193. Finding Forgiveness and Healing Your Relationship with Money with Dyana Marie

 

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You’ve heard me say it before, but If your money isn’t right, it affects all other parts of your life –money is a part of wellness. That’s why I’m back with another episode of the Brown Vegan Podcast Money Series. 

In this series, I speak with everyday people and money experts to share how we can get better with our money and heal our relationship to money to live our best lives.

Today, I have Dyana Marie on the show to talk about getting out of crippling debt, how she improved her money relationship overall, why staying on track can be difficult, and finding forgiveness for our financial mistakes. 

Dyana, founder of Money Boss Mama LLC, is a single mom of 2 who paid off debt on a single income. She teaches other single moms how to increase their spending freedom by controlling their emotional spending so they can pay off debt and build their savings.

We start off this conversation exploring how money showed up during Dyana’s childhood, and the difference she noticed after her parent’s divorce at the end of her 3rd grade year. She recalls how she went from understanding that her family wasn’t wealthy but comfortable, to realizing after the divorce that there was a sense of scarcity and shame around a lack of money.  

By the time Dyana was a young adult, she was supporting herself but having trouble figuring out WHY she was having such a hard time saving money. She shares that she eventually ran the numbers to find out she was spending over $400 on eating out just for herself, and once she had a daughter of her own and couldn’t afford diapers,, she was forced to face her financial situation and change things.

The reality check led Dyana down a rabbit hole of internet research to lower her monthly payments and set up a budget to get her out of debt and into savings. Make sure you scroll to the bottom of this page after listening to the episode to get Dyana’s free training on why you’re overspending.

In this podcast episode we cover: 

  • Dyana’s journey to get out of crippling credit card debt

  • Why we struggle to stay on track even & how our past holds us back

  • The importance of finding forgiveness for past financial mistakes and how Dyana guides clients through this process

  • How to make your budget recession-proof

  • Why you MUST know your income and your expenses

  • How to improve your overall relationship with money

  • Paying off debt when you have a low income

  • How Dyana utilized side hustles to create extra income

  • Different methods for paying off debt and how to create the best for you

Connect with Dyana:

Instagram

YouTube

Twitter

Free training to uncover why you're overspending

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Athletic Greens - Athletic Greens is going to give you a free 1 year supply of immune-supporting vitamin D and 5 free travel packs with your first purchase.

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192. What I'm 192. Doing to Produce A Weekly Vid On YouTube + Tips on How YOU Can Start (Solo Episode)

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Athletic Greens - Athletic Greens is going to give you a free 1 year supply of immune-supporting vitamin D and 5 free travel packs with your first purchase.

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Thank you so much for checking out the sponsor!

Listen here…

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On this solo episode we’re doing another behind the scenes episode because I know you guys enjoy it. 

I’m in a season of business right now where I’m really focused on YouTube and if you’ve been following my journey here, you already know all my reasons why.

You can listen to this episode and this one to hear more about why I am choosing to grow my YouTube channel again if you’re interested.

We’re going to talk about why I started my channel, why I’m coming back after being gone for so long (and what’s different this time around), AND some tips to starting your own YouTube channel because I get so many DMs from you all asking those questions.

Why I Started YouTube

I went vegan in 2010 and felt completely lost with what to eat. I thought “this sounds great but how do I make this an actual lifestyle?” I started experimenting in the kitchen and was learning so much about making this change, especially how to do it alongside my entire family. SO I started a blog to share my journey. After a dinner with my cousin where she kept eating my vegan food instead of her seafood, she encouraged me to make a YouTube channel to share what I eat. I was seriously hesitant about it, but I started quietly after thinking it over. From there, I posted videos for years and grew my channel. 

Fast forward, and because of so many things going on in my life, I ended up taking a 3 year long break from YouTube.

Why I Love YouTube

There’s so many social media platforms where you can share your content, but personally, I feel like platforms like TikTok and Instagram move so quickly and encourage people to scroll so much that even if someone sees food they want to try, it’s too easy for them to lose track of it and never take the next step.

YouTube and creating that longer form content lets you create deeper, long-lasting relationships people and truly show how to get started in a vegan lifestyle and how to cook vegan meals.

You’ll hear me talk more in this podcast episode about the power of SEO and why that’s so important to YouTube.

And that’s why I am back to putting my effort fully back into YouTube.

In this episode, you’ll also hear me share about my different perspective now versus years ago (focusing on how I can show up and not on subscriber count)

How I’m Going To Post On YouTube Consistently:

  • Create videos based on what I’m ALREADY eating to make realistic and relatable content and not spend too much time on developing new recipes

  • Recording voiceovers for my videos so I don’t have to worry about being camera-ready all the time

  • Not pressuring myself to use fancy filming equipment and fancy editing because it’s about the quality of the information

  • Focusing on the different seasons of my business so I’m not doing everything at once

  • Taking time to prep and visualize the video before I’m filming so I’m not wasting my time

You’ll hear way more details on all of these in the podcast episode, so be sure to tune in.

