The Nav.it Podcast

On today's episode, Maia and Erin sit down with product design and strategy expert and small business owner, Michelle Cherian. Michelle's refreshing and innovative approach to small business growth, client acquisition, and retention will bring you some serious inspiration on how to navigate the waters of funding your business. You'll hear how Michelle's hacked: 

1. Growth

2. Freelancing

3. New client acquisition

4. Pricing 

Enjoy the episode! Don't forget to drop us a line to let us know what you think and please, please, please give us a 5 star review if you like our show- it's seriously helpful in all the ways! 

PS: Check out Michelle's own podcast, Art of the App from wherever you tune in from https://artoftheapp.buzzsprout.com/

What do you know about your employee well-being program? Depending on the benefit, those 'work perks' can not only save you well-earned money over time, but they can also improve your physical, mental, emotional, and (yes) financial health. Joining Maia (yes, she's solo) on this episode of the Nav.it Podcast is Jon Shooshani, Co-founder of JOON. JOON gives employees the freedom to choose wellness and lifestyle options that are meaningful to them. In this episode you'll learn from Jon how to: 

• Approach your employer about a well-being perk
• How to take advantage of those benefits available to you
• And why financial well-being is an essential piece of the evolving well-being puzzle

For more from Jon & JOON: 

https://joon.io/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jshooshani/

Investing. It's great to do. Hard to be patient with. And, at times, can be incredibly stressful. Erin and Maia sat down with CFP, Cheryl Nelson Boyd to discuss how to invest wisely, with a lot less stress. Cheryl walks us through investing tips like:

• How to start investing
• Where to park your retirement
• How to reevaluate your strategy
• How to explore and evolve your strategy based on your own risk tolerance 

...and a whole lot more. Drop us a note to let us know what you're doing to nav. a healthy investment mindset and, leave us a review. 

You can find Cheryl here: https://www.ameripriseadvisors.com/cheryl.a.nelsonboyd/

Financial stress hits most of us. From bills to pay to a vicious cycle of debt, money always seems to go out far faster than it comes in. If you're feeling a little overwhelmed by the financial system, you might consider reaching out to a financial therapist to help quell those more intense money emotions. Financial therapist Wendy Wright is here for just that. This episode covers everything from recognizing when you need a little extra support to explore ways to mitigate stress and get you on a path to financial wellbeing. 

As always, leave your questions, thoughts, and comments below, and don't forget to throw us a review wherever you're listening in from. 

Find Wendy: 

https://wendywrightcounseling.com/

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www.navitmoney.com

What’s a crucial part of your financial wellbeing journey? Savings. We know, we literally couldn’t say anything less interesting. I mean, we all like to spend a little hard-earned money every once and a while. But hear us out, savings equals opportunity and opportunity equals freedom. 'Nuf said. 

Emergency funds are a fundamental part of financial wellbeing. You'll learn:

1. How to create an emergency fund

2. Why it's different from other less-liquid assets

3. AND how to foster a solid savings fund- regardless of what you build it up for.

Also, Maia is very (!) interested in how we can move from a scarcity mindset to a growth mindset, one day at a time to build both savings and turn that money into money that works more for you (cough: investing, alternatives, etc., etc.).  After all, it's all about the money, money. Enjoy! And don't forget to leave us a review if you loved the episode, we certainly think you will! 

ES..What? E.S.G, or Environmental, Social and Governance is the term used by money movers to identify and evaluates the sustainability and social impact of a publicly-traded company. 

Needless to say, there's a lot to unpack here so we called in our resident expert, Jennifer Sapel to help us break down this important distinction and how you too can start to evaluate your own portfolios. 

Tune in, send us questions and leave us your feedback by rating the show and including a comment- seriously, it SERIOUSLY helps the show! 

Show notes: 

Find Jen here: https://utorwealth.com/

Tune into her podcast here: https://utorwealth.com/podcast/

Market news on ESG: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-05-05/the-world-s-largest-pension-fund-has-cooled-on-esg-should-you

Also, Harvard's take on ESG: https://hbr.org/2021/03/an-esg-reckoning-is-coming

Invest in your values here: https://www.asyousow.org/invest-your-values

We talk about debt a lot. But we rarely talk about ways to rid ourselves of the debt that we can and should pay down. Debt consolidation is a key to financial wellness. Let's face it- the less we have to plan to repay, the less financially stressed we often are. So, on this episode of the Nav.it Podcast, Erin and Maia break down debt consolidation. You'll learn what it is, how to evaluate your options, and when to best leverage these best-in-practice repayment methods. 

Long-term behavior change starts one day at a time. Whether you're trying to improve your fitness, your nutrition, your mental, or your financial health, creating healthy habits will help you reach your goals. Learn how habits form and why they impact lasting behavior change from the only fintech duo with backgrounds in behavior science and health tracking. Welcome to Season 3 of the Nav.it Podcast.

