Real Money Stories Podcast

This week I speak to Nick Earls and Eric DiNicola, co-founders and principals of Winterspring Capital, a company looking to simplify the process of passive real estate investing. Nick and Eric share the highs and lows of their empire-building journey and some of the most important things they learnt along the way.

This week I speak to Jamie York, a rapidly rising star in the world of property investment and Managing Director at Aspire Property Group. Jamie bought his first investment property whilst at university. Through his property consultancy, Aspire, Jamie works closely with investors to build a profitable and growing portfolio of rental properties across the UK. More recently, Jamie has started to train and mentor small groups of novice investors with the aim to transform their basic property venture into a fully functioning, out-sourced business. Also check out Jamie's YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/c/JamieYork

This week I speak to Ellie Swift, entrepreneur and marketing and mindset coach. Ellie left her corporate job to pursue her dream of running her own business. Investing her time and energy into her company, Swift Ventures, she built a multi-six figure business in under two years through the power of online marketing strategy, social media and mindset. https://ellieswift.com/

This week I speak to Shahar Abrams, experienced crypto investor and professional in the blockchain industry, on a mission to improve personal finance education nationally. Travelling down the data science route, Shahar worked at IBM for a number of years. When he came across Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad, it put him in a frame of mind to focus more on active investing for himself. Specifically, he wanted to dive deeper into crypto assets, and has been developing his investment strategy through trial and error ever since. You can checkout more about Shahar and how to work with him at roadtobabylon.org.

This week I speak to Kizzy Parks, president of KPC, a Florida-based consultancy team. Since 2008, Kizzy's consultancy firm has been at the forefront of customised services that meet the needs of Federal agencies in the US. But when Kizzy first embarked on her entrepreneurial journey, she had $600,000 of debt and a company just about hitting breakeven. A superb interview from which a lot of inspiration can be drawn. You can connect with Kizzy here.

This week I speak to Max Rofagha, a man on a mission to build the world's largest and most engaged finance community at finimize.com. Wanting to financially educate himself, Max was perplexed at the complexity and reliability of financial resources available. This gave him his next business idea: to explain to every day people in under 3 minutes, what is happening in the world of finance and why you should care. You can check out more about Finimize and the resources they offer here.

This week I speak to Cathi Harrison and Jo Campbell from Verve Group Financial Services. We discuss entrepreneurialism, female roles in the finance sector, what it really takes to have your own business and how to keep your children grounded. I also discuss the importance of having a spending system (you can download my version for free here) and why I have finally decided to switch my car to an electric vehicle. Links mentioned: The simple money mistakes you make every day (blog)

This week I speak to Jazz Rose, entrepreneur, property investor, mentor and speaker. Shaped by his won challenges and experiences, Jazz is on a mission to transform people's relationship with money. You can check out more about Jazz's work, as well as access his popular Money Tracker, here.

This week I speak to husband and wife team Peter Hyson and Hillary Rowland. Through their Next Chapter Retreats business, Peter and Hillary help successful people to live their best life and redefine success and true wealth.  We talk about the role of purpose, lasting legacies, meaning and the role of money and material success. And Peter and Hillary share some of their own life stories and lessons, including how they used money to quite literally save Hillary's life.

This week I speak to Mark Brinkley, author of The Housebuilder's Bible and freelance writer. Mark offers some invaluable insights as to why we are obsessed with property as a way of building wealth. And, although it might not be an obvious route, building your own house can be an option for building financial security and wealth. I also discuss apprentices as well as how much do you spend compared to the average? Links mentioned: Get The Housebuilder's Bible at 25% off with this link: https://amzn.to/3AnvqHd Apprenticeship information: https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/ Family spending in the UK: April 2019 to March 2020 by The Office for National Statistics: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/bulletins/familyspendingintheuk/april2019tomarch2020

This week I speak to Laura Janes, the founder and director of Uniquity, the marketing firm on a mission to build better financial services brands that reach the customers that matter. Having trained as an actuary in pursuit of the career she thought she ought to have, Laura soon realised that she did not want to work solely with logic and statistics but needed to incorporate her flair for creativity. Do check out Uniquity here.

