Financial Fluency: How Women Thrive Outside of the 9 to 5

Ever feel like you may be at a disadvantage being a woman in Corporate America?  Today we have Heather Havenwood, serial entrepreneur, author, and a top authority on digital marketing, sales coaching, and online publishing strategies.   When asked if she enjoyed working from home, Heather began by explaining why she describes herself as “unemployable”.   Between 1997 and 1999-2000, Heather was employed in Corporate America in B2B sales and achieved the number one spot out of 10,000 reps. She describes how she got a pat on the head, and comments such as “good job, you’re so cute”, and was fired.  This was her first inkling that she was unemployable in corporate America. Why was she fired?  Because she didn’t fit the bill - she said: “I wasn’t a white dude who was 45 with a gut”.  When she proposed going to global sales, they again said she didn’t fit - she was a single 25-year-old woman, without a college education amongst a sea of 40 something white males with families.  Men with families and mortgages were viewed as more worthy of higher paying jobs.  In fact, when she left, they gave all her accounts to her assistant, a man who was married with kids. She then decided to go into waitressing, and became a hostess where she made suggestions to the manager on how things could be more efficient.  The manager did acknowledge that she was right, but that he was the manager, and she was a hostess.  And once again, she was fired.  She couldn’t just stay within the box she was required to be.    Her determination, and refusal to give up allowed her to gain experience in sales, and to navigate being in In 2005, Heather achieved massive success creating a digital marketing company and going from zero to one million in sales in just one year. She had a business partner who was the front man, and she did everything in the background.  And one day, he left, emptied her bank accounts, and Heather was left having to foreclose on her home, and declaring bankruptcy.   Undeterred, she continued on, and now has a thriving business helping others achieve success with their own businesses. You can connect with Heather on her website at http://heatherhavenwood.com/, and on social media via  www.HeatherHavenwood.com/twitter, www.HeatherHavenwood.com/facebook, and www.HeatherHavenwood.com/instagram. Resources: To get three free chapters of Heather’s book Sexy Boss™ How Female Entrepreneurship is Changing the Rule Book and Beating the Big Boys, go to www.askheatherann.com . You can also purchase her book here. Heather Ann Havenwood, is a serial entrepreneur and is regarded as a top authority on digital marketing, sales coaching, and online publishing business strategies. Heather Ann has been named Top 50-Must-Follow Women Entrepreneurs for 2017 by Huffington Post. She is also called Chief Sexy Boss™ (from her Amazon BEST SELLER book Sexy Boss™ How Female Entrepreneurship is Changing the Rule Book and Beating the Big Boys and others call her an 'Icon Creator' or a 'Wizard Behind the Curtain'. In 2006 she started, developed and grew an online information marketing publishing company from ground zero to over $1 million in sales in less than 12 months. Starting without a list, a product, a name or an offer, Heather Ann molded her business partner into a successful guru now known as an expert in his field. She has instructed, coached and promoted hundreds of entrepreneurs leading them down the path to success in building a lucrative business from their knowledge and leveraging it online.

Are you riding the roller coaster of failed relationships and heartbreak? Today we have Diana Mandell, international Dating Coach and Relationship Expert, Speaker and Author. Diana grew up in a family of entrepreneurs.  From a very young age, she had a vision of having her own business.  When she was 10, she saved a girl from committing suicide, without really having a knowledge of the impact of what she had done.  She did, however, come to realize that her ability to handle psychological distress was innate in her, and wanted to be involved in something related to psychology, and helping people.   She then went to undergrad and graduate school in psychotherapy and psychology.   The dating and relationship component of her business came from the desire to help people find their connections in the world, and navigate the dating scene, having experienced parents who had an exceptional marriage and set a very high standard.    Out of grad school, Diana became a therapist but soon found that she wanted to expand her scope and provide more support to her clients outside of the structured methodologies of therapy.  She began a business as a life coach and quickly evolved into relationship coaching for women, men, and couples.    You can find out more about Diana and her services on her website at  http://dianamandell.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DatingMixologist  on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dianamandell/. Diana is an international Dating Coach and Relationship Expert, Speaker and Author. Diana specializes in helping men, women, and couples find and keep healthy and sustainable relationships with women they once thought were out of their league. Diana's clients refer to her as the Female Hitch. Since 2012, Diana has developed and perfected a personalized and exclusive dating blueprint formula to support her clients in the belief that love is possible.

If you are like most parents, you probably had at least one (or many) occurrences when your baby just wouldn’t sleep, and neither did you. Greta and Brad Zude, who are now parents of 6 children, began their quest for learning the secrets to a sleeping baby about 9 years ago when they had their first child.  Before her arrival, in fact even before Greta was pregnant, they read all the books, took parenting classes, and learned as much as they could about helping their baby sleep through the night, and easily nap during the day.   Their knowledge served them well for the first 4 weeks of their newborn’s life, but then at 4 weeks, everything changed.  Naps became inconsistent, and their little one woke up several times a night, and sleep was irregular, for all of them.  They decided to get in touch with a sleep consultant, who helped them work out what was normal and what was not.  After a couple of weeks, things started to go more smoothly and by 8 weeks, their daughter was once again sleeping through the night. From this experience, and the birth of their 5 subsequent children, Greta and Brad learned a great deal about sleep, and people started asking how they did it.  They started to give classes to other parents, teaching them the secrets of a sleeping baby.  Brad, who has an entrepreneurial spirit, came home from work one day when their youngest was 2 weeks old and announced that they should become online baby sleep consultants.  They created an online course and set up a facebook page, and now they have approximately 550 students.   With lack of sleep, comes a myriad of issues - stress, exhaustion, marital problems, health problems, issues in the workplace - you name it.  Through their course, Greta and Brad have given parents the tools they need to get the sleep they desperately need, and as a result, have a healthier more productive life.  On a daily basis, they receive emails from happy parents claiming that the course saved their marriage, their babies are so happy, and many other tales of gratitude. For Greta and Brad, one of the biggest benefits of their business is that they have a tremendous amount of structure, so they can keep a healthy balance in their lives. You can find out more about Secrets to a Sleeping Baby on Brad and Greta’s website at  www.MyBabyCanSleep.com or on Facebook at  Facebook.com/MyBabyCanSleep. Brad and Greta are parents to 6 healthy, happy, independent and affectionate children, who look to scripture to guide what they believe about the world, their children and themselves. They are parents who understand that all children are different and may have different sleep training needs, and who love to help and guide other parents in training their children with love!

Does filing taxes as an entrepreneur scare you every quarter? Today on the show, I have Founder and CEO of Empire Tax Professionals, Rachel Michaelov. Her goal is to take a proactive approach to tax planning and finding all possible deductions and credits. Rachel shares her story with me on how she left her corporate job to start her own business. About 13 years ago, Rachel was hired by one of the biggest companies in NYC who represented big celebrities. At the time, she was told she would work a 9-5 job, but she quickly realized that there was no work/life balance; it was too hard to juggle a family life and the corporate job. She mentions to me that leaving her W-2 was the best decision. Now, Rachel gives her employees the flexibility to have a work/life balance with her current venture. With her family life, Rachel tells me that business is flourishing. She now serves over 600 small business owners and helps advise them to get their maximum deductions when it comes to taxes.   Rachel’s Business Mission Teaching business owners about having someone help them in maintaining accurate records, and being sure they are spending the money they should for business and not overpaying for anything unnecessary.   To learn more about Rachel and her business, visit empiretaxusa.com or follow her on Facebook: facebook.com/rachel.michaelov facebook.com/Empire-Tax-Professionals-Inc-354342658250050 Resources empiretaxusa.com/in-depth-tax-planner/ Bio Rachel Michaelov is the Founder & CEO of Empire Tax Professionals. She has been a Licensed tax specialist for over a decade and is a true Entrepreneur at heart. Her specialties lie in helping small business owners optimize their taxes and achieve financial success. Rachel is constantly acquiring further certifications to master her craft and has been mentored by the very best throughout her climb to success. Now, she carries over her own skill set, and coupled her coaching career with her tax specialization. She is always looking to collaborate and help business owners, so follow her on social media!  

Launching. If you are in the online entrepreneur space, then you have probably seen a lot of launches. I know I sure have. And yet, for years I was terrified of launching myself. So as I entered into my very first launch for Mastering Money Matters a couple of months ago, I caught up with Kate Boyd to learn more about launching. Kate is a launch and marketing strategists who helps entrepreneurs with every part of their launch from the pre-launch strategy to writing the email copy and interacting with joint venture partners. Kate has some great advice for online entrepreneurs launching at all different stages of business growth, as well as business owners in general. You can connect with Kate Boyd via her website at cobblestonecreativeco.com. Facebook.com/cobblestonecreativeco Instagram.com/cobblestonecreative.co Kate is a launch + marketing strategist who help entrepreneurs make a bigger impact with less hustle by optimizing, automating, and delegating the marketing tasks they don't enjoy. She combines a journalism degree, 3 years of online business experience, and 5+ years in nonprofit marketing to help others grow, nurture, and mobilize their tribes so they can have success and have time to enjoy it too.

Brenda Mierzejewski spent years working in the pharmaceutical industry before leaving the workforce to stay home with her kids. When her family moved up into the mountains of Connecticut, they weren’t prepared for the way the porch of their new home was right in the direct path of what turned out to be a wind tunnel through their valley. Suddenly her entire family was plagued by chronic chapped lips! “I thought we were sick. I thought something was wrong because everyone was getting these chapped lips… We were using all of these over-the-counter products but there was some kind of interaction. It was affecting our lips. We were getting the red ring around our lips. And we were putting the stuff on constantly, every 20 minutes. Especially my kids, they were trying to eat it. It was bad.” Brenda did not want her kids eating petrolium and putting it on their lips every 20 minutes. “It is a barrier, but it isn’t healing. I wanted something else to use as my base. A vegan base.” Brenda first cooked up a few hundred pots of lip gloss based on her research about coconut, jojoba, almond and other oils as well as the healing properties of essential oils, honeycomb and honey. Those first pots of lip balm not only lasted for hours and tasted good without any petroleum jelly or nasty chemicals, they also had a really attractive gloss effect that looked good on its own, or either over or under lipstick. Things really took off for Mizzi Cosmetics when first Kylie Jenner, then Kate Hudson both gave completely unsolicited celebrity endorsements of the lip gloss and lip scrub products. Right now Mizzi Cosmetics is on the cusp of massive growth, but going from a boutique company that makes roughly 1000 units per week to one with massive national distribution can be a tricky time for any consumer product based business. Personally, I am totally rooting for Mizzi Cosmetics to start showing up in stores all the way out here in Flagstaff, Arizona so I can get easier access to all of their fantastic products. Especially the allergen-free versions so my own Tallulah can satisfy her insatiable desire for lip balm and chapstick without risking exposure to either hidden nut, wheat or dairy products or chemicals that she might be sensitive to. You can connect with Brenda Mierzejewski via her website at https://mizzicosmetics.com.   My name is Brenda Mierzejewski.  In June of 2013, our family finally closed on our newly built home in the quaint little town of Portland Connecticut. Our home is on a mountain and borders the Meshomasic State Forest, the views are simply amazing. As the fall and winter approached, we experienced that living on a mountain was extremely windy. The snow found us almost immediately after Halloween and we had no idea that the winter was going to be so long, bitterly cold and white. January arrived and between my husband and our two small children, we went through many different lip balms to help heal and prevent the chapped and dry lips we had. Nothing truly worked. I decided since I was a stay at home mom that perhaps I should start a DIY project and make our own lip balm. Something that was natural, using all natural and organic ingredients. So I did. And after a couple of months of going through all these different recipes, I have perfected the best lip balm ever. I started to give them away to family and friends and they all loved it and asked for more. The feedback was overwhelming and I thought, “ I can really do something great with this product”. It’s local, natural and provides numerous benefits for all ages.

Owning Real Estate has long been considered a key part of the American Dream. There have been times in recent history, particularly the housing bubble of 2006-2008 when it seemed like any and everyone wanted to buy real estate as an investment, but after so many got burned by upside-down mortgages and selling at a loss, many are hesitant to get back into the housing market as an investor. Whitney Nicely has a different strategy than your traditional 20% down payment model. On today’s show, we talk about what she has done to build her own portfolio of houses, apartments, and land while teaching others to do the same. You can connect with Whitney Nicely via her website at https://www.whitneynicely.com/   IG- @whitneynicely YT- Youtube.com/whitneynicely FB- https://www.facebook.com/groups/reirockstarintraining Whitney Nicely went from no investments (or strategies) to 19 houses, 19 apartment units and 7 chunks of land in less than three years all bringing monthly money to her bank account on autopilot. She has traveled the United States speaking on stages, teaching her simple strategies, and meeting with other successful real estate investors- and still buying houses the way she teaches others. Since 2016, Whitney has led and trained hundreds of future real estate rock stars to grow their portfolios, collect checks and achieve financial freedom. 100's of real estate newbies are securing leads, signing deals and scaling their dream incomes through the First Deal Done Fast Program.

Is it a constant struggle to find balance in your life? Today on Financial Fluency, I have Shelia Heard with me. Shelia is a retired Army veteran and the founder of My Life. My Terms Movement. On the show, Shelia will help provide tips to help keep things more in balance. Shelia tells me that she originally didn’t plan to retire from the Army and jump right into her business. Sadly, one family tragedy after another came year after year for Shelia. First, her daughter got sick and lost her eyesight and mobility. After that, her youngest son was diagnosed with a mental illness. And the year after, her oldest son passed away and her younger son was charged with the murder. Shelia works with all kinds of women to help them find awareness to get them to understand where (and why) they are now. To her, shifting your mindset is the first step to change. Quotes from the Show “This is my life. I need to be responsible for it.” “You can’t see everything. You have to listen to the coach...who is it that you want to be like? Who is it that you want to become? What can you do to have that life that you want?” Shelias’s Personal Message “Control self, control your life. Pain is unavoidable, suffering is a choice. Why: The storm can blow you anyway but loose; however, you can position yourself to blow every which way and still come out focused and ready to take the next step despite the odds.” To learn more about Shelia, visit her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/livingthejoyfullife/

Minling is a geek about all things branding. Good thing too because as a brand marketing strategist and coach, she has worked with solopreneurs, small businesses, consulting companies, and big brands to strategically market and position themselves so they have an eye-popping 'It' brands that turn heads. Minling is passionate about helping small business owners uncover their unique message so they can rapidly build a list of raving fans eager to buy along the way. Branding is more than the website, logo, and graphic. Branding is perception. How you are perceived by others. So instead of focusing on the visuals, start by focusing how you can emotionally connect with your audience and building a strong bond with your potential clients and customers. This will help you build loyalty and become known as an authority brand. On this episode, Minling tells the story of her crush on Tom. Tom is so amazing. He cares about others, he gives back everyday and when Minling is with him she feels like a better person too. Who is Tom? It’s actually a brand. A shoe brand that gives away one pair of shoes for every pair purchased. The way Minling feels about Tom’s brand is exactly the way we all want our clients and customers to feel about us and our brands. Mingling talks about what individuals and companies can do to help create that kind of connection and feeling with customers. Minling also shares the story of her journey from doing marketing for big brands through an agency, to trying to start her first company and eventually coming back to her love of branding for small businesses. You can connect with Minling Chuan via her website at http://brandfameschool.com. http://facebook.com/minlingchuang http://instagram.com/minlingchuang And you can get a free Branding Masterclass right here: http://brandfameschool.com/masterclass Resources: Tom’s Shoes Minling Chuang has 8+ years of experience in branding and marketing, working on top brands such as Nestle Toll House, Lean Cuisine, Toyota, and UBM. While at Nestle, Minling launched a $54 Million product for Lean Cuisine that also won Product of the Year. Minling holds an MBA from Indiana University and a BA from the University of Southern California. She has been featured in the Huffington Post.  

