Building Us

By Dr. Matt Morris LPC & LMFT, Erik Garcia CFP®Society & Culture Business Education Self-Improvement Relationships Investing

Building Us episodes

November 19, 2020How One Therapist Embraced Teletherapy and Is Thriving with Tralana Eugene
Is Teletherapy the new normal? Health as we know it is looking a little different these days and Teletherapy can be a useful tool, for both therapists and clients. In this episode of the Building Us podcast, we are joined by Tralana Eugene, LPC, LMFT, NCC, a Licensed Counselor at Dr. Matt Morris & Associates, with hosts Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT. Tralana talks about her knowledge and expertise in counseling and the challenges and benefits of teletherapy.
Episode Highlights:
Matt introduces Tralana Eugene. (2:56)
Tralana mentions that she’s been counseling and doing teletherapy for several years. (3:22)
Tralana shares that conducting sessions via teletherapy has developed new avenues since the pandemic occurred. (3:48)
Tralana shares that teletherapy provided better accessibility for her clients without having to drive long distances and take significant time. (6:13)
Tralana mentions that teletherapy allows clients to have more access to have more options for specific preferences that they need. (11:17)
Erik shares that the process of counseling is as significant oftentimes as the council itself. Therefore, the conversation in those touchpoints is part of the process of counseling. (12:12)
Tralana mentions that Matt always encourages them to think about marketing and how to make teletherapy more accessible. (13:33)
Matt mentions that teletherapy certainly could, and is disrupting the way that mental health providers provide therapy. (15:48)
Tralana believes that being able to hear out her clients and feel what they're feeling has contributed to building a rapport with her clients. (23:07)
Tralana shares that teletherapy has challenged therapists and counselors to push themselves out of their comfort zone. (29:46)
Matt shares that for therapists in Louisiana to deliver teletherapy, they have to be certified in it, and they must have special training and certification in teletherapy. (31:05)
Tralana shares that counselors follow two models, ethical and legal. The ethical part is somewhat the gray areas of what's right and what's wrong. While the legal part is the things that you can and cannot do. (34:43)
Tralana mentions that the training for teletherapy taught her the best practices, what you need to know, and it allows you to ask questions about those gray areas. (34:58)
Tralana mentions that she specializes in trauma, and when they’re working with trauma, it’s significant for the therapist to be consistent. (51:23)
Key Quotes:
“As a trained clinician, it's your job to pay attention to everything anyway, every client does not present the same way. You have to take into consideration the culture, how comfortable a person is in the session, how comfortable your furniture is in a session.” - Tralana Eugene
“I do believe that it has challenged therapists, challenged counselors to kind of push themselves to get us out of our comfort zone so to speak, and whether it's like learning new things or learning how to be a little bit resilient in the face of adversities.” - Tralana Eugene
“Thinking about accessibility, we also have to think about the world that we live in, right? Like, this is a tech world, some clients feel more comfortable experiencing counseling via teletherapy.” - Tralana Eugene
“I think this is what this pandemic is asking of us, to kind of get out of our comfort zone, let our stuff go, let our biases go, and really meet the client where they are, and sometimes you have to model that.” - Tralana Eugene
Resources Mentioned:
Erik Garcia, CFP®
Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT
Garcia Financial Group
Dr. Matt Morris & Associates
Tralana Eugene LinkedIn
Tralana Eugene | Dr. Matt Morris & Associates
1 hr 6 min
November 12, 2020Rethinking Adult ADHD with Dr. Arwen Podesta
How would you know if you have ADHD? Dr. Arwen Podesta, MD, ABPN, FASAM, ABIHM, Director of Psychiatry at Podesta Wellness, joins the podcast to discuss the root causes of ADHD, along with an integrative treatment approach. Building Us is a weekly podcast hosted by Erik Garcia, CFP® and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT.
