#40 | How to Transform your Relationship with Money with Jenny Karlsson


Welcome to the Designers Oasis podcast. I'm your host, Kate Bendewald, interior designer, mama and CEO of a thriving interior design business, built on authentic word of mouth referrals. It wasn't that long ago that I stepped away from my corporate architecture job to build my own dream, one that would allow me more time with the people that I love, the ability to serve my clients at the highest level, and to make a great living. It wasn't always easy, and I've made my share of mistakes along the way. Fast forward to today, and I've learned a thing or two. This podcast is for you - the inspired, creative, ambitious, and let's admit it,  occasionally overwhelmed interior designer who shares this dream of transforming lives by transforming homes. Join me and my guests each week as we walk through practical ways to build an interior design business you love, and helps you transform your clients' lives. You can do this. 

Kate Bendewald  

Well, first of all, I just want to start by saying thank you so much for joining me and speaking with our members. I am a big fan of you and your work. And for those of you who are watching, and I've never met Jenny, before, I talked about her and reference her quite a bit, she has really transformed my life, both personally and professionally. Denise, a certified money coach. And her business is called financials for creatives. And you were also the creator of the money compass deck, which you were working on. When you and I were working together a few years back, you know, a full fledged like physical thing, how does that feel for you?


Jenny Karlsson  

It's still kind of unreal, to be able to see it and to work with it. And I'm so grateful that you were part of the beta testing and to make it into what it is today.


Kate Bendewald  

Oh, well, I was honored to be a part of that for sure. It's funny, because just on like a personal note, like we were both going through. Like I was trying to relocate and move and I was getting your help with like trying to figure out how all of that would work. And you were creating this thing. And I feel like there we've had some history between this at this point. Yeah. Maybe since then. I'm now in a new space and a new city. And I very much thank you for your help in helping us figure that out. So


Jenny Karlsson  

thank you for I mean, you did the work.


Kate Bendewald  

You're always so generous in that way. Thank you. Same to you. I want to tell Do you have a presentation today? Or are we just chatting? I don't remember what we did.


Jenny Karlsson  

I think we're just chatting, like the back and forth and just having a conversation about money and money confidence and, you know, money blocks and things like that.


Kate Bendewald  

Yeah. Oh, good. Well, that's my preferred way to go about it, too. So I'm excited. So I want you to share a little bit with the group about your journey going from a pet photographer to being a certified money coach and the work that you're doing today and how that happened for you.


Jenny Karlsson  

Yeah, so I come from a research background. I worked at University of Pittsburgh for 10 years and so cell biology and looked at cells and things in microscopes and you know, spent a lot of time in dark rooms. And then I started doing photography on the side. Pretty much as a creative outlet. I was doing the part time MBA program and I was really turned off from the corporate direction that I could go in. I was like, Nope, that's not who I am or what I want to do. So I started photographing pets and their people and that connection when I made the transition myself into leaving my full time job and taking on a very niche business. Women in my local network started coming up to me and asking, Can you help me with crunching the numbers and figure out how I can leave my job to do my dream. And it initially started as, you know, coffee dates, and we couldn't help it, but crunch some numbers. And when I saw the results that could happen in a matter of months, I was like, This is what I'm supposed to do. And then I started taking on creative clients, mostly photographers, initially, because that was the industry I knew, and then helping them with the number side. And I guess in that sense, I'm a little bit of an anomaly in that I'm creative, but I love numbers and love making sense out of them. So it felt like almost like coming out of hiding to transition into being a money coach and being able to own that I love the number side.


Kate Bendewald  

Yeah. Yeah, I was gonna say that. I love it when I meet humans who are so dynamic and their ability to flex the left and right sides of their brain. But I, I feel like you're a little bit different though. Because you can take something as you know, cut and dry as numbers, but you put it into a really heartfelt way and, and bring it back to story and bring it back to reminding people how you can create your own story, depending on your relationship with money. So I is this earlier, I was looking at your Instagram, you always pop up on my Instagram, and I noticed that you're now doing weekly, or maybe it's monthly letters. And you everybody that's watching go sign up for her her email because it's it's very good. But you put in there, you know, to get your story about when you almost quit your creative business and what happened as a result. And I know that emails already gone out is that something that you can share with the group about?


Jenny Karlsson  

I can share a little bit briefly. It's a it's a bit of a triggering topic, because it was a situation of domestic abuse. And it I don't know if that's a topic for this format. But without going into any details, I actually haven't sent out that email yet. It's going out tomorrow. So


Kate Bendewald  

everybody goes sign up for her email.


