How to Invest Your Way to a Luckier Life

Summary

She’s So Lucky – Episode Summary
Episode: “How to Invest Your Way to a Luckier Life”
Host: Les Alfred
Date: April 7, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this kickoff to Personal Finance Month, host Les Alfred introduces a month-long series focused on investing, specifically financial investing, for women who want to build wealth, autonomy, and generational impact. Drawing from her own journey as a first-generation college student and entrepreneur, Les discusses the importance of financial education, the transformative power of investing early, and the need for women to play bigger roles as investors. She shares candid stories about her own learning curve and offers inspiration for listeners at every stage—whether they’re just starting or have the resources to invest. The episode sets a welcoming, insightful tone for the financial deep-dives to come.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Investing Matters for Women

(00:23; 37:34)

• Les reframes investing as an essential tool for empowerment:
  “If we want real money, we have to get serious about some other means… investing is a really important way to do that.” (00:23)
• She highlights how women are often not taught about money or investing, and how simply following the “go to school, get a good job” path is not enough in today’s economy.

2. Les’s Personal Finance Origin Story

(03:30–08:50)

• Les details her lower-income, first-generation college background and exposure to financial instability during the Great Recession.
• She became "curious" about money after realizing her more affluent peers and their families didn’t stress about basic financial security.
• Memorable quote:
  “I was in college, like, not knowing if my family is going to be able to keep their house, not knowing if I’m going to be able to stay in school... And during that time I became very curious about my peers—what do your parents do? How did they get into that?” (05:30)

3. The Power of Early Investing – The 401(k) Story

(09:00–11:00; 37:34–39:30)

• Les recounts landing her first job at a major company and, despite not understanding what a 401(k) was, automatically enrolled for the employer match at age 20.
• That decision—“even though I didn’t even know what it meant, could potentially set me up for retirement...” (10:30)
• Key takeaway: Small, early actions in investing can compound into substantial benefits over time.
• She provides a live example:
  “It’s been like 10 years since I’ve left that company and now that 401k is worth about four times more than what I contributed… just from letting it sit there.” (39:10)

4. Entering the World of Startups and Venture Capital

(12:00–18:00)

• Becoming curious about venture capital while working as a social media manager at a women’s co-working startup.
• She tells the story of questioning her startup’s overreliance on in-person events just before COVID; her probing mindset made her realize she could be the one on the “other side of the table”—the investor.
• Quote:
  “Maybe I’m onto something. Like, maybe my brain works in the right way to be able to do something like this.” (17:50)
• Exposure to both the power struggles and the mechanics of venture capital planted the idea of angel investing.

5. From Begging for Opportunities to Cutting the Checks

(18:07–22:00)

• Les reflects on the power dynamic shift from chasing deals (as a content creator and employee) to wanting to be “the one making the decision and cutting the check.”
• She argues that being the investor is transformative, especially for women and underrepresented people who are often the ones searching for validation and opportunity.
• Memorable moment:
  “I’m tired of begging for deals, and I’m tired of begging for shots. I want to be the one making the decision and cutting the check… and I want more of us in that position.” (19:45)

6. Collective Power and the Importance of Female Investors

(23:00–27:00)

• Les recounts the closure of a beloved brand (Ami Colé) due to investor pressure and lack of aligned, knowledgeable backers.
• She explores the difference it might have made if more women—especially those who are target customers—sat at the investor’s table.
• “The power really comes when you are the person who’s signing the checks... when we sign the checks, we tend to do a better job at it.” (30:11)
• She references research showing women are “better investors than men across the board”—more patient, strategic, and community-focused.

7. The Upcoming Series: Interviews and Mentorship

(31:30–33:00)

• Les previews the month’s episodes, mentioning upcoming interviews with mentors and successful women investors.
• These conversations aim to be transparent and accessible—the kind of mentorship you can listen in on.

8. Mentorship and Information Sharing

(33:00–36:00)

• She demystifies finding and being a mentor—stressing that these relationships grow organically, through shared spaces and conversations, not formal “asks.”
• “It’s never just like, I’m going up to this person… and being like, will you be my mentor? But it’s like this natural thing that really happens.” (34:31)

9. Angel Investing: First Steps and Realities

(37:34–41:20)

• Les has made her first angel investment and breaks down what that means for those unfamiliar:
  • “Angel investing is when you invest your own money into early-stage businesses, ideally for equity.”
• She’s candid about risks:
  “My approach to it is to really take it as a learning experience… Sometimes your return isn’t just financial, but what you learn, who you meet.” (39:41)
• Even if funds are limited, investing time, energy, and knowledge also has value.

