A conversation with Simone Giangiordano, BalanceUP Lifestyle & Business Coach. Simone helps individuals with health challenges or compromised health build a business that supports their health, well-being and success.
Simone Giangiordano is a business and lifestyle coach, bringing hope and creative solutions to those with health challenges impacting the quality of their life and business. She is the author of the Building Balance to Empower® programs, which were created to guide individuals with compromised health in building a business and creating a lifestyle that supports their work and well-being. Today, she uses her Signature Program The Power of I Can’t® alongside her business coaching to help her clients transform their lives, their businesses and their well-being.
Growing up in a small town where community trumped material wealth, Simone's life took unexpected turns as she faced financial hurdles and health challenges. She talks to us about her experiences influencing her transition from a corporate career to a compassion-driven entrepreneurial journey.
Simone reveals the emotional and financial struggles of leaving a lucrative corporate job, underscoring the necessity of financial planning and resilience in the face of adversity. Her focus on creating accessible support systems illuminates the path to living a purposeful life, despite health limitations, while reinforcing that health is just one facet of our overall well-being.
“One of my biggest lessons is: don't grow too quick. if you have health challenges, absolutely, if you want a sustainable business, forget all the social norms of I got to make $10k a month or $100k and that's my level of success. No. What do you need for success? What do you need right now, just so you CAN work?” - Simone G.
Key takeaways:
- Embrace change. Simone's shift from a long-standing corporate career into entrepreneurship was driven by personal health challenges. Her story highlights the power of adaptability and the courage it takes to redefine oneself when faced with unforeseen circumstances. Simone now empowers her clients to build businesses that support their well-being and teaches them to find creative solutions to transform their challenges into opportunities for growth.
- Become a lifelong learner. Simone emphasizes the importance of continuous learning. Transitioning periods in life are opportunities to acquire new skills and explore different passions. By keeping an open mind and embracing educational opportunities, we can navigate these changes more effectively.
- Build a supportive community. Simone is passionate about creating impact and sharing love, which she sees as the true measures of success. Simone encourages individuals to recognize the importance of having a supportive network. Whether it’s healthcare professionals during a health transition or mentors and coaches during a career change, having a "dream team" can provide essential guidance and support.
- Define your own success. Instead of adhering to traditional markers of success, such as financial milestones, Simone advises focusing on personal fulfillment and impact. Determine what success means for you, whether it's peace, community, or the ability to share your gifts with others.
About Guest:
Simone Giangiordano, creator of BalanceUP® Community, is a Compassion-Based Business & Lifestyle Coach for individuals with health challenges. Her transition from her corporate career of nearly two decades to entrepreneurship was the direct result of her health challenges. With 16 years of entrepreneurial experience, Simone empowers clients to build successful businesses that support their well-being. Her signature program, The Power of I Can't®, focuses on helping individuals find creative solutions around their health challenges so they can transform their lives, their businesses and their well-being.
Website: https://www.simoneg.net/
Lnkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonegiangiordano/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/simonegbalanceup/
X: https://twitter.com/SimoneGBalance
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Simone_G
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Disclaimer: Please remember that the information shared on this podcast does not constitute accounting, legal, tax, investment or financial advice. It’s for informational purposes only. You should seek appropriate professional advice for your specific information.
Simone Giangiordano
One of my biggest lessons is don't grow too quick. If you have health challenges, absolutely. If you want a sustainable business. Forget all the social norms of, Oh, I got to make 10 K a month or a hundred K. And that's my level of success. No, what do you need for success? What do you need right now? Just so you can work.
Narrator
Welcome to making change with your money, a podcast that highlights the stories and strategies of women who experienced a big life transition and overcame challenges as they redefined financial success for themselves. Now, here's your host, certified financial planner, Laura Rotter.
Laura Rotter
I'm so excited to have as my guest today, Simone Giordano.
She's the creator of Balance Up Community and is a compassion based business and lifestyle coach for individuals with health challenges. Her transition from her corporate career of nearly two decades to entrepreneurship was the direct result of her health challenges. Simone empowers clients to build successful businesses that support their wellbeing and focuses on helping individuals find creative solutions around their health challenges so they can transform their lives, their businesses, and their wellbeing.
So welcome Simone to the Making Change With Your Money podcast. Thanks, Laura. I'm looking forward to our conversation. We all have such different stories about money. Yes. And so I will start with asking you about yours, Simone, what was money like in your family growing up?
Simone Giangiordano
Well, surprisingly, I thought we were upper middle class, but in reality, we were probably considered on the poor side of things, but I never, ever would have suspected that growing up in a small rural town in Pennsylvania.
So for example, a little funny story, the sort of. Share how, how, so I was one of six kids growing up, for example, we, we used to get a lot of company. So community was really, really big. So never felt for need of anything. But so a friend of the family, when the plate was going around, grabbed several meatballs.
