WEBVTT - Your Journey To Financial Freedom ft. Jamila Souffrant 0:00:02.240 --> 0:00:05.320 Hey, hey, hey, Hey, we're back. 0:00:05.440 --> 0:00:06.960 We're black, We're brown. 0:00:07.400 --> 0:00:13.680 Ambition ambition, ambition, ambition, ambition. What's up, y'all. I'm Mandy 0:00:13.880 --> 0:00:17.239 in the studio alone, but not for long. I'm joined 0:00:17.280 --> 0:00:21.000 by a fantastic guest today, Jamila sous Frant, friend of 0:00:21.040 --> 0:00:23.320 the show. She's been on a couple of times, but 0:00:23.560 --> 0:00:27.440 never since launching her very first book, which comes out 0:00:27.440 --> 0:00:30.040 this week. We're going to get into that episode, but 0:00:30.120 --> 0:00:32.160 I thought I would just take a moment and check 0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:36.080 in see how y'all are doing. We got some really great, 0:00:36.640 --> 0:00:41.280 just so sweet, so heartfelt dms and email after the 0:00:41.360 --> 0:00:43.479 last show where we were sort of sharing about the 0:00:43.520 --> 0:00:46.479 holiday season and how it can start to feel, you know, 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:49.240 like you're sort of getting worn down by it rather 0:00:49.280 --> 0:00:53.600 than enjoying it. I actually took my four year old 0:00:53.680 --> 0:00:55.480 and my baby, but you know, he slept through most 0:00:55.520 --> 0:00:58.640 of it. Took my four year old on a road 0:00:58.640 --> 0:01:01.360 trip to Kingston in New York, which is about, I 0:01:01.360 --> 0:01:04.679 don't know, ninety minutes or so away from where I live, 0:01:05.360 --> 0:01:09.040 and we went on the Polar Express train, which is 0:01:10.319 --> 0:01:13.679 very Yeah. So if you see the Polar Express ads 0:01:13.680 --> 0:01:18.120 online and they target you moms and dads, listen, it's cute. 0:01:18.440 --> 0:01:20.640 It is. But I had to like really sit with 0:01:20.680 --> 0:01:22.440 myself in my own brain and be like, be in 0:01:22.480 --> 0:01:25.880 the moment and look at this through your son's perspective, 0:01:26.000 --> 0:01:28.959 because I'm like, this hot chocolate and cookies are giving 0:01:29.000 --> 0:01:31.600 me are pretty whack. And these cookies is it's like 0:01:31.640 --> 0:01:35.000 the cookie monster recipe because this tastes like cardboard. But 0:01:35.040 --> 0:01:37.399 if I had to sort of like slow down, be 0:01:37.560 --> 0:01:40.200 like you're here. It was so much work. It's hard 0:01:40.360 --> 0:01:41.800 enough getting the kids in the car to go to 0:01:41.840 --> 0:01:45.040 the grocery store, let alone for a ninety minute road trip. 0:01:45.520 --> 0:01:50.240 So I had to just be like, hey, feel his magic, 0:01:50.480 --> 0:01:52.880 Like look at him, he's feeling magic. He was so 0:01:53.040 --> 0:01:56.680 excited he got to meet Santa. He talked to one 0:01:56.680 --> 0:02:01.000 of Santa's elves, you know. And the train conductor, who 0:02:01.000 --> 0:02:03.280 between you and me looked to be about fourteen years 0:02:03.320 --> 0:02:05.440 old and had braces and acne, so you know, he 0:02:05.560 --> 0:02:08.960 wasn't taking us anywhere. But the conductor came by and 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:12.760 punched Rio's golden ticket, and it was just a lesson 0:02:12.840 --> 0:02:16.040 and you know, just being mindful and being in the moment, 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:20.880 and I really, really, yeah, I won't forget that trip 0:02:21.000 --> 0:02:23.440 in a long time, and I'm glad that we did it. 0:02:23.639 --> 0:02:25.600 But even though it was the stress of making it 0:02:25.639 --> 0:02:29.280 happen and making those magic moments happen, just give yourselves 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:34.760 time to sort of reflect and say okay through their eyes. 0:02:35.400 --> 0:02:37.640 That was the point. The point was to put that 0:02:37.720 --> 0:02:40.080 smile on their face and be happy. And how the 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:42.840 point is for you to be kind to yourself and say, 