10. The Act of Investing as Hope

(42:30–46:30)

• Les stresses the future-oriented mindset necessary for investing and self-belief:
• “Being willing to invest and being willing to invest in yourself is probably one of the greatest acts of hope that there can be.” (43:40)
• She encourages listeners not to be discouraged by pessimism or hopelessness about the future.

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Notable Quotes

• On investing education:
  “Don’t wait until you get some money to learn how to manage it. If you try to wait till you have money to learn how to manage it, you’re already too late and you’re already on your way to losing it.”
  — Les (01:35)

• On early action:
  “That one account alone that I started at 20… could potentially set me up for retirement without anything else.”
  — Les (10:23)

• On women’s financial power:
  “When women have more money, communities are healthier, wealthier, and stronger. We got to get after it. We got to start signing these checks.”
  — Les (30:52)

• On investment as hope:
  “Being willing to invest in yourself is probably one of the greatest acts of hope.”
  — Les (43:40)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:23–03:50: Introduction to investing and why it’s the focus for April/Personal Finance Month
• 03:50–11:30: Les’s personal finance awakening: college, recession, and opening a retirement account
• 12:00–18:07: First exposure to startups, VC, asking hard questions, and shifting mindset to investor
• 18:07–22:00: Power dynamics—stop begging, start deciding
• 23:00–27:00: Lessons from failed startups and importance of women investors
• 31:30–33:00: Importance of mentorship and an upcoming preview
• 37:34–41:20: Les’s first angel investment—learnings, risks, and motivations
• 42:30–46:30: Investment as an act of hope for the future; inspiration to take action

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Tone & Final Takeaways

Les’s tone remains frank, warm, candid, and encouraging throughout. She brings humor and vulnerability, making intimidating investing topics feel relatable and within reach. Her story is a testament to self-education, the magic of compounding, and the immense power of women investing—both financially and in themselves and their communities.

Key Takeaway:
No matter where you are financially, building your investing knowledge today sets the stage for future empowerment. Start learning now, plant the seeds, and take action—because luck is what you make it.

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Subscribe & Stay Tuned:
Les encourages listeners to subscribe for the rest of April’s investment series, promising actionable, inspiring discussions—including behind-the-scenes with mentors and accessible entry points for beginner investors.

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[Ad breaks, intros, and outros have been omitted from this summary.]

Transcript

[Les]

The following podcast is a Dear Media production. Welcome back to she's so Lucky. My name is Les. I'm your host and this show is all about creating our own luck because

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

we don't need to leave our success to chance.

[Les]

