Meet Gina Judge | Owner & Founder, The MMG

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gina Judge and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gina, what role has risk played in your life or career?
There’s a direct correlation between risk and reward. The more risk you’re willing to take, the potential for greater gains but also potential for greater loss. In my life and career, I’ve taken calculated risks, these calculated risks changed the trajectory of my life. I grew up in a traditional. strict, punjabi household, in my culture women don’t move out of their parent’s home until they’re married and moving in with their husband. As a teenager I struggled for years with an abusive alcoholic parent. At 18, I made the sudden decision to move out. Moving out without parental support taught me a lot about the real world, I went from being extremely sheltered to facing the harsh reality of adulthood. Although this decision was the best for my mental health, it was detrimental for my financial health. I didn’t understand how to budget, I continued spending as if I were living at home despite having new expenses such as rent, insurance, added groceries expenses etc. I was also in school full time while balancing a full time job. At 19, I became eligible for a credit card, no one taught me how to use it and I eventually ended up racking up credit card debt and ruining my credit score. It was vicious cycle, money would keep me up at night but I had no one to turn to. At 22, I became financially literate, within months of becoming educated, I paid off my debt, built an excellent credit score, started saving and no longer stressed about money. Today, at 28 I own a financial literacy company where I teach women how to win with their money. I teach them that regardless of the strong man in their life, whether it’s their father, brother, or significant other, it’s up to them to become financially independent. Financially independent women are powerful women.

What should our readers know about your business?
The MMG is both a financial literacy company and podcast. We empower women to become the best version of themselves and we do this by teaching financial education. Money might not be the most important thing in the world but it impacts everything that is: from the food you eat, to the places you live, to the level of opportunities you receive. Over the last 3 years, we’ve taught more than 100,000 women how to manage their cash flow, become debt free, improve their credit, start investing, and most importantly, how to live purpose driven lives!

As a financial consultant, I target women of colour and women from marginalised communities because they’re less inclined to have access to tools and resources to get ahead financially.

I am proud of our growth, The MMG has grown into a large community of women that support one another, we’ve inadvertently built an ecosystem of strong ambitious women and it’s steadily growing.

Business wise, I started The MMG podcast during covid, when so many people were struggling with their finances, I wanted to give them hope that this wouldn’t be their forever. During covid, I also struggled with my mental health and decided to walk away from my comfortable corporate job to start my consulting company. It was a difficult decision but the BEST decision I’ve made. I took a calculated risk and it paid off.

My business has helped me be build a life I absolutely adore, I travel every month and have connected with clients all across the globe. I wouldn’t say it was easy but I’ve enjoyed all the ups and downs, I learnt a lot about myself in the process. Most of my challenges as an entrepreneur trickle down to the unknown. But I’ve overcome challenges by building systems that allow me to effectively manage my time and finances.

As an entrepreneur, I’ve learnt that the people who are crazy enough to believe they can change the world, are the ones who do. That great idea you’ve been sleeping on? Quit sleeping on it. Entrepreneurship is a lonely journey. you need to remember to pat yourself on the back because no one else will and to consistently reflect on your growth because it will propel you forward.

I want the world to understand that there’s a huge need for financial literacy especially amongst women. We’re on a mission to make financial education easy and accessible.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a funny question because I had my best friend visit me recently. I love Miami because of it’s pristine beaches, food, and of course the night life.

During the day, my best-friend and I walked to Brickell (once you get to the bridge, it’s beautiful). We ate breakfast at B Bistro Bakery, they have the best brunch. After breakfast, I took her to Capital One Cafe, I run my business remotely, and this is hands down the BEST cafe to work out of. I’ve met the most interesting people working here and their havana cappuccino is fire.

Next, to get a feel for the beach, it’s imperative you check out South Beach. Her and I grabbed icecream, and I taught her about the history of the art deco buildings (Miami has the highest concentration of this type of architecture in the world).

Lastly, the supper clubs in Miami are my favourite. You can’t come to Miami and not go to KIKI on the River on a Sunday. Some other supper clubs I’d recommend are: Bagatelle, Marion, and El Tucan!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for the strong women in my life who consistently lifted me up. I always say that I am surrounded by the most supportive women: Arouj, Puneet, Parvi, Arvinder, and Joti, each of you have played a significant role in shaping me into the woman that I am today. Thank you for demonstrating that love is truly unconditional!

Website: themmg.ca (we’re redoing our website but this is the current one)

Instagram: iamginajudge

Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/gina-judge-2b848a9b