This week I speak to Dr. Oliver Robinson, Associate Professor of Psychology in the School of Human Sciences at the University of Greenwich. Oliver led the First Direct money personalities research, helping to discern particular types of people in terms of how they handle their money, and how they construe happiness and wellbeing in relation to their money. I also discuss just how much do you need to fund a comfortable retirement and whether crypto investing is bad for your health.

This week I speak to Laura Adams, personal finance and small business expert, author and host of Money Girl podcast. Laura discusses the mistake of confusing ‘a fear of numbers' with being bad with personal finance. She also shares what she learnt from losing 5-figures in a dodgy investment. I also discuss Premium Bonds and Income Protection Insurance. You can get a quote for income protection insurance via Cura Money here: https://www.curainsurance.co.uk/quote/?referral_id=NDcz

In this week's episode, I speak to Yatin Shah, co-founder and CEO of IILW, the largest independent wealth manager in India, which oversees more than $24Billion of family wealth. Yatin tells how losing over 70% of his father's investments through speculative investment trading was a valuable life lesson on the importance of preserving and growing wealth. He explains why founding his wealth management business during the global credit crunch laid good foundations for future growth. And Yatin shares what working with some of the wealthiest self-made Indian families has taught him about money and happiness.

This week I speak to Maria Nedeva, business school professor and founder of The Money Principle. Maria shares her extraordinary money story of how she was in £100,000 of debt and managed to pay it all off in only a few years. Now she has dedicated herself to teaching people in financial trouble how to build sustainable wealth. Links mentioned in the show: AARP Investment Fraud Vulnerability Study Which? Scam Alert Service Documentary: Money, Explained

This week I speak to Pete Cann, a man on a mission to bring laughter to a million people in 2021. Pete previously had a very poor relationship with money and battled with a gambling addiction for many years. With the support of this wife and Gamblers Anonymous, Pete managed to conquer this addiction and create a much healthier financial relationship. When Pete discovered the health, happiness and wealth benefits that laughter can bring he made it his life mission to bring laughter to more people through Laughter Yoga. You can check out Pete’s work here. If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling addiction, there are resources there to help you.

This week I speak to Laura Whateley, consumer affairs journalist and best-selling personal finance author. Laura explains that she fell into writing about personal finance after starting her journalist career. She went from money not being ‘her thing’ to writing a best-selling book on personal finance. Insights you’ll learn: No one has this all figured out The old ‘rules’ of money have changed Talking about money is a powerful way to build confidence The language we use around money matters Links to items mentioned in this episode: Money: A User's Guide: The Sunday Times bestselling guide to taking control of your personal finances By Laura Whateley FT Money Clinic podcast with Claer Barrett Jason’s latest column for FT Money Family & Finances Report - Schroder Personal Wealth  

This week I speak to Roland Rawicz-Szczerbo, serial entrepreneur, qualified financial advisor, director and owner of Time4Advice and Angels High. As a child, Rowland admired the drive of his father who, as a Polish immigrant, came from nothing but worked his way up and had a successful career as managing director of a major company. It took a dabble in an electrical engineering degree, and then a medical photography one, for Roland to realise what he wanted was to unleash his entrepreneurial streak instead. As a young professional, Roland describes his antics living in London in the late 80s, which includes a very entertaining story about priceless family heirlooms, a Sainsbury’s bag and an East London criminal gang. Or as Roland puts it, ‘the sort of lunacy that happens when you're a youth in town’. Superb stories from a superb guest. Expect to see another collaboration between Roland and me in the future, which may or may not be on solid ground!

This week I speak to Caroline Hughes, tech lawyer and co-founder and CEO of award-winning fintech start-up Lifetise. Caroline began her career as a solicitor and was well along the path towards becoming a partner in a big law firm. But she decided to change career and co-found Lifetise, to help consumers under 40 to plan how to afford their most important life goals. You can check out more of Caroline’s work at Lifetise here.

