START WELL®

START WELL® Podcast Episode 9: How They Get You with Heather Sharp

What if many of the everyday spending decisions we make aren’t really as “random” as we think?

In this episode of START WELL®, Dawn Thomas is joined by Heather Sharp, Associate Adviser at The Wealth Designers, to review the book How They Get You by Chris Kohler.

Together, Dawn and Heather unpack the hidden psychology behind modern spending habits and the ways businesses, marketers, pricing systems and loyalty programs subtly influence consumer behaviour.

One of the things Dawn particularly enjoyed about this book was that it was written from an Australian perspective, making the examples feel highly relevant and current, especially in today’s environment of rising living costs, inflation pressures and conversations around tariffs and global economics.

Dawn listened to the audiobook version, while Heather read the e-book & listened to the audio book, leading to a great discussion on how the content translated across formats.

• Why How They Get You feels so timely for Australian households

• Whether the book is useful for parents, young adults and first-time earners

• The psychology behind everyday spending decisions

• How businesses encourage us to spend more without us noticing

• Whether loyalty schemes actually benefit consumers

• Fuel pricing and supermarket pricing tricks

• Why unit pricing matters more than flashy discounts

• Shopping across multiple supermarkets: practical or exhausting?

• Computer games, microtransactions and digital spending habits

• Superannuation and how financial systems are explained to everyday readers

• How tariffs and global economics impact household budgets

• Gift cards, rewards programs and consumer behaviour

• The importance of teaching young people to become more conscious consumers

This episode explores how awareness can become one of the most powerful financial literacy tools families can develop.

Rather than focusing only on budgeting or investing, this conversation looks at the behavioural side of money: the tiny nudges, habits and systems that quietly shape how we spend.

As always, START WELL® aims to help parents bring important money conversations back home to their kids in ways that feel practical, engaging and relatable.

Heather Sharp is an Associate Adviser at The Wealth Designers and works closely with clients to help them build confidence and clarity around their financial decisions.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it with a parent, educator or young person in your life, and help us continue building financially confident future generations.

General Advice

Warning – This Podcast contains general advice. The information, including tax information and any advice provided in this Podcast, does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of that, you should before acting on the advice, consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to those things. If the advice relates to a particular financial product, you should obtain the relevant Product DisclosureStatement for any product mentioned and consider its contents before making any decision. You should consider talking to a financial adviser before making a financial decision.  Dawn Thomas is a Senior Financial Adviser and is anauthorised representative of TWD Licensee Services Pty Ltd ABN 88 605 064 480 Australian Financial Services Licence No.475964 (TWD Licensee Services).

🎙️ START WELL® Podcast  Atomic Habits: Helping Kids Build Habits That Stick with resident book reviewer Michelle Flanagan

Episode Overview

In this episode of START WELL®, we explore one of themost influential behaviour change books of our time—Atomic Habits by James Clear.

With over 25 millions of copies sold worldwide, thisbook has reshaped how we think about habits, motivation, and long-term success.

But this conversation goes beyond personal development.

We focus on how parents can apply these ideas to help children and teens build habits that actually stick—whether it’s study routines, screen time, health, or money behaviours.

Because raising capable young people isn’t aboutperfection… it’s about creating systems that make good choices easier.

Key Themes We Explore

Systems Over Goals

We unpack the idea that:

You don’t rise to the level of your goals—you fall to thelevel of your systems.

While goals give direction, it’s daily systems androutines that drive results. For kids, this means shifting focus from outcomes (grades, performance) to repeatable behaviours.

Identity-Based Habits

One of the most powerful ideas from the book:

The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become areader.

We explore how helping kids shape identity—
“I’m someone who studies” or “I’m someone who shows up”— can lead to more sustainable behaviour change than external pressure alone.

The Habit Loop

Every habit follows a pattern:
Cue → Craving → Response → Reward

We discuss how this plays out in everyday life.

