Today I want to share with you Tia’s story and how she overcame her past and continually doubled down on her future. See when we’d met, Tia was working 80 hours a week, with massive debt at a 50k/yr salary. She wanted to create generational wealth for her family, and break out of the cycle of scarcity.
Tia knew how to work hard, what she didn’t know was how to manage her internal state of being to move towards what she wanted.
Even though she was in $25,000 worth of credit card debt, she still took the leap, doubled down on her future again and joined us in Team Reality Mastery. What happened after was nothing short of a miracle.
Here’s what we discuss:
Hope this was helpful leave me a comment with your thoughts?
Quazi:
Hey guys, welcome to this new interview with TIAA Javier. She’s one of our veteran members in the program. She joined us back in August, 2019, I believe. Yep. Yes. August, 2019. Now it’s August, 2020. It’s been a full year since she’s been in the program and Mike, you know, the transformation has been massive, so let’s jump right into it. You I’ll just go ahead and let you introduce yourself basically a little bit about you, you know, where you’re from and kind of what you do.
Tia:
Okay. Um, my name is Tia Javier. I am from Richmond, Virginia, and currently, um, I work as a speech therapist and Spanish professor. Um, so yeah,
Quazi:
You know what I want to hear, I want to hear about how we actually met how you came across me. That’s the story I want to hear. Cause I bet we have two different versions of it.
Tia:
Uh, what I remember is that we were on a mutual group and a mutual group. Um, I think it was some entrepreneur group or some millionaire group. And, um, there was a question that you posted I believe, and I responded to it. Um, I don’t exactly remember what the question was, but it was probably about money or dreams or something like that. And you, um, sent me a message and asked me if I was, uh, if I wanted to, I don’t know exactly. I don’t remember the specifics, but basically if I want to change my life and, and, and I did, and I took that leap of faith and I’m here.
Quazi:
Yep. Yep. And, um, you know, what’s really funny though. Cause I remember like we were supposed to get on a call first, but then like something happened, you, you, I, I messaged you off the woods. Like you didn’t show up to it and you were like, Oh yeah. Some drunk man started harassing us.
Tia:
Oh yeah. Yes. I still remember that. Yeah.
Quazi:
And then the second time as well, it didn’t happen. Like something again came up and I was like, Oh man, she’s not serious about this. Then I was like, you never know, you never know what could happen. This could turn out to be our best client ever and the best student ever. So I still had that patience. And then we got on that like the third time. And then, you know, you took the leap, joining the rest became history.
Tia:
Wow. I’m glad that you were consistent and persistent
Quazi:
Cause you never really know what happens. But yeah, I mean, I suppose what was it lifelike before Tia, you know, before you actually joined the program, you know, and kind of what motivated you to actually join us and take this leap?
Tia:
So life before the program was very chaotic and um, without direction. So I had just graduated from college after 11 consecutive years. Um, and what motivated me to join the program is that I come from poverty. Um, and I had a really, really tough childhood, um, growing up. And, um, I went to college thinking that that was a way to kind of get me to get me out of the generational poverty, um, curse. So I went to break that, um, thinking that college was the way and by doing that, I got myself into six figure college debt, $175,000 to be exact. Um, so then I was just freaking out. I was like, what am I going to do? I, I don’t want to have to work the rest of my life just so that I can pay for this college education trying to pull myself out of this.
Tia:
So there has to be something. So when, um, you propose this to me, I was a little skeptical because I’m like, man, this, I don’t know him. Um, that’s a whole lot of money, but at that point I was just like, what else do I have? Um, there’s no other alternative at this point. And um, the worst that can happen is that I lose this money, but you know, if the, but the best thing that can happen is that I can change my life. So, um, I took that risk and I jumped in and I’m very, very glad that I did
Quazi:
Awesome. That is amazing. And I suppose it’s because, you know, you took that risk out of, uh, out of the right attitude as well. You know, you kind of trusted this whole process and in the middle of it, you didn’t start doubting it because, or else the doubts would consume you. And then that would become again, another self fulfilling prophecy, which is awesome to see. So yeah. I mean, could you explain like a little bit about your situation workwise? Cause you know, I think I remember you mentioning, you were doing 80 hour work weeks, uh, basically having two part time jobs, not having space to breathe at home.
