She's On The Money - 2024 All Wrapped Up!

Episode Date: December 24, 2024

This year wasn’t just a rollercoaster—it was the whole theme park. Whether you crushed your goals or just barely held it together, you’re not alone. In this episode, Victoria Devine gets real about the wins, the losses, and everything in between, sharing how to make 2025 your year to thrive. We’re breaking down simple, actionable ways to reflect on your year without the guilt, celebrate the progress you’ve made (even if it feels small), and set yourself up to absolutely nail your goals next year. So, if 2024 felt like a blur, this is the reset you didn’t know you needed. Hit play now! As our Chrissie gift to you, we’re helping you start 2025 on the right foot! Sign up for our FREE 30-Day Reset to refresh your finances with easy tips, free goodies, and step-by-step guidance sent straight to your inbox. Click here to sign up.  Acknowledgement of Country By Natarsha Bamblett aka Queen Acknowledgements. The advice shared on She's On The Money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. She's On The Money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS, TMD and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs.  Victoria Devine and She's On The Money are authorised representatives of Money Sherpa PTY LTD ABN - 321649 27708,  AFSL - 451289.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello, my name is Natasha Nabanunga-Bamblett. I'm a proud Yorta Yorta, Kernai, Wolperi and Awadjeri woman. And before we get started on She's on the Money podcast, I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land of which this podcast is recorded on Awadjeri country, acknowledging the elders, the ancestors and the next generation coming through. As this podcast is about connecting, empowering, knowledge sharing and the storytelling of you to make a difference for today and lasting impact for tomorrow. Let's get into it. She's on the money.

She's on the money. hello and welcome to she's on the money the podcast that's here to make your year end on a high note even if your budget had a few plot twists along the way it's quite all right You know what day it is? What day is it, Bec? It's Christmas. Don't quit your day job. It is Christmas Day.

And while the presents are unwrapped, the pavlova is in the fridge right now as we speak, and the family debates over Monopoly are hopefully on pause. Oh, no, they're not. Like, my family's going to write over Catan. We don't play Monopoly. We play Catan. Yes. We are savage.

I like playing Logo Quiz. I can actually spoil it now because it's Christmas Day, but I bought the expansion packs for my family for Catan for Christmas. Great gift. Good present idea, right? That's really great. Yeah, you're welcome. Catan. Okay, I'm going to pull it out today as well. So we're taking a moment to reflect on something even more precious, how we spent our time, our money and our energy this year. That's really awesome. So today we're unwrapping the gift of reflection, VD. And I couldn't think of a better person to dive into this with than the woman who somehow balances budgets, businesses and baby bottles, Victoria Devine. Oh, I've never washed a baby bottle.

honestly my husband does all of that so that's exactly how but I'm excited about this I was talking about this on Instagram the other day and I didn't achieve a lot of my personal goals this year which I feel like people look at me and they go shut up V like you're so successful yeah but I wrote a list and I checked it twice and then I didn't do anything on it it's okay which is fine because this year I approached every single situation with grace and kindness and that's the bare minimum. Exactly. Like at the end of the day, a lot of people can't say they did the same. No, you can definitely like not check things off your list, but if you're kind to yourself, you've won. Today, we'll be chatting about how reflecting on the past year can set you up for

success in the next. And I've got a few juicy questions lined up to dig into VD's own highlights and lessons from this year. So should we start with why reflection is so important? Does it really help us make better decisions? Or is it just another thing to add to our to-do list? Maybe it's just like another thing to add to our to-do list. If you're type A like me, you like adding things to your to-do list. Like it makes you feel accomplished. So take it however you want. But reflections are so incredibly important, Bec.

It's not just, I don't know, a little feel-good reflection, but more because they're backed by solid psychology. You know I love a little bit of research. You do. So I'm coming to the table with the receipts when I'm coming, you know. Of course. Taking time to reflect on your year, it's not actually just about like tallying up all your wins and then all your losses. it's about giving your brain the space to process, learn and grow, which is kind of nice. So the

first thing I want to touch on here is memory consolidation and learning. So that's the heading I've written for myself and then there's nothing under it. So who knows what I'm about to say. So it's just like watch it fall out. But reflecting on what has worked for us financially and then personally, then what hasn't and why is going to help create mental shortcuts for making better decisions in the future like why didn't that work for you oh it didn't work because abc okay cool so like have we learned something from this you'd be like yeah actually i have yeah i'm not going to approach something like that again this way i'm going to do it this way i want you to think of it as kind of like rewiring your brain to be your own personal finance coach like that's a good deal

