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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey va fam, Welcome to Brown Ambition. I hope y'all
have been doing well. I really got no complaints. I know,
I usually I'm trying not to complain, but I just
don't have any. I am in sunny Miami. I am
in a gorgeous you know, like one of those gorgeous
like summer vacation move moves that you buy that you
never get to wear because it's just me. I just
(00:26):
buy them, and I'm like, why I need to find
a beach to take this too. But I finally get
to wear one of my favorite move moves by this
incredible brand. It's called uh i'm'na mess it up. Dianu
a cel the most beautiful like printed African pattern swimwear
and they do all kinds of stuff, So shout out
to them. But in Miami, my children are at home
(00:50):
away from me. They're at summer camp and Husban is
holding it down. And I have been here for a
couple of days now at a conference, just in one
of my favorite places to be, which is just like
surrounded by beautiful women of color all day, every day,
and there's only one thing better than waking up and
getting to be a black woman. But getting to wake
(01:10):
up and be surrounded by us is wow, it is
Chef's kiss. But in between, I'm still working hard. I
still got brown ambition. I have all the things to do.
And I woke up this morning kind of like you know,
you're in vacation mode. It's first of all, where am I?
Second of all, this bed is so comfortable. Where can
I get these sheets from? Third of all, b aqa?
(01:31):
I don't have one. I was so off my game
the past couple of weeks that I my schedule got
off and I realized I don't have I'm not going
to have a baqa for this Friday. What am I
going to do? But it just so happened that I
had been texting with a friend, a friend who I
don't get to see damn near enough, and I was like,
gig Gigi the first gen mentor will you please rescue me?
(01:55):
And come on brown ambition? Completely last minute, and you
moved across the day of not even day of hours before,
like a few hours ago. I found out two things.
I found out you live in Spain. Now you're not
even in the US anymore, and two that there's a
reason why you're one of my faves and it's because
you're just down. So I am joined by a very
(02:16):
special guest today for the Brown Ambision QA we have.
If you don't know her, she'll use your full government name,
Giovanna Gals. Yeah you may know her.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah, most people know me.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
As is good. I have to put you as GG
on my phone. I have Giovanna in there, and I'm
always like, why is Gigi not popping up? I know
she's in here. It's like, Gievanna, I gotta fix that.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
But you may repeat guests of the Brown Ambition podcast.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
A yes time, two or three times at this point.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Oh once.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
So this is my second time back, second time back,
and I'm just really happy to We met the first
time at THINCLN couple of years ago, three years ago,
I think, and it was really special fin Con for me.
It was my first time back after becoming a mama
Sita for the second time, had my I had just
gotten pregnant with my second baby, and I was in
(03:10):
that really happy space in between times before you have
the kiddo, where it's like your brain is still there.
And I had the best time at thin Con and
you are a part of that. So I'm just very
happy to have you. We have so much, We have
so much to catch up on, ba Fam. So if
you're listening to this on Friday for our BAQA, just
(03:30):
stay tuned, stay tuned for me to drop my full
conversation with Gigi because we're going to talk about so much.
She has moved to Spain, she is working toward citizenship
in Spain. She is, she's got this really cool digital
nomad visa that we're going to talk about and just
catch up on all things First Gen Mentor, But gig
(03:52):
for a BA FAM who hasn't heard you on the
show before and isn't familiar with your work, can you
do a quick little intro of who you are and
what you do and while you're so amazing.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Of course, and thanks Mandy for having me again. Hi everybody,
My name is Giovanna, but most people know me as
Gigi or by my brand name, the First Gen Mentor,
and I am a former investment professional turned TikToker speaker,
financial educator and author of Gutura and Cash.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Yeahs, they congratulations on Gultuda and Cash. That's when you
were on the show, you were talking about the book.
It was your book launch.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yes, it's my book Baby.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
How old is the book baby now? Toddler?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Yes, because it is a year and a half exactly
year now?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Okay, well so toddler after two right after two years?
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yeah, it's still cheeked. Yeah, still a baby. Not a
little terrorist yet that comes after too.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Well, you were definitely one of the book launches that
I watched very carefully with the pen and paper, because
you know, I have my book that I'm still in
edits with, but eventually it will be out in the world,
and I'm very excited. You only get to have your
first book once. How was the whole process for you?
Speaker 3 (05:10):
It was lots of work and the first I want
to say, of course, I got your back with all
you know launching tips that you need because I learned
a lot the hard way.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
I know you do, I know.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
But it was fun. It was fun. Honestly.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
I've gotten that feedback from a lot of authors or
aspiring authors that it's one of the best launches that
they've seen, and I'm very proud of that.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yeah, I'm very proud of that because I really research.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Not sorry to interrupt you. I saw you give a
talk on your book launch fn Con last year. That's
when I saw you last I knew it was in Atlanta.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yeah, Atlanta, Okay, okay, yes, I.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Did get to squeeze you and I went to your
book talk.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
It was excellent, Okay, there you go.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yes, And I talked about how my first, my very
first launch was my course and I really hadn't studied
the process of launching. And even though it wasn't a
terrible launch, because I still made my money back, I
made profit from the core sales, it just wasn't an
amazing launch. And then with the book, I'm like, this
is not going to happen again. Number one, this is
my baby.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Number two.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
This is a much more expensive process and launching of course, so.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
I had to like kill it right.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
So so yeah, that was a good motivator to want
to do well. And Tiffany actually was very helpful. I
was a member, I was a mentee. I know she
had her paid I don't think she still has her
Patreon community, and then she had a lot of content
on book launching. So I definitely took notes from her
and saw what other people were doing and put that
all together and I think had a very very successful lunch.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Oh she's the best. Yeah, I think Tiffany really kicked
off the trend of sharing and being open. And this
goes for like all things and money, career, like no
gatekeeping here. Try to leave everyone with a nugget they
can share, and then they can share that nugget. And well,
I was just wondering, Well, it's really wonderful to have you,
but I didn't bring you here just to kiki. I'm
(07:04):
putting you to work because ready, we do have a
question from a listener, And I just want to say
thank you again be a fan for sending me your
questions and the fact that you trust me to give
you all kinds of advice, relationship advice, career advice, money advice.