Where do you start when it comes to getting your finances in order? On today’s episode of Financial Fluency, I have Michelle Bobrow with me. Michelle is the founder and personal finance strategist behind The Holistic Wallet. The Holistic Wallet is a place where people can help you set a financial foundation and provide creative and casual guidance to reign-in control of your spending, overcome your mental money blocks, and optimize your cash flow. Michelle shares her path to The Holistic Wallet and what led her to make the transition to become a personal finance strategist. She recalled graduating in the recession and had $55K of consumer loans from spending in college.  To defer the student loans, she started grad school with no real direction in what she wanted to do. Her first job was with a bank, and it was an excellent opportunity to earn money. Because she was making significant money, Michelle wanted to optimize how she was spending it.  Michelle has a background and degree in women’s studies, and when she first started in finance, she noticed how masculine the entire industry was and continues to be today. Michelle found a way to feminize the financial world, and help others seek the emotional, “right-brain-side” of finance. All of her research helped her creative ideas and ideologies of personal finances. And now, The Holistic Wallet is her full-time gig. Notable Quotes from Michelle “We are relating to media messages and things we’re supposed to buy because it’s supposed to make us feel good.” “We keep spending and pushing the envelope because we’re looking for that boundary.” “Our financial lives are always going to be changing. There’s always going to be a variable expense that comes up whether we anticipate it or not—there’s so much variation in our lives and finances.” “Our financial lives are always going to be a work in progress.” Michelle’s Personal Message “In the 5 years it took me to increase my net worth by $100K, I went from spendaholic to burnt-out personal finance addict. It seems innocent enough to make positive lifestyle changes but when you spend most of your waking minutes obsessing over them, you kind of forget to live your life. I'd love to share what ignited my obsession with personal finance, how it consumed my life, why being addicted to something good can actually be bad, and what I did to create a more balanced relationship with money.”   To learn more about Michelle and The Holistic Wallet, visit theholisticwallet.com or follow her on social media: Facebook Twitter Instagram   ResourcesMoney Cleanse Ebook: http://moneycleanse.theholisticwallet.com Bio Michelle Bobrow is the founder and personal finance strategist behind The Holistic Wallet and is here to lighten up your relationship with your money. Having gone from shopaholic to personal finance addict, Michelle now focuses on money psychology to integrate healthy and balanced financial habits into our lives. Set yourself up for big savings in 7 simple steps by grabbing your free copy of The Money Cleanse. http://moneycleanse.theholisticwallet.com

Have you ever wondered how to impact the world using your gifts and talents? On today’s episode of Financial Fluency, I have the pleasure of speaking with Cameo Gore, an intuitive success coach. In her line of work, she uses high-level business strategies to help online and brick-and-mortar businesses with growth and development. She helps develop businesses with the heart over hustle mindset. In her own business, Cameo mentions on the show that she loves working with coaches that have an intuitive side and understand energy, in addition to having a highly-strategic side. Before jumping into entrepreneurship, Cameo worked as a registered nurse and had a career in the medical field. She tells me that she left a high-level job as the Director of Surgery  at a pediatric hospital in the Bay Area to pursue a freedom-based business. She stepped away from corporate so she could redistribute her time and priorities with her family. Right after leaving her corporate job, she went straight into strategy in addition to personal development. She quickly realized her strength was working with energy. For Cameo, energy work is aligning your energy with higher-vibrational frequencies so you can a match for the most incredible things to come into your life. Now, Cameo’s mission is to help women live fully empowered lives and create businesses that are in alignment with their gifts, talents, and intuition. Cameo helps clients upgrade money consciousness to rise to the next level of success and freedom.   Quotes from the Show “We all have the gift of intuition, it’s about using it and applying it to your business to create success.” “Your business isn’t going to grow and you’re not going to get to the next-up level if you’re not working in alignment with how you’re feeling.” “Your life can unfold in direct proportion to the vision of what you actually want to be creating.” To learn more about Cameo, her business, and retreats, visit her website http://cameogore.com/ or follow her on social media: Facebook Instagram   Resources Cameo’s 5-day money challenge: https://cameogoresuccesscoach.lpages.co/5-days-master-your-money-mindset-op/ Cameo’s 7-week acceleration program is open for enrollment right now, sign up here: http://cameoandsuzanne.com/digital/   Bio Cameo Gore is the Lifestyle and Business Success Coach (and modern intuitive) that you need on your team if you’re a creative, conscious woman ready to make great money from your spiritual gifts on your terms. A certified energy healer and business coach with 15 years experience making millions for others, Cameo brings both razor-sharp intuition and solid business acumen to the table to help her clients create thriving businesses with soul-driven business strategy and spiritual alignment. When she’s not Skyping with clients or hosting beautiful retreats around the globe, you can find Cameo soaking up the sun on the beach, booking a midday massage, hiking on the trails or hanging with her husband and kids. Learn more about building a business that makes bank from your natural gifts at www.cameogore.com.

Are you ready to streamline your online business? On this episode of Financial Fluency, I have Erin Hook Kelly with me. Erin is an online business manager and founder of Member Vault, a CRM (customer or client relationship management) tool where you can create and manage content for your business and well as engagement and lead tracking. Erin’s path to creating Member Vault was accidental she tells me. Originally, she started working as an OBM (online business manager). As Erin put it—she acts as the ‘second business brain’ to help clients work on their business. What started as a quick tool for one of her clients, turned into something much bigger—a business. At the time, there weren’t many tools on the market to meet a particular client’s needs, so her husband (who is a developer) decided to build something himself. Now, the platform has evolved from housing courses to a full-fledged content platform. Erin tells me this is now merging into her full-time business. Although Member Vault has seen proven success over the six months, Erin tells me on the show the decision to focus her time and energy wasn’t an easy one. There were times she would stay up at night wondering if she made the right decision. With her busy life, her online business, a 15-month-old, and all the other responsibilities Erin was juggling—something had to give. The book The Pumpkin Plan gave her the insight and courage she needed to make the right decision on what to focus her energy on: being the OBM to Adrienne Dorison, and passing over all her course materials to her and focusing her time on Member Vault. “Be ruthless about your energy.” - Erin Hook Kelly So what makes Member Vault different? First things first, it’s a content platform that’s based on your opt-in, and it’s a great way to surface the content you already have and track what people are consuming. What content you use is entirely up to you. It can be audio, video, pdfs, you name it. You can put your website URL, waitlist, your one-on-one services into the platform—any content you want people to have access to. Alongside content is the engagement portion of Member Vault. The tool allows you to see your most popular content, engagement points, and users. Erin also tells me that some popular user requests are in the pipeline for Member Vault updates in the new year and include affiliate programs, payments, and more. To learn more about Erin or Member Vault visit: https://membervault.co/ or visit her social media channels: Member Vault Facebook Page Erin’s Facebook Page   Erin’s Personal Message Automated, personalized engagement is the wave of the future in online business. We saw it with email marketing tools like Active Campaign, and now we're seeing it with Facebook bots, website tools like ConvertFlow and of course, my course platform, Member Vault. Give your clients, and prospective clients, a personal experience by providing support, and sales pitches, that are appropriate for their stage and phase. Resources https://membervault.co/ https://www.facebook.com/membervault/ Start your 30-day free trial with Member Vault today Bio Erin Kelly is an OBM for the fantastic Adrienne Dorison, and a co-founder of the automated engagement focused course platform, Member Vault, where students complete courses, and course creators watch their income domino.

There are so many hours in a day, but we also know that everyone in the world gets the exact same number of hours. So how do some people do so much? My guest today, Jen Groover, knows. Early on in her entrepreneurial career she realized that she had to leverage herself to be able to do more than trade dollars for hours. She does this through licensing, delegating, team building and having the right supports in place for all of her different businesses. What more details on how she does it? She is more than happy to share that with you through her Jumpstart Connect Pop-up store in NYC. Not in NYC? Soon there will be a virtual version online too!   Show notes: Jen Groover is a serial entrepreneur, speaker, author, and media contributor. Jen got involved in the fitness industry straight out of college when she graduated in 1995 but quickly realized that she needed to find some way to leverage herself and her time so she would not be limited to trading hours for dollars. A few of Jen’s quotes from the episode: "Once I'm comfortable I need to make myself uncomfortable again." "Licensing is a huge part of my business model." “I believe Entrepreneurs are a huge part of healing the world.” “Fear is the thing that holds people back the most. The more you can educate someone, the more you can eliminate fear.” Jen is also the author of the book What If and Why Not. This book focuses on the psychology of taking what is negative in your life and finding the positive spin. It was published in 2013. Her second book, #Empowered, will be coming out in the fall of 2017. Right now she is working on her third book, Operator's Manual for Life. Now that sounds like something we could all use now and then. Jen was also recently nominated as a UN delegate to the first ever Global Accelerator for the Global Entrepreneurs Council. For this council, each person chooses a topic that they are very good at and another that they do not know much about. Sometimes a person's ignorance in a certain field can actually bring breakthroughs from the questions they ask. The field that Jen chose as something she didn't know much about was health care. These discussions bring more innovation to the solutions around specific problems. You can connect with Jen Groover via her website at www.jengroover.com. Facebook Twitter     Jumpstart Connect- October 10, 11, 12th in NYC http://jumpstartconnect.com/ What If? and Why Not?: Transform Your Fears Into Action and Start The Business of Your Dreams http://www.butlerbag.com/ Jen Groover has been tagged by SUCCESS MAGAZINE as a “One-Woman Brand,” a “Creativity and Innovation Guru” and a leading “Serial Entrepreneur” by Entrepreneur Magazine and ranked #8 by SAP in the Top 51 Influencers of Human Potential. Jen Groover’s name has quickly become synonymous with innovation, entrepreneurship and evolution. She was recently nominated as a UN delegate to the first ever Global Accelerator for the Global Entrepreneurs Council. She also made history at the NYSE, as a member of the first all-female group to ring the opening bell and made Forbes’ list of “50 Founders You Need to Follow on Twitter.” Jen’s energy and multi-faceted, diverse wisdom make her a highly sought after speaker on topics ranging from business to leadership, empowerment to emotional intelligence to healthy living, and enhancing productivity.

Do you think it’s important to teach our children the power of affirmation? On today’s episode of Financial Fluency, I’m excited to chat with Anna Lozano and Lindy Sood, founders of Love Powered Co.  Love Powered Littles is a different kind of card deck for parents to use with their children to affirm greatness from within. Lindy mentions on the show that both her and Anna had been on a separate (but simultaneous) road to self-discovery for quite some time. Once they both had children of their own, both women wanted to bring the practice of self-assured affirmation to their kids. Lindy and Anna mention the most compelling quality of their affirmation cards is what’s happening behind the scenes—the messages are being reprogrammed on a conscious and subconscious level with children, so they connect what they’re saying and doing. The idea started with their own children. Anna and Lindy had their routine they’d do with their kids before bed, and it included repeatedly saying affirmations and thanking for their blessings. But the women realized that their children didn’t know what the words meant, and that’s when the lightbulb clicked—using a vocabulary children identify with -  adorable characters to make the experience fun and relatable. As stated from their website, the Love Powered Littles affirmation cards include: 22 Powers. These are the qualities of emotionally intelligent trailblazers. The POWERS we all have within us, that at times, we just need to be reminded of. Connection. Focus on the power of CONNECTION between parent and child. Leave the screen at the door, this is a time to be present, engaged and wholeheartedly connected. Conscious Awareness. Instead of 1 affirmation per card, they have grouped together 3 related terms + a statement to help our littles grasp the meaning of the words and how they all relate to each other. Examples & Feelings. Parents and children think of examples and 'times when', going even deeper and asking “How did this make you feel?” By connecting their own experiences to each POWER, and remembering how they felt, it helps our children to understand the words and statements they are saying, and connect deeper to the meaning behind them. Aesthetic. These cards are so darn adorable and just oh-so-delicious, they are certain that you and your littles will find it hard to wait to get your hands on them!   To find out more about Love Powered Co. visit their website: http://lovepoweredco.pagedemo.co/ or follow them on social media: Facebook Twitter Instagram Resources Love Powered Littles Kickstarter Love Powered Co. Video Bio Founders, Anna Lozano and Lindy Sood are friends and soul sisters who realized that together, they have a powerful message to share with the world. Months ago, they started talking about what is lacking in the marketplace when it comes to personal growth products for families. Their mission is to create a self-worth movement, powering the next generation of mindful leaders.

How would you look at yourself differently if you were hit by a taxi while walking home? For Katie Kozlowski, it was a wakeup call for her on that tragic night, and the accident made her recognize that she had a lot more to do with her life. Katie has now dedicated her life to guide both herself and her clients to self-love and mindfulness. In addition to coaching, Katie is the creator of Loving to Be Me. She also does voice acting for children shows, advertisements, and much more as well. On the show, Katie brings up her background and how she has been singing and performing her whole life. Before her taxi accident, she was a brand ambassador for a liquor company. Katie mentioned she had destructive behaviors in the past, too. She grew up with alcoholism in her family and that subconsciously affected her into her adult life. At the time of her accident, she wasn’t in a great relationship, and she felt herself spiraling down. One night, she got stood up by her boyfriend and started thinking suicidal thoughts “Does any one care if I die?” Seconds later she got hit by a taxi. And she had a chance to reassess how she was living and thinking, and that’s when she got on the track of mindfulness. She asks listeners on the show to think about this: “Are the things you’re doing self-loving or destructive?” Katie tells me that once she started sharing her story, she began to inspire people. She never intended to build an empire, but Katie wanted to make something of her mess and use it for good. Powerful Quotes from Katie “Truth resonates so powerfully because what you’re saying is true...Anything you’re looking for you have inside. You don’t need to go into debt to find it.” “Once you find it inside of yourself—it shows up.” “When it comes to sales and running a business, you have to learn to charge and own your value.” “If you have negative space (emotions or a bank account), don’t run away from it or cover it up. Sit it in and think about what you’re going to fill it with.” To learn more about Katie, visit her site: www.lovingtobeme.com or follow her on social media: Facebook Instagram Twitter Resources Join a 7-day creative journey with Katie at  www.lovingtobeme.com/p/expressyourtrueself it’s held on the second week of each month for free. Katie’s voice over work can be found at her SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/katiekozlowski Bio Katie Kozlowski is a self love and mindfulness coach and the creator of Loving To Be Me. After being hit full on by a taxi at 30 years old and walking away completely unharmed, Katie received her "wake up call" from God and dedicated the rest of her life to teaching others the value and importance of loving yourself as you are. Katie combines personal experience, NLP, EFT, and other cutting edge mindfulness technique help people recover from trauma, personal challenges and low self esteem to create a more loving relationship with the self.  

Welcome to this Special Episode of Financial Fluency! Today I am on the show with Niamh Arthur, my Biz BF to announce that we are having a baby! Well, a baby of sorts. We have just launched a new podcast together called Biz Buddies!   Being an online entrepreneur or freelancer can be lonely. Niamh and I have been Biz Buddies for over a year and a half now, scheduling weekly calls not to instruct, coach, or formally do anything for each other, but by being genuine friends we have helped and done more for each other than coaches or employees sometimes can. On this show we pull aside the curtain and let the world in on the behind the scenes of our own online businesses, the good, the bad, the ugly and the awesome. On this new show we chat, plot, plan, rant, rave and sometimes ugly cry about the ups and downs of online entrepreneurship. We also talk about what books we are reading, what podcasts we listen to, who we are following and what we are up to in all different areas of our lives.   Want to know how Niamh sold out her Challenges with Impact offering in a single day? (We talk about that in today’s Financial Fluency episode as well as on the Biz Buddies show.) Want to know who goes into doing a massive 30 Day Challenge that more than a thousand people sign up for? Want to hear how I get hung up trying to finish things and actually get paid offerings out there? Then come on over to Biz Buddies! Download the podcast episodes and sign up HERE to get on our list to learn more about the coming Biz Buddies group and the possible retreat at a secret, very magical place in Southern Ireland. We want to be your Biz Buddy too!   You can find more on Niamh Arthur right HERE. And you can find Biz Buddies on iTunes right HERE. And if you want to watch the Biz Buddies episodes on YouTube, you can find those HERE.   Resources: Niamh’s Ignite 30 Day Video Challenge Oversubscribed by Daniel Priestly Join the Biz Buddies List to show interest in a future group and retreat in Ireland! Curious about the record label I run with my husband? You can find our website HERE!

Carol Egan is an executive health coach who has lived through many health issues, to the point where sick was her identity. Despite consulting many doctors for her long list of symptoms,  she continued to get worse.  Finally she came to the conclusion that if she was ever going to get better, she would have to figure out what was wrong on her own.   She learned all she could about healing.  She obtained her degree, and continued on to post graduate school in nutrition, digestive health, detoxification and the study of human potential.   She shares how traditional medicine completely overlooks the effects of nutrition on the body, and how inflammation caused by the food we eat plays havoc on our bodies, creating debilitating symptoms that plague more and more people every day.   By applying all that she learned she has obtained an excellent level of health, and helps others learn how to achieve the same.  She focusses on creating health as being fun - something she teaches her clients as well. Carol shares her three part “wholy trinity” first steps to getting healthy: Green juice Green smoothy Meal sized salad every day. Start off small, with the eventual goal of having one of each every day.  Go with what feels right and bit by bit, you will start to feel better! Carol shares her message here:   A healthy body is important for every success we ever hope to achieve. It's not necessarily diet and exercise that are important specifically, but rather how diet and exercise, with the proper mindset and relationship to self, impact us and our decision making on a physiological level.   A person who is healthy on a physiological / biochemical level is in greater balance, and when in greater balance, we possess the mental and emotional clarity and skills to better manage every area of life.   You can learn more about Carol and her business by visiting her website: http://carol-egan.com/ or following her on social media: FB Biz: https://www.facebook.com/CarolEganImmersionHealth/ Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/CarolEganImmersionHealth/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/immersionhealth/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolaegan/   Resources Free opt-ins: Five to Thrive: 5 Daily Habits Top Achievers Use to Increase Energy by 30%: http://carol-egan.com/thrive Eliminate Excuses: Prioritize Your Health Now: http://carol-egan.com/excuses   New Mini Program: HOT: Health on Track Now: http://carol-egan.com/health-on-track/   Anyone who signs up for one of her free opt-ins, will receive her Wholey Trinity guide which has over 100 recipes of juices, smoothies and salads.   Bio Carol Egan is an executive health coach, with an expertise in digestive health and detoxification. She works with accomplished professionals who want to look and feel as healthy as they are successful. They spent years prioritizing success over health, and are now troubled by excess weight, exhaustion, and foggy thinking at work and home. She helps them take control of their health, so they can focus on what matters most to them in their life and career.

