S2 E40: 🦥 Your Values + Your Budget, Paso a Paso w/ Ilia Pèrez Your Dinero Doctor
EPISODE SUMMARY
What does it actually mean to be "good with money" in 2026? In this episode of the Money Healing Club podcast, Rachel sits down with Ilia Pèrez, aka Your Dinero Doctor, a pharmacist and bilingual budget coach who's redefining financial wellness through her signature "Dinero Date" framework. They explore why tracking your money should feel like self-care (complete with croissants and coffee), and how Latina women navigate cultural messages around money and gratitude. This conversation bridges the deeply emotional with the refreshingly practical, perfect for anyone ready to build a money practice that actually sticks.
💬 "Being good with money is a personal definition. For somebody it can simply mean paying their bills on time. Another person being good with money could be having a certain amount of savings. I think it's being honest with yourself what that personal definition is."
Key Takeaways:
Dinero Dates are weekly money check-ins designed like self-care dates with ambiance, treats, and pleasure
Pairing money tasks with sensory comfort is actually trauma healing (your brain starts associating money with positive experiences)
Working hard isn't the same as working smart; learning to be strategic with money is a skill we often have to teach ourselves
Cultural messages like "God will provide" or "don't be ungrateful" can block us from wanting something different
Your values should guide both your present spending AND your future planning
About Ilia Pèrez: Ilia is a pharmacist and financial coach who offers budget coaching in both English and Spanish through her practice, Your Dinero Doctor. She helps clients build sustainable money habits through her Dinero Date framework and values-based budgeting. When she's not coaching, she loves slow mornings at coffee shops and exploring new places in Puerto Rico.
⏰ EPISODE BREAKDOWN:
05:30 | What Is a Dinero Date? How to turn money tracking into actual self-care (candles, croissants, and your favorite corner table included)
15:00 | Values on a Post-It Note Why Ilia keeps her seven core values visible during every money decision
23:00 | The Latina Experience: Working Hard vs. Working Smart Navigating cultural messages about gratitude, boundaries, and wanting something different
31:00 | Introducing The Money Reset How Rachel and Ilia are co-teaching a 90-day program that bridges emotional healing with practical budgeting
📚 Resources Mentioned
The Money Reset - 90-day program co-taught by Rachel and Ilia (doors close February 2nd)
Get in touch with Ilia Pèrez - Your Dinero Doctor instagram & email
☎️ Join the Conversation!
What would YOUR Dinero Date look like? What's your favorite corner table, your go-to treat, and when would you schedule it? The Money Healing Club podcast wants to hear your answers, click the big orange button:): https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/podcast
🎧 Your next listen:
Check out our episode with Bari Tessler on why therapists need their own money work
🌟 Want more help?
🤑 Free Email Course: Curb impulse spending with compassion and mindfulness at moneyhealingclub.com/challenge
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🦥 Your Values + Your Budget, Paso a Paso w/ Ilia Pèrez Your Dinero Doctor
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[00:00:00]
Rachel Duncan: Welcome to the Money Healing Club podcast. I'm your host, Rachel Duncan. I'm a certified financial therapist and art therapist, and I founded the Money Healing Club. You've come to the softest place to land in personal finance where we talk about all the things we don't usually say when we talk about money.
This podcast is for education and entertainment purposes only, and does not replace professional mental health, tax, legal, or finance advising. What does it look like to be good with money in 2026? As you let that question sink in, allow any ideas to float to the surface? I also want you to commit to the next 40 ish minutes to listen to this episode because my guest today has some really thoughtful opinions.
About what it means to be good at money. My guest today is Ilia Pèrez. She's a pharmacist and financial coach who brings so much curiosity and care into money conversations [00:01:00] Through her work and her own experiences, she's seen how releasing fear and shame around money opens up space for peace, even kindness, trust and possibility.
Ilia offers a budget coaching in both English and Spanish. When she's not working. She loves slow mornings at coffee shops and exploring new places in Puerto Rico. You can find her on Instagram at yourdinerodoctor. In this episode, Ilia and I talk about why being quote good with money has to start with your own definition of what that means.
We also talk about the money themes Ilia has seen in herself and other Latinas, including what it means to break cycles and make intentional values aligned decisions. We also talk about her signature Dinero Date framework, a weekly financial self-care practice that you'll actually want to try. I know I do.
Ilia's approach is both deeply human and deeply practical. I love that bridge. This [00:02:00] conversation is, especially for you if you've been avoiding your money or craving a reset or wondering how to build habits that actually feel good and stick. If you are ready to go deeper into your own money, reset my class
the Money Reset is open for registration right now and actually Ilia and I will be co-teaching it. We will teach you how to unblock your money scripts and actually build and maintain, get this a money tracking app. Yes, it's possible. The reset is for you if you've tried it all spreadsheets, apps
journaling alone, just thinking a lot, but this is your year to do it for real and do it differently. The reset is my comprehensive program designed to help you build a steady shame-free relationship with money. Doors are open now and they close February 2nd. If you're listening to this episode when it's not January, you can hop over to moneyhealingclub.com/reset and also get on the wait list.
