Money Files: Money Mindset & Personal Finance

If you have ever paid off your credit card balance and watched it creep right back up within a few months, you already know that paying off debt and getting out of debt are two completely different things. In this episode I am sharing my own debt story because I think it is important for you to hear that the cycle you are in right now is one I have lived myself, and I want you to understand exactl...

Have you been telling yourself you'll start when things calm down? Maybe when the debt drops a little, when the new job comes through, when the kids settle in, when you finally feel ready? I want you to sit with that for a second, because if you are honest with yourself, that future start date has already moved more than once. In this episode I am talking directly to my Keina lurkers. You know...

You set a goal to get your finances together. You had a solid week or two. Then life happened and you missed your money date. Now you're telling yourself the whole thing is ruined. In this episode, Keina talks directly to the high achievers and recovering perfectionists who can only start something if they're going to do it perfectly. She introduces the concept of C-level work: the small,...

Are you spending money to feel better? Just sit with that question for a second before we dive in, because if you had to answer it honestly, the answer is probably yes. And that is not a bad thing on its own, but what I want you to think about today is whether the spending is actually delivering what you are looking for when you reach for your wallet. A few weeks ago I had one of those stretches w...

You have a budget, or at least a list of bills you have been working from, and somewhere along the way the economy shifted, prices went up, and your budget stayed exactly where it was. So now you are getting to the end of the month wondering where your money went even though you feel like nothing has changed about the way you spend. This episode is about the gap between what you think you are spen...

You started this year with an intention. Maybe it was January 1st, maybe it was sometime before the new year even started, but at some point you told yourself this was going to be the year you finally got out of debt, started budgeting for real, or stopped living paycheck to paycheck. And now we're in the middle of the year and if you're being honest, you're somewhere between "I m...

There is a phrase you have probably said to yourself this week, maybe even this morning on the way to work, when that bill you keep pushing to the back of your brain showed up again. And that phrase is "I'll figure it out." It feels harmless in the moment because it always has been, you've made it work, you've kept the lights on, you've gotten to the next paycheck. But th...

You told yourself you'd be more intentional this year — and then Memorial Day weekend showed up, your friends started texting, and you committed to the trips, the concerts, the rooftop brunches. If you're being honest, your emotions made spending decisions before your budget could catch up and now you're staring at your bank account wondering where your money went. In this episode I&#3...

You’ve done it before. You come back from your trips, you drop your bags, and before you can even exhale there's that knot. The one that shows up right before you open your banking app. The one that makes you want to just wait until things settle before you look at any of it. The problem was never that you spent money. It's that you spent without a real plan. And when there's no plan,...

In today’s podcast I’m interviewing my client Lisa and you might relate to her story more than you think.  Before working with me, Lisa would go on vacation and assess the damage when she came back.  But what Lisa has figured out after a full year of working the system we implemented is that she doesn’t have to figure anything out anymore.  Thanks to the Three Money Bucket system, the money is alr...

You've told yourself a version of your money story where your credit card balance, your bank statements, and your savings account balance or lack thereof is your fault.  The story says if you were more disciplined. If that one thing hadn't happened. If you just knew more about money you’d be further along.   You've tried the budget, the app, the fresh start on the first of the month  a...

You paid it off. You told yourself this time was different. And then, slowly, the balance crept back up and somehow you're sitting in more debt than when you started. That's not a you problem. That's a pattern problem. And until you can actually see the pattern, no amount of aggressive payoff plans, balance transfers, or personal loans is going to change what keeps happening. In this e...

You told yourself you'd only touch it in a real emergency. But then the car needed tires, a friend's birthday trip came up, and somehow your savings account is lower than it was three months ago — and you're not even sure where it went. Here's what's actually happening: you've been saving into one bucket and spending from five different parts of your life.  In this episode,...

Have you ever set a savings goal and then quietly stopped following it? Maybe you told yourself you would save five hundred dollars a month, but life happened and you dipped into it, skipped a month, or decided the number was just too high to be realistic. The problem usually isn't your discipline. It's that the number didn't match your actual life. In this episode, I'm breaking do...

If you and your partner are paid on different schedules and it feels like that’s the reason your money is not working, this episode is going to help you look at the real issue. I’m uncovering what happens when couples organize their finances around paydays instead of around their full household picture. Join in as I explain why your pay schedule is not the problem even if one of you gets paid week...

If you’ve been telling yourself you’re going to get around to fixing your money, this episode puts language to what’s actually happening. I’m talking directly to the high-earner who can name all the things they should do, but still is not executing. That gap matters. And it’s expensive. Join in as I break down the intention tax, which is the price you pay in money, time, and mental energy for ever...

If your pay structure has ever made you feel stressed, behind, or like your money should be working better than it is, you’re not alone. A lot of people think the problem is how often they get paid, but that usually is not the real issue. In this episode, I explain why your payday does not matter as much as you think it does and why the real issue is often the timeline you are using to think about...

If you’ve ever avoided talking about money with your partner because you didn’t want the conversation to turn into a disagreement, you’re not alone. A lot of couples know they should be talking about money, but the conversation keeps getting postponed. In this episode, I explain why avoiding money conversations actually creates more financial tension and how a simple weekly money date can help you...

When tax season rolls around, most people start mentally spending their refund before the money ever hits their account. You’re telling yourself, “I’ll pay down the card, boost savings, book that trip, and buy a few things I’ve been eyeing.” By the time the refund arrives, it’s already spoken for and often overspent. In this episode, I break down what I call pre-spending and explain why your tax r...

If you’ve ever gotten to the end of the month and thought, Why does my budget never work? this episode is for you. Most people think they have a budget because they’ve listed their bills. But a list of bills is not a budget. It’s just a snapshot of what’s due right now. And when life inevitably moves outside of that narrow window, your plan collapses and the shame creeps in. In this episode, I wal...

With one tap, one swipe, or one click, you can buy almost anything instantly. Although  convenience feels normal, it’s quietly changing how we relate to money. In this episode, I name something I see behind so much overspending, debt, and stalled savings. It’s something I call frictionless spending, there’s seldom a pause when we spend anymore because of how our money systems have become more conv...

A lot of people say they “budget,” but what they’re really doing is tracking. They’re watching money move in and out of their account, noticing patterns after the fact, and hoping things look better next month. In this episode, I break down the difference between tracking and budgeting and why that distinction matters more than most people realize. Tracking is passive. Budgeting is active. One kee...

Feeling better about your money is not the same thing as building wealth. For many high earners, things finally feel calm. Bills are paid. Spending feels intentional. You've ​improved ​your ​system. ​Your ​stress ​is ​down. ​You ​feel ​more ​in ​control. ​You might even know what’s going ​in ​and ​out ​of ​your ​account.  ​You're ​proud ​of ​yourself because you’re so much better than you...

In this episode, I’m teaching you a simple weekly way of thinking about your money that will change how it feels to manage it. This isn’t about  tracking every dollar or building a rigid, restrictive budget. This is a ​simple ​but ​really ​powerful way to create awareness so you stop being surprised by your accounts and start feeling grounded, ​less ​surprised, and more in control. I walk you thro...

Have you ever said yes to something that felt so good in the moment and then later you’re looking at your accounts like, “Wait. Why did I do that?”  That’s permission spending. Permission spending is spending from a feeling instead of a plan. It’s when you say yes, without seeing what your money is already responsible for. In this episode, I’m walking you through the difference between permission...