Aloha, inspired money makers. If you're here for the first time, welcome. If you're returning to join us, welcome back to another episode of Inspired Money, the live stream podcast where we invite a panel of experts to help us to make the most of our money. I'm your host, Andy Wong, financial advisor. Wherever you're joining us from, whether it's Facebook, Instagram, oh, I gotta hit a button to go live on Instagram. I'll do that in a second. If you're on LinkedIn Live,
YouTube, drop a comment. Tell us where you're joining us from today. I'm really excited about this episode because sometimes being great with money isn't just about knowledge, it's also a state of mind. Research shows that women can actually be better long term investors than men, but often they lack the confidence to take the plunge. Today's episode is the rise of women in empowering financial
independence. We're going to explore how women can overcome these barriers, gain confidence, and take full control of their financial destinies. This episode is brought to you by my financial advisory firm, Runnymede Capital Management. And I'm going to invite you to send me a note because my inbox does not have enough messages. Just kidding. My inbox is scary and out of control. But I'd really like
to hear from you. Go to Inspiredmoney FM. Andy, let me know if you need help with financial planning, your 401K or your investments, or just drop a note and let us know what you think about this live stream format with a panel of guests. We have been publishing this new format for one year now. Can you believe it? That blows my mind. But we've been having so much fun, and our inspiring guest panel today has helped thousands of women build wealth, start businesses, and take charge of their
money. Whether you're looking to boost your financial skills or simply get inspired, this conversation will give you the tools and motivation to do it. And I hope that this episode is a gift that I can give to my wife and two daughters. And surely my son and I will have a lot to learn, too. Let's bring in our panel of experts. I'm so excited they're here. Let me start with Bola Sukunbi. She's a certified financial education instructor, finance expert, four time
bestselling author, and founder of Clever Girl Finance. One of the largest personal finance education platforms for women in the US. She's recognized for her impactful work in empowering women to achieve financial independence. Bola, I'm so glad that you can. Join I'm so excited to be here. Andy. Thank you for having me. And just to let everybody know, Bola was a guest on inspired money six years ago. Time flies when you're having fun. I think that was episode 48, how I saved $100,000
right after college. So Bola is an inspiration and an expert. And if you want to check out that episode, go to Inspiredmoney FM Zero four eight. But we are going to, we're going to dive in and talk about so much.
Patrice Washington is the number one best selling author, award winning podcaster, transformational speaker, and founder of redefining wealth, dedicated to empowering women to build wealth through meaningful work with a fresh approach to personal finance that has earned her recognition as one of Success magazine's top 25 influential leaders in personal
development. She's well known as the personal finance expert of both Steve Harvey's radio and tv shows and has appeared on many different media outlets like Doctor Oz and Fox and Friends. Patrice, so glad that you're here. I'm so excited to be here. And what an incredible lineup of women that I admire myself, so I know I'm in good company. Thank you for having me. That's why I am so excited that you are all here. Rounding out our panel, we have
Claire Wassermande. She's founder of ladies get paid. An educator, author, and advocate for women's professional and financial advancement. She's helped thousands of women negotiate raises and start businesses. She's recognized as one of Entrepreneur magazine's 100 most powerful women. Robert, I can't even speak. I'm so excited. Robin Roberts once called her the career coach, helping ladies get paid.
Claire, is it true that when you were eight or nine years old, you convinced Paul Simon to cast you in his Broadway show? Oh, you did your research. Well, first, thank you for having me shout out to Patrice. I see you have Creighton University behind you. I got my master's certificate there in behavioral finance and financial psychology, so we love to see it. Yes, I did convince Paul Simon to hire me in his Broadway show. I was terrible. I cannot sing, but I asked him really good questions.
It's a longer story, obviously, but it really taught me. At age eight or nine, if you come and you're present, you got energy and you ask insightful questions. It's not all you need to get the job, but it's definitely what you need to leave a good impression. So I took that with me and gave me a lot of confidence. That's amazing. Well, we look forward to getting more lessons about advocating for yourself, and I'm not sure if we're going to have
a fourth panelist for this episode. Lisa Carmen Wong is a four time national champion gymnast turned serial entrepreneur venture capitalist. She's author of the Bad Bitch Business Bible, dedicated to empowering women to break free of good girl brainwashing, build their empires, and invest in female led businesses. So I'm hoping that she's going to come in, but if not, we're going to have a party no matter what. Let's jump right into segment
one. Throughout history, women have navigated through many challenges in the financial sector, often finding themselves on the periphery of economic power. Despite these historical constraints, they have steadfastly pushed the boundaries transforming the financial landscape. Today, women not only participate in finance, but also drive innovation and inclusivity, breaking ceilings and paving the way for future generations. Credit stands as a cornerstone in personal finance, influencing many
aspects of life. A robust credit score can be the key to unlocking favorable financial terms, whether it's securing a mortgage, renting an apartment, or even landing a job. Understanding credit involves grasping the intricacies of terms like credit score, credit report, and interest rates, which are fundamental to managing
one's financial health. Effective credit management not only opens doors to better opportunities, but also builds a foundation for long term financial stability, making it an indispensable tool in navigating today's economic environment. Claire, kick us off because ladies get paid has been such a big adventure. Ladies get paid. Ladies get sued. How does ladies get paid? Address the financial gaps that have historically kept women from advancing. Yeah, I started ladies get paid in 2017.
It was my kind of answer to just frustration and anger around the wage gap, asking myself as an individual, how do you combat something systemic? And long story short, I just started to bring women together to talk about money and quickly realized that negotiating our salaries was that kind of individual, tangible way that we could at least close our own wage gaps, and also being able to say to each other, if I undercharged, I'm not just hurting
myself, I'm actually hurting you. That collectively we need to be raising each other up to get our raises. And that also then led to, beyond talking, learning, education classes, a slack group of 55,000 women exchanging more than 3 million messages, making sure that we're actually following through on the inspiration we get from that education. And it's not just
asking for more money, right? There's a lot you need to be doing before and after growing your money, too, which I know we're going to talk about. It's holistic in many ways. And that ladies get sued part. Yes, I did get sued by a group of men's rights activists. It sounds funny until you're sued by them, but it ended up being a blessing because it grew our network even more, and I got a book deal out of it. So thank you. Publicity can be good.
Yeah. Ola. Talk about, like, from your perspective, because you have a focus on financial education. What are the most critical areas where women still face challenges today? So I would definitely say that it would be around building financial confidence. I have conversations with women in the clever world finance community very often, and I think one of the biggest challenges is feeling that you are worthy to achieve financial success, that you are worthy to do well with your money.
