DE&I

“Invest in yourself,” Tai Wiggins, Financial Educator

Nov 3, 2022

Welcome to the Pass the Mic and the Defining Moment series. We’re giving powerful women the opportunity to make the world their mentee. These rockstars are joining us to share their stories and sage advice with up-and-coming women.

Tai Wiggins Pass the Mic Interview

This fall, we had the pleasure of being a part of the Sistas in Sales Summit in Queens, NY. While there, we had the honor of sitting down with Tai Wiggins for a one-on-one Pass the Mic interview.

Tai Wiggins is a financial educator who combines passion, empathy, and humor to help people take control of their money and achieve their financial dreams. She’s been featured on Pix 11 and The Today Show and has coached hundreds of clients to financial success while navigating her own generational wealth-building journey. 

The video above is a must-watch. We also have some key quotes and takeaways to reinforce Tai’s powerful words as she passes the mic.

Learn from your mistakes (and teach others).

“I was one of the many people who never had a personal finance class in college… I find, if you’re not taught what to do actively, you may make mistakes… I think the turning point for me… We weren't managing the money well, and there was a big orange notice on the door. It was a scare tactic, but I was like, ‘Holy crap, I'm so embarrassed. This can’t be a thing.

So, I started looking into personal finance. I started doing more research and bringing those ideas home. And then I got into a financial coaching firm where I was able to help people. And that was really impactful because they were on the journey, and I was a little bit ahead of them. So, they could kind of see the path that I was planning for them… Then I started working at a mortgage company, and I learned everything I needed to learn… I’m like, I can teach this to other people.

So, I launched [Debt Down Assets Up] two years ago. And it's just been a blessing to be able to help people and to talk about this and to demystify an industry that is very opaque on purpose.” – Tai Wiggins [1:00 – 2:33]

Find your support network.

“The first thing and the most important thing was finding my network and my support. I think I assumed that I need to figure everything out on my own, which isn't how we're designed. We're designed to live in community with other people and get that support. So, once I accepted that, that was super helpful. I found a therapist who was the first person on my team who really helped me put things in perspective. And [she] told me, ‘No, you're supposed to get help. That's okay.’ Once I started embracing that, I allowed myself to take a few more risks.” – Tai Wiggins [3:16 – 4:43]

Bet on yourself.

“Be patient with yourself. You know... for better or for worse, we live in a social media age. And all you're seeing are highlight reels. Nobody is showing you how many jobs they got rejected from. No one is showing you the big orange sticker on their apartment door because they couldn't figure out their money. I would say be really patient with yourself. Invest in yourself. I think sometimes we think, I don't have the money to hire a coach, or to go to therapy, or things like that. But investing in yourself—you are the best investment you will ever make.

And I think the last thing, speaking on that, would be bet on yourself. Because if you believe in what you're doing, and you're doing the research, and you've laid the groundwork, and you've mitigated risk as much as you can, betting on yourself is the best possible way to succeed.” – Tai Wiggins [5:00 – 5:45]

Lean into getting help.

“I just felt an overwhelming sense of appreciation and gratitude because every shift I have made has either been facilitated by a woman in leadership looking out for me in that organization or a woman from another place looking out for me... Lean into getting help and asking people for guidance. Because as women, we are designed to help each other, to live in community. We want to see each other win.”  - Tai Wiggins [8:01 – 8:53]

When she’s not taking in and imparting knowledge, Tai is a self-professed podcast freak. She loves personal development shows like Brown Ambition and Earn Your Leisure. She also likes listening to TED Talks. But she’s not all personal growth. Tai has been listening to the same 30 R&B songs from the 90s for the last three years because it’s what she loves (same, girl, same).

If you're ready for more inspiring wisdom from badass women, check out more Pass the Mic content.

A special thanks to Monica Robles, Sales Director at Pandora for interviewing Tai Wiggins.

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