Live And Earn

"As a woman, you never want to ever find yourself in a place where you can't support yourself." -- Kristine Fletcher A wedding is one day.  A marriage is a lifetime...supposedly.  But it doesn’t always work out that way. The U.S. divorce rate is 50% and money is one of the top 3 reasons people break up. So why don’t we talk more about money BEFORE we get married?   Kristine Fletcher, an Atlanta divorce attorney, explains what really happens when couples fail to have honest and transparent financial conversations before getting married and during marriage. It can be detrimental. What we tackle in this episode: How to protect your assets before you get married The difference between a divorce mediator versus a divorce attorney When to get a prenuptial agreement The difference between a pre-nup and a post-nup agreement in a marriage What happens to your Will if you don't update it after a divorce What you should do if you remarry to protect yourself financially What is considered as marital property How to disi

"I knew the corporate world was never right for me." -- Brooke Condrey Meet Miko Dougherty and Brooke Condrey, founders of an Atlanta based design firm.  They share their bold story of leaving comfortable salaries for a more risky role as entrepreneurs in pursuit of creative independence. Hear how they overcame societal obstacles and their own self-criticisms to build their business and life together as a gay couple. What we tackle in this episode: How to “split” the money as business partners and as romantic partners How your childhood upbringing shapes the way you manage money as adults What personal lifestyle sacrifices are made as new entrepreneurs How to adjust your lifestyle to make your dreams happen ---- Ready to crush your income goals?  Grab your FREE 1-Page Business Revenue Planner to help you stay on top of your income goals and track your progress throughout the year. Get your copy by visiting  https://helenngo.com/revenueplanner/

“I traded in money to have fulfillment in myself.”  Laura Chung Isn’t it fascinating how some people make career decisions, especially when it comes to pursuing a lifestyle that is so radically different than the one they’re currently living? Laura Chung was living what seemed to be the high life in NYC, working her high paying private equity job.  From the outside, she had the wealth, the family, the friends, and all the things you may traditionally tie with success.  On the inside, that “predictable” lifestyle was breaking her down physically and mentally. Realizing that her fear of not doing what she loves most overpowered her fear of losing that stable life. So, she quit her job, sold all her belongings, and bought a one way ticket to Asia -- and she never looked back since. She now lives as a travel blogger, having complete freedom to manifest her creative energy into whatever she wants -- sharing her story of pursuit to inspire others. It may seem financially irresponsible on the surface, but we must as

“I was actually more uncomfortable being comfortable. Sure, the pay is good. The coworkers are nice, but I can’t do this anymore.” - Lorrie Thomas Ross Wild Web Woman and CEO of Web Marketing Therapy®, Lorrie Thomas Ross, talks about leadership as an entrepreneur and growing a team. What does “leaving the confines of corporate hell” look like? For many of us who have made the leap into full-time entrepreneurship, leadership skills is the last thing on our minds in mastering - especially if you just work for yourself at the beginning. But stepping up to be a leader for yourself is top of mind when Lorrie gives advice to new entrepreneurs. Because of the leadership she demonstrates, she has grown her business into a successful, stable employer over the last 15 years.  Lorrie shares a behind-the-curtain peek at her journey into becoming her own boss. What we tackle in this episode: Becoming an “accidental” entrepreneur The upside of being uncomfortable with being comfortable What an ‘insultant’ is and why you n

“If you’re doing something and it’s not really what you should be doing, you just don’t excel at it. You can be good at it, you could even be great at it. But if it’s killing you inside, I just don’t understand the point of it.”  -- Darin Wright Color expert and Elea Blake Cosmetics owner Darin Wright shares what it can really look like to follow your passion. Few of us realize just how much color affects our surroundings: from the color on the walls of our homes to the colors we put on our hair, skin, and nails. Finding the right colors for your unique chemistry can have a profound effect on everything from home decor to the clothes we buy, but how do you know if a color is right for you? Darin has dedicated years of her life and countless hours to developing a scientifically accurate color matching system called ebhues™. Starting in a rented 2x4 space in a local spa, Darin has grown her company to a custom cosmetics studio and color analysis brand that works with clients worldwide. Join Helen and this 22-ye