It just means so much to me. I don't take
it for granted one bit. That being said, we are
(07:27):
not your personal financial advisors. We are not your investment advisors.
We are not your life coaches. Personally. You don't pay us,
We don't pay you. Please don't sue. This information is
like what I like to call infotainment. So we're going
to get those salt shakers out taking everything with a
grain of salt, healthy dose of salt today And if
you want to send your questions to the show. I'll
tell you about today's listener who wants to be anonymous.
(07:49):
I'm gonna call her Tara. Tara, not her real name,
has slid into my DMS, so it's that easy. You
have a question, you can leave a voice note, you
can type it up, you can slide into our DMS.
We're at brand Ambission Podcasts on Instagram. You can also
email me. Make sure you put BAQA in the subject line.
That'll help things not get not get either marked as
(08:12):
spam or me just look over it. But those are
the two best ways to get your questions answered on
the show. But let's get into it. This question is
from listener Tara, again not her real name. She has
a really how many more times can I say for
my editor to have to edit out I don't know.
(08:32):
Tara is dealing with the chronic illness and having want
some personal finance advice. She says, Hey, Mandy, I hope
you were able to cover this in an upcoming episode.
I was recently diagnosed with a chronic illness multiple scrosis.
Apart from dealing with the grief of what that will
mean for my future potential disability, I have also been
(08:53):
dealing with the financial ramifications, especially when thinking to future
proof my finances. I've started to consider what I should aggressively.
I've started to consider that I should aggressively invest now
while I'm still able to work, with an aim to
retire in my forties or early fifties. I'm thirty one
years old. Now, what are your thoughts on any other
(09:14):
financial planning that would be useful for me and other
chronically ill persons to consider? For additional context, I'm married,
based in the Caribbean, I work a government job, and
right now I am child free, but I plan to
start trying in a few years. Thanks in advance. I
always love hearing your thoughts. You're doing a great job
keeping the podcast go going. I listen religiously every Wednesday.
(09:38):
Terra Boo. That is so kind, Thank you so much.
Wow thirty To get a diagnosis like that at thirty one,
my heart goes out to you, Terra. I just first
and foremost, that's that's tough. And you're at the peak
what should be like the peak of your physicality and
starting a family. And I don't have anyone personally in
(10:03):
my life who has MS, but I do know and
I've heard stories of other people who've either had MS
or have gone through it, and it is a slow
slow it's a slow I don't know if it's a
good or bad, but it's a slow disease that can
sort of slowly kind of like put its claws into
you and start reducing your mobility over time. And I
(10:27):
guess the only pro of this right now is that
it is giving you time, Like, like you said, I'm
hoping you're getting the best medical support, but it does
seem like you have time and a bit of a runway,
like you know what's coming, and you are kind of
putting your You're not letting it depress you. Maybe it is,
maybe you are, and that's fine. I think anyone could
(10:48):
have their moments of depression with the diagnosis like this,
but you're ready to like get after it and do
what you can to make things as smooth as possible.
So I just want to commend you for that. First
and foremost so Gigi when she's asking about I mean really,
and it's at the heart of what she's saying is
I know that I'm not going to be able to
(11:08):
work forever for sure now and I have She's thirty one.
Now she's thinking ten to fifteen, twenty years of maybe
good solid working years ahead of her, and so how
can she best lay out the next couple of decades
of her life to really go hard financially so that
she can support herself and her family as she gets older.
(11:31):
And this disease takes hold continues to take hold.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Right right, And I just want to echo Mandy what
you said that I empathize with you, anonymous poster, that
is very difficult, and thanks for reaching out.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
I do have a.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
College friend who has had a mess, probably for about
ten years, so I remember the roller coaster of emotions
that she was going through. So holding space for you
guarding what sort of financial hacks you can put in place,
I think that's a great idea, right, maybe looking into
the fire movement and calculating that fire number to aggressively
(12:12):
invest and retire well before traditional retirement age.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Of sixty five.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Look at what that would look like for you, maybe
retiring at forty five, fifty, whatever is feasible for your
household income. I think that's a great option. And then
I would definitely take full advantage of something like an
HSA AT if you have that available to you. If
(12:42):
you have a hydroductive insurance plan, you're eligible for an HSA.
When I had help issues a few years ago, I
needed and I'm going to call it an emergency hysterect
me because the doctor told me, you need this in
a month, So I guess I wasn't I needed that day, but.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
I needed it pretty soon.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
I urgent. It was urgent.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
There it goes urgent, and I made sure to max
out that baby my HSA to make sure that those
medical costs were going to be tax free. Look into
the n fsay, right, So that's also a workplace benefit
if that's available to you as a way to be
able to cover those medical costs.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
With an HSA. It's been a minute, but health savings
account you need to have. What are the requirements that
you have to be on a high deductible health plan
typically to get access to it?
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Yeah, and there's the virus stipulate sas I think as
they change it, but I think it's if it's a
high deductible of fifteen hundred dollars or more so, if
you have a deductible five hundred dollars, they don't consider
that a high deductible plan.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Okay, gotcha. Yeah, And I think another benefit to that
is and it's so smart to bring that up too,
because you know you're going to have health expenses down
the line. The best thing about HSA is is that
you can It's like a triple tax benefit it, right,
you put money in pre tax, it grows tax free,
and you can actually invest the money. You can invest it.
(14:08):
It's not just like a flexible savings account where you
put the cash in and that's that's how much you have.
But you can literally and it's an investment vehicle for you.
And then as long as you use it for your
medical expenses later on, it's no taxes on it ever.
So that's a perfect It's almost like you're good at this,
Like that's so smart.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
It's almost like I wrote a book about this stuff.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Right, Yeah, But how much enemy would set aside in
an HSA? That's the thing. Is there a limit on it?
It changes every year? Right?
Speaker 2 (14:39):
It changes by a little bit every year.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
I mean, if I had to google it right now,
I say it's probably three. I'm a google it. It's
low compared to everything else because they know how good
of a dew it is.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
With that triple tax advantage.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Oh but she has a family though, Okay, so the IRS, Yeah,
she has a family, so she can increase it. Oh
she has a husband. I don't know if that. Yeah, okay,
so the IRS limit on HSA is for twenty twenty five.