This week I speak to Greg Davies, a specialist in applied behavioural finance, decision science, impact investing, and financial wellbeing. He started the banking world’s first behavioural finance team at Barclays in 2006, which he led for a decade. Greg explains how he used himself as a guinea pig to put his research into action during the global credit crunch. He explains the four things you need to do to have a successful investment experience. And he explains why doing what feels comfortable is rarely good for your finances. Find out more about Greg’s work at Oxford Risk here. You can take the Money Types quiz on First Direct’s website here. You can check out my YouTube channel here.

This week, I talk to NHS doctor Nikki Ramskill who, having seen firsthand how money stress affects the health and wellbeing of her patients and colleagues, is also a money coach. Nikki candidly shares her early relationship with her finances which, largely influenced by her money personality, was full of impulse spending, accumulating debt and never saying ‘no’. Now Nikki is helping women build abundance into their lives by providing financial literacy and gradually breaking down the taboo around talking about money. You can find out more about Nikki’s money coaching here.

This week, I have the pleasure of speaking to Paul Lewis, financial journalist, speaker and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Money Box. Paul talks very candidly about his early experiences with money, including how important he believes it is for parents to discuss money with their children. Paul also shares his stories about managing money during his university days and dabbling with bank loans. Paul has won more than a dozen awards, including Headline Money Journalist of the Year in 2010 and Association of Investment Companies Broadcaster of the Year in the 2012 Roses Media Awards. I really loved being able to talk to Paul in-depth about his money beliefs and experiences and I hope you gain a lot of insights from listening to it. I also review the options for buying an electric car, including the tax benefits. Plus, I look at a recent research paper which examines whether financial markets properly account for climate change risks. The Economics of Climate Change: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3715848

This week, I speak to Megan Brennan, portfolio manager at Sarasin and Partners LLP. Megan explains the timeless money lessons her father taught her, which are the foundations of her relationship with money, and how she ended up as a fund manager, despite not knowing what she wanted to do after university. She also discusses why aligning your investing style with personal values is becoming more popular and essential to long-term returns. We also explore how to reconcile differences in money values, beliefs, priorities and styles when forming a relationship. Plus, I report on the findings of a new report on the essential elements of high financial wellbeing, review a new book on how to get out of debt fast, and share what new content is coming to my YouTube channel.

This week, I speak to Tim Harford, “the Undercover Economist”, Financial Times columnist, BBC broadcaster, the author of nine books and the presenter of BBC Radio’s “More or Less” and “How To Vaccinate The World”. Growing up in what Tim describes as 'a very British way’, the topic of money was one rarely discussed in the Harford household. The cost of living was a lesson learned during Tim’s teenage years and early adulthood that was not void of a few trip-ups along the way. Tim’s personal stories of progress, years of research and recognition as an expert in his field offer a unique and insightful perspective to our ongoing discussion about the journey to mastering our money, worrying less, and living more. You can check out Tim’s latest book, How To Make The World Add Up, by clicking here.

This week I speak to Holly Morphew, award-winning financial coach and founder of Financial Impact, the company helping people create wealth and feel confident when it comes to money. Holly and I discuss the fear around money and how to change this, building wealth by plugging spending leaks and maximising your income, and how behaviour around money is far more significant than strategy. She also offers some great advice to younger generations about not being afraid to live frugally while you build some solid foundations for your future. Holly has such a lovely, vibrant and positive way about her and I really enjoyed speaking to her.

This week, I speak to Daniel Mangena, author, entrepreneur and motivational speaker. Daniel describes his early relationship with money as a mixed one. His parents were Zimbabwe immigrants and they initially lived a comfortable lifestyle. However, through various business foibles, Daniel saw his family’s financial situation shifted from abundance to scarcity over the course of his upbringing. Undergoing many highs and lows in his own business ventures, Daniel found himself exploring the path of mindset and manifestation when it comes to living a fulfilled life and crafting your own path. Wishing to help others do the same, he has made it his mission to help people find an alignment with their dream life of abundance, joy and purpose. You can check out more of Daniel and his work here.

