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

Becoming the Woman Who Owns Her Money Divorce can leave you feeling like you're starting again financially. But you're not starting from zero. You're starting with experience, knowledge and the opportunity to finally take control of your own money. In the final episode of our divorce series, we move from protection to rebuilding — and talk about what actually helps women create financial independence after divorce. We cover: • Why your financial recovery isn't about finding someone else • Building your own financial identity • Understanding your complete financial position • Checking your credit and accounts • Creating a financial buffer • Protecting your super • Investing in your earning power • Why financial knowledge compounds • Why you're never “too old” to rebuild • Turning money from something you fear into information you can use The big message? Recovery isn't rescue. Recovery is a skill. You don't need to know everything about money. You just need to start asking better questions, making your own decisions and taking the next step. You are not too old. You are not too far behind. And you are not starting from zero. Your future belongs to you. This episode completes our three-part series on money and divorce.

When the Numbers Don’t Add Up: Hidden Money & Divorce What happens when the financial picture your ex is presenting just doesn’t make sense? A bonus suddenly disappears. A successful business is suddenly worth almost nothing. There’s a mysterious loan to family. Or accounts and assets you never knew existed. In this episode, we look at some of the common red flags around financial disclosure during divorce — and what you can do when the numbers don’t add up. We cover: • Delayed income and bonuses • Suddenly struggling businesses • Overpaid tax • Loans to family or friends • Hidden accounts, assets and debt • Financial abuse • What information you should gather • When to ask your lawyer for deeper investigation You don’t need to become a forensic accountant. You need to know what questions to ask. Because you cannot claim what you can’t see. This is general financial information, not legal advice. Always speak with your family lawyer about your individual circumstances. This is episode two of my three-part series on money and divorce. Next up: rebuilding your financial life and becoming the woman who owns her money on purpose.

Australian women come out of divorce around 30% worse off than they went in, and if you are over 50 that gap can stretch closer to 45%, often without ever fully recovering. In this first episode of a three-part series, Phoebe unpacks the decision that trips up more women than any other: what to do with the family home. She walks through why the house feels like safety, when keeping it is exactly the right call, when it quietly becomes the thing that sinks you, and the four back-of-an-envelope questions that turn the fog into a decision you can actually see. What we cover Why the financial hit of divorce lands so unevenly, and why the first 12 months of decisions matter most The emotional weight of the family home, and why "take the logic out of it" is step one Thinking fast vs thinking slow: why a stressed, exhausted brain fights to keep the house The line nobody says out loud: the house does not pay you, it charges you (roughly 2% of its value a year just to stay standing) The research that surprises everyone: on average, women who let the house go often did better "You take the house, I'll take the super," and why that can be the most expensive sentence a woman signs Why super is a splittable asset that too many women give away, especially dangerous over 50 The four questions to run on the back of an envelope before you decide Money as information, not judgement, and building your one-page money map The client with a $2 million settlement and the financial advisor who told her not to buy a home Key takeaways (with timestamps) [00:00] The uneven hit. Research shows Australian women are around 30% worse off after divorce. Over 50, it is closer to 45%, and there may not be time for it to recover. [01:00] The family home is the flashpoint. It is the biggest number on paper and the most emotional. Christmases, growth marks on the wall, the whole life lived there. [03:00] The first year is everything. You are making enormous decisions from the bottom of a pit, tired and frightened, with everyone offering advice. That is exactly why they matter. [04:00] Fast brain vs slow brain. Under stress we run on feelings and stories, not logic. It is why the house feels like safety even when the maths says otherwise. [04:30] It earns nothing, it eats. A home costs roughly 2% of its value a year (a $1M house is $10k to $20k before you make it nicer), plus a possible loan on one income instead of two. [05:30] Letting go can be the win. Australian research suggests women who released the house were, on average, doing better, financially and in happiness. [06:00] Watch the super trade. Super is splittable in an Australian divorce. Most women give it away. Even if you did not earn it during the marriage, you are entitled to it. [10:00] The four questions. 1) Can I look after this solo? 2) What am I giving up to get it? 3) Does it earn it or eat it? 4) Am I keeping it, or just trying to keep my old life? [13:00] Money is information. No number on any page has anything to do with your worth. When you look at the data, the fog lifts. [14:00] The $2M client. Her advisor said rent and buy shares. She trusted what mattered to her, bought the home, and questioned the expensive advice. You are allowed to do the same. [16:00] Help exists. Free financial counsellors are available through the National Debt Helpline and Anglicare. The four questions (save these) Can I look after this solo? The loan, the rates, the insurance, the upkeep. Can your actual post-divorce income carry it and still let you breathe? What am I giving up to get it? Usually your share of the super. Write the trade in dollars, and think about the future value, not just today's number. Does it earn it or eat it? Your home consumes income, it does not generate it. Is it a lifestyle asset or a wealth-building one? Am I keeping it, or just trying to keep my old life? Sometimes fighting for the house is grief, not finance. Grief is valid. Just do not pay for it with your retirement. Resources The Money Map — Phoebe's free, fill-it-in-yourself one-pager (everything you own and owe, in and out). Going out with this week's newsletter. Subscribe on the website to get it. phoebeblamey.com.au Free financial counselling — National Debt Helpline and Anglicare offer free, sensible help through these decisions. The book that inspired the series — Strangers by Belle Burden.  A note Everything in this episode is general information. It does not take your personal circumstances into account and it is not personal financial advice. It is an ex-finance person sharing what she has watched happen to a lot of women, so you can ask the sharp questions and think through the big decisions with clear eyes. If money in your relationship feels controlled, hidden, or used as a weapon, that is beyond a hard divorce. That is financial abuse, and it is the subject of the next episode. Support is available through 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732). Call to action Follow the show so the next two parts land in your feed, and subscribe to the newsletter to get the free Money Map. Coming up in Part 2: where the money hides in a divorce, the bonus that vanishes, the business income that suddenly drops, and how to catch it. This week's question: If you have been through it, did keeping the family home turn out to be the right call, or the thing that quietly sank you? Tell me in the comments, or DM me if it is too raw to post. Your answer might be the thing that saves the next woman. Listen: The Happy Money Journey, wherever you get your podcasts.  Until next week, enjoy your journey.

These four pieces of real advice printed for women who out-earn their husbands, including leaving the house without your wallet so he gets a turn at being the provider, blew my mind. Then I had a conversation with Prue who got up super early to walk the dogs and unstack the dishwasher, while Mr Prue slept soundly. This week, why capable women keep themselves small, what it is costing, and the question underneath all of it.... This is how it started... A research team went through ninety four newspaper and magazine articles written about women who earn more than their husbands, and pulled out what those articles told the women to do. Let him pay the bill at the restaurant. Leave the house without your wallet or your keys so he gets the opportunity to be the provider. Let him cover one particular family expense so there is a sense of purpose attached to his money. Play down your income and your success. Somebody was paid to write that. An editor decided it was reasonable. Some of it was published recently. Look at those four instructions together and they are all the same instruction. Make yourself smaller so you can stay where you are. That is what this episode is about. Not whether you can earn more than your partner, because clearly you can. What it costs you to be seen doing it, and the groups you are trying not to fall out of while you do. We talk about the marriage, the family you came from, the friends you have had for twenty five years, and the biggest group of all, which is the terms and conditions of being a woman with money in this country. There is a section for those of you who now earn more than your father ever did, because nobody tells you that this contains a loss as well as an achievement. Then there is Prue, who is made up like a mosaic of my favorite women in this situation. She runs a four million dollar cleaning business while unstacking the dishwasher at seven in the morning. She turned down two million dollars of work she was perfectly capable of doing. . I will be upfront that I do not have this fully solved. I have got a long way into it and I have got one thing I want you to do about it this week. What I want you to take away: protection is not a number. It never was. It is somebody's capacity to hold you, and that has nothing to do with what they earn.