What would you do if you dared to do and be more? Today I have proven sales and recruiting expert, Kimberly Patrick with me on this episode of Financial Fluency. Kimberly is a sales coach, entrepreneur, real estate investor, and author (among many other roles). She focuses on helping senior executives identify, select, and attract passive top talent. Kimberly’s path was a winding one. She starts by telling me how she got into her many businesses. From multi-level marketing to social work, to sales and recruiting, and finally to where she is today with her own business. For Kimberly, her entrepreneurial spirit started at a young age as she observed her grandparents run their own family business. When Kimberly was in college, she began her sales career with Mary Kay and got her taste of multi-level marketing. She quickly realized that she was better suited in a B2B environment instead of selling in a B2C market. After college, Kimberly went on to social work, but that career path was emotionally and mentally exhausting. It wasn’t until graduate school when she started building companies with her ex-husband and then she moved into the sales and recruiting industry. On the show, Kimberly tells me how she started her first recruiting business in 2008. But that year, real estate among many other industries collapsed. All of her clients were laying off instead of hiring. Kimberly hung in there a bit, but it was also a tough year for her personally as it was professionally. She was going through a divorce, and took a lot of time for herself and moved back to DC. Fast forward to today, Kimberly most recently launched a program, Smart Selling, for women in business. This program is 10-12 weeks, and it helps members identify clients, hammer in on their marketing and sales plans, optimize their sales funnels, and more. To help those having difficulty with this aspect of their business, they’ll take a look at where (what channels) they’re posting and what they’re posting. She says messaging is very important, so it’s essential to tweak as needed and get creative throughout the process. Kimberly’s Tips on How to Get Started: Identify your target audience. First, you have to make sure who your ideal client is and where they hang out. See where they are and start engaging with them. Build out your freebies. Get to know your target audience and start conversations with them. Let them know about your offers and freebies, especially if you’re selling directly to a consumer. Pick technology carefully. The technology you use throughout your business is very important. Kimberly uses a few tools to help her business such as ActiveCampaign and Instapage. You can learn more about Kimberly and her business by visiting her website: http://kimberlyapatrick.com/ or following her on social media: Purpose Driven Mompreneurs Facebook Group Facebook LinkedIn   Resources Smart Selling Coaching Program: http://kimberlyapatrick.com/getmoreclients Kimberly’s Book: Dare to be More   Bio Kimberly Patrick has served as an advisor to some of the brightest CEO’s, Presidents, and Leaders. Kim is a Certified Business Coach and a driven entrepreneur. She became passionate about working with business owners as a child, while growing up in a family business. Kim has been an entrepreneur since she was 17. She has founded multiple companies in real estate development, recruiting, and fitness. Kim lives in Austin and is a new mom. She is truly living the dream and juggling everything! She spends her “spare” time investing and developing real estate, coaching mompreneurs, and helping startups find and attract the best talent. Kim serves  on the board of directors of The Texas Recruiters Association and is the Director of StartupGrind Austin. She is deeply involved in the startup community where she spends her time helping companies select and hire the right talent. Kim’s passion is connecting people and helping startups grow their organizations with the best passive talent.

Are you working at a job you hate? Feel like there’s no way out? Then this episode is for you! Jessica DeBry is an online business manager who teaches women how to build the business they love so they can quit the job they hate!   How to get started:   Step 1: First step is the Time Pocket Formula. Write down how you spend all of your time every day. Figure the pockets of time where you can dedicate 30 minute to an hour or even two hour blocks of time in your day that you can consistently dedicate to building your business. Can you find 10-15 pockets per week or the equivalent of 10 hours per week? How about a morning routine to make sure you get some time in each day?   Step 2: What do you want to accomplish in your 10 hours per week? Create 3 big goals every week to work towards that will get you where you want to be. Do you need to build your email list? Do you need more visibility from activities like guest posting, podcast or getting on or starting a YouTube channel?   Step 3: Then put the tasks you identified into the time pockets available in your schedule. Then DO the tasks at the appointed times!   Jessica also recommends that you have something completely passive in your business as soon as possible. Create some kind of low priced offer that you can build a funnel to? This means having a free opt-in like a cheat sheet or checklist to encourage people to sign up to your email list, after then get the freebie, then they get a few emails that lead them towards the low priced offer like an ebook or a mini course with a few videos. This will help you get your systems up so it will be easier to scale once you leave the job and start making your side-hustle your full time hustle!   You can connect with Jessica Debry via her website at www.jessica-debry.com and instagram.com/jessicadebry, and you can find her new monthly membership club for side-hustlers at www.sheclubmonthly.com.   You can grab her free side-hustle bundle to get you started right here: jessica-debry.com/bundle   Resources:   Audible.com Savor The Success Daily Action Planner The Content Planner 90 Day Year and 90 Day Year Planner The Five Minute Journal Miracle Morning 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think Jen’s Goodreads #100boosayear Challenge Show Your Work Kindle White Pages The Art of Asking   Jessica DeBry shows women how to quit the job they hate and build a business they LOVE.   As an Online Business Mentor, Jessica teaches female entrepreneurs worldwide how to get sh*t done, monetize themselves, and build their brand, so that they can ultimately transform their #SideHustle into Solopreneur Success.   After doing everything “right” and following the traditional school-to-corporate path, she found herself craving more out of life. After 15-months side hustlin’ with her online business (while still working full-time), she quit her 9-5 for good and now shows others how to do the same.   Jessica has been featured on MindBodyGreen, Guided Mind, Pick the Brain, Women’s iLab, and more. She holds a BA in Communications and a MBA in Global Management.  

Ever feel like you have too many ideas for your business? Or too many ideas in general? Some people agonize about needing to pick just one thing to focus on at a time, and act like what they are doing now is what they will be doing long term. The truth is that few people these days stay in the same job or have the same focus for longer than a few years at a time, and having a few different income streams in different areas can help you diversify and stay afloat when things change in your main area of focus.   Meliss Jakubovic knows a lot about this. When I asked her what she does I got the most amazing reply. Her main online business of the moment is Meliss Marketing which runs Facebook ads for coaches, business owners and people who run ecommerce sites. But the way she got into doing Facebook ads was from running her own Health and Lifestyle blog and coaching business. Which she actually still runs on the side. How did she get into Health and Lifestyle blogging and coaching? Well before that she trained in and taught Yoga, something she still also does on the said. But before that she was an Israeli Folk Dancer and also DJed on the side. All of which she STILL does! Oh and did I mention she is also the single mother of two young boys who also dance, do yoga and most of the other stuff right along with Meliss.   Now I tend to think that I'm a pretty busy women with a couple of businesses being run out of my own and caring for special needs kids to boot, but when I heard that Meliss still has a hand in all of these businesses that she ran in the past, I had to ask, do you ever sleep? How do you manage to keep all of these plates spinning? Or balls in the air depending on which metaphor you like best.   Meliss replied that she is very structured with her schedule and sticks to her calendar as best she can. Meliss Marketing is front and center right now, so she tends to spend the bulk of her working day on that. Yoga is part of her own self-care, but the fact that she gets paid to teach yoga classes some evenings and weekends means that her self-care is also an income stream. From what she told me the folk dancing is mainly a hobby, but she does still choreograph for certain shows and while that is going on she prioritizes that until the show is over and then it falls back down the priority list until another show or festival comes up. And the DJing fits in around other things when and if someone wants her to DJ. Oh and did I mention that she has also authored a book along with a companion journal to go along with it?   Because I've been struggling with learning how to run Facbook ads myself lately, I asked Meliss to share a few tips to help someone like me (who feels like I have only thrown money away on FB ads up to this point) start to get a handle on how they can really help my business grow. Here are a few of the tips she gave me:   If you don't have a business page yet, set one up. You need one to run FB ads. Really make use of the business page real estate. Use a really good profile picture for your business page and use the cover photo to let people know what it is you do and how you can help them. Plan out your content. Curate the content, give them plenty of value and make sure you aren't only posting to sell. Facebook exists for engagement first. Being too salesly too soon can turn people off. However as you plan out your content, plan it around the launches or sales that you want to make throughout the year. Find and create content to logically leads into the services and products you want to sell.   I've always loved the idea of planning out my content well ahead of time, but I have honestly never done it outside of planning out content and emails that revolve around a single launch. I love the idea of sitting down and figuring out what I want to share for a couple of months at a time. Meliss even suggests planning around holidays and seasonal events. It may take a bit more time up front, but the payoff in consistency and always having content to post is totally worth the time investment.   You can connect with Meliss Jakubovic via her website at …..  List all her social media contacts here.   Resources:   You can find Meliss’ books Push Positive and My Vision Journal on Amazon. You can get Meliss’ Top 5 Facebook Ads Tips here and you can get her Finding Your Dream Customer Guide here. Meliss Jakubovic is a Facebook Ads Expert and Marketing Specialist. She’s a self-proclaimed Serial Entrepreneur and a hustler full of passion. Her ad agency, Meliss Marketing helps businesses and entrepreneurs put their product or service in front of the right client or customer so they can scale their business strategically and spend time doing what they love to do.   As a single mom of two boys, it is incredibly important for Meliss to use her time efficiently and effectively and that’s why she is determined to get sh*t done for her clients.   Meliss is an extremely hard worker and loves to help people achieve their goals. Problem-solving and resourcefulness are some of her best qualities.

How do you show vulnerability and handle grief? For Sabrina Must, she took her grief after her sister’s death and wrote a memoir. On today’s episode of Financial Fluency, Sabrina and I discuss the turmoils she’s faced and life as an author among many other topics.   In her day-to-day life, Sabrina is a copywriting consultant at her company Write Less Bad. She helps startups with their decks, proposals, website, and more. Sabrina mentions that life as an author isn’t all that glamorous. She says when you write for big-name sites it’s hard to see the return on investment. Her consultancy business is her means of paying the bills with the intention to build up and monetize her blog.   Sabrina used her raw, intense words to inspire others and provide insight into her life. She recalls she was finishing college when her sister committed suicide. And writing her memoir, Must Girls Love, helped her process what was going on after her sister’s death. The writing was a creative outlet for her to focus her energy on something. Her book traces family history. It starts with her mom’s side of the family, and it pinpoints the major events she experienced growing up and details her immediate family.   In addition to Must Girls Love, Sabrina wrote for another book, Living Witnesses Faces of the Holocaust. This book is a collaboration with her mom, who is a photographer. It features portraits of the remaining Holocaust survivors. With each picture, there’s a bio Sabrina wrote about the individuals.   Quotes from Sabrina “When you’re open, other people feel like they can be open with you, too.”   “We’re so quick to label and everyone. People want to understand their place in the world, and people are so quick to make up stories, so things make sense in their head.”   “My whole intention in life is how can I feel happy and how can I feel good? I never want to feel how I felt in my twenties ever again.”   “You can connect with someone who seems far removed, but once you read their experience, you realize you have to be more empathic to those individuals.”   Sabrina is currently working on another book about love and dating. To learn more about Sabrina visit her website here, or follow her on social media: Facebook Instagram Twitter   Resources Must Girls Love Living Witnesses Faces of the Holocaust Write Less Bad http://www.livingwitnesses.net/ https://www.sabrinamust.com/blog/   Bio Sabrina Must is a 30-something woman from Michigan, now based in San Diego, California. She’s the youngest of 4 sisters, daughter to a father who wishes I had married yesterday and to a mom who believes she can do anything in the world! Sabrina has a Masters in Writing from Northwestern University and has a pug named Monkey.

A lot of us have experienced the adolescent scourge of acne that may have made us feel stressed, anxious or embarrassed about standing up in front of class, talking to that cute boy you liked or trying out for the cheerleading team. But when acne turns to cystic acne and follows you into adulthood, it can seriously hamper not just your social life and love life (who feels confident walking up to an attractive member of the opposite sex when you know you have a massive puss-filled lump on your face?), it can also affect your career, your happiness, and pretty much every aspect of your life. Erica Suppa knows a lot about this struggle because she herself has experienced cystic adult acne. Not that you would know it to look at her now! The difference between Erica and most other people out there peddling skin care products is that she is a chemist and worked as a scientist in cancer research first. She deeply understands the underlying chemistry of the human body and particularly human skin. She is able to formulate products that chemically do exactly what she says they will do. She even tests every new product on her own, extremely sensitive skin first.   When I asked for more details she used her purifying bar as an example. She wanted something that had the same pH level as the skin so it wouldn’t dry it out or strip the skin of its natural oils. She then she added both anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial ingredients to reduce inflammation and to curb bacterial growth. What does this mean for the user? It means that you have in a bar a cleanser that not only cleans your skin, it also reduces redness (inflammation) and treats the bacteria present in acne. She also said her male clients love to use it for shaving too. No razor burn or rash. That sounds pretty amazing to me! Listen in or watch below to find out how Erica went from being a cancer research scientist to developing new skin care products that do what they say they do!   You can connect with Erica Suppa via her website at www.freshfacedskincare.com Or on social media: www.facebook.com/freshfacedskincare www.instagram.com/freshfacedskincare www.twitter.com/freshfacedskin   Resources: QVC Rodan and Fields The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris Erica Suppa is the founder of Fresh Faced Skin Care, an advanced skin care studio with locations in Delaware and Pennsylvania. She has more than 15 years of experience in the healthcare industry as an esthetician, skin care expert and research scientist. Erica offers a unique approach to skin care by utilizing her scientific knowledge of skincare ingredients and how they interact with the skin to achieve phenomenal, lasting results. Erica also formulates the Fresh Faced Skin Care product line of professional-grade products with ingredients easily utilized by the skin, making them more effective.  

I can’t help getting a little excited when I meet another mom of a child with severe allergies. Not that I am every pleased to hear that anyone has severe allergies. It’s just that we immediately have a certain understanding of how your plans on any given day can be completely derailed by a call from school or summer camp or gymnastics saying that your child needs immediate medical attention and you have to drop whatever it is you are doing, hop in the car and go! I actually met today’s guest Ashleigh Blatt at the 90 Day Year Live Event in San Diego in April which she ended up arriving to a day late because her daughter had a reaction the day before and had to be temporarily hospitalized. Such is the life for allergy families.   In the traditional corporate world, needing this kind of flexibility can be tough. It can be tough to talk a boss into getting it, and it can be tough taking it because colleagues might see you as a liability to the team and grumble, even though they know you have a very good reason for leaving work suddenly. Luckily Ashleigh realized before having kids that she wanted the kind of freedom and flexibility that self-employment affords. Ashleigh left her consulting and software implementation company with the plan of staying home with her babies while they were small. In today’s episode we talk about not only the work she does for her clients today, but also her own podcast Mompreneur on Fire and her latest project The Power Squad.   Why did Ashleigh create the power squad? Because she felt like so many of the entrepreneur communities online focus on the dude side of entrepreneurship. These are the communities that focus on hustle above all else and tell entrepreneurs to get up, eat protein and sit down and work for three hours before checking email or doing anything else. Or maybe they tout the incredible effects of microdosing LSD on your creativity and productivity. The people suggesting these kinds of things obviously either don’t have small children or leave care and feeding of their kids up to their spouses. The Power Squad Project is different. It is built for women, by women, and does not leave out things like needing to feed and care for children, have a social life and a bit of me-time now and then.   Ashleigh wants women to know that not only can we do it all, we ARE doing it all. As women we can (and ARE) coming together to support one another in the business world. We need real-life solutions, real-life strategies and resources for women who have 1001 things going on and are DOING IT. We run circles around the men in our lives. Now's the time to celebrate and support that.   You can connect with Ashleigh Blatt via her website at www.thepowersquadproject.com or follow her on Facebook or Instagram. Resources:   Stealing Fire The Power Squad Project 90 Day Year Amplify Tour Dr. Sunder Brain Spa   Part motivator, part organizational engineer, as an OBM (online business manager) Ashleigh Blatt is quick to grasp and effectively assess the entrepreneur's vision and opportunity ahead. This has been paramount to her success in driving revenue for celebrities, experts & traditional businesses. Ashleigh also is the Chief Curator at The Power Squad Project, an email community for women entrepreneurs by women entrepreneurs.

