Meet Jefa: Erika Dox Martinez - My Blissful Vida

Can transforming your relationship with money lead to a blissful life? On this episode of Cafecito con Jefas, I'm joined by Erika Dox Martinez, the remarkable founder of Blissful Vida, a Latina-owned financial wellness company. Erika’s story is nothing short of inspiring—she turned her life around from drowning in over $100,000 in debt to achieving financial freedom. We'll unravel her journey of holistic self-improvement and how it empowered her to help others overcome money-related shame and guilt for a life of financial confidence and abundance.

Financial independence is crucial, especially for women, and this episode underscores its importance. We reflect on our experiences during the pandemic and discuss how financial stability can serve as a lifeline, enabling women to leave unsafe environments and support their families. Learn practical strategies for managing your money, like tracking expenses, aligning spending with your values, and giving each dollar a purpose. Erika and I also delve into the principle of paying yourself first, automating savings, and treating budgets as financial boundaries to achieve greater control and peace of mind.

Lastly, we explore the power of conversations and community support in building financial confidence. From navigating social situations without overspending to having honest financial discussions with your partner, this episode provides holistic advice on managing your finances. Discover the concept of "Dates with Dinero" and the significance of addressing and reshaping negative money stories for healthier financial habits. This episode is packed with motivational insights and actionable strategies to help you take control of your financial journey and thrive in your blissful vida.

Transcript

Kita Zuleta 0:01

Hi, Jefas, welcome back to the Cafecito Con Jefas podcast. I'm your host, gita Zuleta, a brand strategist, Jefa coach and photographer in LA. It's season two and, whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, this season is packed with powerful conversations, actionable strategies and the realness that Cafecito Con Jefa is known for. My Jefa journey has been anything but linear. I've pursued entrepreneurship in many forms over the past 15 years and I'm excited to share my knowledge and use this podcast to host conversations about real life and entrepreneurship aka Jefa life. While our paths may vary, the emotions and experiences we share unite us. We're all the same, same but different. So grab your favorite mug, pour yourself a cafecito and get cozy, because these conversations will ignite your passion, spark creativity, elevate your thinking and fuel your determination. I see you, Jefa. Keep going. Welcome to the Cafecito con Jefas podcast. Hi Jefas, welcome back to the Cafecito Con Jefas podcast. I'm your host, Kita Zuleta. Today, I am so excited for our conversation as I am sitting here with Erica.

Kita Zuleta 1:11

Erica Dox Martinez is the founder of Blissful Vida, a Latina-owned financial wellness company dedicated to helping more women and allies achieve financial peace peace of mind, aka bliss, having once felt a lack of knowledge and confidence in her own finances and embarrassed about her debt, she was able to become debt-free and learn how to save and invest to build wealth. Now Erica is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience with others who want to boost their confidence and competence with money. Her approach is holistic, recognizing the interconnectedness of financial health, emotional well-being and personal growth. She believes everyone deserves to manage their money well, to live and fund the blissful vidas they desire and deserve. Hi, erica, como estas amiga? So good to have you here.

Erika Dox 2:03

Thank you so much for having me Kita.

Kita Zuleta 2:05

Well, I'm so happy you're here and I'm really excited for your fellow Jefas to get to know a bit more about you. I know I just read your official bio, but I'd love for you to introduce yourself, share with your Jefas who you are, what you do, who you serve and where you're located.

Erika Dox 2:26

Yes, so I'm Erika Dox, Erika Dox Martinez Again. I'm a New Yorican, a bonus mom of four beautiful big kids now, and my passion is to help people break free from financial stress and to transform their relationship with money into a more positive one. So I really want more people to take control of their money and create a life full of abundance and peace of mind, which I call bliss. So that's the premise behind Blissful Vida, and I'm in New York area. I live in New Jersey now, but still in the same vicinity.

Kita Zuleta 2:52

Still there, still local, of course, of course. So up in New York, new Jersey area, I love it. I'm so excited for you to share a bit about your entrepreneurial journey. So I'd love for you to tell us what motivated you to start, how long your entrepreneurial journey. So I'd love for you to tell us you know what motivated you to start, how long have you been pursuing entrepreneurship, and just the story about what got you here now. Yeah, of course.

Erika Dox 3:13

So when the pandemic hit, I think like many people, I did a lot of soul searching and I was working on myself and what my life looked like and had a lot of trouble in my marriage. So that was like the first thing that catapulted me to start doing more work and looking at my life holistically. So I started going to therapy, my husband and I went to couples counseling and I got those things in order. But then, when I was looking at what was missing, it was a fulfilling career. So I decided to kind of like dig in. I know I always wanted to help people because I had a cancer scare back in 2011. That catapulted me to work with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I love that feeling of just giving back and helping. I did try to get into the nonprofit space and that didn't pan out. I was like, okay, well, what else can I do? What have I done? Well, and I looked at a happiness wheel or a wheel of life.

Erika Dox 4:07

So I'm sure a lot of people are aware of that, and the highest rated one for me was my financial piece, and that wasn't always the case. But I was like, look, I'm doing well with this part of my life and I'm sure that there are other people who could use some help with this part, since I was one struggling. I was in over a hundred thousand dollars debt. I was twenty five thousand dollars in debt graduating from college. So that was very crazy because I only made thirty six thousand dollars right out of school. So how was I gonna get out of that mess? And I kind of accepted that this is what life would be like. The struggle and even when I was making six figures, I was was like, all right, I had enough, especially when my husband and I were going to get married and I had zero savings for my wedding. So that catapulted me to kind of like get my shit together, if I can say that.

