[00:00:00] Ikenna: Need it. All right. Ready? Okay. What are we? And then you go down and I go up, boo.
[00:00:07] Safrianna: These dances are getting more elaborate. The more episodes
[00:00:09] Ikenna: we're gonna have a whole choreography.
[00:00:11] Safrianna: This is still not a very complicated dance. Hi. Welcome back to Living Luna, where we are authentically ourselves and having a great time doing it. That's, that's what we're all about. So today we're so excited because we've been doing some traveling lately, um, and meeting lots of cool people and.
[00:00:33] I met today's guests, uh, through some, some strange network. I swear, like I, I can't even keep track of how I meet these cool people Anyway, so Brianna's
[00:00:43] networking ability is by far the most complicated thing I've ever seen in my life, and I'm always here for it. But anyway,
[00:00:51] so we are inviting. Uh, Dr.
[00:00:53] Brenda Eckert on today, and Dr. Brenda is a sociologist financial coach and full-time rv, which if that's not like the most incredible combination of things, I don't know what is
[00:01:04] Ikenna: Renaissance person, honestly.
[00:01:05] Safrianna: Yeah. And so we're so excited to bring her on and just talk about her experiences in life and kind of what got her here and we're all gonna walk away inspired.
[00:01:15] I trust because I have been so inspired. Living the RV life since meeting her. So let's, let's up bring her on without further ado.
[00:01:25] Welcome Dr. Brenda.
[00:01:27] Dr. Brenda: Hey, thanks so much for the introduction. I'm, I'm so happy to be here with you guys.
[00:01:33] Safrianna: Yeah, I mean, we just got back from travels and if I recall when you and I spoke for the first time, you said you were actually gonna be traveling into Sedona in your RV or like into that area.
[00:01:47] Dr. Brenda: I, well, you know, as you were doing the introduction, I had to stop and pause and think, where am I? I'm, I'm, I'm at, uh, cattail Cove State Park. It's, it's just south of Lake Havasu City in Arizona. Wow. Uh, came in from Picacho Peak. Peak and before that I was, which is, um, between Tucson and Phoenix. And before that I was, At a rally in Tucson and before that Cartner Caverns State Park.
[00:02:18] Hey, that's pretty good. That's, that's my Arizona route so far. Wow,
[00:02:24] Ikenna: that's incredible.
[00:02:25] Safrianna: We went to Phoenix and then we drove from Phoenix to Sedona, and that's about as far as we got, so, Gosh, like you must live such an interesting life to just even have that thought of like, you wake up in the morning and you're like, where am I?
[00:02:40] I mean, I have that experience sometimes as a polyamorous person because I go back and forth between two people's houses. But like,
[00:02:48] Ikenna: well, thankfully the houses are very different
[00:02:50] Safrianna: and the houses are like
[00:02:51] 15 minutes apart. Like to wake up every day with the possibility of being somewhere entirely new is. So fascinating.
[00:02:59] Dr. Brenda: You know, I mean, yesterday morning I, I have a hard time remembering which day it is, you know, but, uh, yesterday morning was my first day here and I'm right by, right on the lake, you know? So I walk down and there's a. Beautiful, beautiful beach. And two days before, I'm watching this incredible sunset over the desert.
[00:03:20] Wow. And from desert to lakes, to mountains, to oceans. Um, you know, people ask me what it's like, and the, the best way that I have found to describe it is, uh, I use the word Christmas. I imagine myself five years old and I'm racing down the steps and I don't know what Santa left for me. I hope it's something good, but how many times as adults do we honestly feel excited?
[00:03:49] You know, I could go back 10 years and think about. When was I really excited and now, I mean, I round a bend like you know, the north, the northeast, Vermont, New Hampshire. You round a bend and there's like a, a lake jumping out at you. You go over a hill and you're like, I mean, it is breathtaking views. Um, and I always said when I started it was 85% terror, 15% excitement.
