P$yFi | Psychological Finance
by The Redstone Rocket
P$y-Fi is the podcast where psychology and finances collide. Host Olivia Pierce, M.S., LPC, AFC® — a licensed professional counselor, Accredited Financial Counselor® and financial readiness program manager at Redstone Arsenal — explores the mental and emotional patterns behind how we earn, spend, save, give and grieve money. Episodes range from multi-part deep dives on financial intimacy in marriages, financial wounds and money as a weapon, compulsive spending and the mental health toll of debt — to interviews with attorneys, clinicians and financial planners who speak honestly into the messier corners of life: estate planning, raising financially literate kids, distress tolerance and the quiet decisions that compound over a career. Built for federal employees, military families and anyone tired of hearing personal finance reduced to a budgeting app. No clickbait. No get-rich-quick. Just the unglamorous, deeply human work of changing how you think about money. View
Episodes
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Buy Now, PAIN Later: The Hidden Hurting in Buy Now, Pay Later Lending, Part 2
In this episode, Olivia and legal assistance attorney Emily Baggett continue to examine the psychological and legal realities of "Buy Now, Pay Later" (BNPL) loans. They dive into demographic data and debunk common misconceptions, showing that convenience—not a lack of traditional credit access—is...
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Buy Now, PAIN Later: The Hidden Hurting in Buy Now, Pay Later Lending
In this episode of the P$yFi Chronic Financial Pain Management Clinic, host Olivia and Redstone Arsenal Legal Assistance Attorney Emily Baggett examine the hidden financial and legal pitfalls of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) lending. The conversation traces how BNPL evolved from pandemic-era...
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Breaking the Cycle of Financial Avoidance, Part 2
In Part 2 of this series, Olivia dives into the 4 Money Scripts identified in the book Money Mammoth. We explore Money Avoidance, Money Worship, Money Status, and Money Vigilance, including how each script influences financial behavior and outcomes. The episode highlights how Money Worship often...
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Breaking the Cycle of Financial Avoidance, Part 1
In this episode, Olivia explores analysis paralysis and avoidant financial behaviors that keep people stuck. Drawing from Money Mammoth by Ted and Bradley Klontz with Dr. Edward Horwitz, Olivia distinguishes financial denial (a mindset of not thinking about money) from the avoidance behaviors it...
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Chronic Debt-Flammation: Net Worth’s Silent Killer
In this episode, Olivia diagnoses "debt-flammation"—the chronic financial pain caused by poor budgeting, high credit utilization, and financial inactivity. We explore the crucial differences between healthy, planned borrowing and toxic, status-driven borrowing that systematically drains your net...
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Finfluencers, Lawfluencers, and AI: Are You Consumer Aware? Part 3
In this final installment of our finfluencer series, host Olivia and Legal Assistance Attorney Emily Baggett expose the alarming financial and psychological costs of uncredentialed online advice. We break down eye-opening fraud statistics from the FTC and CFP Board. We even examine real-world...
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Finfluencers, Lawfluencers, and AI: Are You Consumer Aware? Part 2
In this second installment, host Olivia and Legal Assistance Attorney Emily Baggett explore how finfluencer and lawfluencer culture directly impacts military members and civilians alike. The discussion highlights the dangers of trusting "barracks lawyers" and "watercooler advisors" for complex...
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Finfluencers, Lawfluencers, and AI: Are You Consumer Aware? Part 1
In this episode, host Olivia is joined by Emily Baggett, a Legal Assistance Attorney, to discuss the psychological, legal, and financial impacts of social media "finfluencers" and "lawfluencers." This includes how uncredentialed or inaccurate online advice can lead to real-world financial and…
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The Rise of Problem Gambling: When Play Becomes Pain, Part 2
Olivia takes a deeper dive into the gambler’s mindset and the dangerous ‘cognitive conversion’ of real money into gambling money. Olivia reviews the latest National Survey on Gambling Attitudes to identify key risk predictors, including online access and frequent sports betting. This episode...
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The Rise of Problem Gambling: When Play Becomes Pain, Part 1
Olivia explores both problem gambling and gambling disorder using insights from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She breaks down the staggering 45% increase in gambling helpline calls, the hidden dangers of youth-targeted "loot boxes," and the devastating cycle of debt stress....
