by Wendy Wright, LMFT, Financial Therapist, Wealth Transfer Dynamics Specialist, Money Coach

You may be wondering what money and milkshakes have in common. To start, they both can give you a brain freeze (ha!). They can also cause discomfort when they feel out of control. 

For today’s blog post, I want to talk about what I call “the intersection of money and milkshakes” and how you can find a path toward healing through the money and food connection.

You may have struggled at times to understand why you repeat things. Ever wondered why you return to the use of a credit card after paying off debt and promising to never put yourself in that situation again? Maybe you find yourself binging on food again, even though just this morning you made another vow to yourself to “lose 10 pounds.” You may end up in tears, accepting the reality that you haven’t made any changes despite your promises to yourself.

I am here to offer another way to look at your struggles. When I was working primarily with individuals struggling with eating disorders, I began to notice some similar statements showing up with my clients that intrigued me. Many of them would use the same sentences to describe their relationships with money as they used for their relationships with food, body, and/or exercise.

For instance, many clients turned to shopping. They may contemplate a purchase to help them “feel not so fat” or “help them fit in” as they try to decrease their binging and purging cycle. Shopping, then, is a coping mechanism, just like binging and purging. Others might lean into their emotions. They may feel like they “never have enough money” and practice rigid habits around money management. Chances are, this strictness is mirrored in their food and exercise behaviors with restriction and compulsion. 

I had other clients who shared stories of feeling overwhelmed about spending or saving. They felt like they never did it “right.” These same clients would often restrict foods because they could never find the “right” food to eat. In all these examples, for those suffering from severe disorders, there is a sense that catastrophe lies ahead if the wrong decision is made.

As you can see, this money and food connection is real! 

Naming it and understanding it better can bring true relief. Here are some other similarities you may have noticed between money and food:

Seeing how these thoughts show up in both areas of your life can help you move you away from certain beliefs – things like “I am stupid about money,” “I am powerless to stop binging,” or “I am too lazy to change.” Once you are aware that these patterns exist with both money and food, you are able to work on the underlying issues that are really at play here. When you have more awareness and more clarity, you can gain more traction in healing and changing.  And, even more exciting, you can see this isn’t just something broken inside of you!

I recently explored the parallels between money and food on the podcast Taking Up Space with Cassie Krajewski. 

During the interview, we discussed the complex and often overlooked intersection of money, food, and mental wellness. Through personal stories and real-world examples, I broke down how financial therapy invites curiosity and compassion into the picture. This approach allows you to move away from rigid, shame-based approaches to food and finances and instead fosters flexibility and self-acceptance. Check out the episode here!

If you haven’t already tuned into my episode of the Stacking Benjamins Show podcast, don’t miss it! During a roundtable discussion with host Joe Saul-Sehy, Paula Pant of Afford Anything, and Larry Sprung of Mitlin Money Mindset, we chatted about how financial trauma manifests in money behaviors and the many benefits of financial therapy — some of which I’ve touched on again in this blog post. 

To help you deepen your healing through the money and food connection, I’m so excited to share my new series of journal prompts. 

With the Healing Through the Money and Food Connection collection of prompts for your Financial Therapy Journal, you can further explore the intersection of money and milkshakes in your own life. Your Financial Therapy Journal is designed to be an ongoing experience, with various paid and free prompt and lesson series. You can create one folder on your device and keep adding new content.  

Imagine sailing through this holiday season with peace and calm around food and money! Grab your bundle today to start your healing journey.

As a reminder, these resources are not therapy or a replacement for therapy. They are meant to be educational and great to use in combination with therapy. To book a free discovery call with me, click here!