like i want a personal finance coach that i don't have to pay money she's in here exactly you're not the biggest book person in the entire world, but I am. There's a book by Norman Doidge and it is called The Brain That Changed Itself. And it is so interesting. If you're not going to like read it, Bec, audio book it, like listen to it. But it talks about this concept of neuroplasticity. It's just very cool. It's like about these people with brain damage who forget how to walk and then they're like thrown in the deep end of being taught how to walk again. But this idea that your brain has a certain way of learning so if you were a baby and you were learning to walk you would first learn to crawl and then you would learn to like you know stand up assisted and then

you would learn to walk right whereas people historically who have gotten injured and have to learn to walk again they are just taught to walk immediately and that is often not the best way of doing things because your brain needs to create absolutely brand new neural pathways to be able to do these things so like wouldn't it make sense to do the progression again yeah right yeah that makes sense it's an interesting concept but it's essentially this concept called neuroplasticity where the brain adapts and optimizes itself over time because if one neural pathway is not working or it is destroyed you can actually create another one talking about like walking here because for me that's probably the best example but if

you have an accident and something happens to your brain beck and you've forgotten how to walk because that bond in your brain of hey Bec this is how you wire your body to walk has been broken you need to either rebuild that or create another neural pathway yeah and starting from the start makes the most sense yeah so it's kind of like being able to identify what is and isn't working for you so that you can create new pathways or celebrate the ones that you have that are working really well oh it's a really good way to look at it I think it's really fun but like you have to crawl before you can walk? Yes. And I think that that's a fun thing to do as well because it just really reminds you that, yeah, you might not have achieved this, but did we actually start where we

needed to start? The other thing I've written down here is reflection taps into metacognition or the ability to think about our own thinking. Okay. I'm going to have to get that broken down. Think about your own thinking. Yep. So studies have actually shown us that by engaging in reflective practices. He sounded hippy-dippy at the start, but I promise it's real research. I love it. It boosts self-awareness and it improves future performance. Yes. So by recognizing and internalizing patterns, we effectively become better at coaching ourselves

towards making strategic decisions. So we're thinking about the way that we're thinking and that helps us think clearer. I get that. I am doing- It's like investing. The money that our money makes, makes money. It's like your brain is braining and then if you brain properly you'll be able to brain more yeah put that on a t-shirt and wear it yeah we really are our brains are really remarkable but brains are so crazy to think that i'm in my own head thinking about my own head oh like right now where you're sitting you're perceiving the room a different way i'm perceiving right and how do we know that something

looks different to one of us exactly like how did you work out the people were colorblind Yes. Well, that's it. Were you like, oh, that's a really nice red light. And then we're like, red light where? How do they know what red is? Exactly. I need to do a lot more research.

But back onto this. So it's important because by understanding why you're making certain decisions, Bec, whether they were great or maybe they could use a little bit of work, we are actually empowering ourselves to approach the future with clarity and confidence, which I think is important. It's not about being perfect. Like nobody needs to be perfect. None of us are perfect.

It's about learning from the messy bits and then celebrating the moments where we frigging nailed it. Yes. Like we need to celebrate ourselves. Yes. So what if someone is hypothetically sitting there and thinking, my year was a mess, where do I even start, how do I get past this when it all kind of like feels like one big blur?

Don't worry, Bec. Don't worry. Do you know what next year is? A new year. 2020 Thrive. Yes, 2020 Thrive. So lame. But also reflecting doesn't have to be this like big, overwhelming, arduous task.

It's about creating a little space where we can just be honest about our year. It's like when you do budgets and you know how I say, like, don't judge yourself. Like, what's the point in that? If you sit down and you're going to look at your budget and be like, I'm so bad. I'm not good at this. Okay, cool. So this was an exercise in making ourselves feel like trash about our situation. Yeah, why we do that.

Or is it an exercise in identifying what's going on so that we can create a clear plan for the future? Like just draw a line in the sand. I don't want to hear all of the junk where you question yourself and say that you're bad at things. You're not. You just didn't have a plan. Like people are like, oh, my God, I'm so bad at money, V.

No, you're not. You just didn't have a framework. What I want you to do when it comes to thinking about your year is find a moment, ask yourself, Bec, what worked this year? Right. What didn't work? What did you learn? Do you feel icky about anything?

Do you feel really good about anything? What are they? Don't overthink it. It's not perfection. No one else has to look at this, by the way. Like you could even burn the note after if you're like, oh, I don't really want to write it down. You're shy.

