Our thoughts are energy, and the way we think about our lives really matters! In this episode, Stephanie Hessler returns to the podcast to talk about all things energy, vibrations, and manifestation. She explains why these concepts are so important for finding purpose, achieving your goals, and even building wealth, and she shares practical steps you can take to start tapping into your intuition and making your own luck. Stephanie and Kimberlee also talk about the importance of overcoming limiting beliefs.

Episode Recap:

• Today we’re talking about harnessing our energy to manifest our dream life (0:45)
• What do we mean when we say that everything is energy? (2:22)
• How to balance intuition with rationality (5:57)
• Our thoughts are energy, even if we don’t always see it that way (9:30)
• What is the law of vibration, and how do you change your energetic frequency? (13:39)
• Try these things if you need to break out of negative thinking (20:08)
• How do you find faith and joy in your daily life? (28:04)
• Can we actually make our own luck? (32:44)
• Here’s how wealth relates to energy (36:54)
• How to chip away at the limiting beliefs that are holding you back (44:48)
• Where can we find the time to prioritize mindfulness? (48:26)
• Where to learn more from Stephanie (56:07)

Resources:

• Find every episode of The Fiscal Feminist podcast
• Watch The Fiscal Feminist episodes on YouTube
• Sign up to join Kimberlee on the podcast
• “The Fiscal Feminist” book
• Watch the “Your High Performing Self Image” Masterclass
• Join the Success Mindset Facebook Group
• Follow Stephanie on LinkedIn and YouTube 
• Stephanie Hessler’s Website

Are you thinking about buying a house in 2024? This episode is for you! Kimberlee talks with top performing mortgage broker Shawn Kaplan about the state of the real estate market and the most important pieces of information for prospective homebuyers this year. Shawn also shares tips for current homeowners and provides helpful context about interest rates, mortgages, and dealing with real estate in a divorce, breaking everything down into simple advice that even first-time homebuyers can understand.

Episode Recap:

• Today we’re answering questions about the housing market with Shawn Kaplan (1:00)
• What was your journey to becoming a top performing mortgage broker? (2:56)
• Mortgage brokers vs. lenders: What’s the difference? (7:51)
• Take this step first if you want to buy a house (10:14)
• What trends are you seeing in the housing market today? (13:12)
• Should you treat your primary residence like an investment? (17:30)
• Is now a good time to buy? (20:26)
• What do you do when interest rates go down? (23:59)
• How to qualify for a mortgage (25:34)
• Real estate tips when you’re getting divorced (33:28)
• Home buying advice in 2024 (42:16)
• Where to learn more from Shawn (45:15)

Resources:

• Find every episode of The Fiscal Feminist podcast
• Watch The Fiscal Feminist episodes on YouTube
• Sign up to join Kimberlee on the podcast
• “The Fiscal Feminist” book
• Visit Shawn’s website
• Follow Shawn on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook

Whether you’re brand new to the workforce or you’ve been working for years, you won’t want to miss this episode with Lauren McGoodwin, CEO of Career Contessa! Lauren has dedicated her own career to empowering other women with educational content, coaching resources, salary transparency, and more. In this episode, she joins Kimberlee to answer some common questions about gender disparity at work, negotiating tips, finding a great company, and starting off your career on the right foot. She also talks about the trends that she thinks will define how we work in the future.

Episode Recap:

• Today we’re talking with Career Contessa CEO Lauren McGoodwin (1:03)
• How did you become the Career Contessa? (4:37)
• Where did you notice gender disparity in your own work experience? (10:35)
• Common challenges women face in the workforce (14:00)
• Why is a proactive approach so important for women? (19:05)
• Stories vs. Data: What matters more for negotiation? (22:13)
• How to find a company that aligns with your values (26:35)
• Top tips for young women entering the workforce (29:46)
• What trends do you expect to define the future of women in the workplace? (33:04)
• Where to learn more from Lauren (37:02)

Resources:

• Find every episode of The Fiscal Feminist podcast
• Watch The Fiscal Feminist episodes on YouTube
• Sign up to join Kimberlee on the podcast
• “The Fiscal Feminist” book
• Career Contessa website
• Listen to The Career Contessa podcast
• “Power Moves” by Lauren McGoodwin
• Follow Lauren on LinkedIn

How do you know when it’s time for divorce? Kate Anthony knows firsthand how hard it can be to make that decision, so she’s helping countless women answer the age-old question: “Should I stay or should I go?” In this episode, Kimberlee talks with Kate about the reasons why women may struggle to end a marriage, and Kate shares her top tips for deciding when it’s time to leave. They also discuss some common signs of abuse, break down how you can have the divorce conversation and make it stick, and much more. If you’re struggling in your marriage, know that there are resources available to you!