[00:04:17] Cuz I'd never driven an RV before. I didn't know what I was. Now it's 85% excitement, maybe 15% terror. There's still a little bit of fear, you know, when you go out on the unknown and between the rig and the Jeep. Behind me, I got 50 feet and of a, you know, of a size and it's like, okay, gas stations still a little scary, but it's so, the reward is just priceless.
[00:04:42] The reward is almost, I feel like I'm reverse aging in some ways. That excitement, the, the freshness of life. Um, and yeah, I still work from the road, but I have my flexibility. I can schedule things the way I want to. I'm no longer beholden to somebody else's schedule.
[00:05:06] Safrianna: Yes.
[00:05:07] And you're still pursuing things that you love to do, so like, tell us a little bit about that, because.
[00:05:15] We are so passionate and we've been having a lot of conversations lately just about, oh, like the outdated work
[00:05:24] system. This idea that you have to be nine to five, you know, the grind, the hustle, and all of that. And like I've always believed that if you let people be flexible and do what they like, like they're gonna help people, and you help people with financial planning and you understand.
[00:05:43] All of these things about humans. So you're, you're still like being of aid while living this free life, so I'm so curious if you can say, like, speak more to how you are able to break
[00:05:54] free from that.
[00:05:56] Dr. Brenda: You know, I'm, I'm working on a TED Talk and the title of it is the Flexibility Revolution. How we Think About Time has Changed.
[00:06:05] And a lot of this is really from 2020 and Covid and people began, uh, um, well, one thing that's changed here just in the RV world, there were a lot of younger people out here, people with families. There are, you know, families that they, school the kids together, they'll, they. Travel or meet places together.
[00:06:26] It is not just a world of retirees and a lot of people are working and they have the flexibility to, you know, you, you do your research, you can get internet from most places, and that's really what we need. And if you have that, the world is wide open, not just RVing, but the world. Um, and once you have that feeling, I sometimes think, you know, it would still be more practical, more financially savvy to go back into the workplace and it makes me sick, the thought of it.
[00:07:03] So it's like you have a lot of us now who have this taste of flexibility of working from where we wanna work. Not always wind, but certainly from where we wanna work and we're not going. You know, there are too many. I was, you know, 26% of employees are work remotely. 16% of US companies work re are just totally remote.
[00:07:29] And I, I just see those numbers going further up because we take charge of our lives. When I worked. Work was all consuming. And my life, I just tried to squish my life into my work and now I have my life and I put my work into my life. And isn't that the way we should all all be living? Yes. You know? Yes.
[00:07:56] Safrianna: Yes. Oh my gosh. And that's like, I'm trying to build my bridge there now, and I've been trying to ensure I kinda. Builds that bridge from the get-go instead of digging the hole and then trying to climb the way back out. Cuz they just, you know, they just finished grad school this last year and so I was like, do not make the mistakes I did because I'm still trying to untangle my schedule.
[00:08:23] And I made this schedule because I was still stuck in the way of thinking like, oh, I've gotta be working all the time. I've gotta. Hustling and grinding and giving every ounce of energy because that's what we were
[00:08:35] taught to do.
[00:08:37] Dr. Brenda: That's, uh, that's exactly right. I mean, I, I fell into that too. I mean, so I had this career and I got burned out and that career kind of fizzled out and my one, number, one emotion was kind of relief.
[00:08:50] Uh, but partly I had been saving money, so I knew that if that day came, I was in, in good financial. Position, and that's exactly what led me to switch from being a sociologist, a researcher. I, I still am sociologist a researcher, but I now, I build a, I built a career helping women build financial freedom because I also, I was downsized when I was 30 and I had nothing.
[00:09:16] I lost everything. I lived in poverty and I was like, Once I got my career going, I made a vow. I'm never gonna live like that again. So I tucked away and I've always been just, it's just been me and then I adopted a child. So I've, I've done this as a single mom and um, I've just tucked funds away. What a huge difference to lose your job between, you know, when if you don't have money versus you do have.
[00:09:48] It's the, makes the biggest difference. And so to me, it's not just about building financial freedom, but it is really designing the life of passion, designing the way you wanna live. That's what money buys you. To me, money is a tool. I don't, I don't. Push people to, I mean, why do you need 10 million bucks?
