My Happy Money Journey: money for mid life women with Phoebe Blamey

S4 E15 Are we rich yet? How do we measure enough?

What does “enough” money actually look like?
Most people never answer that question. Instead, the financial goalpost keeps moving — $80K becomes $150K, $150K becomes $300K, and suddenly a million dollars feels like the only way to feel secure.
In this episode of My Happy Money Journey, Phoebe explores the psychology of money, happiness, and financial security, and why earning more doesn’t always create the sense of wealth we expect.
Drawing on research from behavioural economics, Phoebe explains how income improves wellbeing when it removes financial stress, but after a certain point the emotional return from earning more becomes much smaller.
So if more money isn’t the full answer, what actually defines wealth?
Phoebe introduces three powerful layers that help define what “enough” really means:
Security – having the financial stability, assets, and buffer that protect your life when things wobble.Freedom – reaching the point where work becomes a choice, not a necessity.Impact – using money to support family, community, and causes that matter to you.
The conversation also explores key Australian realities around superannuation, retirement planning, home ownership, and financial security for women, including why women over 55 are the fastest-growing group at risk of homelessness — and how defining your version of wealth can change your financial future.
If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re doing well financially, or what your version of wealth should actually look like, this episode will help you rethink money in a much calmer and more empowering way.
Because the real goal isn’t endlessly chasing more income.
It’s building a life where your money supports the life you truly want to live.

S4 E14 How going back to basics makes you rich

This week’s episode is a conversation I’ve been wanting to have with you for a while.
There’s this belief that you need to be brilliant, sophisticated, or somehow ready before you can make strong decisions about your money. I want to shift that, because you already have everything you need to begin.
Money doesn’t have to feel heavy or confusing. It can feel steady. Supportive. Even empowering. And the way you get there isn’t through complicated strategies it’s through the fundamentals.
In this episode, we go back to basics and talk about the five foundations that change how money feels in your life:
You’ll hear why investing is about giving your future options, not being an expert.How intentional spending creates steadiness instead of guilt.What it really means to step into adulthood with money and trust yourself.Why simple systems reduce stress more than any budget ever could.And how building a cash cushion changes the way you handle life’s surprises.
This is not about becoming someone different. It’s about recognising that you can be calm, clear, and capable with money - starting exactly where you are.
If this episode resonates, take one small step today. That’s how momentum begins.
And if you want support building these foundations in your own life, you know where to find me.

S4 E13 Five steps to falling in love with your money

Understand how hidden emotions about money show up in business decisions, why success requires trust in your money, and how to create a healthier, more grounded relationship with it. Phoebe walks through five steps you can start immediately to reduce anxiety, increase clarity, and expand your capacity to earn and receive.
You don’t need to obsess over money to be successful, but you do need a relationship with it that is honest, respectful, and supportive.
If this episode resonated, follow Phoebe on Instagram for daily money insights and join the Happy Money Society’s free basic plan to keep building your confidence with money.
00:00 Why You Need to Like Money to Succeed (The Honest Confession)01:28 Money Trust Issues: How Resentment Shows Up in Business03:53 Step 1 — Awareness: Notice Your Real Money Emotions05:53 Step 2 — Respect: Give Every Dollar a Job07:45 Step 3 — Safety: Stop Self-Sabotage & Build Money Confidence10:36 Step 4 — Connection: Link Money to Your Values & Life Vision12:37 Step 5 — Appreciation: Gratitude That Improves Decisions15:11 Wrap-Up: The 5-Step Recap + Where to Learn More

S4 E12 How much money do I really need to retire?

As we get older we stop thinking we will be fine in retirement and start to pay attention! Today we share the secrets to retireing well...because high income doesn’t automatically equal long-term security.
In this episode, Phoebe takes a strategic, grown-up look at what retirement readiness actually means for women over 50 especially those who’ve been busy building careers, businesses, and families while quietly outsourcing their future.
This is not a financial planning session.It’s a clarity session.
We talk about housing security, superannuation realities, tax structures, generational wealth, and the hidden risks that catch even successful women off guard.
If you’ve ever thought, “I really should understand this better”  this episode is for you.
• Why housing security matters more than your super balance• The difference between earning well and being financially secure• How super actually works — and why drifting is expensive• What “concessional”, “carry-forward”, and “Division 293” really mean• Why many high-income women underuse the system• How risk and investment choices shape long-term outcomes• The importance of having money outside super• Why inheritance should never be your retirement plan• What changes when you’re already financially comfortable• How to take strategic ownership without becoming an expert• The questions every woman should be able to ask her adviser
You don’t need to manage your own investments, but you do need to understand your position.
Outsourcing your future completely is not a strategy.
Clarity, structure, and informed decision-making are what protect your freedom later in life.
• Australian Taxation Office (ATO) — Super rules and contribution limits• ASIC MoneySmart — Retirement calculators and guidance• ASFA Retirement Standard — Lifestyle benchmarks• Services Australia — Age Pension information
 

