One Take: The Podcast with Yezmin Thomas

Many financial experts are sharing bad money advice, especially encouraging people to go into more debt if they lose their jobs due to the coronavirus crisis. But the last thing you need is to get deeper into credit card debt. There is an unprecedented amount of help being offered, for instance, relief in the form of extra unemployment payments, stimulus checks,  student loan payments deferment. Also, banks and utility companies are working with clients to make arrangements for those you lost their incomes. So, instead of getting into more debt, follow this plan to survive a layoff or furlough without getting deeper into debt. For my step-by-step guide, visit my blog at https://www.yezminthomas.com/bad-money-advice-during-the-coronavirus-crisis/

Believe it or not, after our mortgage groceries are the second-highest expense in our budget. So, how much should you be spending on groceries for your family? In this episode, I give you guidelines and also share the resource that I use to save money grocery shopping. For more information on my Smart Grocery Shopping and Meal Planner visit https://www.yezminthomas.com/groceries  

Are you spending too much money on rent, food, or gas? These are great recommendations to figure what percentage of your income should go to what expenses. For a detailed breakdown on my recommendations, check out my blog post at https://www.yezminthomas.com/what-percentage-of-your-income-should-go-to-what/ Also, for my training on how to save money on groceries and to get my Smart Grocery Shopping Toolkit visit: https://yezminthomas.net/smart-grocery-shoppping-cart  

Do you think your children would be better off if they had the option to do life without getting into debt? With the student loan crisis, this could be the best info for them. In this episode, I share with you three principles that you can teach your teenagers to never get into debt. I am certainly teaching that to my kids and I wish somebody would have taught me that long time ago.

Are you feeling confused about the path you need to take to achieve your big goals? In this episode of the Smart Finances Podcast, I share with you the one technique you need to apply today to get clarity in your life. Download my free freedom journal and jump-start your journey to financial freedom>> https://www.smartfinancespodcast.com

My ultimate goal to reach the next step in my financial freedom journey is to pay off the house. In this episode find out how much we still owe, and what we need to do to pay it off in five years instead of 15 years. And if you are ready to take your financial freedom journey seriously, come and join my Smart Dollar Challenge. I will help you jump-start and lay the foundation for a great financial future. More: https://www.smartdollarchallenge.com

What does it mean to be financially free? For everybody, it has a different meaning. For me, it is becoming self-employed by running a successful business and paying off my house so that I can be 100% debt-free. That is my definition of financial freedom. What is yours? Establish and keep track of your goals by downloading my free freedom journal at https://www.smartfinancespodcast.com

The other day I was asked a great question. How do I find a balance between my credit card purchases, my cash purchases, and my debt? In this episode, I reveal the secret to keeping a balance and increasing your financial well-being. Are you ready to jump-start your freedom journey? Then you should totally join me in the Smart Dollar Challenge. Get the information, tools and coaching you need to reach your financial goals. Sign up today and take advantage of our early bird pricing and incredible bonuses! 

Are you ready to uplevel your finances and create a lifestyle that you absolutely love? Are you ready to stop working just to pay the bills, and instead do work that matters to you? In this episode of Smart Finances, I invite you to take on the Smart Dollar Challenge, a program where I share with you the 31 best pieces of financial advice that I have learned to uplevel my life. These are the habits and the principles that I have been practicing that have allowed me to have the financial confidence to pursue my daydreams. Click here to learn more and sign up>> https://www.smartdollarchallenge.com  

Do you find yourself saying things like "life got in the way, and I couldn't get to...?" I used to feel like that, too, until I realized that by thinking that way, I was not only making myself a victim of my circumstances. But most importantly, I understood that I was wasting a huge opportunity to do great things with my life and not use "life" as an excuse for my shortcomings. You can now visit smartfinancespodcast.com to download a free copy of my Freedom Journal and sign up to receive notifications of my new episodes, blog posts, and videos via email.

What is it like to hit rock bottom, financially speaking? I had my infamous moment in the midst of the 2008 Recession. In this episode, I tell you all about it; the fear, the same, the pain, the loneliness. But I also learned why I had to live through this dark time in my life. This podcast is part of the WHY. Give purpose to your listening of this podcast by putting what you are going to learn into action. Enroll or download any of my free financial wellness resources at https://www.yezminthomas.com

Hello everyone! I am back with season two of my podcast. Like all good things evolve and change, my podcast has too. I am calling this season "Smart Finances", and I am dedicating this show to all the hard-working and high achieving moms who are struggling to figure out how to stop stressing about life and start enjoying it more. I have learned that the more financial freedom you have, the more opportunities that come along to design on purpose a life you love. So, join me as I share with you the challenges, mistakes, successes, and opportunities I have faced as I document my journey to financial freedom. As of today, my only debt is my house, but as you will find out, 10 years ago our situation was quite different. Our income had gone down by 65%. We were struggling to survive the greatest financial crisis in modern history. Somehow we made it through that painful, shameful, and dark time. My goal is to share with you our mistakes and successes to avoid you the pain of going through a financial crisis, or to help you get out of one if you are, like we were, in the financial hole. But it´s very important that you know this, listening to my Smart Finances podcast will not do anything for you UNLESS you are willing to take the time to apply the concepts you will learn. So get started by heading over to my blog and downloading any of my free financial wellness resources: https://www.yezminthomas.com Are you ready to live out your best financial future? The journey starts now!  