Now let's [00:03:00] talk about what we don't usually say when we talk about getting good with money with your Dinero Doctor, Ilia Pèrez.
Rachel Duncan: Ilia Pèrez Welcome to the Money Healing Club podcast. I'm so glad you're here.
Ilia Perez: Thank you so much for having me, I am so excited be here.
Rachel Duncan: So let's just start out with a question. What is your process and helping your clients with their money?
Ilia Perez: Well, honestly, my process depends on the client because I have had clients that are actually had like a baseline of like where their money is going. So with them, maybe the process is, okay, maybe let's structure a little bit and then go to the next steps. But I have had other clients that can't even look their accounts or they don't even know, like their basics of like how much is their income, what is their like monthly expenses. And with those clients its like we have to take baby steps. [00:04:00] Like, because if we don't know where the client is, like what's their baseline? Then how can we make a plan that they're actually gonna stick to? So with those other clients that maybe they're like have some fear or anxiety around looking at their numbers
what I do is basically,I help them establish what I call dinero dates or money dates, where basically they pick a time during the week and we just track their expenses for a period of time, just track what comes in and what goes out. So after a period of time we can actually, they can like get into the habit start managing that anxiety and then we have like a baseline and decide, okay, how are you going to move forward considering like their values and their goals. So honestly I try to adapt my process depending on where the client is at. There is like a overall framework, but every client is different and I try to have that in [00:05:00] mind.
Rachel Duncan: I think that's so important. 'cause I think sometimes we feel like, you know, the embarrassment of, oh God, my money's a mess, or I should clean it up before I get help, or I don't want anyone to see it how it is. And it's so important to say. Like, well, that, that's maybe exactly the time to get help. And it's okay if you don't quite, you don't know what's happening with your money.
That's sometimes the exact right time to bring in someone like you to help someone organize their money and to really take those baby steps. And, and I think, you know, anyone who's doing this work on the professional side needs, like, we can't assume you just, we shouldn't assume that someone knows about something or like how credit cards work.
And because sometimes with the clients I see. It's like, well, I never learned that and I'm so embarrassed I don't know it. So it's like progressed into this point and that like it's never too late to start. It's never too late to just give back to the basics or go, go to the basics even if you didn't have it.
And that's like completely fine. And yeah. I love your dinero dates. I've actually been using that phrase [00:06:00] a lot with my work. I love that. Yeah. What does a dinero date look like? I mean, it's probably also different for different people, but what do you like to suggest when someone's designing their dinero date?
Ilia Perez: I have like a worksheet that I give my clients and I explain it to them, but basically I try to how do I say this, like frame a dinero date like it's like a self-care date but for your money, right? It's like you're taking care of your future self by taking care of your money. So basically this worksheet, includes is like, okay, imagine that you're going on a date with yourself where you are going to create an ambiance where you feel comfortable. Maybe you want to include, like, maybe you wanna do it at home and you like light a scented candle, or you wanna do it with like a cup of tea or whatever your favorite beverage is.
Maybe you create like a nice playlist that
you can have in the background while you actually go do something that maybe originally isn't [00:07:00] something that you're comfortable with, like looking on your numbers. So it's like creating a safe space for yourself so you can start to assign to that task that maybe might be a bit tedious at the beginning, especially if you aren't like used to.
Try to also attach it to things that you enjoy. So that's basically what a dinero date is. I let my clients design it. We just discuss it. And what I do like for them to do is to assign a specific day of the week. So I know where they're like, I don't have to know specifically, but like, if you're gonna do your dinero dates on Wednesday afternoon, then maybe like when I talks to you in our next meeting, like, Hey, how did your dinero date go?
And also because you can block that time off in your calendar and that way if it's on your calendar you're making a commitment with yourself,
Rachel Duncan: yeah.
Ilia Perez: Like if your commitment with other people are important, your commitment with yourself should also be
Rachel Duncan: Yeah.
Ilia Perez: important. And so basically that's what a dinero [00:08:00] date, it's like having a date with yourself where you actually start looking at your numbers. And also, like
when I say baby steps is maybe what you're doing during that first time.
it's just opening your accounts or just linking your accounts to, a software or just tracking your expenses. And little by little after you keep doing that, it gets easier and maybe the next steps in your next
Rachel Duncan: Yeah.