S4 E11 February Reset how to spend less and live better

February Money Reset – Getting Back in Control After Summer
January in Australia is magic. Sun, beach, long lunches, late nights. Life feels light and money barely registers. And then February arrives and everything lands at once. Christmas. School costs. Credit cards. Quiet business months suddenly picking up again.
Suddenly you’re thinking, “Wow. This feels a bit out of control.”
In this episode, Phoebe shares why February has become her annual reset month and how she uses simple habits, practical clean-ups, and mindset shifts to get back into calm, confident money mode every year.
There’s no shame in this conversation. No spreadsheets. No deprivation. No pretending you should “know better by now.” Just real, doable ways to feel clearer, more organised, and more in charge of your finances.
You’ll hear why clutter affects spending, how to spot your money leaks, how to shift from low-value to high-value habits, and why awareness beats perfection every time.
If February usually feels messy for you, this episode will help you reset and move forward without beating yourself up.

S4_E10 My income is so variable I can't budget

Inconsistent income doesn’t mean you’re failing — it means you’re living in the real world.
In this episode, Phoebe shares a story about a friend who couldn’t cover rent and bills after a rough business year, and unpacks what so many freelancers, business owners, contractors, creatives, and commission earners experience: feast-and-famine income is normal.
The solution isn’t shaming yourself or trying to budget like you’re on a salary. It’s building a system that doesn’t panic when income wobbles. You’ll learn how to find your “minimum survival” number, create a cash cushion that calms your nervous system, separate earning from spending, and give every dollar a job so you can stay stable in quiet months and smart in big months.
This is how you stop spiralling, start financially adulting, and build calm, confident control — even when your pay isn’t consistent yet.

S4_E9 After the Hustle: Rest, Reinvention, and Real Wealth

This New Year episode is a real conversation about what happens after the big change when the noise stops, the adrenaline wears off, and you’re left asking, “Who am I now?”
After selling my mortgage broking business at the end of 2024, I stepped into a season I didn’t fully expect. Less hustle. More space. And a whole lot of identity recalibration. This episode is about that in-between phase — the one we don’t talk about enough  where growth doesn’t look productive, but absolutely is.
We unpack why active rest isn’t quitting, slowing down, or losing your edge. It’s a strategic pause. A deliberate decision to let your nervous system catch up to your life. To stop forcing clarity and allow it to land.
I talk about identity lag that disorienting gap between who you were and who you’re becoming — and how it quietly influences money decisions, self-worth, and the pressure to “do something” before you’re ready. Especially for women who’ve built success by being capable, busy, and useful.
This episode is an invitation to stop making decisions from an outdated version of yourself.
Because sustainable wealth doesn’t come from grinding harder. It comes from alignment. From choosing work, money, and lifestyles that actually fit the woman you are now  not the one you had to be to survive.
If you’re in a season of change, reinvention, or quiet rebuilding, this one’s for you. You’re not behind. You’re not lost. You’re recalibrating.
And that might be the most powerful move you make all year.
Episode Chapters
00:00 – Welcome to 2026 and why this year feels different00:19 – When life changes faster than your identity01:13 – What really happens after you sell the business02:37 – Active rest: not lazy, not indulgent, essential06:43 – Identity lag and the money choices it messes with10:03 – Why alignment is the real wealth strategy13:16 – Permission to grow into who you’re becoming

S4_E8 Why the Holidays Trigger Your Money Stuff (And What To Do About It)

The holiday season has a way of turning the volume up on everything, especially money.
Suddenly you’re spending more time with family than usual, old dynamics are bubbling up, and money starts to feel heavier. Conversations that normally roll off your back hit differently. You might feel judged, defensive, small, resentful, or weirdly emotional about things you thought you’d already dealt with.
That’s because money is never just money - especially in families.
Money is safety.Money is power.Money is love, shame, obligation, history.
And the holidays press every single button.
In this episode, we unpack why family gatherings magnify money stress and how your early money wounds shape the way you react, not just to spending, but to expectations, comparison, and unspoken tension.
You’ll learn how the four core money wounds show up in families during the holidays:
• Scarcity — the hyper-responsible one who feels like money could disappear at any moment• Worth — the status-seeker who spends big to feel enough• Shame — the avoider who hopes money will sort itself out later• Neglect — the one who hands money decisions to others and feels overwhelmed by it all
You’ll start to recognise these patterns not just in yourself but around the table.
Most importantly, this episode isn’t about fixing anyone or starting heavy conversations over Christmas lunch. It’s about awareness. Because when you understand what’s really going on, you stop taking everything personally.
You get to keep your peace.
You’ll walk away with practical ways to regulate your nervous system, set quiet boundaries, and step out of old patterns  so you can move through the holiday season grounded, clear, and fully yourself.
In this episode we dioscuss whyt you are not broken or bad with money, you are responding exactly as you learned to survive.
And once you understand that, you get choice.
If this episode resonates, head to the website to download the Money Mindfulness workbook or take the Money Types quiz (find it on our website at phoebeblamey.com.au and remember: understanding money gives you language, and language gives you power.

S4_E7 Honour your side hustle

This week’s episode is basically a Christmas ornament box full of truth bombs: sparkly, slightly chaotic, and filled with things you forgot you put away years ago… until you open it and go, “Oh damn, there’s my dream.”
Phoebe dives into the messy, magical moment she realised she has stepped into the life she dreamed of five years ago — without even noticing it happening. Hosting the founding round of the Million Dollar Conspiracy, surrounded by powerhouse business women, she had that rare, spine-tingling moment where past-you and present-you finally high-five across the timeline.
But this isn’t really an episode about manifestation (although she absolutely manifested the pants off this). It’s about desire. It’s about honouring the dream you keep trying to ignore because life feels like one long “everything everywhere all at once” montage, complete with end-of-year glitter and emotional whiplash.
Phoebe breaks down:
Why your side hustle matters more than you want to admit
Why ignoring your dream doesn’t make it polite — it makes it loud
Why your future self is already living the life you want, waiting for you to catch up
How giving your dream a notebook, a folder, a Sunday morning ritual can change the whole direction of your life
Why beginning badly is still infinitely better than not beginning
The brutal but freeing truth about competing commitments (yes, binge-watching is a commitment)
Why ideas don’t disappear — they get adopted by someone else if you don’t claim them
And the tiny, brave, rebellious move you need to make this week
This is your invitation to stop half-assing your dreams.
Because the life you want won’t arrive when everything is quiet and calm and aligned.It arrives when you decide you’re done waiting for clarity… and you take the first step anyway.
Your future self is pouring the champagne.She’s already there.She’s waiting.

S4_E6 How to survive Christmas

Christmas  is not a Hallmark movie.
It’s three family lunches in one day, a group chat on fire, 47 “last chance” sales emails, and somehow you’ve become the caterer, the Uber driver, the therapist and the bank. Again.
In this pre Christmas episode we are talking about the pressure cooker that is the holiday season – and how you can do it differently.
We expolore how old family roles, money wounds and expectations collide in December, and gives you a practical, grounded plan to protect your money, your energy and your future without turning into the Grinch.
Inside this episode, you’ll hear about:
What really sits underneath the family fights, money tension and silent resentment at Christmas
How financial pressure, “helping out” and unequal treatment between siblings can turn into full-blown money wounds
Why adults don’t need another useless gift, and how to shift from performative spending to meaningful, low-cost giving
How to stop being the unpaid Christmas project manager and start sharing the emotional, financial and practical load
A simple Christmas money plan you can map out in ten minutes so you don’t roll into January broke, exhausted and furious
This episode is your permission slip to say no, set limits and build a Christmas that works for you too – not just everyone else.
If you’ve been working on your money this year, this is where you hold the line.
Because you are not the family ATM.You are not the default caterer and clean-up crew.You are a woman in midlife building real wealth, and that includes how you handle December.