Fierce Lab

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On this episode, Tara talks with Melissa Lilly, Director and Wealth Planning Strategist at UBS, about ways women can take control of their financial planning, including estate planning, caring for aging parents, and planning your finances with your partner.  This episode of Fierce Lab is a follow-up to a previous one with Carey Shuffman, Head of the Women’s Strategic Client Segment at UBS, who detailed the reasons women defer control of their financial decisions.

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This presentation is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be relied upon as investment advice or the basis for making any investment decisions.

Neither UBS Financial Services Inc. nor its employees (including its Financial Advisors) provide tax or legal advice. You should consult with your legal counsel and/or your accountant or tax professional regarding the legal or tax implications of a particular suggestion, strategy or investment, including any estate planning strategies, before you invest or implement

Insurance products are made available by UBS Financial Services Insurance Agency Inc. or other insurance licensed subsidiaries of UBS Financial Services Inc. through third-party unaffiliated insurance companies.

As a firm providing wealth management services to clients, UBS Financial Services Inc. offers investment advisory services in its capacity as an SEC-registered investment adviser and brokerage services in its capacity as an SEC-registered broker-dealer. Investment advisory services and brokerage services are separate and distinct, differ in material ways and are governed by different laws and separate arrangements. It is important that you understand the ways in which we conduct business, and that you carefully read the agreements and disclosures that we provide to you about the products or services we offer. For more information, please review client relationship summary provided at ubs.com/relationshipsummary, or ask your UBS Financial Advisor for a copy. . In providing financial planning services, we may act as a broker-dealer or investment adviser, depending on whether we charge a fee for the service. The nature and scope of the services are detailed in the documents and reports provided to clients as part of the service. Financial planning does not alter or modify in any way a client’s existing account(s) or the terms and conditions of any account agreements they may have with UBS

UBS Financial Services Inc. and Fierce Lab are not affiliated.

UBS Financial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of UBS AG. Member FINRA. Member SIPC

Approval date: 221/2022

Expiration: 2/28/2023

Review Code: IS2200581

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Emefa Boamah, a grounded healer, embodiment coach, and mental health and radical self-care advocate, shares her mission to create a national and international movement centered on embodiment. Having immigrated to the U.S. from Ghana at 21 years old, Emefa has created a life for herself in a new country, anchored in values of abundance, integrity, and radical self-care. In this episode, Tara and Emefa discuss how trauma manifests in the body and specific ways to find healing through grounding and inner examination.

Emefa’s journey from trauma to healing and support for others

As a survivor of sexual abuse, Emefa talks about how one out of six women is sexually abused before they turn 18, and that's only the people who report it. Emefa explains that, whether it’s a “big T” or “little t” trauma, the body registers those traumatic experiences as pain, and everyone deals with healing in different ways. Emefa has made it her mission to help women heal from those traumas. She stresses that survivors of abuse are never at fault — and never alone — saying that therapy was the best decision she made for herself. Emefa identifies resources such as RAINN, DARCC in Dallas, and The Haven Retreat through Younique Foundation.

Being present and identifying stress in the body

The first thing Emefa does to help women reconnect with themselves is to bring them to the present moment and explore who they are and what they want in life. Emefa and Tara discuss how stress manifests in the body in physical ways, through clenched jaws, rapid heart rates, or anxiety and depression, as well as emotionally, such as feeling disconnected or apathetic. In a culture where hustle and burnout are prevalent, Emefa suggests learning to listen to your body’s signals, identify your stress, and fill up your metaphorical gas tank using tools from your imaginary toolkit.

Grounding exercises and other useful tools

Emefa walks us through her grounding exercise, where she firmly plants her feet on the ground, uses activating breath work, and connects with both the earth and her body. She shares about the concept of slowing down to speed up, as well as tools she encourages women to use to help identify and heal trauma in the body: breathwork, meditation/quiet time, journaling, movement, and personal rituals.

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In this episode, Tara speaks with Brittany Barnett, an attorney and author of A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom. Brittany co-founded the Buried Alive Project and the Manifest Freedom Fund, which work to free people unjustly sentenced under outdated federal drug laws and to support justice-impacted people on their journey to becoming entrepreneurs. Tara and Brittany discuss her book, how she became a lawyer, the story of Sharanda Jones, and fighting for clemency.

A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom

At the beginning of the episode, Brittany provides a synopsis of her book, a memoir of her life story where she addresses the injustice of the courts, genius languishing behind bars, and how the definition of freedom has evolved. Brittany says writing the book was an opportunity to tell the truth about racial injustice in America’s criminal justice system as well as inspire young girls to dream their biggest dream.

