Journey To Launch : Personal Finance, Early Retirement & Business

I am honored to bring you this week’s special episode featuring powerful stories of small Black business owners.  Earlier this year, School of Thought, a creative agency, and one of it’s long-standing clients, Milliman, hosted a conference that brought together business leaders to discuss the obstacles Black entrepreneurs faced in the pandemic. They wanted to present their conference attendees with a short but impactful mini-podcast episode that captured what it's like to be a Black entrepreneur in one of the most challenging economic environments we’ve ever seen.  I was asked to interview over 9 dynamic entrepreneurs and experts for this project in what amounted to over 540 minutes of audio. The final result is a powerful 25 minute podcast that beautifully captures the real issues facing Black small businesses.  In the episode, you’ll hear the entrepreneurs & experts share their experiences and the solutions that need to be implemented, so that Black small businesses can survive and thrive in a post-pand

What gives you joy and purpose? This week on the podcast, Doc G, a hospice physician and the host of the Earn & Invest podcast, shares the emotional and mental journey to reaching Financial Independence (FI).  Doc G explains that often we see money as the goal, but money is a tool to get to where we really want. We can very easily chase the end goal of financial freedom and feel empty and lost once we reach there and lose our purpose. The journey shifts when we start by discovering our purpose and prioritizing happiness today on the journey. Tune in to this week’s episode to hear more and learn how to use money as a tool on your path to freedom.  In this episode you’ll learn: How Doc G reached Financial Independence (FI) Why he choose to continue working after reaching FI How to use money as a tool & lever The 5 stages of coping with FI What role mindset plays in achieving and enjoying FI and much more... Sign up for my FREE Pop Up Podcast Series, Building Blocks of Financial Success: Get Out of Deb

What does it mean to be broke on purpose & not aimlessly broke? For this week’s guest, Melody Wright, it means intentionally not having any extra money left over after you put it through a money management system that allows you to thrive. Melody is the founder of Broke On Purpose. She is a trained PHd scientist who transitioned into personal finance after paying off $100k in debt in less than 3 years. She is also the author of the book, “Start Here: Your Guide to Building Your Money Management System.”  Melody’s mission is to help people make better choices with their finances in a systemized way that supports their goals. Tune in to learn the first step you can take to regain control of your finances.  In this episode you’ll learn: What it means to live broke on purpose  How Melody paid off 100k in less than a year How to create a money management system that allows you to reach your money goals and thrive The first step to gaining control of your finances and much more... Other related blog posts/lin

Can you imagine negotiating a virtual work arrangement with your employer that allows you to move across the country & take a 2 month sabbatical? That’s exactly what this week’s guest Diania Merriam did. Diania was able to move from NYC to Cincinnati and travelled to Spain for 2 months while keeping her NYC job .  On the podcast, Diania shares how she paid off $30,000 in debt in 11 months, and reached the milestone of Coast FI (financial independence). Diania brings a rich and bold energy this week that explains how she was able to achieve her success and talks about the conference she created, EconoMe which allows participants to come together and talk all things Financial Independence. Diania reminds us that personal finance is personal and your journey is customizable. Tune in this week to hear more about what she calls fi-flexibility and how it can support you on your journey. In this episode you’ll learn: How Diania landed her first job post college The definition of -FI- flexibility  What is Coast

Are you leaving a generous tip to the IRS every time you pay your taxes? Carter Cofield, this week’s podcast guest, is sharing tips on how to save yourself and your business money during tax season.  Carter is a CPA, a Certified Public Accountant, and he genuinely enjoys talking about taxes. His goal is to educate people on how to make their taxes work for them. This episode is for you whether you are an entrepreneur, side hustler, or W2 employee.  Tune in to hear how you can potentially save money this tax paying season. Plus, Carter even shares with us where he is on his own journey to financial freedom.  In this episode you’ll learn: How you can make your taxes work for you  What is a tax write off + what’s included in it What is the golden formula Tax paying season vs. tax planning season What to look for when hiring a good CPA How to account for taxes as an active trader Pre tax vs. post tax investing and much more... Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode: You can check out Carter’s

