The Most Hated F Word: Integrating Finance and Happiness with Shaun Maslyk

[00:00:00] Eric Brotman: Welcome to Don’t Retire… Graduate!, the podcast that asks you what you want to be when you grow up so you can graduate into retirement with purpose and passion. I’m your host in valedictorian, Eric Brotman, and our guest today comes all the way from Edmonton, Alberta. Shaun Maslyk is the host of the most hated F word podcast, which focuses on the intersection between our minds, money, and what matters most.
[00:00:26] Eric Brotman: He believes to be truly wealthy or truly financially independent, we need to develop a financially free mind. We see money as simply an ingredient to accomplish fulfilling things in our lives. Part of the recipe, he’s on a mission to educate and empower people to live their happiest and most fulfilled lives so they don’t see six or eight or 10 years passed by in a blink.
[00:00:45] Eric Brotman: For Shaun, financial literacy is not about becoming rich. It’s about living our most enriched lives. Shaun, I love everything about that. I’m so excited to have you on the show. Welcome to Don’t Retire… graduate!
[00:00:56] Shaun Maslyk: Thank you Eric. I’m excited to be here
[00:00:59] Eric Brotman: For the [00:01:00] record, the most hated F word is still family friendly, correct?
[00:01:05] Shaun Maslyk: Yeah, it’s actually farting
[00:01:09] Eric Brotman: that’s not family friendly.
[00:01:11] Shaun Maslyk: It’s quite funny. It’s finance.
[00:01:12] Eric Brotman: Okay. So it’s finance. So the most hated F word is finance. And by the way, we’ve used, we’ve referred to budget as the B word on this show more than once. So I get it.
[00:01:21] Eric Brotman: So the most hated F word. So tell us about you. Read your, your full bio and your story’s awesome. So why don’t you bring our listeners up to speed.
[00:01:31] Shaun Maslyk: So I’m gonna try to keep it concise, but I became a financial planner because I wanted to help people. I thought I was helping people and I was not discrediting any of the work that I was doing.
[00:01:45] Shaun Maslyk: And I was really finding a groove in a certain field that I had in financial planning. And it always seemed like though there was something that was missing or I was running from something. And over the last five, [00:02:00] six years, I really started to question and lean into this little discomfort I had that was lingering inside of me that I just kept pushing to the side.
[00:02:10] Shaun Maslyk: And as I started to look inside of myself, I started to realize that Holy smokes money has a completely different side that I was totally being blinded towards. Like, and I started to see that money can illuminate our fears. Money can show our insecurities, but if we’re tender enough and courageous enough cuz it brings a lot of discomfort.
[00:02:36] Shaun Maslyk: Money can actually help us find parts of us, parts of ourselves, that we never knew existed. And for me that was a long journey of a lot of self-reflection, trying to figure out what my money story was. I was completely unconsciously aware that I even had a money story and we can get into money stories, but we all have them.
[00:02:55] Shaun Maslyk: And for many of us, we’re totally unconscious that these stories [00:03:00] exist based on our upbringing, our cultural impacts, the societal impacts that think and shape how we feel and behave around money. And it really helped me understand the frustration I would get myself when I wouldn’t make a lasting financial change, behavior change, or my clients wouldn’t.
[00:03:18] Shaun Maslyk: And I started to, I found this character that I call Mr. Shy, he’s my inner money critic. I ended up writing him a song which turned into an entire full length music album that I wrote about my money story. And so what I’ve been up to lately is integrating the study of happiness and wellbeing with the psychology of money so that I can live a deeper and more enriched experience and have a healthier and thriving relationship with my money.
[00:03:46] Eric Brotman: now that’s something you’ve spent much of your adult life figuring out and working on. How easy is it to, to help others translate what feels like a foreign language and a, and an uncomfortable thing, and [00:04:00] translate that into something that is that is really attainable, that they can wrap their heads around?
[00:04:05] Shaun Maslyk: 48 minutes,
[00:04:07] Eric Brotman: 48 minutes? Every episode of your podcast?
[00:04:12] Shaun Maslyk: Almost.
[00:04:13] Shaun Maslyk: So. My collaborator, now he’s a musician, and we’ve been hashing out this new idea of how can we help make this a little, because you’re right, this is a lifelong work that I’ve been doing on self-reflection, trying to understand My relationship with money has been a long journey, but there’s really good exercises that are based outta clinical psychology that the financial psychology world has integrated and we’ve put together this program.
