#72: How to Stop Sacrificing Yourself and Start Building Wealth
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Can you support the people you love without sacrificing your dreams?
If you're a first-generation wealth builder, caregiver, eldest daughter, child of immigrants, or someone who tends to put everyone else's needs before your own, this episode is for you.
In this episode of the Wealth Para Todos Podcast, host Rita Soledad Fernandez Paulino (Soledad, they/them), queer Mexican American money and self-care coach, explores the relationship skills required to increase your financial security without sacrificing your wellness.
Because becoming work-optional isn't just about learning how to save, pay off debt, invest, or increase your income.
It also requires learning how to set boundaries, navigate codependency, receive support, and remain connected to your community without abandoning yourself.
Soledad explains the difference between codependency, hyper-independence, and interdependence, and shares how books like Codependent No More by Melody Beattie and Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab helped them develop healthier ways of relating.
Through personal stories about marriage, caregiving, parenting, friendships, and supporting family, Soledad illustrates how compassion and boundaries can coexist—and why pursuing financial independence doesn't have to come at the expense of your humanity.
In this episode, you'll learn:
✔️ What codependency is and how it shows up in relationships
✔️ The difference between codependency, hyper-independence, and interdependence
✔️ Why setting boundaries can feel so uncomfortable for people-pleasers and caregivers
✔️ How to support loved ones without making their problems your responsibility
✔️ Why self-care is preparation, not selfishness
✔️ How to help parents financially while still investing for your future
✔️ Why saying no to friends can be an act of self-trust
✔️ How parenting boundaries can help children become more independent
✔️ Why sacrificing your dreams often leads to resentment
✔️ How to pursue financial independence without losing your humanity
Mentioned in this episode:
📚 Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself by Melody Beattie
📚 Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself by Nedra Glover Tawwab
How to Save, Pay Off, or Invest $5,000 in 90 Days Even With This Crusty Dusty Administration
Enrollment for Wealth Para Todos Academy opens June 22–30, with four bonus one-on-one coaching calls available for members who enroll during the first 48 hours.
Timestamps
00:00 Welcome to Wealth Para Todos
00:21 Why becoming work-optional requires relationship skills
02:23 Understanding codependency and people-pleasing
07:27 The trap of hyper-independence
08:31 Why interdependence is the goal
09:38 Lessons from Set Boundaries, Find Peace
11:43 Honoring your dreams without guilt
13:08 Real-life examples of compassion without self-abandonment
13:21 Supporting a spouse through tech layoffs
14:33 Practicing self-care during a family medical crisis
15:44 Helping parents without sacrificing your future
16:59 Saying no to friends while pursuing debt freedom
17:54 Parenting boundaries and raising independent children
19:09 How to hold both your dreams and your relationships
20:58 Wealth Para Todos Academy and webinar details
22:30 Final blessing and disclaimer
If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who spends so much time taking care of everyone else that they've forgotten their dreams matter too.
And if you're enjoying the Wealth Para Todos Podcast, leaving a review and sharing episodes with your community helps us reach more first-generation wealth builders who want to build wealth without sacrificing their wellness.