Money Conversation 14 | Flourish Financially
Hosted by Dr Sophie Jablonski & Minna Schmidt | 23 July 2025
Available here : https://youtu.be/2iLTe0jEJIA
What if budgeting wasn’t about restriction, but about self-respect?
What if financial confidence came not from knowing all the answers — but from being willing to look, with courage and compassion, at the ones we’ve inherited?
In Money Conversation 14, hosted by the Flourish Financially team, fintech entrepreneur and leadership coach Anna Tsyupko sat down with Dr Sophie Jablonski and Minna Schmidt to explore the deeply personal — and often hidden — terrain of our financial narratives.
Having completed the Flourish Financially programme earlier this year, Anna offered an honest, layered account of her journey from avoidance to empowerment. Below is a detailed reflection on that conversation, structured around the key questions explored during the session.
Q: Anna, could you tell us a little about yourself and why you joined Flourish Financially?
“Absolutely,” Anna began warmly. “My background is in the startup and fintech world — I ran a payments technology business, and later trained as a leadership coach. As a coach, self-awareness and intentionality are very important to me. And I realised that if I was going to live intentionally, that had to include how I relate to money.”
Despite her professional accomplishments, Anna described entering the programme with a persistent, uncomfortable feeling around her finances:
“It felt like I wasn’t fully in control of my relationship with money. There was always this voice in my head asking: ‘Can I afford this? Should I be saving? Am I doing this right?’”
She shared that while her income exceeded her outgoings, she lacked a clear sense of what was “reasonable” to spend, and experienced guilt or confusion whenever making financial choices. Saving money felt like something she should do — yet was emotionally resistant to.
Q: What were some of the beliefs or stories you carried into the programme?
Anna recounted a message she heard growing up: “Don’t focus on how to save money — focus on how to make money.”
Coming from an entrepreneurial family, this mindset initially made sense. But in a salaried role, she said, it left her feeling “precluded from taking ownership” of her financial situation.
“I just felt like a kid — overwhelmed, unsure, and ashamed of not being more strategic.”
She shared a vivid example: when her brother questioned the cost of a hair appointment, Anna felt “instantly guilty — not because of him, but because I wasn’t owning my choices.” Later, when a similar conversation arose, she responded differently: “I had a plan. I had a budget. And I felt good about it.”
Was there a turning point in how you began to relate to money?
“Yes,” she said clearly. “And I remember it very precisely.”
Three months into the programme, while journaling in response to a prompt, Anna wrote something that surprised even her:
“Budgeting and saving can actually be empowering.”
“I remember thinking: Did I really just write that? It didn’t come from my mind — it came from somewhere deeper. A felt sense. Something clicked, and it was no longer about restriction. It was about agency.”
Anna emphasised that this moment didn’t happen in isolation. “It was built on earlier steps — looking at the numbers, facing my balance sheet, revisiting old beliefs. But when that thought came through, I knew something had shifted.”
Q: What practical tools or habits have you adopted since?
“I’ve implemented quite a few things,” Anna said. “But what’s most important is the intention behind them.”
- She now uses a structured monthly budget, based not only on what she can spend, but on what she wants to spend in line with her values.
- She tracks all expenses — even a €2.50 coffee — using an app. “It takes seconds, and it gives me a real-time view. That feels like true control.”
- She does monthly reviews, compares forecasts to actuals, and adjusts categories accordingly.
- She has started investing, something she had previously delayed due to fear and confusion.
“These habits aren’t burdens. They’re acts of alignment.”
She also revisited past purchases to notice which ones brought her joy — and which didn’t. “I found that physical items often didn’t. But spending on personal growth? Coaching? Retreats? That’s who I am.”
Q: How did the mindset work support the practical transformation?
“I had tried other programmes before, but they only looked at the emotional or narrative level. That helped — but it wasn’t enough. I needed the practical tools too.”
“What made this programme work was the integration. The emotional safety, the clarity around beliefs, and the practical accountability — they all worked together.”
She laughed: “If I’d gone straight to a financial advisor who told me to track expenses, I probably would have rolled my eyes. But because I was ready, and because I had ownership over the process, it stuck.”
What do you feel now, in your body and in your mindset, about money?
“I feel grounded,” she said with clarity.
“I treat money with care and respect — and in return, it gives me freedom and choice.”
She used a beautiful metaphor to illustrate this new relationship:
“Before, it felt like I was trying to tame a wild horse. Now, money is my ally. We work together. I don’t need to control it. It doesn’t control me.”
When sharing her budget recently with a friend, she recalled hearing: “Wow — that’s just so you.” That, she said, was the most validating moment of all.
“It wasn’t just about embracing money — it was about embracing myself.”
Q: What would you say to other women feeling stuck in their money story?
“First of all, get curious,” Anna offered. “Where there’s resistance, there’s usually something worth exploring.”
She also encouraged self-compassion:
“Shame and guilt keep these issues in the dark. But once you shine light on them, they shrink.”
And importantly, she reminded listeners: asking for help is not weakness — it’s courage.
“We’re told we should figure it all out ourselves. But actually, the braver thing is to ask for support.”
Final reflections on the Flourish Financially programme?
Anna praised the combination of group and individual coaching, and the compassionate yet accountable tone set by the facilitators.
“There was no toxic positivity. It was warm, safe, honest — and it helped me make real, lasting change.”
Next Steps
The Flourish Financially programme is reopened for official start in late September 2025. Applications now open for clarity consultations. The initiative blends financial education with coaching, mindset work, and emotional intelligence — supporting women to take ownership of their financial lives from the inside out.
Learn more at flourishfinancially.org or contact the team at hello@flourishfinancially.org .
Catch the replay of Money Conversation 14: LinkedIn Replay Link
Sincerely Yours,
Dr Sophie
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