Self only coverage you can contribute up to forty three
hundred per year, which is and she has like, you know, years,
(15:15):
So even if you just did that, that's still a
pretty little coin, especially if you're investing it. And then
family coverage you can contribute up to eighty five hundred
per year. And then you know, as you get older,
if you're fifty five plus, you can contribute catchup contributions
of a thousand bucks. Okay, so it's not you know,
we're not talking like I think, what is it for
(15:36):
four oh one k? Twenty k something? Yeah, but it's
not nothing.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
It helps, It helps, and the tax advantages are huge.
And I also want to point out because a lot
of people say, well, I do have a hydroductible plan
through my employer, but they.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Don't offer an HSA. You are still eligible for an HSA.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
So all that means is that you have to take
the extra step of opening one up through a brokerage account. Yeah,
it's just more paperwork on your end, right because you
have to do it as opposed to just adopting and
through the employer. But it's still something that you should
definitely look into taking advantage of. And then the other
thing I would say is I would look definitely consider
(16:16):
long term care right to see if that's something that
this covers. Disability insurance, right, there's different sort of vehicles
for this. And then lastly, I would absolutely take the
time to meet with the CFP because that's a certified
financial planner, because that's really the best person that's going
(16:36):
to guide you along this process.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
And you want to look for.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Somebody who's a fiduciary and somebody that has experience with
people that have a long term illness.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
You know what I was just thinking about, and I'm
trying to I'm not as good as y'all know. Chris
Browning from Popcorn Finance and he's on the show. He's
my stealth googler. He's my or actually I think he
uses an AI bot, but he's my stealth fact checker
in the background. And one thing I was thinking about
is I was I was wondering I was wanting to
know more about MS. I understand that it's a neurological
condition that it can create all sorts of I mean,
(17:08):
the symptoms vary, but it's like prolonged and impacts your
mobility especially I can also I was looking at does
it impact cognitive function because one thing I was trying
to do is figure out what are some career paths
or how can she change her career all to her
career to create a high income position or high income
(17:29):
job or work that she can get now that would
be conducive to someone with that kind of disability. You know,
there's and I was just quickly looking up and I was,
I mean, I think a lot of it probably depends
on how that condition manifests in you and like what
symptoms are like for you. But is there maybe it's
less of you know, maybe just going all in on
(17:51):
an online business or an online side hustle or of
some kind, or writing or creating content. I mean, I
know my brain goes here, oh voiceovers, okay, yeah, but
what types of career paths? And you don't tell us
now what you do? All she says is she works
(18:11):
in government right now? If There's one thing about government
that I do know is that they love old school, Like,
come into this office, sit at this here desk, and
I mean hopefully you're you're going to be working for
people who will accommodate you. That's another thing to consider though,
Gigi is like, when you have a chronic illness, at
(18:35):
what point do you bring that up with your employer?
You know, and I know that there's rules and regulations
about how you shouldn't be discriminated against or treated unfairly,
or treated differently or paid differently and value differently, But
the bias has a way of sneaking in no matter what,
what do you say, like, what's your thoughts on that?
At what point would you or could you bring that
(18:59):
up to your employers if you need to seek additional
accommodations to be more comfortable.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
Yeah, to be honest, that would be out of my wheelhouse.
And instead, what I would recommend would be to look
into creators or advocates in the community that talk about this.
I think about Tiffany You and her book The Anti
Ablest Manifesto. I think her content and her book might
be a good way to connect with other resources to
(19:24):
be able to answer that question because it's tough. It's
because yes, on paper, we have protections, right, but is
that really what's going to happen.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Well, that's a good one. I also found the National
MS Society has a bunch of resources, career resources. They
even have a job navigator MS navigator program, the Job
Accommodation Network. These are going to be really important resources
for you. I almost feel like, moving into this new
chapter of your life, it's like, how do we increase
(19:54):
our network and our social circle to just embed yourself
with people who know what you're going through, have lived
it and can be a source of like positive influence
and positive perspective for you and help. And it's almost
like when I had you know, now I have two
kids and the so the network that I have, the
(20:15):
relationships that I have, they look a lot different than
they did beforehand. And it's not about it's not about
you know, sometimes getting or like losing connections in your life.
It's more about just filling your life with additional connections
and resources that are meant for you and made for
that chapter that you're in right now. So if that
looks like support groups for you or checking out that
(20:37):
author GG, that you mentioned Tiffany. Tiffany you, Yeah, why you?
Why you? And that's one thing. You're a TikToker, right, Gigi.
It's really beautiful to me how many people with who
are differently abled are on TikTok just killing it, just
sharing exactly what they're going through and are just finding
(20:58):
their people. And so one thing tera I would say
is like, can you find that community online for yourself
to feel less alone and just feel like you're really seen?
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Yeah, totally all right.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
So we talked about HSA. So let's say she's maxing
at her HSA it's forty three hundred or eighty five
hundred a year. How else she's only thirty one, what
other you know, investments or types of investments can she
make at this stage that could you know, set her
up for I don't want to put a label on it.
You can call it fire or retire early, whatever, but
(21:34):
for financial security later.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
On, financial independence, right, definitely looking into ways to reduce income,
live a frugal lifestyle while still enjoying life.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Right.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Reduce income, sorry, reducing expenses oh okay, waits called down ambition,
reducing expenses life, Yeah, and definitely increasing liquid money, right,
having access to cash, either through an emergency fund, a
(22:08):
bulky emergency fund at that, or investing in a brokerage
account where your money has the ability to grow, but
you also have the ability to pull the money out
when you need it.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Hm, why would like? Well not why but a brokerage account.
I think maybe it's just because the nine to five
brainwashing is real. But I'm always like four one K
four one K four one K and then brokerage do
you think? Do you? Yeah? What's your what's your stance
on that? Are you like, go all in on your
(22:43):
four to one k and when you when you can
max that out, then do a brokerage or are you
like a little bit of both?
Speaker 3 (22:49):
It depends right, Like a lot of things in personal finance. Uh.
