💫First Principles of My Work✨

First Principles of Money: ‘Outside-In’ then ‘Inside‑Out’ Approach to Financial Freedom

This month’s focus is on ‘first principles’, a look at what lies beneath money; the noise of financial advice, market commentary and constant productivity. At its core, money isn’t just about exchange; it expresses layers of power and meaning shaped over time. When we understand how money evolved, and who it was originally built for, self-blame begins to dissolve. My work exists to change that, making space for awareness and a more compassionate relationship with our financial lives.

Money Has Changed: From the Stone Age to the Digital Age

First principle: Money has evolved faster than human conditioning.

Money has taken many forms over time, from barter, stones, shells, metal, paper, plastic, and now digital currency. While the tools have evolved, the human nervous system has not.

Money has changed so fast, but our brains haven’t caught up. What triggers financial stress or hesitation is often our ancient instincts responding to a modern financial dynamic that is unfamiliar to us.

The systems around money were designed by men, leaving women historically excluded from financial power and decision-making, that residually still shapes our beliefs and confidence today.

Knowing this is essential to begin the journey of changing an unresourceful money story.

Who Controlled Money? Historically……. Men

First principle: Money systems were built through a male lens of power and ownership.

For most of recorded history, men controlled income, assets, trade, and financial law. Women were excluded often legally, from owning property, opening bank accounts, accessing credit, or making financial decisions.

I experienced this personally in the late 1970s. Despite running several businesses while my husband wasn’t working, my car loan application was denied unless my husband or father guaranteed it. After pushing back with some short sentences and small words, the loan was approved without any guarantee. But I had to fight for it.

Did you have a similar experience?

Money equalled power, and power was deliberately withheld.

The residue of this exclusion still lives on in modern money culture. Our patterns with money often reveal where we learned to stay small, stay silent, or stay safe.

Through inherited mindsets such as:

“I’m not good with numbers.”

“I might make a mistake.”

“I should defer to someone else.”

These are not weaknesses. They are learned responses to centuries of financial disempowerment.

Women Are Catching Up; But Conditioning Doesn’t Easily Disappear

First principle: Even when we’ve made strides in our careers, income, or influence, the old beliefs we’ve carried for years don’t simply vanish on their own.

Women today earn more, lead businesses, manage households, and outlive men, yet many still feel uncertain when making financial decisions.

»      I see this especially in women over 50:

»      Highly competent professionally

»      Responsible for everyone else

»      Quietly doubting themselves with money

Access to information alone does not create confidence. Emotional safety, financial literacy and self‑trust do. Without addressing the psychological imprint of money, financial freedom may be unavailable. 

My Purpose

First principle: Financial freedom begins with internal authority and self-responsibility.

My purpose is to support women, particularly women over 50, to reclaim their financial authority.

Not by becoming aggressive, hyper‑strategic, or someone they’re not but by becoming grounded, informed, and self‑trusting.

This work is about freeing women from inherited fear and outdated narratives so they can make clear, confident decisions aligned with who they are now.

How I Do That: An Inside‑Out Model

First principle: Sustainable financial change must address both psyche and practical skill knowledge.

I work at the intersection of money psychology and financial education because strategy without self-trust doesn’t stick. And awareness without competence doesn’t translate into action.

My approach rests on three integrated elements.

1.      Money EQ: Emotional Intelligence with Money

First principle: Treat your personal finance just like a company, this may require a mindset shift!

The Money EQ module focuses on your attitudinal relationship with money, not to fix you, but to help you understand yourself.

This includes:

How money was modelled in your early life

 

What money represents emotionally (safety, freedom, worth)

 

Your childhood money messages = money mindset

 

Women who develop Money EQ, experience indecision, procrastination or shame dissolve. Awareness replaces self‑criticism. Choice becomes possible.

What is your attitude to money?

Are you in the Driver’s seat? Captain of your ship?  CEO of your life?

 

2.      Money IQ: Financial Competence Without Overwhelm

First principle: Confidence grows from clarity, not complexity.

The Money IQ module is practical, plain‑language financial understanding, designed for real life, not financial textbooks. It’s about:

v  Knowing your cashflow

v  Achieving goals

v  Understanding timeframes

v  Understanding your options

v  Creating strategies to match

v  Making decisions you trust

You don’t need to become an expert. You need enough competence to lead your own financial life. Getting started will soon have you motivated and excited about your financial future.

Money Blocks: Releasing Unconscious Limits

First principle: Deeply held beliefs quietly shape lifelong financial behaviour.

Money blocks are subconscious beliefs formed early, often before age seven, and at times reinforced by family, culture, and gendered expectations.

In hypnosis, they show up as:

o   Not good enough

o   Not feeling worthy

o   Not loved

o   Feel different

o   Don’t belong

Just as your childhood money messages = money mindset,

Childhood, criticism, disapproval, rejection = money blocks.

 

Through financial therapy work, these beliefs can be identified and reframed, allowing women to move forward without dragging the past along with them.

Returning to First Principles

Money isn’t simply about numbers. It is about choice.

When women understand the historical and psychological foundations of money, self‑blame gives way to awareness. Awareness builds confidence. Confidence builds competence. Clearing money blocks builds opportunity. Together they create freedom.

💫If this approach resonates, my Money Makeover Course is a guided, self‑paced way to explore your Money EQ, strengthen your Money IQ, and dissolve the money blocks that no longer serve you.

You don’t need to reset yourself. You get to reclaim and reveal what was always you.

Change your money story, change your life!

Much love

Jan 🐚