Money & Us

Anna Brading

Money and Us with Anna Brading is your reminder that it’s never too late to take control of your finances and change your life. Anna is a Certified Financial Education Instructor, author and mum who knows first hand what it feels like to do all the things you’re taught to do and still feel completely lost with money. She figured it out, changed her life, and has since built a community of over 250,000 people, written a bestselling book and has been invited to Parliament to advocate for better financial education for all. Now she’s here to help you do the same. Most of us were never taught how money really works. Almost three quarters of UK adults never received any financial education at school, so it’s no wonder so many of us feel overwhelmed, underprepared and like we’re somehow behind. We’ve convinced ourselves it’s too complicated, that we’ve left it too late, or that the advice out there just doesn’t apply to our lives. The reality of juggling work and kids, caring for elderly relatives, going through health challenges, and still showing up with a smile on our faces. What if the right conversation, at the right time, could change everything? Every week, Anna sits down with some of the UK’s leading experts for honest, real conversations about money in the context of real life. From entrepreneurship and investing to relationships, grief, addiction, parenthood and raising the next generation, these are the conversations that meet you where you are right now, not where you think you should be. Money and Us is a space where no question is too small, no starting point is too late, and nobody is made to feel judged or behind. Most of us are figuring this out as we go, and that’s exactly what this podcast is here for.

  1. 6d ago

    When Your Financial Problems Aren’t Actually About Money with Money Mindset Expert Laura Moore

    Two thirds of young people say their mental and physical health has been affected by their financial situation, and that statistic sits right at the heart of this conversation between Anna and Laura Moore, financial coach, financial wellbeing speaker and author of Find Your Wealth. Laura makes the case that money has been treated as its own separate category for far too long, sitting apart from wellbeing, gut health or fitness, when in reality it's deeply tangled up with all of it. What money mindset actually means, and just as importantly what it doesn't, is where Laura gets candid. It isn't manifesting, and it isn't something reserved for people who already think of themselves as spiritual or woo woo. She explains how your instinctive answer to a simple question like how do you feel about saving reveals a mindset that's already there, whether you've ever examined it or not, and why untangling that mindset can shift your relationship with money more than any budgeting app ever could. Wealth itself gets redefined here too, stripped right back from the obvious answer of freedom. Writing her book changed Laura's own definition entirely, moving from freedom of time and travel towards something far more holistic, built from presence, memories, friendships and the creativity she gets to express. She talks honestly about the fear that used to stop her acting on her best ideas, and the scarcity mindset that creeps in when creativity gets blocked instead of expressed. This episode of Money & Us is for anyone who has ever felt that money conversations don't quite speak to real life, and for anyone ready to think differently about what wealth actually means to them. Key Moments: The statistic linking financial stress to mental and physical healthWhy money has been kept separate from wellbeing for too longWhat money mindset actually means, and what it isn'tLaura's own shifting definition of wealthThe link between creativity, scarcity and financial abundanceChapters: 00:00 Meet Laura Moore: Financial Coach & Money Mindset Expert01:04 How Money Impacts Your Mental & Physical Health04:53 Is Money Mindset Just “Woo Woo”?08:15 Laura’s Personal Relationship With Money13:26 Saving £15,000 & Walking Away From Drama School18:30 Letting Go of the Life You Thought You’d Have21:58 “You Can’t Read a Map in a Snowstorm”25:33 Why Your Job Doesn’t Have to Be Your Passion27:42 How Laura Generated £17,000 by Thinking Differently30:50 Is Money Mindset Really Just Psychology?35:04 Stop Trying to Constantly Fix Yourself38:56 Where Your Money Beliefs Actually Come From42:01 How Two People Can Experience the Same Money Problem Differently45:04 Radical Acceptance & Changing Your Perspective48:24 Is It Really a Knowledge Problem or a Mindset Problem?51:26 Why Investing Is More Behaviour Than Knowledge56:29 Unpicking the Money Beliefs We Grow Up Hearing58:35 Are Rich People Really Greedy?01:03:17 The 2 Questions to Ask About Your Money Mindset01:05:40 Anna Puts Laura’s Advice Into Practice01:06:18 Do You Actually Need to Grow Your Business?01:10:43 What Does Wealth Really Mean?01:13:13 Why Acting on Your Ideas Creates Abundance Follow Laura Moore: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laura_ann_moore LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-moore-56650161 Website: https://www.mindmoneysoul.co.uk Buy Find Your Wealth: https://amzn.eu/d/0fEfVRAW Follow Anna Brading: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annajoybrading/ Website: https://www.mentoramoney.com Follow Money & Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moneyanduspod?_r=1&_t=ZN-97TWiGIYThe YouTube: https://youtube.com/@moneyanduspod?si=eezWMsuQ7uY4ipBP Buy Money Mentor: https://amzn.eu/d/03ISOm6z

