Living Fully Conversations

I’m excited to have Kendra VanderMeulen of NCF Northwest join me on this episode of the Wealth Confidant.

Kendra is a veteran of the wireless telecommunications industry, having served as an Executive Vice-President at InfoSpace and as the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of the Wireless Data Division of AT&T Wireless. She is currently an active board member and advisor to a variety of companies in the wireless Internet arena.

After an adrenaline-filled, three decade long career in tech, Kendra took a leap of faith and quit her job. Over the next two years, Kendra did some real soul searching, trying to determine what was next. She asked questions like, “Who am I if I’m not what’s listed on my business card” and, “What is the money for?”

That’s when Kendra found NCF, or National Christian Foundation, and accepted a position as NCF Seattle’s first President. NCF was a place that answered Kendra’s questions and created an opportunity for her to put her gifts and talents towards helping other people into action.

Since its inception in 1982, NCF has sent $10 billion to 55,000 charities all over the world. In 2017, NCF took in $1.8 billion, and gave away $1.4 billion in the same year. Talk about a staggering statistic of putting money into motion!

NCF is a US non-profit organization that helps donors give more wisely and tax-efficiently to support their favorite charitable causes. NCF is a leader in accepting non-cash assets (for example real estate and business interests)and is the nation's largest provider of donor-advised funds focused primarily on faith-based givers.

You can find out more about Kendra and read about all of the awesome things going on at NCF by visiting their website: ncfgiving.com

During this episode, Kendra and I discuss:

Her advice for wealth creators who are in the throes of their careers and want to begin their own journey of generosity.

What it was like to be a woman in tech in the early days and how she successfully navigated challenges within the field.

Her money history and what she’s taught her kids about money.

How she redefined success for herself.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

On today’s episode of the Wealth Confidant, I sit down with Duncan Campbell, a successful businessman turned philanthropist who was born to two alcoholic parents and grew up on welfare. At the age of nine, Duncan made a conscious decision to not be like his parents when he grew up. This became the catalyst for his later success.

Campbell graduated from high school, paid his way through college and went on to become a certified public accountant. He quickly realized he didn’t enjoy being a CPA and searched for ways to start his own business. Many of Duncan’s clients were in the forest industry, and as they were suffering from a relatively low return on investment from their crops, Campbell saw an opportunity. Creating one of the first forest and nature resource investment firms in 1983, Campbell monetized timberland by managing it for large institutional investors. His firm, Campbell Global, is responsible for more than 3.1 million acres of land worldwide.

After Duncan sold his company in the 90’s, he decided to use a large portion of his new found wealth to start Friends of the Children, an organization provides paid mentors to at-risk children. Mentors, or friends, are paid professionals who develop relationships with inner-city kindergarteners or first-graders and maintain contact with the children through high school.

If you’d like to find out more about Friends of the Children and the work that Duncan and his team are doing, check out their website: friendsofthechildren.org or follow them on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn @friendsnational.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

I find myself drawn to people who are on a mission to change the game and challenge old ways of thinking.

Martina Welkhoff is one of those people. Martina is a serial entrepreneur whose entrepreneurial journey has resulted in many successful business ventures, including Zealyst and ConveneVR.

Now, Martina is broadening her contribution as the co-founder of WXR fund. WXR is a venture fund investing in women-led startups that build the technologies foundational to the future of computing: virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain. WXR also provides community infrastructure to support women leaders in emerging tech. The investment thesis is rooted in both social and economic impact: WXR aims to help build a more inclusive industry from the ground up and leverage the unique economic opportunity that current demographic imbalances create.

You can learn more about Martina and WXR by visiting their website: www.wxrfund.com and following them on social media at @wxrfund.

In this episode, Martina and I discuss:

- Her hopes for gender equality

- What she looks for in founders when making investment decisions for her fund

- Tips for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to create a truly wealthy life

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Today I want to talk about the power of "thank you."

In March, I'm releasing my debut book -- it's called 'The Wealth Creator's Playbook,' and it's a guide to maximizing your return on life and your money.

The main focus of the book is that we all have incredible gifts yet we live so much smaller and experience such a reduced level of return on our life than we were created for.

Along this publishing journey, I came to the realization that there is no way I could have gotten to where I am without a handful of people. So I decided to send them a note with a small gift of appreciation, just to say thank you.

It’s way too easy to take where we are in life and make it all about ourselves. We aren't where we are because of our own efforts. Sure, we put in time and energy, but we also need support, mentorship, friendship, guidance, and introductions to get where we are.

What would it look for you to just take a few minutes to say thanks?

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

On today’s episode of the Wealth Confidant, I sit down with Tony Mestres, CEO of Seattle Foundation, one of the largest community foundations in the country. Seattle Foundation helps philanthropists unite passion and discipline to create lasting change.

Did you know that the life expectancy of people in our richest zip codes is 14 years longer than those in our poorest?

Seattle Foundation’s goal is to do something about this disparity and translate their clients’ passions, goals, and experience into a philanthropic plan that gives them the opportunity to maximize the impact of their wealth.

Tony took the helm at Seattle Foundation four years ago following a 22-year career in tech. His last stint in the tech world was as a VP at Microsoft. While Tony thoroughly enjoyed his time there, he found himself questioning his life’s journey and impact.