Ilia Perez: dinero dates we can add like other things to actually look in, in those like timeframes
Rachel Duncan: I think that's so important, especially if folks have been like avoiding their money or feeling intimidated about it. It's like, oh, there's so much to do and I, I love your approach of like, it is one thing. And, and it sounds like you, you help your clients kind of like, let's figure out like just that one thing you're going to do and close it, right?
This is not gonna be like an all weekend thing. It it's, it's touching into it, it's making it pleasant, it's celebrating it. I've seen your dinero date work sheet and it's so beautiful. 'cause it's also like, how do I plan to celebrate this [00:09:00] and for it to be a, kind of a completed thing, you know, in less than an hour and
even though, yes, there's a lot to do with money. Let's, I'm not gonna sugarcoat that, but like if touching into it just on a weekly basis, you start to chip away at it and it becomes more approachable, less intimidating, less scary because you're just in it and no one can take care of all their money stuff in one hour.
Like there there is too much, but you do one thing and you do it well. And you know, like the therapist in me, I love that you bring in like the sensory stuff because actually on the deep level, that's trauma healing. Right. We're gonna take this thing that's dysregulating, that's scary, and we're gonna bring it with something pleasant.
And at first your brain's like those two things don't exist in the same room, but like, okay, if we start to bring those in, then your brain's like, oh, could this now connect to a positive experience, a thing that has been distressing before. I'm now connecting with a positive thing. That's actually kinda the basis of trauma healing, right?
That I can be, I can sit with a little [00:10:00] discomfort because I've got all these other supports around me. So I dunno if you knew that that's what you were doing,
Ilia Perez: I didnt honestly know that when I first started, I was like, how can I make this more appealing to my clients? 'cause you have to create a comfortable space. 'cause if
Rachel Duncan: you have to.
Ilia Perez: Your clients aren't, like, you're uncomfortable you're never gonna do it 'cause your brain is trying to protect you.
Rachel Duncan: Yeah.
Ilia Perez: This is like, it's something new and your brain is like, I don't wanna do this.This is hard work I try to help clients like while they create the habit how can I make this easier on myself because your brain is always gonna tell you the easiest thing.
Rachel Duncan: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Right. Path of least resistance.
Ilia Perez: exactly.
Rachel Duncan: Ilia, what does your Dinero date look like?
Ilia Perez: Okay, my dinero date, I try to do them either Saturday mornings or Sunday mornings, depending on my schedule. Usually what I do, I have like two possibilities. One is, which is my favorite, I go to my favorite like coffee slash pastry shop, which is pretty [00:11:00] close to my house, and I have like one corner that I try to get there early to get like my, my table, which is not my table, but I really like that and
Rachel Duncan: It's your table.
Ilia Perez: It's my table. Basically what I do is I use a specific app and I just go through my transactions. I'm actually pretty on top of it during the rest of the week, but that's like when I actually like, look at the whole picture, like, okay, if I'm half of the month, how am I with my budget? Am I on track and do I have to maybe make adjustments during the rest of the week? how is my net worth? In my case, I'm a bit more like looking at my net worth. How is my next month looking? So if I'm at the end of the month, maybe I'm like, okay. I'm doing pretty well this month. Is there any unexpected or unusual expenses for next month? Like maybe I have to plan for a trip like for example I want to see to my brother soon and he doesn't live here, so I have to travel.
[00:12:00] How much do I have to save in order to be able to buy that plane ticket without completely disrupting my budget?
Rachel Duncan: Yeah.
Ilia Perez: And I try to do it in this place that I love with my cup of coffee. They make amazing coffee and they have these amazing croissants that's like one of my happy places.
So that's basically dinero
Rachel Duncan: that's so great.
Ilia Perez: date, that's my preferred dinero date.
Rachel Duncan: And I love that you've brought, also brought in like, Hey, there's pleasure in, this is my chance to sit down and see if how I can do the things that are important to me. Like, hey, if I take a minute, Hey, you know, this helps me set a goal, right? Do a little research. How much do I need for my trip to see my brother?
And then now I have a thing that I can compare other spending choices against. Right. Would I rather go out to lunch or would I rather put that more towards my trip for my brother? Right. And now you have that more like top of mind, which is really what, what it's about. Like I'm familiar with what's happening with my money so that I can make some conscious [00:13:00] decisions as the weeks, as the weeks go on for that.
Ilia Perez: And also align those decisions with my values. Something that I
Rachel Duncan: yeah.
Ilia Perez: also do, I have a post-it on my laptop actually, which lists my values and whenever I am doing my budgeting or my projections or my planning, like I'm trying to plan like what I'm gonna do for 2026. I try to have those values in mind or if I'm indecisive, because sometimes it creeps in, I'm like, okay, how does this decision priority goal, align to those values? And that's something I also try an incorporate with my clients. We do a values exercise. So because sometimes we don't know what our values are or we have an idea, but I think that's also important. Because your priorities might change because that's life. Obviously we are, we, everybody has different life stages, but your values they can change. But I think overall they kinda mostly stay the same. So they're also like, there's those like guiding, objectives [00:14:00] for which to strive for.
