The Problem of Money Podcast

You buy the car, the upgrade, the next thing, half hoping it will finally make you feel powerful or free or like you're doing well.  Underneath, a part of you already knows it won't. In this part of their mini series, Shabbar and Tim step back from personal money stories to look at the bigger picture: the constant pull towards growth and more, and how it shapes the way we spend, save, and measure...

Most of us were never asked what we actually wanted from the economy. We were just handed a role: consume, earn more, and trust that growth will sort everything out. This episode is about what happens when you stop taking that on good faith. Shabbar and Tim continue their series on growth, asking what the economy is actually costing us, not just the planet but our sense of being alive. They look a...

Most of us live inside a story about money and growth without ever questioning whether it is the RIGHT story. This episode is about what happens when someone who has spent their career inside that story starts to wonder if it is true. Shabbar shares what happened after reading two books, Mark Boyle's The Moneyless Man and Jason Hickel's Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World, that sent him...

There's a version of you that comes alive when you're being creative, playful, or fully yourself. And then there's the version that shows up to work. This episode is about the gap between them. Shabbar and Tim explore the artist and the businessman as two archetypes we all carry. Through personal stories and Jungian shadow work, they unpack what happens when we dismiss or avoid the side we don't i...

Most of us carry a number in our heads. The number we need before we can stop. The age by which we need to hit it. Underneath all of that planning is a fear we don't talk about much: the fear of getting old in a society that doesn't know what to do with older people. In this episode, Shabbar and Tim pull apart the modern idea of retirement, where it came from and what it is actually promising. The...

There's a voice most of us carry that sounds like common sense. It says: be realistic, pay your bills, this is just how it works.  This episode is about that voice, why it's not as trustworthy as it sounds, and what it's actually costing you to keep listening to it. Shabbar and Tim take on the question that's been sitting underneath this whole series on work: can you actually earn a living followi...

You might already be living the life you're working so hard to afford. So why does it feel wrong to stop and enjoy it? Shabbar tells the story of the Mexican fisherman and the Harvard MBA, and it lands differently than you'd expect. What starts as a parable turns into an honest conversation about the battle most of us carry: the part that craves contentment and the part that says contentment is la...

You said "busy" the last time someone asked how you were. You probably didn't even think about it. But what if that reflex is telling you something important about how you measure your own worth? Shabbar and Tim unpack hustle culture, not just the entrepreneurial grind-harder version, but the quieter internal pressure most of us carry to always be doing more. They look at the viral Tony Robbins an...

Most of us spend more time working than doing almost anything else, yet we rarely stop to ask whether the work we do is actually ours to do. This episode is about that gap. And why closing it is harder, and more important, than it looks.  Shabbar and Tim continue their conversation on work, money, and what we're actually here to do. Drawing on Jung's idea of the persona versus the deeper self, Jos...

Most of us carry a quiet assumption that work is supposed to be a struggle. We didn't choose that idea. It was handed to us, built into the language we speak and the culture we grew up in. Shabbar and Tim kick off a mini-series on work by tracing just how deep this assumption goes. From the French word "travail" rooted in medieval torture, to the idea of being "compensated" for labour, the very wo...

Why are your finances still plagued by peer pressure from the deceased? Have you ever wondered why you can't stop working, even though your bank account says you're safe? Or why spending money on a little luxury feels like a betrayal of your roots? We often blame our childhoods for our money hang-ups, but the truth goes much deeper. Your financial behavior might be an unconscious response to event...

The Social Ladder: Why Earning More Than Your Friends Feels So Weird 📈🤐 Do you feel a secret "shot in the arm" when you realize you're higher up the social ladder than someone else? Or does looking at those with less leave you feeling paralyzed by a sense of "privilege" and "unfairness"? In this provocative follow-up to our previous episode on relating to the wealthy, we flip the script! We dive...

The Billionaire Guru Myth: Why You Act "Weird" Around Wealth 🤫💰 Why do we suddenly become tongue-tied, sweating, or acting like "insecure children" the moment we realize someone has a significantly larger bank balance than we do? Whether it's a client with a million-pound portfolio or a CEO who just sold a business for nine figures, a simple number often acts as a psychological boundary that dim...

