You want to be successful. I want you to be successful. Which means we are going to have to talk about money. 

Yeah, we all deal with money every day of our lives. We're faced with endless decisions regarding how to make money, how to spend it, and then how to get even more. Money is so prevalent in our lives that we often take our understanding of how it works for granted. 

And that issue is at the core of why so many people struggle to manage their money to build wealth. 

But don't worry! You're here now, and I'm going to teach you everything I know about money, how it works, and how to turn money into wealth.

Money Is Not a Commodity
To really get a handle on how money works, you first must understand that money - capital - is not a commodity. 

Bread is a commodity. Gold is a commodity. Rubber, oil, hay, work - these are all commodities. A commodity is a finite asset that can be used in trade, even leveraged as currency with a standard trade value. 

But money is not limited. Money is infinite, its trade is infinite, and the possibility for wealth in a capital-based society is infinite. Money is infinite because it represents the potential for business transactions, which is unlimited. That is why money is so powerful. 

So stop thinking of money as a finite resource. Money is more than a commodity, it is a promise. Wherever there is potential, there can be money. You have potential, don't you?

Money Flows
Money flows like water. And, like water, money flows predictably along observable routes. 

Understanding this one, all-important fact can completely alter your learned money mindset. 

You were probably taught that people make money; that if you work hard, perform a valuable service, or whatever, then you'll be able to make money. So you went out to make money the way most people do: find a job, start a business, take on a side hustle. But you're still broke. No matter how hard you work, you never seem to have money.

When is the last time you just made water? Yes, water is everywhere. You can find little bits of it bottled up in convenient places here or there. Or you can hike down to the stream, follow it to the river, ride that current down to the lake. 

When you look at it this way, you have three choices. One, you could keep working at making money out of thin air. Two, you can find some of those convenient locations where little bits of money are bottled up for trade...if you have enough to trade for it. Or three, you figure out where it's already flowing and build a dam. 

​It's up to you.

There Are Things Money Can't Buy
​Money can't buy you love. It can't buy back lost time. Money can't buy you happiness. 

What money can buy is stability. It can buy you comfort, influence, and certainty. With enough money you can buy the solution to most of your external problems. Which is why having money can look so glamorous. 

Just be aware of what money can buy, and what it can't. That way you can set your financial goals to the tune of solutions to the problems that could keep you from achieving success. That way you'll never gain things you think you want at the expense of  the things you really need.

Money Is Not the Measure of Value
Since there are so many important things that money can't buy, it follows that there are many things that are more valuable than money.

The most important of these is experience. 

You simply cannot put a price on experience. Especially if it's the kind of experience with the power to change your life for the better. Any time you can afford to trade dollars for experience, take it. 

Money Does Not Equal Wealth
​What does all of this mean? Well, the moral of the story is this: being wealthy, affluent, rich, is a lot more than having money. It's being healthy, finding love, living your purpose. 

Money is important, but it's only a single component of success. To be truly successful, you'll have to learn to keep money in its place. 

If you've been following my advice for a while, I certainly hope it's changed your life. That is the goal! But, whether you've just found me and you're wondering what qualifies me to tell you how to achieve your goals and reach your ultimate success, or you've been around for a while and just want to know who I am, you deserve answers. 

​And you'll find them here. 

I'm a Family Woman
I'm a proud mama to my three wildly hilarious children and very happily married to my best friend. Mike and I met a million years ago, back when I was a freshman in college. He was my first boyfriend. I was so hopeless when I noticed him that I had to Google how to flirt. 

Let me tell you, 2006 Cosmo led me astray! 

​After failing to flirt miserably, I resigned myself to a life of loneliness. a couple weeks later, Mike and I found ourselves wrapped up in a conversation that was so interesting, we had to continue it over tennis. then over a walk in the park. Then over hot chocolate. Yep, it's still going.

Perhaps the most important thing to know about me is that I'm all about family. Family first - period. 

