Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson
Ready Set Collaborate is a podcast with a wealth of knowledge on networking, collaboration, and partnership, unlocking the secrets to successful teamwork and Innovation. Whether you are an entrepreneur, a creative professional, or just someone who can understand the power of networking and collaboration. This podcast is your go-to resource. Join us as we explore the stories, strategies, and insights from experts, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders who have experienced the magic of networking and collaboration to achieve successful results.
Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson
Faith, Finance, and Freedom with Bertha Winston
Evangelist Bertha Winston opens up about her remarkable journey from financial struggle to global influence in this powerful conversation about faith and finances. As a Forbes-featured financial expert whose accolades include Billboard's 2024 Top Woman in Business and Ministry, Bertha shares the pivotal moment that changed everything - realizing at age 62 she wasn't financially prepared for retirement.
With refreshing honesty, Bertha reveals how she transformed from living paycheck-to-paycheck, using credit cards as emergency funds, to developing strategies for true financial independence. Her approach uniquely blends biblical principles with practical money wisdom, demonstrating how scripture provides both the foundation and roadmap for economic success. "You cannot work your way to wealth," she explains. "You have to strategize yourself to wealth."
The conversation goes deeper than typical money advice, exploring how business ownership creates tax advantages, why passive income streams are crucial for retirement, and how changing your relationship with money can transform your entire life trajectory. Bertha challenges listeners to recognize that while 80% of Americans lack even $500 in emergency savings, breaking free from financial bondage is possible at any age.
What makes this discussion truly special is Bertha's holistic definition of wealth that extends far beyond the balance sheet. At 74, she describes these recent years as "the epitome" of her life, proving that true prosperity encompasses peace, joy, health, and meaningful relationships alongside financial abundance. Her powerful testimony serves as both an inspiration and a practical guide for anyone seeking to build a legacy of economic wisdom.
Connect with Bertha Winston on Social Media
https://berthawinston.myecon.net/lp/m-fsm/?a=1-47746E
LI - linkedin.com/in/bertha-winston
IG - instragram.com/winstonexperience
FB - facebook.com/thewinstonexperience
http://www.thewinstonexperience.com
http://www.retiredanddebtfree.com
Phone: 202-503-8491
email: berthawinston@aol.com
Subscribe, share this episode, and prepare to transform how you think about money, faith, and your financial future. Connect with Bertha through the contact information above
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Welcome to Ready Set. Collaborate with Wanda Pearson. This is where ideas spark, connections grow and collaborations fuse success. Tune in for inspiring stories, expert insights and game-changing conversations. Let's build, connect and thrive together. Remember collaboration is the key to success.
Speaker 2:Welcome, welcome to the Ready Set Collaborate podcast with Wanda Pearson. I am thrilled that you're joining us today, and this episode is truly special. My guest is someone who influences Spain's continents I'm saying continents like y'all, all different countries here evangelist bertha winston. She's a global speaker, financial expert and author whose wisdom has landed her on the covers of forbes, one black woman magazine, cbs, fox news and nbc. Her passion for faith and financial empowerment is transforming lives around the world.
Speaker 2:Bertha, I'm just in awe of everything you do, but I wanted to mention this too. You was featured in the billboard title 2024 Top Woman in Business and Ministry for Mother's Day, honored as the top 20 authors in the Author All-Star Magazine in 23 and 24. So was I? 2024, bertha? Yes, and we're going to do it again in 2026, right? Yes, we are. So her latest releases is Empowered Me, the Glory of His Presence, volume 2, out of Nigeria and the Path to Financial Independence exemplify her commitment to financial empowerment and personal development. So I just wanted to have this little bit more about you and then we're going to get the show rolling here, bertha, okay, okay.
Speaker 2:In 2024, evangelist Bertha Winston was highly recommended to receive an Honorary Humanitarian Doctor Award, retired from her office-managed job at 15 years with prestigious law firm in the District of Columbia, bertha is more fervently engaged than ever teaching individuals how to build passive income streams and retire debt free. I love that, beyond her balance sheet, her life reflects resilience and faith. As a dynamic educator, influencer, bertha Winston comes to inspire others on their journey to financial independence. Wow, bertha, this is just yeah, I'm just in awe. And that's just a little bit of y'all of what I'm talking about with her. I mean, she is just like a long list, but we just summarize it a little bit. But, bertha, welcome to the show. I'm honored to have you here and thank you so much for inviting me.
Speaker 3:It's such a pleasure.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I'm so glad you said can I be on your podcast? Yes, you can. Yes, you say can I be on your podcast? Yes, you can. Yes, you can come on. That's what I want to do. I'm about educating and empowering people so they can see what you can do. You know, and collaboration. So I always say collaboration is the key to yes collaborate, and I've always did that.
