Money Isn’t Scary - Money Mindset, Money Anxiety, Intentional Spending, Saving Money, Money Management

In this New Year episode of Money Isn’t Scary, I’m talking with social psychologist and author Kari Liebowitz about how to get out of winter survival mode and feel more supported by this season instead of just pushing through it. We explore how the way we think about winter can completely shift how it feels in our day-to-day lives, especially when we’re tired, overwhelmed, and juggling a lot. Kari and I dive into the power of mindsets, how our beliefs about winter shape our mood and energy, and how we can start to work with the season instead of fighting against it. We talk about practicing rest without guilt, finding small opportunities in slower seasons, and applying this same mindset to other challenging chapters in life, not just the cold, dark months. If you’re feeling like you’re just counting down the days until spring, this conversation is a gentle invitation to see winter—and yourself—a little differently. You can learn more about Kari and her work here: Her book How to Winter – available wherever books are sold Website: https://kariliebowitz.com Newsletter: subscribe via her site at https://kariliebowitz.com/substack​ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate, or review Money Isn’t Scary — it helps more women find these much-needed conversations. You can also find me here: 🎙️ Website: moneyisntscary.com 📸 Instagram: @moneyisntscary ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are you interested in working 1:1 with me? I'm now officially a Certified Money Coach (CMC)® where I work with you to create greater balance, a higher consciousness and help you transform your relationship with money. This goal of this work is to guide you to a deeper understanding of the unconscious beliefs and patterns we carry that create stress and fear and hold us back from living the life that you want. You can book a quick 15-minute call here so I can learn more about you and your goals for the program.  I'm so excited to be able to connect with you on a deeper level and help you discover what's blocking you from living the life you really want!   

In today's episode, I'm reflecting on the liminal space between the end of one year and the beginning of the next—the hazy “in-between” where routines fall away, time feels weird, and it’s tempting to either over-hustle with resolutions or completely check out. I explore how this in-between mirrors our financial journeys, where growth is rarely linear and the quiet, uncertain seasons often hold the most potential for clarity, healing, and new stories around money. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate, or review Money Isn’t Scary — it helps more women find these much-needed conversations. You can also find me here: 🎙️ Website: moneyisntscary.com 📸 Instagram: @moneyisntscary ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are you interested in working 1:1 with me? I'm now officially a Certified Money Coach (CMC)® where I work with you to create greater balance, a higher consciousness and help you transform your relationship with money. This goal of this work is to guide you to a deeper understanding of the unconscious beliefs and patterns we carry that create stress and fear and hold us back from living the life that you want. You can book a quick 15-minute call here so I can learn more about you and your goals for the program.  I'm so excited to be able to connect with you on a deeper level and help you discover what's blocking you from living the life you really want! 

In this very quick Christmas week check-in, I just wanted to share a simple reminder: you are not failing at the holidays, no matter what your spending, energy, or to-do list looks like. I talk about how this season is set up to make us feel “not enough,” and offer one gentle reflection question to help you soften the pressure and let “good enough” truly be enough, even if you feel both grateful and exhausted at the same time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate, or review Money Isn’t Scary — it helps more women find these much-needed conversations. You can also find me here: 🎙️ Website: moneyisntscary.com 📸 Instagram: @moneyisntscary ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are you interested in working 1:1 with me? I'm now officially a Certified Money Coach (CMC)® where I work with you to create greater balance, a higher consciousness and help you transform your relationship with money. This goal of this work is to guide you to a deeper understanding of the unconscious beliefs and patterns we carry that create stress and fear and hold us back from living the life that you want. You can book a quick 15-minute call here so I can learn more about you and your goals for the program.  I'm so excited to be able to connect with you on a deeper level and help you discover what's blocking you from living the life you really want! 

Even in this “season of plenty,” many of us carry a quiet sense of not enough — not enough time, energy, money, or headspace. In today's episode, I share why scarcity shows up more strongly this time of year, how it subtly influences our decisions, and why judging ourselves only makes it heavier. We’ll explore: Why the holidays can amplify feelings of lack The subtle ways scarcity shows up in our thoughts and choices How to lean into curiosity and self-compassion instead of criticism Practical ways to notice misalignment and make grounded choices ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate, or review Money Isn’t Scary — it helps more women find these conversations.   You can also find me here: 🎙️ Website: moneyisntscary.com 📸 Instagram: @moneyisntscary ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are you interested in working 1:1 with me? I'm now officially a Certified Money Coach (CMC)® where I work with you to create greater balance, a higher consciousness and help you transform your relationship with money. This goal of this work is to guide you to a deeper understanding of the unconscious beliefs and patterns we carry that create stress and fear and hold us back from living the life that you want. You can book a quick 15-minute call here so I can learn more about you and your goals for the program.  I'm so excited to be able to connect with you on a deeper level and help you discover what's blocking you from living the life you really want! 

In today's episode, I talk about how easy it is to become invisible during the holiday chaos. Women are conditioned to give to everyone around us — our families, coworkers, communities — while giving almost nothing to ourselves. I dig into why self-kindness and self-investment can feel so uncomfortable, why we default to burnout and “superhero mode” every December, and how the small, quick fixes we reach for aren’t actually meeting our real needs. Instead, we need to reframe the idea of “gifting” ourselves through meaningful support — honesty, boundaries, rest, and choosing what genuinely helps us long-term. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate, or review Money Isn’t Scary — it helps more women find these conversations.   You can also find me here: 🎙️ Website: moneyisntscary.com 📸 Instagram: @moneyisntscary ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are you interested in working 1:1 with me? I'm now officially a Certified Money Coach (CMC)® where I work with you to create greater balance, a higher consciousness and help you transform your relationship with money. This goal of this work is to guide you to a deeper understanding of the unconscious beliefs and patterns we carry that create stress and fear and hold us back from living the life that you want. You can book a quick 15-minute call here so I can learn more about you and your goals for the program.  I'm so excited to be able to connect with you on a deeper level and help you discover what's blocking you from living the life you really want! 