And it really just stems around building that financial confidence, because when you think about it, historically, as women, money has never really been deemed our place. Right where we are in this space where we're seeing these, like, huge television shows being romanticized on tv, like Bridgerton and another one on HBO, Max, called the Gilded Age. And there was this idea that a woman's goal in life was to aspire to get
married. And so we're coming from that era into a space where, you know, money was just never really deemed our position. We were meant to stay home, take care of the kids. And even when we became working class, right, thinking about the revolutionary era coming out of, you know, the different wars where women had to actually come in and help the economy, when we started earning money, it still was not deemed our place. And so there is this, like, generational, ingrained idea of we
are not good with money. And so it's really helping to helping women dispel that idea that they're not good with money and helping them build financial confidence. I think that's one of the challenges, because we are good with money. We are great with money. When we have the right tools, we invest really well, we can save really well. We know how to build wealth when we have the education. And so that financial confidence, I think, is one of the biggest challenges. So important.
Patrice, on the redefining wealth podcast, you've challenged the traditional notion of financial success. How have these traditional views held women back? I think that's a little bit of what Bola talked about. And how can we redefine them to empower more women? Yeah. So on the redefining wealth podcast, what my mission is, is to support women and not just looking at wealth through the lens of just money and material possessions. Yes. That is so
important. We all know that however, there is no real personal finance success without personal development. So when Claire talks about women not asking for more and not having those conversations or Bola talks about the financial confidence piece, those things really come from personal development work. And yet we continue to look at them like they're two separate things.
And so at redefining wealth, my mission is to make sure that women don't just think about wealth in terms of money and material possessions, but that we look at the original 12th century definition of wealth, which was actually the condition of well being. Whenever we are well, and what I call the six pillars of wealth. These are the parts of life that
impact our finances even when we're not thinking about it. So we can be perhaps asking for the raise at work, or we can be starting the businesses, or we can be, you know, dipping our toes into investing and all of those things. However, if there are some beliefs and behaviors in different parts of our lives that are contradictory to our efforts, we'll be in a spiral of self sabotage. And so that's what we desire to support. Like these ladies with. I want
them to take the actions. I'm just getting them prepared to take the actions that everyone else tells them. That's amazing. Lisa Wang is in the house. Lisa, I say Wong. Do you say Wang or Wang? I want to ask you first. I say Wang, but I know it's Wang in Chinese. I mean, I was. I was born in Madison, Wisconsin, so I have a. I say Lisa Carmen Wang. And that's how it is. And when I'm in China, I say Wang Lisha. Perfect. Okay, well, we will continue to confuse everybody. Lisa Carmen
Wang, welcome to the show. I'm just gonna put you right on the spot since you got here. Your book, the bat business bible, it focuses on empowering women to break free from societal norms. How do you see these norms influencing women's roles in finance? Well, I call it good girl brainwashing. And good girl brainwashing is all the societal and media messages that train women to play small, be silent,
and I not prioritize their own dreams. And it causes good girl habits, like people pleasing perfectionism, not asking for our worth, not demanding our value, and worst of all, settling. So I always say bad bitches never settle. And this idea of settling for mediocre opportunities, settling for things that are beneath what we know our value is settling for less money. And a lot of it comes from this scarcity mindset that is
created by good girl brainwashing. When we have been told over and over again that we are not enough in our being that we are not prepared enough, we are not smart enough, we are not brave enough, we are not powerful enough. And all of these continual messages put us into this scarcity mindset, making it feel like we aren't deserving of money, that we don't have what it takes yet, that we're still not ready, we're still not perfect enough to ask for what
we're worth. And so, you know, we've seen over and over again, women tend to lower their prices. I believe it was, you know, 66% of women lower their prices before the client even asks. And this is the same when I see female founders pitching, you know, the male founders coming in and saying, you know, I'm the, I'm the next Elon Musk. I'm building the next billion dollar business. And then a woman who comes in, maybe even building something very, very similar, says, well, maybe I'm
building 100 million dollar company. You know, I'm not sure. Oh, sorry, I'm sick today. You know, just excuse me for a moment while I get everything ready. So it's all of those, you know, you hear the insecurity. And I think that, you know, at the end day, even coming from an investor perspective, we say, you know, there's a reason why we
bet on the jockey and not the horse. It really comes down to the level of conviction someone has in their ability to succeed, to make money, and to then be able to command a level of worth and their valuation of their company. And so I think all of this, you know, I heard snippets from before, is, again, really about your perception of yourself and your perception of your own value, and then how that is then directly reflected and manifested in the
amount of money in your bank account. Lisa, I read that you once felt I held back by fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of what people would say, think, or do. How does it feel to show your most authentic and powerful self? Oh, I mean, I have a podcast on the Bad Bitch Empire, podcast episode called
how to be a bad bitch when you're a sad bitch. And so this isn't to say that I don't always, you know, I still have those ups and downs, but I think that what has changed coming from someone who used to be, you know, deeply insecure, someone who I was deeply. I was very, very shy, very introverted. I couldn't speak on stage to save my life, much less even in a classroom.
And I think it's really, it came down to learning how to love my own voice and to really, really embody this feeling that my own opinion of myself was more important than anybody else's opinion of me. And especially being at, you know, the face of this brand and the forefront of this, the amount of, let's say, judgmental comments I've gotten from more conservative people, from older people who are like, why do you have to use the word bitch? Why do you have
to be so provocative? And I'm like, well, first of all, being a bad bitch is a great thing, so get with the times. And second of all, it's being, getting that sort of, let's say those judgments really forced me to level up. And, you know, I can't say it didn't affect me, because it did. But it forced me to, again, really dig deep and
say, can I really walk the walk? Can I really walk the bad bitch walk and truly believe in myself and believe in my own opinion and weight that as the greatest so that I can really believe in myself and push forward? Well, I will say that this is the most times the word bitch has been used on the inspired money podcast. Does everyone agree? Like, does it require being bold to be successful as a woman? I would say that it does require being
polarizing in your ideas. Even with redefining wealth, it's so simple. The idea that the original 12th century definition of wealth was the condition of well being and happiness. Even when I started out on that crusade in 2017, when I launched the podcast, I can't tell you how many people wanted to argue with me about what my beliefs were.
