← So Money with Farnoosh Torabi
So Money with Farnoosh Torabi
1754: Top Ways to Achieve Gratitude, Growth, and Financial Success with Life Coach Christine Hassler
00:33:33
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- [00:00]
Farnoosh Turabi
Hey friend, it's Farnush. Would you love to strengthen your finances as we head into the New year, you want to have me in your corner ready to answer your financial questions? I'm thrilled to invite you to join my so Money Members Club. For a limited time. You can join for free. Go to somoneymembers.com use the code somoneybf2024 to enjoy your first month free somoneymembers.com and use the code somoneybf 2024 to get your first month absolutely free.
- [00:31]
Christine Hassler
My dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for Career Day and said he was a big Rozman. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friends still laugh at me to this day.
- [00:45]
Farnoosh Turabi
Not everyone gets B2B, but with LinkedIn you'll be able to reach people who do. Get a hundred dollar credit on your next ad campaign. Go to LinkedIn.com results to claim your credit. That's LinkedIn.com results. Terms and conditions apply. LinkedIn the place to be to Be.
- [01:01]
Christine Hassler
Do you wonder about what's next in tech? Join us on Conversations With Leaders, a podcast from Amazon Web Services and hear predictions from top minds in the industry like Vijay Chatur, co founder and CEO of blueshift.
- [01:13]
Farnoosh Turabi
Where this is going to go next is really about combining that gen AI with what we call a customer AI. When you bring those two elements together, we feel that'll unlock the next level of the holy grail of personalization in some ways.
- [01:24]
Christine Hassler
Subscribe and join the conversation today. Available on all major podcast platforms.
- [01:34]
Farnoosh Turabi
So money episode 1754 gratitude, growth and Getting over it with Christine Hassler. You're listening to SOW Money with award winning money guru Farnoosh Turabi. Each day get a 30 minute dose of financial inspiration from the world's top business minds, authors, influencers and from Farnoosh yourself. Looking for ways to save on gas or double your double coupons. Sorry, you're in the wrong place. Seeking profound ways to live a richer, happier life.
- [02:05]
Christine Hassler
Welcome to SO Money. What I worked on in my personal development is self worth, right? I felt like I had something to prove I wasn't enough and so so much of my journey was feeling worthy again and dealing with that insecurity and knowing that I'm enough just the way I am and that had a very direct impact on my money.
- [02:27]
Farnoosh Turabi
Welcome to so Money everybody. I'm your host Farnoosh Turabi. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought it would Be a perfect time to reflect on gratitude, growth, and the power of resilience, three themes that are at the heart of today's conversation. If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or like life is not going according to plan, this episode is for you. Joining us is the incredible Christine Hassler. She's a former Hollywood agent turned life coach, bestselling author, and podcast host. Christine's journey from the high stress, toxic world of Hollywood to a life filled with purpose and fulfillment is nothing short of inspiring. Christine shares how she overcame what she calls expectation hangovers, those moments when life doesn't meet our plans, and how gratitude became a cornerstone of her personal and financial success. As we prepare to gather with loved ones and give thanks, Christine's insights remind us that even in our most challenging times, there's room for growth, there's room for healing, and even gratitude. Here's her powerful story and actionable advice on finding fulfillment, redefining success, and embracing the abundance already present in our lives. Here we go. Here is Christine Hassler. Christine Hassler, welcome to Sow Money.
- [03:44]
Christine Hassler
I'm so happy to be here.
- [03:47]
Farnoosh Turabi
Background as a Hollywood agent at 25, then transitioning to life coaching, and you have a podcast, you have bestselling books. I just, I want to dive right into your journey and starting with your time in Hollywood. How long ago was that?
- [04:01]
Christine Hassler
A little over a decade.
- [04:02]
Farnoosh Turabi
Okay.
- [04:03]
Christine Hassler
Well, I started. Well, I started when I was right. I graduated early, so I was barely 21 years old when I moved out here.
- [04:11]
Farnoosh Turabi
So you were given a lot of responsibility at that age in a high pressure environment. Tell me a little bit about kind of your day to day as maybe at the peak of agenting and also the time when you decided to leave. But what was your life like back then?
