Money Made Human Podcast

Chapter 14: Setting Your Authentic Goals Oct 8, 2026 836 If you've ever looked up how to set financial goals, you were probably handed a number that sounds responsible, and that is usually the problem. A goal you adopted out of obligation runs on willpower and willpower runs out. Once you budget by paycheck, a goal stops being a wish and becomes a line in the plan.Chapter 14 is where you hear something you do not often hear from a financial profess

Chapter 13: Planning Ahead Oct 1, 2026 983 If you have ever gone looking for how to plan your finances for the year and given up somewhere around February, it probably was not a failure of effort. Traditional budgeting keeps you looking backward, sorting through what already happened and accounting for where things went wrong. After an hour of that, who has the energy to think about the next few months?Chapter 13 is what becomes possible o

Chapter 12: When Income Isn't Standard Sep 24, 2026 875 Most guidance on how to budget with irregular income assumes a paycheck that arrives the same way every two weeks. Chapter 12 is where the system flexes to meet you where you actually are.That's anyone self-employed, freelancing, on commission, working overtime, or running a business where no two months look the same. It's also anyone with a perfectly steady paycheck who is living throug

Chapter 11: Growing Your SpendFlex Sep 17, 2026 997 Most guidance on how to free up money in your budget starts with a list of things to cut. Chapter 11 starts somewhere else, with the plan you've already built and the small places where it doesn't quite fit your life yet.By now you've been running SpendFirst for a few weeks or a few months, and your SpendFixed list has stopped being a list of bills. It's a snapshot of your life

Chapter 10: SpendFlex - Where Possibility Begins Sep 10, 2026 890 What if there were a number that told you, honestly, what your money can do for you? Once your bills are handled, your everyday spending is covered and the expenses you know are coming are planned for, whatever is left has a name. It's your SpendFlex. It's the part of your money that gets to go toward the things that actually matter to you, and it's where money stops being about sur

Chapter 9: Your First Payday Reality Check Sep 3, 2026 521 Here's what nobody tells you about starting something new with your money: the first time rarely goes perfectly, and that's completely okay. This chapter is the honest reality check for how to plan your first paycheck with SpendFirst, so you know exactly what to expect and don't mistake normal for failure.When you run it for real the first time, one of two things happens. Either the

Chapter 8: The Number That Changes Everything Aug 27, 2026 637 Your bank balance is lying to you. Not on purpose, but it only counts what has already happened. It shows you a number that looks like money you can spend, when a lot of it is already spoken for by bills that haven't hit yet. If you have ever asked how much money you should have left after bills, this chapter is about the number that tells you the truth instead.There's a different number

Chapter 7: The Simple Payday Rhythm of SpendFirst Aug 20, 2026 590 What if managing your money came down to one short routine you run every payday, and then you were done? No daily tracking, no checking your balance ten times, no guessing what's left. That is what to do on payday when you budget by paycheck. That's what this chapter is about, and it's the point where the whole system starts to feel light. Once the three waves are in place, every pa

Chapter 6: SpendFuture - Planning for What Doesn't Happen Monthly Aug 13, 2026 755 Here's the wave that makes so many capable, responsible people feel like they just can't get ahead. You have a good month, put a little toward a card, and then the tires and the vet bill land in the same week and it's gone.In this episode, Kelsa reads Chapter 6 of SpendFirst, about SpendFuture, the money you set aside for the expenses that don't show up every month and always s

Chapter 5: SpendFreely - Where Real Life Happens Aug 6, 2026 1178 If you feel a little pang of guilt almost every time you spend money, that guilt was never really about your choices. It's about a hundred small purchases with no clear place to put them, so every one turns into a question.This chapter is about SpendFreely, the everyday spending that moves with your life. The groceries, the gas, the coffee, the Target run that somehow covers four “categories”