Do you feel like you can never relax? Perhaps, every night you toss and turn in bed worrying about 100 things? Or maybe your problem is that you can never seem to get anything done. Well, I have the right episode for you, Meditation 101! My guest in this episode is Mar del Cerro, a meditation teacher and health coach from Mexico City. Mar is also a fellow podcast host of Medita Podcast, a broadcast dedicated -of all things- to guide you through meditation! Meditating 10 minutes every day can make a significant impact on your well-being. It can help decrease stress and anxiety, and increase focus and productivity. Visit https://www.yezminthomas.com/meditation-health-coach-mar-del-cerro/ for more information.  

It is not a secret that on average, women in the United States are paid less than men for doing the same job. That is a big problem, and my initial reaction is to point the finger at the entire male population! But we are not going to put the blame on others in this episode. Instead, we are going to empower women to learn how to negotiate a higher salary and better benefits. My guest is Elizabeth Suarez, an expert in Alternative Dispute Resolution and Leadership. She spent more than fifteen years climbing the ranks of corporate America. Through her career and years of coaching professionals, she learned that we cannot blame men for this situation. On the contrary, we as women need to get mad at ourselves. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, men make 20% more than women for performing the same job. To change this situation, women need to learn to negotiate better benefits, preferences, and salaries with prospective employers. Elizabeth has compiled years of expert advice in her new book, The Art of Getting Everything. Visit www.yezminthomas.com/take26 for more information

Is it possible to have a good credit score without being in debt? I don't use credit cards and only have a mortgage payment. I was SHOCKED by what I found! Please visit the show notes at https://www.yezminthomas.com/good-credit-score-without-debt/ for a full blog post on this topic.

Are you always thinking worst-case scenario instead of positive thoughts? Learn the key to overcome negative thinking and reduce anxiety. Visit https://www.yezminthomas.com/how-to-overcome-negative-thinking/ for my full blog post.

Let's face it, life after the infamous Equifax data breach will never be the same. Americans have a 50% chance of being affected and need to take action now. Visit https://www.yezminthomas.com/life-after-the-equifax-data-breach/ for a whole detailed article on the options that you have to protect yourself from Identity Theft.

Tired of your 9-5 job, and dreaming of becoming your own boss? These confessions of a serial entrepreneur offer insight into making your dream a reality. Interview with Chris Michael Harris of the Entrepreneur Hour Podcast. Show notes available at https://www.yezminthomas.com/confessions-of-a-serial-entrepreneur/

YouTube personality Sarah Beth of Sarah Beth Yoga opens up about how she got started teaching yoga online, growing her audience to over 200,000 YouTube subscribers, more than 14 million views, and launching her new yoga app. Visit www.yezminthomas.com/yoga for show notes.

If your debt is stressing you, depressing you, and keeping you up at night, these are the five habits you need to change TODAY to get out of debt for good. I discuss how my husband and I were forced to learn from our money mistakes after a layoff during the 2008 recession. I break down our struggles and the five steps that we embraced to get out of debt and pursue a debt-free lifestyle. Visit https://www.yezminthomas.com/habits-to-change-to-get-out-of-debt/ to read my blog post too.

Are money problems keeping you up at night? Follow these five steps to get control of your finances, reduce stress, and improve the quality of your sleep. Visit https://www.yezminthomas.com/get-control-of-your-finances/ for the accompanying blog post.

Having your money and financial life in order is key to living a simply better life. Getting financially fit takes time, patience and discipline. Research shows that half of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. In this episode, I share the hard Money lessons that life has taught me, from surviving unemployment to becoming financially fit. Don't forget to sign up to receive my podcast and blog feed. Also, visit www.yezminthomas.com/money-life to read my blog post on this topic and share your money life lessons with me!

Is your life too complicated? Make a few of these changes to reduce stress, simplify your life, and find more joy every day. Visit https://www.yezminthomas.com/simplify-your-life-and-be-happier/ to read my accompanying blog post.

If you aspire to one day quitting your 9-5 job stay motivated to grow your own business with these best business lessons from a Successful Entrepreneur. Entrepreneur, author, and TV personality Gaby Natale shares her inspiring success story, from being an unemployed journalism graduate to becoming a three-time Daytime Emmy Award-winner journalist. Visit https://www.yezminthomas.com/business-lessons-from-a-successful-entrepreneur/ to read the accompanying blog post.

