What is Your Money Story?
What Is Your Money Story? And Why Does It Matter?
Have you ever wondered why you feel stressed when looking at your bank account, why you hesitate to charge your full fee, or why you avoid financial decisions? These patterns don’t come out of nowhere—they stem from your unique money story.
Your money story is shaped by childhood experiences, societal messages, systemic influences, your relationships, and personal financial history and results in the internalized narrative you hold about money. It influences how you think, feel, and behave with money in both your personal life and your therapy practice.
The good news? Just like any story, your money story can be rewritten to one that better serves you moving forward.
What Shapes Your Money Story?
Your money story is deeply personal and unique to you, but it’s often influenced by broader factors like:
Family Beliefs: What were you taught about money growing up? Were finances openly discussed, or were they a source of stress or secrecy?
Cultural & Societal Messaging: Did you grow up with messages like “talking about money is impolite” or “financial struggle builds character”? These messages shape our beliefs about money.
Personal Financial Experiences: Have you faced financial hardship, instability, or sudden wealth? These experiences shape your emotional and behavioral responses to money.
Systemic & Generational Trauma: If financial security was historically out of reach for your family or community, you may carry subconscious beliefs about scarcity and struggle.
Without realizing it, these narratives impact how you earn, spend, save, and invest—and they may be keeping you stuck.
How Your Money Story Affects Your Therapy Practice
As therapists, our money stories don’t just affect our personal finances—they show up in our businesses too.
If you were raised to believe that helping people means sacrificing financial gain, you may undercharge for your services.
If money was a stressful topic in your home, you may avoid looking at your financial reports.
If you learned that having money makes you greedy, you may feel guilt or shame when your practice becomes successful.
Recognizing these patterns is the first step toward breaking free from limiting beliefs and creating a sustainable, thriving practice.
How Your Money Story Affects Your Client Work
Your money story doesn’t just impact your finances—it also shapes the way you work with clients.
If you struggle with financial boundaries, you may find yourself overextending session times or not charging for no-shows or late cancellations.
If you’ve internalized scarcity beliefs, you may unintentionally reinforce similar patterns in clients who struggle with financial insecurity.
If money conversations make you uncomfortable, you may avoid exploring financial stress with clients—even when it’s relevant to their healing journey.
If you view wealth as unethical or unaligned with helping professions, you may unconsciously project discomfort onto clients who are financially successful.
Awareness of your money story allows you to ensure that it’s not interfering with the way you support your clients or reinforcing harmful money beliefs within the therapeutic space.
How to Develop Your Money Story
Your money story isn’t set in stone. Here’s a step-by-step guide to identifying and reshaping it:
Step 1: Reflect on Your Money Memories
Ask yourself:
What are your earliest memories of money?
How did your family talk about (or avoid talking about) money?
How were financial decisions made in your household growing up?
What messages did you receive—spoken or unspoken—about wealth, poverty, or success?
What emotions come up when you think about your financial past?
Were there moments when money felt abundant or scarce? How did those moments shape you?
Did you or your family ever experience a sudden loss or gain of money (like a layoff, inheritance, divorce, or bankruptcy)? How did that experience shape your beliefs about money and security?
Write down your thoughts and notice any recurring themes.
Step 2: Identify Your Core Money Beliefs
Based on your reflections, what beliefs about money have you internalized? Some examples include:
“I have to work hard for every dollar.”
“I’m not good with money.”
“Making money means taking away from others.”
“Earning more means I’ll have less time for my family and personal life.”
“Financial security is only for certain types of people, not people like me.”
“If I charge too much, people won’t want to work with me.”
“Wanting more money makes me greedy or selfish.”
“I have to prove I deserve money before I can receive it.”
“Talking about money makes people uncomfortable, so I should avoid it.”
Be honest with yourself. These beliefs operate in the background of your financial decisions.
Step 3: Connect Your Money Story to Your Present
How do these beliefs show up in your life today?
Are they affecting your ability to charge appropriately for your services?
Are they preventing you from making confident financial decisions?
Do they contribute to financial stress or avoidance?
Do they influence how you set boundaries with clients or manage your schedule?
Do they impact your ability to invest in your practice or plan for the future?
Do you notice yourself repeating financial habits that no longer serve you?
Understanding the link between past narratives and current behaviors is key to transformation.
Step 4: Reframe Limiting Beliefs
Now it’s time to shift your money mindset. If you identified limiting beliefs, challenge them by creating new, empowering statements.
Instead of “I’m not good with money,” try “I can learn financial skills just like I learned clinical skills.”
Instead of “Charging higher fees makes me greedy,” try “Charging sustainable fees allows me to provide better care and avoid burnout.”
Instead of “Talking about money is stressful,” try “Financial clarity gives me confidence and freedom.”
Instead of “I have to overwork to feel secure,” try “Rest and sustainability are part of how I build long-term financial stability.”
Instead of “I’m behind everyone else financially,” try “I’m building a financial path that honors my pace, values, and lived experiences.
Reframing these beliefs helps rewrite your money story in a way that supports both your financial well-being and your therapy practice.
What’s Next? Start Rewriting Your Money Story
Your money story doesn’t have to keep you stuck in financial stress or scarcity. By uncovering your past narratives and reshaping your beliefs, you can create a healthier, more empowered relationship with money.
Ready to dive deeper? Download my Money Story Reflection Guide to explore your money story and how it impacts your practice. In this workbook, you’ll get step-by-step guidance on how to uncover your money story and start rewriting a new narrative—one that aligns with your values, needs, and wants for who you are today.