About Eryka Peskin: Life Coach, Photographer, and Trauma-informed Practice Trainer

I combine social work, systems theory, strengths perspective, psychology, neuroscience, life coaching, lots of money and mindset work, plus many Schitt's Creek, West Wing, and Goonies references among others, a nice dollop of profanity to support my clients with transforming their lives...whatever that means to them.

I do this through one-on-one coaching and group coaching.

And honestly, helping my clients identify their desires and overcome their limiting beliefs and fears is such an honor...and it's hands-down one of my favorite things to do!

Credentially stuff

BA in Literature and Psychology | Oberlin College
MSW | Hunter College School of Social Work
Defies description | Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts
Founder, Director, and member of the Board of Directors, Red Tent Women's Project
Licensed Master of Social Work, New York and Idaho
Former financey licenses: Series 6 & 63
Over 30 years experience as an empowerer, coach, community organizer, social justice warrior
Experience training and coaching hundreds of awesome people to achieve their highest potential and create the life and world they desire.

I'm an abundance coach, a licensed social worker, a fierce cheerleader, a trauma-informed practitioner and trainer, a photographer and writer, and a former associate with a leading financial services company with more licenses than one person should have to maintain.

(Who's got two thumbs and is multipassionate? Why, that would be moi!)

I have created a powerful and effective system that helps you overcome your limiting beliefs and your fears and live your life to your highest potential.

Because the world needs you to do that.

How I concluded that this was the best use of my time and energy:

Ever since I was in third grade and held a rally at my school because I thought it was unfair that the boys were allowed play soccer on the field and exclude the girls, I've been committed to empowering women and girls.

In high school and college, I did all sorts of women's empowermenty stuff—going to demonstrations, running organizations, and organizing women's and reproductive health conferences at my college. After I graduated from Hunter School of Social Work with my master's degree, I cofounded the Red Tent Women's Project, an organization dedicated to empowering and educating women and girls of all backgrounds.

Which was great fun...but I have to admit that I wasn't at all prepared for it!

Aside from not knowing how to run a nonprofit, I struggled with being a leader. With managing money. With showing vulnerability. With being visible. Feeling like it was okay to fundraise and actually ask people for money.

And for anyone who knows anything about nonprofits, fundraising is essential in order to keep the doors open!

I had the "good on paper" dilemma like nobody's business.

I was freaking fantastic on paper: good bank balance, lived in a beautiful brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn, a nonprofit founder, and world traveler. I was living my dreams, right?

Well...yeah, except for the fact that my inner critic was so fcking loud and my limiting beliefs were so unbelievably powerful that I felt guilty for living my dreams and I sabotaged them so impressively that within a few years, I had to start everything* over.

And man, I doubted the HELL out of myself. I felt profound shame for how I had mismanaged my money because I didn't know how money worked, so I ended up in bankruptcy, and stayed small so I wouldn't rock my boat ever again. But...that sucked. And wasn't right. Because I know I have gifts to share with the world. And I know you do too!

My money journey is how I set myself free.

When I was 27 years old, I won a lawsuit against New York City for breaking my ankle in a pothole when was 16. (Yes, it took that long!) And I knew nothing about managing my finances and ended up in bankruptcy. Yup, I was like one of those people who wins the lottery and ends up in bankruptcy.

Sighhhhhhhh.

Ultimately, though, that was the best thing that could have happened to me.

See, I needed to transform my relationship with money. And in doing so, I transformed my relationship with myself, because how we are with money is how we are with everything. (Actually, how we are with anything is how we are with everything!)

So I did whatever I could to learn about money, short of getting an MBA. I took workshops, read books, got financial services licenses and training and learned everything I could about money: how it works, what's the best thing to do with it, and more.

I did this because I never wanted to go through anything like that ever again. And I was tired of allowing money to give me the excuse to play small.

And then I realized that it was plumb selfish not to share this knowledge with others.

As I worked with people in the financial milieu, I realized that people have major, major, MAJOR issues about money.

(Okay, this wasn't news.)

But! I realized I could put my social work degree to good use by combining my masters in social work with my training in financial planning, thereby helping people overcome whatever keeps them from feeling empowered to deal with their money and see the world as abundant.

But money was just one piece of the puzzle. As I began to work with people on creating financial plans, I grew to see that the root causes of money issues were...not actually money!

Money was a symptom.

The actual ailments were difficulties receiving. Difficulties feeling deserving. Fears of failure, fears of judgment, and so many more limiting beliefs and fears and viciously cruel inner critics that stem from patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, colonialism, toxic religion, and more.

And so I broadened my focus from money issues to ABUNDANCE and deconstructing those oppressive systems, because damn, we need to change our collective and individual mindsets...and change the world!

Et voila, here we are!

Now I work with people one on one or in groups to support them in shifting their mindset from scarcity to abundance, conquering their limiting beliefs and their fears and their pernicious inner critic, becoming comfortable and loving with their money...and themselves.

And I freaking love it!

My mission(s):

Making the world a better place for everyone, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, class, ability, size, citizenship, religion...all the things.

Helping people become happy, because happy people don't do crappy things. (This includes me too! When I'm happy, I don't do crappy things. And when I'm not, well...yeah.)

Enjoying nature and preserving it for future generations.

Connecting people to their greatness.

Adding beauty to the world through creativity, especially writing and photography.

Having fun!

10 things about me

1. I've traveled to 32 countries on five continents. (Antarctica, Australia/New Zealand, here I come!)
2. I've lived in (living = stayed longer than a month and made serious efforts to learn the language) 6 countries.
3. I speak minimal Czech, but I have such a good accent that I fooled the Czechs into giving me the discounts they give locals when I lived in Prague. Same with Spanish and Italian.
4. In my family we have about eight different religions. Atheism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity are well represented.
5. I hesitate to mention that I don't really like chocolate. I'd sooo much rather have a cannoli.
6. I wish everyone would designate a health care proxy and make a living will. You know, plan for the future.
7. I've written one romance novel and I'm working on several others.
8. My niblings (niece + nephews) are my greatest teachers and greatest fun.
9. I was an early '80s music DJ in college and the lyrics still take up an unbelievable amount of brain space.
10. The three things I'll run for: a subway, my niblings, and the opportunity to take an amazing picture.