The way that I use the brokerage account that I have,
I have one now which is for It's funny because
it was initially for my god niece, for my goddaughter.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
I opened it when she was born.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
And I add to it every Christmas and every birthday.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
Goodness I a auntie like.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
You, Yeah, yeah, look for another.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
I got too available as a godmother, yes, because I'm
child's race, so I'm available as a godmother.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
We love a rich auntie. Well, Tara, I think we
mentioned some resources. I also wanted to bring another spotlight
on the National Multiple National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The founder
was interviewed by The New York Times and she said
that they filled forty thousand inquiries a year and their
whole job is to help people like you who are
newly diagnosed or you're navigating the landscape for yourself and
(23:47):
like connect you to a team. So connect you to
even a financial planner who is maybe used to working
with people who have MS and understand what the cost
can be. Someone who can help you review your insurance,
insurance coverage. That's another like really key thing here is
now that you know what you're up against, speaking with
someone who's not trying to sell you a type of insurance,
(24:10):
but someone who can help you understand what kind of
insurance plan, like how to get the right coverage that
you'll need to deal with all your medical appointments, excuse me,
what kind of treatments you'll be getting. All of that.
Help connect you to government agencies, nonprofits that may be
able to offer you services. Now there's a lot again,
(24:31):
there's a lot going against us ess actually works in
the Caribbeans. I'm kind of also toggling between Caribbean. But
are you a US sure?
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Because I was gonna be one of my suggestions consider
moving abroad because healthcare is so much cheaper in other
countries compared to the US.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
But it seems like she's already abroad in the Caribbean.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Yeah. Ain't nobody come into the US for their healthcare
needs now?
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Right?
Speaker 1 (24:53):
We're all trying to get about it. One soul, not
a single one. I don't know what exactly, Like I said,
your career path right now, but if there's things you
could be doing, like I mean, shit, why not have
an online presence so that you can shine a light
on what you're going through and have people follow your
journey and get connected with you. But that could also
turn into a financial opportunity for you as well, a
(25:14):
way to bring an additional income and put it aside
for your family.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
While helping others.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
Yeah, while helping others. It's beautiful, let me see. But
you know what I love is the idea of having
a money team in general for whatever you're going through.
I think we talk about financial planners being a part
of that money team I would even add, like whether
it's a mentor or an official coach, but someone to
(25:41):
help you navigate your career landscape. Who else would you
put on your ideal money team g She.
Speaker 3 (25:49):
Say, like in a state attorney, right, somebody like that
could make sense, especially if she's looking to expand her family.
Somebody to help to with the medical directives, the power
of attorneys, that sort of thing, those need to be
set up.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
It's a good point. That's a really good point. And
for your for your husband as well. Does she say husband?
I don't want to be heateranormative. She's a married I
ain't trying to put a your partner, your life partner.
It's also I would add a relationship therapist that mix.
(26:28):
To be honest, it's having kids, as I mean, I've seen,
I've I've experienced firsthand how adding children to the mix
can impact a relationship and make it really really challenging,
and you need that kind of support. Can only imagine
now adding an a chronic illness into that and to
I feel like Boom, you each need an individual therapist
because he's going to need a place event as a
(26:49):
caretaker potentially, and you're gonna need a place event and
then together as a couple, someone to work on that
relationship and preserve that union and bond. I would add
that to my I was still call it a money teams.
I do think this is all in intertwined. Oh yeah,
health is well, absolutely yeah. I would add in being
open to medication.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Right.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
I know someone close to me they're dealing with chronic
illness and it's affecting their mood because it's an everyday thing, right,
So being open to behavioral health medication. I know that. Unfortunately,
there's a lot of stigma around it. I'm a proud
Prozac princess. I've been on it almost two years and
I would not be able to function without it, and
it really does help you.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Have a better outlook when you're going through challenging times.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
Prozac Princess, I love it. I was a Zoloft. What
what's an alliteration? I don't have one. Hard well, z
is hard. I could go for the Baneric. It could
be a Certraline a queen. Yeah, it doesn't get the illiteration.
(27:56):
Batty love Batty, but I'm not anymore. I'm looking I'm
currently shopping for a new, a new whatever. I'm on this.
I'll do a separate episode on that BA family. You
got to get all and sue it. But she's coming
off the med and she is. She is out here
just just doing her best. We're doing our best. But yeah,
it was time for it was time for change five years.
(28:21):
Anything else for Tara I other than just aggressively, I agree,
aggressively invest get your expenses down, you know in a
certain way. This maybe will help you make decisions from
a centered place of like, I know what I know
to a certain extent, what the future is holding for me.
So it's gonna make it easier for you to say
no to certain things, and like funnel your finances and
(28:42):
your energy and your investments of time and like literal
investments into what can help you create that life that
you want for yourself. And like in talking to more
people who have dealt with the condition too, you may
find out what types of living arrangements are best for
you so you can work toward that. You know, what,
how will you be most comfortable and most able to
(29:03):
stay independent for as long as possible in the environment
that you're living in, the types of upgrades you want
to make. You may want to make to your home
or you know, choosing where to live. If you want
to make those changes, then you have time to do that. Yeah.
I just really feel like a lot of the answer
is in talking to people who have dealt with this
and are going through it, because they can help you
see blind spots that obviously both of us have Gigi,
(29:25):
but you as well kind of just being like a
deer in headlights just getting this diagnosis and learning about it.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Yeah, it's a lot.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
And be kind to yourself, and yeah, look for help
from experts and people that have been through it. You
don't have to do it all on your own.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Amen's sister friend. All right, Tara, Well, thank you so
much for your message and for being vulnerable and best
of luck to you. Please keep me posted and anything
else I can do we can do. Ba fam oh,
I forgot about ba Fam. I know this community is incredible,
and I know that y'all may have some additional resources
for Terra, So would y'all please send them to me
and so we can forward them to her Brown Ambition
(30:02):
excuse me Brown Ambition Podcast at gmail dot com, or
you can d m me at Brown Ambition Podcast on
ig and Tara, I'm saving your info and I'll send
them all your way, but wishing you so much luck
and love, and thank you again for the kind words
and for listening to this show and to my lovely
co host Gig the First Gen Mentor, thank you for
(30:23):
joining me this week for ba QA.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
Thanks for having me, Mandy.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Hi va fan. Until next time, Bye,
Hey va fam, Welcome to Brown Ambition. I hope y'all
have been doing well. I really got no complaints. I know,
I usually I'm trying not to complain, but I just
don't have any. I am in sunny Miami. I am
in a gorgeous you know, like one of those gorgeous
like summer vacation move moves that you buy that you
never get to wear because it's just me. I just
(00:26):
buy them, and I'm like, why I need to find
a beach to take this too. But I finally get
to wear one of my favorite move moves by this
incredible brand. It's called uh i'm'na mess it up. Dianu
a cel the most beautiful like printed African pattern swimwear
and they do all kinds of stuff, So shout out
to them. But in Miami, my children are at home
(00:50):
away from me. They're at summer camp and Husban is
holding it down. And I have been here for a
couple of days now at a conference, just in one
of my favorite places to be, which is just like
surrounded by beautiful women of color all day, every day,
and there's only one thing better than waking up and
getting to be a black woman. But getting to wake
(01:10):
up and be surrounded by us is wow, it is
Chef's kiss. But in between, I'm still working hard. I
still got brown ambition. I have all the things to do.
