192. The LadyShark Mindset: Abundance, Bravery, and Confidence with Chrissy Grigoropoulos, Esq.

[00:00:07] [SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to episode 192 of Girl Take The Lead, where each week we explore womanhood and leadership

[00:00:13] [SPEAKER_01]: and I'm your host, Yolanda Canny. Today, Chrissy Grigoropoulos, Esq., Mollennial, a self-made millionaire,

[00:00:23] [SPEAKER_01]: joins us to talk about her book LadyShark, how to become a millionaire in your 30s.

[00:00:30] [SPEAKER_01]: Chrissy founded her own law firm while still in her 20s, and you will enjoy hearing the insights and wisdom from her journey.

[00:00:39] [SPEAKER_01]: It's like listening to a girlfriend telling us what to do to get out of her own way.

[00:00:45] [SPEAKER_01]: TabX we covered in the episode where LadyShark book overview, step one, being brave and having courage,

[00:00:54] [SPEAKER_01]: step five, Confidence and what we wear, step six, LadyShark organization, and self-respect,

[00:01:03] [SPEAKER_01]: and then step eight. What it means to be rich. Enjoy the listen, and here you go.

[00:01:11] [SPEAKER_01]: Welcome Chrissy. I'm so glad that you're here at Girl Take The Lead, and can't wait for our listeners and viewers to see and hear about you and your book.

[00:01:21] [SPEAKER_01]: So maybe we can start there, right?

[00:01:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Yes. Thank you so much for having me, Yolanda.

[00:01:26] [SPEAKER_01]: Sure. So tell us about your book.

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_00]: So the book is, how to become a millionaire in your 30s. It's entitled LadyShark, and it just really gives some support

[00:01:37] [SPEAKER_00]: and some guidance for people that are looking for a route and some positive energy on how to not be stuck in a rut or looking for people

[00:01:47] [SPEAKER_00]: to step outside the box of their 9-5, and just gain some confidence. It's a self-help book.

[00:01:54] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, my advice isn't about an overnight success. It's really about embracing the process of personal growth, financial literacy, financial education,

[00:02:05] [SPEAKER_00]: and kind of being more aware of what you have going on in your life currently, both financially, both for the future,

[00:02:12] [SPEAKER_00]: what you want for yourself, and really what your family and yourself need out of life.

[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_01]: And what made you want to write the book?

[00:02:19] [SPEAKER_00]: So it's funny to you ask. That's one of the questions that I'm asked often, and I feel like I always change the answer because there's so many different reasons for writing the book.

[00:02:27] [SPEAKER_00]: I always get asked questions as far as, like, how do you do it? How do you have kids? How do you have your offices? How do you still have time to sleep and juggle everything?

[00:02:36] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, where there's a world there's a way, and I just wanted to show that, you know, being a woman isn't going to be a detriment, being a mom is not going to be a detriment

[00:02:45] [SPEAKER_00]: and, you know, if you have that fire inside of you, a lady shark is someone that has been downable will to succeed to be successful,

[00:02:53] [SPEAKER_00]: any of the pending and do what they have to do for them and their families. So I just wanted to spread the word that

[00:02:59] [SPEAKER_00]: if I can do it, anyone can do it, and you just have to believe in yourself, even if it's something that seems unattainable, just try to stay positive

[00:03:06] [SPEAKER_00]: and fake it until you make it but authentically.

[00:03:09] [SPEAKER_01]: What do you think keeps us from being lady sharks? Because I think about that and I think, oh, it sounds like kind of being really aggressive and, you know, shark-like

[00:03:20] [SPEAKER_01]: and yeah, I know that that isn't the only way for power and authority.

[00:03:25] [SPEAKER_00]: I think of it the other way, you know, sharks have to keep moving around, say, die. So you have to keep moving forward or else you die.