[00:10:08] You don't need 10 million bucks. You need to have financial security. You need to have a sense of financial freedom where you can take that risk, maybe step out on your own, maybe do something a little different, and you know, you're not gonna fall back on your ass and have nothing. So, you know, that's where I try to get p folks.
[00:10:28] To gradually build the skills they can do this themselves to. Um, I mean, I don't know if you're familiar with the fire movement, f i r e. Mm-hmm. It's, uh, originally stood for financial independence, retire Early, and I like to take the R and say, you know, reinvent yourself and E is explore the possibilities.
[00:10:51] Mm. And, but it's a. If you were, if you're, if you're, let's say you're the typical person, you're told to save 10% of your income, tuck it away, invest it, put it away. You gotta stay in the workforce for like 51 years. Wow. If you could cut your expenses and grow your income and actually save half of it, you can get, you can be financially independent in 16.7 years.
[00:11:18] Once you look at the. And look that it's a matter of growing your income, cutting your expenses, and saving and investing the difference that the formula is that simple. You can do amazing things. You know, if you think, gosh, you know, I could, I could be financially independent in my thirties or forties, fifties, rather than waiting until I'm 65 or 67 or 67, 8, whatever the retirement, social security, retirement ages.
[00:11:50] You know, you can live life now, not wait until I retire, which a lot of people never make it to retirement, or they're in such poor health Yep. That they can't enjoy it. Yeah. And you've got more people taking risks and taking a year off. I'm going to travel the world for a year and then I'm gonna come back and I'm gonna, I'll come back and I've got a job where I can easily replace the income.
[00:12:17] I'll do that. So it's a different world in which we live, but the money is going to open those possibilities for you.
[00:12:29] Safrianna: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
[00:12:31] There's so much financial education that people just don't have because it's not something that we're provided in the system as it currently is built. And you know, that's why I love seeing.
[00:12:47] Like you and, um, I have, I have a couple of friends in the, the financial world that, you know, when they love helping people figure that out, it's such a service. Like money. Money doesn't have to be this bad thing. It's if we all had the education and the know-how of how to respect our money and respect ourselves with our money.
[00:13:12] It could be very
[00:13:12] different. Mm-hmm.
[00:13:14] Dr. Brenda: Well, we are not taught anything. I learned how to balance a checking account. I learned that in high school. What'd you learn? Nothing. Right?
[00:13:26] Ikenna: Yeah. We didn't even learn the checking account thing,
[00:13:30] Dr. Brenda: so we pick up. You know, we watched our parents, we watched family members, we watched friends.
[00:13:35] We, we get credit cards when we're at a young age. We, you know, we spend, we're offered student loans when we're 20 years old and we don't understand the consequences of any of it. And money is still a taboo subject. So you can't talk to anybody about money. How are you supposed to learn and build wealth when nobody talks about it?
[00:13:58] Ikenna: Oh, I mean, I, I feel like there are so many, like that's, that the concept of taboo is the reason why so many things, like why so many of us stay stuck in, uh, this system is because the, the different things that'll help us move away from the system is by talking about it. Like, for example, I remember, um, there was this big thing regarding.
[00:14:27] Talk to your coworkers about how much they're getting paid, because then you can then compare that and talk to the boss and being like, why are they getting paid more than me? And then be able to tell if there's any discrimination happening. And it's like, but there's. That like in trainings that I had taken for like warehouse jobs when I was in my early twenties, one of the, one of the things was like, it is inappropriate to talk about the money stuff with fellow employees.
[00:15:03] And it's like, that's just ingrained in us from the beginning.
[00:15:06] Dr. Brenda: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I mean, there, there is a push for more transparency, but you know, we, we live in a very.
[00:15:16] I don't have to tell you this, you know, but you know, a black and white society, uh, uh, divisions here and there. There is, I mean, I'm a sociologist. I, I push towards social and economic justice. Mm-hmm. And we still have the gender hangups, the race, the ethnicity, the language, the age ageism is prevalent. Oh yeah.
