Why Spreadsheets Are Making Your Money Anxiety Worse (and what to use instead)

The one spending shift you need to make if you're a high-earning creative but still feel broke

Welcome to part two of the six-week series, ✨ The High-Earning Creative: Money Management & Mindset Strategies for Self-Employed Hotties ✨ If you've ever thought "I make too much to still feel this stressed about money," this one's for you. Whether you're tempted to spend everything the moment it comes in, or you're hoarding cash out of guilt and fear, this episode is for you. Tune in to hear: 💰Why TV and movies have completely lied to you about how rich people actually spend 💰Why making more money will never mean making fewer financial decisions 💰How overspending AND hoarding cash can both come from the exact same scarcity place 💰The only three reasons to ever spend money (and how to use them as a quick gut-check) 💰Why letting yourself indulge is actually a strategic money move More money doesn't fix the anxiety, the right systems and mindset do. Once you have those? Spending your money starts to feel really, really good. Learn more about private coaching with Brooke in 1:1 Money Mentorship [https://notstarvingartists.com/private-coaching] CLICK HERE [https://zsnonjfcdyvak8.kartra.com/checkout/74e36c8507df9fa829fb8db6962da874] to claim your FREE access to one of the modules inside of Cashed Up Creatives, a financial education course for artists & freelancers 🎉 Follow Brooke on Instagram @notstarvingartists [https://instagram.com/notstarvingartists] & subscribe to the newsletter here [https://zsnonjfcdyvak8.kartra.com/page/emailoptin]!

The one money goal that will get you out of the feast-or-famine cycle as a self-employed creative

In this episode, I'm kicking off a new six-week series, ✨ The High-Earning Creative: Money Management & Mindset Strategies for Self-Employed Hotties ✨ We're starting with the most important money goal that every self-employed creative needs to focus on first: getting three months ahead on bills. I break down why this specific goal (not debt payoff, not an emergency fund, not maxing out a retirement account) is what actually gets you out of the feast-or-famine cycle by creating lifestyle stability even when your income fluctuates. You'll learn: ✅ what "three months ahead" looks like inside your bank accounts & how it's different than a regular savings account ✅ how this calms your nervous system by securing your basic needs ✅ how the money flow method (part of my four-step anti-budget strategy) helps you manage cash flow in one hour a month ✅ six ways being 3 months ahead on bills changes your art, decisions, and life Learn more about private coaching with Brooke in 1:1 Money Mentorship [https://notstarvingartists.com/private-coaching] CLICK HERE [https://zsnonjfcdyvak8.kartra.com/checkout/74e36c8507df9fa829fb8db6962da874] to claim your FREE access to one of the modules inside of Cashed Up Creatives, a financial education course for artists & freelancers 🎉 Follow Brooke on Instagram @notstarvingartists [https://instagram.com/notstarvingartists] & subscribe to the newsletter here [https://zsnonjfcdyvak8.kartra.com/page/emailoptin]!

Why Spreadsheets Are Making Your Money Anxiety Worse (and what to use instead)

Whether you're someone who loves spending hours in excel or you're someone who cringes at the sight of numbered columns, I want you to know that you don't have to spreadsheet your life away. I used to be that 'Spreadsheet Girl,' meticulously tracking every penny like my life depended on it. But what I discovered was that my iron grip on those spreadsheets was actually fueling my financial anxiety, not soothing it. That's why I created the Money Flow Method: a simple, anti-budgeting cash flow system that takes less than an hour a month to manage. This strategy lets you hit your money goals while spending guilt-free (and it was built for fluctuating income!) So to all my fellow artists, creatives, and dreamers out there, remember this: you are not defined by your ability to conquer spreadsheets or budget. Your brain is a gift, and it is not at war with your financial wellness. You just need a money strategy that was built for YOU. 🎉 Click here to join CASHED UP CREATIVES [https://zsnonjfcdyvak8.kartra.com/page/cashedupcreatives-selfstudy-salespage?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZaxMhIQEPbyPJlM6Rkf1Vcpcaws9OKj8AciJ3gw5v36dfMaG2hQijdrH0_aem_Kp9XUX_Vw9BS_WjQYJh3pA] 🎉 It's my new online course with all the financial education you were never given it school, helping artists (and anyone else who doesn't want to budget) get out of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle and become the confident financial CEO of their life & career. Want to learn more about 1:1 coaching? Click HERE to learn more and book your sales call [https://notstarvingartists.com/private-coaching] Follow Brooke on Instagram @notstarvingartists [https://instagram.com/notstarvingartists] & subscribe to the newsletter here [https://zsnonjfcdyvak8.kartra.com/page/emailoptin]!

