Bonus Elixir (Subscribers Only): How YOU Can Handle Money

In this Bonus Elixir, I share a simple but powerful improv-inspired mindset shift inspired by the How to Handle Money conversation.

The Elixir: Act as if.

If you were already someone who handled money well, how would you think? What choices would you make? How would you show up differently?

This short, reflective episode invites you to step into that version of yourself now, not someday, and begin making decisions from that place.

You’ll explore:

- How beliefs shape your financial decisions

- Why action often comes before confidence

- Two simple prompts to help you shift your money mindset in real time

This Bonus Elixir is designed to help you try the idea on in your own life, not just hear about it.

🔒 Bonus Elixirs are available to paid subscribers, and are released a couple weeks after each main episode as a space for deeper reflection and integration. If you’d like to receive these bonuses and support the show, please subscribe.

In this How to Handle MONEY episode, Shang Saavedra shares her expertise on the connection between mindset and financial success, emphasizing how mental health impacts decision-making, especially under stress. She offers practical strategies for cultivating an abundance mindset, managing stress, and making smarter financial choices in uncertain times.

Key Topics

- The impact of mental health on financial decision-making

- Strategies for managing stress and emotional reactions to money

- The role of mindset and beliefs in wealth creation

About the guest, Shung Saavedra

Shang Saavedra is the founder and CEO of Save My Cents, a nationally recognized personal finance expert and a book author. Shang finished saving for her retirement by the age of 31, and is America's leading expert on saving a retirement with joy. Shang's insights have been published by Business Insider, CNBC, Forbes, Fox Business, USA Today, Time / NextAdvisor, Nasdaq, The New York Post, Kiplinger, and she has been named by Time / NextAdvisor as one of The 25 Most Influential New Voices of Money. Previously, Shang was a corporate strategist for several Fortune 500 companies. Shang received her bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard and her MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Her book, Wealth Is a Mindset, published in January 2025 with Third State Books.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Money Mindset

03:07 The Connection Between Mental Health and Financial Decisions

06:08 Navigating Stress and Making Financial Decisions

09:06 Shifting Mindsets: From Scarcity to Abundance

11:59 Using Social Media for Financial Inspiration

15:01 The Role of Wealth in Personal Choices

18:00 Acting As If: Embracing a Wealthy Mindset

20:53 Embracing Discomfort for Growth

24:03 The Balance of Intuition and Data in Financial Decisions

28:12 Grounding Emotions with Financial Literacy

30:41 Reframing Our Money Mindset

35:52 Navigating Job Loss and Maintaining a Positive Mindset

38:58 Money as a Tool: Changing Our Perspective

Keywords

money mindset, personal finance, stress management, wealth building, mental health, financial decisions, abundance mindset, improv techniques, financial literacy, wealth psychology

What do you do when life doesn’t go according to plan?

When the script falls apart.When something unexpected shows up.When control slips, even just a little.

You improvise.

How to Handle Anything is a conversation-driven podcast hosted by Mary Lemmer, writer, entrepreneur, longtime improviser, and author of the forthcoming book How to Handle Anything.

Each episode features thoughtful, honest conversations with writers, leaders, creatives, and improvisers about the real moments they’ve had to navigate, such as layoffs, stress, injury, midlife pivots, contentious conversations, reinvention, and more.

If you’re navigating change, uncertainty, or just the everyday curveballs of being human, you’re in the right place.

Follow the show and join us. Because you don’t have to have it all figured out to handle whatever comes next.

This week’s episode features Alice Lemmer (aka Mary’s Mom).

Alice Lemmer is a mom, dog whisperer, and volunteer who has brought a pretty awesome improviser into the world (that’s Mary in case that isn’t clear :)

Prior to retiring she worked at places including Edward Jones, the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition, Iorio Gelato, Hotel Information Systems, Lansing Community College, and the American Red Cross. She has a Bachelors of Science in Child Development, Child Psychology, and Spanish from San Diego State University.

During this episode we discuss…

From Alice, when asked how improv has improved her life offstage, “Improv has improved my mental flexibility and ability to ‘pivot mentally. It has improved my outlook by helping me to ‘see the whole picture’ and choose the perspective that is positive and empowering.”

Connect with Alice on LinkedIn and Facebook.

If you liked what you heard, Subscribe, write a review, tell a friend. If you didn’t like what you heard, well, try again next time. Each episode is different and we’re always improving (see what I did there?!) 

Visit www.chooseimprove.com for resources and ways to improve in your life and work. 

Join us for at chooseimprove.substack.com for weekly improvisations and monthly virtual sessions to practice improvising in your life.

