Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin - How Maria Menounos Went From Sweeping Floors to Raking In Millions

Episode Date: October 10, 2024

Maria Menounos has had— and continues to have— a phenomenal career in media, which she built herself from scratch. Maria is the daughter of immigrants who hustled to make a rich life for herself. Today Nicole and Maria talk about her experience of the immigrant hustle, being in the “sandwich generation” where she is taking care of the generation above and below her, and what her cancer diagnosis taught her about financial planning. Listen to Maria's podcast Heal Squad here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heal-squad-x-maria-menounos/id1320060107 $ Take control of your finances by using a Chime checking account with features like no maintenance fees, fee-free overdraft up to $200, or getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit. Visit: http://chime.com/MNN  $ Looking for the perfect holiday gift for your coworkers, friends, and everyone in between? Choose Nicole’s favorite wine, Justin. Get 20 percent off your order for a limited time with the code “MONEY20” at http://justinwine.com/  $ Ready to find a financial advisor that’s right for your financial goals? Get matched with a trusted, vetted financial advisor at: http://moneypickle.com/MNN  All investment strategies involve risk of loss. The information shared in this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Listeners should do their own research and consult a financial advisor before making any investment decisions. See terms for additional details: https://moneynewsnetwork.com/terms/ 

One of the most stressful periods of my life was when I was in credit card debt. I got to a point where I just knew that I had to get it under control for my financial future and also for my mental health. We've all hit a point where we've realized it was time to make some serious money moves. So take control of your finances by using a Chime checking account with features like no maintenance fees, fee-free overdraft up to $200, or getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit. Learn more at Chime.com slash MNN. When you check out Chime, you'll see that you can overdraft up to $200 with no fees. If you're an OG listener, you know about my infamous $35 overdraft fee that

I got from buying a $7 latte and how I am still very fired up about it. If I had Chime back then, that wouldn't even be a story. Make your fall finances a little greener by working toward your financial goals with Chime. Open your account in just two minutes at Chime.com slash MNN. That's Chime.com slash MNN. Chime. Feels like progress. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bank Corp. Bank N.A. or Stride Bank N.A. Members FDIC. SpotMe eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Boosts are available to eligible Chime members enrolled in SpotMe and are subject to monthly limits. Terms and conditions apply. Go to Chime.com slash disclosures for details.

I love hosting on Airbnb. It's a great way to bring in some extra cash. But I totally get it that it might sound overwhelming to start or even too complicated if, say, you want to put your summer home in Maine on Airbnb, but you live full time in San Francisco and you can't go to Maine every time you need to change sheets for your guests or something like that. If thoughts like these have been holding you back, I have great news for you. Airbnb has launched a co-host network, which is a network of high quality local co-hosts with Airbnb experience that can take care of your home and your guests. Co-hosts can do what you don't have time for, like managing your

reservations, messaging your guests, giving support at the property, or even create your listing for you. I always want to line up a reservation for my house when I'm traveling for work, but sometimes I just don't get around to it because getting ready to travel always feels like a scramble, so I don't end up making time to make my house look guest-friendly. I guess that's the best way to put it. But I'm matching with a co-host so I can still make that extra cash while also making it easy on myself. Find a co-host at Airbnb.com slash host. I'm Nicole Lappin, the only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand. It's time for some money rehab. Today, I'm talking to Maria Menounos. You could know her from a zillion places. Maybe you've seen her on Channel One if you're an OG fan and watched her in high school or Entertainment Tonight,

Access Hollywood, The Today Show, One Tree Hill, or WrestleMania. Or maybe you listen to her awesome podcast, Heel Squad, or have read her New York Times bestselling books. Despite Maria's long and very impressive career in media, she started with no connections, zero. She is no nepo baby. It's actually a term that I taught her about in the conversation. She is the daughter of immigrants who hustle to make a rich life for herself. Today, I'm talking to her about how she did it so you can do it too. We talk about her experience of the immigrant hustle, being in the sandwich generation where she's taking care of the generation above and below her, and what her cancer diagnosis taught her about financial planning. Oh, and I should also say, if you're listening on Spotify, you

can also watch the video of our in-person interview in our new M&N studios. So if you're a visual person, check that out. Now, here's Maria. Maria Menounos, welcome to Money Rehab. Thanks for having me. It's so cool to talk with you because we've run around each other for years and years. I think we had the same agent. We're at NBC.