Now I'm super excited for today's episode because it's something that I have wanted to talk about for a very long time and and it is about investing because I'm going to be doing a month long series on the podcast coming up, talking about investing and the various different ways that we can invest. And when I say investing, I do mean financially. Like how can we invest our money, invest our assets to get a return on that investment and to get more assets. I know in the past I've also done like a how to invest in yourself through reading books and investing in your whatever. And that's all great too. We can link that episode in the description because that's absolutely a form of investment. But no, like today, in this month, we are talking cash money. Particularly because April is Personal Finance Month and in honor of Personal Finance Month, I really want us to get our money up. That is my primary objective is for all of us to get our money up. And I think that for many of us who maybe did not grow up in spaces where we were taught a lot about finance, we were told to go to school, get a good job, and then you will be set. And as we've seen, that's not really the case for the world that we are now living in, particularly as millennials and Gen Z's, for the economies that we're living in. We, if we want real money, have to get serious about some other means, finding other ways to make means, and investing is a really important way to do that. All throughout the month of April, we're going to be talking about the different ways you can invest invest, whether that is buying businesses, whether that is being an angel investor, whether that's investing in the stock market, investing in real estate. And I have some incredible guests coming on the show to talk a bit more about the different ways that they invest and to help us all do it, because a lot of these things are actually a lot more accessible than you may think. And even if you don't necessarily have the money in your bank account today to be able to invest in these things that I'm talking about tomorrow, you should still listen and you should still take note so that when you do get that money, because we're speaking it into existence, we are abundant around here, you will then know what to do with it. Don't wait until you get some money to learn how to manage it. If you try to wait till you have money to learn how to manage it, you're already too late and you're already on your way to losing it. Learn how to manage money now so that when you really get some, you know what to do with it. That's like my number one pro tip, but I want to talk a bit more about why I think investing is so important and why it's really important for us to have these types of conversations. And it really stems from the different exposures that I've had in my career to people of different backgrounds and different socioeconomic backgrounds and different social backgrounds that has helped me learn so much. I'm somebody who comes from a lower income background. I was the first gen in a lot of ways. First gen college student, first gen entrepreneur, first gen true corporate girly, first gen not teen mom in my lineage. Like I had a lot of things kind of thrown at me that I didn't necessarily understand. And I was in a lot of spaces that I was not necessarily trained for, particularly when it came to college and when it came to my earlier time in corporate spaces that I really had to learn very quickly because my background was very different from a lot of the people that I was surrounded by and I had to pick up game quickly. And a lot of that really started for me when I was in college. I went to a very small liberal arts pwi, which is its own special breed of trauma. But something that was really difficult for me in college was just being so aware of how much money my family family didn't have. Not only from having a lot of peers around me who had very wealthy backgrounds, but also because when I was in college it was during the last like great recession. My family already was not like well off by any means, but then was hit really, really hard during that recession. Almost lost everything. So I'm in college, like not knowing if my family is going to be able to keep their house, not knowing if I'm going to be able to stay in school because I didn't have enough money to cover from semester to semester. And thankfully everything did work out. I was able to stay in school, my family was able to keep their house, but it was very, very difficult. It was a very stressful, traumatizing time for all of us. And during that time I became very curious about my peers and about their parents. And when I saw that there were people who were not stressed over the things that I was Stressing about. I was very curious about, well, what do your parents do? Well, where do your parents work? Well, huh? How did they get into that? Because I thought, okay, I'm over here stressed about these things. I'm in school today, I don't know if I'm going to be able to stay here tomorrow. What can I do to ensure that this doesn't keep happening? What can I learn from these people who are just in a different predicament than I'm in? And that did lead me down some really interesting rabbit holes. I remember talking to a girl who, you know, she shit was sweet for her. She was living life real cushy and her parents were very high up at a company that I was familiar with. And so I said I'm gonna go work there too. And I indeed did that because I thought that like my life would then be cushy and sweet and have a sense of stability that during that time in my life I was so badly craving because everything else unstable. And I indeed did go work for that company. And while I was the entry level very low, I did not necessarily have the sweet cushy situation that her executive parents who had like multiple decades at this company had. I was able to set a good foundation for myself and one of those first foundations was opening up a retirement account. So I started at that company as a, a college junior and the way that company treated its interns was like as an intern