In this episode, we’ll hear a story of survival, and I mean that in a literal way. My guest is Maimah Karmo, a woman that has endured breast cancer, the war in her native Liberia and a lightning strike. What is even more amazing is the way that she has turned her misfortunes into opportunities. Visit www.yezminthomas.com/take15 for more information about this episode and my guest.

Sometimes you drive yourself to work every day daydreaming of one day being able to quit. I did that for a while, and then I really did quit. Find out what I had to take care of first to make my career move possible. Visit www.yezminthomas.com/take14 for show notes.

When you see a coach jump into a wrestling match and start choking a 10-year-old boy, you have to talk about it. Learn how youth wrestling is helping me become a better parent and person.  Visit www.yezminthomas.com/take13 to read full article.

In this episode, we’ll hear the inspiring story of a journalist and published author, Alfredo Corchado. Born in Mexico, Alfredo migrated with his family to the United States when he was still a child. They settled in the San Joaquin Valley, California. But it was his mother’s drive to give her children a better life, which eventually pushed Alfredo to finish school. He moved to Texas and enrolled at the University of Texas at El Paso. Visit www.yezminthomas.com/take12 for show notes and One Take Podcast library.

My featured guest in this podcast episode is a woman that does it all. She is a mom, a wife, and a business owner. She runs her own company with the purpose of helping people meet their true potential and live out their dreams. Kelly is also a former NFL Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader. Kelly Roach has built her brand around the word unstoppable. If you are looking for wisdom and inspiration to discover your potential, to fulfill your purpose and to achieve freedom, you don’t want to miss this episode! Visit www.yezminthomas.com/take11 for the show notes.

In this podcast episode, we’ll learn about the inspiring success story of Joseph N. Sanberg. He was raised by a single mom in a low-income household in Southern California and grew up to fulfill his dream of attending Harvard. He would later become public and private-sector entrepreneur and investor. His goal: “to build companies that would make the world better”. Visit https://www.yezminthomas.com/take10/ for the show notes

In this podcast episode, we’ll hear the inspiring story of Ana Cruz. She is an award-winning blogger, radio DJ, and journalist. She is a woman with a dream and the courage to pursue it. To get show notes and resources check out the blog post for this episode at www.yezminthomas.com/take9

What if you could quit your job to travel the world? In this episode, I interview my friend Lauren Wheat. She said goodbye to life, as usual, quitted the security of her job, and pursued her dream of traveling the world. She had been entertaining that idea for many years and decided she didn’t want to look back at the end of life and say “what if?” Check out the show notes available at www.yezminthomas.com/take8

Television journalist Susy Solis tells why she decided to jump off the cliff and start her own business. She had to face her fears and learn how to manage money to gain the freedom and happiness that she never felt like an employee. Visit www.yezminthomas.com/take7 to see the show notes and links to the resources mentioned in this podcast episode.

In this episode, we’ll talk about career and personal growth with my friend Lorraine Caceres. We touch on what is it like to be a Millennial, and deal with the frequent negative labels that “experts and research” attributes to this generation. We’ll learn about the challenges that she faced pursuing a journalism career in Dominican Republic, that would ultimately force her to move back to the US. We chat about finding inspiration in leadership, and contentment in strengthening her faith. Visit https://www.yezminthomas.com/take6/ for the show notes  

I am sharing with you guys my list of favorite books, song, podcast, blogs and places. Also my expectations, goals, and projects for the new year. Visit https://www.yezminthomas.com/take5/ for the show notes.

Let's dive into life's deep questions, shall we? How do we find peace? Why are we on earth? Does believing in God make sense? We'll discuss why power, pleasure, money, etc are a short-lived hollow promise to finding happiness & how to fill the emptiness in your heart. Interview with Pastor Thomas Childs, of LifePoint Fellowship in Haslet, TX. Visit https://www.yezminthomas.com/take4/ for the show notes.

In this podcast episode, we will talk about fitness and wellness with Christy Kilgore. Christy is a personal fitness trainer and a friend of mine. This girl has great qualities! She is always smiling, radiating positivity, and encouraging people to achieve their goals! Besides being a personal fitness trainer, Christy is a military spouse and a mom.  Visit https://www.yezminthomas.com/take3/ for the show notes.

Interview with Dr. Stevie Dawn on the topic of Emotional Intelligence, entrepreneurship, work-life balance, and forging your own path.   Visit https://www.yezminthomas.com/take2/ for the show notes.

The first season of this podcast focuses on finding the wisdom to live simple, healthier, and happier.  As working moms and entrepreneurs we know that life can easily get complicated. In this episode, I share with you what motivates me to seek more purpose in life. Visit https://www.yezminthomas.com/one-take-podcast-episode-1/ for the show notes.