I was a little young to notice, but other people's jaw dropped because that meant that many people extra, we're not going to have a meatball that night. So it was 1 meatball per person. So, very different from a lot of the excess that we experience today in society, like, just food going in the dumpster and so forth and these really large servings.
So, but you said that you didn't catch it when you were younger. So, how did you. Like what was communicated to you and when did you start to realize, you know, growing up?
Simone Giangiordano
For example, my dad loved to take me shopping because I never asked for anything. So, you know, we grew up in the country.
Laura Rotter
Where were you in the birth order? Since you say that 6…
Simone Giangiordano
Number 6.
Laura Rotter
Oh, so you're the baby.
Simone Giangiordano
Yes, so we, we had such a strong community of friends that there were always people around. We grew up with the open house people coming going. You never I mean, you didn't knock people just came in friends of the, like, my brother's friends, you know, sometimes you never knew who would be there in the morning when you got up when I was.
Older and my brothers were more teen and college years, and I always thought that was fun. So people like to gather collective. It was a safe space for people to go without judgment as how as an adult. I see it. And to me, I would take, even though we didn't have the funds that may be a lot of other people in other areas of the country.
I don't feel like I missed out on anything there. However, you know, I think our whole town, a big part of it was our whole town would have probably been on the. Lower socioeconomic scale per se, and I don't, you know, I guess, was I say that socioeconomic I said, like, social, the social aspect, our social aspects thrive.
So does. The lower financial aspect of the scale almost sounds more appropriate. So when I started to realize it, probably in college, second college, I went to University of Michigan, putting myself through and I had very minimal clothes. Yes, I love that college. I had minimal clothes. And one, this is embarrassing to admit, but because of health challenges, one pair of shoes, because I had to have special shoes to keep my balance and, you know, going out one night and I remember looking down at the floor of the women around me with the cute shoes on.
I had never owned a pair of cute shoes like that. And then just like the noticing the clothes and noticing they had one one of my friends her mother spoke with her says in the eighties right about you don't need to buy a two hundred dollar sweater when you need a sweater so I realized like oh my gosh there's this whole other way of living.
Laura Rotter
But not knowing it didn't miss anything. I think what you're sharing Simone is so interesting. Several things come up for me, but how we humans, we compare ourselves with others. It's just naturally how our minds work. And so if you're in an environment where everyone financially is pretty similar, generally how we, I would bet to say grow up, but certainly grew up nowadays with social media and so much, I mean, you can see how.
The other half lives, but growing up, you have no idea. And so there is a sense of scarcity or lack if everyone around you is similar. And then you're reminding me that I did 1 year of law school in Israel and my roommate. Was Israeli and exactly, but though I was the other side of it of what you're describing in college that she looked at me as I unpacked and I had sweaters and I had shoes and I mean, she literally, you know, had, you know, a couple of shirts, a pair of pants, she had never seen, nor did she understand, you know, and I had never been questioned before, like, why do you have so much clothes?
But it's just was a very different world, especially that was, you know, now Israel's probably wealthier, but that was to date myself, 70s. And it was just a very different time. So how did you come to go to school in Michigan when you grew up in a small rural town in Pennsylvania?
Simone Giangiordano
Yeah, I actually started at Penn State in biochem.
main campus. That was determined by eighth grade and I would be a biochem major, get my doctorates and so forth. I also did very well in music and so I decided I wanted to have a career in music and they were the top school so I just applied. So I didn't realize how competitive it was to get in. I really didn't have a clue.
It's like I wanted that. So I worked towards it. I took a semester off practice like crazy and, and auditioned and got in and yeah, that's why I went there. And the clarinet professor was Detroit Symphony's principal and so forth. So, so I had the honor of studying with like Clark Brody, principal of Chicago Orchestra and so forth.
So I loved that environment though, because It was so competitive, but on a, it never felt like I was ever, ever competing with anybody else. It was just this environment to thrive in, to work hard, build your skills, learn from other people. And I really thrived in that. environment.
Laura Rotter
Do you in general see yourself as someone who thrives in competitive environments?
I'm, you know, and I'd love to link that to the fact that you said, since you were young, you knew that you wanted to be a biochemist. That says to me, someone very directed, very mature and very.
Simone Giangiordano
Yeah, I, I, in hindsight, I did not. Probably think like a typical 18, 15, 16, 17, 8 year older at all. Not even remotely.
How did you know about bio chemistry? Actually, it was kind of thrown at me from guidance counselors, science teachers and so forth. And I did have an interest, I actually had more of an interest in bio, biomedical engineering, but Penn State didn't have it at the time. Were you also studying the clarinet at Penn State?
I didn't study, I was in the band, but I didn't study at that time.