Chapter 4: SpendFixed - Your Monthly Commitments Jul 30, 2026 478 If you’ve ever felt fine at the start of the month and strangely broke by the middle of it, this is for you. There is a clear reason for that mid-month squeeze, and it comes down to timing you’ve never been shown how to see.If you have ever wondered what a fixed expense actually is, this is the chapter. Today we're defining SpendFixed, the fixed expenses like rent, utilities, and subscription

Chapter 3: The Three Ways Your Money Moves Jul 23, 2026 818 Some months your money feels calm, and some months it feels like chaos, even when your paycheck stays exactly the same.This week on the podcast I'm reading Chapter 3 of my book, SpendFirst®. It's the chapter where a lot of people finally set down the self-blame and see that their system was the thing missing all along.Most budgeting sorts your spending by category: housing, food, fun. An

Chapter 2: The Heartbeat of SpendFirst - Your Paycheck Rhythm Jul 16, 2026 645 Does your budget feel like it’s fighting your calendar? Most financial advice tells us to plan in 30-day blocks, but your life happens paycheck to paycheck. This episode is how to budget by paycheck instead of by the month.In this episode, we dive into Chapter 2 of SpendFirst to explore the Paycheck Rhythm, the simple but transformative shift that turns your budget from a chore into the heartbeat

Chapter 1: Why Traditional Budgeting Keeps Failing You Jul 9, 2026 956 If you’ve tried budgeting apps, spreadsheets, and rules and still ended up unsure, this is the episode that explains why, and why it was never a flaw in you. Kelsa Dickey reads Chapter 1 of SpendFirst, including the story of Jessie and Joe, a capable couple doing everything “right” and still drowning. The problem was never discipline. It was that traditional budgeting never helped them see how the

What If You Could See Ahead? Jul 2, 2026 595 This is where it begins. In the Introduction to SpendFirst, I'm reading the opening of my new book and laying out the premise the whole season is built on: You can manage almost anything in your life, so why does money still feel like a guessing game? The answer isn’t more discipline. It’s finally being able to see how your money moves, today, next paycheck, and three months from now.If you’v

Welcome to Money Made Human Jun 25, 2026 360 The Financial Coach Academy Podcast is now Money Made Human, and Season 2 starts here. In this short welcome episode, Kelsa Dickey shares what the new show is about and what makes this season different from anything she’s done before: an entire season spent reading her book, SpendFirst, one chapter a week, in her own voice. If money has ever felt like a guessing game even though you’re capable eve

Goodbye Season 1 Jun 18, 2026 669 This is the final episode of the Financial Coach Academy Podcast and the final episode of Season 1. Starting June 25, this show becomes Money Made Human.In this episode, we’re talking about what 157 episodes built, sharing the story of a listener who changed how I see this show, explaining why the name is changing, and laying out what’s coming in Season 2: The full SpendFirst® book, read chapter b

Why Conference Fears Are Actually Reasons Financial Coaches Should Attend (with Philip Taylor) Jun 15, 2026 1970 Every year the same hesitations come up when I talk to coaches about conferences:I won't know anyone. It's too expensive. I'm not far enough along. I don't have time. I can probably learn all of it online anyway.This week I'm replaying my conversation with Philip Taylor, CPA, entrepreneur, and founder of FinCon, with a fresh intro and outro for FinCon 2026. Philip has watc

156. How to Prepare for a Conference (So You Don't Waste $4,000) Jun 11, 2026 2015 Someone on Reddit spent more than $4,000 on a conference and came home with six business cards on their desk and nothing else. No meetings booked, no follow-up calls scheduled, no real conversations. They did all the things people tell you to do: They worked the expo floor, sat through the sessions, showed up to the networking cocktail hour. And they still felt like they had lit that money on fire

155. How to Connect With People Who Need You (When You Feel Like You've Tried Everything) Jun 4, 2026 1794 A few weeks ago, an email came across my desk from a financial coach who said she'd never struggled this much to make something work. She'd been posting consistently, running webinars, building a community, and getting engagement on every post.And she had zero coaching clients and six months of runway left. Her friends and family were telling her there wasn't a market for financial