The post Healing Through the Money and Food Connection appeared first on Financial Therapy Solutions.

by Wendy Wright, LMFT, Financial Therapist, Wealth Transfer Dynamics Specialist, Money Coach

Key Points

• A recent discussion about financial trauma by four financial experts
• How to identify signs of financial trauma in your money life
• How my signature Financial Therapy approach can help you begin healing

Intrusive thoughts, racing thoughts, chaotic thoughts, or rigid thoughts around your money decision making. Avoidant money behaviors, obsessive money behaviors, constantly in conflict about money. All of these experiences can be ways you have developed to cope with financial trauma. Consider these statistics: In a 2016 study, 23 percent of Americans (including 35 percent of Millennials) reported experiencing psychological effects similar to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to “acute financial stress” (source). IYKYK, right?

Let’s dive in with a complicated question: What defines financial trauma?

Just last week, I attended FinCon 2024 and recorded an episode of the Stacking Benjamins Show podcast with host Joe Saul-Sehy, Paula Pant of Afford Anything, and Larry Sprung of Mitlin Money Mindset. To help identify what is traumatic, I offered the following framework: Trauma can be something that happens that your brain doesn’t expect or know how to absorb.

When it comes to financial trauma, it may mean a sudden loss of income by job loss, divorce, or other life shocks. It can be living with a verbally abusive parent or spouse who constantly berates you as “bad with money.” Joe mentioned this article as a conversation starter. A scarcity mindset, sometimes called scarcity trauma, is a chronic form of financial trauma. Thomas Faupl, LMFT, SEP, adds, “Scarcity trauma comes from a lack of financial resources.” The roundtable also used the Great Depression as an example. During this time, the nation experienced a common trauma of sudden and significant change to income and security.  

So what happens to someone who experiences financial trauma?  

During this roundtable, the group discussed how a response to a traumatic event is usually a blend of the impact of the event and the neurobiology, or the temperament, of the individual. If you believe you may have experienced financial trauma, I encourage you to notice if you shift into highly rigid or highly chaotic money behaviors.

For instance, if you tend toward hyper organization in a time of stress, you may notice that you start to rigidly save money. This reaction becomes a coping skill. You may feel highly uneasy – threatened, to some degree – if you need to take money out of your savings.

Or if you tend toward chaos, brain fog, and/or avoidance in a time of stress, this shows up in money behaviors and patterns. You may find yourself in a debt cycle, for example, racking up large amounts of debt with promises that “it will be the last time.” You may pay off the debt and vow to never go into debt again, only to break the promise and sink deeper into despair.

These are just a couple of examples of how financial trauma may manifest in money behaviors.

What can you do to start your healing journey? I’ve seen my 10 Principles of Financial Therapy© play a major role in helping to heal and shift my clients’ relationships with money.  The first principle, Abundant Compassionate Curiosity and Zero Judgment©, can really change the game. This idea allows the space to see your money behaviors as ways you have learned to cope with a difficult situation, not as evidence you are inherently “flawed” with money. Hope can begin to show up for you, which makes a huge difference.

Another principle, A Plan is Only as Good as Its Adjustment Process©, is also discussed by the group. This principle gives space to acknowledge that flexibility is important in money planning and decision making. Larry endorsed this principle as one he uses with his planning clients. He shared ways that he has supported clients and podcast listeners to grieve what didn’t work and move toward the adjustment process with compassion.

To listen to the full episode, click here! Other key ideas discussed during our roundtable include:

• Diving into financial trauma
• Signs of financial trauma
• Personal stories about the scarcity mindset
• Individual and cultural financial trauma
• Judgment and financial secrecy
• Inherited wealth and emotional struggles
• Behavioral finance in financial planning
• Building compassionate financial relationships
• Recognizing financial trauma: hoarding 
• Societal views on hoarding vs. Saving
• Personal stories of financial extremes
• Balancing financial planning and living in the present
• Diagnosing money hoarding and anxiety
• Steps to address financial anxiety
• Exploring false connections with money
• The importance of financial planning and adjustments
• Tracking spending and financial awareness
• Principles of financial therapy
• When to seek financial therapy

Ready to do your own healing from financial trauma?