I was in business. You were in entertainment. Never really crossed paths, but I always have so admired you and your openness and your honesty and your hustle and your grind. Do you think a lot of that, I'm also first-generation American. Do you think that comes from being immigrant?

Yeah, I think so. I think so. I think that's why I love hiring first-genners too, because they sell fire in their belly and they have come from nothing. So they they want to see something happen. I mean, my parents came from nothing and they were janitors in in Boston and we worked with them cleaning nightclubs. And that was my childhood was in a dirty nightclub that I love and have very fond memories of, even though I was evading rats and cockroaches on the regular.

But you didn't know any. I didn't know any better. You know, we'd create forts and out of these boxes that would hold, you know, huge amounts of cups that they would, you know, put drinks in. And I learned work ethic from watching my parents work so hard to clean this massive nightclub seven days a week, 365 days a year. I watched them then leave that one, go to multiple other ones. There were other ones throughout the Boston area. There were offices that we cleaned and then we'd get to go home. And so if we wanted

to get home fast or if we wanted to get to a family's house, our relative's house on the weekend, we all had to pitch in and help and that's how we would get to go I feel like no matter what country they're from it's it's a very similar discussion around money and like the value of money what was that like my dad so my dad came here after his older brother his older brother came first set, and built his own business, started a restaurant. I mean, from nothing. I give him so much credit. He came here alone. And then he would bring all of the brothers over one by one, he would pay for them to come to America. And, and he'd have a big bag, apparently of money money. And he would say, it's in the attic.

You need anything, you go in and you take what you need. To his brothers. I can't imagine feeling so just, I don't know, I'd like to think I'm pretty generous, but I don't think I'm that generous where it's like, oh yeah, it's unlimited money. It's in the bag. Just take whatever you want. I'd be like, wait, what if they take everything and then I have nothing left? But that's the immigrant mentality.

It's like in a bag or under my sink or in a safe, but not in a bank or not in debt or mortgages or credit cards. For me, it wasn't talked about. Money was always a source of stress. Yeah. Oh, for us. So that was my uncle's story. And he helped everybody. And then my dad was sick with type one diabetes and his medications were really, really expensive. And, and he went a different route with my mom and, you know, the cleaning and when you don't know the language, you know, that's usually the first thing you're made, you're a housekeeper, you're a cleaner, some kind of thing like that. And, and then him and his brother started a carpet installation business. So they've would install carpets and tiles.

He really wanted to start businesses. He had that bug in him. But my mom was always so scared of him being tied to anything like that, where she wasn't going to be with him. And there was just a lot of things. And so for us, the only thing I know is he learned from his brother to invest in stocks and invest in mutual funds. And they would always talk about investing, even with whatever little they had. I would hear that in the background. And, you know, I mean, there were, there was a period where my dad lost

his main club and we didn't have money and my uncle would leave groceries at our doorstep. You know, my mom had to get a job to get health insurance for the family at a school cafeteria. So we definitely had our struggles. But I did learn about investing because of my uncle. And so I bought my first stock when I was in high school. What was it? It was called Macro Chem. I'll never forget it. I won Miss Massachusetts Teen USA and I got my money and said buying a stock I love that how much money did you get it was like a thousand dollars and I bought a stock and it was called macro chem and the whole idea and why I liked it was that it

was a pain reliever but in cream form rather than pill form I said wow, wow, that's so smart. I think that's such a cool thing to invest in. And so I did. And then it wasn't long after that I was going to college. And my dad had cut me off because I was dating someone who wasn't Greek, which was not popular. My dad wanted me to be with a Greek boy. And I got a job in California and I needed that cash. And so I sold it. So I didn't really make anything because it was a very short time. But I don't know the company still around. I've tried looking for it. I don't know what happened to it officially. Investing as a first generation American is a new concept, but so is debt. Did you ever see credit cards or discussion of mortgage or was everything in cash? So I don't remember their credit card status. I don't believe they really