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Savoring What You Have
Olivia describes how “savoring” can boost your financial well-being. By turning our attention to what we already have rather than what we lack, we can decrease anxiety, improve our cognitive functioning, and boost feel-good neurochemicals like serotonin and dopamine. Learn how to apply the "Three...
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Grave Consequences – Handling Debt After Death
Olivia continues her conversation with attorney Emily Baggett to demystify what happens to debt after someone dies. They explain the legal hierarchy of claims—beginning with administration and funeral costs, then taxes, followed by secured debts, and finally unsecured debts—illustrating how...
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Till Debt Do Us Part
Olivia and attorney Emily Baggett unpack common myths about spousal debt and what really happens when a partner passes away. They clarify the differences between joint accounts, authorized user status, and individual accounts—and how each determines whether a surviving spouse is legally…
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Abundance Mindset: How Gratitude Rewires Your Brain
Epictetus had it half right — gratitude isn't just wisdom, it's neurochemistry. In this Financial Pain Management Clinic checkup, Olivia maps the brain regions that gratitude activates, why complaint quietly drives debt and avoidance, and the two-week prescription that builds new neural pathways....
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Shape the Brain, Reshape Your Finances
This episode explores how neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to rewire and reshape itself—directly influences our financial habits and long-term money behaviors. Drawing from neuroscience and psychology, we discuss why breaking old financial patterns feels uncomfortable at first and why repeated...
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Fraud Pathology: Why Smart, Capable People Still Fall for Scams
We often assume older adults are the primary victims of fraud, scams, and financial manipulation. But the data tells a different story: nearly 84% of victims in relationship and confidence scams are middle-aged or younger. In this episode, Olivia breaks down the sociopathology behind financial...
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Addressing Chronic Financial Pain, Part 6
This episode shifts the focus from financial deficits to personal strengths, using positive psychology to turn overwhelming pain into a manageable state of "halfway happy." A central analogy compares rebuilding your financial life to refinishing a porch swing, a process that requires…
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Addressing Chronic Financial Pain, Part 5
This episode explores the personal barriers that prevent us from following a financial plan, going beyond a simple lack of knowledge. It explains how forgetfulness, emotional factors like anxiety, and a lack of "financial health literacy" can create significant roadblocks to progress. Sometimes,...
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Addressing Chronic Financial Pain, Part 4
This episode tackles why sticking to a financial action plan is so challenging. It explores how initial motivation often fades over time, leading to non-adherence and feelings of failure. The goal is to validate this common struggle and help listeners understand their financial suffering in order...
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Addressing Chronic Financial Pain, Part 3
Addressing Chronic Financial Pain, Part 3 Continuing our series, this episode adapts powerful, evidence-based tools from chronic physical pain management to chronic financial pain management. First, we explore mindfulness-based stress reduction, teaching you how to observe your financial pain...
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Addressing Chronic Financial Pain, Part 2
Welcome back to the Chronic Financial Pain Management Clinic, where Olivia introduces powerful psychological tools like cognitive restructuring and cognitive defusion to challenge the beliefs that intensify your suffering. Discover the surprising parallel between a physical therapy patient's fear...
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Addressing Chronic Financial Pain, Part 1
Is your financial situation causing you a persistent, nagging pain that impacts every corner of your life? In this episode, Olivia draws a powerful and validating parallel between chronic physical pain and chronic financial pain, revealing how they share shockingly similar symptoms of distress....
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Season 4, Episode 23: Money Talks: Building Financial Intimacy, Part 3
Money conversations aren’t easy, but they’re essential. In this 3‑part series, Olivia shares insights from two financial surveys on couples. The stats alone will spark dinner‑table conversations the kids won’t even want to miss. Learn how financial intimacy builds trust, deepens relationships…
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Season 4, Episode 22 Money Talks: Building Financial Intimacy, Part 2
Money conversations aren’t easy, but they’re essential. In this 3‑part series, Olivia shares insights from 2 financial surveys on couples. The stats alone will spark dinner‑table conversations the kids won’t even want to miss. Learn how financial intimacy builds trust, deepens relationships, and...
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Season 4, Episode 21: Money Talks: Building Financial Intimacy, Part 1
Money conversations aren’t easy, but they’re essential. In this 3‑part series, Olivia shares insights from 2 financial surveys on couples. The stats alone will spark dinner‑table conversations the kids won’t even want to miss. Learn how financial intimacy builds trust, deepens relationships, and...