Let's face it- we have a long road ahead of us when it comes to narrowing wealth gaps in this country. Luckily, there are strong allies across financial services and venture capital who are focused on making a difference. Dustin Shay is leading that effort. From his fulltime job at Village Capital to his numerous board seats, Dustin's dedicated his career to helping minority founders gain access to long-overdue early-stage capital. Capital that these founders purposefully invest back into their communities near and far. It's been an honor to work alongside Dustin as he's championed Nav.it from ideation to now. We couldn't think of a better way to cap off our second season of the Nav.it podcast. 

You can reach Dustin old school by dropping him a line at: 

dustin@vilcap.com

If you want to learn more about wealth gaps and why they persist, start here: https://apps.urban.org/features/wealth-inequality-charts/#:~:text=1%20Wealth%20inequality%20is%20growing&text=Average%20wealth%20has%20increased%20over,Between%201963%20and%202016%2C&text=and%20the%20wealth%20of%20those,of%20all%20families%E2%80%94grew%20sevenfold.

As always, leave us your feedback, questions, and comments. We look forward to bringing you a new line up of episodes- many of which will talk more to wealth inequalities- in season 3. We'll be back in February 2021 and can't wait to explore these topics with you! 

No matter what step we're on in our financial journey, crafting an investment strategy that both meets our goals and our moral code is top of mind for most of us. How can we align our financial strategy with our own moral compass? You won't be surprised to learn there isn't exactly a cut-and-dry way to go about how your money can make an impact. That's why we've sat down with sustainable impact expert, Courtney Blodgett. Courtney takes us through the many ways our money can pack more of a moral punch. 

From banking to ESG funds, Courtney teaches us how to prioritize for the things we believe in-- without compromising on that return. You're in for a serious treat! 

Enjoy the episode and don't forget to hit us up here with any feedback, questions, or suggestions. 

You can reach Courtney at her site, Yield Positive: 

https://yieldpositive.com/

Let's be honest, protecting our info online is at the forefront of most clicks, purchases, and email invites. Nav.it's at the forefront of building humane, ethical technology. Erin and Maia break down exactly what that means. They also cover how you can better protect yourself while still getting the most out of your favorite apps, subscriptions and services. 

As always, leave us a comment and let us know what you think. You can reach Erin and Maia directly from hello@navitmoney.com

Enjoy! 

We didn't think it was possible to unpack so many systemic concepts in one 40 minute episode. By God, we did it! 

In this episode of the Nav.it Podcast, Erin and Maia sit down with Google's Global Head of Inclusion Programs for Women of Color, Stephanie LeBlanc-Godfrey. Along with this serious titled at one of the world's largest companies, Stephanie's also the founder of Parenting Backwards which focuses on the importance of bringing your kids on your learning journey. 

From building a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace to ensuring your kids' first money memory is one of joy and positivity, Stephanie unpacks the unique trials working parents face and how we can all help close wealth gaps beyond the workplace.

Find her at www.iamslg.com and IG @i_am_slg and @parentingbackwards

Thank you so much Stephanie for joining us! 

On this very special podcast episode, we sat down with our dear friend and fellow Money Maven, Jenn Uhen. Jenn's the Founder of The Pledgettes, the community of supportive womxn talking money. Join us as we explore the value of finding your Financial A-Team, which includes a solid network of friends, to guide you on your path to financial wellness. 

Want to join in on the conversation? You're in luck! Nav.it's teaming up with The Pledgettes for a 7 week Masterclass course. Each week we'll talk about a different financial topic, all with the goal of helping you build confident money moves. 

Sign up here: https://app.thepledgettes.com/plans/60189?bundle_token=705f130761464a95a163840b21980742&utm_source=manual

And if you're ready to become a Pledgettes member, or get your feet wet with one of their weekly classes, go to https://thepledgettes.com/ and connect with them @thepledgettes on social. 

Like it or not, lending is a part of growing wealth and leveling asset gaps. Unfortunately, what comes with the dark side of lending? A little thing we don't like to call, debt traps. On this episode, Erin and Maia take a deep dive into debt traps, outlining: 

• what they are,
• how to avoid them,
• and what options you have if you find yourself trapped. 

As always, reach out to let us know what you want to learn more about. Whether you want more topics on debt, savings, alternative assets or those pesky markets, we're here to help you earn, save, and grow wealth, confidently! 

And just like that, Lisette is back! 

Free is a weighted word these days. The financial world often cites financial freedom as the ability to live without ties to a 9-5. That's not exactly a realistic goal for many of us- nor would we want it to be. Instead, we want to learn how to become financially resilient so we can live life on our terms, in a career we love.  No one knows how to Nav. a path to our type of financial F.R.E.E.dom better than Lisette. 