We talk about the property boom all the time. We almost never stop to explain what it actually means for you. Go back to the 1960s. Your parents buy an ordinary house in an ordinary inner suburb of Melbourne or Sydney. They live in it their whole lives, never thinking of it as anything more than the family home. Then one day that house is worth two million dollars, and it lands on your kitchen table as an inheritance. So we get into the real research on what happens to a capable woman when serious money arrives, why our bodies read a windfall as a threat rather than a reward, and the five things you can do this week to become the woman who can actually hold it. This one goes deep, and it is coming for a lot of you sooner than you think. Where the wealth actually came from. The property boom explained properly, with the real numbers, and what it means that a whole generation got wealthy through their houses without ever learning a thing about managing wealth. Sudden wealth syndrome. The psychologists who named the cluster of guilt, anxiety and paralysis that shows up when money arrives fast, and why feeling it does not make you broken. The lottery study nobody talks about. What thousands of winners taught us about why a windfall postpones trouble instead of fixing it, and why the money was never the thing that needed fixing. Your money scripts. The beliefs you formed about money in childhood, before you were old enough to question them, and how one of them quietly runs the show the moment real money lands. What happens in your body. Why financial change fires the same alarm system as physical danger, floods you with cortisol, and dims the exact part of your brain you need to make a good decision. The five things to do this week to get ready before the money arrives. The one action this week Sit down with a cup of tea and finish this sentence honestly: "In my family, money was..." Write down whatever comes up. Scarce and frightening? Never discussed? Something you were made to feel greedy for wanting? Then ask yourself gently, is that still true for me now? That is the whole task. It is private, it takes ten minutes, and it changes everything downstream. The five steps, in short Name your money script out loud. You cannot change a program you cannot see. Build the pause into your plan now. No big, irreversible decision in the first six months. Learn the language before you need it. A few key words, five minutes each. Choose your own advisor. Do not inherit one because you were tired and grieving. Break the silence. Tell one woman you trust that you are getting ready to hold real money. Come and find your people If you want to get your own financial world in order so you are ready to hold what is coming, come and join us inside the Happy Money Society. It is where this work happens together, without the guilt and without the jargon. Everything is over at phoebeblamey.com.au, and the link is right here in the show notes. A quick note Everything shared in this episode is general information only. It is not personal financial advice. Please take your own situation to a professional who can see your full picture. Until next week, whatever you're doing, wherever you're doing it, and whoever you're doing it with, enjoy your journey.

You signed off a six-figure budget at work this week. You have not opened your own super statement this year. If the money conversations at the barbecue make you nod along while a small voice says you should know more, this episode is for you. Phoebe walks through the five money questions every woman in her 50s needs to be able to answer, with the real Australian numbers behind each one, and why this decade is the one where you close the gap between being capable and being prepared to hold money. In this episode Somewhere between $3.5 and $5 trillion is moving from the baby boomer generation to the next one, the largest transfer of wealth in Australian history, and up to 65 percent of it is expected to end up in the hands of women. Many of the women receiving it are educated, experienced and successful, yet they have never been the decision maker on the big money. Someone else did the investing, met with the planner, knew where the paperwork was. Phoebe shares the story of Annette (a composite, so don't go looking for her), a 56-year-old senior consultant who felt like the work experience kid in her own life the day an inheritance landed, then works through the five questions that turned that around. Chapter guide [00:00] Why your 50s, and the wealth transfer heading towards women [00:02] Annette's story: capable is not the same as prepared [00:03] Question one: where will I live, and who owns it? [00:06] Question two: what are my super and my investments doing? [00:08] Question three: how does the work end? [00:10] Question four: what happens if illness arrives, mine or someone else's? [00:12] Question five: what am I doing with this one wild life? [00:14] The five questions recap and your one action for the week The framework: The Five Questions Where will I live, and who owns it? Every retirement benchmark assumes you own your home outright. Know your mortgage payoff date, and whether it lands before or after your income stops. If it lands after, that is a design problem, and design problems have solutions. What are my super and my investments doing? Doing, not just what they are. Log in, know your balance, your investment option, your fees and your binding death benefit nomination. Then map everything you own outside super and what each thing is there to do. How does the work end? Write down the age you would like work to become optional, and the one thing that would need to change to make that date real. If you own a business, remember that most owners never sell; a sellable business takes years to build. What happens if illness arrives, mine or someone else's? Check the insurance sitting inside your super, plan for the possibility of caring for someone, and get the paperwork of protection in order: will, powers of attorney, beneficiary nominations. What am I doing with this one wild life? A woman who reaches 65 can expect, on average, to live into her late 80s. That is a whole second adulthood, and it is the first one you get to design on purpose. When you know what the money is for, you stop avoiding it. The numbers in this episode (confirmed figures) $3.5 to $5 trillion in intergenerational wealth transfer over the coming decades, with up to 65 percent expected to flow to women (Productivity Commission and industry research including JBWere and AMP) Age 52 to age 62: the shift in the median age Australians pay off the home, 1981 to 2016 (Retirement Income Review, 2020) Around half of home-owning Australians aged 55 to 64 still carry mortgage debt (AHURI) About two thirds of recent retirees own their home outright (HILDA Survey, 2023) $243,000: average super balance for Australian women aged 55 to 59 (ASFA analysis of ATO data) $630,000: ASFA's updated comfortable retirement lump sum for a single homeowner, alongside annual spending of roughly $52,000 (ASFA Retirement Standard, February 2026 revision) About a quarter less: the super gap for women approaching retirement compared with men the same age (Super Members Council analysis of ATO data) 63.8: the average age of recent Australian retirees (ABS) 3 million unpaid carers in Australia, average age 50; two thirds of primary carers are women, and women aged 45 to 54 are the group most likely to be carrying a caring role (ABS Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, 2022) Verified resources Moneysmart (ASIC): superannuation, retirement planning and the ASFA Retirement Standard explained, moneysmart.gov.au ASFA Retirement Standard: superannuation.asn.au Australian Taxation Office: contribution caps, carry-forward rules and downsizer contributions, ato.gov.au Services Australia: Age Pension eligibility and rates, servicesaustralia.gov.au Carer Gateway: support and services for unpaid carers, carergateway.gov.au Your one action this week Pick one of the five questions, just one, and write your current answer in a single paragraph. If your honest answer is "I don't know", write that down too. "I don't know" written on a page is the beginning of a plan. "I don't know" floating around at 2am is just fear. Join us If you want company while you do this work, come and join the Happy Money Society. There is a free tier and a paid tier, full of women asking these exact questions out loud instead of alone. Head to phoebeblamey.com.au or use the link below. Disclaimer This episode contains general information only. It is not personal financial advice and does not take your individual circumstances into account. Please speak with a licensed financial adviser before making financial decisions.

