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Speaker 1: You, guys.

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Speaker 2: I don't know what to feel this week. I am happy,

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Speaker 2: I am sad. I am just a mix of emotions

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Speaker 2: right now. I don't know if you can tell.

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Speaker 3: But it's just me.

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Speaker 2: It's just Mandy. This week, Tiffany sadly couldn't be here.

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Speaker 2: She is on a plane somewhere over the United States,

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Speaker 2: somewhere over Idaho, I don't know, on the way back

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Speaker 2: from taping The Real in Los Angeles. So I'm here

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Speaker 2: on my own tonight taping the show. But like I said,

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Speaker 2: I'm not just sad. I'm also really really excited. I

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Speaker 2: have an amazing guest joining the show tonight. I have

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Speaker 2: low key been stalking stalking Sharon Epperson for the past

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Speaker 2: three years throughout her career at CNBC, where she is

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Speaker 2: the senior Personal Finance correspondent at the network. She's actually

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Speaker 2: been there for twenty one years. It was just a

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Speaker 2: couple of years ago that I ran into Sharon at

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Speaker 2: an event at United Nations. I think it was around

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Speaker 2: Women's History Month or some sort of gathering when we

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Speaker 2: were both in the same room at the same time,

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Speaker 2: and I knew I just had to grab her. I

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Speaker 2: had to try and get her on Brown Ambition. So

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Speaker 2: I talked to Sharon's. She was so sweet to me,

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Speaker 2: so nice, so supportive. So I followed up with her,

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Speaker 2: you know, you follow up with the email trying to

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Speaker 2: get her on the show, and then it was crickets, y'all.

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Speaker 2: It was a little bit awkward, and you know, I

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Speaker 2: tried to send the casual follow up email. So Sharon,

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Speaker 2: did you get my email Brown Ambition?

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Speaker 3: You know?

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Speaker 2: Remember me still didn't hear back anything, And it wasn't

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Speaker 2: until this past fall in September that I finally realized why.

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Speaker 2: In late twenty sixteen, Sharon suffered a brain aneurism, a

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Speaker 2: traumatic brain injury that required months and months of rehabilitation.

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Speaker 2: She was out of work for thirteen months, and ever

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Speaker 2: since I heard her story, I knew I had to

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Speaker 2: get back into with Sharon, first of all, just to

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Speaker 2: tell her how excited I am and happy to hear

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Speaker 2: that she's doing well, but also to have her come

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Speaker 2: on the show and share her story with you guys.

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Speaker 2: Because as much as Sharon's story is about health and

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Speaker 2: what happens to us when the unimaginable finally occurs, it's

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Speaker 2: also a financial story. It's also how do you cope

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Speaker 2: when you have to leave your job for thirteen months

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Speaker 2: to deal with a health situation that's out of your control,

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Speaker 2: and that comes on so suddenly, in the middle of

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Speaker 2: nowhere and without further ado, I wanted to welcome to

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Speaker 2: the show, Sharon Epperson. Sharon, thank you so much for

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Speaker 2: coming on Brown Ambition.

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Speaker 3: Great to be here, Thanks for having me.

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Speaker 1: First, let me say I answer emails. I don't usually

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Speaker 1: take a really long time to answer emails. So now

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Speaker 1: that you know me, now that we're friends and we're

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Speaker 1: going to do more together, you should know that if

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Speaker 1: you email me, I will email you back pretty much

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Speaker 1: right away if I can. And when I don't, something's happened,

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Speaker 1: and in this case, something major happened.

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Speaker 2: Right, So take me back to that day in September

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Speaker 2: what was it again? Twenty sixteen?

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Speaker 1: In September twenty sixteen, Actually, on September twenty first, twenty sixteen,

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Speaker 1: I was get in the middle of the busiest fall

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Speaker 1: probably of my career. I was planning to interview the

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Speaker 1: Treasury Secretary later that week. I had just come back

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Speaker 1: from hosting a Financial Planners Association conference. I was looking

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Speaker 1: forward to going to a Charles Schwab Conference in a

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Speaker 1: few weeks to do a show, and I was really,

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Speaker 1: really busy. I also am a mother with two kids,

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Speaker 1: so my son was starting high school, my daughter was

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Speaker 1: in middle school, and it was the first couple weeks

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Speaker 1: of their school year as well. And so I try

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Speaker 1: when I can. I tried then, but now I do

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Speaker 1: it a lot more frequently. But I try to get

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Speaker 1: my time into exercise and take care of myself. And

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Speaker 1: I was actually at the gym. I'd already had my

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Speaker 1: spinach smoothie that morning, and I was at the gym

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Speaker 1: starting to exercise, and I really was just starting.

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Speaker 3: I wasn't doing anything.

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Speaker 1: Terribly excruciatingly difficult or anything like that. I was actually

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Speaker 1: just doing some stretching and lifting some light weights. And

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Speaker 1: all of a sudden, I was in a yoga post

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Speaker 1: and I felt the worst sensation I've ever felt in

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Speaker 1: my head and something that I can't really describe. I

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Speaker 1: don't get migraines, but it didn't seem like a very

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Speaker 1: bad headache or migraine.

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Speaker 3: It was just something that was very unusual.

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Speaker 1: And I also had difficulty moving my neck, and I

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Speaker 1: didn't know if I had just pulled a muscle or something.

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Speaker 3: I just didn't know what had happened.

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Speaker 1: But I immediately left the exercise class and went to

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Speaker 1: my car, which was kind of funny because then I

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Speaker 1: was like, what am I supposed to do now? Because

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Speaker 1: I came with my head, which means I probably shouldn't

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Speaker 1: be driving. So I texted my husband and I said,

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Speaker 1: you know, can you come pick me up? I don't

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Speaker 1: know what happened. My head really is bothering me. And

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Speaker 1: I text him in all caps and he happened to

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Speaker 1: be close to home at the time and was able

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Speaker 1: to come to me in a short while, which was very,

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Speaker 1: very crucial.

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Speaker 3: To all of this. But we still didn't know what

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Speaker 3: it was.

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Speaker 1: And I thought again that I just wouldn't be able

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Speaker 1: to go to work, probably because I just wasn't feeling well,

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Speaker 1: but I would go home and rest and see what happened.

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Speaker 1: And so I emailed my job let them know I

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Speaker 1: probably wouldn't be coming in, and then my husband went

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Speaker 1: to go get me a coffee and came back and

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Speaker 1: I said, you know, I really still don't feel well,

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Speaker 1: and he took me to the doctor's office. My doctor

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Speaker 1: wasn't available. I saw the doctor that was filling in

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Speaker 1: for her, and he says, now I'm kind of this part.

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Speaker 1: I'm in and out of really remembering what happened, but

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Speaker 1: he said that I just really didn't look well, ad

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Speaker 1: been nauseous, I was complaining of my head. I was

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Speaker 1: talking about this worst pain I'd ever felt in my

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Speaker 1: life in my head, and he thought, I need to

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Speaker 1: get her to the emergency room right now. She needs

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Speaker 1: to get some imaging done and get a CT scan.

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Speaker 1: And so my husband took me to the emergency room

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Speaker 1: to a hospital nearby and actually a hospital in your

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Speaker 1: new neck of the woods.

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Speaker 3: That's excellent.

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Speaker 1: And so I had that CT scan and the last

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Speaker 1: thing I kind of remember was the emergency room physician saying,

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Speaker 1: you have bleeding in your brain. What they discovered was

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Speaker 1: that a blood vessel on my brain had basically exploded.

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Speaker 1: And so what happens with what's known as a brain

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Speaker 1: aneurysm is it's almost like a balloon, like a little

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Speaker 1: bubble on the blood vessel, and it grows and grows

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Speaker 1: and grows, and then eventually, you know, it's like you

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Speaker 1: put too much air in it put too and it

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Speaker 1: gets too weak and it pops.

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Speaker 3: And that's what happened.

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Speaker 1: What I remember was after basically having the CT scan

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Speaker 1: at White Plains Hospital, then going to Montafior and being

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Speaker 1: in the in the o R and having the anthesiologist

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Speaker 1: putting me under. That's the last thing I remember. But

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Speaker 1: the thing that I wanted to that I actually haven't shared,

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Speaker 1: that really touched me was I wasn't scared. I wasn't scared.

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Speaker 1: And I don't know if it's you know, faith alone,

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Speaker 1: or just the environment I was in, or how wonderful

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Speaker 1: the people were that were taking care of me, but

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Speaker 1: when and the last person that I saw before I

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Speaker 1: went under was the anesthesiologist who was an African American woman,

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Speaker 1: and I looked at her and I said, you're my doctor,

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Speaker 1: and I just start smiling, like.

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Speaker 3: Oh my god, this is like so cool. And that's

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Speaker 3: the last person I saw.

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Speaker 1: I never saw my neurosurgeons before I went under, and

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Speaker 1: I now love them dearly, both of them as well.

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Speaker 1: But that was the last person I saw, and that

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Speaker 1: was pretty profound for me. She I knew she was

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Speaker 1: taking care of me, and I think she.

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Speaker 2: Did obviously hindsight is twenty twenty, But looking back now,

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Speaker 2: were there any signs or any you know, indications that

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Speaker 2: this might be a risk for you.

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Speaker 1: What I've learned and what I had to learn kind

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Speaker 1: of more recently, because it took me time to be

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Speaker 1: well enough to kind of do the research and took

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Speaker 1: me even probably longer to be emotionally ready to understand

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Speaker 1: what had happened to me. But I did have a

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Speaker 1: propensity to get an aneurysm. I'm African American. African Americans

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Speaker 1: are twice as likely as whites to have a ruptured

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Speaker 1: brain aneurysm. Women I did not have more aneurysms. Women

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Speaker 1: have more aneurysms than men. And I also have three

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Speaker 1: relatives that passed away from brain hemorrhages. Whether or not

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Speaker 1: they were aneurysms, I don't know, but my maternal grandfather

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Speaker 1: and great grandfather and my mother's oldest sister all passed

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Speaker 1: away from brain hemorrhages, and family history is another risk

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Speaker 1: factor that I never knew, didn't consider, never told a

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Speaker 1: primary care physician ever in my medical history about it,

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Speaker 1: because they all three of them passed away when I

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Speaker 1: was before I was a toddler, so I didn't really

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Speaker 1: think about it, and I never knew the statistics of

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Speaker 1: the propensity, the greater propensity for Black women, And I

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Speaker 1: think that's something that I want everybody to understand and

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Speaker 1: be really conscious of when you have a migrain or

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Speaker 1: when you're not feeling well with you anything with your

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Speaker 1: head and youarticularly if you already have high blood pressure,

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Speaker 1: or if you're a smoker. It's something to really watch

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Speaker 1: out for, and also to really talk to your family

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Speaker 1: members and find out what happened. My cousins, now that

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Speaker 1: I've told everyone exactly what happened and about our family history,

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Speaker 1: my first cousin was like, I didn't know what grandaddy

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Speaker 1: died of. I had no idea, you know, because her

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Speaker 1: dad didn't talk about it. So it's important. That's a

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Speaker 1: time that we don't want to remember because we've lost

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Speaker 1: a loved one, but it's very very important to understand

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Speaker 1: what has happened, you.

