Episode 484: Life Lately: Working Less, Living More & Embracing Uncertainty

Jamila Souffrant 0:02

I’ve heard of the helicopter parent before, and then I heard somewhere else about lawnmower parenting, where before they even touch the grass, like you pick up every obstacle, every weed, you make the lane clear for them, so they don’t even get the kids don’t even get to experience friction, or they don’t even get to develop resilience because you haven’t allowed them to. T

Speaker 1 0:24

minus 10 seconds.

Intro 0:26

Welcome to the Journey to Launch podcast with your host, Jamila Souffrant, as a money expert who walks her talk. She helps brave journeyers like you get out of debt, save, invest, and build real wealth. Join her on the journey to launch to financial freedom.

Speaker 2 0:44

If

Jamila Souffrant 0:53

you want the episode show notes for this episode, go to Journey to launch.com or click the description of wherever you’re listening to this episode, in the show notes, you’ll get the transcribed version of the conversation, the links that we mentioned, and so much more. Also, whether you are an OG journeyer or brand new to the podcast, I’ve created a free Jumpstart guide to help you on your financial freedom journey. It includes the top episodes to listen to stages to go through to reach financial freedom resources, and so much more. You can go to Journey to launch.com/jumpstart to get your guide right now. Okay, let’s hop into the episode. Hey, hey, hey, journeyers, welcome to the Journey to Launch podcast. I am your host, Jamila Souffrant, and I am going to have a solo episode today, so it’s just going to be me rambling, chatting, talking, giving you some updates of what’s going on personally, professionally, and all things in between. I figured it’s been quite some time since I just chatted with you one on one, and so if you are totally new to the podcast, and you’re like, “Girl, I don’t know you, I don’t care. There’s so many episodes, though, that you can go listen to if you want interviews or how-to things about personal finance and money, or I mean, stick around, you still might be able to hopefully learn something and apply something to your financial, or what I like to say, life journey. And then, if you are an OG journey, or someone who’s been listening for a bit, hopefully you will enjoy this episode, or at least just find it somewhat insightful. I wasn’t actually going to do a solo episode, I had another episode to actually share, but I said to myself, you know, it’s been a while. I usually go on break. It’s not like a real break, but a break kind of in the summer for me. My kids get out of school at the end of June, so they’re still in school right now. We have a couple more days left, and then they’re off July and August, and then my husband, because he’s a teacher, also is off, so I like to not have a schedule. I don’t like to really record episodes and do a lot in summer, so I do usually do rewind episodes, really episodes of the podcast that came out before, but maybe you have not heard, or you should hear again, but I do think I’m gonna sprinkle in some new episodes here and there as I see fit, so I’m going on this little break, and I’ll talk about that, because I don’t really feel like it’s a real break, and I think I want to take one day a real, real break, and I thought, you know what, why not, before the summer starts, share just what’s been going on with me. So let’s start with this, just personally, I have been. I feel like when it comes to, if you were looking at a percentage of a pie, and how much is percentage of personal versus work. I know a lot of people, or some people, work is most of what they do, and maybe the personal stuff takes a backseat, and maybe how much time they get to spend with their kids and family members and loved ones is a smaller percentage, just because of how much you have to work, and I’ve been in the season of life where that has not been the case. My personal load and or responsibilities, and how much time I spend on personal things, would probably, I would say, at this point, make up 70 to 80% of my life, maybe even 90, and work has been has been a little bit minimal, and I really like it this way. Now, with that being said, you know, I do think that because of the season of life I’m in, and how old my kids are, my kids right now are.. we have a birthday coming up.