ou have a bit of money to work with, and you have realised you are the one deciding what happens to it now. That is a real shift, and it comes with a question almost every woman asks me like a confession: how do I know what to do, and how do I know I am not about to get ripped off? This episode is the answer. Over the next couple of decades an enormous amount of wealth is going to land in the hands of women, through inheritance, through longer lives, through our own earning. We are going to be the ones holding it. This one is about learning to hold it like you own it, not nervously, not so cautiously it never moves for you, but with the confidence of someone who knows how to check. In this episode Why the largest transfer of wealth to women in history means it is time to move from spending well to holding money like you own it The one-and-a-half-million-dollar story that shows exactly what an unregulated scheme looks like from the inside, and why it fools capable people What "regulated" really means, and why an Australian Financial Services Licence is the signal, not the polish How to start investing without studying the stock market, using exchange traded funds, micro-investing, and a first amount so small a wobble won't cost you sleep The super carry-forward rule, the deadline nobody tells you about, and why this financial year matters What people get wrong about crypto, plus the withdrawal test that exposes a trap wearing an investment's clothes The three questions before your money moves anywhere Are they licensed or registered? AFSL, ASIC, MoneySmart, AUSTRAC. It is free and it takes ten minutes. If they are not on the register, the conversation is over, no matter how good a friend or how persuasive they are. Can I get my money out? Legitimate money lets you leave. New fees, new taxes, new delays, and just-one-more-payment to withdraw is an alarm bell. Is it going where I think it is going? Is the name on the screen the same name as the business you are transferring to? Is your identity being checked? Are there real checks at all? Not one of those questions needs you to be a financial expert. They need you to be the one holding the wheel, willing to ask out loud. Where to check (all free, all official) MoneySmart (moneysmart.gov.au): the government's own money site. Search the Financial Advisers Register to confirm an adviser is legitimate, and the investor alert list for companies and websites not to be trusted. ASIC professional registers: look up whether a business holds an AFSL. If they claim to be licensed, verify it yourself rather than trusting the brochure. AUSTRAC: check whether a crypto exchange is registered as a digital currency exchange before you move anything near it. AFCA, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority: where you take a complaint if something goes wrong inside the system. Scamwatch: search a company name here. Thirty seconds can save you everything. The numbers, checked The concessional (before-tax) super cap for the 2026 to 2027 financial year is $32,500. It was $30,000 until the end of June. Carry-forward lets you use unused cap from up to five years back, provided your total super balance was under $500,000 on 30 June of the previous year. You use the oldest unused year first. The oldest slice still open to you is your unused cap from 2021 to 2022, and it expires on 30 June 2027. Use it or lose it. Crypto exchanges operating in Australia must be AUSTRAC registered, and platforms are being brought into the same AFSL licensing the rest of the finance industry uses. Rules are still tightening. Every situation is different, and the rules change. Confirm current figures with the ATO and MoneySmart, and get advice for your own circumstances before acting. Your one thing this week Log into your super. Look at the balance, look at what is going in, and see whether you have any carry-forward room. If you do, get on the phone to your fund, because your fund has advisers you can talk to. If you have a self-managed fund or serious wealth, speak with your financial adviser. Go deeper If you want to keep building this kind of confidence with women doing the same work, come and join us in the Happy Money Society. It is where a single episode turns into a habit. Find it at phoebeblamey.com.au. A quick, important note This is general information and education only. It is not personal financial advice. Rules change, and every one of us has a completely different situation, so check the current rules with MoneySmart and the ATO, and speak with a licensed financial adviser and your accountant about your own circumstances.

It is the end of financial year, and if this week has been all receipts, logbooks and bookkeeper calls, you have had plenty of money conversations already. Every one of them was with someone else. The tax office. Your accountant. A portal at ten at night. This episode is about the one conversation you have not had yet, the one with yourself, and why the first of July is the cleanest fresh start you will get all year. Grab a pen, put the kettle on, and let's have it.   The four conversations to have with yourself before the new financial year gets going: Where am I right now? Work out your net worth. What you own minus what you owe: home equity, super, savings, investments, loans, cards. Most of us know our income cold and go blank on our net worth. Log in and find your actual super balance, even if it is confronting. What do I actually want? Stop asking only "can I afford it" and start asking "what am I building." Picture three pools of money: lifestyle (the everyday), project (the renovation, course, trip, business) and future (super, investments, assets). Trouble starts when they all swim in one account and the project quietly eats the future. Name the thing you keep not letting yourself do, then decide which pool it belongs to. Who do I need to become? We change our behaviour when it matches who we believe we are. Move from "I'm hopeless with the money stuff" to the present tense: "I'm someone who takes leadership of my financial future. I'm someone who knows her own numbers." Nobody was born knowing this. Who am I going to say it to? The first three happen in your head. This one has to leave it. Text your sister, book the call with your super fund or accountant, ring a financial counsellor if you are stuck. The women who talk about money make better decisions about money. The number worth knowing: the ASFA benchmark for a comfortable retirement for a single homeowner now sits around $630,000 in super (ASFA Retirement Standard, updated February 2026). Knowing you are behind is not the bad news. Not knowing is. On the downsizer super strategy mentioned in the episode: if you are 55 or older and sell a home you have owned for 10 years or more, you may be able to contribute up to $300,000 per person ($600,000 for a couple) from the sale proceeds into super as a downsizer contribution, within 90 days of settlement. It sits outside the usual concessional and non-concessional contribution caps, which is what makes it powerful for topping up super later in life. It does count toward your total super balance and can affect Age Pension entitlements, so it is worth getting advice on the timing. Full rules and the form are on the ATO page linked below. Your next step this week Pick one of the four conversations. Not all of them. One. Have the honest one and find your super balance, or have the out-loud one and text one person the words "I'm finally getting on top of my money." One conversation this week changes which version of you walks into the new financial year. Links and resources The Happy Money Society (now live, free and paid options): phoebeblamey.com.au — links also in the episode notes Work with Phoebe: phoebeblamey.com.au ATO — downsizer super contributions: ato.gov.au ASFA Retirement Standard (the comfortable-retirement benchmarks): superannuation.asn.au ASIC Moneysmart (free, independent money guidance and calculators): moneysmart.gov.au National Debt Helpline (free, confidential financial counselling): 1800 007 007, ndh.org.au A quick note Everything in this episode is general information to get you thinking. It is not personal financial advice and it does not take your own circumstances into account. Please get advice tailored to you before making any big financial moves. Until next week, whatever you're doing, wherever you're doing it, and whoever you're doing it with, enjoy your journey.

Remember Cristina Yang turning to Meredith, right as she was leaving the show for good, telling her not to let what someone else wants eclipse what she needs. He's very dreamy, but he's not the sun. You are. We forget that. There is even a term for it: role engulfment. We get so caught up in the doing for everyone else that our own self, and our own financial life, fades into the background, and it costs us. One day you are comforting a friend who has just been through a brutal divorce, the lights go on, and you think, this could be me. This episode is about taking the wheel. If you have been carrying the worry without ever holding the wheel, this one is for you. Phoebe walks through why so many capable, high-earning women end up financially invisible in their own lives, why that gap is exactly where women get hurt, and the five things you can do this week, on one page, at your kitchen table, to put yourself back in the centre of your own financial universe. You are not the moon orbiting everyone else's money. You are the sun. Why this matters for you now Australia is moving through its largest ever transfer of wealth between generations, estimated at around $3.5 trillion (some research puts it closer to $5 trillion), with roughly 65% of it expected to land with women. Family money tends to flow to the eldest daughter. It can arrive through divorce. It can arrive through the death of a partner. The women who get hurt are not the careless ones. They are the ones who never knew where the money was. This episode gets you ready to hold it. What you will take away Your money map. How to work out your net worth in one sitting, and why you cannot run a universe you have never looked at. What is yours. The difference between money in your name and money in joint names, and why every financially adult woman needs her own account. Your protection documents. A current will, a binding death benefit nomination on your super, and an enduring power of attorney, and why your super does not follow your will. Your safety buffer. The runway money in your own name that means you are never trapped in a situation you want to leave. Your dashboard. The handful of money concepts that let you ask a good question and recognise a bad answer, without becoming a financial planner. Plus: who belongs in your financial universe, how to choose advisers you trust instead of inheriting ones you do not, and why talking to your friends about money is one of the most powerful financial moves you can make.

