I had the pleasure of interviewing Gabriela Pereira for On Her Mind podcast.  While her business focuses on writers, her message is universal: Our mindset can greatly limit our creative spirit.

I first encountered Gabriela when her book, DIY MFA (Do-it-yourself Master’s in Fine Arts) was released.  As one who loves to read and write fiction, her ability to boil down the critical components of this coveted degree intrigued me.

When would I find the time to pursue this degree? Probably never; but now I no longer had to wonder what I was missing, nor did the many others who bought her book.

Her desire to reach those writers that would be shut out from formal MFA programs due to geography, financial and/or time constraints, or genre (these programs can have a narrow focus) didn’t end with her book.

From there, this dynamo rolled out an interactive program to go through the lessons in the book in greater detail and with the support of others.  Then she unveiled a course to help writers build an audience and find a community for inspiration.

She accomplished this and managed to keep things fresh and exciting – while raising young children and managing bipolar disorder.  The challenges and constraints of life, she maintains, serve as fuel for the creative process.

Along the way, she has helped others tap their creative side – and not just through the traditional channels (art, music, writing and performance) but in everyday problem-solving – from getting co-workers to cooperate to having a child do homework.

Her Ted^X presentation, Creativity is a Craft and It Belongs to Everyone, pushes limits of how we think of our own creativity.  She also acknowledges that creativity can be fragile and is easily stomped out of a person.

In the world of personal finance, I see parallels.  There are people who need guidance, who would otherwise be ignored and who need this knowledge.  They are convinced that they’re just “not good at this,” so they check out and stop paying attention, barely save and cease looking for creative solutions to make life what it could be.  These are the people I hope to reach.

Her insight into how to fire up the synapses in our brain to be our most interesting, fulfilled creative selves is inspiring.  Gabriela challenges us to get unstuck, plug into our creative nature and express ourselves as only we can.

The solutions lie within.

Like most people, I have a real soft spot for the underdog.

Yanely Espinal has a unique story to tell, but the theme of trying to make a better life is at the core, and that story never grows old for me.

Her parents immigrated to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic and had little formal education.  As one of nine children growing up in a three-bedroom apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn she hadn’t thought about money as abundant – and when she arrived on the campus of Brown University, her preconceived notions about money and affluence were tested.

Still, there was this undercurrent of shame and a feeling of scarcity that led her into spending more than she could afford.  One day, rather than simply pay her credit card minimum (as she had been doing), she decided to really look at what she was paying.  Though she had stopped using the card and continued paying her minimum due, she owed a lot more than she had the previous month.  What was going on?

It was then she discovered the perils of paying interest as it compounds (which is far less rewarding than earning compound interest).  She also found out what rate she was paying and made it a personal mission to get out of debt. About a year-and-a-half later she accomplished her goal and decided that the $1,000 a month she put towards her debt could now be put to a better goal – building wealth for herself.

Most important, she shared her journey for others to learn from as the aptly titled Miss Be Helpful.  With over 28,000 YouTube subscribers I would say there are plenty who crave her content and who can relate to her struggle.

I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with her for On Her Mind podcast – and like I said – her underdog tale struck a chord deep within me.

Perhaps my reasons go back to my family – my four grandparents who all came to this country from the same impoverished Sicilian town in the early 1900s; my grandmothers who sewed for sweatshop wages; my father who couldn’t afford an education so he joined the military as the threat of World War II loomed on the horizon – they all struggled in ways I have never had to.

Their experiences have also given me a relentless optimism; much is possible and their successes are proof.  My grandfather (who could barely read and write) founded a food import business that survived the devastation of the Great Depression; the proceeds from its sale and his investments would support my grandmother for the 59 years she spent widowed.  My father, a high-school dropout who earned his equivalency in his forties, would go on to head up the Cytology laboratory in a hospital and make a better life for his wife and seven children.

Yanely’s desire to help others face their challenges doesn’t end with her YouTube channel.  As Director of Educational Outreach, she is teaching a new generation of teens and educators about money through the non-profit NextGen Personal Finance (which offers free personal finance programs and training).  This knowledge could greatly alter a child’s future (and all the lives that child touches).

How others face their struggles, overcome their mistakes and ultimately find their way is a story that I never tire of hearing.  What unites us is when we can relate to someone’s experiences.  When we share these experiences and learn from one another, we find our own way.

At just 29 years old, she has much wisdom to share for those who feel baffled or overwhelmed by money.  And for all those underdogs out there — you won’t find a more enthusiastic cheerleader.

 

Attention Long Island Teachers:  NextGen Personal Finance is offering free FinCamp training on Monday, January 28, 2019, at The Old Field Club in Setauket.  To register, go to http://bit.ly/FinCampLongIsland.