Up Close and Personal with Ernesto Segismundo

Summary

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Private Practice Startup Podcast

Episode: Up Close and Personal with Ernesto Segismundo

Hosts: Dr. Kate Campbell & Katie Lemieux
Guest: Ernesto Segismundo, LMFT
Date: November 12, 2019

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Episode Overview

In this engaging "Up Close and Personal" episode, the Private Practice Startup hosts, Kate Campbell and Katie Lemieux, take a deep dive into the personal and professional life of Ernesto Segismundo, a licensed marriage and family therapist, entrepreneur, and founder of Filmit.com. Selected by audience votes for this series, Ernesto opens up about his colorful childhood, family dynamics, entrepreneurial journey, the profound impact of losing his mother, and his personal views on money, business, and living authentically.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ernesto’s Roots: Childhood & Culture

[03:03-08:12]

• Background: Born in the Philippines, raised in Kauai, Hawaii. Ernesto describes a laid-back island upbringing where education was not a priority for him, despite it being highly valued in his family.
• Teen years: Struggled with focus due to ADHD; often in detention.
  • “You know those kids where you're sent to detention?...That was me.” [03:03, Ernesto]
• Family Structure: Second youngest, with three sisters (whom he pranked mercilessly) and an adopted older brother.
• Prankster nature: Ernesto shares mischievous tales involving soy sauce in hair spray and shaving cream in shampoo.

2. Influence of Culture and Family

[07:24-13:25]

• Filipino Culture: Boys are doted upon (“The boys never do anything wrong. Never ever.” [11:41, Ernesto]).
• Sibling Dynamics: Ernesto reveals light-hearted rivalry and pranks with his sisters.
• Most Embarrassing Story: Shared a school incident where he pantsed a friend, to his family’s mortification.

3. Pivotal Moments: Death of Ernesto’s Mother

[13:32-18:43]

• Profound Loss: Ernesto’s mom passed away suddenly while preparing for his birthday; he reflects on holding her funeral on his birthday and the deep impact this had.
• Life Perspective: Her death became a catalyst for a richer, fuller life and a reevaluation of what truly matters.
  • “In her death, I found life. I learned how to live. Everything just became richer and fuller.” [14:25, Ernesto]

4. Authenticity and Living "Out of the Box"

[18:43-20:33]

• Online Presence: Hosts mention Ernesto’s relatable posts about his dad, food, and travel.
• Past as a Performer: Appeared on MTV's “Say What? Karaoke,” with a phase as a hip hop dancer.
  • “You will see this Filipino kid with red hair doing backflips on stage.” [20:21, Ernesto]

5. Addictions, Joys, and Indulgences

[23:18-26:48]

• Starbucks Obsession: Noted for frequent food and coffee posts.
• Material Joys: Shoes, electronics (five drones!), gambling (maintains a “Vegas fund” and openly discusses using money for joy).
• Losses: Talks about losing a drone to the ocean and having $12,000-worth of equipment stolen in Canada.
  • “I have a bank account on the side that has Vegas funds.” [25:07, Ernesto]

6. Launching Filmit.com and Video’s Power in Private Practice

[28:43-30:39]

• Origin Story: Inspired by the real estate industry’s use of video marketing, Ernesto created his own therapy promo video, leading to rapid client growth and the birth of Filmit.com.
• Impact: Video became a powerful tool for practice growth, a trend he encourages other therapists to embrace.

7. Overcoming Money Shame & Therapy’s Value

[30:39-34:26]

• Money Trauma: Raised in a culture where therapists should provide services for free, compounded by family stories of negative cash flow.
  • “The money shaming has a lot to do with taking the money as a mental health professional...there's a lot of shame involved.” [31:37, Ernesto]
• Therapeutic Growth: Used counseling to address money shame; now helps others notice their own emotional reactions to financial conversations.
  • “If you start stuttering...let's talk about that. That could be the key to your wealth building journey.” [33:00, Ernesto]

8. Money Mindset, Abundance, and Celebrating Wins

[34:26-37:16]

• Rewarding Yourself: Learned to embrace spending on experiences, not just things.
  • “Now I'm addicted to experiences of life…I love art, I took communion at the Vatican, saw the art of Michelangelo.” [36:13, Ernesto]
• Hosts’ Perspectives: Open sharing by Kate and Katie about overcoming scarcity mindsets and celebrating abundance.

9. Work-Life Integration, Alignment & Purpose

[37:16-41:52]

• Global “Office”: Ernesto speaks to building a life of freedom, where business and life blend seamlessly.
  • “My office is the world.” [37:33, Ernesto]
• Loss & Authentic Living: Death of his mother deepened his appreciation for relationships; encourages alignment between business and personal values.
  • “The more that your business reflects your value system, the more your world becomes enhanced.” [39:34, Ernesto]
• Empowerment: Pushes listeners to ask, “Does your business make you happy?”