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Speaker 2: Know, Sharon, I have to say, just listening to your story,

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Speaker 2: I'm sitting here and I'm realizing I only know two

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Speaker 2: people in my life who have had a brain bleed,

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Speaker 2: suffered a brain aneurism, and one of them is you.

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Speaker 2: One of them is also a friend of mine from college,

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Speaker 2: DeShawn Maria Harris, who five years ago, just last just

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Speaker 2: as past March, it was five years passed away in

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Speaker 2: her sleep from my brain anurism. DeShawn was only twenty five.

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Speaker 2: I want to say it. You know, I'm thirty now,

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Speaker 2: Deshaun was only twenty five when this happened. It wasn't it.

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Speaker 2: You know, Seeing someone close to me, not just an age,

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Speaker 2: but you know, someone actually knew passed away from that

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Speaker 2: injury was a huge wake up call for me at

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Speaker 2: the time. But I guess it wasn't until talking to

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Speaker 2: you today, and I'm putting two and two together. You know,

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Speaker 2: the two people I know who've had brain aneurysms were

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Speaker 2: African American women, And it's like you said, African Americans

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Speaker 2: are twice as likely, wasn't it to experience this type

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Speaker 2: of injury? And that's just I'm having a little aha

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Speaker 2: moment here. It makes me want to just call all

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Speaker 2: my aunts, all my cousins and tell them to see

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Speaker 2: a doctor asap.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. I'm in a mother's group with about one hundred

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Speaker 1: African American women, and among our group, at least four

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Speaker 1: people have had a family member that has had a

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Speaker 1: brain aneurism, and one is still It's just a fiver

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Speaker 1: but has significant neurological issues, and the other two have

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Speaker 1: passed away. And so as you said with your friend Deshaun,

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Speaker 1: and I'm so sorry to hear this, but it's unfortunately

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Speaker 1: that is what usually happens. Forty percent of the time,

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Speaker 1: people are killed instantly by this injury, and those that survive.

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Speaker 1: Of those that survive, the majority of them two thirds

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Speaker 1: of them have some type of neurological issues, some type

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Speaker 1: of neurological deficit that is significant.

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Speaker 2: And what if I know you're I think your inclination

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Speaker 2: when you first felt that pain in your head, you

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Speaker 2: know at the gym, was you know, okay, walk it off. Well,

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Speaker 2: you know we can manage this, call husband, have him come.

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Speaker 2: I mean, I think a lot of especially women, the

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Speaker 2: instinct is to just push through it. You know, there's

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Speaker 2: other things. You have a busy day ahead of you, work, kids, responsibilities.

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Speaker 2: You don't have time to have a headache, right. What

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Speaker 2: can you say to that in terms of taking the

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Speaker 2: time to listen to your body and to actually you know,

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Speaker 2: take those things a little bit seriously. You know, you're

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Speaker 2: you're the one who can feel your own pain and

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Speaker 2: speaking up and kind of being an advocate for yourself.

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Speaker 1: Well, I'm I'm definitely the type of person that goes

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Speaker 1: at one hundred and twenty miles an hour, or I

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Speaker 1: used to.

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Speaker 3: And I had.

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Speaker 1: Truly the biggest week of my career. I mean, I

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Speaker 1: was going to interview the Treasury Secretary in the Obama

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Speaker 1: White House when there was an Obama that White House,

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Speaker 1: you know, and I was invited by Treasury to come

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Speaker 1: down and to participate in a conference and to do

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Speaker 1: this big interview. I was looking forward to doing a

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Speaker 1: lot more, having a lot more visibility on CNBC, anchoring

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Speaker 1: a lot more, doing a lot more of the type

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Speaker 1: of personal finance stories and segments on NBC that I

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Speaker 1: wanted to do. And I was about to, you know,

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Speaker 1: really start a whole new chapter in my motherhood in

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Speaker 1: terms of, you know, shepherding a high schooler through the

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Speaker 1: process and a middle schooler through the process, and then boom,

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Speaker 1: it all just came to a halt.

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Speaker 3: And so.

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Speaker 1: I guess I could have powered through it, but it

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Speaker 1: was just so unusual that I knew I needed to

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Speaker 1: stop and do something. But also, my husband truly saved

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Speaker 1: my life, because if I didn't have someone else to

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Speaker 1: say it to, or if someone else who knew me

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Speaker 1: love me and knew what I should be looking like,

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Speaker 1: and obviously I didn't look like myself and insists that

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Speaker 1: I go to get medical treatment right away.

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Speaker 3: I may have just kept going.

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Speaker 1: If that had happened at work, would I have necessarily stopped,

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Speaker 1: or would I had to keep the game face, the

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Speaker 1: TV face going and keep going.

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Speaker 3: I don't know.

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Speaker 1: So everything happens for a reason, and I'm glad it

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Speaker 1: happened when it did and where it did, And though

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Speaker 1: I was on my way to work, I hadn't gotten

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Speaker 1: there yet. All of that stuff is very very important.

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Speaker 1: I'm also one who never misses a doctor's appointment. I

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Speaker 1: kind of have been very blessed to have a career

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Speaker 1: where I have a company that has provided health insurance,

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Speaker 1: so I know that that's often a reason why people

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Speaker 1: don't necessarily get the treatment that they want.

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Speaker 3: They're not covered.

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Speaker 1: But then sometimes they don't get the treatment because they

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Speaker 1: just don't get the treatment. And even those who are

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Speaker 1: my colleagues that cover healthcare sometimes don't go and get

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Speaker 1: to the doctor's office they need to. And it's just

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Speaker 1: so important because we research all the time. We're constantly

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Speaker 1: Mandy reporting stories and interviewing people and researching new things,

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Speaker 1: and I think there's nothing more important than researching yourself

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Speaker 1: and knowing what's going on with your own body. And

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Speaker 1: if you aren't getting regular medical care, you can't really

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Speaker 1: understand when something is going wrong because you may feel okay,

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Speaker 1: but the testing may not show that you are okay,

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Speaker 1: and you want to get treated right away if something

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Speaker 1: is not correct. So I think it's very very important

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Speaker 1: to pay attention to your body to know what is happening.

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Speaker 3: But then also you can do all that and this

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Speaker 3: can happen.

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Speaker 1: I mean, one of the things that is definitely in

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Speaker 1: my family that I am aware of, and many women

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Speaker 1: and many African American women can say the same as cancer.

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Speaker 1: And so I am religious about my mammograms and ultrasounds

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Speaker 1: and everything annually to make sure that I am getting

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Speaker 1: tested and make sure that I do my own examinations

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Speaker 1: and everything, because I have breast cancer survivors and those

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Speaker 1: who have passed away from cancer in my family. And

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Speaker 1: I had actually gone for those tests just a couple

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Speaker 1: of weeks before this happened, So you know, you can

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Speaker 1: you can be diligent and something and sometimes things can

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Speaker 1: just go wrong. But if you know that you're supposed

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Speaker 1: to feel a certain way, if you know that you

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Speaker 1: normally wouldn't be, you know, kind of feeling this pain

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Speaker 1: and dozing in and out of consciousness and feeling nauseous

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Speaker 1: and all of that, you know, then you won't power through.

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Speaker 1: But most of the time, I will say, when I

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Speaker 1: hear of someone who has not had a successful outcome,

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Speaker 1: either they've passed away or they are there, they have suffered,

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Speaker 1: you know, really severe neurological issues, their family members or

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Speaker 1: they themselves will say, I just powered through it. You know,

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Speaker 1: I just powered through it. And it can be it

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Speaker 1: can be deadly to do that.

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Speaker 2: Now, you said, you feel like it's a miracle to

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Speaker 2: even be alive. But I didn't want to gloss over

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Speaker 2: the recovery time. I mean you had to Yes, you survived,

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Speaker 2: which was amazing, but you had to take time off

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Speaker 2: of work months was it? And also like relearn how

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Speaker 2: to walk. So can you talk about the period after

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Speaker 2: the after surgery, the recovery and the impact it had

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Speaker 2: on your family and you know, in your career and

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Speaker 2: your finances.

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Speaker 3: So the recovery period is not over.

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Speaker 1: I you know, I would people always say, and even

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Speaker 1: early on after you know, the first couple of months,

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Speaker 1: you look great.

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Speaker 3: You know what's really the problem? You sound good?

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Speaker 1: You know. I was able to speak pretty much after

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Speaker 1: I had been in debated in all of those things.

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Speaker 1: But once I was all the tubes were gone, I

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Speaker 1: was able to pretty I was able to speak and

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Speaker 1: speak pretty clearly, whether or not other people realized. I

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Speaker 1: was making the right connections in my speech and I

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Speaker 1: was communicating effectively with which is, you know, as a

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Speaker 1: TV reporter, what I've done my whole career.

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Speaker 3: That's a whole other thing.

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Speaker 1: And that took a very long time to feel comfortable

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Speaker 1: enough to return to my career to do.

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Speaker 3: And I was away from CNBC for thirteen months.

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Speaker 1: I spent two and a half weeks, two weeks in

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Speaker 1: intensive care, a couple of days in the hospital after that,

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Speaker 1: and then I moved to a rehabilitation hospital where I

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Speaker 1: stayed for two weeks and every day I had physical therapy,

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Speaker 1: occupational therapy, and speech therapy. And my physical therapy was

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Speaker 1: indeed learning how to walk and maintain my balance again,

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Speaker 1: learning how to go up the stairs, learning how to

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Speaker 1: I didn't really have to learn how to dress myself

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Speaker 1: and all those things again. But I didn't need initially

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Speaker 1: need a little assistance or someone to just watch over

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Speaker 1: me and make sure that I did things correctly. I

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Speaker 1: think the biggest issues were definitely my balance, and it

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Speaker 1: was very strange to not walk for two weeks and

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Speaker 1: then have a physical therapist come into my room and

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Speaker 1: I see you and say, okay, we're going to try

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Speaker 1: to get you up now, and I thought, I haven't

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Speaker 1: even really sat up fully. You know, it's going to

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Speaker 1: be very difficult, and it was. It was very scary.

