"I Aspired To Be Poor"
A celebration and a reflection
On December 4th, 2019 I told the world during a TEDx talk that at 5 years old I wanted to be an architect.
At 10 I wanted to be a psychologist.
At 12 I wanted to be a psychiatrist (because they made more money)
And at 15 I decided I wanted to be poor.
3 years later I think about how much my life has changed because of that talk. How many times I’ve been asked what I meant when I said I wanted to be poor. The look and sound of admiration people get when they hear I’ve done a TED talk and how incredibly honest and transparent I was in that moment and continue to be today.
I was asked recently, “Since delivering your TED talk, has your views changed? How have your views on financial trauma evolved since then?”
The truth is, at the time I didn't have the vocabulary to describe what I’d later recognize as financial trauma. I believed as many do today, that my experiences were based solely on a lack of financial literacy within my family. When I listen back to that talk I can hear the familiar ramblings of many financial educators in-between the lines.
“Build a team”
“Each one teach one”
“If you know, teach. If you don’t know, learn”.
But I can also hear the buds of what would later become my path exploring the impact of those experiences with poverty on perpetuating the cycles that keep you there via financial trauma.
So have my views changed? Not really. They’ve certainly grown and crystalized.
I’ve had time to test my theories and the strategies we often read about in the books or hear about in the seminars and masterclasses. I’ve had my positions and practices around money challenged—especially since leaving my job and pursuing entrepreneurship. I’ve learned that it’s not just about the financial education, but that it’s about acknowledging the circumstances and beliefs we have about money and the role it plays in our lives.
My views on financial trauma (after realizing that I indeed did NOT create the phrase) continue to evolve. It’s broad and exists on a spectrum. Although my focus is certainly on the unique traumas that impact people who look like I do, I also realize that it’s an area that everyone, regardless of background has experiences with.
Check out this weeks episode of the podcast!
I was in the middle of editing another killer interview when it occurred to me that I'm celebrating 3 years of delivering a TEDx talk and writing the best selling book "Financially Irresponsible".
This episode was actually my first live streamed podcast episode and I talk about the gift of time, growth, and wisdom in my messaging over the years.
It's easy listening and reaffirming of the work I've done and continue to do in this space.
To check out the TED talk you can visit :
To check out my best selling book "Financially Irresponsible" you can visit: https://a.co/d/jdsz5gK