This is adapted from an email message to a curated list of beautiful souls I welcomed - newly or back - into my life this year. If you were led here from a link, this note is very much for you too!
I was called to write an appreciation for those I regard as a beacon for a world I want to see, in a year where I became more alive to fear’s grip on life, and the desperate extent of inequality on this planet.
2022 has taught me that hope is the life-giving essential every change-maker must actively nurture to source their power and light. Your whole person - work, warts and all - brings me a smile and lights a candle within.
Allow me to share below some reflections on 2022 that you have contributed to, and my wish for you in 2023 below.
Looking back on 2022
The world I want to see is a world where all can thrive. This year, my children reminded me that every human being needs different conditions to bloom.
My daughter performed 21 shows in her first professional musical and mastered over 20 jaw-dropping acrobatic positions, only needing her parents as chauffeur and cheerleader.
We discovered my son’s neurodivergence and - after working through our own sh*t and torn-out hair - began helping him find his way day-to-day and discover his gifts. (As a result, I’ve started to learn chess, uncovering my pristine childhood set.)
Is equality about opportunities or outcomes? I was posed this question by one of you this year. I don't think it’s that simple. Equality calls not only for a complex assessment of intersectional factors, but also for the assessor to first master their own privilege.
Can we hold our privilege with reverence, without guilt, shame or fear? For a long time, it seemed to me that majority of the market still denies their privilege, or insist they are "gender-blind". This year, I found belonging and inspiration convening with investors and field-builders who "get it", working for equality from a systemic perspective:
Trauma of Money: exploring the insidious forces of colonisation, capitalism, and consumerism on the human nervous system deepens 6 years of financial wellness coaching.
As the first certified professional in Southeast Asia, I am proud to facilitate FOMO- and shame-free spaces for people to heal money narratives and be peaceful and abundant with their money, such as Soulful Money Circle Series “What is Enough?” and unlearning sessions hosted by Coralus.
The Gendersmart Investing Summit in London, changed my relationship with power:
Yes, there will always be someone with more power than me.
Instead of grabbing and hoarding power over others, we can grow our power by USING the power we do have.
I pledged to be brave with my voice and bold with my experience. And this first newsletter (after over half a decade as a practitioner) is me flexing that voice against a lifetime of perfectionism.
Looking forward to 2023
Money is a conduit for many things, other than transactions. If it can invoke scarcity and isolation, money can also be harnessed to heal and connect. Here are some avenues I see myself dedicating my energies:
Writing about ‘financial divorce’*. In the wake of my own in 2021, I have held the hands of several others navigating similarly-harrowing trauma. These are life lessons that need to be shared - first, to offer a path of healing to the many who quietly suffer alone. Second, the pathway to transcending blissful ignorance / grim-faced acceptance and sparking soulful and mindful money choices is by honestly acknowledging the money interactions in which human beings hurt each other.
* What is financial divorce?
Think: separations between founders and/or investors of a business; unemployment; an exit from toxic work environment with financial implications.
Enrolment for the 2023 cohort of Make Money Better, a 10-week program of content, structure and support to galvanise a breakthrough in your financial life, is currently open. This is a trauma-informed upgrade to the curriculum I originated in 2017 (that returned a 100% satisfaction rate) that has helped clients be richer, dream bigger, live fuller and love deeper - the perfect container to bring your new year's financial resolutions to.
There are more projects building on gender-lens and restorative investing in the making, which will give me a reason to be in touch in the coming year :)
What can we do together in 2023?
Let's deepen our connection or explore synergies in our work.
Been through a financial divorce, or know someone who currently is? I would love to offer resources and compassionate listening, in strictest confidence.
Is this the year to elevate your financial wellness: create ease and order, start investing, or more… Make Money Better is designed to support your action and personal growth. Find out more or register here!
My wish for you
Once again, thank you for who you are,
and all you do.
I hope you end the year cocooned in the experience of feeling whole and supported, in your own skin. This year, support came through myriad and unexpected channels and forms.
Asks - mere whispers in my mind - were met with ease and serendipity.
I became a better friend to myself: kinder, slower to judge, quicker to filter out false pretences.
I gave myself the gifts of The Artist’s Way, oracles, sound baths and floats that connected me to deeper self and higher consciousness.
Most of all, I received the diverse love and generosity of friends, without having to first earn my worthiness.
That is the greatest gift I can wish for every human being.
Best regards,
Gail
Founder and Certified financial wellness coach with a trauma-informed lens, Live True
Advisor, Angels of Impact and Circulate Capital
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