June 29, 2026 • 26 mins
Every dollar you spend on yourself tells a story, but most of us never stop to ask what kind of story it is. Picture the classes, certifications, coaches, books, programs, and “I’ll totally use this” tools you’ve bought over the years and sort them into two piles: investment or expense. That one exercise can change your money mindset fast, because it forces clarity on what actually compounds and what simply disappears.
You’ll hear the real-world side of self-investment too, including the uncomfortable math, the delayed return on investment, and why meaningful skill-building rarely shows up on your timeline. I share practical questions to test any purchase, plus a simple three-part reflection you can do this week to make smarter decisions with your time, energy, attention, and money.
If this helps you reframe a purchase you’re weighing right now, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more people can build an Unbreakable Mind & Body with us.
If you want the deeper lessons behind strength training, join my newsletter called Between Reps: Building the Unbreakable Woman. Check it out HERE
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Website: unbreakablemb.com
Email: info@unbreakablemb.com
Disclaimer: This show is for education and entertainment purposes only. This is not intended as a replacement for therapy. Please seek out the help of a professional to assist you with your specific situation.
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SPEAKER_00 (00:07):
Welcome to the Unbreakable Mind and Body
Podcast.
I am your host, Tiana Gonzalez,a multi-passionate creative,
storyteller, and entrepreneurwith a fierce love for movement.
This is our space for powerfulstories and actionable
strategies to help you buildmental resilience and elevate
(00:28):
your self-care practice.
Together, we will unlock thetools that you need to create an
unbreakable mind and body.
Welcome to the show.
SPEAKER_01 (00:39):
I'm your host, Tiana, and I want you to picture
every dollar you have ever spenton yourself: a class, coach,
certification, a course,university, a book you didn't
finish.
And I want you to sort thesethings into two piles:
investment or expense.
(00:59):
Most people have never actuallydone this exercise, and that's
exactly why for many, they endup stuck in the same place,
feeling like they can't getahead.
And it's because they don't knowhow to differentiate these two
things.
They put everything into thesame pile.
(01:20):
And I used to do the same thingalso.
I didn't know there weredifferent ways to look at how
we're spending our money.
Now, I've been thinking a lotabout money mindset and about
building my skill sets.
And as a trainer, where I'mhaving conversations with folks
(01:44):
who are really looking to changetheir lives, they're either
there because the doctor toldthem they need to get healthier
or they want to be healthier fortheir family, for their
children, for theirgrandchildren, whatever the case
may be.
They know that they need this,and yet still, when it gets to
the end of our initialconversation, sometimes it's
(02:08):
called the discovery session,sometimes it's called a consult.
Sometimes it's called anorientation, sometimes it's
called an onboarding.
Whatever the name of theconversation is, it's a sales
conversation.
And the hope is at the end ofthat conversation that both
parties feel like the next step,which would be a partnership,
(02:33):
would be mutually beneficial.
So the prospect would decide tosign on as a client, they would
sign a contract, they wouldpurchase goods and services from
this trainer, and then theywould take the next step
together.
And I'm noticing that sometimes,even when all signs point to go,
(02:58):
when everything feels like, yes,this is the best solution for
you, and I'm the best person tofacilitate this.
There is still a reservation,there's still hesitation, there
is still concern that maybe it'stoo expensive and the person
needs to think about this.
(03:21):
Now, I'm not going to try toconvince anyone of anything.
That's not how I roll.
So when me personally, when I amat this juncture in a
conversation with someone, I'mnot a hard sell.
Because at the end of the day, Iknow that if this doesn't start
out feeling good, feelingexciting, feeling promising,
(03:46):
it's going to be a struggle forthis person the whole way
through.
And it will be harder for me toget their buy-in.
Now, what do I mean by buy-in?
Well, a buy-in is like therecomes a point in every
professional partnership orcollaboration where, in my case
with my clients, where I realizethat they trust me, that they
(04:09):
ask me the questions they wantthe answers to, and they run
with the answers that I givethem.
They don't second guess what Isay and they don't second guess
themselves, which is even moreimportant.
But until that happens, it canbe a tug of war.
Now, before we go any further inthis conversation, I think it's
important that we define whatI'm talking about here.
(04:32):
So when we're talking about anexpense, an expense is something
that, you know, money leaves youand it doesn't come back.
Maybe you pay for somethingonce, like a cup of coffee or
roll of toilet paper, or yourent a movie to watch.
And you have that experience,but then it's over and done
(04:55):
with.
