Are you ready for a dose of real talk and raw inspiration? Join Lisa Zeiderman and Precious Williams, co-hosts of the Power of the Ask Podcast, for a unique episode where they turn the tables and interview each other!

In this episode, Precious takes center stage. She doesn’t hold back as she shares her incredible journey from a challenging childhood in St. Louis to a nationally recognized speaker and sales trainer. Hear how she overcame adversity, including homelessness and personal loss, to build a thriving business and become a voice for the voiceless. Discover the turning point when Precious realized that “asking was breaking the cycle of silence, guilt, and shame” that held her back for years.

This discussion will inspire you to:

• Embrace Resilience: Learn how Precious bounced back from rock bottom, again and again.
• Find Your Voice: Discover the power of communication and authentic self-expression.
• Build a Support Network: Hear why having a trusted circle is crucial for success.
• Transform Pain Into Purpose: Be inspired by Precious’s commitment to helping others.

Stay tuned for the next episode where Lisa Zeiderman shares her powerful story!

Important Links:
Savvy Ladies
Precious Williams' LinkedIn
Lisa Zeiderman's LinkedIn

Join us this month on the Power of the Ask Podcast as we sit down with real estate mogul and award-winning author Krisstina Wise. Krisstina shares her incredible journey from humble beginnings to building multi-million dollar ventures like The Paperless Agent and WealthyWellthy.

After a life-threatening health crisis forced her to re-evaluate her definition of success, Krisstina discovered the importance of balancing wealth with well-being. She talks about how she transformed her approach to business and life by prioritizing her health and creating a life of true prosperity. Tune in to learn more about:

• Feminine Financial Power: Krisstina explains her approach to financial education, empowering women to take control of their finances and achieve independence.
• The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Discover if you have the “wiring” of an entrepreneur and what it truly takes to succeed in business.
• What “Enough” Means: Learn practical strategies for determining your financial goals and finding contentment without constantly moving the goalposts.
• The Power of Routine: How creating systems for healthy eating, exercise, and self-care can transform your life.
• Rediscovering Your Power: Krisstina shares how understanding your finances can unlock a deeper sense of personal power and freedom.
• The Importance of Asking: Why getting comfortable with asking for what you need is crucial for women, both personally and financially.

Tune in to discover how to align your health and wealth — and create a life of abundance and purpose.

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About Krisstina Wise:

Krisstina Wise is a real estate mogul, award-winning author, and creator of multi-million-dollar ventures like Goodlife Luxury, The Paperless Agent, and WealthyWellthy. After a life-threatening health crisis in 2013, she now empowers others to achieve extraordinary wealth and health through innovative education and insights. Featured in USA TODAY and recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders, Krisstina shares her journey and strategies on her WealthyWellthy Life podcast and Millionaire Masterclass.

Important Links:
Savvy Ladies
Precious Williams' LinkedIn
Lisa Zeiderman's LinkedIn
Krisstina Wise's LinkedIn

Discover how a former Wall Street executive found resilience and purpose by embracing ESG investing and prioritizing personal values. In this episode of “The Power of the Ask,” Nirupa Umapathy shares her inspiring journey from the high-pressure world of finance to a life grounded in joy and creativity.

A former Managing Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Whitebox Advisors, she was known for executing complex deals in structured credit markets. After leaving finance in 2017, she redesigned her life and founded Salons for Life, which empowers individuals to be agents of compassionate change throught art and storytelling.

Join Nirupa and Co-Hosts Lisa Zeiderman and Precious Williams as they discuss:

• Transcending Trauma: Hear how she overcame challenging experiences from her upbringing in India and demanding work environments to cultivate deep self-compassion and build a strong, supportive community.
• AlignIng Investments With Values: Learn how she incorporates ESG principles into her portfolio, prioritizing companies with ethical leadership and sustainable practices – without sacrificing financial performance.
• Redesigning a Life Around Joy: Uncover the secrets to creating a life that prioritizes well-being, creativity, and making a positive impact on the world.

