Real Money, Real Experts

Accessibility, the path to AFC, and RV living with Melissa Mittelstaedt

October 26, 2021 AFCPE® Season 1 Episode 38
Real Money, Real Experts
Accessibility, the path to AFC, and RV living with Melissa Mittelstaedt
Show Notes Transcript

What do RVs, sign language, and AFC® certification have in common? They’re all part of the journey for our latest podcast guest, Melissa Mittelstaedt.

Melissa is a sign language interpreter, the founder of Money Coach, an AFCPE member, and an AFC candidate. On this episode of Real Money, Real Experts, Melissa dives into creating financial stability despite variable income, creating more accessible financial resources for our deaf and hard of hearing clients, and common advice she gives to women entrepreneurs chasing their dreams.



Show Notes:

00:52 Melissa Introduction
01:14 Melissa’s Journey
05:40 Running a Business, Supporting Dreams, Full Time RV Living
09:59 Melissa’s Private Practice
15:57 Lessons Learned
18:40 Working with Clients that are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
24:02 The Value of the AFC®
27:32 Melissa’s Two Cents

Show Note links:

Contact Melissa:
Website: https://www.melissamitt.com/about
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_melissamitt/

Mix Captions:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/mixcaptions
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/mixcaptions 



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Intro:

Welcome to Real Money, Real Experts, a podcast where leading financial counseling and coaching experts share their stories, their challenges, and their advice for helping people manage money in the real world. I'm your host, Rebecca Wiggins, Executive Director of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education®or AFCPE®. And I'm your cohost, Dr. Mary Bell Carlson. I'm an Accredited Financial Counselor®, or AFC®, and the CEO of Chief Financial Mom. Every episode, we're taking a deep dive into the topics that the personal finance professionals care about: helping clients, building community and your professional growth. Welcome everyone to the Real Money, Real Experts podcast.

Rebecca Wiggins:

I'm Rebecca.

Dr. Mary Bell Carlson:

And this is Mary. Thanks for taking the time to join us today.

Rebecca Wiggins:

Today on the show we are talking with Melissa Mittelstaedt(pronounced Middle-Stat). Melissa is a sign language interpreter and has been doing that for the past 13 years. At the start of Covid, she launched her Money Coaching business. Melissa is an AFCPE Member and AFC candidate. And a fun fact: She lives full-time in an RV with her husband and cat. Welcome to the show, Melissa!

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

Hello there. Thanks for having me.

Dr. Mary Bell Carlson:

You've got such a unique niche as an ASL interpreter and a money coach. Tell us about your journey.

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

So sign language has been a part of my life since I was in my undergrad. And I went to college at Iowa State University and in the dorm next to mine was a group of deaf students whom we shared the same cafeteria. So I'd go down, you know, every day and I'd be having lunch. And this group of deaf students they'd be signing away. And as the very hearing person that I am, I would just be staring at them. And one day, you know, they kind of came over to me and handed a piece of paper and it was kind of like, Hey, if you're going to stare, maybe you should learn sign language too. I was like, oh, okay. I think you're, I think you're onto something. I should probably do that. So I went every Wednesday night and got to learn, you know, sign language from other students and, you know, just like the hi, how are you? Basic phrases, numbers, that type of thing. But I just, I fell in love with it. And I was so appreciative to those students who were willing to say, Hey, let's communicate, you know, with each other, if this is of interest. And so I ended up taking sign language as a foreign language in college. I graduated with my business degree and I just had something tugging inside of me and my whole body, saying, heading out into the business world, isn't where you're supposed to head. So I started researching schools for sign language, interpreting; ended up finding one in Minnesota. I moved myself there and three years later ended up getting my degree sign language interpreting and transliterating. So from there, I mean, I have worked in a varied amount of settings I've, in high school settings, college settings, medical settings, chemical dependency settings, kind of you name it. I've interpreted, I've done freelance. I've been a director of ASL services for a couple of different agencies and h ad been doing freelance work. And as you mentioned, kind of in the intro in my bio, COVID hit and all of the interpreting work, those i n p erson, really kind of went to nil and it was this moment of, okay, I, you know, have a few interpreting jobs that I can take virtually, but you know, what else am I good at? You know? And so really diving into what kind of skills that I had. And when I started as an interpreter, I had this very real moment of, I make less money than the lifestyle that I'm living and was in like$47,000 worth of debt. And really had overwhelmed myself. One of my colleagues handed me Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. And I read the thing, you know, front to cover, put is on, you know, put together a plan for myself and ended up getting my self out of debt within the next three years. And so that experience was like, okay, well, I, I know how to get myself out of debt. I know how to put together a program, a structure. Maybe I c ould help other people do that. So that is kind of when I decided that I was going to launch my money coaching business. So I did that for about a year and I met someone along the way who she herself, is really kind of a money advocate. She established a community of women where we can kind of talk about money. And I was telling her about how I was a money coach and she goes, oh yeah, well, what are your, like, what are your credentials? I was like, well, I got myself out of debt and she was like, yeah, good job. A lot of people have done that. Like really, how can you call yourself a money coach? You know, if you don't really have anything to stand behind. And, that k ind o f threw me for a loop a little bit. And luckily I did some research a nd that's how I found my way to AFCPE to say, okay, yeah, I, as a certified sign language interpreter, I want to be, you know, an Accredited Financial Counselor®also. So I started that journey and passed my test this recent June, and I'm working my way toward getting my accreditation, but that is how I found my way here.

