My whole life, my choices have been driven by money. That's what happens when you grow up without much of it. You do everything you can to chase the stability. But even as I started to earn more and claw my way out of poverty, I still felt like I didn't get it. It felt like everybody around me was building their piles of money and creating wealth, and I was missing a piece of the puzzle.

No one ever talked about investing as I was growing up. I'm scared that I may lose a lot of money. The biggest thing that's stopping me is I just don't know how to do it.

I get it. And let's face it, it's easy to feel like the financial system is stacked against us, especially if you're a woman, a person of color, or a single Pringle like me. And even if you don't identify as any of those, you might still feel that it's hard to find financial guidance that makes sense for you, not your parents or finance bros. I'm Delyanne Barros, better known on TikTok and Instagram as The Money Coach. I'm also an ex attorney turned money expert, and now I'm hosting a brand new podcast with CNN. Welcome to Diversifying. This show isn't just about diversifying your investments. We're changing the conversations we have about money while taking control of our future. We're going to demystify money with stories that reflect where we come from and where we're going.

Having a budget. I mean, if you don't like the B-word, call it a spending plan. If you want, like you can call it whatever you want. But you have to have some type of boundary and structure to how you spend your money.

Whether it's paying off those student loans, deciding to rent or by demanding that raise or investing in the stock market. It's time to make money work for you. So let's start diversifying together. The first two episodes drop February 28th wherever you get your podcasts.