General Advice

Warning – This Podcast contains general advice. The information, including tax information and any advice provided in this Podcast, does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Because ofthat, you should before acting on the advice, consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to those things. If the advice relates to a particular financial product, you should obtain the relevant Product DisclosureStatement for any product mentioned and consider its contents before making any decision. You should consider talking to a financial adviser before making afinancial decision.  Dawn Thomas is a Senior Financial Adviser and is an authorised representative of TWD Licensee Services Pty Ltd ABN 88 605 064 480 Australian Financial Services Licence No.475964 (TWD Licensee Services).

START WELL® Podcast – The Art of Spending Money byMorgan Housel

Guest Reviewer: Cara Graham

In this episode of START WELL®, we explore The Art of Spending Money by Morgan Housel, the highly anticipated follow-up to The Psychology of Money, a book previously discussed in Season One of the podcast. While The Psychology of Money focused on how we grow wealth,this book shifts the lens to how we use it.

This is not a book about spreadsheets, budgets, or technical financial strategies. Instead, Housel explores the psychology behind spending, including identity, envy, happiness, status, independence, insecurity, and contentment. It challenges us to think differently about why we spend, what our spending says about us, and how our financial decisions influence not only our own lives but the children watching us.

In this episode, host Dawn Thomas is joined by guest reviewer Cara Graham to unpack the lessons from the book and explore how parents can bring meaningful conversations about money, values, and behaviour back into the home.

What We Cover in This Episode

Money as a Tool or a Status Symbol

One of the foundational ideas in the book is that there are two ways to use money:

1. As a tool to create a better life
2. As a yardstick of status to compare ourselves to others

The discussion explores how this distinction shapes our decisions and why helping children see money as a tool, rather than a measure of worth, matters so much.

Can Spending Money Buy Happiness?

Housel opens the book with a provocative thought:

Can money buy happiness? Yes.
Can spending money make you happier? Yes.
But the relationship is more complicated than people think.

The episode explores how money often creates happiness indirectly. For example, a larger home may bring happiness not because of the house itself, but because it creates space for connection with family and friends.

Happiness vs Contentment

A major theme throughout the book is the distinction between:

1. Happiness: the excitement, novelty, and emotional “buzz” that often comes with acquiring something new
2. Contentment: the ability to stop chasing and appreciate the present moment

Spending, Attention and Status

The episode explores Housel’s framework around attention-seeking through spending.

This leads into an important discussion around envy, admiration, and the idea that people may not admire flashy displays as much as we assume.

The Most Valuable Financial Asset

A standout quote from the book:

“The most valuable financial asset is not needing to impress anyone.”

The episode explores how freedom from comparisoncan become one of the most powerful forms of wealthYour Money and Your Kids

A particularly powerful chapter focuses on children and the financial lessons they absorb from us.

Key reminders:

1. Kids are always watching
2. Children learn financial behaviour through observation
3. The values parents display around money shape future habits

A central question explored:
What do you want your children to remember you by?

Listen to START WELL® for more conversations helping parents bring money discussions backhome and support young people in building healthier financial futures.

General Advice

Warning – This Podcast contains general advice. The information, including tax information and any advice provided in this Podcast, does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of that, you should before acting on the advice, consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to those things. If the advice relates to a particular financial product, you should obtain the relevant Product Disclosure Statement for any product mentioned and consider its contents before making any decision. You should consider talking to a financial adviser before making a financial decision.  Dawn Thomas is a Senior Financial Adviser and is an authorised representative of TWD Licensee Services Pty Ltd ABN 88 605 064 480Australian Financial Services Licence No.475964 (TWD Licensee Services).

In this episode of START WELL®, we welcome back resident book reviewer Michelle Flanagan to unpack StolenFocus by Johann Hari, a powerful exploration of why our attention is shrinking and what that means for our lives, especially for our children.