Tia:
Yes. So another thing is, um, part of my issue from my past is that, um, when I was younger, I got into a little bit of trouble and it resulted in me getting arrested and having two felonies at the age of 20. Um, so that made me, I, because of that, I had to work a lot harder, um, to make sure that I don’t end up back into that poverty loop that my family came from. Um, so at that time I was in school, um, I was in school and I had to commute an hour and 15 minutes to go to school. I was getting my master’s a second master’s degree and, um, it was an hour, 15 minute commute and I would have to leave at around seven o’clock in the morning so that I can arrive and I wouldn’t get home until 10:00 PM. Um, I also was teaching, um, I was working as a Spanish professor, so I was teaching and I have two children. So life was hectic, very, very hectic. Um, but I was very determined to, to get out of that loop.
Quazi:
Gotcha. Okay, cool. So what kind of happened when you actually joined the program? Cause you were like within the first week this happened?
Tia:
Yeah, so I joined in August. Um, so it had been a few months after I, I graduated, um, September I was starting a new job. So at that point and that job, it took me a lot to get that job. It was, um, a job as a speech therapist and the school system in my neighborhood, the same one that I went to school and, um, as a child and I wanted to give back to that community, but because of my felony, um, I was not able to work in schools because you’re not allowed. So I had to go through a lot in order for them to let me work there. So I got the job and everything was good. My salary, um, increased by $50,000 because of that job. Um, however, what happened as a result of me being in the program is two weeks into my job.
Tia:
I realized that this was not in alignment of who I want it to be. So that was conflicting for me. It was, um, that was the kind of the turning point for me, um, because I had to make the decision to quit my job and the type of person that I am. I, um, I am the type of person that I was, let me say. Um, I used to care a lot about what people thought and loyalty and things like that. I will put a lot of things like that, of my own, um, thoughts and wants and beliefs. Um, so yeah, so it was very hard. And I remember before calling and telling them that I was quitting, I was crying. I was in tears bawling, but I was like, I have to do it. It has to be done because if I want to beat this person Tia 2.0, then it has to be done.
Tia:
So that was very painful. Um, about two weeks, it took me to fully get out of that. But, um, that’s when I kind of went back to the group for that support and I kind of mentioned what was going on and I got a lot of support and feedback from everyone. And something that you said quasi is that when your life is the way that you want it a year from now, are you going to regret your decision? And that really made me think, you know what? I will not because this is not along the path of who I want to be.
Quazi:
That is so powerful because time and time again, we see that those who do succeed, go against who they currently are to become who they want to be. You know? So it’s like this consistent pattern of, if you keep expanding your comfort zone and get out of your own way and what you’ve been accustomed to doing your life, then the receptivity, the openness, now the seed can blossom into a flower. You know what I mean? So that’s exactly an example of what’s happened. Yeah. So what would you say will be out of the whole program itself? What would you say would be like the biggest turning points for you? You know, kind of the realizations that have happened?
Tia:
Um, basically I noticed that I was living my life on automatic. I was not really present and I didn’t realize that until you pointed it out. So once I started to become present and live intentionally, then that’s when stuff started to change. Um, so my awareness just changed about everything, which for me, um, I’m not sure your other students, but it took me into a direction that I wanted to learn more and I want us to figure out what, what is going on. And, um, and it just pushed me and my limits to, to understanding more about the universe and things like that. And I’m like, Oh my goodness, this is a brand new world. Once I became more aware, then that’s when things started to change for me.