[00:03:32] [SPEAKER_00]: So even if it's not so aggressive, I mean, I don't feel like every part of my day is aggressive. I think that assertive is a more better way of describing it, but I know that the clichés with sharks and killing in this

[00:03:47] [SPEAKER_00]: and that but unfortunately our world, it is not the most beautiful place always and you do have to be assertive and direct and sometimes aggressive in order to get what you want

[00:03:57] [SPEAKER_00]: but that doesn't mean that you can't try to get what you want out of life with a smile and with boys and possess and things of that nature. So it's really adapting to your surroundings which sharks are required to do, you know, they have crazy shark stories that, you know, get pet by humans and they don't bite humans and it's fine and they're loving and, you know, and then there's other times that they have to do what they have to do.

[00:04:19] [SPEAKER_00]: So I feel like lady shark is someone that has to do what they have to do and they will move forward. But in the book, I do talk about swimming with other sharks being helpful, give good to the world you'll get good.

[00:04:32] [SPEAKER_00]: So I think that there's multiple facets of being a lady shark and really being successful and believing in yourself even when you're insecure about starting something new.

[00:04:43] [SPEAKER_01]: And I think you talk in your book about like eight steps to being a lady shark that maybe you can give.

[00:04:51] [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm actually in the grab one right now, have one right here.

[00:04:54] [SPEAKER_00]: There's so what I love about the book is that you don't have to read it covered a cover. I don't know for me it makes it very hard with my schedule and everything to read something from covered a cover.

[00:05:03] [SPEAKER_00]: So you can literally go to the table of contents and you know, step one is act like a lady shark. You can always skip to one of my favorite chapters are building your treasure chest, which is one of the last steps that it's actually step eight.

[00:05:17] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, time to budget. There's both sides to savings from saving to investing what types of side hustles, you know, opening, running the horizon that everyone's like, well, what side business can I have? I have this nine to five and I don't even know what I'm good at.

[00:05:32] [SPEAKER_00]: And I talk about it all the time you really want to find what would you like because we work so much.

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_00]: And in order to meet societal norms and and bills and financial norms and requirements that we've already established for ourselves and our families, you know, I have gained that that requisite for us to be able to achieve every month.

[00:05:53] [SPEAKER_00]: And you have to think of what do you like to, are you a good meal prep or are you a great organizer for me I'm not a good organizer but organizers get paid anywhere from like $150 to $300 per hour with no education just sitting in your house and organizing clothes and making everything look beautiful and organized.

[00:06:13] [SPEAKER_00]: That is an amazing skill set that you don't need a capital investment for. Charcutory boards are like this thing that has boomed in the past couple years or a few years and I love them most people love them any type of boarding, you know, as they say.

[00:06:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Has been so popular but do you really need that much money for cheese and chocolates and maybe some, you know, graves and honey or fig jam.

[00:06:37] [SPEAKER_00]: You really don't, but what you do need is the fire you need to create something so you could sell yourself whether it's sent taking pictures of beautiful arrangements whether it's getting ideas going online making your own.

[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_00]: And you just really grow from there so it's finding something that you like maybe you do want to do something that you do need a little education for such as like real estate or becoming a real estate agent.

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_00]: It's not a long term investment of time to get your real estate license your no-retlice and you can be, you know there's so many different things depending on what you like in order to invest your time in if it's in necessity for.

[00:07:13] [SPEAKER_00]: What you love to do or what you want to love to do so.

[00:07:16] [SPEAKER_00]: To, you know, go back to the different steps that's just one of my favorite chapters just because it's direct so it's like okay where do I cut to the chase what do I have to do to be a millionaire.

[00:07:27] [SPEAKER_00]: And it just gives you ideas it does talk about, you know, owner finance business buying it does talk about different things like that let's say you do have let's say.

[00:07:36] [SPEAKER_00]: A chunk of money saved up 20 30 40 more thousand dollars and you're like I really want to buy a business I want someone that's already established what's their business are you going to look for why.

[00:07:48] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, what how someone that's selling the business who might want to get out can help you maybe you can just pay them give them a down payment and pay them on a month someone basis as you make money on a nasaers in the world i think it's a lot easy to look at someone and say.