We begin with a striking reality:
Students switch tasks every 65 seconds, while adults manage just 3 minutes before shifting focus. In a world overflowing with information, constant notifications, and rising expectations, our ability to concentrate is under siege.

This conversation explores the deeper causes behind this shift and, importantly, what parents can do to help children build focus, creativity, and a sense of meaning in their lives.

What We Cover

🧠 The Attention Crisis

•           Why our ability to focus is declining

•            The impact of constant task-switching and interruptions

•            How distractions affect productivity, IQ, and long-term thinking

🌍 A World of Overload

• Living in an “information firehose”
• The pressure to keep up and its impact on depth and reflection
• Why modern life is sacrificing deep thinking and meaningful connection

🎧 The Science of Distraction

• The “23-minute rule” to regain focus afterinterruptions
• The cognitive cost of multitasking, including increased errors
• The long-term impact on creativity and problem-solving

🧩 Understanding the Brain

• The “bouncer” metaphor: how our brainsfilter information
• Why today’s environment overwhelms our mental filters
• The role of noise, open-plan environments, and constant stimulation

Children, Focus, and the Modern World

🌱 Why Free Time Matters

• The decline of unstructured play andoutdoor time
• How children develop focus through curiosity and interest
• The importance of space to think, reflect, and explore

📱 Technology and Attention

• The rise of tools designed to capture andhold attention
• Balancing technology use without removing it entirely
• Protectingchildren’s ability to focus in a digital world

💭 Meaning, Autonomy, and Growth

• Why children need time away fromadult-driven schedules
• The link between focus, meaning, and emotional development
• How intrinsic interest builds lifelong attention skills

About the Book

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari explores the systemic reasonsbehind our declining attention and offers both insight and hope for rebuildingour ability to concentrate in a distracted world.

About Our Guest

Michelle Flanagan is our resident book reviewer on START WELL®, bringing thoughtful insights and practical reflections from powerful reads that help families navigate life, learning, and growth.

 General Advice

Warning – This Podcast contains general advice. The information, including tax information and any advice provided in this Podcast, does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of that, you should before acting on the advice, consider theappropriateness of the advice, having regard to those things. If the advice relates to a particular financial product, you should obtain the relevant Product Disclosure Statement for any product mentioned and consider its contents before making any decision. You should consider talking to a financialadviser before making a financial decision.  Dawn Thomas is a Senior Financial Adviser and is an authorised representative of TWD Licensee Services Pty Ltd ABN 88 605 064 480 Australian Financial Services Licence No.475964 (TWD Licensee Services).

Episode Overview

In this episode of START WELL®, Dawn sits down with financial educator, adviser and author Jessica Brady to explore the powerful ideas behind her book Get Growing: A No-Nonsense Guide to Cultivating Wealth and Financial Freedom.

This conversation goes beyond budgets and spreadsheets and dives into the emotional, behavioural and social forces that shape how we think about money. Together, Dawn and Jess unpack how our childhood experiences, gender norms, shame, stress and identity influence financial decisions and how parents can model healthier money conversations for the next generation.

About Jessica Brady

Jessica Brady is a financial adviser, financial educator, and host of the Financially Fierce podcast. With more than two decades of experience in financial services, Jessis known for her honest, accessible and practical approach to money education.

Through her work, she helps everyday Australians build confidence with money by combining behavioural insights with clear financial strategies. Jess is passionate about improving financial literacy, challenging traditional money narratives, and creating a more inclusive financial future, particularly for women and underrepresented communities.

Her book, Get Growing, blends personal storytelling, financial psychology and actionable guidance to help readers understand their money history, reshape limiting beliefs, and cultivate long-term financial freedom.