Quazi:
Got it. So initially in your journey, how did you kind of like even get into that mindset, the millionaire mindset group, how did you get into sort of learning about mindset, the internal world and changing yourself from within
Tia:
Ashley? Um, I did not until you introduced it to me. So I feel honestly that, um, it was a calling of mine because I remember when I was in my early twenties that, um, I would look at like millionaire books and, and I would, um, I was a part of multilevel marketing businesses, which talk a lot about that, but it wasn’t as specific as your information. So once I started listening to you and following you, I started to do my own research and then my mind just expanded from there.
Quazi:
Got it. So you weren’t into self-improvement at all before that?
Tia:
Um, the only self-improvement was me and going to school. Gotcha. Yeah. School work and being a mom. Um, so I, I feel that it was, um, other outside factors. I was indirectly looking for self improvement, but what you have is I direct way of self-improvement so that self improvement was what I wanted, but I didn’t the path to take at that time.
Quazi:
Got it. Okay. Okay. So yeah, let’s kind of get into like the meat of it. What was the big result that’s happened, you know, from when you started off to where you are exactly right at this point.
Tia:
So it’s, it’s crazy. Um, had you told me that I would be in the position that I’m in now a year ago, I would not have believed you. So, um, last year at this time I was making $42,000 a year working as a Spanish professor. I had, um, my student loan debt of $175,000. And I had, um, $25,000 of credit card debt. Um, I had my car that, which was like $23,000. So I was just looking for a way to get all of that debt so that I, my goal was to build generational wealth. Um, so starting in September, I started a budget and I was able to pay off my, um, my credit card debt. And just a couple of months and a few months I got an opportunity for another job. Um, and I was making, I was able to make a salary that was $20,000 more than the average person.
Tia:
So there was a girl that I went to school with who was, um, she was in my exact cohort. We took the same classes and everything. We got the same job and I made $20,000 more than her. Um, so that happened. And at that point I was working three jobs. Um, but then I quit the one that was not aligning with who I wanted to be. Um, so I got my credit cards paid off. I got opportunities for more like investment properties. So I was able to invest in some properties, um, which will go towards my generational wealth. Um, so I also did a new year’s resolution and my resolution was to make $120,000 for the, uh, year. And at that time I was probably making about 77. So my, my salary did increase from 42 to 77 in that short amount of time. But I said, this is what I want to make. And at that time I realized that I was thinking small and that, um, anything is possible. So, uh, I said, I wanted to make $120,000 for the year in February. I was given the opportunity to make, um, to make $122,000 between my two jobs. I’m working less than 40 hours a week.
Quazi:
Wow.
Tia:
So, um, that was just amazing. Um, and then Corona virus happened. Um, I quit my, my Spanish professor job and may because I wanted to do speech therapy and I started, um, a speech therapy practice in January because that’s along my alignment, me wanting to own my own company to be able to build that that well. So I started that in January, um, in June, June 23rd to be exact, my, um, manager had a meeting with me and pretty much said that I needed to choose between my private practice or with them because I couldn’t do both at the same time. Right. And, um, I chose my product practice because now I’m confident in myself and I know that I can achieve whatever I put my mind to. So essentially, um, between may and June, I walked away from $122,000 salary to be self employed at zero. Um, so
Quazi:
At this time, absolutely sorry to interrupt absolute zero at the, in the business that you have.
Tia:
So yes.
Quazi:
And I still made that decision to leave, walk away from that $120,000 a year job to not knowing what could happen in this business just to double down on it.
Tia:
Yes, that is correct. And, um, I am very confident that I would make way more than $122,000. So another more backstory is that, um, I was doing the process of being able to accept insurance for my private practice. And then they said that it can take up to nine months. And I got, uh, I started in may and a week after I was fired from my job. Um, I was credentialed with some insurances. I got credentialed by two insurances. So that just shortened everything. It was like magic. Um, because they,
Quazi:
This happened before you were fired or after you were fired,
Tia:
This was one week after I got fired. Insane.