154. The One Question That Simplifies Every Business Decision May 28, 2026 1038 Every business decision you make has three stakeholders, and most coaches only think about one or two of them. That's usually why the decisions feel so hard.Pricing, marketing, who to hire, what to say yes to, what to say no to. If you've been going back and forth on a decision for weeks (or months), the problem is rarely the decision itself. It's that you don't have a clear wa

What You Need (and Don't Need) to Be a Financial Coach May 21, 2026 1540 If you've been thinking about starting a financial coaching practice, there’s probably a list running in the back of your mind. The certification you should probably get. The website you need to build. The LLC you think you're supposed to file. The handful of topics you still need to master before you'd feel ready to call yourself an expert.I had that same list almost two decades ag

153. The 4-Stage Client Journey Every Financial Coach Needs to See May 14, 2026 1258 Every client you work with moves through a journey. The situations are always different, but the stages are remarkably consistent. I’ve watched them unfold across hundreds of clients over nearly two decades, and at some point I started giving them language.In this episode, I walk through the four stages I see every client move through when they start working on their money: See Clearly, Stand Firm

152. The Framework That Changed How I Coach May 7, 2026 1003 Your client just made a choice you wouldn't have made.You walked them through the options. You built the understanding. They applied it, reflected on it, and came back with their decision. And it's not the one you would have picked.What you do in the next thirty seconds is the real test of whether you're coaching or telling.This is the kind of moment the Clarity–Application–Commitme

151. Inside the Session: Three Things to Notice in a Real Coaching Session Apr 30, 2026 935 Last week you listened to a real coaching session with Lauren, a financial coach working through competing goals, limited margin, and a jumbled mind full of priorities she couldn't rank.This week I want to give you something to do with what you heard.I'm pulling three takeaways from Lauren's session: one for newer coaches, one for coaches who've been at this a while, and one fo

150. A Real Coaching Session on Prioritizing Financial Goals (Part 1) Apr 23, 2026 4958 Lauren is a financial coach. She knows exactly what she'd tell a client who was juggling competing financial goals with limited margin. She'd say: pick one. Prioritize. Stop trying to do everything at once.And yet, when it came to her own money (her IVF goal, her emergency fund, her coaching business, her serving job she was ready to leave) everything felt jumbled.In this Client Seat epi

149. How to Make Financial Progress Visible Apr 16, 2026 1340 Coaches are really good at helping clients build plans, organize their money, set goals, and adjust their behavior. These are excellent things.But something that comes up in almost every coaching relationship, usually several months in, is this: “I think things are okay. I mean, we're getting by. But I don't really know if we're ahead or behind.”The client is still doing the work. S

[The Client Seat] When Your Emergency Fund Creates More Stress Than Relief Apr 9, 2026 3570 If you followed the recent series on calibration and the three rhythms that money flows through, this session is where both of those ideas come to life.Mary Ann Stenquist is a spending coach who helps ambitious women break free from the shop-regret-shame cycle and align their spending with their values. She knows money. She teaches it. She coaches on it.And she's stuck.For four years, Mary An

148. The Three Rhythms Your Client's Money Actually Follows Apr 2, 2026 626 Most clients walk into a session already convinced they failed.The bad month is fresh. They went over budget. The spreadsheet is in the red. And every line item feels like evidence that they just aren't good with money.But here's something to note when you look at months like that: most of the time, nothing actually went wrong. The rent was paid, the groceries were normal, and the everyd

147. What I've Learned About How Practitioners Actually Grow Mar 26, 2026 1005 There's a question many financial coaches don’t stop long enough to ask: What actually makes us better at this?Not what we think makes us better. Not what the industry says we should do. What actually moves the needle when it comes to the craft of coaching.I’ve spent nearly two decades working with coaches at every stage, from training my very first coach to building a team of 50 practitioner

