If you've ever thought, "I know what I'm supposed to be doing with my money, so why can't I just do it?"–– this episode is going to change everything.

I'm sitting down with Dr. Nick, a licensed neuropsychologist and executive cognition specialist, to unpack the brain science behind why smart, capable women still make emotional financial decisions. We're going into the dopamine deficit that makes long-term financial goals feel impossible to start, the norepinephrine surge that only kicks in when things become an emergency, and why "I'm bad with money" is a story your brain makes up — not a fact about who you are.

Dr. Nick breaks down how emotional dysregulation silently drives impulse spending, financial avoidance, and the boom-bust cycle so many of us know too well, and more importantly, how to build systems, practice self-compassion, and rewire your brain's relationship with money, one small win at a time.

Dr. Nick’s links:

Website: https://www.drnicolemurray.com/

Visit ⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod⁠⁠ to stay up to date and find any resources mentioned on our show.

If you're feeling stressed about money, we've created a money plan to help you, no matter where you're getting started. Taking a quick 2-minute quiz to get your money plan at https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod

In this episode:

00:00 How Emotional Decisions Shape Your Finances

01:47 Why Knowing Isn't Enough: The Brain Science

02:56 The Role of Dopamine in Financial Decisions

05:11 How to Create Urgency Before a Crisis

07:52 "I'm Just Bad With Money" — Debunked

10:15 What Is Emotional Regulation (And Why It Matters)

14:52 The Intensity Gauge: Rating Your Emotions

15:02 Managing the "Always at an 8" vs. Numb Baseline

17:29 Making Financial Decisions at a 5, 6, or 7

19:19 Replacing Mindless Spending With Systems

29:54 Willpower Is a Myth — Here's What Actually Works

32:11 The Case for Self-Compassion Over Willpower

35:43 The Boom-Bust Cycle of Financial Motivation

39:28 How Emotional Regulation Changes With Age

42:24 Preparing for Life's Transitions

49:00 Rebuilding Trust With Yourself and Your Money

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If you've ever power posed in a bathroom mirror or blasted a Beyoncé song before a big negotiation hoping it would make you believe in yourself, this episode is going to completely change the way you think about confidence. I'm sitting down with return guest Kara Loewentheil, founder of The School of New Feminist Thought, host of the internationally top-ranked podcast Unfuck Your Brain, and author of the instant New York Times bestseller Take Back Your Brain, and we're getting into the real, evidence-backed truth about what confidence actually is — and why everything you've been told about building it is probably doing you more harm than good. Kara breaks down her Confidence Compass framework — self-knowledge, self-compassion, self-belief, and self-actualization — and why real confidence has nothing to do with a feeling or a pose, and everything to do with building a trusting relationship with yourself so you can take risks, go after your financial goals, and create the life you actually want.

Kara’s links:

Website: http://unfuckyourbrain.com/HSC 

Unf*ck Your Brain podcast: https://schoolofnewfeministthought.com/podcasts/ 

Take Back Your Brain book: https://www.takebackyourbrainbook.com/ 

Visit ⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod⁠ to read the transcript and find any resources mentioned in this episode!

0:00 Intro

0:59 Confidence Is a Skillset, Not a Feeling

2:08 Why Power Poses and Beyoncé Songs Don't Work

4:19 Does "Fake It Till You Make It" Actually Work?

5:19 Kara's Background: Yale, Harvard Law, and Becoming a Coach

5:34 Betting on Yourself Without Feeling Confident

7:55 Confidence vs. Certainty and Control

9:30 Confidence as a Relationship with Yourself

12:02 The Confidence Compass Framework

14:40 Money, Shame, and Which Block Shows Up Most

16:47 How Shame Disguises Itself as Responsibility

19:37 The Permission Slip Problem

27:31 How to Uncouple Shame and Build New Beliefs

38:28 Unlearning Selflessness Without Feeling Selfish

43:04 Confidence Doesn't Come from Having Things — It Creates Them

45:37 Using the Confidence Compass for Money Goals

48:52 The Seeds of Who You Want to Be Are Already in You

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Summer travel is something most of us look forward to all year.

But without a plan, it can leave you with a maxed-out credit card and a lot of financial stress to come home to. In this episode of Financial Feminist, I'm breaking down exactly how to budget for summer travel so you can enjoy your trip without the money anxiety hanging over you the whole time. I'll walk you through how to set a realistic trip cap before you ever open a flight search tab, why travel is a known predictable expense and not just a fun splurge, and how to build a sinking fund so the money is already there when it's time to book. If you’re craving a getaway this summer, I'm giving you a step-by-step framework, plus my favorite money-saving tools and practical tips, so you can travel well and come home financially intact.

