Financial Wellness Is Self-Care: Building Awareness, Discipline & Ease with Money

Knowing When to Close the Chapter

“We don’t want to overstay something that has naturally come to an end.” This episode of Guided by Third Wheel is a reflection on nearly three years of conversations, growth, and connection. ✨ In this episode: * the journey of starting and sustaining a podcast * lessons from leadership, relationships, and personal growth * the impact of consistency and showing up * recognizing when something has run its course * honoring endings without losing what was built Amber and Jill reflect on the power of shared experiences and the reminder that we are not alone in the challenges we face, especially as women navigating careers, relationships, and personal development. This episode is both a closing and an opening, a reminder that letting go can be an act of alignment rather than loss. 💻 Want to work with us? Visit⁠⁠⁠ thirdwheelllc.com⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.thirdwheelllc.com/]to learn more about Third Wheel’s services, offerings, and community. 📱 Follow Third Wheel for more insight, humor, and heart: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thirdwheelconsultingllc/]& Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/thirdwheelconsultingllc]: ⁠⁠@ThirdWheelConsultingLLC ✨ Stay connected You can continue to follow both Amber and Jill for ongoing insights, reflections, and the work they are doing individually and together. Jill Bucaro: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jillcbucaro/⁠] Facebook [⁠https://www.facebook.com/jill.bucaro⁠] Amber Ireland: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/amber_m_ireland/⁠] Facebook [⁠https://www.facebook.com/amber.m.ireland⁠] TikTok [⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@amber_m_ireland⁠] YouTube [⁠https://www.youtube.com/@JourneyisGuided⁠] SubStack [⁠https://substack.com/@amberireland⁠] Amber also shares additional offerings through Journey Is Guided, where her intuitive coaching, energy work, and reflective practices continue to grow alongside her work with Third Wheel. Explore more here: journeyisguided.com [https://www.journeyisguided.com/]

Control vs. Influence: How to Stop Adding to the Chaos and Return to Inner Wisdom

In a world that feels like it’s moving faster than our nervous systems can process, it’s easy to get pulled into the chaos. This episode is a pause. A reset. A call to return to inner wisdom. In this week’s Guided by Third Wheel, Amber and Jill talk candidly about what’s happening in the world right now and how quickly fear, reactivity, and polarization can take over our relationships, our communities, and even our activism. They explore the difference between influence and control, how “virtuous” behavior can still be a form of manipulation, and why trying to force outcomes often creates more division instead of healing. Jill shares a powerful passage from the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book (Step 3) that reframes the urge to manage the “whole show,” and connects it back to social work concepts like natural consequences and avoiding power struggles. This episode is for anyone who feels flooded by the news, overwhelmed by conflict, or caught in cycles of arguing, fixing, or performing “right action.” ✨ In this episode, we explore: * Control vs. influence and how intentions can get distorted * Why “being right” can still create harm and division * The temptation to manage outcomes instead of focusing on the input * Natural consequences and the social work reminder: don’t engage in power struggles * How to step away with compassion (not superiority) * Choosing inner wisdom over external noise * Reducing chaos instead of adding to it We close with an oracle pull: a reminder that the sacred is not outside of you. It’s within you, always available, even in uncertain times. 💻 Want to work with us? Visit https://thirdwheelllc.com [https://thirdwheelllc.com] to learn more about Third Wheel’s services, offerings, and community. 📱 Follow us for more insight, humor, and heart: @ThirdWheelConsultingLLC

Financial Tips Wealthy People Know: Debt, Emergency Funds, 1099s & Hiring a Financial Advisor (Part 2 with Taylor Mavrakos)

