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Sometimes the question isn’t whether you should be a financial coach. It’s whether the version of financial coaching you’ve been picturing actually fits the kind of work you feel called to do. In this Financial Coaches Classic, Maria shares a conversation with a coach who was trying to decide whether financial coaching really aligned with what she valued. Maria understood the tension because she had wrestled with something similar herself. Early in her coaching journey, she thought financial coaching meant staying close to budgets, numbers, and telling people what they should or shouldn’t do. Over time, she realized that the work she was most drawn toward had much more to do with how people think, what they believe, how they behave, and what they value. Money still mattered, but it touched all of those things rather than replacing them. ep147-20240708 (1) Maria and Cody begin to describe financial coaching less as one narrowly defined role and more as a spectrum. Some coaches are deeply numbers-oriented. Others spend more time helping clients understand the behavior and beliefs connected to their money. Many live somewhere in between. The question isn’t where a financial coach is supposed to sit on that spectrum. It’s where your strengths, interests, experience, and the people you serve naturally place you. ep147-20240708 (1) And that may change as you grow. Cody eventually turns the conversation from simply identifying what kind of coach you are into considering what kind of coach you want to become. If the clients in front of you keep revealing questions you don’t yet know how to help them explore, that may not mean you’re doing financial coaching wrong. It may be showing you where you want to keep developing. ep147-20240708 (1) 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode THE Financial Coaches Networkhttps://www.patreon.com/NewMoneyHabitsFinancialCoaches Getting Started as a Financial Coachhttps://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/webinar/gsfc-registration THE Financial Coaches Communityhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/nmhcoaches Schedule a Callhttps://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/fcpodcast_contact Questions or ideas for the [email protected] Music by Summer School. Follow us on social:@newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

A client comes to you asking for a plan. Maybe they want to get out of debt, figure out how to say no to a family member asking for money, or solve some other problem that feels specific and measurable. As coaches, it can be tempting to start building the strategy right away. After all, they told us what they want.  But what happens when the thing they are asking for isn’t quite the thing they are actually trying to accomplish? In this Financial Coaches Classic, Maria and Cody talk about slowing down long enough to understand what may be underneath a client’s request before moving into problem-solving. Maria shares the story of a client who repeatedly asked for help figuring out what to say when family members came to her for money. The immediate request was strategy: help me craft the email, help me say no, help me handle the next conversation. Over time, their coaching moved toward understanding why saying no was so difficult in the first place—and eventually the client recognized that she wanted to spend less time on the strategy and more time understanding herself. Maria and Cody also explore how questions can keep that discovery with the client. Instead of immediately asking how to accomplish the stated goal, a coach might stay with something as simple as, “What makes that important to you?” Sometimes what a client says they want is only the first layer of the conversation. The work is not deciding what they really need for them. It is helping them stay with the question long enough to understand what they actually want. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode THE Financial Coaches Networkhttps://www.patreon.com/NewMoneyHabitsFinancialCoaches Getting Started as a Financial Coachhttps://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/webinar/gsfc-registration THE Financial Coaches Communityhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/nmhcoaches Schedule a Callhttps://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/fcpodcast_contact Questions or ideas for the [email protected] Music by Summer School. Follow us on social:@newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

A client keeps using the credit card they’re trying to pay off. Another is remarkably good at saving money, but once the balance grows, she becomes anxious and spends it back down. From the outside, both behaviors can look like financial problems waiting for a financial solution.  But what happens when the behavior makes considerably more sense once we understand the story behind it? In this Financial Coaches Classic, Maria and Cody explore what it means to coach beyond the numbers. They talk through the beliefs and experiences that can become tangled up with money, why similar experiences don’t necessarily affect two people the same way, and how questions like “How do you know that to be true?” can help clients examine assumptions for themselves rather than having the coach supply the answer.   The budget still matters. The numbers still matter. But sometimes they tell us where to look without telling us what is really happening. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode THE Financial Coaches Networkhttps://www.patreon.com/NewMoneyHabitsFinancialCoaches Getting Started as a Financial Coachhttps://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/webinar/gsfc-registration THE Financial Coaches Communityhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/nmhcoaches Schedule a Callhttps://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/fcpodcast_contact Questions or ideas for the [email protected] Music by Summer School @newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

