Season 2 Ep#62 Currency: How to Charge For Your Worth

Hello future ancestors!

Welcome to another solo podcast episode of Your Story Medicine. I’m your host, Jumakae - and I wanted to expand on what it means to charge for your worth.

If you were not at my last workshop where I dug deeper into this, one of the things I mentioned is how it is inherently problematic to even talk about charging for our worth.

Why? Because your worth is priceless.

Your value cannot be quantified.

If we are equating our self worth to  our net worth, then we will continue to allow the numbers in our bank account to reflect how it is we feel about ourselves.

And that, my friends, is a symptom of internalized capitalism…

Now, is capitalism a bad thing?

As someone who came from communities that identified as anti-capitalist, I made the mistake of believing that money is evil and bad.

Why do we have to pay for housing?

Why is everything so expensive?

Why are some people rich and others poor?

So what happened as a result? I resisted having it.

Even though I was privileged enough to speak English, have a college education, be healthy and able bodied, I only felt worthy of taking on lower paid jobs since I believed that you're not supposed to get paid to do good work. I also told myself that the more money I make, the more responsibilities and stress I'll have since I wouldn't know how to manage it anyways. Plus, my resume mostly consisted of being an artist and the only full-time job I had ever had lasted for 16 months at a nonprofit until I was fired and literally escorted out of the building like a Criminal. Who would want to hire me after that kind of experience?

If you’re on my email list, I shared a story about a moment that challenged my own perspective about money.

It was only my second week at that full-time nonprofit job, where we were raising funds for our agency that supported survivors of domestic violence.

I remember the pretty dresses that people wore, and I felt like this would be the closest I would ever get to the MET Gala.

As someone who spent a decade curating community art events with a budget of zero dollars, an environment like this felt way out of reach for me.

And yet, here I was passing out envelopes to people who were competing over how much more they can donate than their friends at the table.

Numbers were thrown from $100 upward to $10,000 - without hesitation!

That donor just paid for a third of my annual salary. 🤯  On top of that, my wallet and phone were stolen right out of my purse that same evening at the gala - which put me into a spiral of scarcity as I questioned why some had more or less than others. 

I didn't know it at that time, but this sparked a healing in my own relationship to money…

How do I become that person who can easily invest in good causes like this, versus being the one on the receiving end that is constantly scrambling for resources?

The truth is, we do live in a capitalist society, and I believe that entrepreneurship is what runs this country. It's supposedly what makes America great, but hear me out. Large Corporations have more control than the government when it comes to decisions that will always have the biggest impact on lower income and marginalized groups. People vote with their dollars ! Where we choose to spend our money is oftentimes a reflection of our values.

And it's not so much about becoming a corporation to make a whole lot of money, but knowing that when you can create a sacred offering that contributes to the betterment of this planet , with money as the energetic exchange to continue your work, or your dharma, you can then have the ability to divest these dollars - whether that looks like creating jobs, spending more time with your family, or donating to a cause that's close to your heart.

Being able to create offerings that light me up allows me to invest in sacred support so that I'm not holding this vision alone, which includes a financial planner that is teaching me about money management and investing in things that align with my values now that I actually know how to make it.

For example, I finally opened up my own ROTH IRA, a retirement account with a company called Adasina, an investment and financial activism firm that serves as a critical bridge between financial markets and social justice movements for the benefit of people and our planet.

Like what?! That actually exist?!

But internalized capitalism will make us attach an emotion to money versus seeing it simply as a tool.

That's all it is!

When money leaves or enters your bank account, what feelings come up for you?

Do you contract or try to hold onto it like water running through your hands?

Or do you trust that it is a flow, in other words, treating it as currency -

Knowing that it is absolutely meant to circulate?

What if scarcity is actually a byproduct of white supremacy?

Because my ancestors did not hoard resources.

We gave abundantly.

And perhaps it's because we shared resources from Mother Earth, who is the number one teacher of abundance.

She gives and gives, and our only job is to care for her as a good steward.

It's not about extraction, but contribution-

And while we may not be trading fruits, vegetables, or our skills with one another like how our ancestors did - money still comes from the earth, from the trees that our dollars are printed on to the copper in our Pennies. And now it's being circulated in the digital realm, which is wild because it's further proof that this shit is made up.

It's like a game that you get to learn how to play, and it's all about learning how to move this energy. 

It's also about learning the master's tools to build your own table or house, or even your own garden where there gets to be enough to share for all of us. 

We've been taught to fear it, or to avoid talking about it.

