Smart Money Mamas Show

How to Overcome Impostor Syndrome & Burnout with Christine Michel Carter

#042: In today’s episode, I’m talking to Christine Michel Carter, a global voice for working moms, a writer, speaker, marketing strategist, and creator of Mompreneur and Me. Christine shares her perspective on a few important issues all working moms face—the illusive question of balance, handling impostor syndrome, and avoiding that dreaded burnout. Whether you’re wearing many hats like Christine or just trying to get a handle on your career while parenting, I think we all struggle with burnout, and today’s episode will help you avoid just that. 

(09:04) How to overcome the barrier of reaching out and asking for help when you really need it 

(14:51) How to overcome anxiety and impostor syndrome to feel more comfortable when public speaking or putting yourself out there 

(17:13) What summit syndrome is and how it ties to perfectionism 

(27:17) Christine explains what Momprenuer and Me is and how it works 

(40:32) The benefits of women having their own businesses and how to network with others to improve your confidence and overcome impostor syndrome 

(49:17) Chelsea’s Top Takeaways 

Looking for more information, mama? Visit the show notes at https://www.smartmoneymamas.com/christine 

Free 200+ Home Business Ideas: https://smartmoneymamas.com/home-biz-ideas/ 

How to Brag Better & Advance Your Career with Meredith Fineman

#041: How can you advance your career and get noticed if you hate talking about yourself? Knowing how to own your achievements and celebrate them is a major key to success, particularly for women. It’s time we become confident in raising our voices in support of our skills and learn how to brag better.  

In today’s special bonus episode, I’m talking with Meredith Fineman, founder and CEO of FinePoint, a leadership and professional development company, and author of the new book Brag Better: Master the Art of Fearless Self-Promotion. She’ll explain the 3 pillars of bragging better, why it’s important to model that for our children and the other women around us, and some tips for being more strategic with your resume and bio. By the end of this episode, Meredith will have you feeling empowered to go out and take ownership of your success.  

(03:42) Meredith explains “the qualified quiet” and shares the 3 pillars of bragging better  

(10:16) What being proud (pillar 1) and being loud (pillar 2) really mean when talking about yourself  

(17:09) Why being explicit is important for effective communication, especially in online and virtual settings  

(19:39) Ways to brag better in your bio and on your resume  

(26:51) How working backwards from your goals helps you be strategic (pillar 3)  

(33:15) The difference between self-deprecation and verbal undercutting  

(39:38) Chelsea’s Top Takeaways  

Looking for more information, mama? Visit the show notes at  https://www.smartmoneymamas.com/meredith  

Healthy Money Mantras Workbook 
https://smartmoneymamas.com/healthy-money-mindset-workbook/ 

How to Make Motherhood, Work, and Life More Sustainable with Blessing Adesiyan

#040: In today’s episode, Chelsea is talking with Blessing Adesiyan, a mother of three, career professional, and the founder & CEO of Mother Honestly, a solution-driven platform and ecosystem that propels women forward in motherhood, work, and life. 

What we love most about the interview with Blessing is her commitment to promoting better policies and systems to support working moms. She’s passionate, ambitious, and we’re so excited to share her story with you. We’ll get into the details of how she’s been able to juggle it all as a mom with a full-time job and business while staying ambitious, what her upcoming free conference is all about, as well as her best advice for listeners who are wanting to make an even bigger impact in this world. 

(06:08) How Blessing juggles motherhood, working full-time, and running Mother Honestly while staying ambitious 

(14:52) Blessing shares a little about her new startup, Villo, which focuses on building a world where work, home, and life can co-exist 

(22:52) She explains the mission of The State of Black Mothers In America Conference and how can we better understand the experiences of black mothers  

(29:41) The amazing speaker lineup for The State of Black Mothers in America Conference starting on June 19, 2020 

(33:29) Blessing’s advice for mamas listening who want to do more to make an impact 

(37:03) Chelsea’s Top Takeaways 

Looking for more information, mama? Visit the show notes at https://www.smartmoneymamas.com/blessing 

The History of Racial Bias in the U.S. & How to Do Better Anti-Racism Work with Meaghan Siekman, PhD

#039: In today’s episode, we’re talking to Meaghan Siekman, a PhD in public history and a genealogist at the New England Historical Genealogical Society, about the history of racial bias in the U.S. and her experience, as a white woman, facing the realities of slavery and colonialism in her everyday work.