As financial coaches, it can be easy to measure success by how quickly the numbers move.  More debt paid off. More money saved. A goal reached sooner. But what if getting there as quickly as possible isn’t actually the best plan for the client? Maria and Cody revisit a real coaching situation involving a couple who received a raise while working toward debt payoff and future goals. Instead of putting every additional dollar toward the debt, they chose to increase their giving and give themselves more room for Fun Money. At first glance, that might look like slowing down their financial progress. But as Maria and Cody unpack the situation, something deeper becomes visible. The couple had been feeling guilty whenever they spent money on themselves. The issue wasn’t simply how much they were spending. Cody eventually recognizes that they may not have felt they deservedto enjoy the money at all.   The conversation explores the difference between rigidity and intentionality, why an aggressive financial plan can sometimes create burnout, guilt and avoidance, and how coaches can help clients build a plan around what actually matters to them rather than someone else’s definition of financial success. Because sometimes the fastest route to the destination isn’t the healthiest journey for the person taking it. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode If this conversation has you thinking about how you define progress with your own clients, here are a few ways we can support you. Start with THE Financial Coaches Network, our space for coaches to connect, ask questions, and keep growing alongside others who understand the work. If you’re looking for a clearer path to build your coaching practice, take a look at Getting Started as a Financial Coach. You can also join our free Facebook group, THE Financial Coaches Community, to connect with other coaches, ask questions, and be part of the conversation. If you’d like to talk through where you are or what your next step might be, you can schedule a call with us here. Have a question for the podcast? Email us at [email protected]. Music by Summer School. Follow us on social:@newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

When a client brings you a problem, it can be tempting to start looking for the answer.  But sometimes the most helpful thing a coach can do is ask a question that helps the client keep thinking. Maria and Cody explore the difference between questions that move a conversation forward and questions that quietly put all of the work back on the coach. They look at some questions coaches use almost automatically—like “Did I get that right?”, “Is it possible that…?”, and even “Tell me more”—and consider how small changes in language can create more room for the client to reflect, explain, and discover what may actually be happening. The conversation also gets into why the details of a client’s story aren’t always the most important thing to pursue, how open-ended questions can help uncover the themes underneath the story, and why asking good questions is a skill that gets better with practice. You don’t need a perfectly scripted list of coaching questions. But becoming more intentional about what you ask—and noticing when you’re doing more of the thinking than the client—is one of the ways we become better coaches. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode If this conversation has you thinking about the questions you ask in your own coaching sessions, here are a few ways we can support you. Start with THE Financial Coaches Network, our space for coaches to connect, ask questions, and keep growing alongside others who understand the work. If you’re looking for a clearer path to build your coaching practice, take a look at Getting Started as a Financial Coach. You can also join our free Facebook group, THE Financial Coaches Community, to connect with other coaches, ask questions, and be part of the conversation. If you’d like to talk through where you are or what your next step might be, you can schedule a call with us here. Have a question for the podcast? Email us at [email protected]. Music by Summer School. Follow us on social:@newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

Sometimes the hardest decisions aren’t between something good and something bad. They’re between several good things that all matter, when there simply isn’t enough time, energy, or capacity to give yourself fully to all of them.  Maria and Cody are both entering seasons of change, and in this conversation they share what that means for them personally and for THE Financial Coaches Podcast. Maria explains why she has made the difficult decision to step away from the podcast for an indefinite period of time so she can be more present for her family and the work she feels called to do there. What makes the decision especially difficult is that she still loves the podcast. It’s good work, it’s producing fruit, and it’s something she genuinely enjoys. But sometimes choosing what matters most means letting go of something that still matters. Cody shares a different but related season. After an unusually difficult year personally and financially, he has decided to take some time away as well. He talks candidly about surrender, becoming comfortable when things were going well, and being reminded what financial uncertainty actually feels like from the other side of the coaching relationship. Together, they reflect on what it means to recognize the season you’re actually in, make space for what that season requires, and accept that letting go of something good doesn’t mean it was a mistake. They also talk about where THE Financial Coaches Podcast goes from here. The podcast isn’t ending. Over the coming weeks and months, you’ll hear some intentionally revisited conversations along with new voices from trusted coaches Maria and Cody have known and worked with for years. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode If this conversation has you thinking about the season you’re in and what it may be asking of you, this is the kind of thing that can be helpful to talk through with other coaches. THE Financial Coaches Monthly Meetup is a place to bring real coaching and practice questions into conversation with other financial coaches. You can also start with THE Financial Coaches Network to stay connected to the conversations and resources we’re building for coaches. If you’re looking for a clearer path to build your coaching practice, take a look at Getting Started as a Financial Coach. You can also join our free Facebook group, THE Financial Coaches Community, to connect with other coaches, ask questions, and be part of the conversation. If you’d like to talk through where you are or what your next step might be, you can schedule a call with us here. Have a question for the podcast? Email us at [email protected]. Music by Summer School. Follow us on social:@newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