Have you ever received a massive pay rise or a life-changing bonus, only to find yourself wishing you'd never told your family? It sounds like a "first-world problem," but for many, sudden financial success triggers a wave of unspoken pressure, hidden resentment, and a total shift in relationship dynamics. In this episode, we dive into the raw reality of being the "successful one" in the family. W...

  The Great Financial Lie: Why "Peace of Mind" Isn't in Your Bank Account 💸  We kick off the year with a radical realization that sent a marketing consultant back to the drawing board and left a veteran financial advisor questioning his entire professional identity. In this episode, Shabbar reveals a phrase suggested for his new LinkedIn bio that triggered an immediate, visceral "No!"—leading to...

The Wedding Budget Trap: Are You Planning a Celebration or Buying Approval? 💍💸 Weddings are meant to be a joyous rite of passage, but for many, they have become a source of crippling financial stress and emotional exhaustion. Whether it's an Asian community wedding with a £50,000 price tag or a modest ceremony, the same question arises: Why does the budget feel like a battlefield? In this episod...

Money Rows: The Real Reason Relationships Fail in January 💔💰 Statistically, January is the peak month for divorce inquiries, and the #1 reason cited is almost always "conflict over money." But is money actually the cause of divorce? In this eye-opening episode, we move past the surface-level arguments about credit card bills and bankruptcy to uncover the deep-seated psychological projections tha...

  We often think our financial struggles are about "reality" - not having enough, getting ripped off, or being "bad" with budgets. But what if the biggest obstacle in your bank account is actually a stuck story you've been telling yourself for decades?  In this first deep-dive of 2026, we explore the incredible power of deliberate reframing. We move beyond just identifying your "money path" and sh...

New Year, New Money Mindset: 2025 Highlights & 2026 Resolutions 🎆 Welcome to our 2025 year-end special! In this episode, we're looking back at the most transformative moments from the past year to help you propel your financial and emotional well-being into 2026. Whether you're a long-time listener or joining us for the first time, this "greatest hits" summary acts as a masterclass in the Money a...

Christmas is meant to be a time of joy, but for many, it becomes a period of intense financial pressure, overspending, and debt. You know a spike in costs is coming, yet many still use the credit card as a "tap and forget" solution, leading to January anxiety. Why do we keep doing it? This special episode dives into the deep psychology behind our Christmas habits. We explore why the holiday season...

Welcome to Part 2 of our listener Q&A special! This episode dives straight into the heavy, real-life financial struggles shared by our community, exploring the deepest psychological roots of money anxiety and self-sabotage. We tackle three profound listener questions that expose the hidden emotional contracts governing your bank account: The Giver's Trap: Why do I constantly keep giving my money a...

We're dedicating our final episodes of the year to you, our listeners! In Part 1 of our Q&A special, we dive into your most profound questions about money, fear, and true contentment. This episode tackles the powerful, unconscious terror that holds many people back, even those with ample savings: the paralyzing fear of running out of money. We explore the shocking truth that this concern often has...

Have you ever faced a decision—a career change, a big trip, a new hobby—and immediately heard a voice saying, " But what about the money? " In this crucial episode, we dive into the universal tension between the Money Path (the secure, sensible choice) and the Life Path (the choice that brings genuine vitality and soul). Inspired by Shabbar's story of his daughter choosing between a high-paying fi...

The Hidden Reason Why This Tax Makes You SO Angry 😡 Inheritance Tax (IHT) is the financial issue everyone despises, often called a "bloody unfair trap" that takes 40% of what you worked for. But what if your intense anger and deep sense of violation aren't actually about the tax rate at all? In this essential episode, we move beyond tax avoidance strategies to perform crucial emotional detective...

Part 4 (of 4) of our "SPENDING" Series. Do you find it easy to buy things for your kids, friends, or partner, but feel a crippling wave of guilt or shame when you spend money on yourself? This familiar tension between self and others is a core battle in our money lives, and it's sabotaging your financial peace. In this powerful episode, we dive deep into the emotional "why" behind this pattern. We...