How to Take Feedback Mar 19, 2026 837 Getting feedback used to make my chest tighten. I'd spend so much energy trying to live a life where I'd never have to hear that I let someone down or disappointed them. The problem? That's impossible. You will inevitably get feedback as a coach and as a business owner.So you need to get good at it. Not just operationally, but emotionally.This episode walks through the three mindset

146. How to Talk About What You Do So People Actually Want It Mar 12, 2026 791 Something trips up a lot of really good financial coaches, and it has nothing to do with the actual work. It's how they describe it. When someone says, "So what do you do?" the response is often off. And it's not because you don't know what you do. It's because nobody's helped you see the difference between describing your services and describing what your client

145. What Your Client is Really Telling You When They Say “I Just Need to be More Disciplined” Mar 5, 2026 659 There's a sentence you've almost certainly heard from a client. Maybe more than once. Maybe even in the last week. "I just need to be more disciplined." It sounds like self-awareness. It sounds like accountability. And most coaches nod and move on when they hear it.In this week’s episode, we’re breaking down why that sentence is rarely what it appears to be and why what you do

144. Holding Big Goals Without Making Them Your Identity Feb 26, 2026 480 You’re secretly afraid that if you set boundaries around when you work or stop applying pressure, you'll collapse. That the drive you have will disappear. That you won't get anything done without urgency forcing you forward.Does that resonate?For a long time, I thought I only had two speeds: all in or completely off. If I slowed down, I was afraid I would stop. Like if I wasn't push

143. How Confidence is Actually Built Feb 19, 2026 843 Your clients don't need you to make everything feel better. They need you to help them trust themselves while feeling uncertain.This is the line between emotional over-holding and confidence building. It's subtle. And if you're a coach who cares deeply about your clients, you've probably crossed it without realizing.Emotional over-holding looks like carrying more of the emotion

142. [Inside the Session] Targeted Focus That Changes Your Coaching Feb 12, 2026 973 Last week, our Client Seat episode featured me coaching Michelle through feeling out of control with her money after moving to Guatemala. The cash system felt chaotic. Multiple accounts, inconsistent tracking, and no clear rhythm for how money moved. She wanted stability back.This week, I'm showing you what was happening on my side of that conversation. The coaching decisions I was making whi

141. [The Client Seat] Coaching Through When Life Changes the Rules Feb 5, 2026 3691 This episode is part of our Client Seat series, where financial coaches get real-time financial coaching from Kelsa. It’s a great opportunity to showcase what goes into a financial coaching session. If you’re a financial professional, you can apply to be a guest on a future Client Seat episode.Being a financial coach doesn't mean your own money is always perfect. Different seasons of life req

Five Strategies for Getting Out of Debt Jan 29, 2026 1582 I’m just going to come out and say it: there is NO “right way” to get out of debt. In fact, there are a number of ways that you can support your clients (or yourself) to pay down your debts - and today, we’re going to examine five of those strategies. When I first started coaching clients whose goal was to pay off their debts, I would have ask the client to give me their financial details, which i

140. How to Take Feedback Jan 22, 2026 857 Getting feedback used to make my chest tighten. I'd spend so much energy trying to live a life where I'd never have to hear that I let someone down or disappointed them. The problem? That's impossible. You will inevitably get feedback as a coach and as a business owner.So you need to get good at it. Not just operationally, but emotionally.This episode walks through the three mindset

139. How to Be a Financial Coach and Work Full-Time Jan 15, 2026 1019 The state of things right now isn't exactly predictable. Costs are up, people feel cautious about spending, and there's this underlying tension around money that's hard to ignore. If you're working full time and thinking about becoming a financial coach this year, or if you're already coaching and trying to figure out how to navigate 2026 without burning out, this episode