Laura Rotter
Curious if you are aware of the financial implications of each major that you chosen and if you were what role it played
Simone Giangiordano
Penn State would have been a lot better financially because at Michigan, I was out of state. They said I was deep.
So triple 2, 3 and a half times tuition. Putting myself through and also they said I was dependent on my parents and that came off the same year. My dad took a retirement for his health. And even though he worked with several financial people, the person who ended up making the transfer messed up. And it all counted as income when he transferred his entire retirement savings.
Yeah, exactly. So, based on that, the school said, well, your. Parents should be paying this much and you don't even get a loan now. So the financial implications, I slept on the floor several years, you know, yeah, there were huge financial implications, but I absolutely loved the school. Yeah, I had student loans for, you know, however long it took me to pay off.
It was one of my biggest expenses without a doubt. So did I realize how long term the financial implications? No, because I didn't think I would have to take as much loans out as I did. So what I did after 2 years, and this is. If I have a regret in life, this is it not getting to graduate from Michigan.
After two years, I was out of money and I couldn't get enough loans because of that situation. So I took a year off and worked full time as a temp in General Motors payroll. And then I banquet served like 40 to 50 hours on top of that. And I go to go back to school and the financial aid advisor said, Hey, You're still dependent on your parents.
I'm like, I got 20 bucks for my birthday and Christmas. Come on. And you're still out of state, even though you've lived here the whole time. And they said, if you would have worked part time at McDonald's, we could have helped you out, but you made too much and your parents with what they sell. I went back and took a scholarship.
I had turned down at another university.
Laura Rotter
Well, you got your 2 years.
Simone Giangiordano
Yeah. Yeah. So that's how that transition. So yeah, that was so financial implications were big. Definitely of the different schools. Yeah.
Laura Rotter
Yes. I know. Out of state. We sent, I sent a child to a Michigan out of state and. Similar to you just love the experience there that I think his was really more influenced by the success of the football and basketball team. Yeah, not necessarily big success last year. Huh?
Laura Rotter
Yes, but that's a great school.
Simone Giangiordano
So then I wouldn't trade it. I wouldn't trade it to have been able to go. It was very, you know, at that stage in my life, regardless of what it took financially, I absolutely wouldn't trade those two years, three years there.
Laura Rotter
And what was the most valuable thing you feel like you took away from that experience?
Simone Giangiordano
Just that enforcement that I love to learn. And to be around learners and to grow together. So stag, one of probably the most painful things in life for me is stagnant being stagnant or surrounded by stagnant.
Laura Rotter
I'm going to write that down about who you are. So, then what did you do after you graduated went into banking?
Simone Giangiordano
Well, that's the clarinet.
You got to pay the loans. It's like, okay, how do I pay these loans? Now? No, at the 2nd school, I lost interest because it. The quality didn't begin to compare there, the energy just, there was, there was no co learning, nobody to challenge, um, I stopped practicing, I, I grew to really dislike it at that stage.
I got so bored that I just wanted away after two years there. That's stagnant, so I don't I don't do well around stagnant energy resonates with me.
Laura Rotter
I just I'm I'm moved to share when I decided to go back to school for an MBA for master's in business education. I was not yet at the point. I was working at a bank where they would pay my tuition.
So I went to the school may be very different now, but I went to 1 of the city universities in New York. And I remember having gone to 1 of the 7 sisters. I was always in very competitive situations that 1 of the students raised their hand during the class. And the question was. Will this be on the final?
I mean, this is a master's program and just and the people in my class again, not to denigrate anyone, different cultures, whatever, but like, you know, assistant manager at the shop, right? Supermarket. Like, these were and when I ultimately transferred and finish my MBA at NYU, because I was getting tuition reimbursement and, you know, I mean, just the level of discourse in the class was just so different and it was really eye-opening to me having not experienced the differences.
Simone Giangiordano
You know, I like to, I just thought I made this analogy is that I like to say everything gives us energy or drains it and it's that learning ener, that learning environment gives me energy. Sounds like it gives you energy and that learn where it's not, I'm not here to learn, I just wanna get through. Just drains it.
It's hard to keep that energy up when it's not there supported by others.
Laura Rotter
Yes, and of course, the professors get a different level of energy from participants in the class. Dialogue is completely different. So clearly you love banking. No. What were you doing? I mean, there must have been some of your skills that were being used.
Simone Giangiordano
I started out with like, what can I get? So I started out in word processing coordinator and. Yeah. Remember that, when there were all these word processing teams? So, very quickly, within a couple of months, my manager was training me on financial reporting. So, I actually did some of the financial reporting.
I didn't get the same pay scale as the financial reporters, but I was doing some of the work, a couple of the affiliates for PNC Bank at the time. And from there, I actually started in this attempt, actually, at the Securities Corp. Division. So I went to my old manager up there and I knocked on her door and I said, you know, I have a favor and she basically offered me a job.