Kita Zuleta 4:56

Absolutely. We speak French on the podcast.

Erika Dox 5:00

Okay. So I wanted to get like my financial shit together. I was like I should be in a better position. I think I had all those feelings that a lot of people have when it comes to money, like shame and embarrassment and guilt, like how did I even get here? And a lot of that comes from you know how we were brought up in the money stories that we do have.

Erika Dox 5:16

But anyway, back to how I got into the entrepreneurship space. I just thought about I can, how I can help people with this part and use the knowledge that I do know or the tools that I did put in place to help them also get out of the financial struggle and over to the other side, where we can thrive and not just survive when it comes to money. And I think a lot of people struggle in silence with this. So I want to break the taboo about talking about money, doing the work that we should be doing when it comes to our money so that we can do better and be in a place of living and funding our blissful vidas and getting to that financial peace of mind ultimately.

Kita Zuleta 5:53

Oh man, that's amazing. And when you were jumping into that, you were mentioning it was from the pandemic that you were trying to figure out what you were doing. So when was it that you're like, okay, you realized it was your financial piece and you're like, okay, I'm trying to help people. So what was it that really was like, okay, this is what I'm going to be doing now officially. So when did you start? My Bliss Will Be that Pursuit, okay.

Erika Dox 6:17

So I bumped into, I guess, a professional development course that was saying that we can sell what we know, and I never really thought about that. So if you told me, I don't know, even five years ago, that I would be an entrepreneur, that just never would have crossed my mind. But then having someone say, hey, this is possible for you to actually do this and help people and be a coach, that opened my eyes to a lot of things. I was like, okay, let me dig a little bit more into this. So I started taking courses and bliss will be that was born in December 2022 and that was kind of quick for me to just take the leap to do that. But it was.

Erika Dox 6:56

It was exciting and I felt like it was so right for me to to just give this a shot. So we're tomorrow will be a year and nine months that this will be that has been around. So I'm excited for that and so far, I've been coaching like one-on-one and I do workshops for corporations and for for membership groups as well, and it's it really was just that time that I felt like, all right, I need to give this a shot, because I wasn't fulfilled in my career. So I, you know, started my llc and just started telling people what I do and it kind of blossomed from there. And it's still in its infancy stages, I believe, because I'm moving slowly, but I'm really excited for what's to come and I just know it's going to be amazing.

Kita Zuleta 7:38

I love it. I love that. Well, felicidades. A year and nine months is a big milestone. We're working our way to those two years and I think it's a really bold move, always for Jefas, when they're jumping right into full-time entrepreneurship even right, like a lot of people either are transitioned with, you know, still continuing a career, continuing a career, but making that full-time jump from the gate is definitely putting a lot of faith forward into the dream that you're seeing, the vision that you're seeing, and also the confidence in knowing I can help people with this, and I totally know what you're talking about.

Kita Zuleta 8:21

The aha moment that was like wait, I can sell or create a business around my knowledge, or the brain work that I've done, or the heart work that I've done. Like, wait, what Right? Like, because I mean, I've I'm a photographer also and so it's always been. You know, even when I first started my entrepreneurship journey, I was, you know, one of those 1099s, but selling a product still, right, and so there was still something tangible to sell. And, of course, I've been learning from online mentors for years right, and so I've been paying them for their knowledge. But having it be this aha, like, oh wait, I can do that too, like it's so empowering, and so I love that. That's something that shifted for you, especially recognizing and seeing like the fact that you accomplish something so big for yourself and such a big transformation. And being like this is what I want to help people with. I love that. I love that and so, with speaking to that, you know, I'd love to know about your brand's. Why, right, just the mission, the purpose behind my Bliss Will Be Thou.

Financial Empowerment for Women

Erika Dox 9:34

Yeah, the purpose and the why behind it is that I would like for more of us to really accomplish financial bliss and have that peace of mind around money. I feel like a lot of women struggle with being dependent too sometimes. So it's kind of like I want us to be able to sustain ourself and be able to put ourselves first and have that leg to stand on on our own. Because, speaking for myself, when going back to the pandemic, my husband and I had our issues. I was able to get up and leave my house and move out because I had my own, and a lot of people don't feel safe sometimes in their situations then they feel stuck. So I really want to empower more women to be independent when it comes to their finances, because if they can sustain themselves, then they don't have to depend on other people, not only in that respect, but, let's say, an emergency comes up or you want to help your family members, like it's really important for more of us to to be able to have that security blanket that a lot of us don't have, because so many of us do live paycheck to paycheck, and that's something else. Another why behind my mission is that we should be paying ourselves first, so that we are not stuck in those situations. So it's more of teaching.

Erika Dox 10:44

I think, too, a big part of it is teaching the things that they don't teach in school, because they don't want us to know these things and they want to keep us kind of down or dependent on them let's say, credit card companies and things like that.