And I woke up this morning kind of like you know,
you're in vacation mode. It's first of all, where am I?
Second of all, this bed is so comfortable. Where can
I get these sheets from? Third of all, b aqa?
(01:31):
I don't have one. I was so off my game
the past couple of weeks that I my schedule got
off and I realized I don't have I'm not going
to have a baqa for this Friday. What am I
going to do? But it just so happened that I
had been texting with a friend, a friend who I
don't get to see damn near enough, and I was like,
gig Gigi the first gen mentor will you please rescue me?
(01:55):
And come on brown ambition? Completely last minute, and you
moved across the day of not even day of hours before,
like a few hours ago. I found out two things.
I found out you live in Spain. Now you're not
even in the US anymore, and two that there's a
reason why you're one of my faves and it's because
you're just down. So I am joined by a very
(02:16):
special guest today for the Brown Ambision QA we have.
If you don't know her, she'll use your full government name,
Giovanna Gals. Yeah you may know her.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah, most people know me.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
As is good. I have to put you as GG
on my phone. I have Giovanna in there, and I'm
always like, why is Gigi not popping up? I know
she's in here. It's like, Gievanna, I gotta fix that.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
But you may repeat guests of the Brown Ambition podcast.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
A yes time, two or three times at this point.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Oh once.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
So this is my second time back, second time back,
and I'm just really happy to We met the first
time at THINCLN couple of years ago, three years ago,
I think, and it was really special fin Con for me.
It was my first time back after becoming a mama
Sita for the second time, had my I had just
gotten pregnant with my second baby, and I was in
(03:10):
that really happy space in between times before you have
the kiddo, where it's like your brain is still there.
And I had the best time at thin Con and
you are a part of that. So I'm just very
happy to have you. We have so much, We have
so much to catch up on, ba Fam. So if
you're listening to this on Friday for our BAQA, just
(03:30):
stay tuned, stay tuned for me to drop my full
conversation with Gigi because we're going to talk about so much.
She has moved to Spain, she is working toward citizenship
in Spain. She is, she's got this really cool digital
nomad visa that we're going to talk about and just
catch up on all things First Gen Mentor, But gig
(03:52):
for a BA FAM who hasn't heard you on the
show before and isn't familiar with your work, can you
do a quick little intro of who you are and
what you do and while you're so amazing.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Of course, and thanks Mandy for having me again. Hi everybody,
My name is Giovanna, but most people know me as
Gigi or by my brand name, the First Gen Mentor,
and I am a former investment professional turned TikToker speaker,
financial educator and author of Gutura and Cash.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Yeahs, they congratulations on Gultuda and Cash. That's when you
were on the show, you were talking about the book.
It was your book launch.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yes, it's my book Baby.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
How old is the book baby now? Toddler?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Yes, because it is a year and a half exactly
year now?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Okay, well so toddler after two right after two years?
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yeah, it's still cheeked. Yeah, still a baby. Not a
little terrorist yet that comes after too.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Well, you were definitely one of the book launches that
I watched very carefully with the pen and paper, because
you know, I have my book that I'm still in
edits with, but eventually it will be out in the world,
and I'm very excited. You only get to have your
first book once. How was the whole process for you?
Speaker 3 (05:10):
It was lots of work and the first I want
to say, of course, I got your back with all
you know launching tips that you need because I learned
a lot the hard way.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
I know you do, I know.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
But it was fun. It was fun. Honestly.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
I've gotten that feedback from a lot of authors or
aspiring authors that it's one of the best launches that
they've seen, and I'm very proud of that.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yeah, I'm very proud of that because I really research.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Not sorry to interrupt you. I saw you give a
talk on your book launch fn Con last year. That's
when I saw you last I knew it was in Atlanta.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yeah, Atlanta, Okay, okay, yes, I.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Did get to squeeze you and I went to your
book talk.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
It was excellent, Okay, there you go.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yes, And I talked about how my first, my very
first launch was my course and I really hadn't studied
the process of launching. And even though it wasn't a
terrible launch, because I still made my money back, I
made profit from the core sales, it just wasn't an
amazing launch. And then with the book, I'm like, this
is not going to happen again. Number one, this is
my baby.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Number two.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
This is a much more expensive process and launching of course, so.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
I had to like kill it right.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
So so yeah, that was a good motivator to want
to do well. And Tiffany actually was very helpful. I
was a member, I was a mentee. I know she
had her paid I don't think she still has her
Patreon community, and then she had a lot of content
on book launching. So I definitely took notes from her
and saw what other people were doing and put that
all together and I think had a very very successful lunch.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Oh she's the best. Yeah, I think Tiffany really kicked
off the trend of sharing and being open. And this
goes for like all things and money, career, like no
gatekeeping here. Try to leave everyone with a nugget they
can share, and then they can share that nugget. And well,
I was just wondering, Well, it's really wonderful to have you,
but I didn't bring you here just to kiki. I'm
(07:04):
putting you to work because ready, we do have a
question from a listener, And I just want to say
thank you again be a fan for sending me your
questions and the fact that you trust me to give
you all kinds of advice, relationship advice, career advice, money advice.