[00:04:43] Shaun Maslyk: It’s, we, we haven’t released it or anything yet, but we’ve done about six trial, I guess I’ll call, call it, and usually about 45 to 46 minutes, 48 minutes we’re having people have huge awarenesses about their money story [00:05:00] by taking them through these exercises and asking questions, holding space for the reflection.
[00:05:06] Shaun Maslyk: And then my collaborator will listen and he writes a song on the spot that summarizes everything that they, they talked about and it has been remarkable to see the impact that this short amount of time happens. , and this is journey, Eric, like, I gotta say this is, yeah, we never have this mastered, but when we learn to dance with it, then we can, like, we all have a part of us that limits, limits, like, That’s talking to ourselves like, oh, you should have more money. You should be doing this with your money. Why did you do this? You silly guy. All this negative talk. And the idea is just to start recognizing that we have these conversations and I think that’s when we get this freedom, but it comes from within as opposed to trying to find the financial freedom in the common sense of having done enough investment assets.
[00:05:52] Shaun Maslyk: Don’t wanna discredit that. That’s super important, but I think it’s really important to have that free, that financially free mind as well.. [00:06:00]
[00:06:00] Eric Brotman: For the record between you, me, and whoever’s watching this, I would rather talk money than dance. I can’t dance even a little bit. So the idea of dancing with my money is very uncomfortable for me.
[00:06:12] Eric Brotman: in fact, dancing with anyone. if it’s not just me and a mirror, no one’s seeing that. But I digress. So in, in terms of these, in terms of these stories, and, and by the way, setting something to music is something people can wrap their heads around and enjoy and sort of laugh at or have fun with, which I totally get.
[00:06:27] Eric Brotman: And I do love that. Some of these stories are ingrained from our very young ages. Our first memories of money are often traumatic. They’re watching our parents fight about what they can or can’t afford, or who spent too much money at this store or that, or or how we choose which bills we’re paying that month.
[00:06:45] Eric Brotman: And, you know, you become a young adult and all of a sudden you’re responsible for things you maybe haven’t been in the past and a lot of people getting credit card debt or they’ve got these student loan issues and they’re just starting from a position of scarcity rather than abundance.[00:07:00] At what point are people ready for you?
[00:07:02] Eric Brotman: Let’s, let’s put it that way because I’m sure you could meet people where they are, but it requires a certain amount of maturity, a certain amount of adulting for lack of a more graceful term to be ready for your messaging. Wouldn’t you think?
[00:07:17] Shaun Maslyk: I do. A hundred percent. Self-reflection is not easy.
[00:07:24] Shaun Maslyk: Someone who I really look up to, we had this conversation of like, okay, this is, this is difficult work. Is this for everyone? And his response was, self-reflection isn’t reserved just for the elite or the individuals who have the time to do it. Self-reflection is something that we all should be able to do in the sense of it should be accessible to us.
[00:07:47] Shaun Maslyk: Now, the readiness, no, it’s not always there. It’s a continuum. It’s some people, you know, it’s fearful, but it’s often been said. If there’s fear, there’s [00:08:00] probably more, not a more, but a good reason to actually start to lean into that. But to answer your question, no, it’s fearful. This discomfort causes us to question ourselves, question our worldview.
[00:08:12] Shaun Maslyk: And, and it doesn’t. And I also wanna be clear this, I’m not saying everyone has to do this. Some people might go on and live their lives, never ever examine their money story or look at their relationship with money and could live a very good life. But what we do know is with more self-reflection and when we start to understand the parts of ourselves, especially around money that have different needs that we’ve ignored, there seems to be more of a richness that we can experience in life where. We start to become more congruent maybe with our values or maybe even when I say congruent, our actions and our values. This is often something as a financial planner, we see as people’s values say spending time with their, their kids, but they’re working 50 hours so that they can save up and retire and be with their kids.
[00:08:58] Shaun Maslyk: But we only [00:09:00] have really the moment now, and I’m not saying that you, you don’t have to work. We need to work, but it’s questioning like, Hey, wait. maybe I shouldn’t work that much more and should just lay down on the floor and play cars with my kid right now because I have them now.
[00:09:13] Eric Brotman: Yeah. No, and that’s, that’s, that’s wisdom that comes with time and a lot of times it comes with pain because you miss certain things and there are a lot of people out there who, in an attempt to give their kids a better lives than their own. And I put better in quotes cuz that could mean a lot of things, but certainly a life with more material things, which definitely doesn’t equate to a better life in my opinion.