Rachel Duncan: Would you mind sharing what are your current values?
Ilia Perez: Yes.
my current values are
Rachel Duncan: Let's see that Post-it note.
Ilia Perez: compassion, freedom, Joy, authenticity, vision, service, and relationships.
Rachel Duncan: It's so good. And like while those are like, I can resonate with all of them. I think if, if any of us look at a big list of values, sure they're all important, but you're gonna have top ones. It's, you know, and, and also I do think they can shift certainly with different stages of life. You know, I think as after I crossed 45, you know, it's like, okay, the appeal of adventure is not really there like it used to be.
And, and that can also be something to be honest about. Those are fun. And then also how you interpret. Right. Like, okay, well how can my, how can my money be or my money choices be more aligned with compassion? I love thinking about that. Like it's, it's two things you don't really think could have anything to do with each other, but actually like money has so much to do with how we can live into our [00:15:00] values.
Ilia Perez: Yeah, like compassion to others and to yourself because for example, something that I've noticed that I value within reason is convenience and I try into incorporate it my budget in like, is this decision going to bring some sort compassion or convenience to my life?
Rachel Duncan: Mm-hmm.
Ilia Perez: this is gonna sound like whatever, I decided to buy with my boyfriend like one of those automatic like, those little like machines that cleans your floors
Rachel Duncan: Oh, Roomba. Roomba. Oh, Roomba.
Ilia Perez: it was an investment but I was like, okay, but this is gonna bring an aspect of convenience
Rachel Duncan: Yeah.
Ilia Perez: which is a way to bring in compassion because it's
Rachel Duncan: Yeah.
Ilia Perez: One less chore that I have to do constantly ,
it's like how do I include compassion for myself and for others? Like, do I want to include a monthly amount for like gifting or for like donations to charity. Like it's, it's important to see [00:16:00] how to incorporate your values into your budget towards others and towards yourself
Rachel Duncan: Yes. I love that. And also like two people could buy a Roomba for very different reasons, like filling in very different values, and that's what makes finance so personal and beautiful. I love knowing this and knowing you. I totally understand why those are your values.
That's beautiful.
Ilia Perez: Thank you.
Rachel Duncan: Okay, so we're talking here at the beginning of 2026 and we're gonna do like crystal ball stuff. No, I don't know. No, we don't know. We can't tell the future, but like what do you think it takes to be good at money in 2026?
Ilia Perez: Hmm. i think first of all, being good at money is like a personal definition. Like for somebody being good at money can simply mean like paying their bills on time another person being good with money could be like having a certain amount of savings or paying off their credit card. So I think that's a very personal definition, but in 2026, obviously like you're [00:17:00] saying, we don't, we don't have a crystal ball. I think it's one, being honest with yourself, what that personal definition is, and two,
learning to balance how to take care of yourself now versus taking care of your future self, which would I think would entail looking into savings looking into paying off some debt, or at least starting to form a plan to do that because the truth is we don't know what the future holds. But if we try to create a plan for ourselves, a plan that is sustainable, that will give us more opportunities and more tools to manage the uncertainties that life are gonna, is gonna throw at us because.
Rachel Duncan: Yeah.
Ilia Perez: Obviously we don't know when an emergency or when a life is gonna throw you a curve ball, but if you know that you have a plan to pay off your debt, or you have an emergency fund thats going to give you peace of mind or at least a little bit more peace of mind when those [00:18:00] situations pop up, that if you're just like always trying to figure things out as you go. so I think that's what
Being honest with yourself, like, okay, what do I need to do keep taking care of myself now versus what I want for my future? What do I want that future to look like? Because there's always gonna be things that we can't control that's obvious, but it's trying to figure out okay, how can I give myself like a cushion or, or a peace of mind, and what do I need, like what are the action steps that I need to do to get to that point?
Rachel Duncan: And balancing, like having your values list, having that in mind, not only for your present moment, but like your, well, I'm still gonna be a person in a month or in six months. And like living into your values in the midterm future can guide a lot of money decisions right now, right? Like, well, right now I really need croissant.
And that's great and we want lots of room to be able to [00:19:00] be spontaneous, right? But it's like, oh, but I also have this goal of getting, again, like a, a flight to see my brother. And like, I think it always feels good when we're going towards something and because nowhere have, I heard you say like restriction.
Right. And I think a lot of folks think, oh, I'm gonna talk to a budgeting coach. I'm gonna set up a budgeting app. That means I'm gonna restrict myself. And that's really not, it doesn't have to be that way. It just doesn't have to be that way. 'cause actually we're going towards something. Does that mean you might switch your spending around?