And I think that no matter what, all of us, all these women who are represented here, who have these brands, the most important thing is that we have true conviction around why we believe what we believe. And I do think that you have to say it until other
people believe it. And so if you don't start with owning that, it's one thing to know it, it's another thing to own it in order to be or do well with finances, business, entrepreneurship, career, anything, it really does come with a sense of just having conviction that I believe this so strongly. I'm willing to go all the way in order to bring other people with me. And that's the only reason that I'm still here, is because I believe this so
strongly. And I want to take everyone who feels aligned with my message with me. But a part of that boldness, and I just want to, you know, give, give Lisa her props, because a part of that boldness is understanding that we all have these different messages, but we share the same heart to help women move forward in their finances, their career aspirations, their entrepreneurial journeys, whatever that is. But people are going to hear us all the
time. But they're an audience. And what I've learned in this game for over twelve years now is that an audience, audience just means a body of onlookers, a gathering of onlookers. But there are people who are assigned to each of us. And so my conviction is in the fact that I am here for the people assigned to me. There are going to be people who never resonate with me. And thank God for Bola. There will be people who never resonate with me. And thank goodness for Claire. Right? But I'm
not here to try to get all of their people. I'm here to stand Boli in my conviction and make sure that the people who feel aligned and assigned to me are attracted to me from the moment I open my mouth. That's it. Everybody else go to these other girls. They're amazing. Other women. Excuse me. And I just wanted to add to what Patrice said. I agree 100%, that boldness is. It is so necessary. Having that conviction is so necessary. And as women, we are. We have to build that thick skin, that
alligator scale like skin. Because what I found in my experience, experience doing what I do, and again, talking to women in my community, is that people will show up and show out when it comes to Women's history month, when it comes to talking about women equality, when it comes to talking about gender, wage gap in the big spaces. But when you get into the small rooms, people change and
their opinions will change. I have been in situations, Andy, when you interviewed me about that $100,000 savings story where I went to speak with a male advisor, and his biggest concern was where I got my money from. I have been in situations, Lisa, in your space, where I've tried to raise venture capital, and I have gone into those meetings with big boldness and conviction and told them, I'm
building this huge, incredible business. And the question I was posed to right with from VC's who were women advocates who invest in women brands who want to see women win. The questions I was asked was, what does your husband think about this? Oh, you should wear high heels when you're coming to talk to male investors so they take you more seriously. Oh, don't talk about
your children at meetings. It is too much baggage. And so we really have to be bold, because especially on this platform, where each of us has that, each of us has created, where we're trying to empower other women, we have to showcase our boldness, because this is how we are going to bring women with us. Because in their own small spaces, they're also facing that resistance again. On the big platforms, outside, on the
stages, everybody's all for it. But when you get into those small spaces, people's opinions change. And so that boldness is so necessary because you can't waver on your conviction and around your beliefs. Otherwise, you get demotivated. You start feeling small and you start feeling less confident and you want to hide. And then you feel like you can achieve the things that you want to achieve in your life and with your finances. So that boldness is so, so necessary. Something just to
quickly jump in on that. I think for anybody listening and they hear the word bold, sometimes we can feel like bold has to look a certain way. And I think it's important for us to reflect on how do we, in our authentic individual expression, express boldness? How do we do it in a way that's authentic to us? So something that's worked really well for me is vulnerability. My boldness comes from sharing. I have a podcast where I coach women. They don't have their camera on, so
it's protecting their identities. My belief is that transparency is transformative. And I've also been the one who's getting coached by a money coach. And I'll share that, you know, with people. That's how I raised a bunch of crowdfunding after I got sued by this group of men's rights activists. It was letting people in behind the scenes, the nasty comments I was getting and saying, guys,
this is hurting. Let's rally. If you care, if you believe this is my process, helping people participate in your process makes them feel like they are being bold with you. And that boldness can rub off, you know, and they can use that in their
life in the way that makes sense for them. But I always love to have people think about, yeah, when they go into negotiate or put themselves out there in some way, it might not be doing it like me and sharing my personal life on social media, but we all can take a step to just grow a little bit bigger. Ooh, so, so good. And I think a quick takeaway there is that being bold, being powerful, being effective, it doesn't always look the same for everybody. So
really powerful stuff. Let's go to segment two. We're going to talk a little bit. About the how mentorship and networking are pivotal in advancing women's careers in finance, mentorship programs such as Goldman Sachs 10,000 women and 100 women in finance offer invaluable guidance and support. They help women navigate their professional journeys by providing insights and advice from experienced
mentors. These programs are crucial for overcoming challenges like communication skills, self confidence, and gender bias, fostering professional growth and development. Sponsorship plays a different but equally important role. Sponsors actively advocate for their proteges, securing high visibility projects and promotions. This relationship accelerates career growth by connecting women with decision makers
and promoting equal opportunities. Networking further enhances these efforts, opening doors to new opportunities and professional connections. Organizations like the Financial Women's association and events such as the FWA annual Summit provide essential platforms for building these networks. Through these programs and initiatives, women can gain the confidence and support needed to break through barriers and achieve leadership roles in the finance industry.
Patrice, can you share a personal story where mentorship played a pivotal role in your financial journey? My goodness, it's played a pivotal role throughout the entire thing. You know, when Claire was doing her introduction, it made me think, and this is going to sound so crazy, but it made me think of my first grade teacher, Miss Boyne. When I was six years old. I used to be the kid in class who would raise my hand like, I know the answer. I know the answer. I know
the answer. Many of you probably can identify, I'm not sure, but I would raise my hand all the time. And Miss Winston said, hey, first of all, no, we don't want to hear from you. So I put my head on the desk. I was so upset. And then she said, stay in for recess, I need to speak with you. And miss Boynton kept me back because she said, hey, miss Cunningham, which was my maiden name, we don't care that you know all the things.
You have friends here that don't know anything. What good is it for you to know your responsibility when you know something is always to share with your friends? It means nothing if you're the only person that knows. And that really left a big impression on me. I became the kid that would actually start to help other people and support other people. But what I didn't learn, even though I took that away for many, many years, Miss
Boynton's anointing is what I call it. Even though I took that away from there and I became the helper when I lost everything in the recession, I suffered in silence for a really long time because I was so used to helping others that I didn't know how to ask for help. And when it comes to money, it was 20 2010. I believe I was coming out of
the fog of losing everything in the recession. I had started a business during senior in college, turned it into a seven figure business by 25, took a fall down the stairs, ended up in the hospital because I was 20 weeks pregnant when I took the fall and literally racked up almost $400,000 in medical debt. And because I was so used to being the one that people came to for help and didn't know how to ask for help. So my then husband and I suffered in silence, and it led to the point of
bankruptcy. But before I did file that bankruptcy, it was a mentor who said to me, Patrice, you cannot nickel and dime your way out of this. You need to ask people for help. It's why my name on Instagram now is seek wisdom. Because what I learned was that it's not enough to be smart. And I think a lot of us have met women that we may serve that are smart. They are very educated. They have the degrees and
the titles and all the things. But then when it comes down to being able to ask these questions, they're intimidated because they carry that. I should know this already. And so, in my own experience, I have learned, even to this day, it's great to be the leader and the teacher, but never be afraid of going back to being a student in the areas where you really need support. So all along the way, I have had financial
advisors. I've had my own financial coaches. I like, literally, if I feel that I need to not just stuck, because you don't have to be stuck, but I want to excel in a particular area and go to the next level. I am the queen of saying I don't know what I don't know, and I don't care that you've known me as America's money Mavende. I was really good in this area, but in this area, I need some support. I do that every year, especially at the top of the year, when I set, you know,
a new financial milestone I want to hit. I will ask friends and family. Mostly I would say friends, not my family, respectfully, but friends who are where I want to be. I will ask them for referrals and resources, and it's been a big unlearning to not let any current success prevent me from getting the support that I need to keep moving forward. Wow. So mentor and be willing to be mentored. It's powerful.