Connect with us on Instagram @chooseimprove and linkedin.chooseimprove.com 

This week’s episode features Kimberly (Kim) Bryden.

Kim Bryden runs a small business called Cureate where they focus on shifting the dollar back into our local communities by building an empowered supply to meet a changing consumer demand. They do this through food & beverage entrepreneurship education and local procurement for institutional foodservice. 

During this episode we discuss…

From Kim, when asked how improv has improved her life offstage, “Stress relief, adding whimsy to my day, speaking confidence”

Connect with Kim on LinkedIn and Instagram @kimbryden. To learn more about Cureate visit cureate.co

If you liked what you heard, Subscribe, write a review, tell a friend. If you didn’t like what you heard, well, try again next time. Each episode is different and we’re always improving (see what I did there?!) 

Visit www.chooseimprove.com for resources and ways to improve in your life and work. 

Join us for at chooseimprove.substack.com for weekly improvisations and monthly virtual sessions to practice improvising in your life.

Connect with us on Instagram @chooseimprove and linkedin.chooseimprove.com 

This week’s episode features Max Housner.

Max Housner works as an aerospace engineer focused in digital mission engineering, but creatively, he is also a musician, writer, and improvisor. Max has a passion for space exploration, discovery, and gets to work with a variety of exciting space programs, but also has a passion for the art of improv comedy and music. Max's experience in improv ranges from masterclasses at iO Chicago, Second City, to classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade in LA for both Harold and musical improv. He's taught improv workshops for long form, short form, and musical improv and previously performed all through college at the University of Michigan, with ComCo, Michigan's oldest improv troupe. Max is now currently performing long form, short form, and musical improv in Los Angeles at UCB, The Clubhouse, and other small theaters with a variety of teams. Outside of work and comedy, Max loves breweries, a good cup of joe, live music, hikes, movies, traveling, doing the crossword, and having a good laugh with good friends.

During this episode we discuss…

From Max, when asked how improv has improved his life offstage, “Improv has allowed me to express myself creatively in the best ways, has immensely improved my listening, communication, and creative skills, and has allowed me to be a more honest and open version of myself.”

Connect with Max on LinkedIn and Instagram @maxhousner

If you liked what you heard, Subscribe, write a review, tell a friend. If you didn’t like what you heard, well, try again next time. Each episode is different and we’re always improving (see what I did there?!) 

Visit www.chooseimprove.com for resources and ways to improve in your life and work. 

Join us for at chooseimprove.substack.com for weekly improvisations and monthly virtual sessions to practice improvising in your life.

Connect with us on Instagram @chooseimprove and linkedin.chooseimprove.com 

This week's episode features Gayaneh Davoodian.

Gayaneh took improv classes in high school, college, and the Upright Citizens Brigade. Currently she works as a venture capital (VC) Scout for an accelerator and a couple of seed stage funds. 

Previously she was Chief of Staff at Sequel.io, Head of Enablement at a Stealth Startup, and Program Manager of People Operations and Talent Acquisition at Curated, where she developed the company’s Talent and People Operations department at the start of Series B, through Series C, oversaw headcount growth of nearly 3x employees, built processes from scratch as well as identified and implemented necessary tools to maintain this rapid growth.

She has a Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from USC, and an Associates degree in Fashion from the Parsons School of Design.

During this episode we discuss…

From Gayaneh, when asked how improv has improved her life offstage, 

“In a work setting, it helped me stay dynamic. You end up working with all different kinds of people (especially in startups). The improv skills I learned allowed me to listen and react to a person/situation as opposed to assuming/staying rigid in my thoughts and expressions. It helped me connect with people more.”

Connect with Gayaneh on LinkedIn and Instagram @gaya_dav

If you liked what you heard, Subscribe, write a review, tell a friend. If you didn’t like what you heard, well, try again next time. Each episode is different and we’re always improving (see what I did there?!) 

Visit www.chooseimprove.com for resources and ways to improve in your life and work. 

Join us for at chooseimprove.substack.com for weekly improvisations and monthly virtual sessions to practice improvising in your life.

Connect with us on Instagram @chooseimprove and linkedin.chooseimprove.com

This week's episode features Matthew Goodman, Ph.D.