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Speaker 1: And the first walk that I took that seemed like

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Speaker 1: a marathon but was just walking from my.

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Speaker 3: Room and I see you just a couple rooms.

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Speaker 1: Down down the hallway, it seemed like such a long road,

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Speaker 1: and that road had so much pain on it because

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Speaker 1: there were people in those rooms that I knew probably

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Speaker 1: wouldn't make it, and there were people in the rooms

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Speaker 1: that looked like I probably had two weeks prior right

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Speaker 1: after my surgery, and there were family members that were

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Speaker 1: devastated trying to figure out what the next steps were

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Speaker 1: going to be. And I remember thinking, I just have

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Speaker 1: to look at the door straight ahead. If I look

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Speaker 1: in these rooms, I'm going to fall down and my

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Speaker 1: therapy continues. I mean, I think as having a brain injury,

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Speaker 1: I think having a neuropsychologist who really understands the impact

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Speaker 1: that a brain injury can have. You cannot see it.

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Speaker 1: I don't have a visible scar. People figured something happened

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Speaker 1: because I cut my hair off. I never had short

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Speaker 1: hair for four decades. They so they figured probably something

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Speaker 1: might have happened about that.

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Speaker 3: But you can't see it. So if you can't see it,

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Speaker 3: people think you're okay, and it's not true.

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Speaker 1: There's still difficulty in terms of fatigue, in terms of stamina,

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Speaker 1: in terms of focus, in terms of memory that can

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Speaker 1: last for months and months and months, for years and

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Speaker 1: years and years. And as a social worker told me

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Speaker 1: just today, actually, you know, people used to say that

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Speaker 1: recovery was in stages, and now they realize that it's

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Speaker 1: two steps forward, one step back, three steps forward, two

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Speaker 1: steps back, that it just ebbs and flows.

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Speaker 3: Like that, and that is very true.

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Speaker 1: And as soon as I start to feel like I

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Speaker 1: can I can work that twelve hour day, I can

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Speaker 1: do these things, and I'm going to switch this and

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Speaker 1: do this so I can make this, and then I'm

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Speaker 1: going to go this and take the kids here, and

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Speaker 1: then the next day I can't move. I'm just exhausted,

399
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Speaker 1: And it's a different kind of exhaustion. It's actually has

400
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Speaker 1: we say I'm just wiped out for a brain injury,

401
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:14,400
Speaker 1: you know, survivor, it's cognitive fatigue, and it's a real thing.

402
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Speaker 3: It's it's a medical condition. I was like, great, I

403
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Speaker 3: don't have to say I'm just wiped out anymore.

404
00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:21,040
Speaker 1: I can actually say I have cognitive fatigue, and people,

405
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Speaker 1: can you know know that I'm that I that I

406
00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,960
Speaker 1: sound like, you know, I actually have some a medical condition,

407
00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:29,960
Speaker 1: because it really is. So it's it's a long process,

408
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Speaker 1: but most important for me in terms of recovery, I

409
00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:37,920
Speaker 1: wonder what people mean when they say that, and do

410
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Speaker 1: they mean when you know, when, when will you be recovered?

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Speaker 1: Or are you seem fully recovered?

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Speaker 3: Does that mean they say I'm I seem just like

413
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Speaker 3: I was before? Because the person who I was before.

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Speaker 1: When one hundred and twenty miles an hour, did several

415
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Speaker 1: things at the same time, was probably not in the

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Speaker 1: moment very often. Because I was in five moments at

417
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Speaker 1: the same time. I was never present when I was

418
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Speaker 1: speaking to this person or that person because I was

419
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Speaker 1: answering this email while I was talking to this person

420
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Speaker 1: on the phone and doing all these things, and most

421
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Speaker 1: of us multitask on a daily basis. Now I try

422
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Speaker 1: hard not to do that or not to do that

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Speaker 1: to the degree that I was doing it before. And

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Speaker 1: so in a lot of ways, in terms of my recovery,

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Speaker 1: it's really a journey as a different person to a

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Speaker 1: new place. And so that's why I see it as

427
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Speaker 1: truly the greatest blessing in my life, because I am

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Speaker 1: now able to be a person that has been awakened

429
00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:39,880
Speaker 1: and that has been enlightened, and it can be more

430
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Speaker 1: mindful about what they're doing and hopefully, I think for

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Speaker 1: others to see that I'm doing I am recovered in

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Speaker 1: that I'm able to do that job, but I'm doing

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Speaker 1: it differently and better than I've ever done it before.

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Speaker 2: Well, how did you discuss your condition with your employers,

435
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Speaker 2: Because when you return to CNBC it had been what

436
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Speaker 2: you said thirteen months. Like you said, like a lot

437
00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:04,800
Speaker 2: of people who have problems or conditions that aren't you know,

438
00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:08,399
Speaker 2: can't be seen with the human eye. How did you

439
00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:12,199
Speaker 2: approach having that discussion and explaining to the people you

440
00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:14,879
Speaker 2: work with that you're not the same sharing anymore and

441
00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:18,119
Speaker 2: you need to approach your work differently, and were they

442
00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:18,879
Speaker 2: receptive to that.

443
00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:23,320
Speaker 1: Well, CNBC has been absolutely amazing. They've been extremely receptive,

444
00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:27,879
Speaker 1: extremely supportive, and they were supportive throughout my entire recovery

445
00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:32,399
Speaker 1: to my husband, my family in that they were not

446
00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:36,359
Speaker 1: pressuring me in any way to say you better come back,

447
00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:38,600
Speaker 1: or you won't have a place to come back to,

448
00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:42,399
Speaker 1: or anything like that. They were honestly concerned about my

449
00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:46,639
Speaker 1: health and the whole way through, and they continue to

450
00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:49,679
Speaker 1: be And I think part of that is because I

451
00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:51,920
Speaker 1: have been there for such a long time. I mean

452
00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:54,840
Speaker 1: I never imagined that I would be at the same place,

453
00:22:55,119 --> 00:22:57,520
Speaker 1: the same employer for twenty one years. But I have

454
00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:01,240
Speaker 1: been your a unicorn, right so they've been able to

455
00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:06,600
Speaker 1: see my dedication to my field, my work, and my brand,

456
00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:12,320
Speaker 1: but also to CNBC. And I am really committed to

457
00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:16,320
Speaker 1: my employer in that way, and they've been very very

458
00:23:16,359 --> 00:23:19,000
Speaker 1: supportive of me along the way. I spoke to a

459
00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:21,320
Speaker 1: woman a few weeks ago who said, you know, I

460
00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:24,199
Speaker 1: have a major illness or I've been through a major illness,

461
00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:25,680
Speaker 1: and I never told anybody.

462
00:23:25,359 --> 00:23:25,880
Speaker 3: I work with.

463
00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:28,760
Speaker 1: And I think that that's everyone has their own way

464
00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:30,600
Speaker 1: that they deal with it. I'm not saying that everyone

465
00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:34,400
Speaker 1: has to tell the employer everything, but you know, as

466
00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:37,919
Speaker 1: personal finance journalists, Mandy, there's another reason why you have

467
00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:38,680
Speaker 1: to be upfront.

468
00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:41,800
Speaker 3: Is that in order to afford.

469
00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:43,960
Speaker 1: To be sick, if that's the way way to say it,

470
00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:48,480
Speaker 1: to be enable, in order to finance a recovery a

471
00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:51,240
Speaker 1: medical condition and the journey that it takes to get better,

472
00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:54,720
Speaker 1: it takes insurance, and it takes if you, if you're

473
00:23:54,760 --> 00:24:00,280
Speaker 1: able to get it, great health insurance, disability insurance. And

474
00:24:00,359 --> 00:24:03,200
Speaker 1: in order to get the insurance, you have to show

475
00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:05,199
Speaker 1: what's wrong with you. You have to be able to

476
00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:08,800
Speaker 1: document what is wrong with you. And I completely understand that,

477
00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:11,359
Speaker 1: and I know that that's the way the business works.

478
00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:14,960
Speaker 1: Now from the patient perspective, I can say, it's so daunting,

479
00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:18,280
Speaker 1: and it seems so callous, and it seems why would

480
00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:20,480
Speaker 1: I want this to happen to me? You know, why

481
00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:22,600
Speaker 1: do I have to tell you every little thing that's happened.

482
00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:25,359
Speaker 1: If I just give you the bare basics, you should

483
00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:27,119
Speaker 1: just believe me, because I wouldn't want to have a

484
00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:30,439
Speaker 1: brain injury. But because I've had to go to so

485
00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:37,440
Speaker 1: many specialists, neurologists, neurosurgeon, neurologists, neuropsychologists, my interness as well,

486
00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:40,639
Speaker 1: and all of that, I have enough documentation. Then also

487
00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:45,040
Speaker 1: as a journalist, as you know, working for a media company,

488
00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:48,320
Speaker 1: I have the documentation and the research to show why

489
00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:50,040
Speaker 1: I also needed to be out of work for a

490
00:24:50,119 --> 00:24:53,760
Speaker 1: year and off the air for thirteen months. So I

491
00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:57,440
Speaker 1: think that has also helped me be able to show

492
00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:01,840
Speaker 1: to my employer from a totally you know, without without

493
00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:04,399
Speaker 1: having any of the emotional tie that we that we

494
00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:07,400
Speaker 1: have to show that I really do need to have

495
00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:11,200
Speaker 1: this time because it's a medical necessity and no one wants.

496
00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:13,680
Speaker 3: I don't want to relapse. I don't. I don't that's

497
00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:15,159
Speaker 3: not really the right word. But I don't want to

498
00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:15,800
Speaker 3: be sick.

499
00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:17,879
Speaker 1: I don't want to continue to not feel well, and

500
00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:20,440
Speaker 1: I don't want to try to power through and work

501
00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:22,840
Speaker 1: through that because that's not going to benefit the company,

502
00:25:23,119 --> 00:25:24,720
Speaker 1: and that's certainly not going to benefit me.

