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I've always had a fondness for organization (a trait that I definitely inherited from my father). This became apparent when I was around small objects that enticed me with the possibility of being arranged by size and colour. My mother recalls me saving and stacking coins as a toddler and though I can’t say that my actions were greedy or materialistic by nature (since I had zero understanding of their value), I quickly learned about the importance of money, particularly in my family’s livelihood.
My father moved to Canada from Torino, Italy, and grew up to work alongside his parents at General Motors (GM), sewing the fabric of car seats together by hand. His mother was a seamstress by trade and taught him everything he knew.
My mother was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, into a family of 11 children. Her father was a doctor who also served as Chief of Surgery and Chief of Staff at the city’s main hospital. In addition, he ran his own family practice and made regular house calls while my Mémé ran a tight ship as ‘Chief of House’.
Needless to say, my parents came from immigrant, blue collar, working class families whose actions constantly reminded them of what hard work can earn you. Naturally, the same morals were instilled in my sisters and I, though I’m lucky to say that my parents have supported us in everything we do without monetizing our choices. That said, you can’t expect life (especially work-life) to always be smooth sailing. This became a reality for my Dad when he suddenly found himself out of a job.
After years of working for GM, my Dad moved to Ford Motor Company. And after years with Ford Motors, countless labourers at the plant were laid off or let go. Instead of accepting a job offer at a factory hours away, he chose to keep our family together and take a buyout from Ford. At 42-years-old, my Dad went back to school to learn a new trade so that he was able to re-enter the workforce. In the meantime, he worked in construction, got his gasfitting certificate and sold cars while my Mum entailed my younger sister and I to help with her cleaning business. Swiffer Duster in hand, she’d drop us off at home and go do janitorial work in local schools.
Point is: my parents did whatever it took to keep our family strong and afloat throughout uncertain times. My sisters and I never went without and I’m grateful for that every day. Their hard work did not go unappreciated or unnoticed, and the predicaments we faced assured me that a financially secure future was something I wanted.
Work, work, work, work, work
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I became accustomed to restaurant-level tips at an early age and when I decided to move to Toronto to attend Ryerson University’s Journalism program, I chased after them. Needing to provide for myself as an 18-year-old, full-time student with her own place to upkeep, I immersed myself in the service industry and balanced two or three gigs at a time. I continued to do so as I cashed my first freelance cheques, and in combination with the money mindset I’d adopted, I never had to ‘worry’. Then, everything changed.
Why I brought this podcast to life
A.K.A: $HMONEY’s inspiration
It is not without the help of many kind souls, gentle hands, and loving hearts that I have arrived where I am today; mentally and no doubt, physically.
Long story short: In December 2017, I was growing a brand and small business of my own, making out like a bandit between all my restaurant and bar jobs, and bouncing back and forth between two of my favourite cities: Toronto and New York. Two days before Christmas, I hopped off a flight from NYC and into a car that was supposed to take me to see my family. A few hours later, after being airlifted from the site of a serious 12-car crash, I woke up in a hospital bed with injuries that would take me on a long journey to recovery.
In the blink of an eye, life itself flipped upside down and my bank account was on track to being as close to $0.00 as it ever was. My return to life in the big city presented its own challenges: trying work situations, completing my degree, and having to undergo numerous medical procedures as well as a major surgery.
When I made it through, I felt that my time in Toronto had served me its purpose. I was ready to move on and heal, though I was also forced to notice how much I didn’t know about money and personal finance. I came to know how frustrating getting back on track can be when you’re not as financially literate as you thought.
…And so, it all started with a capstone project. Back at school, I was tasked with creating a branded platform that could host different forms of multimedia. Inspired by recent life events, I presented the idea of $HMONEY to my professor and the first words that came out of his mouth were: “I can literally hear this being produced”.
Needless to say, that professor’s comment stuck with me and now, nearly two and a half years later, I’ve set out to bring $HMONEY into the world. It simply needs to exist. Here’s why.