Happy end of mental health awareness month! Today’s newsletter is going to focus on some mental health, the book to read if you are ready to invest, and some Zuko related gossip.

My Business

I am no therapist, but I have been in therapy for the last 5 years. I am an immigrant to the US, I got my PhD at a predominately white institution, and my dissertation focused on a neglected disease. I moved from academia to industry without a postdoc. All while struggling with depression and anxiety. So, this is the experience that I bring to my one-on-one coaching session. 🥰

Podcasts🎙️

Today’s podcast recommendation is Brown Ambition. Mandi Woodruff-Santos is a career and negotiation coach that tackles everything personal finance. I am a loyal listener and Mandi has been very open about her mental health journey. In this episode, Mandi interviews Aja Evans, a licensed financial therapist. I hope the episode resonates with many of you! 🥰

Book of the Month📚

The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins is a life changing book. An updated version was released on May 20th 2025. My husband and I read this book back in the summer of 2020. I was a second year graduate student, the pandemic was rampant and the market had crashed back in March. This book gave us the confidence to start and keep investing in broad base index funds even when the world had that level of uncertainty. Today, I recommend this book to anybody that will listen.

Podcasts Interviews🎙️ about The Simple Path to Wealth Book📚

If you are not ready to start the book but would like to hear some of the promotional interviews, there are many options: Financial Feminist, Journey to Launch, The Money with Katie Show, and ChooseFI.

Zuko🐾

He broke a tooth and we have to get it extracted. It is going to be $1500. Thankfully, we have an emergency fund at Ally that accounts for our Zuko's needs. If you have a pet, revise that your emergency fund can cover your furbaby’s bills.