503
00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:30,159
Speaker 2: Now, you you touched on something earlier that that really

504
00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:33,679
Speaker 2: hit home for me, which was disability insurance. Recently, we

505
00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:35,840
Speaker 2: had an episode, one of our most popular episodes of

506
00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:38,440
Speaker 2: twenty eighteen. So far all around the power of life

507
00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:40,600
Speaker 2: insurance and had it to how much you need and

508
00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:43,560
Speaker 2: the importance of it. Right now, I think what we

509
00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:46,359
Speaker 2: what we could talk about today, especially with you, is

510
00:25:46,359 --> 00:25:50,240
Speaker 2: disability insurance, because sometimes it's not that you pass away

511
00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:53,400
Speaker 2: and you're incapacitated, because you're not. You're no longer here

512
00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:55,880
Speaker 2: and able to provide for your family. But what happens

513
00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:59,119
Speaker 2: if you you know you're here, you're alive, you're breathing,

514
00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:01,520
Speaker 2: and yet some happened to you to where you can't

515
00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:04,480
Speaker 2: provide and you're going through something and you might need

516
00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:07,200
Speaker 2: some protection there. And I'd love to if you could

517
00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:10,320
Speaker 2: talk about the disability insurance coverage, you know, if you

518
00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:13,159
Speaker 2: had it, and how it helped you, and what advice

519
00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:15,199
Speaker 2: you would give to others if they're thinking, you know,

520
00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:17,640
Speaker 2: when they fill out their insurance forms at work, Oh,

521
00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:20,600
Speaker 2: disability insurance. What's that? I don't care and kind of

522
00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:21,280
Speaker 2: skip over it.

523
00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:23,679
Speaker 3: Never skip over it.

524
00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:27,040
Speaker 1: It's probably the most important insurance that you can have. Certainly,

525
00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:30,840
Speaker 1: life insurance is important, but you're far more likely to

526
00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:34,560
Speaker 1: be disabled while you're working than to pass away and

527
00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:37,760
Speaker 1: your disability maybe just a couple months but it could

528
00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:41,960
Speaker 1: be years, and it's so important to have. If you

529
00:26:42,119 --> 00:26:45,400
Speaker 1: have the opportunity to get disability insurance through your employer,

530
00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:49,840
Speaker 1: absolutely take advantage of it because as a group disability policy,

531
00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:53,040
Speaker 1: it's going to be much more affordable in terms of

532
00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:55,919
Speaker 1: your premiums, or it may be that you don't have

533
00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:58,640
Speaker 1: to pay for it at all. The way some companies work,

534
00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:01,439
Speaker 1: as my company did. You can get short term disability

535
00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:03,800
Speaker 1: insurance through your company and you're not paying for that,

536
00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:07,120
Speaker 1: and that is one of the benefits of the company.

537
00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:10,840
Speaker 1: Then if you are disabled longer than six months, you

538
00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:13,399
Speaker 1: need to have long term disability insurance, and.

539
00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:16,600
Speaker 3: That may come at a cost. It may come as at.

540
00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:19,440
Speaker 1: A premium that is taken out of paychecks, payroll deductions

541
00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:21,320
Speaker 1: or something. And some people may say, well, I don't

542
00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:23,199
Speaker 1: want to do that. I got enough whatever they give

543
00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:24,520
Speaker 1: me for free. Of course I'm going to take that,

544
00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:26,520
Speaker 1: but I'm not going to pay for anything out of

545
00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:27,639
Speaker 1: my own paycheck.

546
00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:31,399
Speaker 3: Do it because the likelihood is that you're.

547
00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:34,600
Speaker 1: Going to then have more of your income covered because

548
00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:37,920
Speaker 1: you've put more money into this disability policy.

549
00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:40,880
Speaker 3: But also the thing to keep in mind that I

550
00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:42,600
Speaker 3: was not aware of until this happened to me.

551
00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:45,679
Speaker 1: Was that the long term disability insurance that you receive

552
00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:50,120
Speaker 1: because you've put premiums into it, this is now a

553
00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:54,840
Speaker 1: tax free benefit. So the income of yours that is

554
00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:57,119
Speaker 1: covered that you're getting may it's not going to be

555
00:27:57,160 --> 00:27:59,480
Speaker 1: one hundred percent of your salary or one hundred percent

556
00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:02,960
Speaker 1: of your your income, but it may be forty sixty percent,

557
00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:06,440
Speaker 1: and that is going to be a tax free benefit,

558
00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:09,159
Speaker 1: so you're not paying taxes on that money. If you

559
00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:12,320
Speaker 1: live in a high tax area like New York or

560
00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:16,280
Speaker 1: New Jersey or Connecticut or many other places, and you're

561
00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:18,920
Speaker 1: paying a lot in taxes, that can be a significant

562
00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:22,280
Speaker 1: difference between being pretty close to what your salary or

563
00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:25,480
Speaker 1: your take home pay was and being so far away

564
00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:25,800
Speaker 1: from it.

565
00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:27,000
Speaker 3: How are you ever going to be able to pay

566
00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:28,240
Speaker 3: your rent or your mortgage.

567
00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:31,920
Speaker 1: So it's really, really, really important to first take advantage

568
00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:36,399
Speaker 1: of the disability insurance offered by work, whatever's given and

569
00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:39,720
Speaker 1: it may be a free benefit. Then see if it's

570
00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:41,920
Speaker 1: possible if there is an option to get even more

571
00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:46,120
Speaker 1: disability insurance and to opt in by actually paying part

572
00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:48,120
Speaker 1: of the premium. Do that because you might get a

573
00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:50,920
Speaker 1: higher percentage. And then Finally, if you don't are not

574
00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:53,560
Speaker 1: offered it, or if you're just one of those people

575
00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:55,800
Speaker 1: that wants to make sure you have even more protection

576
00:28:56,560 --> 00:29:00,560
Speaker 1: by a private disability insurance policy, it is not cheap

577
00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:03,880
Speaker 1: at all. It is you know something that is it's

578
00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:05,600
Speaker 1: like any other insurance. Why am I paying for that?

579
00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:08,320
Speaker 1: Nothing's happened to me. I feel fine, But you just

580
00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:12,680
Speaker 1: never know. And I about fifteen years ago, was doing

581
00:29:12,760 --> 00:29:15,720
Speaker 1: a lot of freelancing in addition to working for CNBC,

582
00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:17,760
Speaker 1: and I thought, you know, I want to make sure

583
00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:20,840
Speaker 1: that all of the income that I'm getting is covered,

584
00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:23,640
Speaker 1: and so I'm going to take out a private disability.

585
00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:25,560
Speaker 3: Insurance policy on my own.

586
00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:28,160
Speaker 1: And my husband did the same thing, and it was

587
00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:31,440
Speaker 1: a very very smart move because that was a little

588
00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:33,200
Speaker 1: bit extra that I was able to get from the

589
00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:36,120
Speaker 1: private disability insurance company to really make sure we would

590
00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:38,400
Speaker 1: be able to pay for all of the expenses that

591
00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:38,920
Speaker 1: we have.

592
00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:42,680
Speaker 2: Now with your disability insurance and the health insurance you

593
00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:45,880
Speaker 2: were provided through CNBC, and you were fortunate to have

594
00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:49,200
Speaker 2: what were some of the you know, give me a

595
00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:52,920
Speaker 2: sense of the medical expenses that you guys have incurred.

596
00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:55,400
Speaker 2: You said, even yourself, you're still recovering, so you're still

597
00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:58,120
Speaker 2: going to physical therapy and you have these you know,

598
00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:00,880
Speaker 2: these these costs that are still part of your life

599
00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:02,280
Speaker 2: from what happened to you.

600
00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:06,640
Speaker 1: Well, I must say, I kind of I look at

601
00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:09,200
Speaker 1: what I have to pay for my copays and my

602
00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:13,640
Speaker 1: what I have to pay out of pocket, and you know,

603
00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:18,640
Speaker 1: it may be thousands of dollars, but not hundreds of

604
00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:21,960
Speaker 1: thousands of dollars or close to half a million dollars,

605
00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:27,560
Speaker 1: which is probably about what my care was the cost

606
00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:30,120
Speaker 1: of my care, at least initially. And this is not ongoing,

607
00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:34,680
Speaker 1: This is just you know, in the emergent situation, it

608
00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:37,080
Speaker 1: was I'm sure if I had no insurance, it would

609
00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:40,000
Speaker 1: have been very, very high, but it was something that

610
00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:44,200
Speaker 1: was manageable because I did have insurance. It was also

611
00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:47,880
Speaker 1: manageable because I have talked about it so much and

612
00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:49,720
Speaker 1: I know you write about it all the time as well,

613
00:30:49,760 --> 00:30:53,040
Speaker 1: the importance of having an emergency fund. There could not

614
00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:56,240
Speaker 1: have been a rainier day for my rainy day fund,

615
00:30:56,320 --> 00:31:00,280
Speaker 1: and so the fact that I had emergency fund was key,

616
00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:03,200
Speaker 1: and it meant that I didn't have to do what

617
00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:05,520
Speaker 1: many people may have to do, which is dip into

618
00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:07,640
Speaker 1: their for a one K or the retirement savings or

619
00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:09,560
Speaker 1: something to pay for a medical bill. I didn't have

620
00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:12,480
Speaker 1: to do that because I also had had the emergency fund.

621
00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:15,400
Speaker 2: So did you have to deplete your emergency fund or

622
00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:16,920
Speaker 2: was it just a good chunk of it that was.

623
00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:18,560
Speaker 3: I did not I did.

624
00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:20,480
Speaker 1: I did not have to deplete it. No, I did

625
00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:22,760
Speaker 1: not have to deplete it. And I was fortunate that

626
00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:29,240
Speaker 1: that I was able to, you know, manage. One of

627
00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:32,560
Speaker 1: the things also keep in mind is when I'm when

628
00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:35,400
Speaker 1: I was in the hospital, when I was in the

629
00:31:35,440 --> 00:31:37,920
Speaker 1: rehab hospital, when I was home and on you know,

630
00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:40,520
Speaker 1: relegated to like one floor for a month.

631
00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:43,480
Speaker 3: I wasn't eating out, I wasn't driving, and.

632
00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:45,920
Speaker 1: Have gas bills I didn't have. I didn't have to

633
00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:47,040
Speaker 1: dry clean anything.

