Q: What prompted you to write a book that deals with the lack-of-self-confidence issue from so many different perspectives?

A: I wrote the book because I struggled with low self-esteem and poor self-confidence for over two decades until I came to find out I had sort of encapsulated myself into a false comfort zone, which I’d been stubbornly (or desperately) maintaining for a long time. It was 2008 when I felt overwhelmed with the realization that I could have done more with my life besides earning a doctoral degree in classical violin, and that was my crossroads, my hitting rock bottom, both personally and professionally. So, the issue of self-doubt and fear of failure had to be addressed when it became clear that I needed to embark on a career journey different from what I had known for almost thirty years. Once I began studying science and medicine to become a registered nurse and, later on, finance with the goal to invest and become financially independent, I figured that the process of building trust in myself involved far more than just the obvious necessity for financial security. It indeed had multiple angles.

Q: How so?

A: When you start digging in-depth into different and highly important areas of knowledge, you gradually become able to see how these components connect and work together. It then finally dawns on you that your health, for example, is just as relevant to your success as your finances, and the choices you make in regards to your health or money-handling are quite influenced by your relationships. You will have a hard time building consistent wealth if you are in poor health, which includes the expensive management of chronic conditions, and therefore, you must keep your health at an optimum level at all times; similarly, poor money-spending prioritization can lead to compromises in your health decision-making, meaning, you may opt to eat food of inferior quality or choose not to exercise enough because you are depending on a job with long hours and have no cash-flowing assets unrelated to a job. By the same token, if you hang out with the wrong people, and this doesn’t necessarily imply they’re bad people, but they can be well-intentioned ignorant people, they may influence you to make poor health decisions, poor financial decisions or, most likely, both.

Q: How would you describe your book?

A: I believe this is the book I wish I could have read fifteen years ago. That’s exactly why I wrote it. My intention is to help people who want high quality control over their lives build a solid foundation to optimal health, spiritual strength, financial independence, and meaningful relationships through a process of well-planned prioritization.

Q: What made you decide to abandon your violin career and commit to learning nursing?

A: I believe it was around 2006 when orchestras in the US started crumbling and several ended up going bankrupt. The Syracuse Symphony, which was my employer from 2006 to 2011 when it declared bankruptcy, had already given plenty of indications that they were struggling financially, and there were serious disagreements between the union and management. I was in an insanely competitive field: orchestra auditions had 40 to 500 violin candidates for one spot, but worst of all, it wasn’t at all clear how many orchestras were destined to survive the financial crisis. I wanted a career that would keep me in demand for as long as I needed and one that would also allow me to more directly help people.

Q: In your book, you discuss building self-confidence from the health, spirituality, career, finances, and relationships perspectives. You have dedicated five chapters to health. Did your nursing knowledge have anything to do with this approach?

A: It was not only the knowledge but also a long-standing passion for health in general. My nursing experience was an eye-opener when it came to learning about the healthcare system and its ways to generate just astounding profits from chronic disease and symptom management. I also read books on the business aspect of healthcare in the US and learned that healthcare is the biggest cause of personal bankruptcy and the most profitable business in the US, so I started connecting the dots and made it a priority to help people understand that you simply cannot compromise your health if you want to build lasting wealth and obtain peace of mind.

Q: What is the main message here with regards to making a drastic life change?

A: If you want to grow personally, it is supposed to be hard. Having been a musician for 26 years, I had an extremely limited perception of the rest of the world, the real world, so to speak. Taking all the science classes was a highly motivational experience, but going into nursing provided the needed shock to my system and made me grow the determination to continue learning and expanding my horizons, which is how I ended up also becoming an investor. The simultaneous presence of desperation, fear, curiosity, and inspiration is what helps you persevere. I believe this is the most important message here.

Q: When you say, “going into nursing provided the needed shock,” what exactly does this mean?

A: The shock consisted of several factors. At first, I thought learning a profession that was in demand would make me appreciated and would ensure a bright financial future. Many people still like to think they can just coast on a job indefinitely. I quickly learned that: A.) The other side of the demand coin was called staffing shortage, meaning we were drowning on a hospital floor trying to take care of more patients than we could safely handle; B.) There was a secondary shortage created by people who simply hated working due to burnout and called in with or without a reason; C.) Many of the nurses were often broke, even if they had acquired significant seniority on the job, as reflected by handsome hourly rates; and D.) There were some patients who did anything but make you feel appreciated. The shock came with the realization that relying on a job alone to build wealth or prosperity was idealistic at best.

Q: And why was that? You have written two chapters on financial health and financial literacy or investing. 

A: Because, ultimately, it is not your employer’s job to make you wealthy or rich. There is still a disturbingly high number of people who don’t know that it is very important what you do with your money after you earn it. But investing requires time to learn, plan, and execute. After a year in the healthcare system, I already knew I needed a plan B. There was no way to rely on the stock market after the 2008 crash. I did not want a 401(k). So I resolved to become a student yet again and began educating myself on investment vehicles.

Q: In your book, you talk extensively about keeping your spiritual and physical health at optimal levels, your finances and relationships under control at all times. Is this realistic?

A: The only person who can make this determination for yourself is you. But to be good at it, you must understand very well the difference between an argument and an excuse. Most people talk a big game, thinking they are giving you arguments when it comes to their lack of control over some or all of these life aspects. What they are really giving you, though, is a whole bunch of excuses. You are perfectly capable of making the time for your prosperity plan once you are convinced of its true value. The whole question about how to find the time will then simply disappear, because you don’t look for time anymore. You create it.

Q: How do we “create” time?

A: We create time by removing activities and events from our day that contribute minimally, if at all, to our overall well-being. Examples include but are not limited to: watching TV daily, playing video games, hanging out with people with no goals to prosper, being overly engaged on social media, indulging in spending on useless or unneeded items, and so on.

Q: Who would benefit from reading your book?

A: My book is a practical guide for those in need of overcoming self-limiting barriers or beliefs. It is an excellent read for people going through midlife crisis, usually within the early thirties to mid-fifties age range, facing self-doubt while feeling trapped in a constantly narrowing comfort zone, and anyone contemplating a major life change. Now, considering the events of the last two-three years, it appears that many younger people could also take advantage of the concepts in this book, because they will have to deal with more instability than my generation or the generation prior to mine had to deal with.

Q: What will people learn from you by reading your book?

A: My goal with this book is to share my experience with overcoming a twenty-year-long history of self-doubt and then show the practical applications of this experience to each life aspect. It is full of insights on how to approach our lives holistically by elevating the essential life components you mentioned earlier in our conversation, because these determine who we are and who we want to become.

Q: What is the ultimate purpose of having high self-confidence?

A: When self-confidence is based on integrity and measurable results, it is the ultimate path to freedom of choice with regards to the person you want to be, the life you want to have, and the ways in which you want to influence other people.