Lisa, can you talk about, like, how do you encourage women to seek out mentors or sponsors, especially in a male dominated industry like finance or venture capital? I mean, when it comes to venture capital, I mean, first of all, there's not that many mentors, because still 95% of venture capital investors are men. And so women who are breaking into the industry. Even myself as an emerging fund manager, I found it very difficult
to really find that true mentorship. And what there has been right now, especially if you're trying to break into venture capital, is that there's more and more programs and communities around supporting women. Learning how to invest. Learning how to, again, angel invest. Understanding the venture capital industry. At the Badbitch empire, we have something called the bad bitch investor bootcamp to really help understand what is the landscape of venture capital.
How do you get through some of the jargon that usually kind of feels a bit gatekeepy, but is actually, you know, quite, quite understandable if you really just break it down into the basics of what is the asset class of venture capital. But I mean, in terms of mentorship, I have always found that the most powerful thing for me has been peer
mentorship, you know, community mentorship. I find that, you know, when I built my previous company, sheworks, it was, I was trying to figure out, I was starting my own business, and I was trying to raise venture capital, and I didn't have any friends. I didn't know who to go to to ask about raising venture capital. And so I ended up building a
community. Other women who were also going through it themselves, and we brought in VC partners who could really meet us at that level and talk openly about what we needed to do in order to raise capital. And ultimately, you know, I set aside my other startup and went full time into sheworks. And then same thing. When I launched the Badbidge Empire Venture capital Fund, I
ended up going into an accelerator program. But really, the people who ended up helping me the most were the other women who were simultaneously also emerging fund managers. And just the ability to empathize and to share challenges and to share solutions real time, I found to be the. Most helpful to Claire or Bola. Do you think that viewers should be seeking out one to one mentorships or like an organization where it could be like one to many?
Claire, you're muted. Thank you. Thank you. I have a suggestion for how to do this as efficiently as possible, straddling both kind of individual and also organization. People who run communities develop relationships with them. I like to call these people portals. And it's, by the way, not just somebody who runs an organization or community. It's that person who's just really well connected and gets that we got to pay it forward. They're connectors.
They're switchboard operators. That is how they've built their, not only networks, but their careers. If you connect with them and build a genuine relationship, which, by the way, relationship takes time and consistency, if you do that, they will open up that portal to you and make so many introductions. I have found in my own life the people who have been most helpful and who respond most quickly to me are always the most successful people.
They are the portals. So be, you know, judicious with your time and energy, because whenever we talk about networking, I find a lot of the responses are, oh, God, it's a full time job on top of my already full time job. It's exhausting. It is. It's important, and that's why you got to do it efficiently. And I think those portals are the people to identify. And by the way, being strategic in who you network with, that's not being mutually exclusive with
your sort of authenticity, they go hand in hand. So come network with me. And a great way to do it is by supporting what I'm already doing, commenting, liking, sharing, attending. Show up for me, we'll build a relationship and I'll show up for you. So I would say that when it comes to seeking mentorship, just be open, right? A lot of times, you know, when women are intentionally looking for mentorship, a lot of times it's because they're going through a difficult season in their life or they're
trying to make a change, right. Typically, when things are perfect in your life, you're not necessarily looking for someone to mentor because everything's fine. And so a lot of times there might be that intimidation to reach out. You might feel like it's overwhelming. You might feel like you may not want to bother the people or the person, or how do I reach out to this organization? Or I'm going to be one of many, and I'm not going to get the actual support
I need. And so I would say be open, right? Be vulnerable, like Claire said earlier, and try to find a type of mentorship that's going to work for you. I have explored and tried multiple different types of mentorship. Sometimes it's working with someone who I look up to that I respect, that I have an ongoing, consistent mentor. And sometimes it's just finding people in spaces that I find myself in that just share things that change
my life. And I'm going to share a quick personal story because I just have to. Because Patrice Washington is here. And I've told you this story before. Years ago, Patrice, but years ago, she did first time I ever encountered Patrice, she did a periscope. For anyone who remembers, a periscope is. And I stumbled on Patrice on this
platform. It was, like 10:00 p.m. at night. And she was talking about her recovery from, you know, financial challenges in the recession, from her business and rebuilding and how to build a business and create resilience and just be strong and power through it. And that was so impactful, because at that time, I was starting my own business. I didn't know what I didn't know. I didn't have any mentors. And I saw this woman who looked like me, who was expressing certain things that I was going
through, and I completely related to her. And in my mind, Patrice was a mentor from a distance. Even though I had never met her, she didn't know who I was, and I just found her in a space where I happened to be. And so that's why I say, be open to mentorship wherever you find it. And, Patrice, I'm forever grateful for that experience. Oh, my God. Pivotal in my. In my business and my life, as well. And it's incredible. Thank you so much, Bola.
And I'm so grateful to have an opportunity to share platforms with you now. But the beautiful thing about that kind of leaning into what Claire said, is we had, you know, exchanges throughout the years, and then Bola came on my podcast. You know, I've done things to support her stuff as well. And that ability to go from someone watching one to many, you know, in an audience of a virtual stage to building enough rapport so that she could reach out to me and say, hey, I'm
launching my book. Can I be on the podcast? And it's like, yeah, of course. In that moment, right when she first saw me, no, but definitely making sure that you're in the orbit of folks that resonate with you and that you would like to have relationship with. I always say there's always someone watching who has the power to bless you, but who are you? Who are they watching you be and watching Bola grow? Clever girl. Finance and write books and launch all this stuff? Absolutely. When you see
someone that's already out there doing their thing. I've never once seen Bola or any other women in this space as competition. I see us as complimentary, and I always see us as, you know what it is. An opportunity for us to lift women up together. We all bring our own unique spin to these things, and there's something that we can all offer one another's communities. And Bola, thank you for that. It's an honor to be here with you. I
forgot about that story. Thank you for reminding me. But I love that we get to demonstrate that in real time. Thank you both for sharing that magical moment. And I love the idea of a virtual mentor, which I think is more and more possible in the 21st century. Right? You hear about musicians who learned how to play a song by watching YouTube, and then when they meet somebody, they're like, I learned that from you, or you're my mentor and you had no idea
how you influenced me. We're going to go to the next segment where we're going to talk about overcoming obstacles. Women face unique financial challenges, including the gender pay gap, longer life expectancy, caregiving responsibilities, and difficulties in wealth accumulation. Women earn less than men on average, affecting their ability to save and invest longer. Life expectancy results in higher health care costs and
a greater need for retirement savings. Caregiving responsibilities often lead to career breaks, reducing income and retirement savings. Additionally, divorce and widowhood can significantly impact financial stability, especially for women over 50. Financial education and planning are essential. It helps to seek resources, financial advisors, and mentors to build confidence in personal finance investments and retirement planning. Investing wisely can help mitigate the effects of
earning less and career breaks. Retirement planning, including considering healthcare costs and long term care insurance, is crucial. Leveraging support networks, joining, joining professional groups, and advocating for policies that support equal pay and paid family leave can improve women's financial outcomes and promote financial independence. Ola, what strategies do you recommend for women to mitigate the effects of the gender pay gap and its impact on women's financial stability?
