Our thoughts are energy, and the way we think about our lives really matters! In this episode, Stephanie Hessler returns to the podcast to talk about all things energy, vibrations, and manifestation. She explains why these concepts are so important for finding purpose, achieving your goals, and even building wealth, and she shares practical steps you can take to start tapping into your intuition and making your own luck. Stephanie and Kimberlee also talk about the importance of overcoming limiting beliefs.
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Are you thinking about buying a house in 2024? This episode is for you! Kimberlee talks with top performing mortgage broker Shawn Kaplan about the state of the real estate market and the most important pieces of information for prospective homebuyers this year. Shawn also shares tips for current homeowners and provides helpful context about interest rates, mortgages, and dealing with real estate in a divorce, breaking everything down into simple advice that even first-time homebuyers can understand.
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Whether you’re brand new to the workforce or you’ve been working for years, you won’t want to miss this episode with Lauren McGoodwin, CEO of Career Contessa! Lauren has dedicated her own career to empowering other women with educational content, coaching resources, salary transparency, and more. In this episode, she joins Kimberlee to answer some common questions about gender disparity at work, negotiating tips, finding a great company, and starting off your career on the right foot. She also talks about the trends that she thinks will define how we work in the future.
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How do you know when it’s time for divorce? Kate Anthony knows firsthand how hard it can be to make that decision, so she’s helping countless women answer the age-old question: “Should I stay or should I go?” In this episode, Kimberlee talks with Kate about the reasons why women may struggle to end a marriage, and Kate shares her top tips for deciding when it’s time to leave. They also discuss some common signs of abuse, break down how you can have the divorce conversation and make it stick, and much more. If you’re struggling in your marriage, know that there are resources available to you!
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Financial wellness isn’t just for adults! In fact, educating kids and teens about personal finance while they’re still in school is extremely helpful for financial success later in life. In this episode, Kimberlee talks with financial educator and advocate Yanely Espinal about the importance of personal finance education and the work she’s doing to make sure it’s accessible to as many kids as possible. Yanely shares tips for talking to your own children about money and also explains how you can advocate for personal finance requirements in your own state. Whether you’re a parent or teacher or just want to learn a few personal finance tips for yourself, you won’t want to miss this episode!
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Do you know what your brand is? No matter who you are or what field you work in, you have a specific brand and can market yourself to find new opportunities. In this episode, Kanika Tolver shares valuable advice for making career changes, nailing the job interview process, defining your personal brand, and much more. She also explains why confidence is key to reaching new levels of career success. Kanika is the CEO and founder of Career Rehab LLC and author of “Career Rehab: Build Your Personal Brand and Rethink the Way You Work.”
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What comes to mind when you hear the word “frugal"? If you think of strict budgets or of refusing to spend money on things that matter, it might be time to re-examine your relationship to the word! In this episode, Jen Smith explains what it actually means to be frugal in the modern world and shares her own journey of finding balance between saving money and enjoying life. Jen is an author and podcast host helping people pay off debt and reduce their spending, and she offers listeners her top tips for meal planning, reducing food waste, and making the most of the home you live in.
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“We are trying to rebrand frugality into this lifestyle of freedom where you actually know what you want, can afford it, and you can create habits and boundaries to say no more easily. Because we will say, we love intentional spending, so why don’t we just talk about that and forget the word frugality? It’s archaic, it’s got bad vibes, we really want to reclaim this word, because frugality is about so much more than intentional spending. We can’t be intentional 100% of the time. Sometimes your mind just takes over and you’re working off habit, working mindlessly, so we want to work with our minds to create habits that conserve resources, so not just money, but conserve time, physical space, mental energy, all of that stuff. We believe frugality is the conservation or the good stewardship of all these resources, and we can, yes, be intentional to conserve them, but we can also create psychological barriers and aids, shortcuts that help us do it even when we’re not being ‘intentional.’”
“A hundred years ago, frugality was seen as this somebody who is creative, who is resilient, who can reuse and repurpose things. When you were frugal, you were seen as a really intelligent person who really valued quality and keeping their things well functioning. So, it was this lauded quality about you. And over the last hundred years, marketers have made us believe that we are consumers first and people second. So, to be a person of worth, you must be a consumer, you’re not of worth simply because you are a person. And so that is the reason why we want to bring frugality back.”