you were a full on employee of the company. You were then eligible for all benefits and all of the things. And so when I was a college junior, it was the summer between my junior and senior year. I was signing up for every benefit that I could get during that three month internship. I'm like, oh, I could open a 401k. I didn't know what it was, but I was like, I'm a do it. I can enroll in this reimbursement, I'm going to do it. I, I can get this matched. I'm going to do it. And so at the age of 20, I opened up a retirement account and I started regularly contributing to it because somebody said the words employer match and that it meant free money. And so I said, oh, if it meant free money, I'm going to take it. And that's what kind of started my investment journey. And it's something that I'm so, so grateful for that even though I didn't fully understand what it meant at that time that I had a retirement account, I still have it. Actually that has been compounding for well over 15 years at this point. That one account alone that I started at 20, even though I didn't even know what it meant, could potentially set me up for retirement without anything else, without doing anything else. Even though I have had other jobs, I've contributed in other ways, I have my own business that I have a retirement account through just that one alone could also have me set for like a decently modest life all on its own, just because I opted into it one time 15 years ago. And it just goes to show how those little decisions that we make could change your trajectory. And so when I ended up going back to that company after college and I actually looked at the account and saw how much was in there after just a few years and how much it compounded, then I became a lot more curious about, okay, if I could do this without even knowing what this means, or without even knowing what I'm doing or even trying, what else could I do? And that was when I really started leaning more into my financial education. By the time I was in my mid-20s and started getting really curious about investing and other types of investing, fast forward a couple of years later, I did leave that more. It wasn't that cushy of a job, honestly, it was just very stable. But I did leave that job for some more kind of unstable things that were a little all over the place. But I did end up at a startup a few years later. At this startup I was a social media manager. But this was like a very scrappy early stage startup. And during the time that I was there, the founder of the company was raising venture capital to keep it going. Now, mind you, I'm a first gen college student, no exposure to entrepreneurship. I'd had a corporate job for like five years left that worked in retail for a year, had another corporate job for a year, got laid off, and then came to the startup. I did not know what venture capital was. I didn't really know anything about entrepreneurship. I didn't really know anything about starting businesses outside of super large corporate entities because those were the only experiences I had at that time. And so when I heard the founder being like, oh, we're raising $15 million for our series A, I'm like, lady, you mean you go and you just go talk to some rich people about what your idea is for things that you haven't even done yet and they're going to give you $15 million to make it happen. This is crazy, right? I was like, mind blown. Little did I know that happens all of the time. So many of the businesses and the products and the platforms that we use, that was how they started. I just had no exposure to that. So then yet again, I got super curious. I'm like, well, what does this mean? What is a seed round? What is Series A? What is venture capital? Right? What does all of this mean? And so I started going into study mode to learn more about these different worlds of venture capital. And what does it mean to have a business that you then take on investment for and then what's in it for the investors? And what types of questions are the investors asking? And I actually specifically remember a turning point in my mind when I thought maybe I could be one of those people who makes decisions about where the money goes. Like I said, I was at the startup. This startup had co working spaces for women entrepreneurs. And so when I worked there, I had so much exposure to amazing women entrepreneurs. It was actually the coolest thing, even though the job was really traumatizing. But we also hosted a lot of events and it was really the events and people renting the event space that was like the company's bread and butter. So I remember working at this business in 2019 and we're talking about plans to expand the company and when we get the fundraising, we get the $15 million that we're raising, all that we're going to do with it and how we're going all in on these events and all these things in spaces. I was a social media manager at the time and I remember asking, so what is our contingency plan if for some reason like people can't go to events or what if something happens where we can't be in spaces and we can't use our physical spaces in the same way. Do we have a plan for how the business is going to continue after that? Now, I promise I'm not a medium. I did not know Covid was happening. I asked this question in like the spring of 2019. I promise I don't be knowing nothing. I'm just thinking through what are the plans in place so that we can keep this thing going if this one thing we're banking on doesn't work out is how my brain worked. But when I realized I am a social media manager making at that time maybe 50k a year and I'm asking more difficult questions, which by the way, there was no answer. The answer was like, I got reprimanded for that because I was told that I don't believe in the vision and the usual things that happen in those types of spaces. I'm asking more difficult questions than these investors who are cutting you multi million dollar checks and I'm a wee little social media manager. Maybe I'm onto something. Like maybe my brain works in the right way to be able to do something like this.