Episode Highlights:
Matt introduces Dr. Arwen Podesta. (1:22)
Arwen shares her background. (1:40)
Arwen shares that she’s a board-certified adult psychiatrist with sub-specializations in integrative and holistic medicine, addiction medicine, and forensic psychiatry. (1:48)
Arwen mentions that she’s a clinical faculty at Tulane and LSU. (4:47)
Arwen shares that Hurricane Katrina was a traumatic couple of weeks on the ground in New Orleans, from the actual storm disaster and breakwater flooding. (8:58)
Arwen explains a new diagnosis called Chronic Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (9:37)
Did Arwen foresee the same chronic post-traumatic stress across all demographics? (15:37)
Arwen mentions that if the place you start is lower because of socio-economic background or trauma in your childhood, you're already behind when the general trauma occurs. (16:11)
Arwen shares that the traumatic disorder is having a fear of it happening again or a fear of re-experiencing, and it disrupts your life and your ability to plan. (18:29)
Matt mentions that it’s very hard to diagnose someone accurately when they're using substances daily. (27:30)
Arwen shares that the symptoms of ADHD must be present before the age of 12 and plenty of people don't get into the testing system until someone recognizes it. (28:58)
What are some of the root causes of ADHD that Arwen is interested in? (31:13)
Arwen shares that there are thoughts that some medicines and some neurotransmitters are responsible for certain elements and some micronutrients are responsible for certain symptoms. (38:48)
Arwen mentions that she has a fantastic nutritionist who’s been doing functional medicine for a long time and works closely well with children and adults that have any nutritional symptomatology. (41:08)
Arwen mentions that classic Attention Deficit Disorder is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and disorganization. (42:31)
Arwen shares that ADHD is thought to be a decrease in dopamine and dopamine deficiency, sometimes ADHD might be more dopamine and serotonin deficiency. (45:56)
Arwen mentions that there's a new medicine called Dayvigo, which is a sleeping aid. (51:40)
Arwen mentions that Iron plays a key role in dopamine metabolism. (53:12)
Arwen thinks that food additives are a huge issue and plenty of people know that hyperactivity comes with some of the additives. (54:23)
Arwen thinks that for all mental health issues, if we don't get to the root cause, it'll keep coming back, and keep causing disruption and problems. (57:31)
Arwen shares that there are online resources that are looking into functional medicine or integrative medicine. (1:01:01)
How has COVID-19 changed the delivery of mental health services in New Orleans? (1:02:43)
In Matt’s opinion, protecting his sleep is vital. Therefore, he loves the idea of paying attention to what may be underneath our attention issues. (1:08:36)
Erik thinks that awareness plays a huge role, but also understanding and becoming aware of your tendencies, or if you have ADHD or someone you're in a relationship with has ADHD, learning to relate to them. (1:09:05)
Resources Mentioned:
Erik Garcia, CFP®
Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT
Garcia Financial Group
Matt Morris & Associates
Dr. Arwen Podesta, MD, ABPN, FASAM, ABIHM
Podesta Wellness
Learn To Live
1 hr 11 min
November 05, 2020Smoothing Out the Mother/Daughter Relationship with Giselle Armantrout and Dr. Carrie Emonet
Navigating the Mother-Daughter teen/tween relationship is tough, especially this year. In this episode of the Building Us podcast, Giselle Armantrout, LMFT, LPC, Licensed Counselor at Matt Morris & Associates, and Dr. Carrie Emonet, PhD, Licensed Psychologist at Emonet Psychology LLC, join co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT to discuss how the parent-child relationship changes during the teen years.
