Did you know that most people are used to never being listened to?

Most people.

Never feel listened to.

That's a shame.

Because listening is our most powerful form of communication, and it's actually easier than trying to think of the perfect thing to say all the time.

Not saying it's easy though! Most of us never took a class or training on how to listen well.

Fortunately, Colin has. In fact, he took a 2-day listening training, and learned a powerful list of 6 communication blocks that changed the way he communicates.

And he shares them right here, in a single episode (saving you a lot of time!)

As you become a better listener, your world and your career open up in a remarkable way, and you learn how to give the people you work for a powerful feeling they rarely get; the feeling of being interesting, talented, and worth taking the time to listen to.

This first episode introduces The Trust Toolkit—a podcast about communication that builds trust and drives real results, both for your clients and for you.Colin shares what the show is about, who it’s for, and why the human side of conversations—especially in financial settings—matters more than most people think.Expect practical ideas, honest stories, and simple ways to connect better, be understood, and move conversations forward.

I also believe the real value of knowing how to tell stories actually ISN'T to tell stories. It's to do this...

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Are you facing a challenge when it comes to reaching the next generation of investors, borrowers, or wealth-holders? Let us know at nextgenofwealth.com. You can also tap into one-of-a-kind resources to help you engage your audience. Grab a copy of Colin’s free guide, or a summary of Colin’s funny and memorable trainings for your team, network, next gen audience, or sales meeting. All that and more at: nextgenofwealth.com.

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NOW ONTO THE DESCRIPTION OF THIS EPISODE:

Here's why I can speak to this for you:

I've been a storyteller my whole career, and I don't mean that in a generic, "I actually sell shoes" kind of way. #shade I've performed on The Moth, NPR, PBS and even had a story published in Reader's Digest.

However my career has always been in the business world, and I've seen how storytelling has crept into vogue at conferences and through trainings. What I don't see enough are clear and compelling formulas to tell QUICK, powerful stories that are about you AND your client, not just about you.

I also believe the real value of knowing how to tell stories actually ISN'T to tell stories! It's to do this...

Simple, proven examples that will help you talk to younger people on their level and in their language. This will help you if you ever have thought "I'm too old to relate to them..." Or if you've ever tried to use "on fleek" or "based" in a conversation with a young person :)

This will help you connect with them as both a knowledgeable financial expert and a relatable fellow human they can open up to and trust.

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Are you facing a challenge when it comes to reaching the next generation of investors, borrowers, or wealth-holders? Let us know at ⁠www.nextgenofwealth.com⁠. You can also tap into one-of-a-kind resources to help you engage your audience. Grab a copy of Colin’s free guide, or a summary of Colin’s funny and memorable trainings for your team, network, next gen audience, or sales meeting. All that and more at: ⁠www.nextgenofwealth.com⁠.

Welcome to a new kind of conversation about financial success and mental health. Sharing 15 years of thoughts, tips, stories and questions to spark honest and helpful ways of thinking about, and talking about, these two taboo but really important topics!

13 peer financial counselors (students who provide financial counseling through one-on-one sessions and workshop presentations) responded to my pre-training survey, and 11 of the 13 stated that engaging the audience was their biggest audience challenge.

Here's a great way to do it - use humor.

It'll enagage your listeners.

It'll enhance your message.

And it's easier than you think!

Here is a simple trick to weave humor into your conversation and your presentations.

"People and money are my two biggest passions and my whole professional identity has revolved around helping people experience their money and relationships in more holistic and positive ways."

Nathan Astle is the Founder of Relational Money, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Certified Financial Therapist, and sits on the board of directors at the Financial Therapy Association. He has been featured in numerous outlets like CNBC, USA Today, TD Ameritrade, Acorns, and several other major outlets for his work with couples and money.

More about Nathan and his work here: www.relationalmoney.com/about-me

In our interview, we talk about what couples and individuals need to know when it comes to dealing with financial challenges. We also explore Nathan's own journey to unpack and re-write a powerful money story he observed from his parent's marriage.

Two brilliant quotes from Nathan:

1. “Money is always bigger than numbers and money is always emotional. Always. There's not a time in your life that you've engaged with money where emotion hasn't been part of that equation.”

2. “If you're in a relationship and money is something you fight about, the best thing you can do is identify that it's not you versus your partner, is you and your partner versus the problem. You've problem solved a million things in your relationship. Because our emotions around money have gone unidentified and unexpressed, we start to view our partner as the enemy, and only they need to be fixed. In reality, this is just an issue where me and my partner are coming at it from different angles, so how can we get on the same page? We're still a team.

And if you're an individual, you are not your money. Most of us would say that someone who has a lot of money and someone who doesn't have a lot of money are both still human beings and still deserve compassion. Money and our selves do not have to be correlated. When we can pull our own selves out of it, and realize what's going on financially isn't a reflection of my core being, we get to a much better place mentally to be able to make behavioral changes and to move forward."

HWBYB? How would Baby Yoda budget?? Not enough people are asking that.

Here is a May the 4th the message for you:

A therapist can rapidly get us from discouraged and defeated to hopeful and happy.

How???

Because of REFRAMING - the simple art of inviting yourself to look at something from a different perspective.

Reframing your money relationship is a valuable skill, and it's fun and it's easy to do.

Seriously, it's some Jedi stuff (see what I did there?)

Video Version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMn-DiaFoq4

Even though we all have emergencies, few of us save up emergency funds. Why?

An emergency fund can be used to go a number of days without income, or to cover an unexpected vehicle repair cost without putting it on your credit card, or to prepare for an unanticipated health issue.

The best place to start increasing your savings is to save up an emergency fund.

Research shows we are more motivated by positive, future-aspirational goals than we are by negative, fear-based goals.

We just aren't as motivated by negative possible outcomes as we are by positive possible outcomes.

When I broke down in the middle of Nowhere, Texas, I learned firsthand why it's so valuable to view saving up for emergencies as a fun challenge instead of a tedious task.

The amazing research about the power of storytelling, and a funny story about my grandma.

If stories are this effective, we should use more of them when talking about taboo topics like personal finance.