That’s Rich. A Grown-Up’s Guide to Money Without the Guilt
Does the word 'budget' rank somewhere between 'mandatory meeting' and 'we need to talk' on your list of favorite phrases? Does it conjure images of restrictive spreadsheets, a constant cloud of guilt, and the general joy of a root canal?
If you're like most high-achieving women I know, you've been there. You have the intelligence and drive to run circles around most people in a boardroom, yet when it comes to personal finances, it can feel like a secret, unwinnable struggle.
You've downloaded the apps, created the meticulous plans, and committed to tracking every last penny, only to have life—in all its messy glory—intervene. The system falls apart, and a familiar, frustrating thought settles in: "I failed. I'm just not good with money."
Let me be compassionately candid with you: You are not the failure. The traditional budget is. The budget, as it's often taught, is a rigid, joyless drill sergeant that demands perfection. It's a static floor plan for a life that is anything but static.
A plan is useless without a system to support it, and this truth becomes glaringly obvious when you navigate the monumental shift from a steady corporate salary to the dynamic income of being self-employed.
The financial habits that worked when a predictable paycheck landed in your account every two weeks are simply not equipped for the life you are building now as your own boss.
What you need is not another budget. You need an architectural blueprint for your entire financial house—a living, breathing system designed to be resilient, flexible, and actually supportive.
You need a system powered by your purpose, not by a draining quest for perfection. It's time to stop fighting with your finances and start funding your calling.
That's why I created the L.I.V.E. Approach. It's not another set of rules to break. It's a foundational framework we use to construct a money management system so uniquely tailored to you that it feels less like a chore and more like a cornerstone of your success.
Here's how we lay the foundation, brick by intentional brick.
L is for Look: Survey the Land (Without Fear)
You would never build your dream home on a land you haven't surveyed. Yet, this is what many of us do with our finances. The first step is to turn on the lights and get a clear, judgment-free look at your financial territory. I know this can be the hardest part.
Looking at our numbers can bring up feelings of shame, fear, or regret. It's like avoiding that one cluttered room in your house; you know it's there, but it feels so much easier to just keep the door closed.
But here's the thing: you cannot organize a room in the dark. We aren't looking for dust bunnies of guilt, just a clear picture of the layout.
This first step is about creating pure awareness. We work together to find the best way for you to track the flow of your money.
For the tactile person who gets a little thrill from a fresh notebook and a good pen, this might be a physical journal system.
For the business owner who lives in spreadsheets, a customized Google Sheet might be the perfect command center for building a dashboard.
For the tech-savvy professional who wants automation, an app like Monarch Money or YNAB can provide a powerful, real-time picture with minimal daily effort.
The specific tool is irrelevant. The goal is to choose a method you won't abandon because consistency is what gives you good data. This isn't just about numbers on a page; it's about seeing the story your money is telling. It's a crystal-clear map of your financial life that gives you the honest information you need to build with confidence.
I is for Identify: Pinpoint the Leaks in the Foundation
Once you have a clear map, you can begin to see where your financial energy is escaping in ways that don't serve your ultimate goals. A well-built system creates an easy, repeatable feedback loop.
That nagging feeling of "I think I spend too much on convenience" transforms into the factual statement, "I spent $450 on last-minute delivery services and rush shipping this month."
This step is about converting foggy guilt into factual data. For a new business owner, these "leaks" can be insidious. It might be the graveyard of good intentions, also known as your unused software subscription list.
It could be "imposter syndrome spending" on online courses you don't have time to take, just to feel like you're making progress.
This process is not an invitation for self-criticism. Unlike some relatives, data doesn't judge. It is an exercise in objectivity. You are the CEO of your life and your business now, and a good CEO makes data-informed decisions.
Data is just a tool. It allows you to pinpoint the precise location of any cracks or leaks in your financial foundation so you can address them with the precision of a master craftswoman.
V is for Values-Aligned Planning: Reinforce the Structure
This is where the real power resides. This is the 'choose your own adventure' part of your financial story where you, the architect, take back control.
With clear data in hand, you see a misalignment—a leak where your spending doesn't match your stated goals. You now get to make a conscious, values-aligned choice. You have two primary options:
Change the habit to reinforce your original goal.
Adjust the goal because your spending reflects a different but equally valid priority.
Let's walk through an example. Your data shows you spend $300 a month on coffee shop meetings. Your initial goal was to put that $300 toward your tax savings. The L.I.V.E. approach asks you to pause and make an intentional choice.
Are those coffee meetings a core part of your networking and business-building strategy that directly leads to clients? If so, you may need to adjust your business budget to allocate those funds there.
Or, are they more of a social habit that could be replaced with a walk in the park or a Zoom call, allowing you to change the habit and redirect that cash flow back to your tax fund?
There is no right or wrong answer, only an intentional one. Making no decision is, by default, a decision to let your habits change your goals.
This step brings that choice to the forefront. This is the heart of good stewardship—consciously directing your resources toward what matters most in your life and business.
E is for Execute: Make It Effortless to Maintain
The most brilliant architectural plan is useless if it's too complicated for the crew to follow day-to-day. This final step is about designing a system that works with your areas of weakness, not against them.
As a self-employed woman, your willpower is one of your most precious and finite resources. You need to spend it on marketing, serving clients, and growing your business—not on forcing yourself to stick to a punishing budget.
A wise financial system makes the right choice the easy choice. It builds practical safeguards and routines that make financial discipline feel less like a daily battle and more like an effortless, automated process.
It's like installing automatic sprinklers instead of reminding yourself to water the lawn every single day.
If swiping a credit card on Amazon feels frictionless, we can create a "digital envelope" by using a separate debit card—effectively putting a speed bump on the one-click highway to your bank account.
If you constantly worry about having enough for taxes, we build an automated transfer that moves a percentage of every single payment you receive into a separate "Tax" savings account, sight unseen.
You can create a weekly 20-minute "money date" in your calendar to review your system—pour a cup of tea or something stronger (no judgment!) and check in with your CFO (that's you!).
We build a system customized to your life, ensuring it's simple enough to stick with even on your most demanding days.
The L.I.V.E. approach is more than a money management technique; it's a foundational shift. It's a continuous cycle—Look, Identify, Values-Align, Execute—that builds financial resilience, confidence, and peace of mind.
It takes you from a place of avoidance and anxiety to the architect's chair, where you are in calm, purposeful control.
It's how you stop fighting with your finances and start building a business and a life that truly sets you free to pursue your calling.
Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of drawing up this blueprint alone? You don't have to. A good architect is invaluable when building something meant to last.
If you're ready to have a guide help you survey the land and construct a personalized financial system that finally feels right, I invite you to book a complimentary Consultation. Let's build your foundation together.