138. How to Be a Financial Coach in 2026 Jan 8, 2026 1600 Your clients’ budgets absorbed increases they never saw coming this year. A healthcare premium that jumped several hundred dollars per month. Utility bills up $50 at peak usage. Return-to-office mandates that added childcare costs, gas expenses, and convenience spending they didn't budget for. Buy now, pay later options at grocery checkouts, not just for wants but for food.When your clients s

137. [Announcement] Evolution of The Plan Ahead Method™ to SpendFirst® Jan 1, 2026 1407 After almost two decades of watching clients struggle with traditional budgeting advice, one pattern became impossible to ignore: the advice itself was creating the problem.Track every dollar. Cut spending wherever possible. Follow this exact plan. The advice was restrictive, rigid, and built on the assumption that everyone should manage money the same way. No wonder people felt like failures when

First Paid Sessions: Creating an Experience Clients Remember Dec 25, 2025 2218 You've got a client who's ready to work with you—they've paid for their first session and now you're feeling those pre-session nerves. Sound familiar?In this episode, we talk about what's really going on in your client's mind when they show up for that first paid session (hint: they're probably more nervous than you are). I share the exact structure I use to make

136. How to Tackle This Real-Life Coaching Scenario Dec 18, 2025 854 A client is tearing up about their debt in your first session together. You're feeling good about the progress you're making. Then weeks later, when you use the MeaningFirst Method™ to explore what getting out of debt would mean to them, they say something you didn’t expect: "Even if I were debt free, I'd still be worried about my income. I wouldn't feel much different.&qu

135. The MeaningFirst Method™: Financial Goals You Want To Follow Through On Dec 11, 2025 538 What if the way you're asking clients about their goals is actually making it harder for them to follow through?Most coaches ask what their client wants to accomplish, get an answer like "I want to get out of debt" or "I want to save more," and then move straight into strategy. Goal identified, check. Time to build the plan.But here's what's missing: connection.

134. Inside the Session: “I Thought I Was Doing Everything Right” - Client Seat Recap Dec 4, 2025 1725 Knowing what to say in a coaching session is one thing. Knowing when to say it, how to pace it, and what to listen for underneath the words… that's where real coaching happens.In this episode, we’re walking you through a coaching session breakdown, pulling back the curtain on the decisions made in real time during last week’s The Client Seat episode. You'll hear what Kelsa was tracking,

133. [The Client Seat] When Your Emergency Fund Creates More Stress Than Relief Nov 27, 2025 3449 Welcome to our first Client Seat episode, because even coaches need coaches.Mary Ann Stenquist teaches people how to break the shop-regret-shame cycle. She's a spending coach who helps ambitious women align their spending with their values instead of their impulses.She knows money. She teaches it. She coaches on it.And she's stuck.For four years, Mary Ann has been caught in a cycle: fund

132. How to Create Buy-in: The Framework for Lasting Financial Change Nov 20, 2025 1304 You've identified the problem. You understand the instinct gap. Now it's time to fix it.In the first two episodes of this series, we talked about why financial content isn't creating change and introduced the conative mind, the missing piece that explains why people don't take action even when they know what to do. We showed you how your natural way of taking action as a financ

131. The Missing Piece of Financial Change: The Conative Mind Explained Nov 13, 2025 1596 You've given your clients the tools. You've shared the knowledge. They say they understand. They even seem motivated. But then nothing changes.This is the knowing-doing disconnect, and in this episode, we're showing you why it happens.In part one of this series, we talked about how more financial content exists than ever before, yet people are more financially stressed than ever. We

130. Why People Don’t Take Action With Money (and How to Fix It) Nov 6, 2025 1260 Financial content is everywhere. Personal finance is the second most talked about topic on the internet. And yet, people are more stressed about money than ever before. American household debt sits at an all-time high of $18.4 trillion and the personal savings rate hit 1.4% in July 2025, the lowest in history.Something isn't working.You've seen it with your own clients: they nod along, s