Speaker 2:God put me into this podcast. Ready set collaborate. I thought about the name. Yes, ready set collaborate. So let's collaborate. That's how you become successful, right, that's right. I'm so honored that you'd be here, so let's start at the beginning. Ok, a powerful platform rooted in both faith and finance. What inspired you to step into this calling?
Speaker 3:What inspired me to step into the financial call was I wanted to retire at 62. And when I did an inventory of my finances, I saw that I wasn't financially set to retire. And so I had to talk to Bertha and say, oh, young lady, you got to get busy. If you keep doing what you're doing, you're going to keep getting the same results. So I had to work some strategies. I had to change my mindset about finances and I had to work some strategies. I had to change my mindset about finances and I had to get busy because I wanted to retire.
Speaker 3:I didn't want to work for no one the rest of my life and looking at my finances, I had to work some extra years and I wasn't happy about that. And I said, if I'm in that predicament, I'm quite sure there are others in that predicament too. So I began to work strategies to strategize myself out of debt. I was living paycheck to paycheck, my credit card was my emergency fund. I didn't have no investment. I was like, look, girl, you got to get yourself together. And that's what I did. I started working on my finances because I wanted to retire debt free. And that's what put me into the, gave me that passion, that if this is what's going on with me, I know there are others out there going through the same thing, so that's what put me in that arena.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and I'm looking at your book the Path to Financial Independence. I love that. That's probably what you started here. So you merged from ministry and money, two areas I often talked about, together. How has your faith guided your journey as a financial leader and evangelist?
Speaker 3:So my faith has guided me, because the word talks about finances more than it talks about anything. The word said I would that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prosper. And then I also read where it said the borrower is slaved to the lender. So true, and we are slaved to the lenders with our credit cards and all these things that we buy, and we don't even have an emergency fund. 80% of us don't even have $500 that we could set aside if an emergency comes. So the Bible talks so much about finances, even the parable of when the traveler went away, jeroboam when the traveler went away, he left his money for them to put his money to use. So, with the word of God, it's what we need to be doing. If you read the word, you'll see God want you to be financially free, Because he said the rich ruleth over the poor. So when I got into the word, I was like sure, so I'm doing what the word says. So yeah, this goes right along with my book and God, I love it.
Speaker 2:That is so true. So you've helped so many people shift their financial situations. What are the top three money principles you live by and teach others.
Speaker 3:To set a budget. It's a bad word because if you budget, if you write your money, if you write it down and can see where it's going. Eliminate the debt with the credit cards, because my mentor said, interest is the penalty you pay to own something in advance that you cannot even afford. So most of the time we go and buy stuff that we can't even afford and we don't even need it, we just want it. So, budgeting, eliminating debt, eliminate your credit cards and really it first starts with your mindset. You have to change your mindset about finances because, let me tell you, you cannot work your way to wealth. You have to strategize yourself to wealth. So you have to set some strategies, you have to set some boundaries and you have to stop giving the giving your money to those that are already rich, because Because, like I said, the Bible said the rich rule is over the poor and you're going to make somebody rich, so why not yourself? Amen.
Speaker 2:I love that and actually we're going right into this next segment. But for those who experience lack or struggle, what's the first mindset shift? They need to start creating financial freedom Debt.
Speaker 3:Eliminate those credit cards, eliminate going eating out so much. You need to start eliminating unnecessary spending because we have the money and start investing and start an emergency fund. We have the money. We just don't know how to take the money and put it where it needs to work for us. We want your money to work for you, not you work for the money. That's what rich folks do. They put their money where their money works for them and they don't work for the money. And I would encourage everybody to own a business. Get a business, because you are taxed differently when you own a business than you are if you're just a nine to five.
Speaker 2:Yes, exactly that's what I did when I retired from IBM. Oh yeah, oh yes. So we had our business. We had legal shield business. I would never be without a business. Oh please, I tell you, it's just amazing how and when I was actually networking. I first got in when I left IBM.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:The people that I networked with. They told me Wanda, you got to get your own brand, why not get my own brand? I'm so glad I did. Yes, it actually makes a big difference, because that's how I started doing my podcast, my book, consulting, coaching, all of that, because I know it's a service that we provide, but I wanted my own business. Oh yeah, oh yes, you got to.
Speaker 3:If you don't have a business, please start one. Baking, crocheting, whatever You're good at something. We all are good at something Making that cake, making that potato salad. Yeah, I told my daughter, there are so many things that we can do, that we can use for a business that we don't even think about. You could be a business owner absolutely.