Becoming a lawyer

Even growing up, Brittany had always wanted to be a lawyer, but she was discouraged by the lack of representation of women of color in the legal field. Brittany never completely forgot her dream, though. She mentioned her desire to attend law school to a mentor and friend, who encouraged her to pursue her passion. Seeking further guidance, Brittany reached out to Christa Brown-Sanford, a Black female lawyer she had never met. Christa responded, motivating and encouraging Brittany throughout her journey.

Sharanda Jones’ story

While in law school, Brittany discovered Sharanda Jones’ story of incarceration. She took a Critical Race Theory course and chose to write her paper about the disparity in sentencing between powder cocaine and crack cocaine, which has led to a disproportionate number of people of color’s incarceration in federal prison. While researching, Brittany came across Sharanda Jones, a Black, single mother from the South who was serving her tenth year of a life sentence without parole in federal prison. Sharanda had been charged with a federal drug offense, her first ever conviction, that resulted in a natural living death sentence. Sharanda’s story was reminiscent of that of Brittany’s own family, so she decided to contact Sharanda and fight for her freedom.

Clemency and Brittany’s nonprofit work

Brittany was practicing corporate law and working pro bono at night on Sharanda’s case. She eventually found that the only route to Sharanda’s freedom was through clemency granted by the President of the United States. Brittany discusses the six-year journey it took to achieve clemency for Sharanda. Since then, Brittany has left her corporate law job, launched a nonprofit, and helped ten other clients receive clemency. With Sharanda and another client, Corey Jones, she co-founded the Buried Alive Project, which works to free people unjustly sentenced under outdated federal drug laws. She also started the Manifest Freedom Fund, under the umbrella of Buried Alive, which invests in justice-impacted entrepreneurs to help build sustainable liberation.

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This episode is part two of the “New Year, Fiercest You” series dedicated to teaching women how to take ownership of their finances. Tara talks all things money with Maggie Klokkenga, a Financial Coach and Planner at Make A Money Mindshift. Maggie offers women advice on investing, whether they’re just starting out or considered more advanced investors.

Starting at the beginning

Just the word “investment” can elicit fear and anxiety — often, because people don’t know where to start. Tara and Maggie launch this episode with guidance for women who may be just starting to take ownership of their finances. An investment account is important to building wealth, and Maggie explains the difference between a savings account through an online bank versus an investment account within the stock market. Maggie describes investing as a way to honor your future self, talks about emergency funds, and details the difference between brick-and-mortar banks and online banks.

The next step

Once you have a savings account and emergency fund built up, you may be ready to start investing. While you may think you need a considerable amount of money to invest, that is not the case. Maggie typically recommends starting with $100, but you can start with less. Maggie walks us through the steps of investing, from finding an online brokerage account to choosing a fund or a fractional share of a stock.

Investment accounts versus funds

Maggie uses the analogy of a bag of chips to clarify the difference between an investment account and the actual funds in the account. The investment account is like the bag, and the funds in the account are like the chips within — all the chips have the same taste and texture, but are still a little different from each other. A taxable account, investment account, and 401K are all different bags containing chips. Maggie also explains the difference between a taxable investment account and a nontaxable account, such as a retirement account, and how funds are treated in each.

Leveling up

Maggie recommends several resources to women who want to learn more about investing, including specific articles, podcasts, and websites. She also discusses capital gains and doing what you can to ensure you stay in a lower tax bracket. For women who may be at a more advanced level with their finances, Maggie suggests they diversify their portfolio — balancing your portfolio with fixed income, such as bonds or CDs, in addition to mutual funds or index funds.

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In this episode, Tara talks with Dr. Jamie Erwin of VIVI Women's Health about the correlation between mental and physical health, as well as the different stages of womanhood. Throughout their discussion, Jamie offers advice on coping with isolation and talking to your physician.

Mental and physical health

Mental and physical health are sometimes linked. Mental health issues can manifest in physical symptoms, such as anxiety causing an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Stress can even have an impact on a woman’s menstrual cycle. Jamie says she tends to see more adolescents seeking guidance about period abnormalities in January after final exams.

Jamie’s background and some advice on success

Jamie grew up in Fort Worth and attended the University of Arkansas. She returned to Texas to attend medical school at UT Southwestern and got married to a West Point graduate after her first year. Jamie talks about the low points, the challenges of loneliness and worrying, she went through while she was in school, and her husband was deployed. For women experiencing isolation and anxiety, Jamie suggests finding someone to talk to who either has been through something similar or is a professional, which could include an OB-GYN. The most important thing a doctor can do is listen and build trust with their patients.

Adolescence

In this episode, Jamie walks through the different stages of womanhood, from adolescence to the reproductive years to menopause. Adolescence is a challenging time, as a young woman's body is changing, and an initial visit with a gynecologist can be a scary experience. Jamie strives not only to help normalize body differences, speaking to the negative impacts of social media, but also to create a safe space for having difficult conversations.