*Important note: this episode was recorded in January 2026, before the increase in gas prices

My favorite tool for finding flight deals: https://going.sjv.io/c/1408818/3039272/10802

Get my Bill Breakthrough scripts: https://herfirst100k.com/bill-breakthrough

Get a quote for Auto Insurance: https://herfirst100k.com/auto

Visit https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod to get my free Travel Budgeting Spreadsheet! 

See my credit card recommendations: https://herfirst100k.com/credit-cards

00:00 Intro

00:16 Why Summer Travel Feels So Expensive

02:50 Step 1: Set Your Total Trip Cap

03:49 A Budget Is Not a Killjoy

05:46 Let Flight Deals Decide Where You Go

07:55 Step 2: Break the Trip Into Real Categories

12:22 Step 3: Plan Backwards

15:13 Step 4: Cut Costs Without Ruining the Trip

17:48 Book Experiences in Advance & Pick Your Splurges

19:21 Use Credit Card Points

19:58 What to Do If You Can't Afford the Trip You Want

22:05 Travel Is Part of a Rich Life

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If paying off debt is starting to feel like it's swallowing your whole life–– this episode is for you. Today I’m getting honest with you about something the personal finance world doesn't say enough: debt payoff isn't just a numbers problem, it's an emotional one. The mental load of tracking balances, watching interest undo your progress, and feeling like you have to earn joy before you've hit zero is exhausting, and it's not what sustainable financial freedom looks like. In this episode, I'm giving you the pep talk you actually need, breaking down why hyper-vigilance around debt isn't discipline, what to do when debt payoff has consumed your entire personality, and four practical ways to protect your energy so you can keep going without burning out.

Watch How to Payoff Credit Card Debt FAST: ⁠https://youtu.be/qLR-x0Zg4eY⁠ 

Visit https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod to join the free 5-Day Debt Payoff Challenge! 

00:00 Intro

00:23 The Pep Talk You Need

01:16 Debt as Cognitive Labor

01:50 Why Debt Payoff Feels So Hard

02:28 Shame & Moral Failure Around Debt

03:02 The Invisible, Unpaid Work of Debt

03:52 Hyper-Vigilance Is Not Discipline

04:15 When Debt Becomes Your Whole Identity

05:22 You Don't Have to Suffer to Be Responsible

08:02 4 Ways to Protect Your Energy

08:09 #1 – Automate Everything

09:00 #2 – Stop Checking Your Accounts Daily

10:52 #3 – Give Yourself Permission to Have a Personality

11:24 #4 – Slow Progress Beats Burnout

11:33 Closing Thoughts

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If there's one episode I need every woman in your life to hear, it's this one — because what Erin and I unpack together has the power to completely transform the way you show up for yourself and the women around you. Erin Gallagher is the CEO and founder of Hype Women, an inclusive network unlocking women's access to human, social, and financial capital, and the author of the book Hype Women. In this episode, we get into the real reason women are conditioned to put everyone else first, how to tell the difference between anxiety and intuition, and why you cannot build real wealth, real friendships, or a real life until you stop abandoning yourself. We walk through the three stages of metamorphosis, and break down the spectrum from mean girl to hype woman so you can finally audit the women in your life (and the woman inside your head). This episode is the pep talk you didn't know you needed.

Erin’s links:

Website: www.hypewomen.com 

Visit ⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod⁠ to see the show notes and read the transcript of this episode!

00:00 Intro

01:08 The Phrase That Changed Everything

02:55 Why Women Abandon Themselves

06:40 The Constant Threat Assessment

09:45 Remembering Who You Are

13:30 The Difference Between Intuition and Anxiety

17:40 Is It Still Working?

21:00 The Three Stages: Caterpillar, Cocoon, Monarch

25:10 Looking Around at 40

29:30 Renegotiating Your Life

33:15 The Mean Girl Inside of Us

37:00 You Can't Hype Others Until You Hype Yourself

41:45 Recognizing Your Conditioning

46:00 The Five Types on the Spectrum

51:00 Learning to Hype Yourself

56:00 Building Your A-Team

60:00 The Power of Women's Communities

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If you’ve been doing everything "right" financially and still feel like you’re failing, this episode is for you. In this third installment of the millionaire mindset series, I'm talking about one of the most transformative (and underrated) wealth skills there is: parenting yourself. I'm breaking down why self-discipline without self-care is just self-abandonment, how your unmet basic needs are quietly costing you money and momentum, and the practical, tactical ways you can start treating yourself like someone worth taking care of––starting right now. Because you can't out-hustle a dysregulated nervous system, and the most successful people I know aren't bullying themselves into success. They're parenting themselves into it.