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Season 4, Episode 20: Timeless Tools for a Timely Crisis
Olivia delivers essential financial wisdom designed to withstand any crisis…coincidentally recorded during a real-time upheaval (Government Shutdown). This episode explores what to avoid, what to pursue, and how to stay grounded when everything feels uncertain. But this conversation goes beyond...
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Season 4, Episode 19: Financial Wounds: When Money Becomes a Weapon, Part 3
Olivia is joined by Breanna Burgess, Domestic Abuse Victim Advocate, to explore how financial sabotage erodes opportunity. The episode also sheds light on elder abuse, including how financial harm uniquely affects individuals aged 60 and older. Plus, we’ll tackle the concept of financial…
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Season 4, Episode 18: Financial Wounds: When Money Becomes a Weapon, Part 2
Olivia and Timothy Rolfe return to continue the conversation on economic abuse, diving deeper into its subtypes and the complex dynamics of divorce-related financial harm. This episode pulls back the curtain on how abuse can persist during and after separation, often unnoticed. You'll also hear...
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Season 4, Episode 17: Financial Wounds: When Money Becomes a Weapon, Part 1
Olivia and Timothy Rolfe, a Family Advocacy and Domestic Violence expert, unpack the often invisible form of domestic violence: financial abuse. This episode explores the three subtypes — economic control, financial exploitation, and employment sabotage — and reveals how the damage goes far…
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Season 4, Episode 16: Debt and Distress: The Growing Mental Health Epidemic, Part 2
Olivia continues the vital conversation on the hidden cost of financial distress. In this episode, she expounds on the suicide statistics from both military and civilian populations, highlighting how financial instability can fuel suicidal ideation and deepen mental health struggles. While the...
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Season 4, Episode 15: Debt and Distress: The Growing Mental Health Epidemic, Part 1
Olivia explores the emotional toll of financial stress and what happens when it escalates into full-blown financial distress. From depression and anxiety to isolation, the consequences run deep. With rising credit card debt, car loans, and student loans, young adults are facing mounting pressure....
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Season 4, Episode 14: Digital Estate Planning, Part 3
Olivia speaks with attorney Emily Baggett regarding digital assets and estate planning. Olivia and Emily help you sort through your digital affairs by identifying what digital assets include: monetary accounts, points accounts, creative content, monetized social media accounts, and store…
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Season 4, Episode 13: Digital Estate Planning, Part 2
Olivia speaks with attorney Emily Baggett regarding digital assets and estate planning. Olivia and Emily help you sort through your digital affairs by identifying what digital assets include: monetary accounts, points accounts, creative content, monetized social media accounts, and store…
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Season 4, Episode 12: Digital Estate Planning, Part 1
Olivia speaks with attorney Emily Baggett regarding digital assets and estate planning. Olivia and Emily help you sort through your digital affairs by identifying what digital assets include: monetary accounts, points accounts, creative content, monetized social media accounts, and store…
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Season 4, Episode 11: Navigating Financial Uncertainty
Olivia takes you on a metaphorical nautical journey to navigate through turbulent financial waters by 1) mapping out your financial destination; 2) using your financial navigational tools; 3) understanding financial dangers; 4) regaining financial control; 5) identifying allies; and 6)...
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Season 4, Episode 10: 6 Areas of Exploration in Financial Planning
Many give up on financial planning before they start, and it’s no wonder! There are so many things to know! Olivia validates and empathizes with the listener but helps focus your attention on 6 areas to explore to create some sense of direction and movement: spend-planning, tax-planning, debt...
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Season 4, Episode 9: Personal Finance for Teens 101 Book Review, Part 2
It’s graduation season, so why not gift your graduate with the gift that keeps on giving: financial knowledge! Author Freddie Grant provides a succinct, easy-to-read book for teens to understand Personal Finance. The subtitle of the book captures its essence: The Ultimate Guide to Budget, Save…
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Season 4, Episode 8: Personal Finance for Teens 101 Book Review, Part 1
It’s graduation season, so why not gift your graduate with the gift that keeps on giving: financial knowledge! Author Freddie Grant provides a succinct, easy-to-read book for teens to understand Personal Finance. The subtitle of the book captures its essence: The Ultimate Guide to Budget, Save…
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Season 4, Episode 7: Happy Money Book Review, Part 3
Written by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton, Happy Money address that you may be spending your money wrong if it’s not bringing you joy. Olivia flips the script and applies the pay now, consume later to retirement, where the act of saving becomes an investment in our future well-being. The...