Erika Dox 10:57

So if we need to borrow money, we're actually paying them, and I got to a point where now the credit cards pay me, so I get the rewards and I don't carry balances, so I'm not paying them interest anymore. So it's really important for us to just be in control of our money. I think at the end of the day, that's I think that's the bottom line mission of Blissful Vidas for us to be in control so that we can navigate and decide how we want to live and fund our Blissful Vidas. So in all of that, it's just more taking control, being independent, creating our own money journey and our own money story and doing the healing work to really get there as well, because we all deserve abundance and bliss, and a lot of things are holding us back too. So it's a lot, a lot of reasons why, but so that's plus or minus.

Kita Zuleta 11:47

You know what, the more reasons behind the mission and behind what you're doing, the easier it is to keep going for all of that. And if anything like it just shows that there's so many different ways, Like for me, all that tells me is like you've been able to not just walk alongside different people struggling with different things, but knowing that, specifically around money, you know, and the different money stories that we carry there, it affects us in so many ways and especially because we do live in a world that is fully dependent on whether we have money or not. And you know it's not something that I'm sure you would agree. It's not the actual money that brings the happiness or brings the peace right, it's just knowing that you're not struggling to survive, because we need money to survive For sure.

Kita Zuleta 12:39

And I think one of the things that I was going to ask you as you were talking about, I think one of the things that I was going to ask you as you were talking about, you know, having so many of us living paycheck to paycheck right and having these struggles, whether there's debt would be the starting point for, let's say, your fellow Hefas who are still in the like I'm not making this abundance of money, yet we're just in the baby stages of our business, or we're still in paycheck to paycheck mode, or there may be a bit more abundance coming in, but there's still debt happening. You know what would be one of the first things that you would say, like, look into this, or what would you?

Erika Dox 13:29

give advice over there. Yeah, I think the first thing I love to have people look at is where their money is actually going. So I think awareness is a big, big part of our financial journey, because if you don't know where your money is going, then you have no control over if it's going to somewhere that you want it to go or somewhere that you value. So one of the first steps I have my clients do is track their expenses for a month and see how much you're spending eating out, how much are you spending at Starbucks, how much are you spending on certain things, and see if they're going towards your values, because you can't say, hey, I don't have money to save, I don't have money to pay my debt, but yet you're spending so much money somewhere else. So it's it's sometimes the big aha moment for for people to really like, okay, yeah, that that does make sense. But a lot of times we're spending so on autopilot and you're like, oh, $2 here, $5 here, you know, and it adds up pretty quickly.

Setting Financial Boundaries for Freedom

Erika Dox 14:19

So if you can be conscious or intentional more intentional about spending, I think that's number one and definitely give your money a job. So when money is coming in, know where you want it to go. So give all your money a job, that's another one. And pay yourself first is another big, big thing that I put out there, because that's just a rule that Warren Buffett put out there and he's like the richest man in finance, worth like $144 billion. So I definitely listen when he tells me things, and so that's one of the things he says pay yourself first. So he says to spend what is left after saving. Don't save what is left after spending, because then you don't know what's left after that.

Kita Zuleta 15:02

So why don't we Wait, wait, wait, say that again. We need you to say that again, slower and break it down for us, because that's gold right now. There we go, come on, come on See.

Erika Dox 15:12

So we want more of us to spend what is left after saving, not save what is left after spending. Because when you get to let's, you know, get all our bills out the way, all our fun out the way, and you're like, oh yeah, whatever's left over, I'll put over to the side. Then we that we don't know what that number is, or sometimes it might be nothing. So if we put the money away first, pay yourself first, let's automate that too. That's another big tip and get it out of sight, out of mind. Then it's already you know where it's supposed to be and then you could spend the rest and not feel guilty about spending that.

Erika Dox 15:44

And that's like a big part of just you know, being in charge of your money and knowing where your money is going and being intentional.

Erika Dox 15:50

And once you know what, like your, your values are when it comes to your finances and your goals, you'll be able to like better set these, these situations where you can like automate things to pay your bills, you can automate your savings and then you have the rest to play with if that makes it easier, especially if you know people don't like to budget per se and, like you know, do all of the things which I know Budget's an icky word, but I would like to like promote budgeting as freedom. You get the choice of where your money gets to go. And it's more like budgeting is freedom versus restriction, which a lot of people have, that mindset, so we can switch the mindset to know I'm in control, I have freedom of where my money is going to go, instead of like, oh, I have to stick to this. And I think budgets are not, you know, they're not set in stone. It's like a guideline, it's just a plan. So I call it a blissful spending plan so that we can, like you know, give it a little more cariño.

Kita Zuleta 16:48

Absolutely. I think and right now that you were saying that I feel like a budget or the idea of a budget can also be looked at just a financial boundary. Right, like when we think about, like having healthy boundaries for ourselves in the different areas of life that we have. Right, like when we set these boundaries it's because we feel safe within them, so we can. You know, it's kind of like the analogy of like putting, you know, the gate around the kid's playpen, right, and so you put the gate around the park playpen or the park or whatever. Then the kids get to run all the way to the gate, right, and they're safe inside of it, right. But if not, if there is no gate, then they're just hanging out as close as possible to the playpen because you don't know how far or wide you can run. Right.

Kita Zuleta 17:31

And so I see that, with boundaries in general, right, like as we set our time boundaries, our sleep boundaries or anything in our life, right, I feel like we can look at budgets or budgeting in that same manner, where it's like well, you get to play as much as possible in here, right, of course there's real life, we got to pay things out, we got to pay bills and have the responsibilities, but having or getting to practice that paying yourself first but then that spending, you know, paying yourself first but then that spending, I can't. I can't play it back just yet, but I think it's. What was it? Spend after you save right.

