Today is my Birthday

My Zone of Genius is in seeing your greatness. I do it on the Getting Rich Together podcast, in how I create the Wealth Catalyst Summit, in how I introduce our community members to each other, and in how I facilitate the Freedom Salon Tour rooms. In fact, my ability to see you as a whole human, no matter what you do for work, your age, or where you live, is something I deeply appreciate about myself.

I recall a moment a couple of years ago when I was sitting in SFO, the San Francisco International Airport, watching the people around me. I had this distinct experience of seeing all of their greatness inside, and also their proximity to that greatness. I don’t believe we will all know our greatness in this life, but I do believe we all have it inside of us.

Greatness is a word I use often. Typically, I use it in a phrase alongside curiosity. I think a lot about how the women in my community are learning to stand in their greatness and in their curiosity at the same time. Greatness, to me, is an honoring of who we are. It is the wholeness we so often seek outside of ourselves, but ultimately find within. Curiosity is our ability to recognize that we are not dead yet. There is more to figure out, more to learn, and learning does not mean we are wrong or stupid. In fact, I think it is a sign of intelligence. I believe it is this balance between greatness and curiosity that lends itself to growth and wisdom.

Over the last six years, I have thrown myself into the proverbial world of education in the realm of finance. If you’ve been here long enough, you know my background is not in finance. It’s in fashion. When I had my financial awakening during my divorce, I thought I needed more education. In fact, every time I think something is missing, I tend to think there is a class I need to take to learn it. When Scott Galloway launched his AI Mini MBA, I took it. When I was in the midst of running my second company and things were challenging, I decided to apply to Stanford because I clearly needed to learn more, and I did. And when I was trying to close my financial gaps, I headed to Columbia.

What I was actually looking for was not another credential. I was looking for trusted proximity, Wealth Expanders. I wanted to be in rooms with women who could say, “Here’s how I thought about it,” not because they had the one right answer, but because their lived experience could expand my own. I didn’t want to become the people I wanted to learn from. I wanted to lean on them. This is a big tenet of the Wealth Catalyst philosophy: our ability to lean on each other and not be each other.

This year I’ve connected with over 500 women, and as I embark on another salon tour, 14 cities across the West leading to the 4th Wealth Catalyst Summit, I will connect with another 500. Each of these women holds wisdom from her life, experiences she may not yet recognize are important to share, and a vision of the world she wants to create. Each of these women is a Wealth Expander to someone else. She may just not know it yet.

I’ve also come to believe that there are no bad stories. There are only women with different levels of proximity to their own greatness. So often, what someone needs is not more information, but a more honest space to think out loud, to ask better questions, and to be reflected back to herself with care.

Can you share about your life without needing to prove something? Can you answer someone’s questions and offer your expertise without being attached to the outcome? Can you lead with trust over transactions, knowing that trust is how we collectively move forward?

I’m no longer interested in converting anyone to this vision. The women who are meant for this work already feel that something more honest, more respectful, and more whole is possible.

If you recognize yourself here, then you are my people. And my birthday wish is that I get to be around more of my people, and that we get to be with each other.

With love,
Syama