Jenny Karlsson  

Though, that will be my warning. And because it's it's such a sensitive topic. But it also happened as a photographer, and with one of the clients I worked with there, and how difficult it can be sometimes to notice domestic abuse. But it also informed my wife are going forward with the coaching business and how important it is that women know how to feel confident with money and not putting our head in the sand, which can be really common, and wanting to defer the responsibility to a spouse or a partner. And that has been something that I've taken with me as the coach and to really help women stand confidently with the money so that you you know how to manage it. And you know, that you can take care of yourself if something happened. And so that's kind of the, the, the short form of it.


Kate Bendewald  

Sure. Well, I appreciate that. And my apologies for putting on the spot there. I recommend everybody go sign up for her letters and and read them. So can you tell us a little bit about your process and how you work with creatives in sort of unveiling their money type?


Jenny Karlsson  

Yeah. So when I first started out as a coach, I went to the stuff I know, which is how to set up a budget how to learn to read your Profit and Loss report so you can make decisions with confidence and clarity. And the thing that I kept bumping up against in working with creatives was this immense resistance anytime we approached a practical system, the at the doing generally is easy. It's a step by step process, but it's the the thoughts and the things we say about ourselves when we start to apply these new systems and the changes that we have to commit to In order to make a difference that start to creep in, and I was like, Man, the practical stuff will never stick unless you, you look at where the stories come from. And I knew at that point that like the MBA knowledge, the accounting and the finance and, you know, stuff was not going to be the solution. So I knew I needed to add to my repertoire. And that's when I got certified as a money coach looking at the behavioral part of money before jumping into the implementation. So I work eight different archetypes that were developed by the money Coaching Institute, and they highlight the both the positive and the challenging patterns that we have around money, you can take a quiz on my website at financials for creatives.com, if you want to see where you're at in your relationship right now, it is not your personality, if it shows up, that your dominant behavioral pattern is the fool, you're not a full, it's just a tendency towards, you know, restlessness and wanting to take risks and being adventurous and living for today instead of planning for tomorrow. So that's one of them. But it's, it doesn't define your person, which means that it can change when you look at all these different types and see, okay, these are contributing to the challenges. These are the types that we want to boost so that when you wake up in the morning, you're showing up as a warrior, the warriors very goal oriented and disciplined and discerning and, you know, can crunch the numbers, but then the magician is the more flowy feminine part of us that is trusting and compassionate and believes that more money will always show up. So there's like the symbiosis that you that I help my clients cultivate, while also figuring out how to eliminate the sabotaging ones.


Kate Bendewald  

Is there a money type that you see, like what's, what's the most common money type that you see? Is there one? And


Jenny Karlsson  

yeah, I do. So the names of the different archetypes is the innocent, the victim, the warrior, the murderer, the fool, the creator, artist, the tyrant, and the magician. And the one that I see the most is the innocent, the innocent tends to take the ostrich approach to money, putting the head in the sand, feeling powerless, but seeking security and wanting someone else to handle money. And generally, that's the easiest one to shift. Because what's needed is guidance. Recognizing that you don't have to feel powerless, you can learn the skills needed to become confident. So I love working with the innocent archetype and I have a fairly high score on the in the sense initially to like, I will not do my own taxes. It just gives me you know, all the sweating. And but it's important to recognize where what those areas are and then seek the help so that you can get help with it. Otherwise, the fool tends to show up a lot of them like Don't tell me what to do I want that now I don't want to look at the bank account before I buy it. And yeah,


Kate Bendewald  

I am I have moved away from it. And but occasionally it pops up. But I'm I had a strong full show up when I did my initial quiz, because I'm like I see it, I want it, I get it. And in it sometimes it cost you know, at a bigger cost than you might realize. But can I just give you a quick example because I feel like the work we did together. It's now been several years. I just this is a bit of a shout out to you guys and anybody who's thinking of working with Jenny. So I am currently outgrowing the office that we just renovated in our house. And so I am trying to figure out because I am needing to hire like where am I going to put these people because there's not room listing space. And so I went to go check out a few co working spaces last week, and one of them in particular is like, it's so beautiful inside, it's so beautiful. There's so many amenities. There's really great smart people working there. There's just like this cool creative vibe and energy. And it's, you know, it's kind of sexy, you know, and I was like, take my money, let me sign the papers. And that's really what my instinct was to do. However, you know, I knew the cost, and it is it's, it's not cheap. My business, you know, fortunately, is growing, and I can't keep up with the work right now. So we are also hiring, and it's a good problem to have, but it's like, Oh, that's awesome. You know, I just, I had to think about, you know, do I want to maintain this pace. And so long story short, then I slept on it. And I woke up the next morning, and I said, I can't do this without considering some other options first. And so I got to thinking, and we actually have a ridiculously large garage for the size of our property that the previous owner built, because they had motorcycles. And so I got thinking, like, we don't need half of this garage. And there's two doors. And so I've, I'm reaching out to, we're getting quotes and stuff to have it transformed. But I think in the long run, that's going to be plenty of space for the next couple of years, way cheaper. And like if I were to extrapolate rent over two years, plus, we're adding to the home value of of our home. And so the, the point that I'm making is that I truly believe that my work with you helped me in that moment to not make that emotional decision to go with the like expensive, sexy workspace. This is not going to be sexy, it'll be clean, it'll be functional. But I, I attribute the work that we did together with giving me the tools to really think about what are my options here? And do I have to have like, the snazziest place? Or can I will this get the job done for the next few years. And so I think that's where we're gonna end up going. But it is work that will continue to serve me for the rest of my life, I believe wholeheartedly in that.