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:46.160 I did that thing, and that thing is enough and 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:49.240 it's okay. So my heart just goes out to anyone 0:02:49.240 --> 0:02:53.680 out there who's making those magic moments happen. Yeah, just 0:02:53.720 --> 0:02:56.880 be sure to sit with it and to be kind 0:02:56.919 --> 0:03:00.400 to yourself and take that hot bath book that mustage 0:03:00.840 --> 0:03:04.640 whatever you need to do to feel better. A couple 0:03:04.680 --> 0:03:06.560 of reminders what I feel like. I'm like a teacher now, 0:03:06.880 --> 0:03:09.880 but I want to remind Y'll Tiffany's book because I 0:03:09.919 --> 0:03:13.720 am our unpaid publicist. Her book is out. The workbook 0:03:14.000 --> 0:03:15.600 to a company and get good with money. You can 0:03:15.639 --> 0:03:19.680 go to maidholeworkbook dot com to get your book. And 0:03:20.560 --> 0:03:23.240 just a little early holiday gift from me, your favorite 0:03:23.240 --> 0:03:27.440 career coach. 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It's yours for freemandymoney dot com 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:12.560 and I hope that you use them and they work 0:04:12.600 --> 0:04:15.440 out incredible for you. Please send us your DMS. Your 0:04:15.440 --> 0:04:18.520 messages mean so much. And while you're at it, don't 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:21.640 forget to review the show and drop us a five 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:24.320 star review if you're so inclined. If you like us, 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:27.120 you know on iTunes Wait wait, they don't call it 0:04:27.120 --> 0:04:31.520 iTunes anymore. Apple podcasts. That would be amazing. And from 0:04:31.600 --> 0:04:36.159 BAFAM to y'all, happy holidays. Now without further ado, I 0:04:36.160 --> 0:04:37.920 am going to get out of my own way so 0:04:37.960 --> 0:04:41.120 that y'all can be poured into by the one and 0:04:41.160 --> 0:04:46.279 only Jamila Souffrant of Journey to Launch. Hey, hey, bafam, 0:04:46.279 --> 0:04:51.280 we're back. We're black, We're brown, brown ambition. Okay, I'll 0:04:51.279 --> 0:04:56.359 do my own part. Ambition, ambition, ambition, ambition. What's up, y'all. 0:04:56.440 --> 0:05:00.640 It's your girl, Mandy Money, and I am here so today, 0:05:00.680 --> 0:05:04.960 but not for long. I have a very very spectacular guest, 0:05:05.360 --> 0:05:07.000 someone who I don't know. I feel like a couple 0:05:07.000 --> 0:05:08.840 of years ago, I was like, I want to get 0:05:08.880 --> 0:05:11.560 to know her better, and now I can say that 0:05:11.600 --> 0:05:15.880 she is a friend, a peer, and I'm so so 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:18.720 excited to tell you guys all about her. 0:05:18.560 --> 0:05:19.920 Brand new book. 0:05:20.560 --> 0:05:22.240 Why did I do the Oprah voice for that? I 0:05:22.279 --> 0:05:25.440 don't know, it just happened. But before I get into that, 0:05:25.480 --> 0:05:28.799 because I've known Jamila for a couple of years now, 0:05:28.880 --> 0:05:32.120 but y'all may be hearing from her for the first time, 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:33.680 let me give you a little bit of her statue, 0:05:33.640 --> 0:05:36.400 a little bit of her background. Her name is Jamila 0:05:36.520 --> 0:05:39.359 Sousfront and she is the author of Your Journey to 0:05:39.480 --> 0:05:43.160 Financial Freedom, a step by step guide to achieving wealth 0:05:43.360 --> 0:05:49.200 and happiness, emphasis on the Happiness. It is debuting What's 0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:52.760 Today Tomorrow Tuesday, So if you're listening to this on Wednesday, 0:05:53.120 --> 0:05:56.560 go and get the book. It's in stores right now. 0:05:56.960 --> 0:06:00.599 She's also the host of the Journey to Launch podcast. 