In this episode, Tony and I talk about:

- His philanthropic journey and why he ultimately decided to leave Microsoft

- His advice to wealth creators

- How we are expecting the largest wealth transfer in history over the next 30 years and why NOW is the time that we all need to pay attention to the wealth inequality in our country

- Philanthropy pitfalls to look out for when creating your own charitable giving plan

If you’d like to find out more about Seattle Foundation and the work that Tony and his team are doing, check out their website: www.seattlefoundation.org or follow them on Facebook or LinkedIn @seattlefoundation and Twitter @seattlefdn

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

The creation and appreciation of art is universal across countries, cultures, and classes, yet at the same time it's very personal.

Does that make it worth studying, funding, or doing? Does art matter?

These questions arise in conversations among community leaders, philanthropists, and educators. While they may not be asked so candidly, they are answered with the decisions we make and the direction we take as a society.

My wife and I have been supporters of the arts for many years, and one of the organizations that we choose to support is Seattle Theatre Group (STG).

Their mission is to create enriching experiences in the arts, engage diverse communities, and steward historic theaters.

This organization wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for today's guest, Ida Cole.

Before leaving her 22-year long career in the early 90's, Ida was the first female VP at Microsoft. Although she had reached significant financial success, she was determined to find more meaning and purpose in life.

She began her new journey by traveling the world. Ida learned French in France, how to cook in Italy, and even worked on an archeological dig in Tunisia.

Once she was back home, she attended a rock concert at the Paramount Theatre and was captivated by the historic charm and beauty of the space. She also noticed that it was beginning to fall apart.

The Paramount Theatre had been an integral part of Seattle’s history since its opening in 1928. It was a place where generations of Pacific Northwesterners attended movies, concerts, and Broadway musicals. It looked like its 65-year run had come to an end. As she saw other historic theaters being torn down all over the city, Ida decided to dedicate her efforts to the Paramount’s survival by forming a group of investors made up of former Microsoft colleagues -- including Bill Gates himself.

After a nearly $30 million renovation, the Paramount has been restored to its former glory and is now a thriving historic theatre in the heart of downtown Seattle.

Seattle Theatre Group has continued stewardship of the theatre in Ida's vision. In addition to the Paramount, STG operates and maintains the historic Moore and Neptune Theatres.

You can find out more about Ida Cole, Seattle Theatre Group, and The Paramount Theatre by visiting www.stgpresents.org.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

My goal is to help wealth creators become more conscious of their emotional responses to money, taking into account their financial history and how it plays out in their current relationship to money and wealth.

That's why I created the The Money EQ Assessment. This assessment provides a framework for understanding how and why you're feeling the way you are about wealth and assurance that these feelings are normal. Examining where you fit within the four areas of Money EQ can open pathways to a healthier emotional relationship with money.

It's important to emphasize that our Money EQ isn't a number. It's a set of emotions related to money that drive your behaviors around finances. Some of us sail through decisions concerning money with confidence, while others struggle. Each of us has a unique emotional relationship with financial resources — one that is influenced by a host of attitudes, opinions, and past experiences. These elements predispose us to living a life where money works in a positive way to achieve our goals, or one where money works against us, leaving us feeling uncomfortable or unfulfilled.

I invite you to take the Money EQ Assessment online at www.jcchristianson.com/assessment and gain a better understanding of your own emotional intelligence when it comes to money.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

At the ripe-old age of 27, Sebastian Terry realized that like most people, he had not achieved anything on his long-forgotten bucket list. After the unexpected death of a close friend, Sebastian decided to put pen to paper and create his list. He called it 100 Things and decided to set out on a journey to check items off the list.

100 Things eventually turned into an internationally published book, a Discovery Networks documentary, and, most importantly, an interactive website for people to share their goals and inspire others to chase their dreams.

Sebastian’s latest project is called Kindsum. Kindsum is a meeting place for human kindness. The organization offers peer-to-peer helping opportunities for non-financial acts of kindness. You can find out more about Sebastian by following him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @seb100things. And make sure you sign up for his newsletter at: www.kindsum.com.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Steve Fleischmann has tenacity, perseverance, and inspiration in spades. Steve is a four-time prostate cancer survivor who now balances his time with his family, playing a variety of different sports, fundraising for cancer research, and advocating for cancer patients.

Steve was 47 when he was first diagnosed with prostate cancer during a routine checkup in 2003. After talking with friends and doing his own research, Steve sought the care of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance’s Prostate Oncology Center specialist Dr. Paul Lange. You can learn more Seattle Cancer Care Alliance at www.seattlecca.org.

Steve established Survivors Celebration Breakfast, the first (and only) fundraiser for prostate cancer research. In past years, Colin Powell, Lance Armstrong, and The Tenors have all wowed the event's crowd. So far, Steve and his team have raised over $9 million dollars.

Steve has also coached and mentored inmates at penitentiaries all over the world on how to create a life of meaning and purpose. This inspired Steve to create (and fund) a program called University Beyond Bars, similar to the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program, where he trains those who are serving life sentences to mentor younger inmates.

During my conversation with Steve, we discuss the importance of:

- Authenticity

- Living in the moment

- Helping others

- How taking risks brings purpose and value to life

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Finishing my book manuscript has been an all-consuming emotional and practical project that took all of me. I'm proud of the work I've completed, but it didn't happen without a ton of anxiety and stress.

In this Wealth Creator Moment, I'll share a few things that I'm doing to try to reduce my stress and anxiety. I hope this encourages you to think about how you can reduce stress and anxiety in your own life.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe