Krisstina Wise on How Losing Everything Twice Led Her to Financial Freedom

I met Krisstina Wise over 15 years ago. We hit it off right away because we come from very similar backgrounds. We met when she was at the top of her game in the real estate industry – the poster child of entrepreneurial success. She had the covers, the stages, and the acclaim. To the outside world, she had it all…

But privately, Krisstina was trapped.

While externally successful, internally, she was stretched thin by the never-ending demands of her business. The more money she made, the more her lifestyle expectations grew. She was locked into the entrepreneur’s hamster wheel, running faster and faster just to maintain an unsustainable lifestyle.

I witnessed firsthand what this stress did to Krisstina’s health and relationships. On the outside, she was killing it, but on the inside, she was being killed by it.

It all came crashing down in an instant when on stage, giving the keynote speech of her career, Krisstina had a mini-stroke. Her body quite literally gave out from the relentless drive to “make it.” She nearly died.

In the months that followed, as Krisstina fought to regain her health, her business crumbled. The industry that once revered her didn’t wait around – it simply moved on to the next big name.

While recuperating, she realized it was the money she had quietly saved and invested over the years that ultimately saved her – not the applause of audiences or the accolades of colleagues. Her public, professional success offered no safety net, but her passive income and wealth did.

This allowed her to pay the bills while rebuilding her health and career. It reduced the relentless day-to-day financial stresses that had fueled her downward spiral. Money, when properly understood and applied, bought her time, options, and the ability to live life on her own terms.

This was a pivotal lesson that changed the trajectory of Krisstina’s life. She realized most entrepreneurs have it backward – we strive to build businesses at the expense of personal wealth when it should be the other way around.

Today, many years and reinventions later, Krisstina is sharing these hard-won lessons with other entrepreneurs through her work as a money mentor. She helps people build “f-you money” – enough wealth outside their businesses to buy freedom of time and choices.

Here’s Krisstina’s Formula For Passive Income And Wealth Generation:

• Real Estate Investment Mindset: Investing in real estate can be scary, but it’s like planting a seed that grows into a tree. It might seem complicated, but with the right tools, it can grow big and strong.
• Leverage and Tax Benefits in Real Estate: Imagine real estate as a big lever that helps you lift heavy things (like taxes) with less effort. It’s a tool that makes hard things easier.
• Building Wealth Through a System: Think of building wealth like building a LEGO castle. You need a plan (system) and the right pieces (investments) to make it work.
• The Importance of Knowing Your Number: Knowing your number is like having a treasure map. It tells you where to dig to find the gold (your financial goals).
• Money as the Best Employee: Imagine money as a robot that works for you. It doesn’t get tired and keeps making more robots (money) for you.
• Selling Businesses and Reinvesting: Selling a business is like selling a toy you made and then using the money to buy more toys (investments) that you like even more.
• Krisstina’s CURBS System: CURBS is like a recipe for managing money. It helps you know where to put your money (like ingredients) so you can bake a delicious cake (build wealth).
• The Emotional Side of Money: Money can make people feel happy or sad, like a roller coaster. Christina helps make the ride smoother and more fun.

This is wealth that allows you to live life on your terms – to jump off the hamster wheel and design a lifestyle not chained to the endless demands of making payroll and servicing overhead.

As an old friend, I’ve had the benefit of learning these lessons alongside Krisstina over our 15-year relationship. Her journey inspires me in my own business. No matter how successful you appear on the outside, don’t let your drive sabotage your health and wholeness.

There is another way. Take a page from Christina’s book. Work hard, stay humble, and build your freedom fund as diligently as you grow your empire. 

Generating lasting wealth takes as much discipline as generating high income. Keep your eye on this parallel prize, and you, too, can live life by design rather than default. Check my full podcast interview with Krisstina. It’s truly inspiring!