My Personal Financial Adviser Paradox

• How I spent years giving brilliant financial advice whilst being unable to follow it myself
• Why excess money never felt safe to hold - everything above day-to-day needs felt dangerous
• The realisation that it wasn't about willpower, knowledge, or self-control
• How inherited beliefs about money scarcity and "dirty money" from family arguments shaped my nervous system responses

Understanding Borrowed Beliefs - The Father Christmas Analogy

• Borrowed beliefs as gifts in Father Christmas's sack - given with love but not all serving us today
• How these beliefs often hold secondary gains and serve us in some way (usually safety)
• The importance of returning unused "gifts" with love and gratitude to break generational patterns
• Why changing our money relationship impacts every future generation

Where Inherited Money Scripts Come From

• Family dynamics and early childhood experiences (my Warwick Castle story about my brother losing £20)
• Religious and cultural influences on money beliefs
• Specific historical events our families lived through
• Personal money experiences that create lasting impressions
• The crucial question: "In my family, money was..."

The Three Predictable Patterns of Borrowed Beliefs

Low Receiving Pattern:

• Difficulty allowing money, opportunities, or compliments to come in
• Common beliefs: "Rich people are greedy," "Money corrupts people," "I don't deserve money"
• Shows up as: undercharging, deflecting compliments, turning down opportunities, feeling guilty about success
• My personal example of struggling with praise and awards

Low Holding Pattern:

• Brilliant at making money but terrible at keeping it
• Common beliefs: "Money disappears anyway," "Something bad happens when I have too much"
• Shows up as: impulsive spending after earning well, self-sabotage when successful, anxiety about bank balances
• Case study of my student hitting six-figure months then immediately booking lavish holidays

Low Giving Pattern:

• Fear-based hoarding rather than conscious saving
• Common beliefs: "I can't afford to be generous," "If I give, there won't be enough for me"
• Shows up as: difficulty investing in yourself, anxiety about spending on others, perpetual "rainy day" saving

The Family Money Tree Exercise

• How to map out your family's money patterns across generations
• Questions to explore: Was money talked about openly? Was it a source of arguments? Who controlled money?
• Common inherited phrases and their impacts:
  • "Money doesn't grow on trees" = scarcity programming
  • "Money's the root of all evil" = spiritual guilt around wealth
  • "We can't afford it" = limitation mindset
  • "Money doesn't buy happiness" = pacifist money story

The Generational and Cultural Context

• How survival strategies from the Great Depression or wartime still influence us today
• Different cultural approaches to wealth - celebration vs. modesty
• Gender dynamics between maternal and paternal money influences
• The historical context that made these beliefs necessary for survival

Conscious Choice and Legacy Work

• Recognising which beliefs served our families but no longer serve us
• The power shift from unconscious inheritance to conscious choice
• How this work creates transformation for coaches, therapists, and financial professionals
• The ripple effect of changing generational money patterns

Final Thought

This episode emphasises that changing our relationship with money isn't just personal work - it's legacy work that impacts every future generation. When we consciously choose which inherited beliefs to keep and which to lovingly release, we're not just transforming our own financial reality, we're changing the money story for generations to come.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Money Beliefs

02:10 The Impact of Family Money Stories

05:25 Understanding Borrowed Beliefs

08:32 Identifying Personal Money Experiences

11:57 The Blueprint of Money in Families

17:00 Patterns of Money Behavior

22:24 Mapping Your Money Tree

29:44 Choosing New Money Beliefs

 

Resources:

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Listen to the previous podcast episode - The Future Of Money and AI With Natalie MacNeil

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