my own marriage and from my spouse. And I think that if you, if you are no longer doing that, or haven't been doing that, that's something to talk about.” - Dr. Matt Morris Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
What is the difference between crisis fretting and crisis planning? In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP® and co-host Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT share tips on how to avoid crisis fretting and focus on crisis planning. Episode Highlights: Matt discusses the difference between crisis fretting and crisis planning. (1:53) Matt shares that crisis fretting is what we all want to avoid as much as possible. (2:03) Matt explains that crisis planning is focused on now or today. (4:25) Matt mentions that there’s a lot of unknowns between now, and a month from now. (5:30) Matt shares that crisis fretting will just drive people crazy. (6:10) Matt explains that crisis planning is live, reassuring, and smart. (6:24) Key Quotes: “In times when we're feeling really threatened and uncertain about what's next. It's best to just focus more on now. Focus on Now” - Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT “You can really overwhelm yourself looking too far ahead.” - Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
Why is saving money so difficult? In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT ask a handful of people about how difficult it is for them to save money, and Erik shares the significance of saving money. Episode Highlights: Matt shares that the significance of taking time to be grateful and appreciative of all the things that are good in our lives, at this moment, and one of the best aspects that we can give each other this holiday season, is appreciation. (2:27) Erik shares that he’s trying to be intentional about looking for something every day to be grateful for it and looking for opportunities in 2020. Because we've been dictated so much by today’s outside forces. (3:01) Erik mentions the one lesson that his father always shared that it still resonates with him. (8:36) Erik shares that sometimes, saving is used interchangeably with the idea of investing. The idea of saving is putting something away in a safe place to be used at another time. On the other hand, investing is saving with the expectation to make more money. (12:42) Matt mentions that putting money in a piggy bank is not an investment. (14:34) Erik mentions that when he first wrote his e-book, he talked about the three types of savings: short term, midterm, and long term savings. (15:41) Erik mentions that as a general rule of thumb, three to six times your expenses, of what it costs you to live is what you should have in a short term account. (19:32) Matt mentions that behavioral finance is an understanding that we're not robots, that we do things based on emotion, we do things based on preconditions, assumptions, and history. (22:29) Matt shares that If you're saying yes to saving the money, you're saying no to something else, and saying no is essential. But also, being aware of both sides of the equation is significant. (25:34) Matt mentions one reason that saving is very difficult is because of the opportunity costs. Erik mentions that financial planning is all about understanding what your values are, and what's vital to you. (30:04) Matt shares another reason why saving is difficult for people is because of the right skill sets to do it and proper money management. (30:57) Matt shares that saving is not equally easy for everyone. Because not everyone has the same income, and there’s a limit on how much you can save if your income is beneath your living expenses or right at your living expenses. (37:04) Key Quotes: “It's hard to say because it's so easy to spend and something like a piggy bank makes it a little harder to spend. You have to open the piggy bank, you have to extract the money. it's not as easy just to spend it.” - Dr. Matt Morris “I am a coffee drinker. I love coffee. I'm not telling anyone right now to not drink coffee, I think it's just something that we have to be aware of when we spend, it's robbing us of the ability to do something else with that money, that opportunity costs which could be saving. So if we're not saving, and we have a lot of these habits of buying little small things regularly over time, it costs us a lot of money.” - Erik Garcia “Saving is a skill, and the only way sometimes to get better at a skill is to practice it.” - Erik Garcia “We're not advocating not spending just to save. What I advocate all the time is to spend money in a way that's aligned with what's important to you, that's aligned with your values.” - Erik Garcia Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP® Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT Garcia Financial Group Matt Morris & Associates
How do parents react when their young adult children return home either in a planned or unexpected way? Robert Casares, Assistant Professor, Department of Counseling at Wake Forest University shares his research and insights on “Boomerang Parents” in this episode of the Building Us podcast, hosted by Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT. Episode Highlights:Erik introduces Robert Casares. (3:57)Robert mentions that he’s done some research into Boomerang parents and what it's like for them when their young adult children come back to the home, either in a planned way or an unexpected way. (4:25)Robert shares the story of how he came up with his research. (5:36)Robert believes that ages 18 to 24 years old are generally students who found themselves in colleges that are closed, and now they're doing remote learning from home. (8:06)Robert shares that those families that have a cultural component illustrate a significant point in his research and readings. (9:38)Robert mentions a disclaimer, that the age of a young person returning home, the circumstances under which they find themselves needing to or wanting to come home, the age of their parents, socioeconomic status, and culture, all of those factors are significant variables. (12:42)Robert shares that the circumstances under which someone comes home can create depression and stress within the relationship of the parents amongst one another, and amongst their child. (13:43)Robert thinks that the inflection point in the relationship from parent to child comes down to communication and negotiation of expectations, and establishing boundaries. (20:42)Robert mentions that as counselors, they have an action called informed consent, where the expectations, the scope of what they do, and the limits of confidentiality are all on the table. (38:10)Robert mentions one of the scenarios he encounters frequently from the couples he’s working with is the thought of having a conversation about finances. (55:38)Robert shares that from a mental health standpoint, when someone has goals that contribute to a sense of self-esteem when young people or families come together, it could help with the momentum, increase the likelihood that the goals and progress will be achieved. (58:04)Key Quotes:“I think maybe a silver lining out there for those parents who find themselves with kids coming back. There's a lot of research to say that for those parents who then take in their kids, those kids are more likely to take in the parents when the time comes, you know, decades down the line. So, it's almost an incentive to kind of pay your dues now because it will pay dividends later.” - Robert Casares“Systems are resistant to change, and oftentimes when change happens, it gets worse before it gets better. And so initially, families might experience that level of depression. But over time, they reach homeostasis, they become accustomed to this new living arrangement, and it can become positive and there can be flourishing, but there's almost got to be that recognition of it will get worse before it gets better.” - Robert Casares“Being able to see it as an opportunity to share resources during a time where resources might feel scarce to give the young person a chance to get a stable footing, and a clear vision of what are some viable paths that might be both fulfilling, but perhaps lucrative.” - Robert CasaresResources Mentioned:Erik Garcia, CFP®Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFTGarcia Financial GroupMatt Morris & AssociatesRobert CasaresWake Forest UniversityThe Reframe
How did a family therapist and a financial advisor decide to start a podcast? In this special bonus episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts, Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT take a turn in the guest chair, as the host of Agency Intelligence podcast, Jason Cass, interviews them about their knowledge and expertise on money and relationships and how the Building Us podcast is tackling these topics in a unique way. Episode Highlights:Jason introduces Erik Garcia and Dr. Matt Morris. (1:10)Matt shares that he’s a Family and Couples’ Therapist, and a Professional Counselor, as well. (2:42)Erik shares that he’s a Financial Advisor and a Certified Financial Planner. (2:50)Matt shares that their podcast, Building Us, is all about love and money. They discuss anything that touches relationships. (6:09)Erik shares that he was thinking about his idea of data and stats in the relationship world, as it relates to money in couples. (12:33)Matt shares that they wanted to talk a little more about some of the research studies that deal with relationships and money. (15:05)Why are we all griping about money? (16:09)Matt shares that money is a decision that has to be made, a decision that includes values, priorities, planning, and all of that come with emotions and opinions, which results in conflicts. (16:38)Erik talks about the idea of income disparity. (22:35)Matt mentions that research shows that when the wife or the female partner in the relationship earns more money than the husband, divorce is more likely. (27:28)Matt thinks that people get divorced for several reasons, but certainly finances and fighting about financial conflict as part of it. (37:42)Erik shares that strong budgeting skills are what people find desirable, and only a few people can budget consistently and regularly. (39:37)Matt explains financial infidelity. (47:26)Erik mentions that they originally started doing Building Us podcast work in the premarital space. (51:04)Erik shares that you shouldn’t run from conflict, lean into it because on the other side, you'll be much stronger. (54:37)Key Quotes:“We're very interested in how people communicate with each other on different topics, not just about money. So more recently, a lot of the guests that we've had on, have to do not just necessarily with relating to each other as a couple, but also relating to the community.” - Erik Garcia CFP® (3:55)“We like to have a thoughtful conversation as it relates to relationships, whether it's a couple of relationships, parenting relationships, relationships to the community. And like you said, money is such a constant part of everything.” - Erik Garcia CFP® (5:33)“Erik and I have really been on this kind of crusade to help the mental health community to be much more literate when it comes to personal finances. That's all part of the Building Us Podcast.” - Dr. Matt Morris LPC & LMFT (7:15)“The amount of money that you have is not correlated to the kind of conflict that you're having, just money itself is correlated.” - Dr. Matt Morris LPC & LMFT (8:19)“I would just start with saying that the data is really clear that if you're in a relationship, if you're married, you will fight about money, that it's inevitable money, causes conflicts in a relationship.” - Dr. Matt Morris LPC & LMFT (15:33)“If a couple is on the same page financially, then they feel more satisfied in their deliberations about money. If they feel more connected financially, there's a higher correlation, a higher likelihood that they'll also have a very satisfying sexual life.” - Dr. Matt Morris LPC & LMFT (34:32)“Money's like fuel to the fire, and that can exasperate, inflame, any other type of argument that you have.” - Erik Garcia CFP® (38:15)Resources Mentioned:Erik Garcia, CFP®Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFTGarcia Financial GroupDr. Matt Morris & AssociatesJason Cass LinkedInWe Got Your Podcast
What’s the difference between manipulation and ethical influencing? In this episode of the Building Us podcast, we are joined by Brian Ahearn, CPCU, CTM, CPT, CMCT, International Keynote Speaker, Author and Chief Influence Officer of Influence People, LLC, with hosts Erik Garcia, CFP® and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT. Brian talks about the impacts of influence in today’s world and the three significant keys to ethically influence people.Episode Highlights:Erik introduces Brian Ahearn. (2:38)Brian mentions that when it comes to influencing, he would typically ask the audience about their layman's definition of influence. (5:37)Brian shares that influence is about behavioral change. It's not enough in most instances that somebody thinks it's a good idea. (6:09)Brian mentions that he use influence and persuasion quite often interchangeably. (9:27)Brian shares that manipulation is trying to get people to do things without regard to their benefit. (10:06)Brian explains the three keys to ethically influencing people. (10:20)Brian mentions that we've moved in a society, that definitions always change over time, and nobody wants to be manipulated. (14:02)Brian thinks that the words that we use are incredibly significant. Because sometimes, those influence techniques can be weaponized against you. (14:29)Brian mentions a book entitled To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others, by Daniel Pink. (16:07)Brian thinks that principle has become a philosophy of how we can live our lives and how we can live our best lives. (18:43)Brian mentions that taking those principles and learning how to weave them into stories, are far more powerful than just systematically listing them out. (33:41)Brian shares that consistency describes the reality that most people feel an internal psychological pressure and an external social pressure to be consistent in what they say and what they do. (44:05)Brian shares that the key to the consistency principle is to stop telling people what to do. Instead, start asking. (45:44 )Key Quotes:“It comes down to that communication, how we communicate can make all the difference between somebody saying yes, and somebody saying no. So for me, that's the foundation that you need to set so that you understand going forward what everybody is talking about.” - Brian Ahearn“There are many people who do enjoy some success and sometimes, they do things wrong. But what I would say is they could probably have more success if they actually understood what the research said, and was strategically applying it.” - Brian Ahearn“It’s important for our happiness, that the better we understand how to communicate with people at home, our friends, family, neighbors, the easier it is for them to say yes to some of the things that we're asking of them, the less friction that we have.” - Brian Ahearn“Consistency starts with us. We want to feel good about ourselves by keeping our word. It's driven from within, but there is external pressure too. Because when we commit publicly, we don't want to look bad in the eyes of others. So, it's a powerful driver of human behavior, but the key is getting somebody to commit to us.” - Brian AhearnResources Mentioned:Erik Garcia, CFP®Garcia Financial GroupDr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFTDr. Matt Morris & AssociatesBrian Ahearn, CPCU, CTM, CPT, CMCTInfluence People, LLCInfluence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and EthicalTo Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others
What is the significance of laughter in medicine? In this episode of the Building Us podcast, hosts Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT, are joined by Dr. Vien Phommachanh, Otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose, & Throat Doctor) by day and standup comedian by night in Southwest Florida. Dr. Vien talks about his careers in both medicine and comedy and how being a comedian has helped him to be a better physician. Episode Highlights:Erik introduces Dr. Vien Phommachanh. (5:08)Vien mentions that he’s the #1 one ranked Laotian ENT doctor-comedian in Southwest Florida. (5:53)Vien shares that Laos is the least industrialized country in Asia and also, the most bombed country in the history of the world. (8:01)Vien mentions that laughing is his mechanism to make himself a better person, and a better doctor. (12:12)Vien thinks that doctors have to be organic as people. (24:06)Vien mentions that there's a value in switching gears emotionally. Because if you’re feeling heavy on the serious side, it affects you. (24:57)Vien shares that if you're overly invested and emotional, you’re letting that side in. But if you're in a risky professional environment, you run the risk of being manipulated or hurt. (28:17)In Vien’s opinion, being organic, real, sincere, and invested in the well being of my patients, has given him an advantage in being a physician. (28:44)Vien mentions that if you’re looking for something to criticize somebody about, you're wasting your life. Get a job and be productive in society. (41:15)Vien shares that arts have always been a reflection of society, and society is always imperfect, there are points to laugh at, and points to change. (42:47)Vien shares a story about a comedian who made a joke immediately after the death of a celebrity. (42:46)Vien thinks that dad jokes are fundamental to the existence of fatherhood. (59:42)Key Quotes:“You can't laugh and worry at the same time. Like, it's physically impossible. So, with medicine, I'm always on the brink of crying. So, why not laugh it off? Laughing is close to crying in terms of its catharsis.” - Dr. Vien Phommachanh“I think now and then, just letting the human side come through reminds you that you're sincere, reminds people that you're there as a person, and as a physician, I think that’s a valuable tool, like being able to laugh at something.” - Dr. Vien Phommachanh“I don’t push a lot of buttons. I don't walk the line that much, there are comics that want to be edgy, they want to distinguish themselves, and a lot of people don't have an interesting story, they grew up in a culture that isn't that unique.” - Dr. Vien PhommachanhResources Mentioned:Erik Garcia, CFP®Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFTGarcia Financial GroupDr. Matt Morris & AssociatesDr. Vien PhommachanhComicDoc
