Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erika Maria. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Erika, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
My mother was pivotal in steering me to stay true to myself and my goals. She set a nurturing environment to go after anything my heart desired and reminded me not to let anything get in the way. This was prominent in setting me up as a strategic thinker so that no matter the issue/block I ‘d find a way.
My mother is a single mother who has worked so hard in her career, but now as an adult (and parent) I can reflect on how specifically her emotional intelligence has shaped me. As a single mom I recognize the struggles she had with raising two kids with the right tools to be successful in life. My brother and I, were taught the right morals and habits to be successful. I used to think that success was money, but now I know its having good judgment, creating good habits, being content with who you are, and always going after what you want in life.
I can vividly remember having lots of difficulty working through my perfectionism as early as high school. I had a panic attack on my way to take the SATs, I fell into a horrible emotional blunder. My mother took the time to help me describe my feelings, but most importantly let me feel the emotions. Gave me space, words, and time to work through the episode. However, she didn’t shift the day or time of the test, she still took me that same day to take the test. She continued to talk to me to help me understand that this was just one instance (and many more were to come) in life where I needed to present myself as I am. It was funny because she said something like “studying one more hour or day was not going to help you be exponentially smarter, especially since you’ve already put in the time studying for over 6 months”. This struck a cord because she was right, I had been studying so long and had prepped best i could, so I was prepared. Needless to how i felt she helped me get it together and take the test. This lesson has stayed with me, because I am aware of how smart I am, but most importantly how much work and energy I put into everything I do. Since I have protectionist tendencies I know I’m always prepared and can show up fully as I am –my confidence has been rock solid ever since. My mother has great emotional intelligence and I am thankful to her for help me always work through hard things. This carried over through the many things I’ve faced in life. Honing in on my emotions and understanding my talents has been essential to helping me thought my life and career.
Fast forwarding to now, I’ve had 10 year Marketing career and started my own business which is definitely one of the hardest things I’ve done yet. I have the confidence and tools to be successful because of my mother.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
For folks who may not have read about you before, can you please tell our readers about yourself, how you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc, I’m a born and raised Dominican American Jersey girl. I grew up in a traditional Dominican household where fruit and flamboyant tree paintings graced the walls, Café Bustelo was the only coffee made in a Greca (stovetop espresso maker), and Platanos and a Pilon were necessary for cooking almost every meal. Spanish was a required language, not optional, and my mother was the queen of the house – it was her way or no way at all. School was never a choice; it was mandatory and good grades were expected. And by good my parents meant higher than an A. Throughout the years, I’ve seen my Welita (grandmother), Mami, Nina (Aunt), and Tio Caesar work hard through education and work to better my family’s life.
After completing my undergrad and MBA (Master of Business Administration) and Adulting I’ve learned things are different from back in the day. We work harder and longer, education is now a requirement (and an advanced degree is preferred), money was limited, but provided, and now money is one of the most exploited topics of my generation.
Paying off my undergrad student loans within a year after graduating, paying for my wedding in cash, of course with much sacrifice and help from my family, only to accumulate more student loans obtaining my MBA; I understand managing money is not the easiest thing, especially for us millennials.
Throughout the years I’ve had family, friends, and others trust me enough to share their Financial questions and circumstances for advice. Questions like:
How to start and maintain a budget?
How to Establish, or Fix, Credit?
How to manage and pay off debt?
How to strategize Student Loan payoff ?
How to plan for a wedding– without getting into debt?
How to save and move out to another state?
How to understand the home buying options: 30y, 15y, arm loans, PMI?
As I began my Yoga journey, I became more mindful of myself and my strengths. I discovered that we are in need of mindfulness with money and I enjoy helping others navigate their finances. This is how my passion to help others be mindful in their personal finance & Yoga practices.
The Yoga practice is complementary to Financial wellness, with physical and mental benefits. They both need practice, commitment, and consistency to reap the full benefits. That’s why I believe with mindfulness and planning, you can find balance in your financial wellness and yoga practice.
what type of products/services/creative works you provide, what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others. What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.
I am a Personal Finance Specialist and Yoga Instructor. I completed my MBA in Marketing & Management and am an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT) 200hr, YogaHIIT, Sculpt, and Core Fusion specialist.
I offer Mindful guidance to help build stability and security in your practice, whether it be Personal Finance or Yoga. My services include: 1:1 coaching, Workshops, Group/Party/Corporate Events. I usually work with clients 1-on-1 on a 3/6/annual basis for Personal Finance or Yoga. “My focus is to provide mindful guidance to build strength physically and mentally in an empowering environment.”
Majority of my work is servicing my Personal Finance Clients, but I definitely bring mindfulness from my yoga background. This is because personal finance is highly, highly personal and needs personalization based on your individual goals. I help clients understand their financial state, mindfully identify financial goals and why, as well as establishing a plan of action to help them get started.
What sets me apart from others in my line of work is the passion to help people commit to a practice that empowers planning, action, and accountability towards their goals. I feel often people sell a 1x solution, but I create relationships with my clients to help build a consistent practice. Building a practice takes time, self-evaluation, and a helpful guide like me. I serve as an accountability partner to help you stay on track and meet your established goals. I also share uncommon knowledge and personalized Financial news updates to help equip the client with the right strategies. Some clients refer to me as their Personal Finance and Yogi Amiga.
What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.
In my Personal Finance career I am most proud of the clients that make the long-term commitment after the first meeting. The lack of personal finance knowledge can cost you in life, but it takes commitment to change that trajectory. I find clients stop worrying, release doubt, and finally take control of their practice. At some point, everyone needs help developing a long-term plan that includes mindful considerations of their personal needs. So if you are stuck in a negative mindset with money or just don’t know how to get it all straight, I can help you build that practice.
In my yoga career I’m most proud of being one of the founders of Yogis Unidos, an organization focused on building a global latinx Yoga based community. Providing wellness resources to connect, inspire, and empower!
I started the organization in 2019, with Stephanie Acosta and fellow yoga instructors Yvonne Hernandez, and Jessica Arevalo.
Please provide as much detail as you feel relevant as this is one of the core questions where the reader will get to know about you and your brand/organization/etc
Website: ErikaMaria.com
Email: [email protected]
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
In a world where everything is virtual, the most effective strategy for growing your clientele has been showing up. I know COVID shook the world up and expanded remote work, but there’s something about showing up. Showing up for me has been: taking the time to make phone calls so people can hear my voice in real-time, if clients feel comfortable meeting for in-person appointments, and check-in on occasions. We think a text does the job, but sometimes going beyond text message helps establish a stronger trust-worthy relationship. I’ve even carved out time on my calendar to make it a priority to show-up however I can for clients. So make a plan, or think of ways your clients would feel your presence in their life.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn corporate jargon, oftentimes people want simple straightforward verbiage. In Personal Finance and Yoga, words can be cumbersome and confusing so I try my best to break things down to simple terms– it makes things less scary. Back when I started both sides of my business I found myself using words that didn’t flow easily (this was before I left corporate work). When explaining and breaking down concepts during my sessions with clients they had lots of questions and felt confused, so I had to reflect and lose the jargon.
For example, during my financial sessions I would mention the term cash flow, but oftentimes my client didn’t even know what I was talking about and asked many questions around the concept derailing the focus. I learned quickly, I need to find an approachable way to work through cash flow and then giving them the term once they understood it (i.e. this is called cash flow). Using simple terms, defining things, and giving full context is important when discussing finance or even body alignment like in Yoga.
I started working my corporate career as a sophomore in college and didn’t realize I got wrapped up in corporate talk. Now I realize simplicity is key.
Contact Info:
- Website: erikamaria.com
- Instagram: em.erikamaria
- Facebook: Erika Maria Yoga
- Linkedin: Erika Maria Milachouski
Image Credits
Pink blazer Pictures: Ariana Paulino (IG: arislens_ ) Yoga: MARTA SKOVRO MCADAMS (IG: martaskovro )