[00:08:02] [SPEAKER_00]: They'll never be able to do that or they can't do this and I think that I was the victim I guess and I don't really like that word too much but I definitely have heard that over and over I always from a very young age I'm sure.

[00:08:15] [SPEAKER_00]: As you might have seen in the book that wanted to be an attorney so for me I always said that I always wanted it and knew it for my young age, but it's easier said than done.

[00:08:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And I know that I've had people that I've gone to high school with send me messages randomly years 10 years 15 years after high school saying wow you really did what you were going to say you are going to do so it's really nice and refreshing that there are people that look back that are like oh wow remember you saying.

[00:08:43] [SPEAKER_00]: This and you in fact brought that to fruition and I think that it's a lot easier for people to speak down because they want to put you in a box because maybe they don't have the.

[00:08:53] [SPEAKER_00]: I think it was very difficult for me personally I think it was something that I had to overcome to move out of state in order to go to law school out of state without everything that I knew and all the people that I knew.

[00:09:04] [SPEAKER_00]: To move you know to the other side of the country in order to get my education that I was required to do in order to be where I wanted to be so.

[00:09:12] [SPEAKER_00]: I think that a lot of times it's easy for people to say oh yeah good luck she's never going to do that or she's never going to do this or he or they or whatever but realistically you have to just believe in yourself and and for me with.

[00:09:24] [SPEAKER_00]: If I told myself.

[00:09:27] [SPEAKER_00]: When I was in law school or even before I got to law school that one day you're going to write a book how to become a millionaire and one day you're going to be a millionaire and one day you're going to have three offices and have more than 20 people work for you.

[00:09:38] [SPEAKER_00]: I would be like yeah right how am I going to do that and sometimes you surprise yourself but the first step is really saying how bad do you want what you want trying to even know what you want because if you know I remember just the growth process and saying okay if I have 50,000 in the bank.

[00:09:54] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to be happy and stable and and happen you know secure in my lifestyle that 50,000 would come and go you know my payrolls more than 200,000 a month so I mean 50 is like nothing but you're just rocking it girl.

[00:10:10] [SPEAKER_00]: You try but you disguise the limit and God is good and you know for people that don't believe in God whatever spirits or anything that you do believe in.

[00:10:20] [SPEAKER_00]: It answers that are there room for you in the sky or wherever they are it's just real the reality is if you work hard you will get what you want but it's more importantly works smart and get good mentors and ask the right questions and do your research become a pro at what you want to be a pro at and you can do it.

[00:10:38] [SPEAKER_01]: Well, instead five you talk about confidence and that something key to that helps us or is directly impacted by what we wear.

[00:10:52] [SPEAKER_01]: I was really like this you know the girl in me went oh wow that's just such a nice way to put it and you know I think when we say.

[00:11:04] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going behind the podium and she's got her checks on I just started to go oh that's my girl you know I'd love for that but you know it's almost like we do make assessments based on.

[00:11:18] [SPEAKER_01]: What other people wear and then perhaps how we feel about ourselves and what we wear.

[00:11:23] [SPEAKER_00]: For sure I think that a lot of times for me when I was younger I know that my age when I started my business and my law firm.

[00:11:31] [SPEAKER_00]: A lot of times the way that you look is synonymous to whether you are good at what that profession that you're doing is so whether if you're a hairdresser and then you have like four inches of roots and you're not all put together.

[00:11:42] [SPEAKER_00]: You're like well you're going to touch my neck so I think that not only you know what the outside world is thinking but also about yourself what makes you feel good you know I know please plenty of times you know that you don't feel the best in the morning with what you threw on and you're like.

[00:11:56] [SPEAKER_00]: And so they're like wow okay this fits nice I didn't even thought about putting this off it together and then you're like rocking it and having that extra little you know speck of confidence can turn your whole day until like something that you didn't expect to even happen that day.

[00:12:11] [SPEAKER_00]: So I think it really your inner person and who you talk to at night and when you look in the mirror and you know sometimes we're not the kind to ourselves because we're our own worst critics.