ever had any credit card situations because they knew if they got them. I remember getting a Discover credit card. I think it was like in college and I had a couple thousand dollars on there and I thought my life was over. I was like, oh, am and I had a couple thousand dollars on there and I thought my life was over. I was like, oh, am I going to pay this? Oh my God. And the monthly bill with the interest, I was like, this is so much. But yeah, they didn't really spend above their means. My parents never did. The only debt I think that we really had to worry about was my college debt, which I thought they were paying for but really all the loans my cousin did the paperwork because they didn't know what to do

and the paperwork all ended up in my name and somehow a daughter of janitors had to pay full price at Emerson College and didn't get any like assistance but we thought my cousin was smarter than us and he would be able to do the paperwork. And who knows? This is what happens when you farm shit out, guys. I mean, at the time, I think it was like 40 grand a year. And you paid it off? Yeah, I got some scholarships, which was helpful.

And then eventually, yeah, Kevin helped me pay off the rest of it when we first moved to L.A. And I was working and we just kept writing checks and finish it off. Did you feel like after you got into credit card debt, you needed money rehab? Was that like the first stint of money rehab you needed in your life? Maybe it was my senior year at high school or something. I don't know. I think it was freshman year of college. I can't remember. But I remember asking my dad for a loan to pay them off. And he said no. I was like, okay. I was like, and my dad was like, king of saying no. So he became very resourceful. Because he always said no to everything. And so I'd have to figure out another way. So I said to

him one day, I go, Yeah, you know, you said no all the time. And I don't know if it was strategic. I believe it wasn't. But either way, it worked because it made me very resourceful. I had always find a way. What was the way? I mean, I just had to save up and keep paying it off. That's it. I think when we when Kevin came into my life because he was much more organized mentally than I am, I'm a little more scattered. He consolidated everything. I'm pretty sure we consolidated, consolidated everything into one loan and then slowly paid it off. Do you feel like you have a general scarcity mindset around money or abundance? No matter how much money you have that's it when I look at like my earnings over all of these years I'm like holy shit that number's big and I'm grateful that I also because my dad was such a saver and I watched him. I, you know, again, it wasn't like they had a lot, but he always was saving and hiding money. I learned to save and I saved. I mean, at one point, I think I did the estimate

was like 30% of my money that I made. And they say to save five to 10% or something of every check, right? You know, more the merrier. Whoopi Goldberg, I think, said, she pulled me aside, she said, save 10% of every check. I would save and then I would also take any extra money on top of salaries I was making from campaigns like Pantene or whatever I did. I'd buy property, I'd suck it away, like that. I never saw it, never touched it.

So I was really cognizant of saving and investing. And then I got into investing. And so, you know, there was, you know, real estate, and then there was, you know, the money market stuff. But as someone who grew up poor, I'm like, I'm not gonna go buy stuff. And so then my husband would start forcing me to go shopping is you need to feel like you are earning and succeeding and you need to go feel this otherwise it's not worth it and I'm like okay so I've gotten better but I definitely always have been scared do you think that ever goes away I don't I think there are moments of reprieve when you're um conscious So when I'm super conscious and in my good flow and good state of being where I'm meditating or I'm like feeling good, I know that this is

a part of my being that is also not mine. I'm aware that those were my parents' struggles. also not mine. I'm aware that those were my parents' struggles. With therapy, I've realized I've always been wealthy when it was up to me. Not that that's any kind of dig on my parents or anything like that. It's just I succeeded at 21 years old. I was already doing really, really, really well. So those weren't my struggles necessarily those were my parents so I've had to kind of like make sure I switch that on be like no Maria that's not your struggle or that's not your thing trauma financial trauma yeah that was my parents I had to live through it and go through it too obviously but I don't have to worry about it like that because they killed themselves to give me opportunity to be better, to know better, to be educated, to have a better path. Right. The next generation is always supposed to be helping the next one.