[00:15:38] You know, we, we have all these isms and it. You know, in, in some ways, um, it's getting worse. You know, it's, it's, let's just, we can't all play at the same table, but financially that secrecy keeps a lot of us down. If you're working class, I mean, I grew up on a farm. I still consider myself working class. You know, if you're working class, you have this mentality that I have to put in more hours because the more hours I put in, the more money I make.
[00:16:12] The new way to work is, is smarter, you know? Mm-hmm. I can be creative and do things so that I'm only doing the four hour work week, you know that I'm only working 10 hours, but I'm making more money. But I really believe that we live in such a structured, Society where the wealthy get wealthier, they pass on that knowledge to their kids, and the rest of us are scrambling to catch up and get what little nuggets are there.
[00:16:41] And the way to get ahead has got to be through education. And we do not offer any decent ex, you know, the financial education we provide. Like my kid was in high school in Virginia. And, oh, we're gonna do this personal finance course. This is now required curriculum. And oh, here's this textbook. And I looked at and, and it's about, here's the definition of a corporation for or for versus an L L C.
[00:17:10] Who cares? There's nothing there that excites them. The book ought to be How to Make a Million Bucks before. 25. Okay. I'm reading that book. And so, you know, like when I have gutsy women finances, I try to build some fun into it because the money is about your dream life. It's about the way you wanna live.
[00:17:33] How can we disconnect the two? It's exciting to talk about your dream life. Can't it be exciting to talk about your money? Hmm.
[00:17:43] Ikenna: Yeah. I mean, I remember there being so much. Related to talking about your dream life and being like, Hmm, but your dream life isn't lucrative, so that's just, you shouldn't, you know, put all of your eggs in that basket because you know how society defines this.
[00:18:02] Um, this type of work is just gonna not be, you know, there's no jobs made in this field that are going to be lucrative and uh, for, there's a lot of people, like I went to music school when I was an undergrad and there's a lot of peers of mine that are alumni and graduated, and it's been incredible to see how they've taken their knowledge.
[00:18:28] And redefined what work looks like for them, because it's not what a usual job looks like, but they have figured it out because they're not, uh, they're, they're stubborn in a, in a good way of being like, I'm not going with what the system told me I must do in order to be a successful business person.
[00:18:51] Like, so that's been really cool to watch For sure.
[00:18:55] Dr. Brenda: Yeah. Yeah. And, and you know, for me, um, like I talk a lot about side hustles because a lot of us need the security of a steady paycheck, right? So you can work a steady paycheck and then you can, if you've got the time, you try to make the time. Yeah. Create a side hustle that's, that you can feel passionate about.
[00:19:16] And sometimes that side hustle replaces the job and becomes more than, than what you ever imagined. But there's, you know, there are safe ways to sort of explore the possibilities and do things that you feel more passionate about. Yeah.
[00:19:34] Safrianna: I'm, I'm curious, you know, You mentioned that fear, right? There was the fear and then the excitement, and now it's more the excitement than the fear.
[00:19:44] I'm curious if you have any like gems of wisdom that you would give if someone's listening to this and they're like, I'm like 95% in fear, I am really scared to take that risk. Like what helped you initially building that momentum to be willing to invest a little in a dream and then, you know, start to
[00:20:03] take the steps there?
[00:20:05] Dr. Brenda: That's a great question and I think I'm probably like a lot of people because you know, my career ended and I spent 18 months. Learning how to be a financial coach and creating online courses. And I spent those 18 months sitting at my dining room table looking out at the same suburban street over and over, and I'm like, I'm teaching women how to build financial freedom so they can do what they wanna do.
[00:20:30] And the honest truth is, I was miserable. I was miserable. The fear of doing nothing was stronger than the fear. Taking a risk. And I think a lot of us get to that point where, okay, this is the way to do it, that I'm just gonna be complacent. I ate too much. I was horribly obese. I, I drank too much. I was depressed.