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Season 4, Episode 6: Happy Money Book Review, Part 2
Written by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton, Happy Money doesn’t discourage spending in and of itself but rather encourages incorporating new spending behaviors. Olivia continues where she left off, introducing the concept of buying time and paying now/consuming later.
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Season 4, Episode 5: Happy Money Book Review, Part 1
Written by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton, Happy Money encourages the consumer to experiment with various spending habits that truly cultivate a sense of overall well-being, such as buying experiences, buying time, making purchases a treat, and practicing delayed consumption (aka Happy Money...
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Season 4, Episode 4: Your Money, Your Defense: Outsmarting Financial Threats
You may not consider your finances a likely vulnerability when pondering everyday threats. Whether perpetuated intentionally or unintentionally, insider threats can manifest in the form of personal financial mismanagement or significant emotional events, such as death, divorce, job loss, or...
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Season 4, Episode 3: Financial Literacy Training: Meeting Financial Developmental Milestones
Financial Literacy Training: Meeting Financial Developmental Milestones Olivia and the Army Headquarters Deputy Chief of Staff, G-9’s Financial Education Program Manager, Robyn Mroszczyk, discuss what’s in it for leaders to promote financial literacy and address financial developmental…
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Season 4, Episode 2: Financial Skill-Building: Interpersonal Effectiveness
Olivia and special guest Gretchen Bentler (LPC/AFC®) illuminate how Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques can assist you in being more mindful in your spending and financial practice. Now that you’ve learned and practiced the first three modules of DBT that required “internal” practice (go back...
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Seasone 4, Episode 1: Financial Skill-Building: Emotion Regulation
Olivia and special guest Gretchen Bentler (LPC/AFC®) illuminate how Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques can assist you in being more mindful in your spending and financial practice. Be sure to listen to episodes 17 and 18 in Season 3 prior, as each skill builds on the next. Emotion...
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Episode 18: Financial Skill-Building: Distress Tolerance
Olivia and special guest Gretchen Bentler (LPC/AFC®) illuminate how Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques can assist you in tolerating financial distress and surviving financial crises. If you are a Redstone Arsenal employee, please call Olivia at 256-876-6299. If you are a Tobyhanna Army Depot...
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Episode 17: Financial Skill-Building: Mindfulness
Olivia and special guest Gretchen Bentler (LPC/AFC®) illuminate how Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques can assist you in being more mindful in your spending and financial practice. If you are a Redstone Arsenal employee, please call Olivia at 256-876-6299. If you are a Tobyhanna Army Depot…
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Episode 16: Compulsive Spending: Unpacking What You’re Really Trying to Buy
Although not classified by the American Psychiatric Association as a disorder, there is clear evidence we engage in disordered spending. Olivia and guest, Matt (AFC® Candidate), discuss how shopping addiction receives honorable mention as a behavioral addiction, providing a lens in which to view...
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Episode 15: $hifting Your Financial Mind$et: 4 Habits to Align Who You Are with What You Want
We all need a financial realignment from time to time. But are you aligning your goals to your values or someone else’s? Olivia and guest, Matt (AFC® Candidate), present four simple yet power-packed habits will be the swift kick in the budget you need to discover where your money’s really going,...
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Episode 14: Elephants, Couples, and Finance
Olivia addresses the 5 elephants in the room when it comes to couples and money. Olivia incorporates the writings of David Bach, author of Smart Couples Finish Rich. “It doesn’t matter if you love your spouse or partner more than anything in the world. If the two of you have conflicting values...
About this show
P$y-Fi is the podcast where psychology and finances collide.
Host Olivia Pierce, M.S., LPC, AFC® — a licensed professional counselor, Accredited Financial Counselor® and financial readiness program manager at Redstone Arsenal — explores the mental and emotional patterns behind how we earn, spend, save, give and grieve money. Episodes range from multi-part deep dives on financial intimacy in marriages, financial wounds and money as a weapon, compulsive spending and the mental health toll of debt — to interviews with attorneys, clinicians and financial planners who speak honestly into the messier corners of life: estate planning, raising financially literate kids, distress tolerance and the quiet decisions that compound over a career.
Built for federal employees, military families and anyone tired of hearing personal finance reduced to a budgeting app. No clickbait. No get-rich-quick. Just the unglamorous, deeply human work of changing how you think about money.
View
Hosted by
The Redstone Rocket
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