So when I'm cognizant and I'm conscious, I'm like, OK, I'm safe. I'm good. I work hard. I know what to do. I'm fine. All is well. You've always been fine. Yeah. So now sometimes, sometimes if I'm feeling a little, I will go buy something just to prove to myself like, Maria, you're fine. Everything is fine. Just go, go. You want that? That one thing is not going to make a difference you're not going to go broke because you went and bought that you know pair of shoes you worked hard go enjoy it and so I'll

I'll kind of talk to myself and talk myself through it it's a balance we've talked about this before it's like between thinking you're going to live forever and thinking you're going to die tomorrow there's the two extremes of hoarding and spending are not ideal because it can give you anxiety either way so you're finding the balance you're finding well you gotta trust the data too right so i've spent so much time in my life worrying and stressing and fearing and it's always been fine right so like my husband fears not fears zero about money but you live in like a fight or flight but i'm financially the complete opposite and so at some point i had to let go and again it doesn't mean that the seagulls don't come back to the you know the shore they

flock and then they come back but i try to keep them away as much as possible I think of the greatest hits sometimes like that they'll come back like the you'll be broke alone and homeless and die in the gutter and I'm like oh yeah nice to see you again yeah you have to address them otherwise you'll just get more and more stressed out have you found that the dynamics with your family when you started making money changed? When you were 21 and you started making money, did you support your family as the breadwinner? What does that do to the family dynamics? Yeah, I'll never forget when I first met Kevin.

He's like, why do you want to make it so bad? And I was like, I want to give my parents the life they never had. And that was really kind of my driving motivation. I always had this desire and this fire in my belly to come out to LA and do all this cool stuff that I, you know, was seeing. And, and I really, really wanted to be able to give my parents the life they never had. And I did, I bought them a brand new Hummer at one point with a big red bow coming up the driveway. And I hear I have the recording of my mom because she didn't have video back then on phones. But I recorded her when she saw it come up the driveway and I hear I have the recording of my mom because she didn't have video back then on phones but I I recorded her when she saw it come up the driveway and then bought them a house to me it was fun to succeed in this business and to do the work I was doing only because it was fun to spoil them with the experiences and whatever you know things I could and then when Kevin came in the picture you guys

have been together for a hundred thousand years you said his mentality around money was different he was organized more calm so he's an abundant mindset he grew up rebellious against his family that was like nope you can't have that chocolate bar and whatever so he goes the other way too far and I go the other way too far so he will rebelliously say spend now he's not somebody's gonna go buy cars and clothes or whatever he he'll spend on business thank god at least it's going in the right place but he won't say no like he doesn't worry. And I'm completely the opposite way. So I think that we've both kind of helped each other in that. But he, you know, he is more organized, like my family, we were high anxiety, stressed. I mean, we're in fight or flight constantly. My dad was almost dying every

day with his low blood sugar attack. So we were really on pins and needles. And because of that, maybe that's why we were so scatterbrained with organization which then leads to a lot of stress because you know finances aren't organized houses aren't organized everything gets really stressful feels really chaotic and how do you guys deal with the finances now do you smush everything together everything's always been together because we both are a team and he leaves it to me. He's like, you know what you're doing. And I'm like, wait, but you have to make decisions too. So like we made this big investment maybe a year ago or whatever. And I'm

like, I'm not making this decision without you. Sit down. You're taking the seminars. You're listening to it with me. And we are making decisions together because i don't want you to come at me if this is some you know bad decision later this is us making this decision together so i try to educate him along the way but he trusts me and then he's like i got my things i'm good at these are the things you're good at i'm like okay i got it but you guys generally agree or he defers to you, as he should. In terms of? Financial big decisions. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, sometimes I disagree with his.

I'd be like, we don't need another car. And he's like, yeah, but it's, you know, in 1942, it's only $5,000. I go, the insurance is going to cost just as much, and we don't need another thing to maintain. And I can't deal with you going to the car, every two minutes getting it fixed like stupid stuff but you've been the one that has mostly made all the money among everybody would you say for some of it yeah did it change like a parental dynamic where you almost became more of a provider, parental figure? I would say that I've always called my parents, my kids. I mean, most of my adult life, because I took over their finances, I took over their health care, everything. And it does change the dynamic because my dad was the boss. And that was a weird

thing for him. Because unfortunately, sometimes the person who's paying ends up being the boss whether I'm officially taking that as a role or not I was never thinking I was the boss of my dad but you know there are moments where it feels like that and so I think that was a hard thing at first because you know he's a very proud, stubborn Greek male. Did he feel like emasculated? Maybe. You'd have to ask him. But I think that it all worked out in the end. I mean, I have a Christmas card on my desk.

My dad's not super expressive. He's emotional, but he wrote me the most beautiful card it was in the throes of my mom passing and was just like no one would do what you guys have done for us and I can't thank you enough for everything you've done and he knows and he's known we're there to help them and take care of them and make it as easy as possible um and that card will like, just be forever. My like, that's why I did it for that one card. Sorry. You have so much responsibility. You have so much financial responsibility. Sounds like you always have. Always. Yeah. Sometimes it's funny. I was talking to somebody recently. I can't remember who it was and they were like, gosh, I wish, you know, I just don't

know what it's like to just have to think about myself and what do I want to do? And how do I want to spend my money? And I started laughing and she's like, why are you laughing? I go, cause I've said that a few times myself, where you're just like, what would it have been like to like, had my own place? Because my parents lived with us too, a lot of the year, like they, cause it was easier to take care of them when they were under my roof. So it was like like what would it be like if I could just freely go on trips and buy whatever I wanted to buy because I also had to have an extreme scarcity mindset because it wasn't just me it was a team and so we've had a lot of broken wings that

we help as well and a lot of people have lived with us, taken cars. That's why Kevin, I think, is obsessed with having more cars because we're always giving them to other people to take because they're falling on hard times. And so it's definitely been a lot of responsibility in kind of every way. So, yeah, sometimes you're just like, what would it be like to not have to think about anything other than yourself but then it is just you well you're in this generation that i think is really struggling as like a sandwich generation where where people around our age take care of their parents but also their own kids yeah but that's at our age now i've been doing it since i was 22 so well with a new baby now you have like the real sandwich yeah my little munchkin

hold on to your wallets money rehab will be right back one of the most stressful periods of my life was when i was in credit card debt i got to a point where I just knew that I had to get it under control for my financial future and also for my mental health. We've all hit a point where we've realized it was time to make some serious money moves. So take control of your finances by using a Chime checking account with features like no maintenance fees, fee-free overdraft up to $200, or getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit. Learn more at Chime.com slash MNN. When you check out Chime, you'll see that you can overdraft up to

$200 with no fees. If you're an OG listener, you know about my infamous $35 overdraft fee that I got from buying a $7 latte and how I am still very fired up about it. If I had Chime back then, that wouldn't even be a story. Make your fall finances a little greener by working toward your financial goals with Chime. Open your account in just two minutes at Chime.com slash MNN. That's Chime.com slash MNN. Chime. Feels like progress. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancorp Bank N.A. or Stride Bank N.A. Members FDIC. SpotMe eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Boosts are available to eligible Chime members enrolled in SpotMe and are subject

to monthly limits. Terms and conditions apply. Go to Chime.com slash disclosures for details. I love hosting on Airbnb. It's a great way to bring in some extra cash. But I totally get it that it might sound overwhelming to start or even too complicated if, say, you want to put your summer home in Maine on Airbnb, but you live full time in San Francisco and you can't go to Maine every time you need to change sheets for your guests or something like that. If thoughts like these have been holding you back, I have great news for you. Airbnb has launched a co-host network, which is a network of high quality local co-hosts with Airbnb experience that can take care of your home and your guests. co-hosts with Airbnb experience that can take

care of your home and your guests. Co-hosts can do what you don't have time for, like managing your reservations, messaging your guests, giving support at the property, or even create your listing for you. I always want to line up a reservation for my house when I'm traveling for work, but sometimes I just don't get around to it because getting ready to travel always feels like a scramble, so I don't end up making time to make my house look guest friendly. I guess that's the best way to put it. But I'm matching with a co-host so I can still make that extra cash while also making it easy on myself. Find a co-host at Airbnb.com slash host. And now for some more money rehab. and how has having a daughter changed her mentality around money have you wanted to give her the things more of a real playground versus a box that held cups and yeah it's interesting because

interesting because we i think are doing a blend right we have this playpen for her and somehow all these toys and all these stuffed animals come like guys we can't fill this thing up she's going to be so numb and not want for anything so i have her playing with rocks and dirt in the front yard and i try to keep her in that kind of state and that kind of place where she's having to pick roses and we go on sniffing tours and you know, I'll take her on little hikes and I shift the carriage on two wheels so she can sniff this rose and sniff that rose. And in terms of finances, like I've set up her 529 account, I'm setting up you know, her, her Roth IRA, like I have all of these 529 account, I'm setting up, you know, her, her Roth IRA, like I have all of these things so that because we're older parents setting her up financially,

so that she's good, but she, you know, she will be taught how to work hard and to value money. And I will be teaching her how to invest. And I will be teaching her too. I will be coming over. We'll have classes for both of our daughters. We actually want to do a baby business class. I would love that because it's incumbent on parents. They're not learning it in school. They're not learning it anywhere else.