And an investment is when moneyleaves you, but what you get is
compounds, maybe a skill, acapability, leverage.
Maybe it's income.
It's something that maybe isrepeatable.
(05:16):
Something that allows you tolevel up in your life, in your
career, in your work, in yourpractice.
Now the trap here is that theyfeel kind of the same in the
moment.
You swipe your credit card,you're a little nervous, you
feel a little stretched anduncomfortable.
And the truth is, only time willtell you if the investment was a
(05:42):
good one or if it turned out tobe an expense for you.
Now, this is true with money,but it's also true with time,
energy, and your attention.
Now, I want to be reallytransparent here, and I've only
(06:03):
shared this maybe a handful oftimes on my social media.
I've never actually done thenumber crunching.
But I went back and I looked atthe investments that I have made
in development.
Now, when we're talking aboutdevelopment, you can talk about
professional development or youcan talk about personal
(06:25):
development.
In my opinion, the investmentsthat I have made, both
personally and professionally,are in the same bucket.
Because for me, I truly identifyhugely in part to what I do for
work.
Now, I could have a wholepodcast show separate on that
(06:49):
topic alone about how we definewho we are.
But for the purpose of thisconversation, I just want to
mention that for me, I mix allof my investing together, when
it's education, when it's askill, and when it's working
with a coach or learningmaterial in a course.
(07:11):
So I want to just run youthrough some numbers so you can
get an idea.
And I know that for some peoplelistening, they are going to sit
with their jaws on the floorwhen they hear these numbers.
And for others, they'll shrugtheir shoulders and just say,
Yeah, whatever.
It's like no big deal.
It's just a regular day in theoffice.
(07:31):
But for me personally, I'm notemotionally attached to any of
these investments.
But I will tell you that some ofthem were really uncomfortable
and really stretched me in waysuh probably some people would
have said, and some people didsay, actually, at in those
(07:53):
times, like maybe it wasn't thebest time to make those
investments because I was maxingout a credit card or you know
plundering my checking account.
But for me, I don't regret anyof these investments.
So let's go back.
Obviously, I have a bachelor'sof science in mechanical
(08:14):
engineering.
I got that in 2000, and I paidfor most of school myself with
you know student loans, and myparents did help me a little
bit, but I paid the majority ofmy loans back myself.
So uh my education, I went to astate school in New York.
(08:35):
I went to Binghamton, greatschool, really tough to get into
back then and even harder to getinto now.
And it's so funny for me to saythis because my total debt when
I graduated from college was$44,000.
And I know that for many people,that's one year of tuition.
(08:59):
And that was actually my totaldebt for all four years of
school.
But besides that, in 2013, Ispent about$2,000 on getting my
personal trainer certification,as well as taking an online
course.
It was something like a maybe aneight-week course to learn about
online training.
(09:21):
In 2020, I spent$500 on anInstagram and social media
course.
It was primarily Instagram, butit did teach a little bit about
Facebook and TikTok.
In 2021, I spent$6,000.
2022, I spent$3,500.
(09:42):
In 2025, I spent$6,000.
And in 2026, which is ourcurrent year, by the end of this
year, I will have invested$14,000 into myself.
I know.
Chunk of change, big chunk ofchange, right?
So diving into this a little bitfurther, I'm not saying this as
(10:06):
a flex.
Truth be told, my investments inthis year, I do have some
assistance, I have some support,and I have someone in my corner
who absolutely 100% believes inme and is my number one
cheerleader, the captain of myteam, and he's basically the
(10:30):
dream because he's like, if youwant to do this, and you know
that if you don't take this leapand you're gonna regret it
someday, then I want to help youany way I possibly can.
With that being said, obviously,this most recent investment that
I made was a huge deal.
(10:51):
It was the biggest investment Iever made.
And I think I've talked aboutthis on a previous episode not
too long ago, but obviously Itook on the payment plan just
because I wanted to make it feela little less painful.
And so when I'm looking back atall of these investments, it's a
(11:14):
significant amount of money.
And I will tell you, I am of thebelief that I cannot wait to be
ready to then make theinvestment.
I believe that when anopportunity comes knocking on my
door and it looks like it couldbe very promising, and it's
(11:38):
offering an education, either ina skill set or a system that I
know is gonna stay with me forlife, I want to take it.
But yeah, sometimes in the past,there's one or two of these
investments where it felt alittle reckless at the time.
(11:59):
And the fear that I felt was notnecessarily that I was scared,
but it was just about the actualmath, the anxiety of, am I gonna
get a return on this?