Are you ready to stop playing small in your business and life? You won’t want to miss this episode with high-performance coach Stephanie Hessler! Stephanie has helped countless leaders achieve their goals and reach new levels of success, and in this episode, she’s sharing some of her top tips for overcoming the beliefs and insecurities that hold many women back. Stephanie and Kimberlee cover a wide range of topics including gratitude, different types of growth, overcoming perfectionism, and the questions you can ask yourself to figure out what you really want.
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What skills can women learn from poker that will translate to their careers and lives? In this episode, Kimberlee asks this question to Erin Lydon, who’s on a mission to teach 1 million women how to apply poker skills to life as president of Poker Power. Erin shares the inspiration behind this unique company, and describes how poker can teach resilience, negotiation, confidence, and more. She also explains how you can learn from Poker Power as an individual or an organization.
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“We say there are 3 levels to thinking in poker with regards to negotiating. The first is just figuring out what to do with your two hold cards. It’s binary, either you raise or you fold, which means you’re out of the hand. The next decision to make is to ask yourself, ‘What do I have? What’s the decision I’m going to make with my hold cards? And what do I think you have?’ And you is the collective opponents who are at the table. So you’re shifting you’re perspective, and you’re trying to see this game not just through the lens of what you have in your hand. And then the third and most important way in which you’re negotiating at the poker table is to ask ‘What do I have? What do I think you have, Kimberlee? And what do I think you think I have?’ And it’s that ever-evolving, complex negotiation of information, power dynamics that will factor into your decision making. You can improve that skill by doing it more and more. And that’s what I think is so critical.”
“In life we never know what’s going to come our way. Every day is something new. You just know things happen so randomly sometimes, either professionally or personally. So you have to be able to kind of look at the situation, not fall apart, and figure out what your next move is going to be. One of the things I think people might learn from this exercise, too, is resiliency. So you might lose a game, but it doesn't mean you’re just going to go away and never play poker again. It’s learning how to lose, come back, try to marshal your resources, figure out what went wrong, and then, you know, sitting back down at the table and trying it again.”
What happens when a woman is the primary breadwinner in a divorce? To answer this question, Kimberlee turned to divorce lawyer and certified divorce financial analyst Lisa Zeiderman. In this episode, Lisa dives into some of the realities of divorce that women may not be aware of, from spousal support to commingling assets to custody concerns for female breadwinners. She also shares practical steps any woman can take today to protect their financial future.
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“The cases that I have where I have the female breadwinner, those are the most difficult cases. And they are the most difficult cases because women don’t often take care of themselves in making sure that they have protected their finances. So I would say that’s a huge issue. And women who are the primary breadwinners have to understand that they have to either enter into some sort of agreement — and we’ll talk about that in a few minutes — but they can be responsible for child support later, they can be responsible for spousal support, and they also are going to equitably divide — in New York, some states are different but I’m a New York attorney, so I’m going to talk about New York — but they equitably divide the assets and of course the liabilities. But the fact is that many women who are the primary breadwinners wake up to a divorce and even if they started the divorce, they are shocked that they are in a situation where they are paying child support, paying spousal support, and equitably dividing those assets that maybe only they earned.” - Lisa
“Don’t be pennywise and pound foolish with this stuff. I know people kind of balk a little bit, they don’t want to pay the money for the prenup, but think about this. Down the line, this thing could save your bacon and make your retirement and the other part of your life down the road. Because if you have a really messy divorce and things don’t go according to plan, and I am the poster child for this, then this trickles down into your retirement and how long you’re going to have to work, and if you happen to live to 100, how are you going to get there? Because this thing can just be an apoplectic kind of thing to your finances if it’s not handled wisely. So you can definitely do your own prenups online. I know there are resources for that now, but I would say it’s worth putting money towards a prenup, because this is going to be the defining document down the road if things go awry. It’s worth it, because that few thousand dollars you’re going to spend on a prenup could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars or even more down the line.” – Kimberlee
How can we best support our kids while also encouraging them to build their financial independence? When Bobbi Rebell was struggling to answer this question for herself, she decided to write a book about it: “Launching Financial Grownups.” In this episode, Bobbi and Kimberlee talk about their own parenting experiences and Bobbi’s top tips for helping your kids build their financial skills. Bobbi also offers advice to women about developing financial resilience in a landscape that’s still often stacked against us.
