Reach out to Sarah Mac:

withsarahmac.com | Instagram | Substack | LinkedIn | Facebook

EPISODE SUMMARY

Here we go with the #2 most common word I hear about money: AVOIDANCE. (Remember what the #1 is? That's right: SHAME). Do you avoid your money like… the plague? or more accurately, the GYM?? Let's go deeper.

In this episode of The Money Healing Club Podcast, Rachel responds to a listener question about the lifelong habit of retreating from money tasks — even when you know you’ll feel better afterwards.

Rachel unpacks why money avoidance is such a common (and understandable) coping strategy, what it has to do with trauma responses, and how to gently shift the pattern. From nervous system safety to body doubling to internal family systems (IFS), Rachel shares compassionate tools for learning how to stay with your money — even when it feels hard.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Avoidance isn’t laziness — it’s your body’s way of saying, “i just can't. it's too much right now.”

Capitalism profits from our disconnection (late fees, overdrafts, interest charges).

Money avoidance is often a mix of trauma responses: fight, freeze, flight, fawn, flop, fib.

Safety comes first in trauma healing: sometimes you need community or body doubling to signal “this is okay.”

Internal Family Systems (IFS) helps you meet the parts of you that avoid money with compassion, not criticism.

Small, doable tasks + no-cost celebrations (walk, disco dance, doodle) can shift the cycle.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

1. Past episode with Sydney Harbosky on tapping for accessible money-safety.

2. Focusmate → virtual body-doubling tool with a generous free tier

3. Money Healing Club Membership → Join us with weekly live conversations and private community.

4. One-on-one IFS-informed money work with Rachel → Apply here.

💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

How can you re-frame your avoidance as an invitation to connect with a stuck part? Click on the big orange button on our site right from your phone or browser and let me know [specific question related to episode] https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/podcast

🎧 Your next listen:

S2 E22:👉🏽You can choose to deeply love and accept yourself: Tapping for money healing w/ Sydney Harbosky

💫 Use code PODCAST for 50% off your first month and start your money healing process!

https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/club

Full transcript: https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/podcast

🎙️We're a proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective where creators like me are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change.

EPISODE SUMMARY

What if your body holds the key to healing your relationship with money? In this episode of The Money Healing Club Podcast, Rachel speaks with Jessica Boots, author of "It's All Connected: an interactive leadership and healing journey through the chakras". We explore how the seven chakras can guide us through our money healing journey, as well as our leadership. From root chakra security up to crown chakra wisdom, we unpack how each energy center shows up in our financial lives, each center with its gifts and shadows.

Key Takeaways:

Your money challenges might show up differently in each chakra - from root chakra fear to sacral chakra guilt to crown chakra attachment

The framework works whether or not you believe in chakras - think of it as multiple ways of knowing

Each energy center has both gifts and shadows that affect how we handle money

Integration happens when we honor the wisdom of all parts of ourselves

About Jessica Boots: Jess is a writer, leadership coach, yoga teacher, and mama who founded Lead and Be Well. Her debut book "It's All Connected" guides readers through an interactive leadership and healing journey using the chakra framework.

⏰ EPISODE BREAKDOWN

01:30 | Root Chakra: Safety, Values & Your "Enough" Point How your foundation shows up in money decisions

07:00 | Sacral Chakra: Pleasure, Guilt & What You Deserve

Moving from "I need" to "I want" - and the guilt that follows

13:00 | Heart Chakra: Generosity, Grief & Financial Forgiveness When love-based money decisions create complicated feelings

20:30 | Third Eye: Trusting Your Financial Intuition Balancing data with body wisdom in money choices

📚 Resources Mentioned

"It's All Connected" by Jessica Boots

💬 Join the Conversation Have you ever noticed how different money decisions feel in your body? I'd love to hear about a time when your gut told you something different than mainstream advice! Click the big orange button and share your story: https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/podcast

🎧 Your next listen:

When budget culture meets diet culture with anti-diet dietician Leah Kern

💫 Use code PODCAST for 50% off your first month and start your money healing process!

https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/club

Full transcript: https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/podcast

🎙️We're a proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective where creators like me are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change.

EPISODE SUMMARY

When money stress sends you into complete panic mode, sometimes your logical brain knows everything is probably fine... it's a weird dual feeling that happens to all of us. In this episode of The Money Healing Club Podcast, Rachel explores the wild emotional rollercoaster of high-stakes money moments - like home renovations, real estate transactions, and banking delays - and introduces a powerful framework for moving from reactive panic to thoughtful response. Using Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, she guides you through understanding the different "parts" of yourself that show up during financial stress.