As moms, daughters, friends, and wives, sometimes we all get pulled in so many directions by all of our different relationships that we can lose sight of ourselves and what we really want, both in the moment and in long game of our lives. This can look like everything from chronically saying "I don't know, whatever everyone else wants is fine with me" to looking around at your life one day and realizing that you aren't anywhere you ever really wanted to be. Your emotions, your reactions, your anxiety, your jealousy, your feelings about the things you encounter, these are clues you can use to find your way back to you so you can start to honor all of the relationships in your life by honoring the one you have with yourself first. This is the kind of work that Hilary Silver does. Hilary transitioned from brick and mortar counseling work to working online as a relationship expert and empowerment coach, both one on one and with groups, so she could reach more people who struggle both with their relationships with others and their relationship with themselves.   Here are a few tips from Hilary.   You can't have what you want in your life and your relationships if you don't know what that is and how to go after it and get it. A lot of people (moms anyone?) spend so much time taking care of everyone else around them that they lose touch with themselves so much that they don't actually know what they want anymore. So tip one is to figure out what you want. Need help? Go on to tip 2. Observe yourself. Watch yourself watch TV. What movies or commercials make you well up with tears or laugh out loud? What makes you angry or jealous? How do you feel when you watch shows about politics. Your emotions are your clues to the things that are most important to you. If you don't know what you want and don't ask for it, you end up feeling resentful and being unhappy. Once you learn your truth, learn how to speak it effectively without cutting people off or alienating the people who aren't used to you speaking your truth yet. Baby steps. If you feel resentful you haven't said something you want to say, or you are doing something you don't want to do, or you aren't doing something that you do want to do. You have control over what you say and what you do. You are responsible for making the changes required to get what you want and what you need in life. Say the things you want to say and do the things you want to do!   To find out more about Hilary visit her website at www.hilarysilver.com or follow her on social media Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram   Bio   Hilary is a Relationship & Intimacy Expert and Master Coach. She is the founder of Hilary Silver Coaching & Consulting, and the creator of lifestyle brand Hot, Healthy Happy, which teaches LOVERS how to have more intimacy, connection and satisfaction in their relationships so they can keep their love and passion alive for the long term. With 15 years of experience as a licensed couples therapist, she has worked with thousands of clients on issues such as launching healthy relationships, communication and conflict, infidelity, intimacy, sex and lasting passion. Hilary has been featured on Steve Harvey, Men’s Fitness, Women’s Health, Martha Stewart Weddings, Cosmopolitan and Womanista to name a few. She holds a master’s degree in social work and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.  Above all of that, she uses her personal journey from isolation and pain to joy and fulfillment as inspiration to help others find meaning and purpose in their lives. Married to her husband for 11 years, and together for 17, they have 2 spirited children.  She knows exactly what it takes to keep the love and passion alive!   Resources: 5 Love Languages of Children    

Do you love the idea of educational travel, but resist plonking down the money to actually book one of those awesome sounding trips your college sponsors for alumni or that you see advertised for groups? I do too. I love the idea of traveling somewhere cool, drinking fine wines and learning about something that interests me, but I always feel like if it is just for recreation, I should spend that money on a trip that includes my kids, and if it is for my own edification, then I should invest in a conference or something that will move me forward in my career or help me add income to my finances. Which is exactly why I am so excited to introduce you to Alyson Kilday and her company Damesly. Alyson combines the best of these two worlds by offering career focused learning opportunities for women in fantastic locations around the country and around the world.   Alyson says of herself and her partner Kelly, “We believe that investing in yourself returns exponential dividends, and that for women especially, connecting with peers and mentors is more important than ever. We’re not your typical “tour” company, we bring together workshops and learning opportunities from amazing women in the field with people who share a similar passion or interest. We just happen to do it in epic locations, because what better way to form lasting friendships and connections than by sharing an adventure together?”   You can connect with Alyson Kilday via her website at damesly.com or on social media. Twitter Instagram Facebook YouTube Resources: Alyson is excited to have just launched "Damesly Minis" which are weekend workshops and retreats to amazing locations around the country. From learning how to become your own PR agent while cruising on a boat in Lake Powell, learning how unleash and harness your creativity from successful makers and artists in New Orleans to upping your Photography skills while hiking in the Grand Canyon with a NatGeo pro we'll be rolling out even more Minis over the next year. Alyson Kilday is the CEO of Hop & Jaunt, a creative agency based in New Orleans as well as the co-founder of Damesly. She launched her first company while backpacking and sailing across the Caribbean to Colombia and now calls New Orleans homebase. Having grown up in over a dozen countries she speaks Japanese and Spanish fluently and is currently on passport number 5. She’s excited to be able to bring together her love of travel and connecting people from around the world.

Have you ever felt afraid to tap into your own creative potential? Today on Financial Fluency, I’m pleased to welcome Phoenix Muranetz. Phoenix is a unification architect, sacred ceremony designer, performer, and writer. Phoenix helps women awaken their leadership by tapping into their innate brilliance, sensuality, and power.   As the co-founder of the Awakened Woman Convergence, Phoenix welcomes men and women of all orientations to this conference. Her goal is to create a safe space where people can feel safe, heard, seen, and come closer to understanding their purpose.   Phoenix explains her current path in life wasn’t something she chose years ago. Originally, she wanted to be involved in the arts and visual arts. But after high school, Phoenix was confused because the message she got from society was that it was “too hard” to be an artist and that not a profession real adults take part in. Phoenix tells me It wasn’t until she went to Burning Man that she had her spiritual awakening and discovered her purpose—unifying people together by transformative experiences.   On the show, Phoenix tells me this is the first year they’re opening up the conference to men, and the conference will have workshops for couples to explore their sexuality and creative genius. In addition, there will be workshops focused on healing and harmony to help women grow in their business and in their personal development.   Wise Words from Phoenix “If you’re finding blocks in your business, or you’re not finding the flow, connect with a spirit and ask: How is my work connected with the great directive of the planet? Once you know, figure out how you can align with that more.”   From Oct 12th-15th, 2017 in Arizona, Phoenix is hosting the annual Awakened Woman Convergence Leadership Conference. The workshops in the Awakened Woman Convergence are designed to allow you to express yourself radically. Phoenix also notes she is able to speak to the connection between 'Pussy' + Profit. She says, as women, when we open up our Sacral Chakra, we release the shame we've carried around our sexuality, and begin to honour our wombs with more presence, profit and prosperity increases exponentially. Phoenix highlights the three main philosophies of Pussy Wisdom so women can reconnect with the flow of abundance and prosperity in their lives in opening up to: Presence vs. Hustle Receiving vs. Taking Expansion vs. Force   To learn more about Phoenix and the Awakened Woman Convergence, visit her website: awconvergence.com, pussy-wisdom.com, or follow her on social media: Facebook @AWomanMovement Instagram @PhoenixMuranetz   Resources Tickets are still available for the annual Awakened Woman Convergence Leadership Conference in Arizona Oct 12th-15th.   Use promo code: jenturrell to receive a $500 discount off your ticket.     Pussy Wisdom Tour: Radical Conversations on Pussy Wisdom, Sisterhood and Feminine Leadership. Live Events will be taking place in Scottsdale, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and New York Bio Phoenix Muranetz explores the soul’s capacity for love, expression and expansion through her work as a Unification Architect, Sacred Ceremony Designer, Performer & Writer.   Founder of the Awakened Woman Convergence, an annual global gathering of visionaries & leaders with ambassadors in over nine countries, she builds empowered communities who together support one another in exploring their authentic desire, creative expression and awakened selves.

What would happen if you turned off the world and looked inward? Today on Financial Fluency, my guest is best-selling author Suzanne Adams. Suzanne is a speaker, life purpose consult, and the author of Musings of an Earth Angel. On the show, Suzanne speaks about learning to love yourself, how to flip negativity into positivity, and how to connect with a greater power. Early on, Suzanne lived the  life she thought she was supposed to live. She called this “surface-level happiness” on the show. Suzanne said it was like putting on a front pretending to be happy. She didn’t understand true fulfillment, and it felt like she was going through the motions. This way of life got to a point where she felt a pit in her stomach, and was constantly saying there has to be more. Suzanne shared that during this time, she was chasing fulfillment through her career, shopping, and other’s opinions. Suzanne realized she couldn’t pretend everything was ok anymore. She didn't want to numb the pain anymore. That tumultuous period forced Suzanne to take inventory of the important things in her life. This mindset catapulted her to her mission. Suzanne allowed her body to heal and it brought her into alignment with her purpose. Suzanne says “My life purpose is to teach people how to reach their highest level of potential.” Suzanne’s book, Musings of an Earth Angel, is about understanding divine communication and self-love. In a way, the book mirrors the struggles she faced when experiencing her spiritual awakening. Suzanne mentions the intention of her book is to awaken people to a higher meaning and deeper purpose with a story that’s relatable.   Self-Love Explained by Suzanne The first step to self-love is to look at your thoughts and think about the things you tell yourself every single day. Everything is energy. If you think and treat yourself negatively, that’s what you’ll attract. Have boundaries for yourself. Showering yourself with love is important. Allow yourself to have non-negotiable time. Cherish and create sacred rituals that put you first. These rituals will fill you up from the inside out. The way you fill your well up affects everyone around you.   Suzanne Shares Her Personal Message Here “I teach people how to live a life of fulfillment and happiness. My top tips are to always trust your heart, do what scares you, and find like minded people that inspire you and surround yourself with them. My big why is to help to make the planet a happier place.” To learn more about Suzanne visit her website suzanneadamsinc.com, or follow her on social media. Instagram Facebook   Resources Empowerment Retreat in Sedona, AZ from September 28, 2017 to October 2, 2017. This retreat will help let go of what’s in your way so you can step into the next level of leadership and deepen your intuition. Musings of an Earth Angel book trailer: https://youtu.be/cySSO56MLKc Free Guided Meditation: http://suzanneadamsinc.com/meditations/   Bio Suzanne Adams is a bestselling Author, Motivational Speaker, and Life Purpose Consultant that is sharing her zest for life with audiences around the globe. She believes that having fun and following your passion are the keys to finding true happiness and living a life of fulfillment and joy! Suzanne was a Speaker at the 2016 Hay House World Summit and is so excited to share with you her secrets to attracting happiness and freedom into your life! Suzanne is thrilled to be leading workshops and retreats around the world. She also loves to share her secrets to success with you through her books, digital courses, and inspirational talks.

Where do you get started with Instagram? Does your photo feed get lost with other accounts on the platform? Today on Financial Fluency, I’m excited to have Rachel Bell with me. Rachel is an Instagram influencer and co-founder of Trill Media. Trill Media is an Instagram marketing agency helping brands grow large, organic followings. On the show, Rachel shares how to use Instagram to drive business growth. She goes in-depth and explains why Instagram is the top social media platform for businesses today and how you can replicate those results. Rachel says 2017 is the year for Instagram because of the new business features they’ve added. Influencer marketing is huge. Thousands of people successfully monetize their Instagram accounts every day, sometimes with a single post. And well-known brands have the budget to spent $5,000 - $25,000 for a sponsored post. Rachel says if you’re a model, live in LA, or have a large following, paid sponsorship is great way to monetize your account. If you have a smaller following, you can run targeted ads to help boost your page. With her own Instagram feed, @drivenyounglady, Rachel aims to connect with millennial women. She wants to give her followers inspiration and advice from her entrepreneurial journey. As a social media strategist who helps make her clients go viral, she’s rediscovering what it means to have her brand on the social media platform. Rachel mentions the shelf life for content on Instagram is short. Thousands of people are posting and using hashtags every second, and it’s easy to get lost in the noise. If you want to gain new followers, Rachel shares that you have to post 1-3 tailored photos on Instagram daily. Continuous posting will help you build and gain trust with your audience. She mentions it can be a lot of work to keep posts engaging, relevant, and likable. Her strategy? Leverage viral content.   Rachel’s Tips to Boost Your Instagram Account If you want to have authentic followers, you have to nurture your Instagram. Follow these tips to help get your account off the ground: Write good content—but know that’s not all. You need to engage with followers and other people’s followers to get more visibility on your account. Cross-pollinate with another account. Feature someone else’s photo with a photo credit, or take part in a shout-for-shout with a handle that has a similar account following Use hashtags. Instagram’s hashtags help categorize and rank your account. Sometimes, it's smart to go outside of those no-brainer hashtags; it depends on the goal of your photo. Steal like an artist. Research what people want to see in your niche. Find related accounts and look at the best-performing accounts and posts. Get an average like and comment total and see what looks abnormal. Replicate those highly engaged posts with your style and aesthetic. Cut through the noise. Instagram had no SEO except for your username, handle, and bio. Tailor your profile to match keywords relevant to your niche and accounts like yours. People naturally want to be brand ambassadors for brands they know and trust. It’s about creating shareable photos. You can connect with Rachel via her company's website at www.trillmediateam.com.   Resources If you want to learn the basic principles to grow your Instagram account, check out Rachel’s in-depth ebook, Instagram Secrets: Get your first 100,000 followers on Instagram with our proven method. You can also join Rachel’s free Facebook group, Become a Social Media Manager. Bio Rachel is an Instagram influencer and co-founder of Trill Media, an Instagram marketing agency focused on helping brands grow a large, 100% organic following so that they can boost influence and go viral. After testing all the typical strategies on Instagram, she has found ways to crack the code and gain a massive following - without using any automation or bots. Now, Rachel has used these tactics to form partnerships with other influencers, create a network of over 25 million users, and amassed a total following of over 450,000 across different accounts.                       

Do you know what, how, and when to measure and track key performance indicators (KPIs) in your business? Today on Financial Fluency, I’m excited to have Jennifer Love with me. Jennifer is an entrepreneur, advisor, and CEO and founder of One More Woman. Jennifer has advised Fortune 200 businesses, celebrities, and high-performing entrepreneurs. She’s even helped raise over $100 million in venture capital funding.   On the show, Jennifer tells me how her entrepreneurial career began. She was in graduate school studying to be CIA/FBI strategist when she received an interesting project: write a business plan for a casino. Jennifer admits she had no clue how to write a business plan. Twenty years ago, there wasn’t much available at her fingertips online. So she turned to books and working with the casino to understand the mindset of the customers. After Jennifer had submitted her proposal, the casino funded it. Today, Jennifer strives to make sure women entrepreneurs do not feel alone. When women lack confidence or devalue themselves in business, it translates into how much money they make. So Jennifer created what she wished she had back in the day, One More Woman. One More Woman is an accelerator for female entrepreneurs who want to grow their revenue 10x and master financial literacy. Her vision is to create an army of women entrepreneurs who move into successful businesses. She sees women redistributing their wealth around the world and making the impact they were born to make. Jennifer wants women to break through everything that’s holding them back in an environment that’s supportive and helpful. Jennifer is hosting a 3-day Money Activation event in NYC that will help you understand your business and make numbers fun, so you feel empowered to make decisions. At the end of the course, you will: Eliminate the stress that’s keeping you stuck when you are in your business. Know how and what to track in your business so you can consistently generate income and make informed choices about where to invest. Have a clear plan, financial model, and flow set up for your business that’s optimized to help you save time and money.  To learn more about Jennifer, visit her website jenniferlove.com or follow her on social media: Facebook Instagram   Resources If you can’t make the Money Activation event happening July 17th - 19th in NYC, visit Jennifer’s website: jenniferlove.com for two programs to keep up with: Money Talks Money Mastery Bio Award winning, Shark Tank conquering, $100M+ raising, 17+ years under her high heels as a 5x serial entrepreneur, whose international wholesale chocolate company, NibMor, was named amongst the top US food and beverage companies of 2016. Jennifer Love is a trailblazer with a heart that matches her name. She’s an Agent of Abundance and the visionary CEO of One More Woman, the movement leading high-impact women entrepreneurs in 2 – 10xing revenue annually and becoming masterful with finances. She’s an eternal optimist grounded in hard analytics and believes ANYTHING is possible. In her words, “It’s not a matter of if, it’s just a matter of how.”

Do you find yourself making excuses for not writing? Today on Financial Fluency, I’m thrilled to have Jeanette LeBlanc with me. Jeanette is a writer and photographer who founded peace.love.free, a transformational writing workshop that helps writers find freedom in their words.  On the show, we talk about Jeanette’s struggles, truth-telling, and making a mark with your words. In November 2015, Jeanette was working in a corporate position specializing in content marketing. The marketing department made cuts during the holiday season and let Jeanette go. The layoff turned her life upside down, and pushed her to pursue her creative passion—writing. She remembered there was a great sense of panic after getting laid off because she was a single mom raising two children. About three weeks later, Jeanette realized she didn’t want another job, she wanted to go all in with her writing and created Wild Heart Workshop: 30 Questions To Bring You Closer To Your Wild Heart, which was a precursor to Unleashed. Jeanette tells me the idea was inspired by her own feelings of being lost.  She was without a job, and coping with her failed relationship. So Jeanette decided to write a few prompts to help rediscover herself. She kept writing and 40,000 words later, Jeanette realized she had course content, and wanted to share it with others. Jeanette believes writing can heal, make sense of our world, and understand what’s happened to us. All it takes is one person who understands or knows what you’ve experienced to help you feel like you are not alone. When Jeanette wrote about coming out and leaving her then-husband, she had a friend who lost her son at 40 weeks. Her friend was able to talk to her without diminishing Jeanette’s grief, which brought them together. This interaction was the most profound lesson Jeanette learned, to use the power of language.   Jeanette Shares Her Message “There’s a way to tell stories that invite other people into the narrative who haven’t  experienced life the way you have. When someone sits down to explain their story in a way that allows me to access their experience, my compassion grows, and my understanding of the world grows. It’s a tremendous gift for the writer and anyone who comes across it.” Unleashed is a 12-week journey with different themes each week; the final week explores universality in writing. Jeanette says this helps writers think past their own experience to connect and help someone else. For more information about Jeanette visit her website peacelovefree.com or follow her on social media. Facebook Twitter Instagram   Resources Sign up for the next Unleashed Workshop here. The workshop starts gathering on July 5th and officially begins on July 10th.   Bio Jeanette LeBlanc helps writers, would be writers and ‘but-I'm-not-a-writers' unleash their voice, tell their stories, and create compelling content that resonates. Jeanette is the creator of peace.love.free, a transformational writing workshop that aims to help writers unleash their courage to stand in their power. In addition to being a writing coach, Jeanette is a photographer, poet, and feminist. She currently lives in Phoenix, AZ with her two daughters.