The 12 May federal budget made big moves on family trusts, capital gains tax and negative gearing. Phoebe walks through what actually changed, who it affects, and the steps to take now, with women at the centre of the conversation. The federal budget handed down on 12 May proposed three major tax changes. First, from 1 July 2028, discretionary (family) trusts will pay a minimum of 30 percent tax on their taxable income, effectively ending the income splitting strategy that has run Australian family businesses for fifty years. Second, from 1 July 2027, the 50 percent capital gains tax discount is being replaced by cost base indexation with a 30 percent minimum tax on the gain. Third, negative gearing losses on residential property purchased after 7.30pm on 12 May 2026 will only be deductible against other residential property income, not against salary or wages. None of these measures are law yet. Women are often the beneficiaries of family trusts they did not set up, which makes the trust change especially worth understanding. This episode is general in nature and is not personal financial or tax advice. None of these measures are law yet; they are proposed. Phoebe's key sources were the ATO explainer sheets. Speak to your accountant or licensed financial adviser about your own situation.

The Bank of Mum and Dad is now somewhere between the fifth and ninth largest mortgage lender in Australia. That's not a metaphor. That's Finder research from 2025. Seventeen percent of first-home buyers now receive help from their parents to save a deposit — up from eleven percent in 2022. Seventy-five percent of that help is gifted, not loaned. And the average gift sits at $74,040… though in real life, as a former mortgage broker, Phoebe regularly saw two, three, four times that figure cross the table. And it's not just deposits. It's the wedding. The school fees. The second car. The credit card debt. The bond money when they suddenly had to move. The family holiday you "treated everyone" to. For many Australian women in their 50s and 60s, this is now the second largest line item in their financial life — after their own mortgage or rent. And here's the part nobody is talking about: we didn't sign up for this the way our mothers did. They raised us, packed us off with a Vegemite jar of cutlery and a casserole dish, and were essentially financially done. We're mothering and funding well into our 60s and 70s — and we're quietly tipping in without saying a word at book club, at dinner, or sometimes even to our own partner. In this episode, Phoebe Blamey unpacks one of the most important — and least discussed — financial issues facing midlife Australian women right now. Because the maths is brutal. The average woman aged 60–64 has around $318,000 in super. A comfortable single retirement needs closer to $595,000. The gap between those two numbers is exactly the kind of gap created by 10 or 15 years of "just helping the kids out." You'll hear: The three biggest financial blast radiuses of getting Bank of Mum and Dad wrong — including the $200,000 deposit that walks straight out the door in a property settlement, and the inheritance fight you create from beyond the grave without ever meaning to Why the Family Court treats gifts and loans completely differently in Australia — and the simple, inexpensive paperwork that protects your child (and your money) if a marriage ever goes sideways The five conversations to have at the kitchen table on a Sunday morning, when nobody is in crisis — before the phone rings late at night Why your only job when your adult child arrives in marital distress is to listen — and the one exception where the rules completely change How to have the fairness conversation while everyone is still alive (because fair and equal are not the same thing — and the version of this conversation that destroys sibling relationships is always the one held silently, in a will) The single biggest mindset shift that makes all of this stick: you are the lighthouse, not the lifeboat This episode is for the woman who is capable, educated, earning well, and increasingly realising she needs to be the one making the calls — not deferring to a husband, an adviser, or a default "yes" when her adult children ask. Because the greatest transfer of generational wealth in history is moving toward women, and learning to hold money — not just spend it or give it away — is the skill of this decade. Decide your line now, while the weather is calm and the seas aren't stormy. You can love your children ferociously and still hold your line. Those two things are not in conflict. The line is love. Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is general in nature and does not constitute personal financial advice or recommendations.

When my friend Kate (not her real name) broke down on the phone to me three weeks into managing her father's estate, and the line she said that I have heard from a hundred women: "I'm doing all this and I haven't even looked at my own super in years." I had one thought! There's a phrase doing the rounds; eldest daughter syndrome! It's funny on Instagram until you realise the finance industry has been tracking the same thing for years, and it has some really scary implications for our generation.  JBWere call it the oldest daughter effect. When wealth transfers in an Australian family, it's the eldest daughter who is most likely to end up managing the estate - roughly 50% more likely than other siblings. She didn't ask for it. She's just the one everyone already trusts to deal with things. In this episode, we unpack what happens when the woman who has carried everyone, suddenly has to carry the money too. We look at the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in Australian history — somewhere between $3.5 and $5 trillion and the staggering fact that about 65% of it is heading into the hands of women. Most of whom have never been the financial decision-maker in their own lives. If we want the world to change we need to understand what this means.  We talk about the three disasters that no one talks about and drain inherited wealth: the wrong-beneficiary super, the death-benefits tax mistake, and the inherited adviser nobody chose. We walk through five things you can do this week to step out of the eldest-daughter trap and into your own financial authority, including the one nobody tells you about: breaking the silence. This is the episode to send to your sister, your mother, your daughter, and the friend who has been carrying it all alone because taking this on gives us the opportunity to impact the world.   #EldestDaughterSyndrome #EldestDaughter #WomenAndMoney #AustralianWomen #MyHappyMoneyJourney #PhoebeBlamey #MidlifeMoney #WomenOver50

Think women are bad with money? Think again. In this episode, we unpack the truth about spending habits, financial confidence, and why intelligent spending—not restriction—is the real key to taking control of your money. If you’ve ever felt guilty after buying something, avoided checking your bank account, or swung between being overly frugal and overspending, you’re not alone. And more importantly—you’re not broken. Phoebe shares real-life examples of how intentional spending works in practice, including how she saved over $300 on headphones and cut the cost of a 20-book series down to $40—without sacrificing quality or outcomes. This episode introduces a simple but powerful 4-question framework to help you make smarter financial decisions on any purchase over $50. It’s practical, realistic, and designed for women who want to feel in control of their money again. Because financial confidence doesn’t come from earning more—it comes from knowing how to decide.

If you’re suddenly finding yourself pausing before you open your banking app, this episode will hit close to home. Because the pressure is real right now,  rising costs, inconsistent income, tax debt, family responsibilities… it adds up. For most of us, it doesn’t explode overnight — it quietly builds until things feel tight, overwhelming, or just not sustainable anymore. In this episode, Phoebe Blamey breaks down what’s actually happening beneath financial stress, especially for capable women who are used to handling everything. We talk about why smart, successful women still end up in financial hardship… how fear and avoidance start to shape your decisions… and why confidence drops long before the numbers are fully out of control. This isn’t a “budget better” conversation. It’s a real look at how financial pressure builds — and more importantly, how to take back control without shame or panic. You’ll learn how to recognise the early signs of financial stress, what’s really going on psychologically when you start avoiding money, and the exact conversations to have when things feel unmanageable — whether that’s with your partner, your lender, or the ATO. If you’re dealing with tax debt, cash flow issues, or that constant background anxiety about money… this episode will help you step out of avoidance and into action. Because you’re not failing. You’re responding to pressure. And once you understand that — you can change it.