In fact, and I may have mentioned this before in another episode, but we are more comfortable talking about sex than finances.

So let's talk about it.

Instead of the story that more money will make me greedy, shift it into one of expansion and possibilities.

More money means more opportunities to give and to be of service.

Instead of money is evil. Shift it to money is a tool and a team player.

If you had all the money in the world, what would you do with it?

Would you invest in a home? Would you free women and children from trafficking? Donate to conservation efforts? Retire your parents early? Take that long awaited vacation? 

Instead of allowing money itself to be the motivator, dream about what you will invest in and create that will leave a legacy on this planet when your body has returned to earth and stardust.

What stories about money are creating contraction in your body that you can shift?

Because the universe responds to this energy.

We cannot want money and have negative feelings about it at the same time.

Also, can you tap into feelings of abundance even when you don't have anything in the bank account?

Would you still be sharing your sacred offerings to the world, even if you weren't getting paid for it?

Which for many of us, this happens in the beginning as we are testing out our medicine.

And if you're uncomfortable with receiving ten dollars for something you've created, will your nervous system be able to handle $10,000 when it comes to you?

Otherwise, we may run the risk of sabotaging these opportunities as they come.

And I am speaking from personal experience, especially when I've told myself the story that "I'm not ready" when instead I get to remember that my life experiences and the mentorship I've received has prepared me to lead.

In the words of one of my mentors Lisa Nichols, "get ready stay ready."

The first year I made six figures in my business, I got rid of it so quickly because of the shame it brought up for me - which then made me realize the importance of feeling safe with money.

So instead of charging for your worth- instead, I would encourage you to charge a number that feels a bit edgy and yet still safe in your body.

From there, you can titrate your nervous system to expand your capacity to receive from that place.

When I say titration, it's easing your body into receptivity.

My first year I didn't make any money in my business because even though I had invested over $10,000 myself in my first business coaches I could not fathom charging others that amount.

I still had to get clear on what my medicine was, and that meant embodying it.

I had to go through my own contraction and Labor pains. I thought it was the fear of speaking my truth that was holding me back, especially after getting fired from several jobs for being too outspoken, but really it was the fear of visibility and needing to take 100% ownership of any mistakes moving forward since I wouldn't have a boss or a job to blame.

If the term boss makes you uncomfortable, you can redefine it into "Being of Sacred Service" which I now proudly claim.

And I didn't know people would actually want to learn how to tell stories from me, since I equated My background as an artist with being broke.

But it took me asking questions to my community about what it is they even see in me and how I inspire them to get to this clarity.

What? You would pay me to learn how to be more embodied? 

Me, the one who took 30 years in life until finally being able to unapologetically say I love this vessel that I'm in, in spite of all the times I was made to believe that my body wasn't safe? 

From there, I began mentoring others and my very first offering was a $500 program where I took on ten people on an 8 week journey as storytellers back in January 2019.

It was the first time I felt what it was like to make $5,000 in a month.

As my skill set and waiting list grew, I slowly began to raise my rates to honor my own capacity to show up and hold sacred space for people's transformations.

By the way, I give props to healers that have a full 1:1 client load, especially therapists and bodyworkers . And to be honest, I'm not sure if this is sustainable when our bodies can only take on so many people's energies. Hence why I love facilitating groups because the healing happens in community vs in isolation, and shame dies in places our stories are shared.

I had to get comfortable with receiving  compliments and praise for my work, and I also had to be open to critical feedback, which I used to be soooo afraid of but now use as an opportunity to improve my services. I didn't know that this was also preparing me to be okay with getting testimonials of how it is I impacted others, which has been integral in the expansion of my business so that I'm not constantly promoting myself. Instead, I can allow others to advocate for me. And I also read them back to myself whenever I doubt my path.

Now a lot of us are hoarding scarcity in our bodies without even realizing it.

You may be feeling bitter or resentful because you've felt like you've been giving and giving while wondering when any of it will come back to you.

Maybe you're waiting for the next big break, where the right person or opportunity will discover you - but will you be prepared when it does arrive?

Just because I've done a Ted talk and landed on Red Table Talk doesn't mean my life radically shifted. Instead, those opportunities were seeds I planted for people to come and find me - and thank goodness I already created my backend systems to welcome people since I was told to get ready, stay ready.

Nobody is coming to save us, especially the government, hence why we have an opportunity to be the ones we have been looking for - while being open to receive the right guidance and mentorship to get there.

Every time you share your medicine, your story, even when you're not getting paid for it, is an opportunity you are giving to others by planting seeds of trust for people to know you and your heart.