Episode Highlights:
Matt introduces Dr. Carrie Emonet and Giselle Armantrout. (5:17)
Carrie mentions that she has four children, she’s a licensed child psychologist and has been in private practice since 2016. (5:43)
Giselle mentions that she has one child, and she’s been in private practice with Dr. Matt Morris & Associates for about two years. (6:15)
Giselle shares that Carrie reminded her that by the age of 13, a child’s prefrontal cortex isn't developed the way it has to be. Therefore, expect that they're going to make mistakes, and they're set up to make mistakes in this area. (11:34)
Carrie thinks that as a parent, staying calm is a big challenge and mobile phones create so many issues. (12:25)
Carrie shares that being able to educate your children is a good way to teach them boundaries and how to deal with conflict. (14:33)
Carrie feels that as a parent, they don't do enough of apologizing when they make mistakes and ask for their input. (15:02)
Giselle shares that every girl is different and every girl is going to come into her own at a different time. However, she sees that hormonal change happens around the age of 13. (24:49)
Carrie shares that we have to remember that the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until around 25. Therefore, the logic, planning, and thinking through a situation is not going to happen, to its full ability until then. (25:41)
Carrie mentions one of the things that she would recommend is to have one on one time together with your child, especially when there are multiple children in your home. (35:07)
Carrie shares one of her favorite online resources is the Child Mind Institute and her two recommended books are, Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood, by Lisa Damour, and Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain, by Dr. Daniel Siegel. (39:39)
Giselle mentions that you should show your children that it's okay to make mistakes and love yourself enough to allow that to be a teaching opportunity. (49:44)
Key Quotes:
“The more responsible you are, the more you show up as a part of our family team, our dynamic, that equals freedom.” - Giselle Armantrout
“Calm is my internal composure, and if I am out of control, it's going to be so easy for my teenager to be out of control. Then it's just a battle of wills, ugly words, and hurtful comments.” - Dr. Carrie Emonet
“It isn't even about giving advice. It’s about letting them talk and hearing them from a non-judgmental zone, from a non-zone of wanting to interject, from a non-zone of trying to fix it and just be present. What a gift we can give to them when we can do it.” - Giselle Armantrout
“So my three buzz words, everything's temporary, when families are in crisis, this is temporary. We're going to come up with a plan, and we're going to get through this. The next is forgiveness, that's the greatest gift we've all been given, forgive and move forward. The last is to listen. Stop and listen to your children.” - Dr. Carrie Emonet
Resources Mentioned:
Erik Garcia, CFP®
Garcia Financial Group
Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT
Matt Morris & Associates
Dr. Carrie Emonet
Emonet Psychology LLC
Giselle Armantrout LMFT, LPC
Matt Morris & Associates
55 min
October 29, 2020How to Build Better Habits with Dr. Laurie Darling
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP® and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT interviews Dr. Laurie Darling, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and Owner of HealthWise Psychology. Dr. Laurie talks about the system of developing and maintaining healthy habits and behaviors. She also shares her knowledge and expertise, in understanding the process of every habit and every behavior.
Episode Highlights:
Erik introduces Laurie Darling. (4:25)
Laurie shares her background. (4:43)
What are habits, and why are they powerful? (6:08)
Laurie shares that habits allow us to multi-task, and have more complexity to our activities. (8:21)
Laurie mentions that the development of healthy habits can help you reach your goals, and ultimately to be the person that you're trying to be. (10:00)
Laurie shares that the nature of habits is trying to devise the right system that's going to get you to your goal. (13:00)
Laurie shares that if you focus on the path over some time, rather than the end goal, you're going to maintain the motivation to keep going. (17:31)
Laurie mentions that it’s very rare that anybody becomes an overnight success. (19:15)
How do Laurie coach people to develop better habits? (33:01)
Laurie shares that every habit or behavior has several steps and these are the Queue, the Craving, the Response, and the Reward. (33:28)
Laurie mentions that the best way to develop a habit is to have a plan. (35:19)
What are Laurie's thoughts about the strategy of making habits known? (48:59)
Laurie explains the accountability coin and the supported coin. (49:25)
Laurie shares that on a neural level with the neurons in our brain. When you're learning a behavior, it becomes more automatic over time through repetition, and it’s called long term potentiation. (57:26)
Laurie shares that success is a system to continuously improve, and a process to refine. (1:02:13)
Key Quotes:
“Habits can be helpful because every behavior that we engage in every action that we do, has an expense associated with it in terms of our mental energy. So you're pulling on your mental energy every time you do something, every time you think about something, engaging in some sort of action, and habits by nature because they're automatic, and they’re performed quickly and without even really thinking about them.” - Dr. Laurie Darling
“There’s something within that system of developing and maintaining the habit that is the difficult part for people to nail down and figure out.” - Dr. Laurie Darling
“When you're learning a new habit or a new way of thinking, you’re susceptible to go in so many different directions. And setting yourself up for success by surrounding yourself with people who you want to be more like, who you look up to, who have the same goals and values that you have, is a much better way to go about doing it.” - Dr. Laurie Darling
Resources Mentioned:
Erik Garcia, CFP®
Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT
Garcia Financial Group
Matt Morris & Associates
Dr. Laurie Darling, PH.D.
