Mask Off - No More Pretending
Happy New Year!
How is the new year treating you so far?
Me? I'm excited! Let me tell you why.
As we step into 2025, I want to share something deeply personal about the direction Hey Auntie! is taking this year. After a few weeks of rest, reflection, and resetting, we made the strategic decision to go deep. Deep on the issues that matter most to us. Deep in our connections. And deep in the impact we're creating together.
For over three years, as new members have joined our community, you've shared your truths with us—and time and again, finances have emerged as one of the most pressing sources of stress. But for us as Black women, it's never just about dollars and cents. It's about the stories we've inherited, the silence we've carried, and the generational pain we've been told to endure.
Together, we're changing that.
That's why our theme for the year is The Shift: From "I'm Fine" to "I'm Financially Free."
This month, we're kicking things off with the theme Mask Off: No More Pretending. Together, we're peeling back the layers, letting go of shame, and moving from looking financially okay to doing the work to become financially free. The cost of pretending is too high, and it's time for us to claim the freedom we deserve—not just for ourselves, but for the generations before us and those yet to come.
A Personal Reflection
As I reflect on where we're heading, I'm reminded of a powerful lesson from my mentor: “You don't learn from experience; you learn from reflecting on your experiences.” That wisdom shapes my personal journey and continues to inspire the vision for this community.
At the close of 2024, I celebrated a major milestone: securing a transformational contract for my consultancy. But what truly stood out was the mindset shift that made it possible. It started with a simple prayer, asking God to place me among women doing what I aspired to do. Their willingness to share their experiences, honesty, and wisdom, coupled with my willingness to be vulnerable (which wasn't always easy, but was so worth it), accountable, consistent, learn, unlearn, and lean on them when I needed help, empowered me to step boldly into my financial aspirations.
That same spirit is what I want for all of us this year.
The Path Ahead
Here's what you can expect this year at Hey Auntie!:
A New Membership Model: To deepen our connections and amplify our impact, we'll be launching a tiered paid membership. This will allow us to create richer experiences, bring in more expert voices, and provide tailored resources to help us thrive. Founding memberships open in February—more details coming soon!
Monthly Financial Themes: Each month, we'll explore a focused financial topic to help us grow together. This January, we're starting with Mask Off: No More Pretending.
This month, our Lela's Corner (small peer-to-peer guided discussion group) we will discuss our yearly theme, The Shift- From I'm Fine to I'm Financially Free. This space is designed for you to share experiences, explore your money journey, and gain insights from one another as we work together to redefine personal financial narratives.
This month, in our Auntie's Porch (expert-led workshop) Mask Off: No More Pretending, Philadelphia Federal Credit Union Financial Counselor and Financial Educator Yahne' Jackson will guide us in uncovering the hidden stories shaping our relationship with finances and creating new stories to help us take the first steps toward financial freedom. Join us to gain practical tools, ask the financial questions you've been hesitant to, connect with your supportive community, and start creating the financial future you're ready to embrace.
3. Financial Freedom Starter Guide: Our PDF guide is thoughtfully designed to support your journey toward financial freedom, combining meaningful self-reflection prompts with practical strategies to help you take the next step. Grab yours here.
4. The Kitchen: Connect with your fellow Hey Auntie! family in our private Slack, and receive and respond to daily financial prompts, share resources, celebrate wins, and have fun building deeper connection. Apply here. If you are interested in a tutorial on how to use Slack, you can select the box in the form. You got this!
Friend, if you're done pretending, ready to take off the mask, and committed to stepping into your financial freedom, 2025 is our year of transformation. Let's shift—together.