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About Nirupa:

Nirupa Umapathy is an independent ESG-focused investor, writer, facilitator, and classical Pilates teacher. A former Managing Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Whitebox Advisors, she was known for executing complex deals in structured credit markets. After leaving finance in 2017, she redesigned her life around joy and creativity.

Nirupa founded Salons for Life, a community fostering connection through unstructured play, and writes on empowered transitions. She also curates a unique alternatives portfolio, drawing on her financial expertise. Nirupa holds a B.A. in Anthropology and Economics from Smith College.

Important Links:
Savvy Ladies
Precious Williams' LinkedIn
Lisa Zeiderman's LinkedIn
Nirupa Umapathy LinkedIn

In this episode of “The Power of the Ask,” Precious Williams and Lisa Zeiderman explore the world of financial confidence with Jen Hemphill, an accredited financial counselor and the host of the podcast “Her Dinero Matters.” Jen shares her journey of becoming a financial counselor, shaped as a military spouse. Her interest in finances developed from managing her household budget and receiving guidance from her husband. After enrolling in the FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship Program, she became an accredited financial counselor and embraced entrepreneurship to build a flexible career.

Jen’s childhood in Colombia, marked by financial hardship, profoundly shaped her perspective on money. She believes understanding your “money story” is crucial for breaking free from negative patterns and building financial confidence. For Jen, financial confidence is a mindset — trusting your ability to make sound financial decisions, learning from setbacks, and committing to lifelong financial education. She cautions listeners that without this confidence, you could remain stuck, unable to take the necessary steps to improve your financial well-being.

Join Jen, Precious, and Lisa as they discuss:

• Common financial pitfalls, including failing to plan for occasional expenses and not knowing your true bottom line.
• The impact of mindset and how our beliefs about money influence our financial habits, as well as how to shift those beliefs for greater success.
• The power of asking! Why it’s crucial for women to advocate for themselves financially and ask the right questions to achieve their goals.

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About Jen Hemphill:

Jen Hemphill, is a seasoned Accredited Financial Counselor dedicated to empowering others on their journey to financial confidence. After facing financial challenges, Jen began sharing her experiences and insights through her podcast, book, events, and speaking engagements.

Her passion lies in helping people navigate the complexities of personal finance, transforming their financial confidence to positively impact every area of their lives.

Important Links:
Savvy Ladies
Precious Williams' LinkedIn
Lisa Zeiderman's LinkedIn
Jen Hemphill's LinkedIn

In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, this episode of the Savvy Ladies Power the Ask podcast focuses on the often-overlooked issue of financial abuse. We rarely hear about it, but it's a devastating reality for many — and often intertwined with physical and emotional abuse.

Join us as we welcome back Mayra Alejandra Garcia of Debt-Free Latina, a certified financial coach who achieved financial independence overcoming $21,000 in debt. Get ready for a candid conversation about:

• Understanding Financial Abuse: Learn to recognize the red flags and subtle signs of financial abuse, whether you're married or in a committed partnership.
• Finding Support: Discover how to break free from the cycle of abuse, seek help from professionals, and regain control of your financial life.
• Empowerment Through Financial Literacy: Understand why financial knowledge is crucial for women, providing the confidence and tools to ask for what we need and deserve.

If you or someone you know is experiencing financial abuse, you're not alone. Savvy Ladies is here to help, offering resources and support to empower you on your journey to financial freedom.

About Mayra Alejandra García:

Mayra Alejandra García was born and grew up in East Los Angeles, CA. She moved to Laveen, AZ, a Phoenix suburb, with her husband and two children and started living the American dream, including getting into debt. By 2010, her family had credit card debt, student loans, two car loans and a house they couldn’t afford. Mayra got serious and developed a budget and strategic plan. They sold their house and moved into a small apartment, and within 17 months they had paid everything off. They were then able to purchase their current home with a 20% down payment and a 15-year mortgage. With hard work and by following a budget, Mayra transformed her life from significant debt to financial expertise. Living debt-free has increased their net worth and given them financial independence. In 2017, Mayra was able to leave her career in media and train as a certified financial coach. She’s been teaching determined individuals and families how to organize their finances and become debt free with practical strategies ever since.