Is Teletherapy the new normal? Health as we know it is looking a little different these days and Teletherapy can be a useful tool, for both therapists and clients. In this episode of the Building Us podcast, we are joined by Tralana Eugene, LPC, LMFT, NCC, a Licensed Counselor at Dr. Matt Morris & Associates, with hosts Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT. Tralana talks about her knowledge and expertise in counseling and the challenges and benefits of teletherapy. Episode Highlights:Matt introduces Tralana Eugene. (2:56)Tralana mentions that she’s been counseling and doing teletherapy for several years. (3:22)Tralana shares that conducting sessions via teletherapy has developed new avenues since the pandemic occurred. (3:48)Tralana shares that teletherapy provided better accessibility for her clients without having to drive long distances and take significant time. (6:13)Tralana mentions that teletherapy allows clients to have more access to have more options for specific preferences that they need. (11:17)Erik shares that the process of counseling is as significant oftentimes as the council itself. Therefore, the conversation in those touchpoints is part of the process of counseling. (12:12)Tralana mentions that Matt always encourages them to think about marketing and how to make teletherapy more accessible. (13:33)Matt mentions that teletherapy certainly could, and is disrupting the way that mental health providers provide therapy. (15:48)Tralana believes that being able to hear out her clients and feel what they're feeling has contributed to building a rapport with her clients. (23:07)Tralana shares that teletherapy has challenged therapists and counselors to push themselves out of their comfort zone. (29:46)Matt shares that for therapists in Louisiana to deliver teletherapy, they have to be certified in it, and they must have special training and certification in teletherapy. (31:05)Tralana shares that counselors follow two models, ethical and legal. The ethical part is somewhat the gray areas of what's right and what's wrong. While the legal part is the things that you can and cannot do. (34:43)Tralana mentions that the training for teletherapy taught her the best practices, what you need to know, and it allows you to ask questions about those gray areas. (34:58)Tralana mentions that she specializes in trauma, and when they’re working with trauma, it’s significant for the therapist to be consistent. (51:23)Key Quotes:“As a trained clinician, it's your job to pay attention to everything anyway, every client does not present the same way. You have to take into consideration the culture, how comfortable a person is in the session, how comfortable your furniture is in a session.” - Tralana Eugene“I do believe that it has challenged therapists, challenged counselors to kind of push themselves to get us out of our comfort zone so to speak, and whether it's like learning new things or learning how to be a little bit resilient in the face of adversities.” - Tralana Eugene“Thinking about accessibility, we also have to think about the world that we live in, right? Like, this is a tech world, some clients feel more comfortable experiencing counseling via teletherapy.” - Tralana Eugene“I think this is what this pandemic is asking of us, to kind of get out of our comfort zone, let our stuff go, let our biases go, and really meet the client where they are, and sometimes you have to model that.” - Tralana EugeneResources Mentioned:Erik Garcia, CFP®Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFTGarcia Financial GroupDr. Matt Morris & AssociatesTralana Eugene LinkedInTralana Eugene | Dr. Matt Morris & Associates
How would you know if you have ADHD? Dr. Arwen Podesta, MD, ABPN, FASAM, ABIHM, Director of Psychiatry at Podesta Wellness, joins the podcast to discuss the root causes of ADHD, along with an integrative treatment approach. Building Us is a weekly podcast hosted by Erik Garcia, CFP® and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT.Episode Highlights:Matt introduces Dr. Arwen Podesta. (1:22)Arwen shares her background. (1:40)Arwen shares that she’s a board-certified adult psychiatrist with sub-specializations in integrative and holistic medicine, addiction medicine, and forensic psychiatry. (1:48)Arwen mentions that she’s a clinical faculty at Tulane and LSU. (4:47)Arwen shares that Hurricane Katrina was a traumatic couple of weeks on the ground in New Orleans, from the actual storm disaster and breakwater flooding. (8:58)Arwen explains a new diagnosis called Chronic Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (9:37)Did Arwen foresee the same chronic post-traumatic stress across all demographics? (15:37)Arwen mentions that if the place you start is lower because of socio-economic background or trauma in your childhood, you're already behind when the general trauma occurs. (16:11)Arwen shares that the traumatic disorder is having a fear of it happening again or a fear of re-experiencing, and it disrupts your life and your ability to plan. (18:29)Matt mentions that it’s very hard to diagnose someone accurately when they're using substances daily. (27:30)Arwen shares that the symptoms of ADHD must be present before the age of 12 and plenty of people don't get into the testing system until someone recognizes it. (28:58)What are some of the root causes of ADHD that Arwen is interested in? (31:13)Arwen shares that there are thoughts that some medicines and some neurotransmitters are responsible for certain elements and some micronutrients are responsible for certain symptoms. (38:48)Arwen mentions that she has a fantastic nutritionist who’s been doing functional medicine for a long time and works closely well with children and adults that have any nutritional symptomatology. (41:08)Arwen mentions that classic Attention Deficit Disorder is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and disorganization. (42:31)Arwen shares that ADHD is thought to be a decrease in dopamine and dopamine deficiency, sometimes ADHD might be more dopamine and serotonin deficiency. (45:56)Arwen shares that each one of her patients is probably magnesium deficient and she administers them a lot of magnesium, which is calming but also, helps with heart, health, focus, and sleep. (51:19)Arwen mentions that there's a new medicine called Dayvigo, which is a sleeping aid. (51:40)Arwen mentions that Iron plays a key role in dopamine metabolism. (53:12)Arwen thinks that food additives are a huge issue and plenty of people know that hyperactivity comes with some of the additives. (54:23)Arwen thinks that for all mental health issues, if we don't get to the root cause, it'll keep coming back, and keep causing disruption and problems. (57:31)Arwen shares that there are online resources that are looking into functional medicine or integrative medicine. (1:01:01)Arwen mentions that food allergies can cause what looks like ADHD. (1:01:27)Arwen shares that gut health is a huge component, not just allergies but, the bacteria that are in your gut. (1:01:55)How has COVID-19 changed the delivery of mental health services in New Orleans? (1:02:43)In Matt’s opinion, protecting his sleep is vital. Therefore, he loves the idea of paying attention to what may be underneath our attention issues. (1:08:36)Erik thinks that awareness plays a huge role, but also understanding and becoming aware of your tendencies, or if you have ADHD or someone you're in a relationship with has ADHD, learning to relate to them. (1:09:05)Key Quotes:“15 years after Katrina, we have some robust health care systems. We could have more, but we have advanced our ability to treat folks with mental health needs with all different types of therapy, psychology, trauma treatment, medical treatment, psychiatry, and primary care.” - Dr. Arwen Podesta“If there's a combination in some capacity, that doesn't mean everything is protected by changing your diet, health, and lifestyle. You still might succumb to your genetics, but there's a genetic component, biological component, and an environmental component in most or all diseases.” - Dr. Arwen Podesta“There are new barriers, but it doesn't mean that this isn't working. The private patients that have access and means, and can sit somewhere with a good Wi-Fi connection, a lot of them are doing well and I am very much enjoying getting into their homes and seeing them home virtually.” - Dr. Arwen Podesta“Look into the lifestyle and you know, between nutrition, mindfulness, and nature I think we could get probably a large subset of folks to not feel like they're suffering from these brain issues.” - Dr. Arwen PodestaResources Mentioned:Erik Garcia, CFP®Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFTGarcia Financial GroupMatt Morris & AssociatesDr. Arwen Podesta, MD, ABPN, FASAM, ABIHMPodesta WellnessLearn To Live
