September 10, 2007

INTERVIEW: NATASHA YANNACANEDO
FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF NY ACTING COMPANY
Edited by Natasha Yannacanedo

I met Natasha when we were both acting in a reading together. She
attended one of my seminars and has been a major supporter of
"Emotional Money." I learned over time that in addition to being an
actress she was an acting and public speaking coach, business owner, professor,
tango dancer, writer and director. One day, I clicked on the
link to her website and was intrigued by her
philosophy regarding the importance of the arts. I requested an
interview with her. I was blown away and thrilled by her emailed
response: "I am totally game (to be interviewed)! You should ask me about my
unexpected divorce and bankruptcy. I am very passionate about
educating people, especially women about money and how our life
patterns tie in with that."

Samarra: What sparked this passion?

Natasha: Essentially, my husband unexpectedly abandoned me on September 11, 2005.

Samarra: September 11th?

Natasha: Yes, I know. We had been married for 5 years. I believed that when I got married, it was for life. If there are problems I just believed that you communicate and do whatever is necessary to work it out. It was quite
a shock when he informed me the next day he was looking into renting a place for himself; a place that we couldn't afford. We had filed for bankruptcy months before, had no credit cards, and the money just wasn’t there. I was
emotionally and financially devastated.

Samarra: You now have a Roth account, savings and are financially
stable. How have you managed to go from financial devastation to
stability in only two years?

Natasha: I am a very direct person and I take action. I'm not really a beat around the bush kind of person so my pain and fear of knowing that I could be on the street because of my financial ineptitude caused me to be proactive and I saw no other option except to take actions to fix it.

Samarra: What were some of the actions that you took?

Natasha: I had to take some crazy promotional modeling jobs. I took whatever work came my way. There was one gig where me and
two other women had to be in a see-through box in a truck all
day long in bathing suits in the middle of winter. It was pretty awful but
it paid very well. And now, it is a great story to tell people. I find that keeping my sense of humor has been key in all of this. I also began reading financial books and integrating the lessons I was learning from them into my life. I highly recommend reading Smart Women Finish First by David Bach. This book is a very practical, easy to understand guide to financial well-being. It explained things to me that were over my head before; it spelled things out in a clear, no-nonsense manner. I also automated my retirement savings so that every month, money is taken out of my checking account and goes into my Roth. I also found a 5% interest savings account.

Samarra: Was dealing with the financial aspects of your life
enough to turn your situation around?

Natasha: No, I had to also deal with my emotional devastation and the acknowledgement of my role in this situation. It takes two to tango which is hilarious because my ex-husband and I met tango dancing. Anyway, during my marriage, I would get so stressed out about our debt that my husband insisted on taking over the finances. However, this didn’t help because he was just plain irresponsible and every couple months would say “Oh yeah don’t spend any money because our account is down to $20.” My role was denial, not wanting to face it and deal with it and his was irresponsibility. Women must take control
of their own finances whether they are in a relationship or not.
Growing up, my parents were very responsible when it came to money but
they never actively taught me or my brother and sister anything about it. Now, I am
quite frugal. I can live on a tight budget and don't spend
unnecessarily. At the same time, I take care of myself. I treat myself to what I need to “live prosperously”; another book I would highly recommend to anyone with any debt is How To Get out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt, and Live Prosperously. I'm not a big shopaholic and I don't waste money on
things that I don't need. Even though I never missed paying a bill I did notice that I had an unconscious habit of needing to spend more money whenever I made more money. I realized I had to deal with how I was feeling emotionally. One of the things that helped me was finding a good therapist.

Samarra: Excellent-understanding the connection between our emotions and finances are key to healing, improving and sustaining the quality
of our lives.

Natasha: Yes, it is. This country is brainwashed. The remedy for
everything seems to be Retail Therapy Syndrome - if I buy something
then I will feel better. Many North Americans base their financial
futures on winning the lottery. It's stupid. We have to become
financially responsible. Women especially have to be involved and
take control of their finances. Statistically, women live at a much
lower standard of living in retirement because they tend to live
longer then men and when women stop work to care for their children they
stop funding their retirement. When you are dating it is
important to ensure that both parties are on the same page financially
or else it is a recipe for catastrophe and disaster. Financial
troubles lead to the stress and disintegration of marriages and it is
one of the leading causes of divorce. I see now that financial stress
played a major role in the disintegration of my marriage.