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[Les]

And that was a really big turning point for me of, okay, this might be where I'm at now, but I actually see potential of where I could go because I'm asking the right questions and I'm asking the questions that need to be considered for this line of work and this line of thinking. And so then I started learning more about how could you be an investor. I was like, I don't have any money. I don't work at these fancy VC firms. I don't have the right background for that. But what does it look like to actually invest in things? And that was when I started learning more about angel investors and how angel investors are basically people who invest their own money into businesses in early stages, ideally for equity. And that's when I decided, okay, that is something that I really want to shoot for. Mind you, again, at this time, I'm like a social media manager making maybe 50k a year. I'm super broke, I have two roommates. I hate my life. I have a bunch of student loans. So, like, I wasn't cutting any checks for anything. But the seed was planted that in the future this was something that I could do. But what that experience really taught me was that I don't want to be someone out here begging for and chasing deals. That the power really comes when you are the person who is signing dealership, the check. And I had that lesson resurface to me time and time and time again. Whether it was the times that I got laid off, whether it was the times that I got stuck in organizations that I didn't want to be in because I was seen as, I don't know, somebody who you could just kind of like, rid of in so many ways. When I worked in big companies, I realized that there is so much power when you are the true decision maker and when you are the one who is writing the checks. And that's something that's even happened a lot in my career as a content creator. A lot of the revenue for my business now comes from brand deals. That's something that I am hoping to change in the future. Not saying that I won't still do brand deals. I will, but I want to do them in a different way and I want to have revenue streams from other ways that there is still so much of begging for opportunities and Being begging for someone to see you and begging to give you a shot at the things that you want to do. And honestly, I'm tired of begging for deals, and I'm tired of begging for shots. I want to be the one making the decision and cutting the check and being able to say who gets to do what. And I want more of us in that position to be able to say who gets to do what. And that is why conversations like this are so important. And that is why the conversations that we will be having on the podcast throughout the month of April are so important. Because what it really takes is knowing the right people, having just the right amount of knowledge, and just, like, a little bit of capital, right? And I know if. If you're in a position where you don't have any, I get it. I have been there. It's still a little shaky for me, but we're working through it. We're still building. But even if you just get, like, a little bit of something and you have the knowledge to apply it in the right way, it can make such a difference. And if more of us can keep doing that, it can keep growing and it can keep compounding. That is, like, the biggest takeaway that I want you to take away from all of these conversations that we're going to have. It's like you can take a little bit of something and it can grow and it can compound. So after that experience of working at the startup, learning more about venture capital, realizing that I think I have the right kind of brain that can do this, because I have the business acumen, I have the savvy, I know how to ask the right questions. A lot of it just came around to building something, getting my money together so that I could eventually have enough capital to be able to deploy. And so making angel investments is something that has been a goal of mine for a very long time, ever since. Honestly, those conversations that I was having back in 2018 and 2019, and over the years, there's just been so much more proof as to why that is important. We saw the closure of Ami Kole last year and how devastating that was for so many of us because it was such a beloved brand. And when it came out, kind of why that happened, it was because not only was there not enough capital given, but the investors who did deploy that capital were really pushing that brand to grow its retail platform more, to push more doors in Sephora. All of these things that were just way too premature that led to the demise of that business. And I wonder if there Were more of us who understood the business and who understood the target customer, because we were the target customers, able to deploy capital not just in buying the product, but actually being on the cap table and being able to, like, provide some guidance and input. Because investors don't just write the checks. They also provide input of the direction of the business. Depending on the relationship with the founder, could the outcome have been different? Could she have gotten more capital and could she have been guided to do things with it that could have been more sustainable for the overall business? And could the brand still be here today? Now that we know kind of what happened there and now that we're having these conversations and we're beginning to understand a bit more what our businesses need, how can we band together to prevent things like that from happening in the future to other great brands that so many of us are creating and building that are meeting real needs and solving real problems. That is the power of not being the one chasing the deals, but really being the one to write the check. There's so many times, especially as a creator, where I feel like I'm just, like, trying to get these opportunities, and I'm trying to get people to see me, and I'm trying to get people to see the value, and I'm tired of it. The value is there, and if they don't see it, then they don't see it. But I'm tired of proving my value to people who are committed to not seeing it. And I want more of us to be tired of having to prove our value to people who are committed to not seeing it, to not seeing us. And so much of that really comes from having financial power to really make things shake. And I think that we do have a lot of financial power in terms of our spending power. Right? We have a lot of power there. But, man, we could really move the needle if we also were able to be a little bit more strategic about what businesses get our money and what entities and initiatives get our money, outside of just being a consumer consumer, outside of just the kind of cash product perspective. And that is why I want more of us to be really empowered in the ways that we invest. Because these companies don't care about you. These companies don't care about you. They don't care about you needing to feed your kids. They don't care about you needing to have a roof over your head. They don't care. They will lay any of us off in a heartbeat, as we've seen. But when we are able to have assets that we grow and leverage and manage in other ways, then we just have so much more power and we have so much more control and we have so much more autonomy. And it is a longer road. It takes time to get there. It's really, really important that we begin understanding that. And I want more of us to be the women who are signing the damage checks, because when we sign the checks, we actually tend to do a better job at it. There are so many studies that show that even though women don't invest as often, we tend to be better investors than men across the board because we're not reckless with it, because we're a lot more thoughtful and mindful about how we invest. We're in it for the long game. We