10. Looking Ahead: Expansions & New Projects

[42:01-43:34]

• Practice Growth: Planning to expand his group practice, Kat Family Therapy, and to bring CEU conferences to attractive destinations for work and family.
  • “I want to create CEU conferences in places where you can take your families.” [43:00, Ernesto]

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Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “In her death, I found life. Everything just became richer and fuller.”
  [14:25, Ernesto]
• “You are a mental health provider. Why are you charging 175, $200?...so there’s a lot of shame involved.”
  [31:37, Ernesto]
• “My office is the world.”
  [37:33, Ernesto]
• “I love shoes. I don't like other people's feet...feet on my head, on my face.”
  [47:19, Ernesto] (Lightning round, humorous moment)
• “Peppermint mocha with whipped cream. Grande.”
  [46:46, Ernesto] (On his favorite Starbucks drink)

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Noteworthy Segments (Timestamps)

• Childhood stories and sibling pranks: [03:03-11:33]
• Mother’s influence and loss: [13:32-18:43]
• Online persona & MTV hip hop background: [18:43-20:46]
• Drones, gadgets, and gambling: [23:38-26:48]
• Promotional video success & Filmit.com origin: [28:43-30:39]
• Money shame and therapy industry challenges: [30:39-34:26]
• Work-life integration and meaning: [37:16-41:52]
• Future visions for group practice and CEU retreats: [42:01-43:34]
• Lightning round (fun facts and quirks): [43:48-49:54]

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Lightning Round Highlights

• Battle Animal: “A fricking giraffe...their necks and their heads actually become their weapon.” [44:07, Ernesto]
• Quirky Food Habit: “Doritos with chopped jalapenos in the bag...it's freaking heavenly.” [45:41, Ernesto]
• Pumpkin spice lattes?: “Hell to the freaking no.” [46:38, Ernesto]
• Biggest Fear: “I don't like other people's feet...feet on my head, on my face.” [47:19, Ernesto]
• Favorite Netflix/Prime series: “How the Universe is Made” and “Finding Bigfoot.” [48:14-49:02, Ernesto]

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Takeaways for Private Practitioners

• Authenticity breeds connection: Let your quirks show—clients and colleagues connect with the real you.
• Video is powerful: Harness it for marketing and authentic self-presentation.
• Money mindset matters: Seek counseling for money shame; embrace abundance and reward yourself.
• Align business and life: True integration brings joy and freedom—build a practice that reflects your values.
• Embrace the journey: Even loss and setbacks can lead to profound personal growth and business innovation.

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Final Thoughts

This episode is an honest, inspirational, and humor-filled exploration of how embracing your authentic self and tackling personal and cultural barriers can transform your life and your business. Ernesto’s vulnerable storytelling, the hosts’ supportive camaraderie, and plenty of laughs make this a must-listen for any mental health professional or entrepreneur seeking joy, authenticity, and abundance on their private practice journey.

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Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Private Practice Startup podcast where we help ambitious private practitioners across the globe to brand themselves and grow their dream practices. We chat with successful private practitioners, business coaches and marketing experts, bringing you tons of practice building Ninja tips. Visit privatepracticestartup.com for awesome resources, attorney approved private practice paperwork and our signature marketing E course. Here are your co hosts, Dr. Kate Campbell and Katie Lemieux. Hey there startup do nation. Welcome back. You are listening to the up close and personal podcast series and this is number two out of five. Last, last week, yesterday actually. We're running this actually daily. So yesterday, hopefully you listened to get to know Laura Long a little bit better as we got up close and personal with her. One of my favorite things is that her alter ego, Bitchy Brenda actually made it an appearance here on the podcast. So you guys definitely don't want to miss Bitchy Brenda because she's a hysterical and she also talked to us about Clemson, take note, and a whole bunch of other things. So you'll want to check out Laura Long's podcast because you guys voted for her. Today we are talking to another one of our favorites, personal friend, colleague, Ernesto Segismundo. Licensed.

[B]

Man, you just love saying that name.

[A]

To say it that way. I announce your name like I am the WWE or whatever guy. I want to hold the microphone and be like.

[C]

There it is, there it.

[A]

Is, there it is, guys.

[B]

Amazing. Love it, love it.

[A]

I don't say that to you when we talk on the phone. Just when I'm announcing you.

[B]

Well, yeah, you should start doing that over the phone with me.

[A]

I will. How about I leave you? I know you're flying out today, so like in three hours or four, I'll leave you a voicemail when I know your phone is off. So today, we do have Ernesto with us today. And again, this is all of the people that you guys voted for. So you wanted us to get up close and personal with Ernesto and that's exactly what we are going to do. But before you get, before we get started, if you're landing on our podcast for the first time, we want to say wise choice and thank you for joining us and we're welcoming you into our Startup Nation family. And for that, we have a gift for you. We have our A to Z cheat sheet, the essentials for building and growing your dream practice. And you can just grab [e-mail], head over to the resources tab and there you'll see it. It also comes with five days of juicy content and Practice building emails to really help you get started. We really don't want anything from you. We just want to give to you. So with that, I want to just, like, dive on in. Is that okay with you guys?

[B]

Yes. I know.

[A]

So you ready? Take that as a yes.

[B]

I'm so ready right now. I'm kind of nervous and ready at the same time.

[A]

Perfect. That's exactly where we want you to be.

[C]

So let's start by hearing the story of you. Tell us a little bit about what it was like growing up as a kid and just your teen years and on up.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. I was one of those kids who were. Who was. You know, you wonder, how the hell did this kid graduate from high school to go from middle school? How the hell did that happen? You know those kids where you're sent to detention? I don't know. I don't know if you guys were ever in detention, but in Hawaii, that's where I grew up. I was actually born in the Philippines. I moved to Kauai, where I grew up at about 6 years old. And so I grew up there as a Hawaiian boy. And, you know, in Hawaii, you pretty much do nothing but just go to the beach. Right. And education was a big thing in my family, but I didn't take it serious. And so I went through life just living the island life, which is everything is a slow pace. You don't care about everything and anything. You just let you just live the day as it is. And so I think that carried on through my professional and my career until now. One thing that a lot of people don't know about me and. You guys ready for this information?