Yeah. I got asked the other day, like, V, do you journal? And I was like, absolutely not. I'd end up in jail. Like you would use that stuff in a court of law against me. I can't write it down. What happens in here, I don't need you to be perving on it. I don't want you to go to my bedside table and pick it up

and be like, holy guacamole, she is as cooked as we thought she was. Whenever I like try to journal, I always write in a way where I'm trying. People might read. Yeah, I'm trying to be cool. I do the same thing. You know, and I'm like, no one's going to read this, but what if they do? Yeah, it's not a big deal or anything, but I just save someone's life, you know. I'm just trying to be really cool and really, like, not too, like, dramatic.

But I wouldn't want to actually put my real feelings down on paper. Because, like, what if somebody reads it? Exactly. But that's, like, really not the point of journaling. Yeah. Silly. Yeah, you have to put that down, but you can burn it later if you really want to. Yes.

Like, we can destroy the evidence. Yes. We can get rid of it. But it's actually about being curious. like what did you start thinking about jot it down the goal is really simple we want to spot the lessons and celebrate the wins and let the rest go exactly right so this is kind of in the same vein but i'll just know that like i get to the end of the year i'm reflecting i'm looking at the things that didn't work and when i'm writing up new things i'll be like okay we know

the motivation is fleeting we know that we're going to get to a point where like yeah my motivation here for one moment gone forever exactly and i'm just like okay next week i'm going to feel completely different. Next week, I'm going to be really unmotivated. I'm going to predict the really crappy feelings, the ones that lead me astray from my goals and be like, when I feel that way and I know I will, I'm going to do X, Y, Z. So you just got to be honest about you might not stick to these, but what are you going to do when you feel like not sticking to them anymore? Anyway, back onto the topic. When we are thinking about this, should we at least acknowledge that 2024 was a year? We should start by acknowledging 2024 was a year. I mean,

you took over as the sole owner of Zella which is incredible thank god you released not one but two books yeah in one year that was pretty big slay for me yeah you created an entire investing masterclass started churning out four podcast episodes I'm actually unhinged yeah yeah you're unhinged is this like a call Victoria out list it is and also if that wasn't enough the most important thing I went on a holiday you went on a holiday and you created a whole new life I did I had a baby that's actually unhinged I'm tired just I'm tired of myself I'm just sick of my own I know I'm sick of it straight in the bin it's an exhausting list and that's why I feel a little bit embarrassed when I'm like oh I didn't really achieve my goals list and like I want to

share my honest feelings about you know hey this is what's going on this is how I'm feeling rah rah but then also you do stuff like that and you make me look really bad Beck like all of that makes me look great. But then I'm like, oh, I didn't achieve my goals. And people are going to be like, shut up, Victoria Shaw. I also have a whole team behind me, right? Like I did write two books. That's fantastic. But do you really think I sat there and wrote the entire investing masterclass in isolation and then built a whole online platform? Like I have a team behind me who are probably so sick of me, but like it takes a village and I'm very, very lucky for that. So yes my plate was very full very grateful but there's so much stuff I want to do next year like

next year is the year of Zella love it well what about me you can come along for the ride I mean I'm still here literally every day perfect okay that's very comforting with everything you had on your plate this year what's the biggest lesson 2024 taught you about yourself well I have a couple of lessons but I did sign an NDA so I'm just going to share the ones that I can share Okay. That makes it sound so much more dramatic. I saw that on TikTok the other day. Someone was like, what if somebody asks about like a break in your career? Like they're like, oh, Beck, you weren't employed for six months here. What happened? Just say, I could talk about it, but I signed an NDA. Oh, that is so cool. Wouldn't that be funny? That's cool. Can you

imagine interviewing somebody and them going, I can't talk about that. I signed an NDA. That is really cool. So funny. Anyway, complete side note. What was my biggest lesson? Do you know what my biggest lesson was yeah and this is hard right it's two things I feel like I trust too easily but I don't think that that's a bad thing I think at the start of this year I was like this is a terrible thing I trust everyone too easily and I shouldn't but I think that's actually a really good personality trait although hard I think I learned that I can do it on my own so like I think for a very long time I have thought that I need other people to help me along my journey. I need other people to come in and I can't possibly do this on my own. I need,

you know, a hand to hold or something to do. And I'm actually completely capable of doing it on my own. I obviously say this every year, but like, it's about the process, not perfection. And like done is much better than perfect. So I've learned that. I've also learned that I probably put too much pressure on myself, but then what else have I learned? My instincts aren't wrong. You got to trust that femtuition. yeah like it's bad but like if you think something's off yeah even when you ask and they say no no no nothing's off i'm all good nah if you felt that something was off something's off i got to agree your body knows and i don't know how it knows and the more i feel like i tune into