Reproductive years

Jamie describes the reproductive years as those in which many women find themselves — many are finishing education, starting careers, looking for a potential partner, etc. Women may deviate from set expectations and are often faced with pressures about starting a family, though it’s a deeply personal choice. Jamie talks about the challenges of infertility and the courage she sees in women that decide to keep trying. She also discusses postpartum, as well as postpartum depression, and how taking care of a newborn is often the hardest thing a woman has ever done, likening it to running a race without knowing where the finish line is. Jamie compares mental health issues to a broken arm — they require care and time to heal.

Menopause

Jamie says menopause, which is defined as twelve consecutive months without having a period, is a very individualized experience unique to every woman. She explains that a woman can be perimenopausal, or experience "pre menopause," for up to 14 years, during which time she can experience hot flashes and night sweats.

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On this episode of Fierce Lab, Tara talks with Donna Letier, the co-founder and CEO of Gardenuity, a wellness company that offers personalized indoor and outdoor garden kits. Donna explains how gardening helps improve mental, physical, and social health, discusses the value of habit stacking, and gives insight into how companies are taking a more holistic approach to the health of their employees by focusing more on mental health. At the end of the episode, Donna provides some great gardening tips and tricks.

Gardenuity

Part of the wellness market, Gardenuity aims to make gardening easy. They offer outdoor and indoor desktop garden kits that are individualized to the grower, and they choose plants based on the location, season, and time to harvest. All gardens come with corresponding items, including recipes and ways to bring enjoyment and wellness into your daily life.

The founder story

Donna shares how she and co-founder Julie Eggers created Gardenuity. The two had worked together for more than 15 years and decided they wanted to grow a business together. They believe gratitude, which is found through wellness, can change the world. So, they began researching and found an opportunity to flip the 90% failure rate of first-time gardeners to a 90% success rate.

Why gardening is good for the soul

Research shows that gardening is a conduit to mental, physical, and social health. Being a part of the growth process helps people foster an appreciation for different seasons in life and change their overall outlook. Donna talks about the benefits of habit stacking — a simple 10- to 20-second add-on to your routine like checking on a garden in the morning can set the tone for the day and feed a growth mindset. Donna says when you nurture a garden, it in turn nurtures you.

Embracing gardening and mental health in the corporate world

Donna discusses how companies are increasingly evaluating the benefits of having healthy, happy employees and more holistically considering mental, physical, and social health. Gardenuity offers workshops to nurture conversation and connection within a company or between a company and its clients. The stigma around mental health issues such as depression and anxiety is decreasing, making people feel more comfortable about asking for help. In fact, some insurance companies offer wellness dollars that can be used to purchase garden kits, and some doctors prescribe gardening to their patients.

Gardening tips

Donna and Tara close the podcast with some easy gardening tips such as ensuring your plants have great drainage and the right soil. Donna also suggests using mayonnaise to dust your plant leaves to make them shiny and Instagram ready.

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In this episode of Fierce Lab, Tara talks with Jennifer Barrett, Head of Content at Fidelity Investments and author of the book Think Like a Breadwinner: A Wealth Building Manifesto for Women Who Want to Earn More and Worry Less. Jennifer discusses what it means to think like a breadwinner and explores differences in how parents teach kids about money, how credit and investing are viewed, what happens after a woman becomes a breadwinner, and her thoughts around whisper networks.

Thinking like a breadwinner and how we teach our kids

Jennifer talks about the conventional model where men are the breadwinners and women oversee the household budget. This traditional paradigm has shifted, with more women becoming the main providers. Culture, however, has not caught up with this reality, which can be reflected in the way parents teach their children about money. Generally, boys are more often taught about building credit and investing, while girls are taught about budgeting and spending smartly. This sets kids up for the previously conventional roles.

Credit and investing

Jennifer discusses the importance of having good credit.  Building credit has generally been presented to women as a way to close the gap between the life we can afford now and the life we want, rather than an important way to build wealth. She also debunks some of the myths around investing. Many believe investing is difficult and requires outside help, which leads to women investing less and later.

Gaining financial independence

The way women are culturally conditioned to think about money differs from the way men are. Women tend to take on most household responsibilities, even if they’re the primary breadwinner. Jennifer says women should start viewing themselves as wealth builders, rather than wage earners, and use every paycheck to become less dependent on the next in order to gain financial independence.

After becoming a breadwinner

Once women have shifted into the role of being the primary breadwinner, many may feel unprepared or have questions. Women are culturally conditioned to be caregivers, and they feel the pressures of motherhood. However, Jennifer says we must set our own expectations. Tara and Jennifer also discuss the tendency of women to feel the need to “do it all,” which is unrealistic. Jennifer says that we need to define our own “all” and not let others define it for us.