- [04:28]
Christine Hassler
Like a different world. Different. It feels totally like a different life. It was high pressure and often toxic. So for me, what really drove me to move out to Hollywood, and I think this is true for a lot of people, was massive insecurity that I compensated for by being extremely driven. And I had something to prove to the world, right? So I had this ambition and this drive and really wanted to be. I think I really wanted to be famous, but I didn't want to be an actress because there's just way too much rejection. And I knew that I could count on my brain, so I wanted to be more behind the scenes. And I never thought I was going to be an agent. But when you move out, everybody tells you you've got to start at an agency. And I started right on an agent's desk, which normally doesn't happen. Usually you have to do something called mail room and push mail carts around for a year before you get on the desk. Yeah, I watch Entourage.
- [05:19]
Farnoosh Turabi
I know how it works.
- [05:20]
Christine Hassler
Yeah, you know, it's very based in reality, I have to say, and that I got basically Lloyd's position if you watch Entourage right off the bat, was working for the head of TV packaging and was working, oh my gosh, 12, 14 hour days, didn't really take lunch breaks. And I, you know, in that industry, the stress, the yelling is tolerated. It's sort of just part of the deal. And so I got used to a very, very high level of stress. And I thought that's just what work was like to be successful. Like, you just got yelled at and you had this high level of stress and you could treat people poorly. And as much as part of me knew that didn't have to be true. Because I spent so much time in the industry, I almost became like one of those people. I saw myself as I was working my way up and got promoted at a young age, snapping at people, becoming more irritable. And because there was a lot of, I mean, there was a lot of sexual harassment that happened, I had this kind of wall that I developed around me. And even though I was making a ton of money and hanging out with celebrities and going to the Oscars and the Golden Globes and had this total beautiful dream life from the outside inside, I was miserable. I didn't like myself. I kept having to raise the bar. You know, once I get promoted, then I'll be happier. Once I get this client, then I'll like this job or once, whatever. Enough was never enough. So there were two pivotal moments that got me to leave. One was I got this group of guys a TV deal and they were really talented, but unknown. I felt like I discovered gold and the person I was working for made me attach an executive producer that I didn't want to attach, the network didn't want to attach, but he made me do it because he had seniority. And it killed the show and it basically killed this guy's dreams. So that was like a knife in the heart. And then the other thing that happened is I was riding up the elevator one day with one of the senior level women, and she was with her assistant looking at her phone and she said, oh, my daughter said her first word and the assistant said, what was it? And she said it was Ola because she spends more time with the nanny. Oh, well. And I was Just like, oh, yikes. And those two.
- [07:31]
Farnoosh Turabi
Great that she's learning Spanish, though.
- [07:33]
Christine Hassler
Exactly, exactly. Way to see the silver lining in that one. But it was enough of a. Those two things were enough of a sign for me to leave. And I wish I could say I left. And it was this awesome leap of faith and I discovered my passion and everything turned up roses. But my life got a lot worse before it got better. I got depressed because my whole identity was this job. I went into tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt. I was estranged from my family. I got diagnosed with an undiagnosable autoimmune disorder. And then I got dumped six months before my wedding. So, yeah, it was a good time, man. Okay.
- [08:12]
Farnoosh Turabi
You said something earlier that was so, like, stopped me in my train of thought, and it kind of depressed me a little bit because I was like, is this. Could this be true of me or a lot of people who I see as quote, unquote successful, quote, unquote ambitious is that. You said that insecurity fuels a lot of that or can be the cause of that, the root cause of it. That's really upsetting to me. Is that really what you find over and over again in your practice?