Your story will only be as powerful as your ability to celebrate yourself, knowing that with everything you take pride in and get to brag about today comes with a journey that it took for you to get there.

I brag about having a multiple six figure coaching business that predominantly serves radical healers of color who envision a movement rooted in healing, love and joy 

Because it was five years ago that I had a salary of $37k working with survivors of domestic violence where I was trained to be in a constant state of urgency, picking up the phone within three rings and needing to be constantly available for others while being told we aren't in this work for the money.

I brag about Your Story Medicine Becoming  a proud sponsor of Sol and Sound, the largest BIPOC sound healing music festival in Los Angeles.

Because it was six years ago I was working at this fancy gala trying to convince donors how desperately we needed this money to fund our organization.

I'm proud of being the daughter of my  Thai immigrant mother, a village girl who found her way to the United States with a dream -

Because it was exactly a year ago that she almost became an ancestor. I have so many stories I have yet to hear about her life, and now I feel like I have that second chance.

Where is it that you may be holding back from celebrating yourself?

This is exactly what we focus on in roots to rise, and all of my programs.

We hold space for your celebrations, while digging into the stories that brought you here,

And from there we find clarity in your sacred offerings by co-creating what this can look like alongside your community - while simultaneously healing your relationship with money by first looking at where your capacity is to receive in your everyday life.

Be the altar, and the offerings will arise.

And when you can do this with others who are on a similar path, what you wanted to get accomplished in a year accelerates because of who you're spending your time with.

It's not time that's your greatest asset, but where your attention and energy goes with the time that you're given.

You'll find where it is you're still clinging and hoarding on to jobs, belief patterns, and relationships that may not be in alignment towards what you're calling in - and so know that this process will also ask you to make sacrifices. In other words, make your life sacred. 

My job as your life doula is to hold space for those contractions and labor pains in your rebirth.

As you share your story about medicine, you may actually be doing a disservice to people by not inviting them into ways to be in further relationship with you - which is where your offerings come in.

I recently did a spoken word set for a racial equity conference, and several people came up to me asking if I had a book for purchase.

At the moment, I don't, but I redirected them to this podcast that you're listening to and from there they can learn more about ways to work with me.

That's just one example of how your sharing your story medicine plants seeds for people to come be a part of your community.

(And clearly, I probably need to write a book at some point.) 

But this process is what we move through together so that they can birth their sacred offerings from a place of embodiment and alignment, and if you haven't heard yet-

I will be running Roots to Rise only one more time this year to make spaciousness for other areas of my life.

I get to remember that I am so much more than a coach, and my life is asking me to tend to the other identities I carry, from being an artist to a daughter -

And anyone who has worked with me knows that I love to give abundantly.

So if you have been feeling that pull to work with me and to learn more about how to birth your sacred offerings through your story medicine, summertime is in session.

I've also postponed our start date to June 29 cuz it's my birthday month. Yes my name is June, I was born in June. So I'm celebrating all month. And I am releasing urgency in my body.

So you can go to my website or send me a message on instagrams @jumakae for any questions .

We probably will cap it at 12 people so that everyone can be seen, heard, and felt because I know what it's like to be in programs with a ton of people to where it is easy to fall off and get lost.

Not only that , but you'll get additional coaching and support from others I've hired who have helped me on this path.

This includes human design expert Elyse Preston of Be More Connected, my personal assistant Christy Garcia who will teach you about delegation and how to work with a team, and Nisha - Also known as healing hype girl, who will hold healing hype circles every other week to hold space for anything else that comes up on this journey. She also specializes in teaching boundaries for BIPOC, and another thing I've shared is that your business will only grow to the extent of your boundaries. 

Otherwise, I am so grateful you're here on this cosmic journey with me as we are remembering who the fuck we are.

Who will you be at the altar, when you become an ancestor returned to earth and stardust? 

Know that you've been planting seeds all along, so trust in the path that has been laid out for you.

Most importantly, you are already worthy.

In fact, You are priceless.

A number can never be put on your value.

You are deserving of joy, of support, of love, of healing, and of soul aligned community.

And where that community doesn't exist, you have an opportunity to create it.

Reflect on all the ways you are already abundant. Spend time celebrating yourself, while allowing others to celebrate you when you forget your magic. And when you're able to do that, money will only amplify what already is.

Email me at [email protected] or send me a message on Instagram @jumakae.

Download my free guided meditation on how to connect with your ancestors  bit.ly/ancestorinthemaking

Apply to Roots to Rise:

www.yourstorymedicine.com/roots2rise