14 Simple Marketing Tactics to Grow Your Financial Coaching Business Oct 30, 2025 2892 You didn't start your coaching business to become a marketing expert.But marketing is how you get visible and attract the right clients. Without it, even talented coaches struggle to fill their practice and create the impact they want.The good news? Boosting your marketing doesn't require a complete overhaul or endless hours. With focused adjustments to what you're already doing, yo

129. From Information to Transformation: Why Your Clients Aren't Following Through Oct 23, 2025 408 Financial coaching isn't about giving better advice. Most of your clients already know they should spend less than they earn. They know they need an emergency fund. They've heard the standard recommendations before.So why aren't they making progress?The gap isn't information. It's follow-through. And follow-through doesn't come from another spreadsheet or a clearer ex

Bonus | Raising the Standard: The Future of Financial Coaching Oct 21, 2025 1123 People will tell you they want financial literacy. They'll say they need to understand their numbers better, get organized, learn the right steps. And those things matter, of course they do. But here's what I've learned after almost two decades of doing this work: knowledge isn't the problem anymore. We're drowning in financial education. Books, podcasts, TikToks, workplac

128. Why Financial Coaches Should Talk About Transformation (Not Just Coaching) Oct 16, 2025 733 Most coaches struggle to talk about their work in a way that makes people want to invest. They know they're getting clients results, but when it comes to marketing, something feels off. They're not sure if they should talk about financial coaching or focus on what actually happens for their clients.This struggle is costing coaches clients every single day. For over 10 years, I fully embr

127. Should You Add More Services to Your Financial Coaching Business? Oct 9, 2025 1290 “Should I add tax prep to my coaching business? What about investment management or insurance?”I hear this question from coaches all the time, especially when they're looking to grow their revenue. You see other financial professionals offering multiple services and it makes sense—more services should mean more income, right?Here's what I've learned after working with hundreds of co

Tackling Imposter Syndrome: A Financial Coach's Guide Oct 2, 2025 2368 First things first, friends: Imposter syndrome is not a thought: “I am an imposter” or a feeling: “I feel like a fake.” It’s a circumstance. And if we want to overcome it, we need to understand it…which means clearly identifying it for what it is, which removes SOME of imposter syndrome’s power. Think of imposter syndrome as the monster behind your closet door: you sit there, covers pulled up to y

126. Why Your Great Q&A Calls Are Ending in Crickets (And How to Fix It) Sep 25, 2025 1527 You hang up from that Q&A call thinking you really connected with that person. They'd be so great to work with. You know you can help them. The conversation went great.And then it's crickets.They didn't give you an answer on the call. They said they'd think about it and get back to you. But then that person ghosted you or just fell off the face of the planet.Does this sound

125. Fear of Failure Is Sabotaging Your Coaching Business: Break the Cycle & Take Action Sep 18, 2025 1759 We've been watching talented, capable financial coaches hold themselves back from doing their best work, and it has nothing to do with skills or caring.They'll create a freebie but never really put it out there. Someone asks about their coaching, but they don't follow up. They get invited to present at a workshop but decide “now's not the right time.”It's not that they don

124. Should You Start a Group Coaching Program? Here's How to Know If You're Ready Sep 11, 2025 1719 There's a question that keeps coming up from coaches, and honestly, it's one that can make or break your business if you get the timing wrong.Should you start a group coaching program or membership?The appeal is obvious—leverage your time, help more people, bring in more revenue for your time. What's not to love, right? But there's a reason why some coaches launch group program

123. The 4 Missing Ingredients That Separate Thriving Financial Coaches From Those Who Struggle Sep 4, 2025 1370 There's something missing in your coaching business, and it's probably not what you think.You've got the big stuff figured out—your coaching skills, your programs, maybe even your marketing. But there are four smaller things that many coaches overlook, and without them, something always feels a little off.These four missing pieces might seem small on the surface. You might even wond