Welcome back to Guided by Third Wheel , today we’re bringing you Part 2 of our conversation with Taylor Mavrakos [https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-mavrakos-4b6a9672/], financial advisor and host of the Tailored Wealth podcast. [https://www.youtube.com/@TayloredWealth] If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, go back and start there. In Part 1, we talk about reorienting your relationship with money, wealth, and financial goal setting. Part 2 gets practical. This episode is for anyone who has ever felt like financial literacy is “something everyone else knows,” especially in spaces where money conversations feel classist, intimidating, or taboo. In this episode, Taylor breaks down: * Why financial wellness is not just for “rich people” * The core concept: your money should work as hard as you do * A simple exercise to list your debts + interest rates (awareness first) * Emergency fund rules of thumb: 3 months (two-income) and 6 months (one-income) * Debt payoff strategies: snowball vs. highest-interest-first * “Deploy your soldiers” where they’ll win: how to think about interest rates and opportunity cost * How to hire a financial advisor without shame: account minimums, what to bring, what to ask * Red flags when meeting an advisor (including pressure to sign same-day) * Why “get rich quick” investing and crypto hype often isn’t worth the time or risk * Side hustle and 1099 realities: taxes, write-offs, withholding, and why many people get surprised in April * How to know if you’re being paid like a contractor for employee work * What to consider as a social worker or public servant (including loan forgiveness tradeoffs) We close with a Secrets of the Ancestors Oracle pull: Creature of Air (Speed) , a reminder to slow down, get aligned, and make intentional financial choices instead of pushing forward on autopilot. Want to work with us? Visit https://thirdwheelllc.com [https://thirdwheelllc.com] to learn more about Third Wheel’s services, offerings, and community. Follow us for more insight, humor, and heart: @ThirdWheelConsultingLLC Find more information on Taylor here: https://www.youtube.com/@TayloredWealth [https://www.youtube.com/@TayloredWealth] https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-mavrakos-4b6a9672/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-mavrakos-4b6a9672/] www.mfpfinancial.com [http://www.mfpfinancial.com/]

Financial Wellness Is Self-Care: Building Awareness, Discipline & Ease with Money

Financial wellness is part of overall wellness,  and it’s time we talked about it honestly. In this episode of Guided by Third Wheel, Amber and Jill are joined by financial advisor, podcaster, and women’s wealth advocate Taylor Mavrakos, host of Tailored Wealth. Together, they explore how money, mental health, trauma, and self-care are deeply intertwined. This conversation moves beyond “get rich quick” culture and dives into the real foundations of financial wellness: awareness, discipline, mindset, and sustainability.  In this episode, we cover: * Why financial wellness is often excluded from self-care conversations * The biggest misconceptions about money and wealth * Why money anxiety is so common and so avoidable * How trauma, stress, and dopamine impact spending habits * Practical steps for paying down credit card debt * Why awareness is the first step toward change * How to build discipline without punishment or deprivation * The parallels between mental health, physical health, and financial health * Using gratitude and intention to reduce money-related anxiety The episode closes with a powerful Soul’s Coaching Oracle card pull centered on Pleasure, reminding us that money is a tool, not an enemy and that sustainable abundance includes joy. Connect with Taylor: Podcast ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@TayloredWealth⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@TayloredWealth] LinkedIn ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-mavrakos-4b6a9672/⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-mavrakos-4b6a9672/] ⁠www.mfpfinancial.com⁠ [http://www.mfpfinancial.com/] 💻 Want to work with us? Visit https://thirdwheelllc.com [https://thirdwheelllc.com] to learn more about Third Wheel’s services, offerings, and community.📱 Follow us for more insight, humor, and heart: @ThirdWheelConsultingLLC

Trusting Yourself Through Change: Reflection, Growth & New Beginnings

As one year ends and another begins, reflection becomes unavoidable. In this episode of Guided by Third Wheel, Amber and Jill slow down to look back on the year behind them. The growth, the grief, the fear, the pivots, and the moments that asked them to trust themselves in new ways. They talk openly about depression, overwhelm, career shifts, identity deconstruction, leaving familiar paths, and the discomfort that comes when you stop living for external validation and start listening inward. ✨ In this episode, we explore: * How lived experience builds self-trust and emotional resilience * Why reflection (not age alone) creates wisdom * Personal accountability vs. systemic realities * Letting go of identities that no longer fit * Choosing to be the main character in your own life * The fear and freedom of making big pivots * Internal vs. external validation * End-of-year energetics, completions, and new beginnings The episode closes with a Soul’s Journey card pull, offering guidance on what we learned in 2025 and what we’re stepping into in 2026: health, trust, and moving forward with more ease. This conversation is honest, grounding, and deeply human; a reminder that growth doesn’t mean life stops being hard, it means you learn how to move through it differently. Want to work with us? Visit https://thirdwheelllc.com [https://thirdwheelllc.com] to learn more about Third Wheel’s services, offerings, and community. Follow us for more insight, humor, and heart: @ThirdWheelConsultingLLC