When we talk about wellbeing, we talk about sleep.
We talk about nervous systems.
We talk about movement, breathwork and boundaries.
But we rarely talk about money.
And yet money sits underneath almost everything.
Financial stress is one of the biggest drivers of anxiety, relationship strain and burnout. It is hard to meditate your way out of money fear if your stomach drops every time you open your banking app.
Financial wellbeing is wellbeing.
And I want to speak about it honestly.
We Inherit Our Money Story
One of the most powerful books I have read on this subject is Real Life Money by Clare Seal.
One of her core messages is this:
We don’t just inherit habits from our parents.
We inherit money beliefs.
Whether money was tight or abundant.
Whether it caused arguments or felt stable.
Whether it was discussed openly or kept secret.
Children absorb the emotional atmosphere around money.
Maybe you grew up hearing:
-
“Money doesn’t grow on trees.”
-
“We can’t afford that.”
-
“Rich people are greedy.”
-
Or perhaps money simply wasn’t discussed at all.
Those beliefs do not disappear when we become adults. They sit quietly in the background, influencing how we earn, spend, save and feel.
Clare Seal speaks about financial shame being one of the most paralysing forms of shame. I believe she is right.
Money is tied to identity.
To competence.
To self worth.
What I Haven’t Spoken About Publicly
Last year, I struggled massively with my mental health.
From the outside, everything looked functional. Float Spa was open. Events were running. I was showing up.
But internally, I was overwhelmed.
Cancer recovery had taken its toll physically and emotionally.
Renovations had stretched finances.
Business cashflow was tight.
Personally, I felt exhausted.
And instead of leaning in, I became an ostrich.
I buried my head in the sand and hoped it would go away.
I stopped properly looking at the numbers.
I avoided certain emails.
I delayed difficult conversations.
When I did look at the bank statements, I cried.
That is not something many people would know about last year.
I would open the app and feel fear, shame, guilt and responsibility. And then I would close it again.
In Real Life Money, Clare Seal talks about how avoidance gives temporary relief but deepens long term anxiety.
Avoidance soothes you in the moment.
But it costs you over time.
The Link Between Money and Mental Health
When money feels out of control, your nervous system does not feel safe.
Your brain scans for threat.
It becomes hard to think strategically when you feel under threat. You react. You contract. You procrastinate.
That is exactly what I did.
But here is what I have learned.
Financial wellbeing is not about being out of the woods.
It is about having a plan.
The Shift: From Shame to Structure
We are not suddenly swimming in surplus.
We are not magically debt free.
Float Spa is still rebuilding after a tough season.
But something has changed.
There is a plan.
There are spreadsheets.
There are forecasts.
There are regular reviews.
There are honest conversations.
Perhaps most importantly, there are open lines of communication with my husband.
Money secrecy feeds shame.
Money transparency builds resilience.
That does not mean every conversation is easy. It means we look together. We decide together. We do not carry silent fear alone.
One of the most powerful ideas in Clare Seal’s work is separating self worth from net worth.
My bank balance is not a measure of my intelligence.
Or my capability.
Or my value as a leader.
It is a snapshot, not a verdict.
That reframe alone has reduced so much anxiety.
Breaking Inherited Financial Patterns
If we inherit money scripts, we can also rewrite them.
But rewriting them requires:
✨ Awareness
✨ Honesty
✨ Small, consistent action
Not dramatic transformation. Not perfection.
For me, that has looked like:
-
Scheduling regular financial reviews instead of doom checking
-
Asking for support rather than pretending I “should” know
-
Talking openly instead of protecting everyone from the reality
-
Reframing mistakes as data rather than failure
Clare Seal emphasises compassion. Not punishment.
You cannot shame yourself into financial wellbeing.
You build it the same way you build physical health.
Small behaviours. Repeated consistently.
Three Foundations of Financial Wellbeing
If I were to simplify financial wellbeing into three practical steps, they would be:
1. Face it gently but regularly
Avoidance increases anxiety. A weekly check in reduces it.
2. Create a plan, even if it is imperfect
Uncertainty is more stressful than a modest plan.
3. Talk about it
With your partner. With a friend. With a professional.
Silence magnifies fear. Conversation reduces it.
Financial Wellbeing in the Wellness Industry
In the wellness space, there can be quiet pressure to look abundant, calm and constantly thriving.
But financial wellbeing is not aesthetic.
It is administrative.
It is emotional.
It is relational.
It is built slowly.
And sometimes it is rebuilt.
Last year I cried at my bank statements.
Now I do not.
Sometimes I still feel tension. But I no longer feel paralysis.
Because there is a plan.
There is communication.
There is awareness of the inherited patterns I am actively rewriting.
We are not out of the woods.
But we are walking with a map.
And that, to me, is financial wellbeing.
Not perfection.
Not abundance theatre.
But responsibility without shame.
If there is one thing I hope you take from this, it is this:
Your money story was learned.
And anything learned can be unlearned.
Financial wellbeing is not about how much you have.
It is about how safely and honestly you relate to what you have.
And that is something we can all begin, slowly and compassionately, today. ✨