that the more i'm learning about that yeah i don't know maybe i'm gonna like launch a universe podcast or something in 2025 and go full hippy dippy but like i genuinely think you need to trust your intuition if your first reaction is this is not good I promise it's not I've heard about like this bride who just kept getting sick and just like she already kind of knew there was something wrong with the relationship she was in but then there was the engagement there's all this gift sharing you know all this stuff everything was coming up everything was coming up and she kept getting sick and she did find out that something was wrong so I feel like your body knows trust your body trust your instincts I feel like yeah trusting your gut is really important

like I always say that yeah but then I wasn't doing it I was like trust your gut oh I feel icky but like oh my god everyone feels icky doing this like this is such a big decision yeah it's hard to just kind of distinguish there might be a reason for that so like it's hard academically right like oh i'm working so hard full stop but like if there is a process and there's so much friction getting something across the line maybe it's not meant to happen i agree so with so much going on how did you manage to balance the demands of work motherhood and just you know like being a human was there a moment where you say okay something's gonna cry a lot yes a lot of tears I'm sorry to hear I feel like that's normal like if I feel overwhelmed sometimes

I just crack and I just cry like you know when you're just like I can't do this it doesn't happen that often to be honest doesn't happen at work you're welcome but I think it's you're allowed though yeah like something's got to give I think I was very good at foreseeing that this year would be a big year for us at work knowing I was having a baby we did a lot of pre-planning to make sure that we knew how this was going to go but like I think it was just a challenging year as a whole and like that's not a bad thing it has been the best year of my entire life at the same time as one of the worst yeah so like best year I'm a mum do you know how obsessed I am with my kid like I was born to be a mum this is the best like I could not sell it to you harder Beck

Like I'm not saying that it's for everybody because someone the other day was like, I don't know, I'm sitting on the fence about having a baby. And I was like, don't do it. Yeah. Like it's the best thing that's ever happened to me, but it does change your life. Yeah.

And that doesn't mean like in a philosophical like, oh, my God, it's life-changing way. Like literally every single day looks very different to what it did 12 months ago. Like my entire life revolves around this tiny human and I don't want it anyway. Like I don't want to change that. It's a big decision.

You've got to want it. Then on the flip side, oh, my Lord, business life is hard. Like, you know, I'm not going to get too far into it, but I had a business partner leave and that was obviously incredibly challenging. Finding that out when I was very, very pregnant was not great. Having to take over a business when I had a literal newborn was incredibly challenging.

All of those things could have been avoided with some good planning and communication, but you get what you get and you don't get upset, do you, Bec? Well, that's exactly right. It is what it is. I feel like we've just barely scraped the surface because it has been such a ride for you, but we have a lot of reflecting to do.

And when we come back, I want to dive into some of the biggest curveballs of your year and hear what you've learned. Of my year? Yeah. All right, I'm strapping in. I mean, I might have one or two. I don't think I do, actually. Don't go anywhere.

welcome back everyone before the break we were chatting about all the incredible things you've tackled this year v but let's get into the juicy stuff what juicy stuff have you got to bring to the table i've got you just got a hot girlfriend i know i'm so good at life i'm big so yeah you lucked out this year i did luck out was me redundant though yeah but then you got a better job i did get a better job and i probably said this already on the show but i was like sitting in, like, my car, I just kind of, like, felt defeated. I didn't have any petrol to drive home. I didn't have the money.

Why don't you call me? I didn't want to be that person. So I was just, like, I sat in my car and I cried. You didn't tell me about this. Oh, I'm so sorry. That just breaks my heart. I think that was my curveball was just, like, I'm good at being broke. I've been broke for a long time, like, not having much money and making it.

Maybe this is a bit different when you're, like, I thought things had changed. This was different because it was, like, there is no money coming and there is no money left. Oh, Beck. So I was like, I always borrow money from my friends. But at this point, like my one friend who I live with who I always borrow, she had no money either. So we were kind of borrowing from each other at this point.

And so I had nothing left. And I was like, oh, my God, I don't know what to do. I ended up calling my mom, which was lovely. I was like, okay, I've got petrol to get home. And now I'm just going to like sort my life out. So it was probably, honestly, the Reducy was my curveball. And I wanted only, I'm very grateful to say that was all. But then what happened?

Because we need to like. And then it was like 20 jobs. Oh, yes. 20 jobs. I do video producing on the side. I have this job, which I'm very grateful for. I went back to the same company and better pay, better job, you know, all the good stuff.

So now she's got two side hustles and a full-time job. Yeah. Okay, glow up of the year. But, V, back to you. Was there a moment this year where you took a risk or just followed your gut on something and it ended up paying off big time? I feel like I should be giving fluffy answers here because I'm like the real answer is a bit juicy, a bit gossy.