Yes, it’s weird to have a conversation about race between two white women. Neither Meaghan or I have ever experienced racism. We come at this conversation from a place of immense privilege. And we will, absolutely, talk to Black women on the racial situations in this country over the coming weeks. But in the practice of allyship, we did not want to put additional pressure on Black women and men to educate us on what we need to know and what we should do next.

Meaghan truly has a powerful perspective—particularly for white women who are just starting their anti-racism work—on what it looks like to really address our history of racism in the U.S. on a regular basis in her work.

We’ll cover some events in history that have led us to where we are today, where to start if you’re brand new to anti-racism work, as well as Meaghan’s best advice and resources for those who are wanting to learn more about their own bias.

(07:11) What Meaghan’s work as a genealogist entails and how her partnership with the GU272 Memory Project has been the highlight of her career 

(25:09) How Meaghan addresses her privilege when presenting families with her research and the information she gathers 

(30:01) If you’re brand new to your anti-racism work, this is the number one thing you need to know about the history of slavery 

(54:10) Meaghan’s advice and resources for those who are wanting to educate themselves about their own bias 

(1:10:53) Steps Meaghan is taking with her own kids and how we can better educate our kids on all areas of history 

(1:32:08) Chelsea’s Top Takeaways 

Looking for more information, mama? Visit the show notes at https://www.smartmoneymamas.com/meaghan 

What We Stand For at Smart Money Mamas

#038: Smart Money Mamas and Mamas Talk Money are absolutely about financial health and prosperity. They’re about creating wealth and freedom and being able to live in line with your values. But that is not the root core of our mission. 

Our true purpose is to connect with mamas who live and love with their whole hearts. Who believe in more. More for themselves, more for their families, more for the world. Mamas who want to make a difference—that believe things can be better are willing to do the work to get there. 

Of course we’ll talk about money. Because money, as I’ve said so many times, touches everything. And having financial security and freedom lets you live more in alignment with who you are. But we’ll also talk about self care, mental health, parenting, sustainability, gender wealth gaps - and, like right now, race. Because those things speak to what it’s like to be a whole-hearted mama. 

If you’re a person listening to this, nodding your head, smiling—I’m so over the moon glad you’re here. You’re our people. We’re going to have a lot of fun and learn a lot together. 

(02:47) Who we are and what we stand for at Smart Money Mamas and Mamas Talk Money 

(05:52) What you can expect in the near future from us at Smart Money Mamas 

Looking for more information, mama? Visit the show notes at https://www.smartmoneymamas.com/38 

Family Money Values Template:
https://smartmoneymamas.com/family-money-values-template/

How to Thrive as a Working Mom

#037: How can you be everything - how can you really be anything else - when you have to be a focused mother 100% of your time? The simple answer is you just can’t. That’s why, for the month of June, we’ll be diving into the realities of being a working mom—from working at home with kids and building successful businesses to making power moves in your career and handling the demands of parenting and emotional and household labor. We’ll talk about creating careers you love while balancing things at home and ditching all the overwhelming guilt that we experience as mothers. 

In today’s episode, I’ll be sharing why the idea of “having it all” is just unrealistic and how you get to decide what that personally means for you. We’ll discuss the history of how we got to this place as well as help you recognize that what you may be asking of yourself is very hard to live up to.

(05:47) The history of how we got to this place of trying to “have it all” 

(09:02) How to recognize that was is expected of you—and what you may be asking of yourself—is impossible 

(10:08) How to decide what “having it all” means to you, personally 

(11:53) Why the standard systems that exist can make being a working mom hard (and even harder depending on your marital status, race, or income level!) 

Looking for more information, mama? Visit the show notes at https://www.smartmoneymamas.com/37 

Meaningful Money Goal Kickstart Guide:
https://smartmoneymamas.com/meaningful-money-goal-worksheet/

How to Handle Money Effectively as a Blended Family with Stacy Francis

#036: In this episode, I’m talking with Stacy Francis, president and CEO of Francis Financial and host of the Financially Every After podcast, about a topic that is impacting more and more people every year—how to manage money as a blended family. Stacy is going to share what conversations women in blended families need to be having with their spouses, how to plan for your financial future, and how you can blend traditions and beliefs to create a beautiful, thriving marriage and family. 