This week I speak to Kalpana Fitzpatrick, finance editor for Hearst magazines, which includes Good Housekeeping, Red, Prima, Cosmopolitan. Kalpana’s parents taught her the importance of education and a good career to achieving financial independence. After university Kalpana pursues a career in journalism; which evolved into writing about personal finance. Determined and ambitious, Kalpana now holds the position of finance editor for Hearst magazines and is the resident money expert for BBC Sounds Money 101 podcast. Her passion for talking about women and money, financial literacy for children, and young people and money see her featured regularly on TV, radio and conference panels.  

This week I speak to David Blatt, founder and CEO of CapStack Partners, real estate expert and international speaker. David had a very modest upbringing and always had an innate desire to work hard and apply himself. As a young man trying to break into real estate David ‘interviewed’ people in the industry to find out the essential principles of what it took to make it in the industry. David was prepared to take a pay cut to become a receptionist at a real estate firm, in return for instruction on how to do deals. Eventually, he began to get involved in these deals, and the rest is history. A fantastic episode that explores the benefits of putting money into assets, which will, in turn, provide you with a passive income to fund your lifestyle after you no longer wish to work. My recent blog post The Truth About Renting Versus Buying Property might be of interest if you want to explore this further.

This week, I speak to Lucy Mullins, Co-Founder and COO of StepLadder, a fast-growing and award-winning FinTech company pioneering collaborative finance and revolutionising the home buying process. Through their collaborative lending circles StepLadder are supporting people to buy their first home faster, reach their financial goals, and championing financial wellbeing. Lucy won the Female Founder award at the Unbound Innovation awards in 2019 and delivered the winning pitch for StepLadder in the Future of FinTech Battle. She got to the final of The Pitch in 2019, was shortlisted for TechWomen100 and won the Innovator of the Year at the Women in IT awards in January 2020.

This week, I speak to Asesh Sarkar, Global CEO and co-founder of Salary Finance, a fast-growing FinTech platform working to improve the financial health of employees in the UK and US. Asesh was born in the UK to immigrant parents, who had no support and little money. Just as he had seen his parents toil to provide for the family growing up, Asesh also had to overcome his lack of academic ability by working extra hard. Pursuing the career that suited him, as opposed to what his parents originally suggested he should do, led to a decade in finance and consulting, before eventually becoming the youngest ever partner at PA Consulting. From there he took a leap into the unknown to become a social impact entrepreneur, founding breakthrough FinTech platform, Salary Finance, in 2015. A great episode with some great takeaways, especially for those with self-limiting beliefs about careers and money who have an entrepreneurial vision. Bonus: I also unpick some of the latest money statistics and give you my take on what they all mean for your financial wellbeing. Make sure you are following me on Instagram and Twitter @jbthewealthman for daily money content.

This week I speak to Tamsin Caine, Chartered Financial Planner at Smart Financial and Director of Financial Planning at Smart Divorce, the specialist financial advice group for people facing divorce. Tamsin began Smart Divorce following her own experience with a marriage breakdown. She now advises people in the same situation as she once was, enabling them to take back control of their life and finances. Tamsin sees her work as all about helping their clients live their best possible life. Tasmin is a very down-to-earth lady and easy to talk to. If I was going through a financial calamity in my life, I think she is someone who I would want on my team!

In this episode, I speak to Ryan King, assurance associate at EY and social media finance enthusiast. Ryan discusses the beginning of his interest in and around the subject of money and investing, as a teenager in school to a young adult making his way through university. This desire to educate himself through reading and media spurred Ryan on to create his own online platform, Making Money Simple. Through this, he aims to help those in their 20s and 30s educate themselves about all things financial through easy to understand graphics, audio, and video. A very genuine discussion from which young people, in particular, can draw many useful insights from. If you would like to check out Ryan’s page, click here.