Jenny Karlsson  

Beautiful, it gives me goosebumps to talk and knowing you. I mean, you have done that in the past, you've had a home office. And I mean, I've I've seen that. So I know you will make something beautiful, out of the garage. And you're like, I mean, this is what you guys do you transform spaces, and to these magical havens, and bring so much joy. And what a good way to I mean, you will have the space at home, you can still have your eyes set on a co working space down the road. When but as a as you grow into each expansion, then maybe you're like a co working space is not it later, either. So you're you're displaying all the traits of a warrior that is being disciplined?


Kate Bendewald  

Well, thank you, I appreciate it. It is it's not always the easiest path to take, I think


Jenny Karlsson  

no, no, no. And especially with the fool, because the fool will be very, very tricky, and almost display yourself as the warrior. And because it's like but this is the girl this is the decision you should take and set will be very persuasive by you. You were able to slow down and think about it. And I think I mean, we all have full moments. We all have warrior moments. And that's kind of that mindset. Check in in the morning like who do you want to wake up us?


Kate Bendewald  

I love that. Can you share with the group what are like one or two habits or practices that you would like to see more creatives employ in their day to day lives? You just mentioned one, like sort of waking up and being intentional about what archetype do I want to be today and or do you have others or like daily or regular practices that you encourage?


Jenny Karlsson  

I think in general it's very important to slow down and to journaling can do that as a as a really important way to stay connected. Both in terms to just getting the clutter out of your mind, but also get clear on what's important to do. And I think the more you can check in whether something is emotional versus logical, and journaling has been huge part of my daily routine, just even just staying in relationship with money. I mean, that's how my deck got created that money has money is energy. And we made it in to coins and bills, so that we could make transactions happen. But like today, we barely ever touch money, when was the last time you you exchange actual physical money. And so we still have to find ways to be connected to it. And that is to always make sure that you have clear goals, how much money do you want to make this month? What money has come in? What's money is going out? What could you do today to bring in more like, are the activities that you're doing actual revenue generating activities? Or are they busy work, a lot of times we avoid the stuff that could actually make money. But if we, you know, sent out the newsletter and made them ask for money versus go and, you know, update something, or that there are so many different tasks. So what are those tasks for you in your business?


Kate Bendewald  

Yeah, so that's a really good point. And I, I know that especially early on, I was very, I would spend a lot of time doing things that were not necessarily revenue generating, you know, and one could argue, like working on your website is revenue generating sure if it's not optimized, but there has to be a point at which, like, Okay, it's good enough, we got to move on, we got to get our shoes on, get out of the house, meet people, obviously, pre COVID. Start to develop relationships, deepen your knowledge, do other things that are are like the other thing that I find I would, and I've, I've talked to lots of designers and who've expressed the same thing, like when you're learning how to do something new, or you're needing knowledge, like finding yourself constantly on webinars, you know, or constantly seeking information or how to do something better, or in That's good, right? I mean, like, I'm somebody that I want people to, I want to help shepherd people, but if you find yourself constantly in like learning mode versus doing, you're not doing necessarily generating revenue generating work. So for us, I know, I go ahead.


Jenny Karlsson  

I was gonna say also, it can become a form of where you're constantly outsourcing, where you get, you start to feel like you have to ask someone else for their opinion or their feedback versus going internally. And I mean, as a business owner, it's so important to stay grounded in who you are, and who you serve and what you do. Because if you constantly look for affirmation or confirmation from others, it can do more harm than good. So that's kind of where the journaling and the intuition piece comes into. I'm very holistic when it comes to money, the practical the behavioral, but also the intuitive piece, like really getting grounded in yourself, and because otherwise, it's going to be a constant chase of never really feeling enough.


