E38 How to Rewrite Your Money Story for a Wealthy, Impactful Future with Meera Meyer 💸✨

Pollen: For Creative Entrepreneurs with Diana Davis

Be honest…how is your relationship with money? Do you crave wealth but feel a sense of unease around having a plethora of it? Is the idea of debt something you stuff away under your bed or in a closet and hope will go away? You might even feel guilty for wanting more when you already have everything you really need.

In this episode, Diana sits down with Money Mentor and Financial Advisor Meera Meyer of Life.Money.Balance., to get a close look at what stories are running the “money show” in your life and how to rewrite them for a prosperous and generous future.

"It's not just about moving money around or learning how to budget or being strict and not buying your lattes every morning. It's about like, what's your story around money? How can we shift this mindset, shine a flashlight on it or know where these tendencies are coming from, building a healthier relationship with it so we can have this holistic, beautiful, glowy relationship with money?"

Pull the money shadows out of the closet and gear up for an empowering and informative discussion on money mindset in both your business and life. Meera is here to help you unpack deeply-rooted childhood stories on worth and explore uncharted territory on wealth and powerful change. Bye destructive thought patterns and limiting beliefs, see you never!

[EPISODE EMBED]

Dream clients…check.✅ A steady stream of income…check.✅ Now it’s time to elevate your business from “doing well” to “I can’t believe this is my life.”

Join ASCEND, a four-month, immersive experience mastermind with 1:1 support for elevated entrepreneurs who are ready to scale their next mountain. You’ll grow alongside a curated community of people like you to share in your successes, generate ideas together, and propel your business to new heights. Check it out.

🔥This episode will help you:

1. Unroot your money story and learn how to rewrite your mindset to build the future of your dreams.
2. Bust down the blockages holding you back from generating wealth for yourself, your business, and your community.
3. Discover how to reframe your mindset on debt within your business (and life!) to make a real impact.

📘Resources

• Money and mindset reads: The Big Leap and Debt. 📚
• Things aren’t always as they seem. Listen to this episode to learn the inside scoop on money, business, and revenue → E13 What They Don’t Always Tell You About Business and Money Wins 💰💯
• Investing as an entrepreneur? You might need to hear this. → E30 Why the Best Investment for Your Business Is Sometimes… Taking Space 📔 🍃
• Achieve the life, career, and clients you’ve always wanted (and fully deserve!). Join the waitlist for Camp Clarity!
• Want your creative business to go even further? Sign up for ASCEND, a four-month immersive mastermind experience for elevated entrepreneurs who are ready to scale their next mountain. Join the waitlist here. ⛰️
• Want to have one-on-one coaching support from Diana? Check out the brand new Voxer Coaching Container.
• Attract your dream clients with my free masterclass!
• Access other courses from the Diana Davis Creative
• Connect with me: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

🎧Episode Highlights

[02:49] Thriving and Ready to Elevate? Join Ascend

• ASCEND is for you if you have steady clients/income and are ready to take your business to the next level.
• Through a hybrid model of weekly group calls and 1-on-1 coaching, map out the next steps in elevating your business.
• Do you need to network more? Build a new product or offering? Get publicity through podcasts, magazines, etc.? ASCEND will help you create your pathway of growth.
• ASCEND helps you propel forward from wherever you are in your journey to ensure you get the most out of the program. After all, your biz is as unique as you are!
• Starts in the next few days! This is your last chance to jump in.
• Apply online or send Diana a DM!

[11:50] Meera’s Money Story and Journey to Entrepreneurship

• Meera was raised by immigrant parents in Boulder, Colorado.
• Her father immigrated to America to start a practice after attending medical school in India.
• Her mother grew up in India and moved to Colorado when she was twelve. Because of her background, her mother was very frugal, and her approach to money influenced Meera.
• When Meera’s father arrived in America, he was drowning in debt, but he built his career as a physician in Colorado and did really well for himself.
• Growing up, Meera never knew what she wanted to be when she was older until she entered into entrepreneurship. Voila! Her mission and purpose became clear.

[15:46] Where Does Your Money Story Start? Go Way Back!

• Your money story starts at a very young age.
• The stories you pick up in childhood are not easy to shed. It takes a lot of work, and you have to keep reminding yourself of your new money story.
• To tap into your childhood money stories, use the egg exercise.
• Draw an egg, start at the top and write down your earliest money memory (i.e., your grandpa gave you a dollar).
• Keep going chronologically and write down your memories.
• Once you have them written out, look at what story it paints.
• Reflect on how your story influences your actions and whether that represents what you want.

[00:18:56]

“Leaving behind a life that, you know, for something totally unfamiliar and new is a huge risk. And I think that as children of immigrant parents, some of that trickles down and you are more ready and willing to take risks, such as entrepreneurship.”

[23:29]

“A lot of people look down on finance, but I like to think of it as you have a doctor for your physical health, you have a therapist for your mental health, and you need a financial planner for your financial health. And that's what we do. We help people with their financial health.”

