I’m so excited to share with you the latest episode of the Stacking Benjamins podcast, featuring yours truly as a guest. The podcast is a laid back, funny, yet informative take on all things personal finance. I got the chance to be a roundtable guest with Rich from the Retirement Manifesto and Len Penzo along with host, Joe Saul-Sehy . It was so much fun to record and I can’t wait for you to hear it. The story about how I got the chance to be a guest on the show is pretty interesting too.

If you’re not familiar, the Stacking Benjamins podcast is a pretty huge deal. Here are some stats I stole from Rich’s blog post about the podcast:

• 30,000 listeners
• Kiplinger ranked Stacking Benjamin as the Best Finance Podcast 2016.
• Top 15 of all Personal Finance Podcasts in this review by US News & World Report.
• Top 10 Money Podcasts that smart entrepreneurs listen to in this review by About.
• Top 6 Best Financial Podcasts in 2017 in this ranking by AdvisoryHQ.

To skip the backstory and listen to me on the Stacking Benjamins podcast, click here.

Keep reading to see how being prepared, putting myself out there and just having the guts to speak up turned into this great opportunity.

Since getting into the blogging and online personal finance space, I’ve joined the FinCon community. FinCon is an annual conference where folks in the personal finance and financial services industry come together to connect, share and learn with one another. One of the perks of being part of this community is the private FinCon Facebook group.

While randomly scrolling through the Facebook, I saw the following post in the group.

By then, I’d already been on the His and Her Money show, my first podcast interview. While that interview was great, I did it with no special microphone, so the sound quality wasn’t the best.  In an effort to be prepared for future podcast interviews and with secret dreams of wanting to start my own podcast; I purchased the mic.

I ended up purchasing the microphone from the affiliate link that Steve posted. That affiliate link happened to be Joe Saul-Sehy’s link, host of the Stacking Benjamins podcast.

I was so excited that I’d made the purchase and that I was one step away from being a professional podcast guest. I responded in the post that I’d bought the microphone.

Fast forward, a couple weeks later, I was at a conference panel event that Joe happened to be at too. I didn’t know he was Joe from the Stacking Benjamins podcast until I overheard someone mention it.

As the event was wrapping up and as Joe was about to leave, I had the strong urge to introduce myself him, not really knowing what I was going to say.

I worked up the nerve to approach him and told him that I was a fan of his podcast and in the FinCon community. 

His first question to me was “Do you have a mic?”

At the moment, I didn’t even remember that I’d bought the microphone through his affiliate link.  

I quickly responded, “Yes, I bought the mic posted in the Fin Con group!”

He said, “oh yes, I know you, thanks for buying through my link” and then proceeded to ask me if I’d like to be a guest on his podcast.

The obvious answer was “of course!”

A week later, I was recording the podcast, which you can listen to here.  

So why am I telling you this story?

So that I can share my own affiliate link of this great microphone?  Not entirely.

It’s because I want to share the amazing opportunities that can unfold right in front of you when you least expect it.

A big part of my journey to Financial Freedom has become this blog. This platform may very well be the thing that allows me to reach my early retirement goal sooner than my original plan.

If I wouldn’t have purchased the microphone as an investment in myself and my growing business, or if I didn’t respond to the comment on Facebook that I’d purchased the mic or if I froze out of fear and never approached Joe, this opportunity may have never happened.

It’s through these random choices and moments in our lives that our journey to greatness unfolds before us.  

So, the next time you feel the urge to be seen or heard, follow your gut and speak up.

You never know, you just might be the next guest on the Stacking Benjamins podcast…

P.S. Here’s my attempt at saving money on our utility bill, drying clothes outside on the deck instead of using the dryer (mentioned in the podcast episode)