Jamila Souffrant 4:37

Well, we had it listening to this in real time already, so my kids are 1210, and eight, and while they’re not, you know, they’re not toddlers, and they’re not teenagers, so they’re not super independent, so we’re in that middle ground where they still need me for a lot, and they get out of school early, and I’m very blessed to be in the. Position where they don’t have to go to after school, I can pick them up, and so my work day ends at quote unquote work day ends at around two, and usually after I drop them off in the morning to school, I go run or I go to the gym, and I don’t get back until about 1030 11, and then I’m usually taking my time eating, taking a shower, and I don’t, if I’m going to do any work, I don’t come down to my office or sit at my kitchen table to do work until 12, so that’s about two hours of work a day, Monday through Friday, if I’m, if I’m thinking about it that way, that I’m working, so it’s not a lot, and I try to squeeze in as much as I can. So, personally, I’ve been just leaning into where I am in life with the ability to choose how much I want to work and how to work. It’s feeling great. I’m still prioritizing working out and moving my body. I always feel better when I move my body. I feel better about myself. I feel better in my body, and so that has been something I have been unwilling to compromise about. Now I actually have, for the past few weeks, said to myself, Okay, Jamila, there are some things you just need to get done, whether that is for your business and or just managing the household that you need to sit down and like work at a computer on, and so I have skipped working out a couple days here and there, and have not been, as you know, four days a week, maybe it’s only two to three, based on what’s going on, and that still feels good, because it’s my choice, and when I talk about personal finance and financial independence, and the journey, I talk about the stages of financial independence, and I’m at the stage I call the commander stage, where work is flexible, and for me that means having more time and energy to spend on everything but work. So it feels really good to prioritize myself in this way, and then I’ve also had a lot more time to volunteer at my kids’ school, so my son – this was his first, my oldest son – this was his first year in middle school, and then my other two are in the same elementary school, and previously I was one of those parents, even though I was from the time my daughter was born, I had quit my job, so I’ve been home since she was born, working on Journey to Launch. I still wasn’t as active in volunteering. I definitely am one of those moms where I need that mom friend that knows everything to tell me what to do. You know, I will show up for their performances, and when it.. I feel like it really matters, but in terms of planning and sitting on boards and volunteering at the school store, that wasn’t me.

Jamila Souffrant 7:46

But I said to myself this year I wanted to do better, and I should take that back, because it’s not that when I didn’t do it, I was doing bad, but I wanted to be more involved, because I knew that I had more capacity and more room to be involved, and previously when work, so even with Journey to Launch, when I worked in corporate America, my work was definitely 70 to 80% including the commute of my time, and then even when I started Journey to Launch, and as I was ramping things up and really hustling, and then writing the book, my energy, my capacity was a lot less to go in other places or do other things, and so while things have slowed down a lot with Journey to Launch, I thought to myself, I want to, I want to show up a bit more, and then I recognized that I want to also understand, like, what my kids are doing, not in a helicopter way, I just wanted to see the environments they were in, because my two boys are, you know, I asked them, “Hey, how was your day? It’s like, fine, you, it’s hard to get a sense of what’s actually happening, or my daughter will tell me a bit more, so I said, “You know, I want to feel, I want to see what’s going on, I want to be able to go into the school and maybe help with the ice cream sale or book sale or help in the school store to sell items to the kids, and so that’s what I’ve been doing a lot this school year, and not as much as some other moms, like and parents, not just moms, dads, because you know, God bless everyone that’s on the PCA and joins these boards and does all this because you help everyone’s child when you do that, but I said let me step up and it felt really good because I got a sense of a better sense of where my older son was going to school because this was his first year and then I also just even though my kids have been in their elementary school for a bit really got an understanding of how things work so now when they come home and they tell me, oh, you know, I was in a lunch room where this happened, or we, oh, we had this sale today, I kind of, I know, because I now I’ve been there, I can, I can envision what that looks like for them, and that just feels better for me. So I’ve been really excited that I had the time to do more of that this year. I also, I wanted to try, not force myself, but I wanted to try different hobbies. Now, didn’t really take on anything too serious. I did, however, I had an interest in gardening, which is funny, because I have a backyard and have not done much with it, and have not had a garden, but I did have an aunt who stayed with us for a bit, and she actually had a garden back there, and I never cared. I mean, it was back there, it was great, but she took care of it, and when she had left, it just died, and I was like, you know what, let’s try to grow some things, and so I got these grow bags where I started to plant and foster, is that like a word with plants foster or grow plants, and I’ve been doing it. I mean, sometimes I forget to water them, but right now there’s cauliflower. There’s like a little, like a head of cauliflower. There’s kale. I do have a grow bag full of tomatoes, and so it’s kind of been fun to see, see these things sprout, and some of them are dying, and I’m like, oh, gotta go water them, but I find that it’s interesting to watch or to help these plants along and to learn something new, and with that I also joined the local community gardening club, so that’s been pretty cool.

Jamila Souffrant 11:14

So, whenever we have a garden in our neighborhood, and so they have volunteers, and you can join to help prune or harvest and plant things, so I’ve been when I can, I’ve been going to those things to learn and to just help out, so that also feels good. So I’m like, look at me having a green thumb in my 40s, you know, when it’s not something I had been interested in, and so I am just, I’m open to new things in my life at this stage of where I am, I want to be alive. I want to feel alive, and I do that. I was, I was thinking this morning after my run, so I actually ran as I’m recording this. I ran this morning three miles, and I run in the most beautiful location ever in Brooklyn. And when I am done, I usually reward myself by walking, and I also bought a Kindle. That’s the other thing I should, I should bring up is that I’ve been trying to read more. I have a dear friend who I went to see, and she was saying how many books she reads. She was reading, like, I don’t know, three books a week. I was like, oh my gosh, and she was like, yeah, the Kindle, and I remember having a Kindle, the digital, where you can download the books, on a few years ago, a while ago, and I don’t even know where it is, and I said to myself, well, you want to get more into reading, so maybe you should try the Kindle, and so I did get a Kindle a few months ago, and I am not as a voracious reader as my friend, I’m only on my second book, but I feel I feel every time I have it in my hands, and I read, even just a couple pages, I feel so good. And so, after my run, I had my coffee, I go to my car, I get my coffee, my Kindle, and I walk a little bit, and I find a place to perch, and I was reading, and just sitting, and you know, you have those moments where you’re like, this is what life is about, and I had an overwhelming sense of gratitude for my life and for where I was at that moment, and in this moment, How lucky, how blessed it is that I am to be able to have the option to have this time to choose kind of when I log in and how I work, and then doing all these things that would not be possible if I was working a nine to five, and sometimes, honestly, thank goodness for the summertime in New York City, and the sun, like the spring and summer, because winter time for me is rough, gets dark, it gets cold, I’m like, I’m not supposed to be in New York during the winter, but here we are, right here, this is where I am. I got to make it work. I got to find the silver lining, and so feeling like the height of where we’re about to enter the summertime, and just the vibes that I know you know the kids are about to be out of school, which means less pressure on me to have to get them out the door and together in the morning feels like I’m just looking forward to the summer and to life, and you know, I thought to myself, this is what it’s about, this is exactly why you took the leap, this is why I tell everyone you should be on the journey to financial independence, not just to get to a place where you have all the money in the world, because you may not ever get there, but because of all the opportunities and possibilities that unfold for you, and that’s how I feel. I say this all the time. We are not in the position where I never have to work again. We’d have to change our expenses, you know, to be able to do that, we’re not, that’s not kind of what we want to do. We kind of like how we spend, and so the fact that I can, though, have this flexibility and ability without having cash flow wise, you know, millions coming in the household feels so good, and yes.