are more patient to see those returns. We're not out here, like, day trading and doing weird stuff that doesn't work. When women have more money, we are more likely to invest it back into our communities. We are more likely to redistribute it amongst our communities and amongst small businesses and to our families. When women have more money, communities are healthier, wealthier, and stronger. We got to get after it. We got to start signing these checks. It's really, really important. And we are about to be a part of one of the greatest wealth transfers in history, where, as we start to see, you know, the baby boomers age out, there's a lot of wealth that is going to be transferred to younger generations, Gen X, millennials, Gen Z, and a lot of that wealth is going to be transferred to women. And it's very important as we come into that wealth in the coming decades, that we know what to do with it. When women are financially empowered, that is what makes economies healthy. That is what makes communities healthy. And it starts with the education that we give ourselves now so that in a few years, when we do come into some money, we're able to be really, really intentional with what we do with it. Something else that I'm really excited for in this series that's going to be going live throughout the month of April is some of the interviews will be a little bit different, and they will look a little bit different because I've also invited on some mentors of mine, women who I really look up to and who have been incredibly helpful for me as I kind of navigate my own journey in entrepreneurship and now as an investor, because I have also officially made my first angel investment, which is really exciting, and I can talk a little bit more about that in a second. But I have invited on a few women who have been like, Mentors to me, not every episode will be like that, but a few of the episodes will. And so it will have a little bit of a different tone, where it's less of a traditional interview, and it's more so like, hey, I'm sitting down with this mentor of mine, and I'm letting you listen in on the types of conversations that we're having, and you're getting put onto the game that they're giving me in order to be able to, like, navigate these spaces and to know what to do with all of this information. And it's really cool, and it's really exciting when I think about that. It makes me think about the importance of mentorship and the importance of sharing information. And y' all know I'm all about sharing information. It's my whole job. It's what I come on here every week and do. And so even though I may not necessarily be able to, like, individually mentor every single person, I really hope that through the information that I share here, you feel poured into, even if I'm not able to do that on a personal level with everybody. And it also just inspired me to talk a little bit more about what some of my mentor relationships look like and how that came to be, at least for the mentors that I have in my life. It's always been a very informal thing. It's never really been, like, me. Me going up to them and, like, proposing, getting down on one knee, being like, will you be my mentor? Because that's, like, a lot. That's, like, a lot to take in at once. But it is something that really happens organically over time. A lot of what I do involves a lot of events, involves sharing space and just being around a lot of really cool, powerful women. And I found that, like, those mentor mentee relationships that I have on both sides that tend to be the most fruitful are the ones that really happen organically, where it's like, I meet someone at an event and I'm having a conversation with her, and I'm hearing more about her experiences, and she's asking me about my experiences. And, like, we build an organic relationship where we are able to pour into one another in different ways. Those tend to be the most fruitful things. And so it's never just like, I'm going up to this person who I've never met before and being like, will you be my mentor? But it's like this natural thing that really happens, and we get to know one another. And then if I have a question, I am close enough to them where I can be like, hey, what are your thoughts about X, Y, Z and likewise? And it's one of those things that happens really organically. So I'm also very excited to put that on display because I do think sometimes we can make that process a little bit more difficult and a little bit more intimidating than it needs to be. I don't necessarily think that you should just walk up to somebody who you have not met before and out of the blue, be like, will you be my mentor? Here is this problem I need you to help me solve. But I think a lot of it really comes from building organic relationships with people. And the same way you would in any other relationship, like a friendship or even a romantic relationship. As you get to know people more, it just makes sense that you get closer, and the types of conversations that you're able to have get deeper and deeper. And sometimes that does come with support or being able to ask a question or help solving a problem or. Or help with an introduction, because that happens organically. So I just also wanted to throw that out there because I think that that is kind of a hot topic. I know that I have also had people kind of come up to me with it in ways that sometimes are a little bit jarring. And I'm still trying to figure out how I better navigate those things, because it's always like, the times where I'm literally having, like, the worst day in my life. I have four bags falling off my shoulder. I had, like, something crazy happen. I'm on the brink of tears, and then someone comes up to me and is like, I need you to be my mentor right now. And I'm like, oh, my God, please. I'm just trying. I'm just trying to keep it together. It's not that I don't want to help people. It's like, how. How do we better navigate those types of conversations? And that's also something that I really want to get at here as well, because there are also people who I love, like, chatting with and pouring into. But it is something that just happens naturally. And it can be really intimidating to be on the other end of someone that you don't know having these really heavy expectations of you and dumping that on you when you weren't really expecting it and not knowing how to hold it. And that's something that I'm still navigating, being able to figure out. It also makes me more mindful with the people that I look up to to make sure that I don't do that, because it's just kind of a lot that even the people who you look up to are still people still going through it and still have like, you know, so many, so many ways are still on the brink and so remembering their humanity, remembering that a lot of these conversations are like two way streets and two way conversations are very, very important and also important to think of when it comes to investment and whether that is an angel investor writing a check for a business that you're advising, whether that is you want to get into real estate and you want to buy a property that you have people rent out or whatever it is, all of these things are always a two way street. You're always putting something into whatever it is you're investing in to get some sort of return. So just remembering that it's not always about what you can take, but remember that there's always something that you can give. Okay, now, now. Giving checks is always great though. We love a check check, we'll always give and receive a check. With VRBL's last minute deals, you can save over $50 on your spring getaway. So whether it's a mountain escape with friends, a family week at the beach, or sightseeing in a new city, there's still time to get great discounts. Book your next day now. Average savings $72 select homes only.