Navigating the Mother-Daughter teen/tween relationship is tough, especially this year. In this episode of the Building Us podcast, Giselle Armantrout, LMFT, LPC, Licensed Counselor at Matt Morris & Associates, and Dr. Carrie Emonet, PhD, Licensed Psychologist at Emonet Psychology LLC, join co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT to discuss how the parent-child relationship changes during the teen years.Episode Highlights:Matt introduces Dr. Carrie Emonet and Giselle Armantrout. (5:17)Carrie mentions that she has four children, she’s a licensed child psychologist and has been in private practice since 2016. (5:43)Giselle mentions that she has one child, and she’s been in private practice with Dr. Matt Morris & Associates for about two years. (6:15)Giselle shares that Carrie reminded her that by the age of 13, a child’s prefrontal cortex isn't developed the way it has to be. Therefore, expect that they're going to make mistakes, and they're set up to make mistakes in this area. (11:34)Carrie thinks that as a parent, staying calm is a big challenge and mobile phones create so many issues. (12:25)Carrie shares that being able to educate your children is a good way to teach them boundaries and how to deal with conflict. (14:33)Carrie feels that as a parent, they don't do enough of apologizing when they make mistakes and ask for their input. (15:02)Giselle shares that every girl is different and every girl is going to come into her own at a different time. However, she sees that hormonal change happens around the age of 13. (24:49)Carrie shares that we have to remember that the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until around 25. Therefore, the logic, planning, and thinking through a situation is not going to happen, to its full ability until then. (25:41)Carrie mentions one of the things that she would recommend is to have one on one time together with your child, especially when there are multiple children in your home. (35:07)Carrie shares one of her favorite online resources is the Child Mind Institute and her two recommended books are, Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood, by Lisa Damour, and Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain, by Dr. Daniel Siegel. (39:39)Giselle mentions that you should show your children that it's okay to make mistakes and love yourself enough to allow that to be a teaching opportunity. (49:44)Key Quotes:“The more responsible you are, the more you show up as a part of our family team, our dynamic, that equals freedom.” - Giselle Armantrout“Calm is my internal composure, and if I am out of control, it's going to be so easy for my teenager to be out of control. Then it's just a battle of wills, ugly words, and hurtful comments.” - Dr. Carrie Emonet“It isn't even about giving advice. It’s about letting them talk and hearing them from a non-judgmental zone, from a non-zone of wanting to interject, from a non-zone of trying to fix it and just be present. What a gift we can give to them when we can do it.” - Giselle Armantrout“So my three buzz words, everything's temporary, when families are in crisis, this is temporary. We're going to come up with a plan, and we're going to get through this. The next is forgiveness, that's the greatest gift we've all been given, forgive and move forward. The last is to listen. Stop and listen to your children.” - Dr. Carrie EmonetResources Mentioned:Erik Garcia, CFP®Garcia Financial GroupDr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFTMatt Morris & AssociatesDr. Carrie EmonetEmonet Psychology LLCGiselle Armantrout LMFT, LPCMatt Morris & Associates
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP® and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT interviews Dr. Laurie Darling, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and Owner of HealthWise Psychology. Dr. Laurie talks about the system of developing and maintaining healthy habits and behaviors. She also shares her knowledge and expertise, in understanding the process of every habit and every behavior.Episode Highlights:Erik introduces Laurie Darling. (4:25)Laurie shares her background. (4:43)What are habits, and why are they powerful? (6:08)Laurie shares that habits allow us to multi-task, and have more complexity to our activities. (8:21)Laurie mentions that the development of healthy habits can help you reach your goals, and ultimately to be the person that you're trying to be. (10:00)Laurie shares that the nature of habits is trying to devise the right system that's going to get you to your goal. (13:00)Laurie shares that if you focus on the path over some time, rather than the end goal, you're going to maintain the motivation to keep going. (17:31)Laurie mentions that it’s very rare that anybody becomes an overnight success. (19:15)How do Laurie coach people to develop better habits? (33:01)Laurie shares that every habit or behavior has several steps and these are the Queue, the Craving, the Response, and the Reward. (33:28)Laurie mentions that the best way to develop a habit is to have a plan. (35:19)What are Laurie's thoughts about the strategy of making habits known? (48:59)Laurie explains the accountability coin and the supported coin. (49:25)Laurie shares that on a neural level with the neurons in our brain. When you're learning a behavior, it becomes more automatic over time through repetition, and it’s called long term potentiation. (57:26)Laurie shares that success is a system to continuously improve, and a process to refine. (1:02:13)Key Quotes:“Habits can be helpful because every behavior that we engage in every action that we do, has an expense associated with it in terms of our mental energy. So you're pulling on your mental energy every time you do something, every time you think about something, engaging in some sort of action, and habits by nature because they're automatic, and they’re performed quickly and without even really thinking about them.” - Dr. Laurie Darling“There’s something within that system of developing and maintaining the habit that is the difficult part for people to nail down and figure out.” - Dr. Laurie Darling“When you're learning a new habit or a new way of thinking, you’re susceptible to go in so many different directions. And setting yourself up for success by surrounding yourself with people who you want to be more like, who you look up to, who have the same goals and values that you have, is a much better way to go about doing it.” - Dr. Laurie DarlingResources Mentioned:Erik Garcia, CFP®Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFTGarcia Financial GroupMatt Morris & AssociatesDr. Laurie Darling, PH.D.HealthWise Psychology
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT interview Dr. Stanton F. McNeely III, Ed.D, President at the University of Holy Cross. Dr. Stanton talks about his thoughts on virtual teaching and the changes that have occurred at the University of Holy Cross due to Covid-19. Episode Highlights:Erik introduces Dr. Stanton McNeely. (1:08)Stanton shares that they’re working through the dynamics of the pandemic which is a reduced occupancy on campus, continuing some things from a distance modality online, and they also have some focused instruction on-site as well. (2:31)Stanton mentions that in today’s century, everyone can receive information in the palm of their hand, as much as on a desktop or a tablet. (4:20)Stanton mentions that it’s significant that they’re present as much as they possibly can. (4:39)Stanton shares his experiences from Hurricane Katrina, back in 2005. (5:38)Stanton shares that the radical change of 2005 has been a good lesson of working with city officials, state and federal officials, as well as other education partners to lead a university through a dynamic change situation. (8:16)How’s Stanton making decisions about suspending physical learning and moving to remote learning? (10:47)Stanton mentions that his experience together with the other faculty and staff, on distance education allowed them to pivot as best as they could. (13:41)Stanton thinks that having the ability to pivot and continue teaching and learning online, is the key. (14:13)Stanton shares that the technology at the secondary level is more of a supplement to what's important for a developing mind in terms of in-person learning. (14:33)Stanton thinks that the individualized intention, close relations between faculty and staff, and the ability of college students to flip to distance helped. (15:49)Stanton shares that some universities have more in-person instruction right now than others and well-intentioned to optimizing the balance of health and safety responsibility, with educational responsibility, as well. (18:46)How does Stanton balance the financial needs of the university, the faculty, and staff? (19:02)Stanton explains conservative financial planning. (20:59)Stanton shares one of the transformations that occurred during the disruption in March and April was the opportunity that came with their counseling and training center. (22:43)Stanton mentions that he views telemental health as an opportunity for the continued growth of the counseling programs and it’s going to help them financially as well. (23:48)Matt shares that as a faculty member, it’s been interesting to watch his graduate students go through the learning process of learning to do counseling online. (25:22)Matt thinks that there are classes and parts of classes that can be taught more effectively online. (27:19)Erik shares that what strikes him is how significant it is to have a forward-thinking leadership that is open and willing to go outside of the box. (32:49)Stanton shares that it’s essential that every student, faculty, and staff member in their community and their families feel that they’re doing the best to help them through this time. (39:45)Stanton mentions that when he talks about health and safety, it includes financial safety for our students, knowing that they’re a family member, going through tough times. (41:37)How would they do the next normal, or the next iteration of online education in a sustainable way? (49:01)Stanton mentions that there’s no stopping point in learning, growth, development, and upward mobility. (52:09)What would be Stanton’s message to people who may be listening about the overarching value of higher education in general, but Holy Cross in particular? (53:29)Stanton shares that the biggest breaking cycle of poverty is higher education combined with work. (55:02)Key Quotes:“One of the trends in higher education that I was very mindful of coming into this role is what is the 21st-century difference of a religiously affiliated small institution of higher education in the United States.” - Dr. Stanton McNeely“I'm not looking at the bottom line when I'm looking at these outcomes in terms of revenue and terms of enrollment, as indicators of doing the right thing as our mission calls us to do, which then gives us the capacity and resources to continuously improve the way we do it.” - Dr. Stanton McNeely“Think about it, you know, we sometimes exist despite ourselves, but we are also the longest-lasting actors. If you look at it from a business perspective, if you want to compare us to other entities, if you use that term, the longest standing actors in this space in the community and organizational development.” - Dr. Stanton McNeely“To our friends and supporters who are experiencing their own time, tough times to be relational, we're all in this together. Let's help lift each other and let's help our students achieve their dreams.” - Dr. Stanton McNeely“I do sincerely believe not only for the University of Holy Cross but for higher education in our world. We're going to come out of this much stronger.” - Dr. Stanton McNeelyResources Mentioned:Erik Garcia, CFP®Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFTGarcia Financial GroupMatt Morris & AssociatesDr. Stanton F. McNeely III, Ed.DUniversity of Holy Cross