634
00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:53,840
Speaker 2: Oh, so all of those expenses that can really add up.

635
00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:55,720
Speaker 3: And I also had no desire.

636
00:31:56,360 --> 00:31:58,360
Speaker 1: I wasn't going anywhere, and I had no desire to

637
00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:03,120
Speaker 1: really eat anything fancy. All of those expenses, eating out, shopping,

638
00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:07,160
Speaker 1: I didn't have. So that also helped in the sense

639
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:11,760
Speaker 1: that even though my income was less, my expenses were

640
00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:12,560
Speaker 1: also less.

641
00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:16,400
Speaker 2: And you mentioned earlier, you know, when you went back

642
00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:20,400
Speaker 2: to work in twenty seventeen. It wasn't the same Sharon Emberson,

643
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:23,120
Speaker 2: the same one hundred and twenty mile an hour Sharon Epperson.

644
00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:26,320
Speaker 2: And I'm really you're really touching me in the part

645
00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:28,440
Speaker 2: of my brain I try to ignore, which is maybe

646
00:32:28,480 --> 00:32:32,520
Speaker 2: slow down, stop multitasking. It feels like one hundred and

647
00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:35,480
Speaker 2: twenty miles an hour, you know, And I just kind

648
00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:37,600
Speaker 2: of keep telling myself, Oh, it'll slow down.

649
00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:37,840
Speaker 3: You know.

650
00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:39,840
Speaker 2: Next year will be the year when you can kind

651
00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:43,240
Speaker 2: of step back. But I think speaking to you has

652
00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:45,360
Speaker 2: been helpful for me because it's, you know, it's you

653
00:32:45,360 --> 00:32:48,560
Speaker 2: don't want to get to the breaking point. I love

654
00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:50,840
Speaker 2: you to talk about some of the changes that you've

655
00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:55,720
Speaker 2: made since you've returned to the office, through your career,

656
00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:57,880
Speaker 2: through your family, any any sort of changes you put

657
00:32:57,920 --> 00:32:59,880
Speaker 2: in place as a result of what you learn from

658
00:32:59,880 --> 00:33:00,720
Speaker 2: the experience.

659
00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:05,560
Speaker 1: I don't want to say that there is something wrong

660
00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:09,800
Speaker 1: with being driven or wanting to excel in many areas,

661
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:14,200
Speaker 1: and I think your career has just been remarkable because

662
00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:16,840
Speaker 1: I've been stalking you as well, so I know how

663
00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:19,320
Speaker 1: many things you're working on and how successful you and

664
00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:22,280
Speaker 1: Tiffany have been in creating your own brands and working

665
00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:24,920
Speaker 1: within brands to make them even better. And I think

666
00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:28,160
Speaker 1: that's remarkable, and I think that is something that is commendable.

667
00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:31,160
Speaker 1: But I also think that as you're doing these things

668
00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:35,640
Speaker 1: that are so fantastic, I, at least when my career,

669
00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:39,480
Speaker 1: I never stopped to appreciate them. Almost at any point,

670
00:33:39,640 --> 00:33:41,280
Speaker 1: I would just try to get to the next thing.

671
00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:43,920
Speaker 1: And so what I do now that I never did

672
00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:46,840
Speaker 1: before was really try to take a few minutes a

673
00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:48,320
Speaker 1: day and just.

674
00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:53,040
Speaker 3: Be present, be still. I mean, it seemed like the

675
00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:53,720
Speaker 3: weirdest thing.

676
00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:55,280
Speaker 1: It was one of the first things I learned in

677
00:33:55,280 --> 00:34:00,360
Speaker 1: one of my therapy sessions was to stop and just

678
00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:03,280
Speaker 1: be still. And you know, then you think about all

679
00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:05,360
Speaker 1: these things and you're, you know, okay, but just telling

680
00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:06,640
Speaker 1: me to be still. But I got to do this,

681
00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:09,120
Speaker 1: and then I have to do this next thing. But eventually,

682
00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:11,400
Speaker 1: over the course of five minutes or longer, if you

683
00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:15,200
Speaker 1: can do it, you may be able to really just

684
00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:18,960
Speaker 1: be have your mind almost completely blank for a moment,

685
00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:21,800
Speaker 1: so that when you come back into it, you realize

686
00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:25,960
Speaker 1: how much you have that is so good, and how

687
00:34:26,040 --> 00:34:28,680
Speaker 1: much you're doing that's that is not only great for you,

688
00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:31,640
Speaker 1: but great for so many other people. In terms of Mandy,

689
00:34:32,040 --> 00:34:33,920
Speaker 1: all the information that you are sharing and that you

690
00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:37,000
Speaker 1: and Tiphany are sharing. So that's something that I never

691
00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:40,280
Speaker 1: did before. I never really stopped. So now I start

692
00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:42,600
Speaker 1: my day by stopping, so rather than like jumping out

693
00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:44,719
Speaker 1: of bed getting everybody ready for everything. And I don't

694
00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:46,640
Speaker 1: do this every day. Sometimes i'd still jump out of

695
00:34:46,680 --> 00:34:48,640
Speaker 1: bed and just start going, but I just try to

696
00:34:48,680 --> 00:34:52,440
Speaker 1: take a minute, actually three to five minutes, and.

697
00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:57,440
Speaker 3: Just pause, give thanks for.

698
00:34:57,360 --> 00:35:02,120
Speaker 1: Waking up, for being there, being here and being able

699
00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:06,680
Speaker 1: to continue my day, and kind of asking for some

700
00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:09,120
Speaker 1: guidance on how I'm going to be used that day

701
00:35:09,120 --> 00:35:12,400
Speaker 1: to do the best that I can. There are sometimes

702
00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:14,560
Speaker 1: I don't I haven't been doing this as regularly as

703
00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:17,160
Speaker 1: I should, but I that I'm supposed to take breaks

704
00:35:17,239 --> 00:35:20,000
Speaker 1: during the day, so I had already put in my

705
00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:22,759
Speaker 1: calendar before I got sick, this is the time I

706
00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:24,160
Speaker 1: need to take a break to have a snack, so

707
00:35:24,160 --> 00:35:26,480
Speaker 1: that I wouldn't like binge eat. You know, you're working

708
00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:28,680
Speaker 1: so hard for twelve hours and then you're starving and

709
00:35:28,719 --> 00:35:30,680
Speaker 1: you have all the food that you shouldn't have because

710
00:35:30,719 --> 00:35:31,680
Speaker 1: that's what's available.

711
00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:33,360
Speaker 3: So I was so I would.

712
00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:37,560
Speaker 2: Take camera watching me with my cup, oh, my cup

713
00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:41,000
Speaker 2: of mixed nuts. I've sid my lunch and dinner all.

714
00:35:40,960 --> 00:35:43,920
Speaker 1: Right, exactly exactly, so you know, I had my breaks

715
00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:46,319
Speaker 1: well for eating. But now I need to have those

716
00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:49,400
Speaker 1: breaks to take five minutes to just walk around the office,

717
00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:52,200
Speaker 1: or just take a minute to go into a conference room.

718
00:35:52,239 --> 00:35:52,799
Speaker 3: Shut the door.

719
00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:54,960
Speaker 1: I hope, hope it can pick an empty conference room

720
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:57,960
Speaker 1: to sit, just sit there for two minutes, for five minutes,

721
00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:00,600
Speaker 1: and it's my work is not going to suffer for

722
00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:03,000
Speaker 1: those few minutes, but I'm going to be probably in

723
00:36:03,040 --> 00:36:05,319
Speaker 1: a better place and sometimes more energized when I come

724
00:36:05,360 --> 00:36:08,680
Speaker 1: back to my desk to start writing again. So I'm

725
00:36:08,680 --> 00:36:11,400
Speaker 1: trying to do those things. And the other thing is sleep,

726
00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:14,040
Speaker 1: because I do still have suffer from the fatigue in

727
00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:17,040
Speaker 1: the stamina and lack of stamina a bit. I do

728
00:36:17,080 --> 00:36:19,640
Speaker 1: try to sleep more when I can, and sometimes I

729
00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:21,760
Speaker 1: just have to because I just can't go anymore.

730
00:36:22,160 --> 00:36:23,800
Speaker 3: I have to, I have to just rest.

731
00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:25,759
Speaker 1: So those are some of the things that I've that

732
00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:28,920
Speaker 1: I've done differently, but I think I never really understood

733
00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:31,200
Speaker 1: what it meant and I'm still learning. I'm still such

734
00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:34,439
Speaker 1: a novice about what it means to be mindful and

735
00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:39,239
Speaker 1: what it means to meditate, what it means to relax.

736
00:36:39,840 --> 00:36:42,799
Speaker 1: Not great at it, but I'm trying trying a lot

737
00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:46,000
Speaker 1: more to do it, and I think it makes when

738
00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:50,160
Speaker 1: I am able to, when I am able to then

739
00:36:50,239 --> 00:36:54,759
Speaker 1: focus on my work, I think I deliver much more efficiently,

740
00:36:55,560 --> 00:36:59,840
Speaker 1: and I think I'm hope that it's received even better

741
00:37:00,320 --> 00:37:03,760
Speaker 1: because I've really, I've really put put myself into it

742
00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:06,239
Speaker 1: to get it, to make sure it's right. Some of

743
00:37:06,239 --> 00:37:08,080
Speaker 1: it is because I have to, because I have to

744
00:37:08,120 --> 00:37:11,520
Speaker 1: focus more now, but I think part of it is

745
00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:15,959
Speaker 1: because I'm more mindful of wanting to really help hope

746
00:37:15,960 --> 00:37:18,520
Speaker 1: that my readers and my viewers understand that I am

747
00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:20,400
Speaker 1: with them right now. I'm not thinking about timillion a

748
00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:23,759
Speaker 1: million other things for these few minutes we're together, and

749
00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:27,319
Speaker 1: I'm talking about taxes because it's just so awesome, because

750
00:37:27,320 --> 00:37:30,200
Speaker 1: I really do get excited about these things. So I want,

751
00:37:30,239 --> 00:37:32,040
Speaker 1: I want, I want that to come across.