- [08:38]
Christine Hassler
I do. In Expectation Hangover, I wrote about these things called compensatory strategies, and they're a little different than defense mechanisms in that anytime we feel less than in some way, we have to find a way to feel more than. So for me, I was teased and bullied. I didn't feel like I was liked. I didn't feel like I belonged. And I compensated by being a massive overachiever. But underneath that was insecurity. So I find with most people, they have some insecurity or some, I don't feel good enough or some misbelief that something's wrong with me. And they compensate by being extremely driven or maybe being a people pleaser or incredibly controlling or even a caretaker, rescuer, or a performer, you know, just kind of like, I'll just make everybody laugh. And I find in my practice that these things are very effective on the external goal line, but they're not fulfilling on the soul line. So a lot of. Of highly successful people that I've worked with get that way because they're incredibly hard on themselves. Self criticism is motivating. It gets us to do things, and it creates results. So then it becomes kind of addictive, and people think that they have to keep being hard on themselves to push themselves forward. And it can be so subtle that a lot of times people don't realize how negative their relationship with themselves is. So we all have to be aware of our degree of kind of insecurity and what we're trying to prove, what we think we need to do to be loved, accepted, successful, et cetera. And also, what do we use to drive ourselves? Is it that hard talk kind of motivation where we're hard on ourselves? Or do we talk to ourselves in positive ways and move forward because we're inspired and not because we're trying to compensate for something?
- [10:30]
Farnoosh Turabi
And are we talking to ourselves to begin with? Like, I don't think I have conversations with myself, and maybe I do in their subconscious. And I wonder what that tone is.
- [10:38]
Christine Hassler
I'm going to go check myself. Yeah, take a little listen.
- [10:42]
Farnoosh Turabi
I mean, it makes sense, right? I mean, I think even growing up, I was bullied and I was different. My name was Farnoosh. God help me. I mean, growing up in a predominantly white Irish Catholic neighborhood in Massachusetts, and I was totally the ugly duckling. Like, I had a unibrow. I was like, I was just. No, it was not working out for me from, like, pretty much pre adolescence to about 14. And I hear, yeah, maybe that was my crutch, was working really hard and getting those A's, and it just stuck.
- [11:14]
Christine Hassler
Yeah.
- [11:15]
Farnoosh Turabi
But you know what? No, I'm like, you know what? It worked out.
- [11:19]
Christine Hassler
Yes, it's not a bad. And I can relate to that. My nickname was Monkey Girl because my arms and my legs screwed before the rest of my body. You know, boys only talk to me if they could cheat off my math paper. So I get that. And in a way, it is great. Thank goodness we became overachievers rather than resorting to drinking or drugs or all kind of the other options that are out there. So I'm not saying exactly. Oh, gosh. Yeah. Well, these things about being driven, I'm not saying they're bad. They get us to a certain point. However, if anyone can relate to that feeling of enough, never feels like enough. Like you check something off, but you don't feel totally satisfied and you're always sort of looking for the next thing, then maybe it's just time to consider, am I really hard driving myself? Am I a little bit addicted to achieving? Or can I really accept where I am, celebrate where I am, and not always be looking for that next thing.
- [12:17]
Farnoosh Turabi
Amen, Christine. P.S. can people stop asking other people, so, what's next for you? Because it's, you know, that it's part of our dialogue. It's part of especially you live In New York, how many times a week I get asked that question? So far, Noosh, what's the end game for you? What's next? Are you working on another book? I'm like, no. People, can we just enjoy the fact that I've had a really busy year, and if that's not enough for you, I guess I'll go make an online course then.
- [12:45]
Christine Hassler
Oh, my gosh. I so you are speaking my language. I. We do not celebrate enough in this culture. We really do not celebrate what we are doing right now. And I. Busyness has become this badge of honor, and we've become these human doings rather than human beings.
- [13:03]
Farnoosh Turabi
And.
- [13:03]
Christine Hassler
And this expectation, especially if you are someone like you who has created a lot of things and are successful, it's like people almost project that expectation onto you, and it's like, wait, wait, wait a second. Let me just acknowledge where I am. And if I never do another thing, I've done enough, you know, and this needing to drive and do. And I don't just think it's in the big cities. I think it's pervasive because of the Internet, because of social media, and everybody putting their highlight reel on Facebook and Instagram and everything else that's out there is. Everybody feels like they're not doing enough. They don't have enough, they're not skinny enough, they're not doing enough, they don't have enough money. We live in a very not enoughness culture instead of a culture of gratitude and abundance.
- [13:48]
Farnoosh Turabi
So after you left the agenting world in Hollywood and you said you were on the brink of, well, maybe you were depressed and you had a breakup.
- [13:58]
Christine Hassler
You were in debt.
- [14:00]
Farnoosh Turabi
What got you out of that?