Kate Bendewald  

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Kate Bendewald  

so would you say things like I can think of some of the obvious like revenue generating activities? You know, following up with people? Yes, you know, social media or newsletters, whatever your digital format might be? Yeah.


Jenny Karlsson  

Yeah, I would say if you're really early on and starting your business, some of the some of the practical things that can really set you apart is creating a clear separation between personal and, and business. It just makes everything easier to to not commingle your credit cards, for example, always using a business card for business expenses and personal for personal, to really train yourself to do that. If you haven't read the book Profit First, that should be at the top of your to read list. It gives a very simple structure as to how to give money purpose in your business. And it gives you a really clear idea of how much you're setting aside for yourself every month so that you get paid a lot of times we take care of the business first, it's our little baby. And the the earlier on in business that you implement the structure like that, the more profitable your business will be, because it becomes less and less about how much money you bring in, and more about how much is left over, when the expenses are paid, so that you get paid too, otherwise you will get burnt out and it won't be sustainable. So that one is really key. I would also say make sure that you have a really good accountant that you can turn to because it's there's so many tax questions. I am not licensed to give tax advice and I send people to CPAs all the time. And I want them to be almost like your best friend. They shouldn't. If you go there with a partner or spouse, they shouldn't talk to the spouse and think that that's the person who deals with the money like you're there with your business and you need to feel respected and listened to and get your answers or your questions answered. I love my accountant she calls the Department of Revenue whenever I have a question I don't want to call them but she knows what to ask. And I mean that's something I help my clients with to like, what should I ask my accountant sometimes we can be afraid of even knowing what it is we need to ask and my accountant was the last person I hired before the pandemic started and it's kind of funny and


Kate Bendewald  

so when you coach with so you're offering group and one on one coaching now right okay, so it can you explain kind of how that core money process works? And I love the way I talk about I kind of know this a little bit but can you just speak again to like, why you did a little bit but why is that core money process so important when it comes to like uncovering your money story first and why that is kind of a different approach than maybe what you might find money coach.


Jenny Karlsson  

Yeah. So it goes back to when I realized that all the resistance that tends to come up around practical systems and especially in working with creatives, creatives are very internally motivated and can have a very conflicted relationship with money. So I, I always start to go through this behavioral core process where we look at your your money biography, from your first money memory until today. And the reason why this is so important is because a lot of the way that you show up in your relationship with money as of right now was established when you were a child from the the most forming years are from like five to 12 years old. You can go back and look at how did your parents talk about money? Did they talk about money at all? Was it something that came with a lot of conflict? Did your mom know how to handle money? How what was her mom, so your grandmother's way of handling money. So what I see is that there are generational patterns that continue until I work with a client who says I want to change the way that I operate with money. So you're basically saying, you want to change a whole generational pattern into something more positive. So we look at where these patterns started, and where they came from. And once we've found the origin and the the patterns that are the most challenging at play, right now, I help devise an action plan to take it from maybe feeling secretive about money into feeling confident. So if you're feeling secretive, what what are the necessary steps, both practical and emotional, and behavioral and spiritual, that you can do to start to feel more confident in in your relationship with money. So remembering that most of these money blocks, the sabotage patterns, that then becomes behaviors didn't start with you, it started long before you and you're doing important work in shining a light on it and creating awareness, because most of them have been kept, they have been kept in the subconscious. And so sometimes we're not even aware of what we say about money, it just gets blurted out. And I'll ask someone sometime that when, when this comes up for you, is that actually, you or is that someone who has is that a voice of someone else, sometimes we can feel guilty that we're being successful, and then it can come back to some criticism many, many years ago. And when you identify the source of it, then you can learn to distance yourself or shifted away so that it doesn't hold tension anymore. So you're, you're doing this big awareness work so that you can rewrite the story and start to implement the necessary action. So shift. And in doing that, you can have to people have secretive as a block, someone might feel secretive because of how they handled money in the past, they might feel shame about that, that has accrued or you know, that they should have been better known better, or, you know, whatever criticisms we put on ourselves. But someone else can be secretive because they don't like to talk about money with a partner or a spouse, they feel that it feels safer to for someone else to not know about what money the business is generating or you know, so that it can be you can label the money block the same, but the way they you heal, it is completely different. The person who feels shame around money or around their own way of handling money needs to look at, okay, how do I make the debt go away? How do I learn to live within my means and build a budget and, you know, shifted into something positive so that it doesn't become this reason of wanting to hide, but the secret to person who doesn't feel safe to to display success and things like that has to learn to trust or to see when is it okay to in terms of, maybe it's not even a quantity that's needed. It's a state of feeling safe, that if I have reached this level, like you may never feel completely safe, but it's like this source where you you're searching for something that may never you may never reach it. So communication and knowing what actually a safe day feels like and looks like and learning to live when, you know, ebb and flow of being an entrepreneur.