Samarra: It is wonderful speaking with you because many of the
artists that I speak to tell me that because they don't have a steady
income it isn't possible for them to be in control of their finances.
They say they can't save or open up a retirement account or believe
that when meeting someone there is no need to talk about their
finances because they don't have any finances. You are an independent
contractor. How have you managed to turn around your finances when you
don't have a steady paycheck?

Natasha: I have many different jobs and receive paychecks from many
different sources. But the truth is that the reason I am now able to
be financially stable is because I have made the choice to be. I take
care of myself first. I make sure that every dollar I make, a
portion goes to my Roth account and to my savings account. I continue
to find and do the jobs I need to make sure I can pay my bills on
time. I pay off my credit cards every month. Luckily, I no longer
have to accept jobs I really don't want because I
know that I have a savings. It feels good to be proactive and in
control of my finances and my life.

Samarra: Now that you are in control, what are your future goals?

Natasha: To find a fabulous life partner and step up my acting and teaching game. Now I know what I deserve. I will find someone who is also financially responsible.

Samarra: I love it.

Natasha: I want to do more traveling- I'd like
to go to Peru, I am part Peruvian but have never been there. I want
kids. I want to buy an apartment, continue acting, have a fully funded Roth, donate to charity, write a book, make more money, invest and create a lifestyle
of ease.

Samarra: Beautiful. My original reason for asking you for this
interview was because I was moved by your philosophy about the arts
and artists. Can you share what motivated you to start NY Acting Company 7 years ago?

Natasha: I really believe that art has the power to heal everyone.
Acting is about the human experience. The potential
for growth is infinite and that is exciting to me. Through art we can always
grow, expand and learn more about ourselves. Two of the most important
lessons that I learned in graduate school was the importance of
breath-being open to impulses-and being fully in the moment. What maturity has taught me is to make responsible financial choices in the moment. Sometimes as artists we live in the moment without acting responsibly and that is dangerous. These are lessons for life. Although I don't know who the author is my motto is: The first principle of a warrior is not being afraid of who you are!!

Samarra: You are truly a warrior!

Thank you Natasha for your passion, courage and willingness to educate
others by sharing your experience!

Please visit her website at www.nyactingcompany.com





PLAN OF ACTION:
Read a financial book this week. You can research your own or pick up one of these that Natasha and I highly recommend.

"Smart Women Finish Rich" by David Bach
"How To Get out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt, and Live Prosperously" by Jerrold Mundis

"On My Own Two Feet" by Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar

Please share what you've learned with a neighbor, family member or friend!


SAMARRA AM MANAGEMENT EVENT
Free Teleseminar! (except for the cost of the long distance call)
Demystifying Money - as a child you were taught that money was...
You'll be amazed to learn how that child is running your money today
Date: Monday, September 24, 2007
Time: 8pm-9pm
Location: From the comfort of your phone
Please RSVP to samarra_am_management@yahoo.com to retrieve the conference call and log-in information.
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UPCOMING SEMINARS
15SecondPitch™ for Actors!
When: September 17, 2007
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: New Georges, The Room
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Cost: CineWomen NY, NYWIFT, WMM, DCTV and Shooting People Members - $30.00
Non-members - $35.00

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Networking For Attorneys
Date: September 24, 2007
Time: 6:30 PM EST
Location: Manhattan
Address: Bogart's 99 Park Avenue ( 39th and Park Ave)
Category: Networking
Description: After hours networking mixer for attorneys to: Forge new
business relationship Share and exchange ideas that will help grow the
bottom-line of your firm Begin reciprocal relationship Find out what's
happening in your area of expertise.
Website: http://www.suncommunicationsgroup.com
Contact details: Paramjit Mahli (212) 661-9137



If you have an upcoming event, seminar, performance, etc. please email
me at samarra_am_management@yahoo.com. It may be exactly what someone
has been looking for.



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