Have you ever thought about your life’s calling to do the work you were meant to do? Today on Financial Fluency, I am pleased to have Shirley Harvey with me. Shirley is a writer, illustrator, and artist from the UK now living in Montreal, Canada. For Shirley, drawing and writing were always passions of hers as a child. On this episode, Shirley shared how disappointed and disillusioned she felt after graduating university. She stopped creating and trained to become a homeopath. For her, becoming a homeopath opened her up to a whole new world of working with energy and spirituality. When her husband was offered a job abroad, she knew it was her calling to move and start over. In 2013, Shirley moved to Montreal with her husband and son. When she realized she was unable to practice homeopathic medicine in Canada, she started to draw and write again as a way to discover herself. It was during this time Shirley recounts her marriage was falling apart, and Shirley and her husband decided to divorce. She was a single mom living in the inner-city with no car during the harsh winter months with her son. Shirley had no job and didn’t speak French. She tells me “It was like I was standing on the edge of the cliff, and all my monsters were behind me yelling to jump off.” That moment in her life led her to open her Etsy shop selling prints and self-publishing her books. Shirley has six books out and is currently working on a seventh. She describes her books as children’s books for adults. The books helped her to express and explore her own feelings about her divorce and isolation, but they also helped her connect with her son and his feelings at the time. Shirley plans to ramp up her marketing message and take her books to a book fair in Toronto. Ultimately, Her goal is to get her books into the right hands of the right people. Shirley says she has a gift that allows her to see life in the bigger perspective; she can bring the obscure into layman’s terms with beautiful pictures and poems.   Shirley’s Message For so many people, we see the overnight success—not the years of struggle. Follow your dreams, be creative, and come back into alignment with your soul's true purpose.   Resources To find out more about Shirley and her books visit her website shirleyharvey.com or you can follow her on social media: Facebook Instagram   Bio Shirley writes and illustrates children's books that help connect families. Her work is a mixture of rhyming verse and adorable animal pictures that explore emotions and life circumstances, opening up conversations about more difficult topics while providing comfort and humour parents can share with their children. Although her books are perfect for children aged 6 and up, they are a must for the whole family who want to reconnect with their inner child.   British born and raised, she now lives in Montreal with her son and two cats, Bruce and MissFits.

What would you do if $10,000 showed up in your bank account tomorrow? That’s a question my guest, Cassie Parks asks on today’s episode of Financial Fluency. Cassie is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, and founder of Manifest $10,000. On the show, Cassie shares how she made and manifested money by building multiple income streams. She also explains the importance of rewarding yourself when you’ve been successful. Cassie’s journey started when she was still working her corporate job and bought a house with bedrooms she could rent out. She found she could more than pay the mortgage with the rent she was collecting, and when the roommates moved out she decided to downsize her own living situation to a studio apartment so she could rent the entire house out. From there it was onwards and upwards as she added more rental properties to her portfolio. This way when she was ready to leave her corporate job to start her entrepreneurial career, she already had a source of significant income on her side. She capitalized on her entrepreneurial spirit and mindset to help her achieve her goals. Cassie found a coaching process she loved and started to work on her money mindset. With this, Cassie realized she could change things if she changed the way she thought. Cassie attributes her success to her money mindset and following her intuition in her real estate investing. Our discussion covered the importance of creating multiple streams of income and working on your money mindset. Cassie recalls when she started to change her own mindset and habits. She stopped going to Target and the clearance racks, spending $200 on items she didn’t need. She says, when she learned to invest in what made her happy, she ended up with rental properties and a big pile of money.   Cassie’s Money Mindset Tips Use your imagination. Visualize and tap into what it would be like to have $10,000k in your account. The “how” isn’t your job. Get crystal clear on what it looks like to have more money and make the small changes to be that person. Modify the words you use. Look at the words “spend” and “invest." The word "spend" has a negative feeling to it. When you start thinkings of purchases as investments, you end up feeling more in control of your money.   Experience some of the abundance, don’t wait. Be the person who has money instead of trying to be the person with money. Practice being that person by experience some of the things you want. If you can’t afford the $100 dinner, go out for happy hour or an appetizer instead and feel the ambiance instead of waiting.   Cassie Shares Her Personal Message Here “I do what I do because when I changed my money story, everything changed. It was creating a money mindset that supports my happiness that has enabled me to live the life I am living today, which is so amazing! I'm passionate about helping anyone who wants to change their money story and live more abundantly. People think it takes millions and millions of dollars to be financial set or happy and I enjoy showing people it can be way easier than that.”   Today, Cassie is a coach and facilitates workshops to help clients tap into who they are five years into their business. To find out more about Cassie, or to learn more about her books and programs visit her website http://www.cassieparks.com or http://www.manifest10k.com. You can also find her on social media: Facebook Twitter   Resources Cassie offers her entry program, Manifest $10K, and it’s only $1 to start. Clients then pay 10% of what they manifest. Cassie also has a Change Your Money Story Cheat Sheet that’ll give you advice on how to have a different conversation about money and how to change your mindset and story. Also check out Cassie’s best-selling book Manifest $10,000: Learn How to Manifest 10,000 by Using the Law of Attraction and Improving Your Money Mindset.   Bio Cassie Parks is a best-selling author, and money mindset coach. Her superpower is helping people welcome more money into their lives. Cassie retired from her corporate job at 32 using her own mindset tools which lead to investing in real estate. She loves helping people turn their wildest dreams into dreams come true as well as hanging out with those she loves and dancing for no reason at all.

Do you feel like you’ve hit an income ceiling and you have to work really hard to earn more money? Today on Financial Fluency, I’m excited to have my guest Michelle Lowbridge with us. Michelle is the author of Wealthology: The Science of Smashing Money Blocks and a teacher on unlocking the human potential. She helps people identify and understand why they’re not reaching their full potential. In this episode, Michelle talks about how she built her business and saw success within 48 hours. She started her journey when she was pregnant with her son. At the time, Michelle wasn’t making much money at her brick-and-mortar kinesiology practice, and decided it was time to close the shop so she could take a year off after her baby, Jackson was born. She knew she wanted to have an online business, but didn’t quite know what that meant. Michelle’s first attempt was with her first course “Happiness for Mums.” The course focused on mindset manifestations and opening yourself up to opportunities. She recalls nothing happened. In fact, she got two sales from her friends and that was it. After taking some time to discover what her own underlying “upper limit problem” was, Michelle pinpointed the story she was creating in her head. This story was causing the money blocks and prevented her from unlocking her full potential. After completing her mindset exercises, Michelle remembers feeling better within the first 24 hours. With her newfound energy, Michelle posted in the Lucky Bitch Facebook group if anyone wanted to practice the exercises with her. To her surprise, there was an influx of people ready to sign up. Today, she has 31 practitioners. By 2016 Michelle had built a successful business model. People were flying from all over the world to train with her, she had a bestselling book, and was running a high-level mentorship. After the high of doing a two-day training, she found herself inexplicably low. Despite having recently moved her family into their dream home, everything suddenly felt impossibly hard. One of Michelle’s key skills is understanding why people don’t achieve their full potential, and knowing exactly what to do about it. It was time to put herself under the microscope. Over the next few months, she realised there were Seven Laws, which, when put into practice, allow you to maintain a healthy trajectory in the direction you want to go, and make agile decisions an everyday reality. Now she’s bringing her knowledge to CEOs who are trying to do the right thing by their customers, employees, and investors – and consequently don’t sleep much, and probably won’t relax for the next few decades. Michelle knows first-hand how much stress impacts decision-making, which damages company profits, and puts your entire operation at risk. Michelle notes if you change your energy system, you can change your subconscious. But sometimes, money blocks are not always about money. When you’re struggling to get through the week, here are a few of Michelle’s tips to help you pause, reflect, and realign your energy.   Michelle’s Advice on Editing Your Energy Acknowledge that it’s hard. That’s the first step. Know that it doesn’t have to be hard. Your subconscious immediately defaults to the story because that’s how your mind keeps you “safe.” Allow for the possibility that it can be easier. What’s the story around the reward for it being hard? Create the space of possibility. Start with 10 minutes of non-negotiable “you” time every day.  Lie down flat, put your phone on airplane mode, close your eyes and be silent.  Set a timer for 10 minutes.   Calm will come over you, and it will make you more productive, and the harassed energy will be released. When you lie flat, your energy layers realign to help your body process your energy better. Michelle says you need to start by thinking about your attachment to things being difficult. What are the negative things that will happen if it wasn’t hard? If things were all of a sudden easy, what would that mean to you? She notes the thing you most want to be doing is where you’ll feel the most resistance. To learn more about Michelle visit her website: www.michellelowbridge.com or follow her on Facebook or Instagram: @michelle.lowbridge.   Resources Listeners who email michelle@michellelowbridge.com and ask for Wealthology and The Agile CEO will receive a PDF copy. Understand why you’re blocking success and money. Discover your wealthology profile by taking Michelle’s quiz: http://www.energy-editing.com/wealthology-quiz/.   Bio Michelle Lowbridge is a an author, teacher, and expert on the art of unlocking human potential. Never afraid to pivot, evolve, and do things differently, she grew her company revenue by 54x in 24 months. It began with a simple shift in perspective, which led to her making four times her annual profit in two weeks instead of one year. Since then, she’s helped hundreds of entrepreneurs to amplify their money-making abilities. A highly sought-after teacher and mentor, Michelle attributes much of her success to her fascination with the human mind and her ability to make agile decisions that are easy to execute. She lives in the English countryside, loves random adventures, and prizes love, truth, and humour above everything.

Not seeing the business results you want? Whether we like it or not, how we look and how we dress affects how others perceive us. On today’s episode of Financial Fluency, I have Lee Heyward, an image and sales strategist and author of Strategically Suited: Your Secret Edge to Grow Sales and Get New Clients. Lee believes when you level-up your image you’ll be able to achieve the results you desire. Lee mentions on the show that people are buying you. The way you present yourself is setting you up for that. The best thing about your image is that you control every aspect of your brand. We’ve all heard the phrases “dress for success” or “dress for the job you want” — but what do those phrases mean to you? For Lee, she works with her clients to take a step back, strategize how to put who you are into your style, and analyze what you’re trying to do.  Is it to attract a client or climb three steps up the corporate ladder? When Lee first started her career, she was a personal stylist, but now she considers herself a part of her client’s brand. Business can come from the strangest places. Lee notes airports are often where  she runs into the most interesting people. She states “If you have to justify the way you look, then it’s not right for you. Sometimes we avoid presenting our very best selves because we think it’s a lot of effort and work to do it, but that’s not true.” Lee helps clients create an image with an edge that will instantly increase sales. Lee’s Style Tips for Creating an Image Lee acknowledges that life is an evolution - sometimes people lose touch with what their style is, what they like and dislike, and how to dress. She shares one of the easiest ways to tap into that: Ask yourself one question “How do you want to feel at this moment?” Think of three words you want to feel and write them down on a sticky note. Stick those sticky notes in your closet and when you get dressed, ask yourself if those descriptions match how you feel. Put a second sticky note in your wallet with those three words and use it as your roadmap whenever you go shopping. Lee’s Mission The way you present yourself is the most powerful marketing tool you have--and most people are underutilizing it. Opportunities are everywhere so why not give yourself an edge by creating an image that strategically helps you reach the results you desire. This isn't about dressing for success, it's about determining the best strategy for you to grow your business simply by changing your clothes. To learn more about Lee and her image and styling services, visit her website: leeheyward.com. You can also follow her on social media: LinkedIn Twitter Facebook  Resources Lee’s book officially launches to bookstores nationwide on June 13, 2017. Listeners who opt-in on her website will get a complimentary hard-copy mailed to them. The Image Edge Calculator calculates how much additional income you can bring in if you have an image edge. Find it on her site leeheyward.com.  Bio Image and sales strategist Lee Heyward, helps clients create an edge to grow their sales and get more clients. Lee believes that when you up-level your image, you confidently close every sale, stand proudly on stage, and achieve the results you desire. Her real-world approach demonstrates that up-leveling your image isn’t about creating a perfect package; it’s about tapping into what makes you the best version of yourself for both you and your clients.  

Have you been struggling to find time for writing in your busy life? Are you sitting on a good idea, but can’t focus to get it done? Today on Financial Fluency, I’m pleased to have Gabriela Pereira with me. Gabriela is the author of DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community and founder of DIY MFA, the do-it-yourself alternative to a Master's degree in writing. She created DIY MFA to help writers around the world get the "knowledge without the college." Gabriela’s mission is to empower creative individuals to take an entrepreneurial approach to writing. On the show, Gabriela mentions she’s had many prior lives, and jokingly considers herself to be part feline because of that. She worked as a psychology researcher for a while then went on to design toys before founding DIY MFA. Gabriela admits it was an accident; she didn’t found DIY MFA, it “found” her. On this episode, you’ll hear how that accident came to fruition and where she is today. Gabriela starts off by sharing where the idea for DIY MFA began. Gabriela admits she went to school to get her MFA for all the wrong reasons. She didn’t know how to get published, but she knew she was good at writing. It wasn’t until she was sitting in her commencement ceremony expecting to feel like a writer, and she didn’t feel it, that the DIY idea came to her. She talked to a lot of people, and she realized a fair amount of them could not go on to obtain their MFA as she did. Gabriela thought about how she could share what she learned in the MFA structure and how to help people construct their DIY MFA themselves. Gabriela did what everyone did with a blog in 2010—she wrote about it, and her question was simple:  "If there was a DIY MFA would you do it?”  Fast-forward to 2012, Gabriela is nine months pregnant and attending the Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City. At the conference, she finds herself talking to a guy who asked to hear her “pitch slam.” (It’s kind of like speed dating for writers - you pitch your book idea to an agent.) To Gabriela’s surprise, this man ended up being a Writer’s Digest agent. After hearing her pitch, he gave her his card and said to send him the book proposal. Gabriela notes before jumping the gun she contacted an old colleague, Jeff Kleinman. After talking to him, she ended up signing him as her agent. The first thing he told her was that her site and social numbers needed to improve, so Gabriela spent two and a half years building her platform. She grew her business, spoke at conferences, made connections, and got her name out there. At the end of December of 2014, she signed the book writing contract, and DIY MFA took off.  Gabriela believes people should write their book; it’s an accomplishment that gives the author three extra tools for their writing toolbox. Publishing a book is a credibility builder for your career. Writing your book gives you visibility as an author. The journey of writing the book makes you clarify your ideas.   Gabriela’s Writing Techniques Writing advice from Gabriela to help you power through writing a book. Pick one. Zero in and make a choice on what you want to do, what you want to write about, and figure out where your heart is. Stick with it until the end. Remember, if you say “no” to something, you’re saying yes to the thing you want. Revise. Take your revisions as far as you can. Start editing the important part of your book: voice, characters, plot. After you’ve reviewed those elements to make sense of your story, you can move to the scene-by-scene. Look at the dialogue and description. You don’t want to go through a manuscript line-by-line with a red pen if you’re going to end up deleting portions of the book. Keep writing. Avoid the “Shiny Object” syndrome, and focus on writing the one thing your heart tells you to do. Keep pushing through. Writing in the middle of the book is the most daunting task for a lot of writers. Keep thinking about the story and how to keep your readers along for the journey.   The great benefit of Gabriela’s advice is you can use this approach for any written project in your business.  To keep up with Gabriela and DIY MFA, visit the website here. Also, if you're a newbie to the writing industry, blogger, or established author, Gabriela has a writing podcast for you: DIYMFA.com/iTunes (iTunes), DIYMFA.com/StitcherRadio (Stitcher Radio), DIYMFA.com/GooglePlay (Google Play).  You can also follow her on social media: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram   Resources DIY MFA Starter Kit DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community   Bio Gabriela Pereira is a writer, speaker, and self-proclaimed word nerd who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. As the founder and instigator of DIYMFA.com, her mission is to empower writers to take an entrepreneurial approach to their professional growth. Gabriela earned her MFA in creative writing from The New School and teaches at national conferences, regional workshops, and online. She is also the host of DIY MFA Radio, a popular podcast where she interviews bestselling authors. Her book DIY MFA: WRITE WITH FOCUS, READ WITH PURPOSE, BUILD YOUR COMMUNITY is out now from Writer’s Digest Books.

Ever wonder how you can keep your business running with minimal effort? Today on Financial Fluency, I’m excited to have Carrie Hawson with me. Carrie is The Process Pixie, and she helps female entrepreneurs and business owners construct processes to run their businesses efficiently. In her prior life, Carrie was a CPA and worked for a corporate company preparing and reviewing US tax returns for expatriates. Her company transferred her to Belgium—where she currently calls home with her husband. For Carrie, moving back to the U.S. wasn’t an option when her former company extended the then-contract and asked her to travel back to America. She decided to stay in Belgium. Before founding The Process Pixie in September of 2016, Carrie opened her own yoga class offering prenatal and postnatal yoga lessons in a private setting. Her yoga business allowed her to enter the online world where she tried to market her brand in a niche market. During this time, Carrie met other women who needed to grow their business, too, but needed a way off the hamster wheel in order to scale up.   On the show, Carrie recounts her first time working with processes. In college, she had a job at a real estate company, and part of her job was to train the person who was going to fill her role when she went back to school. First, Carrie made a checklist of what needed to get done, so it was easy to train her successor. This comprehensive list is now what she calls "workflows" in her business. Our conversation includes Carrie’s best advice on how to regain time and power back from the mundane tasks. She suggests the following: Streamline as much as you can before handing it off; You don’t have to hire someone online; you can get a free resource. Hire an intern from your local college or university to help you get things done; Outsource any repetitive tasks that you’re doing or tasks you don’t like doing, and the stuff you don’t have time to do; Hire for the things you don’t know how to do.   Carrie currently offers three packages to help her clients automate, systemize, and get their time back. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, Carrie has the skills and knowledge to help get you out of the weeds. Her goal is to help clients focus on the high-level tasks they most enjoy doing in their business.   Carrie Shares Her Personal Message “Simple systems! When it comes to finance you want to keep it simple. Work with an expert or experts. But make sure that you are educated enough to ask them informed questions. And if they can't explain things to you in extremely simple terms, then they have no idea what they are talking about.”   “You should only be doing the things that you cannot be replaced for.” So you can either: Automate so things are happening without needing your input. OR Outsource and delegate to someone else.   To find out more about Carrie and how she can help you keep your business running with minimal effort, visit her website: http://theprocesspixie.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carrierhawson/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprocesspixieposse/ Periscope: @carrierhawson Instagram: @carrierhawson   Resources Carrie’s star chart  -  Use it to track your progress towards goals or savings.   Bio Carrie Hawson is The Process Pixie. She helps female entrepreneurs and small business owners, who are running service-based businesses online. She adores helping them find the fun in creating systems. This allows them to experience more freedom in their lives.  Carrie is a mompreneur and sometimes she can get overwhelmed with kids, work, and life. But ever since she was a child, she has been good at creating plans to achieve her goals and then executing those plans. Carrie has 15+ years of experience creating systems for a wide range of businesses. And she has a lot of fun doing it!