Episode Recap:

• Today we’re talking with Kate Anthony, creator of the Divorce Survival Guide (1:09)
• What did you learn from your own divorce? (3:29)
• Why do so many women struggle to leave a marriage? (8:45)
• Marriage benefits men and exhausts women (14:48)
• What advice do you have for women who are preparing for divorce? (19:34)
• What does gaslighting actually look like? (23:22)
• Can you share some common trends you’ve noticed around infidelity? (27:06)
• How can women have the divorce conversation and make it stick? (39:21)
• Do money concerns often hold women back from divorce? (43:17)
• Where to learn more from Kate (48:26)

Resources:

• Find every episode of The Fiscal Feminist podcast
• Watch The Fiscal Feminist episodes on YouTube
• Sign up to join Kimberlee on the podcast
• “The Fiscal Feminist” book
• Visit Kate’s Website
• Listen to the Divorce Survival Guide podcast
• “The D Word” by Kate Anthony
• Enroll in the “Should I Stay or Should I Go” course

Financial wellness isn’t just for adults! In fact, educating kids and teens about personal finance while they’re still in school is extremely helpful for financial success later in life. In this episode, Kimberlee talks with financial educator and advocate Yanely Espinal about the importance of personal finance education and the work she’s doing to make sure it’s accessible to as many kids as possible. Yanely shares tips for talking to your own children about money and also explains how you can advocate for personal finance requirements in your own state. Whether you’re a parent or teacher or just want to learn a few personal finance tips for yourself, you won’t want to miss this episode!

Episode Recap:

• Today we’re talking with Yanely Espinal about financial wellness and much more (1:03)
• How did you get interested in financial education? (4:23)
• Knowledge isn’t everything; you need to have the right mindset, too (9:18)
• What is the NGPF Mission 2030 Fund, and why is it important? (15:42)
• Kids need education on topics like crypto and retirement (22:11)
• How to advocate for personal finance education (29:10)
• There’s no reason not to support financial education for kids (36:44)
• Budget is a verb, not just a noun! (43:29)
• What advice do you have about financial education for girls? (47:08)
• What’s next after we make financial education accessible? (52:14)
• Where to learn more from Yanely (57:22)

Resources:

• Find every episode of The Fiscal Feminist podcast
• Watch The Fiscal Feminist episodes on YouTube
• Sign up to join Kimberlee on the podcast
• “The Fiscal Feminist” book
• Learn on the NGPF website
• Get the “Mind Your Money” book
• Follow Yanely on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube

Do you know what your brand is? No matter who you are or what field you work in, you have a specific brand and can market yourself to find new opportunities. In this episode, Kanika Tolver shares valuable advice for making career changes, nailing the job interview process, defining your personal brand, and much more. She also explains why confidence is key to reaching new levels of career success. Kanika is the CEO and founder of Career Rehab LLC and author of “Career Rehab: Build Your Personal Brand and Rethink the Way You Work.” 

Episode Recap:

• Today we’ll learn how to unlock your career branding with Kanika Tolver (1:01)
• Can you tell us how you ended up in this industry? (4:06)
• What is a career brand, and why do people need it? (7:45) 
• Avoid these common mistakes on your resume (10:08)
• How to market yourself when changing careers (14:06)
• Can you share some tips for building confidence when making a change? (20:11)
• What is your process for setting realistic goals? (24:36)
• What does it look like to market yourself? (31:02)
• How to ace the interview process (38:40)
• How personal should you get in an interview? (47:09)
• What steps should someone take to rebrand themselves? (51:28)
• Where to learn more from Kanika (55:23)

Resources:

• Find every episode of The Fiscal Feminist podcast
• Watch The Fiscal Feminist episodes on YouTube
• Sign up to join Kimberlee on the podcast
• “The Fiscal Feminist” book
• “Career Rehab: Build Your Personal Brand and Rethink the Way You Work” 
• Follow Kanika on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube

What comes to mind when you hear the word “frugal"? If you think of strict budgets or of refusing to spend money on things that matter, it might be time to re-examine your relationship to the word! In this episode, Jen Smith explains what it actually means to be frugal in the modern world and shares her own journey of finding balance between saving money and enjoying life. Jen is an author and podcast host helping people pay off debt and reduce their spending, and she offers listeners her top tips for meal planning, reducing food waste, and making the most of the home you live in.