[00:09:35] Eric Brotman: But in an attempt to do that, sometimes you rob them of the experiences and the time together that that matters more than anything in the whole world. And, and I will tell you, when I build and I build a, a personal energy plan every year, I build a plan for myself that is more than just professional goals.
[00:09:50] Eric Brotman: It’s family, it’s personal, it’s spiritual, it’s, it’s it’s all kinds of different aspects of that. and the very top piece of that absolutely [00:10:00] is enjoying the time I have with my family and specifically my daughter, who, as of this recording is now a seventh grader and a teenager, which is horrifying on so many levels.
[00:10:10] Eric Brotman: That’s a show for a different day. But that’s the most important thing. She’s the most important thing in my life. And I work and I travel and it’s difficult to, to balance both. And in fact, I don’t think anyone balances. If, if you hear somebody say they have good work life balance, they’re lying to you.
[00:10:25] Eric Brotman: Mm-hmm. If you can integrate the two, that’s good. If you can find a way to incorporate a trip to Universal Studios to ride a rollercoaster when you have a business meeting in Florida and you can figure out a way to do that, I think that’s better than, than not. So, alright, so let me ask you this.
[00:10:39] Eric Brotman: At, at the risk of becoming ridiculously vulnerable, which I sometimes am comfortable doing, but I don’t know you that well, Shaun. So is there a, a snippet, a piece of that 48 minutes that you could walk me through literally on the fly? I’m totally unprepared for this and so are you, so you can say no, but is there some snippet of that that you could [00:11:00] put me through?
[00:11:00] Eric Brotman: In front of all of our all of our audiences collectively. That would give a sense of the work that you do and who knows, maybe I’ll get some free therapy out of it.
[00:11:11] Shaun Maslyk: Do you have a piece of paper?
[00:11:12] Eric Brotman: I do.
[00:11:14] Eric Brotman: Okay. So grab a piece of paper. Yep.
[00:11:18] Shaun Maslyk: And draw an oval, like an egg.
[00:11:22] Eric Brotman: An egg. Got it.
[00:11:23] Shaun Maslyk: An egg.
[00:11:24] Eric Brotman: Okay. I got good size egg.
[00:11:25] Shaun Maslyk: At the bottom. A good size. Okay. At the bottom of the egg. So basically,
[00:11:31] Shaun Maslyk: does the egg
[00:11:32] Eric Brotman: need to be horizontal or vertical or does it not matter?
[00:11:35] Shaun Maslyk: It’s your choice.
[00:11:36] Eric Brotman: It’s my egg. Okay, I got it.
[00:11:37] Shaun Maslyk: Your egg. Now I want you to think about your earliest money, memory, whether it was painful, pleasurable, or enjoyable. Your earliest money memory from one of your parental figures. Mm-hmm. and draw a picture of it in the bottom of the egg.[00:12:00]
[00:12:01] Eric Brotman: I draw almost as well as I dance, but I know what it is and that’s what matters. I’m good.
[00:12:05] Shaun Maslyk: And, and if you want to not think about it, use your non-dominant hand so it just, you don’t have to think about the drawing.
[00:12:11] Eric Brotman: it won’t make any difference at all. Okay. It’ll still look like a three-year-old with a crayon, but, okay. I’m with you.
[00:12:17] Shaun Maslyk: All right. So we’ve got the bottom part. And, and this exercise is about you. So it’s you leaning into this exercise.
[00:12:22] Eric Brotman: I’m here.
[00:12:22] Shaun Maslyk: Now above it. Draw a picture of your earliest painful, pleasurable, enjoyable memory about money with your other parental figure, whoever was in the household. If there was two.
[00:12:39] Eric Brotman: That’s, that’s challenging in and of itself. That might take, that might take me 48 minutes. All right. All right. I think I got it. Okay, I got a drawing. Yeah, it’s pitiful, but it’s drawing.
[00:12:59] Shaun Maslyk: [00:13:00] That’s okay. No one’s gonna see it. Now think about your next money experience that you can remember. Remember that is after those times, that is pleasurable, painful, or enjoyable. And it could be from anyone.
[00:13:20] Eric Brotman: Okay. Okay.
