As a founder, business owner, or leader, you are pulled in a hundred different directions. You’re constantly learning and doing things you’ve never done before, while simultaneously facing personal growth challenges that push you to the far edges of your comfort zone. It’s a journey I both love and hate at the same time.
It's likely how most of us feel about growth.
When it comes to financial literacy, how many of us actually connect our personal growth with our financial growth?
If you’re like me, probably not—at least, not until that nagging discomfort becomes impossible to ignore. About ten years ago, I decided to get serious about understanding my relationship with money and building wealth. A big part of that journey involved unlearning many of the beliefs I had about money. Beliefs that were holding me back more than helping me move forward.
That’s why I was so excited to see Chantel Chapman, founder of The Trauma of Money, recently release a book sharing her unique perspective, framework, and methodology around the intersection of trauma and money.
Money isn’t just about numbers in a bank account or ticking off savings goals. It’s deeply emotional and I would go as far to say that it's energy.
One of my favourite quotes is:
“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” – Wayne Dyer
But how do you "tune into" financial literacy?
Most of us were never taught how to manage money in a way that feels safe, aligned, or even doable. "Abundance" couldn't be farther from how we would describe our relationship with finances. Instead, we carry stories: family dynamics, cultural expectations, shame, avoidance, fear. And those stories show up in our bank accounts, whether we acknowledge them or not.
Chantel’s work bridges that gap. She connects the dots between our inner growth and our financial health, showing us how the patterns that keep us stuck in life are often the very same ones holding us back from financial ease. Her framework gives language to the things we’ve felt but couldn’t quite name and then tools to start shifting them.
So, if you’ve ever felt like “I should have this money thing figured out by now” or "what does building wealth actually mean for me?" (hello, mid-40s inner critic), I want you to know you’re not alone and there’s a way forward. And since I'm a strong believer that women building wealth is how we change the world, I've got two things to ponder as we move into the last half of the year.
- Your relationship with money is just as important as your relationship with yourself. Healing one supports the other.
- It’s never too late to rewrite your money story. Anytime is actually the perfect time to step into financial confidence with wisdom, compassion, and power.
At the end of the day, money is a tool. The more we understand it, the more choice and freedom we create for ourselves. Maybe growth isn’t just about doing more but about getting clear on how we want money to work for us.
Things I Love - Money Edition
- WealthSimple changed my savings and my investment game plus it's easy to use. I can't sing it's praises enough for getting me from $0 savings (I know, yikes!) to on my way to building it up.
- I've talked about Tori before and I LOVE how she's smashing the patriarchy by empowering more women to build wealth. If you haven't checked her out, highly recommend.
- If you own a business and you're thinking about exists or acquisitions please look into the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption for Canada. It can provide significant tax savings when you go to exit or take funds out of your company.
In solidarity 🖤
makeher is a labour of love because I believe that women deserve to feel good, build wealth and wellness, and create a life that inspires them. We do this by sharing our stories and challenging the status quo. I'm here for that.
What to expect? I'm the co-founder and CEO of joni, board member at FemTech Canada and mother of two teenage daughters. I send out just one email on the first day of each month about entrepreneurship, tech, travel, finance, events and things I've learned, loved and tried through the lens of a 46 year old perimenopausal woman in a world built for men by men. makeher isn’t just a newsletter. It’s about visibility, having a voice, and building something or women who’ve been told to quiet down. Read prior months here.
If you don't feel this newsletter is for you, that's ok. Just know that I'll miss you.
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