Michelangelo stated that in every block of stone there lies a beautiful piece of art. That his work was to uncover it.
This is also what we are called to do for ourselves.
- Sometimes you’ll hammer away at destructive habits,
- other times you’ll step away to consider your next move, and
- there will be eons where it feels that all you are doing is slowly chipping away without making a dent.
The magic is in continuing.
Below are stories of people (under pseudonyms!) that I’ve had the honor to work with as a financial empowerment guide. Each of these stories gives you a glimpse into people who courageously discovered the beautiful piece of art inside themselves and then took steps to uncover it.
The Transformative Pleasure Plan
I walked away from Itzel’s house still laughing. The Transformative Pleasure Plan – what a name! Yet, that’s what we had just outlined for the remainder of the year. We’d explored what they wanted in life to create a vision that lit them up.
Itzel wants to leave a legacy of their creative work and curate spaces for artists to immerse themselves.
My invitation for them was to marinate in their dream, to let the pleasure of it sink into their bones. Once they felt saturated in excitement we would look at obstacles together. From there we’d outline options and put them into action. Although there were a lot of steps between now and their dream of a sabbatical in Italy, it was possible!
Fast forward 18 months and witness that it happened! Itzel continued to follow their curiosity of creating an art residency in Italy. Not only did they create it, but they were also invited to oversee another one.
Moving forward Itzel is experimenting to make this the next stage of their career and on how to make it financially supportive.
From Under-Earning to Grad School
Olga was ugly crying. We had been looking at her bougette (aka spending plan) while she kept apologizing for spending too much and not sticking to her budget.
I stopped her in the middle of her self-criticisms to say, “Olga, I know you. You do not spend mindlessly. It’s your income. You’re under-earning.”
And this led to the ugly crying. The years of frustration, self-blame, and confusion bubbled up all at once.
Over multiple sessions Olga realized she equated “stable careers” with having no creative outlet and working ALL THE TIME. So she had unconsciously kept opting for smaller roles and juggled several part time jobs.
Out of those different streams of income only ONE paid her a living wage, while the rest left her in and out of credit card debt and constant high financial anxiety. Through self-reflection, evaluating her options, and focusing on moving towards a livable wage Olga decided to go back to school.
Olga recently began a Master’s degree in a field she’d picked up randomly because it allowed her to live abroad. She realized there’s parts of that job she enjoys, that it’s well paid, and that it will give her enough free time to enjoy her creativity.
A Papa Bear’s Love
“What do you mean the courts decide who gets my children???”
Michael was pissed.
His divorce had been finalized a few years earlier and he had full custody due to his former partner’s struggles with addiction. Michael’s family was not supportive of his life choices and they had stopped speaking years earlier. In other words, if Michael died unexpectedly his two young children going to either his ex-husband or his mother brought out his inner Papa Bear.
I explained, that yes, if he were to die without an estate plan the courts would have his children go to their father. If they decided their father was not safe, they would then go to the next of kin, which included Michael’s mother.
We also talked about the need for life insurance in case of his death. While he owned his home and had some savings, he understood it would be difficult for his children’s guardians to care for them without additional financial support. It was important to him that his children not feel like a burden with whoever might care for them if he were to pass away before they were 18 years old.
Although Michael didn’t really feel like he could afford another bill, as he understood the risks he was taking without life insurance and an estate plan he quickly began to take action. I connected him to a trusted insurance agent and an empathetic estate attorney.
Once the insurance was put in place and the estate plans were finalized, Michael slept better and saw his life insurance annual premium payment as a declaration of love to his baby cubs.
Looking Back to Move Forward in a New Way
Hermeisha looked a little scared and Gustavo was frowning. I could see the confusion in their eyes – why was I asking about their parent’s money patterns? They just wanted to know whether they had enough for retirement…
I explained that unless they clearly understood in their heart why they used money the way they did, nothing would change. We had met at a mutual friend’s wedding and Gustavo had grilled me on my work as a financial planner while we waited to be served cake. A week later I was surprised to get an email from him asking if we could work together.
Now here we were in their living room with Hermeisha close to tears sharing the financial roller coaster she grew up in. Both she and Gustavo wanted their young adult children to know that they were supported, yet they were tired of paying off tens of thousands of dollars of debt to then find themselves in debt all over again.
Gustavo asked, “How is it possible that we make so much money and are still living paycheck to paycheck?”
Over the next few months we ran different financial retirement scenarios, created an easy to implement bougette (aka spending plan), and they began to talk more openly about money to their children. At one of our last meetings I almost cried when Gustavo said, “I can now talk to Hermeisha about money without her leaving the room or crying. And I’m not stressing out obsessing over whether we have enough for retirement.”
Without knowing where we stand and where we are headed, how can we decide on the next step? Our sessions together had created a space for Hermeisha and Gustavo to be deliberate with their financial decisions rather than reactive.
Living into My Own Heart’s Desires
I consider myself an explorer, teacher, and cultivator.
I explore with people their heart’s desires and teach them how to cultivate money practices that support them, their loved ones, and their community.
My personal work of art is to dismantle and replace oppressive financial systems one person at a time. I believe that as each of us claims our power with money and our decisions, we will also transform society as a whole.
Just look back over the changes that have occurred in the US during the past hundred years:
- One hundred years ago Social Security and Medicare did not exist.
- Fifty years ago women were not allowed to have credit under their name without a male as co-signer.
- Twenty five years ago hardly anyone talked about consumerism’s destruction of our shared environment.
If you or someone you love is the struggling with financial fear, catastrophic thinking, confusion, and overall disempowerment around money please reach out. Invite them to check out my business, All the Colors, and set a time to meet.
Individuals can sign up for a free Discovery call and organizations can reach out to collaborate on a workshop for their participants and staff.
My north star was best said by Lila Watson, indigenous activist, artist, and academic:
If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.
Lila Watson
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