Jamila Souffrant 14:59

Would I like to have a nicer car, newer car, or my husband to have a nicer car? Would I love to be able to do our backyard over, so we can have an oasis? Would I love to maybe just do more, like maybe spend on more help within the house? Yes, that requires more income, but when I think about the trade off of my time to work to be able to do those things, and then my flexibility without those things in life, the flexibility and not having those things feel better right now, and that’s not to say, because I do believe I don’t want it to be a limiting belief that I have to work more hours and work harder to earn more money, but just as a reality, probably where I am right now, that has been how it’s been. You know, there was a time, maybe a few years ago, where maybe, you know, I wasn’t working that much, but I was making a lot more, and it’s not the same anymore. I feel like I’m working less, I’m making less, and so expectations and how we live our life have to just, we just have to be a bit more prudent in, in what we’re doing financially, but if prudence and just kind of making sure we’re staying in budget means I can have the flexibility of going on runs and working out and having flexibility. I’ll take that any day, and so this is the freedom that I encourage you all to find for yourself. And I do believe everyone can get to a place where maybe you’re not only you’re not working just two hours a day, but you are choosing you, whether that’s take a break from work or you’re able to choose an environment or a job that feels better regardless of pay, I think most people can get here eventually once they start the journey to financial freedom, because you’ll unlock so many opportunities and you’ll become, you’ll have to become a different version of yourself and acquire new skills, maybe just unleash the ones that are already inside of you to accomplish that, and so I’m always just going to continue to say, get on the journey, you know, obviously I talk about this in the book, Your Journey to Financial Freedom, and in the podcast, and the stages, and the steps, but every little bit counts. Hey. Hey journeyers, if you are loving this podcast, then you will love my book, Your Journey to Financial Freedom, a step-by-step guide to achieving wealth and happiness. I wrote this book for you. This book is for you if you want a clear and enjoyable path to having more money, options, and a rich life. This book is for you if you hate your commute and the fact that you need to seek approval or permission from a boss. I hated that when I worked. This book is for you if you weren’t born into wealth, you didn’t marry rich or win the lottery, but you still want freedom. This book is for you if you’re at a crossroads, a major decision or event is imminent? Maybe a career change, marriage, starting a family. Pressures are reaching a tipping point, and the discomfort and the desire for more can no longer be ignored. And this book is for you if you find yourself zoned out at meetings, looking out the window, or daydreaming about the life you truly want. So, go pick up your Journey to financialfreedom.com so I can show you how to map out how to get from where you are today to where you ultimately want to be, and enjoy the journey while you’re on the path. Head over to Your Journey to financialfreedom.com to see where you can pick the book up. It’s available on Amazon, bookshop.org Barnes and Noble, your local bookstore, everywhere. Go to your journey to financialfreedom.com to get the book now. Okay, so the other just personal thing is that, so for May, for our family, May and June, everything’s happening. It is the celebration time of our family, we have all my kids, all three kids’ birthdays within the two, those two months we have Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, we then have graduations, and just end of year activity, so there is a lot happening in May and June, and so we’re kind of coming out of that.

Jamila Souffrant 19:17

By the time this releases, we would have then ended the May-June celebration time period, and while it’s, you know, I’m blessed to be able to celebrate all these things in a row and at once, it can be overwhelming, it can be overwhelming, and also expensive. So one of the things that I try to implement with my kids are that we’re not doing any birthday parties only when you turn 10, because with the three of you guys we can’t do birthday parties every year, and so when my oldest turned 10, we had a party for him this year. My middle son, he turned 10, so we had a party for him, and then my daughter, she didn’t have a party, she’s just. Just turned eight, but we did things, and what happens is I want each kid to feel special, and so instead of we don’t have parties, but we end up doing a lot of things, make it a whole weekend, sometimes a whole week of activities and and things that they like doing, and so I would say that maybe to some parents this wouldn’t be overindulging, but sometimes for me I’m just like, oh, think we got to try to lower expectations going forward, because we cannot do all the things, you know, next year or going every year going forward, so it can be a lot, because I do want everyone to feel like they had a, an amazing birthday, regardless of if it’s a big birthday year or not, but I am kind of happy that we are ending, we’re ending out this season of celebrations, and I’m gonna figure this out when I figure it out, whether that is emotionally, because some of this too is just the, I think, emotional pressure, right, of society, like maybe for some people it’s nothing, like they don’t, you can be frugal, maybe you don’t do a lot, like for your kids, and you don’t buy them a lot of things, which is great. I feel like usually throughout the duration of the year we actually are pretty good on spending money. We don’t really buy excess clothing and or things for them. It’s really around their birthdays and Christmas that we try to get them the things that they want, but I do think that there’s so much pressure on parents nowadays on like how much to do and what to do, and then you have the children, the friend that your children’s friends, that you know they’re becoming more aware of what people wear and what they have. I remember my middle son, he had said something like, “Oh, did you get me essentials? That’s like a brand some kids wear, teenagers wear, and a shirt is like $100 I’m like, no, you did not get essentials, you got a Zara outfit. So it’s just like they’re becoming more aware, and, and seeing what other people have. And I do think, I don’t think that, you know, you have to follow suit. We have a lot of conversations around value and what we can do versus want to do, and money, and saving money. So, I do think that they have a sense of, okay, this is why Mommy is not buying ice cream every day for $4 at the ice cream truck, but you know, I just be lying to say that sometimes I don’t feel like, oh, should I be doing something else or more, and thinking through what that feels like and looks like in terms of having them want more for themselves and work for things instead of having things handed to them, is I think, as parents, especially like an older millennial, where my mom didn’t have as much to do for me, material wise, even though she said she spent so much time and energy with me, so I felt very spoiled in the ways of everything other than material items, right?