Mentioned in this episode:

millionaire mindset: taking risks - https://herfirst100k.com/financial-feminist-show-notes/millionaire-mindset-taking-risks/ 

millionaire mindset: time wealth - https://herfirst100k.com/financial-feminist-show-notes/millionaire-mindset-time-wealth/ 

Amanda Goetz episode - https://herfirst100k.com/financial-feminist-show-notes/earn-more-money-without-hustle/ 

Visit ⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod⁠ to get your free daily reset worksheet & any other resources mentioned on or show!

00:00 Intro

00:23 What Millionaire Mindset series is about

02:08 Taking care of yourself like a child

03:35 Seeing future you as someone to take care of

06:16 Becoming someone you can rely on

07:37 Self-discipline without self-care is self abandonment

13:09 Create a bedtime routine

16:16 Building transitions into your day

17:58 Talking to yourself

19:21 Creating safety within your own brain and body

21:21 When feeling emotionally overwhelmed

23:19 Self-talk scripts to try

25:41 Finding joy and play again

28:42 Free daily reset sheet

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If you want to land a job you actually love and make more money in 2026, this episode is one you’ll come back to again and again. I’m joined by Claire Wasserman––bestselling author, founder of Ladies Get Paid, and one of the smartest people I know when it comes to navigating the job market, negotiating pay, and owning your worth at work. We break down how to position yourself for higher compensation, why everything is a negotiation, and how to stop sabotaging your own success with guilt, fear, or hustle culture. From negotiating raises and reframing your value to job searching smarter, building relationships, and redefining success on your own terms, this conversation will change how you think about your career.

Claire’s links:

Website: https://www.coachmeclaire.com/ 
Ladies Get Paid: https://ladiesgetpaid.com/

Visit ⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod⁠ to see the show notes and read the transcript of this episode!

0:00 Intro

01:15 Knowing Your Worth Changes Everything

03:30 Being Underpaid and Taking Action

06:40 Why This Work Matters for Women

09:45 Negotiating with Yourself First

13:30 Getting Data to Confirm You're Underpaid

17:40 The LLC of Me Framework

21:00 Translating Your Value to Dollars

25:10 Mistakes Women Make in Negotiations

29:30 Beyond Your Job Description

33:15 Building Relationships at Work

37:00 Navigating a Tough Job Market

41:45 Fractional Work as an Alternative

46:00 Managing the Job Search While Working

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If you’re thinking about quitting your job in 2026 and finally starting your own business, this episode is your practical roadmap. I’m joined by lawyer-turned-entrepreneur Sam Vander Wielen, who left corporate law with multi-six-figure student loans, built a multi-seven-figure digital products company, and learned firsthand what entrepreneurship can and cannot do for your happiness. We’re talking about how to financially plan your exit from a 9-to-5, what legal steps you need (LLC, contracts, trademarks), and how to stop tying your worth to income, vanity metrics, or job titles. If you want a sustainable, smart plan for quitting your job and building a profitable business in 2026, this conversation will show you how to do it without burning your life down in the process.

Sam’s links:

Get Sam’s book: https://www.samvanderwielen.com/book/ Listen to Sam’s podcast: https://www.samvanderwielen.com/podcast 

Sign up for Sam’s newsletter: https://www.samvanderwielen.com/easy-emails 

To get more resources including any freebies mentioned in this episode, head to ⁠⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod⁠⁠

0:00 Intro

01:15 The Happiness Myth

04:30 Why We Tie Happiness to Milestones

07:30 What a Business Can (and Can’t) Give You

11:00 Money as a Tool for Safety and Choice

15:00 Sam’s Corporate Law Wake-Up Call

20:00 The Stability Myth of Corporate Jobs

25:30 Planning a Real Exit From Your 9–5

30:30  Legal Basics for Starting a Business

36:00 Why Entrepreneurship Doesn’t Fix Your Life

41:30 Redefining Success Before You Leap

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Millionaires don’t just buy things––they buy time. And if you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly busy but somehow never getting closer to the life you actually want, this episode is for you. In our second installment of the millionaire mindset series, I’m breaking down what I call time wealth. The idea that real wealth isn’t just about how much money you make, but how much of your life you get to keep. I’m sharing exactly how millionaires think about time, the sneaky ways you’re leaking it without realizing, and the small but powerful shifts you can start making right now to buy back your evenings, your energy, and your future—even if you’re not rich yet.

Catch up on episode 1 of millionaire mindset: https://herfirst100k.com/financial-feminist-show-notes/millionaire-mindset-taking-risks/

To get more resources including any freebies mentioned in this episode, head to ⁠⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod⁠⁠

00:00 Intro

00:44 What the millionaire mindset series is about

01:22 Time wealth: buying back your time

02:11 Time is your greatest asset, not money

05:15 Time leaks: where you're wasting time

05:36 Decision fatigue - spending too much time deciding

10:00 Doing $10 tasks with $100 goals

12:43 Reactive living - letting others' urgency dictate your day

14:26 Unpaid emotional labor

15:50 How millionaires audit their time ruthlessly

19:58 Delegating before you're ready

25:23 Habit stacking to maximize your time

30:17 Saying no early and often

33:25 Time wealth is self-respect

35:14 This week's wealth move

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Try Mimi’s app, Activations, with a free 14-day trial and exclusive discount at

activations.com/podcast/financial-feminist

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the “right” money things on paper but still feel anxious, stuck, or behind, this episode is for you. In today’s conversation, I’m joined once again by Mimi Bouchard––trailblazing entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and author––to break down how to shift your money mindset in 2026 by changing your identity, your beliefs, and the way you relate to yourself long before the numbers change. We talk about the psychology of money, why not all of your thoughts are true, how to stop bracing for financial disaster, and how small, daily mindset shifts can completely transform your financial behavior. Tune in to learn how to rewire your brain to see opportunity, rebuild trust, and start showing up like your future wealthy self so you can create lasting financial security and freedom this year.

00:00 Intro 

01:40 How your brain filters opportunity

03:50 Why mindset matters more than being good at math

06:10 How beliefs drive behavior before numbers ever do

08:30 Not all of your thoughts are true

11:50 The "why not me?" mindset shift

17:30 Women and the fear of wanting more

20:50 Identifying limiting beliefs in everyday moments

28:20 Bracing for impact - the low-grade money anxiety trap

35:10 The bounce back rate vs. perfectionism

42:50 Building trust with yourself around money

47:30 Adding positive habits instead of restricting

50:30 Getting comfortable with having more money

Visit https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod to see the show notes and read the transcript of this episode!

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If you’re making good money and still feel broke, stressed, or behind, something is off and it’s not you. Today, I’m joined by my friend Vivian Tu, former Wall Street trader, CEO and founder of Your Rich BFF, and New York Times bestselling author of Well Endowed, to talk about what it really takes to get rich and stay rich. We’re calling out why paying your bills and saving is not the finish line, how optimization culture keeps high earners trapped in a constant game of “never enough,” and how to start using your money as a tool to buy time, freedom, and real security instead of status symbols. This episode is about ditching performative wealth, building systems that quietly grow your money, and finally feeling powerful, calm, and in control of your financial life.

Vivian’s links:

Website: https://www.yourrichbff.com/

Grab your copy of Well Endowed: http://richbffbook.com/ 

Visit ⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod⁠ to stay up to date and find any resources mentioned on our show!

00:00 Intro 

00:51 Money traumas from childhood & the Chinese buffet story

03:17 How money narratives dictate everyday decisions

06:16 Knowing the price of everything but the value of nothing

08:14 Money as a tool to buy your best life

10:47 What comes after financial basics (Finance 2.0)

13:01 Building infrastructure vs. working harder

15:38 Strategic spending: "Do I want this or do I want people to know I have it?"

18:33 The sleep investment story

24:48 Why HENRYs (High Earners Not Rich Yet) feel stressed

28:21 The B-plus life trap & lifestyle inflation

31:24 Wasted opportunity, potential, and time

33:20 Kids will make you poorer - childcare costs

36:10 The prenup with built-in raises for childcare

37:34 Unpaid labor & the "good mom" trap

38:53 Cooking as unpaid labor vs. celebrity chef art

40:06 Speaking kindly to yourself about money

42:31 Making peace with your own financial timeline

45:07 The all-or-nothing mindset is killing progress

49:56 15 minutes is better than no minutes

50:17 Book takeaway: Chase security, stability & freedom

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