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“Many parents over coddle their children, because they don’t want their kids to grow up, which is really normal! I mean, my iPhone pushes me these adorable pictures of my now 16-year-old when he was a baby, and I want that time back and it’s really hard. So we want to hold onto our kids, and that’s why we as parents often over subsidize them.”
“It is so hard because we’re tempted to pay for everything for our kids, because we still see them as kids, and they’re forever our children. So these are really hard, and that’s why I wrote “Launching Financial Grownups, because I was struggling with this. And I will tell you, so I'm going to give away one thing from the book is that our 26 year old, she was 24 at the time when the book had been written, she was saving for an apartment in New York City, which is a very ambitious goal for a 22, 23-year-old. She lived at home, she switched her major in college which I do talk about in the book, why she switched to cybersecurity versus being in education, and it was with a focus on ‘Where can I earn more money?’ And I will tell you, when she reached her goal of being able to buy her own apartment. And while we had to be in the background, as you say, she paid for everything, the down payment, all the lawyer costs, all the closing costs, every penny she paid for, the pride in that young lady’s eyes, you have never seen. It is a gift to parents. When you let your child succeed on their own and you’re just there cheering them on and you’re just there cheering them on, that is going to be priceless. And so I would implore parents to let their kids shine.”
If you’re feeling stuck in your career or your life, you’re not alone! Everyone gets stuck, but there are things you can do today to start pulling yourself out. In this episode, Ella Lucas-Averett shares some of her top tips for creating momentum, moving past fear, and learning from our failures. Ella is a founder and managing partner of The Trivesta Group, and the host of On Air With Ella, a motivational podcast about wellness, personal development, habit building, and more.
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“There are so many things that I wish I had started or wish I were further on and didn’t do because I was scared. And I think that anyone listening can relate to that thing they’re sitting on, or stalled on — maybe they did it — or maybe they’re still sitting on it, because they’re not sure it’s ready, or they’re not sure they’re ready, they’re not sure it’s good enough, they’re not sure they want to be seen, or what would people say? And I would just say, what if you acted as if you had no choice, and you just did it and see what happens? Because sometimes action can be a hell of a lot more effective than analysis.”
“If we are waiting for lightning bolt motivation to do the thing we’re meant to do in life or to develop that skill or to learn that language or to start that exercise routine or to revisit our relationship with our spouse or our partner, whatever. If we’re waiting for that lightning bolt, you’re gonna die waiting. And I say that not to be cynical, but to say, if that were the secret, don’t you think that we would have hacked that by now? Don’t you think we would be doing all the things and all out here living our best life? I don’t know about you, but that’s not what happens for me. And the myth that you need to land on motivation, or even better, that it would land on you, that is not going to get you where you need to be. So the word I replace it with, every day of my life, is momentum.”
Since 90% of venture capitalists are men, it makes sense that female founders have a much harder time getting funding, especially when they’re focused on women’s issues. Trish Costello is working to change that as the founder and CEO of Portfolia, a company that creates investment funds for women looking to back innovative companies. In this episode, Trish explains why investing in companies is such a powerful tool for building wealth and creating change in the world. She also shares practical steps for how you can get started in the space.
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“You then decided to now do Portfolia. It really is effective in two areas, right? It allows you to promote companies that are coming up with innovation, and hopefully trending in the woman area. But it’s also allowing women to become investors in these endeavors and learn more and more about it. I think a lot of people think this is a world just for super rich people who are really familiar with the space, and they don’t realize that you can get involved in it.”
“We have an opportunity to create wealth, but we also have an opportunity to create wealth while enhancing our lives. And to me that’s that other piece of it that’s so exciting.
That’s so important.
Yes! Kimberlee, 90% of the check writers in venture capital are men. And you know, even if they aren’t grossed out by women’s health, they don’t really understand it, you know? And so, they don’t have a passion for it.”
What is financial infidelity, and what steps can women take to protect themselves against it? In this episode, Kimberlee talks with Forensic Accountant Tracy Coenen about the warning signs of financial infidelity, the protections you should have in place before and during a marriage, and the process you can expect if you work with a forensic accountant during your divorce. Tracy is the creator of the Divorce Money Guide, and she has so many practical insights to share about protecting your financial future and navigating complicated divorce proceedings.