What would you do if overnight you lost over $300,000 of your life savings in an investment deal gone wrong? Unfortunately, that’s what happened to this week’s guest, Kierra Asnauskas. Kierra and her husband went from coming close to their goal of reaching Financial Independence to losing it all and having to start all over again. Tune in to what I hope to be a cautionary and inspirational story on taking risks and being resilient in the face of adversity.  In this episode you’ll learn: How Kierra and her husband lost over $300,000 What is forex trading  Kierra’s biggest takeaway from losing it all How Kierra is able to move on and rebuild and much more... Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode: Kierra was a guest on Episode 131, “From Broke and Living in a Car to Traveling the World w| Kierra” If you want to check out Teri's Trade & Travel Program, click here.  If you missed enrollment, join the waitlist for my FI course and Money Launch Club. Join The Weekly Newsletter List Leave me

Raise your hand if you’ve had an extremely awkward conversation about money with a coworker, friend, family member or romantic partner?  You’re not alone, it happens more often than not and it can leave us feeling uncomfortable. This week on the podcast, my guest Erin Lowry of Broke Millennial shares how to effectively communicate about money with the people in your life. Erin’s third book, “Broke Millennial Talks Money: Scripts, Stories, and Advice to Navigate Awkward Financial Conversations” is all about how to handle financial conversations and offers actual scripts you can use in different scenarios. Tune in to hear insight and tips on how to have healthy talks about money while maintaining your boundaries and staying true to your financial goals.  In this episode you’ll learn: Ways to effectively communicate about money Why providing context is important in money conversations What is a friend fund and how it can work for you Why a prenup is beneficial and much more... Other related blog posts/links me

Do you know how to build intergenerational wealth? This week on the podcast I Ifeoma “Iffy” Ibekwe joins us to share how to build real wealth through estate planning. Iffy shares why it is  essential for us to have an estate plan and trust trust as part of our wealth building plan.. She also debunks barriers about the cost of estate planning and the requirements to start the estate planning process. Tune in to this week’s episode to learn how you can enjoy the wealth you create now and pass down wealth for the future generations to come. Iffy also talks about how she is able to balance her career, being a mom of 4 and get 8 hours of sleep every night so you don’t want to miss it.  In this episode you’ll learn: What does it mean to build generational wealth Why you should consider getting an estate attorney  The different documents that are a part of estate planning What does rest as a revolution mean and much more... Other Links Mentioned Here is the database of Black Estate Attorneys or you can book a co

This week’s solo episode is a mini TED talk on 3 topics that have shifted how I approach financial independence. Are your wants in alignment with your beliefs? Are you too afraid to dream of financial freedom because you don’t believe it’s possible for you?  The first step to changing your life is self awareness. In today’s episode, I dive into how being in congruence will impact your life, money, and way of being plus a lot more.    In this episode you’ll learn: What being in congruence means Why self awareness is the first step of change What minimal viable financial independence means  The 5 levels of financial independence Is financial independence a pipe dream? and much more  P.S. My goal is to reach level 4 of Financial Independence (FI): base expenses + frills + guac + first class, what’s yours? You might be a little confused and curious at what levels of financial independence I am speaking of, so I take you through all 5 in the episode.  Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode: I

How do you balance it all as an entrepreneur and mom during a global pandemic? Which brokerage account should I use? How can I get funding for my second real estate property? On this week’s episode, I am answering questions from Money Launch Club members and private messages I have received on social media.  Tune in to this week’s episode to find out if I answer a burning question that’s been on your mind. I may share some insights that can help you bridge a gap on your own journey.  In this episode you’ll learn: How to balance it all What I believe is our greatest resource Ways to outsource your household tasks Which online brokerage account to use What is a DTI If you should you invest or save your money and much more… Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode: I mentioned brokercheck.finra.org as a resource to check if brokerage accounts are operating by US laws.  If you missed enrollment, join the waitlist for my FI course and Money Launch Club. Check out the other tools that help me wit