Rebecca Wiggins:

That's awesome. We're so excited that you found the AFCPE network. I think you'll find so many supportive professionals that will help you along the way. And as you continue to build your business, I am really interested in, I, I hope it's doesn't deviate too much, but I really want to learn more about your decision to live in an RV full-time and I have to tell you that during COVID I have been watching a lot of Tiny House Hunters and all kinds of shows about tiny houses.

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

[laughter] Going RV'ing.

Rebecca Wiggins:

Yeah. So I wonder what made you make that decision and did it have to do with your financial journey? You talked about being in debt. Was that a big part of, I feel like that's a big part of a lot of people's decision to go tiny and sort of simplify. So I'm just really curious and hope you can. I want to kind of live vicariously through you. So you share a little bit more about that story with us.

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

Yeah, I would love to. So we, my husband and I, and our 13 year old kitty, we have been in our RV for the last year and a half or so. And when we lived in the Minneapolis suburbs area and he is in the midst of becoming a professional bass angler. So he travels all over the nation to these bass tournaments. And I was either trying to figure out how to get a flight to go and watch the tournament and, you know, trying to get back and forth. And we kind of one night had a hard look at, okay, you're trying to pursue your dream. I want to be there to be part of it. And we have this house payment that is kind of infringing on my ability to be able to be there and support you and, and all of that. And so we decided to sell the house and bought our RV and really haven't looked back. It's the ability to travel. He has tournaments everywhere from New York, the Carolinas, as Florida, over to Texas, Alabama. So we spend the majority of our time traveling from place to place while he gets to follow his dream and I get to follow mine. And that was really kind of the point was, you know, we, we both had places that we wanted to go and things we wanted to do with our lives and said, okay, if you know, having a house is a barrier to that, then we're gonna move past it and find a new way to make it happen.

Dr. Mary Bell Carlson:

That's awesome. I love how you're able to make your business model work for you and your husband. And it sounds like it's been a win-win.

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

Yeah. It's been amazing.

Dr. Mary Bell Carlson:

I'm guessing though, that your all virtual, if you're moving around all the time. Tell us more about this business model as you coach women entrepreneurs.

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

It is all virtual. Yes. And trying to, in an RV, ours is kind of one open room, you know, so it's the living room, kitchen all in one and then a bedroom. And so there will be times where I'll be shut in the bedroom and then he'll be working, you know, out in the living room or whatever. So creative and patient are two virtues that we have[laughter] that we have really tried to accelerate in our lives, but yeah, being able to, you know, do all the coaching sessions on zoom and being able to do, you know, even podcasts like this, that just require, you know, a microphone. And I have my whole setup with a ring light camera and we have our wifi that we get through, it's funny. We ended up getting that through the family motor coach association, you know, they have discounts on this wifi service and they're like, yeah, somebody help, you know, cause everybody wants to have wired and all that. But yeah, so it's been amazing. Like I said, it, it takes a lot of creativity, but we're able to, to make it work with headphones and doors here and there. And it's been great.