💬 "A part is feeling unsafe, but I'm not actually in danger when I look around. There's one aspect that is maybe triggering something from my past, but if I look around, I'm actually okay right now."

Key Takeaways:

Your financial stress response makes complete sense - money is always tied to safety

You have different internal "parts" (managers, firefighters) all trying to protect you in their own way

The goal isn't to silence these parts, but to lead from your essential self - the calm, compassionate center

You don't have to navigate financial stress alone - gather your support team

Sometimes the rush to get out of discomfort actually creates more problems

⏰ EPISODE BREAKDOWN

02:00 | Why House Money Feels Different: The unique emotional quality of real estate transactions and renovations

07:00 | Meet Your Internal Parts: Introduction to Internal Family Systems and your inner protective team

10:30 | The Manager Part: The organized, controlled part that wants to tamp down emotions

14:30 | The Firefighter Part: The reactive part that catastrophizes to prepare you for the worst

21:00 | Becoming Self-Led: How to respond instead of react from your essential self

📚 Resources Mentioned

1. Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy model by Richard Schwartz

💬 Join the Conversation

Have you experienced this kind of financial panic spiral? What money situations send your nervous system into overdrive? Click on the big orange button on our site right from your phone or browser and let me know about a time when your money stress felt bigger than the actual situation. https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/podcast

🎧 Your next listen:

😲 Out of Nowhere? The Truth About ‘Surprise’ Expenses and How to Get Ahead

💫 Use code PODCAST for 50% off your first month and start your money healing process!

https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/club

Full transcript: https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/podcast

🎙️We're a proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective where creators like me are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change.

In this episode of The Money Healing Club Podcast, Financial Art Therapist, Rachel Duncan answers a listener's beautifully simple question "How do I get started? Is it too late to start? How many people are in the group?"

Rachel shares exactly what happens inside the Money Healing Club membership, addresses common fears about sharing money struggles in a group setting, and explains why her approach focuses on decreasing shame and increasing self-love rather than strict budgets and accountability. Listen in to form a clearer picture of what deeper money healing could look like.

💬 "You don't have to be perfect to start. No one is perfect. You just have to be curious enough to try a new approach to money." - Rachel Duncan

Key takeaways from the episode:

• The Money Healing Club doors are always open—no cohorts, start dates, or perfect timing required. We also have a course for private learning.

• Shame thrives in darkness; community and witnessing can be powerful tools for moving through money shame

• You're never required to share financial details or numbers in the Club. Only insights, struggles, and experiments

• Real change often comes from decreasing shame and increasing mindfulness rather than strict tracking or budgets

• The Club is small and growing, with 4-8 people typically joining live events

• ADHD or neurodivergence are welcomed and celebrated in the Club.

⏰ EPISODE BREAKDOWN

What's Inside the Money Healing Club [00:02:19 - 00:03:16] Rachel explains the membership structure: always-open doors, 2-3 weekly events, seasonal themes, gentle challenges, and recorded sessions for catch-up.

Is It Too Late to Start? [00:03:34 - 00:04:02] Addressing the fear that it's too late to begin money healing work, Rachel emphasizes that starting now still matters and it's never too late to improve your relationship with money.

Group Dynamics and Sharing Fears [00:04:42 - 00:06:14] Rachel tackles the biggest fear: having to share money problems in a group. She explains the gentle, no-pressure approach and how shame heals through witnessing others' experiences.

What the Club Is NOT [00:06:14 - 00:07:31] Important clarifications: not therapy, no investment advice, and surprisingly—budgets aren't the main focus.

📚 Resources Mentioned

• The Money Healing Club Membership - Main offering with open doors, live events, courses, and community

• 12 Week Roadmap to Money Healing Course - Standalone option for private, solo learning

• Quarterly Money Organizing Challenge - Seasonal intensive within the club

🎧 Your next listen:

How I Became a Financial Art Therapist

💫 Use code PODCAST for 50% off your first month and start your money healing process!

https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/club

Full transcript: https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/podcast

🎙️We're a proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective where creators like me are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change.

Ever feel caught between wanting to contribute to the greater good and wondering how you can actually afford to? In this episode of The Money Healing Club Podcast, Rachel sits down with Jasmine Rashid, author of The Financial Activist Playbook and a powerhouse in the impact investing world. Jasmine has helped shift billions of dollars away from harmful industries and toward social justice causes, all while navigating her own relationship with money under capitalism.

They dive deep into the reality of wealth hoarding, the power of community as a form of wealth, and how to redirect guilt-driven over-donating into sustainable activism. Plus, Jasmine shares why humor is her secret weapon for making finance and activism less scary and more accessible.