[00:13:22] Shaun Maslyk: And now around your pictures, just draw, box them in with a like a line. It could be a squiggly line. Okay. Now your next money memory.
[00:13:32] Eric Brotman: I hope, by the way, everyone is doing this. I hope everyone is doing this while we’re doing this. If not, hit rewind and start start doing your own egg.
[00:13:40] Eric Brotman: Because who knows what’s gonna come out of this. All right, Shaun, I’m ready.
[00:13:43] Shaun Maslyk: Yeah, please everyone do this. Okay. And now another drawing of your, what’s coming up based on what you’re thinking on your, another memory about painful, pleasurable, or enjoyable memories around money. As a child again.
[00:13:58] Eric Brotman: As a child still.
[00:13:59] Shaun Maslyk: Yep. [00:14:00] You could be older child, it could be younger.
[00:14:02] Eric Brotman: Okay.
[00:14:03] Shaun Maslyk: Okay. Now go to the top of the egg. And that is Eric today. I want you to draw a memory, a recent memory, could be yesterday, this past week, month, a recent money, memory, enjoyable, pleasurable, or painful for Eric today. At the top of the egg. You did it?
[00:14:25] Eric Brotman: I’m working on it. I’m working on it.
[00:14:27] Shaun Maslyk: Oh, okay. Sorry. I’m sorry.
[00:14:27] Eric Brotman: I’m trying to figure out which direction this is going. I have a memory in my head that is, that is painful and a memory in my head that is pleasurable and I’m leaning toward the pleasurable because I’m an optimist and that feels like it’s more fun. So I’m going with that. And this is relatively recent, so I’m ready. Got it.
[00:14:47] Shaun Maslyk: Now underneath that I would like you to draw that other memory.
[00:14:52] Eric Brotman: That’s rude. All right.
[00:14:58] Shaun Maslyk: Okay. Yeah. Now [00:15:00] I’d like you to go back down to the bottom a mm-hmm. , look at the first two drawings. And write one word, three words, a sentence on what lesson you learned about money based on those experiences.
[00:15:22] Eric Brotman: Okay, got it.
[00:15:24] Shaun Maslyk: Now there’s probably a middle section that is a little bit older of an Eric. Yep. Look at those memories and collectively one word, a sentence or a few words that the lesson that you learned from that part of you.
[00:15:52] Eric Brotman: Got it.
[00:15:54] Shaun Maslyk: Okay. Now, the top, the top two experiences, what lesson, and I know they’re they’re opposites, [00:16:00] but what but what, what lesson are you learning from both of those?
[00:16:21] Eric Brotman: Okay.
[00:16:23] Shaun Maslyk: Okay. So now Eric, I do, I do thank you for asking this. And of course we did not pre decide this.
[00:16:30] Eric Brotman: No, no, we didn’t. this came, I came up with this on the fly at my own peril potentially, but I’m, I’m here. I’ve got a lot of drawing and a, and a very messed up egg.
[00:16:39] Shaun Maslyk: Now that’s good because our money stories are, are disorganized, confusing, and complex. Now look at this egg and I would like you just to write down Two to three feelings or emotions that are coming up.[00:17:00]
[00:17:11] Eric Brotman: Okay.
[00:17:12] Shaun Maslyk: Okay. And now we’re almost done. I want you to fill in the blanks as you sit and just be a little still with this cuz there’s probably a lot coming up. Fill in the blanks. The moral of my money story is.
[00:17:50] Eric Brotman: Okay.
[00:17:52] Shaun Maslyk: Okay, so now this egg really represents our money stories and the powerful hold that they [00:18:00] have on us. And the reason why it’s so profound to me is that it seems like no matter how much financial education we can get, if we don’t come to terms that we’re in this egg, that’s constricting us.
[00:18:12] Shaun Maslyk: And at moments we can get out, but there’s parts of us that need us just to recognize them. They’d be like, Hey, okay, I see you. I thought you were trying to harm me, but you were just trying to keep me safe when, when I was a child. And really this egg, it’s all pieced together. Right. Did you have a whole bunch of cracks around it? On all the drawings?
[00:18:28] Eric Brotman: Just about, yeah.
[00:18:30] Shaun Maslyk: Okay. So the analogy here is we’re in this egg, and the more we start to bring light to these moments, because they’re, they’re very emotionally driven, we could start to push this egg. And start to free ourselves from some of these long-standing, emotionally driven moments in our lives that are unconsciously creating our money stories and relationship with the money.
[00:18:56] Shaun Maslyk: Because these are. These have been shown through actually [00:19:00] academic research that these money scripts impact how we think, feel, and behave about money. And they also show or have high prediction towards our level of debt, income levels, type of occupations. So the more light we can bring to these unconscious beliefs, the more control we can start to have on our behaviors.
[00:19:22] Shaun Maslyk: So this is up to you. Do you want to share what your moral of your money story is?
[00:19:28] Eric Brotman: Absolutely. Because I think this is very, very cool and actually what I, what I would love to do is upload this to our show notes, but people will think something is horribly wrong with me when they see it, so I’m gonna keep that to myself, but I’m gonna keep the drawing to myself. All of you should have them. Yes, sir.
[00:19:43] Shaun Maslyk: Keep the drawing to yourself. But we all believe that our drawings are bad collectively, and we all, most of us, have bad drawings, so it’s okay. But anyways, I’m not forcing you to put the drawings out.
[00:19:54] Eric Brotman: Very good.
[00:19:55] Eric Brotman: So, the moral of my money story is that my, my [00:20:00] money story is maturing along with me. I’m, I’m watching an evolution of more and more mature feelings and experiences around financial affairs. Completely. From a very young age to sort of high school, college, to adulthood. And it’s profound that it really does feel like it builds on itself almost like almost like the universe sends you what you can handle at that given moment.
[00:20:28] Eric Brotman: This is a abundantly, abundantly clear that that’s what happened here, which is kind of cool. I’m very glad I did this. I hope you all did this. It was really good.
[00:20:40] Shaun Maslyk: Eric, I see you smiling.
[00:20:41] Eric Brotman: I am smiling.
[00:20:42] Shaun Maslyk: This, I just wanna ask you this. Yeah, yeah. I just wanna ask, what does this, what does this evolution mean to you? You, you kind of, your tone emphasized when you said evolution.
[00:20:52] Eric Brotman: What does it mean to me?
[00:20:54] Eric Brotman: I think. Number one, it means that although you never truly arrive, I’m [00:21:00] certainly on my way to whatever that looks like. And and, and to having to having a relationship with money that is truly an abundant one and a blessed one, and one that will allow for a lot of sharing and giving and making a difference on so many levels that I now feel like some of the lumps I took back in the day and continue to take, by the way, they’re, they’re not over, but the, the lumps you take along the way do, in fact, I think improve your outcomes strangely. Now my check’s in the mail.
[00:21:36] Eric Brotman: This is, this is a, a neat exercise, and I know that’s one little piece , of a larger a larger exercise, but I thank you for for, for bringing that to me. And I thank you for, for indulging me in in that experience. And actually I hope everybody did it. It was, it was a very simple five minute exercise that, that was enlightening.
[00:21:58] Eric Brotman: Very cool. And I am smiling [00:22:00] cuz that was, it was kind of fun. It was kind of fun. I had some trepidation. I had some nerves, no question. Especially because I was afraid you were gonna ask me to show this or, or tell everybody what those things were. And I was just completely transparent as if I was, you know, seeing my doctor right now with this.
[00:22:16] Eric Brotman: But no, this, this was a, this was a, a great exercise and so, When we talk about money stories, specifically about the ways in which our story is always evolving because, you know, until we take our last breath and possibly even thereafter, our story of all types has not fully been written yet.
[00:22:33] Eric Brotman: You know, I, I heard I heard once I, I think it was a, I think it was a country song actually, so that’s how profound it is. But I do love music. So I heard once that there are two dates on your tombstone and they don’t matter. What matters is the dash in between and what you do with them. and that feels kind of like kind of like this exercises. What do you do with the time you have with your family, with your business, with your friends, with your colleagues, with your with your faith, with whatever it is that lights your wick, so to speak.[00:23:00]
[00:23:00] Shaun Maslyk: That lyric gave me goosebumps because I feel like that’s what this work is all about is, as I said, money has such a powerful, I mean, it’s, it’s incredibly powerful and it can highlight those insecurities and those fears, but I feel like when we lean into the discomfort like you did here, it could be a portal into the unexamined parts of ourselves that allow us to create the best moments in that dash.
[00:23:28] Shaun Maslyk: Yeah. And not just always you know, we, this societal script is really strong that we need money for, you know, I need to continue to make more money. And that was my script for years and years. I was a shy kid growing up, really, really shy, and at some point I attracted it or attached the power money holds and the prestige to giving me a voice.