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:03.239 She's a go to thought leader in the personal finance 0:06:03.279 --> 0:06:06.279 field and her work has been featured everwhere like BuzzFeed, 0:06:06.400 --> 0:06:11.280 Essence for Finer twenty nine, Business Insider, CNBCCBS, and This Morning, 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:15.039 Good Morning America. We can add to that list. Her podcast, 0:06:15.120 --> 0:06:19.040 Journey to Launch has over four million total downloads and 0:06:19.160 --> 0:06:21.200 was named by The New York Times No Big Deal 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:24.440 as a podcast to help you get better with your money. 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:26.640 So today I'm having Jamila on the show to talk 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:29.120 about her book, of course, and because we get into 0:06:29.120 --> 0:06:31.200 the nitty gritty on here, we'll talk about the book 0:06:31.480 --> 0:06:34.280 journey and the business journey that she has been on 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:37.839 and how her and her husband saved nearly one hundred 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:41.920 and seventy grand in just two years while also having 0:06:42.000 --> 0:06:45.360 three children in Brooklyn, New York. Like the math is 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:49.880 not mathing here, I have questions. Okay, So Jamila, without 0:06:49.920 --> 0:06:53.560 further ado, welcome to the BA STU. It's good to 0:06:53.560 --> 0:06:54.200 have you back. 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:57.680 Oh, Mandy, It's great to be say having me. 0:06:59.160 --> 0:07:01.480 I'm so excited for you, as you can tell, because 0:07:01.480 --> 0:07:02.840 I forgot you were going to be on the show, 0:07:02.880 --> 0:07:04.719 so I texted you today as if I wasn't about 0:07:04.720 --> 0:07:07.680 to talk to you in a couple of hours. H 0:07:08.000 --> 0:07:10.680 How does it feel your book baby is born? 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:15.400 Oh my god. Yeah, you know, it's still surreal. I 0:07:15.440 --> 0:07:17.320 feel like it's not. But I am one of those 0:07:17.360 --> 0:07:19.360 people where it has to be happening for me to 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:22.640 feel like it's happening. And now it's like it is happening, 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:26.040 So Jamila is happening. So it feels great. I mean, 0:07:26.120 --> 0:07:29.440 I'm it's kind of nerve wracking because now the whole 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:35.040 world gets to open up a very importantant thing that 0:07:35.120 --> 0:07:37.560 I've done and read it and have opinions about it 0:07:37.600 --> 0:07:40.520 and hopefully it will be helpful to them. But this 0:07:40.600 --> 0:07:42.480 is the first time, like the general public gets to 0:07:42.480 --> 0:07:45.560 see this versus like not me or my editor or 0:07:45.600 --> 0:07:50.000 book coach, who I feel like they're nice and they're 0:07:50.040 --> 0:07:52.720 helping me. But this is gonna introduce me, hopefully to 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:55.760 a whole new audience and you know, interested to hear 0:07:55.800 --> 0:07:58.400 the feedback of what people will start saying when they 0:07:58.400 --> 0:07:59.360 read the book. 0:08:00.360 --> 0:08:04.160 Tell me why a book in a time when I 0:08:04.160 --> 0:08:07.080 feel like, I mean, I know why I'm writing a 0:08:07.080 --> 0:08:08.760 book right now, but I want to know from you. 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:11.600 What was it that you felt like, Okay, it's time, 0:08:11.720 --> 0:08:13.160 this is the book I need to write. 