  2. Sep 8

    The Real Cost of Being Afraid to Fail

    What would you do differently if you were just 10% less afraid of failing? Across the first ten episodes of the Money & Us podcast, one theme has kept coming up time and time again, albeit in very different ways: failure. In this special episode, your host Anna Brading brings together five of the most powerful perspectives from the series so far, exploring what failure really looks like, why our fear of it can stop us from starting and whether some of the things we label as failures are actually failures at all. World Cup winning England international Zoe Harrison knows what it feels like to come within touching distance of the ultimate goal, losing a World Cup final before eventually going on to win one. She talks about allowing herself to feel that disappointment before changing how she looked at what happened and using it to move forward. Serial entrepreneur and MBE Alex Depledge sold her business for £32 million. Her reaction? It wasn’t £100 million. Her story shows how comparison can distort our perception of success and leave even hugely accomplished people feeling as though they haven’t done enough. Author and founder of Sober Girl Society Millie Gooch challenges the idea that something has to reach rock bottom before we accept it isn’t working. Sometimes failure looks more like “rock middle”, repeating the same patterns while waiting for something dramatic enough to tell us it’s time to change. Investment expert Joshua Raymond spent years working in finance before he started investing himself. Sometimes failure isn’t trying something and getting it wrong. It’s allowing fear to stop us from beginning in the first place. Finally, Stewart McCulloch shares perhaps the most poignant perspective of all. After growing up in poverty, he went on to earn a £1 million bonus and build a life filled with the outward markers of financial success. Following the devastating loss of his wife, he was confronted with something no amount of money could fix. Throughout the episode, Anna shares her own reflections on failure, comparison, money and the things she may be avoiding through fear of getting them wrong. Money is a tool. It can create security, freedom and opportunity, but there are limits to what it can do for us. Failure isn’t always the disaster we imagine either. Sometimes it’s a perspective that needs changing, comparison creeping in, a pattern we need to recognise or a first step we’ve been too frightened to take. This episode is for anyone who has ever held back because they’re scared of getting something wrong, struggled to recognise their own success or found themselves wondering whether it’s time to change direction. Perhaps being a little less afraid of failure could change what we’re willing to go for. Chapters: 00:00 – What if you were 10% less afraid of failure? 02:22 – Lesson 1: Reframing failure | Zoe Harrison 15:24 – Lesson 2: When comparison feels like failure | Alex Depledge MBE 23:31 – Lesson 3: You don’t need to hit rock bottom | Millie Gooch 31:26 – Lesson 4: The failure of never starting | Joshua Raymond 34:50 – Lesson 5: When money fails us | Stewart McCulloch 39:48 – Anna’s final thoughts on failure Follow:Alex’s Depledge: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-depledge-mbe-22b57a14 Zoe Harrison: https://www.instagram.com/zoeharrison123?stkn=MW1xcWVydW93N3N5Zg== Millie Gooch:  https://www.instagram.com/milliegooch?stkn=M2c3andteGN4eXMyJoshua Raymond: https://www.instagram.com/xtb_uk?stkn=MTAya3l2eGE1YWd1cQ==Stewart McCulloch: https://www.instagram.com/capuk_org?stkn=bGNtbjR4Z2l6eWJs Follow Anna Brading: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annajoybrading/ Website: https://www.mentoramoney.com Follow Money & Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moneyanduspod?_r=1&_t=ZN-97TWiGIYThe YouTube: https://youtube.com/@moneyanduspod?si=eezWMsuQ7uY4ipBP Buy Money Mentor: https://amzn.eu/d/03ISOm6z

  3. Sep 1

    What Nobody Tells You About Money, Marriage and Motherhood with Elizabeth Idowu

    She has spent years on the front line of one of the most transformative moments in a person's life, and what she has seen challenges so much of what we assume we know. Mamadinya (Elizabeth Idowu) is an NHS midwife, educator, author of I'm Pregnant Now What? and founder of Mama's Classes. In this episode of the Money & Us podcast, Anna sits down with Mamadinya to explore one of the most important and undertalked intersections of all. Money and having a baby. Birth rates are declining. More and more people are choosing not to have children, or delaying the decision, and there is no disputing that finances play a significant role in that. For those who do take the leap, 97% of pregnant women worry about money, and so many of the anxieties women face during pregnancy are ones that financial support could actually ease. Mamadinya talks openly about what having a baby truly reveals about a relationship, why the village that used to support new mothers has gradually been disappearing, and why so many mums end up being the ones doing all the giving with nothing left for themselves. She also gets into the financial realities most people never discuss, and why looking after mum has to be part of the plan, not an afterthought. Whether you're pregnant, thinking about having a baby, weighing up whether you can afford to, or simply someone who loves or supports someone going through that season of life, there is something in this episode for you. Key Moments: 97% of pregnant women worry about money, and why that statistic matters more than most people realiseThe biggest misconception people carry into parenthood, and why it catches so many off guardWhat having a baby really reveals about a relationship, and whether someone wants to be a partner as much as they want to be a parentWhy so many of the anxieties women face in pregnancy are ones that money can actually fixWhy so many new mums end up being the only ones pouring into others with nothing left for themselvesWhy the village that used to support new mothers has largely disappeared, and what to do insteadThe one piece of financial advice Mamadinya wishes more women would hear before they give birthWhat wealth means to Mamadinya, and why her answer is all about communityChapters: 00:00 Introduction01:49 Fact or Fiction: 97% of Pregnant Women Worry About Money03:28 The Biggest Misconceptions About Pregnancy06:08 Why Mamadinya Started Educating Women Online08:23 The Pregnancy Fears Women Worry About Most11:20 What Expectant Parents Are Really Afraid Of13:57 Do You Want To Be A Parent… Or A Partner?16:54 Green Flags To Look For Before Having Children19:18 Why Relationships Change After Having A Baby22:04 The Card Game Every Couple Should Play Before Pregnancy26:18 How Much Money Should You Save Before Having Children?31:29 Why Mums Need Looking After Too33:54 Money Anxiety During Pregnancy36:33 The Baby Products You Don't Actually Need41:02 Why Every Mum Deserves Better Postnatal Care44:20 Pregnancy, Social Media & The Pressure To Bounce Back46:04 Pregnancy Depression Nobody Talks About47:26 Should Partners Carry More Of The Financial Load?52:18 The Funniest Labour Ward Stories56:28 The Identity Shift That Comes With Motherhood59:22 Why So Many Mothers Grieve Their Old Life01:03:11 Life Doesn't End After Motherhood01:05:06 What Pregnancy Teaches You About Resilience01:08:25 Why Every Mum Needs A Support Network01:11:37 What Wealth Really Means01:13:20 Final Thoughts Follow Mamadinya: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mamadinya/?hl=en LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-idowu-b771aa290 Website: https://www.mamasclasses.com Buy Talks By The Bump: https://talksbeforethebump.com Buy I’m Pregnant … Now What?: https://amzn.eu/d/01WpjWta Follow Anna Brading: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annajoybrading/ Website: https://www.mentoramoney.com Follow Money & Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moneyanduspod?_r=1&_t=ZN-97TWiGIYThe YouTube: https://youtube.com/@moneyanduspod?si=eezWMsuQ7uY4ipBP Buy Money Mentor: https://amzn.eu/d/03ISOm6z Sponsor: XTB - https://geolink.xtb.com/FKPRM Capital at Risk. Investment Values May Rise and Fall