[00:23:51] Shaun Maslyk: So I chased that at all costs. And while on the surface I was getting promotions and I was enjoying the what came along with it [00:24:00] and not nothing. not that anything is bad with trying to get promotions and increase your, your wealth and your income, but I was doing it with my head down totally unconscious that while my kid was playing cards, and that’s why I use that example. I was out doing emails trying to get a promotion so that I could spend time with my kid when I’m 65. And so this is just all about bringing awareness to our story. And you know what? We might continue in the same job. We might continue working the same hours. But having that awareness I think is key because we’re so much, I call it the intoxification effect of money.
[00:24:34] Shaun Maslyk: We’re just intoxicated by money where sometimes we blindly just keep marching along. And what this helps us do is reflect and be more consciously aware of our. . And you know what is one last thing is, yeah, go ahead.
[00:24:47] Eric Brotman: No, I just say what is conspicuously absent? What is conspicuously absent In all of your talking points, your bio and everything I just did, is the word success or the word accomplishment or, [00:25:00] or anything quantifiable. That is fully absent in all of this. So I didn’t mean to derail you. I just, sometimes I have a thought and a fire, so I apologize. Go ahead and finish your thoughts, Shaun.
[00:25:11] Shaun Maslyk: You know I want to answer that, but, so all I was gonna say is on this, I keep saying it’s like a, this journey of life of our exploring and money stories, like a mountain without a top, where we’re always aspiring, but we’re never arriving.
[00:25:26] Shaun Maslyk: And that just goes to what you were saying is we’re always trying to figure this out. I don’t think we ever have it figured out. And that’s kind of the beauty in it and and with the success part. Yeah, cuz I think success is hard to define, like universal comment of success cuz my lived life experiences is gonna interpret success completely different than what your lived life experience is gonna tell and so forth.
[00:25:50] Shaun Maslyk: So that’s why, and it’s not that I’m opposed to having that word, it’s just success is so universal.
[00:25:57] Eric Brotman: Oh, I thought it was deliberately absent.
[00:25:59] Shaun Maslyk: Yeah. It [00:26:00] is. And, and, but I just wanna say it’s like, it’s not like I have a judgment against success just for me. It didn’t feel right.
[00:26:06] Eric Brotman: No, I, I think you’ve, I think you’ve nailed some of this messaging.
[00:26:10] Eric Brotman: I love the idea that , that life is a, is sort of a recipe and that you’ve got lots of different facets of it and you’re trying to put it all together and, you know, finance is certainly important and it’s certainly one of them. And you can’t bury your head in the sand and ignore it but to fixate on it we will be taking away from things that are dramatically more important in the big, in the big scheme of things.
[00:26:28] Eric Brotman: So I have to ask you now, and I’m excited for this answer and I’ve had some really good answers over the, over the course of this season, so no pressure at all, but if you were gonna pressure me with the egg, I’m pressuring you now .So what do you want to, what do you want to be when you grow up?
[00:26:42] Eric Brotman: What’s, what’s that look like?
[00:26:46] Shaun Maslyk: I want to be Shaun.. For a long time I was Mr. Shy. Mr. Shy is my inner money critic. And Mr. Shy had me obsessing over trying to make money to show his worth, to show his power. [00:27:00] He had the plastic smile on for years. He was totally occupied with the prestige and the dopamine rushes that continuously had me feeling like I was on a high because I was achieving these. And I lived behind this character of Mr. Shy and so what I want to be when I grew up is Shaun Maslyk, who can take off the mask of shame and just be Shaun, do creative things that I would never once have dreamed of, like making a music album about my money story.
[00:27:32] Shaun Maslyk: So it sounds simple, but I think it’s, it’s the most authentic for me is to be Shaun. When I’m Shaun, I’m a better husband, I’m a better dad. I’m a better communicator. I’m just a better person, so, mm-hmm. . I wanna be Shaun. Mr. SHy comes in all the time, and him and I are getting a good relationship.
[00:27:51] Eric Brotman: That’s a great answer and a unique one. No one else has wanted to be Shaun. So you have that to yourself.
[00:27:56] Shaun Maslyk: What better thing to have in my dash, my my dash [00:28:00] is that I was myself.
[00:28:01] Eric Brotman: Your authentic self. I think it’s great. Great answer.