Like we have an opening. And she says, so what was your question? I was, well, it doesn't really matter. I was going to ask you if you had any openings coming up. So I like one little knock on the door and I migrated from that into the role of an accountant within the securities division. And then from there, I moved to Columbus and it took a lateral move to national bank with the mortgage area.
And it's funny is there as I told people, I'm going to work at that building, not not only a honey test, but I'm gonna work at that building. And like, you don't just get to go pick what company or work for. I'm like, but it's 6 10ths of a mile from the condo. I want to buy. So 2 months later, I was buying my condo.
I got the job. I did. I found an opening and I got the job. It was a lateral.
Laura Rotter
And were you single at the time yourself?
Simone Giangiordano
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And then from there, I got into beta testing, which moved me in. So the individuals were rolling out a new product. System product and I was testing it from a user perspective and then that gave me the skills and the ability to transfer into the I.
T. department being like a business analyst and project manager kind of rules. And then went back to PNC and expanded that.
Laura Rotter
Thank you. So as a, you're a self described lifelong learner, what were you learning that you enjoyed?
Simone Giangiordano
In systems, you're always, new projects are always different. So, and then, so it might take you six months to really even get, begin to get a good handle on the system.
So it's not just walk in and know your job. You got to know the people. Cool. You need to build those relationships, you're at different levels, operational up through legal counsel to executives and so forth. So there's a wide variety. There's a lot going on to manage. It's, you know, learning so many different attributes of the business and each project is going to bring new challenges.
You know, every project is going to bring new challenges, whether it's, you know, you, you have the personnel challenges, but you also have the skills literally, like the skills, I guess, QL language and that kind of stuff to learn. Maybe here's a new project. There's another skill, but then also the actual business knowledge itself.
Laura Rotter
So you have a mix of relationships, analytical stuff, skills, hard skills, everything
there. When you think about what you enjoy doing best as we then learn how, how you made changes because of your health. But as you look at that period of your life, what did you enjoy the most?
Simone Giangiordano
I think back, I'm sitting in that cube there meeting.
I enjoyed the test, the getting into all the details. Yet to ensure that the operational area, the business operational areas that their needs were being met and that they understood what they were really asking for and getting. And translating that into the requirements to be coded and tested. So it's transferring that information, putting it from here's the operational area, doing the mockups, what they want and being able to translate.
Into almost a different language that this team would then be able to use. So that this team got what they wanted.
Laura Rotter
So it really is a mixture, as you're describing it, Simone, of the soft and the hard skills, right? Cause soft skills of. What each team needs, almost like what's the why of each team and then the hard skills of actually in place.
Simone Giangiordano
Yeah, good combination there of both.
Laura Rotter
Which it sounds like that's what you enjoy. So what precipitated you changing this corporate roles that you had?
Simone Giangiordano
Yeah, so this would have been back in four days after our honeymoon in 2006, I took a bad fall on ice. Very bad fall so if you notice if you can tell I'm standing because I hardly ever sit down just to paint I can't I can't work for a long sitting so that fall it actually I think in hindsight that until the last couple of years I struggled a lot with my analytical skills.
I couldn't process the, I actually got to where it was hard to make breakfast.
Laura Rotter
But did you hit your head?
Simone Giangiordano
What, what did I, I herniated a couple of discs in my neck. So I hurt my neck and my back, but I broke my ankle that got diagnosed. I came back. I went up, came flat down, but I had, I was training for a triathlon at times.
So I had a thick backpack. So I had my neck swung back, but I was like this far off the ground. So it didn't hit. Thankfully I would have, you know, cracked my head open. So I just, my health just kept, I worked from home for three months. Yeah. Because I had so much trouble getting around and what that accident did, it flared.
I had several autoimmune issues plus lung issues and it flared everything. And once one thing started flaring, everything flared and my neck didn't get diagnosed. So when I couldn't shower by myself or dress myself, I actually went to the doctor. But because I had other chronic health challenges, I assume that was why when I just, When you have health challenges, you know, to go and pick one topic, stick to that, make it short, make it quick and just be very direct with that.
So, I can't lift my arms. I can't dress myself. I can't shower myself. I can hardly move my head. Pretty much what I said. Doctor was looking at the wall the whole time. He said, so why are you crying? I had one tear. I wasn't even crying. I had one tear and I just left and bound to never go again. So four years later, my husband went to his boss in tears.
Like, I don't know what to do with her. She can't function. And he got his daughter on the phone who worked at John Hopkins and said, this is what you need to do. So then I go and finally get the testing. I should have had four years prior. And they're like, well, we have bad news. You're going to be miserable.