Kate Bendewald  

I could just listen to you talk all day. goosies so I have one more question. And then I'm wondering, could we work with the money deck? Just a little bit? Yeah.


Jenny Karlsson  

Okay,


Kate Bendewald  

I want to kind of give the folks a taste. And then we'll move into some some questions Do you ever come across? And how do you handle this as a coach? Because I will be honest, you guys when I reached out to, I don't know if you can see the comments, but Tina just said, I love everything you're saying? And I'm like, yes. So you talk about resistance a lot. And I know for me that when I first reached out to you, it was it's because I was obsessed, and they have a new season. So I'm nearly obsessed with the show the profit on MSNBC. And one of the things he does, because he goes and makes over these businesses, and I was enjoy his process of doing that. But long story short, I was inspired by that to find somebody because I knew like, I had no problem making money, more spending it. But just kind of knowing how to take the money that I had, and putting it into buckets to help me understand like, this much needs to go into savings, this much needs to go into, like a rainy day fund. This much is like what I need to have set aside for like, money that's owed, right? Just to organize it right? In business and personal. And so I certainly did not know what I was getting myself into. When I started working with you. I thought, we're gonna get out some spreadsheets, we're gonna look at files, it's gonna be awesome. I'm going to have this all figured out. And I was floored. It was like 10% that at towards the end. But it was like at the beginning, we did some really, really hard work together. And I'll be honest, because most of these people can know my story. You know, I had a very challenging upbringing with a single mom, and even experiencing homelessness. At a point in my life. I had a wild Money Story. And while I was very proud of the things that I had accomplished so far, in my life, I still was, you know, I had to do that work with you. And it was hard, as do you ever find, though, that they're just some people who they just can't do it. They're like, I don't want to do this. I just want to talk numbers. I'm not willing to go they're not willing to talk about the numbers, the Money Story and those like generational, you talked about your money biography, and these generational sort of, I don't want to use the word curse, but habits and patterns and stories where it's just too hard and in, how do you handle that?


Jenny Karlsson  

It, it does happen from time to time. And it's generally that they're not ready to do that work yet. And it, it tends to become an exit point. But then I have followed up with some of my past clients where that has happened in the past. And it might be several years later, but they come back and say they say gently, I finally I did all this work on myself. And then I started implementing some of the practical stuff that you were constantly saying, and I get it now. Yeah. And that's, that's the stuff we have to remember, this is not something that changes overnight. And also, like the blocks and the these, the way that your story looks like I mean, that's your whole life story. And we have to take it in steps. So I think it's honorable to recognize when you feel like you're in too deep. And I'm not a therapist, it's not therapy. I feel like it's very, it's very, it's very, very, very deep. But I can't say that that's what it is. And that's where a therapist is needed. Like if you start to do this kind of work, it doesn't matter whether it's money, or it's, you know, this ability. It's hard to building your own business and to putting yourself out there. I think you have to be extremely driven to do this kind of work, but it also brings up all the shadow work that needs to happen. And so if you need to hire a therapist and do that, before you look at your money or in conjunction with it so that you have the support you need. I do have clients who will come and say okay, I went back to my therapist or I went and scheduled a session with a therapist because I recognize that this is going to bring up a lot of stuff and I'm like Good, because support is like the biggest source of abundance. There is abundance is not a number. It's like this feeling. And I think as a, as an entrepreneur, we need to have support, we need to have the right type of support, and to be able to figure out what that is.


Kate Bendewald  

Oh, I love that. I love that. Support is abundance. So that's my my little note here. Just a quick comment, this is wow, I've had such an aha moment listening to you and thinking about my relationship with money growing up. And now as a sole proprietor mind blown. It's just amazing. I didn't even know going into working for myself how much work I needed in terms of my relationship with money. You know, starting with like, horribly underpricing my services from the get go, being able to have money conversations with clients about what's realistic versus their wish list. Not invoicing for all of my time, because I was afraid of resistance from the client. You know, before I implemented Profit First, having, you know, this just giant bucket of money, but not really knowing like, how much of that is mine, and how much of that belongs for clients product. You know, and now I've figured that out. And these guys have kind of heard, you know, my stance on that. So we'd have to go down there, but it just, it eventually caught up with me. And I was grateful to have found you and to be able to implement some of this in my business and personal life. But it's it's hard running your own business and how like at every turn, it's always about money, it seems.