Tell us. I'm trying to think of something less juicy gossy, but like, you know, I have the juicy gossy. I've never done anything that I am not proud of. I have treated every situation with sometimes the kindness it did not deserve. Sure. And the grace that if anyone were to say anything bad about me, they would simply know that that wasn't the case. Like I just am very proud of the way that I have dealt with a lot of things that have happened this year because I could have been a nasty pasty and I wasn't. Well, I'm very proud of you. Not that I would be, but a lot of people in my situation, I think would have been like, bury it, do this, do that. Like I've

gone a bit savage. I want to be able to look back on it. And if I were sitting at the table with somebody, I can say, I actually carried myself with ultimate grace, ultimate kindness, and you cannot say the same thing. And I think that that is what helps me or has helped me get through a lot of this. I'm like, do you know what? I killed it with kindness. I did so well. And I guess one of the biggest risks I took on this year was I purchased half of my mortgage-broking business back off a business partner that I had that was not the right fit. It just wasn't working out, wasn't the right fit. That is all I will say. And purchasing that back was a choice that was kind of forced, if that makes sense. They were leaving. It wasn't an option for them to stay.

and at that time I had the choice I could have hired someone to take on that role right I could have said all right I'm just going to go hire an external person maybe like an office manager or like you know a managing director or someone to come in and run that business we had the funds to do so but I think that I could just see that the way the business was running was not the way I wanted it to run yeah and nobody is you right like if I want it to run the way that I want it to run, I have to frigging run it. I have to jump in and do this and do that. And so I made the decision to take on with a newborn baby, a full-time job. And I am very grateful for my husband and the team and literally everybody who's afforded me the flexibility to be able to do that.

But I have taken over the whole mortgage broking business and it is flying now. Like it is exactly where I wanted it to be. Like we are starting 2025 with more team members than we had at this time last year. We've hired some incredible brokers. I don't know, how do I explain it? I feel like the universe sometimes knows what you need. And I'd be like, I really want this like personality in my business and someone who's good at X, Y, Z. And then all of a sudden, like for example, earlier this year, I was like far out. I'd really like to find somebody who's good at like commercial loans. So like we obviously specialize in mortgage broking, but we're always getting asked like hey V do you do commercial I was like yeah like we technically

can but we don't have a specialist and the perfect person just turns up and it's like oh I'd love to work for Zella and I was like sorry what like hi come this way so that has been really good and I think that the biggest risk was obviously taking that role on but also I'm not a mortgage broker so I'm a non-mortgage broker running a relatively large-sized mortgage broking business all on my own that's a risk it's extremely that's risky and it's working out so far and I feel like I just knew in my gut enough is enough I can do this all on my own I don't need anybody else yeah and it's never been better I love that is that bad is that too juicy or gossip I don't know if it is. It just is what it is, right? If you had known back when you were starting Zella,

what you know now, if you had the resources and the capacity and all this stuff, everything was perfect, would you have gone in alone or still gone with a partner? Well, I did. I did. So I started this business myself in 2017. So I started in 2017 as a financial advice business and ran it on my own, did all of that fun stuff, had mortgage brokers working for me, but I also have my financial advice team when I was working as a financial advisor. In September, 2022, I sold the financial advice arm of the business. So I kept owning Zella. I still had a mortgage broking business and I sold the financial advice business because I knew I was getting married two months after that. And I knew I wanted babies and like something had to give, right? Like I cannot run

a big financial advice business where I was the main advisor and have a podcast and have mortgage breaking and do all of the stuff that I do. Right. So sold that and decided at about that time, I'd bring in a business partner to look after my mortgage breaking business, at which point that kind of was established as a brand new entity to make sure that everything was clean and good. That's the business partner that's left. So it wasn't somebody who established Zella with me. It was someone who technically worked and was employed by Zella, but also had a shareholding in the business. I understand. Okay. So then they exited. So I was technically the owner of like all of the other stuff. So it's not like I would have quite lost my business. It wasn't too

intertwined or too tangled. No, no. And that's what a good shareholders agreement will do for you. Gosh, she's good. So were there any moments this year where things like, I know this is kind of what we're talking about, but like didn't always plan or whether- Obviously that, yeah. Yes. But like business, podcasts, all life. And how do you navigate that? Oh my God, everything. you can never plan anything yeah no like you can plan to the nth degree right but that doesn't mean that your plan is going to work out so I think just being flexible and going all right well what can we do instead or all right no worries like in our industry there is always changing moving parts like the way algorithms work the way podcast measurement works the way things actually

eventuate. It's always changing. And whether that is, you know, oh, far out, you know, in a couple of weeks, you know, Spotify are doing this, you know, highlight on a particular topic. So I want to make sure that my topic kind of aligns, like you will change your podcast plan all the way through to changing staff members and whatnot. Like you just roll with the punches, I feel. Yeah. I feel like we're all just making it up still. Absolutely. And also you just adapt, don't you? Just do what you've got to do, but always lead with kindness is the plan. That's gorgeous.