[00:28:04] Shaun Maslyk: And somehow, Eric, I just gotta say somehow I used money to get there somehow. I used the discomfort around money as a portal to be hey, there you are, Shaun. So anyways.
[00:28:15] Eric Brotman: Well I’m, I’m glad, I’m glad you I’m glad you found yourself and I like your answer. Tell me and tell our audience what the one extra credit assignment would be and if I’m gonna steal the one that’s on the top of my head, which is, if you haven’t done the egg exercise, do the egg exercise.
[00:28:32] Eric Brotman: But beyond that, what’s the one extra credit assignment or takeaway that folks can walk away from this half an hour or so and go do, or, or experience.
[00:28:43] Shaun Maslyk: I don’t wanna discredit the, the security the ease that money brings to us. So I don’t wanna say that money’s not important. Money is incredibly important, but the extra credit assignment for me would be try the money egg exercise.
[00:28:59] Shaun Maslyk: But [00:29:00] beyond that, the sentiment under that is just be yourself. I think there’s a profound ability for all of us to find this freedom from within. The more we can sit and surrender to our thoughts and feelings and the discomfort that may become from it but all we have is ourselves. And you look at thousands years of ancient East part of the world, traditions of sitting, getting to know ourselves. I think in this day and age we can become very distracted and live this unconsciously tethered money life to like find out the best investments, the best strategies, where we forget to just be ourselves. So my extra credit is just to be yourself. Lean into that. Find out who you are and what, what me and my music collaborator call it is Find the treasures No vault can hold inside yourself.
[00:29:54] Eric Brotman: Oh, I like that. There’s, there’s the, the quote of the episode right there. I [00:30:00] like that. And, and I appreciate you sharing that. How can folks check out the most hated f word? How can they learn more about you? What is the best way for folks to check out Shaun being Shaun.
[00:30:11] Shaun Maslyk: I like that. That felt good. Thank you.
[00:30:13] Shaun Maslyk: I appreciate that you were really listening to say that statement, so thank you. The most hated f word.com is a website. It hosts my podcast. Yeah, there it is. I gotta update the logo. But you can go in here, find my podcast right now. Basically, this is a spot to house the podcast. I release an episode every week where we talk about our minds our money and what matters most.
[00:30:38] Shaun Maslyk: It’s an enjoyable space. I have fascinating guests from academia, authors, everyone who kind of rides the same sentiment that I was talking. We’re gonna be having a little program coming up. We’re, we’re gonna help people create their own money stories, so that’ll be on the website in next month or so.
[00:30:57] Eric Brotman: Oh, I love that. I love that. And if if you [00:31:00] ever decide to take me through the full 48 minutes and you want to do it on air, I might be open to that. I might be open to that. You gotta think about it real hard though. I’ll, but
[00:31:08] Eric Brotman: that’s fine. Yeah. I look, I can even go acapella if necessary.
[00:31:11] Eric Brotman: And so, so it’s not no big deal. Okay. So Shaun, thanks for being on the show, by the way just because I know your audience may be geographically located a little bit differently than ours, although podcasts are everywhere. For the record, and I’m saying this right now, to upset as many people as I can. Connor McDavid is the most talented athlete of all time in any sport. So I said it and I stand by it. No question.
[00:31:35] Shaun Maslyk: No denial, no question.
[00:31:37] Eric Brotman: That that is just for anyone who doesn’t know who Connor McDavid is. Google. He’s the finest Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky and all the great athletes in every position Conor McDavid as an athlete is the most amazing.
[00:31:48] Eric Brotman: All right, so Shaun, thank you for being on the show. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’d like to thank all of you for watching and listening today. We’d love to hear from you, so please send us a message or leave comments at don’t retire [00:32:00] graduate.com or on social media. If you enjoy the show, please don’t keep it a secret.
[00:32:04] Eric Brotman: Share it with friends and family so they can join you on your journey to financial freedom. And please leave us ratings and reviews on your favorite platform. They mean everything to us. We’ll be back next week with another installment of Office hours and in two weeks with another engaging guest. For now, this is your host, Eric Brotman, reminding you don’t retire… Graduate!
[00:32:31] Eric Brotman: Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, llc (Kestra IS.) Member FINRA, S I P C. Investment Advisory Services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, llc. (Kestra AS) an affiliate of Kestra IS. Kestra IS or Kestra AS are not affiliated with Brotman Financial or any other entity discussed.