Maybe doubting the person on theother end of the call.
(12:20):
Maybe a few times having friendstell me, like, you're not
generating enough income toreally make that kind of
investment.
And even though it is a businessexpense, it's huge.
You don't want to be poor, youdon't want to struggle.
And I have to confess that mostof my life I have struggled
(12:46):
financially because I took a lotof risks.
And I always felt like money islike water, it's like energy.
You can get more, you can earnmore, you can make more, you can
manifest more.
But maybe this opportunity maynever come by me again.
And so that's why I'm a littlebit of a risk taker when it
(13:08):
comes to that.
And yes, the big caveat here isthat I don't have children.
I don't have any other mouths tofeed, and that is a huge
distinction between me andpossibly you or someone you
know.
You know, I don't want to beignorant of that because that is
(13:28):
a huge factor.
I'm only responsible for myself.
Now, how do you actually tellthe difference?
How do you know when somethingis an investment or is an
expense?
Because it's not really justabout the price tag on
something, okay?
There are people who makeinvestments that are very small
(13:52):
that have a huge return.
There are people that makeinvestments that are huge that
maybe from a financial gainperspective, they're kind of
small or mid.
But I think that it's importantto ask yourself does this skill
still work for me if I stoppaying for it?
(14:15):
Can I teach it to someone elsewhen I'm done?
Is it gonna make something elsein my life easier for me?
Or teach me something that I canthen apply in another part of my
life?
Maybe it's a transferable skill.
And I want you to think aboutsomething you've invested in.
(14:37):
Maybe it stretched you a littlebit, but that maybe until you
actually sit and think about it,you're still using it to this
day.
A really obvious uh example isinvesting in personal training.
Now, there are people who investin personal trainers that don't
learn a fucking thing.
They show up, they do theworkout, they do what their
(15:00):
trainer tells them, they end thesession, they leave.
And five years later, they stilldon't know.
They don't know the names ofthings, they don't know the
order, they don't remember whythey do what they do.
I don't want to poo-poo onanybody, but there is a level of
responsibility here.
We have to be teaching ourclients why we're doing what
(15:20):
we're doing and not just givingthem a good experience.
There has to be a balance ofboth, in my professional
opinion.
But what about the things youpurchase that end up collecting
dust that just sit in yourcloset?
I have a whole bunch of them.
I have a foam roller, I havelacrosse balls, I have bands, I
had a mat, I had mini weights.
(15:42):
Let me tell you something.
I have, I could count on onehand how many times I've had my
foam, I've used my foam rollerand I've had it for 10 years.
I'll use the foam rollers at thegym when I'm about to work out
or when I'm stretching.
So I have this whole graveyardof little like fitness gadget
gadgets and gizmos, and I boughtthem and just abandoned them.
(16:07):
Now, something else I'd like toask you.
What if you changed how youthink about investing?
Maybe instead of saying, Is thisexpensive?
Asking yourself, what does thismake possible for me?
I'm gonna say that again.
(16:28):
Instead of thinking, is thisexpensive?
Ask yourself, what does thismake possible for me?
Isn't that good?
That's so good.
That's like really, really,really juicy.
And this just came to me thismorning while I was driving home
from the gym and thinking aboutall of the different ways that I
(16:54):
invest in myself.
I I struck up a conversationwith a member at the gym, and
when I walked away, I was justthinking about competition and
personal training and and howthere are just some things in my
life that I have no problemspending money on because I know
(17:15):
that they are good investmentsfor me.
They make me happy, they make mefeel good, they bring me joy,
they make my life easier, theymake other things possible for
me.
But not everyone will see itthat way.
Sometimes people will pay forconvenience because that's all
(17:37):
they have the time for.
Not everyone has the not onlythe financial means, but also
the time and attention to giveto a course or an education on
something, even though it'svaluable and it could be helpful
and important in this person'slife, but it's all about time
(17:59):
and place too.
Now the return on a realinvestment in a skill hardly
ever shows up on your timeline.
So let's say you join amastermind or you buy a course
from someone you've beenfollowing on social media for a
(18:20):
while, and you really admirethis person's work, you consume
all of their content, you listento their podcasts, you buy all
of their books, you thinkthey're amazing, and that's
great.
And then they offer somethingand it's exciting, and you jump
on it, and you think, okay, bythe end of the year, I'm gonna
have this mastered and I will beable to do X, Y, and Z in my
(18:44):
work, in my career, or with myfamily.
And maybe it doesn't turn outthat way.
But maybe it does in a year ortwo years or five years.