[C]

Yes, please. Give it to us.

[B]

All right. All right, here we go. So when I was in Hawaii, there was no universities that I wanted to go to, so I went to a Christian university. And the fact that I went to this university, I was actually going to be a pastor. I studied theology. And then. Yep. And then I told my pastor, hey, I want to be a pastor. And he said, nope, don't do that. Why? Because it's like, I think you're better off. Your gifts are somewhere. Should be somewhere else instead of pastoral counseling or. Or being a pastor. Because I just. I. I wasn't in that mold, you know, I. I wasn't disciplined. Right. I wasn't. I couldn't keep my mouth shut. Bad words kept coming out of my mouth. I would challenge authority, which is, you know, that's great, but I just didn't have that. That style. To this day, I appreciate my Pastor saying that because he said, your gifts are with people. Your gifts are to connect with people. And I didn't really see how powerful that statement was until to this day in my career. He says, you know, you don't fit the box of what we perceive to be, you know, that pastor at that time, because you just can't follow rules. That's appropriate enough to be a pastor. But, you know, and then I went to college, and then I discovered that people started coming to me for their problems, and I didn't know that counseling was a thing. And then I went through college and all of those things. And now fast forward, I've discovered within the past five years an entrepreneurial spirit that gives me a hard time and not allowing me to sleep well at night because the inspiration, the, you know, there's always something to do and fun things to do in the entrepreneurial world. So in a nutshell, that's me.

[A]

Nice. And what did you initially go to college for?

[B]

Just to get out of the island. I got to be honest with you. Not only that I wanted to study theology, but for any of your listeners who ever grew up on a small island like Hawaii and someone who struggles with adhd, inattention, and hyperactivity, like me, Kauai is not a place to live for you. It's not. So that's the reason why, you know, people ask me, wow, why did you go to school? And my answer is, I had island fever.

[A]

Interesting. And so when your pastor said, no, you don't need to go into theology, did you just kind of do, like, liberal arts for a while?

[B]

Like, yeah, I actually did take some theology classes. And. And then I fell in love with psychology.

[A]

Gotcha.

[B]

You know, and so I just went back and forth on all of that stuff. And there you go.

[A]

And so tell us how many. How many siblings you have and where do you fall in the lineup?

[B]

So I've got, wow, you guys are really getting close and personal.

[C]

Oh, just wait. We're just getting started.

[B]

So I've got three incredible, stubborn sisters who is very supportive, and in the Filipino culture, the little boy, I'm the second to the youngest, but I'm the one that's been taken care of. So, you know, that's how it is in our culture. And I've also have an older brother who's adopted from my aunt. So it's very common in the Filipino culture where they adopt other. Other family members, children to care for them. So I've got one older adopted brother and then three sisters. And I'm the younger second to the youngest.

[A]

And what did your sisters think of you growing up?

[B]

Oh, my goodness. You know, it's one of those things where, you know. Do you guys remember hairnet?

[A]

Yes. But hairspray. The pink one.

[B]

Yeah, the pink one. So what I used to do. And I don't know if I should say this out loud, but. And my sisters may not know this, but I used to put soy sauce or fish sauce in those things. And as they spray it, it smelled fishy.

[A]

That is horrendous due to a female. Horrendous.

[B]

Yeah. So I would do shit like that. I would. Like, that's the stuff that I did. I would. I would ye. You know, in there. Don't even get me started in what I put in their drinks at times, so.

[A]

Oh, do tell, do tell.

[B]

I would mix things. Like one time I put glue in my sister's Coke, but she didn't notice. And I'm like, laughing on the side, and I thought she was gonna choke on it. But you know, it ferments, right? If it stays there for a long time.

[A]

No, we don't know. No, we don't. I don't think I've ever put glue in someone's co.

[B]

So.

[A]

Do tell.

[B]

And shaving cream. So you put shaving cream in shampoo. Like, they use finesse. Do you remember finesse?

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah, they use finesse a lot. So I put shaving cream in there. And so sometimes when you put it in there, they're like, what?

[C]

You made all sorts of concoctions and found all sorts of creative ways to mess with your sisters?

[B]

Yes. But you know what? I gotta say this. Every Halloween events, because I was the youngest and I was a boy, they dressed me up. When I was younger, they did this dress up thing. And at my sister's wedding, okay, do you guys remember Prince Harry when he was really young? He had those shorts and there's like these fluffy things by the knees. Kneecaps. It's shorts and it's pearls, but there's. These shorts are like. What do you call it? My goodness.

[A]

I was gonna say knickers, but I don't think it's knickers. But I know what you're talking about.

[B]

Yeah. So my sister and I may pull up a picture of it, but basically she dressed me up like little Prince Henry. And it was so damn embarrassing. Like, I stood out. It's pearl white, right. I had these ruffle things on my chest. I had shoulder pads that was, like, really puffy because she loved Queen. What do you call it the Princess Diana? Diana. She wanted a wedding like that. And so she dressed all of us like the royal family. And I was this little creepy looking kid.

[A]

Filipino?

[B]

Yeah, really creepy. Creepy. I'm like, what the. Why did you do that to me? So I'm not letting them go. That's. They did some crap to me too.

[A]

Were your parents like, afraid you were gonna like, kill your sisters by accident with all this crap you were putting in their drinks? My gosh, no.

