430: Vicky Quit Corporate, Moved to 4 Countries, and Finally Stopped Feeling Behind

On this episode of the podcast, we're joined by Vicky South for a deeply honest conversation about burnout, debt, emotional spending, and redefining success at 40. Vicky is a British expat who has spent more than 15 years living across Vietnam, India, Hong Kong, and Argentina, navigating money across multiple countries and currencies while intentionally choosing a nontraditional path. Despite being financially knowledgeable from a young age—even researching savings account interest rates as a child—she shares how emotional health, anxiety, and burnout shaped her financial decisions just as much as financial literacy did. Now in the middle of an 18-month transition out of corporate life and into entrepreneurship, Vicky opens up about managing finances without a traditional paycheck, unlearning shame around money, and helping women understand that they are not "behind" just because their lives don't follow conventional timelines.   What Vicky Discussed on the Podcast: How living across multiple countries shaped her perspective on money, freedom, and success. Why choosing not to buy property was an intentional decision—not a failure. Her early fascination with money and financial literacy. Why financial knowledge alone isn't enough to build healthy money habits. The connection between anxiety, emotional health, shopping, and overspending. What burnout taught her about work, identity, and financial security. How she has stayed financially stable during an 18-month career pivot without a salary or pension. Why so many women feel "behind" financially by 40 and how to release comparison-based thinking. How teaching herself to invest during the 2008 banking crisis shaped her confidence with money. Lessons learned from managing finances across currencies, countries, and financial systems as an expat. Shame narratives and money beliefs she had to unlearn. Advice for women feeling embarrassed about debt, financial mistakes, or starting over later in life. AND SO MUCH MORE How to Keep Up With Vicky: Substack: Money — For Those Who Feel Behind LinkedIn: Vicky South Instagram: @vicsouthexplorer   New Book - Clever Girl Millionaire; A Guide to Redefining What's Possible, Turning Ambitions into Actions, and Dreams into Millions - Available to order now   More Clever Girl Finance Resources: 👋 New to Clever Girl Finance? Start here: https://clevergirlfinance.com/start-here ❤ Get the best-selling Clever Girl Finance Books: clevergirlfinance.com/books ❤ Get access to 30+ free courses, worksheets, savings challenges, and our favorite banking resources: clevergirlfinance.com/course-packages ❤ Read the Clever Girl Finance Blog: clevergirlfinance.com/blog ❤ Follow us on Instagram: @clevergirlfinance