Now, all of the investments thatI mentioned previously in in the
(19:05):
earlier in this episode, thosewere not one investment per
year.
That's the culmination, that wasthe total that I invested.
So in 2021, I actually investedin three different things: a
one-year coaching program, um, aone-on-one sales coach that I
worked with for three months,and then an eight-week program
(19:28):
towards the end of the year tolearn how to do live launches in
a way that felt good for me inmy coaching business.
And I will say none of the threeof those gave me the return that
I was looking for on thetimeline that I wanted them to.
(19:49):
The one-on-one coaching offer, Iam actually a legacy student.
I still have access to all ofthe course materials.
And I go back and watch modulesstill to this day, something
that I learned five years ago.
I'm still connected to a lot ofthe amazing students in that
course.
I obviously still follow thementor, and you know, we get it
(20:11):
on every once in a while in theDMs on Instagram, just you know,
a thumbs up or a clapping emoji,just supporting each other.
And that's that was a goodinvestment because it gave me
not only the education and theskill set, but the confidence,
the confidence to then go on tothe next thing.
(20:31):
So had I not made thoseinvestments back then, I
wouldn't be who I am today.
I wouldn't have the confidence Ihave today in certain things,
and I wouldn't have a basicunderstanding of certain
terminology of how onlinebusiness is done.
And listen, I'm far from anexpert, but I know a thing or
two, and I wouldn't know thesethings had I not made those
(20:52):
investments.
So you can get that skill, startlearning it, start applying it,
but it will give you your returnin dividends in unexpected
places, in unexpectedconversations, in rooms that you
(21:13):
wouldn't expect it to.
It'll just show up naturally andorganically throughout your
career or in your work or on acreative project that you're
working on.
Because everything culminatestogether.
Everything that you have learnedis combined.
And maybe you can distinguish,well, I learned this from this
(21:34):
person and I learned this fromthat person.
But when you put it all togetherand you make your own recipe,
then that is something special.
And there are still a ton oflessons that I am learning every
single day about how do I wantto invest my time?
(21:55):
What do I want to focus ontoday?
Where will I give my attention?
Now, I have a lot of personalhobbies besides the podcast.
I also am a gym freak, not justfor work, but for myself.
I paint.
I love to take photos.
I like to sketch with my littlenotebook and my pencil, although
(22:17):
I have not been sketchingenough.
But I also love just being outin nature, especially in the
warmer months.
And I enjoy spending time withpeople that are important to me.
So that's all investing of mytime, energy, and attention to.
It doesn't always have to bejust about work.
(22:38):
Now, this wouldn't be anunbreakable mind and body
podcast episode if I didn't giveyou anything to think about over
the course of the next few days.
So grab your pen and paper.
Let's get to it.
This week, I want you to thinkabout one upcoming purchase or
maybe something you'repondering, something you have in
the cart that you haven'tactually purchased yet.
(23:00):
It's a class, a tool, a program.
And I want you to think aboutdoes this compound?
Or am I just going to spend themoney and it's like a one-time
thing?
And sort it out before you buyit.
Doesn't change the energy there,meaning like it's not going to
(23:21):
change, it shouldn't change.
I don't want to influence youand say, don't get that thing.
You do what you want, but maybeyou can reframe how you think
about it.
Number two, consider keeping alist of all of the skills that
you have paid for that have paidyou back in dividends.
(23:42):
So not just the singlepurchases, but all of the skills
that you have acquired.
What do they all have in common?
Because you see, that's going tobe your investment pattern.
So I'll tell you, for me, I'veinvested in coaching.
And then I quickly, especiallyaround the fall of 2025, was
(24:05):
able to clearly identify a hugegap in my skill set.
And I remember realizing it,like the moment that I realized
it, I was like, oh my goodness,I need to do some type of
education around X, Y, and Z inorder to make myself better.
And that's what I sought out.
(24:27):
And that's what I am now doing.
I am learning these skills.
Now, the third thing, next timefear shows up right as you're
about to purchase something foryourself, right as you're about
to make an investment.
Try to name what specifically itis that you're afraid of.
Are you afraid you're gonna lookfoolish?
(24:49):
Are you afraid that you're goingto fail?
Are you afraid that you'rewasting your money?
Are you afraid that you're gonnaspend time on something and it's
not gonna work out?
You see, the fear is hardly everabout the dollar amount.
(25:10):
It's about something else muchdeeper within yourself.
And I don't want you to gaslightyourself out of it.
Maybe if you think like, okay,no, this is really not a
responsible thing for me to doright now, then don't.
