Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Giovanna Gonzalez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Giovanna, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

My most meaningful project is the one I’m working on right now- writing a personal finance book for the First Gen and Latine community. The reason this project is important to me is because when I went through my own financial literacy journey a couple of years ago, I felt the void of not reading books that represented my money story. As the daughter of Mexican immigrants, my money story is very different than what you read in the traditional personal finance book written by a white, cis, men. They didn’t speak on the hardships of navigating two clashing money cultures or how to factor in family into our finances. The lack of representation made my journey feel very lonely and overwhelming. My hope is that my book closes this gap and makes the First Gen community feel seen and heard. I’m happy to share it will be published in September 2023!

Giovanna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a former investment professional turned financial educator, speaker and TikTok influencer. During The Great Resignation, I quit my 10 year corporate career to pursue my true passion- teaching financial literacy to young adults. I teach personal finance topics like budgeting and investing 101 at colleges, universities and employee resource groups. I also run the TikTok account @thefirstgenmentor, where I built a community of almost 200,000 who follow me for relatable and jargon free money and career content. I was recently recognized by Fast Company as a Top 25 Creator of 2022. I’m especially proud of a $50,000 grant I won earlier this year to write a personal finance book for the First Gen and Latine community.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The book “The Big Leap” played a big role in me quitting my corporate job to pursue a career as a creative entrepreneur. When I first thought of quitting, I felt guilty for leaving a job that I enjoyed. Unlike most corporate runaway stories, I actually liked my boss, role and my coworkers. But that book taught me the difference between my zone of excellence and zone of genius. My corporate job was my zone of excellence but my creative career was my zone of genius. Your zone of genius is what you’re passionate about and what comes naturally easy to you. It ultimately gave me the confidence to quit a job I liked, for the possibility of a job I loved.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being a creative is having complete control of how I show up. In corporate, I often felt like I had to give people a watered down version of me. I was often told I was too passionate or unapproachable. Now as a creative, I get to show up as my true authentic self, unfiltered and as I am. It’s the most liberating feeling!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thefirstgenmentor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gigithefirstgenmentor/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovannagonzalez/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thefirstgenmentor