752
00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:34,239
Speaker 2: And so it's not so much that you pulled back,

753
00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:37,400
Speaker 2: it's just you've sort of reoriented yourself and approached your

754
00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:40,879
Speaker 2: work a little bit differently. Yeah, I I my mother

755
00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:48,240
Speaker 2: had has a psychological slash neurological condition that it's called fibermiagia,

756
00:37:48,719 --> 00:37:51,399
Speaker 2: and it's really difficult. It's not something you can see,

757
00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:54,000
Speaker 2: and it's also very hard to diagnose, and even doctors

758
00:37:54,040 --> 00:37:57,000
Speaker 2: are don't agree on what it is. But just the

759
00:37:57,000 --> 00:38:00,600
Speaker 2: the interactions with family and friends and trying to explain

760
00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:03,000
Speaker 2: her condition to family and friends and and and you know,

761
00:38:03,120 --> 00:38:05,600
Speaker 2: even I'll raise a hand and play it, you know,

762
00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:08,440
Speaker 2: and be honest about what I went through seeing her

763
00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:10,200
Speaker 2: go through that. It's really hard to see your mom,

764
00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:12,799
Speaker 2: this superhero to you one hundred and twenty mile or

765
00:38:13,320 --> 00:38:15,839
Speaker 2: every day of your entire childhood and teenagehood and young

766
00:38:15,880 --> 00:38:19,840
Speaker 2: adulthood all of a sudden have to slow down. And

767
00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:23,560
Speaker 2: you know, I had to even learn how to get

768
00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:26,600
Speaker 2: to know this new mom in my life and what

769
00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:28,400
Speaker 2: she was going through. And I just wondered if you

770
00:38:28,440 --> 00:38:31,920
Speaker 2: had any situations where you felt like it sounds like

771
00:38:31,920 --> 00:38:34,200
Speaker 2: you had a really supportive family, friends and people at

772
00:38:34,239 --> 00:38:37,640
Speaker 2: your office, but you know, any any cases where you

773
00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:41,040
Speaker 2: had to sort of advocate for yourself or or you

774
00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:46,239
Speaker 2: felt like people around you weren't really understanding just how differently,

775
00:38:47,600 --> 00:38:50,400
Speaker 2: just how differently you've become, how different you've become since

776
00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:51,560
Speaker 2: this all happened.

777
00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:55,240
Speaker 1: I felt like that a number of times with friends

778
00:38:55,280 --> 00:38:57,880
Speaker 1: that I've had for a decade or more.

779
00:38:57,719 --> 00:39:00,640
Speaker 3: And saying, you know, you look great, What really is

780
00:39:00,640 --> 00:39:02,560
Speaker 3: the issue? You really look great? And this is when

781
00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:04,040
Speaker 3: I was still in the rehab hospital.

782
00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:06,759
Speaker 1: So I'm thinking, I'm in a rehab hospital. Don't you

783
00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:10,600
Speaker 1: don't see anything differently that I'm doing. But because I

784
00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:14,160
Speaker 1: could speak, because they know that this is it was

785
00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:18,640
Speaker 1: a severe injury, severe illness, severe affliction, but I didn't

786
00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:21,879
Speaker 1: seem I didn't show anything. I was able to move

787
00:39:21,920 --> 00:39:24,360
Speaker 1: my arms, I was able to walk slowly, I was

788
00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:26,520
Speaker 1: able to at this point a month out, I was

789
00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:29,799
Speaker 1: able to speak clearly to them, but they so it

790
00:39:29,840 --> 00:39:31,440
Speaker 1: was it was hard for them to see.

791
00:39:31,840 --> 00:39:32,840
Speaker 3: And I wanted to, you know.

792
00:39:32,840 --> 00:39:34,560
Speaker 1: At one point, I remember a friend coming to visit

793
00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:37,920
Speaker 1: me and saying that I look fine and what was.

794
00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:38,840
Speaker 3: Really the issue?

795
00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:41,600
Speaker 1: And I wanted to just scream, you know, I wanted

796
00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:43,600
Speaker 1: to say, you know, you can't see this. I feel

797
00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:48,680
Speaker 1: completely changed. I feel completely changed and completely devastated in

798
00:39:48,719 --> 00:39:52,920
Speaker 1: the sense that I can't imagine the week that I

799
00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:56,560
Speaker 1: had before this happened and going back to it, and

800
00:39:56,640 --> 00:39:58,640
Speaker 1: that was that was a month out, so I mean,

801
00:39:58,680 --> 00:40:00,880
Speaker 1: I had a long journey and I feel much more comfortable.

802
00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:03,480
Speaker 1: But even today, I don't think I could.

803
00:40:03,760 --> 00:40:04,279
Speaker 3: You know, I was.

804
00:40:04,960 --> 00:40:09,440
Speaker 1: Contemplating a five am flight the other day to you know,

805
00:40:10,160 --> 00:40:11,960
Speaker 1: or five am arrival at the airport to get on

806
00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:14,480
Speaker 1: a six am flight to go somewhere and speak and

807
00:40:14,520 --> 00:40:17,319
Speaker 1: then you know, go to a reception and then you know,

808
00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:19,120
Speaker 1: speak the next day. And I thought, you know what,

809
00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:22,600
Speaker 1: I can't do that anymore. I don't think that that's

810
00:40:22,640 --> 00:40:26,279
Speaker 1: a smart idea. It's just too much and to be

811
00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:29,560
Speaker 1: able to explain to people very honestly, you know, I

812
00:40:30,320 --> 00:40:32,719
Speaker 1: need to be prepared and be ready to speak, and

813
00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:34,279
Speaker 1: all of that I can't come in the day of

814
00:40:34,480 --> 00:40:37,080
Speaker 1: and I need time to rest and make sure that

815
00:40:37,120 --> 00:40:40,120
Speaker 1: I'm in good shape to do that. And people seem

816
00:40:40,120 --> 00:40:42,560
Speaker 1: to understand, but you do have to advocate for yourself

817
00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:47,560
Speaker 1: because people will not necessarily see it. And the other

818
00:40:47,640 --> 00:40:49,640
Speaker 1: part that and I'm much better now, but the other

819
00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:52,680
Speaker 1: part that really is difficult for people to understand is

820
00:40:52,680 --> 00:40:55,640
Speaker 1: you look fine, you're here, you're alive, you should be

821
00:40:55,680 --> 00:40:59,680
Speaker 1: so happy, and you're constantly emotional. It is a psychological,

822
00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:05,160
Speaker 1: neurological issue and being another medical term emotionally labile, and

823
00:41:05,239 --> 00:41:08,839
Speaker 1: having these mood swings is part of what happens to

824
00:41:08,840 --> 00:41:12,640
Speaker 1: someone who's had a brain injury. And so just hearing

825
00:41:12,719 --> 00:41:16,520
Speaker 1: about something or watching something or seeing something on TV

826
00:41:16,560 --> 00:41:19,400
Speaker 1: that's maybe slightly sad or maybe not even sad to

827
00:41:19,440 --> 00:41:21,560
Speaker 1: some people, but it just hits you a certain way

828
00:41:21,600 --> 00:41:26,200
Speaker 1: and you start crying or your reaction maybe another reaction

829
00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:29,799
Speaker 1: that would not normally seem appropriate. That kind of emotional

830
00:41:29,840 --> 00:41:32,640
Speaker 1: filter is a little bit skewed, and so that's something

831
00:41:32,640 --> 00:41:36,239
Speaker 1: else that's very difficult to explain to friends who may

832
00:41:36,239 --> 00:41:39,239
Speaker 1: be like, why is she reacting that way? Why is

833
00:41:39,280 --> 00:41:42,480
Speaker 1: she saying it that way? And it's not trying to

834
00:41:42,520 --> 00:41:44,919
Speaker 1: be mean or trying to be you know, you know,

835
00:41:45,880 --> 00:41:47,960
Speaker 1: gross or sad or I think it's just that's how

836
00:41:48,000 --> 00:41:51,280
Speaker 1: you feel. And so I was talking to survivor today

837
00:41:51,320 --> 00:41:54,719
Speaker 1: and she was saying, you know, just going into a

838
00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:58,320
Speaker 1: place or going past a place that she remembered having

839
00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:01,480
Speaker 1: gone there for surgery or gone there for you know,

840
00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:06,640
Speaker 1: medical treatment, she just started crying. And I completely understand

841
00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:09,719
Speaker 1: that feeling, and I completely understand doing that because it's

842
00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:13,120
Speaker 1: just it's a very it can your emotions just hit.

843
00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:16,799
Speaker 3: So hard, and that's very hard for family.

844
00:42:16,440 --> 00:42:19,160
Speaker 1: Members to understand and to see. And I had with

845
00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:22,399
Speaker 1: young with younger, they're not they're not babies, but having

846
00:42:22,440 --> 00:42:24,440
Speaker 1: a twelve year old and a fifteen year old as

847
00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:28,040
Speaker 1: well as my husband understanding those mood swings and knowing

848
00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:31,480
Speaker 1: that I was having them and and.

849
00:42:31,120 --> 00:42:33,120
Speaker 3: You know, that was hard. That was hard.

850
00:42:33,200 --> 00:42:35,719
Speaker 1: And it's not like it doesn't happen ever again, you know,

851
00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:38,719
Speaker 1: it's still again. It's two steps forward, one step back

852
00:42:40,239 --> 00:42:41,600
Speaker 1: on a on a daily basis.

853
00:42:42,400 --> 00:42:44,279
Speaker 2: And I wanted to talk about your work with the

854
00:42:44,320 --> 00:42:47,480
Speaker 2: Brain Aneurysm Foundation. You mentioned a couple of times speaking

855
00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:50,360
Speaker 2: to survivors. Is is that party of recovery too? Do

856
00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:53,480
Speaker 2: you feel hearing stories from other survivors and kind of

857
00:42:53,480 --> 00:42:56,280
Speaker 2: building a network of support through your work with the foundation?

858
00:42:57,040 --> 00:42:57,680
Speaker 3: Absolutely.

859
00:42:57,760 --> 00:42:59,839
Speaker 1: I mean the way the way that I found out

860
00:42:59,880 --> 00:43:04,160
Speaker 1: of about the risk factors about brain aneurysms and about

861
00:43:04,160 --> 00:43:08,160
Speaker 1: family history and the propensity of African Americans and women

862
00:43:08,239 --> 00:43:12,160
Speaker 1: to have brain aneurysms was by just googling, doing some

863
00:43:12,200 --> 00:43:16,440
Speaker 1: research and then landing on the Brain Aneuralism Foundation web page.