What We Discuss in This Episode

Money Mindset & Learned Behaviour

• Why money skills are learned, not inherited
• Understanding how culture, family and life experiences shape money beliefs
• The concept of a personal “money memoir”

Childhood Money Lessons

• What children unintentionally learn about money at home
• Why kids often witness financial stress but not healthy money practices
• How gender norms influence financial confidence and opportunity

Practical Tools for Families

• Money shame and how it quietly shapes financial choices
• Why parents may need to heal their own money stories first
• Creatinga “money alter ego” to build new financial habits
• Growing Wealth Realistically
• The simple (but not easy) truth: spend less, earn more, or both

🎧 Listen & Follow

Subscribe to START WELL® for conversations helping young people and families build financialconfidence from the very beginning.

General Advice

Warning – This Podcast contains general advice. The information, including tax information and any advice provided in this Podcast, does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of that, you should before acting on the advice, consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to those things. If the advice relates to a particular financial product, you should obtain the relevant Product DisclosureStatement for any product mentioned and consider its contents before making any decision. You should consider talking to a financial adviser before making a financial decision.  Dawn Thomas is a Senior Financial Adviser and is anauthorised representative of TWD Licensee Services Pty Ltd ABN 88 605 064 480 Australian Financial Services Licence No.475964 (TWD Licensee Services).

START WELL® Podcast

Investing Simpler,Smarter and Sooner with Glen James

How do you start investing without feeling overwhelmed, intimidated, or convinced you need to be an expert first?

In this episode of START WELL®, we sit down with financial educator and award-winning author Glen James to unpack the ideas behind his book The Quick-Start Guide to Investing: Learn How to Invest Simpler, Smarter and Sooner, winner of ABBA Book of the Year and Personal Finance & Investing Book of the Year.

This conversation is designed for young people beginning their financial journey and for parents wanting to bring meaningful money conversations back home. Rather than chasing trends or quick wins, Glen shares why successful investing starts with understanding your values, building strong foundations, and developing habits that last decades, not days.

Together, we explore how investing can become simpler, calmer, and more intentional.

Episode Overview

Investing often feels complicated because we start in the wrong place. Instead of focusing on products or predictions, Glen explains why understanding your why, your behaviour, and your long-term goals matters most.

We discuss the realities of learning through experience, navigating online financial information, avoiding common behavioural traps, and helping young people build confidence in a world full of investing noise.

This episode highlights how investing is less about perfection and more about patience, discipline, and clarity.

In This Episode We Discuss

Money as a tool and the difference between being rich vs being wealthy

•            Building strong financial foundations before investing

•            Why your career may be your first and most important investment

•            Helping young people navigate investing advice online

•            Behavioural traps like hype, and FOMO,

•            The importance of risk, time horizons, and goal setting

•            Learning through early investing experiences, even mistakes

•            Why long-term strategy matters more than short-term market movements

Book Featured: The Quick-Start Guide to Investing: Learn How to Invest Simpler, Smarter and Sooner
by Glen James & Nick Bradley Winner of ABBA Book of the Year and Personal Finance & Investing Book ofthe Year.

About Our Guest

Glen James is an award-winning financial influencer, authorand podcast host known for making money conversations practical, relatable, and accessible. He is the creator of the Money Money Money podcast and author of Sort Your Money Out. Through financial content, Glen helps Australians build confidence with money and develop sustainable long-term financial habits.

Listen & Connect

🎧 Listen to more episodes of START WELL®wherever you get your podcasts.

START WELL® is a podcast designed to help parents and young people start important conversations about money, values, and future choices, empowering the next generation to build financial confidence early.

General Advice

Warning – This Podcast contains general advice. The information, including tax information and any advice provided in this Podcast, does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of that, you should before acting on the advice, consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to those things. If the advice relates to a particular financial product, you should obtain the relevant Product Disclosure Statement for any product mentioned and consider its contents before making any decision. You should consider talking to a financial adviser before making a financial decision.  Dawn Thomas is a Senior Financial Adviser and is an authorised representative of TWD Licensee Services Pty Ltd ABN 88 605 064 480 Australian Financial Services Licence No.475964 (TWD Licensee Services).