[00:20:58] And I'm like, I have got to do something because this sucks. What do I miss? I miss travel, I miss nature. I miss meeting people. I miss who I was and I kind of went back. Person I was when I was, uh, you know, 22 years old, 25 years old, and, you know, it's like, okay, I went to graduate school and didn't have a finished, finished what?
[00:21:23] I finished the courses and then I went, you know, took my motorcycle, put it in a van, and went out to California with no job and, and no place to live. Right? That's who I was. That's who I am. Deep down inside, I, uh, I wanted to get back to that. I felt like. You know, age shouldn't make you complacent. Age should be an adventure that we just embrace.
[00:21:50] So sometimes you go back to who you were as a kid and you remember what brought you joy there. Mm-hmm. And you go back and go back into that life. But the fear of doing nothing, the fear of sitting at that dining room table for 18 more months ruining my. Being totally miserable meant I had to do something.
[00:22:13] And I'll tell you what, I never planned on RVing, but it's like how do I, how do I build this life of adventure and still work? I need the internet. I can, I stepped into my first rv. I was with my sister in Wisconsin. I looked at her and I'm. Oh man, I can do this. This is it. This is it. I knew what I wanted to do.
[00:22:36] I mean, I couldn't. I went back to Virginia. I couldn't sleep. I was so excited. And like I said, I never drove one black tanks and gray tanks. What do I do with those? You know? I mean all, it's a big learning curve. Um, and you know, it's not always glamorous. Stuff happens. You got a, you know, flat tire on the side of the road.
[00:22:57] It, you know, it's not fun stuff all the time, but you become more confident. You become, something happens. We define, you go to a dinner party, you go any place and they say, well, hi there, I'm so-and-so. What do you do They mean, what's your job? What's your occupation? And I've been on the road by myself, and I used to say, well, you know, I'm, I'm a researcher for blank blank.
[00:23:27] I'm a financial coach. Somewhere along the way, you no longer identify with what you do or where you're from. You find that deep inner self of soul. You discover who you are. I am who I am. I'm not defined by the workplace. I'm not defined by location. I'm not defined by all of those external trappings. And I was shocked.
[00:23:54] I was like, wow, there I am. But you know, you go through the motions of life. You're walking through everybody else's steps and to-dos. You discover yourself on the road and you allow it. It's like, this feels pretty. Become your own best friend.
[00:24:14] Ikenna: Yeah, I mean, I, uh, the thing that really caught me when you were talking about all of that was the learning curve of the RV life, for example, like that.
[00:24:29] I, I feel like in talking about how the, the different systems in our society, You know, forced us into these different boxes. And the boxes of like identifying ourselves based off of our occupations is they're like, there's, there's like this, oh, you're not going to be able to figure this out on your own.
[00:24:50] Like, here's like the only way for you to do this. Is by getting a four year degree or by getting a master's degree or getting a PhD. Like that's the only way that you are qualified to do the said thing. And I've learned from so many people, like I'm friends with lots of different teachers and I'm friends with lots of different therapists, and 10 out of 10 times people have said that their college degree did not necessarily prepare them for the actual.
[00:25:23] Experiential, like aspects of teaching or therapy or whatever occupation you decide to do, like you will learn on the job. Like same thing with, you know, pursuing your dreams. Like there's nothing like, yeah, you could take some different courses in different places, but like you kind of have to take the risk to step out and just kind of learn while you're doing it because if you don't,
[00:25:52] like you're gonna be stuck in this constant anxious, like, I need to feel as prepared as possible before I can step out. And it's like, when will you actually feel 100% prepared to go pursue what you wanna pursue?
[00:26:06] Dr. Brenda: The thing is there's people out there doing everything that we wanna do. Right now. Yeah. So a week and a half ago I was at, uh, the escapade ES escapade.
[00:26:18] It's a rally put on by the Escapees. It's a RV group and I, if you're looking at rv, I really recommend checking them out. And I did a panel discussion on solo women RVing. So I found, uh, three other women. Not hard to find solo, solo women RVing. And we had a panel discussion. We're, I mean, one's in a van, one's in this giant, you know, uh, trailer, one's in, you know, I've got my motor home.