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[Les]

statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. I'm really excited to dive into these topics with you. I think talking more about investing in various different forms is incredibly important. I think the way that we talk about investing as women has come so far and I'm really excited to, to continue those conversations. I know that there are so many of us who are investing in the stock market, specifically more than we ever have, which is amazing. And I want us to continue that and I want us to have access and exposure to other things that we may not have invested in. Because maybe we just didn't know or maybe we thought it wasn't for us and we didn't know how. Like, I want to blow the lid off of that and let you know that everything is for you. Even if you don't have the means to do it right now, you can at least get this knowledge and you can apply it when you are ready to do so. That was how I felt back in 2018, 2019, that I'm just now being able to apply, having just made my first angel investment recently. And I. That is what I want you to have as well. So even if you're like, les, I'm broke right now. This is down. I don't know what I'm doing. Please still listen to these episodes because you still need this knowledge that you can apply at any time. Things can turn around for you so quickly tomorrow and you gotta stay ready so that you can know what to do next. As I mentioned, I recently made my first angel investment, which is something that I plan to continue doing. I would love to have kind of a portfolio of companies that I invest in and ideally have a equity in, because truly the goal is equity. If you're not familiar with what it means to have equity, it just means that you like own a little percentage of that company. And particularly when you're doing something like an angel investment, you are owning a little bit of that company in its very, very early stages while it's getting off the ground. While the valuation might be a little bit lower, but ideally, as that company grows and scales and has what is considered an event like an acquisition, it gets bought by another company or maybe goes public, then that is when your equity is worth a lot more and that is when you truly like make the money from it. Now, I will say that type of investing is also very risky because a lot of startups fail. And so if you were to look up something like angel investing and you were to look up the stats of what it means to have a return, the stats are really high. Saying like, the average angel investor makes back like 25% of their returns, that is true. If somebody has a portfolio, let's say they've invested their own money in like 10 different companies, 10 to 20 different companies, and then one or two of those companies has a really great event, like a good acquisition or goes public, and then it pays enough to kind of offset all of the other companies that didn't, then that's when you get that big payout. So I will say there is also a lot of risk involved in it. My approach to it, as somebody who does not have a lot of generational wealth, like, I also wrote a very baby check. It was not like a big massive investment by any means. But my approach to it is to really take it as a learning experience. I have gotten to connect with really cool founders who are building really amazing things. And while I think the businesses they're building are amazing and will have great acquisitions and will make lots of money, I wouldn't invest in something if I didn't think it had the potential to do that. There is always a risk that it wouldn't. But being able to have connections to the people who are building these really cool things as well as the other people who are investing in that and having an opportunity to have equity in something like that and being able to provide some insight and strategy around the decisions that are made is an incredible experience. It is a crazy learning experience. And so the same way that I would pay to be in a mastermind, the same way that I could pay a business coach, I almost see this investment as like paying for that education. So, for example, the angel investment that I recently made, the lead investor is a VC investor who is well known in that space, who I've been following for a while. She's like a very badass investor who invests in some really cool things. And when presented with the opportunity to invest in this company, I thought, well, it would be really amazing to be on the same cap table as her and to be able to learn from somebody who is this very successful investor what they see in an investment and how they make decisions and being able to be kind of a fly on the wall for their process. Like, yeah, I would pay for that. I would pay to learn that. I would pay for proximity to that, if nothing else, to soak up that knowledge and being able to get an actual financial return on that even better. But I also still think that knowledge is super valuable and building a network in that way is incredibly valuable. So when you look at what you're investing in, also seeing all of the different ways that you can get a return, I'VE talked a lot about angel investing because that's where my brain is now. I also will have an episode dedicated to angel investing with my, like, angel investing mentor who has made some incredible investments. And she can speak a lot more to it because she has invested in things that have had successful events as well as she has, like, bought and sold her own businesses and done really cool things. And she can kind of speak more to that. But I do think it's really worthwhile to have that experience of being around