122. Why Conference Fears Are Actually Reasons Financial Coaches Should Attend Aug 28, 2025 1820 Philip Taylor started FinCon because he was tired of talking to his spouse about business ideas that didn't quite land. He needed someone to really riff off of, someone who understood the mission.His first WordPress conference back in 2004 validated him as an entrepreneur in a way he didn't expect. The relationships he formed there? He still relies on some of them today. Philip gets real

121. How to Attract Your Ideal Clients by Being Authentically Yourself Aug 21, 2025 2279 When Debbie White says coaches don't need to be louder or slicker to stand out, she means something that might feel backwards at first. After spending 20 years launching brands like Starbucks and building multiple seven-figure businesses, she's watched too many coaches try to sound like marketers instead of humans.The problem? People buy from people, not from polished marketing speak. An

120. How to Help Your Clients Build Their Financial Power Team Aug 14, 2025 1069 If you’re trying to do everything for your clients, you’re doing them a disservice. Yep, I said it. As financial coaches, we don’t know everything there is to know about finances, and that’s okay. We’re focused on our niche and expertise and while there’s nothing wrong with learning and growing with our clients, there comes a time when referring them to another professional is the best next step.I

119. Growing Your Financial Coaching Business Without Breaking the Bank Aug 7, 2025 1508 You want to grow your financial coaching business but you're not quite ready to make a big investment. Maybe you're just getting started, or you're building momentum but hesitant about spending thousands of dollars on training programs.This week, we’re tackling one of the most common questions we get: how can you grow your financial coaching business using resources that are availab

118. Why AI Makes Financial Coaches More Essential, Not Obsolete Jul 31, 2025 1226 There's something happening in the financial coaching world that's got a lot of us feeling uneasy. Maybe you've heard the whispers, or maybe you've been losing sleep over it yourself. AI is coming for our jobs, they say. Clients can just ask ChatGPT for financial advice now. Why would they need us?I've been watching this conversation unfold in coaching groups and on Reddit

117. From Content Creator to Coach: How Clear Invitations Transform Your Business Jul 24, 2025 2883 You can create the most beautiful, helpful content in the world, but if you're not inviting people to work with you, you're an educator, not a business owner.Walli Miller learned this the hard way. She was doing everything “right” as a content creator. Her posts were gorgeous, her financial tips were solid, people were commenting and sharing her stuff. But months went by after her first

116. When Support Systems Shape Financial Success Jul 17, 2025 2713 Brian Haney has watched it happen more times than he can count. A client comes to him with what looks like a straightforward financial situation, but six months later, they're calling his office feeling completely overwhelmed. Not because the plan was wrong, but because something fundamental was missing.In Brian's case, one example was a recently retired client who had plenty of money an

115. Should You Coach Friends and Family? The Truth About Mixing Business with Personal Relationships Jul 10, 2025 775 When you're starting your coaching business, your friends and family feel like the obvious first clients. They already trust you, they want to support your new venture, and honestly, it feels way less scary than reaching out to complete strangers.But what happens when your sister stops sharing her real spending habits because she doesn't want you judging her credit card debt at Thanksgiv

114. When Clients Call You Their “Financial Therapist”: Setting Professional Boundaries Jul 3, 2025 868 If you've been coaching for any length of time, you've probably experienced this. A client introduces you as their financial therapist or thanks you for their financial therapy session. It might seem like a compliment, but there's something important we need to address.Money is deeply emotional. When we help clients work through their financial challenges, we're often helping t

113. Why Doing More Marketing Isn't the Answer (And What to Do Instead) Jun 26, 2025 659 Have you been spinning your wheels with marketing, doing all the things you're supposed to do…but feeling like you're getting nowhere? You're showing up on social media, going to networking events, having coffee chats, but your client list isn't budging. Most of us think the solution is to do more—add another platform, attend more events, schedule more meetings.What if that&apo