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP® and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT interview Mary Dawn Pugh, High School Civics Teacher. Mary Dawn talks about the significance of learning Civics and Geography, and the impact of virtual teaching on her students.Episode Highlights:Matt shares that laughter is a wonderful medicine for relationships and people who laugh together, tend to love together. (1:18)Matt introduces Mary Dawn Pugh. (3:20)Mary Dawn shares her background. (3:54)What is it about teaching high school that Mary Dawn enjoys most? (4:33)Mary Dawn shares that she teaches freshman Geography and senior Civics. (5:15)Mary Dawn thinks that this is a great year for high school students to learn about government. (5:21)Mary Dawn mentions that she uses the constitution more than a textbook. (6:24)Mary Dawn shares that her students were also interested in the actual mechanics of impeachment. (6:59)Mary Dawn shares that they also discuss taxes, free speech, and forms of government and they do it in a way where they can learn a lot. (8:54)How does being an attorney help Mary Dawn in teaching civics and geography? (9:36)When it comes to racial justice and police brutality issues, are those issues being discussed in Mary Dawn’s class, if so, how? (12:05)Mary Dawn shares one of her best experiences as a teacher and it happened last year in advanced placement Geography class. (12:28)Mery Dawn mentions that letting her students lead the class was the most remarkable educational experience she ever had. (13:52)Mary Dawn shares that she starts her classes every year with an activity she learned from the facilitations for the anti-defamation league, and it's built on the idea and the word respect. (14:36)Erik shares that we don't have to believe the same thing about politics, but we can still be in a relationship. We can still have a fruitful conversation, productive conversation, and live in a better position. (18:34)Mary Dawn shares that one of the things they managed to do is keep it academic and not personal. (21:05)Mary Dawn explains how presidential bingo is played. (24:32)How does Mary Dawn teach her students currently? (26:31)Mary Dawn shares that as they started the year, she was worried about her students not being able to engage, talk, or be involved in topics. (26:54)Matt mentions that he’s been doing teletherapy with families and couples. (28:31)Matt thinks that one aspect of doing virtual therapy is that we're not as physically close to each other, the screen provides some distance and some level of protection. (28:5)How does the virtual learning environment enhance Mary Dawn’s teaching? (29:39)Mary Dawn mentions that the more they can laugh together, the more it builds their trust. (31:05)Does Mary Dawn feel that her students are responding to the new environment? (31:42)What memories will Mary Dawn look back upon and remember, about this year? (34:38)Key Quotes:“The students, they’re so much fun, they make me feel younger, and they just they're so open. And they want to talk about things and they're engaged and, and sometimes they're silly, but sometimes they're really deep and thoughtful. And the best moments are when I can learn from them.” - Mary Dawn Pugh“We don't argue politics in the classroom. But what I can do as a teacher is I've told students that their voices matter, their experiences matter and that they need to use their voices, they need to vote, they need to speak out, and they need to be active in creating a world that they want to live in.” - Mary Dawn Pugh“It doesn't matter to me which way they believe that taxes should go, but to know what they think about it and vote according to their well-founded beliefs. I care a lot about that.” - Mary Dawn Pugh“I find that the virtual is not as good as being in a classroom. Just because of that energy and the camaraderie that a lot of these students have together. And just the laughter there's not as much laughter.” - Mary Dawn Pugh“It’s not all peaches and cream, but they're soldiering through impressively. So it's a great generation of kids that the parents out there right now are raising in my opinion.” - Mary Dawn Pugh“The closeness of certain friendships and family relationships that have improved during the pandemic. The support that some especially teacher friends and I've had for each other right now has been life-giving.” - Mary Dawn PughResources Mentioned:Erik Garcia, CFP®Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFTGarcia Financial GroupMatt Morris & AssociatesMary Dawn Pugh
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP® and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT interview David Augustine Jr., better known by his stage name, Dee-1. Dee-1 is a Hip-Hop Artist, Public Speaker, and Educator. Dee-1 talks about his struggles paying off his student debt and how his success in the music industry changed his life forever.Episode Highlights:Erik introduces David “Dee-1” Augustine Jr. (2:15 )Dee-1 mentions that he hates labels because he thinks that it boxes you in, or you’re trying to prove to other people who you are and what you do. (3:07)Dee-1 shares that he wants to prove to everyone that you can do a lot of things in life. Because at the end of the day, it's about what type of person you are as you're doing what you do. (4:36)Dee-1 shares that hopefully, his character could be as impactful as his numbers or his platform, because it has produced longevity in what he does. (5:09)Erik shares that when he’s dealing with people’s finances, some people manage their money, but some people come to him for more financial planning, financial counseling, or financial coaching, and he found that people are not necessarily doing with their money, what's valuable to them. (6:30)Erik mentions a line from the song, I’m Not Perfect (I’m A Christian). (7:09)How significant is it for Dee-1 to align what he does with who he is, and what he values? (7:29)Dee-1 thinks that maturity sets in when we realize that just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should do it, and just because you can afford something doesn't mean that you should buy it. (9:16)Dee-1 shares that his song called I Don’t Wanna Let You Down, is a song for all of the people who realize that they're not just a symbol but, they're a symbol of something greater and they’re doing it for more than themselves. (10:41)Dee-1 mentions that the key to becoming the best version of yourself is by adding value to other people's lives. (13:30)Erik mentions Dee-1’s album entitled, Slingshot David. (13:54)Erik mentions that leadership is about influence. (15:00)Dee-1 mentions that Erik and his family made a cameo in one of his music videos, Long Time Coming. (15:37)Dee-1 shares that nowadays, there's a lot of twisted agendas that people have, particularly when it comes to crossing racial lines. (15:53)Erik thinks that at this point, we find ourselves in a country where there's a lack of true understanding of each other, we come at each other from opposite ends and we can't find commonality. (18:38)Dee-1 shares that he’s into highlighting our similarities and our commonalities more than our differences because leading with love allows you to see the best in somebody. (20:11)How did Dee-1 come up with the song Sallie Mae Back, and where did that song lead him? (23:52)Dee-1 explains how the name of Sallie Mae is associated with administering student loans and Sallie Mae has funded a lot of people's education. (24:16)Dee-1 mentions that he used to be a middle school teacher. (27:15)Dee-1 shares that at one point, he strategically signed a record deal with one of the biggest labels in the world, RCA Records. (30:11)Dee-1 shares that he was a featured speaker at FinCon, and was also featured at Forbes and Washington Post. (33:37)Erik mentions that in 2016, he wrote a blog about Dee-1’s song Sallie Mae Back called, Squash Debt: Nine lessons from Dee-1 on paying off debt. (36:07)How does the idea of lifestyle, and spending money on lifestyle often come up? (44:32)Dee-1 mentions that going to Africa changed his life forever. (45:15)Erik mentions the song entitled, No Car Note. (47:39)In Dee-1’s opinion, it’s powerful not having a car note. (48:37)Did people tell Dee-1 that they don't want to listen to his music because he doesn’t drive a fancy car like a real rapper? (48:33)Erik shares that finance is all about priorities and decisions and people don't understand the difference between income and net worth. (51:29)Erik mentions that financially successful people tend to be more socially indifferent. (52:40)What is the Mission Vision Lifestyle all about? (54:10)Dee-1 explains the three core principles of the Mission Vision Lifestyle. (54:32)Dee-1 mentions that the people who are aligned with those core values are the ones who are going to make this world a better place. (56:31)Key Quotes:“All is well but you know, although there's a lot of turmoil in the world, I’m healthy, I'm blessed, and I'm more appreciative of my blessings than my burdens. So, all is well.” - David “Dee-1” Augustine Jr.“I'm trying to prove to people that you can do a bunch of things. But at the end of the day, it's about what type of person you are as you're doing what you do because we have space in this world for a lot of different professions.” - David “Dee-1” Augustine Jr.“Longevity and the success of what you do, I think is determined by who you are. So I'm trying to replace the emphasis on who we are as people because we have kids growing up and they're worried about the type of human being they are, the type of love and respect and, the sincerity that accompanies anything they do, they’ll be successful no matter what they do.” - David “Dee-1” Augustine Jr.“I'm talking from David Augustine Jr.’s standpoint. I am my best version of myself when I'm putting others first and when I'm thinking about why God gave me the talents and the platform that I have. And when I think about it, it's not to just glorify and glamorize myself. It’s to be a beacon of light, to be a voice of hope, to be a voice of reason in a chaotic world, but also to be a light and a source of hope for people who need it.” - David “Dee-1” Augustine Jr.“The heart side of me knows that it’s the right thing to do. The business side of me is always fighting that uphill battle to figure out how you create an appetite for unity, positivity, and progression in our world.” - David “Dee-1” Augustine Jr.“I want to chase my dream of being an artist, and I feel like it's gonna be an uphill battle. I know, but I think I can make it, and see some longevity and success in the music industry.” - David “Dee-1” Augustine Jr.“Balancing who I am with what I do and with what I spend on, and I realized at that point that who I am as an artist, and as a man, I'm the antithesis to what most rappers portray themselves.” - David “Dee-1” Augustine Jr.“I just cut to the chase bro. The song Sallie Mae big has changed My life forever, bro.” - David “Dee-1” Augustine Jr.“We’re at constant war with ourselves, with our egos, and with the propaganda that is pushed on us to try to fulfill our desires of what we want, even if it's not what we need. And that's the primary war that we are always at with ourselves and with society.” - David “Dee-1” Augustine Jr.“Maturity sets in when we realize that just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should do it. And just because you can afford something doesn't mean that you should buy it.” - David “Dee-1” Augustine Jr.Resources Mentioned:Erik Garcia, CFP®Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFTGarcia Financial GroupMatt Morris & AssociatesDee-1 LinkedInDee1musicMission Vision Lifestyle
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP® and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT interview Janine Crum, Certified Enneagram Coach, and Christian Moore, CVO of Real Good Group and Co-Founder of Agent Refined. Janine and Christian share their knowledge and expertise about the Enneagram and how it can be applied to your daily life.Episode Highlights:Erik introduces Janine Crum and Christian Moore. (1:58)Janine shares her background and her career. (2:16)Christian shares his background and his career. (2:47)Erik shares a quick story about how he met Christian Moore. (3:13)Erik mentions that he and Christian exchanged many ideas together, and Christian has been an influence in his life and his business. (3:23)What is the Enneagram? (3:58)Janine shares that Enneagram is a tool for personal development and personal growth that not only helps you identify yourself but how you operate within the bigger picture of the people in the world around you. (4:19)Christian shares that by taking the Enneagram test, and by reading and understanding the differences and nuances of your key motivations and fears, you could discover which tool fits for you. (5:15)Christian mentions one of the things that they learned about Enneagram is that your personality is not who you are. Rather, it’s a mechanism that you've learned over time, to deal with certain stresses and failures. (5:27)Erik mentions that the word Enneagram comes from the Greek word Ennéa, meaning Nine. (6:53)Janine explains the first to the fourth personality types. (7:33)Could Janine and Christian give them a high-level summary connection or organization for understanding some of the numbers, and how they can relate to it? (8:23)Janine mentions the set of the triad which is the heart, the head, the gut. (8:49)Janine explains the general breakdown and the corresponding personality types on each triad. (8:59)Is there an emphasis on the weakness, and what’s the remedy for it? (11:23)Janine shares that she’s good at understanding emotions and understanding other people's emotions, and dig down deep but that can also have a shadow side for her. Therefore, every type has something that they do well but could also hold them back. (11:43)Christian mentions that you take on different characteristics to adapt to your environment, and what you need to do to understand your actual type is to find your core fears, then the key motivations. (12:43)Janine mentions that most people miss type themselves in the beginning until they begin to tackle and see an overview of all the types. (13:10)Is Christian a vengeful person? (13:49)Christian mentions one of the things that he loves about the Enneagram is that it presupposes the spiritual being. (13:55)Christian shares that it's very difficult to believe in the Enneagram without believing in the concept of a spirit or soul. (14:29)Janine explains the Enneagram Symbol. (18:32)Janine mentions one of the cardinal rules about the Enneagram. (24:51)Christian mentions that the core fear is feeling fear itself of actually being afraid, or being without support security. (27:05)Matt mentions that an Enneagram is a tool for understanding yourself, understanding your worldview, and understanding your relationship with other people. (31:28)How has the Enneagram helped in Janine and Christian’s relationship? (32:44)Janine mentions that the Enneagram has single-handedly been the element that has grown her marriage, more than anything. (32:56)Janine talks about the Enneagram Institute. (35:05)Janine thinks that the Enneagram gave their marriage a direction on how to continue to grow. (35:44)Christian mentions that his introduction to his Enneagram path started in business, but it has been beneficial for his marriage, as well. (40:45)Christian shares that the aspect of type nine is that they understand every other number on the Enneagram better than they understand themselves. (44:48)Janine shares that there’s a common saying amongst the Enneagramers that, the enneagram is neither a sword nor a shield. (45:55)Does the Enneagram understand our number, our type, and our personality as being persistent, or as being malleable? (50:00)Does our number change depend on who we're among? (50:22)Christian mentions that you were formed by the personality types of your parents, and how they are. (53:22)Erik shares that having this conversation and trying to understand themselves, understand their blind spots, becoming more self-aware of how they got out of that posture, and talking through it in this context of personality, is the true value. (56:27)Christian thinks that the Enneagram helps him see a person’s skill or natural ability. (59:29)Janine shares that the growth part of the Enneagram is that you realize your strengths but you make them stronger by understanding that they inhabit your weakness. (1:00:33)Christian thinks that there's a difference between humanity and a person’s thought. (1:01:23)Janine thinks that as you're moving forward in your Enneagram journey, the best practical advice is to just keep going. Don’t stop because as you're reading, you come against something that you don't like about your type. (1:07:31)Christian mentions one of the things that’s unique about the Enneagram is that there are levels of maturity. (1:08:22)Key Quotes:“It’s not just, you take a test, and you're this thing. You take a test if you want, and discover more of who you are, how you're naturally gifted, and how that helps the conversation with people around you, as well.” - Janine Crum“Just because one type is more introverted or extroverted doesn't mean you can't do those things. So again, it's about self-awareness and being able to use this awareness as a tool to love and, and take care of others ideally.” - Christian Moore“Everybody has that core fear and then they have this core desire and we use our personalities to run from that core fear and achieve that core desire.” - Janine Crum“If I understand my team better and what motivates them from fear, what motivates them from love, and I can communicate that way, then I can be a better leader.” - Christian Moore“I think the key is that knowing yourself matters. So maybe more important than what you're improving on is making sure that you are self-aware, and seeing yourself clearly.” - Christian MooreResources Mentioned:Erik Garcia, CFP®Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFTGarcia Financial GroupMatt Morris & AssociatesJanine Crum InstagramChristian Moore LinkedInReal Good GroupAgent Refined
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP® and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT interview Jesse Byrd, Award-Wining Story Developer, Editor, and Writer at Jesse B. Creative. Jesse talks about his career in the publishing industry and how the Jess B. Creative publishing house is writing children’s books that feature diverse characters and are created by diverse creators and why that is so important. Episode Highlights:What is one of Erik’s most memorable children's books from his childhood? (00:58)Matt introduces Jesse Byrd. (2:39)Jesse shares his background and his career in the publishing industry. (2:54)Jesse shares that the stories they created for their publishing house called Jesse B. Creative, focus on stories that not only feature diverse characters but are created by diverse creators. (2:58)What were some of the conversations that Erik’s family has been having around, regarding some of Jesse's work? (3:31)Erik talks about reading Sunny Days last night, with his daughter. (4:21)Jesse mentions that it’s vital to guarantee that everyone has a place, and everyone can see themselves reflected. (6:05)Matt mentions that he had always thought that the idea of colorblindness is a real fallacy, and kids notice color all the time. (6:33)Jesse talks about the practice that they’re doing called, vertical diversity. (7:02)Jesse shares that what they focus on is not just diversity on the page, because 50% of books featuring black kids aren't written by black creators. (8:14)Jesse mentions that it's quite disturbing when you peek behind the curtain and see how many stories from minorities aren't written by people within that experience. (9:43)Matt talks about when he grew up in New Mexico and he would read Native American children's books. (10:11)Jesse shares that today's market is the most experiential publishing market that you will see in terms of, people taking risks. (11:26)Jesse mentions that there are a lot of books that don't go through the process of approval from traditional publishing. (12:32)Erik shares a prologue from the book, King Penguin. (13:42)Jesse mentions that the issues from his books are real issues that not only affect the world but also children that are growing up. (14:54)In Jesse’s opinion, he doesn’t like to shy away from reality or sincerity. He wants to try and find a way that’s grade level appropriate to open a dialogue. (16:03)How does Jesse handle the harder aspects of life, in ways that remain developmentally appropriate for the reader? (17:23)Jesse thinks that one of the most significant ways of showing that people are capable of anything, by showing the diversity of what they’re doing and being anything on the page. (18:49)Jesse mentions that it’s difficult to have compassion without having an awareness first. (19:35)As a children's book author, how does Jesse handle the different forces at play? (21:54)Jesse shares the passage from a book entitled, Real Jungle Tales. (24:55)Jesse shares that every once in a while, he does a costume theme reading at elementary schools. (28:30)What has Jesse’s journey been like? (29:34)Jesse shares that because of his injury, he realized that he’s always been passionate about storytelling. (31:07)Erik shares how he met Jesse. (31:46)Jesse mentions that he adores business writing because it teaches you how to be efficient, how to be on voice and on-brand. (33:19)Jesse explains his four principles of business writing. (34:36)How does supporting black-owned businesses and learning more about economic forces that affect black-owned businesses show up in the publishing industry? (35:54)Jesse mentions that he and his mother have been in the publishing industry for 31 years. (36:12)Jesse mentions that they want to become “The Motown” of children’s book publishing. (39:17)Jesse shares that he has met a ton of phenomenal authors, illustrators, and storytellers from every single community that is more than capable of selling their stores, given the right opportunities and the right support. (40:13)Jesse shares that they are about to enter their fundraising round for publishing for their diverse publishing company. (43:22)Jesse mentions that they want people to have access to opportunities and for equity. (44:03)Erik asks five questions that were prepared by his daughter for Jesse to answer. (47:31)Jesse mentions that scale is something that he finds amusing. (48:38)Jesse shares that Sherry, from the book King Penguin, is inspired by a real-life human interaction and a relationship that he knows. (51:59)Jesse shares that one of the first ways kids are introduced to the world is through the books and the cartoons that they read. (53:14)Jesse mentions that they have 17 stories in the queue, five stories are currently being developed, and three stories will be up, before the end of this year. (54:04)Key Quotes:“Saving more space to make sure there's authentic diversity throughout the pages and throughout the stories is something we cherish.” - Jesse Byrd“It’s hard to notice these things in a vacuum, right? And that's why it's so important to not erase any colors from the rainbow but to add more colors to the rainbow, so we can appreciate all of the ROYGBIV on the spectrum.” - Jesse Byrd“I think everybody, every culture, every group is capable of telling their own stories, and they have people within those experiences who are more than happy to tell about their walk of life.” - Jesse Byrd“It actually does a disservice when we don't find a way to talk about some of the real things that are happening, and some of the real things that children, unfortunately, younger than we hoped that they would, are enduring and are having to face.” - Jesse Byrd“In a capitalistic economy, you largely vote with your dollars, and to put it that plainly is that if you want to see more diversity, you want to see more diversity by diverse people. The easiest way to do that is to financially support the work and the businesses of diverse people.” - Jesse ByrdResources Mentioned:Erik Garcia, CFP®Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFTGarcia Financial GroupMatt Morris & AssociatesJesse Byrd LinkedInJesse B. Creative Inc.Gift Books to Kids
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT talk about Erik’s ebook entitled, 5 Pillars of Financial Security. They discuss how to manage money by applying the 5 pillars, the physical and emotional impacts of having debt, and the significance of saving money.Episode Highlights:Matt shares that he wants Erik’s advice on whether his expenses are good or not. (1:21)Matt shares two stories, his downhill mountain biking experience with his son and a whitewater rafting experience with his parents. (1:47)Matt mentions that Erik has written an introductory guide to financial advising and financial planning called the 5 Pillars of Financial Security. (4:35)Erik explains the main reason why he wrote the guide. (5:04)Erik shares that as a financial advisor and investment advisor, his world can get very technical and a lot of things that he talks about, might not be specific to everybody. (5:32)What did Erik learn from his grandparents about money? (7:09)Matt shares that he’s always interested in people's family stories. (9:28)Matt mentions the three statements about Erik’s approach to helping others manage their money. (11:08)Erik mentions that if you follow the three statements, you’re going to have success in managing your money. (11:57)Erik shares that from a basic principle, at the end of the day, you have to save and you have to put something aside, for tomorrow. (13:12)Matt mentions that the second job that he got paid for was fixing flat tires. (14:07)Erik shares that being foolish could be spending a lot of money on a vacation when you have a high-interest credit card debt. (15:46)Erik mentions that sometimes, there's value in having an outsider look at your financial decisions. (16:30)What are the values that Erik hopes people consider and reflect upon? (17:06)Erik shares that the idea of stewardship and provision grew out of two opposite motivations that he learned while growing up in the financial industry. (17:27)Erik mentions that most of the financial marketing tends to be driven by two human emotions, which are fear and greed. (17:57)Erik thinks that most money management and good money management should be intentional and purposeful in what you're doing with your money and with your values. (20:01)Erik mentions that he’s a big fan of spending money on experiences and building memories. (21:51)How did Erik get into financial advising and money management? (22:03)Erik shares his backstory, growing up in the insurance industry. (22:13)Matt mentions that he thought about his educational journey into family therapy, and how he got into where he is at this moment. (24:09)Is Erik writing and advising only rich people? (25:11)Erik shares that the big misconception of people about money is that they think if you make a lot of money, you're wealthy. (25:17)Erik mentions that money management is irrelevant to how much wealth you have. (25:31)What does Erik