[30:13]

“Also just realizing that my clients are looking for a human. They're not looking for someone to kind of talk down and use jargon and lingo and all of these things. They're looking for a human being.”

[32:43] Uncover Deeply Embedded Money Blockages

• What you tell yourself about money can be tied to your worthiness, but it can also be because you have a negative association with money.
• Do you feel like you’re worthy of more? Do you assume others who have it are more deserving or aren't good people in some way?
• Remember that money is here to support you.
• Money is a tool to create a beautiful life. When you have more money, you can create more for everyone around you.
• There’s nothing wrong with desiring a beautiful life—you deserve it!
• How you spend your money can create jobs and amplify the good in the world.
• Strive to create more for all.
• Wealth generation is part of reaching your full potential.
• You don’t have to self-sacrifice to be a good person.

[37:15] Align Your Biz and Create Wealth

• You don’t have to be good at everything.
• When you outsource, you are helping other people create wealth for themselves.
• Getting help frees up your time to do more impactful things with your skillset.
• Shift your view from the idea that wealth requires hard work to the mindset that wealth is part of an expansive ecosystem.

[39:11] Advice on Wealth and Generosity

• There’s no strict metric because donating is a very personal thing.
• If you feel called to donate, do your research to understand where your money is going.
• You can invest in organizations that give you a social or environmental return and a financial return.
• There are ways to put your money out there that can do a lot of good—it doesn’t necessarily have to be donating to a specific organization.
• Try and reframe your point of view on how you can make a positive impact.
• Donating, hiring/creating jobs, and investing in people are all ways to spread the wealth and help others live beautiful lives.
• You can also consider a donor-advised fund to put money into that counts as a tax-deductible donation. You can decide later how you want to allocate the money.
• Make sure whatever you choose, it’s a cause you care about. Make sure it is something that aligns with you.

[43:06] Release Debt Shame

• Debt often leads people to think they have done something wrong (that they are a person or irresponsible with money).
• Having debt doesn’t mean you’re irresponsible. Typically, it’s a slow accumulation tied into your lifestyle, and you don’t realize you are building an unsustainable lifestyle.
• It’s not something anyone has done wrong.
• Most people have debt, but it’s something that isn't really talked about.
• Debt isn't something to be ashamed of. You're much less likely to address it when you're ashamed of it.
• Remind yourself, hey, you did the best you could with the information you had at the time. And you are in debt because of that.
• Now, make an empowered decision to change it.
• It may take a long time, and that’s okay. Give yourself grace and forgiveness.
• Change your mindset and think of debt as something that has helped you (i.e., attend school, form relationships, get your first job, etc.).

[47:43] Money Mindset and Debt in Business

• Personal brands and creative entrepreneurs often don’t have capital like normal businesses. They usually don’t get a big business loan to get started.
• You make an empowered decision to borrow money to further your career. There’s nothing wrong with that!
• Have realistic expectations on when you’ll be able to pay it back.
• Make sure you don’t take on more than you can handle based on your current circumstances.
• Remind yourself that every single business out there has used debt in some way or another!
• Going into debt might not be right for everyone when they start their business. It’s an individual choice. Although, you can’t create something from nothing. You have to start somewhere.
• Most people and businesses have to borrow to get started and then pay it back.
• Celebrate debt! It’s available to help you in life.
• Form a new, positive relationship with it.

[49:53] “The D Word”

• Interested in working with Meera? The D Word is a self-paced course focused on mindset and tactical strategy to help you become debt-free.
• Meera has a limited number of one-on-one spots, and new courses are launching soon!
• Connect with Meera on IG or email [e-mail].
• Teasers for the new year: money mindset, one on money confidence, and Meera’s investing unlocked program will get totally revamped. There’s a good chance Meera will do quarterly cash flow calls for business owners and non-business owners who want to go through their cash flow regularly.

[00:52:27]

“Yeah, I mean, to me, creativity means looking at something from all the different possible angles instead of just like, this is the path. And especially in finance, I didn't realize that I was a creative entrepreneur, but I do things so differently than so many other financial planners. And what is that, if not creative?”

About Meera

Meera is a CFP® and founder and owner of Life.Money.Balance., a financial planning and investment advisory firm. She's been working in financial planning since 2012 and is passionate about helping female entrepreneurs feel on top of the freaking world when it comes to their money.

She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband Chris and her two small children. She loves being outside, cooking and eating good food, and being around people who light her up.

Learn more about Meera by visiting her website or Instagram.

💗Enjoyed This Podcast on Developing a Beautiful Relationship With Money?

Our connection to money starts at a young age, and most of the time, we don’t even realize how it impacts our business and life.

Rewriting your money story isn’t always easy, but it is SO worth it! You absolutely can be a creative, wealthy person who is also generous and kind. Use these tips to help you develop a rejuvenated and fruitful relationship with money, and never look back.

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