[00:12:22] [SPEAKER_00]: You have to think of the flip side of that and you really need to push yourself and say listen if I don't even think good things about me and myself.

[00:12:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Why would the rest of the world who you need in order to be successful on business because you don't need yourself or else you wouldn't even have a business you just you know.

[00:12:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Hey yourself but you need people to believe that you believe in yourself and it comes with anything that makes you feel good if you want a nice outfit if you want a new haircut if you want to grow your hair you want to wear a wig.

[00:12:48] [SPEAKER_00]: You know any of that you want you look lost you exactly so I feel like step out of the norm forget about what people think because for me I always heard you know the craziest things and if I ever took.

[00:13:00] [SPEAKER_00]: To get upon myself to really feel the weight of statements and things that were said about me or to me you would never be successful and that's what it's meant for and usually the naysayers are not who are more successful than you more people that are more successful they're always the cheerleaders.

[00:13:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Well in and steps six you talk about being organized and that lady sharks will problem solve and fix.

[00:13:26] [SPEAKER_01]: So what do you see there that that was really good.

[00:13:29] [SPEAKER_00]: So I think one of my hardest things that I've overcome and and under day to day basis try to overcome is organization for me that's one of the hardest things because there's so many.

[00:13:40] [SPEAKER_00]: That's it's of my world whether it's personal business to business to business to business to different offices of the same business and it's hard to be organized and have everything neat and clean and in a certain place.

[00:13:53] [SPEAKER_00]: But a messy mind never gives you anything good maybe some crazy good ideas but you still want to regulate it and get yourself together and try and you can't do everything yourself I think that's another thing that I've learned along the way with the growth.

[00:14:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Although you want to and everyone says if you want something done right you do yourself but you also need people that are more educated than you or more educated in one specific aspect of what you need and and you have to be conscious and aware and.

[00:14:20] [SPEAKER_00]: And an expert in what you do even if you're not an expert in that topic whether it's accounting bookkeeping or things of that nature you need help so being organized is definitely key.

[00:14:30] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I love what you say about self respect that was so nice.

[00:14:36] [SPEAKER_01]: You say it isn't passive we own our voice stand up for what we believe and be fully accountable for ourselves.

[00:14:45] [SPEAKER_01]: Don't let anyone dim your light or silence your war.

[00:14:50] [SPEAKER_01]: Do you think this has anything to do with authenticity.

[00:14:55] [SPEAKER_00]: I think it has everything to do with that I think that you have the own who you are the good and the bad and be able to accept yourself for who you are and make the changes that you want to make in order to be where you want to be.

[00:15:09] [SPEAKER_00]: If you're not happy in any portion of your life you have to be aware awareness and respecting where you are right now and where you want to be and what you need to do in order to get there not just feeling bad for yourself or.

[00:15:22] [SPEAKER_00]: To press about something or down on yourself or kicking yourself while you're down none of that is going to help you rise above so I think that the energies and the vibration having a higher vibration and showing yourself a spec listen we are our hardest critic and we need to own how far we have come as people.

[00:15:39] [SPEAKER_00]: There's nothing easy in life if life was so easy and at becoming successful was so easy there wouldn't be you know the issues that we have in this world so I think that we all to ourselves to give ourselves a hand you know whether you're raising a family whether you're just raising yourself whether you're just paying your bills whether you're just showing up to work every day or even getting out of bed every day sometimes is hard.

[00:16:00] [SPEAKER_00]: So you have to really respect where you're out in the part of your the point and your life that you are and don't compare yourself to others compare yourself to yourself yourself yesterday and where you want to be tomorrow.

[00:16:13] [SPEAKER_01]: So when you look at the steps is there one.

[00:16:16] [SPEAKER_01]: In particular I think you said step eight really stood out to you right.

[00:16:21] [SPEAKER_00]: So it's directed to the point what I like.

[00:16:26] [SPEAKER_01]: Because I think you you even talk about it, you know what it means to be rich.