Important Links:
Savvy Ladies
Precious Williams' LinkedIn
Lisa Zeiderman's LinkedIn
Mayra Alejandra García LinkedIn

This episode of the Power of the Ask podcast features Mayra Alejandra García, certified Financial Coach and founder of Debt Free Latina, a website dedicated to empowering and motivating families to gain control of their money, bid farewell to debt, and watch their net worth soar. Mayra shares her inspiring journey from being $21,000 in debt to becoming financially free in just 17 months and her passion for working to help other families find the same freedom.

Growing up in a bicultural, bilingual household in East LA helped shape Mayra’s outlook on finances. She learned from her father the critical difference between offering a hand up and a hand out and emphasizes the importance of helping family without enabling dependency.

What she didn’t learn was how to talk about money and to plan and budget for spending. That, Mayra notes, was the hardest lesson. When she found herself stressed about significant debt in 2010, she didn’t know where to start. So she grabbed the tools she had – a piece of paper and pen – and wrote every debt out. In the next 17 months, using Mayra’s rudimentary budget, the family paid off its debt and was able to move from a small apartment to a new home. Since then, her family has remained debt free. In 2017, she followed her heart to become a certified financial coach, offering her own cash flow plan sheet, one-on-one coaching and financial literacy resources on her website, DebtFreeLatina.com.

The website was a passion project for Mayra. When she couldn’t find the resources she needed online, she decided to create them herself, starting a blog about budgeting, empowering and motivating families to become debt-free and build wealth.

“I know the struggle,” she shares. “I know that people may feel lost in that position, and that's where I love to help. My debt-free lifestyle enables me to focus my passion on helping other families.”

But it’s not just about a budget. Mayra concludes by explaining that it all comes down to having a written plan with a goal and specific ways to reach it. Start with small steps, she shares, like saving or cutting out impulse buying. While she says it will take hard work and time, the financial freedom is worth the effort.

About Mayra Alejandra García:

Mayra Alejandra García was born and grew up in East Los Angeles, CA. She moved to Laveen, AZ, a Phoenix suburb, with her husband and two children and started living the American dream, including getting into debt. By 2010, her family had credit card debt, student loans, two car loans and a house they couldn’t afford. Mayra got serious and developed a budget and strategic plan. They sold their house and moved into a small apartment, and within 17 months they had paid everything off. They were then able to purchase their current home with a 20% down payment and a 15-year mortgage. With hard work and by following a budget, Mayra transformed her life from significant debt to financial expertise. Living debt-free has increased their net worth and given them financial independence. In 2017, Mayra was able to leave her career in media and train as a certified financial coach. She’s been teaching determined individuals and families how to organize their finances and become debt free with practical strategies ever since.

Important Links:
Savvy Ladies
Precious Williams' LinkedIn
Lisa Zeiderman's LinkedIn
Mayra Alejandra García LinkedIn

On this episode of “The Power of the Ask,” financial services veteran Tina Powell joins co-hosts Lisa and Precious for an inspiring conversation about her personal and professional journey. Tina is the Chief of Community at Intention.ly, a growth engine design firm transforming the way fintech and finserv organizations approach growth, and the founder and former CEO of C-Suite Social Media.

Growing up, Tina watched her single mother juggle two jobs to make ends meet, which inspired her to pursue her own financial empowerment through education and a career in wealth management. She credits her aunt, an estate planning attorney and the first in her family to earn a law degree, with setting an early example of what she could become in spite of her family’s financial instability. Tina also touches on the positive impact of male allies in an industry like financial services, and emphasizes her passion for building community through her work.

Tina also opens up about her recent battle with stage four lung cancer, stressing the importance of seeking help and support in dealing with life’s challenges, whether they’re health related, financial, or personal, and shares her approach to mindfulness and staying present during difficult times.