Dr. Mary Bell Carlson:

Tell us more about your business, who you work with women entrepreneurs, what else do you work with them on, how do you help them?

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

My background as an interpreter running my own interpreting business, my income fluctuated like crazy. I had, you know, the variable income highs and the variable income lows, and just saw, you know, what, how hard it was to really budget and plan for that and to make it work. And so what we decided to do is we decided to save up. So that way all of our money that we earned, let's say, so now it's October. All of the money that we earn in October will apply to November. And so I really work with people to figure out when you have a variable income like that, whether it's a side hustle or, you know, your full-time gig. But if you're a business owner, you know what that roller coaster looks like, you, you know how that highs and lows can really impact, you know, kind of your outlook on not only life, but your outlook on your finances in that moment. And so really being able to create more stability there and create that sense of security with your money. Because if you allow that piece of the puzzle to guide you, then you'd be likely to either quit your dream or something along those lines. And I just really didn't want that to happen to anyone. And so I'm just, I'm there to help guide and, and get a system in place so people can feel confident about their money and keep living that dream life that they want to live.

Dr. Mary Bell Carlson:

How do your clients find you?

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

I am on Instagram a lot. I have, you know, through referrals and yeah, I think just the different networks that I'm a part of, I've joined quite a few, kind of women led communities, especially when COVID hit and you're not able to see anybody. And even if it was just virtual and getting a chance to, you know, chat with people through the computer, it was, it was better than not. And so that was, you know, how we always have to find the silver lining, but that was kind of the silver lining that came from the shutdown for me is I was able to find people to connect with. And it's, you know, folks who resonate with my story and see themselves in that story and want to find a way t o, to make it work for them t oo.

Rebecca Wiggins:

So Melissa, l et's a little bit more about the common themes that you see when you're coaching women.

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

I'm feeling like I'm in chaos right now, right? People are saying, I, I'm overwhelmed. I, I don't have a system. I don't even know where to start. And when you're trying to take care of your own finances, but also a business's finances, those can get very intertwined quickly and really being able to, to separate those, pay yourself first and really get a system in place for both of those items. Then you really see the temperatures start to drop. And once, once people start to make traction, then they start to believe in themselves and their attitude starts to change. And they start to get rid of some of that doubt that they've had, that they could make it happen. I don't think I've met a single woman yet who hasn't thought I just need to quit what I'm doing and get a regular job or, do I need to go back to school and figure out something else for myself? Because there's just such that fear there of, will I be able to make this work? And really watching people be able to turn that corner and to come to the realization that you can make it work with systems in place. It's pretty amazing.

Rebecca Wiggins:

Do you see like that imposter syndrome? Do you see that come up a lot with the women that you work with?

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

I think all of us have that imposter syndrome. I just read something the other day who someone had mentioned, isn't it nice that we now have language that we can put to that. Because for how long did we all feel, it's like, what am I doing? Can I make this work? You know, who am I to make this happen? And now that we actually have some language to even just identify whether it's in the moment or something you felt for a long time, but to be able to say, oh yeah, that's what I've been experiencing. That is exactly how I've been feeling. And, once we can identify it and, and start to, even small things like a money mantra every single day or an affirmation or something along those lines, just anything that we can, you know, be able to shift our thoughts and our attitudes. It doesn't get enough credit. I don't think,

Rebecca Wiggins:

I think you're right too, like putting language to it is so important, but also because people are willing to talk about it more, if there's this realization that we all have those doubts. And so I think that's the point where you feel so alone. Sometimes if you're thinking you're the only one, then you think, oh, I should just give up because clearly, you know, Mary and Melissa have never experienced this. So I'm the one, you know. So it's good to, I think the more you can share some of those things too, with others to say that that's a normal doubt, that's in your head or that's the story in your head and then figure out what's real from there. So that's encouraging.