Do you know if your house is supporting you? Just like every organ has a function in the human body, the same applies to your house. Every part of your house has an energy and a purpose. Today on Financial Fluency, we have Patricia Lohan, Feng Shui expert, and serial entrepreneur. In this chat, Patricia talks to us about feng shui and how you can energize your space for success in your business, your productivity, and your mental health.  Patricia comes from a family of entrepreneurs, and notes she moved around a lot growing up. (She recalls moving 20 times throughout childhood!) It was during this period she got into feng shui. Her parents would get a bigger house, and they’d completely redecorate it—Patricia would then look up books on interior design and feng shui. She had an epiphany when she saw the different houses—she noticed all houses have different energies: some are good for the money, some are bad for people, some are good for people, and vice versa. Every house has a different challenge, and every house has its specific energy. Patricia studied business in college, and she ran the family business for seven years. During this time, she realized she was fulfilling someone else’s dream, not her own. At age 24, she was managing 30-person staff. She was burnt out. This was a turning point in her career, and she decided to travel to India and train in yoga. After returning to Ireland, she met her husband. Patricia believes her journey to her fulfilment (regarding her career) linked her to finding true love with her husband, Ken. Patricia has seen the power of the mind concerning one’s surroundings, inner healing, and the miraculous transitions that can occur when all three align to perform together in harmony. She states: “We don’t realize how our houses have an impact on our lives and business.”   Three Levels of Feng Shui from Patricia First level is feng shui, declutter, and clear out. You can add some things in like lucky bamboo, a jade plant, or ferns—something that’s soft enough, nothing spiky. Second level is finding out what every area of your home represents, and then add practical things to those areas that’ll provide prosperity. You’ll become more aware of your house. Third level is understand the relationship between you, your areas, and the house. There are nine areas of your house, when you harmonize the elements, you’ll become mindful of the areas.   Pearls of Wisdom from Patricia Feng shui is acupuncture for your home; it’s getting the chi flowing. If you treated your home like your best friend, you would treat it with respect. You wouldn’t give your best friend junk food or a broken gift, the same applies to your home. It’s about creating a positive relationship with your home—and when you do—it will support you.   To find out more about Patricia Lohan and the art of feng shui, visit her website: http://patricialohan.com/. Or connect with her on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PatriciaLohan.RestoringYouBack.ToHarmony/ Facebook Group Dream Life & Biz Creators: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DreamLifeCreators/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LohanPatricia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lohanpatricia Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/parashakti888/ Google+: +PatriciaParashaktiLohan   Resources Free 3-part feng shui training video series opening on May 24 for two weeks: www.fengshui.patricialohan.com   Bio Patricia Lohan helps female entrepreneurs accelerate success through creating powerful environments. She shows you what they don’t teach in business school, what lies between the lines, your top secret tool for success. She is a Feng Shui expert, a healer, and passionate female entrepreneur who has shaped her dream life living in Bali with her husband. She is has seen first hand the power of the mind, surroundings and inner healing, clearing and aligning everything so it works holistically. An incredibly spiritual person but also highly practical too. She loves entrepreneurship and has 15 years of experience running and growing three successful start ups of her own.

Does your money own you? Do you find yourself sticking your head in the sand instead of facing money problems head-on? Today on Financial Fluency, we have Belinda Rosenblum. She’s a CPA, author, and creator of Money Maker’s Academy. Today she’ll talk about how to develop the skills you need to manage money, and rewrite your money story. Belinda had a thriving 15-year career in corporate finance. During that time, she recalled feeling like she was checking her personality at the door. She was bored. Belinda was working without the problem-solving, and she missed the emotional connection with other people. In May of 2007, she decided to start her business, one year after leaving her corporate job. (And one year before the infamous 2008 stock market crash.) At first, Belinda planned on transitioning into a financial advisor role. She wanted to be the financial therapist who could help nurse clients back to a stronger relationship with money, and help them understand the tactical side of what they need to do. After talking to several women, she turned down the advisor job, started her own business, and launched her first program in December 2007. She had 12 people in her first workshop; those people in the group set the foundation for the rest of the year. In 2008, everything crashed. Despite that, Belinda claims it was the recession that helped her grow her business. Everyone was spending more than they were making. There were no “financial coaches” in the game ten years ago, so she was able to lead the way as a financial specialist to help clients work through their money stress.  Belinda’s mission is to transform the way people think, feel, and act with money to give them back their power over their money mindset and money management. She notes money management is a learned skill. There’s nothing wrong with you because you haven’t learned how to manage your money. What matters is knowing what actions to take based on what your numbers are telling you.    Belinda’s Money Advice  “People feel stuck in their circumstance. We feel broken when we’re not good with money. It’s as if other people know what they’re doing when really, they don’t. People spend a lot of time hiding what they don’t know about money. It’s a skills problem. There’s a gap between where we are, what we know now, and where we want to be.”   For more information about Belinda and her online workshops, visit her directly on her website: www.OwnYourMoney.com or follow her on social media. Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ownyourmoney/ Twitter - @ownyourmoney New online free workshop: ShiftYourMoneyDestiny.com   Resources Personal Workshop http://ownyourmoney.com/video/destiny/ Business Owner’s Workshop http://ownyourmoney.com/video/destiny-business/ Money Makers Academy Program www.ownyourmoney.com/academy Also check out  90 Day Year   Bio Belinda Rosenblum is a CPA and Wealth Expert who helps you take the worry and fear out of money. She believes life is supposed to be fun, and money is supposed to fund it for you! Belinda is the creator of the Money Makers Academy, a monthly step-by-step program teaching you the essential money skills and mindset that you may assume everyone else knows but actually very few people were ever properly taught. Belinda is the coauthor of the book, SELF-WORTH TO NET WORTH: 12 Keys to Creating Wealth Inside and Out, offering a step-by-step approach to help you build your financial self-esteem and manage your own financial life. If she’s not talking about financial freedom, Belinda is likely enjoying the sunshine and chasing after her marathon-running husband and 2 spirited toddlers.

How would your life be different if you spoke authentically? Today we welcome Sage Hobbs, our guest on today’s episode of Financial Fluency. Sage is a coach, speaker, and author of Naked Communication: Courageously Create the Relationships You Really Want. And today, we’ll explore her book and how she turned her love of people and relationships into a fulfilling, rewarding career. Sage says she always wanted to write a book. And once she made the commitment, she went for it. She started thinking about what fascinated her—and it was people. Sage began looking at where her passion and curiosity (human capacity and human potential) line up with her professionally—and again she saw that all of her career choices have been about people. Her strength is to connect people better with each other and themselves. And the rest is history! Before writing her book, Sage visited Kenya and shortly after that landed her dream job as an inner-city school counselor. At 23, she was working at her dream job, and that’s where life took a sudden turn. At work one day, Sage felt a pea-sized lump on her collarbone. Doctors determined after her lymph node biopsy; she had cancer at 23. Battling cancer at a young age showed her how the community, friends, and family were there for her. It was in these years that Sage understood that life is fleeting and that she needed to make life the way she wanted it to be, that she got to decide.   There are two things she recounts her mother saying to her during her bout with cancer: Let love in. It’s a generous act to allow people to contribute to you. Sage admits that asking for help is really hard.  It was hard for her to ask for help and hard to allow others to help her. As humans, we make everything mean something. We make up a fictitious story in our heads. We make asking for help mean that we can’t handle it, we’re not worth it, we’re not strong enough, etc. Sage reiterates you can’t have full responsibility for your life until you can separate the two (fact and fiction). Her book helps readers pull back all the layers of conditioning, automatic ways of being, patterns of behavior, and gives insight into how to show up in a more ‘naked’ way and have authentic conversations in four ways. To her, these qualities are the 4 C’s to communication: Clean Clear Compassionate Courageous   Human interaction, as Sage says, is a desire all people crave. People are longing to be themselves, have others see them for that, and find depth and intimacy from a place of authenticity. To do this, you must pay attention and nurture the relationships you want to last. No matter how good you think you are at commutation, you can always improve.   Real Talk from Sage “The first step is awareness. If you want to be naked, you have to be real with yourself.”   Sage’s Advice for Effective Communication Look at yourself. If you don’t understand how you communicate already, it’s hard to change, shift, or evolve. You have to know if you’re more passive, assertive, direct, passive-aggressive, etc. You can evaluate this when you bite your tongue when you want to say something, but you don’t, or by looking at the way someone responds to you. Know when to speak up, when not to speak up, and have a choice about it. It’s not always the time. If something is still raw, or someone’s angry, or the issues are still tender—that might mean it’s not the time to have a conversation. Be reflective and have a choice. Everyone has conflicts. Always take responsibility for your part, but the doesn’t mean you let the other person off the hook. You should only apologize when you've done wrong.   For more information about Sage, her one-on-one guidance, and group coaching visit her directly on her website www.sagebhobbs.com, or follow her on social media. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sagebhobbs/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SageBHobbs Instagram: @sagebhobbs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sagebhobbs/   Resources Naked Communication: Courageously Create the Relationships You Really Want: Get Sage’s FREE The ASK Formula cheat sheet here: http://www.sagebhobbs.com/ask-formula-cheat-sheet/ Discovery Call with Sage: http://www.sagebhobbs.com/scheduling/ The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help.   Bio Sage B. Hobbs is a women’s empowerment coach, motivational speaker, and author of Naked Communication. She’s known for her bold and insightful approach to communication, relationships, and personal growth. Sage works with women in both individual and group settings to create experiences of courage, self-expression, and freedom. When women feel stuck, dissatisfied, and stagnant, Sage supports them in unleashing their voice, taking action, and transforming their status quo. Prior to creating her current work on Naked Communication, Sage received her Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and spent a decade working with teens and families to navigate the wild path of growing up. She’s also a mom of two, a cancer survivor, a proud teacher’s wife, a “retired” school counselor, a world traveler, a living room dance party aficionado, and a book lover. A Philly girl at heart, she now lives in beautiful Boulder, CO with her favorite man on earth and their two awesome kids.    

Do you have the life you desire? Are you asking yourself “What do I want?” but not giving yourself permission to have it? Today on Financial Fluency, we have Denise Duffield-Thomas, the money mindset mentor for online female entrepreneurs. Denise, also known as the “Lucky B,” is the founder of luckybitch.com and author of two best-selling books Lucky Bitch and Get Rich, and Lucky Bitch. In both books, Denise gives readers and boot camp goers an insight into how and why fear and mindset plays into finances, and how to turn that around so even skeptics can manifest the life they really want. Denise admits she was never taught how to feel good about money and manage it well. She grew up with a single mom and money was always tight. She believed she had to be deserving her entire life to be successful because of teachings through the church. But, Denise quickly realized as an adult that’s not the case. When you’re in a positive state of mind, and you take positive action, there tends to be a positive reaction, with the reverse being true as well. For example, when Denise was around the college age, she had no money in her account, and class was due to start in three days.  She maintained a positive mindset, telling herself that things would work out, and sure enough due to a bank error to her benefit, she was able to pay for her classes.  She also manifested a trip around the world with her husband for six months with all expenses paid and blogged about it.  Denise shares how about every couple of years she goes through a transition, and she questions what she’s doing, who’s she’s serving, and if she’s on the right path. Even though Denise’s success didn’t happen overnight, she didn't let time stop her from reaching her potential. Sometimes paths can lead you astray, but what matters is growing from experiences, and find the hidden gifts.   Denise shared about her past investment of $5,000 in her book “Get Hitched Lucky Bitch.” During that time, she quickly realized she didn’t have to do everything for everyone and be something she’s not, and that she should focus on finances and help exceptional women who want to create outrageous success. She achieved that with two simple steps, examining old patterns and practicing forgiveness (adopting the Hawaiian forgiveness ritual: Ho’oponopono). Self-worth and net worth are intertwined and getting stuck in the cycle of self-sabotage will prevent you from the next level of success. Denise is a firm believer that forgiveness is the gift you give yourself to let go and grow. Denise’s Tips on Manifesting Your Life: Inaction leads to more inaction. You have to try the “brain-training exercises” to help you understand yourself and deep-rooted patterns. Forgive and examine those things (or people) that sabotaged you. Money is a tool for us to live the life we want to live. Being “rich” isn’t always monetary.  It could also be richness in your outlook and thinking. Build the muscle of asking what YOU want, not what other people want. Keep asking “What do I want?” and give yourself permission to have it. Be honest with yourself. The energy you free up will allow you to consciously manifest amazing things in your life. Wise Words from Denise “People try to take the ‘action’ part of the book first without working on the mental, emotional growth. Your fear is real. The resistance feels real. Procrastination feels real. If you just sit back, you’re internalizing all of that; and you’re not giving yourself permission to figure out the cause of your negative money mindset. That’s why you need to do personal growth first. People think the universe will bring anything and everything to them after personal growth, but you have to meet the universe halfway and take action.” You can connect with Denise directly on her website luckybitch.com, or follow her on social media. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/deniseduffieldthomas Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denisedt/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeniseDT Instagram: @denisedt Resources: Get access to Denise Duffield-Thomas’ Money Bootcamp at HERE.   Join the 5-Day Manifesting Challenge HERE.   Denise’s Books: Get Rich, Lucky Bitch!: Release Your Money Blocks and Live a First Class Life. Lucky Bitch: A Guide for Exceptional Women to Create Outrageous Success. Kendall Summerhawk Money Archetypes Course: http://www.kendallsummerhawk.com/moneyarchetypes/ Take a free quiz to find out your money archetype personality HERE.   Bio Denise Duffield-Thomas is the money mindset mentor for the new wave of online female entrepreneurs. Her best-selling books “Lucky Bitch” and “Get Rich, Lucky Bitch” give a fresh and funny roadmap to create an outrageously successful life and business. Denise helps women release their fear of money, set premium prices for their services, and take back control over their finances. Denise is an award winning speaker, author and entrepreneur who helps women transform their Economy-Class money mindset into a First-Class life. Find her at www.LuckyBitch.com.

Do you feel overwhelmed with the plethora of technology needed to support and grow your business? Today on Financial Fluency, Terra Milo is here to explain how she helps small business owners in their first years feel confident and empowered with the tools they’re using. On top of being a tech-savvy consultant (also known as ‘Your Computer Girl’), Terra is a certified health coach. She got into the consulting business after seeing fellow health coaches get frustrated. She'd hear them say ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘I give up’ when attempting to use and manage their online tools for marketing. That’s when the lightbulb clicked and the idea came to Terra. She could help business owners learn how to use online tools. Terra notes that as a small business owner, you’ll find yourself working with online tools at some point or another. Even if you're not in the tech industry, you need to know some tech to run your business online. But, what happens when those tools become laborious and you can’t seem to make it work? Instead of pulling your hair out, this is where Terra steps in. She shows you how to use the website you already have, co-create a website together, set up emails—and much, much more.   Terra doesn’t specialize in one online platform over the other. She has a breadth of knowledge in the tech industry that allows her to go into any system and learn. Her self-proclaimed talent is learning the system and then helping others. And her approach is simple—working one-on-one to understand the tools you’re using and what’s needed for the business. She offers many services. One package includes a personal webinar where you can see her screen while she’s signed into your systems. During this time, you’ll go through the tool together, and she’ll teach you the ins and outs of how to use it. It's also worth noting Terra records this hour-long call so you can reference after. Terra shares some insight to get you from feeling stuck to successful: Your business and needs are unique. A canned YouTube video won’t get you personalized results or make it easier to understand online tools since they change so frequently. You’re going to be more effective if you target niche, specific people instead of a mass group of people. If your budget allows—run testing. Once you test and get results, you’ll know where the good audience is. Figure out the best systems and tools for you, just because a tool works for someone else doesn’t mean it’s best for your business. You don’t need all the bells and whistles when starting out. Keep it simple and inexpensive, so you can scale when you need to. There’s nothing wrong with using a free account in the first few years.   Wise Words from Terra “The exchange of time of money is important to weigh and to be aware of. If it’s not worth it for you to do that, hire somebody.”   Terra’s Mission “My mission is to empower entrepreneurs around technology. When you know how technology works for online marketing, you feel more confident and in control of your business. You also save money because you don't have to pay someone every time you want to make a move in your business. Eventually, you'll grow a team, but in the first few years, it's super helpful to know how things work.”   You can learn more about Terra and how to work with here on her website: http://terramilo.com/, or follow her on social media. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachTerraMilo/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terramilo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/terramilo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC53x0MfyXCKS-REEou1_W0Q   Resources Amy Porterfield’s Podcast “Marketing Made Easy”: http://www.amyporterfield.com/amy-porterfield-podcast/ Being Boss Podcast: https://beingboss.club/ MailChimp: https://mailchimp.com/ ConvertKit: https://convertkit.com/ Mad Mimi: https://madmimi.com/ Active Campaign: http://www.activecampaign.com/ B-School: https://www.marieforleo.com/bschool/ Zero to Launch: http://growthlab.com/ztl/about-the-course/ Lastpass: https://www.lastpass.com/   Bio Terra Milo teaches coaches and entrepreneurs all the computer skills they need to launch their business and spread their mission in the world. From websites to newsletters to social media, she will empower you with skills and confidence so you can infuse your messages with inspiration. Terra believes that technology runs on energy, so when you’re creating websites and emails, you’re literally sending energy to your potential clients. Make sure that energy is confident, positive, and enlightening!  To read more about how to grow your business online with marketing tools—get Terra’s free guide video: http://terramilo.com/freetools.