You’re smart. Capable. Experienced. You run businesses, families, teams, and entire lives. So why does the conversation about money still make you go quiet? In this episode, Phoebe breaks down one of the biggest hidden issues facing women — not a lack of intelligence, but a lack of financial language. When you don’t fully understand money, you don’t lean in… you retreat. And that avoidance quietly costs you power, confidence, and control. This is not about shame. This is about clarity. Phoebe walks through six essential money concepts that most people think they “should” understand — but often don’t — and explains them in simple, real-world terms. More importantly, she unpacks how getting it wrong creates fear, and how fear leads to avoidance. And why that cycle stops here. Because money isn’t about being good or bad. It’s about understanding the rules — and deciding to learn them.

If you’ve ever reached a point where you’re wondering what comes next, this conversation will help you reconnect with your own direction and start designing the next chapter intentionally. In this episode of My Happy Money Journey, Phoebe explores why this question can feel so difficult — and why midlife is actually the most powerful moment to answer it. You’ll learn how identity, motivation and even brain science influence the direction of your life. Phoebe breaks down powerful ideas from psychology explaining how clarity about your future changes the opportunities you see and the actions you take. The episode also explores why intrinsic not extrinsic motivation is so powerful and why many women spend decades pursuing goals driven by expectations rather than personal meaning. Most importantly, Phoebe explains why you don't need a million dollars but you do need clarity! Financial clarity creates agency  the ability to make decisions about your life without fear. If you’ve ever reached a point where you’re wondering what comes next, this conversation will help you reconnect with your own direction and start designing the next chapter intentionally.

If nothing about your life changed financially in the next ten years… Your income stayed the same. Your savings stayed the same. Your health stayed the same. Would you feel calm about the future or worried? In this episode, Phoebe Blamey explores why midlife may be the most powerful decade to reshape your financial future. With greater earning capacity, life experience, and clarity about what truly matters, women in their 40s and 50s are uniquely positioned to design the next chapter of their lives. Rather than drifting through financial decisions, this episode looks at how women can move toward intentional wealth, financial independence, and lifestyle freedom. Phoebe explains the three financial paths many people drift into — survival mode, comfortable but constrained, or intentional wealth — and how thoughtful planning can help you design a future with more choice and confidence. You’ll also discover why financial planning alone isn’t enough. Health, strength, and energy are essential foundations for enjoying the wealth and freedom you’re building. If you’re a woman navigating midlife, thinking about retirement planning, financial independence, or simply wanting more control over your money and your future, this episode will help you start designing the next ten years intentionally.

Making a major life change is hard enough. But what happens when the world shifts underneath you after you’ve already made the decision? You leave the job. Start the business. End the relationship. Invest in something new. And then suddenly the economy changes, interest rates move, the news cycle fills with fear, and everything starts to feel uncertain. In this episode of My Happy Money Journey, Phoebe Blamey explores what happens when personal change collides with external uncertainty — and why so many people lose confidence at exactly the moment they need it most. Drawing on her own experience leaving a high-earning corporate job just weeks before the Global Financial Crisis, Phoebe explains why uncertainty can destabilise even the most thoughtful decisions and how to stay grounded when things feel shaky. Because the truth is this: uncertainty doesn’t mean you made the wrong decision. It simply means you’re in the messy middle of change. Phoebe shares a practical five-step framework for navigating uncertainty, helping you move forward with clarity rather than panic.

Petrol prices have suddenly become one of the most talked-about topics in Australia. You fill up the car, watch the numbers climb, and suddenly the conversation shifts from fuel to something much bigger; financial uncertainty. In this episode of My Happy Money Journey, Phoebe Blamey explores why rising petrol prices are triggering such strong emotional reaction from so many people, but also and how financial anxiety spreads through communities long before the economic data changes. Drawing on behavioural economics and real-world examples, Phoebe explains why women often report higher financial stress during periods of economic uncertainty because they are managing more moving parts at once. When costs rise, those margins feel tighter. But panic isn’t the answer. Instead of reacting from scarcity, Phoebe shares how small, practical financial habits can restore calm and control when the cost of living rises. From simple transport decisions to understanding fixed versus flexible spending, this episode is about responding thoughtfully to economic uncertainty rather than spiralling into financial fear. Because financial confidence doesn’t come from controlling the world. It comes from knowing how to respond when the world changes.

Something shifts around midlife. You wake up one day and realise this is no longer just about earning money, paying the bills, and keeping all the plates spinning. It becomes about something deeper: how prepared you really are for the next stage of life. In this episode, Phoebe talks about the financial reset so many women need from around 45 onwards. Because by midlife, life no longer looks the same for all of us. Some women are still paying school fees. Some are becoming grandmothers. Some are supporting elderly parents. Some are rebuilding after divorce. Some are starting businesses, going back to study, renovating, investing, or trying to work out how to do all of it without wrecking their retirement. This episode is about getting intentional. Phoebe explores why midlife is not too late to build wealth, why many women feel financially unsettled at this stage, and how to start thinking about money in a more strategic way. She breaks down the difference between lifestyle money, project money, and future money, and explains how separating those pools can completely change the way you fund your life. If you’ve been asking yourself whether you can still afford the next chapter of your life — whether that’s education, business, retirement, travel, a renovation, or simply more security — this episode will help you think about your money differently.

You can earn $200,000 a year and still feel financially insecure. In this episode, Phoebe Blamey explores why high-earning women often feel anxious about money despite successful careers and strong incomes. The problem usually isn’t income. It’s the gap between earning money and building wealth. Phoebe breaks down the hidden reasons many successful women feel like they are “winging it” financially, including lifestyle creep, invisible financial anxiety, and the lack of clear wealth systems. She then shares five powerful shifts that help turn a well-paid woman into a genuinely wealthy one - from understanding your net worth to building financial architecture, investing earlier, learning the mechanics of wealth, and thinking long-term about financial freedom. If you’re earning good money but still feel like everything depends on your next paycheck, this episode will help you move from financial uncertainty to intentional wealth building.

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.

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.

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 Business 03:53 Step 1 — Awareness: Notice Your Real Money Emotions 05:53 Step 2 — Respect: Give Every Dollar a Job 07:45 Step 3 — Safety: Stop Self-Sabotage & Build Money Confidence 10:36 Step 4 — Connection: Link Money to Your Values & Life Vision 12:37 Step 5 — Appreciation: Gratitude That Improves Decisions 15:11 Wrap-Up: The 5-Step Recap + Where to Learn More

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  

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.

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.

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 different 00:19 – When life changes faster than your identity 01:13 – What really happens after you sell the business 02:37 – Active rest: not lazy, not indulgent, essential 06:43 – Identity lag and the money choices it messes with 10:03 – Why alignment is the real wealth strategy 13:16 – Permission to grow into who you’re becoming

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.

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.

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.  