[B]

No, they didn't know anything. And you know, in my mom and my dad's eyes, the Filipino culture, the boys never do anything wrong. Never ever.

[C]

So you could have gotten away with murder. Literally.

[B]

Literally. And say she did it and they would believe.

[C]

Oh my goodness.

[A]

So how many years of therapy have your sisters had?

[B]

Because.

[A]

I'm just kidding.

[B]

Oh, I wish, I wish they gone into therapy because of it because I think I traumatized them a lot.

[C]

Since we're talking about this topic of family, what would you say is one of the most embarrassing stories that your family would actually tell about you?

[B]

Oh, my goodness. I think it was the time when in school, I even hate even admitting this, but in the jungle gym, one of the. One of my friends, he's still my friend right now. He's like, you know, swinging on this jungle gym thing. And I tensed him. Sorry, sorry. Pants all the way down. Underwear and everything.

[A]

Oh, like full on.

[B]

Full on, like, boom.

[C]

You shanked him.

[B]

I totally shanked him. And then my, my, my mom was called, my sisters were called, my dad was called. So I remember them. I, you know, I don't remember if everybody was there, but I remember my dad was being so pissed and embarrassed and for a long time, I mean, you know, I felt really, really bad looking back at it, but I thought I was like, funny. It was the funniest thing ever. But you look at them like, oh man, I just caused the kid to go into trauma.

[A]

That's the adult therapist talking right there.

[B]

I know. It's like, oh my gosh, please forgive me.

[A]

You know, I'm really curious and I mean, we know a little bit about the influence that your mom has had on you and your life. And she since passed. And we would love for you just to share a little bit about your mom and you know, how she's really influenced where you are today in business.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. About 2014, my mom suddenly passed away. And within. At that time, she was actually preparing my birthday. And the next day when she, when the day after she called me, my sister calls to say, hey, we had to rush mom to the hospital because she's complaining of having difficulty breathing. Next thing you know, during my birthday, April 28, we are having her funeral there. She passed. So my birthday and her funeral was on the same day, and I asked for it to be on the same day, you know, in my mom's passing. And I keep telling people this, and I did a. I spoke about this recently, that whoever experienced death in the past and experienced that type of trauma in the past, you can either go two ways. One, you can get resentful of the world and get stagnant and just not move. But something really different happened to me where in her death, I found life. I learned how to live. Everything just became richer and fuller. At that time, I was in. I was in solo practice, but kind of like in solo and group practice kind of mode. And I was just going along with the everyday things, and I was hustling. But after she passed away, it's almost as if nothing else mattered but how to live life. My mom was a very happy individuals. She. She made you feel nurtured and cared for and loved. So I had that years before she passed away. When I first bought my house, one of the things that she said to me was, I am so proud of you. I can die today. You know, you've got a house. I was a professor. I was a therapist. I'm a therapist at that time. And I heard that in my mind. So when she passed away, that voice kept playing in my mind saying, wow, she's in a happy place. Because in my culture, not very many Filipino men go this far in their career as from a mother's perspective, when they see their son heading towards a certain goal, higher than what they expect to be. I can't even imagine what that's like for a mother to a son, you know? And so I believe at that point, my mom prepared me unknowingly for the sudden. Her sudden death. So to this day, the influence that I have, the influence that she had on me and she currently has with me, I carry on to how I work with people, how I work with my group practice, the individuals in my group practice, just how I treat people in general and my business, because it becomes richer and fuller. So if things doesn't go my way in my business, I know that this is just a level playing field. There's much more beyond our work. There's much more beyond our businesses. And unfortunately, my mom's passing was had to bring me there, there, you know, so when someone Struggles with. How am I going to make it this month? I want my success. Successful private practice in business. I want to have this much money. I think about those things. But because of her death, that doesn't compare to my relationship with my friends and my family. You know what I mean? So it becomes more. More fuller, more beautiful. So I don't freak out when things don't go my way in my business. You know, it's like, hey, there's there. There's much more. Death is right there. You know, life is right there. You got to live life in order for you to enjoy all the things that you're doing right now in your business. So that's how her death influenced my life, you know, and my career.

[A]

And what do you think she would say to you today with all the success that you've had?

[B]

She would say, of course. Of course. Awesome, right? All of those times when we try you. We tried to put you in the box, you know, to control you from harming yourself or.

[A]

Or others.

[B]

Or others. Right. Of course. This is the energy that you put it towards, and we're proud. I really do believe that.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And one of the places you really live outside the box and really authentically is online, you know, and you have a huge following and people just love you, and I love watching you. And one of my favorite things that you do is I call them your. What do I call them? Your dad diaries. Like the things that you talk about with your dad or it's the most random snapshots of things like that. It's usually about the casino. And then you. You had this funny face, like. So I'm actually glad you're going to Kauai and you're gonna be with your dad for the next few days, because I can't wait to see what you're gonna be posting about.

[B]

Oh, boy. All the things that come out of my dad's mouth. Oh, my goodness.

[A]

And your face that goes along with it is hysterical.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

One of the things, I think. I don't know if you shared online or somewhere, but I think there's a YouTube video of you somewhere dancing to New Kids on the Block, if I remember correctly.

[B]

Yes, yes. So I was on three seasons of a show called say what? Karaoke on mtv. And during my college years, I was actually working towards becoming a hip hop dancer. And, you know, I auditioned for some. Some big names, you know, people, and. But that was a career that I didn't want to go into because I saw the world, that world. So I wanted to pursue that career. And it started from that MTV show. We won three seasons of it. They flew us over to New York, to San Diego. And I used to have red hair. And so if you guys watch it on YouTube, you will see this Filipino kid with red hair doing backflips on stage.