Download the free Foundational Series of My Financial Therapy Journal and begin your recovery journey! Stay tuned for more journal prompts to deepen your financial therapy work.

As a reminder, these resources are not therapy or a replacement for therapy. They are meant to be educational and great to use in combination with therapy. To book a free discovery call with me, click here! 

The post Financial Trauma and Financial Therapy appeared first on Financial Therapy Solutions.

Today, I’m thrilled to share my most recent podcast interview with you. I spoke with Carmen Hecox, the host of the Create the Best Me podcast about money, emotions, and financial therapy. My episode, titled How to Transform Your Relationship With Money, dropped at the start of the month. Check it out on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

Let’s get right to it!

When it comes to money numbers, numbers are not just numbers. 

Money numbers are not simply data points. These are containers of story and emotions – and sometimes fog and chaos. Let’s apply Principle #1 of my 10 Principles of Financial Therapy©: Compassionate Curiosity and Zero Judgment to the process of knowing your numbers.

What do you experience when thinking about approaching your money numbers? Is it giddy excitement, dread, forgetfulness, or even flat out rage? Whatever your answer, it’s okay to allow what is happening to happen. This is just your starting point. Remember: Money work is always shifting.

You know that feeling that happens in your body when someone asks you for a money number — the tightening of your throat, the tension in your tummy, the freak out in your head? Or maybe you experience such deep avoidance that, when you start to look at your numbers, you fall asleep! These are real sensations and real messages from your nervous system. It’s okay to have them. My Financial Therapy Approach helps you honor the current feelings and move toward the desired feelings. It also supports you in moving forward, getting unstuck from past money behaviors and patterns.

Imagine if knowing your money numbers brought peace, comfort, confidence, and freedom to your life. 

I am on a mission to help 100 women this year step into knowing their numbers. You don’t need to stay in a relationship because of money or because you don’t know or understand your money numbers. I don’t want you to feel stuck in a job because of a lack of clarity around your finances.  

In my Money Mindset Shift Program, I talk more about this idea and offer guided support through this emotional journey of connecting with money numbers. For a deeper dive, check out this lesson from Step 7: Clarity Shifts for free for a limited time.

We can do this work during sessions together too! Three or four financial therapy sessions, geared to focus on what keeps you blocked from knowing your numbers, can make a life-changing difference.

So what can happen when you know your numbers, when you are clear on your money snapshot? 

What about when you have a clear sketch of a money plan and when you have the tools to get to where you want to be? Well, you can make decisions based on things other than money fog, money anxiety, and money fears. You can go deeper into your true self and true desires. Plus, you may find a way to decide for yourself if you want to stay or go with that relationship – because you feel financially confident and wise. You may be able to stay in the job because you have new awareness and new boundaries with yourself and the position.  Or you may be able to build a clear and confident plan to change your situation and free yourself from feeling stuck in a situation. Imagine no longer feeling trapped because you are uncertain about money. It’s so empowering!

Do you want to be one of the 100 women I help this year? Book a discovery call today to get started!

The post Do You Know Your Money Numbers? appeared first on Financial Therapy Solutions.

The answer is yes! Okay, but what does that mean? How do you heal your relationship with money? In my approach to financial therapy, I help clients in this process all the time — and as a result, they experience healing and change.

Are you hoping to heal your relationship with money? Start by taking these two steps today.

1. Identify the current relationship.

Do you avoid all things money? Do you find money thoughts to be constantly on repeat in your mind? One key thing to start the healing process is to name where you are today, right now, in this present moment. You may believe that you have to “clean up your money life” before working on it — but that’s not true! 

Instead, you can begin to use the first principle of my 10 Principles of Financial Therapy©: Abundant Compassionate Curiosity and Zero Judgment. When you apply this idea, you look at where you are today with kindness, learning, and support. You understand that today is just a snapshot. It’s not a predictor of the “rest of your life”; it’s just where you are today. Then, your money life has plenty of energy to flow from there.  