know about the people that were influencing his parents when they immigrated? (28:55)Erik shares that making sure you have the right insurance coverage in place is an important part of the financial plan. (32:22)Matt mentions the importance of working within someone's values, rather than indoctrinate them into your values. (34:27)Is there a little expense that Erik had to curtail? (37:15)Matt thinks that budgeting is just a spending plan. (41:30)Erik mentions that budgeting is being purposeful and intentional with what you do with your money. (44:45)What are some examples of bad debt and some examples of debt that can help us get ahead? (46:34)Matt mentions that debt is expensive, both financially and emotionally. (49:09)How does Erik see debt show up for his clients? (48:50)Erik mentions that if you're stressed and anxious, that can't be good for relationships. (49:05)What’s the significance of saving? (50:30)Erik explains the three types of savings, short term savings, midterms savings, and long term savings. (50:42)Erik shares that if your job is seasonal, commissioned based, or if your income is variable, the short term savings account becomes more significant to fund. (53:24)Erik mentions that he’s a big fan of having separate accounts for separate purposes. (56:02)Erik thinks that when you're motivated and driven by something outside of yourself, you start to think about your money a little bit differently. (57:30)Key Quotes:“Spend less than you make, right? If you spend more than you make, that's called debt, it's not a good thing. Save as much as you can, right? Savings is good because one day, you won’t be able to earn money anymore, or if you haven't saved, you're going to be in trouble. And then don't do anything stupid with your money, right? Stupid things cost money.” - Erik Garcia CFP®“The idea of stewardship is simple. The idea is that everything you have, your money, your material resources, they're not yours, they belong to somebody else, right? And you are responsible for being wise with it, spending it wisely.” -Erik Garcia CFP®“One of my values is to have a connection with my family members, connection with my kids, and to build memories with my kids. If that's one of the values and spending money on an activity supplements that, that could be a good experience.” - Dr. Matt Morris LPC & LMFT“The more discretionary income you have, the sloppier you can be financially. The less discretionary income you have, the more careful you have to be.” - Erik Garcia CFP®“I don't care what you spend your money on. If you value it, then spend your money on it. What I tell people is you just need to know what you're spending it on, because there's a good chance you're spending money on something, that is way outside of what you want to spend it on.” - Erik Garcia CFP®Resources Mentioned:Erik Garcia, CFP®Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFTGarcia Financial GroupMatt Morris & Associates5 Pillars of Financial Security: A Guide To Managing Your Money Wisely
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP® and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT interview Daniel Prudhomme, Account Executive at Dell Technologies and his wife Julia Prudhomme, National Account Manager at ConvergeOne. Daniel and Julia were both born and raised in different cultures and are different ethnicities. They share their stories, and experiences as an interracial couple and discuss how they are ending racism for their family tree and how they are navigating raising their biracial children.Episode Highlights:Erik introduces Daniel Prudhomme and Julia Prudhomme. (1:42)Daniel mentions that they have been married for almost 16 years. (2:05)Daniel shares that he’s African American and his wife, Julia is Caucasian. (2:11)How did Daniel and Julia meet? (2:29)How did their relationship develop from friendship to love? (3:10)Julia shares that her constant communication with Daniel helped them get to know one another and who they were fundamentally. (3:52)When did Daniel feel his attraction for Julia? (4:06)How did Daniel’s community, friends, and loved ones initially respond to them as a couple? (4:28)Julia mentions that when they first started dating, her family liked Daniel immediately. (5:50)Julia shares that the early stages of their relationship were easygoing, fun-loving, and enjoyable time. (6:21)Julia shares that her mother’s only concern is that the children might have difficulty understanding who they were because they weren't Black and they weren't White. (7:23)Daniel shares that some extended family members expressed a few significant concerns, but that concern was more expressed to others when they’re not there. (8:20)Julia mentions that Daniel’s parents had some concerns about their relationship as well, but after they spoke to them about it, they all agreed because after all, we're all humans. (10:28)Being in Cincinnati and being in the Southern US, did Daniel and Julia experience something different than where they are now? (12:38)Daniel shares a story about his experience at a restaurant in New Orleans. (14:22)Being a Black male, has Daniel received any messages about marrying a white woman from the Black community, and has that been part of his experience? (15:06)Do Daniel and Julia have memories of some bad advice or some ideas they had from childhood about interracial relationships? (17:27)Julia shares that during her teenage years, interracial dating was not allowed in their family. (17:55)Erik shares that skin color is something that we take note of, but at the end of the day, it's not a reflection of personality, it's not a reflection of character, and it's not a reflection of compatibility. (20:29)Had there been some funny ways in which growing up differently has shown up in their home? (21:22)Julia thinks that in all cultures, food is probably the easiest one to laugh about. (21:51)Julia shares a story that she will never forget, and it’s about her first Thanksgiving with Daniel’s family. (22:07)Did Daniel and Julia have more conversations and thoughts around what their kids would look like? (25:47)Daniel thinks that mixed-race babies are beautiful in their skin complexion and hair. Therefore, they were excited about the outcome, and God has done good favors in their family. (26:13)Julia shares that a few awesome surprises in life are good, and it made her think of not knowing the gender because they wanted to be completely surprised. (26:41)Julia mentions that having biracial children didn’t affect her because it didn’t matter. (28:34)Daniel shares that when they moved to Cleveland, he did a lot of research in the neighborhood and some factor research on the percentage of high school and college graduates, and found a higher percentage in the area that would be more accommodating. (29:12)What is the significance of having a Black influence in their children’s lives and seeing successful Black people in different aspects of their life? (31:17)What kind of feelings has Daniel and Julia had about parenting their children and keeping them safe, in a culture and a climate that doesn't always accept them on face value? (33:07)Daniel shares that the world is sometimes a little crude, in regards to Black kids or Black males, specifically in the repercussions and assumptions that go with it, but some actions can be avoided, and make sure that you're not fighting that battle at the wrong stage of the process. (32:59)When it comes to race and ethnicity, how do Daniel and Julia navigate that kind of conversation with their kids? (42:06)Daniel shares that he tries to tell stories to his children about what his parents went through, and how it's gotten better now and it's going to continue getting better for them. (43:29)What are some aspects that Daniel and Julia would hope that people would understand? (48:05)Daniel mentions that he’s a big proponent of the fountain in the drain theory. (49:35)Key Quotes:“I think it stems from really that true prejudice of how can she be white, marry him who is Black, and not even realizing how much in common they had. When you go beneath the color of one's skin, you get to know someone.” - Julia Prudhomme“I felt like, if you truly love me and want me to be happy, you can adapt and adjust, and if it means that much to you that you can't, then that's your priorities getting in the way of your relationship with me.” - Daniel Prudhomme“Just continue to treat people with respect and make sure that you are respected that you don't let people walk over you, but you treat them with kindness, respect first, and just try to do the same basic principles that most people should be teaching their kids.” - Daniel Prudhomme“The truth is deep, embedded in your heart, whatever that might be. Because chances are, if you lead with that, you're going to overcome and be able to navigate, and just be a better human for your family, friends, or whoever.” - Julia Prudhomme“We're growing, we're thriving, however, we have to just be mindful that we have to give grace to each other and if we are where that is present, then we will flourish.” - Julia Prudhomme“The way I've seen success come is to learn from others, be able to pass it on, and take those pearls of wisdom to enhance your own life.” - Daniel PrudhommeResources Mentioned:Erik Garcia, CFP®Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFTGarcia Financial GroupMatt Morris & AssociatesA Framework for Understanding PovertyDaniel Prudhomme LinkedInJulia Prudhomme LinkedIn
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