The Psychology of Money

In January, as we pay the bills from December, there's inevitably a shame hangover. How do we enjoy the holidays, but not feel guilty  from the money we spent? Join us as we talk through different approaches to money and the holiday season. 

This episode, building on the previous episodes in Season Three, helps identify why we fail when it comes to decreasing anxiety around money. Once we have the hard facts of our actual spending, we use this information to learn to live within our means and to help us prioritize our spending on a monthly basis so that we feel financially empowered.  Getting this financial system in place reduces anxiety, creates groundedness and builds financial confidence. 

Why do we feel like no matter how much money we make it's never enough? Often, we avoid engaging our monthly spending because it stirs shame and fear of failure. Yet, looking at what we've spent is key to not perpetuating the harm of avoidance that causes anxiety and fear. Join us as we explore what looking at our actual spending entails. 

Ever find yourself playing catch up with the monthly expenses instead of feeling ahead of the game? Why does that feeling of being financially suffocated parallel the increase in our pay check? This episode addresses the subtle ways we tend to grow into our income, which in turn increases our anxiety. Join us as we explore the complexity that occurs when our spending matches the growth of our income. 

Have you ever attempted a budget, only to find you're not staying within it? Ever found yourself struggling with shame and guilt over  perceived "failure"? Perhaps your anxiety has increased? If this describes your attempt at engaging monthly finances, you are not alone! This episode includes the psychology behind why budgets can be difficult to maintain and gives you helpful tips.  

Season Three is The Psychology of Money Quick Tips. A mini series focusing on living with in our financial means. Much of our financial focus is on long term planning (retirement, college, etc), but the day to day spending is typically what creates anxiety and chaos in our finances.This series helps us grab a hold of and understand our monthly spending in a way that cultivates a sense of accomplishment, creates grounding and diminishes the fear. This introduction shares the weekly topics discussed and creates a road map of what to expect this season on The Psychology of Money podcast. 

Season Two Recap: A big thank you for making this a worldwide downloaded podcast as well as a review of the psychological concepts discussed in all the episodes of Season Two. What are we learning about conflict around money within ourselves and our intimate relationships? 

Have you ever struggled in believing you are of value? Julie invites us into her internal bind, vulnerably identifying her fear & shame of accepting payment from clients who purchase her services because she believes she has no value. We discover that this internalized truth was a lie she received from childhood that plagues her as an adult. Topics discussed: the impact a narcissistic parent has on a child's identify & self worth, how highly sensitive children can be overly stimulated, & eating disorders.  

Jenni shares an internal struggle of spending money on wants vs needs - She's uses the example of a rug (a want) vs a winter coat (a need). In our exploration, we learn Jenni, born in China, experienced profound loss as a young child. Find out how those childhood losses are impacting how she spends her money as an adult and the role shame has played in hiding her pain and preventing her from healing. 

Heather wants to crawl under a blanket when her husband asks her to have a conversation about saving money for emergencies. Her palms get sweaty and her chest feels tight. Heather's visceral reaction to her husbands request has her stuck and confused. Join us as we engage the possibility that her body is projecting onto money a deep, unprocessed loss from childhood. 

Two lovey ladies, Alex and Jess, share that they constantly feel tension  around money in their relationship. One of them feels overly responsible for planning for their future, while the other lives in the moment. Join us as we explore why both ladies are inherently relating to money from places of very old wounds in their childhood & how this knowledge breaks the gridlock between them and invites both to know themselves and each other more intimately. 

Jennifer, married and a new mother, realizes she is experiencing hesitancy in asking her husband to help pay for her daughter's daycare. What is the resistance about and what old wound might she be operating out of? Jennifer brings her most vulnerable, authentic self and together we uncover what is happening below the surface, exploring not only the family she grew up in, but also societal messages that can create internal conflict. 

Up until recently, Sam has avoided finances and believes "everything will all work out fine," but he's married to Diane, who fears there will never be enough. What happens when these two worlds collide? Find out on this week's episode of The Psychology of Money. 

Maggie is in early forties and newly separated (with a strong possibility of divorce). Her parents never talked about money. This pattern was carried into her marriage, as her and her husband also never talked about financial matters. Now, for the first time in her life, she's needing take the reigns of her monthly finances.

Peter and Rachael are aware how they handle money in their marriage creates distance between them. Rachael believes she is not worthy of love if she does not produce an income. Peter believes buying material possessions will fill a hole in his heart. They both seek greater understanding of what is occurring below the surface in order to grow more intimate and strengthen their marriage. 

Ben and Emily confess they have spent their entire marriage avoiding talking about money with each other. They learn why this was established early in their relationship and how to not pass down the avoidance of engaging issues around money to their children. 

Matters of money are difficult in relationships. Tamasin Thomas combines the world of psychology and money to illuminate what's happening below the surface and explore why fights about money are rarely about money.

About this week's episode, thank you and a few announcements.