What you do with your money is powerful. For Carmen Hawker, money isn’t the end goal. It’s a tool for redistributing wealth, creating opportunity and building the kind of world she wants to see. In this episode of Money Secrets, Fi is joined by Carmen Hawker, impact communicator, brand strategist and founder of certified B Corp Carmen Get It, a personality-driven copy and campaigns studio for purpose-led businesses. Carmen is also the co-founder of not-for-profit The Global Women’s Project and financial education platform Ladies Talk Money. Carmen’s relationship with money has evolved throughout a career grounded in gender equity, human rights and social justice. Early experiences working in women’s health and family violence exposed her to the financial consequences women face when they don’t have access to money, opportunity and financial education. This was the motivation for Carmen to become financially literate. Fi and Carmen explore what it actually means to run a purpose-led business. Why values need to be lived, not just laminated. And how even the smallest businesses can measure, communicate and grow their impact. They discuss impact reporting, sustainable marketing, productising services and the feast-and-famine cycle that so many freelancers accept as inevitable. Carmen shares how she went from being “allergic” to talking about money to making financial literacy a major part of her life and work. Fi and Carmen challenge the story that women are bad with money, explore why women experience risk differently, and make a pact to actively support other women taking financial, business and visibility risks. Whether you’re building an impact-led business, trying to escape the feast-and-famine cycle or working through your own money stories, this episode is a reminder that making money and doing good don’t have to be competing goals. 🎧 Tune in for a powerful conversation about money, impact, risk and what becomes possible when we show up as part of each other’s village. What you'll learn in this episode: Purpose-led business is more than a mission statement. Your impact goals should shape how you make decisions. Your values need to show up in action. Measure, demonstrate and communicate what they actually look like in your business. Small businesses can create meaningful impact. You don’t need to be a huge organisation to track and share your contribution. Impact reporting can take many forms. Focus on what matters to your audience and share the wins and non-shiny bits. Feast and famine isn't inevitable as a freelancer. Sustainable, ongoing marketing helps keep leads coming in, even when you’re busy. Productising your services creates predictability. Clear offers help customers feel confident while making your capacity easier to manage. Your money stories shape your business. Unchallenged beliefs about money can become self-fulfilling patterns. Money and impact can work together. Earning more money creates more capacity to redistribute wealth and opportunity. Risk doesn’t happen on a level playing field. Women and marginalised people face greater consequences when taking risks. We can make risk safer for other women. Sharing knowledge, capital, encouragement and support gives others a safer place to land. It’s not your job to be affordable; it’s your job to be valuable. Don’t make assumptions about what your customers are willing to pay. If you want a village, show up as a villager. Community and reciprocity are about what we contribute, not just what we receive. 💡 If this conversation resonates and you want hands-on support, you can work with Fi one-on-one or join Good Money Club, where small business owners learn how to make and manage money with clarity, confidence, and impact. - Good Money Club (doors are open now)Peach Weekly - Sign up for sharp, practical business thinking delivered straight to your inbox. Say hi: hello@peachbm.com.au ________________________________________________________________________ In this podcast, Money Secrets, host Fiona (Fi) Johnston, Chartered Accountant, small business advocate, and impact enthusiast, dives into the conversations we need to have about money. The secrets that once stayed behind closed doors (or on the golf course) are finally out in the open. Fi’s mission? To get more money into the hands of good people, like you. She believes small businesses can change the world, but only if we're making money and managing it well. ________________________________________________________________________ Thank you to everyone involved for bringing this podcast together. We are excited to hear from you with any questions, feedback or suggestions for future episodes that you might have. Send a Direct Message to @peach.businessIf you are excited for what’s to come, please like this episode, follow the podcast and share it with your friends. We are thrilled you're here. Check out my FREE Pricing Training you need to set your prices for profitability. ________________________________________________________________________ This podcast episode was recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation and I'd like to acknowledge them as the Traditional Owners and custodians of this land and water that I live, work and play on. I'd like to pay respect to elders both past and present, and note that sovereignty has never been ceded. This always was and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land.