Yeah. Can that be uncomfortable? Sure. Totally. That's also why it's so good to have a guide with you, because this is tricky and there's gonna be slipups along the way, but actually you're always going towards something and money can help you go towards something.
Ilia Perez: Exactly. It's like you said, getting that balance between, what are my needs now versus that goal that I decided in the future? Like what do I need to shift? Like what habits or lifestyle changes? Because I see managing money, for example like when you're trying to like eat [00:20:00] better if you go on a very restrictive diet it's not gonna stick. Like it's not. But
Rachel Duncan: never.
Ilia Perez: to make lifestyle changes, like, I'm gonna give up sugary drinks and instead of drinking sugary drinks, I'm gonna drink, fizzy water or something like that. It's one change.
But if it's one change that you can maintain, you're actually getting closer to that version of yourself, which has a better diet, and it's living that healthier life lifestyle. So money is the same what I see is. It's changing habits and it's making progressive little changes
until you reach those goals that you set up for yourself and, and it's important that the client or the person decides the goals because we have a lot of influence from society, from our families. if we don't take the time to decide like what you want your life to be or what you want your goals to be, then life and society is gonna decide them for you.
Rachel Duncan: There you go.
Ilia Perez: And again we can't see like everything [00:21:00] that's gonna happen, but I think it's a better way to live, to think that you have some type of in what happens to you of it's all up in the air and you thinking that there's nothing that I can do.
This is the way that it is.
Rachel Duncan: You know, adding of course, like, you know, we both know that some folks can really get into financial crises and it does feel like it's all in the air. Absolutely. And it can be that way. Um,
Ilia Perez: But it doesn't have to stay that way
Rachel Duncan: but yeah, it doesn't have to stay that way. And I think what happens also, I mean this is more of like kinda a mental health perspective, but.
If, if I'm talking with an adult who went through a lot of money, was up in the air a lot as a kid, then that feels normal. And so in what way are we perpetuating that, money chaos that, might be like your kind of go-to and you don't even realize it. Like it also doesn't have to be that way also, or, or growing up in a household where money was really like stagnant and restrictive and mean.
Right. It also doesn't always have to be that [00:22:00] way. So that's like a lot of these personal experiences with money sometimes can stick and doesn't actually match reality of what, what, how it has to be.
Ilia Perez: Yeah, and I think that's where your line of work is so important because we don't identify our patterns as an adult, because I was actually having a conversation with this with a family member and I was like, whatever happened to us when we were children, that's not really our fault. Right. We depended on the adults that were around us
but in my opinion, and Rachel, maybe this is wrong and I am overstepping I hope not. As we get into adulthood, I think we have at some point if we want to the capacity of looking inward and see what of those childhood wounds we're still carrying and
and decide if we want to make changes, if we want to get help obviously there's nuance in that, not everybody has access to the same resources. Not everybody has access to fabulous therapists like [00:23:00] Rachel.
But, I think we do have that agency to look inward and decide like, Hmm, maybe this experience that happened to me at X years old isn't serving me anymore.
What can I do? What is in my control? what help can I ask for? You know, I think very important not only, for money, but life in general.
Rachel Duncan: yeah, I think it is about possibility and because things have happened. To you in the past doesn't mean that it has to always be that way or they're always gonna happen going forward. Yeah. And it's, it's actually like a place of possibility. And isn't it interesting that like we start talking about money and actually this is where, where the road goes, the road always goes back here, right about like.
Does my past define my future? Does my past define my present? And, and actually like following the path of money often gets these very deep layers of our values, of our like, lived experiences. Well, this actually leads me to my next question. We had [00:24:00] chatted a, little bit about, you know, what is the, the Latina experience with money that you find is, you know, maybe a distinctive, experience that, what, what do you notice in terms of themes.
Ilia Perez: I think as latina, we are taught to like be resilient and work hard. But we are not necessarily taught to work smarter. We, we just fed this idea that if you work hard, everything's gonna figure itself out or it's supposed to and obviously we have to put in the work, but there's also this element of learning to work strategically that I think we have eventually when we are older need to figure it out for ourselves, because
I guess it's like a new element that we didn't contemplate of like how to be more strategic, with our money or, or with our time, how to establish boundaries because I don't think that's something that at least in my experience, was necessarily enforced [00:25:00] or even talked about, like I'm really close to my family and I love them, but boundaries, uh, that was something that I have learned to establish, like obviously lovingly, but not only to establish, but defend or, or protect, I think is a better word.
Rachel Duncan: yeah.
Ilia Perez: Because my family is amazing, but sometimes, you know, you have to say like, if your cup isn't full, you can't, uh,
Rachel Duncan: you can't, you can't pour from an empty cup. Yeah.
