Ep 66: Money Below the Surface: How Our Stories, Systems, And Nervous Systems Shape Financial Choices

What does your relationship with money really say about you — and the systems you were raised in? In this episode of Leading Below the Surface, LaTonya Wilkins sits down with financial coach and trainer Saundra Davis for a raw, wise, and deeply human conversation about money, trauma, and economic justice. Drawing from decades of experience at the intersection of financial coaching and economic justice, Saundra unpacks why so many people — especially people of color — struggle with money, and why that struggle has far less to do with personal failure than with systems designed to extract wealth from those least equipped to fight back. This episode offers compassion, clarity, and a reframe of what it truly means to build wealth.🎥 Prefer to watch? This episode is also available on YouTube with chapters:https://www.youtube.com/@changecoaches/podcastsEpisode Chapters & Key Moments[00:00] Intro & how LaTonya met Saundra at ICF ConvergeThe story behind the connection and what makes Saundra's work distinctAuntie energy and why it matters in financial coaching[04:30] Auntie energy, kinfolk, and the generational gapWhat it means to show up with warmth and zero judgmentBridging generational differences in how we talk about money[10:00] Music, community, and staying connected across generationsHow shared culture keeps us rootedThe role of community in financial healing[16:20] Growing up poor and the scarcity mindsetHow childhood environments shape our earliest money beliefsWhy scarcity thinking isn't a personal flaw — it's a survival response[21:00] How the environment creates our relationship with moneySystems, not character, create povertyWhy shame around money is a design feature, not a bug[26:45] Trauma, money, and two kids raised in the same houseHow the same circumstances can produce opposite money responsesWhy both responses make complete sense[31:30] Why people in poverty pay more — and the consumer trapPredatory credit, bank fees, and the true cost of being poorHow the financial system extracts wealth from those with the least[37:00] LaTonya's first car and what she was really buyingThe deeper emotional drivers behind financial decisionsWhy every purchase makes sense when you understand the belief behind it[43:00] Guilt, giving back, and the "Black tax" mythThe emotional weight of financial success in community-oriented culturesReframing obligation and generosity[49:15] Money in service of your goalsWealth-building as honoring those who came beforeShifting from scarcity to purpose-driven financial thinking[54:00] The Starbucks story — what are you really buying?You're never just buying the thingPeace, connection, identity, and belonging as real financial motivators[58:30] Where to start: resources, kindness, and next stepsPractical entry points for your financial journeyStarting with self-compassion, not self-criticismCalls to Action🔹 Learn more about Saundra Davis & Sage Financial Solutions:https://sagefinancialsolutions.org🔹 Explore Coaching Below the Surface™ (ICF-approved):https://changecoaches.io/coaching-below-the-surface/🔹 Follow Change Coaches on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/change-coaches🔹 Connect with LaTonya Wilkins on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/latonyawilkins/