864
00:43:16,520 --> 00:43:18,600
Speaker 1: And so for anybody who wants to know more information

865
00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:22,920
Speaker 1: about brain aneurysms. It's a beafound dot org and I

866
00:43:23,440 --> 00:43:27,839
Speaker 1: that has become my new passion. No one ever would want,

867
00:43:28,160 --> 00:43:32,480
Speaker 1: would wish something like this happened to them, But because

868
00:43:32,520 --> 00:43:35,279
Speaker 1: it has, and because I am able to speak about it,

869
00:43:35,320 --> 00:43:38,160
Speaker 1: and because I have covered personal finance and ask people

870
00:43:38,200 --> 00:43:43,279
Speaker 1: to divulge some of their most painful or most challenging

871
00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:48,840
Speaker 1: and or most triumphant personal finance situations, I've felt like

872
00:43:48,960 --> 00:43:52,319
Speaker 1: I must share my story and I must explain how

873
00:43:52,360 --> 00:43:55,200
Speaker 1: my story kind of also delves into the personal finance

874
00:43:55,239 --> 00:43:58,600
Speaker 1: journey that I took, but also the medical journey that

875
00:43:58,640 --> 00:44:02,640
Speaker 1: I took. The Brain andres and Foundation is an excellent

876
00:44:02,680 --> 00:44:07,760
Speaker 1: resource for survivors, for caregivers about and for those who've

877
00:44:07,760 --> 00:44:11,520
Speaker 1: lost their loved ones about what this really is, how

878
00:44:11,560 --> 00:44:15,600
Speaker 1: it happens, what types of treatments are available, what the

879
00:44:15,680 --> 00:44:20,080
Speaker 1: recovery or you know, existing with a brain aneurysm, what

880
00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:23,160
Speaker 1: that means, how that feels, how that can manifest itself

881
00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:28,360
Speaker 1: emotionally physically. It's just been really really important for me

882
00:44:28,480 --> 00:44:31,399
Speaker 1: to understand more about what happened to me and what

883
00:44:31,480 --> 00:44:34,880
Speaker 1: could happen next. And I try not to be you know,

884
00:44:34,960 --> 00:44:36,760
Speaker 1: I don't look at it as worst case scenario.

885
00:44:36,880 --> 00:44:39,920
Speaker 3: I look at it as being well informed.

886
00:44:40,280 --> 00:44:44,120
Speaker 1: So I want to know when my children should be tested.

887
00:44:44,239 --> 00:44:46,160
Speaker 1: I want to know when I should be tested again

888
00:44:46,239 --> 00:44:48,120
Speaker 1: to make sure that I don't have another one that

889
00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:51,600
Speaker 1: could happen, because they develop over years, not over a

890
00:44:51,600 --> 00:44:54,279
Speaker 1: couple of months, and so this is something ongoing that

891
00:44:54,320 --> 00:44:58,600
Speaker 1: I will constantly have to monitor. But I also am

892
00:44:58,719 --> 00:45:05,879
Speaker 1: just astounded how little information and funding and research goes

893
00:45:05,920 --> 00:45:10,960
Speaker 1: on about brain aneurysms, because it does impact one in

894
00:45:11,040 --> 00:45:13,920
Speaker 1: fifty people. One in fifty people is walking around with

895
00:45:13,920 --> 00:45:17,400
Speaker 1: a brain aneurysm. Most of the time, it's not a problem,

896
00:45:17,520 --> 00:45:20,760
Speaker 1: nothing's ever going to happen to them. But about thirty

897
00:45:20,760 --> 00:45:23,040
Speaker 1: thousand people a year out of those six million that

898
00:45:23,160 --> 00:45:28,000
Speaker 1: have a brain aneurysm will have it rupture, and those

899
00:45:28,080 --> 00:45:32,879
Speaker 1: ruptures happen frequently. Every eighteen minutes there's someone who has

900
00:45:32,920 --> 00:45:39,279
Speaker 1: a brain aneurysm rupture. And because of the likelihood that

901
00:45:39,680 --> 00:45:42,359
Speaker 1: someone is going to pass away if that happens two

902
00:45:42,360 --> 00:45:44,880
Speaker 1: out of five or that they're going to have a

903
00:45:45,000 --> 00:45:48,200
Speaker 1: serious neurological issue for the rest of their life, two

904
00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:51,799
Speaker 1: thirds who survive. It's important for people to understand what

905
00:45:51,840 --> 00:45:54,480
Speaker 1: this is and to understand what they see and when

906
00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:57,680
Speaker 1: they see a coworker who doesn't seem like they look right,

907
00:45:57,880 --> 00:46:01,000
Speaker 1: you know, take them to the hospital or suggest that

908
00:46:01,040 --> 00:46:03,120
Speaker 1: they go to the emergency room, or offer to cover

909
00:46:03,440 --> 00:46:06,080
Speaker 1: whatever they're working on so that they can go home

910
00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:08,279
Speaker 1: early and try to take care of themselves. And the

911
00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:12,080
Speaker 1: same goes for your friends and your family members, to

912
00:46:12,200 --> 00:46:16,239
Speaker 1: just be aware of what's happening. I was recently on

913
00:46:16,320 --> 00:46:20,719
Speaker 1: Capitol Hill speaking to some congressional leaders about brain aneurysms,

914
00:46:20,800 --> 00:46:26,480
Speaker 1: and there is so much funding in medical funding, federal

915
00:46:26,480 --> 00:46:30,920
Speaker 1: funding toward medical research and areas that are very important

916
00:46:31,239 --> 00:46:37,560
Speaker 1: cancer heart disease, there is so little funding given toward

917
00:46:37,640 --> 00:46:40,680
Speaker 1: brain aneurism research, and so part of my work with

918
00:46:40,719 --> 00:46:44,560
Speaker 1: the Brain Aneurism Foundation also is to raise awareness so

919
00:46:44,600 --> 00:46:48,319
Speaker 1: that people will also be willing to donate and give

920
00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:53,759
Speaker 1: to hopefully coming up with some early detection initiatives as

921
00:46:53,840 --> 00:46:58,200
Speaker 1: well as improve treatment and care for those who have

922
00:46:58,239 --> 00:47:02,799
Speaker 1: brain aneurysms. So I created the Sharon Eperson Chair of

923
00:47:02,840 --> 00:47:06,200
Speaker 1: Research and it will be awarded for the first time

924
00:47:06,280 --> 00:47:08,960
Speaker 1: this September two year, basically almost to the day on

925
00:47:09,080 --> 00:47:12,120
Speaker 1: my two year anniversary. Have my brain aneurysm, and the

926
00:47:12,160 --> 00:47:14,759
Speaker 1: goal of the Chair of Research is to provide a

927
00:47:14,800 --> 00:47:19,799
Speaker 1: research grant to a scientist medical professional so that they

928
00:47:19,800 --> 00:47:24,160
Speaker 1: will be able to look into early detection, come up

929
00:47:24,200 --> 00:47:30,440
Speaker 1: with better remedies or more technologically advanced perhaps remedies in

930
00:47:30,560 --> 00:47:34,879
Speaker 1: terms of figuring out who has a brain aneurysm, who

931
00:47:34,920 --> 00:47:37,399
Speaker 1: is more likely to have a brain aneurysm, and how

932
00:47:37,480 --> 00:47:40,960
Speaker 1: best to treat it. So I'm hoping that that is

933
00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:45,640
Speaker 1: something that will continue for my lifetime because it's I

934
00:47:45,640 --> 00:47:48,560
Speaker 1: think it's so important for people to be able to

935
00:47:48,680 --> 00:47:52,120
Speaker 1: have the very, very best care, and in order to

936
00:47:52,160 --> 00:47:53,799
Speaker 1: do that, we need to make sure that we have

937
00:47:53,880 --> 00:47:57,840
Speaker 1: the best technological advances to figure out what is causing

938
00:47:57,880 --> 00:47:59,920
Speaker 1: these and how they can be treated.

939
00:48:00,880 --> 00:48:05,759
Speaker 2: What an amazing way to turn such a traumatic experience

940
00:48:05,800 --> 00:48:09,400
Speaker 2: into such a positive, you know, light for the future

941
00:48:09,440 --> 00:48:15,279
Speaker 2: of research in this really important area. Congratulations on that.

942
00:48:15,600 --> 00:48:17,040
Speaker 2: You know a lot of what we spoke about in

943
00:48:17,080 --> 00:48:19,520
Speaker 2: the episode about life insurance is about your legacy and

944
00:48:19,560 --> 00:48:21,520
Speaker 2: what you'll leave behind and not just thinking about the

945
00:48:21,560 --> 00:48:23,160
Speaker 2: here and now. And I think that's such an amazing

946
00:48:23,800 --> 00:48:26,759
Speaker 2: take away from your story, Sharon. Thank you for sharing it.

947
00:48:26,880 --> 00:48:28,839
Speaker 2: I wanted to leave. I wanted to leave you guys

948
00:48:28,840 --> 00:48:30,560
Speaker 2: with kind of just a recap, you know, whether it's

949
00:48:30,560 --> 00:48:36,120
Speaker 2: a brain aneurysm or something else, you know, something another traumatic, unexpected,

950
00:48:36,160 --> 00:48:38,719
Speaker 2: the worst case scenario. I think that's what we're all

951
00:48:38,760 --> 00:48:40,640
Speaker 2: in the back of our minds afraid to think about.

952
00:48:41,120 --> 00:48:43,120
Speaker 2: But we should all at least take some time to

953
00:48:43,160 --> 00:48:44,680
Speaker 2: think about it. And I wondered if we can just

954
00:48:44,719 --> 00:48:48,920
Speaker 2: wrap up by reviewing some of the key steps anyone

955
00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:52,320
Speaker 2: can take today to make their lives and their loved

956
00:48:52,320 --> 00:48:54,520
Speaker 2: ones lives a little bit easier if something like this,

957
00:48:54,600 --> 00:48:58,160
Speaker 2: God forbid were to happen from them. So I assume

958
00:48:58,200 --> 00:49:01,759
Speaker 2: you'd start by saying, beef up that emergency fund. What

959
00:49:01,800 --> 00:49:03,799
Speaker 2: else would you add to that, Sharon, I.

960
00:49:03,800 --> 00:49:05,880
Speaker 1: Think one of the key things to do is automate

961
00:49:06,080 --> 00:49:09,480
Speaker 1: all of your financial life as much as you can.