How Tia Levings Escaped the Trad Wife Life and Created Financial Autonomy in her 50's

In this episode, I sit down with Tia Levings to talk about her experience inside Christian fundamentalist patriarchy and the trad wife movement, and what it really looks like to break free. We get into the realities behind the aesthetic: the loss of financial autonomy, being denied access to money, and living on an allowance that could be taken away or used as punishment. We also talk about what happens after you get out. Tia opens up about learning basic money skills as an adult, navigating shame around debt, unpacking tithing and "should" narratives, and rebuilding trust with herself. This conversation also explores the overlap between religious messaging around suffering and the "starving artist" identity, especially how both can keep people stuck in cycles of instability and under-earning. This is a deep, honest conversation about power, money, identity, and what it really means to belong to yourself. _______________ Tia Levings is the New York Times Bestselling author of "A Well-Trained Wife", her memoir of escape from Christian Patriarchy. She writes about the realities of religious trauma, evangelical patriarchy, and the Trad wife life, decoding the fundamentalist influences in our news and culture. Her work and quotes have appeared in Teen Vogue, Salon, Newsweek, and the HuffingtonPost. She also appeared in the hit Amazon docu-series, Shiny Happy People. Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, she is mom to four. https://tialevings.com/ [https://tialevings.com/] PRE-ORDER Tia's brand new book "I Belong to Me" [https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/belong-to-me-9781250374271/] coming out on May 5, 2026. _______________ Trad is a new play written by Kelly Pekar and directed by/developed with Hannah Ryan (Hamilton, An American in Paris), with an all female creative team (including Tia Levings as the Cultural Consultant and Brooke Benson as the Fiscal Dramaturg). There is a private industry reading being held the first week of May, and if you'd like to learn more you can email tradtheplay@gmail.com [tradtheplay@gmail.com]. Check out the official press release here [https://www.broadwayworld.com/industry/article/Cast-Set-For-Industry-Reading-of-TRAD-20260407]! _______________ 🎉Click here to get the [FINANCES 101] course for FREE [https://zsnonjfcdyvak8.kartra.com/checkout/74e36c8507df9fa829fb8db6962da874] 🎉 You'll learn everything about money that school never taught you, created FOR creatives BY a creative. Want to learn more about 1:1 coaching? Click HERE to learn more and book your sales call [https://notstarvingartists.com/private-coaching] Follow Brooke on Instagram @notstarvingartists [https://instagram.com/notstarvingartists] & subscribe to the newsletter here [https://zsnonjfcdyvak8.kartra.com/page/emailoptin]!

The One Money Skill That Budgets, Finance Apps, & Spreadsheets Can't Teach You

Spending isn't the thing standing between you and your financial goals. Your relationship with it is. In this episode, we're diving into intuitive spending. It's the money skill that no budget, spreadsheet, or app can teach you. If you've ever felt guilty for spending, frozen by financial anxiety, or like you just can't trust yourself with money, this one is for you. Tune in to hear: * Why spending is a skill, and how honing it makes saving and investing easier * The problem with outsourcing your financial decisions to budgeting apps and spreadsheets * How to use your gut intuition alongside your numbers to make spending decisions you feel confident about * Why there's no right or wrong way to spend your money (and what actually makes a spending decision irresponsible) * A 7-day homework exercise to start building your intuitive spending muscle today 🎉Click here to get the [FINANCES 101] course for FREE [https://zsnonjfcdyvak8.kartra.com/checkout/74e36c8507df9fa829fb8db6962da874] 🎉 <- You'll learn everything about money that school never taught you, created FOR creatives BY a creative. Want to learn more about 1:1 coaching? Click HERE to learn more and book your sales call [https://notstarvingartists.com/private-coaching] Follow Brooke on Instagram @notstarvingartists [https://instagram.com/notstarvingartists] & subscribe to the newsletter here [https://zsnonjfcdyvak8.kartra.com/page/emailoptin]!