OK so you are not a numbers person - I can show you how to start making some good money decisions anyway! Welcome to the leading money podcast for mid life women in Australia. This week we dig deep into money myths, why a move into your divine feminine might feel like you are NOT doing better with your money, how not knowing can be dangerous and what are the three steps you can take right now to understand your finances. If you are a mid life woman looking for financial freedom, start here! Important links If you want to jump into Frances Pratt's Sales Success Workshop click here Forest Superfoods Happy Money Journey Membership

It’s finally here… the financial Olympics of the year. Black Friday to Cyber Monday is loud, chaotic, tempting, and honestly? It can be BRILLIANT — if you shop with strategy instead of spiralling. In this episode, I’m breaking down the psychology behind the sales, how retailers use scarcity + urgency to make us overspend, and why midlife women are uniquely targeted (and uniquely powerful when we shop intentionally). We cover: Why your brain goes wild during sales How identity buying creeps in (hello, future self fantasies) Why Australian women are conditioned to “only buy on sale” Emotional spending in November — and how to stop it in its tracks The real-life system for getting what you actually want The best hacks for Black Friday through Cyber Monday How to avoid the Afterpay hangover What small businesses need from us And how to walk out of the sales feeling empowered, not regretful This is your no-guilt, no-shame guide to spending with intention, clarity, and agency. Because when you shop intentionally, you’re not just buying things — you’re building trust with yourself. LINKS: Join the Happy Money Membership (founding member offer) Forest Superfoods offer  Follow Phoebe on Instagram (@thehappymoneyjourney) Join the Happy Honeys Facebook group If you enjoyed this episode: Leave a review, share it with a friend, and tag me — I love hearing how you’re navigating these sales with confidence and clarity.

There are four steps to financial freedom and none of them involve being good! Today, on Australia's leading money podcast for mid life women let’s bust a myth. There is no right way to do money. The only right way is the one that fits your life, your experiences, and your dreams. We’ve been told for too long that money follows a straight path: get a job, buy a house, build a portfolio, retire. But life doesn’t work that way and neither does your money. This episode takes you inside your Money Matrix a model for how money actually moves through your life: Stability, Security, Growth, and Freedom. It’s emotional, practical, and energetic. It flows with you, not against you. And most importantly? You get to decide to be wealthy. Because wealth isn’t greed. It’s liberation. It’s your power, your safety, your legacy  and the foundation for the impact you want to make in your family, community, and the world. A wealthy woman with a conscience is the patriarchy’s worst nightmare. Wealth isn’t about survival - it’s about sovereignty. When women have wealth, families thrive, communities change, and the world begins to heal. So start your journey here!  Links & Resources: Join the Happy Honeys Facebook Group for free weekly lives and coaching Support Forest Superfoods support us! 

Imagine waking up one morning and actually feeling in control of your money. No more dread when you open your banking app — just calm, confident clarity. This episode is your invitation to get there. Phoebe takes you through the three big phases of transformation: Reclaim, Redefine, Rebuild. You’ll uncover the hidden stories and cultural conditioning that keep women stuck in financial fear and start rewriting your script for wealth, freedom, and choice. From the myths we’ve been told (“money isn’t for women”) to the practical systems that build confidence (cash buffers, multiple revenue streams, vision boards, and money dates), this episode is your roadmap out of scarcity and into freedom. By the end, you’ll have: Clarity about what you truly believe about money Courage to change it Confidence to take the next step Listen if: You’re a woman over 40 ready to stop waiting for perfect conditions and start building financial independence — your way. Resources Mentioned: Forest Superfoods  30 Day Spending Cleanse (like a juice fast for your money!) Business Builder 1:1 Coaching Know your spending type QUIZ 

There seem to be two seperate camps when it comes to money coaches...some are all about healing your inner child so you can manifest the life of your dreams, and the others are all savings jars, spreadsheets and budget planners. I don't think you can do one without the other! Even the gurus check their bank accounts, and if they don't then what will they do when they manifest their millions?  In this episode of My Happy Money Journey, Phoebe Blamey dives into why mindset work and manifesting are powerful… but not the whole game. There are your habits and systems as well, and we need to put it all together for the greater good. Because when we get our act together with our money it sets us free!  What we cover: Why manifestation alone won’t save your bank account Money wounds and how they can silently sabotage success The systems wealthy women use behind closed doors One small step you can take today to build confidence with money How to turn fear into financial momentum If you’re ready to stop hoping for money and start inviting it in with clarity and confidence this one’s for you. Looking for clarity in business? Book a call  Don't forget we have the spend cleanse going strong! Thanks to the wonderful peeps at Forest Super Foods for their amazing product; here is your link

This week we are rebooting one of your favorite episodes.  Here is to the financial Febfast you can take anytime!! Here is a link to the 30 Day Spend Cleanse course designed for you to kick the low value spending habits and bring in some money joy!! Financial FebFast: A Spend Cleanse for a Mindful Money Reset thank you to our sponsors at Entourage: https://entourage.com.au/ Ever wonder where your money disappears each month? Struggling with rising costs and wanting to break free from impulse spending? In this episode, I’m sharing my journey through Financial FebFast, a simple but powerful spend cleanse designed to reset your money habits. Think of it like a juice fast for your finances—not about restriction, but about cutting out spending habits that no longer serve you and making space for what truly brings joy. Inspired by the "Buy Nothing New" challenge nearly a decade ago, this has now become an annual tradition—and this year, I’m inviting you to join us. A spend cleanse is the perfect financial reset, and I’ll guide you through: ✔ Setting a timeframe that works for you ✔ Defining what’s essential vs. what’s just a habit ✔ Identifying and tackling your spending triggers ✔ Finding creative, free alternatives to spending ✔ Tracking your progress and reflecting on what truly matters This isn’t about deprivation it’s about intentionality. If you’re ready to spend smarter, save more, and find joy in what you already have, let’s do this together! 🔹 Listen now and take the first step toward your financial reset! 🔹 Give the quiz a go here and find your spending type & subscribe for more mindful money tips on the podcast & YouTube #MyHappyMoneyJourney #MindfulSpending #SpendCleanse #FinancialWellness #midlife #women #money

This is my very own story. It took me to sort my money out. I hid from it, I impulse shopped, I did a ton of low value spending...I never looked at my account unless I was transferring money at the checkout after my card declined. I did ALL the dumb things. and then I made a shift...and today I am sharing that with you. I’m bringing it all together. This isn’t just about spreadsheets or financial hacks.  It's three shifts (in no particular order) that changed my life and my money: The Emotional Shift  moving from shame and fear into ownership and power. The Practical Shift  building real systems, plugging leaks, creating cash cushions, and getting debt under control. The Identity Shift moving from “I’m hopeless with money” to “I know exactly where my money’s going.” Because money isn’t about more stuff — it’s about more life. It’s the last episode of the season, and I want to start with a huge thank you. This year we’ve covered it all: from emergency funds and sexually transmitted debt, to investing, boundaries, divorce, and even how to bring a little adventure into our money lives. And while this is the last episode of the season, we’re not done yet. Keep an ear out for my limited series Women Talk Wealth, coming soon. Because of you, My Happy Money Journey has become one of Australia’s leading podcasts for women over 40. I’m deeply grateful for your time, your ears, and your trust. Try it yourself on our spend cleanse: LINK HERE Join us in the facebook group HERE Thanks to our sponsors  Entourage Finance and Property www.entourage.com.au Forrest Superfoods LINK HERE  

You know that money thing you know you should be doing, but somehow you never get around to? Yep today we are building your emergency fund. In this episode I am going to show you how to save like a squirrel hoarding nuts for winter. This is your money, your financial freedom and possibly you FU fund.  Whatever you call it, it is more than just a pile of cash. It’s peace of mind. It’s freedom. It's the stash that lets you walk away from a job, relationship, or situation that no longer serves you. So why do we put off getting started? Today we are taking a deep dive into money and the mindset around that question. We’ll cover: Why money slips through our fingers (and how to stop it) The difference between a cash cushion and a true emergency fund How to identify your money blocks and move through them Practical ways to build it even if you only have small amounts By the end, you’ll have both the woo woo and the practical tools to start building your emergency fund Share your milestone with me in the Happy Honeys Facebook group or on socials! Let’s celebrate together. Need more than gentle words of encouragement? Hop onto the spend cleanse LINK TO SPEND CLEANSE Links Entourage Finance & Property – learn more at LINK TO MUSHROOM GOODNESS Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is general in nature. Please seek advice from a qualified professional who understands your personal circumstances before making significant financial decisions.

