If I paid off all your debt tomorrow, how long would it take you to end up right back where you started?

Most people already know a payoff method. Snowball, avalanche, consolidation, they've heard it all. And they're still in debt. In this episode we talk about what keeps sending you back: the feelings loop, buying an image, waiting to be saved, having no safety net, and the people around you who make it really hard to say no.

You'll also hear a simple four-column tool from CBT for the moment you finally open that statement, the questions I ask people in my sessions, and the story of my own student loan.

Your homework:

Grab a notebook and answer three questions.

1. How did I end up here, and what was it for?

2. What's so scary about spending only what I earn?

3. If I had no debt at all, what would I actually do?

Then, this week, look at the full number. Just once.

Free guide "Why You Always End Up Back at Zero":

https://mindsetalina.gumroad.com/l/anti-sabotage-guide

Apply for a 1:1 session with me:

https://forms.gle/3PumaU1rhZePipdv8

Watch the full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/F3RBBn7-n7Y

Chapters:

0:00 What if I paid off all your debt?

0:25 Who I am

1:18 Why the method isn't the problem

2:33 The day after your debt is gone

3:56 4 reasons people end up in debt

7:58 Why debt got so easy

9:14 The debt thermostat

9:46 Shame and the statement you don't open

12:31 The questions I ask in my sessions

14:56 My own debt

15:57 What actually helps

21:26 Why we quit, and what's waiting on the other side

23:50 Your homework

Research mentioned: Chava & Paradkar, Georgia Tech (2018); Hankins, Hoekstra & Skiba, The Review of Economics and Statistics (2011); Prelec & Simester, Marketing Letters (2001); Karlsson, Loewenstein & Seppi, Journal of Risk and Uncertainty (2009). Full titles are in the YouTube description.

The stories of other people in this episode are mixed and changed so nobody can be recognized. I'm a money coach. This is not therapy or financial advice.

You know how your partner takes their coffee and what they're scared of at 3 a.m. But do you know how much debt they have?

My fiancé and I talked about money long before he proposed, so by the time the ring showed up, there were no surprises on either side. In this episode I walk you through the money talk: why it matters, the 4 fears that stop you from having it, how to have it without a fight, what to actually talk about, and what to do after, because some things you can live with and some you really shouldn't ignore.

In this episode:

• why money secrets always show up at the worst moment
• the 4 fears: looking greedy, being judged, hearing the answer, ruining the vibe
• the reflection journal (paper, not ChatGPT)
• how to start the talk without a fight
• the 7 things to actually talk about
• how it went for me and my fiancé
• difference or red flag: what you can live with and what you shouldn't ignore

Your homework (ask each other):

1. What did money feel like in your house growing up?
2. What's one thing about money that stresses you out right now?
3. What's one thing you want our money to make possible for us in 5 years?

Bonus, just for you: grab a notebook and write for 10 minutes: "Talking about money with my partner scares me because..."

CHAPTERS
0:00 The money talk before the ring
0:57 Who I am
1:37 Why the money talk matters
3:13 The 4 fears
7:13 The reflection journal
8:50 How to have the talk
12:12 What to actually talk about
16:28 How it went for us
18:36 After the talk: difference or red flag?
23:05 Homework
23:58 Wrap up

FREE GUIDE
Why You Always End Up Back at Zero:
https://mindsetalina.gumroad.com/l/anti-sabotage-guide

WORK WITH ME
First 1:1 session, 30 min, $30. We find your money pattern and you leave with your first tools:
https://forms.gle/GiKhuQLDropEcV8P6

LISTEN FIRST
Episode 1, Why You Can't Save Money (Even When You Make More), is right here in the feed.

FIND ME
YouTube (watch this episode): https://youtu.be/qzLbW_pMG6Q
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mindset.by.alina
Substack: https://substack.com/@mindsetbyalina

"Sam & Maya" is a composite of real patterns I see, with details changed.

Payday hits, you feel rich for about five minutes, and by the end of the month you're back at zero. Again. Even after a raise.

I'm a money coach, and I skip the spreadsheets. I look at what happens in your head right before you spend: the feeling, the habit, the rules you picked up as a kid without noticing. We talk about money like normal people here, with no shame and no woo-woo.

In this episode:

• why making more money almost never fixes it
• the "normal number" your brain keeps dragging you back to
• the spending loop that runs on feelings
• the quiet leak (yes, that subscription)
• what being broke secretly gives you
• what actually helped me and the people I work with

Try this week:

1. Before an unplanned purchase, ask "What am I feeling right now?" and wait 10 minutes.
2. Make a list of things that make you feel good without a receipt.
3. Take your first "Money is..." sentence and ask if it's still true for you as an adult.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Payday to zero
0:59 Let's talk about money like normal people
2:38 Quick test: 6 signs
4:15 "I just need to make more"
5:41 Your money thermostat
8:04 The rules you made up as a kid
11:19 The feeling you're buying
14:18 The quiet leak
15:26 Why budget apps didn't save you
16:49 What being broke gives you
18:37 What my money looks like now
20:25 What actually helps
22:45 Wrap up

FREE GUIDE
Why You Always End Up Back at Zero:
https://mindsetalina.gumroad.com/l/anti-sabotage-guide

WORK WITH ME
First 1:1 session, 30 min, $30. We find your money pattern and you leave with your first tools:
https://forms.gle/XkxJGtq1xVFFzYQe7

FIND ME
YouTube (watch this episode): https://youtu.be/R5P_8u4AUe4
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mindset.by.alina
Substack: https://substack.com/@mindsetbyalina

"Jess" is a composite of real patterns I see, with details changed.