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“I always say your partner isn’t your plan and ignorance is not bliss, you need to be engaged. And I don’t want to shame anyone, because I believe women are still victims of the historical narrative of how we’ve been trained mentally. That we should be nurturers and kind and not talking about money and all that stuff, because somehow that’s looked upon as being anti-feminine. I still think there’s a lot of that around. I still hear to this day, which is shocking to me, that people say the minute you get married you should comingle everything. I say that’s absolutely not what you should do. You should be intentional about what you do comingle, but you should also keep your eye on the ball of what all the marriage includes."
“What should we be doing to try to protect ourselves before we get to this sort of bad situation?”
“You’re right that it really is hard to protect yourself when it comes to that company. You can’t control what they’re going to do with that company. What I can say is if you have financial information that you have access to and you collect that and keep it, that is one step. But because we can’t control what they’re doing with the company, I like to say the better way to protect yourself is thinking about, ‘What can I control? I can have a bank account that is in my name only that I can put money in, that no one can ever close without my permission, that no one can ever access that money without my permission. I can take a step like making sure that you have a credit card in your name only. No one else can charge on that card, no one else can close that card. That is going to be your safeguard if you ever do need to leave or get divorced.”
When families can’t access childcare, women are disproportionately affected. And that impact ripples out to hurt the entire economy. In this episode, Kimberlee examines the “childcare cliff” we’re facing now that pandemic-era subsidies for childcare have expired. She explains why it’s so important for women to be able to participate in the workforce and shares some steps you can take to advocate for change on this important issue.
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“So, what happens when parents can’t afford childcare or can’t get access? The burden exponentially falls on women. Women are taking the hit. So what are these childcare cliff implications for women? First, women are 5-8x more likely than men to have their employment affected by caregiving responsibilities. And that is from the State of Women in the Labor Market Report from 2023. When one partner needs to stay home or limit their hours or change jobs to become more flexible, it often falls to the woman. And the statistics have supported this now for years.”
“I want to raise the alarm for all of you, that it’s important. This isn’t me just ranting and raving, it has real effects on us, on women, on children, on families, on productivity of our country, on the global economy, and on the living standard for everybody. If we want the birth rate to go up, then we need to make it a more accommodating environment for women to have children. Women should not have to make undue sacrifices that everybody else in society doesn’t have to make.”
Financial responsibility is so important, but money is also a powerful tool to help us enjoy our lives — whether that means buying a Chanel handbag or traveling the world. In this episode, Kimberlee talks with Sheefteh Khalili about Sheefteh’s journey to build wealth through investing, career growth, and intentional saving. Sheefteh explains how Kimberlee has helped her unlock new financial understanding, and she shares her experience with negotiating her salary, talking openly about finances with her partner, and more.
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“No one in my immediate family or circle of friends knew anything about investing. I’m a second generation immigrant and a first generation college student, and so you know, luckily my parents taught me a lot about saving and not using credit cards, having an emergency fund, but nobody had anything to teach me about investing. That just wasn’t part of our information. We were middle class, but I feel like that’s just not accessible, even though I was really educated, this was a whole other area, very intimidating.”
“We should all be aspirational, right? We all have those things that we want, that we want to do, and money is a means to an end. I’m not saying you should spend all your money — you need to save some of it, you need to worry about retirement, you need to worry about the emergencies — but you also need to live your life and enjoy life, because every single day is precious. So I want people to think about the money journey as ‘how can I accomplish those aspirational things that I want to do?’ Whether it’s to buy a Chanel handbag, or go to Alaska, whatever it is that’s going to really bring you up and love life because you have the opportunity to do it.”
Financial plans aren’t just about preparing for retirement; they’re important steps to prepare you for any major life event. In this episode, Kimberlee talks with financial advisor and BPP Wealth Solutions Founder Debra Schtazki about the importance of financial planning. Debra also shares some real-life stories of women she has helped and explains how she’s built a flexible work environment that sets women up for success.
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“I think that there’s so much more value when we allow our employees to actually have the freedom of being there for milestones and being really part of their families and having a balanced life. It’s critical. And then when I created my own consulting firm in 2010, we don’t have to go into the office. I think two days a week is fine. And there were times, I had my hips replaced last year, I didn’t go into the office for three months. And you know what? We did great!”
