Black women and money are not often spoken of in the same sentence. There are so many negative mindsets or pieces of emotional baggage that we black women carry surrounding money that have to be changed. Thankfully, we have some sisters who have been down that road ahead of us and are willing to help. Kara Stevens is one of those women. She’s done the hard work of changing her own mindset to facilitate a different way of dealing with and earning money. In this conversation, Rosetta and Kara talk about the baggage and mindsets that hold Black Women back and chart a way forward. You’ll want to hear this one.
The emotional hurdles surrounding money have got to be overcome.
Too many times we black women are living our lives according to beliefs and emotional baggage that no longer apply. Kara Stevens shares how as a child her dominant belief about men and money was that men cannot be trusted with money. She had to do a lot of self-examination and personal work to overcome the negative beliefs she had around money and realized on her path to healing that she was learning things that many of her sisters needed to know. It wasn’t long before she was beginning to speak about what she was learning and in time it created a business that empowers black women to think and live differently in relationship to money. You can find out how Kara has walked that path and has come to such a healthy place, on this episode.
It’s a form of self-love to ask for a reasonable payment for your services.
One of the things Kara had to realize as she began examining her beliefs and practices surrounding money was that she was scared to ask for a significant payment for the services she was providing people. But a revelation that changed her entire approach to the topic was that it is actually a form of self-love to ask for reasonable payment for your services. It’s not greedy. It’s not unkind. It’s right for you and right for those you are serving. And ultimately it enables you to provide for yourself and your family as you should. Kara shares many insights like this during this conversation with Rosetta so take the time to listen.
Saving money is great. But you need to switch to thinking about earning more money.
Every financial planner or coach advises that you set up a way to consistently save money. That’s great. Kara Stevens, Rosetta’s guest on this episode does as well. But she also points out that at some point you need to get past the fundamental principle of saving money and begin to move toward the possibility of making more money. There are two ways to approach meeting your needs, and making more money is surely the more fun and liberating way of the two. Kara gives some great advice about how you can get your mind around the idea and what you can do to begin moving in that direction, on this episode.
If you can’t find the money to invest in yourself, nobody else will.
It’s hard to think about spending money for self-improvement options such as coaching or training when you don’t have much money to spend. But you will eventually come to the point where you realize that nobody else is going to spend the time, make the effort, or invest the money in your growth. You have to do it. So you need to find a way to maximize your ability to save and make money so that you can equip yourself with the mindset and skills it will take to get your life moving in a different direction. You can learn a lot about this sort of personal development mindset switch on this episode of Happy Black Woman.
Outline of this great episode
- [0:30] Rosetta’s introduction of her guest, Kara Stevens.
- [2:30] How Kara connected with Rosetta through the blogging school and built her business from there.
- [5:45] How Kara has enjoyed the support and equipping she’s received.
- [7:18] The moment when Kara realized she should build her business.
- [10:30] The basics black women need to understand to move toward financial health.
- [16:40] Mindset changes Kara had to make as an adult.
- [31:56] The one book that has inspired Kara the most.
- [34:31] The best way to connect with Kara.
- [35:15] The 5 Day Financial Reset Plan – a free resource (on Kara’s site).
Resources & Links mentioned in this episode
About KARA STEVENS
Kara Stevens is a content creator and founder The Frugal Feminista.com, an online home that helps women all over the world radically transform their lives through financial empowerment and personal development. Through speaking and training, she provides high-level support to women who want to be happy, wealthy, and brave. Kara loves all things theatre, writing, and powerful art. She is a homebody and loves a good nap. She spends a lot of her free time daydreaming, yuckin’ it up with her girlfriends, and figuring out how to take over the world.
Tweets you can use to share this episode
“Release and detach from every person, every circumstance, every condition, and every situation that no longer serves a divine purpose in your life. All things have a season, and all seasons must come to an end. Choose a new season, filled with purposeful thoughts and activities.” – Iyanla Vanzant
“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell
Rosetta Thurman is a nationally-recognized author, speaker, mentor and coach dedicated to helping women create their ideal lives.