Are you feeling out of balance with the money for your business? Today on Financial Fluency, we are chatting with the lovely Liz Lajoie. Liz is the owner of Stratera Business Solutions, a consultancy that helps coaches and creative professionals manage their finances. In this episode, Liz will give us an insider look into her new book which is being released today, that details how to manage and understand your business finances. With this, you’ll be able to free up your time so you can do more of what you love and achieve your zen. Liz has a strong background in professional services and business management. She spent a decade as a business manager, CFO, and partner for a civil structural engineering firm. Liz was invited into the ownership and became the only woman in the ownership group. During that time, she suffered from a mystery illness that seemed to have no true diagnosis. After several years, she discovered her illness was Lyme disease. The disease put things into perspective for Liz and made her realize what kind of work made her happy—helping people sort out their small business finances while helping them achieve their goals. Money management is a process. Liz’s book From Zero to Zen: The Secret Keys to Nurturing Your Numbers and Finding Your Financial Flow is a financial how-to book for small businesses and entrepreneurs that will walk you through the best financial practices. Her goal is to have readers feel confident about their money and better understand all the ins and outs of being a small business owner. The book goes through how to read financial statements, setting aside money for taxes, how much money to take out of your business to pay yourself, and more. Liz drives home a key point—you can’t do things right if you don’t have a handle on it. Here are some of Liz’s business tips: Separate personal and business money. Create a business checking account. Note: If you haven’t created an LLC or an incorporated company, it might be hard to open a business checking account. In that case, open up a separate checking account to manage your business finances. Use a financial accounting system to give you a full financial picture. Look at your cash flow regularly in order to keep accurate reports for your business. Scan paper receipts to one location to keep a track of everything. Assess your client onboarding process as the business owner to develop and nurture your relationship(s).   Liz Shares Words of Financial Wisdom: “Take a look your initial onboarding and/or contract flow to get cash in hand is. It can be an area that takes a lot of time, which can affect how long it takes for us to get paid. It’s a great opportunity to develop a great client relationship. Your contracts, invoices, receipts—anything written for your service can be a part of your client communication. The better you are at that, the more the client is going to love working with you. And they may be great as a referral or a continued client.” You can connect with Liz on her website www.staterabusiness.com, or follow her on social media. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lizlajoie Facebook: www.facebook.com/staterabusiness Twitter: @staterabusiness   Resources Get Liz Lajoie’s book, From Zero to Zen: The Secret Keys to Nurturing Your Numbers and Finding Your Financial Flow  Zen Calculator: https://staterabusiness.com/zencalculator Stratera Business Solutions: http://www.staterabusiness.com/ Quickbooks: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/ HubDoc: http://hubdoc.com/   Bio Liz’s passion is partnering with coaches and creative professionals to help them focus on their clients and grow their businesses. She loves to support her clients as they learn the ins and outs of managing their money, and finding ways to increase profits while decreasing any stress associated with their business’s finances. She believes it can be intimidating to face your finances as an entrepreneur. When you jump over the hurdle of "I just don't want to know" and get comfortable with your numbers, amazing things can happen and you realize how much better you feel about your money, your business, and the life you're working hard to build. Her new book From Zero to Zen: Secret Keys to Nurturing Your Numbers and Finding Financial Flow is available on Amazon Thursday, May 18th. She also has a fun, free tool - The Zen Calculator - which helps identify the top money-making numbers and how to use them to grow your business. Get access to the calculator here: www.staterabusiness.com/zencalculator.

Imua (pronounced ee-moo-ah) Services, founded by our guest Meghan Alonso, helps startup companies and individuals get their medical innovations up and running.  The hawaiian word “imua” means “to advance forward with passion despite rough waves”.   With nearly 75% of all startups in this field failing, Meghan’s company offers training, education and connections to key development partners, tailored to the client’s needs so they can bring their life-changing and even life-saving technology to the world.   Meghan’s passion stems from some rough waves due to medical issues for her and her family.   Meghan was born with a folded retina in her left eye that by the time she was in college was replaced with a custom made, hand painted prosthetic eye which looks almost imperceptibly real.  She also has an extra vertebrae in her spine which has resulted in numerous issues including scoliosis, disk herniations, and a tilted pelvis among others.  She had a love of dance and gymnastics, and despite pain which she learned how to manage through exercise, she excelled at both, and even did gymnastics right through college. Her family’s biggest challenge though came from an unidentified illness that plagued her brother, which was eventually identified as Hepatitis C.  Both Meghan and her mother also tested positive for it.  Meghan’s mother likely contracted through a blood transfusion in the mid ‘70s which she transferred to her son and Meghan in utero.  This led to 7 different treatments of low-dose chemotherapy. Through this challenging time they kept moving forward, and now happily report that all three of them are completely free of the disease. Meghan’s passion for surfing led her to Hawaii where she enrolled in a graduate program that ended up not being for her.  After one semester, she dropped out, and surfed all over the island.  She worked at the 4 Seasons Lanai which she loved but eventually realized she didn’t see herself doing it long term.  She obtained Exercise Science Master’s Program in Houston and eventually settled in San Diego.  There she helped athletes reach their full potential.  This led to her working in an orthopedic rehab clinic where she was exposed to medical devices, and a multitude of patients with different rehab protocols.  She was later invited to build a rehab center from the ground up which is now a three center organization. When she moved on from there, she Meghan had the opportunity to live out one of her childhood dreams of dancing on TV and with the Ooh La La salsa dancing troupe, toured all over Europe and the US.  She also was part of America’s Got Talent in Season 6.  All the dancing took a toll on her body, and the pain in her back became increasingly worse and she discovered she also had hip dysplasia and she had damaged the lining of both of her hip sockets.  This led to surgery in Colorado which involved a hip replacement.  Her experience at the clinic led her to finally dive into the field of medical devices.   She started Imua in 2015 after she had been working in medical product development.  The company she was working for was predominantly an engineering firm that innovators used to take care of the engineering component of the device idea.  She soon found herself being contacted by passionate people who had great ideas, but no idea how to get started.   Initially, she offered them resources to help them get started, and soon, it became a business. Meghan helps her clients navigate the complicated process of bringing their ideas to the marketplace.  Whether they move towards actually manufacturing and marketing their product, or selling the idea to a company who can do so, Imua’s mission remains to become the world leader in helping entrepreneurs, scientists, students and inventors bring their life changing ideas to fruition. You can connect with Meghan on her IMUA website at http://imua-services.com/,  via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghanalonso, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/meghanmalonso?lang=en,  and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/meghanmalonso.   Resources: Episode 2 of Meghan’s Podcast - Inspired by IMUA - Running on 3D Printing Prosthetic Legs: How 3D Printing Changed Derby the Dog's Life with Tara Anderson: http://imua-services.com/taraanderson/ Meghan’s Podcast - Inspired by IMUA - http://imua-services.com/podcast-archive/ Texas born and bred with ALOHA SPIRIT and a sprinkling of So Cal carefree, meet Meghan Alonso.  Meghan M. Alonso is known for her medical device podcast, Inspired by Imua, and her valuable connections in the medical industry. She is a patriotic military wife, pet parent, founder and co-founder of 4 successful companies who thrives on guiding medical device and IVD companies through development and manufacturing. When she isn’t helping others, Meghan is hard at work on her MBA she is pursuing from Auburn University, staying active with her adorable husky Abby, crossfitting, enjoying great restaurants and fine wine with her husband, and soaking up the sun on the So Cal beaches.

Ever wonder how to turn livestreams into income?  This week, we have LiveStreamKatya, a Live streamer and a strategist who helps Entrepreneurs utilise live streaming to grow their audience online and generate revenue. When Katya started her online business in 2015, Katya was working as the right hand of a high profile Executive Managing Director in London.  Despite having a great deal of responsibility, the job was not overly stressful, and she was able to develop a business on the side. Katya discovered Periscope quite by accident, in fact to quote her, out of boredom.  Once she started getting to know the platform, she saw the potential in it, and started a community so that she could combine efforts with others so that they could all get 10,000 followers each. From that idea came Peri10K, a free community Katya created, in which the members supported each other, and created and shared content together, attracting more followers. The members created a show called the Share-a-thon, which was a daily livestream show where one topic was discussed and members would share all their followers.  The high quality of the speakers and interesting topics allowed the group to grow very quickly.  Within a couple of weeks, the group had grown exponentially, and Katya was spending countless hours after her 9-5 and on the weekends to support it.   She then realized she had to decide whether to keep it, or shut it down.  At this point, she was not making any money with it. When someone suggested that she charge a monthly fee for the group, Katya set it up and saw her membership grow to 60 members within 30 days, which was enough to quit her 9-5.     She tiered the membership levels, so that the early birds got in for $15 per month and 20 people signed up.  The next 20 people signed up at $30 per month and the next 20 people signed up at $50 per month.  She also incorporated as soon as she started to charge to minimize tax implications. From the initial platform of Periscope, Katya added a blog that quickly had thousands of viewers, and that she invited others to guest post on.  They also started monthly masterminds, hot seats, a Peri10K app and eventually training on live streaming.   Today Katya defines Peri10K as a mastermind that does 2 things:  keeps members accountable, and give them the support and knowledge that they need to succeed.  The monthly membership rate went up to $75 per month, and then to its current level of $97 per month.  Membership is by application, and is only open a few times a year.  There are currently somewhere around 150 members.   Many people find that livestreams on their business page tends to be much less followed than those on personal pages.  In order to grow your Facebook business presence, Katya recommends going live as often as you can on your business page, and not on your personal page.  Firstly because visitors on your business page can be tracked, unlike personal page followers, and secondly because it is actually against Facebook’s terms and conditions to do any selling, and if someone complains, Facebook can shut down your page, no questions asked and without warning. For help with tracking viewers on Periscope, there is a software called Fullscope.tv  that is available for $20 per month, which allows you to see who was there and read and respond to the comments.  You can also collect emails by having your followers put their email addresses in the comments, and mast export them.     Because Twitter and Periscope are part of the same company, you can easily reach out to your followers very easily. Today, Katya general prefers Facebook for live streaming supported by ads to target the right audience.  While Instagram live is great for nurturing followers and hosting giveaways, it doesn’t allow you to share content. Live.ly and Live.me are great for the under 18 crowd and allows you to actually make money from their live broadcasts.   Busker allows you to sell products on the platform or get tips.  It links to your stripe account, and people can buy right from your broadcast.    You can connect with Katya on her Youtube channel at  bit.ly/katyayoutube, on Periscope  at  periscope.tv/livestreamkatya, on LinkedIn at https://uk.linkedin.com/in/livestreamkatya , on Facebook at Facebook.com/livestreamkatya and Instagram at  instagram.com/livestreamkatya   Resources: Get Katya’s free Video Planner called Show up Already, the Live Video Planner to Stop You Scheming and Get You Streaming at http://www.peri10k.com/live-video-planner/ Peri10K:  http://www.peri10k.com/ Busker:  https://busker.co/ Live.ly for iPhone:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/live-ly-live-video-streaming/id1085024470?mt=8 Live.ly for Android:   https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zhiliaoapp.lively&hl=en Live.me:  https://www.liveme.com/ Periscope:  https://www.pscp.tv/ Social: @LiveStreamKatya everywhere. LiveStreamKatya is a Live streamer and a strategist who helps Entrepreneurs utilise live streaming to grow their audience online and generate revenue. With over 35,000 social fans, she’s one of the early adopters on Periscope who quickly learned the ways of the platform and was able to validate and build her business idea, and within 90 days she quit her banking job. She is the CEO of Peri10k, which is a community for speakers and live streamers and she helps entrepreneurs share their message through live streaming. Today, she is one of the 50 (out of millions of users) GOLD VIP Broadcaster with over 22,000 followers on Periscope and is passionate about teaching others how to generate revenue through live streaming.

Rachel Nachmias, Founder of  Best Dressed Image & Color Consulting can teach you how to leverage your image, to create a 7 figure effortless style that is uniquely you. So if Oprah calls, you will know what to wear! Despite being a creative, Rachel enrolled in Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia to study Political Science, thinking this was her path, and made art her hobby.  After two years, she realized that her true love was in fashion design, so she switched to Parsons School of Design.  Despite her chosen field, Rachel privately struggled with her own style whilst attending Parsons, and beyond.  Somewhat by accident, Rachel discovered some tools that helped her define her unique personal style, which gave her confidence and a healthy body image, and decided that she needed to bring this knowledge to the world. Rachel became a Certified 12 Blueprints Personal Colour Analyst, which allows her to help clients identify the colours that work best with their colouring and features.  Ideally this is done in person, or via one of her colleagues that is local to the client.   Color analysis is one of several tools that Rachel uses to identify her clients’ unique style. In color analysis, the three properties that are considered are hue (warm or cool), value (light or dark) and chroma (bright or soft).  When several colors are adjusted to similar levels for these three properties, they will harmonize together.   Rachel shares three concepts that require a good understanding of in order to zero in on the style that works for your brand, goals, shape and personality:   Know where you want to go in your business, and who you want to attract Identify how you dream of presenting yourself Consider your shape when choosing clothing, makeup and hairstyles Rachel highly recommends that foundation clothing, especially bras, be properly fitted so that clothes will fit properly.  In fact, many a time her clothing shopping with clients begins with a professional bra fitting.  In addition, factoring in proper tailoring clothing is so important towards fit and comfort.   Designers typically design clothing in much smaller sizes, called vanity sizing, which are in fact 2 sizes smaller than the retail versions. Many designers stop at size 10 as well, given that the average american woman is a size 16.  Finding the retail stores that sell clothing that work for you will make shopping all the more pleasurable.   Rachel Shares her Message Here: “I help badass boss ladies of all shapes and sizes create a 7 figure style so that they can leverage their image in their business and become the go to expert in their industry. My message is about dressing (and living) with intention and learning to work with your natural physical design to create an effortlessly beautiful personal style. I do this work because I want to help women look and feel beautiful so they can move on to creating the life they want and making the difference they want to make in the world. “ You can connect with Rachel on her website at www.bestdressed.us, on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rachelnachmias/,  and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bestdressedicc/.   Resources: To get a FREE copy of Rachel’s book, email her personally at rachel@bestdressed.us.   Rachel Nachmias is the international bestselling author of The Face of the Business and founder of Best Dressed Image & Color Consulting. As a graduate of the fashion design program at Parsons the New School for Design, Rachel began her career working behind the scenes of some of New York's top designer labels. While working as a freelance fashion and costume designer, Rachel discovered life-changing tools that transformed her own personal style and she decided she had to share them with the world. Since then, Rachel has worked her magic on the images and lives of hundreds of clients, turning frustrated ducklings into the beautiful, stylish swans they were always meant to be. She has now shifted her discerning eye to female entrepreneurs, helping them to become camera-ready women of style who know just what to wear when Oprah calls. Rachel lives in Philadelphia with her husband, her three fluffy toy dogs, and her collection of sparkly chandelier earrings. She enjoys traveling the world, sampling perfume, and curating cheese boards.

