Why do so many smart, capable women feel like failures when it comes to money? In this episode, I talk with therapist and Hi Money co-author Rachel Davies about the hidden beliefs, shame, and socialisation that shape how women relate to money — and how the patterns are almost identical to diet culture.

Rachel Davies is a therapist, and co-author of *Money Money Money* with Angela Meyer. After realising at 49 that she had no KiwiSaver despite years of "knowing better," Rachel discovered that the missing piece wasn't more financial knowledge — it was understanding what was driving her behaviour with money in the first place.

In this conversation, Rachel and I explore:

- Why women are statistically more likely to retire into poverty, and the invisible "death by a thousand cuts" that causes it

- How the patriarchy isn't "men" — it's a system, and why that distinction matters for how women relate to both money and their bodies

- The belief that money (or thinness) will arrive in the future and finally make everything okay — and how to come back to the present instead

- Why "you have to work hard for money" is a lie that keeps women stuck in shame

- The role trauma and nervous system regulation play in our ability to manage money, food, and self-worth

- Why shame and silence are the tools that keep both diet culture and money culture in place — and what happens when women start talking about it

If you've ever felt like everyone else got the "how to handle money" manual and you somehow missed it, this episode is for you.

Connect with Rachel Davies:

Hi Money: https://himoney.co/

Book - Money Money Money: https://www.paperplus.co.nz/shop/books/money-money-money-1488946

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hihi_money/

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