START WELL® Podcast

Episode 4: Retire Life Ready with James Wrigley

 Episode Overview

In this episode of START WELL®, Dawn speaks with Australian financial adviser, educator, and author James Wrigley abouthow retirement planning insights can help younger generations make better financial decisions today.

Drawing on themes from his book Retire Life Ready,James shares stories and behavioural lessons gathered from years of working with retirees and pre-retirees, revealing patterns that often begin decadesearlier.

Together, we explore purpose beyond retirement, thepsychology of investing, superannuation engagement, generational attitudes toward property, and why starting early matters more than chasing perfect returns.

This episode bridges generations, showing how understanding long-term financial decisions early can create greater confidence, flexibility, and choice later in life.

💬 Discussion Points

Rethinking Retirement

•            Moving beyond the traditional retirement narrative of travel and upgrades

Starting Early & Compounding

•            The “Rule of Twenty” explained simply

•            Compounding through the lens of opportunity lost by starting late

•            Managing fear and avoiding panic selling during market downturns

Superannuation & Early Engagement

•            Why superannuation is a powerful long-term structure

•            When young people should begin engaging with super

•            Breaking inherited fear or disengagement around investing

Property vs Shares & Generational Thinking

•            The cultural pressure for young Australians to buy property

•            How parental bias toward property can shape financial decisions

•            Accessibility of investing through shares versus property ownership

•            Rethinking perceptions of risk across different asset classes

Behavioural Finance & Life Lessons

•            Client case studies and behavioural patterns around money

•            Whether financial fear is learned or inherited

•            How financial literacy conversations evolve across generations

Future Conversations

•            Longevity and changing retirement expectations

•            The evolving role of the Age Pension

•            Moving beyond the traditional three-stage life model

 Book Featured

Retire Life Ready by James Wrigley

A practical, story-driven guide to preparing for retirementthat blends financial education with real client experiences. The book explores wealth building, superannuation, retirement decision-making, and the behavioural side of financial planning, helping readers understand both what todo and why it matters.

Listen & Connect

Listen to START WELL®:
Available on your favourite podcast platform.

Guest:
Follow James Wrigley for accessible financial education and retirement insights across social media.

START WELL® explores how young people can build strong financialfoundations through early engagement, education, and real conversations aboutmoney, behaviour, and long-term decision-making.

General Advice

Warning – This Podcast contains general advice. The information, including tax information and any advice provided in this Podcast, does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Because ofthat, you should before acting on the advice, consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to those things. If the advice relates to a particular financial product, you should obtain the relevant Product Disclosure Statement for any product mentioned and consider its contents before making any decision. You should consider talking to a financial adviser before making a financial decision.  Dawn Thomas is a Senior Financial Adviser and is an authorised representative of TWD Licensee Services Pty Ltd ABN 88 605 064 480Australian Financial Services Licence No.475964 (TWD Licensee Services).

Episode Overview

In this START WELL ® episode, Dawn sits down with ourresident book reviewer Michelle Flanagan to unpack The 100-Year Life by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott.

The book challenges the traditional three-stage model oflife (education, career, retirement) and explores what happens when people routinely live into their 90s, 100s and beyond. The book aims to help people see longevity as a gift and not a curse.

Together, Dawn and Michelle discuss how longer lifespanswill reshape careers, financial planning, education, and the way young people think about their future. The conversation brings the ideas in to household conversations.

 In This Episode We Discuss:

Why the “three-stage life” is becoming outdated

The rise of the multi-stage life

What this means for financial planning

Why investing in yourself matters

What this means for young people

If we’re truly heading toward 100-year lives, then financialdecisions in our teens, twenties, and thirties carry even more weight. Startingwell isn’t about perfection, it’s about building habits, skills, and financial confidence early so that a longer life becomes an opportunity rather than a risk.

Book Featured

The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age ofLongevity – Lynda Gratton & Andrew Scott

Listen & Connect

If you enjoyed this episode of the START WELL ®  podcast, share it with a young person in your life or someone thinking about how to design a longer, more flexible future.

