December 23
ADHD brains and money: What if your challenges could become your greatest strength?
In this episode of ADHD with Smart Ass Women, Tracy is joined by Catherine Morgan, a Certified Financial Coach and Trauma of Money Expert, about the emotional side of money and how ADHD shapes financial habits. Catherine, the founder of The Money Panel® and author of the bestseller It’s Not About the Money, shares her own ADHD story and how it reshaped her understanding of impulsive spending, budgeting struggles, and financial shame.
Catherine breaks down why traditional budgeting doesn’t work for many ADHD brains and offers practical tips like automating finances, focusing on what truly matters, and simplifying money tasks into smaller, achievable steps. Her insights are not just about managing money but about transforming how we see it—as a tool for creating freedom and resilience, rather than a source of stress.
This episode goes beyond the numbers to explore how trauma and neurodivergence influence our relationship with money. Catherine’s compassionate and relatable approach offers actionable strategies to help listeners build healthier habits and see their financial challenges as opportunities for growth.
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"What made the difference was just understanding that I have these amazing superpowers and really coming into it from a place of love and compassion and dropping the labels of whether it's ADHD or autism."
- Catherine Morgan
"I went from £30,000 in debt to 7 figures in my bank account and holding 7 figures in my bank account, not feeling like I had to get rid of it."
- Catherine Morgan
"Many people think trauma is something experienced only by soldiers who have been in war or individuals who have faced intense, high-trauma situations. But in reality, trauma is simply a disruption to the nervous system."
- Catherine Morgan
"If money were a person, how do I feel about it today? Are we good friends, or have I been neglecting it a little? Maybe it’s time to give it a bit more attention and nurturing."
- Catherine Morgan
- Catherine Morgan, a financial coach and money trauma expert, was diagnosed with ADHD in summer 2023 while her son was going through the diagnosis process.
- She initially struggled to accept her diagnosis, experiencing grief over past trauma that might have been avoided with earlier recognition of ADHD.
- Despite being a financial advisor for 20 years, Catherine experienced her own financial struggles, including £30,000 in debt, demonstrating how financial knowledge alone doesn't guarantee good money management.
[20:00 - 40:00] Understanding Money Trauma and Financial Abuse
- Catherine explains money trauma as any disruption to the nervous system related to finances, from redundancy to relationship conflicts over money.
- She discusses financial abuse, particularly how it can occur in wealthy families and often goes unrecognized, sharing warning signs and the importance of financial independence.
- The conversation explores how traditional financial advice often comes from a masculine perspective that doesn't work for many women, especially those with ADHD.
[40:00 - 59:51] ADHD-Friendly Financial Strategies
- Catherine advocates for abandoning traditional budgeting methods that don't work for ADHD brains, instead focusing on automation and value-based spending.
- She emphasizes the importance of creating positive money relationships through mindfulness, sensory experiences, and regular "money dates."
- Catherine shares her ADHD workaround of using body doubling for decision-making and the value of trusting one's intuition in financial matters.