[00:16:33] [SPEAKER_01]: Right and to your point before is it that you see it as each of us has her own definition about what that might be and what success might be.

[00:16:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Totally exactly I think that as I've aged success and being rich is a totally different definition and sometimes it changes by the day.

[00:16:54] [SPEAKER_00]: I have two little girls that I'm raising and I am rich in love. I'm so happy you know and it's nothing to do with money and it has really all to do with time and time freedom and really being able to not think about money but the reality is.

[00:17:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Financially we've already where we are if you're not a baby just being born and you're over the teenage years and you have your own bills.

[00:17:18] [SPEAKER_00]: We've already set ourselves up for what are required finances are right now so based on what you've accustomed your life style to you need to meet that you know bare minimum in order to just you know stay afloat for what your requirements are so.

[00:17:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Everyone's definition of success is their status quo but it's where you see yourself who do you look up to why do you look up to them to look up to.

[00:17:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Someone that has all the free time in the world and no job and able to work from just you know something that they love cooking baking something you know it really depends on where if you're a free spirit you know you want a hippie life okay well can you sustain you know living off the grid it's all it's all different what everyone's definition of successes and being rich and being you know in that state that you find yourself pure happiness.

[00:18:10] [SPEAKER_01]: I love how you organize the book because you have kind of the workbook at the end and.

[00:18:18] [SPEAKER_01]: I think one of the questions that you have us work on there is what's the story I want the world to know about me and then you know.

[00:18:31] [SPEAKER_01]: When you look at that what is it about your story that you want the world to know about you.

[00:18:39] [SPEAKER_00]: I think I talk a lot about my family in my book.

[00:18:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Beaming my parents and obviously my husband and my children as well.

[00:18:46] [SPEAKER_00]: I think that I want at the world to know that it's not all about luck and I think that it's easy to assume someone that's successful is just lucky.

[00:18:55] [SPEAKER_00]: And of course, I definitely consider myself lucky for where I am in my life and and I've had the right paths and I haven't been taken off those paths by whatever reason.

[00:19:03] [SPEAKER_00]: But I would love the world to really know that hard work is is really the key to being where you want to be.

[00:19:10] [SPEAKER_00]: I had a span of 10 years of my life that I was working 80 plus hours a week so if you really think about that that's what double so that's what 20 years in reality that I've put in.

[00:19:22] [SPEAKER_00]: To be where I am that people don't see that they see the age you know they see how old you are and that you're successful and you're just lucky to be where you are so for me.

[00:19:31] [SPEAKER_00]: I tried to put back into the world that you know what I have you know had good karma think on and I have had the right circumstances happen but I've also really put in a lot of work and you know I got married older than I wanted to in life because I was my head was down and I was focused and I really wanted to build something for the future and for my children to have stability and hopefully in her at one day.

[00:19:54] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah that was kind of my way to I didn't have my first until I was 40 because I was head down in my career too just trying to just want to get to that level and then you know but.

[00:20:06] [SPEAKER_00]: But it's hard but people judge right so they're saying oh well oh my god you're not married you don't have children why not and.

[00:20:14] [SPEAKER_00]: You don't realize that because you're building you are sacrificing other things in life and you know whether it's having children at a young age.

[00:20:22] [SPEAKER_00]: I think maybe we can both agree that I know that if I had children when I thought I wanted them when I was 20 years of whole.

[00:20:27] [SPEAKER_00]: I would not have been able to give them the lifestyle that I'm able to give them today so I'm still less than I don't need you.

[00:20:35] [SPEAKER_00]: It sounds me to it so and it's nice because I do have people that have what I thought I wanted when I was younger which was having kids that are over 10 12 13 years old and you know my kids are three one and hopefully more coming.

[00:20:51] [SPEAKER_00]: So realistically they still have everything that they want I'm still a good mom you know and I have more free time whereas I would have never been able to either be as successful as I am or have had the free time to be able to spend with them when I want.

[00:21:05] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I get that.