2. Identify what you want your relationship to look like.

Do you have a strong sense of good and bad when it comes to money? Another principle of my 10 Principles of Financial Therapy© is: There is No Good/Bad Dichotomy with Money. Shocked to hear this?! You aren’t alone!

Many of my clients come from a life of harsh polarization of money descriptors. When I say there isn’t a “good” and “bad” with money, that means that you aren’t hopelessly “bad” and others aren’t perfectly “good.” Does that simple shift help take some of the pressure off? I want it to.

Now, you can apply that Curiosity and Zero Judgment and change your inner dialogue to “I like this,” “I want this,” “I don’t like this,” and “I don’t want this.” Feel that shift! If you want to experience more of this new way of thinking, check out my Money Mindset Shift program.

Remember: You don’t have to wait to have it “right” to start.  

Begin right now with these two steps. By taking even a single step toward a new relationship with money, you’re on the path to healing. For more on this topic, check out my recent episode on The Wellness Revolution Podcast with Amber Shaw.

Click here for more supportive resources and additional help. If you’re ready for individualized support, book a free discovery call now!

The post Can You Heal Your Relationship with Money? appeared first on Financial Therapy Solutions.

Have you heard me talk about compassionate curiosity yet? My clients hear me say this phrase a lot. At first, their body language reflects a response like, “Yeah, that sounds pretty and sweet, but I can’t be kind to myself with money, or I will just make things worse!” Sometimes, they even say these feelings out loud, which I love! Then, they start to apply it, and several sessions later, like magic, their body language (and maybe their words too!) will say, “Wow, this is really helping!”  

Do you want to try to experience the shift that compassionate curiosity brings?

Oftentimes, one of your current coping styles stands in the way. Maybe it’s negative self-talk as you try to bully yourself into being better with money. Maybe it’s avoidance, promising yourself that you will get to the money tasks later. These types of coping styles can feel familiar. They can even serve as an element of certainty amidst so much uncertainty. They may bring you comfort, like settling into a favorite chair with a book, or fear, like seeing yourself engage in a binge cycle of eating, shopping, gambling, sleeping, yelling, or [fill in the blank] that leads to unsettling outcomes. What I find helpful here is taking a pause and a breath. Then, give yourself a chance to name these coping styles with compassionate curiosity instead of judgment. 

As you spend time reading my blogs or maybe in session with me, I hope you hear about this approach hundreds of times. I mean it! I don’t mind if you hear it so much that you begin to predict that I am about to say it. In fact, that would be amazing! After all, there’s a reason why it is number 1 of my 10 Principles of Financial Therapy©.

Let’s dig in a bit further.

Principle 1: Abundant Compassionate Curiosity and Zero Judgment

Try it on.

Notice how it feels to reflect upon a behavior, a transaction, or a conversation about money that troubled you, first with that inner critic that judges you. Then, take an intentional breath, and reflect upon it with compassion and curiosity, allowing space to notice three or four things about that event with a non-judgment energy. My hope is – and what often happens for my clients – there is more room to:

• gain insight
• breathe more fully 
• create space for change

It is in that spirit that I incorporate my foundational practice of “Breathe, Intend, Move” into Money Mindset Shift. 

This course teaches prompts to promote healing in your money story. Even better, it’s easily adapted to bring healing to your own area of focus. Perhaps you are craving change in your relationship with debt or earnings. Maybe you’re looking to make improvements in your relationships with family and friends. You will be encouraged to add in your own prompts throughout the course. If your goal is to begin to look at your money life with a therapeutic lens, applying these principles is a key step. It could be your first step of real change in a frustrating, anxiety-ridden, fear-based and maybe embarrassing dynamic with money.

My hope is that the concept of compassionate curiosity helps you deepen the exploration of your experience with money. May it increase your kindness to yourself and others and decrease reactive judgments. If you want, please let me know about your journey through these prompts with an email. I really want to know how it impacts you and your life! 