But identifying what that fearis will help you then sort it
(25:31):
out.
So I hope this episode washelpful for you.
And I want you to again justtake a look at those two
different piles (25:42):
investments and expenses, and think about where
you can sort your own spendingso that it makes sense for you.
If you enjoyed this episode,please send it to a friend.
And if you would like to join myemail newsletter, check the show
(26:05):
notes.
You can also find me onInstagram, and we can be friends
on that app as well.
I appreciate you being here eachand every week showing up for
yourself and for your futureself.
And I'll catch you on the nextone.
Welcome to the Unbreakable Mind and Body
Podcast.
I am your host, Tiana Gonzalez,a multi-passionate creative,
storyteller, and entrepreneurwith a fierce love for movement.
This is our space for powerfulstories and actionable
strategies to help you buildmental resilience and elevate
(00:28):
your self-care practice.
Together, we will unlock thetools that you need to create an
unbreakable mind and body.
Welcome to the show.
SPEAKER_01 (00:39):
I'm your host, Tiana, and I want you to picture
every dollar you have ever spenton yourself: a class, coach,
certification, a course,university, a book you didn't
finish.
And I want you to sort thesethings into two piles:
investment or expense.
(00:59):
Most people have never actuallydone this exercise, and that's
exactly why for many, they endup stuck in the same place,
feeling like they can't getahead.
And it's because they don't knowhow to differentiate these two
things.
They put everything into thesame pile.
(01:20):
And I used to do the same thingalso.
I didn't know there weredifferent ways to look at how
we're spending our money.
Now, I've been thinking a lotabout money mindset and about
building my skill sets.
And as a trainer, where I'mhaving conversations with folks
(01:44):
who are really looking to changetheir lives, they're either
there because the doctor toldthem they need to get healthier
or they want to be healthier fortheir family, for their
children, for theirgrandchildren, whatever the case
may be.
They know that they need this,and yet still, when it gets to
the end of our initialconversation, sometimes it's
(02:08):
called the discovery session,sometimes it's called a consult.
Sometimes it's called anorientation, sometimes it's
called an onboarding.
Whatever the name of theconversation is, it's a sales
conversation.
And the hope is at the end ofthat conversation that both
parties feel like the next step,which would be a partnership,
(02:33):
would be mutually beneficial.
So the prospect would decide tosign on as a client, they would
sign a contract, they wouldpurchase goods and services from
this trainer, and then theywould take the next step
together.
And I'm noticing that sometimes,even when all signs point to go,
(02:58):
when everything feels like, yes,this is the best solution for
you, and I'm the best person tofacilitate this.
There is still a reservation,there's still hesitation, there
is still concern that maybe it'stoo expensive and the person
needs to think about this.
(03:21):
Now, I'm not going to try toconvince anyone of anything.
That's not how I roll.
So when me personally, when I amat this juncture in a
conversation with someone, I'mnot a hard sell.
Because at the end of the day, Iknow that if this doesn't start
out feeling good, feelingexciting, feeling promising,
(03:46):
it's going to be a struggle forthis person the whole way
through.
And it will be harder for me toget their buy-in.
Now, what do I mean by buy-in?
Well, a buy-in is like therecomes a point in every
professional partnership orcollaboration where, in my case
with my clients, where I realizethat they trust me, that they
(04:09):
ask me the questions they wantthe answers to, and they run
with the answers that I givethem.
They don't second guess what Isay and they don't second guess
themselves, which is even moreimportant.
But until that happens, it canbe a tug of war.
Now, before we go any further inthis conversation, I think it's
important that we define whatI'm talking about here.
(04:32):
So when we're talking about anexpense, an expense is something
that, you know, money leaves youand it doesn't come back.
Maybe you pay for somethingonce, like a cup of coffee or
roll of toilet paper, or yourent a movie to watch.
And you have that experience,but then it's over and done
(04:55):
with.
And an investment is when moneyleaves you, but what you get is
compounds, maybe a skill, acapability, leverage.
Maybe it's income.
It's something that maybe isrepeatable.
(05:16):
Something that allows you tolevel up in your life, in your
career, in your work, in yourpractice.
Now the trap here is that theyfeel kind of the same in the
moment.
You swipe your credit card,you're a little nervous, you
feel a little stretched anduncomfortable.
And the truth is, only time willtell you if the investment was a
(05:42):
good one or if it turned out tobe an expense for you.
Now, this is true with money,but it's also true with time,
energy, and your attention.