Simple Steps to Start Your Own Channel

  • Figure out your content pillars – what are the topics that you’ll focus on?

  • Get started with your phone and don’t hold yourself back from starting because you think you need fancy equipment for YouTube

  • Use an external hard drive for all clips and videos (you’ll thank me later for this)

  • Do NOT wait to ‘feel ready’ just get started.

And if YOU are wanting to focus more on your YouTube channel and need some help with the strategy behind growing on YouTube, my YouTube Strategy Sessions may be just what you need to get a solid plan.

Resources:

Are you ready to share, grow and profit from your YouTube channel?

>> Sign up for a 1:1 strategy call with me here <<

191. Vegan Pregnancy, Motherhood and The Need For More Black Vegan Voices with The Worthy Vegan

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Athletic Greens - Athletic Greens is going to give you a free 1 year supply of immune-supporting vitamin D and 5 free travel packs with your first purchase.

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Clicking the link above is an easy and free way to support the podcast.

Thank you so much for checking out the sponsor!

Listen here…

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On this episode of the Brown Vegan podcast, I have Charlotte of The Worthy Vegan joining me for an amazing, in-depth conversation about so many relatable topics that I KNOW y’all will enjoy. 

Charlotte is a long-time listener of the Brown Vegan Podcast (which is how we originally connected!) and shares her vegan journey and food inspo as well as talking about health and wellness on her Instagram. She is also a mother of two and loves sharing her experience as a vegan mother with her community. 

Because Charlotte has been a listener of the show for years now, you know I had to pester her about what she likes about the podcast (I need to know, okayy?) which turned into a great conversation about being Black in the vegan community. While Charlotte was first beginning her vegan journey–a story she of course shares with us on this episode–she immediately noticed the lack of Black representation in most of the major vegan publications across social media and she doubted if veganism was something other black women even cared about. Now of course you know that after some digging, Charlotte DID come across hundreds of Black vegans, and luckily found the Brown Vegan podcast which helped connect her further with our community. Later in the episode, Charlotte also shares some of the questions her family had for her after announcing she was going vegan (“isn’t that a white people thing?”) and how being a black vegan with white friends and relationships can shape people’s perception of why you’re vegan. It’s a great conversation that I think many of y’all will relate to and find comfort in.

Charlotte’s vegan journey began as trying out pescetarianism in high school, but really took off in college after a health journey led her to watch multiple vegan-focused documentaries (Forks Over Knives; Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead; Invisible Vegan, etc) which led to a summer vegan food challenge. And, as so many people share on this podcast, even though she wanted to eat plant based food, Charlotte kept feeling stuck about WHAT to eat. She shares how that challenge went for her and why it ended up taking her multiple years to officially go vegan. 

Like I said, this is podcast episode that’s packed with great topics, conversation, relatable content, and really helpful insights for new vegan mothers going through a vegan pregnancy. 

We chat about: 

  • Why hearing black voices and perspectives in the vegan community is so important to new black vegans

  • How vegan documentaries help influence our food decisions

  • How Charlotte learned that veganism is so much bigger than JUST food + the pain of learning the environmental and ethical impacts of animal agriculture

  • Getting stuck eating the same things on repeat as a new vegan and how to break free of that challenge

  • How to slowly transition to veganism rather than doing it over night

  • How to replace one animal product at a time with a vegan version

  • Vegan stereotypes + finding balance between being healthy and enjoying vegan junk food

  • Pandemic pregnancy, being vegan while pregnant, and how to get support from your doctors as a vegan

  • What to ask your doctor about being vegan during pregnancy + the importance of vitamins and regular blood work

  • How to enforce boundaries with non-vegan family while raising a vegan child

  • Nut allergies as a vegan and helpful tips for avoiding nuts while cooking vegan

Connect with Charlotte:

Instagram

Resources Mentioned:

190. Finding Joy Through Creation and Stepping Into Your Greatness with David Quarles

Shout out to this week's sponsor:

Athletic Greens - Athletic Greens is going to give you a free 1 year supply of immune-supporting vitamin D and 5 free travel packs with your first purchase.

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Thank you so much for checking out the sponsor!

Listen here…

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I’m so excited to share today’s conversation with David Quarles, who has been bringing so much vibrant energy and joy to my Instagram feed for years. 