If you feel ready to go a step further, you can check out my Intentional Shopping Exercise (link below) and the Money Mindset Shift course options. Plus, get on the list to be notified of upcoming workshops!

I can’t tell you how much adopting this frame for my own life has changed and healed my spirit. The impact has been real. I encourage you to try.

The post Compassionate Curiosity: Can It Really Make a Difference? appeared first on Financial Therapy Solutions.

You want to feel more confidence in your money management, money skills, and money life — and as a financial therapist, I want to help! 

With that thought in mind, let’s take a closer look at six signs of money confidence.  

To be honest, I hope these signs are not what you expected me to say. When we work on money during a financial therapy session, we go deeper than “just” filling out the next worksheet or doing whatever Google tells you to do.

Here we go! Note that this list is in no particular order.

1. Your body and breath are calm.

Remember that your physical health often represents your internal mindsets. When you feel confident about your money skills, your breathing is steady. Your body is aligned with a mindful, meditative state. You feel a sense of peace, as though you’re ready for whatever comes next. 

2. You have an automated system to follow.

When it comes to your financial decisions, you have a system that you understand and enjoy using. You don’t have to do so much mental math because you trust your method. I truly believe in the importance of a system —so much so that this concept is part of my training program, called The 10 Principles of Financial Therapy ©: Live from a plan, not your bank balance. 

3. You’ve got your own back when it comes to decision making.

In other words, you trust yourself. Your internal dialogue is full of compassion and kindness, and you have an attitude of learning. There’s no judgment or shame. Even better, you believe in your ability to problem solve when issues arise. Another one of my principles relates to abundant compassionate curiosity and zero judgment. This open mindset is crucial if you want to develop money confidence!

4. You feel as though you “own” your money.

No matter what is asked of you when it comes to your money, you know what is best for your finances. You don’t live in a constant state of brain fog and confusion. 

5. When you talk about money, either with yourself or a partner, you experience clarity, calmness, and connection.

Your communication — whether it’s spoken or written down — feels satisfying and productive. You feel grounded in your beliefs. 

6. You are comfortable making mistakes when it comes to your money.

Nothing in life is perfect, right? No matter how hard you work to improve your relationship to and understanding of money, you will face challenges. Chances are, you will experience a miscalculation or error of judgment at some point — and that’s okay! This acceptance increases your self-compassion and creates a spirit of learning. 

Now, let’s explore some financial scripts to help improve your money confidence:

I will never have make enough money. >> I can work with what I have and look for ways to increase my net income.

I just need to get out of debt. >> I know I will eliminate my debt because it’s part of my overall plan.

If I can just buy a second home, my mom/dad/whomever will know I made it. >> I can decide my own markers of success, regardless of external opinions.

I am so stupid! I need to get my sh*t together. >> I didn’t like how that went, but I am open to learning what I can do differently next time. I am okay with being imperfect.

Money confidence is as much a state of mind (or money mindset) as it is an amount.

It’s more than just making more money or having a certain number in your bank account. It’s more than being able to buy your dream house or car. It’s more than being out of debt. My Money Mindset Shift course can help you identify the mindsets that you’ve always had and discover ways to incrementally shift them towards the ones you want.

Want to learn more? Consider joining me for the Money Mindset Shift course! I’m also offering a Masterclass in October.

The post Six Signs of Money Confidence — According to a Financial Therapist appeared first on Financial Therapy Solutions.

As we enter the last quarter of the year (!), it’s important for small business owners to get grounded in their own numbers and identify their money milestones. Maybe you want to wrap up a project and ensure that you have time for a new one come January. Maybe your focus is hitting your annual revenue goal. Or maybe you just want to see how 2021 compares to the ups-and-downs of 2020. Whatever the reason, it’s normal to feel some pressure to finish on a high note before the holidays. 

So what do you need in order to meet your money milestones? Let’s take a look at some financial therapy tools that have worked wonders for other small business owners!