Speaker 2:That is so true because, I tell you, when I first left corporate, I started to work. No, I'm sorry, covid happened, so we had to do oh yeah, covid, yes a lot of people that let go from their jobs, and that's yeah people. Yeah, that's when I started my wdp is passion. What is your passion? What have you always wanted to do? Right exactly your own business. So I started coaching and consulting doing that and helping them with their LLCs.
Speaker 3:Right Good.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, it really makes a difference. So let me ask you another question. So how do you integrate spiritual wisdom into your financial teachings?
Speaker 3:financial teachings. Well, I use the word. I use scriptures when I'm doing my presentation, because it's all in the Bible. I use those scriptures that I just talked about Proverbs and Deuteronomy. I've given you power to gain wealth. It's so full of scriptures. It's so full of scriptures about finances and that's how I give them the word. Absolutely, if you catch me out of the book, hey yeah, I love it.
Speaker 2:My husband and I started reading the bible in a year again a lot of the bible. I was like, oh my god, this is what's going on in the world today. This is what's happening today and it's really given us like a vehicle to really understand where we go and when you think about all the patriarchs were wealthy. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:They were Abraham Solomon, all of them. They were wealthy. Yeah, they weren't paupers.
Speaker 2:Yep, exactly, they were wealthy, they were.
Speaker 3:So God want you to be wealthy as long as you can control it. You know, yeah, control, that's the biggest word. As long as you can control it. Yeah, because he gave you the power to gain it. He gave it to you. Nobody have to give it to you.
Speaker 2:God gave it to you exactly. I'm enjoying this girl because I'm gonna have to have you back on my show again, so can you share a powerful moment where your faith and finances aligned and you knew God was positioning you for more?
Speaker 3:It's kind of like God gave me a prophecy years ago about one day I would be standing before great men, that royalty. So I always held on to that prophecy and I always reminded God. Ok, god, you said I was going to be standing before great men and women and I would have wealth. And I said, ok, it ain't looking like it right now, but I trust your word and I know if you said it, it's going to come to pass. So I kept reminding God of that promise, that prophecy that I got from this prophet, and I knew it was God and I just held on. Well, 20 years down the road, it's coming to pass. And so I equate that with knowing that I'm in the will of God, because God spoke it over my life at that time, just like Joseph, joseph dreamed that dream and you know you're going to be bound before me.
Speaker 3:But it didn't look like it was going to happen, because the brothers sold him into slavery and he went on for boredom and the wife lied on him and he went to prison. It didn't look like that was going to come to pass, but he still trusted God. God still elevated him in every area that he was in. God was still with him. So I think he had to say, okay, god, I'm trusting and I'm believing. So I trusted God that it was going to come to pass. So I intertwined that with my mission, because God has a mission for all of us and he has a path for all of us. He has a plan for all of us. We got to walk in it and you got to believe it. You got to believe and you got to trust God, because if God said it and spoke it, it's coming to pass. If he said it if he said it is coming to pass.
Speaker 3:So I take that and I stand on that. I stand on what God has given me and what he's told me and I trust him because I know he's a God that he will not lie. And I trust him because I know he's a God that he will not lie Absolutely.
Speaker 2:And you know what, bertha? My favorite verse when I left corporate Jeremiah 29, 11. Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 3:I know the plan.
Speaker 2:My answer props for me, plans to get me up?
Speaker 3:Yes, and I hold on to that. That's so true, and if it's in his word, it's true and he is there for you. It's true, and it's there for you and you got to know. But you got to know what he said and then you got to remind him. Okay, god, this is what you said. Now I'm trusting and the belief is not looking like it, but I know you said it in your word, so that means I could trust what you said.
Speaker 3:And I tell you, I go through that Bible, honey, and I'll be telling God okay, this is what you said.
Speaker 2:Come on, I need your help.
Speaker 3:Lord, yeah, I'm reminding you of your word. Now, what's going on here? And that's so good, to have that intimate relationship with God where you could talk to him and believe and trust him, because he is going to, he's not going to deny his word, he's never going to deny his word because he is his word absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 2:So we got to get girl. We can be talking all day here, but I want to get get into just for us. You've been featured on magazine covers and global media. What moment stands out the most and what did you mean? What did it mean to you personally in the book?
Speaker 3:the Forbes magazine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, on the Forbes, yeah. So yeah, what moment? Which one did that sit out to you more and what did it mean to you personally when you was in Forbes? You was in so many.
