Beyond the balance

Beyond the balance- Episode 22

In This Episode We Talk About: Lacey Shrum did everything the safe way. Law degree, compliance career, steady paycheck. Then she watched how fast that safety could disappear and decided to build her own thing instead. Today she is the founder and CEO of Smart Kx, a fintech company serving registered investment advisors, and a mom of four running a household on structure, boundaries, and zero apologies. We get into the pivot from lawyer to tech founder, why corporate security is an illusion, how she protects her energy between the work week and the weekend, and the money lessons her kids are learning just by watching her work. If you have ever felt that pit in your stomach telling you there is something more, this conversation is your nudge. Key Takeaways: ✨ Corporate safety is an illusion. The paycheck feels cozy until the arm gets cut off. ✨ Cut the variables. One sport per kid, one clear plan, and hold the line. ✨ Run the play. Structure makes kids more confident and moms less frantic. ✨ Buffer your transitions. Gentle Fridays and slow Mondays prevent burnout. ✨ This season is short. Saying no right now is not saying no forever. Who This Episode Is For: This episode is for: the mom sitting in a corporate job with a business idea she keeps talking herself out of. The one who thinks she needs permission, a perfect plan, or fewer kids before she can bet on herself. Lacey has four children and a law degree she pivoted away from. Your excuses just ran out. Connect with Jessica Perez Instagram: https://instagram.com/jessicaperez1123 [https://instagram.com/jessicaperez1123] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jessica-perez-consulting [https://linkedin.com/in/jessica-perez-consulting] Connect with Lacey Shrum LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/laceyshrum [https://linkedin.com/in/laceyshrum] Website: https://smartkx.io [https://smartkx.io] Follow & Support the Podcast: ⭐ Follow the show ⭐ Leave a 5-star review ⭐ Share this episode with a mom who needs it #Beyondthebalance

Beyond the balance- Episode 21

In This Episode We Talk About What happens when an eight-year-old girl makes a promise to herself that she will never be financially trapped? She grows up, builds a SaaS company, helps lead it to a nine-figure exit, and then discovers that the money she chased for safety never actually made her feel safe. Danielle McKinley joins me for a raw, fire conversation about the money stories that drive us, the boundaries we have to enforce to protect the lives we are building, and why becoming a mom was the catalyst that changed everything. If you have ever hit a goal and thought, "This is it? This is what I worked for?", this one is going to hit differently. Key Takeaways ✨ Your money story is running your life, your marriage, and your business, and most of us have no idea what ours is ✨ The people who push back the hardest on your boundaries are the ones who need them the most ✨ If you are on time, you are late. Arrive early, show up as your best self, and stop letting chaos run your schedule ✨ Entrepreneurship is the biggest personal development journey you will ever sign up for ✨ You do not need to scale and exit to be credible. You need to decide what freedom looks like for you Who This Episode Is For This episode is for the mom who is making good money but still feels stuck. For the woman who keeps hitting income ceilings and cannot figure out why. For the overachiever who built everything she thought she wanted and is wondering why it does not feel the way she imagined. If you are teetering between corporate and entrepreneurship, if your boundaries need reinforcing, or if you just need to hear someone say "give yourself grace," press play. Connect with Jessica Perez Instagram: https://instagram.com/jessicaperez1123 [https://instagram.com/jessicaperez1123] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jessica-perez-consulting [https://linkedin.com/in/jessica-perez-consulting] Connect with Danielle McKinley Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifebydanielle [https://instagram.com/lifebydanielle] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/danielle-m13 [https://linkedin.com/in/danielle-m13] Website: https://daniellemckinley.com [https://daniellemckinley.com] Follow & Support the Podcast ⭐ Follow the show ⭐ Leave a 5-star review ⭐ Share this episode with a mom who needs it #BeyondtheBalance