Know Your Numbers

I know it may seem like a no-brainer, but it isn’t uncommon for a small business owner to experience avoidance, overwhelm, guilt, or shame when trying to get closer to their numbers. Think about the following questions:

• Do you know your monthly expenses? 
• Do you know how much you make each month? 
• What are your periodic expenses for the year, divided over 12 months? 

Although it may be emotional, using this opportunity to get closer to your money has long-lasting, positive effects, including increased confidence and security in your business. Do you feel like you already have these elements locked in? Consider the 50-30-20 budget rule for your business versus your personal expenses. As a driven professional, this exercise can be a thought-provoking way to heal your relationship to money.

Rename Your Accounts

It’s amazing to see the shifts that happen when business owners rename their accounts to something that has more emotional buy-in. How different would it feel to see a savings account named “Vacation to Hawaii” or an account that says “Dream Home” when putting money aside each month? How would it feel to rename a credit card to “Life-Changing Trip to Italy” rather than “Credit Card Debt?” This simple but powerful pivot in how we think and feel about our money can make all the difference in staying committed to our savings goals or our debt reduction plan. 

Talk About Money

This tip may seem strange, and yet, talking about money continues to be a taboo conversation for many people. Maybe it was discouraged in your family. Maybe it leads to a visceral reaction to talk about money with your partner, spouse, or business partner, which has caused fighting in the past. However, in order to heal your money story, you have to get close to it and talk about it. 

To be clear, I’m not suggesting you go around saying, “I can’t afford ______.” That’s a self-limiting belief that we have all been caught saying to ourselves. I’m talking about taking the power out of money by making it a more casual conversation. Perhaps it’s celebrating a milestone with a colleague you trust. Or having what Bari Tessler calls a Money Date with your partner or spouse to check in on your goals. 

Revisit Your Money Milestones Monthly

Lastly, once you start the work of knowing your numbers, don’t forget about them! The work of money healing is not a one-and-done process. You have to check-in once in a while. So what would it be like to schedule a money date with yourself? Some ideas include: 

• Running a P&L for your business 
• Reviewing your bank statements to see what you made this month 
• Utilizing a tool like TillerHQ, MoneyGrit., or YNAB, all of which give you a snapshot of your month 

There are plenty of possibilities here, so discover what works for you and go for it.

Master Your Money Workgroup

I hope these tools are as impactful for you as they’ve been for other brave small business owners who wished to redefine their wealth, worth, and work-life balance. These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg of what financial therapy can offer.

If you feel inspired, intimidated, or just want the accountability of doing this work with someone who can offer the safe space and compassion to create a difference, consider joining our upcoming Master Your Money workgroup, set to begin in January 2022. This six-month program involves one 90-minute session per month with expert guidance and one-on-one help. During this workgroup, you’ll learn how to get out of debt, save money, grow your practice, and gain financial freedom. Plus, you’ll be working with a supportive group of entrepreneurs like yourself, all using your newfound knowledge and tools to bring about real change to your businesses. 

Khara Croswaite Brindle is a Certified Financial Therapist-Level I Professional and a contracted therapist with Financial Therapy Solutions.

I hope you’ll join us for the upcoming Master Your Money workgroup and start the new year strong! You can reach out to wendy@financialtherapysolutions.com with questions.

The post Meeting Your Money Milestones appeared first on Financial Therapy Solutions.

I’ve been a small business owner since 2014, and at the start, I didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into. As a mental health therapist and serial entrepreneur, I take pride in my ability to create and help others to heal and grow. Yet, like so many in my field, I hadn’t earned a business degree and wasn’t able to embark on my small business journey with the confidence I craved. I was anxious that I was going to be part of the statistic that says 50 percent of small businesses will fail in the first 5 years. And as a driven professional with my small business being my sole income, that felt like a lot to risk!

Luckily, several years into my business, I was fortunate to be accepted into the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, a mini MBA program that catapults small business scholars into a better understanding of the world of business. Things took on more dimension and clarity. I left feeling motivated and invigorated. The experience brought so much value to what I wanted to accomplish within my business and community.

Fast forward to 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Workaholism is on the rise with the hope of gaining financial security in the face of so much uncertainty. I too found myself backsliding into a scarcity mindset and was suffering from noble poverty. I knew I needed to continue to work on myself and my relationship with my business to find balance again. Enter financial therapy!

Financial therapy is a process of healing our money stories and improving our relationship with money. It’s exploring our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors around money. As a workaholic therapist with significant student loans who comes from one saver parent and one spender parent, I knew there was work to be done, specifically related to wealth, worth, and work-life balance.

Wealth

Financial therapy is offered with compassionate curiosity, inviting us to do the work of uncovering what wealth means for us. Is wealth about having financial security? Taking vacations without guilt? Paying for our kids’ college? Getting out of debt? Perhaps our process begins with simply being more comfortable talking about money. By exploring how wealth is defined and measured for us each as an individual, we can invite wealth into our lives through saving, strategizing, and embracing money tools that work for us, moving us one step closer to our money goals. 

Worth

There are several studies out there that say happiness is defined by a specific yearly income. But what if I told you our hardship over happiness isn’t actually about money? For some driven professionals, it’s about our worth being wrapped up in what we do. What we contribute. How we help. The idea that we are only as good as what we do. What if our low sense of worth prevents small business owners from raising our rates or collecting payment for a job well done? Money is one piece of our worth story. Financial therapy uncovers the complexities that shape how we show up in our personal and professional lives.

Work-Life Balance

If workaholism is defined as a money disorder, then I’m one of thousands of professionals looking to maintain a better work-life balance. Folks who are fighting against the urge to work 24/7 and feel guilty when we take a break. Small business owners who skip social events to work long hours or weekends. Entrepreneurs who struggle to stop thinking about their business at all hours of the day and night. It doesn’t have to be this way. Financial Therapy uncovers that inner dialogue about worth and work that can signal the beginning of healing our money story. Work-life balance is possible! Financial therapy can be part of the magic that makes it happen.

If you relate to any of these experiences, financial therapy may be the missing piece you’ve been seeking to achieve the next level of your small business success. I know the process has been invaluable to me as a driven professional. The team at Financial Therapy Solutions would be honored to help you on your journey to financial freedom!

Supporting Small Business Owners to Redefine Wealth, Worth, and Work-Life Balance

Khara Croswaite Brindle is passionate about giving people “aha moments” that create goosebumps and catalyze powerful action. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Financial Therapist in Denver, Colorado. Khara’s greatest joy is engaging driven entrepreneurs, Millennials, mental health professionals, and perfectionists to move from workaholic to well-balanced with streamlined strategies that fit their busy lifestyles. Khara has worked with a variety of clients on trauma and life transitions for the past 10 years. In her work as a Financial Therapist, Khara helps driven professionals find stability and freedom in their finances to reduce workaholism, battle burnout, and rediscover joy in what they do.

The post How Financial Therapy Supports Small Business Success appeared first on Financial Therapy Solutions.

I feel so alone when it comes to my finances. The sense of dread that overcomes me before I look at my account balances or credit card statement is crippling. I know my relationship with money needs help, but I don’t know where to begin. 

If you’ve experienced one (or all!) of these thoughts, you’re not the only one! The answer to these issues and more lies in financial therapy. Financial therapy helps you connect the dots between knowing what to do with your money and actually doing it. Clients learn to not only recognize and understand their financial challenges and money roadblocks but also to confidently move towards a sustainable solution. 

Ready to start right now? Here are two small steps you can take. First, rename one of your bank accounts with a goal you’re hoping to reach. If you have a savings account for an upcoming vacation, call it, “Sunshine and Sand, Here I Come.” Or if you’re working on paying off your student loans, name it “Almost Free.” I believe that, if you have an emotional relationship with your savings, you’re more likely to save. Plus, you’ll have a visual reminder to help you stay on track as you work towards the future.