Erika Dox 18:12

Spend what is left after saving yeah.

Kita Zuleta 18:14

So then, being able to know what you're saving first, right, putting that aside, like you said, getting that out of mind, right and then being able to look at what you have afterwards because it's budgeted or it's already allotted to certain things, you get to think less about where your money's going to go afterwards. There's less of a que voy a hacer now situation happening than just being able to say, like this is what's happening and that's it. It may be difficult, I'm sure, to start to get into that process, but very much so once it's in practice. It allows you to just breathe easier and have peace, I'm sure.

Erika Dox 18:57

Yes, and I just want to reiterate or, I guess, say that saving, even if you start small, it doesn't matter. Like, just start with the habit. You can save one percent, you can save five dollars, whatever you can put, just start with that and automate that. Put that to the side and then, as you can, you can increase that number as you make more money, increase the number, but it's just good to get in the habit of doing it and just start from there and then you'll. You'll, even if five dollars, it'll grow eventually and it'll tack on to itself and you're going to look over like oh my God, I have this much safe.

Erika Dox 19:28

Especially, a lot of people are saying, like in the country don't even have like 400 $500 for an emergency. So that's, that's a way to just start building that cushion and being able to like support yourself or your family, like if they need help or anything. It's just like really, really good to not depend or use credit and then owe them that money when you, when you have an emergency. So I'm a big advocate for for at least this save your, you know, pay yourself first and tell your kids to get in the habit to like as teenagers. I wish that I really implemented this a lot, lot sooner, and you know, talk took the advice. Not that anybody told me that, though, so we're telling you, I'm telling you, so we got to pay it forward too.

Kita Zuleta 20:10

Yeah, absolutely, and I love that you mentioned that too, because that's something to acknowledge, especially in our community the lack of knowledge that there is around money, because it has has had this like almost shame around talking about it. Right, like no se habla del dinero, like that is like almost a fact, right, especially in our community. Like you don't talk about your money, you don't talk about how much you make, you don't talk about your struggle, you just act as if you survive. You know what I'm saying. Like it's already, it's even difficult at times. Already it's even difficult at times.

Kita Zuleta 20:51

I feel like the culture that is like speaking up for yourself to say you know what, that's a little rich for my blood. Can we go for coffee instead of going to this restaurant? You know what I'm saying. Like that's it's really hard to say that, and speaking up for ourselves in that way, simply because you know we want to either fit in or not, be the one that's broke or looking like if we are, simply because we're saying you know what that's, that's just not where I'm at today, you know.

Erika Dox 21:23

Yes. So, like in response to that I don't know if you heard like of allowed budgeting. That was like a thing at the beginning of this year. So loud budgeting is exactly what you're talking about. So it's being able to be vocal about hey, I can't go out to dinner with you tonight because I am saving for this trip or I am paying off my debt. So it's like you know, say out loud what are your goals are, and you should have friends that really support you in this manner anyways.

Erika Dox 21:47

So I know, when I was, when I finally decided to pay off all my debt, you know I had any big chunks of money coming in, like my tax return, I would get bonuses at work. I would put all of that towards my debt. Like that was my strategy. I was like I just want to get out of debt. So anything coming in, bam but Bam.

Erika Dox 22:02

But before that, when I was just, like you know, living la vida loca, I was getting these big chunks of money and spending them. I was going on vacation, I was going out to fancy dinners and doing all these things, and there's nothing wrong with that. But maybe I could have had a little fun and a little debt like paying off my debt instead of. You know, I went hard body and all that money went in, but I got out of debt quicker. But then I released all that money to be able to build wealth and I was paying $1,500 a month in debt like credit cards and student loans. So I freed up $1,500 to be able to do what I wanted with. So then I can go out to fancy dinners and not feel bad about it. I can save for vacations and pay for them in cash, not in credit. So that made me feel really good to have that freedom and for me, not living paycheck to paycheck and have my savings that was financial freedom, financial bliss for me. So not being a millionaire, just being in control of that money and I'm like all right now I can build wealth. I was able to save so much that I quit my job to focus on my business, so I haven't worked. It's been a year now that I've been supporting myself off of my savings and that's not the easiest thing to do, but I'm happy that I was able to do that, because now I get to follow my dreams and give this like a full shot on my own dime. So it feels really good to be able to do that.

Erika Dox 23:21

So again, like back to the original point loud budgeting. Please tell, be open and talk about what it is you're trying to accomplish with your money. There's really no shame in that. It's more shameful Like there's really no shame at all, but it's like. Making the right decisions that make you feel good with your money is what you should be striving to do, instead of trying to fit in or not doing things that you don't feel comfortable with, just because you're not sure how it's going to make other people perceive you. But you know deep down where your goals are and what you're trying to accomplish. So, at the end of the day, loud budget, all you want, reach those financial goals and just do the things that make you feel good and spend blissfully. Spend your money and blissfully save your money, depending on what you want to do. But you have to know where you want your money to go at the end of the day.

Kita Zuleta 24:06

Yeah, yeah, absolutely, and I just I love that you brought that up I hadn't heard about loud budgeting. I feel like for myself, it just ended up being like I needed to speak up with even some of my closest friends. It was the invitations were always you know big spending events type things right, like going I mean, here I'm going to a Dodger game or going to you know restaurants or going to anything like that. And for myself it was just like I can't keep up, and if I say yes without saying anything at all, then the expectation is I can keep keeping up with that lifestyle, or that's just like the norm for me.

