What if money wasn’t just about numbers, but a mirror reflecting your inner world? In this conversation, I sit down with Monica Kaufman, trauma-informed financial planner and founder of Harmony Wealth Academy, to explore how our personal histories, traumas, and inherited money stories shape the way we save, spend, and invest.

Monica shares why she believes that mastering money begins with healing what’s inside. From financial imposter syndrome to the shame many introverts feel about asking for help, Monica offers both compassion and practical wisdom for anyone ready to reclaim control over their financial life.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why money is a reflection of our inner emotional state, not just a financial tool
• The hidden connection between trauma, control, and financial abuse
• How financial imposter syndrome keeps high achievers stuck—and what to do about it
• The difference between “earned dopamine” and “bad dopamine” in spending habits
• Why introverts often struggle to ask for financial help and how to build confidence
• Practical steps to rewrite old money stories and create affirmations that work
• The role of micro-steps and community support in achieving lasting financial change
  
  

About Monica Kaufman

Monica Kaufman is a trauma-informed financial planner and the founder of Harmony Wealth Academy. She helps high-earning professionals—especially women—gain confidence and clarity in their money decisions without shame or overwhelm. Through her academy, she teaches not just the American financial system, but also the mindset shifts necessary for lasting financial freedom.

Connect with Monica:

Website: harmonywealthacademy.com

Introvert Resources:

To support your Quiet Warrior journey, join The Visible Introvert newsletter at serenalow.com.au.

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

In this episode of The Quiet Warrior Podcast, Serena speaks with Emily Erstad—speech language pathologist, hospice executive director, and author of It’s Not That Deep: Navigating Leadership Through the Lens of Emotional Intelligence.

Drawing from her experiences in rehabilitation and Hospice care, Emily shares how emotional intelligence shapes effective leadership, especially in high-pressure environments. As an introvert, she opens up about navigating vulnerability, protecting peace, and finding courage to lead authentically without sacrificing one’s core nature.

This conversation is full of practical wisdom for introverts, quiet achievers, and leaders seeking to build psychologically safe, resilient, and emotionally intelligent teams.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The Journey to Leadership – How Emily’s career in speech pathology evolved into leadership and authorship.
  
• Emotional Intelligence at Work – Why self-awareness, vulnerability, and honesty are the foundation of strong leadership.
  
• Introversion as Strength – How introverts can leverage observation, reflection, and stillness to lead effectively.
  
• Vulnerability and Trust – Why choosing the right people to open up to builds trust, fosters growth, and helps you feel seen.
  
• Protecting Your Peace – Practical ways introverts can manage energy, create boundaries, have hard conversations, and build intentional clarity in leadership.
  
• The Equalizer Effect – How introverts bring stillness, calm, and psychological safety to teams and families.
  
• From Book to Movement – Why Emily wrote It’s Not That Deep and her upcoming project In Too Deep for introverts.

Connect with Emily

It’s Not That Deep – Find it on Amazon

Instagram: @itsnotthatdeep_author

LinkedIn: Emily Erstad

Introvert Resources:

For more resources to support your Quiet Warrior journey, join The Visible Introvert newsletter atserenalow.com.au.

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

In this empowering episode of The Quiet Warrior Podcast, I am joined by Emma Lyons, trauma healer, shame exorcist, and Self Liberation Mentor who works specifically with quiet achievers, especially women who have internalised a voice of narcissistic control and mistaken it for their own. Emma shares her journey of overcoming depression, self-sabotage, and the relentless “shame voice” that kept her stuck for years.

Together, we explore themes that many introverts and quiet achievers will recognize — the struggle with boundaries, the invisible toll of narcissistic relationships, the weight of shame, and the quiet resilience it takes to heal. Emma explains how somatic work, nervous system healing, and energy medicine can transform shame into self-trust, and how introverts can reclaim their truth and freedom without burning out.

Quotes

“When you give yourself permission to pause, clarity comes more naturally than when you push.”

“Self-trust is built one small choice at a time—every ‘no’ that honours your energy makes you stronger.”

About Emma Lyons

Links

DOWNLOAD: 5 Signs You’re Ready to Break Up with Your Inner Narcissist

Connect with Emma:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trauma.matrix/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-lyons-traumamatrix/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/trauma.matrix

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@trauma.matrix

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@trauma.matrix

Substack: https://traumamatrix.substack.com/

Call to Action

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review on your favourite podcast platform. It helps more introverts and quiet achievers discover these conversations.

For more resources to support your Quiet Warrior journey, join The Visible Introvert newsletter at serenalow.com.au.

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions