Your Early Money Memories Shaped You — But They Don't Define Your Destiny
It’s never too late to change how your story unfolds
When I was creating my money bio and history for the Money Coaching Certification, I found it fascinating to realize that I had very few money memories until early adolescence (11-12 years old).
A positive money memory I have of both parents (and extended relatives) is the joy they took in giving. My Mom was especially amazing at creating experiences that felt magical and left my siblings (and our kids) with beautiful memories.
Because of this, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see that I had the same fondness for doing for others (and, like my parents, I enjoy giving of my time and energy to people I love, too, not just through gift-giving).
There’s something powerful about pausing and asking:
Where did this story come from? And who does it really belong to?
Because here’s the truth, most of us were never told:
Our financial behaviors aren’t just about numbers — they’re about neural patterns.
The stories we absorbed around money (before we ever earned a dollar) didn’t just land in our minds — they landed in our bodies, our habits, and our identities.
Think back:
What did you learn about money before you ever held any?
The way your family talked (or didn’t).
The emotions tied to spending or saving.
The unwritten rules you followed without even realizing.
These early impressions weren’t just habits — they became your brain’s financial operating system.
These moments didn’t just become memories — they became neural pathways. They shaped what we believed was safe, allowed, or possible with money.
Fortunately…
Your brain isn’t concrete — it’s clay.
And you can reshape it, story by story.
Thanks to neuroplasticity (your brain's ability to change), every time you:
Pause before a money decision
Show yourself compassion instead of shame
Speak your financial truth out loud (even if your voice shakes)...
You reshape your brain.
When I think about my own story, I can see how much of it wasn’t truly mine.
The “rules” I absorbed around money came from watching, listening, and interpreting. Moments that seemed small — a look, a sigh, a comment about people with money or without it — shaped how I felt about what I could earn, deserve, or ask for.
Nobody sat me down and said, “This is your money identity.” But I picked it up anyway, like secondhand smoke. And I carried it with me into adulthood, into work, into business, into every decision that felt high-stakes or out of reach.
And, of course, for many of us, our parents and grandparents didn’t discuss money and probably never had the opportunity to learn about it, unless it was a career path or necessary knowledge; women, in particular, were often denied this opportunity.
It’s hard to help change the narrative or shift a pattern when you were never shown and expected to know.
Side note: In a recent conversation with my 28-year-old daughter, we discussed how different the world would be if, instead of the “life skills” that previous generations were taught in school (home economics, shop), they were taught effective communication, human behavior, and, of course, financial education (not that it should have to be an either/or). Maybe one day…
When I talk about reclaiming your financial story, I don’t mean romanticizing the past or bypassing what’s challenging. I mean really looking at it — with honesty, with curiosity, and without judgment.
✔️ What did you learn about money… before you ever had any?
✔️ What did you see modeled? What was safe to talk about?
✔️ Where did you feel powerful, and where did you feel small?
Those early experiences mattered. They shaped you. But they don’t have to keep running the show.
The beautiful thing about this work is that you don’t need to bulldoze over your past or erase the messy parts. You don’t have to rewrite your history or pretend it didn’t hurt. You just need to notice. That’s how change begins — not with force, but with awareness.
Each time you pause before reacting to a financial trigger…
Each time you choose curiosity instead of criticism…
Each time you remind yourself, “I’m allowed to do this differently now”…
You begin to build a new path.
It’s quiet, gentle work. It might not look like much from the outside, but internally, something big is shifting. This is where the revolution lives.
You don’t have to become someone else to feel free with money. You just have to come home to the part of you that already knows how to trust herself. The part that’s been waiting for permission to want what she wants, to let success feel like peace instead of pressure, to speak openly about money without shame or apology.
And when you do that — even in subtle, seemingly small ways — something powerful starts to happen. You shift the collective story. You show others what’s possible.
Every time a woman reclaims her money story, she expands the narrative. She creates space for truth. She opens the door for someone else to do the same.
That’s what you’re doing here.
You’re not late.
You’re not behind.
You’re leading — maybe quietly, maybe imperfectly — but fully.
And that? That is powerful as hell.
A Woman You Should Know
Kara Pérez – Founder of Bravely Go
Kara is the founder of Bravely Go, a sharp, socially conscious financial education platform that centers women and people of color. She’s bold, deeply values-driven, and refreshingly honest, breaking down everything from budgeting and investing to the wealth gap and systemic financial barriers. What sets Kara apart is how she teaches money without the shame and the fluff. She's not afraid to challenge outdated financial narratives, and she invites you to rewrite your own with clarity and confidence.
Money Moves
Write a Reclaim Statement.
Choose one old belief from your money story — something you inherited, absorbed, or were never taught to question. Then rewrite it, not to deny the past, but to reclaim your power in the present.
Old belief: “I’m not good with money.”
Reclaim statement: “I’m learning to trust myself with money, one decision at a time.”
Old belief: “I shouldn’t want more.”
Reclaim statement: “Wanting more doesn’t make me greedy — it means I’m growing.”
Post it somewhere you’ll see it. Say it out loud when the old story gets loud. This isn’t about perfection — it’s about practice. That’s how new pathways are built.
💌 Newsletter: The Letter from Emily P. Freeman
Not directly about money, but entirely about personal clarity, seasonal living, and slowing down to hear yourself think. Emily’s writing is a warm exhale and a reminder that your inner wisdom is worth listening to. A beautiful companion to this work if you're reclaiming not just financial stories, but also your pace and priorities.
Check out “The Letter” here
📚 Book: Money Magic by Deborah L. Price
If you're ready to delve deeper into the emotional roots of your money patterns, this book, written by the founder of the Money Coaching Institute (this is the program I’m in), is foundational. It explores money types, belief systems, and the spiritual-emotional patterns that shape our finances. Insightful without being overwhelming — especially if you’re reclaiming your story midlife.
Check out Money Magic here
🛍️ Product: The Wild Unknown Archetype Deck by Kim Krans
If journaling feels flat or your inner wisdom is hidden, this deck offers a creative and beautiful way to reconnect. The archetypes tap into deeper identity work, which is often what money healing is really about underneath. Bonus: The artwork is stunning on your desk or altar.
Check out the Wild Unknown here
Choose Yourself
Wherever you are in your journey — reflecting, rewriting, or just starting to ask the deeper questions — know this: your awareness is already doing the work. You don’t have to have all the answers. You just have to keep showing up, one story at a time, one decision at a time. That’s how change happens — from the inside out.
With love & abundance,
Kim