“I find the more clear we are, with what we want in our life, what we want in our business, and why, we start stepping into our confidence more easily.” - Ashley Paré Own Your Worth™ founder and CEO Ashley Paré talks about the difference between worth and value, and how the way we define them can shape our career path. The thought of negotiating a 5-figure pay raise is enough to make most people’s palms sweat. But it’s what Ashley helps her clients do every day. Women especially tend to struggle with attaching self-worth to the amount of their paycheck without realizing how inherently worthy they already are. Helen and Ashley talk about untangling our attachment to money and letting go of any guilt we might feel over being focused on money. What we tackle in this episode: Sometimes getting a ‘no’ feels better than not asking at all The fear surrounding entrepreneurship and how it never really goes away but changes over time Why taking care of ourselves first needs to stay a top priority The misconception tha

“I want to make sure that my external dialogue isn’t just to please somebody else.” -- Kati Tatnall We can easily get caught up in meeting others’ expectations that we tend to forget our own.  And if you let it happen often enough and long enough, you end up forgetting about your goals. Your dreams. And what you make of yourself.  We are trying so hard to serve others that we don’t take care ourselves – emotionally and physically. I invited my college roommate, Kati Tatnall, to address the challenges of meeting internal and external expectations – reflecting on what we expected ourselves to turn out as teenagers versus what we expect ourselves today as adults.  She’s challenged with meeting the demands of being a mom of 3, a wife, and a full-time career woman.  It’s easy to ignore playing that fourth role in our lives well: being ourselves. What we tackle in this episode: How our outward dialogue with others influences the quiet dialogue we have internally  Carving out time to do what’s meaningful to you How

“Something is going to go lacking. You can’t have it all.” — ReShea Balams Does work life balance really exist?  Helen sits down with ReShea Balams to answer this question. She runs her own law practice all while taking care of her two young children as a widow.  Where does taking care of herself come into play? Often, we feel so much pressure to grow our businesses as an entrepreneur, be the best parents to our children, be financially successful, and be the best at whatever else society tends to define for us. But ReShea has written her own manual for how to best manage her family, career, and personal well-being. What we tackle in this episode: Making tradeoffs between making more money vs having more time What it means to “have it all” The difference between financial success versus career success Prioritizing time to take care of yourself, your business, and your family ---- Grab your free training! The Money Maker Mindset: 4 Strategies to Focus Your Mind to Make More Money https://HelenNgo.com/FreeCou

“I like to get people to think about what is possible for themselves.” - Nicole Amos Career Coach, Nicole Amos, started The Career Oasis when her friends and colleagues told her she should start charging for the amazing career advice and strategy she was already providing.  A born networker, Nicole started climbing the corporate ladder by finding creative ways to “be in the room” with the people making decisions. When co-workers began to take notice, they came to her asking for advice on how to make the same happen for them. Nicole realized she had a gift for helping people identify their strengths and skills and open themselves up to new possibilities when it comes to career development. But for her, it wasn’t enough to stay in corporate with a comfortable six-figure paycheck. She wanted to truly enjoy the work she was doing.  She went for more and is now enjoying the payoff. What we tackle in this episode: The relationship between time and money How figuring out what you don’t want to do and thinking outsi

“It wasn’t part of my dream. It was part of other people’s dreams. So I was really unhappy with myself.” --Andrea Strauss Have you ever been worried that you’d be judged if you pursue another career or job that’s outside of your college major or original career path? How would you perceive someone who’s a photographer, doula, restaurant owner, William Sonoma employee, and celebrity chef? Well, that’s Andrea Strauss. She’s filled all those shoes, sometimes simultaneously. On the surface, you may judge her for “not knowing who she is and that she’s just bouncing around job-to-job. Quite the contrary. She knows exactly who she is. Exactly what she wants. And is happy with herself. Why? Because she doesn’t listen to anyone’s opinion about what her life should look like. But this attitude did not come easily nor happen overnight. What we tackle in this episode: How to listen more to your inner voice to decide what opportunities to pursue or leave on the table How you know when you’ve made the wrong decision and w