Episode Recap:

• Today we’re examining our relationship with spending and frugality with Jen Smith (1:05)
• Can you tell us about your journey to becoming frugal? (5:09)
• What does the modern frugal lifestyle mean to you? (10:40)
• How do you balance living frugally and enjoying life? (18:00)
• Can you share your top tips for meal planning and prepping? (24:28)
• What recommendations do you have around housing? (31:46)
• It’s not about not spending, it’s about spending on the things you value (36:24)
• How can we avoid shame around saying no? (42:35)
• Frugality is being confident and authentic about what you value (48:28)
• Where to learn more from Jen (52:25)

Resources:

• Find every episode of The Fiscal Feminist podcast
• Watch The Fiscal Feminist episodes on YouTube
• Sign up to join Kimberlee on the podcast
• “The Fiscal Feminist” book
• Listen to the Frugal Friends podcast and subscribe to their newsletter
• Find Jen’s books on Amazon
• Follow Jen on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Subscribe to Frugal Friends on YouTube

Quotes:

“We are trying to rebrand frugality into this lifestyle of freedom where you actually know what you want, can afford it, and you can create habits and boundaries to say no more easily. Because we will say, we love intentional spending, so why don’t we just talk about that and forget the word frugality? It’s archaic, it’s got bad vibes, we really want to reclaim this word, because frugality is about so much more than intentional spending. We can’t be intentional 100% of the time. Sometimes your mind just takes over and you’re working off habit, working mindlessly, so we want to work with our minds to create habits that conserve resources, so not just money, but conserve time, physical space, mental energy, all of that stuff. We believe frugality is the conservation or the good stewardship of all these resources, and we can, yes, be intentional to conserve them, but we can also create psychological barriers and aids, shortcuts that help us do it even when we’re not being ‘intentional.’”

“A hundred years ago, frugality was seen as this somebody who is creative, who is resilient, who can reuse and repurpose things. When you were frugal, you were seen as a really intelligent person who really valued quality and keeping their things well functioning. So, it was this lauded quality about you. And over the last hundred years, marketers have made us believe that we are consumers first and people second. So, to be a person of worth, you must be a consumer, you’re not of worth simply because you are a person. And so that is the reason why we want to bring frugality back.”

Are you ready to stop playing small in your business and life? You won’t want to miss this episode with high-performance coach Stephanie Hessler! Stephanie has helped countless leaders achieve their goals and reach new levels of success, and in this episode, she’s sharing some of her top tips for overcoming the beliefs and insecurities that hold many women back. Stephanie and Kimberlee cover a wide range of topics including gratitude, different types of growth, overcoming perfectionism, and the questions you can ask yourself to figure out what you really want.

Episode Recap:

• Do you want to play a bigger game in business and life? This episode is for you! (0:50)
• Stephanie Hessler is a high-performance coach helping leaders achieve their goals (1:55)
• What was your journey to become a high-performance coach? (3:12)
• How do internal beliefs often hold women back?  (9:27)
• You have to get clear about what you want (11:55)
• What questions should women ask to start to figure out what they want? (16:55)
• Growth is not just monetary! (20:07)
• How can women be visionary instead of getting hung up on perfection? (24:48)
• How do you make sure you don’t have an overinflated view of yourself? (37:53)
• Can you share some tips for breaking the cycle of low self esteem? (40:44)
• Each of us is on a unique path, and that’s a good thing (46:04)
• Why is gratitude so important? (50:12)
• How to connect with Stephanie (53:49)

Resources:

• Find every episode of The Fiscal Feminist podcast
• Watch The Fiscal Feminist episodes on YouTube
• Sign up to join Kimberlee on the podcast
• “The Fiscal Feminist” book
• Watch the “Your High Performing Self Image” Masterclass
• Join the Success Mindset Facebook Group
• Follow Stephanie on LinkedIn and YouTube 
• Stephanie Hessler’s Website

What skills can women learn from poker that will translate to their careers and lives? In this episode, Kimberlee asks this question to Erin Lydon, who’s on a mission to teach 1 million women how to apply poker skills to life as president of Poker Power. Erin shares the inspiration behind this unique company, and describes how poker can teach resilience, negotiation, confidence, and more. She also explains how you can learn from Poker Power as an individual or an organization.

