Where's My Money Season 4, Episode 11

Season Four of Where’s My Money?, now a multi-award-winning podcast, has arrived and we will share all the insights covered across the episodes by host Reagan White and his guests.

enable.me partners with rova to bring this podcast to life and stimulate the conversation about finances with everyday Kiwis. Where’s My Money? follows the story of Reagan – a man chasing the Kiwi Dream but feeling stuck living month-to-month – and his discussions with the experts about what he may be doing wrong and how to fix it.

One man. One million dollars of debt. One podcast to find a way out.

On this week’s episode of Where’s My Money?, host Reagan White explores what it means – and what it takes – to rebuild when the worst strikes and you lose it all. 

He speaks to Self-Leadership pioneer Sue Kohn-Taylor to get her perspective on the mental and emotional game of rebuilding, and she opens up about needing to start over in her 30s. 

enable.me Financial Coach Dianne Barlow and her client Caroline also join the episode to share Caroline’s story of resilience after losing the family business and home in the Global Financial Crisis (GFC).  

Focus on the feeling 

Sue Kohn-Taylor is all about goals – from their conception to the execution that brings them to fruition.  

What’s one thing she says will get you there? Identify the feeling you want to realise at the finish line when you have achieved your goal.  

“Often what I find people set their goals around is things that they feel will make them feel more wealthy, or they’ve made it, or they’ve got there,” Sue says. 

“But in actual fact, what you need to focus on is the feeling behind that goal. Because in my experience, so many people will set goals, but then they’re not emotionally connected to it.” 

When you don’t have that emotional connection, it’s incredibly difficult to stay motivated and remain on track towards achieving your goals. 

Also, knowing that motivation allows you to focus on doing what you truly want, not what someone else might think you should want.  

If you can do that, you can discover what matters to you and what will propel you to where you want to be.  

It gives you permission to say ‘no’ to the things that won’t get you there – like the expensive car that might impress other people but comes at the cost of your own growth. 

Building resilience into long-term goals 

For many people, it’s not just that they don’t have a goal, but that their progress towards those goals has been halted by a life event outside of their control. 

Sue shares that “you can have the greatest plans, but life will get in the way.” 

And no goal or plan is ever set and forget. 

“I always liken it a bit to a sailing boat. You know, you keep adjusting the sails and sometimes you have to storm them down and cut them down.” 

She emphasises needing a flexible mindset to navigate the storms and rough seas that come with aiming for – and working towards – your goals. 

Walking the talk: Sue has reinvented her life before 

For Sue, talk of goal-setting and rough seas isn’t just talk; she’s experienced first-hand what it means to rebuild from the ground up. 

In her 30s, a business deal went sideways leaving her and her partner a few hundred thousand in the red from pre-ordered stock through an overseas supplier.  

She says it was “3 years of work,” down the drain, “and we were really starting to make a difference.” 

They needed to liquidate the business, sell their home, and go back to renting, all while taking care of their three-year-old child. 

She shares that it shows you what really matters – what really is important to you. Everything from food to life necessities. 

Sue and her partner set some short-term goals and kept asking themselves, “what’s the next step? What’s the next step?” so that they could break down their progress and make it meaningful as they built back up again.  

Now thriving with her own business again, Sue is an inspiring example of landing back on your feet after a stumble. 

The toll of the GFC and how one couple overcame it 

Later in the episode, we hear from Caroline, an enable.me client of over 10 years who is joined on the podcast by her enable.me Financial Coach Dianne Barlow. Caroline shares her resilience story; what she and her partner did to find their financial footing after they lost everything.  

She details how they lost their retail business when the economy fell over in the GFC, resulting in needing to sell their home and essentially having to start over.  

Though both her and her partner managed to get well-paying jobs, they felt like they just couldn’t get back on track – and then ahead – fast enough.  

That’s when they came to enable.me for help and coaching, so they could rebuild faster on a shorter timeline.  

Her advice for others? 

“Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. Even if you’re an expert in the field, a third party can reveal blind spots in your own situation and give you clarity.” 

You can read more about Caroline’s story on the enable.me blog.  

If you – or someone you know – feels like they are starting again on the ground floor, check out this episode for inspiration about where to start, and how to get ahead faster.  

Disclaimer: The Where’s My Money? podcast and the information shared by host Reagan White and his guests does not constitute individual financial advice. If you’re interested in receiving financial advice, you can book a consultation with an enable.me coach. Costs apply.