“You have to start big if you’re going to go big.” - Mary Grace Allerdice Mary Grace Allerdice, Founder of Be Well Studio,  explains how she got sick and tired of telling herself she couldn't afford a $2 coffee or even groceries at times! Budgeting and prioritizing is of course important, especially when you're starting up a new business. But sometimes habits die hard - and we come to realize that "affording" things we want or need isn't always as simple as being in the black or red.  Over the next year we're chronicling the ins and outs & ups and downs of her first year in starting a business from scratch.  In part 1, she shares her financial insecurities in starting a business and what it means to make peace with your fears in order to go after what you deserve. What we tackle in this episode: Why the tiny details of running a business really matters The importance of financial management drives business success How to take risks and overcome fears How confidence plays into starting your own business H

We are so good with our ‘yes’ scripts. We don’t work hard enough on our ‘no’ scripts because saying ‘no’ to someone feels like we are rejecting them.”   – Helen Ngo Have you become a “Yes Woman” without even realizing it? You’re saying ‘yes’ to clients who you know are going to bulldoze right through your boundaries. ‘Yes’ to projects that aren’t in alignment with your business goals. ‘Yes’ to PR opportunities that will require hours of your time without much return for your bottomline.  I’ve identified two common business scenarios where I’m almost always tempted to say ‘yes’. But the problem with saying ‘yes’ to someone else is that it usually means saying ‘no’ to me. So how do we flex our ‘no’ muscle in a kind way without eliminating all possibilities of collaboration and reciprocity in the future? How do we learn to say ‘no’ to others so we can say ‘yes’ more to ourselves? What we tackle in this episode: Why saying ‘no’ can really be an act of kindness for others and for yourself The importance of practi

Success in this day and age includes failure. The people who will succeed are the ones who are fragile enough to hop around and figure out what works until it works. --Mary Grace Allerdice If you ask any business owner, the first two years are the most grueling.  It will break you down to your core. Almost every day feels like a battlefield of self-doubt and uncertainty. Had a bad day? Well, guess what? Those bills still have to be paid. Where’s the next dollar going to come from? You feel like giving up so many times. But when do you know when it’s time to let go and move on? How do you know it’s time to pivot? Mary Grace shares her tough financial journey through the initial stages of starting a business and how she’s learning to embrace the test of her mental endurance and resilience. What we tackle in this episode: Handling rejection and failure Allowing yourself to say “no” and how to take it from others Determining which noise to filter out and who to actually listen to Identifying when you should move

“What’s more important to you now? Driving a Benz now to look a certain way or pursue the thing you love most at all costs?” -- Stefanie Jewett Starting your own business is difficult by design; that’s why it’s not meant for everyone.  But this notion that starting your own business is difficult doesn’t deter our guest this week, Stefanie Jewett, Founder of Activvely, a social app that helps individuals find workout partners. She went from collecting a comfortable salary at CNN, driving around town in a fancy Benz - to leaving her job to follow her passion and build her tech startup from the ground up. No Investors. No Partners. All #Grit and #WomanPower. Hear her candid story of bootstrapping her tech startup and what it takes mentally, and socially, to make it. What we tackle in this episode: What you have to sacrifice to start a business How to be exposed and vulnerable when starting a business Why it’s important to be true to yourself and confident in who you are an how it plays into success The importan

“I loved investment banking, and I loved New York. But I knew I didn’t want to do it for the rest of my life.” Serial entrepreneur, Ashley Williams, shares her experience leaving a 6-figure job (right out of college!) to tackle marriage, motherhood, and the uncertainties of being an entrepreneur. Juggling all the things that life as a wife, mother, and business owner brings is enough to make most people’s heads spin. And while she’ll tell you she’s far from having mastered it, Ashley does a phenomenal job at navigating it all gracefully. Through her experience operating The League with her husband Terry, she also shares invaluable relationship advice that will help anyone who runs a business with their spouse.  Join Helen as she interviews one of the business owners she considers to be a “superwoman”. What we tackle in this episode: Staying in your lane when working with a partner Leaving a well-paying corporate job for the uncertainty of entrepreneurship The importance of surrounding yourself with a team of

“You must fall in love with the constant challenges of running a business.” --Merel Kriegsman Merel Kriegsman is the founder and CEO of Merel Kriegsman Media. She provides high-end mentorship to women business owners, plus runs a conversion copywriting agency. While Merel is now on the verge of her first 7-figure year (in less than 5 years in business!), her story starts with: being in debt and underpaid, and scrubbing toilets to make ends meet… while 8 months pregnant. Helen and Merel talk about the unique relationship between power and money and why women shouldn’t be afraid to go after both. What we tackle in this episode: Learning how to sell is a rite of passage How essential it is to understand your ‘why’ when it comes to persevering in business The give and take of juggling your personal life while owning a business The benefits of peer mastermind groups Ways women keep themselves small and how to break out of it ---- Grab your free training! The Money Maker Mindset: 4 Strategies to Focus Your Mind t

"Don’t tie your self-worth in with how many ‘followers’ and ‘likes’ you have."  --Amber Dee Do you ever get slightly jealous when you look at someone’s social media page and see that they have more followers than you? It’s natural to feel this way. Actually, there’s a term for it in psychology and they call it the Social Comparison Theory . It states that “we determine our own social and personal worth based on how we stack up against others we perceive as somehow faring better or worse.” Social media is great in that it keeps us so closely connected to our friends, family, and offers us many business opportunities — always staying up to date with what everyone is up to.  But the detrimental side of it occurs when we constantly compare ourselves to others on there, even stacking ourselves up to complete strangers. We compare ourselves to others as a way of fostering self-improvement or self-motivation. But it can also promote judgmental, biased and overly competitive or superior attitudes that in the long-ter

“When you are able to overcome financial guilt, you will be able to accept yourself and celebrate yourself.” -- J. Have you ever felt guilty about spending money on yourself?  As if, you don’t deserve to buy that “one thing?" What we tell ourselves we deserve financially is shaped by our upbringing and childhood. What we grew up with, has so much influence on who we become, all the way down to how we spend money and what we tell ourselves we deserve. Growing up in poverty, J shares her personal story of how she was constantly told by her mother as a child that the family doesn’t have enough money. That she couldn’t have this. Or that. As a grown woman who’s making well into the 6-figures today, she’s still telling herself that she doesn’t have “enough money” and spins into a cycle of self guilt when she does spend on herself. Whether it’s about spending money on ourselves or trying to earn more money, each of us at some point in time has told ourselves “I don’t deserve this.”  What we tackle in this episode: 

“Removing more responsibilities off my plate also meant I had to do the hard job of removing people who no longer serve me in a positive way.”  -- Helen Ngo Who you surround yourself  with either raise or lower your standards. You don’t become great on your own. The people around you who make you even better than who you think you are... they’re the ones who genuinely have you in their best intentions, always wanting to uplift your spirits and see you succeed. But also being the toughest on you when you need a reality check. Take a close look at the people around you.  Are they raising your standards and challenging you to become the best version of yourself, encouraging you to make more money for yourself? If we are who we surround ourselves with, then why keep those who rob us of our potential, lower our standards, and steal our time and energy? Throughout my journey, I’ve learned that removing more responsibilities off my plate also meant I had to do the hard job of removing people -- even the friends whom

“I realized I needed to define success for myself, not for someone else.” Awilda Rivera You ever thought to yourself: what would happen if I did something else? Something that you weren’t trained to do in school or use your degree. Perhaps we set those ideas and dreams to the back burner because we’re afraid of being judged by others. Perhaps we will even judge ourselves for being financially irresponsible. In this episode, you’ll meet Awilda Rivera. She went into $100k+ of student loan debt to earn her law degree and ended up not even using it. Instead, she became a Yogi and Spiritual Advisor. That’s pretty damn bold considering the level of financial risks involved.  What we tackle in this episode: Why she left her law degree behind to pursue what she’s truly interested in How she started a business from scratch, even with $100k+ of student loan debt How she bridges passion and purpose The 6 essential tools to define your own success ---- Grab your free video course!  The Money Maker Mindset: 4 Strategies