And second, track your expenses. Don’t just type them into an Excel sheet; instead, write them down by hand. This method helps to really mentally solidify your purchases. Beyond the item and cost, include the emotion behind the purchase as well as how it made you feel. Again, it’s important to establish an emotional connection to your money.

Introducing Financial Therapy Solutions

I have seen my clients’ lives change so dramatically when they approach their money life through the lens of financial therapy. Inspired by the power of this transformation, I am building a team of financial therapists who are trained in my program, The 10 Principles of Financial Therapy©.

Financial Therapy Solutions, LLC is a group practice located in Denver, CO, and helping clients across the U.S. and internationally via telehealth services. We focus on diving into the intersection of money and emotions, guiding clients to reach their goals through an approach of zero judgment and abundant, compassionate curiosity. 

I’m thrilled to introduce our newest team members. Khara Croswaite Brindle, LPC is passionate about giving people those “aha moments” that lead to powerful change. She loves to dive in with entrepreneurs to look at both their personal and business money mindsets. Laura Henderson, MA, LPC spent 20 years in education before shifting to the therapy field. She enjoys helping women who are in recovery or who love someone in recovery deepen their own healing journey with financial freedom. 

To learn more about financial therapy, listen to my podcast with Sonni Abatta on her show, We Gotta Talk. We discuss how to set an abundance mindset, need-to-know financial advice for freelancers and entrepreneurs, and more.

Book a discovery call with a member of the Financial Therapy Solutions team today!

The post Connecting the Dots with Financial Therapy appeared first on Financial Therapy Solutions.

The phrase “unprecedented times” keeps popping up for me as I ponder the events that will define 2020 for all of us. Events – and the lack of events – surround us that are new in so many ways. However, there is an element you have seen before, and that is your own coping style.

What I find helpful here is pausing, taking a breath, and allowing yourself a chance to name these coping styles with compassionate curiosity instead of judgment.

This can be an element of certainty amidst so much uncertainty. This can be an element that brings comfort (such as settling into a favorite chair with a book,) or fear (such as seeing yourself engaging in a binge cycle of eating, shopping, gambling, sleeping, yelling, etc.) If you are familiar with my blogs or articles – or in session with me – I hope you hear this approach 100s of times.

I mean it! I don’t mind if you hear it so much you begin to predict that I am about to say it! That would be amazing!

increase understanding with compassionate curiosity

Try it on and notice how it feels to reflect upon a behavior: a transaction, or a conversation that troubled you. Reflect upon it first with that inner critic that judges you.

Then, take an intentional breath and reflect upon it with compassion and curiosity, allowing space to notice 3 or 4 things about that event in an energy of non-judgment. What often happens is there is more room to gain insight, breathe more fully, and create space for change.

It is in that spirit that I am taking this time to bring to you a special 5 day journey through my foundational practice to create space for healing, which I call “Breathe, Intend, Move.”

This series is built on prompts to promote healing in your money story, and it’s easily adapted to bring healing to your own area of focus by practicing compassionate curiosity.

[Learn More About My 5 Day Guide Here!]

compassionate curiosity is a routine, not a cure

Perhaps you are craving healing and change in your relationship with food, or with people in your life you love.

Feel free to add in your own prompts using your own life experience as the base. And looking at your money life with a therapeutic lens is a new experience, then definitely use these prompts as written. This could be your first step of real change in a frustrating, anxiety-ridden, fear-based, and maybe embarrassing relationship with money.

My hope is that this helps you deepen your exploration into your experience, increase your kindness to yourself and others, and decrease reactive judgments. If you want, please let me know about your journey through these prompts with an email. I really want to know how it impacts you and your life.

If you feel ready to deepen the experience with sessions, you can book directly here.

I can’t tell you how much adopting this frame for my own life has changed and healed my own spirit. The impact has been real, and measurable. I encourage you to try.

Warmly,
Wendy

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