I don't know if it is. Just, like, do good, be good. Like, I can't imagine telling my grandma something that I wasn't proud of. You know, if I couldn't tell my nana, shouldn't be doing it, should you? Oh, that's a really good way to look at it. Now, she's in the money. Oh, yeah, I've heard of that. Have you heard of that podcast?

No. It's grown so much this year and the community feels stronger than ever, I feel. So, was there a piece of feedback or a moment with a listener that really stuck with you? I want to say yes. And I want to say no. Sure. Is that bad? No. It probably is because there's been so many of them. So it's not just like one moment that I'm like, this is the moment that I remember. It's like a collection. It's like a whole heap of like little memories from, you know, doing money diaries and, you know, jumping on Zoom to record and then being like, hey, just before we jump in, I just want to say that like my entire life has changed because of She's

on the money like what running into people at the supermarket and they're like hey you're Victoria aren't you and I'll be like oh yeah hi um yes I am wearing my husband's track pants and they're like oh my god I am only good at money because you taught me how to and I got out of zip pay like I was at an event and a girl came up to me she's like I'm so sorry to do this is so weird but I just need you to know that like I was in so much personal debt that I was about to file for bankruptcy and because of your podcast I didn't that's incredible isn't that sick yeah Like people message us every day with their like money wins and confessions. And I don't want you to stop.

Like it's my favorite part of our community is not just sharing, but the fact that we have an impact. And I think, is there one moment? No, because they're all so special in their own way. But I think it's, yeah, just this idea that we help you create the life you deserve. Isn't that sick? I know this question was not directed to me at all, but I just feel like when I was asked to do this, I was like, this isn't going to last long.

I don't know anything about money, which is good. That's what I need. But, like, it's just incredible. And so people will sometimes message me to tell me that they enjoy me on the podcast or even when people send me their broke tips, I'm like, you see me? It's almost like you are actually capable. Yeah, like you see me and you value the role that I play on this show.

I'm literally getting chills while I'm talking about this. You're so kind. That is so, so cool. yeah I just think we have an incredible community and I love our community but like it's because you show up as exactly who you are and that's what we want like I don't want you to be pretending to be somebody else or like trying to be good at money for the show like yeah no everyone is welcome here that is really really cool I love that thank you for sharing that that's so sweet oh my god I'm just happy Merry Christmas to me you've mentioned before about how becoming

a mum has shifted your perspective do you feel like it has changed the way you approach your goals or your time? I want to say yes and no. I feel like I've done that to every question that you've had. I'm like, yeah, nah. Because it's not black and white, is it? It's not. From a business perspective, no. It has just motivated me to do more and be more. Like, I just go, oh, there's so much more I want to do. And like, I'm motivated now in a way that I wasn't before. My time, I think I am more defensive of it. Yeah. So like before, if you said, oh, V, I know you don't work on Mondays, but could you come in and do a half day record? I'd be like, yeah, no worries. Like, that's so fine, Bec. If you ask me now to do something on

a Monday, I'll be like, absolutely not. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. That's actually my time with Harvey. And I told you that was my time with Harvey. Respect it. I'm flexible, but I do prioritize him and his wellbeing. And I think that that's the bare minimum of being a parent. But then also it's like this inherent like I want him to reflect on his childhood and be like, far out. It was such a good child. Like I'm obsessed with being a mum and being his mum. And I think it has definitely shifted my perspective in terms of like what that work-life balance looks like and being a little bit more aggressive about protecting it. Protecting your peace.

But I think a lot of people had said to me when I was pregnant or even before I had a baby, they're like, just wait until you have a baby because like your priorities will shift. and I feel like they were saying that in a way that was like oh you won't care so much about work or you you know won't love doing xyz as much I think I've been very lucky and very supported in becoming a mum that I still love what I loved before I can understand when people say I became a mum and I lost myself but I think I became a mum and I was really reinforced in who I was but that's not saying that you know other people don't go through that I think I was really worried about that but I also think before I became a mum I was quite clear on my goals and like my career and what was important to me and I was really worried because people make parenting sometimes sound