And I think about, too, you and I growing up in much different circumstances than I will be giving my daughter in much different circumstances that you're giving your daughter like how do you balance that idea I was laughing because I would always tell my best friend growing up I'm like she's gonna be in coach with you because she was gonna be the nanny we were joking and I was like she's gonna learn how to earn her way up to first class. And meanwhile, she's like on private planes. And I mean, it's silly, but at the same time, that's for my sanity and my peace. But I think that we also have to understand, and this is what I've been learning from other parents who grew up the same way we did and had kids be more privileged and they grew

up to be fine, amazing humans. So we have hope, because I'm terrified. They were like, Maria, they aren't growing up like us. So we can't force them to grow up like us, because they're also going to be so confused. Of course, you have money. My dad used to say, I don't have any money. And I believed him because he didn't. I mean, he had a few things hidden in the wall. And then I figured that out, but whatever. But for for us, they are growing up different. But that's going to be on us again, to really teach them about how privileged they are. And we're going to have to teach them how to earn and figure out how to, you know, incentivize them with chores, whatever it is, like, we're going to have to do our version. When I look at our good friends,

the Stallones, their daughters are amazing. They're like the best girls. They're so pure. They're so loving. And I think of what Jennifer has taught me. She would take them to Montana and she would have them riding horses and being out in nature. And she didn't raise them Hollywood. and being out in nature and she didn't raise them Hollywood. And then I have my friends, Melina Canicredes and, and the chicklesses, they've all raised really great humans. And so I'm just looking to them to kind of help guide me in this journey where I'm like, shit, I would want to put her in the same incubator I came in where it's like, you're growing up hard,

kid, and you're gonna, you're gonna be poor, and you're gonna have to grind and figure it out. And she's just not growing up like that. It's different. But I know I can instill values in her. And, and those were the things I think that were our guiding force, probably more than just growing up poor. And when she wants stuff, she's gonna to have to earn stuff. I think we all know that our biggest source of wealth ultimately is not money, but health. You know this all too well, all too intimately. For our listeners who don't know the story of you being diagnosed with a rare type of pancreatic cancer, can you tell us about how that happened? Yeah, so let's say 2022, I was having issues. I was really bloated all the time. And I knew something was off. So I got an endoscopy and a colonoscopy early that year. They found some precancerous kind of conditions,

but they're like, come back in two years. And I'm like, wait, so like, when I have cancer, is that your goal? I don't get it, but whatever. I'm going to keep investigating. As the year went on, I had like increasingly like moments, like just moments where I was like in a lot of pain. I was on one flight, for example, that I remember, and I was dying in pain. And I thought it was the farrow salad. I was like, I'm never eating farrow again. And then another time, November 2022, I was in so much pain. I was like, I have to go to the hospital. And I've never said that. And my friend took me to the hospital. They did a CT scan.

And they're like, you're fine. Nothing. And I'm like, okay, but then why am I dying of pain like it was excruciating December 2023 uh 2022 was right after Christmas Eve like the 26th of December I'm at Anastasia's house the eyebrow guru and this woman comes up to me she's I've been trying to reach you your producers and getting back to me you gotta come do my prenuvo scan and she was really adamant and it felt it felt different and I was like okay got it noted I feel like someone's talking to me I'm going so I went in January 2023 last year and they discovered a large mass on my pancreas. Called the hospital back that I had gone to two months prior.

I was like, hey, can you recheck that scan? Because this is what's going on. And they're like, oh, yeah. So it was two centimeters then. They missed it. This is where Tony Robbins says doctors can be sincere, but they can also be sincerely wrong. So it had doubled in size within two months. And I ended up having to have surgery last February

they took the tail of my pancreas my spleen just in case any cancer had passed on into the spleen 17 lymph nodes and then I also had a fibroid a massive fibroid so even though I didn't give birth I have the c-section to prove something came out of there. And luckily, all of my scans have been clear since. So they got everything out. Thank God. But that was after, of course, the whole brain tumor surgery and the type 1 diabetes diagnosis and a few other things in between. So it's been an interesting health journey that led me to my show, Heal Squad, that has saved my life because that was why they were trying to reach me,

was because I had the health show. And if I wasn't to have gotten that scan, I may not have been alive to see my baby born that June. Crazy. Yeah. that June. Crazy. Yeah. And when people get cancer diagnoses, they often change the way they view money. If they go through remission, they say, fuck it. Like, how long do I have left? Let's go spend. Did it change the way you kind of changed me instantly? Hold on to your wallets. Money Rehab will be right back. And now for some more Money Rehab.

So, Nicole, can you imagine you find out that you have pancreatic cancer and you're like, wait, what? I was shook. I was I mean, it was mean, it was the most terrifying moments of my life, especially knowing that Athena was on the way. I remember, you know, within two days, I had to go meet an oncologist. And his office was in Beverly Hills. At the same time, I had Oprah Winfrey's birthday at Anastasia's house. She was doing this 25 Most powerful women dinner and then honoring Oprah birthday. And I was one of the 25 women invited. And I'm like, I need something to wear

because life still has to keep going. We're not just stopping. And so I went into a store. They didn't have anything. I have six minutes before this appointment. And I remembered an ad I saw like Alexander McQueen. And it was just one of those things where, oh, that's so beautiful, but I would never buy that. I walked into the store. I said, please give me that entire look head to toe. I have six minutes. And I bought the whole look. I ran out the door. I got in the car. Kevin was waiting outside. I go, I just spent a shit ton of money. Oh, my God. Because I've never done that before. He goes, oh, guess what?

Fuck, you might be dying. Of course you should buy it. Spend all of it. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, I should. It was just like a funny kind of sick moment, obviously. You have to laugh again. And then luckily I came through. And oh, my God, my jaw is tightening up just thinking about all of this.

I came through surgery. It was a really painful surgery and a hard recovery, but I got through. And that first scan coming back clear, I remember coming home and my dad was in the driveway and both of us just started bawling when I was like, I'm safe, I'm safe. But it did change me because now I'm not reckless, but I'm also like, no, I'm enjoying my life. So I don't care what it's going to cost sometimes where I'm like, no, this family trip is worth it because this is a memory we're going to have forever and we're doing it. I don't care. Or yeah, no, I want that. And I'm not going to deprive myself of that now because I've spent so many years depriving myself. I know that sounds kind of crazy, but if you really knew me inside,

talk to my husband, talk to anybody who's worked intimately with me. They know how cheap I am with myself. And I've bought all of my assistants Chanel bags. I've bought everyone who works for me things like that, but I never would get it for myself. So it has changed. But then on the flip side, it's also changed in wanting to make money off of my money, wanting to really be very focused on how I'm investing and how I'm investing for Athena's future so that she is safe regardless, because I know life is so fickle and it can change so quickly. That's why like when people say really appreciate your health today because you don't know what's coming tomorrow. We are in a moment in life where between

all of the poisoning that's coming through our water, our food, our air, and every possible way, we are in a moment where it really could happen at any time to anybody. So we have to be really, really careful. And I think that we have to live accordingly. And, you know, if you're somebody who has a scarcity mindset, and you are somebody who's, you know, afraid, I think this might be your moment to just kind of ease up a little bit. It doesn't mean don't still make smart decisions and smart choices, but the extreme on anything, whether it's diet, whether it's health, whether it's money, it's not good. So I'm trying not to be as extreme with all of that and time and really time. Like today, I'm spending the whole day with my daughter.

This is the one hour she's not with me me and I'm not going to worry about work. Same thing happened yesterday. I remember yesterday being like, wow, I'm really just kind of not caring right now. And I'm like, okay, if something happened tomorrow, would you regret it? Nope. Okay. Maria, keep going. Cause I know like, I'm gonna, I have to go away for a week for work overseas and I'm trying not to fly her a lot because her brain's developing. This is another thing you'll have to pay attention to. Her brain is developing.