people who have done really successful things in the space. So as you were thinking about the different ways that you want to invest or even the ways that you want to invest in yourself, be really open to what those potential returns could look like. Now, listen, as I said, we are about getting our money up. So making money is always like, top priority. And there are other ways in the event that you have a little bit more of a risky investment to make your return or to get a return on that investment in ways that pour into you that may not necessarily immediately be some sort of financial return. Although I would argue for most investments, none of them are really immediate. Even if you are investing in the stock market. Ideally, investing in the stock market is a long game that you do gradually over time. You leave your money in the market and you see those returns year after year. But it is incredibly worthwhile. I started this episode talking about the story of my old 401k that I started when I was in college. What's interesting now about that very same 401k was like, I put during my time at that company a certain amount of money into that company's 401k. Throughout my time there, when I worked there, I had the employer match. And so the employer matches put same amount of money into the 401k that I did. And now that 401k been like 10 years since I've left that company and contributed anything is worth about four times more than what I contributed to it due to the company matching and then just time in the stock market for it to compound not touching it for the last decade, it's now worth four times as much as what I put into it just from giving it time and letting it sit there. And if it's worth four times as much as I put into it now, and I'm in my mid-30s, very excited to see how that looks when I'm 50, when I'm 55, all of these things. And being willing to invest, being willing to invest in yourself is the ultimate symbol of hope. There is a lot of hopelessness right now where people feel like there's nothing, there's no future. What's the point of investing? Because we're not going to be here anyway. I disagree. And I actually think that being willing to invest and being willing to invest in yourself is probably one of the greatest acts of hope that there can be. Because, oh, wouldn't want to be wrong. And having done nothing to set ourselves up for the future like Ruh Roh, you know, that would feel not so great. And so I want us to also be willing to cut the checks for ourselves, Also be willing to invest in ourselves in ways that are really important and to have a little bit of hope. The people who have us feeling this way want us to feel that way. There is a potential future and it can be really bright and a lot of us have to make it so. And I think that we do that by acting like there will be a future, creating a future that we want to see. And I don't know about you, but when I think about a future that I want to see, not only are we healthy and happy and thriving and there is like peace and liberation, but also when I think about the old lady version of myself who is living in that ideal world, she ain't broke, I'll tell you that much. So if I gotta do some things now to make that happen, then let's have some hope and let's make it happen. And so my hope with all of this is that you feel inspired to invest in yourself, to invest in your community, and to invest in your future. Because I do think we have a future and I think it is really bright. So that is what I have for you today. I cannot wait to dive into the investing series all month long throughout the month of April with you. These episodes are going to be incredible. You are going to learn so much. You are going to feel so financially empowered, and it's going to be the roadmap you need for investing in yourself and for investing in your future. So if you are not already subscribed to she's so Lucky. Make sure you're subscribed. You don't want to miss a single episode. Subscribe on YouTube, subscribe on Spotify. Make sure your notifications are on so that you don't miss a single episode. We drop new episodes every single Tuesday. Thank you for tuning in and I'll see you next week. Thank you for tuning in to this

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week's episode of she's so Lucky. If you're ready to create your own luck.

[Les]

Hit that subscribe button wherever you get

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your podcasts or on YouTube so you don't miss an episode and head to the show.

[Les]

Notes for resources, links and discount codes and and if you are really feeling lucky, we would appreciate your rating and your review. It really helps us be able to

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improve the show, to get great guests

[Les]

and to understand what you want to hear more of. Thank you for tuning in and I'll see you next week.

[Kristen or Dina]

After the dishes are done, after the toys are mostly picked up, after the chaos finally quiets down, that's when the real stuff starts. We're Kristen and Dina, moms, child behavior experts and co founders of Big Little Feelings, and After Bedtime is the podcast where we stop pretending we've got it all figured out and start telling the truth about parenting. This show goes way beyond tantrum tips. We're talking about identity shifts, breaking cycles, screaming into a pillow, healing the parts the of of you that parenting cracked wide open. So come as you are, you're not

[Les]

too much, you're not alone, and you're already enough.

[Kristen or Dina]

New episodes of After Bedtime every Wednesday.

[Les]

Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.