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:19.440 You know, I like to look at things strategically and serendipitously, 0:08:19.560 --> 0:08:22.080 meaning you know, yes, some things you do because it 0:08:22.120 --> 0:08:24.320 makes sense, it's logical, and then some things you just 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:27.280 cannot deny when they need to happen. And I've been 0:08:27.320 --> 0:08:30.280 approached to write a book years ago at the start 0:08:30.320 --> 0:08:33.480 of my journey, but you know, those were not in 0:08:33.640 --> 0:08:35.760 the way in which I'd want a deal. So I 0:08:35.760 --> 0:08:37.839 didn't have an established platform at the time, so I 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:41.120 knew I wouldn't get the best book deal. One a 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:43.880 publishing company approached me. They just wanted a name behind, 0:08:43.960 --> 0:08:46.000 they already had the concept, they just wanted me to 0:08:46.040 --> 0:08:48.080 be the author of it and all those things. I 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:49.840 was like, no, I'm not ready, it's not time. But 0:08:49.920 --> 0:08:55.840 I knew as I was establishing myself and growing that 0:08:56.120 --> 0:08:58.840 I wanted to do the traditional publishing route and I 0:08:58.920 --> 0:09:01.480 wanted to do another meeting. You know, I have the podcast, 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:04.080 but not everyone listens to podcasts, and even people who 0:09:04.120 --> 0:09:06.800 do listen to podcasts don't know my podcast exists. And 0:09:07.760 --> 0:09:12.000 even so there's still so many questions I want do right, Well, 0:09:12.000 --> 0:09:14.600 that's the thing. So but I still even have podcast 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:16.760 listeners who are like, I love this content, but you know, 0:09:16.760 --> 0:09:18.360 I have to go to this episode in this episode, 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:21.120 And I thought to myself, you know, having another vertical 0:09:21.400 --> 0:09:26.080 and media platform, adding this extension to my brand, to 0:09:26.280 --> 0:09:29.600 help solidify all the information that I've spoke about and 0:09:29.640 --> 0:09:33.000 over the hundreds and hundreds of episodes, to put it 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:35.480 in a book and a guidebook that someone can flip 0:09:35.520 --> 0:09:37.760 through and I can say here, here are like all 0:09:37.840 --> 0:09:40.120 the answers to all your questions that you have about 0:09:40.120 --> 0:09:43.920 financial independence, just felt like the next thing to do. 0:09:43.960 --> 0:09:45.720 It's like I could no longer deny that it was 0:09:45.760 --> 0:09:48.280 the right time, and that because I was going to 0:09:48.280 --> 0:09:49.880 the traditional route and it would take a couple of 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:52.760 years for it to be done, that when I signed 0:09:52.800 --> 0:09:57.640 my deal, I was still solidifying, growing and getting my 0:09:57.720 --> 0:09:59.560 concepts together, and so I do by the time it 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:01.480 came out that I'd be in a place to fully 0:10:02.559 --> 0:10:06.120 enjoy and bring this book to light in the way 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:08.200 that it needed to be brought. 0:10:09.160 --> 0:10:12.760 I feel exactly the same about like what you were 0:10:12.800 --> 0:10:15.480 saying about it is a two year process. So you 0:10:15.520 --> 0:10:17.560 sort of know, Okay, I can get the book deal, 0:10:17.640 --> 0:10:19.520 and then I can keep growing, I can keep doing 0:10:19.520 --> 0:10:21.880 all that. But then it's like, oh crap, Now I 0:10:21.920 --> 0:10:23.640 got to write a book while I'm doing all of that. 0:10:23.800 --> 0:10:26.360 So how did you How did you manage a time? 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:28.840 Plus you got three kids and they're not little. They 0:10:29.200 --> 0:10:32.880 got lives, they got activities. You know, they want their mama, 0:10:33.160 --> 0:10:35.280 So tell me a little bit about the process and 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:36.240 how you made it happen. 0:10:36.960 --> 0:10:41.320 So it was hard. It's like being a parent. You know, 0:10:41.320 --> 0:10:43.000 people tell you how hard it is to be a parent. 0:10:43.040 --> 0:10:44.880 And I did a lot of research in terms of 0:10:45.000 --> 0:10:46.920 writing the book and what it looked like. I listened 0:10:46.960 --> 0:10:50.560 to people podcasts that just talked about writing. And as 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:52.520 much as someone tells you, just like being a parent, 0:10:52.679 --> 0:10:55.360 the things you can expect, you don't know until you 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:59.680 are in the thick of it. And so I felt 0:10:59.840 --> 0:11:01.720 that I did need support. So one of the things 0:11:01.720 --> 0:11:04.439 that I did is that I'm not afraid to invest 0:11:04.480 --> 0:11:07.680 in myself or to invest to see the results I want. 0:11:07.880 --> 0:11:09.840 And I knew getting a book coach was going to 0:11:09.880 --> 0:11:11.599 be important, and I was going to pay for that 0:11:11.640 --> 0:11:14.240 out of my own pocket, someone who could help motivate me, 0:11:14.960 --> 0:11:17.640 help in additional edits that I would need to help 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:20.520 guide me through the process. So that was a big help. 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:23.559 I don't know if I would have survived without having 0:11:23.600 --> 0:11:25.560 my book coach that I hired. And then on top 0:11:25.600 --> 0:11:29.480 of that, the timeframe for my book, actually I felt 0:11:29.559 --> 0:11:31.040 was shortened because I thought it was going to come 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:32.760 out in twenty twenty four. So when I first signed 0:11:32.760 --> 0:11:34.880 my deal, it took quite a time for me to 0:11:34.920 --> 0:11:38.360 actually sign it, but I was writing. I started writing anyway, 0:11:38.960 --> 0:11:40.760 and I thought it was going to come out in 0:11:40.800 --> 0:11:42.640 twenty twenty four, which gave me more time. And then 0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:44.959 when we finally did sign the contract, they were like, yeah, 0:11:45.000 --> 0:11:47.640 we're thinking about December twenty twenty three. I'm like, what 0:11:47.679 --> 0:11:49.840 I thought. I had a couple more months, And so 0:11:49.880 --> 0:11:52.280 that put a bit of pressure on me to get 0:11:52.320 --> 0:11:56.079 things done, especially now with the kids. Like you said 0:11:56.120 --> 0:11:59.640 at my kids are nine, seven and five, very energetic, 0:12:00.360 --> 0:12:03.679 very rambunctious, and a lot of my writing had to 0:12:03.679 --> 0:12:06.600 take place in the summertime, which for me, I always 0:12:06.600 --> 0:12:08.120 like to say, I actually don't like working in the 0:12:08.120 --> 0:12:11.800 summer around my birthday or holidays. So basically there's like 0:12:11.800 --> 0:12:13.120 two months out of the year that I like to 0:12:13.160 --> 0:12:16.480 work if that. And so the summer was so hard 0:12:16.559 --> 0:12:17.960 because I would want to go to the beach. I 0:12:17.960 --> 0:12:20.680 didn't want to sit and sit still to write. But 0:12:20.840 --> 0:12:22.440 I knew that I had these deadlines, and I do 0:12:22.520 --> 0:12:24.520 work pretty well with deadlines. You know, if you tell 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:27.240 me something is due in an hour, I'm gonna I'm 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:28.640 gonna find a way to get it done. And so 0:12:28.720 --> 0:12:32.319 that really helped, and having the book coach and really 0:12:33.200 --> 0:12:36.440 always coming back to the purpose of writing the book. 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:39.840 So yes, I do want more people to discover the 0:12:39.920 --> 0:12:43.280 podcast and learn. But I thought to myself, my goal 0:12:43.360 --> 0:12:46.200 right now is to write something that will last, you know, 0:12:46.280 --> 0:12:49.800 beyond me and have an impact bigger than bigger than 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:51.800 I could imagine. And am I staying true to that 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:54.560 in the writing process even if I'm scared And I 0:12:54.559 --> 0:12:56.080 felt like I did, and so I would let that 0:12:56.160 --> 0:13:00.640 guide me when I felt nervous about writing or sitting down, 0:13:00.040 --> 0:13:04.640 I felt that unease that comes along with writing a book. 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:08.640 Yeah, the unies, the in between, I can be in 0:13:08.679 --> 0:13:10.719 between I can. So it took me a couple of 0:13:10.760 --> 0:13:13.320 stabs to get my first chapter done. So far, I 0:13:13.360 --> 0:13:16.719 haven't hired a book coach because I'm not opposed to 0:13:16.760 --> 0:13:18.440 it and I think I might be like a first reader. 0:13:18.760 --> 0:13:20.640 When you say book coach, do you mean so you 0:13:20.679 --> 0:13:22.600 had a proposal coach. You're the one who taught me 0:13:22.640 --> 0:13:26.080 that there were things like a proposal coach, you know. So, 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:28.080 but you had a coach also helping you through the 0:13:28.120 --> 0:13:30.439 writing process, which I know a lot of people do. 0:13:30.920 --> 0:13:33.120 Yeah, So there's so many ways you can work with 0:13:34.480 --> 0:13:37.240 people to help you. And so, yes, I had someone 0:13:37.240 --> 0:13:40.400 help me with my proposal, which was amazing. And then 0:13:40.440 --> 0:13:42.360 when it came to doing the book now now that 0:13:42.400 --> 0:13:44.439 I actually know more, knowing what I know now, I 0:13:44.440 --> 0:13:47.160 would have actually hired her in a different way. So 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:51.640 she was a book coach slash developmental editor. So she 0:13:51.840 --> 0:13:54.560 helped me when we came back with how do we 0:13:54.600 --> 0:13:56.800 set the book up? How do we get all these 0:13:56.800 --> 0:14:01.280 thoughts and ideas and frameworks and tackle is every audacious 0:14:01.400 --> 0:14:04.080 goal of trying to lay out people's path to financial 0:14:04.120 --> 0:14:05.800 independence and put it in a book that makes sense. 0:14:06.200 --> 0:14:09.280 So she helped me figure out like, all right, you 0:14:09.280 --> 0:14:10.839 know what if we broke the book down in these 0:14:10.880 --> 0:14:13.400 sections or this part or what chapters should we use? 0:14:13.559 --> 0:14:16.520 And then she did some line editing and helped out 0:14:16.520 --> 0:14:18.880 a lot in that sense. But I knew that I 0:14:18.920 --> 0:14:20.720 wanted to write it myself, so I didn't want to 0:14:20.760 --> 0:14:22.560 have a ghostwriter or someone to write it for me. 0:14:22.640 --> 0:14:26.920 But I knew i'd need additional help for grammatical and 0:14:27.000 --> 0:14:29.720 line editing. But I actually would have hired her to 0:14:29.840 --> 0:14:32.920 do more line editing and grammatical things, because while my 0:14:32.960 --> 0:14:36.480 publisher did that, I felt like she was so good 0:14:36.560 --> 0:14:40.480 at capturing like every single thing. And now that I 0:14:40.560 --> 0:14:44.479 know what I need going forward, if I write another book, 0:14:44.040 --> 0:14:46.880 I can confidently hire her in this way to say, Okay, 0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:48.520 this is what I actually need, this is how we're 0:14:48.520 --> 0:14:49.240 going to work together. 0:14:50.880 --> 0:14:54.240 I'm gonna need her details. Yes, how'd you find her? 0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:58.560 She's amazing. I found her through my agents, who we 0:14:58.600 --> 0:14:59.960 have the same agents. 0:14:59.640 --> 0:15:03.320 Right, Oh okay, well I did ask them, so maybe 0:15:03.320 --> 0:15:05.240 they'll give me the same maybe, And I don't remember 0:15:05.240 --> 0:15:07.080 the name that they gave me, because sometimes you know, 0:15:07.080 --> 0:15:08.680 as a mom, I'll just be fire and text off 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:10.880 and I'm like I'll get they're gonna send me an answer. 