So that's a great question, Andy. And it's even beyond the gender pay gap, right? Because, you know, because of the gender pay gap, because we're earning on average 20% less than our male counterparts. And when you break that down by demographic, it's even more discouraging. There is also the investment gap.
So because we earn less, we have less to invest over time, which means that when it comes time to retire, we have less money to support ourselves, knowing that we live longer, on average, than our male counterparts. And so the advice I give my audience, the advice I take for myself, is to be intentional, right? Be intentional with our money, knowing that we have these factors working against us. And this means doing more than just saving, but also actively
investing. When it comes to statistics around women versus men investing, we are investing at a much lower rate because as women, we tend to prioritize other obligations above investing. And so it's really key that we're investing. And in addition, it's so important. I'm sure clerics is going to talk more about this, but really to advocate for ourselves, to ask for more money in the workplace so that we
have more money to put aside for our future selves. And this means having a conversation with your bosses, asking them what you can do to get the next best bonus, to get the next best raise, asking them how you're doing in terms of performance. So you know how to prepare yourself. And if you're finding yourself in a position where you, you are at a job that's no longer serving you or can no longer meet your expectations, even though you're giving it your
best to find something else. Considering side hustles as ways to bring in additional income if your schedule permits. We are in this world where women are choosing to be single mothers, or they're sole household earners, or they're having children and managing all their children's expenses on their own. And this means less money
to put aside for their future selves. And so it's really important that we prioritize investing, a reintention about investing, and in addition, advocating for ourselves to earn more money so that we're able to take care of our future. Let's ask Claire. Claire, how do you advocate for yourself? And I did see a course on your website, pitch like a pro, how to negotiate your salary and other benefits. Okay. So everything, it always has to be in terms of how did you
make money for the company? Okay. Which, depending on your role, it's not always obvious you're in sales, makes sense. You brought in x dollars. So therefore, I'm going to ask for or why dollars more. For a lot of women, our roles tend to be, you know, let's say it's marketing or hr. How do you build an effective case for the quantified impact that you had on the business bottom line? If you're not sure how to respond to that, that means you've got
to do some research. You've got to figure out who in the company can give you intel on the financial ecosystem and how you fit into it. Listen, if you're employed, there is a margin on your paycheck. Otherwise you don't work there anymore. So the company is making money off of you. You need to know very concretely how you're contributing and then say, how can I contribute in more effective ways? So not just more responsibilities or bigger responsibilities, but, you know, high profile
ways, you know, FaceTime with clients. It's called glamour work. I didn't make that up. That's actually a phrase. So it's all about the business case and being able to translate your work into their bottom line. That being said, the policies need to change. It's paid family leave. If we really want to talk about how to close the wage gap, you see a precipitous dip in salaries when women have children. It's a little bit more complicated than
just that. But if we're looking for one policy to make impact on, in addition to asking for more for yourself, a way to ask for more for everyone is to actually go for better paid family leave policies. Rising tide lifts all boats that way. Patrice, what's your advice for getting past obstacles? I mean, you literally fell down the stairs. That was. That's insane. Yeah, I really lean into what Bola mentioned. My community is very much driven by pursuing their purpose. And I don't
confuse passion with purpose. To me, passion is about what energizes and excites you. Doesn't necessarily mean you're proficient in it, and therefore that you'll be paid for it. But purpose is how do you take something that you're naturally gifted in or experienced in and find use for it in the marketplace so that you become a blessing to others? And in my community, our fifth pillar is the work pillar. It's about living
your life's purpose. And my thing is, no matter who you are, you need to know how to monetize your skill set and your gifts at a moment's nothing. Notice, especially in this day and age, where technology has leveraged or leveled, excuse me, the playing field for many of us and removed a lot of the barriers to entry. It may not be the thing that you make millions of dollars doing, but it could be the thing that allows you to save more in addition to
your full time job. It may be the thing that allows you to, excuse me, save more, pay down debt, and start to invest. And so what are the ways that don't have to burn you out or overwhelm you, but looking at what are the ways that technology can support you in creating additional income that, you are very clear, is earmarked for those things, for those purposes. And as a woman who recently divorced after a long term marriage, I would
talk about this for years. My second book was real money answers how to win the money game with or without a man, and did not know that I would end up without the man. And so, after 15 years married and almost 20 years together, even finding myself in a space where going from two incomes down to a one income household and making all of these decisions on my own. I say, for any woman, making sure that you're an active participant in the financial going dawn of your household,
there is no such thing anymore. It's like, oh, somebody else takes care of that. All of these fantasies that we've been sold and all of the marketing and what society has kind of demonstrated for years is that we're waiting for Prince Charming and someone to come in and save us. And the reality is, you know, they may not be good with money either. So as an adult, we have
a responsibility to get these things down. Doesn't mean that you have to become a maven in it, but you do need to have an awareness of these different areas and be looking at ways that you can, again, reach out to mentors, join peer groups, do whatever you need to do to educate yourself so that if something shifts, whether it's divorce or death or disability or just something changes or you decide to dream a new dream, you're financially prepared
to continue on no matter what. Lisa, your thoughts? So, I mean, you know, my entire platform is really about women taking charge of their bank accounts on their own terms, living life on their own terms. And, I mean, I think that there, there's two main things that are really, really crucial for women thinking about doing that. And the first is really built when I talk about building your business. So there's more and more women who are starting businesses every single
day. And one of the things that is starting to happen in venture capital with female founders who are raising capital is they've been fed this toxic narrative wherever in order to succeed. The only way you can succeed is if you get funding. You know, we've had these celebrations on headlines that are talking about how this company raised $10 million, this company raised 50 million, this company raised
100 million. And for a while, we've been living in this bubble. That's all about how, how much can you raise as a business owner? And so as more and more female founders started trying to access capital, they started entering into this asset class, where the entire asset class is centered around hyper growth at the expense of profitability.
And what happens is, because the model says, if you're building a venture, scalable company, then you need to really think differently about your finances and how you project your finances as a founder. Because investors, venture capital investors, are prioritizing companies with hyper growth and not really even looking the profitability
of the company. So you had women coming in who were building profitable companies and being dinged by investors and so there was a whole flip where more and more women were learning how to build a venture scale company, but then not getting the
funding, even though they were sacrificing profitability. So right now in the space, as I am working with a number of female founders who have put everything into their businesses, really let all financial responsibility go so that they could get that promise of funding, we're thinking about how can we really rebalance the system so that women are building profitable companies and getting to a point where they are fiscally responsible and then going and finding
alternative routes of, alternative routes of funding for their businesses. And so really within the niche that I operate, there's a larger conversation around what does it look like to be financially responsible when you are an entrepreneur and you have to take out loans and you have to, you know, put everything in and really believe in it and how that sometimes leads to financial sacrifices? But
what's that? What is that balance between being, you know, delusionally optimistic and also being realistic about what you need to survive as a founder? Because you can't come from a place of financial scarcity. If you are going to successfully fund. Race, for sure, you better have some blind optimism in the possibilities. Let's move to segment four. We're going to talk about financial literacy. Financial education tailored for women can empower effective personal and
business finance management. Programs like savvy ladies and clever girl finance offer guidance to help women gain confidence in handling their finances. These programs cover topics such as budgeting, debt management, investing and retirement planning. Financial literacy involves understanding and using financial skills. Budgeting ensures money is allocated for necessary expenses and savings. Investing involves allocating
resources with the goal of generating profit. Retirement planning focuses on determining income goals and the actions needed to achieve them. Workshops, online courses and community based training programs enhance financial literacy. Organizations like the Women's Resource of Greater Houston and women's money matters provide interactive workshops and one on one coaching. Programs from institutions like the FDIC offer tools to improve financial skills across all ages.