[00:26:46] We all travel very differently, but there is a huge community out here. People who are so, Happy to help you. I mean, that's the number one thing that that came out of, of maybe this, this panel discussion is ask for help. People wanna help you. They wanna see you succeed. And we're so fiercely independent. A lot of us are that, oh, I can do it myself.
[00:27:12] I don't know what I would do sometimes without YouTube. I can, something goes on in the RV and I'm like, how to, you know, how to fix the, the toilet, you know, whatever it is, I'm gonna get an answer to it. I can put it, put something out on my, uh, my uh, Winnebago group and somebody will answer it. I can walk around the campground.
[00:27:34] You got a dead battery. Anything that goes on, people want to help you. And so let yourself, Accept that opportunity because that's what it is. It's not just RVing, but it's your career. Mm-hmm. Whatever you wanna do. Right now, there is somebody that is doing that. I, you know, I, I had this high level position and every once in a while I'd get a phone call from a young graduate student or somebody that he who said, you know, I'd really, you know, I'd love to learn how you're, you know, what are you doing?
[00:28:08] How did you do this? How did you build this career? I took those calls. Despite how busy I was despite where I was on the ladder, you know of success because I wanted to help other people, and most people do. If somebody comes to either of you and says, Hey, you know, I'd really like to know how to, how do I make a podcast?
[00:28:29] How do I do this? You're probably gonna say, Oh, I've got some great tips for you. Mm-hmm. So let people help you find your mentors because they are out there. I know we're all unique, but this is such a wide open world now in terms of careers and finances and the priorities of finding joy in our lives.
[00:28:52] That it's all out there. It's all out there for us.
[00:28:56] Ikenna: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there's a lot of like pride and shame. A lot of different things that are, that are getting in the way of community. Like, you know, the way you were explaining how people are just wanting to help is, you know, by definition what community can offer and the fierce independence that, uh, what American capitalistic concepts.
[00:29:25] You know, like you need to prove that you're fully capable of doing it on your own and by yourself. And if you have to ask for help, then you're weak. Mm-hmm. And it's like, no, that, like, we really can't, I mean, there's, there's so many different, uh, like, especially now that like we've gone down into like the nuclear family units, like the smaller the family units, like the farm families for example, would.
[00:29:53] Uh, eight to 12 kids, and they would, and the, and the grandparents would live on the, the same land and like everyone would have their roles. And so that's basically what we want to go back to is like, but how do you do it when you have smaller family units? It's like, well, you have to reach out, you have to have community, you have to have people that you're, you.
[00:30:15] Able to reach out to for help. And a lot of times, a lot of us are like, oh, I don't want to, I'll be a burden on others
[00:30:22] Dr. Brenda: and Right, right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it's, I mean, the other part of our society is we're so status oriented. You know, the, the size of your car, your, your house, all of these things now, I mean, I had a house, I had all, I had a big yard, I had all this great stuff, and now I've got everything and a 32 foot rv, and I don't miss any of that stuff.
[00:30:47] But if you look around at your house at what you have, We just accumulate stuff. If you got storage, you got garage, you got closets, it's filled with stuff. Mm-hmm. And the thing is, almost none of it brings us joy. Mm-hmm. Almost none of it. And so for me, like where is, what's financially like, what's your priority?
[00:31:10] For me it's experiences. So, you know, I don't, I don't care to dine out and waste money at the restaurant, but if you, you know, yesterday I was, I, I, my child is visiting and so we went on a boat ride boat tour of Lake Havasu. So it's, it's experiences spending time together, appreciating one another and seeing the beauty all around us.
[00:31:35] It's hiking, it's watching a sunrise or a sunset. To me that's just, This is great, and it's pretty cheap. So, you know, it's, it's, you know, what is your priority? And unfortunately in consumerist America, uh, we get so wrapped up into buying the latest clothes and, and, you know, uh, being buying, oh, you know, you gotta have this big of a house.
[00:32:02] And I mean, we just. We just carry debt after debt because we're just trying to keep up with everybody else. Mm-hmm. And none of it brings us happiness. I mean, how twisted is that?