I'm an Entrepreneur
I started my first business in third grade. Turning my classwork into origami, I sold enough paper trinkets to my classmates to buy a lawn mower. I spent that whole summer trekking my push mower and a five-gallon gas can around the city of San Antonio, Texas. By the end of that summer I was making more than both my parents combined. I made enough to buy my family a car and move us into an apartment in a safer neighborhood. 

​Entrepreneurship is in my bones. 

I took my natural business acumen for granted for a long time. My old habit of believing that if I can do it, anyone can made me belittle my early accomplishments. After a few years in my "dream job" however, I realized that owning my business, time, and money offered incredible freedom. 

I launched my digital marketing agency, What's the Word Digital, in 2017. It took less than a year at the helm of that business to pay off all my debt and buy my dream house in the middle of the forest. Now, aside from building What's the Word, I work hard to 

I'm Not Afraid to Get Political
Growing up in poverty, it became clear to me at an early age that the only thing standing between me and an even worse life was politics. I started knocking on doors for local and federal candidates in fifth grade. After years of activism, I threw my hat in the ring for the first time back in 2018. At eight months pregnant with my third baby, I was on the ballot for state legislature. 

Two years later, I was asked to run for U.S. Congress. I've never been so far outside my comfort zone, but I did it. 

I am not a member of Congress. Still, the decision to step into the world of fundraising, debate, and public speaking was the best decision I ever made. For months I lived in a constant struggle with fear - fear of failure, fear of being seen, fear of trying new things I didn't know anything about. I learned so much about myself.

And I learned that being able to tap into a crowd and deliver a message straight to people's hearts is a power strong enough to change the world.

​So, if you're afraid of public speaking, let that fear go. If you like to connect with one person at a time, you'll love being a conduit between hundreds. 

I'm a Trekkie
I mean, if I'm being honest, I'm an all-around science fiction nerd.

And no, I am not above spending months working creating a costume then driving for hours for a great comic/gamecon.

I'm a Survivor
At nineteen years old I was homeless, a high school drop-out, and a single parent to my four younger siblings. I had no friends, no family, and certainly no money. Through no fault of my own, I had hit absolute rock bottom. 

But here's the thing about "fault": it doesn't matter. Fault doesn't matter because no matter why you're living less than your best life, you are the only person in the world who is responsible for making sure you reach your greatest potential. 

Realizing that the first step to living my own legend was taking responsibility for writing it changed my life. I immediately went from high school drop-out to student at a Big Ten university. I paid for it by landing my dream job in the editorial department at one of the largest publishers in the world. I married my best friend, bought my first house, and healed the old wounds that had held me back all my life - all within the first few years of taking control of my life. 

​Now, over a decade after deciding to break the cycle of poverty and trauma that defined my family for generations, I've achieved more than I ever dreamed of. And, like my grandpa used to say, "When you wake up one day and realize there is nothing more you could ask for, that's when the dream is no longer yours to achieve. That's when the dream becomes yours to protect."

Which is why I've decided to share everything I've learned over the years to help others - you - ​overcome doubt, let go of excuses, and realize your epic potential.

Business is my favorite hobby. Lucky me! It also happens to be a lucrative. Luckier me! I happen to be good at it. I'll talk about strategies for realizing your greatest potential in your career. 

Money moves like water. I will help you develop a positive, masterful relationship with money, as that it necessary to living a legendary life. 

Tips and reviews on best ways to promote your own happiness and wellbeing. Personal fulfillment tends to get lost in the grind of building your empire and nurturing your relationships. But you will be at your best if you take care of yourself first. 

Tips and exposes on how to make your marriage or romantic relationship last by keeping it healthy through mindfulness. 

I will give advice on free-range parenting to promote entrepreneurship, leadership, and intrinsically motivated cooperation - in other words, parenting developing adults in a thoughtful, nurturing way. 

What to expect from the Book Club - 1 post per week.