There's nothing you can do. You can take pain medicine. Don't go to the chiropractor or anything. It's too dangerous and you're, you're just probably not going to work long, but I had already left the career at that point. So it, but so as after the fall, everything just kept getting worse and worse. And in hindsight, just all these different health issues, flare, they all became one big mess of, you couldn't even tell what was what I got to where I was having a lot of health hospital visits for my lungs and so forth, breathing, breathing and so forth.
So it just became one day I was going to, I was just trying to get coffee. Then when I went back to work, I worked out of a conference room because I couldn't walk between the buildings. So I worked within the business area in a conference room and I was just trying to get coffee to get through the day.
And I, it was less than a block. I couldn't make it. And a couple of coworkers, like, happened to walk past me, and they saw me, and I was just kind of standing there in a daze, trying not to fall when they walked by, and they wanted to call an ambulance. I was like, no, no, no, please, please just get me back and call my husband.
And he's like, why don't you just leave? This job's killing you. I was like, I went in the next day and gave 5 weeks notice. It just came. I just, I couldn't function. I was struggling to function. And that's 15 years ago when? Like 2010. When? December of 2006 I fell and I left in early 2008. So like just like what?
Like one year, like 4, 13, 14 months later, so, or very early 2008. Yeah.
Laura Rotter
Were there any financial implications of leaving? Just, you know, yeah. ,
Simone Giangiordano
We went down to one. I was actually had the higher. So, yes, and then you add to that the health care expenses and so forth. So absolutely. So back to childhood, my dad, we did talk about money, but it was like, yeah, you save, you get a good job, you save, da, da, da, da, da, right?
No surprise there from a generational. So I saved from day one.
Laura Rotter
Absolutely, I like to play in spreadsheets and calculate and forecast, right? I'm an urge woman
after my own.
Simone Giangiordano
So, but yeah, the financial implications of that was that savings of almost 20 years was gone. There is the desire to stay working and not to go on disability on the same token like in individuals when you go on disability, then you can really support yourself with your well being what you need to do to heal and get as healthy.
But then, if you make too much, you're going to lose disability, but it doesn't mean you're able to maintain a full job at that point. So there's that just this whole balancing act and thankfully. I never went on disability. I, I even had doctors tell me to at times, but I never, I did my best and there's nothing wrong with being on disability, but I love to work.
It's learning for me. It's like, I don't want, you know, I'm going to do everything I can to fight for that ability to work.
Laura Rotter
So, yeah, huge financial implications sharing that Simone and I'm wondering, you said that they let you in a work in a conference room. I'm curious what you've seen from workplaces in your own experience.
And I'm sure now. Yeah. Paying attention in general, how support might have shifted for you when this first happened?
Simone Giangiordano
Now I maybe could have saved my career and finances and had a much bigger savings than where we're at. There was minimal at that point. You know, I did work from home on Fridays and they did let me work from home for three months, but I couldn't, there was no way I was getting into the office.
I mean, literally, at that time, I was struggling to dress myself and, you know, with a little bit more flexibility, don't even look, I don't even need to reduce my hours. And I mean, come on, we worked way more than what we're being paid for, but to be able to go and get the medical massages that were recommended dorm, they, I couldn't do them an hour in the business hours allotted.
You know, and to say, hey, you know what I understand from a scheduling perspective, there's meetings we need to win. But you know what? I can schedule these on this certain time every week or something. But there is this no, even ability really to have those conversations. You may be tested the waters, but at that point in time, still, I think it was, you had to be real careful.
And I think you still need to be careful. I don't go recommend everyone just go immediately share your health challenge because. Stigma it is there it is absolutely there we can want to say it's not but we're all humans and we all have experiences and you know it's there we have these biases period we do so I say tread lightly there and I'm so happy to see so much changing.
With the ability for those conversations to open up and be supported so i'm not saying to and i'm not saying not to it's every individual needs to like look at the organization look how much they're back in the talk what's the relationships like and realize if you get promoted or something you could be in a different team and that you know just look at the whole big picture before.
Laura Rotter
But on the same token, I couldn't hide anything, so you would have thought, it just wasn't the culture at all. And it's slowly shifting, and probably shifting, and correct me if I'm wrong, almost at larger organizations that have larger HR departments that at least think about these things. I don't know, and I guess I'm I think maybe some smaller places might be easier.
Actually, depends on the personalities and…
Simone Giangiordano
Yeah, actually, absolutely. I think I think some smaller places might be able to eat more easily handle some of the flexibility needs. Larger corporations might be able to more financially handle. Hey, can I have something that works better? You're going to, you're going to struggle to say that word ergonomic, you know, like, I'm standing now.
If I had to sit, I'm going to work an hour a day, whereas I can do 6 standing. You know, so you need to yes, yes, absolutely. So I think larger can handle the financial aspects more, but I think maybe smaller because there's less to organize between teams and so forth with some of the flexibility needs around scheduling.