Matthew Goodman, Ph.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (PSY32423), consultant, speaker, and mindfulness teacher. He is Founder of The Middle Way Consulting, where he supports organizations with wellness, team-building, and communication skills through purposeful play (including improv!), awareness-based practices (e.g., deep listening), and behavioral science principles. Dr. Goodman was previously Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, where he provided clinical care, teaching, and supervision within the psychiatry residency program. He has expertise in mindfulness-based interventions and has taught mindfulness to children and adults in hospitals, clinics, schools, and to the general public for 10+ years, in addition to authoring several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on mindfulness and creating a documentary film on “the dark night of the soul” phenomenon in the context of meditation. His Zen-prov! classes create a nonjudgmental space for people to practice mindfulness, self-compassion, and other Zen principles such as “not knowing” through fun and interactive improv exercises.

During this episode we discuss…

From Matt, when asked how improv has improved his life offstage, “Creating more present-moment awareness. Confidence in taking risks and speaking what's on my mind/heart. More joy, spontaneity, and flexibility. Taking myself less seriously. Connection to others ”

Connect with Matthew on LinkedIn Instagram @matthewgoodmanphd

If you liked what you heard, Subscribe, write a review, tell a friend. If you didn’t like what you heard, well, try again next time. Each episode is different and we’re always improving (see what I did there?!) 

Visit www.chooseimprove.com for resources and ways to improve in your life and work. 

Join us for at chooseimprove.substack.com for weekly improvisations and monthly virtual sessions to practice improvising in your life.

Connect with us on Instagram @chooseimprove and linkedin.chooseimprove.com

This week's episode features Ali Farahnakian. 

Ali is an American actor, writer, and improvisational comedian. He is the founder of The Peoples Improv Theater in NYC. Ali studied improv in the 1990s at the ImprovOlympic and was a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade. He was a writer on Saturday Night Live during its 25th anniversary season and received a Writers Guild Award Nomination. Ali’s television credits include “Law and Order: Criminal Intent,” “Special Victims Unit,” “All My Children,” “Third Watch,” “Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” “30 Rock,” and numerous national commercials. He is an alum of SNL, The iO Theater, and Second City.

During this episode we discuss…

From Ali, when asked how improv has improved his life offstage, “Improv has been a part of my life for over 33 years. It’s my way of life.”

Connect with Ali on Instagram @alialinyc and check out The People's Improv Theater in NYC.

If you liked what you heard, Subscribe, write a review, tell a friend. If you didn’t like what you heard, well, try again next time. Each episode is different and we’re always improving (see what I did there?!) 

Visit www.chooseimprove.com for resources and ways to improve in your life and work. 

Join us for at chooseimprove.substack.com for weekly improvisations and monthly virtual sessions to practice improvising in your life.

Connect with us on Instagram @chooseimprove and linkedin.chooseimprove.com 

This week's episode features Alec Brown.

Alec Brown is a content creator, writer, improviser, stand-up, and musical comedy entertainer. His latest project is the viral TikTok series “Challah At Ya Goy!”A play on words celebrating delicious bread and a Yiddish term for gentiles, “CAYG!” takes viewers on double entendre-laden two-minute riotous recipe revues that climax in tasty test fests: oy vey! 

In pre-Covid times, he co-wrote and co-starred in the musical comedy show Peter, Paul and Carly which played a dozen sellouts at NYC’s Duplex Theatre.  Alec has performed stand-up at venues like The Broadway Comedy Club and was invited to join Upright Citizens Brigade’s prestigious Academy. He appeared monthly in 2019 at the Peoples Improv Theater and has since become an Associate Producer at Story Pirates, specializing in children’s improv and writing. His voiceover work is featured on several episodes of their iHeart Radio Award-winning podcast; his sung vocals can be heard on their song “Cheese Quest.” He’s currently in the Writing Lab at The Groundlings.

Alec’s writing has been featured on numerous online platforms, most notably on theatre satire site The Broadway Beat (recently acquired by Coil with Reductress and The Hard Times). Articles include “Man Disappointed Nothing Spooky Happened After Seeing Beetlejuice A Third Time” and “Gazillion Bubble Show Faces Controversy After 6-Year Old Counts.”

During this episode we discuss…

From Alec, when asked how improv has improved his life offstage, “It's really trained me to listen to what others say in a broader spectrum (i.e.-tone, word choice, timing, and intention)”

Connect with Alec on Instagram and TikTok @challahatyagoy

If you liked what you heard, Subscribe, write a review, tell a friend. If you didn’t like what you heard, well, try again next time. Each episode is different and we’re always improving (see what I did there?!) 

Visit www.chooseimprove.com for resources and ways to improve in your life and work. 

Join us for at chooseimprove.substack.com for weekly improvisations and monthly virtual sessions to practice improvising in your life.

Connect with us on Instagram @chooseimprove and linkedin.chooseimprove.com