[A]

That's what I thought you were doing back. What's the name of the video? Because I'm gonna add it to the show notes so people can actually watch it for sure.

[B]

Just type in say what? Karaoke. Because at that time. Bye, bye, bye, NSync. Backstreet Boys were so big. You know, Britney Spears. And so you will find me dancing to NSync.

[A]

Oh, it was NSync. Okay.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Or Maya. I think her name was Maya. Case of the ax. Do you remember? Yeah. So that was a search. Say what? Say what? Karaoke. That's it. Say what? Can you mtv?

[A]

I'm totally adding it to the show notes page so people can watch it. So, you know, actually let's just take a quick break for our sponsor because I know we can get so involved in this that we can forget to take a sponsor break. So let's do that now.

[C]

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[A]

People know you do have an addiction, and that is Starbucks. And I would say food. When you travel, because you are always posting, it's. I see you posted about food, and it seems really like this spiritual, religious experience. A moment of silence, please. Do you have any other hidden addictions that we don't know about?

[B]

Hmm. Wow. Is there something that you. Oh, no, no. I like shoes.

[C]

Okay. I've seen you post about shoes. Shoes, food, and. What was the other one? Starbucks. Starbucks, yes. Yeah.

[A]

And you recently got a $250 gift card from the Starbucks fair at Katie Mae. That's amazing.

[B]

I did. And that's gonna hold me down for few days. Nice.

[C]

You'll be fully caffeinated to the max.

[B]

Exactly. You know, I always tell people, you know, when you. When you have money, and I went through my own money shame and how I deal with money. I had to even go get counseling for it because, you know, there's times when you're holding money and you feel like you don't deserve to have it. And I tell people, look, spend your money on things that you'd want to spend your money on, you know, for yourself. So I will not hesitate to spend a lot of money on good, good food. I love food. I'm right. I will not hesitate to drop money on shoes because I love shoes. And I will not hesitate to put down $500 at the Blackjack tables. Okay. Because I have a. A bank account on the side that has Vegas funds.

[A]

We know. We know about that. And so doesn't your accountant.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

Very closely.

[B]

Yes, yes. So you know that. That's my thing. Those are the three things that I spend money on.

[A]

Wait, wait, wait. There is one more. Electronics.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. Yes, yes. So, like. Yes, you're right. I don't hesitate on buying the new GoPros. I don't hesitate to. I've got. Right now. I think I've got five drones so far. Yes.

[A]

What do you like? Five drones? It's Kind of like, I don't know, having five skateboards for one person. Like, what do you do with that?

[C]

Well, you've gone through five drones because you've crashed them into things. Or. Or you have five drones that are, like, in active working states.

[B]

It's five active. You're absolutely right. And two crashed. One of them is out to sea somewhere on Kauai.

[A]

Oh, wow. What's that experience like when, you know, it's like, to the point of no return?

[B]

Oh, my gosh, it is terrifying. 1. The first thing I think about is, oh, my gosh, I hope this doesn't hit anyone. But luckily the one that flew away was out to sea. I mean, the wind, I could not drag. I could not bring it back because the winds were too strong and the batteries were running low. And the next thing you know, you see my drone slowly getting swallowed by the Kauai ocean.

[A]

Oh, what did you say? As it was happening?

[B]

I was, you know, I was like, okay, I got. I got another one.

[A]

But back up.

[B]

But yeah, that's like, what, twelve hundred dollars down the drain right there. Or in this. In the ocean.

[C]

Down the ocean drain. Were you able to save the content that was on it, or does that go down?

[B]

That goes with it. Yep, it goes with it.

[C]

And that's not the only technology that you've. You've like, lost or had stolen by the ocean. Because I remember seeing on Facebook you had a car broken into with all your gear that was in the car in Canada that were stolen.

[B]

Yes, yes. So I was. I was in Canada and my cousin's car got broken into, and my. My. My camera, my GoPro was in there. One of my gimbals, the gimbals that help stabilize your camera. And also my computer with seven years worth. Seven years worth of promotional videos in there.

[A]

Oh, did you have that stored somewhere else?

[B]

Half of it I did. But the good. I know I'm like, back everything up. Everything was backed up, but it was a finished product, you know, not. Not the. Not the raw footage. And I think I remember calling you. Wait, were you guys part of that victim?

[A]

I don't think. Well, no, I think you had just done our videos. I think you had our videos, but because your computer got so long, it's just gonna take some time.

[B]

Yes, yes, yes, that's right. So I had to call. All I get. I had film it.com. my company, film it.com has some of the. Has the best, best, best, best clients. Video clients. And so they were so understanding. They were like, you know, I'm gonna come out there again, no problem. I'll redo your video. And then I. Usually when I it's my fault, I give an extra video. You know, it's like, hey, I'm sorry, but I lost your video. I can do your video again and give you an extra one on the side.

[A]

Nice.

[C]

No one's going to argue with that.

[B]

No, no.

[A]

Let's talk about your promotional videos and film and calm for a second.

[C]

So.

[A]

Well, one of the things is Kate and I have had our videos done by you and you make it so easy. I think I know ours. When we just did mine, it took like literally 15 minutes. It was like so simple, so natural, so easy. So if you are looking for promotional video, definitely check out Ernesto. And you just had 16. 16 videos in Houston or Texas.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah, in Houston. Yep, yep. Absolutely. I love that group right there. They were so nice. And then they put me to work.