HealthWise Psychology
1 hr 7 min
October 22, 2020The Next Normal: The Future of Higher Education with Dr. Stanton McNeely
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT interview Dr. Stanton F. McNeely III, Ed.D, President at the University of Holy Cross. Dr. Stanton talks about his thoughts on virtual teaching and the changes that have occurred at the University of Holy Cross due to Covid-19.
Episode Highlights:
Erik introduces Dr. Stanton McNeely. (1:08)
Stanton shares that they’re working through the dynamics of the pandemic which is a reduced occupancy on campus, continuing some things from a distance modality online, and they also have some focused instruction on-site as well. (2:31)
Stanton mentions that in today’s century, everyone can receive information in the palm of their hand, as much as on a desktop or a tablet. (4:20)
Stanton mentions that it’s significant that they’re present as much as they possibly can. (4:39)
Stanton shares his experiences from Hurricane Katrina, back in 2005. (5:38)
Stanton shares that the radical change of 2005 has been a good lesson of working with city officials, state and federal officials, as well as other education partners to lead a university through a dynamic change situation. (8:16)
How’s Stanton making decisions about suspending physical learning and moving to remote learning? (10:47)
Stanton mentions that his experience together with the other faculty and staff, on distance education allowed them to pivot as best as they could. (13:41)
Stanton thinks that having the ability to pivot and continue teaching and learning online, is the key. (14:13)
Stanton shares that the technology at the secondary level is more of a supplement to what's important for a developing mind in terms of in-person learning. (14:33)
Stanton thinks that the individualized intention, close relations between faculty and staff, and the ability of college students to flip to distance helped. (15:49)
Stanton shares that some universities have more in-person instruction right now than others and well-intentioned to optimizing the balance of health and safety responsibility, with educational responsibility, as well. (18:46)
How does Stanton balance the financial needs of the university, the faculty, and staff? (19:02)
Stanton explains conservative financial planning. (20:59)
Stanton shares one of the transformations that occurred during the disruption in March and April was the opportunity that came with their counseling and training center. (22:43)
Stanton mentions that he views telemental health as an opportunity for the continued growth of the counseling programs and it’s going to help them financially as well. (23:48)
Stanton shares that it’s essential that every student, faculty, and staff member in their community and their families feel that they’re doing the best to help them through this time. (39:45)
Stanton mentions that when he talks about health and safety, it includes financial safety for our students, knowing that they’re a family member, going through tough times. (41:37)
How would they do the next normal, or the next iteration of online education in a sustainable way? (49:01)
Stanton mentions that there’s no stopping point in learning, growth, development, and upward mobility. (52:09)
What would be Stanton’s message to people who may be listening about the overarching value of higher education in general, but Holy Cross in particular? (53:29)
Stanton shares that the biggest breaking cycle of poverty is higher education combined with work. (55:02)
Resources Mentioned:
Erik Garcia, CFP®
Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT
Garcia Financial Group
Matt Morris & Associates
Dr. Stanton F. McNeely III, Ed.D
University of Holy Cross
1 hr 2 min
October 15, 2020#grownupcivics: If Only Today’s Politicians Took Civics with Mary Dawn Pugh
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP® and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT interview Mary Dawn Pugh, High School Civics Teacher. Mary Dawn talks about the significance of learning Civics and Geography, and the impact of virtual teaching on her students.