[00:32:16] Safrianna: It, the system is working as intended.
[00:32:20] Dr. Brenda: We, yep. Keeping, oh, not for all of us. We're breaking it up. Right? Well,
[00:32:24] Safrianna: I'm saying this up, the system in, uh, from the power structure is working as intended to keep them in power, but we are starting, yeah.
[00:32:32] We're absolutely starting to say no. Right? It, if this is how it's meant that the system isn't broken, it needs to be completely torn down. There's no fixing it as it is because Yeah, like, it doesn't, it's keeping, it's only keeping a certain. Population educated and it's only keeping a certain population resourced.
[00:32:53] Ikenna: I mean, that's that. It's gotta go. Yeah. I mean that's why there's so much fear from anyone who is in the where, in the places where the system doesn't it places where the system is working purely as intended for the populations that is working well in. I think that's why there's so much fear and pushback.
[00:33:14] Whenever the people who the system is broken for like it, and they're like, this isn't working. We need to reform it. We need to change it. And anyone else who's like, this is working fine for me. You're saying we need to destroy this thing that's working fine for me. Like I'm gonna lose all my power. And that's why I think there's so much pushback to that because it's like there's the, you know, the us versus them, but of course there's all of these different narratives.
[00:33:41] We place on the different people who are in these systems and it just, you know, we can't really come to a conclusion. So then, you know, we end up just being like, well, I guess I have to just figure out the way to leave the system altogether because, Attempting to completely fix it is extra hard.
[00:34:03] Dr. Brenda: Well, you know, I benefited from the system.
[00:34:06] I was part of the system and, uh, you know, helped me build a great career, helped me save money, helped me do all kinds of stuff. But, uh, there's a price to be paid. I mean, in, in my case, it was burnout and exhaustion and working in a toxic environment that just, just sucked, you know? And so, I just, I really believe that so much has come about in the last even five years.
[00:34:33] Um, and, and when you think about Covid and the number of people who lost their lives, who have been ill, who have seen their jobs vanish, who. There's a bigger emphasis now on life, life overwork work, fitting work into life, and with the internet, with the possibilities, with the entrepreneurs. Now, it's not easy to make a living.
[00:35:01] I, um, that's, that's a challenge, but you know, if you struggle a bit, go back into the system. Work. Quit buying all the junk that the system wants you to get. Make, save your mind. Get out. Get in and out. Get in and out. People have different ways of working the system. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So it's not like you have to now, I mean, generations ago you got your job when you were 18 or 20, and you stayed with that company until you were 65 or 70.
[00:35:33] I mean, that generation is long gone. You know, there's no pension, there's nothing, there's nothing great at the end. Now you've got job searchers and you have this environment of, uh, of um, what are, what are they? I hated the term. Um, quiet, quitting. You said, you know. If, if I'm sitting here and putting in my time and investing my time, why should I go above and beyond?
[00:35:58] Because I'm probably take doing what somebody else should be doing. I mean, I don't know about you guys, but if you're efficient and you're competent, more work gets piled on top of you. Yep. And the people who just sit there at their office and take personal phone calls, they still get paid. You're doing some of their work, so you.
[00:36:19] I don't like that system.
[00:36:21] Ikenna: Right. Yeah. I mean, I remember witnessing that even in public school, um, mostly because like kids will get bored if they're, you know, if they finish their work and there's other kids that are still having to do the bare minimum work, but like the kids who are like, oh yeah, I finished the work, and you're like, cool, well, do you wanna do this extra work?
[00:36:40] And it's like, what? I just finished this work, like why are you giving me more work to do? Um, and most of the time when I was a substitute teacher, I was like, if you finish the work, go on your laptop and have fun. Like, just don't cause problems, like whatever. Because it's like, you know, you deserve the break.
[00:36:58] Good job you did the thing. Um, because it's like showing people that completing the work means more work. Mm-hmm. Is not beneficial for anyone.
[00:37:09] Dr. Brenda: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, I mean, I tend to be very efficient, so I always say I can do in four hours what it takes somebody else 15 hours to do. Mm-hmm. You know, so why should I be penalized?