Jenny Karlsson  

Yeah. But and also this work never ends. It doesn't end for me either. And I became a mom eight months ago, and they're new on the block. You know,


Kate Bendewald  

oh my god. Adorable. You guys. You post the cutest little cheat pictures that love it. Yeah.


Jenny Karlsson  

When you do this work, though, it creates that awareness so that you can recognize what you need to work on next. Or you can you can spot the blocks faster.


Kate Bendewald  

Hmm. Oh, so good. So good. Okay, well, can you do a little demonstration of the money compass deck and tell tell our group a little bit about it and how you came up with this? And then we'll open it up for some questions.


Jenny Karlsson  

Yeah, so the the money compass that comes with 53 cards, and a guidebook. And the guidebook is covered, covering three different aspects of working with money, I look at it holistically. So that I hope I can show lands a body mind and soul. And so the body is the practical systems piece of it. And then the you have the mindset and the soul connection, your purpose. So, between your your systems and your mindset set, you develop self discipline, and it takes a lot of it. When you're working with strengthening your relationship with money between your mind and your soul, you're developing this trust both in yourself and in the universe that you don't have to do everything alone. And then between the the practical side and the soul piece is intuition to really be able to connect with your your heart or your gut wherever the your intuitive hits come from. And so I kind of call it the friend I well, I refer to it as befriending finance. Finance means the management of money, and it's a Venn diagram and the Venn in Swedish means friend. So it's kind of a play on words. But the glue, yeah. So befriending finance and bringing all of those components together, the very center heart, that center part is a heart because it takes a lot of compassion to show up and do this work all the time. Yeah. So because money is energy, and it's so intangible, I wanted to create a tool that you can have on your desk when you're working on your financial tasks or marketing or anything money related as a check in or like to get a card of the day or you can do it in conjunction with a tarot card. So then you get kind of the energy of the day and how you work with that. At, but also asking specific questions. So you want to ask a how or what question because it will give you an action. They're all verbs. Why questions tend to be where coaching comes in? So if you said, Why are you leaving me? Or why is what I do? Never enough, those are like the deck will be like, well, well, well, well, well, now I get a little defensive. So you build a muscle in working with the deck to see money as something neutral, instead of piling all the emotions and thoughts and past with money onto it, which we tend to do in our daily life. So if you can practice setting that aside, and coming into a neutral place where you look at money as a partner, and two of you are in a relationship, and you're either asking money, what can I do to strengthen the relationship? Or what do you need in order to do x, y, z? So it's kind of a two way communication with money?


Kate Bendewald  

Yeah, okay. You want me to ask a question? Yeah. Okay. I know, it's funny, because we've done this before. And you did have to coach me a little bit about asking the right kind of question. So let's see if I've learned anything and can get this. Would this be a reasonable question to ask, like, what activities? Or what things could I be doing right now to move more towards being a warrior with money?


Jenny Karlsson  

Question is, what can you do right now to be more of a warrior. And the cardas trust? Oh,


Kate Bendewald  

I love the illustrations to Jenny. They're just so elegant and simple and beautiful.


Jenny Karlsson  

Thank you. Yeah, Caitlin, that the crown fox that I collaborated with, she really captured the Scandinavian minimalistic design that I was after. And she didn't have an easy task to sign the cards because I wanted them to have the feeling of each action. So what it's so important when you pull a card, you can go through the guidebook and read what it says but it's even more important to look at what comes up for you. And my intuitive hit as an answer to the trust card for you is to trust that you have the necessary skills to to really embody the warrior and you already showed that you did that this week. Keep trusting that the decisions you're making are so trust also means believe, confide and commit. So commit is a good synonym to trust in terms of if you're asking what can I do to be more of a warrior the simple thing is to commit to practicing those the traits are not traits traits would be with personality. So we want to refrain from using that word, but how can you how can you make the commitment to be more warrior like in your actions? So like the the deck naturally enhances the warrior magician archetypes it because all of the actions the you received through the deck are supporting in making the relationship stronger. So I just want to go through also the So trust the reading for it goes you are enough your dream is valid. What you have built will make a difference where your head that is the right next step. The foundation that lead you here is strong enough to hold your dreams and desires trust more money will flow to you like the river let go with ease and know that more will follow