Episode Recap:

• Is life just a big game of poker? Today will talk about this question with Erin Lydon (0:54)
• Where did the idea for Poker Power come from? (4:28)
• How women can access Poker Power (9:18)
• What can poker teach women about life? (16:34)
• What is poker math, and how do you teach it? (22:34)
• Playing poker will teach you resilience (28:16)
• Women have to get comfortable with asking for a seat at the table (33:52)
• How do you respond to pushback about teaching women poker? (39:13)
• Where to get involved with Poker Power (45:19)

Resources:

• Find every episode of The Fiscal Feminist podcast
• Watch The Fiscal Feminist episodes on YouTube
• Sign up to join Kimberlee on the podcast
• “The Fiscal Feminist” book
• Poker Power website
• Follow Poker Power on Instagram, Facebook, andTikTok
• Connect with Erin on LinkedIn

Quotes:

“We say there are 3 levels to thinking in poker with regards to negotiating. The first is just figuring out what to do with your two hold cards. It’s binary, either you raise or you fold, which means you’re out of the hand. The next decision to make is to ask yourself, ‘What do I have? What’s the decision I’m going to make with my hold cards? And what do I think you have?’ And you is the collective opponents who are at the table. So you’re shifting you’re perspective, and you’re trying to see this game not just through the lens of what you have in your hand. And then the third and most important way in which you’re negotiating at the poker table is to ask ‘What do I have? What do I think you have, Kimberlee? And what do I think you think I have?’ And it’s that ever-evolving, complex negotiation of information, power dynamics that will factor into your decision making. You can improve that skill by doing it more and more. And that’s what I think is so critical.”

“In life we never know what’s going to come our way. Every day is something new. You just know things happen so randomly sometimes, either professionally or personally. So you have to be able to kind of look at the situation, not fall apart, and figure out what your next move is going to be. One of the things I think people might learn from this exercise, too, is resiliency. So you might lose a game, but it doesn't mean you’re just going to go away and never play poker again. It’s learning how to lose, come back, try to marshal your resources, figure out what went wrong, and then, you know, sitting back down at the table and trying it again.”

What happens when a woman is the primary breadwinner in a divorce? To answer this question, Kimberlee turned to divorce lawyer and certified divorce financial analyst Lisa Zeiderman. In this episode, Lisa dives into some of the realities of divorce that women may not be aware of, from spousal support to commingling assets to custody concerns for female breadwinners. She also shares practical steps any woman can take today to protect their financial future.

Episode Recap:

• Today we’re talking about divorce finance with Lisa Zeiderman (1:12)
• What is a female breadwinner? (4:23)
• Why are so many women surprised by the financial implications of divorce? (7:23)
• Steps to take when you’re considering divorce (14:09)
• How can you account for time home with kids when creating a prenup? (18:37)
• Be cautious about how you commingle assets (23:51)
• If you think divorce is coming, make sure you know what your assets are! (34:14)
• Common misconceptions about female breadwinners (40:39)
• What can society do to better support female breadwinners? (46:49)
• How to learn more from Lisa (51:10)

Resources:

• Find every episode of The Fiscal Feminist podcast
• Watch The Fiscal Feminist episodes on YouTube
• Sign up to join Kimberlee on the podcast
• “The Fiscal Feminist” book
• Miller Zeiderman LLP website
• Lisa Zeiderman’s website
• Savvy Ladies website

Quotes:

“The cases that I have where I have the female breadwinner, those are the most difficult cases. And they are the most difficult cases because women don’t often take care of themselves in making sure that they have protected their finances. So I would say that’s a huge issue. And women who are the primary breadwinners have to understand that they have to either enter into some sort of agreement — and we’ll talk about that in a few minutes — but they can be responsible for child support later, they can be responsible for spousal support, and they also are going to equitably divide — in New York, some states are different but I’m a New York attorney, so I’m going to talk about New York — but they equitably divide the assets and of course the liabilities. But the fact is that many women who are the primary breadwinners wake up to a divorce and even if they started the divorce, they are shocked that they are in a situation where they are paying child support, paying spousal support, and equitably dividing those assets that maybe only they earned.” - Lisa

“Don’t be pennywise and pound foolish with this stuff. I know people kind of balk a little bit, they don’t want to pay the money for the prenup, but think about this. Down the line, this thing could save your bacon and make your retirement and the other part of your life down the road. Because if you have a really messy divorce and things don’t go according to plan, and I am the poster child for this, then this trickles down into your retirement and how long you’re going to have to work, and if you happen to live to 100, how are you going to get there? Because this thing can just be an apoplectic kind of thing to your finances if it’s not handled wisely. So you can definitely do your own prenups online. I know there are resources for that now, but I would say it’s worth putting money towards a prenup, because this is going to be the defining document down the road if things go awry. It’s worth it, because that few thousand dollars you’re going to spend on a prenup could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars or even more down the line.” – Kimberlee