In order to manage your money mindfully, awareness is the first step.  With my style of financial coaching for women awareness comes in two forms: your numbers and your mindset. I teach proven financial practices along with how to manage your mind around money: earning it, spending it and saving it.

So often clients are fearful about addressing their numbers but when we rip the bandage off to expose the wound (one of my client’s words) it feels so much better. We bring air and light to suffering and darkness. The stories and numbers we make up in our mind are often worse than reality.

“We suffer more in our imagination than reality.” - Seneca

One of my clients described her financial worry as a committee meeting that takes place in her mind when she’s trying to fall asleep. The committee members are made up of all the people who feel they should have a “say” in her personal finances. Have you ever experienced an unwanted committee meeting? I...

Side Hustle Selection Secret with 18 Ideas

How to have less friction when selecting a side hustle

When selecting a side hustle, I recommend you make sure your choice is in alignment of your core values (what matters most to you) AND your desires (your financial goal). The key word is AND. How can you accomplish two goals?

Before Seinfeld’s famous episode on “double dipping” a chip in a dip, double dipping was about money. It’s when you accept income from two mutually exclusive sources for the same resource, usually time. Since time is a limited resource, using the concept of double dipping your time is a great way to choose your side hustle. Let me give you some examples.

You value physical activity AND you want to increase your income. You could look at side hustles that provide exercise like:

• Fitness Instructor
• Lawn Mowing & Yard Maintenance
• House Cleaning

You love caregiving of pets AND you realize you aren’t financially ready to...

2022 Mindful Money Book Club Reading List

JANUARY: The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

FEBRUARY: What to Say When You Talk to Yourself by Shad Helmstetter PhD

MARCH: Get Rich, Lucky Bitch by Denise Duffield-Thomas

APRIL: The High 5 Habit by Mel Robbins

MAY: Boundaries by Drs. Henry Cloud & John Townsend

JUNE: Captivate by Vanessa van Edwards

JULY: Set for Life by Scott Trench

AUGUST: It's Not Your Money by Tosha Silver

SEPTEMBER: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers PhD

OCTOBER: The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz

NOVEMBER: Feeding the Soul by Tabitha Brown

DECEMBER: Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck

How to avoid feeling deprived on a budget

By Liz Carroll, Financial Life Coach

Are you feeling resistance to budgeting? Do you think budgets are punitive or you will feel deprived living on a budget? I used to think this too until I realized I was the one making the choices on the budget.

In fact, I made all the choices – past, present and future. Every mandatory expense I had on my monthly must pay list was a choice I made at some point.

• I chose whether to live in the more convenient yet more expensive neighborhood.
• I chose what car I drove.
• I chose where my children went to daycare.
• I chose how often I ate out.
• I chose what clothes I purchased.

A budget, often referred to as a Cash Flow or Spending Plan, is really a guideline for your money choices. Some items on the budget are for choices you made previously (ex: car loan payment). You know exactly how much your reoccurring monthly loan payment is. That is an easy item to plug into a spending plan since it is the same...

How to Start Your Financial Dream Plan

by Liz Carroll, Financial Life Coach

Don’t know where or how to start with planning your financial future? You are not alone. This is the most common email request I receive so I thought it warranted a blog post. To create a Financial Dream Plan, you need to know what you want. This can be a difficult exercise. We are often challenged with verbalizing our desires or imagining our future-self. We have a notion of what we want but when asked we can’t provide specific details. And for dreams to come true, they need to be specific.

Here are two fun ways to start dreaming about your future:

• Plan a Dream Vacation completely budgeted on paper.

Go all out. Where do you want to go? How long will you be gone? Alone or does someone go with you? Pick a time of year, research flight routes and costs. Plan the itinerary. Where will you stay? Accommodations vary based on your dream (i.e. Backpacking, Airbnb or Luxury Resort). What kind of...

2021 Mindful Money Book Club for Women Reading List

JANUARY: Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin 

FEBRARY: Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Kamal Ravikant 

MARCH: Joy at Work by Marie Kondo

APRIL: Atomic Habits by James Clear

MAY: Own Your Everyday: Overcome the Pressure to Prove and Show Up for What You Were Made to Do by Jordan Lee Dooley

JUNE: Know Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You're Worth (Revised Edition) by Mika Brezezinski

JULY: Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins

AUGUST: Abundance Now: Amplify Your Life & Achieve Prosperity by Lisa Nichols

SEPTEMBER: Stress Less, Accomplish More: Meditations for Extraordinary Life by Emily Fletcher

OCTOBER: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

NOVEMBER: The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist

DECEMBER: The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown