MIMH058: Tanja Hester Lessons Learned from Retiring Before Forty - youramericanmoney
Author: Michelle
Description: Creating spaces to have honest conversations about money continues to be a challenge in the personal finance space. As a woman of color I am very aware of the fact that representation matters. Tanja Hester is also very aware of this aware. Her story doesn’t end with her retirement at 38 years old, it begins […]
Date: 2019-01-17T10:00:00+00:00

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# MIMH058: Tanja Hester Lessons Learned from Retiring Before Forty

posted on 17 January, 2019

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Creating spaces to have honest conversations about money continues to be a challenge in the personal finance space. As a woman of color I am very aware of the fact that representation matters. Tanja Hester is also very aware of this aware. Her story doesn’t end with her retirement at 38 years old, it begins with her retirement. From creating inclusive spaces, writing her blog, and recording her podcast with co-host Kara Perez, Tanja seems to have created an entirely new career. And many would argue that she’s not retired. I would argue differently. This episode goes beyond the spreadsheets of F.I.R.E. and explores emotion, growing income, and financial flexibility.

*In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please read my disclosure here.*

## Listen to the Show
The Show Notes

- A quick introduction

- Your financial focus doesn’t have to be all or nothing

- $30,000 was what she first earned
  - I wondered how she and her husband grew their income to 6 figures

- But, we talk money and emotions

- Advice: Don’t disengage from your job as you focus on F.I.R.E.

- Tanja taught yoga as a side-hustle for years and we discuss how that side-hustle helped her grow her income. And the value of side-hustles.

- We talk the math.

- How Tanja became a save (super simple solution)

- Building financial momentum

- We imagine spending $650 million dollars

- I ask if she was nuts when she started “Our Next Life” and why she’s not monetizing the site

- The importance of being a woman in the F.I.R.E. Space

- Financial Flexibility and I rant a little bit about US Work-Life balance

- Why become a podcaster too? Are you crazy LOL!

- Let’s Fight the Patriarchy

- What’s the deal with the lack of empathy in personal finance circles

- Oprah meets Tim Ferris

- What is Tanja’s life like now?

## Subscribe and Like the Show!

- Itunes

- Spotify

- Stitcher

## Stay In Touch with Tanja

- Tanja Hester-Our Next Life

- Cents Positive Retreat

- Twitter: @our_nextlife

- Twitter: @centspositive

## Resources Mentioned

- Of Boosts and Bootstraps-One (Financial) Story Told Two Ways (Our Next Life)

- Paula Pant-Afford Anything

- Liz-The Frugalwoods

## Thinking About Starting a Blog?

I love blogging! It has been an incredible experience, transformed my life, and connected me with a ton of amazing people. Blogging is a pretty cheap activity and I recommend hosting your blog with Siteground. Many bloggers have begun leaving HostGator and BlueHost and moving to Siteground. Myself included! Read why I’m leaving HostGator and BlueHost (I have 2 blogs one on each hosting platform) and moving to Siteground. If you’re a new blogger Sitegroundwill cost around $3.95 a month (depending on the size of your audience). They have great customer service and tutorials on how to host your new WordPress blog on Siteground

## Online Business Resources

If you’re thinking about starting an online business, the resources below are a great way to get started.

- The Ultimate List of FinCon Community Products
  - Courses
  - Books
  - Swag

- Make Money with Ebooks–There is more than one way to make money with your writing skills. I’ve created this course to help inspire, educate, and support writers who are sitting on a book idea…and are afraid to write it. This is YOUR year.Make Money with Ebooks is offered at three different tiers to meet different student needs.
  - Self-Study
  - Group Program-Includes access to the closed Facebook Group and twice a month live office hours.
  - VIP Program-Includes access to the closed Facebook Group, twice a month live office hours, and 2 meetings with Michelle to work on book related strategies, goals, etc.

- $10KVA–Are you curious about becoming a Virtual Assistant as a side-hustle or a potential full-time gig? My friend Kayla Sloan is killing it as a Virtual Assistant and schooling other entrepreneurs in how to become a VA that earns on average $10KVA. This course is what I recommend as the first part of creating a virtual assistant business.

- Making Sense of Affiliate Income-If you’re looking to make affiliate income with your blog, Michelle Schroeder-Gardner’s course is the course that I recommend. She makes well over a $1 Million a year blogging and the biggest chunk of her income comes from affiliate marketing.

- IMark Interactive–Grayson Bell helps me with all of my website related tech issues and he is THE go to guy for WordPress related tech in the several different blogging niches (all the Personal Finance peeps work with him).

- Elite Blog Academy-Many bloggers have gone through this course and I consider this course the “Granddaddy” of all blogging courses. It’s not cheap, but in additional to getting all of the resources that are key to building an incredible blog, you’re also become a part of an insanely supportive (and huge) community of bloggers. Many of whom are making crazy money.

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#### Michelle

I am an obsessive foodie, but not self-righteous with it, love travel, meeting new people, helping you look good, and am freaked out by people who don't enjoying reading...something! Grab a Perrier, read my blog, feel free to drop me a line! Hope to hear from you soon.

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