Kita Zuleta 24:51

When at that season, I was like, nah there's, I can't keep up with y'all. So you know, let's cook at the house. I want to spend quality time with you, but there are other ways to be able to spend time together than having to spend out in order to be able to make a thing happen. And so I found myself just needing to speak up about that because I was like y'all can continue. There's no shame in y'all going. I'm not in that position at the moment. I was head down working like whoa in order to try to just get all this off the ground. So then it was just like let's find other ways, let's get creative about it, but if the goal really is for us to hang out and spend time together, that can happen anywhere.

Erika Dox 25:37

Yeah, that's the intention, right. So we want to just spend quality time with people, and there's other ways to do it without spending money. But I'm in the same boat right now. Literally, I'm still living off my savings, so my budgets are a little tight too. So I do have some of my friends hey, can we go to a more reasonable restaurant instead of what we're used to going to? And it's fine. So you know, we work it out and talk it out, unless it's, like you know you have to budget. Let's say, somebody's birthday is coming up and you know you you're going to go out to a fancier dinner. Then keep that in mind, and I think that that's part of just being conscious and intentional with your money as well.

Building Financial Confidence Through Conversation

Kita Zuleta 26:13

So, if you know, something's coming up, you can plan for it. So that's what I have to do as well. Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely. So I love that.

Kita Zuleta 26:17

And, jevas, if you're listening, let's practice speaking out loud, our own boundaries right, and being able to speak up for ourselves, because, if anything, I feel like there's just so much strength in speaking up for ourselves and advocating for what it is that we need in order to be able to truly not just spend time with people, but just being able to be honest and being able to stand on where we're currently at.

Kita Zuleta 26:41

We don't have to go and divulge all the details of our entire budget to be like here's proof as to where I'm truly at. It's simply just being able to say is there another option as to how we can hang out, or simply just saying it's not going to be possible for me to go next time. Thank you for the invitation, or this time, but next time hit me up and I may be able to join, being able to say those kinds of things, instead of just going along for the ride and seeing what we can take and eating off the appetizer menu and drinking water just because, so that we can keep the appearances up. There's really no need to add that stress to ourselves in that.

Erika Dox 27:22

And.

Kita Zuleta 27:22

I feel like that's part of the opposite of that financial piece that you're talking about, right, where you know you can show up and you know you're committing to something that you can afford or you have the space for it. So let's advocate for ourselves with that and speak up about it, because there is no shame in speaking our truths, and the more we do name the things right Like we're reading in the book club the Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown, who studies shame and talks about it, and one of the big things that she says is that shame loves silence. Shame grows in being hidden, right, and the more we don't talk about it, the more the shame grows. And so if we talk about the things that are hard for us to talk about, then there's less shame around it, there's less of that hard that truly comes up with it. So I'm really excited to be able to encourage all of us to be able to speak up for ourselves, because we may not all be, and I also be the first to say like I'm not just chilling financially, like oh, a ver donde nos llevan, you know what I mean Like I'm not signing up to go out all the time, right, I'm still.

Kita Zuleta 28:41

I like to cook at home and because, also, I mean, thankfully, I have an amazing cook of a husband and then, like he went to culinary school y'all and then so, nos gusta cocinar, nos gusta comer, let's be real, yeah, but we look at, like, the price tag on the things that we know we can cook too. We're like for the amount we'd be spending out for one meal. We can get that amount of protein and eat it a couple of times here at home. So we'll feast like Kings here at home, but we make our own steaks. You know what I mean. Like there's we literally I think we had steak and lobster here at home chilling.

Kita Zuleta 29:16

You know what I'm saying Like, but the price tag is very different than if we were to go to the steakhouse. You know what I'm saying Like. So, being able to find ways to still treat ourselves without having to spend that big money out just for appearances or just for the experience although, trust, we love the experience also of being treated and served, there's nothing wrong with that either but being able to find these creative ways for us to be able to still not feel like we're just completely depriving ourselves because we're looking to save or we're looking to take care of ourselves or be more mindful of where our money is going. Yeah, so go ahead.

Erika Dox 29:52

I love that and I just want to say it's really important to I know you have a supportive husband and I do too and having these conversations about money, even with your partners, because we might be in the same boat. We're both entrepreneurs, building out our businesses, so the money might not be where we would like it to be currently, but even for, like my own household, like my husband understands, like date nights have to be more minimal, like we do stay home, we do movie nights, we cook at home same as what you're saying and before we would go out a lot more maybe do Broadway shows, and like the money was coming in a lot more abundantly before with my nine to five as well. So things had to change and I think that that was a worry point for my husband. So it was important to have these conversations because he's like oh, are you going to feel some kind of way that we're not able to do the things that we used to do? And I'm like no, I really enjoy our nights at home and we do go out a little like sometimes, but it won't be to the extent that it was before, but we still value each other's time and spend time with each other and I'm just like I don't I'm making the decision to to do this right now for something that I hope would bring in everything else that we want when it comes to abundance and and even money, so that we can, we can live that life. But we need to build up to that.

