The Broke Generation

In this episode I'm joined by Tash Etschmann of Tash Invests to discuss the concept of lifestyle creep versus values-based spending, and how we keep on top of small expenses adding up while still enjoying our money and experiencing life now. Inspired by my recent $21 spend on coffee and hash browns on hotel room service, we unpack value versus values, the psychological concept of category limits, simplifying financial decisions with money rules, and keeping spending runways in check before they derail your progress.
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In this episode I'm talking about a VERY important part of any goal: the pointless phase (don't worry, I'll explain). Nobody ever speaks about this aspect of personal finance, and often the advice we hear is coming from people on the other side of that struggle, leaving us psychologically disconnected from what we're being told. When we learn to recognise the pointless phase when we're in it, we can stay the course, get over the pointless hump, and finally start seeing progress.
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Another month has flown by so let's take a look back at what went down in my life, money and business in May!
Thank you as always to PocketSmith for being the official sponsor of The Monthly Wrap. Head to www.pocketsmith.com/thebrokegeneration to get 50% off your first two months of PocketSmith's Standard plan.
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There's a creeping cultural narrative that ambition is cringe, having goals is naïve, and if you're still trying to get ahead financially or professionally, you've somehow missed the memo that everything is pointless. And I get it. The disillusionment is real and it's earned. The system has genuine problems. But somewhere along the way, valid critique of broken structures has quietly morphed into a collective permission slip to abandon personal growth altogether. In this episode I'm unpacking that shift, questioning whether it's actually serving us, and making the case that you're still allowed to want better for yourself.
Key takeaways:
Critiquing a broken system and abandoning all personal ambition are two very different things. ou can hold both the frustration and the drive at the same time
Collective cynicism can feel like solidarity but it can quietly become a comfortable place to stay stuck
Humans are psychologically wired for growth. Self-determination theory tells us that the drive toward competence and progress is a core human need, not a capitalist invention
Getting better with money, pursuing meaningful work, or having personal goals isn't selling out.
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Money is one of the last areas where we resist turning inward — and it's costing us. In this episode, I'm digging into why financial self-awareness is the missing piece for so many of us who feel stuck with money. We talk about pop psychology, the shame avoidance cycle, and why our brains are wired to work against us financially. The human brain isn't rational, and pretending money is just maths is exactly why so many of us can't get the outcomes we want. It's time to apply the same curiosity we bring to our relationships and our habits to our finances.
Key takeaways:
Money is deeply emotional — our spending is driven far more by feelings, conditioning and habit loops than by logic, no matter how "mathematical" it looks on paper
The shame avoidance cycle is real: when we feel shame about our finances, we avoid them — which only makes things worse over time
Understanding why you behave the way you do with money is more powerful than trying to restrict or stop the behaviour cold
Social media and marketing are constantly triggering emotionally driven spending — self-awareness helps you recognise those triggers before they hit your bank account
The goal isn't perfection, it's curiosity — approaching your financial behaviour as an observer, without judgement, is where real change begins
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