What would you be able to accomplish if you did what scared you? This week on the podcast, I have Barbara Huson, best selling author, financial therapist, teacher and wealth coach.  In her last book, “Rewire for Wealth: Three Steps Every Woman Can Take to Program Her Brain for Financial Success,” Barbara shares the missing piece she found in achieving financial success: the brain. Neuroscience plays a fundamental role in how we process, navigate, and spend money.  Once you train your brain to connect with your mind, anything is possible. Barbara teaches us to recognize, reframe, and respond to thoughts that are not serving us. Tune in this week to learn what you can do right now to bridge the gap from where you are now to where you want to be.  In this episode you’ll learn: The connection between the brain and mind The 3 ways to rewire your brain to achieve financial success How you can be an objective bystander  How can you increase your self efficacy and much more… Special thanks to DCU for sponsoring the

In my second real estate venture, my husband and I almost lost $44,000. After buying my first condo, I was very interested in real estate and I was excited to reap the same benefits with my partner.  This experience was vastly different, and we came extremely close to walking away and losing our 10% down payment. In this week’s episode, I share the lessons I learned when buying a property did not go as planned and how you can avoid the same mistakes. In this episode you’ll learn: How my husband and I almost lost $44,000 Why this real estate investment almost fell through The lessons I learned from this experience What BATNA is  The importance of sunk cost and having a strategy plus much more… Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode: I mention my first real estate investment at 22, which went very well and I talk about it more in depth in Episode 193 of the podcast.  If you missed enrollment, join the waitlist for my FI course and Money Launch Club. Check out the other tools that help me wi

What should I do about my healthcare? This is one of the questions I get asked most frequently regarding financial independence/ retire early and entrepreneurship.  This week on the podcast I have Lynn Frair, a nurse and founder of FI Healthcare, which is a knowledge base for healthcare options for early retirees and people who cannot depend on employer provided healthcare. Lynn also became financially independent and work flexible at the age of 38. After having a brain tumor in her 20s which completely wiped out her savings, she built her investments and passive income to replace her nursing wages. Tune in to this week’s episode to get the resources and information you need to understand what healthcare options are available to you and how you can better plan to budget for healthcare as an entrepreneur or early retiree.  In this episode you’ll learn: What is a premium, deductible, and out of pocket max What options you have in terms of healthcare What resources are available to you to learn more about your

This week’s guest, Sheena Allen, is the youngest Black woman CEO and founder of a bank. Sheena created CapWay, a digital banking app and financial service provider, with the goal of closing the income, race, and financial literacy gap through access to banking and opportunities.  Growing up in Mississippi, she had first hand experience at what it was like to be underbanked and undeserved. Unlike major cities, there wasn’t a bank on every corner and banking options were limited where she grew up. In college, Sheena created her first app without knowing how to code and has been a force in the app and fin tech space ever since.  Her latest venture is a digital bank, CapWay. Tune in to this week’s episode to hear more about Sheena’s process to creating her very own digital banking app and her entrepreneurship journey.  In this episode you’ll learn: How Sheena created and funded her digital banking app CapWay  Why she created it  What the process of creating a FinTech company looks like What pre-seed, seed, and S

At 22 years old, right after graduating from college, I went into contract to buy a condo in DUMBO, Brooklyn. In this episode, I am sharing my real estate story and how I was able to become a first time buyer at such a young age in hopes of inspiring you on your own journey. There were several factors to my success that I share in this episode. One is the importance of representation, seeing someone who you can relate to doing something you want to do or that you didn’t think was possible. Tune into this week’s episode to learn about my biggest takeaways from the experience.  In this episode you’ll learn: How I was able to buy my first property at 22 Who inspired me to get into real estate The factors that lead to my success Valuable lessons I learned from my journey and much more... Special thanks to DCU for sponsoring the episode! Learn more about DCU by clicking here. Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode: In the episode, I shared that my mom helped and supported me to buy my first pr

