These are daunting times and I have adopted a new business model to address the growing economic struggles of many and the emotional struggles of many more.
A bit of background
At the beginning of the pandemic, I created a video and stated that the poverty statistics were in the 8 billion range. At the time of this writing, 9.2 billion people are in poverty, most of which are children, which I hypothesize is a conservative estimation. If you are a marginalized individual or living a minority experience, you are probably suffering greatly you have much stacked against you.
I get it, I’m in the same boat. I mean, it’s hard to get ahead when bare basic equality is a daily fight. For example, the average Asian female who is living a nontraditional-gendered life is making less than 60 cents on the dollar to her straight, male counterparts.
I found that focusing on my expertise and passions of finance, business analytics, neuromarketing, economics and psychology, and my personal experiences, were the only ways to truly make a difference.
Smoke and Mirrors
There was a bump in 2021, due to the amount of stimulus money available to 93% of Americans; which sounds great on paper. Think about this. 93% of Americans were qualified to receive government support. I do not see the slight bump of the 2021 poverty rate to be anything to brag about, especially since wage gaps, oppression, and discrimination are more polarized than ever.
Time for Change
Yet, today is a celebration, because I have taken the last 18 months and reinvented my business by blending my tentacles of business analytics, marketing, finance, and psychology to create a finance therapy-focused mentoring platform.
In homage to National Financial Awareness Day,
I have a few celebrations to share with you- all new.
The Pay-What-You-Can Program
- A new session fee scale, which is unique. It is a Pay-What-You-Can program that you do not need to defend your hardship nor qualify or have a prerequisite of any sort. I have relinquished my fees that ranged between $150-$220 per session for individuals to a purely donation-based service. Note that I am not a non-profit so there is no grant subsidizing my decision. I don’t want to be beholden to the nonprofit red tape just because I want to offer support to others.
How to Heal Financial Anxiety (Book)
- The release of my book, which is an Amazon #1 New Release at the time of this writing, “How to Heal Financial Anxiety” happens on National Financial Awareness Day, which is August 14th. The book explores credit repair, financial literacy, wealth management, emotional struggles regarding money shame, blame and guilt, couples and money, and much more. It offers a psychological view of what might be holding you back financially and tap into your self-worth, through over 60 neuroscience-based activities. The book also has a link to a 98-page workbook, free, for your use.
How to Heal Financial Anxiety (Course)
- This course can be taken on its own but it is best in conjunction with the book. It explores some other areas and gives a creative exploration of finance anxiety and how to move past some emotional struggles connected to financial anxiety.
Mentorship
- For those who wish to have a more intensive experience, I offer a mentorship that brings a blend of 1:1 and self-help, with unlimited personalized email support. The mentorship is a blend of psychology and finance, with trauma recovery, and draws from my 30 years of experience.
The Muddy Lotus
- The Muddy Lotus is my weekly virtual support newsletter, which might include some of my free resources like my podcast, a video, news, or just a story or inspiration. This is offered at no cost to you. You will also receive a draft first chapter of my book, How to Heal Financial Anxiety, as a thank you for connecting and to give you a bit to chew on with the first three self-exploration activities in the book.
New Website
While the website is not 100% completed, it is new and is filled with symbolism. The lotus and leaves are reminders to experience struggles as fuel for growth, prosperity, and peace. The colors are focused on creating calm with a bit of excitement about living life, with both the sky(teal) sun and earth(orange) and gold and white (self-value and net worth). Admittedly this is the first website that I did not design myself and it’s beauty shows 🙂
About| Michele Paiva is a licensed psychotherapist with 30 years of experience in neuromarketing, business analytics, and psychotherapy. She has served on various boards and has been a speaker at colleges, universities, and various organizations including but not limited to Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, The American Marketing Association, and Temple Fox Business School.
If you are reading this elsewhere, note that links to everything are on my new site, www.TheFinanceTherapist.com.com
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