5bde19ce

My Why

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 22:39:58 GMT

When people ask me why I've decided to start coaching, my answer has evolved over time.

At first, I thought it was simple. I've spent my career in finance. I've helped organizations navigate complex financial decisions, create value, and build wealth. I've learned lessons through both professional experience and personal trial and error, and I felt a responsibility to share what I've learned.

But the more I reflected on it, the more I realized that wasn't the real reason. I don't believe most women struggle with money because they lack intelligence, discipline, or ambition. I believe many of us were simply never given the opportunity to inherit a healthy financial legacy.

We Weren't Given a Financial Legacy

When we talk about generational wealth, we usually think about money that's passed from one generation to the next. But wealth isn't the only thing we inherit. We inherit beliefs, habits, fears, knowledge, and silence. And for most of American history, women weren't simply discouraged from participating in financial decisions; they were legally restricted from doing so.

It wasn't until the 19th century that states began allowing married women to own property. Women didn't gain the right to vote until 1920. The Equal Pay Act wasn't passed until 1963, employment discrimination based on sex wasn't prohibited until 1964, and it wasn't until 1974 that the Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibited lenders from discriminating against women based on sex or marital status.

When you step back and look at that timeline, something becomes obvious. Most of us are only one or two generations removed from women having meaningful financial autonomy. Knowledge compounds, and so does financial literacy. If your grandmother wasn't encouraged to invest, your mother may not have learned to invest. If your mother wasn't taught how to build wealth, it's unlikely she could teach you. Not because she didn't want to, but because she never had the opportunity herself.

That isn't a criticism. It's context. And it helps explain why our relationship with money and wealth is just as important as the tactical disciplines we're taught define financial success. We're still building the first generations of financial knowledge that can be intentionally passed down.

This Isn't Just a Women's Issue

Although my coaching is centered on women, this conversation affects everyone. Financial beliefs are inherited socially, not genetically. A mother who was never taught about investing, negotiating, entrepreneurship, or wealth creation can't easily pass those lessons to her children. Not because she doesn't care, but because she was never given those tools herself. That affects daughters, sons, and ultimately the entire family.

Before we ever earn our first paycheck, we've already inherited countless beliefs about money: whether money creates security or anxiety; whether wealthy people are generous or greedy; whether asking for more is confidence or selfishness; whether investing is normal or dangerous; whether talking about money is empowering or inappropriate.

We don't inherit only money. We inherit stories about money. Some of those stories serve us, while others quietly limit us.

One of the most meaningful things we can do is examine those stories and decide which ones are truly ours and which ones were simply passed down.

My Relationship with Money

I've always had a unique relationship with money. Professionally, I understand it. I've spent years helping organizations improve profitability, create value, and make better financial decisions. Building wealth, understanding financial statements, and thinking strategically about money have become second nature to me.

Personally, though, my relationship with money has been much more complicated. Much of my ability to create wealth came from fear. Fear of not having enough. Fear of instability. Fear of losing everything I'd worked so hard to build.

Fear can be a powerful motivator. It can push you to work harder, save more, plan further ahead, and become incredibly successful. From the outside, that can look like confidence. But inside, fear still feels like fear.

Over time, I realized something that changed how I think about money entirely: understanding money and having a healthy relationship with money are not the same thing.

You can know exactly how to invest and still be afraid to invest. You can earn an incredible income and still feel financially insecure. You can build wealth and never feel like you have enough. Financial literacy tells us what to do. Our relationship with money determines whether we do it—and whether we ever feel at peace once we get there.

Why I'm Choosing to Coach

That's why I've decided to offer coaching. Not because I believe I have all the answers. Not because I think everyone should manage money the way I do. But because I believe we need more honest conversations about money.

Somewhere along the way, many of us were taught that talking about money was impolite. Yet the people who build wealth rarely avoid these conversations. They ask questions. They challenge ideas. They share experiences. They learn from one another. Money isn't taboo in those rooms. It's simply a topic worthy of discussion.

I want to create more spaces where those conversations can happen. Spaces where women can ask questions without shame. Where financial literacy and emotional awareness exist side by side.

Where we can talk about investing and self-worth. Negotiating and confidence. Wealth and generosity. Fear and freedom.

Because they're all connected.

The Legacy We Leave

My goal isn't simply to help women make more money. It's to help them build a healthier relationship with money. One rooted in confidence instead of fear. One grounded in knowledge instead of shame. One that gives them the freedom to make choices aligned with the life they want to create.

Because when we change our relationship with money, we don't just change our own lives. We change what gets passed to the next generation.

Maybe that's the financial legacy many of us didn't inherit. But it can absolutely be the one we choose to leave.