🔥 5 Habits to Build Financial Confidence (That Aren’t Budgeting B.S.) If you’re done living pay-to-pay, done people-pleasing with your wallet, and absolutely DONE playing small with your money  this episode is your wake-up call. Phoebe breaks down the five everyday habits that help you rebuild confidence, rewire your money mindset, and create rituals that lead to unapologetic wealth. From building your Bye-Bye Buffer to investing with flow, this episode will have you rethinking what it means to feel “safe” with money  and exactly how to get there. What You’ll Learn: Why mindset work without habits is just expensive journaling How to identify and replace low-value spending habits What a Cash Cushion is (and how to build one FAST) Why every woman needs a Bye-Bye Buffer and how to set it up using round-up or micro-investment apps How to get your money out of stagnation and into flow How to add one “rich girl” ritual a week even on a budget Mentioned in this episode: The 30-Day Spend Cleanse Calendar (Free Tool!) Micro-investing apps like Raiz, Spaceship, WeMoney, Up Links + Resources: 💸 Download the FREE 30-Day Spend Cleanse Calendar → Click Here 🎓 Join the 30-Day Spend Cleanse Course → Find out more here 💬 Come chat in the Happy Honeys Facebook Group → Join Us 🍄‍🟫Forest Superfoods Find out more 🙋‍♀️Entourage Link  Connect with Phoebe: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehappymoneyjourney/ TikTok: Phoebe Blamey Website: www.myphoebeblamey.com.au

Today we’re diving into a different kind of STD… one that spreads through love, trust, and silence: sexually transmitted debt. This can look like a romance scam, on the other hand it can also look like the thing we just do in a relationship.  Today I want to bust the money myth that we need to go along with what our significant other is doing in their business, that its somehow our responsibility to support our new partner and how to spot the signs that an STD might be coming your way...I also want to talk about how to support a friend experiencing an STD. Its something I have done wrong but I want to share the learning from that mistake. Silence is expensive. Talking about money can save you thousands of dollars and a whole lot of heartache. In this episode: Melanie’s story – how one woman’s $40,000 loan for her dream man turned into five years of debt and heartbreak. The emotional manipulation playbook – love bombing, gaslighting, guilt trips, and why smart women fall for these traps. The psychology of money & love – how our brains are wired to trust, to hope, and how spotting it can help us change. Why we ignore red flags – even when our friends are shouting at us about it How to protect yourself – from keeping your own bank account, to spotting red flags, to setting boundaries that keep you and your money safe. Key takeaway: Being vulnerable with money doesn’t mean you’re weak  it means you’re human. The solution isn’t to hide all alone with your shame. You can build skills, safety nets, and support systems. Protecting your assets is smart. Saying no is really hard but you are not alone. . Resources & Support WIRE (Women’s Information and Referral Exchange, VIC) – Your invitation is here Build your own financial literacy with the 30 Day Spend Cleanse, find out more     

We all think we’re supposed to look after everyone our partners, our parents, our kids, our grandkids. But what happens when that “responsibility” becomes a financial trap? This week I’m diving deep into the messy middle of money and relationships when love, obligation, and trust get tangled up with bank balances. I’ll take you inside real-life stories from workshops and coaching sessions: When a partner’s business collapses and you’re the one propping it up When a sibling might be financially exploiting your ageing parent When kids (or the “Bank of Mum and Dad” culture) expect more than you can afford We’ll talk about difficult conversations, long-term thinking, and why “no” is a complete sentence. Most importantly you’ll walk away with the tools and permission to protect your financial future without blowing up your relationships. 💡 Links and Resources: Join the 30-Day Spend Cleanse: Build boundaries and clarity in just 15 minutes a day Join our free Happy Honeys Facebook Group Follow me on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube @phoebe.blamey Link for Forest Superfoods Thanks to our sponsor, find out more at entourage.com.au

Australia is on the brink of the largest intergenerational wealth transfer ever. Between $3.8 and $5 trillion will move from boomers to the next generation. Women will inherit 65% of it. In this episode of My Happy Money Journey, Phoebe dives into the realities of inheritance: Why women inherit more, later in life How divorce, blended families, and “the eldest daughter effect” complicate things The sandwich generation’s struggle caring for parents while still supporting kids The rise of the Bank of Mum and Dad and the risks of living inheritances Why open conversations prevent conflict and even elder abuse The tax traps you need to know about (CGT, super, property sales) Why testamentary trusts aren’t just for the rich And how to find the right financial adviser in a shrinking market Phoebe shares stats, stories, and strategies to help women not just receive money but truly own it. Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Entourage Finance & Property: helping Australians grow wealth through property, lending, and advice. Forest Superfoods Download your FREE spend cleanse calendar HERE  

When you’re over 50 and suddenly find yourself without a job, it’s more than a career hiccup it’s a seismic life shift. Add menopause, aging parents, adult kids moving home, or divorce, and it’s a perfect storm. This week, Phoebe dives into the uncomfortable reality: women over 55 in Australia take, on average, 20 months to find new work (seriously) more than double the time of younger candidates. But that “forced pause” can be the catalyst for something far more exciting than you expected. We’ll cover: Why redundancy rates and re-employment times hit women over 50 harder How to run your own “financial first aid” in the days after losing a job The critical role of knowing your burn rate How to plug your money leaks with the free 30-Day Spend Cleanse calendar (linked below) The surprising industries that do value mature female leadership Why AI literacy could be your best career insurance policy Smart, lean ways to start a business when venture capital is not flowing to women Whether you’ve just been laid off or you’re quietly thinking “what if?”, this episode is about building a plan, protecting your finances, and reinventing your work life on your terms. Links & Resources: Free 30-Day Spend Cleanse Calendar: Link Here Follow Phoebe on TikTok (its not just for Kids!!) : @phoebe.blamey Join the My Happy Money Journey Facebook Group: Happy Honeys on a Happy Money Journey

It could have been the worst week...but my money systems saved me! This week is all about where the money systems you have really count.  No its not when you look at your bank account, its when life hits the fan and everything falls apart. Because not all rich girl habits are about designer handbags or passive income dreams. Some are about finally having a freezer full of food when you're too sore to cook… or a cash cushion that lets you breathe when you can’t work. In this episode, I break down the real, quiet, powerful habits that keep me calm, prepared, and actually wealthy. After four days in pain from a trapped nerve, I was reminded exactly why these habits matter. We’re talking systems, insurance, boundaries, and joy over convenience. It’s rich girl energy, when I really had none. 

Over a third of businesses in Australia are started by women over 35 and we’re doing it at almost double the rate of men. But we’re not just chasing profit,we’re chasing freedom, flexibility, and purpose. In this episode, Phoebe shares why so many women are walking away from the corporate treadmill to build something of their own and what it really takes to make your business financially sustainable. From the untold story behind the female entrepreneurship boom to the cold, hard truth about subscription costs, pricing your offers, and paying yourself more than a guilt-soaked 1% this is your no-BS, emotionally honest, number-crunching chat about building a business that actually supports you. If you’re a woman in midlife thinking of starting a business or knee-deep in one and wondering, “Is this even working?” this one’s for you. 🎁 Get support & tools mentioned in this episode: 🔧 Book a Happy Hour coaching session – 1:1, powerful,  🚀 Join the Business Builder program: includes 3 months of 1:1 coaching: use code THRIVE25 for 25% off 📚 Free Business Builder tools + downloads: phoebeblamey.com.au 🎥 Follow on YouTube for practical video tips 📖 Read The Happy Money Journey (book): Buy it here 🎧 If you loved this ep… 👉 Share it with the midlife woman in your life who’s cooking dinner while side-eyeing her LinkedIn profile and wondering what if? 👉 Leave a 5-star review and tell us what your dream business looks like. 👉 Subscribe for weekly deep dives into money, business, midlife pivots, and making it all work for you.