[A]

Yeah, for sure. But how did you get into starting promotional videos or video in general?

[B]

Yeah, I was at a real estate agents conference with my supervisor at that time. And real estate agents, they were using videos way before anybody to showcase homes. Right, right. And so we were the only therapists in that building out of hundreds of these real estate agent group. You know, they were doing stuff at that time. And then one of the assignment that night was to do a promotional video over your camera. And I did an eight minute parenting video. And from. And it was like eight minutes. It was way too long. It was in 2014, 13 around there. No joke. From that video. I had eight, nine clients from that one video when I posted it online. And at that time I saw about 11 to 12 clients. And then within two months, just with that video, I went up to 28 clients within two months, a week.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And then I thought to myself, oh my gosh, the therapist community are not using videos. And it took me some time to create filmit.com to convince the mental health community that, hey, videos are the thing.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, social media is doing it. YouTube is doing it. Now LinkedIn is getting in the game of doing live streaming videos.

[A]

Cool.

[B]

You know, so you think about it, that's the platform now.

[A]

And I just want to kind of switch back for a second. And you were talking about some of the money shame and things like that. So I'm just wondering what are some of the personal barriers or obstacles you had to tackle or face to be where you are today in life and in business?

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. So as I go through My own counseling for about a year and a half. Just on the topic of money, I noticed that my family, I went through financial trauma, you know, and not going into details is basically my family members were utilizing money in a painful way where everybody knew what was going on running their businesses. But at the end of the month, they were negative. And we're trying to figure out what's going on at that time at least. And the money shaming has a lot to do with taking the money as a mental health professional and having a culture and a society that tells you you are a mental health provider. Why are you charging 175, $200 for someone who's depressed and who's borderline suicidal? So there's a lot of shame involved in the service. As a service provider within the mental health community, I didn't know how strong that was until even my own family in the Filipino culture would be like, why don't you do free service? Your, your cousin is having a hard time with this. Your, your friend's friend is having a hard time with this. You're a counselor, you're supposed to basically give free. So basically it's that bleeding heart, the messiah type services. Right? So I grew up with that and I had to get counseling from that. I even stuttered. And my first client, who I decided to increase my rate to 150 at that time about, maybe about two years ago, and I started stuttering. And I'm like, why am I stuttering? Where does this stuttering come from? You know what I mean? And so it came from that money trauma, that money shaming. And so now, you know, I teach other people to explore what's going on within them when they talk about their fee structure. Then if you start stuttering or there's an emotional reaction to it. Let's talk about that. You know, that could be the key to your wealth building journey.

[A]

Totally. And was there any other things that you really had to confront or face to be where you are today?

[B]

Yeah, there was a lot of the other things too, as far as really rewarding yourself with money.

[A]

True.

[B]

And a lot of times when I tell people, oh, I love to gamble, the first thing you think about is, wow, you are throwing your money away. And I love credit cards. And people are like, whoa, you must be in debt. Right. So these are all the things that people project. And it's the same way with me too. You know, it's like, you don't have money if you do all of these other things. If you have 15, 24 credit cards. That means you're in debt. Not necessarily correct. You know, you have to use your. These things appropriately, but these things come up. So I did have to work on how to pay myself first, manage money. I know you guys had Mike Michalowicz a few weeks ago, and he's going to be one of my speakers. Very powerful approach to money management, you know, so these are some of the things I had to work on through my own counseling to confront the, look, you're worth it. Set money aside for yourself and have fun with money.

[A]

Totally. And one of the things that I love to talk about is the money conversations. And when you're talking about, like, the why don't you give free services? When I went through. So we follow profit first. You follow profit first. It's an awesome system, and it just takes the guesswork out of things. So I follow the millionaire mindset jar system for my personal. Right. And one of the things that really I had to become aware of was they identify the money monk, right? Like I'm too spiritual for money or, you know, I shouldn't, you know, be charging money for things. And I think sometimes that's where therapists lie. The money avoiders, the money spenders and savers. I've always been great at saving, right? And so that caused a lot of scarcity and restriction. And one of the things that has been really monumental for me is the play jar, right? Or it's my play account, right? So 10% goes into play from whatever I get paid, and the job is to spend it every quarter, at least. And it's really brought this freedom to me. You know, one of the things on my bucket list was to fly first class. And I didn't hesitate at dropping like $730 and be like, okay, yes, because I had money in that. And you know what? It was just a joyous experience. And when we talk about the energy of money, it's really about the flow and the emotionality behind it, right? And so when we are spending things that bring us joy, that creates more abundance and it's so important. Right. And I remember, you know, back in the day, like, working in community, mental health, like, scarcity mentality all over the place. I remember back in the day maybe going to Chili's and being like, I really wanted the steak on the salad, but I chose the chicken because it.

[C]

Was a dollar less.

