In a world where wealth often dictates worth, Rose Feerick’s upbringing in an affluent town took an unexpected turn. Despite the trappings of privilege, her family prioritized faith, education, and family over material possessions, setting her on a path toward a unique relationship with money. Now, she shares her journey of navigating the complexities of wealth and spirituality, leaving us pondering the lasting impact of foundational values on our own approach to abundance. What personal revelations await as we explore the intertwining realms of money and spirituality?
I think it’s important to know what’s happening in the world, and yet it’s also important to find the ways where we can be in response from love.
Rose Feerick
My special guest is Rose Feerick
Rose Feerick brings a unique perspective to the intersection of money, spirituality, and social justice. Growing up in a wealthy community with a strong emphasis on faith, she was deeply influenced by her commitment to social justice from an early age. Her experience of confronting the paradox of wealth and social responsibility led her to explore the deeper questions around money and its impact on personal and collective well-being. As a seasoned member of Wisdom and Money, Rose’s journey of simplifying her lifestyle while managing inherited wealth offers a relatable and insightful narrative for highly sensitive individuals navigating their own financial and spiritual paths. With a background in actively engaging with communities and advocating for social change, Rose’s story resonates with those seeking inner peace and aligned financial decisions in a world often driven by accumulation.
This is Rose Feerick’s story:
Rose Feerick’s exploration of the connection between spirituality and money began in her formative years in a wealthy, spiritually driven environment. Raised in a family deeply committed to their Catholic faith, she found herself navigating the dichotomy of affluence and simplicity. Her college experience, marked by active community engagement, presented a pivotal moment when she was entrusted with a substantial financial portfolio. This unexpected inheritance became a catalyst for Rose, prompting her to question how she could align her spiritual values with the responsibility of wealth. Her journey of introspection and seeking harmony led her to the enlightening circles of wisdom and money. Through her story, Rose highlights the intricate interplay between personal values, social consciousness, and the profound impact of wealth on an individual’s spiritual odyssey.
Rose Feerick grew up in a family that emphasized kindness, ethics, integrity and generosity. As a young adult, she decided to simplify her lifestyle and work to support low-income women who were seeking stable housing and medical care. About the same time, she received the unexpected gift of a financial portfolio. The paradox of that moment awakened questions related to wealth, spiritual wisdom and social justice.
Rose has been offering retreats related to money and Christian spirituality since 2003. She has a BA from Georgetown University and an MDiv from the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. She lives in Santa Cruz, California and is delighted to be the mother of two young adult sons who share her love of music, nature and conversation about stuff that matters.
In this episode, you will be able to:
- Explore the intersection of money and spirituality for a harmonious approach to financial decisions and inner peace.
- Align personal values and work ethic for a fulfilling and purpose-driven career path.
- Cultivate self-regulation and emotional well-being practices for a balanced and centered approach to money matters.
- Discover how to find balance in sensitivity while actively engaging in financial empowerment.
- Embrace community support for enhanced financial empowerment and a sense of belonging.
Shifting Perspectives on Money and Self-Care
The way we perceive money greatly influences our financial behaviors. This perspective can either contribute to a healthy, balanced life or lead to unhealthy practices such as workaholism. Shifting our focus from acquiring wealth to aligning our financial decisions with our core values is beneficial for overall life satisfaction. In their conversation, Rose shared with Diana how shifting her perspective about money led to a more fulfilling and peaceful life. She emphasized the importance of self-care and well-being in her financial journey, which was reflected in Diana’s decision to make the transition from being a workaholic to leading a more balanced life. Rose stressed that living out our values is a form of teaching through example, and her approach to financial management has been guided by this principle.
Creating Peace from Within
For each of us, the concept and feeling of peace may be unique and deeply personal. Creating peace from within involves recognizing our personal needs and preferences and understanding what environments, routines, or practices help us maintain a balanced and peaceful state. In the podcast, Rose opened up about her desire to lead a peaceful life. This desire pushed her to understand and define the conditions that best enable her to feel at peace. Rose also underscored the importance of mental and emotional well-being as the starting point for any form of creation, mirroring Diana’s sentiment that creating from a place of inner turmoil can only exacerbate chaos.