0:15:10.920 --> 0:15:12.480 I'll look at it when I need it next time. 0:15:12.520 --> 0:15:15.880 And I did want a woman. I wanted, uh, you know, 0:15:15.920 --> 0:15:19.200 preferably one of one woman of color, preferably a black woman. 0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:22.840 And I thought that, you know, when they had her 0:15:22.880 --> 0:15:25.360 as a contact, I was like, yeah, let's go. And 0:15:25.400 --> 0:15:27.160 then she was just I mean, she went above and 0:15:27.200 --> 0:15:29.480 beyond because again I hired her in a certain capacity, 0:15:29.520 --> 0:15:33.000 but I needed her for more and she she just 0:15:33.040 --> 0:15:34.760 went above and beyond and she still does. Like she 0:15:34.800 --> 0:15:36.680 helped me figure out some of this details for the 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:40.280 book cover because she worked in the publishing science today. 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:44.560 Yeah, like and just for a minute, yeshit with that juice, 0:15:44.600 --> 0:15:49.440 I keep juicy, juicy, juicy Tomila cover. Yes, like I said, 0:15:49.440 --> 0:15:53.640 I just want to take a bite. So weird. It's gorgeous. 0:15:53.720 --> 0:15:55.880 The orange and this is why I am wearing the 0:15:55.920 --> 0:15:59.440 one orange shirt that was in my closet. I would 0:15:59.480 --> 0:16:01.120 I was going to go for the yellow hoodie, but 0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:03.440 Husby saundoks like a taxi cab and I just can't 0:16:03.680 --> 0:16:06.000 hear it, so I can't put it on. But here 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:06.360 you go. 0:16:07.040 --> 0:16:10.160 Well, you know, also with her, and thank you for that. 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:13.080 I just think in general, when I think this can 0:16:13.160 --> 0:16:15.280 go just beyond the book writing process, because I did 0:16:15.280 --> 0:16:17.520 this with the podcast. Also is that when I got 0:16:17.600 --> 0:16:19.480 interested in something. I talk about this in the book, 0:16:19.800 --> 0:16:21.960 when you get interested in something and you see someone 0:16:22.000 --> 0:16:23.960 doing something. So I saw someone in one of our 0:16:24.000 --> 0:16:27.320 payers get a book deal and she shared that, you know, 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:29.840 she had this person helped her with the proposal. She 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:32.640 shared who her agents were, like she shared, and I asked, 0:16:32.680 --> 0:16:34.280 I asked her directly, like hot, what did you do? 0:16:34.680 --> 0:16:37.160 And I'm one of those people I click on hyperlinks. 0:16:37.200 --> 0:16:38.920 I talk about it in the book that something is 0:16:39.040 --> 0:16:40.880 of interest to you, click on the hyperlink like you 0:16:40.880 --> 0:16:43.240 want on the page that you're reading online, and it 0:16:43.240 --> 0:16:45.760 takes you deeper and deeper. And sometimes hyperlinks take you 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:48.600 to pots of gold and changes your life, and sometimes 0:16:48.640 --> 0:16:51.120 they're nothing. And for me, it was about I want 0:16:51.160 --> 0:16:53.120 to write a great book. I want to put myself 0:16:53.120 --> 0:16:55.480 in a position to get the best deal. What are 0:16:55.480 --> 0:16:56.840 the things I need to do to do that? And 0:16:56.880 --> 0:16:59.080 who can I talk to who have done those things, 0:16:59.400 --> 0:17:01.560 and what were the resources they use? And can I 0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:03.160 do that? And that's kind of like how I went 0:17:03.200 --> 0:17:07.160 about like who I hired or what I invested in 0:17:07.280 --> 0:17:08.440 to help me get to this point. 