[A]

I mean, like, ridiculous, but, like, so much restriction and scarcity around that. So, yeah, that's definitely something I've had to overcome. And still I have to kind of face that today. I'm in this transition right now, and, you know, like, even feeling, like, this scarcity today. And where I go is kind of like, I have no money, you know, and it's like, that's such a lie.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, Absolutely. Absolutely. One of the things that I am, I love these days is experience. You know, instead of materialistic stuff, I'm going to Australia. I was in Florence, Italy. I was in Tuscany. I bought a ticket to England out of the Fly. Next year, I'm gonna go to Brazil, Portugal. I am now addicted to experiences of life. I love art. I took communion at the Vatican, saw the beautiful art of Michelangelo. And so I just love that the money that I have right now, I build to a place where, look, I want to just experience life. Like, for instance, you called me out of the blue and go, hey, do you want to go to Arizona? But I was going to Ohio that weekend. I can tell you, if I wasn't doing anything that weekend, I would have been, like, looking for flights to meet Katie out there. Right?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I love that I've positioned my world where I'm not behind. I'm not in four walls. Right. I'm not shooting down anyone who. Who is doing that, But I've positioned myself where my. My. My office is the world.

[A]

I love that. And actually, you're really not in four walls. You're in four doors today.

[B]

Oh, yeah, my car.

[A]

So, Ernesto, like, always podcast us within the random places. It was at Panera, in a garage. I don't. Have we ever had you in an office? I don't know.

[C]

I think we have at some point. Yes.

[A]

Maybe once.

[C]

I'm curious, Ernesto, with all the success that you've had and everything that you've overcome against all odds and the cultural norms and all of that stuff, how has your success affected your personal relationships, your family relationships?

[B]

Yeah, I want to go back just a little bit to. I think it goes back to when death visits you. Everything is enhanced or everything is dulled. For me, it was enhanced. So, like, even conversations like this with the both of you, I mean, it's fun, right? And I notice. I notice how I am when I'm in front of people. Like, I went to Hocking Hills with John Harrison and Shane Burkle. I just want to sit around the campfire. I don't care what we do. Just. Let's just chill. So my relationships with my family and my friends. Friends. It becomes enhanced. Even with my dogs. I'm, like, noticing all of these things. Why? Because I think when you get visited by death, life really becomes more enhanced and you notice things much more. You know, it's so hard to explain. And that's why I can also somewhat detect somewhat detective presence that I don't want to be around people I don't want to be around. I. I put an emotional wall where, okay, you stand right there. I stand right here. Right. I think the more that your business reflects your value system, the more your world becomes enhanced. At least that's what I believe. Yeah.

[A]

Because then you're in alignment, right? And it's. It's. There's. There's a less of or no distinction of what's work and play and play and work. Right. Just becomes like, this is your. Your true essence and expression out there in the world. So it doesn't matter if you're playing, right. It doesn't matter if you're working. It's just all the same. And it's such a beautiful thing to strive for. And it sounds like you really hit, like, a nice sweet spot in what it is that you do and really what you inspire others to do.

[B]

And, you know, I also resonate, and I have this passion to help other people to go, okay, I love your question with me, Katie. I don't know if you remember when you said, does that make you happy? Right. Does your business make you happy, or does this direction make you happy? I love that question. Because happiness is deeper, right? Happiness has a sense of meaning and purpose. And so asking that question with people, does your business make you happy? What I hear is, does it give you purpose and meaning? And it's such a beautiful question to ask yourself every day. Are you happy with what you're doing? Well. And if you're not, empower yourself to do other things beyond that.

[A]

Yeah, very important. And, you know, I think a lot of times, and you and I have done a Facebook live that became a podcast on this, and really talking about purpose and the struggle and the stuff that comes up and all of that stuff. And, you know, the more and more that helps we shift or explore. For me recently, things are moving rapid speed in my world, even though I feel like I've been planning for this for four to five years, probably. But what I realized for me is when I told the universe I was ready by taking an action and then taking another action is that's really when things begin to evolve. I think I've been in this really, like, fear place and scarcity place and things like that. So, you know, if you're listening to this podcast and stuff like that is like, what action are you willing to take to let the world know that you're ready for this next thing and start living into it? I think that's just really important. And if you're not sure yet is where are you aligned? Where do you feel joy, where do you feel happiness, or what does happiness mean to you? For me, it's freedom, the feeling of freedom. So that's just really important.

[B]

Yeah. And when you experience fear and dread and being terrified, that means you're in the right spot.

[C]

Nice. Now, what's going to be next for you, Ernesto?

[B]

Right now my next project is I'm developing another office space for my group practice, Kat Family Therapy. So we're expanding in a new location. Actually, right now we're looking at four or five office rooms in the office suite. The next is to really grow Cav Academy, which is, you know, I'm a provider. I just got approved for nbcc, so I can do all that. Yeah, right. So all of my conferences will be NBCC approved and I'm really developing that. And with CAB Academy, I want to create, and you guys know this, I want to create CES where you can go with your families. Like Kauai, Maui is 11 South Florida. We're doing one in South Florida. Right. So I want to be able to do these conferences, CE conferences in places where you can take your families right after and make it a tax write off, slash working relationship, you know, or trip.

[A]

My favorite kind.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I love the word tax write off. That is so exciting to me. Yes. And I. And I look for every way possible to educate myself on what is a write off. So I love that because. Because I also think that's just really in alignment to who you are and what it is that you portray. And it's just really awesome. So any final thoughts before we get into the lightning round of something that you might want to share with our audience?

[B]

No.

[A]

No. Okay, cool.

[B]

Let's just go. I'm a little nervous with the lightning round.

[C]

Lightning round. And it'll be all right.

[A]

So we actually have. Because you're such a foodie, we might ask you some food type questions. Just saying.

[B]

So.

[A]

So, yes, we're going to do the lightning round. Kate and I bumped it up to 90 seconds, but who knows? Maybe let it go two minutes. We'll see. So we're just going to ask you a bunch of questions and you're just going to answer them as fast as you can.