Episode Highlights:
Matt shares that laughter is a wonderful medicine for relationships and people who laugh together, tend to love together. (1:18)
Matt introduces Mary Dawn Pugh. (3:20)
Mary Dawn shares her background. (3:54)
What is it about teaching high school that Mary Dawn enjoys most? (4:33)
Mary Dawn shares that she teaches freshman Geography and senior Civics. (5:15)
Mary Dawn thinks that this is a great year for high school students to learn about government. (5:21)
Mary Dawn mentions that she uses the constitution more than a textbook. (6:24)
Mary Dawn shares that her students were also interested in the actual mechanics of impeachment. (6:59)
Mary Dawn shares that they also discuss taxes, free speech, and forms of government and they do it in a way where they can learn a lot. (8:54)
How does being an attorney help Mary Dawn in teaching civics and geography? (9:36)
When it comes to racial justice and police brutality issues, are those issues being discussed in Mary Dawn’s class, if so, how? (12:05)
Mary Dawn shares one of her best experiences as a teacher and it happened last year in advanced placement Geography class. (12:28)
Mery Dawn mentions that letting her students lead the class was the most remarkable educational experience she ever had. (13:52)
Mary Dawn shares that she starts her classes every year with an activity she learned from the facilitations for the anti-defamation league, and it's built on the idea and the word respect. (14:36)
Erik shares that we don't have to believe the same thing about politics, but we can still be in a relationship. We can still have a fruitful conversation, productive conversation, and live in a better position. (18:34)
Mary Dawn shares that one of the things they managed to do is keep it academic and not personal. (21:05)
Mary Dawn explains how presidential bingo is played. (24:32)
How does Mary Dawn teach her students currently? (26:31)
Mary Dawn shares that as they started the year, she was worried about her students not being able to engage, talk, or be involved in topics. (26:54)
Matt mentions that he’s been doing teletherapy with families and couples. (28:31)
Matt thinks that one aspect of doing virtual therapy is that we're not as physically close to each other, the screen provides some distance and some level of protection. (28:5)
How does the virtual learning environment enhance Mary Dawn’s teaching? (29:39)
Mary Dawn mentions that the more they can laugh together, the more it builds their trust. (31:05)
Does Mary Dawn feel that her students are responding to the new environment? (31:42)
What memories will Mary Dawn look back upon and remember, about this year? (34:38)
Resources Mentioned:
Erik Garcia, CFP®
Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT
Garcia Financial Group
Matt Morris & Associates
Mary Dawn Pugh
40 min
October 08, 2020How He Rapped His Way to $0 in Sallie Mae Student Loan Debt with Dee-1
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP® and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT interview David Augustine Jr., better known by his stage name, Dee-1. Dee-1 is a Hip-Hop Artist, Public Speaker, and Educator. Dee-1 talks about his struggles paying off his student debt and how his success in the music industry changed his life forever.
Episode Highlights:
Erik introduces David “Dee-1” Augustine Jr. (2:15 )
Dee-1 mentions that he hates labels because he thinks that it boxes you in, or you’re trying to prove to other people who you are and what you do. (3:07)
Dee-1 shares that he wants to prove to everyone that you can do a lot of things in life. Because at the end of the day, it's about what type of person you are as you're doing what you do. (4:36)
Dee-1 shares that hopefully, his character could be as impactful as his numbers or his platform, because it has produced longevity in what he does. (5:09)
Erik mentions a line from the song, I’m Not Perfect (I’m A Christian). (7:09)
How significant is it for Dee-1 to align what he does with who he is, and what he values? (7:29)
Dee-1 thinks that maturity sets in when we realize that just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should do it, and just because you can afford something doesn't mean that you should buy it. (9:16)
Dee-1 shares that his song called I Don’t Wanna Let You Down, is a song for all of the people who realize that they're not just a symbol but, they're a symbol of something greater and they’re doing it for more than themselves. (10:41)
Dee-1 mentions that the key to becoming the best version of yourself is by adding value to other people's lives. (13:30)
Erik mentions Dee-1’s album entitled, Slingshot David. (13:54)
Erik mentions that leadership is about influence. (15:00)
Dee-1 mentions that Erik and his family made a cameo in one of his music videos, Long Time Coming. (15:37)