Why Your Relationship with Money Is Just as Important as Understanding It

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 20:31:52 GMT

When most people think about becoming “good with money,” they immediately think about budgets, investing, taxes, retirement accounts, or learning how to negotiate a higher salary. Those things matter. But here’s what many financial experts don’t tell you:

You can understand money perfectly and still struggle with it.

I’ve met professionals who earn six figures yet feel anxious every payday. Others who know exactly how investing works but are terrified to get started. Some save diligently while never allowing themselves to enjoy the life they’ve worked so hard to build. The problem isn’t a lack of financial knowledge. It’s their relationship with money.

Financial Literacy Is Only Half the Equation

When you think about your health, knowing that vegetables are healthy doesn’t automatically mean you’ll eat them every day. Understanding that exercise is good for you doesn’t guarantee you’ll make time for it.

Money works the same way. Technical knowledge tells you what to do; your relationship with money determines whether you’ll do it. If that relationship is rooted in fear, scarcity, guilt, or shame, those emotions will influence every financial decision you make, often without you realizing it.

Your Money Story Started Long Before Your First Paycheck

Every one of us carries unconscious beliefs about money. Some common ones include:

“Money is hard to earn.”
“Rich people are selfish.”
“I’ll never be good with money.”
“I have to work myself to exhaustion to deserve wealth.”
“If I spend money on myself, I’m being irresponsible.”
“Talking about money is rude.”

Most of these beliefs weren’t chosen consciously. They were absorbed through childhood experiences, family dynamics, culture, religion, or past financial hardships. Over time, they become the lens through which we view every financial opportunity and challenge.

High Earners Still Feel Financially Stressed

One of the biggest myths is that more income automatically creates financial peace. In reality, financial confidence doesn’t come from your salary, it comes from your relationship with money. I’ve seen professionals who earn $75,000 feel calm, confident, and in control. I’ve also seen professionals earning over $300,000 constantly worry they’re one mistake away from financial disaster.

The difference isn’t intelligence. It’s emotional security.

A Healthy Relationship with Money Looks Different

A healthy relationship with money doesn’t mean you never worry, it means you trust yourself. It means:

Making decisions based on values instead of fear.
Spending intentionally instead of emotionally.
Investing without being paralyzed by uncertainty.
Asking for the raise you deserve.
Setting financial boundaries without guilt.
Viewing money as a tool, not as a measure of your worth.

Money stops being something that controls you. Instead, it becomes something that supports the life you’re intentionally creating.

Technical Knowledge Has More Power When Your Mindset Supports It

Imagine learning everything about investing. You understand diversification. You know the importance of compound growth. You’ve read all the books. But every time the market drops, panic takes over and you sell everything. Or imagine knowing exactly how to negotiate your salary but never asking because you’re afraid of rejection.

The issue isn’t education. It’s emotional regulation. Again, the obstacle isn’t knowledge. It’s your relationship with money, and ultimately, with yourself.

The Goal Isn’t Perfection

Many people believe financial success means never making mistakes. The truth is that everyone makes financial mistakes. The goal is building enough confidence and self-awareness that one mistake doesn’t define your future. Healthy financial habits aren’t built through shame; they’re built through curiosity, compassion, and consistency.

A Small Practice to Start With

If you want a place to begin, try this: the next time you check your bank balance, notice the very first emotion that surfaces, before you judge it or act on it. Is it relief? Dread? Guilt? Simply naming that feeling is the first step toward understanding the story driving your financial decisions. Awareness always comes before change.

Final Thoughts

Financial literacy and financial psychology are not competing ideas; they are complementary ones. Understanding how money works is essential, but understanding how you work with money is what allows that knowledge to translate into meaningful action.

The next time you find yourself avoiding a financial decision, feeling anxious about money, or questioning why you continue a habit that doesn’t serve you, pause before reaching for another budgeting app, investment strategy, or financial podcast. Instead, ask yourself: What belief or emotion is driving this decision?

The answer may reveal far more than another financial tip ever could.

A healthy relationship with money isn’t about having all the answers or making perfect decisions. It’s about developing the awareness to recognize the thoughts, emotions, and beliefs influencing your choices, and the confidence to respond intentionally rather than react automatically.

Because in the end, financial success isn’t determined solely by what you know about money. It’s shaped just as much by the relationship you have with it.

Ready to Change Your Relationship with Money?

Through 1-on-1 coaching, I help professionals move past the fear, guilt, and scarcity that quietly shape their financial decisions, so they can build real confidence, not just a bigger balance.

If you’re ready to understand not just money, but your relationship with it, I’d love to help. Book a free discovery call to take the first step.