Speaker 3:Yeah, a Glead magazine. It meant that I have the power. I have power to gain the wealth that God has given me. It highlighted me that I was, am somebody, I am, I am valuable, my life is valuable and it meant that, well, no matter what people say, you are what God said you are, and when. In those magazine, let me see that you are important. You know, because sometimes we don't give ourselves credit, but that gave me credibility, that you got it going on, girl.
Speaker 2:You sure do. You sure do, and it's being recognized on a global scale. How you impact missions and the people you serve is something to really be proud of.
Speaker 3:As far as yes and when people recognize your worth, that gives you credibility and it gives you, it makes you proud. You know of yourself, because that credibility is all that you have.
Speaker 2:And when other people see that in you. It really means something. It really does, bertha. I really and being especially as you grow up, you didn't think that you would be doing what you're doing.
Speaker 3:Oh, my God Lord, have mercy.
Speaker 2:God put you in that position to be able to do what you have accomplished so far. God put you in that position to be able to do what you have accomplished so far. So when people around the world see you in these powerful spaces.
Speaker 3:what message do you hope they receive? I hope that they will see that they can redirect their life, they can redefine themselves and they can renew themselves and never let your past dictate your future, because God does have a plan for you.
Speaker 2:I love that. That's when we get back in that. Jeremiah 29, 11 girl. Yes, so let's talk about your legacy and wisdom. So what is one myth about wealth or success that you'd love to break down from our audience today?
Speaker 3:day. Let's see. Wealth is not all about money. It's about your life. You could have all the money, but you could be so miserable, you could not have peace, you could not have health, you could be lonely. So wealth is not all about money. It's about your character. It's about who you are and how you collaborate with people, how you love people, how you look to people and how you treat people.
Speaker 3:Wealth is not about having things. It's about who you are and how you impact other people's lives. So that's the way I look at wealth. It's good to have the money, because money ruleth all things, as the words say. But you got to have more than money. You got to have peace, you got to have joy, you got to have God. You could have all that money, and if you don't have God, you you're really empty, because money could buy things, but it can't buy health, it can't buy peace, it can't buy love. It may buy satisfaction, but it really can't buy love. So hey, that's the way I see it. As wealth, life being in your life, you want to have peace and joy and understanding and wisdom.
Speaker 2:And happiness, happiness, yes, because Not happiness.
Speaker 3:Money cannot buy happiness. It just could buy you some.
Speaker 2:Well, I hear what you're saying here. Yes, you've already created such a powerful impact, but what do you want your legacy to be?
Speaker 3:Oh, I want my legacy to be. I want my family to see how I came from being nobody to be somebody. I want my legacy to be for my family to see that, if I can make it from a young lady to I'm 74 now and I'm living my life, I'm at the epitome of my life now and the last three years of my life has been just a roller coaster in a good way. So I want them to see that life doesn't stop when you retire. Life doesn't stop when you are 74. Life is just beginning for me and that you can have that same momentum in your life. But you have to have a desire to want to be who you are and you want to, and I want them to see that when I leave this world they could say my grandmother and my mother was a woman of integrity and resilience amen, I love that and I was going to ask you well, finally, what is one empowering word of scripture you'd like to leave our listeners with today?
Speaker 3:oh, let's see which one would I like to leave with them, believe, oh, oh, let's see which one would I like to meet with them.
Speaker 2:Billy. Okay, bertha's going to come back with us here, but I enjoyed her story as far as what she with her financial wealth, but she is actually doing God. I've learned so much about this here. So, bertha, thank you so much for sharing your life, your life, your lessons and your legacy with us. Your words have stirred something in us all Faith to rise, wisdom to build, and courage to walk boldly in purpose. Faith to rise, wisdom to build and courage to walk boldly in purpose.
Speaker 2:To our amazing listeners. Remember you were created for impact, whether it's your faith, your finances or your future. It's all in God's hand, but he's waiting on you to move. Make sure you subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone who needs this message. Until next time, keep walking in purpose, keep building your legacy and stay ready to collaborate. Bertha, thank you once again. I'm going to have her information on the show notes how you can contact Bertha, but she is a wealth of knowledge and definitely a financial freedom. This is a lady that you need to be in contact with. So thanks again, welcome and goodbye. Stay tuned for the next episode of Ready Set. Collaborate. Make sure you follow, like and share and subscribe on YouTube. Until next time, keep shining with Wanda Pearson.
Speaker 1:I hope you found inspiration and valuable insights to help you build meaningful connections and successful collaborations. If you enjoyed today's conversation, be sure to subscribe, share and stay tuned for more great discussions. Until next time, keep collaborating and making an impact.