Dee-1 shares that nowadays, there's a lot of twisted agendas that people have, particularly when it comes to crossing racial lines. (15:53)
Dee-1 shares that he’s into highlighting our similarities and our commonalities more than our differences because leading with love allows you to see the best in somebody. (20:11)
How did Dee-1 come up with the song Sallie Mae Back, and where did that song lead him? (23:52)
Dee-1 explains how the name of Sallie Mae is associated with administering student loans and Sallie Mae has funded a lot of people's education. (24:16)
Dee-1 mentions that he used to be a middle school teacher. (27:15)
Dee-1 shares that at one point, he strategically signed a record deal with one of the biggest labels in the world, RCA Records. (30:11)
Dee-1 shares that he was a featured speaker at FinCon, and was also featured at Forbes and Washington Post. (33:37)
Erik mentions that in 2016, he wrote a blog about Dee-1’s song Sallie Mae Back called, Squash Debt: Nine lessons from Dee-1 on paying off debt. (36:07)
How does the idea of lifestyle, and spending money on lifestyle often come up? (44:32)
Dee-1 mentions that going to Africa changed his life forever. (45:15)
In Dee-1’s opinion, it’s powerful not having a car note. (48:37)
Did people tell Dee-1 that they don't want to listen to his music because he doesn’t drive a fancy car like a real rapper? (48:33)
Erik shares that finance is all about priorities and decisions and people don't understand the difference between income and net worth. (51:29)
What is the Mission Vision Lifestyle all about? (54:10)
Dee-1 explains the three core principles of the Mission Vision Lifestyle. (54:32)
Dee-1 mentions that the people who are aligned with those core values are the ones who are going to make this world a better place. (56:31)
Resources Mentioned:
Erik Garcia, CFP®
Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT
Garcia Financial Group
Matt Morris & Associates
Dee-1 LinkedIn
Dee1music
Mission Vision Lifestyle
1 min
October 01, 2020Using the Enneagram to Build Stronger Personal and Business Relationships with Janine Crum & Christian Moore
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP® and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT interview Janine Crum, Certified Enneagram Coach, and Christian Moore, CVO of Real Good Group and Co-Founder of Agent Refined. Janine and Christian share their knowledge and expertise about the Enneagram and how it can be applied to your daily life.
Episode Highlights:
Erik introduces Janine Crum and Christian Moore. (1:58)
Janine shares her background and her career. (2:16)
Christian shares his background and his career. (2:47)
Erik shares a quick story about how he met Christian Moore. (3:13)
Erik mentions that he and Christian exchanged many ideas together, and Christian has been an influence in his life and his business. (3:23)
What is the Enneagram? (3:58)
Janine shares that Enneagram is a tool for personal development and personal growth that not only helps you identify yourself but how you operate within the bigger picture of the people in the world around you. (4:19)
Christian shares that by taking the Enneagram test, and by reading and understanding the differences and nuances of your key motivations and fears, you could discover which tool fits for you. (5:15)
Erik mentions that the word Enneagram comes from the Greek word Ennéa, meaning Nine. (6:53)
Janine explains the first to the fourth personality types. (7:33)
Janine mentions the set of the triad which is the heart, the head, the gut. (8:49)ins the general breakdown and the corresponding personality types on each triad. (8:59)
Is there an emphasis on the weakness, and what’s the remedy for it? (11:23)
Janine mentions that most people miss type themselves in the beginning until they begin to tackle and see an overview of all the types. (13:10)
Is Christian a vengeful person? (13:49)
Christian mentions one of the things that he loves about the Enneagram is that it presupposes the spiritual being. (13:55)
Christian shares that it's very difficult to believe in the Enneagram without believing in the concept of a spirit or soul. (14:29)
Janine explains the Enneagram Symbol. (18:32)
Janine mentions one of the cardinal rules about the Enneagram. (24:51)
Christian mentions that the core fear is feeling fear itself of actually being afraid, or being without support security. (27:05)
Matt mentions that an Enneagram is a tool for understanding yourself, understanding your worldview, and understanding your relationship with other people. (31:28)
How has the Enneagram helped in Janine and Christian’s relationship? (32:44)
Janine mentions that the Enneagram has single-handedly been the element that has grown her marriage, more than anything. (32:56)
Janine talks about the Enneagram Institute. (35:05)
Janine thinks that the Enneagram gave their marriage a direction on how to continue to grow. (35:44)