Those scanners at the airport carry so much radiation. For us, it's awful. For them, it's completely detrimental. And so I'm trying to only fly her when necessary. And so I'm like, okay, I'm going to be gone for, I think, four or five days. I have to spend as much time with her as I can now to make up for it. And I know your first reaction was a worst case scenario during all the health stuff. I'm a goner.

Did it change the way you viewed estate planning? Did you have a will before that? Oh yeah, we've had those. Again, thanks to the business managers, 20 years, we've had them. They've always, I mean, they've been adjusted here and there and changed as people you thought

were your family and friends were not. And so even today, I was looking for an advanced directive from my dad and I saw will change or trust change because this person's getting taken out. I'm like, if these people knew how we thought of them before they broke our hearts and stomped all over them because we were giving them so much, now it'll all go to Athena. How often have you changed your will? A couple times. Just like professional breakups family people you

know for us a lot of our family we've made our family and people who you know are have been intimately involved in our lives you know we consider them family and they were held in that regard can we play a game of financial never have I ever? Okay, damn, I'm scared. All right, let's do it. So basically you put a finger down if you've done one of these things. Okay.

Okay, never have I ever asked for a raise. Oh yeah, of course. All the time. That's right. Never have I ever paid on a first date i've never been on dates really yeah i i remember i went on a date with a calvin klein model once and i went on a couple a couple dates actually but they always paid yeah never have i ever signed a prenup we have a fake one wait so do i put my finger down? It was on Howard

Stern. So Kevin proposed on Howard Stern and they had some fake prenup. We don't have a prenup. So do I put my finger down? I forget. I literally will never remember. You're gonna have to tell me we do not have one okay so finger up finger up never have i ever uh negotiated a bill yeah i don't think i have never have i ever been fired from a job never i've been laid off laid off isn't fired okay great thank you you said fired you're right go ahead never have i ever gambled in vegas i have gambled in vegas but i don't gamble a lot like my maximum is like a hundred dollars because i'm like you are not taking my money people but then i discovered this game called blackjack switch have you ever played it no normal blackjack yes fucking unbelievable you play two hands of blackjack at the same time. So your odds are better.

And you can move a jack over here to give yourself a 21. It's so much fun. So I feel like I've definitely maybe gone up to 300 on one of those tables for fun. But expender Maria, never have I ever taken out debt. I mean, my mortgage is debt. Never have I ever worked at Dunkin Donuts. Of course I worked at six years baby finger up down down we're doing great i'm the worst uh never have i ever funded retirement account i have retirement accounts oh we did yeah so do we win because we have no fingers up we win okay we make the rules okay i love it that's how we win because we have no fingers up? We win. Okay, we make the rules. Okay, I love it. That's how we win. We end our episodes Maria by asking all of our guests for a tip that listeners can take straight to the bank. Anything about business? My favorite tips I've learned

from reading Tony Robbins Money Master the Game. And so I highly recommend that. And I think that knowing the difference between a fiduciary and a broker was something that I would always blow people's minds with. My wealthiest friends who are worth almost a billion dollars didn't even know the difference. So never feel stupid about not knowing that. But a fiduciary has a fiducial responsibility to do what's in your best interest, where a broker doesn't. So you might buy mutual fund, you know, Lappin and mutual fund Lappin behind the scenes has a 3% fee. And then mutual fund Lappin B has a 1%. But they decide which one they want to give you and you don't know. And sometimes you'll be belly up even though

you're winning, you're actually losing because of the fee you're paying behind the scenes. So that's why a fiduciary has to give you the 1%, has to give you the best deal. Money Rehab is a production of Money News Network. I'm your host, Nicole Lappin. Money Rehab's executive producer is Morgan Lavoie. Our researcher is Emily Holmes. Do you need some Money Rehab? And let's be honest, we. Our researcher is Emily Holmes. Do you need some money rehab? And let's be honest, we all do. So email us your money questions, moneyrehab at moneynewsnetwork.com to potentially have your questions answered on the show or even have a one-on-one intervention with me.

And follow us on Instagram at moneynews and TikTok at moneynewsnetwork for exclusive video content. And lastly, thank you. No, seriously, thank you. Thank you for listening and for exclusive video content. And lastly, thank you. No, seriously, thank you. Thank you for listening and for investing in yourself, which is the most important investment you can make.