Participating in these programs equips women with the knowledge and confidence to achieve financial independence. Bola, you mentioned some of the key areas of financial literacy. You talked about saving, you talked about paying down debt. You talked about the investment gap. What are like the most common financial mistakes you see women making? So I would say common financial mistakes.
I don't even know if I would call this mistakes. I would just say just operating from a lack of knowledge, a lack of information because you don't know. I have certainly been there. Not saving when you can not investing, not being intentional about educating yourself about money. Those are some of the big ones. But I would say that we've all made money mistakes, every single one of us on this, on this session, everybody that's
listening. And so the mistakes are inevitable. I think what is more important is recognizing that those mistakes are inevitable. But what are you going to do once you make the mistake or you realize that you've made the mistake? Right. And one thing that the mistakes cause is fear. Because once people make the mistake, it's almost like they've been burnt and they don't want to
get burnt again. And there's this fear. And so they either get stuck where they are and they don't, don't make any change or make any additional effort, or they just resolve themselves to the idea that they're bad with money. And so for me, it's about recognizing that mistakes
are inevitable. But what are you going to do next? And so it's really empowering yourself with knowledge, because the more you know about your finances, the more you know about how money works, about how investing works, about how to budget, about strategies to pay down debt and to save, the more confident you are to make a strategic and smart financial decisions for your own unique personal finance situation. And so the flip side of
the mistakes is really being able to empower yourself with education. And so, you know, the mistakes are what they are. We're all going to make the mistakes. We're all going to continue to make mistakes. I still make financial mistakes every now and then, but it's the recovery that's more important. And that's really what I try to highlight when I talk about mistakes that, that people make. Lisa, in your book, you emphasize breaking free from limiting
beliefs. How do these beliefs affect women's financial literacy and how do you overcome them? So I think that there's, first of all, more than enough, just media about how important it is to learn about your money today. I think every woman knows that she should be educated. She should, you know, she should be doing something differently. And I find that what often happens is, again, I'll talk about the scarcity mindset, especially if you didn't come from wealth. You know, I came from an
immigrant background. My parents came over to the US with nothing, couldn't even speak English, you know, at the age of 27. So really starting an entirely new life for us in Wisconsin. As one of the only asian girls in the entire, I don't know, state. But the, you know, so I came from a belief that there was never going to be enough money. And, you know, you have to work really, really hard for your money. And the amount of work and hustle is
directly related to how much you make. And I do believe that's true up to a certain point until there's the leverage point. Right. So now we're, we're educated. We are, we have experiences, we have skill sets. And I think, as every woman has realized when she enters her career, that this what got you there, the good girl hustle and hard work is not what's going to get you into that next position of leadership. And often that it's not about how much work you do, it's about who
you know, it's about how you show up. It's about, you know, like the, it's really like your network and how you insert yourself into the conversation. And I think that one of the things that I actually think is a really big mistake is continuing to focus on all the ways in which you continue to lack, all the ways in which you are still not educated, all the ways in which you have to save. And I think the thing that I see that a lot of times the media is telling women is cut the
$5 on your latte. They are focusing on cutting the $5 on their latte, of spending time preparing to ask for a five or $10,000 raise. You know, they're taking all this time researching the right bank and like, the exact, you know, interest rate, and then they get caught in analysis paralysis instead of just having this abundance mindset and just say, like, just pick one and not missing out on the
interest that they could be making. In the meantime, you know, they're feeling debilitating shame about a previous purchase, about a mistake they made, instead of just learning the lesson, moving forward and figuring out, okay, what are the next big money moves I need to make in order to get to where I need to go. Stop focusing on the ten dollar decisions and actually focusing on million dollar decisions, like, what is going to really move the needle for you to get to where you
need to go. And that does take in a type of trust in yourself, a belief that you do know how to make money, that you do know how to create a business, you know, and, and I think sometimes we make it so complicated and it's really just, you know, you want that positive sign, you don't want that negative sign. And then when you invest, you know, we're like, which stock picker should I listen to? Which analysis should I listen to? And a lot of times I just say, as a woman. You have experiences in
life. You purchase brands. You see what companies you really admire, and you've. You intuitively can trust certain. Certain companies, certain types of management, and it's like you have just as much ability to figure out what to invest in. And there is, of course, the financial analysis. But so much more often than not, you actually find that when people actually make investments, they're doing it off of last minute gut decisions after they've
kind of taken all this different information. And so I think a lot of it even has to do with just positive reinforcement. Like, you already know how to make money. Like, we. We were born as women to create life. Like, to take a little. A little seedling, and to literally birth it. So what makes us think that we cannot turn a dollar into 100 or a million? Patrice, I think you had something to say. Oh, I love it. This type of conversation really gets me excited.
The thing that really stands out to me as something that we tend to, I think, get wrong or be challenged with in this area is a financial psychology terminology. I also have an MBA in financial psychology and behavioral finance. And it's the herding bias. It's the, you know, understanding that we are hardwired to herd. And so many of us, in order to not offend the tribe or the herd that we come from, we continue to have conversations with them about the things that we desire to
do, the businesses we desire to start. And we have to remember that, typically, folks who have not felt the same tug or push or call will project their fear onto us. And so a mistake that we make is trying to stay with the herd. Sometimes you have to go out and create a new herd or curate the community, the mentorship, the accountability that you need, because it's important to be around people who are
speaking the language you desire to speak. If you want to speak the language of abundance, you have to surround yourself with people who ask abundant questions, who ask better questions, because when we ask better questions, we get better
answers. But if you continue to stay in the herd of people who speak from lack, speak from scarcity, speak from fear, speak from all the things that can't be done and try to prove why it won't happen or why you're wasting your time, you're going to get roped back into that conversation, and so you'll continue to sabotage your own efforts. So, I do believe that something that we can all do is really take a look. I mean, we've heard it
said before, right? Like, our. Our net worth might be the average of the five people we spend the most time with. If we're not happy about where we are in our financial lives, we get to choose to go be in community and have conversations with people who speak the language of abundance. It's one of the first things you can do. It doesn't take any money. It doesn't take you radically waking up and being someone different just by being in the room, being in the
space, being in the energy. It's amazing how your language starts to change. It's amazing how the questions that you ask yourself start to change. And it's amazing how the possibility that you see for yourself begins to appear when we're in the space or when we see these people like we. If something in you, like Bola said about seeing me many years ago, something in you goes, oh, my gosh, that's what I want. Or that I
think I could do that, and it grows from there. But it's important that we don't stick to the herd if that herd is not speaking the language that you desire to embody yourself. I just want to have a daily call with you guys every morning for the abundance mindset. You'll start me off on the right foot, Claire. With money matters, it seems like people are frequently overwhelmed. Do you have advice for women who are just starting to build their financial literacy?
