Money Made Human Podcast

In today’s episode, we’re going to spend our time dissecting financial literacy as it relates to financial coaching. Now, this could be a boring and dry conversation…but it doesn’t have to be! 

Financial literacy is focused on education and knowledge. Financial coaching is focused on applying that knowledge and creating action steps so  your clients follow through with the financial goals they’ve set.

When my husband and I were completely broke (as in, our bank was overdrawn again, broke), we hired a financial coach using a credit card. Now, this wasn’t a “for emergencies” type card - this was my husband and I making a conscious decision to nearly max out our cards (yes, plural) so that we could get a “handle” on our finances. And that decision saved our marriage. 

Now, prior to this, my husband had lost his job, we had two small boys (ages 1 and 3), and we were doing “okay” financially. But without his income, the financial “house of cards” we’d built fell apart…fast. 

Which led to my hiring a financial coach. Hear the whole story, and the reasons behind my decision in today’s episode. 

First things first, friends: Imposter syndrome is not a thought: “I am an imposter” or a feeling: “I feel like a fake.” It’s a circumstance. And if we want to overcome it, we need to understand it…which means clearly identifying it for what it is, which removes SOME of imposter syndrome’s power. 

Think of imposter syndrome as the monster behind your closet door: you sit there, covers pulled up to your chin, staring at it the door. In your mind, the monster (aka, imposter syndrome) keeps getting bigger and bigger and scarier and scarier. Finally, you muster up the courage to walk across the room and open the closet door. And instead of a monster, your cat walks out, looking annoyed that you found their hiding place. Logically, you know that it was never a monster. It was just your cat. 

Get ready to shine a light on your own imposter syndrome fears and frustrations, and learn what you can do to shut it down for good (mostly). 

If you’re a new coach, it can be really, REALLY tempting to start with something that’s “scalable”...which, quite honestly, 1:1 coaching is not. But, if you haven’t tested your process, the LAST thing you need to worry about is scaling. 

In fact, I strongly recommend that those who are new or less seasoned financial coaches start with 1:1 clients because it’s easier, it allows you to focus on one client at a time and provide them with top-notch coaching, it allows you to hone and craft your unique coaching style, and it helps you to gain valuable insights and feedback that you may not have access to in a group or course setting. 

There are a few more reasons that I feel this way, but you’ll have to tune in to find out!

When you first start out as a coach – regardless of the type of coaching you do – often, your first clients come from people you already know: family, friends, that one kid from high school who likes all of your posts…you get the idea. 

But the magic doesn’t happen overnight – and it doesn’t happen if you don’t actually create opportunities to expand your network. In fact, if you want to grow your business, you need to become confident in your talent – and your marketing. 

On today’s episode, we’re going to talk about how incredibly awkward things will feel as you start to expand outside of friends and family, and add in things like social media, workshops and presentations, emails, and more.

I am SO excited to dive into today’s episode because I’m answering YOUR questions!! If you didn’t know you could submit your questions to me (or you have another one you’d like to ask), be sure to fill out the form located at FinancialCoachAcademy.com/podcast because I’m sure that this will not be the last AMA of this podcast. 

Today, I’ll be answering these 5 totally random (team selected!!) questions: 

1. Do you have a contract your clients sign before starting a coaching session and if so, what details are important in the contract?
2. Are there some techniques to help clients that have ADHD and forget to do exercises or budget?
3. I know fitness is important to you and I can tell you lift weights. I’m a powerlifter too. What’s your favorite lift and your PRs?
4. What are the administrative and/or legal steps I need to take to be a financial coach? Do you HAVE to complete an online course and get some type of degree or accreditation in this?  
5. How do you draw the line between life coaching and financial coaching? 

Tune in to learn my answers!

In previous episodes, I talked about helping the client form their own conclusion, rather than just providing them with the “right” answer. As financial coaches, our job is not to make their decisions for them, it’s to EMPOWER our clients to make their own decisions with confidence. 

So when a client comes to you and asks you if they can afford a purchase, or wants to know if the decision they made regarding their budget is the right one…instead of giving a blanket yes or no, it’s better to help them feel out THEIR feelings, by asking things like, “how do you feel?” or “what factors did you take into consideration?” Remember, what YOU think doesn’t really matter – what DOES matter is that the client feels confident in their decision. 

If you haven’t listened to episodes 19, 20, and 21, I’ve linked them below, and I highly recommend that you take the time!

Listen to Episode 19: https://youtu.be/OqOFRLJlFzk

Listen to Episode 20: https://youtu.be/WnZGmQUGJXE

Listen to Episode 21: https://youtu.be/5WTEmgOuvHw

You’ve been working at finding new leads and signing new clients to grow your coaching business, but haven’t been successful. What gives?

Maybe the challenge is that you’re not finding enough leads, or maybe not the RIGHT leads. Or maybe it’s your sales process that needs some work.

It’s hard to know where the breakdown is until you’ve done some tracking of your process. There’s no quick fix until you’ve actually done the work. And this week on the podcast, I’m sharing how to find the gap through strategic tracking so you can fill it.

Listen in as I share how to gain valuable insight about your leads (or lack thereof) and help you figure out where your weakest link is so you can refine it. Once you know what the problem is, we can work on it - and that’s exactly what I’m going to walk you through in this episode.


This is a process we help clients with every January in the Client Creator Challenge. You can get on the waiting list for an invitation.

Links & Resources:

• Episode 25: The Trust Triad: How to Earn the Trust of the People You Want to Serve

Want to know how you can make money as a financial coach? Get excited – in today’s episode of the Financial Coach Academy Podcast, we’re going to dive deep and discuss all the creative ways you can increase your revenue (from recurring/subscription options to 1:1 work). 

I’m so excited to welcome fellow financial coach, Jean Chatzky who is joining us today for this conversation. Jean is the CEO of HerMoney.com and host of the podcast HerMoney With Jean Chatzky. A New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author, her latest book is Women with Money: The Judgment-Free Guide to Creating the Joyful, Less Stressed, Purposeful (and Yes, Rich) Life You Deserve. 

When people hear the words “financial coach” often, they think of someone who is right there with you, coaching you through – and that’s absolutely true, but there’s so much more that you can offer as a certified financial coach. 

Yes, you can absolutely work individually with your clients, but you can also offer a wide variety of programming that allows your current and future clients to engage with you in many different ways. 

From masterminds to digital downloads to courses…the options are endless. And, if you want a semi-comprehensive list, here you go: 

• 1:1 sessions
• Group coaching
• Masterminds
• Downloadable Content (workbooks, worksheets, e-books, etc.)
• Retreats
• Power Hours
• Memberships/Subscriptions
• Speaking

There’s a learning model that psychologists use called “The 4 Stages of Competency” which, put simply identifies the psychological state involved in progressing from incompetence to competence in a particular skill. 

I find these types of models fascinating - and if you do, too - Google has a ton of information that you can look up to learn more. Now, as financial coaches, understanding this model will help you set reasonable expectations with your clients as they change their financial behavior and learn new (and better!) financial strategies. 

Setting your clients up for success includes reminding them that forming new habits may be hard at first, but with consistent actions and repetition, things get easier (because they become more skilled and competent). 

But when you understand the entire model, you start to be able to lead people through growth and change, because you’ll more readily recognize it (and then, you can use it in your marketing to create “AH-HA!” moments that hit home).