Jamila Souffrant 22:54

Like, how she spoke to me, how she believed in me, how she loved me, and what I find is if you kind of didn’t have that stuff, and now you’re in a position as a parent who has kids to have that stuff, you’re like, hey, the whole point is, so you don’t struggle, so here’s these things you want, but I definitely don’t want to be one of those parents, and we’re not so far that just we give them everything, I think there is, I learned it’s a new term to me, but it’s not a new term, the idea of a lawnmower parent, so I have heard of the helicopter parent before, where you’re hovering, you do, you’re doing everything for them, and you know you’re so protective. And then I heard somewhere else about lawnmower parenting, where before they even touch the grass, like you pick up every obstacle, every weed, you make the lane clear for them, so they don’t even get the kids, don’t even get to experience friction, or they don’t even get to develop resilience, because you haven’t allowed them to, you know, you don’t let them fail, you don’t even let them see like the problems because you’re fixing everything, and I’m like, oh yeah, okay, that’s that name that I knew, something like I see some parents do, maybe I’ve done before, and I’m like, oh, I don’t want to do that. They have to at this age. This is the perfect age for them to learn from their consequences, and I find that just this personal stage of my life that I’m in, I’m realizing the reason why it feels 80% is yes, I do a lot of me time, and I have some time to myself, but it is just parenting. It takes an emotional toll, and I think, though, we get to decide how much we take on, and I think I can do a better job of delegating to my kids, especially as they get older, because the goal is not to raise kids that are dependent on me until, you know, then they can’t do anything, but it’s to you know, have them start doing more for themselves, and to be more confident, and those are the things I’m going to work on this summer with them, and think through, but this is part of the reason why I feel like I can’t think of, like, work things, I can’t think of the next thing for Journey to Launch, because in those two hours. That I have. Sometimes I’m just like trying to think about how I can help my kids and what I can do to be a better mom, not by doing more for them, but by how can I facilitate like the things they’re interested in, how can I support them, how can I not be as critical, all those things. So I don’t know, as a parent, maybe you feel this way, but that’s the way I’m feeling it. It just feels like there’s a lot, and I don’t know if that it’s ever going to change, because they’re older now, but things have not gotten necessarily easier. I mean, in some ways they have, because they are a bit more independent than a baby or toddler, but I’m like, wow, what’s what’s it going to be like when they’re actual teenagers? That should be interesting. So, okay, that’s that’s personal. I feel like that I got a good amount of personal things out there to give you an update on what’s going on. Okay, work stuff. Let’s see what’s going on with work. Well, the podcast is still ticking along, you know. The actually well, Journey to Launch.

Jamila Souffrant 25:55

I started the blog in 2016 so 2000 2026 makes 10 years that Journey Solange has been here, and then the podcast was started a year later in 2017 and I’m always amazed that when I think about how long I’ve been doing this, like, wow, it doesn’t feel that long, but then I’m like, wow, it’s been a while, and so I have created so much content over the years, and when I was really in my hustle mode, I think it’s a goldmine of resources, whether it’s things I created, templates, Google Sheets, that have become not just calculators, I need to find a better word for it, but tools that whether I created it for my money launch club members when I had it, or for freebies, or for paid programs that I have, there’s so much, so much, and I know that if I would just have some time and I wanted to sit down and create or package it in a way, like there’s a lot here that could be helpful to you guys, and also to my bottom line, but I just haven’t had as much, again, like you heard, energy to do all that, and so I’m trying to figure out, like, what Journey to Launch looks like in the next coming year, or at least after I get out of the summer break, what it’s going to look like. One thing I’m excited about that I did finally do was release the Fire Calc. I’m actually so the Fire Calc, for anyone who doesn’t know and is new to the podcast or platform, it is a Google sheet that I created where it helps run scenarios for you. You can input your detailed information about your current assets, what you want your fi number to be, and then how much you invest year by year in different accounts, and I created this to help me figure out when I was working when I could reach financial independence, and I used it to show my husband, like, let’s get on board with this fi journey, so I can one day quit my job, and then I actually used it to quit my job because I wanted to see different scenarios of what it would look like if I stayed working and or quit my job and what if I had to get go back to work, like where would we end up, and so this what I call fire calc was something that I had in my arsenal of tools and it usually was packaged or came within the program, and then I thought to myself, I think this would be useful by itself. And so last year I did, I released a Fire Calc with a live class, because I was like, well, I want people to get the Fire Calc, but I want to walk them through and show them how to use it. And then I really discovered that when people did buy the Fire Calc, a lot of people didn’t come to the live class, so I was like, okay, maybe they don’t really care about the live class, they just want the tool, and so this past few weeks ago I released just the Fire Calc by itself with the replay and tutorials of how to use it, just for us for a standalone purchase, and so a lot of people got that. If you want to check it out, you can go to Journey to launch.com/fire Cal. Calc, that’s F I R E C A L C. I’m actually thinking of renaming it, though, because I don’t think the word calc does it justice. I had someone email me and say it’s just, is this just like the 25 times? You just like using the 25 times rule, like it’s that simple. You don’t like, why are you selling this? They didn’t say all that, but I think that’s what they were implying, and I’m like, no, no, no, it’s not. It’s not just a calculator, you just put in two things, and that’s it. It runs scenarios for you, it helps you plan your journey to financial independence and freedom.