- [14:02]
Christine Hassler
It was a moment on my bathroom floor, and I was contemplating whether or not I wanted to be here anymore. I mean, I was so depressed, I was suicidal. And not in the sense that I attempted it, but just that I had thoughts about it, which is scary when you get to that place. And I realize people have been through darker moments than that, but for me, this was my dark night of the soul quarter life crisis. And I had a moment of grace, basically, where everything I was looking for on the outside, a feeling of love, peace, compassion, acceptance, it just washed over me. And I felt a feeling that I probably hadn't felt since I was young, of love. And it was a wake up and a aha of wait a second. Everything I was looking for on the outside is within me. And I got on my knees and I wasn't particularly spiritual at the time, but I had been an agent, so I knew how to make deals. And I made a deal, deal with whatever God I believed in then and said, if I figure my way out of this, I will dedicate the rest of my life to helping other people. And that was my turning point. And the next, sometime that week, I don't know if it was the next day or next couple days, the idea and the words for my first book just were there. And that's how it all began.
- [15:22]
Farnoosh Turabi
Accountability is what it was.
- [15:25]
Christine Hassler
Yes. And first you have to work on yourself. I think a lot of people try to skip right to the purpose without healing what they need to heal. So before, you know, I wrote that book for me, most of all, like, I had to look inside and be like, what? How did I get to this place? Because I could either be a victim in that situation and be like, oh, poor me, all this stuff happened to me, or I could look at. I'm the common denominator in all these situations. How did I create this? So it started with me. The purpose really started with me, because the deal that I made is if I figure my way through this, then I will dedicate my life to helping others. So first I had to figure my own way through it. And what I learned is that the original definition of the word passion is actually suffering passion of the Christ. That is where the Word comes from. And over time, we've evolved that word to mean what we love. And so I think for a lot of us, when we're thinking about a purpose greater than ourselves, so much of the time, it comes from our suffering. Like our purpose here. Our work here often comes from what we struggled with most, because that's where we learn, that's where we grow, and that's where we have the most quote, unquote passion to go teach and serve and share with others.
- [16:36]
Farnoosh Turabi
How did you learn all of this after you realized you wanted to serve others? What was your next step? Did you go to school? Did you move?
- [16:46]
Christine Hassler
I did a lot. No, I stayed in la. I'm still in la. I stayed in la. I had amazing teachers. One of my teachers named Mona was a coach and a spiritual teacher. I did everything from Landmark Forum to Tony Robbins to Insight. I went back a few years later, maybe four years later, and got a master's degree in spiritual psychology and then got another master's degree in consciousness health and healing. I got trained as a hypnotherapist. I got NLP certified, and then on my own, I went to all kinds of retreats and did all kinds of crazy work, from going on retreats in nature and screaming in the forest to the more intellectual stuff, like I mentioned, like landmark. So I became a connoisseur of personal growth and that, that's how I really started to not only navigate my own life better, but be able to serve others.
- [17:41]
Farnoosh Turabi
Your podcast is called over it and on with It. And what's unique about this show is that while this show is recorded, your show is live and you're helping people. People live on the air. So how do you do that? I mean, yes, you have all these certifications, experience, but there's something about the live element of helping someone. Like, have you ever had someone come on your show and you're like, I just can't help you?
- [18:07]
Christine Hassler
No.
- [18:08]
Farnoosh Turabi
Where do you begin?
- [18:10]
Christine Hassler
With everybody, Honestly? Well, I've been doing this 12 years, so it definitely is something that I've had a lot of practice in. I begin with just listening. The moment I think that I have them figured out or the moment I'm thinking of what I'm going to say when they're talking, it's over, really. Being a coach and just being a good human being and having authentic communication and effective communication, it just comes down to listening. Most of us just aren't great listeners. We're thinking about what we're going to say next or our mind is wandering or whatever. So for me, it's really listening and getting out of the way. I mean, I'm a spiritual person. I have a deep spiritual practice and I believe that spirit, God, whatever we want to call it, the universe works through me in a lot of ways. So my biggest job is to get out of the way and let the work do the work. And if I listen and show up with no judgment, that's the other thing. So listening is number one and not judging in any way, shape or form. The person that's calling in, either judging them in a critical sense or judging them by having sympathy or feeling bad for them in any way or thinking their problem is just so horrific. And that showing up with that intention and that emptiness really created creates a space for magic to happen.