awful they're like oh my god just wait until you don't get any sleep just wait until you walk into daycare and pick them up and like their smile is the biggest thing in the room like do you know I mean like I think that there are so many people who think that you can't do it all or have it all but they don't realize you just can't do it all or have it all at once and I think it's about shifting perspective there's just a lot of people that would say oh I could never have a career V like you do and put my kid in daycare do you know how much better I am as a mom because of daycare do you know how much better I am as a mom because I have a career that nourishes me if you don't want that like you do you as you know I couldn't care less what you do as long as you're happy

like if you want to be a stay-at-home mom slay like I used to think that was something that I would love but I adore my job I adore what I do and what I get to do and daycare is just part of my village absolutely so I just feel happy and satisfied and fulfilled in your everyday life then you're going to be way happier I want him to see that and I hope that that work ethic rubs off on him and he then finds his passion and loves that. I don't know. I think that that's how my perspective has shifted because it's not necessarily the way I view things because I genuinely thought that everything would change and it just didn't. Yeah. But I think it's just, I've become a little bit more defensive about the time that I have and the way I want to spend that time and how I want

that to work. Gorgeous. If you thought for a hot second that I wasn't going to turn the tables though on this entire show. Oh my god I'm nervous. You were wrong. Sure I usually am. Like you used this whole episode to ask me the big questions so I think it's time to put you in the hot seat so strap in buckle up you are absolutely in trouble. No. Okay let's go. I want to hear about your year your moments and maybe some financial confessions. I feel like you've confessed every day on this podcast though so let's go. You've been diving headfirst into the world of finance this year. Yes. What do you think has been the most surprising or like game changing thing that you've learned about money that you wish you knew sooner? I wish I knew that it's possible for

people, including those who don't start off at the same level and they don't have access to like the same things. And I completely get that. I grew up with this mindset of money that's like, once I get a little bit, it's gone again, I'm spending it. And this whole year I've been the same and I feel like I'm locked in, but having chats with my friends and the people who care about me and want me to be able to change that, I kind of felt like I don't think I have the ability to. Why are people just saving? Why are people just doing this? Why are people just motivated to do that? But I realized very recently when I was explained to my partner, she was like, hey, we're going to go on a holiday next year to start saving for it. And I was like,

what does that look like I was like what do you mean like I usually just get to the part where the holiday is and I'm like oh shit I've got a yeah or I've got this pay cycle I'll just not spend on anything else like that's all I'm never looking for the future but I realized oh my god and we had a person write in recently who was like how do I find motivation to save for all these things when I just don't feel like what the hell am I saving for I think I'm like that but I just very, very recently shifted that and be like, oh, I don't have to save for a house. I'm actually saving for experiences and I'm saving for those moments where all my friends want to go to Japan and I can do that without feeling stressed. And I'm saving for those

moments where you can have a really good time instead of just a good time. Exactly. And I'm saving for next Christmas when I can go out and buy all the really nice things and make myself feel really cozy. So I realized with finances, that motivation just wasn't there for me. And I've been really bad with money my whole life and I probably still will be for a while and that's okay. We're going to fix it. But it takes time, right? It's not something that you can just turn on. I think I just needed to shift the way of thinking. Like not everyone just does it. Not everyone can just do it. And that's okay. You just got to find a way that works for you. And that's where I am right now. I love that. Thank you. I feel like that is honestly so special because

I don't think that when you started on the podcast, that would have been a mindset that you had. No, exactly. Not at all. I have $90 in sharesies as well, I want you to say. $90? Yes, I have $90 in sharesies at the moment. That's exciting for me to see that grow.

That is so cool. All these small things. She's an investor. I can't believe it. And she's about to become a proper saver. Who would have thought? Oh, I did think, but you did it. We've talked a lot about, I guess, big money wins on the podcast.

We always talk about money wins every single week, but it's not smooth sailing always. earlier you said that you had your worst moment this year when you were crying in your car which is the worst was that your biggest financial challenge of the year if not what was how did you approach that like you went home you got some petrol but then what I know this probably sounds weird but my biggest financial challenge wasn't even the finances because I always have just been like this and it's always been okay for me and I always find a way to still go out and see my friends and do everything I have to do. The biggest financial challenge for me actually came from the people around me who cared so much and they wanted to see change in me. And my

partner, Jess, is very, very good with money. Just seeing the disappointment or maybe feeling a bit misunderstood in those moments. And when people are like, why did you even go to the place where you were then stranded with your car? And I'm like, okay, but that doesn't help. No, exactly. And also like, I get it. Like I didn't have to go to that place. I wanted to go see my friend. I get it. I didn't have money to get home, but I didn't think about it. I'm living for each moment. I'm living for spending time with people. I'm living for experiences. I'm living for all these things. It's just not in me. So I think the biggest financial challenge didn't come from actually having to just be like, oh, wow, I've got literally 40