Now, I want to be reallytransparent here, and I've only
(06:03):
shared this maybe a handful oftimes on my social media.
I've never actually done thenumber crunching.
But I went back and I looked atthe investments that I have made
in development.
Now, when we're talking aboutdevelopment, you can talk about
professional development or youcan talk about personal
(06:25):
development.
In my opinion, the investmentsthat I have made, both
personally and professionally,are in the same bucket.
Because for me, I truly identifyhugely in part to what I do for
work.
Now, I could have a wholepodcast show separate on that
(06:49):
topic alone about how we definewho we are.
But for the purpose of thisconversation, I just want to
mention that for me, I mix allof my investing together, when
it's education, when it's askill, and when it's working
with a coach or learningmaterial in a course.
(07:11):
So I want to just run youthrough some numbers so you can
get an idea.
And I know that for some peoplelistening, they are going to sit
with their jaws on the floorwhen they hear these numbers.
And for others, they'll shrugtheir shoulders and just say,
Yeah, whatever.
It's like no big deal.
It's just a regular day in theoffice.
(07:31):
But for me personally, I'm notemotionally attached to any of
these investments.
But I will tell you that some ofthem were really uncomfortable
and really stretched me in waysuh probably some people would
have said, and some people didsay, actually, at in those
(07:53):
times, like maybe it wasn't thebest time to make those
investments because I was maxingout a credit card or you know
plundering my checking account.
But for me, I don't regret anyof these investments.
So let's go back.
Obviously, I have a bachelor'sof science in mechanical
(08:14):
engineering.
I got that in 2000, and I paidfor most of school myself with
you know student loans, and myparents did help me a little
bit, but I paid the majority ofmy loans back myself.
So uh my education, I went to astate school in New York.
(08:35):
I went to Binghamton, greatschool, really tough to get into
back then and even harder to getinto now.
And it's so funny for me to saythis because my total debt when
I graduated from college was$44,000.
And I know that for many people,that's one year of tuition.
(08:59):
And that was actually my totaldebt for all four years of
school.
But besides that, in 2013, Ispent about$2,000 on getting my
personal trainer certification,as well as taking an online
course.
It was something like a maybe aneight-week course to learn about
online training.
(09:21):
In 2020, I spent$500 on anInstagram and social media
course.
It was primarily Instagram, butit did teach a little bit about
Facebook and TikTok.
In 2021, I spent$6,000.
2022, I spent$3,500.
(09:42):
In 2025, I spent$6,000.
And in 2026, which is ourcurrent year, by the end of this
year, I will have invested$14,000 into myself.
I know.
Chunk of change, big chunk ofchange, right?
So diving into this a little bitfurther, I'm not saying this as
(10:06):
a flex.
Truth be told, my investments inthis year, I do have some
assistance, I have some support,and I have someone in my corner
who absolutely 100% believes inme and is my number one
cheerleader, the captain of myteam, and he's basically the
(10:30):
dream because he's like, if youwant to do this, and you know
that if you don't take this leapand you're gonna regret it
someday, then I want to help youany way I possibly can.
With that being said, obviously,this most recent investment that
I made was a huge deal.
(10:51):
It was the biggest investment Iever made.
And I think I've talked aboutthis on a previous episode not
too long ago, but obviously Itook on the payment plan just
because I wanted to make it feela little less painful.
And so when I'm looking back atall of these investments, it's a
(11:14):
significant amount of money.
And I will tell you, I am of thebelief that I cannot wait to be
ready to then make theinvestment.
I believe that when anopportunity comes knocking on my
door and it looks like it couldbe very promising, and it's
(11:38):
offering an education, either ina skill set or a system that I
know is gonna stay with me forlife, I want to take it.
But yeah, sometimes in the past,there's one or two of these
investments where it felt alittle reckless at the time.
(11:59):
And the fear that I felt was notnecessarily that I was scared,
but it was just about the actualmath, the anxiety of, am I gonna
get a return on this?
Maybe doubting the person on theother end of the call.
(12:20):
Maybe a few times having friendstell me, like, you're not
generating enough income toreally make that kind of
investment.
And even though it is a businessexpense, it's huge.
You don't want to be poor, youdon't want to struggle.
And I have to confess that mostof my life I have struggled
(12:46):
financially because I took a lotof risks.
And I always felt like money islike water, it's like energy.
You can get more, you can earnmore, you can make more, you can
manifest more.
But maybe this opportunity maynever come by me again.
And so that's why I'm a littlebit of a risk taker when it
(13:08):
comes to that.