Sometimes a prospective client genuinely wants help but simply isn’t ready for coaching yet. Maybe the financial margin isn’t there. Maybe they’re still working through whether they’re ready to change. Either way, it can be easy to finish the consultation, say “let’s keep in touch,” and then move on to the next person.  Cody shares the story of someone he stayed connected with for nearly ten months before the timing was right for coaching. The relationship didn’t begin with repeated sales pitches. It looked more like occasional check-ins, helping him think through immediate next steps, and continuing to be available while his circumstances changed. Eventually he became a client, continued beyond his initial coaching term, and referred other people to Cody as well.    But the more important part of the conversation isn’t the eventual revenue. Maria and Cody talk about what it means to keep the focus on the person rather than immediately moving into a “who’s next?” mindset. Sometimes someone saying no doesn’t mean the relationship has reached its end. It simply means the answer is not right now. Playing the long game requires patience, good follow-through, and a willingness to keep serving people even when you don’t know what will eventually come from the relationship. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode If this conversation has you thinking about the relationships you may have given up on too quickly, here are a few ways we can support you. Start with THE Financial Coaches Network, our space for coaches to connect, ask questions, and keep growing alongside others who understand the work. If you’re looking for a clearer path to build your coaching practice, take a look at Getting Started as a Financial Coach. You can also join our free Facebook group, THE Financial Coaches Community, to connect with other coaches, ask questions, and be part of the conversation. If you’d like to talk through where you are or what your next step might be, you can schedule a call with us here. Have a question for the podcast? Email us at [email protected]. Music by Summer School. Follow us on social:@newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

Sometimes a client knows something needs to change, but that does not necessarily mean they are ready to change it yet. Other times they seem to be making real progress and then suddenly slip back into old habits. As a coach, those moments can be frustrating if we expect change to move in a straight line.  Maria and Cody walk through the six stages of change—pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and relapse—and explore what those stages can teach us about meeting clients where they actually are. They also spend time on an important distinction that can be easy to miss: preparing to change can sometimes feel a lot like taking action, even when the real change has not started yet.    Cody also shares a practical exercise he uses to help clients think ahead about a possible financial relapse, including what it might look like, how it could affect them, and what they could do to respond. Maria adds another layer by encouraging clients to think about what might lead up to the relapse in the first place so they can begin recognizing the pattern earlier.    Understanding the stages does not give us control over someone else's change. It gives us language for understanding the process, helps us ask better questions, and can give both the coach and the client a little more patience and grace along the way.   🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode If this conversation has you thinking about how you help clients navigate change, here are a few ways we can support you. Start with THE Financial Coaches Network, our private space for coaches to connect, ask questions, and keep growing alongside others who understand the work. If you're looking for a clearer path to build your coaching practice, take a look at Getting Started as a Financial Coach. You can also join our free Facebook group, THE Financial Coaches Community, to connect with other coaches, ask questions, and be part of the conversation. If you'd like to talk through where you are or what your next step might be, you can schedule a call with us here. Have a question for the podcast? Email us at [email protected]. Music by Summer School. Follow us on social:@newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

A consultation can feel great right up until the person decides not to move forward.  When that happens once, it can be disappointing. When it happens several times in a row, it can leave even an experienced coach wondering what changed, what they did wrong, or whether they are as good at this as they thought they were. In this episode of THE Financial Coaches Podcast, Cody shares what happened when a stretch of seven or eight new clients was followed by five consecutive noes. Maria helps him look beneath the rejection and recognize how easily coaches can make both the yeses and the noes about themselves. When we take too much credit for a client’s decision to move forward, we may also accept too much responsibility when another person chooses not to. The conversation explores why a potential client’s no may have more to do with their own fear, uncertainty, or belief in what is possible than with the coach sitting across from them. Maria and Cody also talk about remaining genuinely helpful without becoming attached to the outcome, remembering that the coach is not the product, and responding to success and disappointment with gratitude and grace. Rejection is part of building a coaching practice. It may still hurt, but it does not have to define your ability, your value, or what happens next. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode If this conversation has you thinking about how you handle consultations, rejection, and the emotional side of building your practice, here are a few ways we can support you. Start with THE Financial Coaches Network, our private space for coaches to connect, ask questions, and keep growing alongside others who understand the work. If you’re looking for a clearer path to build your coaching practice, take a look at Getting Started as a Financial Coach. You can also join our free Facebook group, THE Financial Coaches Community, to connect with other coaches, ask questions, and be part of the conversation. If you’d like to talk through where you are or what your next step might be, you can schedule a call with us here. Have a question for the podcast? Email us at [email protected]. Music by Summer School. Follow us on social:@newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