Quazi:
After you told your boss I’m going to, no, I’m going to go my own direction and go for my own business. If you want to find me, you can find me.
Tia:
Yes. Yep. And that’s exactly what happened. One week later, I was, um, credentialed by these insurances so that I can accept them. And then, and then a few days after that a company contracted my company to provide speech therapy services at $55 an hour. Um, so that’s way more than, you know, I was making as an hourly rate with my, with my speech therapy job. Um, it’s about $15 an hour more so my and my hours were cut because of COVID. So I, I increased my, um, my income by about $7,000 just a month after my, um, job fired me and working from home, working less than 40 hours a week. Um, and just loving it.
Quazi:
So you went from three jobs working 80 hours a week getting paid almost like maybe 50 grand a year to now being completely self-employed with your own business, paid off a shit ton of debt. And, you know, you’re making more than twice the amount now, I think you mentioned last time I was 12,000 a month from the business. And then profit is 10 camera.
Tia:
Yes. Yes. So, um, that is including my, my, um, income from my speech therapy practice. So I got this contracting job at the $55,055 an hour, which gives me about 9,000 a month. Yep. Um, I was also, I also got a teaching contract for $3,000 a month. And then with my private practice, I’m the only Spanish speaking speech therapist in my area. And I just got, um, accepted by Medicaid. So, you know, um, I did the math and just working 40 hours. Um, if I work that 40 hours, 25 hours a week, I could make $13,000 a month, 25 hours a week. Yes.
Quazi:
So tagline from 80 hours a week at 50 K a year to 25 hours a week at a hundred and more than 120 K.
Tia:
Yes. Yes.
Quazi:
Also, I’m looking at the potential of this, of having your own business, which is you can bring in other speech therapists, train them and scale this business up.
Tia:
Yeah. I’ve done the math and each, um, therapist that I hire can bring me by working 40 hours a week, $250,000 a year per per,
Quazi:
And then you can pay them a salary on top of that. And obviously after that, you still make a lot more profit for the clinic itself. Yes. Wow. That’s insane. One year. What do you, what, what do you, what would you say is the biggest thing, you know, what would you say is the biggest thing that helped you go from that place and that tier to this place in this year?
Tia:
Um, I think that really believing in the process and not, and, and just putting, um, putting the future into the process, if you trust the process, it’s going to work basically. Um, you kind of like, um, what you taught us to do is to change who we are. Um, and I realize that as you said, everything, that, that, or everything that I was was from someone else, it wasn’t me. And there was so true. And, um, now I talk to like my friends and family, I’m like just, I just look at things so much differently now. Um, so that is really what it was and that consistency piece to where you really have to remain consistent. So, um, after that, I, everything that you hear on coming from my radio has to do with personal development and, you know, um, I didn’t allow anything else into my area or my space. I started budgeting. I was able to pay off $25,000 in credit card that, um, enough to pay off my car. So that was, I paid off about maybe $55,000 in debt and about six months. Wow. So I just put everything, all my extra money to it. And I just got opportunity after opportunity to make money. That was so easy. Like instead of point where I’m like, is it, is it supposed to be this easy?
Quazi:
Okay,
Tia:
Effortless.
Quazi:
What about the student debt? How you, you made a calculation. I think last time we talked, how long it would take you to actually pay off how long you thought versus how long it would actually.
Tia:
Yes. So, um, the student debt, I was quoted to pay it off in 30 years, I had to pay $1,880 a month, $1,880 a month for 30 years, I would be 60 years old when I pay off that debt paying almost $2,000 a month, which is more than my, my mortgage. Um, however now, by working in my private practice, I can pay it off in one year by working 40 hours a week in my own practice. I’m putting all my extra money towards this that I can have it paid off in a year.
Quazi:
Oh, wow. So from 30 years to one year, yes. Okay. Wow.