What Gives Coaching a Bad Name Jun 19, 2025 1731 What does it really mean to be a financial coach in integrity with what we do? This week on the podcast, we’re tackling this head-on, talking about the realities behind what's often seen but seldom spoken about. It’s the challenges behind coaches coaching coaches (say that three times fast!) and staying in integrity with how we market ourselves and being open and transparent with clients.In t

112. How to Stop Controlling Your Financial Coaching Clients (And Why It's Hurting Their Growth) Jun 12, 2025 474 Ever tried to talk a client out of a risky decision? Found yourself pushing harder when they won't listen to your advice? If you've ever felt your stomach drop when a client chose the path you knew was wrong, this episode is for you.Here's the uncomfortable truth: when we try to control our clients' choices, it's usually not about them. It's about us. Our insecurity t

111. Finding Your Authentic Voice: Why Being Yourself is Your Greatest Business Asset Jun 5, 2025 960 Have you ever met someone in person after following their content and thought, “Wow, they're exactly who I thought they'd be”? That's the power of authenticity, and it's what your clients are looking for too.Today we're talking about something I see happening a lot in our profession—coaches trying to sound like someone else instead of developing their own voice. I'll

110. Difficult Conversations: Tough Talks That Build Trust May 29, 2025 1063 I used to lose sleep before coaching sessions where I knew I had to deliver tough news. If I saw someone's finances and they were way over budget every month, I felt like, oh my gosh, I'm going to have to be the messenger of terrible news. What are they going to think? How are they going to react?Today we're talking about those conversations that make your stomach tighten—the ones m

109. Why Leverage Email Marketing Over Social Media May 22, 2025 995 Many coaches think they need to be everywhere on social media, posting constantly and hoping their ideal clients will find them. But there's a problem with putting all your eggs in the social media basket: social media in 2025 is not the same social media from 10 years ago. And that means that growing a business on social media is leaving too much to chance.This week, we're talking about

Behind the Scenes: A Real-Life Financial Coaching Session May 15, 2025 6574 Starting a new career can be a challenge. In many instances, we have the opportunity to learn from a mentor or manager who can guide us in the right direction. And while I serve as a mentor for financial coaches, few have actually experienced or witnessed a financial coaching session. So I was thrilled when a member of our online community agreed to allow me to record a coaching session as I coach

108. From Hesitant Accountant to Confident Coach: How Amber Joy Pietrangelo Found Her Way May 8, 2025 1760 Financial coach and bookkeeper Amber Joy Pietrangelo never planned on having her own business after business classes in college completely turned her off from entrepreneurship.But now, Amber has created a unique coaching approach where bookkeeping and financial guidance blend seamlessly. In her own business. After struggling through multiple career and business shifts, Amber discovered her “magic

107. Beyond Goodbye: How to Transform Past Clients into Your Biggest Growth Engine May 1, 2025 736 Are you wrapping up clients’ final sessions with an awkward “goodbye and good luck”? You might be missing the biggest opportunity in your coaching business.We continue our series on delighting clients this week by focusing on what happens after their formal program ends. Financial wellness isn't a destination—it's a lifelong journey with new challenges at every stage. By maintaining mean

106. 5 Essential Systems to Streamline Your Financial Coaching Business and Reclaim Your Time Apr 24, 2025 1407 Are you caught checking client emails on family movie night or waking up at 3 a.m. worried you forgot to send that follow-up? Your love for financial coaching might be getting buried under a mountain of admin tasks.As coaches, we're drawn to this work because we want to help people transform their relationship with money. But the reality is that running a business involves so much more than j

105. The One Marketing Strategy All Financial Coaches Need Apr 17, 2025 859 I don't think I need to tell you about the chaos social media has experienced lately. Meta goes down from time to time. Instagram suddenly changed square feeds to vertical graphics with no warning. TikTok's future remains uncertain.It’s too much to keep up with, and even if you understand the “rules,” they’re bound to change in the coming months. While there’s still value in social media

Episodes

Recommended