Healing Your Relationship with Money: From Stress to Success
Written by: Annie Hillman
Do you find yourself avoiding financial tasks in your business, or feel a wave of anxiety when it's time to set your prices? If so, you're not alone.
For many creative entrepreneurs, money isn't just a neutral tool - it's wrapped in layers of emotion, history, and sometimes, painful associations.
I know this feeling all too well. Growing up, money conversations in my house usually meant stress and worry. Those early experiences shaped how I approached finances in my own life as a young adult - with hesitation, anxiety, and sometimes avoidance.
But here's what I discovered: Your relationship with money is something you can heal. It's not set in stone, and it's not just something to endure or manage. When I finally realized this truth, everything changed. My decisions became clearer, my confidence grew, and I even went so far as pursuing a career in finance because I wanted to show others how they could heal their relationships with money.
This healing journey is available to you too, no matter where you're starting from or what stories about money have shaped your path so far.
The Money Mindset of a Creative Entrepreneur
As creative entrepreneurs, we face unique challenges when it comes to money. While we pour our hearts into our craft and service, we often struggle to translate that passion into profitable business practices.
For beginners, this might look like undercharging for your services, feeling guilty about raising your rates, or avoiding financial planning altogether. You might think, "I'm just doing what I love - I'm not good with numbers." For those more established in your business, you might find yourself stuck in the day-to-day operations, feeling more like an operator than an owner. You know, working in your business, rather than on it. You know you should be more strategic with your finances, but something holds you back.
These patterns don't appear out of nowhere. Our money mindsets form early, shaped by childhood experiences, cultural messages, and even painful financial lessons we've learned along the way. Those early experiences create the blueprint for how we interact with money as adults, unless we consciously decide to rewrite the story.
Signs Your Money Relationship Needs Healing
How do you know if your relationship with money needs healing? Look for these revealing signs in your business:
You experience intense emotional reactions or resistance when dealing with finances, including anxiety when checking your bank account, shame when reviewing your numbers, or dread when tax season approaches
You consistently undercharge or overdeliver, afraid that your work isn't valuable enough on its own
Your pricing strategy is based more on what you think clients will pay rather than what your time and expertise are actually worth
You avoid looking at your numbers entirely, operating with a "hope for the best" approach
You swing between feast and famine cycles, never quite finding sustainable financial rhythm
If any of these sound familiar, don't worry, you're not alone. These are simply signs that your money relationship is ready for some tender loving care.
Practical Steps to Heal Your Money Relationship
1. Identify Your Money Story
The first step in healing is awareness. Take some time to reflect on these questions:
What messages did you hear about money growing up?
When you think about financial success, what emotions arise?
If money were a person, how would you describe your relationship with them?
For me, my money story included beliefs like "there's never enough" and "financial security requires constant vigilance, worry, and hustle." (hello, burnout) Once I identified these narratives, I could see how they were influencing my financial decisions, and begin to challenge them.
Try this: Write a letter to money as if it were a person. Be honest about your feelings, expectations, and disappointments. Then write a response from money back to you. This exercise often reveals beliefs you didn't even know you had.
2. Separate Facts from Feelings
Our emotions around money can cloud our judgment and lead to decisions that don't serve our highest good. Learning to distinguish between financial facts and emotional reactions is crucial.
Try this: The next time you feel triggered by a money situation, pause and ask:
What are the objective facts here? (Example: "I have $X in my account" or "This client is requesting a discount")
What emotions am I experiencing? Name them specifically.
What story am I telling myself about these facts?
What would a neutral third party observe about this situation?
This simple practice creates space between stimulus and response, allowing you to make decisions from clarity rather than reaction.
3. Create Financial Rituals That Feel Good
As creatives, we respond to experiences that engage our senses and align with our values. Instead of approaching financial tasks with dread, transform them into rituals you actually enjoy.
Some ideas:
Create a Money Date routine with your favorite beverage, beautiful surroundings, and uplifting music
Celebrate every invoice sent with a small reward or acknowledgment (my “little treat” gals, this is for you!)
Use beautiful tools that make financial tasks more aesthetically pleasing (I find this especially helpful if you are a creative person)
Pair financial planning with activities you enjoy (like taking a walk while listening to a money podcast)
By associating positive experiences with money management, you'll gradually rewire your brain to approach these tasks with anticipation rather than avoidance.
4. Find Your "Holistic Wealth" Definition
True wealth extends far beyond your bank balance. When you define wealth holistically - including time freedom, creative fulfillment, impact, and financial abundance - you create a more balanced approach to business decisions.
Try this: Complete the sentence "I know I'm truly wealthy when..." ten different ways that go beyond money. Use these definitions to guide your business goals and measure your success more comprehensively.
Integration: Bringing Healing into Your Business
As your relationship with money heals, you'll notice profound shifts in how you run your business. Pricing conversations become easier. Boundaries around your time and energy become clearer. Investment decisions become more strategic and less emotional.
You'll begin to recognize that financial clarity isn't the opposite of creativity; it's actually what gives your creativity the foundation to flourish. When you're not constantly worried about making ends meet, your creative energy can flow more freely.
The beautiful intersection of intuition and strategy becomes possible. You can make decisions that honor both your financial goals and your creative values. You can build a sustainable business that supports your life, rather than a life that's constantly sacrificed for your business.
Your Next Step Forward
Healing your relationship with money is an ongoing journey, not a destination. Like any important relationship, it requires attention, care, and regular check-ins. Be patient with yourself through this process. Remember: your passion pursuit deserves financial abundance. Your creativity deserves to be valued. And you deserve to feel confident and empowered in your relationship with money.
Start with just one small step today. Perhaps it's setting aside time to reflect on your money story, or creating a simple ritual around reviewing your finances. Each small action builds momentum toward transformation.
Because I know firsthand: when you heal your relationship with money, everything else in your business can finally fall into place.
Annie Hillman is the founder and CEO of 1428 Financial. While finishing her college degree, she took a temporary accounting job and instantly fell in love with accounting. She worked her way up to staff accountant and stayed there until starting her business in 2020. Now, she spends her days helping business owners treat numbers like a tool, not a threat so they can run empowered, profitable businesses with calm confidence. She helps business owners embrace numbers, increase profits, and stress way less with monthly money management. Besides crunching your numbers, she loves fitness, baking bread, and hanging with her fam.
Website: https://1428financial.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@1428Financial
Social: @1428financial
