Building Your Financial Voice
- 7 hours ago
- 4 min read
National Executive Director for Mission Connection
I remember sitting at my kitchen table at 2 AM, staring at a credit card statement I'd been avoiding for weeks. My hands were shaking. Not because the number was catastrophic, but because I had no idea how it had gotten that high. I had been so focused on helping everyone else manage their lives that I'd completely lost track of my own financial reality.
As someone who guides people through their most vulnerable moments professionally, I was shocked by how powerless I felt in front of a piece of paper with numbers on it. I help clients build resilience and face hard truths every day. But my own financial truth? I'd been running from it for years.
What financial decision changed your confidence?
The decision that changed everything wasn't dramatic. I didn't suddenly inherit money or get a huge promotion. I made a budget. An actual, written down, honest budget where I tracked every single dollar for three months.
It was humbling. I discovered I was spending $200 a month on subscriptions I didn't use. I found out that my "occasional"coffee runs were adding up to more than my utility bill. I realized I had been living in a fog, swiping my card and hoping things would work out.
But the real shift happened when I started paying myself first. I set up an automatic transfer of just $50 every paycheck into a savings account I couldn't easily access. That account became my safety net, my "leave a bad situation" fund, my "I don't have to say yes to things I don't want to do" money.
Watching that number grow, even slowly, changed how I walked through the world. I started saying no to dinner plans that didn't fit my budget. I negotiated my salary for the first time in my career. I stopped feeling guilty about wanting financial stability. That small act of taking control gave me permission to take control everywhere else.
How does money literacy affect leadership?
I'll be honest. For years, I avoided the "money conversations" at work. I'd let my eyes glaze over during budget meetings. I told myself that financial stuff wasn't my strength, that other people were better at it, that my job was the clinical work.
Then I got passed over for a leadership opportunity I really wanted. The feedback was gentle but clear. I needed to understand the business side.
I needed to speak up about financial decisions that affected our programs.
So I started asking questions. Really basic ones. What does this line item actually mean? Why are we allocating money this way? Can you explain that again?
Learning to read a budget report felt like learning a new language at first. But once I could understand where money was actually going, I could advocate differently. I could explain why investing in staff training wasn't an expense but a long-term cost savings. I could show why competitive salaries meant better client outcomes. I could make the case for expansion with actual numbers instead of just passion.
Now, leading Mission Connection, I realize that every program I want to create, every person I want to hire, every community I want to serve requires me to understand money. Financial literacy didn't make me cold or calculating. It made me a better advocate for the mission I care about.
What should women understand earlier about wealth?
I wish someone had grabbed me by the shoulders in my twenties and said this: Your relationship with money will shape every other relationship in your life.
I stayed in a relationship longer than I should have because I was terrified of managing rent on my own. I took jobs that burned me out because I didn't have enough saved to take time between positions. I said yes to family obligations that drained me because I felt like I owed people for their financial help.
Money isn't just money. It's the ability to leave. It's the freedom to choose. It's the power to say no without fear.
I also wish I'd known that investing isn't just for rich people or people who are "good at math". When I finally opened that investment account in my thirties, I realized I'd lost years of compound growth because I thought it wasn't for someone like me. I thought I needed to understand everything before I started. I thought I needed more money saved first. I was wrong on both counts.
Start before you feel ready. Ask questions even when you feel stupid. Track your spending even when you don't want to see the truth. Open that savings account. Learn what a 401k actually is. Understand your pay stub. Know what you're worth and ask for it.
Your financial confidence isn't separate from your confidence in every other part of your life. When you feel powerful with money, you feel powerful everywhere. And you deserve that power.
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