And remember: the earlier you engage with your financialstory, the more options you create for the chapters ahead.

General Advice

Warning – This Podcast contains general advice. The information, including tax information and any advice provided in this Podcast, does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of that, you should before acting on the advice, consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to those things. If the advice relates to a particular financial product, you should obtain the relevant Product Disclosure Statement for any product mentioned and consider its contents before making any decision. You should consider talking to a financial adviser before making a financial decision.  Dawn Thomas is a Senior Financial Adviser and is an authorised representative of TWD Licensee Services Pty Ltd ABN 88 605 064 480 Australian Financial Services Licence No.475964 (TWD Licensee Services).

🎙️ START WELL® Podcast Episode 1: It's Not About the Money

With Jenny Rolfe-Wallace

We’re kicking off the new season of START WELL® with special International Women's Day episode.

This is a powerful and practical conversation for parents and grandparents who want to shape confident, financially capable young women.

In this episode, Dawn sits down with award-winning financial educator and podcast host Jenny Rolfe-Wallace, creator of It’s Not About the Money, which received international recognition at the Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards.

Together, they explore one of the most important foundations of financial wellbeing:

👉 We must start valuing the work of women at all levels, beginning in the home.

Because when value is embedded early, it flows into decision-making, workplaces, policy and systems. When it’s not, we often find ourselves trying to prove there’s an issue instead of seeing and addressing it clearly.

This conversation connects household money habits to broader themes of fairness, opportunity and justice.

• Why financial conversations at home shape lifelong confidence

• How valuing unpaid and paid work influences future earning power

• Why many women still feel they need to “prove” inequity exists

• The current workforce moment — and why it may be a powerful time for women to negotiate salary and conditions

• What supportive workplaces should be thinking about now:

  • Meaningful parental leave

  • Caring leave for those supporting ageing parents

  • Support during menopause

  • Paying people what they are worth

Most importantly, we focus on what parents and grandparents can do this week to help the next generation start well.

Resources discussed:

• MoneySmart budgeting tools and calculators

• Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez

This episode is a reminder that financial literacy isn’t just about numbers.

It’s about value.
It’s about confidence.
And it’s about creating homes where young people grow up knowing their contribution matters.

If this conversation resonated, share it with a parent, grandparent or educator in your life.

General Advice

Warning – This Podcast contains general advice. The information, including tax information and any advice provided in this Podcast, does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Because ofthat, you should before acting on the advice, consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to those things. If the advice relates to a particular financial product, you should obtain the relevant Product Disclosure Statement for any product mentioned and consider its contents before making any decision. You should consider talking to a financial adviser before making a financial decision.  Dawn Thomas is a Senior Financial Adviser and is an authorised representative of TWD Licensee Services Pty Ltd ABN 88 605 064 480Australian Financial Services Licence No.475964 (TWD Licensee Services).

START WELL® Podcast – Season 2 Trailer

Season 2 of the START WELL® Podcast is here. This season we’re turning up the volume on early conversations, practical planning, and financial confidence at every stage of life.

We open the season with a special International Women’s Day episode featuring Jenny Rolfe Wallace, exploring women, money, and the systems that shape our financial futures.

This season also brings you conversations with authors behind some of the most important money books right now:

• James Wrigley, author of Retire Life Ready

• Jessica Brady, author of Get Growing

• Glen James, author Quick Start Guide to Investing

Plus, our resident book reviewer Michelle Flanagan and guest reviewers unpack powerful reads including:

• The 100-Year Life

• How They Get You

• The Art of Spending

At its heart, START WELL® exists to spark conversations — about money, planning, and the future. Conversations with your kids. Conversations with your partner. Conversations with yourself.

Because starting well isn’t about having it all figured out.
It’s about starting earlier than you think you need to.

Subscribe now to catch every episode of Season 2 and join us as we build financial confidence, one conversation at a time.