Would actually be my guess. I don't know. There's other people would be much more knowledgeable on that at this point in the corporate world and so forth.
Laura Rotter
That's true. So then so what was your we talked about that? You're in 2008. you cannot go on working for the company. And so what did you do as a self described learner?
Simone Giangiordano
So it came down to. What can I possibly do if it's 2 hours and it's 2 in the morning, my business started out as a virtual assistant, basically, before it was really a knowing that knowing of a thing and that worked well. So, I could, I took on only work, like, right off the bat, I'm not going to work with realtors. I'm not going to work with morticians. I mean, these are industries where you need to be available today.
I mean, there's flexibility, but there's no flexibility. It's on demand. So I built a clientele very quickly of individuals who. Met those business needs of where and then, as I did that, that gave me the space. The focus on my health and well being to heal more as much as I could now, the challenge was I grew too quickly too much success.
So my 1 of my biggest lessons is don't grow too quick. If you have challenges, absolutely. If you want a sustainable business. Forget all the social norms of, oh, I got to make 10k a month or 100k and that's my level of success. No, what do you need for success? What do you need right now? Just so you can work.
So I ended up having to shut down 3 times in the first 5 years until I really figured out the sustainable growth aspect. So growing too fast, taking on really great opportunities were my nemesis per se. And the final and 3rd shut down. I actually wanted to hire a sales. Participate in an expensive sales training program here in Pittsburgh.
And after an hour conversation, I thought went pretty good. He sits me down. And he points to a poster on wall had a triangle that said, mind, body, spirit, and he said, look, your mind and spirit, you're great. But till you learn how to take care of your body, your health, you're never going to achieve the success you desire.
And he had a conversation. So, to me, this is a where compassion comes into play. He was compassionate enough to see I was really suffering because at the time I own it in hindsight. This is how I turned my head and that's how I looked up. I could hardly budge my, like literally hardly moved and talked to me about shutting down for six months.
So I talked to another one of those conversations and decided to shut down for six months. I found a peer, transferred my clients. So they were all taken care of. So peer think peers, not competitors. So we can do each other favors and I ended up being off for a year. And then I rebranded fully as a marketing boutique business and opened a little storefront five miles from downtown Pittsburgh, right at hands on training and stuff.
Laura Rotter
So a couple of things come to mind. What did you do when you took that year off?
Simone Giangiordano
I fired all my doctor. This is one of my concepts is build a dream team around your needs. So what's impacting you the most? What do you need to solve it? Who do you need to have your help? So I never when I work with anyone say it's all me.
It's a we're going to build your team. Fired all my doctors and build a whole new team. So, uh, I participated in yoga. I anger yoga specifically. I couldn't wasn't allowed to be in the class. I was in a therapy class. There's like, 5 of us with 3 instructors. We each had our own custom program. with hands on help the whole time.
I did Pilates based, Pilates based physical therapy three, three and a half hours, three times a week. Isometrics because I, you know, the rebuilding strength, you know, isometrics, you know, so yeah, those kinds of things really focus on my nutrition and just building out a whole new team around my health and well being.
And then also my business, looking for a business mentor and so forth.
Laura Rotter
Now, as I understood it, or I didn't understand the work you originally did as a virtual assistant to be marketing related.
Simone Giangiordano
I mainly took on marketing work through that and then I just turned it into a market. So I've been doing marketing since 2008 with that business.
Laura Rotter
Yeah.
And I'm curious what parallel, if any, you see between what we discussed earlier, right? You were using both soft and hard skills in your corporate jobs. In what way do you see that you were doing the same in this virtual assistant work?
Simone Giangiordano
I'll call it marketing because I never actually used, well, maybe I did.
I don't even remember. It went to marketing real quickly. The work I would say one, you know, talking with the clients, you're, you know, my strategy meetings, I officially rebranded fully as a marketing business then. So my strategy meetings. They really became a combination, a strategy meeting meeting around their marketing and their long term marketing, but then also about it.
We went so much beyond that. It became into coaching as well and then really the friendship aspect. Yeah, I had wonderful clients, really wonderful clients and great relationships. So that all played into role, you know, networking or participating in entrepreneurial groups. That's going to be the software skills.
But then from the hard skills, you know, is learning new programs, new mark. I mean, constant contact has been one of the main ones, but different scheduling tools, you know, if you want to take it all the way to some rush with, you know, for SEO, you're doing the tech aspect, or you can be connecting that to Google search console, or you can get into some techie stuff there as well.
Laura Rotter
And so you can be running your own reporting and everything and have a creating a dashboard of key metrics and everything. So. It's I still kept going both. So you were challenging yourself intellectually in terms of learning new skills, learning new apps. So you were dealing with new people in terms of clients. We're meeting.
Simone Giangiordano
Yeah, and 2017. so we moved in 2016 again, due to my health. A little theme there, big changes in life always seem to have been impacted by, due to health, related to health. At the end of 2015, I was struggling to function, 10 minutes on the phone was putting me back in bed, but my business foundation was so good and I had such a good relationship with my clients and the process is so far down, well done, and some employee really well trained that I was able to keep the business going.
Even though 10 minutes on the phone, I'm in the bed for the rest of the day. Oh, my gosh. I did something for 30 minutes. I'm in bed for the rest of the day kind of thing. So, I spent 3 months in Florida trying to get myself and still working healthier. And I just found this person who really, really helped me.
What happened, I kept getting bronchitis, pneumonia over and over and over. I just got into the cycle. My body was never able to heal. So it's taken me three, four months recovery every time. So basically way too many hospital visits and so forth. And, and, you know, it got to where I had a collapsed lung trying to breathe.
Broke a rib trying to breathe. So, yeah, it's. So, I did so well, and everybody's like, when are you moving to Florida? I'm like, never, never. I'm going to be a snowbird. And then here, I come back to Pittsburgh early April, within 7 days. I knew I was going to be in the hospital the next day, so I, so I hopped a flight back to Florida, hoping to stay out of the hospital, my body, I got to where it just started shutting down in the cold, like, literally, my jowls would come way out, ash, and I just, I just, Couldn't was not no longer a possibility.
So 22nd conversation the next day with my husband. We need to talk. He said, we need to move. Right? I said, yeah. And he started selling stuff that day.
Laura Rotter
It sounds like you have a wonderful spouse.
Simone Giangiordano
Yeah. So, from all my marketing experience. So, then caregiving from my father in Florida. That is, I always tried to hide these health challenges or deny them or just, you know, I hated to keep logs because I think, oh, that was just, yeah, I'm like, I feel so good.
And I'm like, oh, it was yesterday. I was in the hospital or something. You know what I mean? It's like, it was yesterday. I was in bed. It's like, so when my father became ill and we, I pulled my marketing business way back so we could be caregivers. And to be there, and that experience was just so inspirational and peaceful to be able to be there and support him at that time.
And I just felt like the life lesson I learned, my dad was a learner too, is that all that matters in the end is the impact we have and the love we share. And if you're familiar with my song, you know that's the whole theme behind the song, Courage to Be You. And what came of that is I decided if I really wanted to serve people to have that impact.
Impact doesn't mean having a building named after me or anything. It means how do I touch people here and now every day in a way that touches their life in a positive way. That's it. Saying hi to somebody with a smile. You know, that's an impact. So, um. I decided it was time to come clean with all these health challenges per se of how much we had been struggling and trying to hide and the financial implications of that so I could help other business owners or individuals leaving the business world because of their health so that they could also do their best to continue to work comes down to, I put a lot of dignity and the right to work the ability to work.
So if we're able and not everybody's able. But if we're able, so we can support individuals who truly can't, but also work to find the ways for those of us who are able to, even if there's challenges…
Laura Rotter
That's really a beautiful mission and seems really appropriate for you, given everything you've been through for for that to be where you're putting your energies.
So how do people find out about you? So my website's the best place. Um, Simone. So actually I, I'm, I know I've asked this question once at someone who had the same reaction, not how to people who are hearing you find out about you, that I will certainly put in the show. How do people come to you?
Simone Giangiordano
I gotcha. Earl's for example, my business coach has, my prior business coach has mentioned, Hey, maybe you should talk to her. Actually through some of my blogging and so forth. Okay. Online social and blogging those and word of mouth. Definitely.
Laura Rotter
I'm curious, Simone, what kind of energy you have? Like what? You know, it must be hard.
As you've said, you, you have to learn. Frankly, we all have to learn this. You you're a better pupil because of everything you've been through to to limit. Right? How do you. Limit the client base. How do you decide who you will work with and who can come back in six months or however you limit the energy required?
Simone Giangiordano
When I built the business from day one, I focused very much on the business model. So, you know, for example, my full program is limited to three to five individuals a year, the full program, but there's pieces of the program that everybody doesn't need that. There's pieces of the program that individuals can learn and then I also have taken part of, it's private coaching, but I also use programs, but they're, they're guidelines.
There's no cookie cutter in any of this, because it's all about we are unique individuals, finding unique solutions that work for each individual and they're where they're at at that time so that then they get past that challenge and have a challenge, something that wasn't, Didn't seem like such a big deal now is their big deal.
That's the whole concept of balance up. So my initial business model on the same token. I have videos with parts of the program so that we can really they can do some work and we can really focus on navigating through and what did we learn from that and pulling out the solutions so they can do a lot of that back work on their own and own time there.
I do want to take more of it to fully online. The main reason this has been from day one, I just haven't fully done that yet. And that is the socioeconomic impact of these kinds of challenges is huge. So how do you reach individuals who are not financial able at this point to do the full program?