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

Yeah. And I, I think a lot of with social media, you know, before it used to be what you see in my feed is only like the best of my life, but it's been really great to see lately people are opening up and being more vulnerable and showing kind of the messy side of their lives. Like, yeah, that's what, that's what people do. That's what people need to see. That's what we need to see. That's how role models are created. Because if you're just comparing yourself to somebody who looks put together and like they've made it and everything is perfect on their end, then that really just puts us in a defeatist position instead of, oh my gosh, you experienced that too, even though I think you are sitting so pretty right now and I'm like, oh yeah, you, you don't have it all together. And that's okay.

Dr. Mary Bell Carlson:

Well, and I think that's where it comes in with speaking with authenticity, right? It's you wholly as you are. And I think that's one of the things Melissa, that makes you very unique is that you've combined your love of interpreting and sign language with financial coaching. And so I think it's a beautiful way to show it. Tell our listeners, what are some of the biggest lessons you've learned in launching your own private practice?

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

That is a loaded question. The biggest lessons I've learned, I feel like I'm still learning. I think, you know, so many times we'll hire a, a coach or we'll hire a branding company who they have their exact formula and you follow this and all of a sudden you're going to be famous or you're going to get all these clients or whatnot. Right. You're like, okay. Yep. I insert this formula into my life and I will get result X, Y, Z. And I think as we were talking about authenticity, I think that's the biggest thing that I've learned is yes, I can take the advice and different approaches that other people have put out into the world, but unless I figure out how to make that approach work for me in my life, matching my values, staying in alignment, you know, that's kind of been one of my biggest learnings and indicators. Like the second, I feel like I'm out of alignment, whether it's, you know, oh, I'm feeling too salesy or I'm feeling like this niche really, isn't the group of folks that I should be working with, once that starts to tick out of alignment and I figure out why, then I make the correction, get myself back into alignment and keep moving forward. I think that has been the number one most helpful thing that I've realized. Of course, that was after trying to do the plug and play with other people's methods and kind of falling flat on my face, but it happens for a reason. And I'm good with that.

Rebecca Wiggins:

Sometimes I think though, it's, I think those plug and play things can be useful though, from the standpoint of like that helped you figure out what felt right to you or not, you know? And so I think that that even is an important part of the journey that sometimes having that guidance helps you to realize you do have that intuition and that's not feeling right. And I think what I hear you saying is giving people that permission to find the alignment and not just take the cookie cutter approach.

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

Yes. A hundred percent. And like you said, we need a place to start. Right. And sometimes those plug and play, it's a great place to start. And then you can take a few steps forward and determine, okay, does that work for me or doesn't it and then kind of make your own path from there? Yeah.

Rebecca Wiggins:

Okay. So tell us a little bit more about your work as a sign language interpreter. What are some important things that you feel our professionals need to know when working with clients who are deaf or hard of hearing?

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

I think the first thing to really know when you're working with a deaf or hard of hearing individual is being open about what does accommodation look like for the two of us? You know, oftentimes I'll hear somebody say to me, oh, as an interpreter, you're here for the deaf person. Like I'm here for both of you. You don't know, sign language just as much as they don't use English, spoken English to communicate, you know. So it's a two way street as the interpreter, you're there to interpret for both parties. And, you know, if there's a deaf or hard of hearing individual that is looking for financial coaching services, then to talk about what do those accommodations look like and for the coach then to figure out, is that something that I can provide? If yes, awesome. If not, then how can you help that individual find somebody that will be the best fit for them?

Rebecca Wiggins:

Can you tell us too some tips on like, how you would recommend that we make financial content more accessible? I'm thinking about, like you had mentioned that even using things like the term hearing impaired, isn't the best way to describe an individual with hearing loss? What are some things like that? And, you know, tips that you would give other professionals that we can make sure that what we're providing or the content we're providing is really more accessible.

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

So a lot of the content that we deliver of course, is on the internet or social media. And, you know, oftentimes folks won't even realize, like, for example, on your Instagram stories, you can add captions with a click of your finger. You know, before it used to be, if I didn't have my own captions typed out and added on, and you know, it just, it felt like a more arduous process. But now social media is really kind of catching up and, even like YouTube with their automated, automatic captions and that you can just buzz in there quick to edit. It's just made it so much easier for us to make things accessible. So whether that's, you know, making sure that you have captions added, a transcript, of course, you know, a sign language interpreter, if you know, there's live webinars or something along those lines. But really just thinking through that piece of, if somebody doesn't hear my content, how else will they gain access to it?

