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How Financial Coaching Helped a Family Overcome Money Anxiety and Pursue Life-Changing Healthcare
“God’s done so much healing in my life, in so many areas over so many years, but money has been the one holdout. I knew this was Jesus’s invitation for the next part of my life, our marriage, and our family’s finances.”
said Jeanine, my client. She’s not alone in this struggle.
Money can be a stronghold and our security blanket.
It can be an area of deep shame, guilt, and regret. Jesus didn’t shy away from talking about money, possessions, and giving. He knew how much money impacts us deep down to our core.
Jeanine and her husband Brian have been a pure joy to coach in their personal finances. They pastor, lead mission trips, speak across the country, and work as an IT Developer. They knew money was an area of their life that they needed to work on. Jeanine shared that,
“I knew I needed something like this but felt ashamed to have other people looking at my finances. I didn’t want to talk about it or let people in to help, but I knew this would be a healthy thing. I know the enemy can always get to me through a money crisis; it immediately spins me out.”
I love her honesty. Financial strife can cause identity issues, generational struggle, fear, doubt, worry, anxiety, and bondage. Typically, we try to look like we have our lives and our finances put together, but that’s just not reality.
When I first started working with Brian and Jeanine, their finances were complicated. Jeanine shared that,
“[We were] in a bit of a financial crisis and our coach immediately helped us tackle the situation. [Amberlee] kept saying, ‘This is going to be hard, but you can do it, and God’s giving you everything you need. So let’s figure this out and crunch the numbers. How is He providing? What do you need to say yes to? What can you say no to?’ Having a coach who loves Jesus, is Spirit-filled, loves Vineyard pastors, is equipped to provide strategy and input on finances, and offers prayer and encouragement was incredibly helpful for us in bridging that gap in our bi-vocational employment changes.”
Through coaching, Brian and Jeanine have a shared language and approach to their finances. Jeanine said,
“Now, we’re both working from the same set of knowledge and numbers, and we’re both handling the finances. There’s a common language between us and it’s been helpful to look at different options and do it together as a team.”
It’s so important for couples to be a team.
When you’re a team you share the same vision and goals. You can play your part and work together. It’s so much easier to reach financial goals when two people are actively working towards the same destination.
Jeanine shared that:
“After twenty-plus years of marriage, you can get stuck in a lane of how you manage finances.”
If your method isn’t working, it’s time to try something different. Brian and Jeanine were coachable and wanted to reach their financial goals, and they knew that their approach wasn’t working. This is why financial coaching is so powerful. It helps bridge the gap from where you are to where you want to be.
One of the biggest challenges Brian and Jeanine have faced is the health issues their son has had for well over a decade. Jeanine shared this about her son’s health problems,
“It has ebbed and flowed over the years, but the last two years have been really challenging. The last year in particular we’ve gotten to the place medically where his doctors aren’t giving much hope for any significant improvement, and he’s just supposed to learn how to live with this very sub-optimal life.”
In January, Brian heard about some medical options that could help their son, but insurance wouldn’t cover it. Jeanine said,
“My husband approached me with this conversation, and historically I’d have so much anxiety around the topic of money that we couldn’t have even talked about it. But I noticed for the first time in our marriage that I was able to feel that anxiety and just let it go, and then be present in the conversation. We started thinking about what it would be like to pursue this treatment option and had a rational conversation about something that would cost a lot of money, not knowing where the money would come from. For the first time, I had enough trust in God as my provider that I could engage in the conversation. We started thinking, ‘What would it be like if we did this? And what could it mean for our son?’ It allowed us to dream of a better life for our son whereas up to this point, our dreams were just hoping he’d get through the year.”
Brian and Jeanine looked into the treatment option and how to fund it. Brian had a conversation with a friend who suggested that they start a GoFundMe, since many people wanted to support their son on his health journey.
Jeanine said:
“Brian brought this idea to me and I realized he was right. A year ago I never would have been able to ask people for money to help with my kid because of my shame around money. I didn’t feel trustworthy or responsible, so why would someone give to our family? I didn’t feel I’d earned the right to be given to. But now I can say with confidence that I am a responsible person. This is an area where I’ve really sought healing.”
So, they set up a GoFundMe for the amount they expected their son’s treatment to cost. Within two weeks, that goal was met. Two months later, they’ve almost doubled that amount. Jeanine said,
“We used the initial amount to pay for his first round of treatment in late March, and we have money in the bank to help him in his ongoing journey. It is such a relief. He’s already showing signs of improvement, and while there’s still a way to go, I am now able to say that my son is getting better. I haven’t been able to say that for years, and it literally would not have happened without this. It wasn’t about the dollars in the bank account; it was about the change in me and my marriage and the way we’ve communicated about finances. It allowed us the freedom to begin to dream bigger dreams and to think in ways that we wouldn’t have before, and my son’s getting better because of it.”
This is what I love about financial coaching. Helping people with their money goes beyond finances. It helps people dream bigger, have stronger marriages, decreases stress and anxiety, opens up options, gives us the opportunity to trust Jesus, and so much more.
I got a front row seat to the transformation of Brian and Jeanine’s financial life. They took the invitation to dig deeper, get help, take action, and experience healing. Money isn’t their holdout anymore.
Jeanine shared this about working with us:
“Working with Rich Living Coaching has been transformative for our finances, our marriage, and our family. I went into coaching afraid of allowing someone else to look under the hood of our finances, but with Amberlee’s encouragement and practical tools and advice, we now have a growing emergency fund, plans for long-term savings, and a manageable budget. Best of all, after the confidence we gained through coaching, we were able to explore healthcare options for our son that were outside of insurance coverage. We were able to raise enough money for him to get some needed treatment, and he is on the road to recovery – something that couldn’t have happened without the changes that we’ve made with the coaching from Rich Living.”
If you’re ready to get intentional with the money you have, so you can experience transformation like Brian and Jeanine, financial coaching is for you. We are all stewarding God’s resources and how we manage what we have matters. We’re passionate about helping Christians live the life God is calling them to live without money holding them back.
We help you gain clarity, line up your spending, saving, investing, and giving with your values, help you create systems to manage your finances in an easy and efficient way, and help you reach your financial goals. We’re here to support and coach you through each step.
If you know that you need this kind of help, book a free consultation. We’ll have a 20-minute virtual no-pressure call to answer your questions and help you take the next steps. We’d love to walk alongside you as you steward your resources well.