Kate Bendewald  

Oh, that's so good. Yeah, I so I need that so much right now. It's so perfect. You know, it's it. This whole year has been it's been hard for everybody, you know, so many unknowns, and so many things that you know, we're having to deal with personally and professionally and, and you know, mine is no different but experiencing growth can be scary too. Right? Because, you know, somebody investing in US Bass, these are all like really big girl things. And very often do not trust myself and feel like I'm like you said earlier, like, I need answers, I need to consult with people. And you know, and actually my husband and I did this excerpt like a math exercise, looking at kind of where everything is, when I did, you know, appreciate and need his help. But at the end of it, you know, there was this mix of like, okay, we have this data, we have numbers, but I also have like this intuition to about what the right next step is. And that is just part of trusting myself. So that was perfectly timed for me. And I'm sure that others here can all take value from it as well. So thank you. Do that you have their I highly recommend you guys. Get yourself the money compass deck. So well, let's open it up for questions. I will tell you this group, some days, they have questions galore and others, they're very quiet. So I hope you guys have a couple of questions. One question that is posted. And Nisha asked, How do I become a badass warrior not so rigid and fearful?


Jenny Karlsson  

Ah, I would look at where the rigidity comes in, and how to soften that edge. Because sometimes it so it could be rare that this rigidity where the warrior becomes over, exerted, sometimes there can be too much of a good thing to where the warrior starts to do everything themselves, instead of hiring the necessary support. And that's where there could be this rigidity of not trusting that others can do the work and to let more people in so that you can have more ease. So I would look at where's the rigidity showing up? And how can you maybe soften a bit?


Kate Bendewald  

I love that. Hope asks, Where can I find a description of the different archetypes is that in your


Jenny Karlsson  

if you take the quiz, you can either sign up for a complimentary call with me to go into your specific results and to get my take on what red flags that I see in your relationship with money. But I also send out a description of the different archetypes with the results.


Kate Bendewald  

I highly recommend everybody do that. Exercise with Jenny. It's so powerful. Okay,


Jenny Karlsson  

and, and I will say that the So Deborah Price, who developed it, she is the founder of the money Coaching Institute, and she has a book called Money magic. And so that book goes into all the different archetypes, too. So NASA requires a resource or a process. Yes, the first couple of yes, the first couple of chapters is required reading in the coaching process.


Kate Bendewald  

Highly recommend that book as well. Yeah, I'm glad you reminded us of that. Okay, so we have another question. Catherine, as I'm a chronic under charger, how do I overcome this? You know, good


Jenny Karlsson  

question. Yeah. And it kind of, it's so easy that it happens. I would look at what your systems look like, it's kind of where profit first would make a big difference and seeing, like, on paper, how much you get to keep, when you see that, it tends to remove the emotions around charging, sometimes we under charge, because we don't feel worthy of more or we haven't done the work to allow the receiving of what we should charge to, to really make a living. So anything you can do to distance, the emotions from the charging. And being an interior designer, you guys make these, you know, big proposals. So you can see on the paper what a job will cost. It's still recognizing your own value in that I used to feel really sick to my stomach. When I would go home from an ordering appointment with a photography client. I would be driving on the highway, and I would just be like, Oh my god. How much did they spend on me? And I was like, whoa, wait, wait, no, no, no, no, it's not on me. It's the thing, the thing I could do, that they were not able to do themselves. So what you are able to deliver to your client, that they don't have the skills or the time or, you know, knowledge to be able to do once you can reframe it, how you're helping your clients, you're able to better embody the worth, and, and to, to practice saying the numbers out loud. So those are all, you know, the confidence boosting, things you can do to to stop undercharging. And I'll just add one more thing, that usually a money block is not the only way, it doesn't just show up in money, it can show up in how you approach time and other relationships. So are you constantly over giving in the time that you you spend with someone? How can you firm up those boundaries? And what's the reasoning behind that? A lot of times it can be because we don't feel enough. And that's the part that we have to work on. Or that we will be rejected. If we don't do, you know, offer a certain price or give enough time? Or maybe you've never actually had it modeled how to do it? Well, so I know Kate can really model how to, you know, stand firm and confident in your business? I mean, that's how you founded this business.


Kate Bendewald  

Sometimes you have to fake it till you make it, though.


Jenny Karlsson  

Yeah, absolutely. But it's still it's a practice.


Kate Bendewald  

Yeah, it's, it's, I love that answer. Because it's like two parts. It's one, when you're under charging one, it's like, Get really clear on what do you need and want, financially, for this to support you and the lifestyle that will feel good for you. Even going above and beyond, like, what do I just need to survive? Like, what do I need to thrive? How would you like to be able to like travel or take time off to have kids or whatever those ambitious goals might be that you have. But then also putting it into terms of, you know, sure, it's, however many hours of like sourcing and drawing or whatever, put that aside and talk about it, think about it in terms of what kind of value are you giving these people in non tangible ways. So you're giving them the freedom to have more time with their family versus trying to figure this all out on their own, you're giving them you know, and I'm speaking in residential terms, because that's what I know and do myself. But, you know, if it's a family, the end results, you know, you're going to be giving them a space where they can thrive, they can have privacy, they can entertain and feel excited and confident they can work from home, they whatever those functional goals are of this space, like you're giving them increasing their quality of life, and you're doing it in a way that gives them time back in the process of doing it. So both looking at it. And both of those terms, I think is a really smart way to think about how you're charging. Thanks, Jenny. That's good. Yeah,


Jenny Karlsson  

I could pull a card as a general message for the membership.