One of the first questions many financial coaches wrestle with is also one of the hardest: How can I charge people for coaching when they are already struggling with money?  That question can lead coaches to believe they must choose between the people they genuinely want to serve and the clients who appear most able to pay. But building a practice around the wrong people simply because they seem more profitable can create a business that feels disconnected from the coach—and from the clients they are trying to help. In this Financial Coaches Classic, Maria and Cody talk about why a sustainable coaching practice begins with being honest about who you want to serve and the kind of work you want to do. Cody shares what his first year in coaching actually looked like, why choosing the quickest path to revenue may not create lasting success, and how financial coaching can become an investment that helps clients move forward rather than another expense holding them back. They also explore practical ways to make coaching accessible without undervaluing the work, including group programs, assistant coaches, church partnerships, employer-sponsored coaching, and other creative arrangements. You do not necessarily have to abandon the people you care about serving in order to build a viable practice. You may need patience, clarity, and creativity—but those are very different from compromise. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode If this conversation has you thinking about who you want to serve and how to build a sustainable practice around that work, here are a few ways we can support you. Start with THE Financial Coaches Network, our private space for coaches to connect, ask questions, and keep growing alongside others who understand the work. If you’re looking for a clearer path to build your coaching practice, take a look at Getting Started as a Financial Coach. You can also join our free Facebook group, THE Financial Coaches Community, to connect with other coaches, ask questions, and be part of the conversation. If you’d like to talk through where you are or what your next step might be, you can schedule a call with us here. Have a question for the podcast? Email us at [email protected]. Music by Summer School. Follow us on social:@newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

It is easy to convince yourself that you need more before you can begin building your financial coaching practice. A better website. More software. Additional training. More confidence. Maybe just a little more money.  In this revisit of an earlier conversation, Cody and Maria talk about what it means to start with the resources already available to you. They explore how limitations can encourage creativity, why an imperfect system does not have to keep you from serving people, and how your practice can grow as your experience and resources grow. They also discuss the value of investing in your own development without believing that you need the most expensive program—or every tool imaginable—before working with your first client. The point is not to remain where you begin. It is to stop waiting for everything to be perfect before you take the first step. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode If this conversation has you thinking about what may be keeping you from taking your next step, here are a few ways we can support you. Join us for THE Financial Coaches Monthly Meetup on Thursday, July 23 at 4:00 PM ET | 1:00 PM PT. The meetup is free, and it is a place for coaches to bring real questions, share what they are experiencing, and learn from one another. Save your seat for the Monthly Meetup Start with THE Financial Coaches Network, our private space for coaches to connect, ask questions, and keep growing alongside others who understand the work. If you’re looking for a clearer path to build your coaching practice, take a look at Getting Started as a Financial Coach. You can also join our free Facebook group, THE Financial Coaches Community, to connect with other coaches, ask questions, and be part of the conversation. If you’d like to talk through where you are or what your next step might be, you can schedule a call with us here. Have a question for the podcast? Email us at [email protected]. Music by Summer School. Follow us on social:@newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

Have you ever had someone who seemed genuinely interested in coaching...but never quite took the next step?  In this episode, Cody shares the story of a couple who stayed connected with him for more than two years before finally becoming clients. Along the way, they signed up for webinars, ignored follow-up messages, declined coaching after a consultation, and nearly walked away more than once. Rather than forcing the process, Cody recognized that something deeper was keeping them from moving forward. What followed wasn't a new sales technique. It was a thoughtful adjustment to his coaching process that gave the couple the confidence they needed to begin. As Cody and Maria unpack the story, they explore when it makes sense to get creative, how to recognize fear behind hesitation, and why serving people well sometimes means meeting them where they are instead of expecting them to fit neatly into your process. If you've ever wondered whether a prospect wasn't interested—or simply wasn't ready—this conversation offers a perspective worth considering. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode If today's conversation has you thinking about your next step as a financial coach, here are a few resources that may help. Start with THE Financial Coaches Network, our private community where coaches connect, ask questions, and continue growing alongside others who understand the work. https://www.patreon.com/c/NewMoneyHabitsFinancialCoaches/home If you're looking for a clear path to build your coaching practice, take a look at Getting Started as a Financial Coach. https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/webinar/gsfc-registration You can also join THE Financial Coaches Community on Facebook to connect with other coaches, ask questions, and continue the conversation. https://www.facebook.com/groups/nmhcoaches If you'd like to talk through where you are or what your next step might be, you can schedule a conversation with us here. https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/contact Have a question for the podcast? [email protected] Music by Summer School. Follow us on social: @newmoneyhabits@sizemorefinancialcoaching