💬 "Nothing great has come from taking myself too seriously. The stakes are high, it's dire out here, and at the same time, we might as well make it as enjoyable as it can be under the systems we find ourselves in."

Key Takeaways:

Scarcity is manufactured - wealth hoarding by billionaires is the real problem, not your personal spending

Community wealth and social capital are just as valuable as financial capital

Over-donating from guilt often comes at the expense of your own wellbeing and sustainability

Pre-planning your giving budget helps you contribute without depleting yourself

Humor and lightness aren't frivolous - they're necessary for learning and healing money trauma

Guest Info: Jasmine Rashid is a New York-raised, Oakland-based Bangladeshi American financial activist, writer, and impact investing professional. She's a trauma of money methods certified practitioner and served as Director of Impact for Candide Group for six years.

This conversation felt like getting wisdom from a wise friend who's figured out how to do good in the world without sacrificing herself in the process. Jasmine's approach to financial activism is both practical and deeply human.

⏰ EPISODE BREAKDOWN

[03:30] The Reality of Wealth Inequality - Why focusing on billionaire hoarding (not your coffee habit) changes everything

[05:00] Community as Wealth - How social capital and authentic relationships create endless dividends

[10:30] The Over-Donating Trap - Redirecting guilt-driven giving into sustainable activism that doesn't deplete you

[16:30] Humor as Healing - Why laughing about money trauma helps us learn and grow (plus Jasmine's Dolly Parton trick)

📚 Resources Mentioned

1. The Financial Activist Playbook on Bookshop.org

2. Jasmin Rasheed's homepage

💬 Join the Conversation

Are you inspired to start your own financial activism? What have you shifted? What would you like to shift? We're collecting voice notes to feature on a future episode! Click on the big orange button on our site right from your phone or browser and let me know how you're navigating the balance between activism and your own financial wellbeing: https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/podcast

🎧 Your next listen:

Queer Finance & Anti-Capitalist Money Strategies with River Nice

💫 Use code PODCAST for 50% off your first month and start your money healing process! 

https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/club

Full transcript: https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/podcast

🎙️We're a proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective where creators like me are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change.

What happens when the thing you've been working toward your entire career—retirement—suddenly feels more terrifying than exciting? In this episode of The Money Healing Club Podcast, Rachel sits down with John Hankins, a 73-year-old financial therapist who's not just studying retirement psychology, he's living it. After 35 years in IT, John reinvented himself as a financial therapist and brings both professional expertise and personal experience to help people navigate the psychological complexities of retirement.

They explore the anxiety of managing a larger pile of money than you've ever had to manage before, the identity crisis of "who am I if I'm not working?", and the complicated family dynamics that emerge when adult children are struggling financially while their retired parents sit on retirement savings.

💬 "We viewed our future-selves as strangers... what can we do to improve our relationship with our future self?" - John Hankins

Key Takeaways:

The 401k generation faces unique psychological challenges compared to the pension generation

Moving from "accumulation phase" to "withdrawal phase" requires a complete mental shift

Many retirees struggle with identity issues beyond just financial concerns

The concept of "future self" can help bridge the gap between present decisions and future needs

Intergenerational financial dynamics create complex guilt and boundary issues

Guest Info: John Hankins is a licensed clinical social worker and certified financial therapist who specializes in working with people navigating the psychological complexities of retirement. At 73, he brings the unique perspective of someone who has personally experienced the transition from accumulation to de-accumulation phase. You can find him at www.financial-therapy.me

⏰ EPISODE BREAKDOWN

04:30 | The 401k Generation's Unique Anxiety: Why managing a large pile of money for the first time creates unprecedented stress

14:00 | Identity Crisis in Retirement: Exploring "who am I if I'm not working?" and the psychological shift required

24:00 | The Future Self Concept: How UCLA research shows we view our future selves as strangers and what to do about it

33:00 | Intergenerational Money Dynamics: Navigating guilt, boundaries, and conflicting financial realities between generations

📚 Resources Mentioned

💬 Join the Conversation

Are you struggling to envision your future self or retirement? Click on the big orange button on our site right from your phone or browser and let me know what aspects of retirement psychology resonate most with you: https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/podcast

🎧 Your next listen:

If the intergenerational money dynamics in this episode got you thinking about family patterns, dive into "When Your Parents' Financial Trauma Becomes Your Money Mindset" to explore how childhood money experiences shape your adult financial behavior.

💫 Use code PODCAST for 50% off your first month and start your money healing process!

https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/club

Full transcript: https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/podcast

🎙️We're a proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective where creators like me are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change.