In this week’s solo episode, I’m sharing the behind the scenes numbers of how Journey To Launch did this year; income, expenses & profit. We increased our business gross revenue by 217% from 2019 and I want to share how I was able to accomplish that incredible growth. I’m also sharing the lessons learned from 2020 and my goals for 2021 I’m sharing these numbers so that I can be transparent about my journey as an entrepreneur to inspire you to go after your dream and make whatever excites you in your life happen. 2020 also marks two full years on my entrepreneurship journey and I am so proud of the milestones I am able to share with you today.  In this episode you’ll learn: How much Journey to Launch made in 2020 and the profit breakdown Why I started Journey to Launch How I was able to quit my job in 2018 How I can be selective and work from a place of integrity  Wins and milestones Journey to Launch has accomplished this year and much much more... Special thanks to DCU for sponsoring the episode! Lear

Can you pinpoint the defining moments in your life that have shaped you into who you are today? In this solo episode, I share some of my defining moments, the building blocks from my past that helped me become the woman I am today and that helped me to start Journey to Launch. I talk about the journey often, so here are pieces from my journey that you have never heard before. They range from; childhood events, my “failures”, to also flying on a private jet with the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Through this intimate conversation, I share what I found as a common theme from these experiences and how every single one of them has prepared me for the path I am on today. Tune in to this week’s episode to help you identify your own defining moments and to harness your power to succeed on your journey.  In this episode you’ll learn: My defining moments and how they have shaped me How important exposure and possibilities are My internship experiences Why it’s important to be bold and daring How partnerships and fail

How we were raised to handle money as children has an impact on the financial decisions we make as adults. Tanya Van Court had over a 20 year career in Corporate America in companies like ESPN, Nickelodeon, and Discovery Education. She is now the CEO and founder of Goalsetter, a savings and financial literacy app that helps kids and families get better with money.  Her goal is to teach all kids in a fun and relatable way to be financially responsible, independent, and literate. Tanya has a powerful and motivating mission through her app to educate young people from all backgrounds, especially those who are underserved, the value of money. Tanya also shares more about her journey as Black woman entrepreneur in the FinTech space, and the obstacles she had to overcome to start, fund, and grow her company.  Tune in to hear Tanya’s inspiring message and transparent conversation about how being bold, courageous, and speaking up helped her build Goalsetter from the ground up. In this episode you’ll learn: What the

Is there anything in your life right now that you can opt out of that is no longer serving you? This week on the podcast, I have Cait Flanders, best selling author, of “The Year of Less” and “Adventures in Opting Out.” After paying off her debt, Cait did not have a plan for her money so many of her poor spending habits resurfaced.  At 29, Cait challenged herself to go on a shopping ban where she spent less and saved more.  Cait realized that having clear, meaningful goals makes it easier to save and scale back. In addition, it was crucial for her to work through her internal blocks before she was able to move forward on her journey. Cait shares how to opt out and change paths from something that is no longer right for us.  In this episode you’ll learn: More about Cait’s year of less shopping ban How spending can be linked to internal blocks and emotional attachments Why it is important to have clear, meaningful goals What opting out means  The 5 “stages” on the journey to opting out outlined in Cait’s book “

Shinjini Das of Das Media Group, comes on the podcast this week to talk with me about the immigrant experience and money. As first or second generation immigrants, we have a unique experience navigating through America and becoming financially educated. What makes our experiences special is that they are all different. Shinjini was the undergrad commencement speaker at her University, Georgia Tech and then went on to become a competitive public speaker and entrepreneur.  Shinjini refers to her community as Go Getters and empowers them with actionable advice to achieve their goals.  In this episode you will hear more about Shinjini's story as a first generation immigrant and how she uses DCU for her banking needs. She also shares why it is important for her as an entrepreneur to have separate personal and business accounts.    In this episode you’ll learn: How helpful it is to bank with DCU Why Shinjini is passionate about banking with DCU Why it is beneficial to separate personal and business banking account