Laura Rotter
Yeah, that that really has been a driving force from day one to do that to make more of an Online course with support so that you can serve visuals at a lower price point.
Simone Giangiordano
Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Because the, the economic impact of it, socioeconomic impact is there. So, when did you actually start balance up? Is that the balance? 2019 is when I start open the business officially and then I still have my marketing business phase down still.
So it's, it's closed at this point, but yeah. So I did a lot of coaching through the marketing business as well. So that played in as well, those skills. And that's 1 thing. It's like, it's great to pursue our passions. But it doesn't mean we have to start there. If, if you know what I mean? So it's, I started out with what can I do if I can work two hours and it's two in the morning?
Were these, were these projects I would want to do long term? No, but were they given me skills in developing new relationships on my own outside of the workforce? Were they given me skills and how to manage this business? How to set up the legal aspect? How to set up systems? How did you see all those aspects?
How to market? Yes. And those are all valuable skills for the future. So we don't have to, you know, there's sometimes there's so much pressure. You got to do your passion. You have to do your passion. You have to do it now. And if not, you aren't, you know, fulfilling your life. Well, there's different ways to do our passion.
We can do it as a hobby too. And that's okay.
Laura Rotter
And, and I guess I always look at it. It's like, what's the next best decision and trust. I'll use the word the universe have faith. That by listening inside and just taking the next best step that you will be guided and that life isn't this, you know, straight linear path.
Here's my passion and I'm going to do it, but it's. It's a painting, it's a creative solution, and every role we take, every, every setback we experience is just a piece of that painting, yet another brushstroke in the painting and trust that when you look back, you might see the actual picture, but in the moment.
It's it's really a leap of faith, if you will.
Simone Giangiordano
You're talking my language.
It's all I see. Like, do you want a blank canvas to create from and navigate along the way or you want this canvas? It's already got the front in it. And that's where you're supposed to go. I don't know to me that I'd rather have setbacks and stuff and be more creative along the way and learn and have more experiences.
Okay, here's this path to what I thought would be. You know, thought would be my success, but it doesn't feel so successful now that I'm there.
Laura Rotter
And so that's a great segue to the last question I'd like to ask as we're coming to the end of our conversation, Simone, which is how has your definition of success shifted?
Simone Giangiordano
Oh, okay. So I did used to focus on the financial savings aspect because I enjoyed playing with numbers and forecasting and so forth, but I always, Kind of looked at the whole life circle of, I used to New Year's Eve stay home by myself and do a self actualized plan of that to ask you anything about my nerdiness.
So, to me, success is community so important. Having community, having love in our lives, having peace and having you that, that avenue for sharing our gifts. And I, for me, personally, I see money more as a tool that helps me achieve that that helps me share with others and so forth. So, and I think that level of success, then, yeah, not so much meeting a specific goal.
That's not how I see success. I did used to see it as a goal, but those. Not anymore. It's more how do I feel in my living and my growing and I wear this bracelet every day to remind me. It just says Simone lives reminds me just to be grateful for every day.
Laura Rotter
That is so beautiful as certainly as we age, perhaps it's appropriate when we're younger to have goals and have financial goals.
That's how you set your stability. And then, as you get older, you realize that, you know, Every day is a gift that if we have a roof over our head, we can pay for our health care. We can eat. Then we've met our needs and and the other needs are not necessarily financial and I hope you found yourself a community in Florida and and it sounds like you've always had a supportive spouse and that you remind yourself of this community.
Gratitude every day. So as we wrap up, is there anything else you want to be sure to share with our listeners? I will be putting your information on, um, um, in the show notes.
Simone Giangiordano
Yeah, I think, you know, just if anyone listening or watching does have health challenges that I know how frustrating it can be and sometimes how lonely it can feel.
And, you know, there can be this, can be the sense of feeling like. Losing a sense of self or feeling stigmatized from other individuals that in reality, our health does not define us. It's 1 aspect of our well being. It's an experience and the sooner this comes from somebody who has been strong in denial, the sooner we're able to say, yes, instead of trying to push through push through, I can do this is except this is a true challenge or limitation that I'm experiencing right now.
Laura Rotter
The sooner we can come up with solutions that work and support us to living well and reach out for help from Simone who has years of experience with this. So thank you so much for being my guest.
Narrator
Thanks for listening to Making Change With Your Money. Certified Financial Planner, Laura Rotter specializes in helping people just like you, organize, clarify, and invest their money in order to support a life of purpose and meaning.
Go to www. trueabundanceadvisors. com forward slash workbook for a free resource to help you on your journey. Disclaimer, please remember that the information shared by this podcast does not constitute accounting, legal, tax, investment, or financial advice. It's for information purposes only. You should seek appropriate professional advice for your specific information.