Yeah. This is where Patrice is definitely speaking my language when she was talking earlier about things being holistic and the pillars of, like, worth and wealth. And you've really got to take a big step back. And it's not about the numbers. It's what are the numbers representing to you, and where do you want them to take you? Knowing that making change in your life is really hard, and you may have a great desire to make a change,
but that desire is not going to equal the change. This is where James clear gets a shout out. Habits. It all comes down to habits. My biggest recommendation for anybody who's feeling incredibly overwhelmed is first to get very clear about values. Okay, there's values work to be done. But then saying in a given day, what is something that I am already doing consistently? That if I bundle. This is taken from James Clear. But if I were to bundle something new,
let's say it's checking my bank account. Just checking my bank account out. I'm not going to just randomly do it during the day. I'll have a better chance of following through on doing it if I now do it in association with something that I already do. Meaning I make coffee every morning. As that coffee is brewing, that's a good time to check my bank account. Of course you want to grow your bank account. You want to do many other things, but hold on 1ft in front of the other.
Start very small and do know that consistency with those small steps, it will equal the change. But begin with reflecting on values, like I said. And also, what are you already doing that you can bundle this new action with? Yeah, start small. Great advice. We're going to bring it home and head to our last segment. Ethical and inclusive practices and financial services are vital for creating a fair and equitable environment for all clients, particularly those
from underserved and marginalized groups. These practices include promoting financial inclusion, ensuring equitable access to financial products, and eliminating discriminatory behaviors. Financial inclusion means providing individuals and businesses with access to affordable financial products and services that meet their needs
responsibly and sustainably. Financial institutions must uphold ethical standards and create policies to prevent discrimination and ensure equal access to financial services. Gender inclusivity is also crucial as women often face barriers in accessing financial services. Initiatives like women's world banking provide tailored financial solutions to reduce the gender gap. Inclusive financial services empower underserved
populations, fostering economic stability. Corporate responsibility, such as those by BMO Financial group show how ethical practices align with success. Integrating technology in financial services enhances inclusion, but requires careful implementation to avoid biases. Ensuring a fair and non discriminatory approach. I want to ask all the panelists, how can financial institutions better align their practices with the needs of women? Ola, can you start?
Yes. I think, you know, I've had my own experiences with the financial industry. I mentioned, you know, going to see that financial advisor and talking about how I had saved all this money and needing guidance, and his priority was, well, where do you get this money? What? Boyfriend gave it to you? Are you married? And I think it's really important that, you know, financial professionals get in tune with your audience and bring themselves current to today's
world. Right. Understanding that. If you look at today's landscape, I believe the statistic is about 45% of businesses that bring in over $1.9 trillion that really anchor the economy are run by women, which means that we have a significant impact on this economy. And so it's important to recognize that we need to be served and we need to be served in the right way and we have specific needs and specific challenges that
we need addressed. And it's just being sensitive to that and understanding that by having conversations with the women in your life to understand, right, how, what those challenges are, that's the simplest, simplest way to begin. I think it's also really important that financial institutions just put people's needs, the needs of women, ahead of profitability. And I get that profitability is
important. I run a business. I understand that. But when you think about the long term trajectory of the economy, our dollars matter. They're very impactful. And so it's important that we get served. Otherwise, you're going to start to see, and we already have started to see, changes in the industry where other institutions will come up, come up to serve our needs, and we will create for ourselves, to serve ourselves. So I think that that's
just, like, a tip of the iceberg. I think that, you know, as women, we need to continue to advocate for ourselves, not just for ourselves, but for the women coming up behind us. Asking for more, asking for more, not just for ourselves. One of the things that Claire had mentioned was, you know, paid family leave. Just making sure that your voice is heard when it comes, comes to the
things that you need to be successful. When it comes to the things that women need to be successful, I think that's really, really important as well. Patrice, your thoughts? You know, something that I did not really know until about three years ago when I was casted for a show called Opportunity Knocks on PBS. So we're going into our third season now. We're actually up for an american reality tv award for best feel good tv right now.
Also won this telly award. That's over one of my shoulders here. And the thing that I love about it is it really highlights community development, financial institutions, which many of us don't even know exist. So the reason that I said yes to this show is because in 2009, when I was on my bathroom floor, bawling, snotting, crying after chasing the power mandalorian, you know, who had turned the lights off, facing eviction notices, riding dirty, as we call it, had no health
insurance. No health insurance either, but also no car insurance. I was at a place of gone from this six figure business to literally scraping up change. The financial institutions that I had banked with turned their back on me. They were not helpful in a season like that, even though I had allowed millions of dollars to pass through those accounts that they, of course, leverage to do other things right. But I had no idea in 2009 that CDFIs existed. And those are more mission
driven financial institutions. So they don't sound like our big box banks. But I don't. I'm not in a season right now. I'm going to keep it real with you guys where I am tired of talking to big box financial institutions about how to be better when there are CDFIs, which are the types of financial institutions that we highlight on the show opportunity knocks, because they are always looking to create innovative products and services to support the people
who really need it in the seasons that they need it. And I said yes to this show as opposed to many other shows that I have been pitched for. Because when I thought about myself in March of 2009 and what I would have needed, it was these types of institutions that didn't demonize making a bad decision or didn't demonize being, you know, suffering at the
hands of the recession and all those types of things. And so I think highlighting more institutions that get it, that just already inherently have a desire to support communities, whether it's segments of the community, like, just women or those who are starting over because of a financial loss or those who are misplaced because of disaster or any number of things, go to the CDFI that is in your area, in your neighborhood, so that you can
get the support that you need. And CDFIs exists all across the country. And if you're hearing this and you're like, oh, my gosh, every big box bank that I've tried to go to to get a loan to get support with, you know, emergency services or to get a second chance loan on, you know, a car to refinance some type of high interest rates, to consolidate debt, there is help. And the opportunity finder@opportunityknots.net. is a great place to start.
We're in the business of revamping that. But I'm tired of fighting with some of the larger financial institutions because I feel like in the decade that I've been in this space, we've been having, having the same conversations over and over again. And it's like, either you get it or you don't. You know that women run households. You know that we make a lot of the decisions. And so you should be already catering to us. Why do we still have to talk about this in
2024? Unfortunately, the biggest banks we've seen not only taking advantage, I think they've taken advantage of all clients, men and women, and they've been punished for that repeatedly because they don't learn their lesson time after time, not enough. Yeah. Lisa, any comments on, like, the financial industry, how it can better support female led businesses, particularly in terms of providing equitable access to capital?