Would you like to learn how to design your Life, in both business and personally?  Cornelia is the founder of 3C Consulting which is a leadership development firm specializing in executive coaching, leadership development programming customized to organizations, strategic planning and internal coach training certifications and capability training.  By enhancing the three C’s: Clarity, Capability, and Capacity, we help organizations get empowered to exceed their organization objectives and desired outcomes.     Cornelia’s first book Design Your Life: How to Create a Meaningful Life, Advance Your Career and Live Your Dreams, began in Melbourne Australia in 2003 while she was in graduate school.  She was struck by the no worries attitude of the culture, and how they designed their experience moment by moment. So many design their life based on the shoulds in their life and defining their success based on someone else's terms.  Inspired, she then began writing about the concept of strategically planning one’s life, to suit their lifestyle, and how they want to live.     In 2006, while she was living and working in New Mexico in the “right” job, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and her father took a stroke.   As an only child, and with her parents living 1500 miles away in Detroit Michigan, Cornelia had to make a change and move back home to support them.  It was then that she began her consulting business.     It was very important to her to set up her business so that her lifestyle choices could be accommodated no matter what was going on.  In fact, just 5 days after her wedding, Cornelia's mother sadly passed away unexpectedly, and as a result of her choice to create her business based on the way she wanted to live, she was able to take 3 ½ weeks off to support her father and family in that time of need, instead of relying on the 3 days for bereavement leave that is commonly awarded to employees in the corporate world.     In addition to catering to organizations, Cornelia’s company also works with 10-12 entrepreneurs during a calendar year where the first step is to help them make the shift from owning a “job” to owning a business.  This process includes everything from outsourcing to the right people with the right skills, pricing per value instead of pricing per hour, leverage, infrastructure and most importantly, structuring the business so that they own their business rather than the business owning them.      Cornelia’s next book, Empowered: Strategies for Executive Level Success, was written using 90 minute book .com, where you literally write a book in 90 minutes, either as a narrative, or an interview.  She now has blocks off time to do additional editing and will release it at the end of August of this year.      Quotes:     “You can train for skill, you can’t train for character.” ~Cornelia Shipley   “Your brain is only programmed to have focussed attention for 30, 60 or 90 minutes - the sitcom, the drama and the movie.” ~Cornelia Shipley Cornelia Shares her Message Here:   “My team and I take a unique approach to cultivating human potential. Many training and development organizations focus on providing more knowledge and information with the thought that better results will follow. We know that what matters most is a designed approach to development that is aligned to the desired outcomes and objectives of the organization.   Our programs are based in systems theory and our unique strategic planning process and development programs are designed to unlock leaders innate confidence and knowledge to create and take designed action that will ultimately lead them to their desired outcome. We leverage the power of your values, processes, culture and people and get them all moving together to create accelerated growth and development of the entire organization.   Our approach has set us apart in the marketplace, and is the reason many of our clients’ rely on our development process to improve their business results. Our experience has taught us that by enhancing the three C’s: Clarity, Capability, and Capacity, organizations are empowered to exceed their organization objectives and desired outcomes.” You can connect with Cornelia on her website at www.corneliashipley.com, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/corneliashipley, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/corneliashipley, and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/corneliashipley.   Resources:   Visit www.corneliashipley.com to claim your 10 Practices of Very Influential People (VIPs)" and receive our monthly newsletter   3C Consulting website:  http://www.3cconsulting.com/   How to write a book in 90 minutes:  https://www.90minutebooks.com/ Best selling author, thriving entrepreneur, dynamic speaker, coach, and world class trainer Cornelia Shipley is known for empowering people to achieve their peak performance, strategically plan for the future, and ultimately create a life and work that REALLY work! A sought after professional development expert, her strategies and methods have been showcased on CBS 46 Atlanta, FOX 5 News, CBS Radio, Radio One, INC.com, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, The Washington Post, The LA Times, and The Sydney Herald among others.   She is the author of the International Best Seller Design Your Life: How to Create a Meaningful Life, Advance Your Career and Live Your Dreams and will release her second book Empowered: Strategies for Executive Level Success in 2017.   Cornelia leveraged her extensive corporate career starting as a Sales Manager for the number one consumer goods company to leading the Human Resources Function for a critical manufacturing facility for an international food manufacturer, to launch her own firm where she leads a team of committed professionals determined to empower leaders to exceed their expectations. As Marshall Goldsmith said in the forward of her international best-seller Design Your Life “…Cornelia will guide you through the process of picturing success as you want to see it and identifying whether or not your career is aligned with your true passion, all while helping you ensure your need for these three important things: contribution, meaning and happiness.”

Would you like to learn how to keep more of the money you make and have tax free income to live on in retirement?  I recently spoke with  Cheryl Fields on my podcast about this very subject.  Cheryl is a speaker, Founder of Lifestyle Wealth Group and creator of the Wholistic Wealth for Women approach to financial security where she teaches people how to get out debt quickly, stay out of debt, and have tax free income they can use for a stress free life in retirement. An entrepreneur for over 35 years, Cheryl began her life over after escaping 4 years of abuse in a fraught relationship. She then reinvented herself to become a champion for the American family and in support of the women who want to know that they can lead life on their own terms. A former financial planner, Cheryl was new to the industry when the market crashed in 2008. She saw people losing much of what they had worked so hard all their lives to save. She had the insiders view on what was happening, and realized that many families would have to cut back their lifestyle for decades to come. That, she thought, just can't be the ONLY way. So she found out what wealthy people do, and how they weather the ups and downs of the stock market, downturns in the economy, and how they keep more of what they make.  She learned how they put their money to work for them, have both time and money, and have tax free income to live on in retirement. Cheryl speaks at women’s events, corporate events, and to groups and association across the country and is a regular guest on radio shows and podcasts, where she shares how the Wholistic Wealth for Women™ approach is the Next Evolution in Wealth Creation™ and provides women, and their families with a way to get out of debt, stay out of debt, and have tax free income in retirement (it works for men, too!). She is a sub committee co-chair for the Professional Communication and Diversity committee for the AALU in Washington DC, where she advocates for American families on Capitol Hill, and helps legislators craft regulations that benefit hard working men and women, and the people that count on them.   Cheryl Shares her Message Here: For the last 35 years Americans have been duped by the 401k and IRA (tax deferred) systems that we've been told are the way to a carefree retirement. Banks are making a fortune by keeping us in debt. The IRS gets a 600% return on YOUR money if you defer the tax for only 35 years. Financial advisers are making twice as much as you are off your accounts. Isn't it time we started taking back control of our money, and creating wealth for ourselves and our families, rather than giving it away? The creator of the 401k said it was "oversold" and could never provide all that they said it could.  So we've been lied to for over 35 years! That infuriates me. (Wall Street Journal Jan 3rd, 2017 - Front page)   Cheryl’s Why: “Because I was an independent woman, with a business, and it wasn't enough when the s**t hit the fan and I was out on my own in the blink of an eye. I want to share these 100 year old strategies with everyone, so that they can make their own decision about their life, and have the financial security to have, or do, or be anything they want to be, and to provide for their kids or aging parents in any way they see fit. It's our money, and we should have it to use however we want to.” You can connect with Cheryl on her website at http://www.lifestylewealthgroup.com/, on Twitter at @CherylFieldsInc, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CherylFieldsInc, and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylfieldsinc/.   Resources: The W.E.A.L.T.H. Report:  http://www.lifestylewealthgroup.com/report Wholistic Wealth Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/wholisticwealth/ Cheryl Fields is a speaker and Founder of Lifestyle Wealth Group, Author of The W.E.A.L.T.H. Report (ebook) and creator of the Wholistic Wealth for Women approach to financial security where they teach people how to get out debt quickly, stay out of debt, and have tax free income they can use for a stress free life in retirement. Her new book "Zero Is The New Million - How to pay less in taxes and be well on your way to the millionaire lifestyle will be available soon.  

Do you or have you ever suffered from anxiety, stress or panic attacks? Or do you know someone who does? Jodi Aman is the anxiety tamer and a psychotherapist who teaches her clients how to balance self-care and the hustle of business so they don't get bogged down by stress. As a psychotherapist Jodi sees people both individually and in groups, and decided to take her business to the online world about 10 years ago in order to impact more people.    Jodi explains that stress and anxiety both release the same hormones, adrenaline and norepinephrine.   These hormones can be beneficial in that they create energy bursts and help us push through things.  However, when too much is present, overwhelm can set in, and the tendency is to stop and hide under the covers, which is the worst thing you can do.   Here are some of Jodi’s tips for handling stress and anxiety: Putting your energies into something constructive that is not related to the stressful activity, will help use up the hormone overload. Learn a new skill to keep your brain active help raise your self-esteem. Take a walk, move your body. Read something you enjoy. Listen to music, a positive video or a podcast. Every day, write down three things that you accomplished in a day and celebrate! Jodi works with clients 1:1, in groups and has a variety of online anxiety recovery programs available on her website.   From June 25-30, 2017 in northern California, Jodi is hosting a retreat called Anxiety-Free Me where through a combination of practical teaching, activities, transformative group discussions, and a variety of meditative practices, attendees will learn how to break down problems into manageable pieces, heal through guided meditations and rituals and the steps to generating happiness every day. Find her at https://jodiaman.com. Check out her videos at http://youtube.com/jodiaman. Get inspired on Instagram @JodiAmanLove. Or feel loved on Facebook: http://facebook.com/jodiamanlove. Resources: Jodi’s Book:  You 1 Anxiety 0: Winning Your Life Back From Fear and Panic can be found HERE. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1530858844/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1530858844&linkCode=as2&tag=babyracer-20&linkId=969ec9697bb366b8e4eb2bd8b4d69fd7 Blog Post:  How to get off your anti-depressants:  https://jodiaman.com/get-off-anti-depressants/ Anxiety test:  https://jodiaman.com/test Jodi’s June Retreat Page:  https://jodiaman.com/anxiety-free-retreat/ Audible:  http://www.audible.com/ Jodi Aman is the author of the bestseller, You 1, Anxiety 0 to help people WIN their life back from fear and panic. With sharp empathy into the complexities of people’s pain–since she has recovered from her own family chaos and panic attacks–and a keen understanding of how and why people get stuck there, Jodi has decided to dedicate her life to helping people feel less lonely and afraid.

Are you overweight, suffer from bloat and/or high blood pressure or have a family history of these things?  Today I have Dr. Rachita Reddy with me.  Rachita is a double board certified Nephrologist (kidney specialist), and Internist.  Her emphasis is on wellness, rather than treating sickness, and helps her clients manage hypertension and weight loss towards better health.   In an article she recently had published, Rachita share some great tips on how to get ready for a big event where you want to look your best and shed some belly bloat.  These included eating more asparagus, drinking a gallon of water daily, and for 4 days prior to the event, going without any carbs or alcohol.   Her website, www.Reddy4HealthyBalance.com, has loads of tips to help readers lower their blood pressure naturally, lose weight, and create a healthy lifestyle. Rachita has a side business doing health coaching, so she could reach people before they had kidney problems, and help them prevent illnesses.  Ultimately, they will live a longer, healthier life, and avoid expensive health care costs later on in life.   She also offers 1:1 coaching and is coming up with a series of articles on the importance of water and how to use it for your benefit along with a step by step course on how to implement it to help with energy, weight loss, bloating and blood pressure management. Rachita not only talks the talk, she walks the walk!  She recently participated in a powerlifting competition and came in third!  As the daughter of Neelam Sethi, creator of the website http://www.raisetopkids.com/ , Rachita credits her parents for encouraging her to work hard and go the extra mile to better her life and that of others.          Rachita Shares her Personal Message Here:   Is it possible to have a successful job, raise a close family, maintain a social life AND look better than your pre-baby body? I am a doctor (nephrologist), wife, mother of 3. Over the past 3 years, I have transformed from a never before exerciser eating a chronic take-out diet into a regular gym attendee who now prepares home cooked meals and packs lunches for work. I have lost 40% of my body fat, dropped from a size 10 to a size 2 (while having 3 children under the age of 7!), and coached dozens of my patients to lose 20+ pounds while reversing their high blood pressure. Many of my strategies can be found on my website Reddy4HealthyBalance.com.   Resources: Financial Fluency Episode 65 - Raise Top Kids with Neelam Sethi Article in The Root of Life:  http://therootlife.com/look-good-high-school-reunion-4-days.html   You can learn more about Rachita and how she can help you on her website at www.Reddy4HealthyBalance.com.   Rachita Reddy, MD, MPH is a double Board-Certified Nephrologist (kidney specialist) and Internist with training from UC Berkeley, NYU and Lenox Hill Hospital. Her mission is to improve health (rather than treat sickness) through her passion for hypertension management and weight loss strategies. She customizes plans for patients targeting nutrition, stress, hydration, fitness and sleep to reverse high blood pressure and lose 20+ pounds.   Dr. Reddy has integrated her philosophy into her own life and is more fit and healthy now than ever before. She is the founder of www.Reddy4HealthyBalance.com where readers can get a FREE recipe to blast belly bloat instantly.

Do you wish you could press the “reset” button when life happens?  Today on Financial Fluency, I am happy to have Tejal Patel from The Mindful Mama Experience to talk about how we can do this, and the amazing benefits that that brings both to our own lives and those of our children. Until about 7 years ago, Tejal was a divorce lawyer.  Being a sensitive type, she found herself getting personally invested in her clients.  She would take home her clients problems, and her  thoughts very often went to the children involved, and the stress they must be going through.   As a child, Tejal herself struggled with stress and anxiety.  Having learned meditation from her father at age 4, she realized that she could help children in a similar situation, by teaching them how to deal with life’s stresses, in a healthy, mindful way.   She began to teach children’s yoga and meditation  in the evenings, and eventually transitioned into her role as a Mindful Mama Coach on a full time basis.  She also teaches moms so they can support their children, and helps them create reset moments throughout their day.   Her program empowers women and helps them stay calm and centered when unexpected things happen.  Tejal shared a technique she calls The Carrie Bradshaw Technique which essentially involves being an observer of your feelings, and what you see, so you can put the thoughts you want in your mind. Tejal’s soulful wisdom reaches a global community of women through her signature online course, The Mindful Mama Experience. Tejal’s program is a 6 week course specifically designed to help mamas become the most peaceful moms they can be and equip them with kid-friendly mindfulness tools they can practice with their kids. To stay connected and get a sneak peak of Tejal’s mindful mama lifestyle connect with her on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.   Tejal Shares her Personal Message Here:   Mindfulness and Meditation are not just new age fads, they are the new way to live for modern moms and women wanting to feel their best and do their best work.   Top Tips Infusing more "mindful resets" into your daily routine (without adding anything to your to-do-list) How to better handle stress, difficult emotions and cultivate patience through daily mindful practices Balancing work-life as mom and entrepreneur and how to live life to the fullest. Resources: Tejal’s enrollment for the next Mindful Mama Experience course goes live on April 3rd, 2017. Those who sign up before April 6th can benefit from the early-bird special which is $100 off when you pay in full. Enrollment is only open for a limited time and this is the LOWEST the course will be offered. Twice a year, Tejal hosts a free 5 Day Mindfulness Experience so moms can personally try out her 3 Step Daily Reset Plan before they enroll in the course. Her next free 5 Day Reset Mindfulness Experience from March 27th-March 31st. Sign up here: www.TheMindfulMamaExperience.com/5DayReset. You can learn more about The Mindful Mama Experience course : www.TheMindfulMamaExperience.com or learn more about Tejal and get more mindful parenting inspiration at www.TejalVPatel.com.   Tejal is a former divorce attorney turned Mindful Mama Coach, Kundalini and Kids Yoga and Meditation teacher, Motivational Speaker and the founder of the online training program, The Mindful Mama Experience. She is a go-to resource for busy mamas seeking calmness and balance in the midst of work and life. It’s Tejal’s mission to help mamas thrive and be more present, patient and peaceful so they can raise the first generation of mindful children who know the skills to manage stress, difficult emotions, build confidence and be compassionate at a young age. Tejal is a mom of one, avid traveler and is the person you see smiling and striking a conversation with the grocery store cashier.

Today on Financial Fluency, I am happy to have Nicole Lewis-Keeber from Nicole Lewis-Keeber Coaching.  Nicole has an 18 year history as a therapist.  After dealing with this high stress position that did not pay well, she decided she had to go on her own, both for her sanity and in order to take control of her financial destiny. She is now a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Tapping Into Wealth Coach and a Money Mindset Master specializing in helping women with their money and mindset, and having a loving relationship with their business. In her position as a social worker she shared the challenges that many women face in the workplace when they are slotted into a pre-determined salary for a particular job, often expected to work overtime and beyond their pay scale out of the goodness of their own heart, especially as a caregiver or therapist. Our discussion covered the lack of a supportive system for self-employed people, in particular women, in terms of health insurance, paid family leave, maternity leave and time off to care for loved ones.  And how the current political climate is re-animating trauma within many women across the country.   Nicole began her business working with women on their mindset with money. She would look at the paradigm of their family history, and how they valued themselves and what they thought was possible.  She quickly discovered that the fear of being seen and asking for their worth were often the root causes of their resistance and feelings of being unsafe, and not the money.    Her system begins with an examination of their money, followed by their emotions, the source of their emotions, how they are triggered and how to deal with those triggers.  She teaches her clients to see their business as a relationship and to treat it with intention. You can reach Nicole via Instagram at  https://www.instagram.com/nicole.lewiskeeber/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nicolelewiskeebercoaching/ , on Twitter at @LewisKeeber and on her website:  http://nicole.lewis-keeber.com/ Nicole Shares her Personal Message Here:   Statistics show that 80% of women-owned businesses close within the first 18 months. This statistic drives me crazy because I know how insanely capable women are in creating a sustainable business that gives them financial freedom if they are able to overcome their blocks to money and success. It is my desire to flip this statistic and help women Master their mindset, Health their heart, Empower their future and Make some damn money!   Quote: “When you have had traumatic events, or abusive relationships or toxic relationships, if you don’t set up your business as a relationship with intention, you are going to default into toxic ways of relating to your business.  You are going to beat yourself up with it, you're going to be your own mean boss, and at the end of the day you are going to feel abused and you will be the one who did it to yourself.” - Nicole Lewis-Keeber     Resources: Nicole offers a 1:1 coaching program, Wealth, Worth and Wisdom Coaching, as well as an online modular program called Transformational Wealth.    Nicole is a Money Mindset Master with a background in therapy and life coaching. Using a conversational, engaging, humor-infused approach to complex challenges, Nicole’s talks and coaching programs guide business owners, coaches, and healers to reveal and release their underlying blocks and barriers to financial abundance, so that they can master their mind, heal their heart, empower their future and make some damn money! Nicole lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with her husband Jason and three fat, happy cats.It is well known that Nicole loves 80’s music, a good martini, and heartfelt snark-filled conversations with friends.