Christian shares that the aspect of type nine is that they understand every other number on the Enneagram better than they understand themselves. (44:48)
Janine shares that there’s a common saying amongst the Enneagramers that, the enneagram is neither a sword nor a shield. (45:55)
Does our number change depend on who we're among? (50:22)
Christian thinks that the Enneagram helps him see a person’s skill or natural ability. (59:29)
Janine shares that the growth part of the Enneagram is that you realize your strengths but you make them stronger by understanding that they inhabit your weakness. (1:00:33)
Christian thinks that there's a difference between humanity and a person’s thought. (1:01:23)
Christian mentions one of the things that’s unique about the Enneagram is that there are levels of maturity. (1:08:22)
Resources Mentioned:
Erik Garcia, CFP®
Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT
Garcia Financial Group
Matt Morris & Associates
Janine Crum Instagram
Christian Moore LinkedIn
Real Good Group
Agent Refined
1 min
September 24, 2020The Dr. Suess of Color with Children’s Book Author Jesse Byrd Jr.
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP® and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT interview Jesse Byrd, Award-Wining Story Developer, Editor, and Writer at Jesse B. Creative. Jesse talks about his career in the publishing industry and how the Jess B. Creative publishing house is writing children’s books that feature diverse characters and are created by diverse creators and why that is so important.
Episode Highlights:
Jesse shares his background and his career in the publishing industry. (2:54)
Jesse shares that the stories they created for their publishing house called Jesse B. Creative, focus on stories that not only feature diverse characters but are created by diverse creators. (2:58)
Erik talks about reading Sunny Days last night, with his daughter. (4:21)
Jesse mentions that it’s vital to guarantee that everyone has a place, and everyone can see themselves reflected. (6:05)
Matt mentions that he had always thought that the idea of colorblindness is a real fallacy, and kids notice color all the time. (6:33)
Jesse talks about the practice that they’re doing called, vertical diversity. (7:02)
Jesse shares that what they focus on is not just diversity on the page, because 50% of books featuring black kids aren't written by black creators. (8:14)
Matt talks about when he grew up in New Mexico and he would read Native American children's books. (10:11)
Jesse shares that today's market is the most experiential publishing market that you will see in terms of, people taking risks. (11:26)
Jesse mentions that there are a lot of books that don't go through the process of approval from traditional publishing. (12:32)
Erik shares a prologue from the book, King Penguin. (13:42)
Jesse mentions that the issues from his books are real issues that not only affect the world but also children that are growing up. (14:54)
Jesse thinks that one of the most significant ways of showing that people are capable of anything, by showing the diversity of what they’re doing and being anything on the page. (18:49)
Jesse mentions that it’s difficult to have compassion without having an awareness first. (19:35)
As a children's book author, how does Jesse handle the different forces at play? (21:54)
Jesse shares the passage from a book entitled, Real Jungle Tales. (24:55)
Jesse shares that every once in a while, he does a costume theme reading at elementary schools. (28:30)
What has Jesse’s journey been like? (29:34)
Jesse shares that because of his injury, he realized that he’s always been passionate about storytelling. (31:07)
Erik shares how he met Jesse. (31:46)
Jesse mentions that he adores business writing because it teaches you how to be efficient, how to be on voice and on-brand. (33:19)
Jesse explains his four principles of business writing. (34:36)
How does supporting black-owned businesses and learning more about economic forces that affect black-owned businesses show up in the publishing industry? (35:54)
Jesse mentions that he and his mother have been in the publishing industry for 31 years. (36:12)
Jesse mentions that they want to become “The Motown” of children’s book publishing. (39:17)
Jesse shares that they are about to enter their fundraising round for publishing for their diverse publishing company. (43:22)
Jesse mentions that they want people to have access to opportunities and for equity. (44:03)
Jesse mentions that scale is something that he finds amusing. (48:38)
Jesse shares that one of the first ways kids are introduced to the world is through the books and the cartoons that they read. (53:14)
Resources Mentioned:
Erik Garcia, CFP®
Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT
Garcia Financial Group
Matt Morris & Associates
Jesse Byrd LinkedIn
Jesse B. Creative Inc.