Freedom means something different to every client. For some, it's eliminating unwanted debt. For others, it's creating margin, reducing stress, or simply believing that financial peace is possible again. As financial coaches, our role isn't to hand every client the same formula. It's to meet people where they are and help them get to where they want to go. In this episode, Cody and Maria use the Debt Snowball and the Debt Avalanche as the starting point for a much bigger conversation. They discuss the strengths of each approach, explore when a hybrid strategy may make sense, and explain why understanding the client always comes before choosing the method. The episode also begins with a special milestone. As we celebrate the 250th episode of THE Financial Coaches Podcast, Cody shares an exciting announcement: beginning this month, THE Financial Coaches Monthly Meetup is free to attend. Whether you're a new coach or have been serving clients for years, this conversation is a reminder that great coaching begins with the person, not the problem. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode If today's conversation has you thinking about your next step as a financial coach, here are a few resources that may help. Start with THE Financial Coaches Network, our private community where coaches connect, ask questions, and continue growing alongside others who understand the work. https://www.patreon.com/c/NewMoneyHabitsFinancialCoaches/home If you're looking for a clear path to build your coaching practice, take a look at Getting Started as a Financial Coach. https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/webinar/gsfc-registration You can also join THE Financial Coaches Community on Facebook to connect with other coaches, ask questions, and continue the conversation. https://www.facebook.com/groups/nmhcoaches If you'd like to talk through where you are or what your next step might be, you can schedule a conversation with us here. https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/contact Have a question for the podcast? Email us at: [email protected] Music by Summer School. Follow us on social: @newmoneyhabits@sizemorefinancialcoaching

What tools should you have in your coaching practice? You do not need a full website, complicated tech stack, or every system perfectly built before you start financial coaching. But there are a few essential tools that can make things much smoother for both you and your clients as you start and grow your coaching practice. In this episode, Maria and Cody talk through four tool categories newer coaches should consider: schedulers, payment processors, CRMs, and budgeting tools. They discuss why scheduling links can reduce back-and-forth, why a professional payment processor matters, how a CRM can help you manage contacts and communication as your business grows, and why coaches need a budgeting tool that both they and their clients can access. They also talk about why a full website is not always the first thing a new coach needs, how free versions of tools can help you get started, and why the best tool is often the one that fits the way you actually work. If you are new to coaching, this episode will help you think through what you may need to get started. And if you have been coaching for a while, it may be a good opportunity to review the tools you are already using and decide what needs to be adjusted. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode If this conversation has you thinking about the tools and systems behind your coaching practice, here are a few ways we can support you. Start with THE Financial Coaches Network, our private space for coaches to connect, ask questions, and keep growing alongside others who understand the work. If you’re looking for a clearer path to build your coaching practice, take a look at Getting Started as a Financial Coach. You can also join our free Facebook group, THE Financial Coaches Community, to connect with other coaches, ask questions, and be part of the conversation. If you’d like to talk through where you are or what your next step might be, you can schedule a call with us here. Have a question for the podcast? Email us at [email protected]. Music by Summer School. Follow us on social:@newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

The middle of the year is a natural time for clients to feel frustrated with their money plans. They may have started strong in January, felt excited about their budget, and believed this was finally going to be the year things changed. But then life happened. Unexpected expenses came up, categories did not work the way they thought they would, groceries or gas cost more than expected, and the plan started to feel harder to follow. In this episode, Maria and Cody talk about how financial coaches can help clients reset without giving up. The conversation explores why some “unexpected” expenses are actually expected but unplanned, how to help clients decide what needs to be adjusted, and why different clients may need different levels of preparation, peace of mind, and intensity. They also revisit a helpful reset exercise built around four questions: what is working, what is not working, what is missing, and what are you tolerating that maybe you should not be? If you have clients who are discouraged because their plan has not gone the way they hoped, this conversation will help you guide them back toward clarity, adjustment, and continued progress. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode If this conversation has you thinking about how to help clients reset without giving up, here are a few ways we can support you. Start with THE Financial Coaches Network, our private space for coaches to connect, ask questions, and keep growing alongside others who understand the work. If you’re looking for a clearer path to build your coaching practice, take a look at Getting Started as a Financial Coach. You can also join our free Facebook group, THE Financial Coaches Community, to connect with other coaches, ask questions, and be part of the conversation. If you’d like to talk through where you are or what your next step might be, you can schedule a call with us here. Have a question for the podcast? Email us at [email protected]. Music by Summer School. Follow us on social:@newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching