Money isn’t just math; it’s memory, emotion, and daily behavior. We sit down with holistic financial coach Carrie Friedberg with SF Money Coach to unpack how values-driven choices make budgets actually work in the real world. Carrie shares how she helps individuals, couples, and multi-generational families align spending, saving, and earning with what matters most—then build systems that bend with life’s curveballs rather than break at the first surprise expense.

We challenge common myths head-on. A static budget won’t save you, and “no emotion in money” ignores how real people live. Carrie breaks down simple practices—fifth grade math, real-time cash flow tracking, and small, repeatable habits—that reduce stress and build financial confidence quickly. She highlights why early twenty-somethings face the highest risk for costly mistakes and offers guardrails to avoid credit card debt, manage impulse spending, and create momentum with automatic transfers and sinking funds.

Carrie also lifts the curtain on how she reaches clients: strong SEO, Yelp profiles in San Francisco and New York, and years of consistent content. She announces her new book, At Peace with Money, which distills a decade and a half of coaching into an approachable framework for holistic financial wellness. We touch on her past podcast mini-series, the realities of running a solo practice, and why joy matters—hello, pickleball—as a reminder to build a money life you can actually enjoy.

If you want practical tools, clear language, and a kinder approach to financial growth, this conversation brings it home. For more information, visit SFNoneyCoach.com.