Whisper networks and knowing your number

Whisper networks are made up of trusted people with whom you can share earning data. Until recently, men had professional networks where they could discuss income and make connections, while women would have to discuss income on the side with friends. Through whisper networks, discussing income is normalized, and women can learn from each other about how to negotiate for more. It’s important to know your number, as well as the top of the salary scale and the lowest rate you’ll accept.

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In this podcast episode, she and Tara dive into the 3 Rs of career: risk, rejection and reward. Sade started with an early opportunity at Kohl's as a Business Analyst. After business school at NYU, a stint at Groupon, a Senior Brand Manager role at Starbucks, Sade is now a Global Product Marketer at Peloton. With each career move, Sade has honed her skills and evolved as a leader. 

Nicole DeKay is a researcher and PhD candidate working with the company Moving Beyond in the diversity, inclusion, and equity space, and her research and work are centered around workplace experiences. In this episode, Nicole discusses psychometrics and how her personal experiences inspired her research. She provides an overview of the book The Body Keeps the Score, which is the basis of her dissertation, describes what a trigger meter is, and details how her work at Moving Beyond and Humanalysts can help organizations better serve their employees.

Nicole’s research in psychometrics

Psychometrics, the focus of Nicole’s research, is the measurement of human emotion in the workplace. With her research, she strives to create assessment tools focusedon negative workplace experiences, especially those of diverse populations. Nicole discusses how her passion stems from a work situation where shewas getting great opportunities but not actual career growth. Nicole noticed this was not happening with her male colleagues and wondered if this was a systemic issue.

The Body Keeps the Score and workplace trauma

Nicole provides an overview of The Body Keeps the Score, the book her PhD dissertation is based on. The book  is about the body holding on to trauma in ways that people don’t realize — that stress and trauma can cause  physiological responses and drive behavior. To release trauma, Nicole says acknowledging, naming, and accepting it is a big component. She focuses on trauma in the workplace and discusses little “t”traumas, such as consistent  discrimination or a boss who bullies you, that can result in PTSD-type reactions.

Nicole’s medical journey and her current role

Nicole talks about how her medical issues, chronic pain related to breathing issues, and need for health insurance complicated her work life. She felt trapped and became complacent in her job while she was working through her healing process. This inability to leave a job due to insurance needs is also a systemic issue many  women experienced. Through her work, Nicole focuses on creating assessments to measure what is going on inside organizations and what they can do to ensure that employees can bring their full selves to work. She also discusses Humanalysts, another company that is tied to the work she is doing at Moving Beyond and whose aim is to make data and information about employee experience traditionally housed in HR departments accessible to people.

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On this episode of Fierce Lab, Tara talks with Carey Shuffman, Head of the Women’s Segment at UBS, a global financial services firm. Carey and her team focus specifically on women’s financial needs to increase their participation and awareness. In their discussion, Carey provides some eye-opening statistics and offers advice on how women can begin participating in their finances or level up if they are already comfortable with their financial situation. She also discusses some frequently avoided questions regarding financial matters.

Trends in the financial participation of women

In their research, UBS has highlighted some trends that impact women differently than their male counterparts. Carey says that, at some point in their lives, eight out of ten women will be solely responsible for their finances. Many women are not actively involved (or as involved as they want to be) in their finances, with many coupled women deferring long-term financial decisions to their partners and single women feeling less confident or knowledgeable in financial matters. Carey stipulates that you don’t need to become an expert and that no one knows what’s right for you better than you do.

Frequently avoided questions

It can be difficult or feel taboo to talk about your finances, no matter your wealth status. Carey brings up some frequently avoided questions addressing mortality and the difficulties of discussing finances with a partner or spouse. Being aware and participating in your finances is important in case of emergency.

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This presentation is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be relied upon as investment advice or the basis for making any investment decisions.

UBS Wealth Way is an approach incorporating Liquidity. Longevity. Legacy. strategies, that UBS Financial Services Inc. and our Financial Advisors can use to assist clients in exploring and pursuing their wealth management needs and goals over different time frames. This approach is not a promise or guarantee that wealth, or any financial results, can or will be achieved. All investments involve the risk of loss, including the risk of loss of the entire investment.

As a firm providing wealth management services to clients, UBS Financial Services Inc. offers investment advisory services in its capacity as an SEC-registered investment adviser and brokerage services in its capacity as an SEC-registered broker-dealer. Investment advisory services and brokerage services are separate and distinct, differ in material ways and are governed by different laws and separate arrangements. It is important that clients understand the ways in which we conduct business, that they carefully read the agreements and disclosures that we provide to them about the products or services we offer. For more information, please review the PDF document at ubs.com/relationshipsummary.

UBS Financial Services Inc. and Fierce Lab are not affiliated.

UBS Financial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of UBS AG. Member FINRA. Member SIPC.