- [19:29]
Farnoosh Turabi
Coming up, Christina breaks down the relationship between privilege and purpose. And we'll talk about how your self worth directly impacts your net worth. Stay tuned. Have you ever experienced a dry, itchy scalp or ever wondered why your color isn't lasting as long as your hairdresser promised? I'm raising my hand. Well, unfiltered mineral filled water could be the reason why. Did you know hard water is a leading cause of damaged hair, hair and dry, irritated skin, and that about 85% of the United States uses hard water filled with dissolved minerals and added chlorine. That's where Canopy's filtered showerheads come in. Canopy, known for their beauty hacks and reimagined humidifier, has revolutionized the filtered showerhead space with not one filtered showerhead but a handheld version as well. Dermatologists recommended this unique three stage filtration system greatly reduces contaminants and odors in your shower water, leaving you with healthy hair and glowing skin. Best of all, the Canopy's filtered showerheads are hassle free, installation is a breeze, and its unique filter replacement feature allows for seamless filter changes unlike any others on the market. Go to getcanopy.co to save $25 on your canopy filtered showerhead purchased today with Canape's hassle free filter subscription. Even better, my listeners can use the code somoney at checkout to save an additional 10% off your canopy purchase. Hurry. Your hair and skin will thank you. Meet Claude, the AI assistant from Anthropic that's transforming how organizations work. Imagine every person on your team having an expert collaborator who knows your company inside and out. That's Claude. When you upload company documents into Claude, you're giving it the context to become your subject matter expert and deliver astute and helpful responses. Claude helps engineers ship products faster, marketers craft compelling campaigns and sales teams personalize outreach and at scale. From brainstorming to execution. Claude thinks like a teammate, not a tool. Empower every person in your organization with AI that's both powerful and protected. Your data stays yours by default. They never train their models on your company conversations and content. Join leading enterprises already working smarter with Claude. Transform your organization's productivity and visit anthropic.com enterprise picture this. You're halfway through a DIY car fix tools scattered everywhere, and boom. You realize you're missing a part. It's okay because you know whatever it is, it's on ebay. They've got everything. Brakes, headlights, cold air intakes. Whatever you need. And it's guaranteed to fit. Which means no more crossing your fingers and hoping you ordered the right thing. All the parts you need at prices you'll love. Guaranteed to fit every time.
- [22:12]
Christine Hassler
Ebay Things people love My dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for Career Day and said he was a big roas man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friends still laugh at me to this day.
- [22:31]
Farnoosh Turabi
Not everyone gets B2B. But with LinkedIn, you'll be able to reach people who do get a hundred dollar credit on your next ad campaign. Go to LinkedIn.com results to claim your credit. That's LinkedIn.com results. Terms and conditions apply. LinkedIn, the place to be. To be. I want to say it's a millennial thing, but I'm not sure. And I'm curious to hear your perspective that a lot of young people today who grew up with parents, who coddled them, where they got a trophy just for participating, everybody came in first place. There were no losers. And in my family, my parents were extremely supportive. I think more even with my brother, because my mom has it in her head that men need more like support. She overcompensated, I think, for my brother. Not because he needed it, but just because she's like, in her mind, she thought that was the difference between men and women. Welcome to my world. Just a little snapshot of my childhood. Farnoosh fending for herself. Todd getting all the fruits and. No, but, you know, it made us who we are. And now after 20 years, my brother is very successful. But he's even said there is this feeling of, like, doing all the right things that you were supposed to do. Going to school, getting your degree, getting the job. On paper, everything looks great, but you feel lost. You feel like there was. There's more, there should be more to life. And I don't know if it's again, just a phase because everybody kind of goes through that in their quarter life crisis, or is it specific to this generation because of the way that we were raised?