Erika Dox 31:06

So, right now, having the conversations with our husbands, like, hey, this is what it is for now and I love that he's supportive, my husband's supportive, and that any, any splurging that happens, I'm like I hope you know that's on you for right now. But you know exactly. So I'm like you know, and he doesn't mind, he's. He's like you know it's okay to do it once in a while and that's okay with anything.

Erika Dox 31:30

It's like the blissful spending piece, like if we account for it, we budget for it, then it's okay. It's just a matter, when you don't, you know you really can't afford things and you're still doing them, then that's that's where you could get into a little bit of trouble. But if you plan, then you know it's okay to do those kinds of things too. But I love like you're bringing up, you know, our partners or, if you have any partners to like, have these conversations about money at home as well, even though they might be really uncomfortable. So I know a lot of my clients to come in like you know how do we talk things out with our partners, especially if they have different viewpoints on how to handle money, like that's. That's a big thing too.

Kita Zuleta 32:08

Yeah, absolutely. And speaking to getting comfortable talking about money, I'd love for you to share a bit about your brand new Dates with Dinero, which is a part of, you know, that process that you're wanting to encourage us to talk about money, so I'd love for you to share with your fellow Jefas about your new Dates with Dinero.

Erika Dox 32:23

Yes, I'm so excited about Dates with Dinero. So this is an initiative I just started and it really plays off of your Café Sito Con Jepa's co-working session, so thank you for the inspiration. So what Dates with Money is is we are in a co-working type space on Zoom and for the first hour we're working on our own personal financial tasks on our own, like independently, but kind of like body doubling co-working. So you have that space where you're not alone and you're with other people who are also working on their financial tasks, which for a lot of people is really uncomfortable, really stressful. But you know you have the support, like other people are there with you and they're doing the same kind of work. So feel safe.

Building Financial Confidence Through Action

Erika Dox 33:06

and then after an hour we open it up for a conversation and, um, it's just somewhere where you can bring up what came up for you or you know any questions you have just place to strategize, or just listen and just converse and like, really talk about anything that you want to regarding money in a safe space, because I know that we're not talking about money enough. So it gives us a platform for more of us to do that. So I call it dates with dinero. So give time and tender love and care to your money too, because you do have a relationship with money. So we have relationships with our friends, your partners. You go on dates with them.

Erika Dox 33:43

So why not take some time and go on a date with your money and you know, work on your budget or see track your money, see where your money's going, research some high yield savings accounts or where you can invest just little things like that. Or take the time to read a financial literacy book. There's so many out there that a lot of amazing Jefas are writing right now. So a lot of Latina women writing these amazing financial literacy books and mine eventually will come out one day. So in the meantime, like you, just take that time to learn or do the things that you've been putting off with money, and I just love it. It's just started. I've gotten so much positive feedback. So any Jefa, anybody listening, is more than welcome to come and yay, yeah, I'm so excited for it.

Kita Zuleta 34:28

I have yet to be able to join because I've been out of town both times so far, but I'm really excited. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be able to join this week and I love that you're opening the space for us to be able to really do it collectively. Do it collectively and it isn't a space, from what I understand, just with co-working, right? You're not sharing what you're working on, right? As far as, specifically, it's not like we're sharing our budgets with each other. It's simply being able to come and we prioritize the time and we set the time aside on our calendar, being able to say I'm going to focus on my finances, whatever that looks like for you, right? Whether we are just getting started, whether we're just starting to say, okay, what does 1% of our paychecks look like to put into our savings account? Do I have a savings account open? Do I need to open another account? Like just setting the time aside to say we're going to be intentional about our finances because we're all at different stages with that, and then being able to come and say, okay, no, estamos solas, we're going to work through this together, we're going to figure it out. But then we also have a financial coach leading the discussion afterwards to be able to help, continue to give tips, because things will come up for us as we're doing it, and just being able to have that safe space to talk about it and encourage each other to take care of our finances and work towards these goals.

Kita Zuleta 35:52

I mean I just think it's so powerful. I'm so excited to be a part of it and for it to continue to grow. And I am so excited that you claimed your book on the podcast, yo, like. It is now cemented. It is here recorded. It is now cemented. It is here recorded. So I'm really excited for that. So now, as we start wrapping up there's I mean, I know you gave us already tips on how to get started with our budget, but thinking about this Jefa life right, the entrepreneurial journey that you've been on for a year and nine months I'd love to know what piece of advice have you received along your entrepreneurial journey that stuck with you, or a piece of advice that you would give your fellow Jefas?

Erika Dox 36:35

I think one that stuck with me the most is like not to give up and just keep moving, even if you take it one step at a time, like I say, poquito, a poquito, let's just keep moving forward, and to take like one action a day that would lead you towards you know what you're trying to achieve with the business.

Erika Dox 36:52

So whether that's reaching out to somebody in DMS or sending out that email or making a landing page, like just doing something that kind of promotes your business and to just believe in yourself. So I think sometimes I struggle with like, oh, what am I doing? Is this going to work? And, you know, having that kind of doubt, the self-doubt that creeps up in all of us, and having the ability to be like no, like. Thank you for being there and I understand your concern, but I got this and I'm going to keep moving and keep growing and keep showing the world what I'm capable of. So that's the push that I keep giving myself every day and I would love to give all of you like we're doing amazing things and we're needed, and that's why we got this calling. So you know, it might not feel like sometimes, like it's taking its time and it might be taking a little while, but it's all worth it and it's going to work out, and that's what I truly believe for myself and I believe for anybody listening.