This week I speak to Davinia Tomlinson, founder of rainchq, which helps women take control of their money. Born and raised in Birmingham, during her formative years Davinia benefited from a strong female financial role model, in the form of her Windrush generation Caribbean grandmother. Davinia’s early career in the investment management sector involved a close shave with debt, with overdrafts and credit cards enabling her to keep up with high spending colleagues. However, she quickly realised it was not the relationship with money she needed or wanted to have. Now, via her online platform and social media, Davinia is on a mission to help women build financial resilience and sustainable wealth to live their best life. You can check out Davinia’s website and Instagram here.

This week I have the pleasure of speaking to one of the leading expert in financial psychology, Dr Brad Klontz. I uncover answers to questions that even Brad himself has never discussed before: what was his understanding of ‘wealth’ in childhood? How did this evolve and change in adolescence? We also discuss the role of money scripts (a concept first coined by Brad himself), the role of mindset in helping or hindering your path to financial success and avoiding money conflicts in relationships. Few know more about the psychology of money than Dr Klontz, so listen, learn and enjoy. You can check out more about Brad here: https://www.bradklontz.com/ Also, do check out his upcoming book, Money Mammoth, available to pre-order here (I’ve ordered mine!): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Money-Mammoth-Unlocking-psychology-extinction/dp/1119636043

This week I speak to former investment banker, Stacey Lowman, about why and how she swapped her high earning city job for a much simpler life travelling around Europe in a camper van. Key insights include: Why careers which use money as a measure of success can make you unhappy. Why you need to be wary of the amount of time you spending earning and working. The tenuous link between a high income and being good with money. How redefining success so that it is aligned with your values helps in developing a plan to achieve it. Why you need to be happy when you are single, so you can be happy in a future relationship. Why you need to track your progress with money. Stacey’s story is a wonderful example of how you can loosen money’s power over your life, and make sure that your money habits, decisions and behaviours are intentional and effective. You can check out Stacey’s work at https://www.pachiramoney.com/.

This week I speak to Emmanuel Asuquo, qualified financial advisor and founder of the financial empowerment company, The Eman Effect UK. Riding high as the youngest ever financial adviser at Barclays, a flash company car and extravagant spending. Emmanuel had it all. Then new financial rules led to redundancy, a bad credit rating and a massive rethink of the role of money. This is a great conversation with a very engaging and humble man who knows the effect of childhood poverty scars, the true role of money, and what it means to live life on purpose. I laughed a lot during our discussion. I think you will as well. Enjoy! And do check out Emmanuel on instagram @theemaneffectuk.

This week, I speak to Robyn Laidlaw, Head of Distribution, Europe for Vanguard Asset Management. Born and raised in New Zealand with a nine-year residency in Australia, Robyn now lives in the UK, heading Vanguard’s sales and servicing activities within the UK market and across Europe. Robyn shares her mindset that you have to take personal responsibility for three areas: your life, your financial situation and how you develop your career. She also talks about how her family have found it useful to have money experiences that they can have a shared understanding and an emotional commitment to. If this is something you think your family could benefit from some help with, get in touch with my Generation Next consultancy via the website. Some great insights from a lovely lady who is setting a great example for women aspiring to leadership roles.

This week, my guest is Dr. Daniel Crosby, psychologist, behavioural finance expert and Chief Behavioural Officer at Brinker Capital. Daniel talks about financial sacrifice and the relationship between happiness and money (it might not be what you expect!). He also shares his ‘three Es’ when it comes to financial wellbeing: education, environment and encouragement. An episode absolutely jam-packed with great insights and priceless gems from a world expert on behavioural finance.

This week, I speak to Tara Gillespie, investment consultant at Redington Ltd and co-founder of the financial community, Best Intentions. Tara describes her early memories of “wealth”, growing in in an ex-pat community in Dubai, and her “never again” moment when she got into money trouble at university. There are lots of great money insights in this episode including Tara’s "‘Just get started’ approach to investing, why you should be wary of willpower, and the importance of financial boundaries and barriers.