Jamila Souffrant 29:33

And so I think I have to rename it at some point, so put it on my list of things to do that I’ll start working on, but I feel good that I got that accomplished, and there’s some other things I want to rework for people who join my email newsletter list, like just some ways that I can improve on just the sequence and emails that they get to help acclimate them to the world of Journey to Launch and financial independence, and so I’m just trying to figure. Do I really want to do that this summer, or should I just pick that up in the fall, and so thinking through things like that, but I really want to think about, but not too hard, because I don’t want to force it. I want to think about what the next evolution is, and next step for me is I find that things are so different from when I first started. I think the world is different, and I’m different. I’m different because I’m not willing, or I don’t have the capacity to hustle the way I did when I first started Journey to Launch. When I first started Journey to Launch, I wanted to be at everything. There was an event in the city that could help me meet someone, get on a show, I was there, or I was, you know, networking, and when it came to posting and sharing and creating content, like it felt good. So I did more of that, and what else changed? I feel like I was so eager, I think I had more to lose in the beginning because I was working still while doing Journey to Launch, and I was so motivated to be able to reach financial independence, and then when it switched to being able to quit my job, I wanted to be able to quit my job, so I had to make Journey to Launch work, and so I was doing all the things, and it felt good, like that friction, that hustle felt good, and so I did it, and I’m different now, because I, it just doesn’t feel good anymore. Posting, like, even, you know, I’m figuring out a way. I don’t know, I’m not really figuring it out, but I know that, okay, I have my Instagram journey to launch. I should probably, you know, post more, but I’ve kind of slowed down on that. I know I can find a way that probably feels good, like what type of content to post, but I just don’t feel like figuring out the algorithm and kind of tap dancing to get views and to get people to click, and I mean, and again, all this flows into this probably a better way, a more aligned way to do it, so, and I know I love when I see people online and it feels like they’re doing things like they’re doing their content in a way that looks and feels good for them. I’m like, yes, love it, but I just don’t feel like doing it right now. So that’s how I’ve changed, is my capacity and willingness, and I don’t want to say desperation, but I’m not as inclined to work as hard, and I think that’s the double-edged sword in becoming comfortable on your financial journey in reaching work flexibility, because in some regards, like, isn’t this what it’s for, is to get to a place where you’re not hustling, you don’t have to, you don’t feel like it, and then in other regards, I’m like, oh, I know there’s so much more I could be doing, and maybe helping, maybe you know, me being more out there and caring about going on shows and raising my hand and volunteering to do all, maybe that would help more people find me, which would help them, but I just don’t have the capacity and the passion in that way to do it, so I’m figuring out, like, what. How do I bring, and how do I show up? How do I do this in a way that feels good, and you know, hopefully this summer I’ll get some beams of light and some inspiration that helped me a bit more in terms of what that looks like moving forward, as of now, the podcast, from what I see, is still going to happen, still going on.

Jamila Souffrant 33:26

So we’re going to have episodes throughout the summer that there are probably a few few new episodes, and then the reruns that I have will be really good. So you should still tune into them. Let’s see what else is going on. You know, I did win a Plutus Award. I was recognized, so the Plutus Awards recognizes personal finance creators in space who are making just a difference in their community. So, thank you, Plutus Awards, for recognizing me. I’m pretty sure some other things have happened. Again, this is how I feel like I’ve changed, is because back then I would have known, like, all the mentions in media or request or things, and I just don’t, I like, I don’t remember them as much, because I don’t really see them as a marker of what I consider to be successful for myself, and that’s it’s not like a bad thing, I feel like I feel actually really good that I have decoupled like my day to day happiness from how others perceive journey to launch, like how you know how many downloads I have for the podcast, or how many follows, like I.. it’s just like that doesn’t matter to me as much anymore, or at all. So, in a way, that feels good, but in a way I’m just like, hmm, should I be.. is there something else? And so I’m open to the possibilities. The book, Your Journey to Financial Freedom, the paperback, did come out earlier this year, in January, and you know it’s been consistently selling well, the hardcover, the paperback. You know, I feel good that you know people are consistently buying it every week, and here and there I get the feedback. If you did read the book, what would be. Helpful to me is to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. I feel like, why aren’t there more reviews? So, go to Amazon or Goodreads to leave a review that I read those reviews, and even for the podcast. Again, when I started the podcast, I was begging you all for reviews, and I got so many great reviews, or just feedback, and again I don’t really ask for as much, you might hear the kind of ad for it that I just put in every episode to leave a message, but those are some of the things I would have been hustling to do or done in the past that I’m not doing as much anymore, but trust me, the feedback, the DMs, the reviews, I do read them. I, it does matter to me, because I see that my work is still needed, and you still want it, and you still care. So, don’t ever think that, oh, you know, like, oh, she’s fine. I mean, no, it’s good to kind of have a two-way conversation to hear what you guys think too. So, continue to do that, and, and share, or leave a review if you find that my content has ever helped you, that will be a gift to me. All right, so I’m trying to think if there’s anything else I’m missing. I tried to take notes, I didn’t want this to be rambly. I think I did a pretty good job, I think, but I hope you enjoyed this update. It’s been kind of long overdue. Stay tuned. So again, go if you’re not on my newsletter list, go to go to Journey to launch.com I do have like freebies where you can sign up, and then you’ll be on my newsletter list, so you can keep in touch with if there are going to be any updates or things I’m doing in the summer and or fall, or just new projects that might be that might come about that might be useful to you, and that’s where probably, if I do launch anything, whether it’s coaching and or one on one or group coaching, will most likely be shared on my newsletter with my newsletter list first, and typically those will be just limited spots, because as you can see, I’m prioritizing my season of me and family, so if you want to be the first to know when I do open up spots for coaching, then make sure you’re on my list.

Jamila Souffrant 37:10

Journey to launch.com/join If you want to check out the fire calc again, gotta think of a think I have some names that I can change it to, but if you want to check out the fire calc and just get started, and mapping out your personal finance, your financial independence journey. Go to Journey to launch.com/fire Calc. If you want to check the book out, because you have not done so yet, you can go to Your Journey to Financial freedom.com If you enjoyed this episode, please share that with me. I’m on at Journey to Launch at Jamila Souffrant, take a screenshot or just share. Send me a note. I do my best to reply when I can. And until next time, keep on journeying, journeyers. Don’t forget, you can get the episode show notes for this episode by going to Journey to launch.com or click the description of wherever you’re listening to this, and you can still grab your Jumpstart guide for free to help you on your journey to financial freedom by going to Journey to launch.com/jumpstart if you want to support me and the podcast and love the free content and information that you get here. Here are four ways that you can support me in the show: one, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast wherever you listen, whether that’s Apple Podcasts, that purple app on your phone, your Android device, YouTube, Spotify, wherever it is that you happen to listen. Just subscribe, so you are not missing an episode. And if you’re happening to listen to this in Apple Podcasts, rate, review, and subscribe there. I appreciate and read every single review. Number two, follow me on my social media accounts. I’m at Journey to Launch on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and I love, love, love interacting with journeyers there. Three, support and check out the sponsors of this show. If you hear something that interests you, sponsors are the main ways we keep the podcast lights on here, so show them some love for supporting your girl, four and last but not least, share this episode, this podcast with a friend or family member or coworker, so that we can spread the message of Journey to Launch. All right, that’s it until next week. Keep on journeying, journeyers,

Unknown Speaker 39:16

you

Transcribed by https://otter.ai