It just means so much to me. I don't take
it for granted one bit. That being said, we are
(07:27):
not your personal financial advisors. We are not your investment advisors.
We are not your life coaches. Personally. You don't pay us,
We don't pay you. Please don't sue. This information is
like what I like to call infotainment. So we're going
to get those salt shakers out taking everything with a
grain of salt, healthy dose of salt today And if
you want to send your questions to the show. I'll
tell you about today's listener who wants to be anonymous.
(07:49):
I'm gonna call her Tara. Tara, not her real name,
has slid into my DMS, so it's that easy. You
have a question, you can leave a voice note, you
can type it up, you can slide into our DMS.
We're at brand Ambission Podcasts on Instagram. You can also
email me. Make sure you put BAQA in the subject line.
That'll help things not get not get either marked as
(08:12):
spam or me just look over it. But those are
the two best ways to get your questions answered on
the show. But let's get into it. This question is
from listener Tara, again not her real name. She has
a really how many more times can I say for
my editor to have to edit out I don't know.
(08:32):
Tara is dealing with the chronic illness and having want
some personal finance advice. She says, Hey, Mandy, I hope
you were able to cover this in an upcoming episode.
I was recently diagnosed with a chronic illness multiple scrosis.
Apart from dealing with the grief of what that will
mean for my future potential disability, I have also been
(08:53):
dealing with the financial ramifications, especially when thinking to future
proof my finances. I've started to consider what I should aggressively.
I've started to consider that I should aggressively invest now
while I'm still able to work, with an aim to
retire in my forties or early fifties. I'm thirty one
years old. Now, what are your thoughts on any other
(09:14):
financial planning that would be useful for me and other
chronically ill persons to consider? For additional context, I'm married,
based in the Caribbean, I work a government job, and
right now I am child free, but I plan to
start trying in a few years. Thanks in advance. I
always love hearing your thoughts. You're doing a great job
keeping the podcast go going. I listen religiously every Wednesday.
(09:38):
Terra Boo. That is so kind, Thank you so much.
Wow thirty To get a diagnosis like that at thirty one,
my heart goes out to you, Terra. I just first
and foremost, that's that's tough. And you're at the peak
what should be like the peak of your physicality and
starting a family. And I don't have anyone personally in
(10:03):
my life who has MS, but I do know and
I've heard stories of other people who've either had MS
or have gone through it, and it is a slow
slow it's a slow I don't know if it's a
good or bad, but it's a slow disease that can
sort of slowly kind of like put its claws into
you and start reducing your mobility over time. And I
(10:27):
guess the only pro of this right now is that
it is giving you time, Like, like you said, I'm
hoping you're getting the best medical support, but it does
seem like you have time and a bit of a runway,
like you know what's coming, and you are kind of
putting your You're not letting it depress you. Maybe it is,
maybe you are, and that's fine. I think anyone could
(10:48):
have their moments of depression with the diagnosis like this,
but you're ready to like get after it and do
what you can to make things as smooth as possible.
So I just want to commend you for that. First
and foremost so Gigi when she's asking about I mean really,
and it's at the heart of what she's saying is
I know that I'm not going to be able to
(11:08):
work forever for sure now and I have She's thirty one.
Now she's thinking ten to fifteen, twenty years of maybe
good solid working years ahead of her, and so how
can she best lay out the next couple of decades
of her life to really go hard financially so that
she can support herself and her family as she gets older.
(11:31):
And this disease takes hold continues to take hold.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Right right, And I just want to echo Mandy what
you said that I empathize with you, anonymous poster, that
is very difficult, and thanks for reaching out.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
I do have a.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
College friend who has had a mess, probably for about
ten years, so I remember the roller coaster of emotions
that she was going through. So holding space for you
guarding what sort of financial hacks you can put in place,
I think that's a great idea, right, maybe looking into
the fire movement and calculating that fire number to aggressively
(12:12):
invest and retire well before traditional retirement age.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Of sixty five.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Look at what that would look like for you, maybe
retiring at forty five, fifty, whatever is feasible for your
household income. I think that's a great option. And then
I would definitely take full advantage of something like an
HSA AT if you have that available to you. If
(12:42):
you have a hydroductive insurance plan, you're eligible for an HSA.
When I had help issues a few years ago, I
needed and I'm going to call it an emergency hysterect
me because the doctor told me, you need this in
a month, So I guess I wasn't I needed that day, but.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
I needed it pretty soon.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
I urgent. It was urgent.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
There it goes urgent, and I made sure to max
out that baby my HSA to make sure that those
medical costs were going to be tax free. Look into
the n fsay, right, So that's also a workplace benefit
if that's available to you as a way to be
able to cover those medical costs.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
With an HSA. It's been a minute, but health savings
account you need to have. What are the requirements that
you have to be on a high deductible health plan
typically to get access to it?
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Yeah, and there's the virus stipulate sas I think as
they change it, but I think it's if it's a
high deductible of fifteen hundred dollars or more so, if
you have a deductible five hundred dollars, they don't consider
that a high deductible plan.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Okay, gotcha. Yeah, And I think another benefit to that
is and it's so smart to bring that up too,
because you know you're going to have health expenses down
the line. The best thing about HSA is is that
you can It's like a triple tax benefit it, right,
you put money in pre tax, it grows tax free,
and you can actually invest the money. You can invest it.
(14:08):
It's not just like a flexible savings account where you
put the cash in and that's that's how much you have.
But you can literally and it's an investment vehicle for you.
And then as long as you use it for your
medical expenses later on, it's no taxes on it ever.
So that's a perfect It's almost like you're good at this,
Like that's so smart.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
It's almost like I wrote a book about this stuff.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Right, Yeah, But how much enemy would set aside in
an HSA? That's the thing. Is there a limit on it?
It changes every year? Right?
Speaker 2 (14:39):
It changes by a little bit every year.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
I mean, if I had to google it right now,
I say it's probably three. I'm a google it. It's
low compared to everything else because they know how good
of a dew it is.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
With that triple tax advantage.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Oh but she has a family though, Okay, so the IRS, Yeah,
she has a family, so she can increase it. Oh
she has a husband. I don't know if that. Yeah, okay,
so the IRS limit on HSA is for twenty twenty five.