[00:21:07] [SPEAKER_01]: Well, cursey we've talked a lot about the different steps and your book is her anything else you want to tell our viewers and listeners about.

[00:21:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Sure, I definitely think that I just try to let everyone know that there's nothing that you want or you think you want to achieve that's not possible this guys not the limit.

[00:21:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Even the impossible is possible with you know a good plan and fire so.

[00:21:31] [SPEAKER_00]: I think that there's a lot that makes the world go round and I think that a lot of unattainable as people may think that they are projects or solutions or destinations will be more attainable than really what they think if you really sit down make a plan.

[00:21:50] [SPEAKER_00]: I love the work book, I know that we spoke about it a few minutes earlier but really being aware just some people don't really even know how much they pay on a month month basis.

[00:21:58] [SPEAKER_00]: How much money their bills are in hole they just wing it and just pay them as they come as the statements come if you really know how much money you need on a month month basis you then know what what do you need to be making in order to be where you want to be so i just want people to know that don't you know let anything get you down on your.

[00:22:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Pride in yourself and that there is no end result you know they say you know it's not over to the fat lady things well it's never over unless you give up so just keep going and don't give up and if you want something just go out and we'll get it very cool.

[00:22:31] [SPEAKER_01]: It makes me all you know feel very hopeful that we can all be really nervous and I do this why not exactly.

[00:22:40] [SPEAKER_01]: So where can they get our listeners get the book and how can they follow you so.

[00:22:45] [SPEAKER_00]: The lady shark.com is where my website is my social media I always answer DM's questions is.

[00:22:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Chrissy G official CHRSS YG official.

[00:22:59] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm more than happy to give any advice or any answer any questions that people may have.

[00:23:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Amazon's an amazing place to get the book just type in lady shark it comes right up where best seller and multiple categories.

[00:23:10] [SPEAKER_00]: And he books store if you go and ask them for it they'll be able to to provide it to you as well so there's an array of different places but I love Amazon I'm an.

[00:23:19] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to be too.

[00:23:21] [SPEAKER_01]: So I know you have been giving us good advice throughout this but what advice would you give your 20 something self.

[00:23:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, this is a good question. I would definitely say to give myself some grace here like I said earlier you were really hard on ourselves and you always want more and more and more and you always feel like failure so imminent and you don't always take a step while you're going through a process.

[00:23:48] [SPEAKER_00]: To really take in how far you come and I think that the stress and the insomnia that I experienced in my 20s.

[00:23:55] [SPEAKER_00]: I would just take a breather and just tell myself that you know you're doing fine everything will be okay although you basically tell yourself that not knowing that it will be but in retrospect.

[00:24:05] [SPEAKER_00]: I think I would have told myself to calm down everything will work itself out you'll make babies you'll find the right person you're going to find success and whatever hard work you're putting in will come back beautifully said well thank you so much, Chrissy for joining us today.

[00:24:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks you so much to talk to you.

[00:24:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, you too.

[00:24:26] [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for listening today and we sure hope you enjoyed this episode.

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[00:25:09] [SPEAKER_01]: Here are three takeaways from our episode one.

[00:25:13] [SPEAKER_01]: Naysayers can get in the way and keep us down and the key is to believe in yourself sometimes just to price yourself and the sky is not the limit too.

[00:25:28] [SPEAKER_01]: We do make assessments about what we wear and what others wear you can reflect what we think about ourselves we need people to believe we are capable.

[00:25:39] [SPEAKER_01]: And Naysayers are usually the people not as successful as us and our cheerleaders usually are.

[00:25:49] Three.

[00:25:51] [SPEAKER_01]: You'll find you'll need help so it's important to find mentors who know more than us.

[00:25:57] [SPEAKER_01]: We need to own who we are the good and the bad and acknowledge how far we've come.

[00:26:06] [SPEAKER_01]: Also important is to avoid comparing ourselves to others only compare ourselves to where we want to be and where we are.

[00:26:19] [SPEAKER_01]: And talk to you soon. Bye!