Dr. Mary Bell Carlson:

So Melissa, tell us what are some ways that you can do closed captioning on video or on social media, if you want to make sure that you're accommodating others?

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

I'll first start with videos. What I have found to be the easiest is on YouTube. If you upload your video onto YouTube and it does, you know, it'll take like an hour or two for the automated captions to actually generate, but once they're in there in the studio editor, you can watch the captions run and then make little tweaks to the video. So that's one easy way to do it. And even inside of YouTube, they allow you to download. And it's a file it's called an S RT file. And that's a captioning file. So if you, for example, host, videos inside of Kajabi or Thinkific or something along those lines, they have a spot where you can upload that SRT file. And so you can create captions to a video for free. I mean, obviously your time is included, but you can do that for free, and have captions on your videos. And if you think social media platforms, Facebook has automated captions, you just have to make sure it's turned on in your settings. Instagram, you can add captions to your stories by just clicking on a sticker. They also have automated captions. One of my favorite apps to use is called mix captions. And that way I can do a video ahead of time, add the captions to it, and then get that uploaded to whether that's, you know, Instagram like an IGTV or, or something along those lines. So those would be my, my tips.

Dr. Mary Bell Carlson:

Those are some great resources. And I love the fact that all of them are so simple to use. Most of the time it's just us not clicking a button. And yet it's very simple to, to click it or to spend a little extra time adding the captions and being more versatile with all of our audiences.

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

Yeah. And I think a lot of it too is, social media they roll out new features constantly. And so to be able to keep up with everything that they have to offer can sometimes be overwhelming. And so it, you know, it makes sense that we're not going to know every feature that's available, but once you are introduced to it, then it just gets a little bit easier.

Dr. Mary Bell Carlson:

Melissa, what would you tell others who are maybe already coaching or counseling, but yet don't have the AFC designation.

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

Get it!!![laughter] Are you all testing me?

Rebecca Wiggins:

I was going to say, is that, is that a trick question?

Dr. Mary Bell Carlson:

But I know I love the lady, your story from earlier, the lady who said, what gives you that credibility?

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

She and I were talking about how sometimes the financial industry, it's a little bit like the wild west, isn't it. You know, it's, everybody's kinda offering their own thing with their own little spin to it. And when I would talk to people about, you know, oh, I'm becoming a money coach and nobody would be able to say, is that just budgeting? Is that savings? Is that mindset work? You know, like what is that? And I think that that's such a valid question because it, it really did feel like a little bit like the wild west once I kind of made that decision and kind of started stepping into the industry. I was like, oh, there's just a lot more variation than I had anticipated there being. And yeah. So super kudos to my friend, her, her name is Jen[inaudible]. And she, the fact that she was willing to be blunt with me, I'm a pretty blunt person. So I appreciate those types of conversations, but the fact that she was willing to say, yeah, everybody's a money coach. You know, tell us, tell us what that like, and then she started rapid fire, you know, like, are you a fiduciary? Are you, I'm like what? You know, I was, so unable to answer some of her questions and that's really kind of what led me to say, yeah, you're right. This isn't like, people's money. It isn't just like, I'm, you know, teaching them how to put a button on, you know, it's like, this is really serious stuff. And if I were to misstep or if I were to have misinformation because of, you know, my, my experience was different than another person's experience, I would, I would really not. Yeah. I just, I think I just would have been upset with myself. That's not the right term I'm looking for, but you know what I'm saying? It's that it just wouldn't have felt great that I'm guiding folks without having the backing of the education. And I, I put this in my bio and you didn't read this piece of it, but I, I took that AFC exam and I studied for so long for that test. I, I had joked that I haven't even picked up, picked up a book since because, I just, I had read so much to get myself prepared and the amount that I learned through that process was wildly invaluable. And I really, I really encourage other folks to get the, those credentialing and that information just solely for the fact that that's what our clients deserve.