Recognizing Dysregulation and the Need for Reset
We all experience moments of imbalance or dysregulation – it’s part and parcel of the human experience. Recognizing when we are out of sync and finding ways to reset is crucial for maintaining emotional well-being and reducing stress. This self-awareness enables us to create environments and routines that support our balance and growth. Discussing self-regulation, Rose shared with Diana that her place of peace was in nature and acknowledged the importance of recognizing when she was feeling dysregulated. She also shared her practice of journaling for introspection, providing her space to reflect and slow down, highlighting the importance of designing personal practices for maintaining mental and emotional well-being.
Awakening the Mystical Heart
Generosity and community engagement were key hallmarks of Rose Feerick’s formative years. This foundation bred in Rose a sensitivity that she sees more as a strength than a weakness. Sensitivity, she believes, allows us to perceive and respond to subtle nuances in our environment. In contrast, desensitizing oneself in the name of efficiency can sometimes lead to a disconnect from the world around us and our inner selves. In their conversation, Rose mentioned to Diana Yañez how essential contemplative practices were for her. They awakened a deeper, mystical part of herself that allowed her to understand and live by her values better. This mystical heart, as she referred to it, was a significant guiding force for her, especially when making decisions about wealth and social justice.
Understanding the Prophetic Dimension of Christianity
The prophetic dimension of Christianity plays a significant role in advocating for social change based on biblical principles. This understanding involves challenging prevailing norms that are seen not to honor humanity or the earth, thereby catalyzing societal shifts rooted in justice and compassion. During their discussion, Rose opened up about her faith playing a key role in her understanding of wealth and social justice. Drawing inspiration from advocates like Martin Luther King and Dorothy Day, she shared with Diana how her engagement with the prophetic dimensions of Christianity had guided her mission at Wisdom and Money. This vision has helped her to challenge norms and promote change in her community.
The resources mentioned in this episode are:
- Consider joining a network like Wisdom and Money <wisdomandmoney.org> to explore the spiritual journey and well-being in relation to wealth.
- Explore contemplative practices and engage in nature to reset and regulate your nervous system.
Timestamped summary of this episode:
00:00:01 – Introduction to Wisdom and Money
Rose and Diana discuss the concept of Wisdom and Money, a network of peers focused on the spiritual journey and the well-being of all people. They highlight the importance of living in the spirit of flow and engaging with money in a way that honors everyone’s well-being.
00:02:27 – Creating a Supportive Community
Rose explains how Wisdom and Money fosters a unique community where people can openly discuss money, engage in spiritual practices, and learn specific ways of speaking and listening. The community focuses on creating a culture that supports individuals as they navigate their relationship with wealth and money.
00:07:08 – Rose Feerick’s Background and Values
Rose shares her upbringing in a wealthy community with a strong emphasis on education and faith. She describes her college experience, where she felt a tension between her peers’ ambitions to make money and her commitment to social justice. This tension led her to question her own relationship with wealth.
00:11:30 – Navigating Paradoxes and Personal Transformation
Rose reflects on the paradox of receiving a financial portfolio while simultaneously seeking to simplify her lifestyle and engage in social justice work. She discusses the complexity of money and its interconnectedness with various dimensions of life, emphasizing the continuous personal and spiritual growth inherent in navigating one’s relationship with money.
00:14:36 – The Continuous Journey with Money
Rose discusses how her involvement with Wisdom and Money serves as a continuous healing journey for herself and others. She emphasizes the
00:15:19 – The Importance of Relationship with Money
Rose and Diana discuss how the relationship with money reflects one’s spiritual values. They emphasize that being in sync with one’s values can make the relationship with money life-giving.
00:16:16 – Positive Perception of Sensitivity
Rose and Diana share their differing initial perceptions of the term “highly sensitive.” They discuss how sensitivity can be seen as a positive quality, allowing individuals to perceive subtle experiences and deep silence.