- [24:05]
Christine Hassler
I think it's both. I think it's something that everybody goes through at one time in their life. I think it's happening earlier. You know, there used to be more emphasis on the midlife crisis. Part of the reason this generation is experiencing it more is because of the massive expectation that we grew up around. I mean, the world was more of our oyster than ever before. So there's this sense of if you don't have this big, amazing life, then it's not enough in some way. Where in generations in the past, things were a lot simpler. We didn't have the kind of massive, glorious, grandiose expectations that a lot of people have now because things were a lot simpler. So I think it's the result of, yes, this generation. And also just especially in our 20s, we haven't. Some people have, but we haven't really gone through extreme struggle. And I don't think that. Well, this isn't. I'm generalizing. This doesn't apply to everyone. But for most people, usually you have to have some kind of expectation hangover, some kind of suffering, some kind of wake up moment where you pivot a little bit and you start to realize that you're responsible for your own fulfillment instead of expecting something outside of you to do it for you. So until we start having those kind of moments, I think there is a feeling like, well, nothing's really terribly wrong, but nothing feels really right either.
- [25:33]
Farnoosh Turabi
Struggle is good, man. Struggle is important. Some might call it adversity. I've written down so many things already, Christina. I've written down human doings, not human beings addicted to accomplishment. Being a good listener. Do you think that it is possible to be fulfilled if you grew up with a life of prosperity and everything was handed to you?
- [25:54]
Christine Hassler
If we come from privilege, it's more of, what do we do with it? If you've got privilege but you've got no purpose, then you're, you know, it's like straight train express to rehab or something like that, because you're just kind of throwing money around. It's not directional.
- [26:10]
Farnoosh Turabi
You know what really bothers me, though, is that our culture doesn't care about purpose because of Instagram and Twitter. You can just be all about privilege and not give back a dime and not give back your time. You're just there to be put on a pedestal. And. And at the end of the day, those subjects, will they say that they lived a fulfilled life, Maybe not. But meanwhile, everyone else is observing that, and not everybody. I mean, I think we get it. But the younger people who are much more impressionable look at that and go, that's ideal. That's the life. That's dangerous.
- [26:42]
Christine Hassler
It is dangerous. And it is like 1 in 4, closer to 1 in 3. Now, graduating seniors say they want to be famous. So there is a huge kind of cultural thing happening right now where we think that the be all and end all is to have a lot of fame and you can get famous by having a sex tape. I mean, you don't really have to do anything that impressive to be famous. We're in kind of a dangerous time right now in terms of what is rewarded, quote, unquote, and what people throw money at. And I'm optimistic that it is starting to shift one thing. The millennial generation gets a bad rap. You know, the whole, like, show up, get a trophy, blah, blah, blah. I think millennials are awesome. I'm on, like, the end of the millennial spectrum. And I have to say, yes, there's narcissistic entitled millennials, but there's narcissistic entitled people of everybody. Yeah, yeah. And so what. But what I really think is unique about the millennial generation is the emphasis that they place on social good and impact and change and making a difference. So I do think it's shifting. I do think that people are starting to want and demand more substance. So, yes, the noise is out there and it probably always will be to some extent, but I love that we're seeing causes and people making great impact also having a huge platform.
- [28:05]
Farnoosh Turabi
I agree with you. It can't happen sooner enough for me. I want this day to come yesterday.
- [28:11]
Christine Hassler
Me too.
- [28:13]
Farnoosh Turabi
Christine, this is a financial show. I could talk to you for another hour about all your work in, in coaching and life coaching. But as it's a financial show, we'd love to hear from you as far as what is your money mantra, you know, amidst all of this, what sort of framework do you have for your money?
- [28:32]
Christine Hassler
Well, my, I would say the where it starts is that I am my own best investment. The biggest ROI I've ever gotten is when I invest in myself. That's always kind of driven how I've run my business, how I make choices. Because when I'm investing in my own growth, my own self care, I'm able to make more money and then I'm able to invest in my business and the causes that I really support. So I think a lot of what I worked on in my personal development is self worth. Right. I felt like I had something to prove, I wasn't enough. And so much of my journey was feeling worthy again and dealing with that insecurity and knowing that I'm enough just the way I am. And that had a very direct impact on my money. I think that self worth correlates to net worth a lot. So the more I invest in myself, both financially and in my own self care and knowing that I'm worthy and enough, the more I see that reflect in my finances.
- [29:25]
Farnoosh Turabi
Tell me, Christine, about childhood a little bit. What would you say was the greatest money memory you had as a kid growing up?
- [29:33]
Christine Hassler
Well, I remember I always loved to play real life things growing up. Like I like to play store and bank and things like that. And I remember in elementary school we had this mock city and you had, you got to play different roles. Sometimes you were the customer, sometimes you were the store owner. And I loved being the store owner way more than I loved being the shopper because I loved selling Things. Right. And I loved that exchange and the transaction. So I have these early money memories of like the way money works and the giving and the receiving and I love that. I love playing bank and having fake deposits and all these kind of things. So I actually had a good memory about the way money kind of moves around and I really think that impacted me in the sense of knowing that it's a balance of the spending and the earning. So because of that I was always really good with budgeting. Well, until I had my whole quarter life crisis and it kind of went out the window for a while. How did you get to that? Oh, that's an easy answer. So as an agent I had a great salary and an expense account and bonuses. And then when I qu. I was trying to make money as a personal trainer and keep up the facade that I still had money. And so I was basically spending money I didn't have. Yeah. And LA is an easy city to rack up debt in and it was good because like since I've had debt I understand how it works and I can help people through it. So I'm glad that I had it because it was a very humbling wake up experience for me. And it. I had to go a level deeper in terms of really understanding how money worked because until then, since I, you know, had a job so early and was making money early, I didn't really understand how money worked, how to invest, how to really save, how to budget like a grown up lifestyle. Those are all things I had to learn because of the debt.
- [31:24]
Farnoosh Turabi
How did you get out of the debt?
- [31:26]
Christine Hassler
Saving, working, understanding credit and moving it around, putting myself on a payment plan, changing my lifestyle. That's how I did it.
- [31:36]
Farnoosh Turabi
All of the above. And how long did it take you to get out of debt and how much of it? How much was there of debt?
- [31:41]
Christine Hassler
It was like around 50 grand. It wasn't terrible, but it was a lot for me. And it took me about, I'd say between two and three years.
- [31:50]
Farnoosh Turabi
What would you say was your so money moment?
- [31:53]
Christine Hassler
Well, I can. I would love to share the story about how I got the biggest paycheck of my life. Yes. To that point. Let's do that.
- [31:59]
Farnoosh Turabi
I like that story already.
- [32:00]
Christine Hassler
So I. A big financial institution had reached out to me. They were looking for a spokesperson and they interviewed me and they were like, well, you're great but you're not, not famous enough. But we're going to consider you and we'll let you know. On Monday we're sending out a survey to a Bunch of millennials. And once we get the results from that survey, we'll come back to you. And I've always had a service mindset, and luckily I worked through a lot of my rejection issues from childhood. So when I heard they weren't going to hire me, I didn't get all upset. I just back to listening. I really listened to what they said. So once I heard we're sending out a survey to a bunch of millennials, I was like, ding, ding, ding. Because I was an expert on that. And I said, well, how old are the people that are writing the survey? And they said, oh, it's this big research firm, you know, their 40s and 50s. And again, ding, ding, ding. I knew that people in their 40s and 50s were not asking millennials the right questions. And I said, well, could I take a look at the survey? I won't charge you anything. I just would love to help you out here. If you send it to me, I'll sign an NDA, whatever. So they're like, oh, okay. So they send me the survey and I look at it and I rewrote the whole thing in ways that I knew millennials would answer so they could get the right questions, so on and so forth. And I send it back to them in just this little word document. And the next day they call and say, can you get on a plane to New York tomorrow? We want you as our spokesperson and we want you to speak to our entire marketing and HR department.
- [33:20]
Farnoosh Turabi
Oh, my gosh.
- [33:20]
Christine Hassler
And it led to this huge deal. The biggest paycheck of my life up until that point. And it really came from just wanting to help. And that was huge for me in terms of a money A so money moment. Because I really realized, wow, helping people and showing up with integrity and not always looking for the deal really can lead to a very lucrative lifestyle and business.
- [33:45]
Farnoosh Turabi
How do those 40 and 50 year olds feel about you rewriting all their work? I think that's brilliant, by the way. They probably weren't so happy with it though.
- [33:52]
Christine Hassler
Well, I don't know. It was some research company they hired, so I don't even know they didn't get the job. Go you.