cents in my account. Maybe I will see if I can just make a coffee at work with some soy milk and some instant coffee and whatever. I'm used to that. I'm okay with that. The biggest financial challenge in fact came from the faces of the genuine challenge being challenged by people about the situation i'm like right i feel misunderstood and i didn't like it so that was probably sorry that was the case but thank you how do you feel about that on reflection like obviously you felt misunderstood then have you found some clarity now or is this something that you're like this is kind of still trashy just hoping the topic doesn't come up again like what's the take that's a great question and i do honestly think like i can understand why people

think that if you can see someone repeatedly making the same mistakes then you're like why don't you just yeah it's so easy to just fall into what are you doing that's so dumb yeah and i just think that why don't you just has always been like a shut up i hate that i hate when you say that i hate that but then now that i'm in a better spot i'm like they care so much about me and I think I feel so seen when they inquire about my life and I feel so seen and cared for and held. I understand that the way they express that is different and they don't want to enable me so they do tend to do that.

In the moments of stress, I don't like to hear it. But upon reflection, I'm like, I'm just so lucky that I have people that care about me in my world, you know? Do you know how many people would just be like, trash them. I don't even like them anymore. Yeah, and even just like. Sorry, that's a lot. Oh, they're an idiot, but whatever.

It's not my problem. But being in a community and being around people that love you and you love them, everyone's problem is everyone's problem, which is really nice. How festive. Isn't it? That's very festive. Yes, I think so.

I think it's a really good place to leave it. I feel like you're like, I'm over and out. Stop asking me questions. I'm shy now. Yeah, I'm going now. I've been too open. I've got to be closed. Bye.

Yeah, I've got to go and think about everything I said that was wrong and cry about it. No such thing. Honestly, it's a big day for a lot of people. I just want to also say, and I know that I do this a lot, but those people who are spending Christmas alone, just know that we're here, we got you, and it's okay. Just do something that makes you feel good, whether you're alone, with family, with friends, with whoever, we are here for you, and we've got you.

100%. And that's why we did this whole podcast today, to kind of hang out with you on a day that you might not have a lot of friends and family around you. Exactly. So that we get to hang out with you. Exactly. That's the best. We get you all to ourselves.

And we're going to give you a challenge as well. So this week, maybe even today, if you can, find 15 minutes and find a quiet moment. Maybe like make a little coffee with not stolen soy milk from a work fridge. But I want you to ask yourself three simple questions. They're not that simple, by the way. They sound simple, but when you start digging into them, you're like, ugh. So what worked really well for you this year? Yeah.

Was it something emotional? Was it something literally physical? Was it something that you did that worked out really well? what didn't go to plan. Be honest with yourself. It's really hard to say, oh, that didn't really work because often you put in a lot of time and energy and effort, but be kind to yourself because we're not trying to crucify ourselves here. We're just trying to ask the question so that we can do better and be better and grow. And then what's one lesson I can take into 2025? Like, I feel like I do this a lot. Like I ask myself, what do I want to stop? What do I want to start doing? And then

what's something I want to continue doing? It's like the traffic light system. It always works. So I feel like ask yourself those three questions, even if you're not a goal setter. And I feel like that will set yourself up for some pretty good success in the coming years. Absolutely. And it doesn't have to be complicated. Just jot it down in your notes app, talk it through with a mate, or even just think about it while you're doing the dishes. The key is just to- There's so many dishes this time of year. God, so many dishes. So you'll have a lot of thinking time to do it. Even if it's nothing

like tangible, physical, it could just be like, I want to change the inner monologue in my head that is kinder to myself, whatever it may be. I think, yeah, just take some time. Just do that. Exactly. And don't forget to celebrate. I feel like we don't celebrate the small wins enough. Like let's celebrate the big ones, but also the small ones. Maybe you paid off a little bit of debt or maybe you just finally logged into the account so you know how much debt you have, which is a really big one. Maybe you started a savings habit. Maybe you agreed to go on a holiday with your girlfriend and you started saving for the first time. Or maybe you just learned something new about money or maybe you finished this whole podcast episode congrats babe

congrats whatever it is i think we need to be giving ourselves credit and if you haven't heard i have officially called 2025 2020 thrive and we are always going to be here to help you absolutely own it we've got obviously a stack of new year's episodes coming your way packed with literally everything that you need to start your year off strong whether that is budgeting or saving or mindset shifts or psychology we cover literally everything everything so hit subscribe now and get ready to start living 2020 thrive yeah not just surviving we're not 2020 survive exactly let's make your best money year yet i love that have a good christmas babies and we'll see you literally during our next episode merry christmas bye guys

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