Kate Bendewald  

Oh, I love that. And if anybody wants her to pull a card, just pop your question in there. And we can ask, but I love the idea of doing a general one for the group. I wouldn't have thought of


Jenny Karlsson  

that myself. Yeah, yeah, we'll do a collective reading. And if you want to experience a reading for yourself without getting a whole deck, that's also something that I offer through the prop on my website, where I you can pose a question, if you think of a question later, and you want to have a quick reading, then you can go to Financials for creatives.com. And I'll pull a card and I record a short video and give my intuitive and strategic take on it. It's fun. I never knew when I got my MBA in finance that this is what I would end up doing. But I just said to a friend of mine the other day that I finally made it mine and I think that's as business owners, that's all what we need to do. It's you have to just kind of go to your strengths and that's something that we do as part of my coaching program to look for the gaps and where where might your superpowers be underutilized and how can you make them shine more when you remove the the money blocks so It's fun to do that part two. So we're gonna see what what you can do collectively to strengthen your relationship with money. Hmm. I love this card. This is an invitation.


Kate Bendewald  

Oh, again, such a simple and powerful graphic.


Jenny Karlsson  

Immediately I think of envision what, what a thriving, strong relation relationship with money would look like. And then your business, what would your business look like? What would your personal life look like if you felt confident in the way that you handle money and the way that you show up. And just to sit with that, and to envision that, because sometimes the block that we have is that we don't dream big enough. So once you look at what it is that you would like, then it's a lot easier to also identify what it is that you need to learn to, to make that happen. So we'll just see what envision also means predict, foresee, anticipate, realize and speculate. The message is what is it that you are birthing, create the vision of your dream, there to formulate it into words, images and feelings. Follow the breadcrumbs that make that dream a whole. Bring it into existence by knowing what it looks like when you get there. The universe will lead the way. See the abundance already present in your life and it will magically expand beyond your wildest dreams. Remind yourself of the big picture. Keep moving forward. Trust in divine timing. Oh, I love this card.


Kate Bendewald  

Oh good. I love it. The abundance that's already present in your life will expand from there. Oh boy, that is so powerful. I can't think of a better way to wrap up this call. It's like yeah, I'm gonna leave it right there. You guys, I thank you so much, Jenny. I want everybody to go sign up for Kira. Follow her on Instagram, order the money compass deck. Take the money quiz and book a call.


Jenny Karlsson  

So many good yeah, I would like to


Kate Bendewald  

know that the money that I invested working with you has come back to me probably 10 folds already in a short time. So I'm grateful


Jenny Karlsson  

for that's wonderful.


Kate Bendewald  

Could you before we go just tell the group where all they can find you.


Jenny Karlsson  

Yeah, so you can go to Financials for creative stock calm to take the quiz and to look at the coaching programs that I have. And there's a drop there for the deck. But you can also go directly to money compass deck.com. I am active on Instagram at financials for creatives every day, sign up for my newsletter right now, where there's a little link in bio to get added to the list. And I'm calling the newsletters, money confidence letters. I share stories from my life as a creative entrepreneur and just general money issues that I see come up with creatives and how to work with them to feel more confident because I want everyone to feel more confident and not be afraid of money.


Kate Bendewald  

Oh, I love it. I love it. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me sharing your gift and doing it in such a compassionate and powerful way. It's we're grateful to have you here. All right. Thanks, everybody. You guys have a great rest of your week. You too, Jenny. And we'll talk soon.


Kate Bendewald  

Thank you so much for letting me spend part of this day with you. If you're loving this podcast, please share it with a friend who you think might also love it. Or perhaps you can take just 30 seconds to open your podcast app and leave us a five star rating. And if you have just an extra minute, go ahead and leave a review. This helps me so much and it helps other designers like you to find the podcast. It also adds fuel to my motivation to keep making great episodes just for you. However you choose to help, please No, I appreciate you so very much. Thank you, my friend. Have a wonderful rest of your day and I'll see you next time

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EP #39 | Leveling Up your Interior Design Business with Whitney Walker