0:17:09.600 --> 0:17:12.359 That's so so smart, and that's why I love podcasting 0:17:12.400 --> 0:17:15.040 in general, and my background's a journalist is because it's 0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:17.399 all about that double click. And I just like, I 0:17:17.440 --> 0:17:19.200 don't like it when I don't feel like I get 0:17:19.200 --> 0:17:20.679 something from one page. I got to go to the 0:17:20.720 --> 0:17:23.119 next page. And like, everyone who knows me really deeply 0:17:23.119 --> 0:17:26.520 and personally is like, stop asking me questions, Like I'm like, 0:17:26.560 --> 0:17:28.960 I just want to I need to understand every single 0:17:29.000 --> 0:17:33.639 angal Okay, But that's so wise and smart because it 0:17:34.040 --> 0:17:37.640 you assume, like correctly that no one's doing it alone. 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:41.640 And that is the great gift I feel like, of 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:44.080 seeing how the sausage is made when it comes to 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:45.840 I mean, you can put anything in that category, not 0:17:45.880 --> 0:17:49.600 just publishing a book, but launching a business, even you know, 0:17:49.680 --> 0:17:53.000 going on your journey toward financial independence. It's a lot 0:17:53.080 --> 0:17:55.520 to do it alone. It's too much. And then if 0:17:55.560 --> 0:17:58.359 you want to like have a social life, eat well, 0:17:59.000 --> 0:18:01.080 work out, do your thirty minute runs like you do. 0:18:01.800 --> 0:18:04.040 Be a woman, be a wife, be a sister, friend, Like, 0:18:04.200 --> 0:18:08.440 oh my gosh, so to get that help is such 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:12.240 a great, such a great, uh, you know, just a 0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:14.359 great thought to have, and it's and it's liberating in 0:18:14.359 --> 0:18:17.119 and of itself. But then to execute it and find 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:21.880 the exact help that you need from the right places. Yeah, 0:18:21.960 --> 0:18:25.280 I love that you said that. Okay, so break down 0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:27.280 the book for me, because I don't have a copy yet. 0:18:27.280 --> 0:18:30.160 I don't know what happened. Do you not have my address. 0:18:29.840 --> 0:18:31.600 Or I'm not sure. 0:18:31.680 --> 0:18:34.480 Apparently Barnes and Noble and Random Places has it, but 0:18:34.560 --> 0:18:36.160 my Amazon has not come yet. 0:18:36.640 --> 0:18:38.320 I no doubt. Well, you know you're coming to the 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:40.399 party in preview, Remember you're coming to the party, so 0:18:40.400 --> 0:18:45.080 you get a signed book then also excited for the party. Yeah. 0:18:45.119 --> 0:18:47.920 So thinking through what I wanted and how I want, 0:18:48.080 --> 0:18:51.320 this is a very ambitious book to write, because I 0:18:51.359 --> 0:18:54.400 wanted to really map out and share how someone who 0:18:54.600 --> 0:18:57.040 either if you knew about the concept of financial independence, 0:18:57.040 --> 0:18:59.120 which is this ability to live off of just your 0:18:59.119 --> 0:19:02.000 investments and not how to actively work for someone just 0:19:02.119 --> 0:19:04.040 new hearing about it for the first time, or who 0:19:04.160 --> 0:19:06.639 has an idea of what it is, how would I 0:19:06.680 --> 0:19:09.439 explain to them how this works and how they can 0:19:09.520 --> 0:19:13.320 apply it to their life and start their journey. And 0:19:13.600 --> 0:19:16.480 so I ended up breaking out the book in four parts. 0:19:16.520 --> 0:19:18.640 So the part one is about the why and how 0:19:18.720 --> 0:19:22.120 financial independence, and it breaks out like what it is, 0:19:22.440 --> 0:19:24.959 why you need to pursue it, and then breaks out 0:19:25.000 --> 0:19:26.840 the journey or stages that you need to go through 0:19:26.840 --> 0:19:29.879 to reach financial independence, and so it's really like sets 0:19:29.880 --> 0:19:35.239 the stage for your journey. Part two, now, I think, is, 0:19:35.480 --> 0:19:37.360 you know, one of my favorite parts because these are 0:19:37.359 --> 0:19:39.600 literally the things I did when I started my journey 0:19:39.640 --> 0:19:41.640 to get me to where I am today. So Part 0:19:41.640 --> 0:19:44.520