[C]

All right, Are you ready to start? I'm going to. I'm going to ask the first question.

[B]

Go ahead.

[C]

If you could ride any animal into battle, what would it be?

[B]

Oh, my gosh. I was just talking about this. A fricking giraffe? Yes. Yes.

[A]

How is it you were just talking about this? That's random because.

[B]

No, because a friend of mine was like, hey, did you see a giraffe? Like, how violent they can become? Did you know that giraffes, if you threaten them, their necks and their heads actually become their actual weapon? Did you guys know this? Like, when they attack, they swing their heads and their necks around. Like, when they're fighting with other giraffes, they actually use their necks to. To kill each other.

[C]

That's crazy. And they're the tallest animals, too, so you'd be able to see everywhere in the battlefield.

[B]

Right. So I'm thinking that question is appropriate because, you know, what if my giraffe started swinging its neck and its head? You better watch out.

[A]

If I were a graphic designer, I would superimpose a picture of you on top of giraffe and send it to you. I just want to see the visual and maybe, like, I don't know, like, I think about he man and battle cat. Right.

[C]

With this.

[A]

It's just in my mind. Too bad I don't have that skill.

[C]

Katie, ask the next one.

[A]

So I know you're such a big foodie. What is one of your favorite junk foods?

[B]

Oh, I don't know if this is a. Are you seriously going to ask me that? I'm probably going to get judged here, but that's okay. I am obsessed with Doritos. I am obsessed with Doritos. And here's the way that I eat it. Okay. Oh, my gosh. Here we go. You guys ready?

[C]

Let's hear it.

[B]

Okay. I chop. I chop jalapenos, and then I put it in the Doritos bag. Sometimes it's smaller Doritos bags. And so I just shake it up, shake it up. And then you guys got to try it. It's basically.

[A]

That's so funny, because we were going to ask you if you had an unusual food habit, and I think you just knocked out two questions.

[B]

That's it. That's it. It's basically a jalapenos. You chop it up, you put it in a bag with cheddar Doritos, swish it around, and it is freaking heavenly. Heavenly.

[A]

We'll put your recipe on the show notes page.

[B]

Absolutely. Just make sure you're close to a bathroom. If this is the first time you're gonna do it.

[A]

Sergeant General's warning.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

So pumpkin spice lattes, yes or no?

[B]

Hell to the freaking no. Sorry. For all of you who know. No. No.

[A]

Favorite Starbucks drink, though?

[B]

Peppermint mocha with whipped cream. Grande.

[C]

Grande Sounds good.

[B]

So any of you guys who want to be on my good side, who really love me, that's how you get to my soul.

[A]

Nice. And what is the most ridiculous fact that you know?

[B]

What is the ridiculous fact that I know? Oh, my. This is lightning round. Okay. I don't.

[A]

Oh, you can pass.

[B]

You pass. I don't know.

[C]

What is one of your biggest fears that we haven't talked about on the show?

[B]

My biggest fears? Okay, this is. This is kind of gross, actually. I don't like feet.

[A]

I can't wait to see where this is going.

[C]

But you love shoes.

[B]

I love shoes. I don't like. Well, I like my feet. I don't like other people's feet. And one of my fears is feet on my head, on my face.

[A]

Do you have nightmares about this?

[B]

Freaking disgusting. Like, there was this one scene in the Hobbit, and I think it was the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings where their freaking Hobbit feet was. Was on their face. And I'm like, that's the. That's. That's fucking gross.

[A]

Oh, that was funny. What is one of your favorite Netflix series?

[B]

Oh, is it Netflix or Hulu or whatever? Okay, so on prime, there is how the universe is Made. I don't know if you guys know about this show, but it's called how the Universe is Made, so it basically shows a planetary stuff. So at night I have that replaying, even though I watched every single episode. But it's just so fascinating about the universe. So that's kind of weird. My computer is next to me and I'm watching that prime show, and it goes on, on and on and on throughout the night.

[A]

That stuff is mind blowing. Like, I can't even get my mind wrapped around.

[B]

It's exactly.

[A]

It's hard. It's crazy.

[B]

It's. It's beautiful. It's. And can I say another show?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay. One of my other favorite. One of my other favorite show on Discovery Channel is Finding Big. Bigfoot.

[C]

Haven't seen that one.

[B]

Are you serious? I totally believe in Bigfoot. Big time.

[C]

I do remember you gave us a bonus little tidbit about you.

[A]

So, Ernesto, we had so much fun with you, and we really love that Startup Nation and a whole bunch of our other audiences actually voted for you. And you actually took the time to join us for the Up Close and Personal and allowed us to just ask you some questions that, you know, although people might know about you on social media, there's just some things that they don't, so. Like, you know, your fear of feet on your face. Awesome. And your lovely recipe of Doritos with jalapenos. So if you guys invite Ernesto to the holidays, that might be what he's bringing.

[B]

Yes, yes.

[A]

So, Startup Nation, we love you guys. And we just wanted to say thanks for letting us really, you know, do this Up Close and Personal podcast. It's really been a joy. We really look forward to our next Up Close and Personal, and that's going to be with Katie Reed. And Katie Reed, like, won by a landslide because you guys are so excited to know about Taos. You're so excited to know about her work with Harvey Weinstein. So we're definitely going to be asking her those questions for sure.

[C]

Thanks for joining us on the Private practice startup. Visit theprivatepracticestartup.com for awesome resources, free trainings, attorney approved private practice paperwork, and so much more.

[B]

More.