During the episode, Tina:

• Offers guidance and inspiration for those experiencing challenges, particularly to seek help and build community
• Shares her approach to remaining mindful and present during difficult times
• Emphasizes the power of the ask: “If you don’t ask, you don’t get”

Throughout the episode, Tina’s passion for her work at Intention.ly and empowering the next generation of financial services talent shines through. She draws inspiration from seeing young professionals succeed and from witnessing the positive impact of her work on others.

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About Tina Powell:

Tina Powell is a trailblazer in the digital marketing industry, with over 20 years of experience driving growth for financial services companies. As the Chief of Community at Intentionly, she works alongside CEO and Co-Founder Kelly Waltrich, revolutionizing how financial technology and services companies approach marketing. Tina’s track record of delivering results for her clients led to her founding C-Suite Social Media, a high-growth digital marketing agency that Intentional.ly later acquired.

Her passion for helping financial services companies thrive in the digital age is further demonstrated through her industry-renowned podcast, In The Suite, where she spotlights the careers and leadership of mid to senior-level women in the financial services industry. Tina earned a Master’s from NYU in Graphic Communications Management and Technology and the NYU Prism Alumni Achievement Award. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management, magna cum laude, from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Important Links:
Savvy Ladies
Precious Williams' LinkedIn
Lisa Zeiderman's LinkedIn
Tina Powell's LinkedIn

This episode of the Power of the Ask podcast features Bonnie Wan, AdAge 2022 Chief Strategy Officer of the Year, partner and Head of Brand Strategy at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and the bestselling author of “The Life Brief.”

An immigrant from Taiwan who lived in both Los Angeles and New York City, Bonnie has always been fascinated by human behavior, by what drives people, and by what fuels their purpose. That curiosity led to her transformative roles in branding and strategy and to develop the “Life Brief,” a creative brief that helps people find clarity about their life goals and navigate challenges with purpose.

For many people, the idea of transformation brings images of giant leaps, but Bonnie suggests small changes that can be implemented every day to help create forward momentum. Bonnie has written briefs to fit all aspects of life, from marriage to leadership to finances. She notes that the practice of being very clear and connected to your innermost truth about what you want and what matters most at each stage of your life will help you navigate through that compass.

In the financial realm, that means asking the right questions. As a strategist, Bonnie says questions are her best friends. Her first wealth brief question is, ‘What is enough?’ The second is, ‘What do you want to be rich in?’ Bonnie believes the power of the ask is important to women, especially financially. She declares, “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.” She concludes by saying women need to know what they’re worth, what’s sacred and what’s worth fighting for. That kind of clarity allows them to pivot their careers and their asks in different ways when the time calls.

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About Bonnie Wan:

Bonnie Wan is Partner and Head of Brand Strategy at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and the bestselling author of “The Life Brief.” AdAge named her the 2022 Chief Strategy Officer of the Year and a 2023 Leading Woman for reaching new heights in an ever-changing marketing landscape. A career brand strategist, Bonnie has spent more than 30 years working with companies to articulate the essence of who they are and has transformed this practice into a creative brief for her life and a personal development strategy for individuals — “The Life Brief.” Bonnie’s creative brief has grown from an agency talk into a workbook, keynote talks and workshops, and, in 2024, a book.

“The Life Brief: A Playbook for No-Regrets Living” is a USA Today bestseller and Amazon Best Book of the Year 2024. Modeled after the creative brief, a tool used by many innovative companies to unlock clarity and unleash action, The Life Brief carves a path for living with intention and imagination.

Today, Bonnie teaches others how to get clear, get creative, and get courageous about living without regret through her keynote talks, workshops and retreats. And thanks to the clarity she found in her own Life Brief, Bonnie answered her desire to spend more time with her husband, four kids and dog Charlie.

Important Links:
Savvy Ladies
Precious Williams' LinkedIn
Lisa Zeiderman's LinkedIn
Bonnie Wan's LinkedIn