(05:05) Why you should get “financially naked” before walking down the aisle 

(08:46) How prenuptial agreements offer protection to women entering into blended family situations & why it doesn’t have to be unromantic 

(21:13) Common mistakes couples make when combining two families 

(35:16) How to talk to kids about the changes to your family & some tips on how to be honest if your financial situation isn’t secure 

(40:08) The key for couples in blended families to have a positive money relationship and money plan with their partner 

(44:35) Chelsea’s Top Takeaways 

Looking for more information, mama? Visit the show notes at https://www.smartmoneymamas.com/stacy 

Family Money Values Template:
https://smartmoneymamas.com/family-money-values-template/ 

May Mailbag: Kids and Money, Aging Parents, & More

#035: Still have questions about creating your family’s unique money values? We’ve got you covered in this special Q&A style episode. 

For this episode, we asked the mamas in our free Mamas Talk Money Community on Facebook to send us their questions about family finances and family money values. If one person in our community has a question, there are no doubt others wondering the same thing. 

So if you’re still a little overwhelmed by the topics of teaching your kids about money, your aging parents and their finances, or what your specific family money values are, today’s episode will help clear things up. I’m going to be sharing my answers to questions we received about helping your teens budget, how to prepare financially for the death of a loved one, whether or not spending money on unnecessary things for your kids is frivolous or not, plus so much more. 

(02:01) How do you teach teens about budgeting as they start earning their own money? 

(04:42) What are some tips for teaching young kids about money right now when going to the store to use cash is not super practical? 

(08:41) What are some ways to prepare for the death of loved ones and make the process as smooth as possible? 

(12:57) Is life insurance for kids necessary? 

(16:58) What is the value of prepaid burial plans for adults? 

(19:18) What are some things people who are good with their finances will spend money on for their kids that aren’t entirely necessary? 

Looking for more information, mama? Visit the show notes at https://www.smartmoneymamas.com/35 

Family Money Values Template: 
https://smartmoneymamas.com/family-money-values-template/ 

How to Have "The Talk" With Your Parents About Aging & Money with Cameron Huddleston

#034: Remember when your parents had the birds and the bees conversation with you? Well, now it’s your turn to sit down with your parents for “the talk”. Talking about aging and money with our parents can be scary - but it is so necessary in order to avoid harder situations in the future. 

In this episode, I’m talking with Cameron Huddleston, author of Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk. She is going to walk us through how to start these conversations with our parents, why it’s so important, how to make the situation a little easier for both us and our siblings, and what to do if your parents just don’t want to have this talk with you. This episode is eye-opening and will definitely have you thinking about your parents' future—and your own. 

(10:03) What happens if you don’t have the proper documentation in place before your parent(s) becomes incompetent 

(14:19) How to navigate these conversations with your siblings ahead of time and why you should do it before even talking with your parents 

(19:20) How to present the different options to your parents in a way that doesn’t make them feel like they’re being shipped off to a nursing home 

(32:31) When you should actually start to have these conversations with your parents 

(42:05) What you can do if your parents just really don’t want to have “the talk” with you 

(48:40) Chelsea’s Top Takeaways 

Looking for more information, mama? Visit the show notes at  https://www.smartmoneymamas.com/cameron 

Family Money Values Template: 
https://smartmoneymamas.com/family-money-values-template/ 

When It's Time to Pivot Your Goals

#033: Knowing when to pivot your goals is something we don’t talk about enough. Circumstances change all the time and that can make setting goals hard. We can’t predict the future. Our lives change. Who we are as people and what we want changes. So how do we actually know when to let go of one goal and focus on another? And what about when we haven’t changed but life forces us to shift focus—do we stick to our original goals or do we pivot? 

In today’s episode, I’ll share some questions you can ask yourself to help ground you when your life interferes with your goals, how to tell if it’s time to pivot your goals, and some insight on how to tell the difference between the messy middle of the right path from the true need to pivot in a new direction. Changing—or even examining—your life goals is not easy work, but we do it because we all deserve lives full of joy and purpose. 

(01:45) Why knowing when to pivot your goals is just as important as setting them in the first place 

(02:30) Some questions to ask yourself when you haven’t changed your goals but the world has 

(06:22) Why it’s important to be aware of how external expectations are affecting your decisions 

(08:48) Some clues that the path you’re on may no longer be the right path for you 

(11:52) How to tell the difference between the messy middle of the right path and the true need to pivot 

Looking for more information, mama? Visit the show notes at https://www.smartmoneymamas.com/33 

Family Money Values Template:
https://smartmoneymamas.com/family-money-values-template/