[00:37:20] And the nice thing about having my own job is, you know, I'm an early person. I can get up, it's six 30, I'm on the computer by noon, I'm done for the day, and I go off and play or whatever I wanna do. But I know I've done more work than. You know, probably five people could have done right. So that's the nice thing about being an entrepreneur and um, uh, you know, you can be efficient and get rewarded based on your efficiently efficiency, not the number of hours you actually sat at your desk, which.
[00:37:57] What a dumb way to pay people. I agree.
[00:38:03] Safrianna: So speaking of paying people, how can people work with you, Dr. Brenda? What do you offer If people are like, you know, I just love your energy and, and they wanna know more, where can they. What can they work with you on?
[00:38:16] Dr. Brenda: Well, thanks for asking. My, my flagship program is really gutsy Women finances, gutsy women finances.com.
[00:38:23] Um, and it's a group program. Every month I rotate through new themes, so March was million dollar March and April is aios. Debt. And so I have a free version, but then I can give them personal help and walk you through. So for, for instance, uh, April, audio's debt, I'm actually gonna work with you to sort out all of your debt and come up with a payoff.
[00:38:49] My debt plan. So that's, That's the premium program there. I'm super excited cuz I'm gonna do my first retreat. It's a San Diego Dream Life Retreat, so on the other side of Lake Havasu is California. I'm getting close to that. That's April 22nd. And then I do these weekend financial freedom accelerators. I take you through.
[00:39:12] Everything you need to know to get on that path to fire, to get on that path to financial freedom. So we talk about that whole, that formula of growing your income, cutting your expenses, including the debt, saving and investing the difference, and building. That version of the dream life, being able to afford it cuz a dream life, you know, great, we got this great idea, but if we can't afford it and we don't take steps to make it happen on the financial side, it's just a dream.
[00:39:43] Right. So, um, so I'm at Dr. Brenda money coach.com. You can find links to everything, everything there. And you know, it is about the dream life and it is being able to manage your money and take charge of your money. Money is very empowering. Money talks and, you know, using that to build that life that you want.
[00:40:08] Safrianna: Yes. Wow.
[00:40:11] Literally this life of living in an RV with
[00:40:14] cats traveling.
[00:40:16] Dr. Brenda: Oh yeah. Three cats. Where are my cats?
[00:40:18] Safrianna: I know
[00:40:18] I saw one of them behind you at one point
[00:40:20] in a little basket.
[00:40:26] Dr. Brenda: Yeah. Yep. Three baskets here and, uh, just one occupied at the moment.
[00:40:33] Safrianna: But yes, that is, you know, I hope people will check out what you do. I, I really believe money is not my passion. I want people to find the right people to navigate them with money, but money mindset and having that financial literacy is so
[00:40:50] important.
[00:40:51] Yeah. In order to get on
[00:40:53] an empowered path.
[00:40:55] Ikenna: And I mean, living Luna, I feel like is one of those we're wanting to provide people like Dr. Brenda, like we're wanting to bring your awareness to people to add into your community. Um, because. You know, Dr. Brand is a wonderful resource that you might not have realized you could utilize.
[00:41:13] Safrianna: You, you might not
[00:41:13] even have known that you can go to financial coach or advisor, right? And like, have conversations, open conversations about your money and your dreams and how those go together. So yeah, I'm so glad that we can bring people like you here and, and share your mission with the world and your passion with the world.
[00:41:29] Dr. Brenda: Yeah. Well, thank you. Always been fun for me. So, uh, you know, the more women we reach, the more women we empower, the more women who start to dream and take steps, everybody wins. Yes.
[00:41:43] Ikenna: Yep.
[00:41:44] Safrianna: Absolutely wins. Well, thank you so much and as always, we will have links to everything in the description of the episode.
[00:41:54] So if you wanna check out Dr. Brenda's work, feel free to, and we would love, as always, for you to join us in our community spaces where you can continue the conversation and we can keep changing the world one conversation at
[00:42:06] a time. All right. Bye bye.
