Today we’d like to introduce you to Natasha & Damian Carrillo.
Hi Natasha & Damian, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Money is taboo. You don’t ask about it. You don’t talk about it. Have you got questions about money? Too bad. That’s the story for most people, but that’s the opposite of what we’ve lived. There’s no taboo around money for us; we know that talking about money is a huge key to building wealth. We first talked about money with each other within the first 3 months of dating! That conversation led to each earning $50 monthly by switching bank accounts. Here we are 15 years later, and we’re still discussing how to be better with money. The difference is that we let other people eavesdrop on our conversations through our podcast.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We don’t think anyone in a relationship would say it’s a smooth road. We especially struggled to talk with each other when we disagreed. It’s easy to avoid conflict. It’s easy to walk away. It’s easy to react with anger, but it’s much harder to learn to communicate respectfully, and that’s something we had to learn. We had to learn to listen and acknowledge each other’s ideas. We had to learn to compromise and work as a team instead of 2 individuals. We had to learn to be more open to listening and understanding others’ ideas about how to manage money and then agree on how to move forward.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
We co-host a financial empowerment podcast called Black and Brown Make Green. Natasha is the Black. Damian is the Brown; our mission is to help others make green. Many people are confused about money and don’t know where to turn, and we make it fun and easy by having casual conversations on the podcast. We share our story and the story of others to inspire others to take control of their finances. We are most proud that we stepped outside our comfort zones to create something that can improve people’s lives.
What matters most to you?
Natasha: Time and relationships are most important to me. We have shifted to a consumer-driven society that takes focus away from relationships, and the relationships between people are the most important. I want to have time to enjoy the relationships in my life, and I want others to be in a place financially where they can also have time to spend with others.
Damian: I agree with what Natasha said, and I’ll add the importance of a slower pace of life. Rushing to work, rushing to kids’ activities, rushing to eat, and rushing here are overrated. I want to savor life like you should savor a meal – slow, deliberate, and without watching the clock and when you mix a slow pace of life with spending time with friends and family, that’s what is most important.
Pricing:
- Clarity Session (Financial Check-up): 1-2 meetings to determine how much you earn, exactly what the money is spent on, and an action plan to be more intentional with spending, saving, and investing; $550.
- Financial Fundamentals: 6 months of 1-on-1 financial education + habit-building + coaching to organize your money and progress with your finances; $550 upfront; $225 remaining 5 months.
Contact Info:
- Website: blackandbrownmakegreen.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/blackandbrownmakegreen
- Facebook: facebook.com/blackandbrownmakegreen
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/black-and-brown-make-green
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/black-and-brown-make-green/id1574041868
Image Credits
Nikita Wolff – Nikita Marie Photography, Gloria Liu – Little Memories Austin, Mohammad Reza – Mr. Z Draws