And yes, the big caveat here isthat I don't have children.
I don't have any other mouths tofeed, and that is a huge
distinction between me andpossibly you or someone you
know.
You know, I don't want to beignorant of that because that is
(13:28):
a huge factor.
I'm only responsible for myself.
Now, how do you actually tellthe difference?
How do you know when somethingis an investment or is an
expense?
Because it's not really justabout the price tag on
something, okay?
There are people who makeinvestments that are very small
(13:52):
that have a huge return.
There are people that makeinvestments that are huge that
maybe from a financial gainperspective, they're kind of
small or mid.
But I think that it's importantto ask yourself does this skill
still work for me if I stoppaying for it?
(14:15):
Can I teach it to someone elsewhen I'm done?
Is it gonna make something elsein my life easier for me?
Or teach me something that I canthen apply in another part of my
life?
Maybe it's a transferable skill.
And I want you to think aboutsomething you've invested in.
(14:37):
Maybe it stretched you a littlebit, but that maybe until you
actually sit and think about it,you're still using it to this
day.
A really obvious uh example isinvesting in personal training.
Now, there are people who investin personal trainers that don't
learn a fucking thing.
They show up, they do theworkout, they do what their
(15:00):
trainer tells them, they end thesession, they leave.
And five years later, they stilldon't know.
They don't know the names ofthings, they don't know the
order, they don't remember whythey do what they do.
I don't want to poo-poo onanybody, but there is a level of
responsibility here.
We have to be teaching ourclients why we're doing what
(15:20):
we're doing and not just givingthem a good experience.
There has to be a balance ofboth, in my professional
opinion.
But what about the things youpurchase that end up collecting
dust that just sit in yourcloset?
I have a whole bunch of them.
I have a foam roller, I havelacrosse balls, I have bands, I
had a mat, I had mini weights.
(15:42):
Let me tell you something.
I have, I could count on onehand how many times I've had my
foam, I've used my foam rollerand I've had it for 10 years.
I'll use the foam rollers at thegym when I'm about to work out
or when I'm stretching.
So I have this whole graveyardof little like fitness gadget
gadgets and gizmos, and I boughtthem and just abandoned them.
(16:07):
Now, something else I'd like toask you.
What if you changed how youthink about investing?
Maybe instead of saying, Is thisexpensive?
Asking yourself, what does thismake possible for me?
I'm gonna say that again.
(16:28):
Instead of thinking, is thisexpensive?
Ask yourself, what does thismake possible for me?
Isn't that good?
That's so good.
That's like really, really,really juicy.
And this just came to me thismorning while I was driving home
from the gym and thinking aboutall of the different ways that I
(16:54):
invest in myself.
I I struck up a conversationwith a member at the gym, and
when I walked away, I was justthinking about competition and
personal training and and howthere are just some things in my
life that I have no problemspending money on because I know
(17:15):
that they are good investmentsfor me.
They make me happy, they make mefeel good, they bring me joy,
they make my life easier, theymake other things possible for
me.
But not everyone will see itthat way.
Sometimes people will pay forconvenience because that's all
(17:37):
they have the time for.
Not everyone has the not onlythe financial means, but also
the time and attention to giveto a course or an education on
something, even though it'svaluable and it could be helpful
and important in this person'slife, but it's all about time
(17:59):
and place too.
Now the return on a realinvestment in a skill hardly
ever shows up on your timeline.
So let's say you join amastermind or you buy a course
from someone you've beenfollowing on social media for a
(18:20):
while, and you really admirethis person's work, you consume
all of their content, you listento their podcasts, you buy all
of their books, you thinkthey're amazing, and that's
great.
And then they offer somethingand it's exciting, and you jump
on it, and you think, okay, bythe end of the year, I'm gonna
have this mastered and I will beable to do X, Y, and Z in my
(18:44):
work, in my career, or with myfamily.
And maybe it doesn't turn outthat way.
But maybe it does in a year ortwo years or five years.
Now, all of the investments thatI mentioned previously in in the
(19:05):
earlier in this episode, thosewere not one investment per
year.
That's the culmination, that wasthe total that I invested.
So in 2021, I actually investedin three different things: a
one-year coaching program, um, aone-on-one sales coach that I
worked with for three months,and then an eight-week program
(19:28):
towards the end of the year tolearn how to do live launches in
a way that felt good for me inmy coaching business.
And I will say none of the threeof those gave me the return that
I was looking for on thetimeline that I wanted them to.
(19:49):
The one-on-one coaching offer, Iam actually a legacy student.
