Transforming Your Money Story

By Michael Kass
BALM® Adjunct Faculty

In 2013, I completed my coaching certification program, sailed through the ICF certification process, and immediately launched my coaching practice.

Up until the moment I sat with my first prospective client, I felt confident and aligned. This was work I was passionate about, work I felt called to do. Coaching had helped me during a difficult transitional period, and now I had the opportunity to be of service to others. I had a business plan complete with rates, numbers of clients needed to hit key metrics, and even packages that I had developed with the help of a coach.

Thus armed, I sat across from this potential client and quickly realized that we were a great match. He felt the same way. This was easy!

Then it was time to talk about money. My heart started racing. I knew my rates. They looked great on paper. ‘The exchange for a single session is $150,’ I began. Then I kept going: ‘If that’s ok. I can also be flexible. Whatever works for you, really.’ I realized I was sweating. Where had that come from?!

The conversation went downhill from there and what had felt like such a great match ended with a vague promise to check in next week.

I ended the call and sat at my desk, shaken. What had just happened? And how would I be able to build a practice if I erupted in the flop sweats anytime I had to address money with clients?

Over the next few years, I challenged myself to explore my relationship with money.

I became aware of hidden narratives that I had absorbed from my family and others. These narratives and myths built the foundation for a set of core beliefs that had been driving my behavior around money since childhood. Here are a few of those core beliefs:

Money was somehow inherently immoral.

Only work that isn’t fulfilling is worthy of compensation.

Being truly of service would entail sacrificing my own well-being.

There were more! With each level of awareness, more beliefs revealed themselves.

Awareness was the first step, but it didn’t help me shift anything. Frankly, it made me feel more frustrated. My challenges around money persisted, but now I had a sense of what lay behind them. I felt powerless.

Despite all this, money started coming in. And yet I felt a constant sense of fear and insecurity. What if I couldn’t make rent? What if the trickling flow of clients dried up?

More stories revealed themselves. The frustration continued to mount.

Finally, I started to find ways to open myself to new ways of being in my relationship with money. Essentially, I began to transform my money story by building it on the foundation of my lived experience instead of attitudes absorbed from my family, education, and past work environments. Trust slowly began to build.

At this point, you may expect me to say ‘and now everything is great and money and I are living happily ever after.’ But that’s not how it works, at least not for me.

Rebuilding my personal mythology around and relationship with money is an ongoing adventure. Each layer of awareness brings new challenges and opportunities for growth and transformation. And recently, I’ve felt called to share some of what I’ve learned and experienced over the past few years with others who may be grappling with similar challenges.

The Transforming Your Money Story class is my way of fulfilling that calling. I’ve condensed much of what I gained by flailing around into a four session workshop that will bring you through the process of shining a light on some of your hidden or murky money stories, accepting them, and starting the process of transforming them into narratives that serve you, your business, and your life.

Throughout the workshop, we’ll be combining internal exploration with concrete tools and tactics to help you structure your business in a way that is aligned and consistent with your internal narratives. We’ll look at pricing, making your offer to clients, and working with objections, all through the lens of your own story and relationship with money.

I’ve designed the workshop to meet you where you are in your journey. If you’re just at the beginning of building your business, you’ll find lots of tools to help you get started on a strong foundation. If you have a thriving practice, you’ll get to explore potential blocks presented by your money myths as you continue to build your business. Because much of our work will be discussion based, there also will be great opportunities for peer sharing and learning.

My goal is that you come away feeling aware, empowered with new perspectives and tools, and energized to continue your journey as a coach, business person, and human. Feel free to reach out with any questions and I hope you can join us in April!

If you would like to enroll in Michael’s “Transforming Your Money Story” 4 week class please CLICK HERE.