In this episode, we’re ditching perfection and chasing progress, because financial freedom isn’t about doing everything “right.” It’s about healing your money wounds, learning the basics, and transforming your relationship with money using simple, consistent actions. I’ll take you through: Why it’s time to stop faking it and start faithing it How money trauma shows up (even in high earners) The three-step formula to create financial peace without pressure What it really means to build systems around your life (not the other way around) How tiny financial choices lead to powerful freedom This one’s part pep talk, part plan, and all heart. Whether you’re swimming in spreadsheets or ignoring your statements altogether, this episode is for you. 🎁 Want to reset your money habits? Try the 30-Day Spend Cleanse and use code THRIVE25 for 25% off: 👉 LINK HERE 📺 Find us on You Tube https://www.youtube.com/@phoebeblamey 📚 Grab the free workbook click here

By choice or by chance, our lives change in our 40s and 50s. Kids grow up. Parents age. Relationships fracture. Careers stall. Suddenly, we’re carrying everyone — emotionally, financially, physically — and nobody seems to notice that we’re drowning. This episode is raw and real.I’m digging into what it really feels like to be a woman in the thick of it: invisible, exhausted, expected to hold it all together… while secretly falling apart. What do we do when it all falls apart, because we were meant to be the generation that had it all!! Instead we are getting divorced, losing our jobs and finding ourselves with no real plan. This is the emotional and financial burden we don't talk about. But we need to. Because here’s the truth: You are not lazy. You are not crazy. You are not alone. And you are not out of options. 💥 In this episode, we talk about: Why midlife is hitting women harder than ever before The trap of being the default caregiver — even when we’re crumbling Domestic violence, adult children, ageing parents, and financial burnout The uncomfortable but necessary steps to start putting yourself first again Transition-to-retirement strategies, Centrelink options, and topping up super How curiosity beats defeat — especially when you're rebuilding your life 🔧 Resources & Support Free Workbook: My Mindful Money Journey 30-Day Spend Cleanse: Join Now 💛 Join the Community: Instagram: @thehappymoneyjourney Facebook Group: Happy Honeys 📢 Want more? If this episode hit home, share it with a woman you love. Rate, review, and subscribe — it helps get this message to more women who need to hear they’re not alone.

It’s that time again — the ATO wants a date, and you’ve got receipts (somewhere, probably…). But what if we told you tax time isn’t just a necessary evil? It’s actually a chance to get financially fierce and turn your spring clean into a wealth strategy. In this empowering episode, Phoebe breaks down: Why tax time is your secret weapon for building wealth How to rethink deductions (it’s not just about work expenses) The truth about tax myths that keep women playing small How to use this time to spot leaks, set goals, and invest smart A mini pep talk about claiming your worth (because YES, you can pay less tax and still sleep at night) Whether you're a side hustler, small biz owner, PAYG employee, or just tired of financial fog, this episode has something for you. 💥 No dry ATO speak. Just practical, powerful steps to take control of your money narrative — minus the shame spiral. 🔗 Links Mentioned 📥 Grab your FREE 30-Day Spend Cleanse Plan 📚 Read The Happy Money Journey Book 🧠 Join the 30 Day Spend Cleanse 🎉 Work with Phoebe 1:1 or in group coaching 💛 Join the Happy Honeys Facebook Group 🎧 Listen to more episodes 🧵 Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome to the power of tax time 02:40 – Why women are overpaying and under-claiming 07:30 – How tax can be part of your abundance plan 12:15 – The mindset shift: receipts are data 16:00 – Deductions decoded: what you might be missing 18:30 – Next steps: reclaim your financial power

Buying a home can be overwhelming — especially when life is messy. What if you’re going through a divorce? What if you’ve inherited a property? What if you just don’t know where to start? Enter Antoinette Sagaria, powerhouse Buyer’s Advocate at Entourage Property. In this episode, she reveals how to make smarter, calmer, and far more strategic property decisions — no matter where you’re at on your journey. From first‑time buyers finding their feet, to those starting over after separation, Antoinette takes the emotion out of buying and selling. You’ll learn why having a trusted advocate can save you money, time, and heartache, how to align your expectations with the reality of the market, and why every dollar you invest needs to work harder for you. This one’s an absolute must‑listen for anyone dreaming of financial freedom through property — because buying well is how we build generational wealth. Listen now and get ready to rewrite your own property story. ⏱️ Timestamped Show Notes: [00:00] Introduction & Acknowledgement of Country Welcome to My Happy Money Journey, Phoebe Blamey acknowledges traditional owners and sets the scene for this episode. [01:00] Meet Antoinette Sagaria — Buyer’s Advocate at Entourage Property How Antoinette guides clients through buying, selling, and property management, focusing on making property a holistic part of their life. [03:00] Property & Family Dynamics Antoinette shares her experience with family dynamics, succession planning, and renovations — making sense of inherited properties. [06:00] Property Advice & Finance Why working with a Buyer’s Advocate from the start can save heartbreak down the track, especially in divorce or separation scenarios. [08:00] Setting Realistic Property Expectations How Antoinette helps couples align their ideas about what to buy and where — making sure the search is a match for the market. [10:00] Helping First‑Time Buyers & Divorcing Couples Why guidance is critical when starting fresh after separation, and making sure the next chapter is built on solid financial ground. [14:00] The Role of Property in Generational Wealth Buying for long‑term stability, making smart decisions about inherited properties, and looking at the bigger picture of family wealth. [18:00] Navigating the Sale of a Family Home Why an expert advocate can save money and reduce stress when splitting a household post‑divorce. [22:00] Property as an Asset You Can Control How to balance emotion and financial reality when making big decisions about the family home or inherited property. [26:00] The Importance of Tailored Property Advice Buying interstate versus in Victoria, making confident decisions, and knowing when and why you might diversify your investments. [29:00] Final Thoughts and Best Advice Why a trusted team of professionals gives you the confidence to create long‑term, generational wealth and a happy money journey.   About Antionette: With over 20 years of Australian property experience to her name, Antoinette Sagaria brings a level of insight, dedication and an enviable business network in support of her clients. Antoinette’s success comes from her intrinsic ability to cultivate and nurture relationships. Successfully advising both buyers and vendors, home seekers and investors, from first time buyers to astute high net worth individuals and family groups, Antoinette has significant experience in all areas of the property market. Whether many years later or immediately after the fact, Antoinette’s clients see her as a source of valuable property advice. Antoinette has a profound knowledge and interest in architecture, building and construction which has proved invaluable to clients throughout their property journey.   www.linkedin.com/in/antoinette-sagaria-6344463a https://www.instagram.com/antoinette_sagaria/ www.entourage.com.au     #BuyingProperty #BuyersAdvocate #FinancialFreedom #PropertyInvestment #PropertyAdvice #DivorceAndProperty #FirstTimeBuyer #InvestmentProperty #WealthBuilding #HappyMoneyJourney #WomenAndWealth #PropertyTips #AustralianProperty #FinancialEducation #RealEstate