In this episode, I’m diving into the money secrets we all carry — especially during a season where pressure and expectations are louder than ever. I talk about why we hide our financial stress, how holiday “performing” shows up in sneaky ways, and what this secrecy does to our emotional well-being. I also share the small, grounded steps I use to practice more honesty with myself and others, why vulnerability doesn’t mean oversharing, and how naming what’s true can be the first real relief we feel in a long time. If you’ve ever felt like you’re the only one struggling with money during the holidays, this episode is a reminder that you’re not alone — and you don’t have to carry it all in silence. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate, or review Money Isn’t Scary — it helps more women find these conversations.   You can also find me here: 🎙️ Website: moneyisntscary.com 📸 Instagram: @moneyisntscary ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are you interested in working 1:1 with me? I'm now officially a Certified Money Coach (CMC)® where I work with you to create greater balance, a higher consciousness and help you transform your relationship with money. This goal of this work is to guide you to a deeper understanding of the unconscious beliefs and patterns we carry that create stress and fear and hold us back from living the life that you want. You can book a quick 15-minute call here so I can learn more about you and your goals for the program.  I'm so excited to be able to connect with you on a deeper level and help you discover what's blocking you from living the life you really want!   

This week (just in time for Thanksgiving), I'm talking about the money stories that resurface when we’re home for the holidays. Why do old family roles come back so quickly? Why do questions about work, success, or “how we’re doing” feel so charged? And how can we stay grounded when other people’s money beliefs collide with our own? In this episode, we explore: • Why family triggers around money show up • How to recognize the old stories you slip into • Ways to stay centered during tough conversations • What it looks like to rewrite those patterns as an adult This episode is an invitation to notice — without judgment — what comes up for you during the holidays, and to honor the healing you’re already doing. Awareness is what breaks generational cycles, and it’s what allows you to show up with more clarity, calm, and self-trust. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate, or review Money Isn’t Scary — it helps more women find these conversations.   You can also find me here: 🎙️ Website: moneyisntscary.com 📸 Instagram: @moneyisntscary ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are you interested in working 1:1 with me? I'm now officially a Certified Money Coach (CMC)® where I work with you to create greater balance, a higher consciousness and help you transform your relationship with money. This goal of this work is to guide you to a deeper understanding of the unconscious beliefs and patterns we carry that create stress and fear and hold us back from living the life that you want. You can book a quick 15-minute call here so I can learn more about you and your goals for the program.  I'm so excited to be able to connect with you on a deeper level and help you discover what's blocking you from living the life you really want! 

As we head into the season of gratitude, I’m taking a different perspective — one that looks back at the challenges we once resented and the growth they brought. In this episode, I share a personal story about financial stress, burnout, and learning to trust myself when life felt uncertain. We’ll talk about how time and healing can transform resentment into wisdom — and how that same shift can change your relationship with money. Real gratitude isn’t just for the good moments — it’s also for the hard ones that shaped who you are. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate, or review Money Isn’t Scary — it helps more women find these conversations.   You can also find me here: 🎙️ Website: moneyisntscary.com 📸 Instagram: @moneyisntscary ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are you interested in working 1:1 with me? I'm now officially a Certified Money Coach (CMC)® where I work with you to create greater balance, a higher consciousness and help you transform your relationship with money. This goal of this work is to guide you to a deeper understanding of the unconscious beliefs and patterns we carry that create stress and fear and hold us back from living the life that you want. You can book a quick 15-minute call here so I can learn more about you and your goals for the program.  I'm so excited to be able to connect with you on a deeper level and help you discover what's blocking you from living the life you really want! 

This week, I’m joined by Jackie Nepola, a personal coach and certified breathwork facilitator who helps women reconnect with themselves through mindfulness, presence, and (believe it or not) the simple act of breathing. We dive deep into what it really means to slow down in a world that’s constantly telling us to speed up — and how learning to pause, feel, and breathe can change everything from our mindset to our relationships. In this episode, we talk about: Why it feels so hard to slow down — and how we can start building the tools to do it with intention What it actually looks like to regulate our nervous system in real life (and how to model that for our kids) The power of our mindset — and how noticing our thoughts can change everything How breathwork can help us come back to our bodies and our truth You can connect with Jackie here: 🌐 Website: yok-e.com 📱 Instagram: @jackienepola 💼 Facebook & LinkedIn: Jackie Nepola   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate, or review Money Isn’t Scary — it helps more women find these conversations.   You can also find me here: 🎙️ Website: moneyisntscary.com 📸 Instagram: @moneyisntscary

In today's episode, I dive into the subtle pressures and anticipatory anxiety that starts to build long before the first holiday shopping trip. Even as early as November, the “spend now” cues—from Black Friday emails to gift-giving expectations—can spark emotional and financial stress. I talk about:  The roots of pre-holiday financial anxiety, from family expectations to the need for control and the trap of perfectionism. Why overthinking, planning, and cultural noise can hijack your peace long before you make a purchase. How emotional triggers—like wanting to be perceived as thoughtful or generous—often drive overspending, and why true generosity comes from presence, not presents. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------