Self only coverage you can contribute up to forty three
hundred per year, which is and she has like, you know, years,
(15:15):
So even if you just did that, that's still a
pretty little coin, especially if you're investing it. And then
family coverage you can contribute up to eighty five hundred
per year. And then you know, as you get older,
if you're fifty five plus, you can contribute catchup contributions
of a thousand bucks. Okay, so it's not you know,
we're not talking like I think, what is it for
(15:36):
four oh one k? Twenty k something? Yeah, but it's
not nothing.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
It helps, It helps, and the tax advantages are huge.
And I also want to point out because a lot
of people say, well, I do have a hydroductible plan
through my employer, but they.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Don't offer an HSA. You are still eligible for an HSA.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
So all that means is that you have to take
the extra step of opening one up through a brokerage account. Yeah,
it's just more paperwork on your end, right because you
have to do it as opposed to just adopting and
through the employer. But it's still something that you should
definitely look into taking advantage of. And then the other
thing I would say is I would look definitely consider
(16:16):
long term care right to see if that's something that
this covers. Disability insurance, right, there's different sort of vehicles
for this. And then lastly, I would absolutely take the
time to meet with the CFP because that's a certified
financial planner, because that's really the best person that's going
(16:36):
to guide you along this process.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
And you want to look for.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Somebody who's a fiduciary and somebody that has experience with
people that have a long term illness.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
You know what I was just thinking about, and I'm
trying to I'm not as good as y'all know. Chris
Browning from Popcorn Finance and he's on the show. He's
my stealth googler. He's my or actually I think he
uses an AI bot, but he's my stealth fact checker
in the background. And one thing I was thinking about
is I was I was wondering I was wanting to
know more about MS. I understand that it's a neurological
condition that it can create all sorts of I mean,
(17:08):
the symptoms vary, but it's like prolonged and impacts your
mobility especially I can also I was looking at does
it impact cognitive function because one thing I was trying
to do is figure out what are some career paths
or how can she change her career all to her
career to create a high income position or high income
(17:29):
job or work that she can get now that would
be conducive to someone with that kind of disability. You know,
there's and I was just quickly looking up and I was,
I mean, I think a lot of it probably depends
on how that condition manifests in you and like what
symptoms are like for you. But is there maybe it's
less of you know, maybe just going all in on
(17:51):
an online business or an online side hustle or of
some kind, or writing or creating content. I mean, I
know my brain goes here, oh voiceovers, okay, yeah, but
what types of career paths? And you don't tell us
now what you do? All she says is she works
(18:11):
in government right now? If There's one thing about government
that I do know is that they love old school, Like,
come into this office, sit at this here desk, and
I mean hopefully you're you're going to be working for
people who will accommodate you. That's another thing to consider though,
Gigi is like, when you have a chronic illness, at
(18:35):
what point do you bring that up with your employer?
You know, and I know that there's rules and regulations
about how you shouldn't be discriminated against or treated unfairly,
or treated differently or paid differently and value differently, But
the bias has a way of sneaking in no matter what,
what do you say, like, what's your thoughts on that?
At what point would you or could you bring that
(18:59):
up to your employers if you need to seek additional
accommodations to be more comfortable.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
Yeah, to be honest, that would be out of my wheelhouse.
And instead, what I would recommend would be to look
into creators or advocates in the community that talk about this.
I think about Tiffany You and her book The Anti
Ablest Manifesto. I think her content and her book might
be a good way to connect with other resources to
(19:24):
be able to answer that question because it's tough. It's
because yes, on paper, we have protections, right, but is
that really what's going to happen.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Well, that's a good one. I also found the National
MS Society has a bunch of resources, career resources. They
even have a job navigator MS navigator program, the Job
Accommodation Network. These are going to be really important resources
for you. I almost feel like, moving into this new
chapter of your life, it's like, how do we increase
(19:54):
our network and our social circle to just embed yourself
with people who know what you're going through, have lived
it and can be a source of like positive influence
and positive perspective for you and help. And it's almost
like when I had you know, now I have two
kids and the so the network that I have, the
(20:15):
relationships that I have, they look a lot different than
they did beforehand. And it's not about it's not about
you know, sometimes getting or like losing connections in your life.
It's more about just filling your life with additional connections
and resources that are meant for you and made for
that chapter that you're in right now. So if that
looks like support groups for you or checking out that
(20:37):
author GG, that you mentioned Tiffany. Tiffany you, Yeah, why you?
Why you? And that's one thing. You're a TikToker, right, Gigi.
It's really beautiful to me how many people with who
are differently abled are on TikTok just killing it, just
sharing exactly what they're going through and are just finding
(20:58):
their people. And so one thing tera I would say
is like, can you find that community online for yourself
to feel less alone and just feel like you're really seen?
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Yeah, totally all right.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
So we talked about HSA. So let's say she's maxing
at her HSA it's forty three hundred or eighty five
hundred a year. How else she's only thirty one, what
other you know, investments or types of investments can she
make at this stage that could you know, set her
up for I don't want to put a label on it.
You can call it fire or retire early, whatever, but
(21:34):
for financial security later.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
On, financial independence, right, definitely looking into ways to reduce income,
live a frugal lifestyle while still enjoying life.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Right.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Reduce income, sorry, reducing expenses oh okay, waits called down ambition,
reducing expenses life, Yeah, and definitely increasing liquid money, right,
having access to cash, either through an emergency fund, a
(22:08):
bulky emergency fund at that, or investing in a brokerage
account where your money has the ability to grow, but
you also have the ability to pull the money out
when you need it.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Hm, why would like? Well not why but a brokerage account.
I think maybe it's just because the nine to five
brainwashing is real. But I'm always like four one K
four one K four one K and then brokerage do
you think? Do you? Yeah? What's your what's your stance
on that? Are you like, go all in on your
(22:43):
four to one k and when you when you can
max that out, then do a brokerage or are you
like a little bit of both?
Speaker 3 (22:49):
It depends right, Like a lot of things in personal finance. Uh.
The way that I use the brokerage account that I have,
I have one now which is for It's funny because
it was initially for my god niece, for my goddaughter.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
I opened it when she was born.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
And I add to it every Christmas and every birthday.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
Goodness I a auntie like.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
You, Yeah, yeah, look for another.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
I got too available as a godmother, yes, because I'm
child's race, so I'm available as a godmother.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
We love a rich auntie. Well, Tara, I think we
mentioned some resources. I also wanted to bring another spotlight
on the National Multiple National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The founder
was interviewed by The New York Times and she said
that they filled forty thousand inquiries a year and their
whole job is to help people like you who are
newly diagnosed or you're navigating the landscape for yourself and
(23:47):
like connect you to a team. So connect you to
even a financial planner who is maybe used to working
with people who have MS and understand what the cost
can be. Someone who can help you review your insurance,
insurance coverage. That's another like really key thing here is
now that you know what you're up against, speaking with
someone who's not trying to sell you a type of insurance,
(24:10):
but someone who can help you understand what kind of
insurance plan, like how to get the right coverage that
you'll need to deal with all your medical appointments, excuse me,
what kind of treatments you'll be getting. All of that.
Help connect you to government agencies, nonprofits that may be
able to offer you services. Now there's a lot again,
(24:31):
there's a lot going against us ess actually works in
the Caribbeans. I'm kind of also toggling between Caribbean. But
are you a US sure?
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Because I was gonna be one of my suggestions consider
moving abroad because healthcare is so much cheaper in other
countries compared to the US.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
But it seems like she's already abroad in the Caribbean.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Yeah. Ain't nobody come into the US for their healthcare
needs now?
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Right?
Speaker 1 (24:53):
We're all trying to get about it. One soul, not
a single one. I don't know what exactly, Like I said,
your career path right now, but if there's things you
could be doing, like I mean, shit, why not have
an online presence so that you can shine a light
on what you're going through and have people follow your
journey and get connected with you. But that could also
turn into a financial opportunity for you as well, a
(25:14):
way to bring an additional income and put it aside
for your family.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
While helping others.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
Yeah, while helping others. It's beautiful, let me see. But
you know what I love is the idea of having
a money team in general for whatever you're going through.
I think we talk about financial planners being a part
of that money team I would even add, like whether
it's a mentor or an official coach, but someone to
(25:41):
help you navigate your career landscape. Who else would you
put on your ideal money team g She.
Speaker 3 (25:49):
Say, like in a state attorney, right, somebody like that
could make sense, especially if she's looking to expand her family.
Somebody to help to with the medical directives, the power
of attorneys, that sort of thing, those need to be
set up.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
It's a good point. That's a really good point. And
for your for your husband as well. Does she say husband?
I don't want to be heateranormative. She's a married I
ain't trying to put a your partner, your life partner.
It's also I would add a relationship therapist that mix.
(26:28):
To be honest, it's having kids, as I mean, I've seen,
I've I've experienced firsthand how adding children to the mix
can impact a relationship and make it really really challenging,
and you need that kind of support. Can only imagine
now adding an a chronic illness into that and to
I feel like Boom, you each need an individual therapist
because he's going to need a place event as a
(26:49):
caretaker potentially, and you're gonna need a place event and
then together as a couple, someone to work on that
relationship and preserve that union and bond. I would add
that to my I was still call it a money teams.
I do think this is all in intertwined. Oh yeah,
health is well, absolutely yeah. I would add in being
open to medication.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Right.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
I know someone close to me they're dealing with chronic
illness and it's affecting their mood because it's an everyday thing, right,
So being open to behavioral health medication. I know that. Unfortunately,
there's a lot of stigma around it. I'm a proud
Prozac princess. I've been on it almost two years and
I would not be able to function without it, and
it really does help you.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Have a better outlook when you're going through challenging times.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
Prozac Princess, I love it. I was a Zoloft. What
what's an alliteration? I don't have one. Hard well, z
is hard. I could go for the Baneric. It could
be a Certraline a queen. Yeah, it doesn't get the illiteration.
(27:56):
Batty love Batty, but I'm not anymore. I'm looking I'm
currently shopping for a new, a new whatever. I'm on this.
I'll do a separate episode on that BA family. You
got to get all and sue it. But she's coming
off the med and she is. She is out here
just just doing her best. We're doing our best. But yeah,
it was time for it was time for change five years.
(28:21):
Anything else for Tara I other than just aggressively, I agree,
aggressively invest get your expenses down, you know in a
certain way. This maybe will help you make decisions from
a centered place of like, I know what I know
to a certain extent, what the future is holding for me.
So it's gonna make it easier for you to say
no to certain things, and like funnel your finances and
(28:42):
your energy and your investments of time and like literal
investments into what can help you create that life that
you want for yourself. And like in talking to more
people who have dealt with the condition too, you may
find out what types of living arrangements are best for
you so you can work toward that. You know, what,
how will you be most comfortable and most able to
(29:03):
stay independent for as long as possible in the environment
that you're living in, the types of upgrades you want
to make. You may want to make to your home
or you know, choosing where to live. If you want
to make those changes, then you have time to do that. Yeah.
I just really feel like a lot of the answer
is in talking to people who have dealt with this
and are going through it, because they can help you
see blind spots that obviously both of us have Gigi,
(29:25):
but you as well kind of just being like a
deer in headlights just getting this diagnosis and learning about it.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Yeah, it's a lot.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
And be kind to yourself, and yeah, look for help
from experts and people that have been through it. You
don't have to do it all on your own.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Amen's sister friend. All right, Tara, Well, thank you so
much for your message and for being vulnerable and best
of luck to you. Please keep me posted and anything
else I can do we can do. Ba fam oh,
I forgot about ba Fam. I know this community is incredible,
and I know that y'all may have some additional resources
for Terra, So would y'all please send them to me
and so we can forward them to her Brown Ambition
(30:02):
excuse me Brown Ambition Podcast at gmail dot com, or
you can d m me at Brown Ambition Podcast on
ig and Tara, I'm saving your info and I'll send
them all your way, but wishing you so much luck
and love, and thank you again for the kind words
and for listening to this show and to my lovely
co host Gig the First Gen Mentor, thank you for
(30:23):
joining me this week for ba QA.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
Thanks for having me, Mandy.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Hi va fan. Until next time, Bye,
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