Dr. Mary Bell Carlson:

Deserve. Absolutely. And Melissa, I have to say, after holding the credential for almost two decades now, I would add to it. it's not a once and done destination, but it's continuing education. And that's the key part of it is in our field. So you can learn it once, but that doesn't mean it stays that way. And I think that's what really, for me, kind of I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum, as you. That it gives you that view, that 10,000 foot view that you need to know, but it keeps it current. And that's imperative when you're working with clients.

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

Not only could it change, you know, slightly, it could change significantly. It could, you know, and so we have to keep ourselves on our toes with that. Otherwise we're not doing the due diligence that we should be doing.

Rebecca Wiggins:

So Melissa, at the end of each interview, we like to get the guests two cents or biggest takeaways for our listeners. If you had just one piece of advice to offer other financial professionals, what would it be?

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

My 2 cents would be that the work that we do, it's not about us. We're constantly striving to help folks and to be the best that we can be. But when it boils down to it, we're doing the work that we do for other people. Just to loop back to the deaf and hard of hearing community. If there is somebody who's working with somebody in that community and if you're the right fit for them, amazing. And if you're not, then just to have that dialogue and to figure out somebody who could be, because the work that we do is, is not about us.

Dr. Mary Bell Carlson:

That is beautiful. Melissa. Thank you so much for jumping on and joining us for the show today. Could you tell our listeners where they can connect with you?

Melissa Mittelstaedt:

Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. I loved it. I can be found on Instagram at_melissamitt. Mary. I love talking with Melissa. She's so authentic and I love the connection between her past as an ASL interpreter and how she's married that in with her own journey of going through, you know, being in debt and then her finding that passion for personal finance. Two things that jumped out at me today that I actually wrote down were the importance of finding your own alignment. So, you know, not that it's a bad thing to get advice from other people or to get guidance or a framework around how to build your business, but, ultimately to listen to that intuition and find what works best for you, that it does. You don't always have to listen to the experts. So to speak. On the other side of that kind of contradictory is the importance of listening to an expert and having that credential when you're talking about finances. And I love as she was talking about, you know, you had asked her what you would tell others who are, you know, in this field, but don't have the AFC designation yet. It reminded me of, or how I took what she was saying was, that it also helps you avoid the blind spot around using your own experience as the expertise, right? Because there could be that can be useful in practice and certainly gives people confidence and experience to work off of and to relate to people. I think that's helpful, but I heard in what she was saying, that the credential provides this different perspective and more comprehensive backing so that you're not only looking at clients through your own experience. I thought that was the way she said it just kind of struck me in a different way. So I thought that was really cool.

Dr. Mary Bell Carlson:

When you're talking about blind spots, it's one thing, like she said, if you have a blind spot in sewing, you're probably going to prick your finger. When you have a blind spot in financial counseling and coaching, you could do detrimental damage to individuals and even unintentionally. And so that's what I would also add to this conversation is that it's really important that if you're going to hold yourself out as a quote unquote expert, you really need to do your own homework to become that expert. Right? And there's many, many ways that you can do that, but that it's not for the fact of getting a, another piece of paper to hang on your wall and say, Hey, look what I did. And that's kind of pulls into what I thought at the end was when she said, it's not about us. I teach financial coaching and counseling. And I tell my students all the time is the client is the expert in the room. So the credential is not giving you more technical knowledge, although it does do that. What it's really doing though at the end of the day is giving you the confidence and knowledge you need to be able to sit with and listen and help others and make it about them. And that's where I think those that don't have their credential and do how they're going to just, that's kind of the differentiating difference there. The other thing I really heard in Melissa too, is the blue ocean mentality. And that is just that idea of we're not lobsters in a bucket trying to fight each other. There's enough room for everyone and people that are going to really respond and resonate with Melissa are going to be different than the ones that resonate with me or vice versa. You too, Rebecca or anybody listening to this podcast, is this is really meant to be an open and sharing community. And how can we help each other? Cause like they say, rising tides, lift all boats. And I just know that as you help other people and share it with others, then make it less about you and more about them. It just leaves the world a better place. And that's how I feel after we talked with Melissa today.

Outro:

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