Yoga | Wellness | Money

A successful business owner with a great income and almost no debt bought a $48,000 car, and three months later she wanted to sell it. She could easily afford the payments. What changed was that she looked at her whole financial picture for the first time. In this episode, Trish Munroe tells her story, explains why smart people still make expensive money decisions, and gives you the question to ask before your next big purchase: not “Can I afford this?” but “How does this fit into the life I’m trying to build?”

Yesterday I worked with a client I’ll call “Samantha.” She came to me wanting to learn how to invest. Before we got to investing, we went through the whole of her financial life, and partway through she said, “I need to sell my car.”

Samantha isn’t careless. She’s self-employed, has a healthy emergency fund, and has a monthly surplus in the thousands. But three months ago she walked into a dealership “just to look” and drove out in a $48,000 car. She had no retirement savings yet. The car wasn’t the real mistake. The mistake was making a $48,000 decision before spending two hours looking at her entire financial life.

In this episode:

• [0:00] A $48K car and a client who wants to sell it after three months
• [1:15] Why we start with net worth, and how to calculate yours
• [2:55] Emergency funds: why self-employed people should aim for 6 to 12 months of expenses
• [3:45] Divorce, a successful marriage, and no retirement accounts
• [4:35] Cash flow planning on an irregular income: budget from the low end of your range
• [6:15] “I just wanted to look”: why you shouldn’t step onto the lot
• [7:55] What waiting until your mid-50s to start investing does to your monthly savings goal
• [9:10] Why smart people make bad money decisions: weighing one decision in isolation
• [10:00] Zooming in vs. zooming out
• [12:55] Questions to ask before your next big purchase
• [13:45] The “You’re the Boss of Your Money” course and workbook
• [16:15] Samantha’s next steps: sell the car, fund her account, start investing regularly

I signed up for a beginning/intermediate contemporary dance class after years away from the studio, hoping not to feel embarrassed, awkward, completely out of dance shape, or out of place.

Instead, I realized our bodies carry memory. Sometimes reconnecting with ourselves isn't about becoming someone new—it's about reconnecting with parts of ourselves that have been there all along.

In this episode, I share what surprised me, what dance taught me about challenge, identity, and muscle memory, and why "trying something new" might actually mean dusting off something you've loved all along.

If there's a former version of yourself you've been missing, this episode is for you.

• 00:00 Why I'm skipping the advice today
• 00:37 My challenge: a contemporary dance class after years away
• 01:56 I'm back—and here's how it went
• 02:39 Sharing our intentions (dance class has changed)
• 03:23 A warm-up that looked a lot like yoga
• 04:20 Learning choreography to an Olivia Rodrigo song
• 05:32 Locked in and dancing again
• 06:32 Flexibility, muscle memory, and performing the routine
• 07:55 #1: Stay long enough (plus my ice skating comeback)
• 08:56 #2: Use it as a way to connect
• 09:30 #3: Novelty doesn't have to be new
• 09:55 #4: Bring back a former version of yourself you liked
• 10:59 #5: You're not becoming someone new—you're reconnecting with someone you've always been
• 11:36 #6: Challenge doesn't have to be painful, and growth can simply mean getting back into practice
• 13:17 What's next... a cowboy cheer class?!
• 14:03 Shout-out, and your challenge

Pick one former identity, passion, or love. Dust it off. Take a class. Sign up. Show up.

It's not about being as good as you used to be. It's about bringing another dimension back into your life.

• Correction: After Hours Dance Studio

Website: YogaWellnessMoney.com

YouTube: YogaWellnessMoney, @Trish Munroe

If this episode reminded you of a part of yourself you'd forgotten, I'd be grateful if you'd leave a 5-star rating and review. It really helps more people discover the show.

P.S. I lost count of my takeaways... again. I think that's officially becoming part of the show.

What if you could know practically nothing about money and still build a financially comfortable life? In this Money Monday episode, I share the 7 simple habits that helped me go from a broke college student with a "shotgun" 401(k) to early retirement. We cover embracing your inner frugalista, keeping housing costs low, the 3 questions to ask before any splurge, the personal finance books worth reading, and why you should never play rich instead of being rich.

P.S. I promised five tips, said "number five" twice, ended on six, and gave you seven. Money I can count. Tips, apparently not.

Show notes:

In this episode:

• 00:00 You can know nothing and still build wealth
• 00:31 My orthodontist's money advice and the graph that changed everything
• 03:33 #1: Embrace your inner frugalista
• 05:58 "In this family, we earn interest. We don't pay interest."
• 08:17 #2: Watch your housing costs
• 10:59 Get a roommate (or two)
• 11:55 Divorce: why keeping the house can cost you
• 13:31 #3: Ask "Can I afford it?" The 3 questions
• 17:05 #4: Read at least 3 personal finance books
• 19:33 #5: Have a long-term plan, and don't play rich
• 22:40 #6: Make a spending plan (and loosely track it)
• 27:50 The $800-a-month alcohol story
• 29:52 #7: Grow your income: skills, experience and an updated resume
• 31:50 Recap

Before you splurge, ask yourself:

1. Do I have a 3–8 month emergency fund, based on my actual expenses rather than my take-home pay?
2. Am I out of consumer and student loan debt?
3. Am I automatically putting 10–20% into retirement every month?

If the answer to all three is yes, you can probably enjoy that trip or treat.

Books mentioned:

• As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
• Charles Schwab's Guide to Financial Independence by Charles Schwab
• The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman
• Smart Couples Finish Rich and Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach
• The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
• The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer and Michael LeBoeuf
• The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

Also mentioned:

• The Ramsey Show's "debt-free screams" on YouTube

Connect: yogawellnessmoney.com

If this episode helped you, I'd love a 5-star rating and review.

Your future isn't something that happens to you—it's something you build. In this episode, we'll talk about the excuses that quietly keep us stuck and how intentional choices today can help create the life you truly crave.

Show Notes:

After six years away, I'm back behind the mic. A lot has changed since I last recorded in early 2020. Your life today isn't luck or chance. It's the result of thousands of small decisions, habits and responses, some intentional and some not.

In this episode I share what a year of grief and loss has taught me. I talk about why the "be happy all the time" message drives me bananas, why discipline beats motivation, and six principles for creating a life you love: the setbacks included.

In this episode:

• 00:00 Your life is the sum of tiny decisions
• 01:38 Back after six years: what changed since 2020
• 02:50 Why we're not meant to be happy all the time
• 06:10 A season of grief and loss, and what it's teaching me
• 08:16 Life as a hero's journey
• 10:01 Motivation vs. discipline (and a story from my brother)
• 12:40 Principle 1: The setbacks were written in
• 14:27 Principle 2: No effort is wasted
• 16:52 Principle 3: Consistency beats intensity
• 18:23 Principle 4: Think things through in quiet
• 20:07 Principle 5: Write to purge
• 22:43 Principle 6: Gratitude is woven into a good life
• 25:43 Creating your life: one better choice at a time

Key takeaways:

• Expect setbacks. They're part of the path, not a detour from it.
• Effort you've put on the shelf, like old skills, old savings or old workouts, still counts.
• Set goals small enough that you can hit them most days.
• Before you call a friend or ask an app, give yourself quiet time to think.
• When your brain is spinning, write it out. You can tear it up afterward.
• Get specific and a little silly with gratitude.

Resources mentioned:

• Huberman Lab episode on expressive writing with Dr. James Pennebaker: https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/a-science-supported-journaling-protocol-to-improve-mental-physical-health

Connect:

• Website: yogawellnessmoney.com
• Sign up on the website for free e-book, Diving for Dollars, or purchase for Kindle at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HM7BR8VF