“Luckily for your client, she had you to help her thread that needle. And what you gave her was advice for negotiation based on a financial plan. Yes, exactly. And what I gave her too was a voice. You know, I think that that’s our biggest problem — women more than men — is that we’re not taught how to really talk about money well. We’re not as educated yet about how to do plans and why plans are important. We’re getting there, I think women are signing up in faster percentages than men at this stage.”
Are you paralyzed by credit card debt and not sure where to start with paying it off? In our first episode on debt, diet and alcohol, Kimberlee explored the psychology of debt. Today, she’s sharing an actionable plan you can use to start paying off your debt today, and avoid falling back into it in the future. She also breaks down some key financial concepts like debt consolidation, good versus bad debt, and two common debt payoff methods.
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“So, I want to just make a quick note here about good debt versus bad debt. Is there good debt? Yes, there is good debt. All debt is not created equal, right? Debt used to build wealth is generally viewed as good debt: taking out a mortgage, investing in yourself by borrowing for more education so you can get a good job, small business loans, or debt consolidation. These are all forms of good debt that are going to help you build you net worth, either by getting an asset like a house or getting an education so that you can go get a better job, or eliminating high-interest rate credit cards so you can lower your interest rate and pay one payment and get all this debt eradicated over a certain, finite period of time.”
“The first thing I recommend to everybody, because I know this works, is take a very deep breath. This is a doable strategy. You can do it. I know it’s overwhelming, and when you look at your credit card statements, sometimes you think ‘OMG, how did I get myself into this big mess. So take a deep breath. Anything can be accomplished if we put our minds to it.”
Building a real estate business can be much easier than many of us realize; in some cases, you don’t even need to own the property! In this episode, Kimberlee talks with Airbnb investor and educator Lauren Piller about her journey from nursing to working in real estate full time. Lauren explains how co-hosting helped her make the transition, and she shares some of her top tips for buying your first investment property, maximizing the value of your Airbnb, setting pricing, and more. Whether you’re completely new to real estate or want to learn more about the vacation rental space, Lauren has so much wisdom to share!
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“No one knows anything about finances, investing and loans. I barely do, and I know more than most people. So it’s just crazy to me that we’re supposed to go out here and buy houses and do all these things, but I’m a millennial, so I have to learn as I go. So it’s interesting to see the lack of knowledge.”
“Tell me a little bit about cohosting. Because I think a lot of people would be really interested in that because it has a low barrier to entry, right? You don’t have to buy a
house, right? Yeah the most cost effective way to get your start and to learn, for sure.
So what exactly does somebody do? How do they get involved with this, how do they find out about it, how do they find someone to cohost with, how does that work?
The easiest way that I always recommend to my followers is to just ask a friend or a family member. You’d be surprised how many people have rental properties or already have Airbnbs that are either empty or not making as much as they could with their tenants. It’s an easy way to go in, that’s what I did with my parents, they were my first cohosting client. I was like ‘Let me take your rental property and throw it on Airbnb. I will definitely increase profits, I will do all the work, it’s a win-win here.’ I like it because it's another pivot for people, too. You can do it while you’re still working other jobs and just branch out to see if it’s even worth taking the jump for.”
Whether we realize it or not, many of us could benefit from some financial therapy. In this episode, Kimberlee talks with financial therapist Aja Evans about the work she’s doing, the inspiration behind it, and the practical advice she has for women about navigating their finances. Aja breaks down the relationship between our money and our self esteem, shares her top tips for navigating prenups, explains how you can get yourself out of a shame spiral, and much more!
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“Any financial decisions we make when we’re heightened, when we're upset, when we’re anxious, usually are just about a quick fix. We are trying to get ourselves out of a place of discomfort and into comfort as quickly as possible, and a lot of times that is not the best strategy for your finances. So looking at taking the breath, making the plan, and then deciding how you’re going to execute and what you want that to look like. And be mindful of what emotional or financial triggers might come up for you that may cause you to spiral again.”
“Have the conversation. Be awkward about it. Trip over yourself when you’re talking to each other. But if you cannot have these conversations about money, if you disagree or don’t disagree, we got other things. Because life is going to come at you hard and fast, and if you can’t talk to this person who you’ve decided you want to commit the rest of your life to, it’s going to be really difficult. It’s going to be very, very difficult, and we don’t need it to be that hard.”
