We were lucky to catch up with Erica Perez recently and have shared our conversation below.
Erica, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
This has been the case for most of my life. When I was younger, I tried my best to hide in the background. I wouldn’t give feedback, I stayed pretty quiet, and shared only when asked. For those who know me, that is absolutely the opposite of who I am. This shifted for me in 2016. I was about to have my second baby, and the schools I was working in started to focus more on their inclusion efforts. I started to share my voice and became more comfortable in my skin.
Fast forwarding to today, I wouldn’t say it is any easier. In an unfamiliar room, I go in as an observer. I still wait to see if the space is safe for me to exist as my authentic self. If it isn’t, I know that is not a space for me. If it is, I learn who my allies are. I enter the spaces to listen and understand. I share my views and opinions more easily. If something doesn’t sit well, I address it with the appropriate person.
Overall, I am blessed to be on a team that is continuing to grow in diversity each year. I am not the only Latina in the room anymore. I love this because even within the Latine community, each sub-group has its nuances on top of each person’s own personality.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a financial advisor with Northwestern Mutual. I shifted back into finance two years ago after being in education for 11 years. Over 80% of my clients are people of color, and I’m proud of that. There are many naysayers who believe I cannot build a business by serving a majority of clients of color. I am proving them wrong every day.
My niche is women physicians and executives of color, although I have clients across many different professions. I am a natural connector and learn so much about my clients’ goals by asking questions and truly listening. Women are overlooked and misunderstood so often by financial advisors. There is a misconception that women aren’t the power players or financial decision makers. But, women are powerful beyond measure. Women elevating equates to elevating communities. Helping women understand their finances, grow their capacity for wealth, and put savings processes in place to maintain that wealth is a gamechanger. It fires me up.
My goal for 2025 is to bring on 60 new clients within my ideal market. If you, or a woman you know, is looking for a financial advisor who understands the unique challenges and opportunities we face, I invite you to connect with me.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
My personal values can be summed up into three categories that have helped me in my journey: community, learning, and resilience.
<b>Community</b> is what guides me. It’s why I went into education long ago, and it’s why I am here as a financial advisor now. I have a strong desire to help and uplift those around me. It is what drives me to action.
<b>Learning</b> has been part of my every day since I was a kid. I have always loved to learn new skills, learn about new people, learn how to be present, learn when to keep moving forward, and learn when to pivot. In my role, I am learning every day. I am learning about new journeys with new clients and using knowledge of them and finance to build paths toward their goals.
<b>Resilience</b> is my most controversial quality. I never chose to be resilient; I HAD to be. As a Latina, life has always thrown curveballs at me. I sometimes wish I did not have to be resilient, but without it, I would not be in the position I am today helping the women and families I get to privilege to help.
For those just figuring it out, I would say: Be authentic in who you are. Ask questions and truly listen for understanding. Give yourself grace when you fall, set a specific amount of time to sulk or wallow, and then dust yourself off. Dance it off. Learn from it. Remember who you are.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
It would absolutely be imposter syndrome. I have my own incredible skills and talents I bring to this career. I have worked with communities for a majority of my working life. I am an educator. I am a connector. I am truly great at this job. Yet, I still get in my head. The mean gremlin in my head tells me, “Who do you think you are? You’re 10 years too late. What’s a Latina doing in this space? You can’t build a client base from scratch. You can’t. You won’t. You don’t.” The head trash is real. I hate that gremlin.
I have to counter it with affirmations and meditation. Sometimes I’ll just go quote searching in the morning to get myself in the right headspace. I also have an accountability partner who has turned into one of my best friends. We check in every morning with our wins, our losses, our goals, and our affirmations. I have had to create habits to fight the gremlin. It is an endless boxing match with many rounds. There are days when the gremlin gets close to winning, but I am in the lead the majority of the time.
If you are struggling with similar challenges, know that you are not alone. Connect with other women and support each other on this journey to success. You got this! Remember, you are brilliant and powerful beyond measure.
Contact Info:
- Website: ericaperez.nm.com
- Instagram: @ericaperez.nm
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-perez-mat-109a03187/
Image Credits
Kristy Tett – headshot Me – all others