I still have access to all ofthe course materials.
And I go back and watch modulesstill to this day, something
that I learned five years ago.
I'm still connected to a lot ofthe amazing students in that
course.
I obviously still follow thementor, and you know, we get it
(20:11):
on every once in a while in theDMs on Instagram, just you know,
a thumbs up or a clapping emoji,just supporting each other.
And that's that was a goodinvestment because it gave me
not only the education and theskill set, but the confidence,
the confidence to then go on tothe next thing.
(20:31):
So had I not made thoseinvestments back then, I
wouldn't be who I am today.
I wouldn't have the confidence Ihave today in certain things,
and I wouldn't have a basicunderstanding of certain
terminology of how onlinebusiness is done.
And listen, I'm far from anexpert, but I know a thing or
two, and I wouldn't know thesethings had I not made those
(20:52):
investments.
So you can get that skill, startlearning it, start applying it,
but it will give you your returnin dividends in unexpected
places, in unexpectedconversations, in rooms that you
(21:13):
wouldn't expect it to.
It'll just show up naturally andorganically throughout your
career or in your work or on acreative project that you're
working on.
Because everything culminatestogether.
Everything that you have learnedis combined.
And maybe you can distinguish,well, I learned this from this
(21:34):
person and I learned this fromthat person.
But when you put it all togetherand you make your own recipe,
then that is something special.
And there are still a ton oflessons that I am learning every
single day about how do I wantto invest my time?
(21:55):
What do I want to focus ontoday?
Where will I give my attention?
Now, I have a lot of personalhobbies besides the podcast.
I also am a gym freak, not justfor work, but for myself.
I paint.
I love to take photos.
I like to sketch with my littlenotebook and my pencil, although
(22:17):
I have not been sketchingenough.
But I also love just being outin nature, especially in the
warmer months.
And I enjoy spending time withpeople that are important to me.
So that's all investing of mytime, energy, and attention to.
It doesn't always have to bejust about work.
(22:38):
Now, this wouldn't be anunbreakable mind and body
podcast episode if I didn't giveyou anything to think about over
the course of the next few days.
So grab your pen and paper.
Let's get to it.
This week, I want you to thinkabout one upcoming purchase or
maybe something you'repondering, something you have in
the cart that you haven'tactually purchased yet.
(23:00):
It's a class, a tool, a program.
And I want you to think aboutdoes this compound?
Or am I just going to spend themoney and it's like a one-time
thing?
And sort it out before you buyit.
Doesn't change the energy there,meaning like it's not going to
(23:21):
change, it shouldn't change.
I don't want to influence youand say, don't get that thing.
You do what you want, but maybeyou can reframe how you think
about it.
Number two, consider keeping alist of all of the skills that
you have paid for that have paidyou back in dividends.
(23:42):
So not just the singlepurchases, but all of the skills
that you have acquired.
What do they all have in common?
Because you see, that's going tobe your investment pattern.
So I'll tell you, for me, I'veinvested in coaching.
And then I quickly, especiallyaround the fall of 2025, was
(24:05):
able to clearly identify a hugegap in my skill set.
And I remember realizing it,like the moment that I realized
it, I was like, oh my goodness,I need to do some type of
education around X, Y, and Z inorder to make myself better.
And that's what I sought out.
(24:27):
And that's what I am now doing.
I am learning these skills.
Now, the third thing, next timefear shows up right as you're
about to purchase something foryourself, right as you're about
to make an investment.
Try to name what specifically itis that you're afraid of.
Are you afraid you're gonna lookfoolish?
(24:49):
Are you afraid that you're goingto fail?
Are you afraid that you'rewasting your money?
Are you afraid that you're gonnaspend time on something and it's
not gonna work out?
You see, the fear is hardly everabout the dollar amount.
(25:10):
It's about something else muchdeeper within yourself.
And I don't want you to gaslightyourself out of it.
Maybe if you think like, okay,no, this is really not a
responsible thing for me to doright now, then don't.
But identifying what that fearis will help you then sort it
(25:31):
out.
So I hope this episode washelpful for you.
And I want you to again justtake a look at those two
different piles (25:42):
investments and expenses, and think about where
you can sort your own spendingso that it makes sense for you.
If you enjoyed this episode,please send it to a friend.
And if you would like to join myemail newsletter, check the show
(26:05):
notes.
You can also find me onInstagram, and we can be friends
on that app as well.
I appreciate you being here eachand every week showing up for
yourself and for your futureself.
And I'll catch you on the nextone.
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