962
00:49:09,920 --> 00:49:12,960
Speaker 1: So if you can do direct deposits for your paycheck,

963
00:49:13,400 --> 00:49:18,240
Speaker 1: if you can do automatic bill pay for your rent

964
00:49:18,560 --> 00:49:22,040
Speaker 1: or for your mortgage or for your utilities, if you

965
00:49:22,080 --> 00:49:24,440
Speaker 1: can make sure that you have all of your accounts

966
00:49:24,440 --> 00:49:28,160
Speaker 1: in one place so that you know where to find them,

967
00:49:28,360 --> 00:49:31,319
Speaker 1: using something like Mint or some other service that can

968
00:49:31,320 --> 00:49:34,440
Speaker 1: aggregate all of your accounts if you can use the

969
00:49:34,520 --> 00:49:37,520
Speaker 1: password manager and make sure that someone that you really

970
00:49:37,520 --> 00:49:40,880
Speaker 1: trust and really love has that information as well, so

971
00:49:40,920 --> 00:49:44,360
Speaker 1: that anything happens to you. Because you've automated your life,

972
00:49:44,400 --> 00:49:45,799
Speaker 1: you want to make sure that they're able to get

973
00:49:45,840 --> 00:49:48,440
Speaker 1: in there and help you in terms of figuring out

974
00:49:48,480 --> 00:49:50,560
Speaker 1: how to make sure the bills get paid and everything,

975
00:49:50,880 --> 00:49:53,080
Speaker 1: and that would be helpful to make sure that someone

976
00:49:53,160 --> 00:49:56,799
Speaker 1: has that information, your password to these accounts. The way

977
00:49:56,840 --> 00:49:58,640
Speaker 1: to make sure legally that it's the person that you

978
00:49:58,719 --> 00:50:00,640
Speaker 1: really want to have all this information is to make

979
00:50:00,680 --> 00:50:04,120
Speaker 1: sure you've done proper estate planning. So your health care

980
00:50:04,160 --> 00:50:06,720
Speaker 1: proxy the person who's going to make health care decisions

981
00:50:06,800 --> 00:50:09,200
Speaker 1: if you are unable to do so, figure out who

982
00:50:09,200 --> 00:50:10,799
Speaker 1: that person's going to be. Who's going to be the

983
00:50:10,800 --> 00:50:13,439
Speaker 1: person who's going to make the financial decisions if you're

984
00:50:13,719 --> 00:50:17,120
Speaker 1: unable to do that. And if you're a parent, make

985
00:50:17,200 --> 00:50:20,200
Speaker 1: sure that if you and your spouse or mom and

986
00:50:20,280 --> 00:50:22,200
Speaker 1: dad are not both there, who.

987
00:50:22,080 --> 00:50:23,959
Speaker 3: Is going to be able to take care of these kids?

988
00:50:23,960 --> 00:50:26,960
Speaker 1: Who is going to be the guardian for these children.

989
00:50:28,640 --> 00:50:31,000
Speaker 1: I was able to use my estate plan. I had

990
00:50:31,040 --> 00:50:33,719
Speaker 1: to use my estate plan because I wasn't able to

991
00:50:33,760 --> 00:50:35,719
Speaker 1: say what kind of surgery I wanted, or where I

992
00:50:35,760 --> 00:50:37,960
Speaker 1: wanted to ultimately go for my hospital, or any of

993
00:50:38,000 --> 00:50:41,040
Speaker 1: those things. My husband had to do that because that's

994
00:50:41,040 --> 00:50:43,680
Speaker 1: his role as my power of attorney for health care

995
00:50:43,719 --> 00:50:46,360
Speaker 1: and as my power of attorney for financial issues. He

996
00:50:46,480 --> 00:50:48,719
Speaker 1: was the one who handled all of the finances or

997
00:50:48,760 --> 00:50:51,279
Speaker 1: was in charge of the finances. But to make it

998
00:50:51,320 --> 00:50:54,040
Speaker 1: easier because he was overwhelmed at being at the hospital

999
00:50:54,040 --> 00:50:56,960
Speaker 1: with me every day, we had it automated so we

1000
00:50:57,040 --> 00:50:59,279
Speaker 1: didn't really have to worry about when that check had

1001
00:50:59,320 --> 00:51:01,720
Speaker 1: to go out because it was automatically going to get paid.

1002
00:51:01,960 --> 00:51:03,880
Speaker 3: So those were really really key.

1003
00:51:04,000 --> 00:51:07,959
Speaker 1: To managing our financial life when I was particularly gravely ill.

1004
00:51:09,120 --> 00:51:11,400
Speaker 1: And the other part I would say is definitely to

1005
00:51:11,520 --> 00:51:15,720
Speaker 1: have the insurances that you need, so don't go without

1006
00:51:15,719 --> 00:51:19,640
Speaker 1: health insurance or disability insurance. And finally make sure that

1007
00:51:19,719 --> 00:51:23,279
Speaker 1: you do have that emergency fund. You can forego perhaps

1008
00:51:23,520 --> 00:51:27,799
Speaker 1: the fabulous vacation and just do a nice vacation. I mean,

1009
00:51:27,840 --> 00:51:31,120
Speaker 1: I'm trying to talk about putting a nice sum, not

1010
00:51:31,280 --> 00:51:33,400
Speaker 1: just not having a coffee one day and adding up,

1011
00:51:33,400 --> 00:51:36,000
Speaker 1: and that's a way to start, but you really need

1012
00:51:36,040 --> 00:51:37,960
Speaker 1: to think about what you can cut out to make

1013
00:51:37,960 --> 00:51:41,759
Speaker 1: sure you have the savings that you need, and the

1014
00:51:41,800 --> 00:51:43,839
Speaker 1: first step is to figure out what that is. Many

1015
00:51:43,880 --> 00:51:45,799
Speaker 1: people don't even know how much they spend per month.

1016
00:51:46,040 --> 00:51:47,879
Speaker 1: So if you can figure out how much you might

1017
00:51:47,920 --> 00:51:50,880
Speaker 1: need just for one month, Ideally people talk about a

1018
00:51:50,880 --> 00:51:54,040
Speaker 1: six month emergency fund. Some people can't really fathom what

1019
00:51:54,080 --> 00:51:56,960
Speaker 1: they spend in one month, So just start there and

1020
00:51:57,040 --> 00:52:01,960
Speaker 1: start small and slowly build it up and realize. And

1021
00:52:02,040 --> 00:52:04,040
Speaker 1: to me, trying to figure all of this out and

1022
00:52:04,080 --> 00:52:05,880
Speaker 1: having some of it planned already and some of it

1023
00:52:05,920 --> 00:52:08,400
Speaker 1: that I've had to now go back and say I

1024
00:52:08,400 --> 00:52:10,040
Speaker 1: should do this a little bit differently, even with my

1025
00:52:10,080 --> 00:52:13,840
Speaker 1: own personal finances. It's a blessing. It's the greatest gift

1026
00:52:14,040 --> 00:52:16,560
Speaker 1: of being given another opportunity to get it right. And

1027
00:52:16,600 --> 00:52:18,839
Speaker 1: it still may not be perfect, but I think I'm

1028
00:52:18,840 --> 00:52:19,839
Speaker 1: doing a much better job.

1029
00:52:20,680 --> 00:52:23,280
Speaker 2: Well. Sharon, Thank you so so much for being so candid,

1030
00:52:23,680 --> 00:52:26,360
Speaker 2: for being such an amazing guest, for sharing your story

1031
00:52:27,120 --> 00:52:28,640
Speaker 2: and keep sharing it. You know, like I said at

1032
00:52:28,680 --> 00:52:30,920
Speaker 2: the beginning of the show, I was explaining to Sharon,

1033
00:52:30,960 --> 00:52:33,680
Speaker 2: our audience is exactly the kind of person you guys.

1034
00:52:33,719 --> 00:52:36,479
Speaker 2: Brand ambition listeners are exactly who needs to be hearing

1035
00:52:36,480 --> 00:52:39,600
Speaker 2: this story. You know, African American women are the majority

1036
00:52:39,640 --> 00:52:41,520
Speaker 2: of our listeners, and I hope that you guys are listening.

1037
00:52:41,520 --> 00:52:43,600
Speaker 2: And if you don't think that you're at risk, you know,

1038
00:52:43,680 --> 00:52:46,360
Speaker 2: tell a friend, Tell a friend, tell a friend, so

1039
00:52:46,440 --> 00:52:48,640
Speaker 2: the word gets out. And I'll be sure to include

1040
00:52:48,640 --> 00:52:52,000
Speaker 2: a link to the Brain Inurism Foundation website in the

1041
00:52:52,000 --> 00:52:55,800
Speaker 2: show notes, so definitely go check that out. And Sharon, lastly,

1042
00:52:55,840 --> 00:52:57,800
Speaker 2: just let people know where they can find you on Twitter,

1043
00:52:57,840 --> 00:52:59,479
Speaker 2: Instagram Where are you at these days?

1044
00:53:00,360 --> 00:53:03,440
Speaker 1: You can find me on Twitter at Sharon Underscore et

1045
00:53:03,440 --> 00:53:06,040
Speaker 1: person E P P E R s O N. And

1046
00:53:06,080 --> 00:53:09,880
Speaker 1: you can find me on Instagram at Sharon Epperson CNBC.

1047
00:53:10,480 --> 00:53:13,640
Speaker 1: And you can also you like and follow my Facebook page.

1048
00:53:14,160 --> 00:53:15,920
Speaker 2: Awesome. All include links to those in the show. To

1049
00:53:16,000 --> 00:53:18,480
Speaker 2: you guys, Sharon again, thanks so much.

1050
00:53:19,080 --> 00:53:19,520
Speaker 3: Thank you.

1051
00:53:19,640 --> 00:53:21,799
Speaker 1: I'm really glad to be on the show, and thank

1052
00:53:21,800 --> 00:53:24,840
Speaker 1: you all so much for listening. And please tell your girlfriends,

1053
00:53:24,880 --> 00:53:27,920
Speaker 1: tell your mom, tell your cousin, tell your sister, tell everyone.

1054
00:53:28,080 --> 00:53:32,080
Speaker 1: Just take care of yourself, remember to focus on yourself,

1055
00:53:32,360 --> 00:53:35,279
Speaker 1: focus on being on the moment, in the moment, and

1056
00:53:35,440 --> 00:53:38,920
Speaker 1: treasure every single day because you just truly never know