00:19:09 – Social Justice and Generosity
Rose reflects on her family’s ethic of responding to community needs, fostering a sense of generosity and justice. They also touch upon the importance of addressing both present needs and systemic issues in social justice.
00:25:28 – Awakening the Mystical Heart
Rose delves into the concept of awakening the mystical heart and contemplative practices, emphasizing the importance of seeing the whole and rooted in open-heartedness for social justice.
00:30:12 – Making Money Decisions Rooted in Inner Wisdom
Rose discusses the journey of settling into open-heartedness and inner wisdom to make money decisions, highlighting the need to bring all ways of knowing and wisdom online. They also address the various emotional experiences tied to money decisions.
00:31:04 – Understanding the Prophetic Dimension of Christianity
Rose explains the prophetic dimension of Christianity as a force for social change, rooted in the wisdom of the biblical tradition.
00:33:18 – Building a Supportive Community
Rose emphasizes the importance of having a supportive community that encourages and empowers individuals to pursue their vision of change, especially in the context of financial knowledge and social justice.
00:36:13 – Shifting Perspectives on Money and Self-Care
Rose shares her personal experience of realizing the need to include herself in wellbeing and how it has positively impacted her ability to support others, highlighting the connection between personal change and social justice.
00:38:39 – Challenging Learned Behaviors
Rose discusses the significance of slowing down and reflecting on learned behaviors, especially in the context of wealth and power, and how it contributes to the pursuit of social justice within the community.
00:44:57 – Empowerment and Finding Voice
Rose reflects on finding her voice in financial conversations and overcoming internalized beliefs, highlighting the importance of empowerment and self-advocacy in challenging cultural narratives and pursuing social justice.
00:46:57 – Shifting Actions and Social Justice Movement
Rose discusses the importance of shifting internal narratives to change actions and be part of a social justice movement. She also shares her personal experience of recognizing the need for self-inclusion in well-being and the impact on work ethic.
00:47:42 – Internal Stories Impacting Coaching
Rose emphasizes the impact of personal internal stories on coaching and client interactions. She highlights the importance of embodying self-care and healthy work practices, as well as the need for inner inquiry and compassion in creating a community space for change.
00:49:43 – Inner Inquiry and Shifts
Rose delves into the process of inner inquiry and the need for individuals to explore and understand the root causes of their behavior. She emphasizes the importance of creating a space for people to discover and shift their internal narratives with compassion and guidance.
00:53:37 – Vocation and Personal Mission
Rose discusses the concept of vocation and personal mission, highlighting the importance of each individual finding their unique way of serving the world. She encourages people to orient themselves towards their personal mission grounded in an open-hearted, spiritual place.
01:00:44 – Seeking Refuge in Nature and Community
Rose shares her practices for seeking refuge when feeling overwhelmed, including connecting with nature, finding solitude, and seeking support from authentic community. She emphasizes the role of nature, quiet, and community in regrounding herself.
01:04:03 – Finding Peace and Spaciousness in Life
Rose discusses the importance of finding conditions that allow for her well-being, such as being near nature and having quiet time at the beginning or end of the day. She emphasizes the need for each person to identify what makes them feel at home and at peace.
01:05:06 – Recognizing Dysregulation and the Need for Reset
Diana and Rose talk about the importance of recognizing when they feel dysregulated and knowing how to reset. They acknowledge that dysregulation is a normal part of life and highlight the need to be present and aware of one’s state of mind.
01:05:56 – Creating Peace from Within
The conversation delves into the connection between personal regulation and the ability to create peace for others. They stress the importance of being regulated and peaceful oneself in order to create a peaceful environment for others.
01:06:33 – Personal Strategies for Regulation
Rose and Diana share their personal strategies for becoming regulated. Rose mentions journaling as a tool for slowing down and reflecting, while Diana expresses her appreciation for the invitation to know oneself and understand what it takes to become regulated.
01:06:58 – Gratitude and Appreciation
Diana expresses her admiration for Rose’s work and the impact she is making in the world. Rose expresses her gratitude for being a part of the podcast. The conversation ends on a note of appreciation and mutual respect.