Hi friends,

Didn’t I say I would share occasional reflections and updates on a regular basis? 😁 Now, some three-plus months later, it’s time for another edition.

Following up on my previous note: layoffs suck, especially in this weird and dismal job market. While I don’t want to sugarcoat anything, there are some key ways in which this time of transition has given me some clarity. As someone very close to me once said, these periods are a “gift of time”.

Here’s how I’m spending my “gift of time”:

1. I am much more focused on building out this financial coaching practice, which means that I am taking on new clients, refining my skills, and learning new things.
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2. I am upskilling by learning about AI risks, safety, and governance.
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3. And I am rethinking and questioning (in a good way) my career/line of work, and my own engagement with the nonprofit industrial complex.

Where will all this take me? TBD!

“Mind on My Money and Money on My Mind”

During this period, money is on my mind a lot. This makes me feel conflicted, especially as I live into my identity as a financial coach. This is precisely what I work on with people — planning, finding clarity, and building confidence with money so that it doesn’t consume our entire mental space. And here I am thinking about money more than I’d like to. But as I peel back the layers and think through it more, I am actually not worried about the day-to-day. What actually occupies my thinking has more to do with utilizing money to build the life we want. One that’s balanced and brings joy.

Three tips that have helped me through this time:

1. Moving from a mindset of scarcity to abundance. Focus on opportunities and goals. Money is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
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2. Understanding my cash flow. Knowing exactly how much money is coming in and going out. This alleviates anxiety when the ledger is (sometimes) in the red.
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3. Creating a budget that brings joy and balance. Budgets don’t need to be complicated. It’s a plan that provides direction and keeps us on track. Breaking it down into 3 simple categories will help tremendously:
   • Fixed costs: 50 - 60% of income
   • Flexible costs: 30 - 35% of income
   • Savings: 10 - 20% of income

Know someone who might benefit from financial coaching?

Forward this email to them and encourage them to schedule a free call with me.

Rise Together Updates

I’m on Google and LinkedIn!

My Ask!

1. If you’re a client (past or present), I’d appreciate a review on my Google Business profile.
2. If you’re on LinkedIn, follow my page. 🙂

Anti-Authoritarian Resources

I am a member of the Growers Guild, organized by the Horizons Project. The Growers Guild is a “cohort of cross-disciplinary trainers, facilitators, and coaches who work within the bridgebuilding, social justice, and democracy spaces.” I am very grateful for being part of this group. This is one of those spaces where I often feel like I get more than what I am putting in. The trainers and coaches that I interact with are pretty amazing people. The friendships that we share are deep. The two resources below are from three of my friends in the guild.

1. Eleonore Wesserle lives in Minneapolis. She, quite literally, lives in the middle of where ICE and CBP were abducting people from their homes and off the streets, and where Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed. Eleonore wrote this heartfelt piece reflecting on the violence she witnessed: ICE Violence and the Struggle to Make Meaning.
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2. In November, the Growers Guild gathered in Phoenix for one of our semi-annual convenings. During this time, we visited the site of the Phoenix Indian Boarding School, a standing reminder of America's roots in cultural erasure and genocide. In this context, what we're seeing in Minnesota and ICE actions across the country isn't new.​​Sherri Bevel and Adrienne Evans wrote these reflections on our visit: History, Resistance and Democracy: Reflections on Visiting the Phoenix Indian School.

I hope you will read the articles. I share these resources, which are arguably disconnected from personal finance, because staying grounded in the context that we live in is a core part of finding balance and joy.

Here’s to clarity, confidence, and moving forward together.

-Theo

Special note re AI usage: I didn’t!