Ilia Perez: Exactly. sometimes, especially as Latina women we're taught to like, serve everyone even if we're running on empty
Rachel Duncan: Yeah.
Ilia Perez: So I think that's something, that is very present.
Another thing that unfortunately is present, I think it's a little bit of guilt, especially if we're at a stage of our lives where we actually make more money than our parents. there's like this sense of
okay. how do I get back? Which obviously is very important, but
there comes in the boundaries of [00:26:00] how do I give back without sacrificing my financial future. And I think that's also. Of, and maybe I'm going into dark waters here,
Rachel Duncan: I love the dark waters. It's okay.
Ilia Perez: there's also an element depending on if your family is religious, if not of faith of that. For example, if you believe that Dios proveerá that God will provide that, that should be enough.
So you don't have to look at your numbers. You don't have to plan because God will provide. And obviously faith is important, but again, we come back to the importance of strategy and the importance of also having agency into what you wanna do. And there's also a term of, and I think it also has to do with faith of no seas mal gradecida which in English is like, don't be, mal gradecida is like, Oh, God, I can't think of the word right now.
Rachel Duncan: Say it again
Ilia Perez: mal gradecida It's like not wanting [00:27:00] more being grateful with what you have and not wanting more. If, that's what you have, you should just be grateful and not want more, you shouldn't want anything different because
Rachel Duncan: so you're saying right, there's a, there's a other side of the coin, there's kind of like a dark aspect of that possibly where putting
Ilia Perez: of course.
Rachel Duncan: up with a situation that's maybe not great or, not wanting more that could actually help improve your situation
Ilia Perez: something different
Rachel Duncan: different Yeah.
Ilia Perez: I remember hearing that phrase, you have to be grateful, which of course it's important to be grateful and that has a positive impact in our finances, in our level of happiness. But it's okay to want something different. And I think that we are not taught or we are not usually giving the permission of considering that there can be something different of considering that we can go down maybe non-traditional paths. And there also is guilt associated if you at some point decide or [00:28:00] realize hmm, I don't like the path, or I'm not a hundred percent, um, comprometida or a hundred percent convinced with the path that I'm on.
Rachel Duncan: well, and I know you come by this honestly because you're walking the path of a pharmacist and a budget coach, which is probably not a traditional one laid out for many, many Latina women.
Ilia Perez: Yeah. Yeah. And it was a bit of a struggle when I realized like, first of all, I can do more than one thing. 'cause I think I was not necessarily raised I had this belief that I go to school. I went to school for a long time. I'm working, I'm have this career. I thought that life like everything was gonna fall into place like I had this big goal, I reached it everything should work out. Like I don't know why. That was the belief that I had then I came little by little into this realization of something is not completely working for me. [00:29:00] And again, on paper, everything seemed fine, but there was something else
And at the beginning, dealing with that guilt of
You have, you're so blessed, which I am, and I'm very grateful, was like, am I even allowed to question this? Am I even allowed think that I can want something different for myself? Yeah, that was one of my realizations and I've had this conversation with other people my family, my cousins my, my friends
We get to this point of we followed the rules you know, like we did what was as expected of us. And maybe once we hit that goal, or when we're in the process of hitting that goal, we actually like get this inkling of
Hmm, is this what I really want to do and there's a lot of emotions that come up of I'm doing what I was suppose to I am making my family proud. Am I really okay with this path?
Rachel Duncan: I'm really [00:30:00] glad you've listened to that inkling.
Ilia Perez: Thank you, Rachel.
Rachel Duncan: And you know, the people who I really like, the other financial professionals I really click with or connect with are the ones that like came to personal finance work as kind of a calling, as like this feeling of, I even tried to ignore it. I ignored it, you know, for years that like.
My, the money side of my brain and the therapy side of my brain were just two different, completely different side of my brains. Or that I was that weird therapist that likes to talk about, you know, rates. And like, I, it was this thing that I struggled with 'cause it felt like it didn't integrate. And, but then when I finally listened to it, like something really clicked and I, I see that in you and.
You know, I think it's, it takes such guts to listen to the inkling of a calling, whatever that might be, you know, and I'm just, I'm very glad you listened to it 'cause it brought us together.
Ilia Perez: Aw. Thank you Rachel. Thank you for that.
Rachel Duncan: Absolutely. Absolutely. So, okay, Ilia, let's talk a little [00:31:00] bit about the money reset 'cause we are co-teaching, the new Money Reset coming up in February.
What are you excited about teaching?
Ilia Perez: I'm excited for both our contributions because, I think that money is emotional and I know, obviously know you think that too.
I'm excited of trying to, or not trying we are of merging those two aspects of emotional and practical. Because I think that a lot of coaches or other finance professionals try to go directly into the practical without considering the emotional part and that might start working at the beginning especially if the client has accountability but my goal as a coach is for eventually my clients to not need me. I want to build systems that they can use even when they're done working with me. So I'm very excited to integrate how to start [00:32:00] working our money trauma. And then after we're starting get a handle on that, 'cause I know it's an ongoing process, start integrating the practical steps of
looking at our numbers, building our first budget, tracking our expenses building system creating dinero dates. So I think it's gonna very fun program and a very, how do you say, balanced program of integrating both of those aspects, like the emotional and the practical, because I think we, we need both of them.
Rachel Duncan: Exactly. So it's a 90 day program. And the first 45, we're not gonna talk about a number. It is gonna be, we are making art, we're doing journaling, we're doing parts work. And then at about halfway through Ilia will step forward to, to help. Okay. And now we're just gonna lovingly download this app and we're gonna notice this and bite size.
What I love how you teach [00:33:00] budgeting with an app is also like. You cannot do it all at once. We're just gonna do the basics and then just track for a month and then we're gonna start planning and going forward. So then like we'll have a month of just noticing cash flow, getting used to an app with lots of check-ins, and then there'll be time to, okay, now we're gonna integrate that and look at the month ahead.
So. Yeah. 'cause I don't wanna just be like, budget bootcamp, go good luck. Like really hold your hand through setting it up, checking in, dealing with the cash flow week by week. And then have some actual numbers too smartly, strategically, like you said. Now what does this mean for next month? What does this maybe mean for the rest of my year?
To give lots of that integration along with the, oh, this is bringing up some stuff for me. You know, I can help, I can help the students with that. And then like, oh my God, this thing is broken. Or, I don't understand how I can set a goal students can go to Ilia. I'm really excited to co-teach with you 'cause I think we're gonna be able to help more people more completely in this [00:34:00] 90 day experience to, like you said, like, I don't like having lifer for clients either.
Like, let's get folks in a place where they're substantially on the other side of money blocks, emotional stuff, and literally be using a tool. Because what I found is like, okay, we could talk and feel our way through everything all day long. And I love that. I love, that's the Scorpio in me.
Like I will live there all day long. Then at a certain point. And how's our balance doing? And that's actually the Capricorn side of me, which is my, my rising sinus Capricorn. And so I love, you know, we gotta bring that in, but carefully, you know, in a balanced way. We're not gonna rush into stuff, but it's a nice concentrated few months, where we're gonna both be there and be available.
So I'm, I'm really excited about it too. And when I sat down to, you know, really think about what's the perfect group program, because I've run different versions of this, you know, I was like, bringing you in was kinda like, okay, this is the perfect view also. 'cause I want there to be more teachers than just just me.
And you, I've even asked you tips on my budgeting app when I was having trouble with it. [00:35:00] Like, you really know this thing inside and out and, 'cause that's. I think I just hear so many folks like, well, I downloaded the app, or I did the spreadsheet and I just threw it out the window. Or it was frustrating, or I didn't use it, or it was confusing and we get that like these, these tools were probably not built for you, but we're gonna do the best we can 'cause they can be really useful, but we gotta get through the discomfort of getting set up with it.
And there's nothing wrong with you if these are difficult. They just are. I know I've lived that, but we're gonna really help our students through it. So at least they have a tool they can really use and have used with help
Ilia Perez: Exactly. I think this program is about, like you said, start looking at the emotional aspect and then while we keep doing that, like establishing like what your baseline is right now while using these tools. And once you
get the hang of at least the basics and establishing where your starting point
is, we can start to map out what do [00:36:00] you want to do in the future? And now have the tool so you can start building that plan and keep tracking your process. So yeah, I think it's gonna be an exciting combination of both of our strengths.
Rachel Duncan: Yeah, just like non-judgmental, I feel like, doesn't even say it like it is gonna be like all stupid questions welcome like totally non-judgmental. Yeah, if you don't understand how credit cards work, we'll just tell you like we can teach you. We don't want there to be really any barrier.
To entry with this and I think especially for folks who feel like, okay, this is emotional. I know that this is emotional, that we're gonna really live in that place first. And wow that even though you think your head is like, well, shouldn't we build a budget first? 'cause but that's like mainstream.
This is like dominant culture saying that, that approach works for some folks, but the people who I work with will know when it's time to do the app and it will feel easier, it will feel accessible once you've done some of that, that more emotional work. So,
Ilia Perez: And once you know your baseline, because how [00:37:00] can you build a budget
Rachel Duncan: yeah.
Ilia Perez: if you're not sure what your income and expenses are?
Rachel Duncan: Yeah. It's impossible. Yeah. You can't do that.
Ilia Perez: that first couple of weeks of just tracking without judgment, with a lot of compassion, just looking like, Hey, what's happening here? Okay, I'm, I'm, starting to see patterns
Rachel Duncan: Yeah.