Gift Books to Kids
58 min
September 17, 2020Erik's 5 Pillars of Financial Security
In this episode of the Building Us podcast, co-hosts Erik Garcia, CFP®, and Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT talk about Erik’s ebook entitled, 5 Pillars of Financial Security. They discuss how to manage money by applying the 5 pillars, the physical and emotional impacts of having debt, and the significance of saving money.
Episode Highlights:
Matt mentions that Erik has written an introductory guide to financial advising and financial planning called the 5 Pillars of Financial Security. (4:35)
Erik explains the main reason why he wrote the guide. (5:04)
Erik shares that as a financial advisor and investment advisor, his world can get very technical and a lot of things that he talks about, might not be specific to everybody. (5:32)
What did Erik learn from his grandparents about money? (7:09)
Matt shares that he’s always interested in people's family stories. (9:28)
Matt mentions the three statements about Erik’s approach to helping others manage their money. (11:08)
Erik mentions that if you follow the three statements, you’re going to have success in managing your money. (11:57)
Erik shares that from a basic principle, at the end of the day, you have to save and you have to put something aside, for tomorrow. (13:12)
Erik mentions that sometimes, there's value in having an outsider look at your financial decisions. (16:30)
What are the values that Erik hopes people consider and reflect upon? (17:06)
Erik thinks that most money management and good money management should be intentional and purposeful in what you're doing with your money and with your values. (20:01)
Erik mentions that he’s a big fan of spending money on experiences and building memories. (21:51)
How did Erik get into financial advising and money management? (22:03)
Erik shares his backstory, growing up in the insurance industry. (22:13)
Matt mentions that he thought about his educational journey into family therapy, and how he got into where he is at this moment. (24:09)
Is Erik writing and advising only rich people? (25:11)
Erik shares that the big misconception of people about money is that they think if you make a lot of money, you're wealthy. (25:17)
Erik mentions that money management is irrelevant to how much wealth you have. (25:31)
What does Erik know about the people that were influencing his parents when they immigrated? (28:55)
Matt mentions the importance of working within someone's values, rather than indoctrinate them into your values. (34:27)
Matt thinks that budgeting is just a spending plan. (41:30)
Erik mentions that budgeting is being purposeful and intentional with what you do with your money. (44:45)
What are some examples of bad debt and some examples of debt that can help us get ahead? (46:34)
Matt mentions that debt is expensive, both financially and emotionally. (49:09)
How does Erik see debt show up for his clients? (48:50)
Erik mentions that if you're stressed and anxious, that can't be good for relationships. (49:05)
What’s the significance of saving? (50:30)
Erik explains the three types of savings, short term savings, midterms savings, and long term savings. (50:42)
Erik shares that if your job is seasonal, commissioned based, or if your income is variable, the short term savings account becomes more significant to fund. (53:24)
Erik mentions that he’s a big fan of having separate accounts for separate purposes. (56:02)
Erik thinks that when you're motivated and driven by something outside of yourself, you start to think about your money a little bit differently. (57:30)
Resources Mentioned:
Erik Garcia, CFP®
Dr. Matt Morris, LPC, LMFT
Garcia Financial Group
Matt Morris & Associates
5 Pillars of Financial Security: A Guide To Managing Your Money Wisely
1 hr 3 min

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Money impacts almost every aspect of our lives. It affects where we live, the car we drive, and how we manage it can even impact the quality of our relationships. Money is the thread that is woven…

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