Financial Seasons with The Happy Hour Crew
Today is the last Friday of the month and my regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, I host the happy hour on the podcast where I gather great friends with me to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics. Since the beginning of this podcast, which now dates back over 8 years, we always had a set group of people who joined me for Happy Hour. Starting this month and for 2023, we’re going to test out a rotating seat for Happy Hour. This decision has come because of a few reasons, first of all, the monthly commitment required to co-host the happy hour is difficult for people to make when they have other businesses and interests as these seats are voluntary and there is no financial upside for the happy hour guests. Secondly, I’ve heard for years many of you wanting to join a happy hour and share your thoughts and honestly, I’d love to hear them because I have shared drinks with many of you in person and would love to also do it virtually. And finally, this is a great way for us to amplify many of the voices in this community and discuss topics that you’re passionate about. Joining us for this month’s happy hour is a long-time listener and one-time guest, Colin. He joins us as we discuss what financial season we feel like we’re starting the new year in and what we plan to accomplish in 2023. And now here’s my friends, Colin included.
What are we drinking?
Melanie from Dear Debt & The Mental Health and Wealth Show - Tension Tamer Tea
Joy, Certified Financial Trainer & Head of Marketing - Hot Tea
Colin Becker from @iwillbecolinyou & www.colinbecker.com - Drunken Apple (Vodka & Apple Juice)
Shannon - Pinot Grigio - Mystery cheap wine leftover from cooking
Podcast Notes
Happy Hour will have a rotating guest each month. Joining us this month is Colin Becker. Colin used to work with Tonya (former HH guest and current podcast editor). When she told Colin about being on the podcast, he started listening to the show and has been a fan since 2017.
Shannon and the podcast team had prepared January’s episodes ahead of time, so everyone should have had a small break. After a few client meetings, Shannon was inspired to record the episode that we released instead. Listen to it here!
In general, a lot of clients have not been feeling great. Between the market, gas prices, and inflation, it has been a challenging year and there’s a general feeling of discontentment she’s noticed.
The beginning of the year is usually a ‘push time’ for many, but this year was different. Shannon predicts there may be an energy surge this summer, but people are feeling burnt out right now.
In that episode, Shannon talked about financial seasons. She wanted to talk with the Happy Hour guests about which financial season they’re in now and how they’re feeling overall.
Joy - Joy’s household has been in a plateau phase, it kind of just is what it is right now. It’s difficult to carve out as much margin as she used to. She’s trying not to fear this because she knows more money is coming her way.
Colin - It’s hard to put a finger on exactly how he is feeling right now. Since 2020, it’s felt like a whirlwind with one unexpected thing after another. He feels like he’s in an anxious season. With the looming recession, he’s trying to be strategic about his spending. As a video editor, he worried about future employment. He’s not struggling right now, but is anxious about the future.
Melanie - Melanie feels like she’s in between a maintaining and growing phase. She’s itching for a career change, which means it’s more of a pivot than a full growth focus. She’s trying to balance being thankful for what she has, while being responsible, and figuring out what’s best for her mental health. Being diagnosed with Celiac Disease was a huge change for her and she’s ready for more changes in all areas of her life. She wanted to take it back to the basics. Her goal is to feel healthy, happy, and not rushed.
Shannon - For the last ten years Shannon has been in a financial losing season. Her personal finances haven’t been great, but she’s not afraid of that. She knows how to fix it and will when the time is right. Those are basically on hold while she focuses on The Financial Gym. She’s been more tied to the Financial Gym’s seasons than her personal finances. Last year was an especially tough year for The Gym.
Physical, mental, and financial health are all important. Out of those three, physical and mental health are the most important because your finances are always fixable and they directly impact your spending.
This year, if you don’t have the energy for New Year’s shenanigans, your winning goals don’t have to be huge or life-changing. If you’re in a winning season, lean in. If not, just focus on small changes.
Breathing and breathwork is an accessible, free tool you have in the toolbox. It’s one of the quickest ways to get out of your head and back into your body. It’s a way to bring mindfulness into any practice.
Final thoughts and focuses for the next few months:
Colin wants to live more simply.
Melanie wants to be okay in the uncomfortable place without trying to rush or force answers and to manage her physical and mental health.
Joy’s word is 'expansion’ and she is trying to channel being a little extra.
Shannon’s biggest priority is finding a long-term partner for The Gym, which is really close. She is also trying to embrace more downtime and being present with Will and Vinnie.
Takeaway: My biggest takeaway is the importance of assessing your financial season and the energy you’re capable of putting into your finances.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
Colin’s Former Show Appearance: The Importance of Renter’s Insurance
If you have any topics you would like me to cover on this podcast, or if you’d like to get in the financially naked hot seat, I encourage you to email me at Shannon@fingyms.com, or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group, and let me know what you want to hear.
No matter what season you feel like you’re in, I know that a sure way to drive change is with accountability and I can’t think of a better accountability partner than my team at Financial Gym. With memberships starting as low as $35 a month and over 10 years of experience working with people of all financial shapes and sizes, Financial Gym is not only the inflation-proof source for financial wellness for anyone but also a trusted and capable partner for your financial wellness journey. So head over to or send friends to financialgym.com and schedule a warm up call today. As a reminder, our warm up call team is staffed with amazing and current Financial Gym clients that can answer any of your questions about our program without any pressure to join. We just want to find out where you are so we can help guide you to how you achieve what you’re hoping to achieve.