David Quarles is a Memphis-based Interior Designer, Jewelry Designer, Content Creator and Fitness Instructor - the true definition of a multi-hyphenate creative! His philosophy on life stems from doing and creating all things from a place of love. David comes from African-American, Afro-Caribbean, European and Indigenous-American descent; a vibrant cultural background that influences his work and movement in this world. With a professional background in jewelry design, interior design, visual merchandising, and wellness coaching, David views creativity as more than an activity, he views it as his way of life.

In the podcast episode, you’ll hear me say that David is full of surprises. As a follower of his content, he is constantly seeming to reinvent not just the spaces around him, but reinventing himself as well. From his vegan cooking, to interior design, to mocktail creations, to his new jewelry line, and then learning he used to complete men's fitness competitions–there is truly so much inspiration to find from David’s life and experiences.

We are of course diving in to all of the topics today including what led David to initially go vegan and how he finally learned to make tofu delicious, but we also talk a lot about his creativity, the seemingly endless sources of joy in his life, his experience when he first stepped into the interior design world, and how he has navigated life as a radically vibrant and creative person.

All of David’s work (whether it’s his signature Mocktail Monday series on Instagram or his corporate design projects) centers around home, food and beverage, joy, and self-empowerment–ideas and topics that come up numerous times throughout this conversation.

Tune in to hear us talk about:

  • How dealing with stomach issues and nausea while eating meat led to David going vegan

  • Southern food, the importance of food in his family, and learning to cook when he was 11

  • How losing weight and getting healthy led David to men’s fitness competitions, and why he stopped competing

  • David’s go-to meals (anything in a bowl!), why he truly loves kale, and how he finally learned to cook delicious tofu after struggling

  • The behind the scenes of Mocktail Monday and how the series turns Mondays into something fun

  • The importance of joy and how seeking joy drives content creation and design

  • Behind of the scenes of David’s work, schedule, and how he stays inspired

  • Going to school for interior design, facing discriminiation, and finding his own power in design

  • Tips for people who want beautiful spaces but are not design savvy

  • How to use use art, pillows, accessories to add color and personality

  • The advice from David’s dad that empowered him to live boldly as himself

Connect with David

Instagram

YouTube

Jewelry Line

189. Beyonce, Being A Social Vegan & Creating Content with Jay McPherson

Shout out to this week's sponsor:

Athletic Greens - Athletic Greens is going to give you a free 1 year supply of immune-supporting vitamin D and 5 free travel packs with your first purchase.

https://brnvgn.me/ag

Clicking the link above is an easy and free way to support the podcast.

Thank you so much for checking out the sponsor!

Listen here…

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Today on the podcast, I have Jay McPherson: a vegan content creator and YouTuber who calls himself “your favorite friendly fashionable vegan.” We’re here for a high energy conversation about finding inspiration to go vegan, the need for more vegan breakfast spots, and how to be confidently vegan anywhere you go. 

I love this conversation with Jay because it hits on SO many important points of getting comfortable living a vegan lifestyle. If you love hearing the guest stories of what inspired them to go vegan, you’re gonna love Jay’s answer: “If Beyonce can go vegan, I can too!” And while it starts off with a laugh, we talk about how at the end of the day, when it comes to making healthy life changes, ‘inspiration is inspiration’ and everyone needs to find their own source.

So many people I talk to say that fear of missing out on social events, family gatherings, and food as culture is what holds them back from a vegan lifestyle, and Jay is such a great representative of what being a confident, fulfilled, social vegan can look like. He gives some amazing tips on how to eat out when there’s no vegan option, how to prepare for family holidays and parties with friends, and how having the right outlook on social gatherings is crucial to remaining happy as a vegan. 

We also dig into Jay’s work as a content creator, how his views on producing content have shifted, and what he focuses on in his work after the pandemic changed his plans. 

In this episode, you’ll hear us talk about:

  • What Beyonce going vegan did for the vegan community, and how Beyonce inspired Jay’s own vegan journey

  • People’s obsession with labeling themselves, why going vegan doesn’t have to be overnight, and how slowly transitioning to vegan can help people be successful

  • Using YouTube as a resource to learn how to cook anything vegan

  • Jay’s favorite meals and his current mushroom obsession

  • The importance of being open to non-vegan restaurants and focusing on food as an experience/opportunity

  • The Atlanta vegan scene and the perpetual challenge of finding amazing vegan breakfast

  • The shift to creating relatable content vs overproduced content

Follow Jay:

Instagram

Resources:

Chef Resha - carnaldish (not a vegan website)

Chelsea's Bakery and Vegetarian Restaurant

Epicurious YouTube - 4 Levels Playlist

Cafe Sunflower - Atlanta

Slutty Vegan - Atlanta