Ilia Perez: That is okay. Hmm, then we can move into like a, okay, this is what's happening. What do I wanna maybe tweak or what do I wanna keep and what things do I think I can make positive changes to?
Rachel Duncan: Yeah. And like in relating back to the values, how could this speak to my values? Does this not feel right because it's actually misaligned with my values? Like, that's the kind of stuff that we'll, you know, continue to bring folks back to. And, you know, I feel like the message is if, if, if anyone listening has been using vibes based budgeting, like we love you and we wanna get into reality based budgeting that[00:38:00]
is not restrictive though, that is actually gonna get you like closer to your values, living a more, you know, whatever your values are. Is it stability? Is it fun? Is it beauty? All of those things are possible. And you can do that well knowing your numbers and you don't need to like become a whole new person.
Like
Ilia Perez: It's, it's,
Rachel Duncan: really don't really,
Ilia Perez: just fine tuning like what your values are and translating that into your, your numbers, like habits
Rachel Duncan: yeah.
Ilia Perez: financial habits. So it's not really like, like Rachel said, not becoming a whole new person. It's just, I think it's trying redefine or trying to rediscover what version of yourself you, you wanna be like, but it's already in you.
Rachel Duncan: It's, yes. And we're gonna help you. Exactly. And, and I think also folks who are like, oh, I'm, you know, always bad at math, or I've always been bad at money. I really hear that. And that, that can feel like really entrenched scripts. There's always, there's some path and, and I, we're committed to help help everyone [00:39:00] find it.
And you actually don't have to be good at math to get good at money. That's often a misconception I, I hear out there. I mean, if you know that like 10 is more than five, that's the level of math we're talking about. None of it is very complicated math. It's usually about comparing things and just like looking at figures.
So, this is like pretty basic finance 1 0 1, right? We're not doing. Complicated stuff with investments, but this is like, this is a good baseline to then be able to like go to an advisor or go to an investment person. We will get you set up for that. Well, I'm psyched to teach with you and yeah.
How can folks get in touch with you Ilia if they want to reach out one-on-one or anything?
Ilia Perez: Well, I am right now on Instagram at yourdinerodoctor. You can also email me at yourdinerodoctor@gmail.com. Those are like the two main ways to contact me. If anybody wants to reach out or have any questions, I'm more than happy to answer them.
Rachel Duncan: That'd be great. I really encourage anyone to do it and tell them Rachel sent you, okay. I have a question. I ask all of my guests towards the end of the podcast. I want you, I'm [00:40:00] gonna ask you a question. You could share your first intuitive hit. There's no right or wrong, but if you were to imagine your money as a creature, real or imagined, what image comes to mind?
Ilia Perez: Okay. I laugh because I don't know why this popped into my mind, the first thing that I thought was, was a sloth. I don't know why exactly, but I think it's because I really like them. I don't know. I think they're cute and
I think money. If you do it strategically slow and steadily get you to where you wanna be or closer to where you wanna be.
So I think thats why I thought of a sloth
'cause I don't think all money moves have to be like quick and grandiose. I think that if you learn to set your systems, like right processes, the right automations, I'm a big believer in automations then poco a poco or little by little or paso a paso, you can eventually reach your [00:41:00] goals. So that's the first thing that came to mind.
Rachel Duncan: And be cute, like you can still be cute
Ilia Perez: Yeah.
Rachel Duncan: and do money.
Poco a poco That's, that's exactly it. I love that. I can picture your sloth. Your cute, slow moving, gosh, sloths. Even they get like lichen growing on them, they move so slowly. Slow money y'all Like sometimes money's fast and sometimes money's slow. And, I think it's, it's all important and, but the, the move into having more slow money is a very powerful one.
Yeah. Like,
Ilia Perez: Exactly thinking short or medium term, but also thinking long term and just
Rachel Duncan: yeah.
Ilia Perez: Setting up your systems to work for you in the long term.
Rachel Duncan: yeah. And. If any of y'all wanna want help with your money system, call up, Ilia. Well, wonderful, Ilia, thank you so much for talking with me on the podcast, and I'll see you soon in the reset.
Ilia Perez: Of course. Thank you for having me. This has been really fun.
[00:42:00]
Rachel Duncan: Thanks for listening to the Money Healing Club podcast. You can find resources, links, everything from this episode in the show notes below, or at moneyhealingclub.com/podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, you probably really love my free email course on curbing impulse spending with compassion and mindfulness, you can check it out moneyhealingclub.com/challenge.
Do you have a question or a topic about financial therapy or about just living in this life with money? I'd love to get your voicemail to be featured on a future episode of the podcast. Check it out at moneyhealingclub.com/podcast. You'll see a big orange button there where you can record from any device you're on.
You can also be anonymous. We are in this together and I really appreciate it. See you next time.