This week I speak to Sam Sloma, Chartered Financial Planner and Managing Director at Engage Financial Services. After a career as a professional footballer, Sam retired at 26 and set his sights on the next chapter of his life.  Six years into his career change, Sam became a Chartered Financial Planner and went on to set up Engage Financial Services in 2017. Sam is a wonderfully warm and "down to earth" guy. His openness makes this money story a great listen.

This week I speak to Timi Merriman-Johnson, finance manager and founder of Mr MoneyJar. Face-to-face with an eviction notice and overwhelmed by expensive living costs, four years ago Timi decided enough was enough. It was time to improve his life by getting better control of his money. Through a process of self-directed learning, gradual changes and a consistent approach, Timi now has money confidence. Through his popular ‘Mr MoneyJar’ alter ego, he helps others do the same. A very candid episode with a focus on how to take that next step to better educate yourself about money. You can check out Timi and his fantastic money conversations on the Mr MoneyJar show, every Monday at 18:30 GMT, over on Instagram @mrmoneyjar. (And see if you can spot a familiar face in the archives!)

This week I speak to Prerna Khemlani, chartered accountant and advocate for women building wealth through investing. Growing up in India and Spain, Prerna saw the her mother juggle the family finances living off a single income after her father’s untimely death. Driven by her desire to feel financially secure, Prerna taught herself to feel more confident with money in general and investing in particular. Now she is helping others to do the same. An episode with plenty of inspiration for the younger generation looking to better their money attitude, skills and habits. You can check out Prerna and her work at https://www.thisgirlinvests.co.uk/ and on Instagram @thisgirlinvests.

This week I speak to financial services veteran, Phil Smith.   Phil tells how he went from saving his schoolboy pennies in a TSB piggy bank to looking after billions of pounds of other peoples' money as chief executive of financial services support services provider Embark Group. Seizing the opportunity to work in an embryonic business based in Asia turned out to be the springboard to Phil's future career, wealth and family success.  Phil is a wonderfully warm and candid individual, who retains incredible humility despite now leading a business which generates in excess of £100M per annum. And he has an optimistic message and encouraging words of wisdom for young people who are apprehensive about their career prospects in the current environment. 

This week, I speak to Caroline Strawson, award-winning trauma therapist and coach. Having escaped an abusive marriage and crippled by over £70,000 of debt, Caroline once knew what it was like to be at rock bottom in every sense. Despite being a financially-vulnerable single mum, Caroline was determined to avoid having a ‘victim’ mentality, and worked tirelessly to turn her life around for herself and her two children. Caroline not only survived, but thrived, after extreme emotional and financial trauma. Her story provides a great sense of hope for anyone going through tough circumstances. Now a multi-award winning, international therapist and coach, Caroline now helps people recover from the trauma of narcissistic abuse, and live life on their own terms. To find out more about Caroline’s work visit her website at: https://www.carolinestrawson.com/

This week on the Real Money Stories podcast, I speak to Ken Okoroafor, founder of The Humble Penny. Ken grew up in Lagos, Nigeria until his family moved to the UK when he was aged 14. As well as the culture shock of adapting to life in the UK, Ken was acutely aware of financial differences between his secondary school classmates. ‘Ashamed’, ‘lonely’ and ‘unseen’ are all words he uses to describe how he felt due to his family’s lack of money and different ethnicity to others around him. Finishing university with a first-class degree, Ken decided accountancy would be a good path to pursue. Undeterred by the lack of black representation in the industry, he was successful in getting a position in one of the UK’s top 10 firms. Having temporarily succumbed to the effects of ‘lifestyle creep’ early on in his career, Ken got himself back on track, reminding himself what really matters in life. Having achieved financial independence aged 34, he and his wife, Mary, decided to share their money story in order to empower others via The Humble Penny. You can check Ken out at: https://thehumblepenny.com/ and https://youtube.com/thehumblepenny

This week I speak to rising social media star and financial adviser Lisa Conway, aka Miss Lolly. Lisa recounts her early dream of wanting to live in one of the beautiful big houses she passed on her way to work, but having no idea how she'd make that a reality.    Juggling several low paid jobs, keeping a lid on her social spending and eventually carving out an accidental career in financial services, were the foundations of her later economic success. Being resilient and adaptable was essential when Lisa's husband's work dried up a few years ago, while Lisa was juggling being a young mum and building her business. By examining her limiting beliefs with a performance coach, she grew her income by 50% in one year.  Lisa now has a waiting list to take on new clients and a rapidly growing social media business. Lisa talks honestly and candidly about the importance of knowing what you want and value, and the importance of doing the hard work to get and keep the life you want.  Check out Lisa’s website here: https://misslolly.com/

In this Real Money Stories episode, I speak to Rob Moore about how he went from broke artist to multi-millionaire serial entrepreneur in five years. Rob is an entrepreneur, investor, author, founder of the Rob Moore Foundation and co-founder of Progressive Property and Progressive Success. Rob explains how he has handled setbacks and mistakes, the role of luck versus effort and why human relationships are so vital to his success. We also discuss what it means to be happy and prosperous and what money can and can't do for you. Despite being wealthy, Rob emphasises why he thinks it's so important to have a clear idea of his lifestyle costs, to avoid losing control of his money. And he outlines the importance of being clear on his personal values to help guide his money-related decisions and actions. This is a super episode filled to the brim with great wisdom. Make sure that you listen to it more than once.

This Real Money Stories episode features Gull Khan, former Banking and Finance Lawyer, who left behind her corporate job to become a Money Mindset Expert. Gull spent her early childhood in Pakistan with great affluence. But an alteration to her family situation meant her and her mother had to move to the UK and replace opulence with scarcity. Determined to reverse her situation through hard work and commitment, as a student Gull strove for good grades and successfully went on to law school. However, she decided that money and helping people with their financial prosperity was a more personally-rewarding career route her. Gull’s story, spanning Asia to Europe, scarcity to wealth, and dependence to independence, outlines a tumultuous, yet successful money journey which everyone can listen and learn from in some way.

In this episode, I speak to Mick McAteer, founder and co-Director of The Financial Inclusion Centre, a UK not-for-profit policy and research group dedicated to promoting financial markets that work for society. Growing up in the tough climate of Northern Ireland’s Civil Rights Movement, Mick had a strong sense for equality instilled in him from a young age. Working alongside his father selling produce door-to-door was not only hard work, but dangerous work too. Moving to London in the mid-80s, Mick worked to make ends meet working in a junior position in risk analysis. Spurred on by a growing family, he strove to achieve a comfortable but modest lifestyle. A social pioneer and champion of justice, Mick’s story makes a great listen. Check out www.inclusioncentre.org.uk.

In this episode, I speak to money coach for women, Catherine Morgan.  Catherine tells how early childhood traumas led her to have self-doubts which manifested as overspending and a slightly cavalier approach to money. She explains how she has completely reinvented her relationship with money over the past twenty years to build a healthy income and create a solid financial foundation, by helping others to help themselves be better with money. This episode has some wonderful insights on how working on your inner self can help you build positive money habits, behaviours and routines, so that money  is your servant, not your master. Check out Catherine’s podcast In Her Financial Shoes and her website for financial coaching for women, The Money Panel.

In this episode of Real Money Stories, I speak to Peter Deane, director at Lower My Charges. Growing up in a modest family home, Peter learnt the importance of being careful with money. Stacking shelves in supermarkets to factory work, as a teenager he learnt money’s value. What these early experiences also taught Peter was that he would rather run a business than just work in it. Beginning his career, he moved through the finance industry from big jobs to even bigger ones in order to satisfy his desire for more responsibility. A great episode which highlights the importance of pursuing what you are passionate about, with the money usually following right behind.