Tune in to learn how Lisette nav.igated debt, side hustles, dropping-out, masters degrees, and everything life threw at her in between in this episode of the Nav.it Podcast.

Find Lisette from: 

www.jetsetlisette.com

www.austincreative.design (hit her up for all your web design needs!)

We're honored to bring you this episode with 2x Olympic saber fencer, Dagmara Wozniak (a.k.a. Daga). Daga's had an inspiring journey to her time on the Olympic stage. Now with her 3rd Olympic Games on hold due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Daga's had time to stop and think about what the next 5, 10, 20+ years will look like. Because even an Olympian needs to have #RetirementGoals. You'll be surprised to learn her journey to financial wellness looks like many of our own. There have been highs and lows, (imagine working 4 years for 1 paycheck!). Here's how Daga took her lessons in sport to become F.R.E.E. (financially resilient, empowered early). 

This last episode of fostering financial wellness explores the many ways we leverage knowledge to grow resilience (see Part I on resilience). While knowledge won't change all behaviors, it's a powerful driver of changing financial choices to better outcomes. 

You'll learn: 

• Why knowledge is a key component to wellness
• How we leverage knowledge to better our financial behaviors
• Why financial knowledge has felt far from our control
• Where to find financial resources that resonate with our own experiences

There's a lot we can't control right now, but our minds aren't one of them. As we begin nav.igating the world a little differently these days, we'll seek to become more aware of how stressors, like our money, impact our physical and cognitive health. Building a resilient and confident money mindset starts within. Here's how to practice mindfulness with Dr. Ellen Blau. 

What you'll learn: 

• What wellness really means
• How financial wellness impacts other aspects of your health
• The different between mindset and mindfulness
• How to improve your mindfulness practices
• How mindfulness interacts and builds resilience

Want to connect with Dr. Blau? She's doing virtual visits! Reach out to her at emblauphd@gmail.com

At Nav.it we like to think there are 3 key principles to financial wellness. Resilience, Knowledge, and Mindfulness all help to optimize our financial routines and impact our overall wellness. In this episode Erin and Maia breakdown the meaning of resilience, the ways in which it manifests throughout our life, and how we can strengthen our financial resilience to improve our overall wellness. 

Here's what we'll cover: 

• What makes us resilient
• Why resilience is so important towards financial wellness
• How we can become more resilient
• Lessons from our own moments of financial resilience

Don't forget to leave us a 5-star review, it seriously helps the show and we truly appreciate your support!! xx E&M

Buying a property doesn't have to be as complicated as it sounds. Just ask our resident real estate guru and founder of Live with Plum, Justine Chan. We (virtually) sat down with Justine from her hometown of Singapore after leaving NYC in the wake of Corona-mayhem. Sure, there's a lot to unpack in the home-buying process, but so long as you've set yourself up for success, the process should be relatively stress-free. 

Here's what you'll learn: 

• Where to start in your buying-process
• How to present a competitive offer
• What to consider when looking for your perfect spot
• Who the key stakeholders are and how they benefit
• How to evaluate the best buy

You can find more guidance and support from Justine at: livewithplum.com or @livewithplum across the social channels. 

Psst... don't forget to leave us a review. It really helps! Thanks for listening! - E&M

During these highly uncertain and extraordinary times, we are compelled to maintain our promise to you, our listeners and customers, to bring you the best money management tools available. So, while we're launching Nav.it 2.0 from the comforts of our homes, we are launching nonetheless! This episode is a dive into those new features on our brand new, beautifully designed money management app. Erin reviews the design and purpose behind key features, while also relating them to how they might support our users during these trying times. 

You got this. We've got you- with more personalized features and a more powerful application than ever before. Drop us a note here or email hello@navitmoney.com to share your thoughts, questions, and feedback! 

Let's be honest, this interview was too good not to include every answer from Jen. So, we've split this into a 2 Part episode as the second half of this interview covers some VERY valuable insights around what your financial journey might look like and how you will recover from those bumps and bruises along the way. Here's what you'll learn in Part 2 of Episode 5 with Jen Sapel: 

• Money is emotional -- and it's ok to make some decisions based on that gut instinct. But, also, try to realize what might not make financial or long-term emotional sense. Here's how.
• Find someone subjective to help you in those larger money moves.
• When to merge your money... and when not to.
• How to prepare for newcomers in your household.

Oh, and mark your calendar each year to review your credit report. Join us in celebrating a new Hallmark holiday, move over V-Day, meet Beneficiary Day! 

There's a lot to unpack about how the Coronavirus is hitting both the US and global markets. We'll cover why the markets are so volatile, what you should do to stay up to date and how you should stay prepared. Erin will also cover how to keep safe and minimize your chances of infection. We'll keep you updated as this outbreak progresses.