Well, first of all, the statistic is that there's $110 trillion of assets under management in venture capital, hedge funds, and just overall asset management class. And of that $110 trillion, female fund managers manage only 1% of it. And recently I had a conversation with JP Morgan and their women's Spark program, the spark program for women and people of color emerging managers. And I asked them, you know, how they were seeding new venture funds that
were founded by women or people of color? And they said, well, we have this wait list of thousands, not thousands. I think it was like over a thousand women and people of color emerging managers who have applied for funding from JP Morgan. And so if I were to apply, it might take a few years, two to three years for them to get back to me. I said, how, how big is this program? They said, well, we've allocated 250 million to the Spark program. And
I thought, okay, that's interesting. What's your typical check size to a typical institutional fund, hedge fund, VC, aka, you know, a white male run fund, and their minimum check size is 250 million. So their minimum check size is 250 million for a typical institutional fund. And the entire bucket allocated to women and people of color is 250 million. And so that's the problem. You know, it's the only solution is just walk the walk.
It's not that they don't have the money. There is just very, very deeply entrenched systems that are choosing not to. And so, you know, I think that this is where, this is why women are so frustrated, because there's media, you
know, there's so many women advocating for it. But the reality is the institutions, the financial institutions are still controlled by the same, you know, small homogenous group of people that they've always been controlled by, you know, a win here or there, and then, and then suddenly that one woman carries the weight of all women on her shoulders and is
the token woman to be able to get to that place. But I think that part of it is just speaking out and highlighting these paradoxes because they just exist and they're just not doing anything about it. And then the second thing is just for us as women, it's like, well, what can we do? It's just, and I think that's
why it's so important to have these conversations about the abundance mindset. The abundance language is again, reminding women that you have the capability to go out and build a business, a multimillion dollar business. You are smart enough, you are prepared enough, you have every skill set and experience and intuitive power to do so. And I think that's why it's just thinking about why, if the institutions aren't going to
do it. What can we do on our own to create an economy that is by and for women where we can make the amount of money that actually matters so that we can personally invest in the types of female led businesses that are going to create the innovation in the world that we want to see. Thank you, Claire. How can financial institutions better align their practices with the needs of
women? And your final thoughts? Yeah, I'm going to throw a wild card here, but ask the women who work for you, they're probably close to your target customers or at least know somebody who is. I've taught at pretty much every major bank. So a big way that I spread my knowledge is by getting hired by companies and colleges to come in and to do various trainings. And I actually did one with bank of Montreal. I've done it with
Citibank, tons of tons of companies. I would love for them not just to get their employees to reach their potential professionally, but how about getting them to reach their potential financially? So to really work hand in hand with your employees as your sort of market research, and to do it in a really collaborative, empathetic way, you'll be able to, for lack of a better term, kill multiple birds with 1 st. Hate
that expression. But there's such a desire from the people who work there that I see to make the product better. So again, even if they're not, quote, the target customer for the bank, they're pretty close to it. And they know the behind the scenes for better or worse. So work with them and not just, you know, treat. Speak down to them. And on that note, feel free to hire me. Clairwasserman.com. maybe it's getpaid.com. of course. I love it. I want to thank everybody for tuning in. It's been an
amazing episode. We covered a lot today. We talked about building financial confidence. We talked about financial literacy. I think perhaps the biggest takeaway for me is that women face a lot of challenges in business, in finance and with their money. And perhaps an abundance mindset is essential because therefore you will see opportunity rather than focus on all the challenges. My call to action for everybody is this week, just take one step to boost your financial
confidence. Whether it's opening up an investment account, whether it's negotiating a raise, or simply educating yourself about personal finance. Remember, every small action moves you closer to taking full control of your financial destiny. So get started today. Inspired moneymaker thank you so much for tuning in and joining us. I want to thank all of our panelists for sharing their thoughtful insights and actionable advice. Patrice Washington. You can find out more and follow
her at patrice washington.com. patrice, I think you have a live event coming up this fall. Did you want to pitch anything or tell people share? Aren't you kind? Of course I do. So we have redefining wealth live coming up October 6 through eight in Atlanta. And it is an opportunity to really focus on the personal development that lies beneath the personal finance and entrepreneurial success you desire. So if you heard me here on inspired money, please reach out. It's at redefiningwealthlive.com.
but if you dm me first, I might hook you up with a little something. So I think this is your opportunity to be bold, as Claire was talking about earlier, and just reach out to me on Instagram. I'm at seek wisdom PCW. And just tell me that you heard me here on inspired money and you want to come to redefining wealth live. And I got you. Ooh, a little something something bola secundby. You can find her@bolasakunbi.com or clever finance.
Clevergirlfinance.com. and I understand you have two books, not one book, but two books coming out on December 5 later this year. They're available now for pre sale. I see my wealth plan workbook. So you've got your first workbook coming out, which is exciting. And then the I guess, clever girl Finance expanded and updated second edition. So congrats on that. Thank you so much, Andy. Yes, I'm excited for them. Claire pitched herself already, but you can find her@clairewasserman.com and, Claire,
anything else you want to steer people toward? Yeah, coachmeclair.com. i've got a bunch of offerings happening, goal groups, something kicking off in just a few weeks. And you can also find me at Claire Getspaid on Instagram. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you. And Lisa Carmen Wang, you can find her at Lisawang Co. That's c o or badbitch empire.com. i don't think we said bitches. You know, it's been, it's been a few minutes. Lisa, anywhere you want to steer people? Sure. We
have two events, two timely events coming up tomorrow. There is the bad bitch pitch female founder showcase and that one. This month we're focused on women innovating in the health tech space. So we have companies in women in pregnancy and postpartum support, fertility innovation and surrogacy innovation. So we have, this is an opportunity, if you're interested in investing, to understand how we think through
investments, how we do due diligence, how we observe the founders. And then next week, I am hosting a three day masterclass called unleash your million dollar empire. So it's all around how to think about building your empire. If you been, if you've been thinking about wanting to put something out there, thinking about wanting to put out your brand and really make really big money moves, that is happening next week so you can find that registration@badbitchempire.com. Well, thank you,
Lisa. Thank you, Claire. Thank you, Bola. Thank you, Patrice. You guys are so inspiring. Our women panelists joining today are not only doing amazing things for themselves, but inspiring women everywhere and just leveraging all their knowledge and insight and making such a big impact. So thank you, everyone, for joining. The next inspired money episode will be back next week with mastering credit, building a solid foundation for financial health. I think that will be Wednesday, August 21,
shooting for 01:00 p.m. stay tuned. We'll see what happens. Until next time. Time do something that scares you, because that's where the magic happens. Thanks, everyone. Great.