Kita Zuleta 37:54

I love that so much, amiga, especially how you were acknowledging, you know, the doubt that comes up, right, like I see you, I see you there, Thank you for wanting to protect me, but I got this, you know, and being able to like gently set it aside. And it takes a lot of practice to be so gentle with ourselves because sometimes, like that doubt will creep up and, if anything, I know my tendency has been, because there's days that it still comes up for me where I'm harshest on myself. So, even like having the doubt and being like, oh, why are you doing that? Or blah, blah, blah, right, but I love that you like gave the literal example of gently saying thank you, I see you, but oh, no, thank you, you know what I mean. Like I'm not right now and so I love that. But, yes, have us keep going.

Kita Zuleta 38:36

And I love also that you mentioned, you know, there's a reason why we have this calling, you know, and especially those of us who have a purpose, we have a mission, we know and we have the vision of what we're building.

Kita Zuleta 38:48

For the majority of us, it's so much bigger than just us, right, and it's so much bigger than just bringing in a paycheck, right. So, with all of those things like knowing that the mission is bigger, greater and most of us are looking to impact our world's in a bigger way, in a greater way and helping others with their worlds, también, it just is fuel to the flame that is allowing us to continue going. So I'm so excited for everything that you're doing, especially for the fellow Jefas. I'm pretty sure that we're going to have this episode out before your workshop with CCJ For Jefas. Who may or may not know, erica's also going to be facilitating a workshop for the Cafecito con Jefas community. That's going to be on October 3rd and it's going to be on rewriting our money stories. So if you want to give like a quick description on that I'd love for you to share.

Erika Dox 39:48

So, just the things that we think about money are the stories that come up when we think about money in itself and the things that have maybe happened in our childhood or that we learned from our parents. They really are ingrained in us and that's how we move forward with our financial journey and the habits and the choices that we make a lot of the times, whether that's conscious or unconscious. So what we're writing our money stories is is we're going to do some work to kind of like dig out what some of these stories are. And like a big one for me is when I was about 12 years old, my brother got a hundred dollars sneakers. So I was like, wow, that's a big deal for me and my family. So I was like, hey, can I get sneakers too? And when they took me shopping, I got $40 sneakers at Marshall's versus where I don't know where he went to get his fancy sneakers.

Erika Dox 40:33

So I took that as like um, that my parents didn't love me as much as my brother. I wasn't as worthy of something of that value as my brother, and so that money story for me translated a lot to um, I need to spend money to show people I love them, or people need to spend money on me to show that they love me, and how that transpired in my growing up life is probably why I got so much debt. Because I was so generous, like, hey, I got you, hey, I'll buy you this, hey, I'll do that, and it was, you know just to feel that feeling that I left as a little girl. And so if we can like navigate those kind of stories and pull them, even though it hurts like that really hurts me and sometimes telling that story I cry because it's a worthiness, self-worth thing and something you have to navigate, self-love it's really you know how much do I love myself, that I'm like still reaching for other people to love me, love myself, that I'm like still reaching for other people to love me. So again, it's like trauma and money is like really big and just pulling out those, those things. So if you're willing to do the work and pull those things out, then I uncovered hey, I spend money for to receive love.

Erika Dox 41:41

So now you take that statement, is it true? Like, do you want it to be true? Do you want to navigate like that? Or can I shift it and say I can show love in other ways, I do not have to spend money and you know same in how we don't want to spend money going out, we do things at home. So I don't have to buy things, I can call, I can text, I can spend time and do other things. So we're going to reframe, you know, the bad habits that we have with money, that we consider bad and where they really stem from, and just transmute them into something that's more positive and that will help us financially, and then really dig into what our financial goals are and how we can support those goals based on the new beliefs that we're instilling in ourselves, so that we can achieve that financial bliss.

Kita Zuleta 42:23

Yeah Well, thank you so much for sharing that story with us, because I think it's very powerful to have you share that and even you know, feel the emotions that come up for you, because it's it's very real. And I want to also point out something that you and I have been talking about and we talked about recently that you are trauma informed Right and so being you're not just a financial coach. You quite literally are a trauma-informed financial coach, and having that information and being able to have the empathy and the guidance to be able to acknowledge the fact that there is a lot of trauma around money, like let's just call it what it is, and even moments that you know.

Kita Zuleta 43:11

I'm sure more Jefa in the community have had those types of moments that have been definitive and have been a bit more traumatic than we would want to acknowledge or say, because there's so many. You know phrases or things that we've heard growing up or different. You know versions of that that may have shaped how we have acted or how we have, you know, taken the action when it comes to our money. But it's learning to acknowledge that right and being able to see, okay, what are those stories, what has happened, and working through that. So being able to have someone that is trauma informed around money in general, on top of being a financial coach, is such a great benefit, and so I'm really excited for you to bring that workshop to us and for us who might catch this. After the workshop has happened, there will be a replay available for purchase, so, of course, y'all can always get the information and experience that as well.

Kita Zuleta 44:10

So I'm so excited for you to bring that to us and thank you so much for generously being, you know, willing to do that, because I know that you're getting paid by bigger corporations to do so, and so the goal with these workshops and CCJ is to make this information accessible.

