In this conversation, Kate and Lucy speak with Becky Congreve, a teacher, phase leader, and founder of Cash Academy — and someone who knows first-hand what happens when money is never talked about at home. Becky grew up in a household where money was firmly behind closed doors. The most she got was "we can't afford it" — no explanation, no conversation, just move on. It wasn't until she lost her mum at 16 that the full picture emerged: loans on top of loans, funding a lifestyle that looked fine from the outside. That moment became the catalyst for everything she does now. Because here's the thing — that silence didn't end with our parents' generation. In 2026, a third of parents still don't talk openly to their children about money. Not because they don't want to, but because it still feels uncomfortable, or they don't feel confident enough themselves. Sound familiar? Becky is on a mission to change that. The discussion digs into why financial literacy in schools barely scratches the surface — coins in maths, a bit of PSHE, and not much else — and why that gap matters more than ever in a world of tap-to-pay, Roblox dollars, and influencers being paid to flog products your kids are convinced they need. She challenges the idea that money is an adult topic, and makes a genuinely compelling case for weaving these conversations into everyday family life — the supermarket, the holiday budget, the moment your child asks for the third activity this term. Becky shares how her own seven-year-old has already saved £300 towards horse riding lessons, simply because she was given the knowledge and the agency to make that choice herself. No tears, no tantrums — just questions. That's what happens when you swap "we can't afford it" for "let me show you why." We also go inside the Cash Academy pop-up money town — a hands-on, immersive workshop that travels into schools and lets children act as taxpayers, government officials, and consumers. It links to maths, PSHE, and oracy without adding to teachers' plates, and every single school Becky has visited (bar two) has seen children put the NHS at the top of their government spending list. Make of that what you will. This episode is a call to be the generation that actually breaks the cycle — that raises children who are curious about money, not scared of it. It starts at home. It starts now. Everything that goes with this episode is on our Substack. Tips, prompts, the full community. Come find us 👇 AlphaBites Substack