- [33:59]
Farnoosh Turabi
That's amazing. Number one, money habit, Christine.
- [34:02]
Christine Hassler
Gratitude.
- [34:03]
Farnoosh Turabi
Really?
- [34:04]
Christine Hassler
That's gratitude. Every time I get a check, every time I make a deposit, I am grateful for it. And also, every night, I write down just things throughout the day I'm grateful for. Because, you know, for me, my money practice is living in a mindset of prosperity and abundance. So I don't Just look for prosperity in terms of money. I look for prosperity in terms of like, you'll go on my gratitude list tonight. This conversation, this call, this connection and that mindset and that practice, I think has contributed not just to my overall financial portfolio, but just to my level of happiness and well being. And I honestly think when we're happy and we feel grateful, so it's easier to make money.
- [34:46]
Farnoosh Turabi
Well, yeah, it's the mind. And thank you. I'm so glad to be having pillow talk with you tonight on your pen and paper. And I will do the same. And I think why it works is that mindfulness and honestly, as human beings, we tend to hold onto and recall the more painful experiences in life, even though there may be fewer of them.
- [35:06]
Christine Hassler
And it's so important to remember the good times and especially for people that are struggling financially. If your mindset is so much on debt, debt and what I don't have and I don't have enough money, you're broadcasting lack and not enoughness. And it just attracts more of that. And you know, that's something that was a big part of my development. My twenties and my financial education is reading things like the Science of Getting Rich and Think and Grow Rich and those kind of things and looking at how my belief systems impact my money mindset. And then also, you know, the other thing I do is I talk to people that are much smarter than me about money. You know, I have a financial planner, I have an accountant. And I really had to get over to feeling stupid sometimes. Like I. Sometimes I felt like my questions were dumb and so I would just kind of not know. And that's the other thing. That is a money practice. I ask questions. I ask a lot of questions. I bought my first real estate property this year and I had a huge learning curve. And I didn't try to do it all on my own. I asked questions. So I think that's an important thing, is to be willing to ask those questions we think are quote, unquote, stupid, to have experts around us that know more than we do and make sure that we're smart about money because we're talking to smart people.
- [36:18]
Farnoosh Turabi
Christine, you've been such a wonderful guest. I feel like you're sitting right next to me and we're talking all about. And these are like serious concepts here. You know, you make it seem so approachable and tangible things like fulfillment and gratitude and how to become a human being and not just a human doing. My gosh, I feel that way sometimes. And I don't mean to joke about it or laugh about it, but the way that you characterize things really brings them to life. I'm really understand some of my issues. Thank you. I've had a therapy session.
- [36:56]
Christine Hassler
I've literally just well, you're not alone. I'm not alone in the human doing thing, that's for sure.
- [37:02]
Farnoosh Turabi
And your podcast live podcast people have told you this has also been a therapy. They've skipped therapy. They've received thousands of dollars a year on therapy just to listen to your podcast. And so we encourage everybody to go and check that out over it and on with it. Thank you so much Christine. I hope you have a so money rest of your day.
- [37:20]
Christine Hassler
Thank you so much. It was great to be here with you.
- [37:25]
Farnoosh Turabi
That's a wrap. If you'd like to learn more about Christine and I think you might, her website is christinehastler.com all this information, including the transcript, audio and comments from this episode and all previous episodes atsomoney podcast.com and while you're there, click on Ask Farnoosh and let me know what's on your money mind and I'll be sure to add it to the queue for the Friday episodes of Ask Farnoosh. Thanks so much for tuning in and hope your day is so Money.
- [38:18]
Christine Hassler
Do you wonder about what's next in tech? Join us on Conversations With Leaders, a podcast from Amazon Web Services, and hear predictions from top minds in the industry like Vijay Chatur, co founder and CEO of blueshift.
- [38:30]
Farnoosh Turabi
Where this is going to go next is really about combining that gen AI with what we call a customer AI. When you bring those two elements together, we feel that will unlock the next level of the holy Grail of personalization in some ways.
- [38:41]
Christine Hassler
Subscribe and join the conversation today. Available on all major podcast platforms.
- [38:48]
Farnoosh Turabi
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