Kita Zuleta 44:27

So so I'm really, really grateful for your willingness to contribute to that and really help us all work through these money stories, so I'm excited for that All right. Well, I would love for you to share where your fellow Jevas can find you, where they can support your work and how they can connect with you online work, and how they can connect with you online, sure, so my website is wwwmyblissfulvidacom, and you can find me on LinkedIn at Arapa Docs Martinez and Instagram is at my Blissful Vida as well Awesome.

Kita Zuleta 45:01

So you heard connect with her on LinkedIn as well as Instagram, and you'll see on. Once this episode is released, she will have a page on the CCJ website as well as Instagram, and you'll see on once this episode is released, she will have a page on the CCJ website as well as. Currently, there's already a page with some of her links on there for that workshop, so you can check out all the links, follow her work, support her and also sign up for those dates with Dinero, so that that way we can continue to learn and grow together. Now, before I completely sign you off, there's just a couple of rapid fire questions that I'd like to get to know you past. Just, you know speaking money. You, of course, know that we're a cafecito loving community, so it may not be coffee, it might be tea, but what is your go-to order when you go to your local coffee shop?

Erika Dox 45:47

I just like a latte with hazelnut syrup.

Kita Zuleta 45:49

Very simple, nice. And then, what book has impacted your life that you would gift a fellow Jefa?

Erika Dox 45:56

The Alchemist. That has been one of the books I give as gifts a lot to a lot of women aspiring to like do amazing things, so I'm like read this book. It's amazing.

Kita Zuleta 46:07

Such a good book. Such a good book. I love that recommendation. All right, what kind of music instantly gets you dancing?

Erika Dox 46:15

90s R&B and hip hop for sure. So I'm a big fan of Mary J Blige. I remember when I was in college just belting out the tunes like I could sing, and even now, to this day, I still do that at home and my neighbors probably hate me because I'm not the best singer, but I love me. Some nineties, that's the time I grew up.

Kita Zuleta 46:34

An amazing genre, let's just be real, I mean. I love it, I love it. All right, and then, finally, what one word that best describes the season of life that you're currently in?

Erika Dox 46:47

I would say evolving and becoming, I guess, if you just want one, evolving, and I just feel like I am growing into this person that I never thought I could be or would be, and it's amazing and astonishing all at the same time. It's going to make me cry, but I'm just so proud of myself that I'm deciding to change and do better and inspire more people to do better as well.

Kita Zuleta 47:17

Oh, you got me in my feelings. No, no no.

Kita Zuleta 47:21

I know, never apologize.

Kita Zuleta 47:22

You already know we are emotional beings here in CCJ. I'm just, I'm so proud of you If I'm able to say that I'm proud of you, you know, being able to be a small part of working with you behind the scenes and just seeing a bit of the evolution that's been happening for you. I want to say in the last what six months is really, when you and I have connected and been able to work together and having you in the casita with us and now giving a workshop for CCJ. Like all of these things and, of course, all of the accomplishments that you've been doing and the hard work that you've been doing behind the scenes. I'm just so proud of you and I'm so excited for your fellow Jevas to continue to get to know you and continue to work with you as well and being able to have them reach their financial bliss. So I'm so grateful for you, erica, I'm so grateful for you to share your journey, your story, with us. So thank you, thank you so much for being with me today Of course, thank you for everything.

Erika Dox 48:23

I am so happy to be in your space and in your world and growing with you and learning from you, and I appreciate all these opportunities and for having me on here, so it's, it's a blessing. I'm grateful for you as well, and thank you, of course.

Kita Zuleta 48:35

Thank you, thank you, thank you, all right. Thank you so much for joining us today and hanging out with us getting to know your fellow Hifa, erica. Please be sure to check out her website at myblissfulvidacom. Her Instagram is also at myblissfulvida and connect with her on LinkedIn at Erica Docs Martinez. So we're really excited for you to hopefully join our workshop on October 3rd and check out more of her work, learn with us. Be sure to sign up for those days with dinero, and until next time with us. Be sure to sign up for those days with dinero, and until next time, Jefas. Thank you for listening to the Cafecito con Jefas podcast. Well, Jefas, that's a wrap for today's episode. I hope you're leaving with fresh ideas, encouragement and inspiration to keep going.

Kita Zuleta 49:21

Being a Jefa isn't about having it all figured out. It's about showing up, learning, growing and taking imperfect action towards your vision. Remember, Jefa, you are not alone. This community is here to support you, cheer you on and celebrate your wins, because we go farther together. So let's do it scared pero juntas.

Kita Zuleta 49:42

If you enjoyed today's episode, show some love by leaving a review and sharing it with a fellow Jefa. Be sure to hit that subscribe button so you don't miss the incredible stories we have in store. If you're looking for a place to connect and focus, join our cafecito and coworking sessions. Sign up to our email list to get those invitations directly into your inbox. Come as you are when you can and surround yourself with your fellow Jefa. I can't wait to connect with you at a future cafecito.

Kita Zuleta 50:11

Connect and follow along with the community on Instagram at Cafecito Con Jefa, and you can reach yours truly directly at Jefa. If you're ready to grow your brand online and looking for guidance, book a free consultation with me and together we'll develop strategies that are in alignment with the season you're in. I'd be honored to walk with you on your Jefa journey. Before we go, remember that being a Jefa is an ever-evolving journey. There's no rush and no finish line. Just keep going. Pasito a pasito Until next time. I'm your host, Kita Zuleta. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Cafecito con Jefas podcast.