Beyond the balance- Episode 20

In This Episode We Talk About Molly Pierce is the CEO of Track That Advisor, a fintech and education company helping financial advisors understand their numbers and scale with clarity. She is also a wife, mom of two wild and wonderful boys, an Arizona native who grew up on a dairy farm with 4,000 cows and six siblings, and the kind of woman who wakes up at 4:30 a.m. and has already crushed Pilates and a three-mile walk before most of us hit snooze. In this episode, Molly and I get into what it really looks like to build a business, raise kids with intention, and stay connected to your spouse when life is moving at full speed. We talk about the power of your village, why being a villager matters just as much as having one, and the family motto that guides everything she does: get in the arena. Key Takeaways ✨ You cannot ask for a village if you are not willing to be a villager first ✨ Get in the arena. Even if you fail, you dared greatly. That is the point. ✨ Being honest with your kids about your own fears builds braver kids ✨ Genuine human connection will be the new currency in a world full of AI and noise ✨ Your marriage does not need to look like anyone else's. It just needs to have fun in it. Who This Episode Is For This episode is for the mom who is juggling a career, a marriage, little kids, big dreams, and wonders if she is doing any of it well enough. If you have ever compared your motherhood to someone else's highlight reel or felt guilty for wanting more, Molly is going to make you feel seen. Connect with Jessica Perez Instagram: https://instagram.com/jessicaperez1123 [https://instagram.com/jessicaperez1123] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jessica-perez-consulting [https://linkedin.com/in/jessica-perez-consulting] Connect with Molly Pierce LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-pierce-9a9270108/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-pierce-9a9270108/] Website: https://trackthatadvisor.com [https://trackthatadvisor.com] Follow & Support the Podcast ⭐ Follow the show ⭐ Leave a 5-star review ⭐ Share this episode with a mom who needs it #BeyondtheBalance

Beyond the balance- Episode 19

In This Episode We Talk About Katie Levine went from interning at Vogue and assisting Annie Leibovitz to becoming one of the first female assistants on that team in a decade. She has photographed celebrities, shot magazine covers, and built a career most people dream about. And then she became a mom. In this episode, Katie and I get into the identity shift that blindsides you when motherhood collides with a career you spent 18 years building. We talk about what it really looks like to restructure your business, your friendships, and your expectations when the old version of you no longer fits. Key Takeaways ✨ Losing yourself after baby is real and finding yourself again starts with one intentional choice at a time ✨ Your brand is not your bio. Know who you are before you book the shoot. ✨ Perfection will keep you stuck. Progress will set you free. ✨ Friendships shift after kids and that is not a reflection of your worth ✨ Outsource what drains you so you can stay in your genius zone Who This Episode Is For This episode is for the mom who used to feel like a powerhouse and now can't always find her in the mirror. For the woman rebuilding her identity one decision at a time while running a business, protecting a marriage, and keeping tiny humans alive. If you have ever whispered "I miss who I used to be," this one is for you. Connect with Jessica Perez Instagram: https://instagram.com/jessicaperez1123 [https://instagram.com/jessicaperez1123] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jessica-perez-consulting [https://linkedin.com/in/jessica-perez-consulting] Connect with Katie Levine Instagram: https://instagram.com/katielevinephoto [https://instagram.com/katielevinephoto] Website: https://www.katielevinephoto.com/ [https://www.katielevinephoto.com/] Podcast: Beyond My Lens Follow & Support the Podcast ⭐ Follow the show ⭐ Leave a 5-star review ⭐ Share this episode with a mom who needs it #BeyondtheBalance

Beyond the balance- Episode 18

In This Episode We Talk About What does it look like to rebuild your relationship with money, raise a financially savvy kid on your own, and still show up fully in every area of your life? Rhiana Whitmire is doing all three. In this episode, we get real about money habits, single motherhood, the power of community, and what it means to rise after loss. Rhiana is writing a series of financial literacy books for kids ages 3 to 16, leading alongside me at WIFS, and raising her daughter with the kind of intentionality that only comes from doing the hard work on yourself first. This one is going to hit. Key Takeaways ✨ You cannot out-earn bad money habits ✨ Narrating your financial decisions out loud is one of the easiest ways to teach kids about money ✨ The village is not optional. It is the strategy. ✨ Fear is real. Put it on the shelf and go anyway. ✨ Being a single mom means you hold all the balls Who This Episode Is For This episode is for the mom who is navigating money stress, doing it mostly alone, and wondering how to raise kids who are smarter about finances than she was (basically all of us). It is also for every woman who has let fear make the decision for her one too many times. Connect with Jessica Perez Instagram: https://instagram.com/jessicaperez [https://instagram.com/jessicaperez] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jessica-perez-consulting [https://linkedin.com/in/jessica-perez-consulting] Connect with Rhiana Whitmire Instagram: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhiana-whitmire/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhiana-whitmire/] Follow and Support the Podcast: ⭐ Follow the show on your favorite podcast platform ⭐ Leave a 5-star review ⭐ Share this episode with a mom who needs it #Beyondthebalance