Tia:
That’s just me working. So, you know, I, like I said, I can add a speech therapist here or there, if I want it to. And sometimes I look and I’m like, am I prepared for this change? Am I, I feel that I let things come little by little because I don’t want to just open up the flood Gates of opportunity and not be able to handle it. So I’m trying, I am kind of working with myself and how much I want to get and how much I don’t
Quazi:
Got it. Got it. Yeah. I mean, it’s best to pace yourself as opposed to trying to burn everything down to the ground, trying to get to a certain goal. Right. Yeah. Um, but if you could tell T O one point, Oh, if you could go back in time, knowing what you know now, if you could go back in time to August, 2019, tell Tia 1.01 piece of advice, what would you tell her?
Tia:
I would tell her too, that everything is going to be okay, whatever you put your mind to, you can achieve it.
Quazi:
Hmm. Awesome. And then I suppose, where do you get this, like confidence to take those leaps of faith like you have been doing?
Tia:
Um, I honestly think that it comes from my childhood and my past because it was really bad that’s for a whole nother a different podcast, but, um, it was a really, really tough childhood and it’s something that I do not want to return to. Um, so that is really what pushed me. Um, I was the first person in my family to go to college. I’m like the only one who owns a house who got married, who really did anything. And there are five generations in my family. So, um, and I knew with my felony, I knew that I had to work hard and I ju and I have two children and I don’t want them to be subjected to what I had to go through. So that is my why to make sure that my children, um, are not, don’t have to go through the same thing that I did. So, and I always told myself that I would do anything that it takes to make sure that that doesn’t happen. And that’s what I do.
Quazi:
Amazing. That’s awesome. And, um, I suppose when you returned back to your friends and family now, do they sort of see a change in you? Do they sort of remark and say you’ve become a different person?
Tia:
Yes, they do. And I tell them that I have that I’m not the same person and I, and I let them know. I tell them you all the time and how you really opened up my awareness. Um, and I don’t let, um, people run over me anymore. That was something we talked about. Um, I know how to say no now. And I just live life for myself. I put myself first and that was something that I wasn’t doing at first.
Quazi:
That’s, that’s really important. Absolutely. In this journey, especially, it’s like, you can fall into all of these pendulums and all of these traps of society and what they tell you to do. And then next thing, you know, you fall into like crazy amount of debt and spending the rest of your life, trying to pay it off, which is the unfortunate reality for like a lot of people, right. They just follow this direction that they were given and they were taught in society and then they just don’t know anything better. They just follow what they were given. They can’t see past the current trajectory they’re going on, but your story is absolutely inspiring. And I’m sure a lot of other people in the channel are going to be absolutely inspired by this too, but just to end things off, um, what’s next for you?
Tia:
Um, well, I just recently leased out a building for my speech therapy practice. Again, I had not thought about doing all of this, but the opportunity presented itself. So now I’m working on that. And, um, my goal for this next year or so is to, um, scale my business in a way that I don’t have to work, um, that much, maybe 10 hours a week and still be able to enjoy the life that I want and have my student loans paid off.
Quazi:
Amazing. Awesome. And, uh, yeah, just a final word. If you could, you know, knowing what you know now being in the community as well, if you could recommend this program to anyone who would you recommend it to?
Tia:
I would recommend it to everyone. I really would. Um, I feel that leaders should know about it. I feel that the average person should know about it. Um, it’s just a different way of thinking. Um, and the way that we’re conditioned here in the United States, um, it just gives you a different perspective of living in a different perspective of life. To know that you don’t have to follow the status quo and that there are other options out there and you can live the life that you were meant to live.
Quazi:
Got it. Amazing. Awesome. Tia, thank you so much for doing this. This was really, really valuable and I’m sure people on the channel are going to get crazy value out of this too. Uh, if you want, I can attach some of your socials, maybe Facebook or whatever you prefer on the, on the pinned comments. Maybe even your clinic, you know, if you have a website for that, but again, thank you so much for taking the time out to do this. And, uh, yeah, I will see you in the community and guys, I hope you really enjoyed this. Thanks.
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