Finding my tribe
Why I'm on a mission to make new friends.
I saw a video poem that tugged at my heart strings Saturday night.
OK, so I’m a softy who cries easily when filled with emotion, whether from a church sermon or seeing a legendary singer in concert.
This time I wiped my tears just as Parker rang my phone for our nightly 8 o’clock FaceTime chat. The video had just ended. But the poem was so powerful I immediately shared my screen to show Parker — which bought me more time to pull it together — and we both intently watched for the next 5 1/2 minutes.
“I took 40 hours back,” Amon Browning said repeatedly as the poem’s refrain.
I quickly realized it was the most vivid representation I’ve seen of my mission and where I believe my improved money mindset is leading my family.
Browning and his wife, Christina, retired early in 2019. Amon was 39. Christina was 41. They now live in Portugal, where they’re raising their two daughters and enjoying the fruits of financial independence. They chronicle their journey and share their lives with more than 600,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Parker didn’t understand the poem’s refrain until I explained to her that a typical work week for adults is 40 hours. I tested her advanced fourth-grade math skills with a quick equation: “What’s eight times five?”
Then I reminded Parker that the Brownings’ freedom is what we’re chasing. That I’m pursuing it for us, so that we can fly to Paris whenever we want. And that it’s for her and her children, so she can avoid the rat race and enjoy her life however she pleases.
I wasn’t familiar with the Brownings’ story until Friday. And I wouldn’t have come across them had I not attended my first Plutus Impact Summit.
The summit is a two-day virtual conference aimed at enriching financial content creators and brands. I stumbled across the organization only three weeks ago. I learned of it after registering for a different conference for financial content creators, one I found while attending Invest Fest. I feel the chain of events is connected.
Invest Fest, as Sean “Diddy” Combs dubbed it, was the Super Bowl of hustlers. I met several and remain in touch with a few. But by taking a leap of faith and flying to Atlanta last month, I moved closer to finding my people.
The Plutus Impact Summit, and the conference I’ll be attending next month, will connect me with like-minded individuals who all share some version of my mission of helping others become smarter with money.
I mentioned in June that I’ve felt alone on this journey. I’m finally seeking, and finding, communities where others can relate. I can’t wait to see what a revamped support system will do.
I almost felt silly explaining the Money Talks mission during last Thursday’s virtual happy-hour session to an audience on the same journey and in some cases much further along.
There was JD Roth, who started the blog “Get Rich Slowly” in 2006 and chronicled his journey to financial independence. He’s widely respected as an OG within the financial blogosphere. He joined a panel that also featured Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche, who me and Parker learned about last year from her role in the Netflix documentary “Get Smart with Money.” Farnoosh Torabi, a leading personal finance expert and author, shared her personal story and tips during a solo talk.
The Brownings sat, presumably from their Portugal family room, for a fireside chat Friday afternoon.
There were dozens of other established bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers and TikTokers. Some have followed me on social media. Some have subscribed to this newsletter (thank you, and welcome!).
With time and continued intentionality, I’ll meet more like-minded creators. At some point, I’ll develop a trusted circle of friends within the personal finance community. It wouldn’t surprise me if some become dear friends.
I learned the hard way over this past year that everyone isn’t ready to adopt the same mentality with money as I have. It’s strained some relationships and sabotaged others. But rather than trying to be someone I no longer am, or waiting for others to join me, I’m eager to connect with those who share my vision and understand my passion. I’m excited to learn from them and grow in ways I still don’t know are possible.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I registered for the Plutus Impact Summit. I had never attended a virtual conference. I sort of feared it was a scam.
My emailed receipt shows I paid $49 at 2:09 a.m. on Sept. 4 to attend. It was a small price to pay to locate my people.
And thanks to the Brownings, we’ve now seen the best example yet of what the vision looks like when it becomes our reality.