  4. Aug 25

    What Grief Taught A CEO About Wealth with Stewart McCulloch

    There's a photograph Stewart McCulloch still remembers clearly. A red cheeked man in an expensive suit, a false smile, eyes that gave everything away. The world called him a success. He knew he wasn't. In this episode of the Money and Us podcast, Anna talks to Stewart, CEO of Christians Against Poverty, about the years that took him from a childhood of real poverty in Coventry to a million pound bonus as a City CEO, and the grief that eventually pulled the whole thing apart. Stewart talks with real honesty about losing his first wife suddenly, and the lonely, disorientating months that followed when the map he'd built his entire life around no longer made any sense. He describes what he calls a death and a rebirth, the strange comfort of a presence he couldn't explain, and the moment he arranged his own baptism as an adult because something in him needed to mark the end of who he used to be. That grief eventually led Stewart somewhere he never expected, from an insurance boardroom to microfinance work with mothers in Ghana, and now to leading one of the UK's most trusted debt charities. He speaks candidly about the scale of financial hardship in this country today, how little it has to do with how much someone earns, and why so many people suffer through it completely alone. This episode is for anyone who has ever questioned what they're really working towards, and for anyone who has learned, the hard way, that wealth and meaning are not always the same thing. Key Moments: The childhood shame of growing up without enoughClimbing to CEO and the million pound bonus that changed nothingThe moment outside the Gherkin he couldn't ignoreLosing his first wife and the years of grief that followedHis own adult baptism and what it symbolisedThe move into charity work and helping mothers in GhanaThe reality of debt and financial stress across the UK todayChapters: 00:00 Introduction01:35 What Christians Against Poverty Actually Does03:36 Fact or Fiction: Half of Britons Will Face Debt06:12 Growing Up Poor in Coventry10:23 From Poverty to a £1 Million Bonus14:48 Why Success Didn't Make Me Happy16:31 Losing My Wife Changed Everything20:37 Finding Purpose After Grief27:12 Leaving Corporate Life for World Vision31:54 What Extreme Poverty Taught Me36:09 Helping the UK's Wealthiest Give Back46:52 The Hidden Generosity Most People Never See50:17 The CAP Story That Changed My Perspective52:58 Why Shame Keeps People Trapped in Debt56:23 From Helping the Rich to Fighting Poverty01:02:01 Where Real Happiness Comes From01:05:20 What To Do If You're Struggling With Debt01:10:40 Why There's Always Hope Follow Stewart McCulloch: LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/stewart-mcculloch-507432 Website: https://capuk.org Follow Anna Brading: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annajoybrading/ Website: https://www.mentoramoney.com Follow Money & Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moneyanduspod?_r=1&_t=ZN-97TWiGIYThe YouTube: https://youtube.com/@moneyanduspod?si=eezWMsuQ7uY4ipBP Buy Money Mentor: https://amzn.eu/d/03ISOm6z Sponsor: XTB - https://geolink.xtb.com/FKPRM Capital at Risk. Investment Values May Rise and Fall

  5. Aug 18

    Why Almost Half of Women Will Be Single by 2030 with Lucy Meggeson

    She has been single for eight and a half years, built a career around it, and says she wouldn’t have it any other way. Lucy Meggeson is the author of Shiny Happy Singles (Thrive Solo in the US), host of the Thrive Solo podcast, and one of the most compelling voices challenging everything we think we know about singleness, relationships and what a successful life really looks like. In this episode of Money and Us, Anna sits down with Lucy for a candid and thought provoking conversation about one of the most misunderstood topics of our time. What does it actually mean to thrive as a single person? Why do we still assume that being single is a problem to be solved? And what does money look like when you’re navigating life entirely on your own terms? Lucy challenges the fairy tale narrative most of us were sold from childhood, the idea that success means marriage, children and happily ever after. She talks about the freedom, peace and emotional stability that single life can bring, the financial realities of living solo, and why by 2030, almost half of women aged 25 to 44 are predicted to be single. This is a conversation for single women who are ready to stop apologising for their lives, for partnered people who want to be better friends and allies, and for anyone who has ever questioned whether the life they’re living is the one they actually chose. Key Moments:• By 2030, almost 45% of women aged 25 to 44 are predicted to be single, and why that number doesn’t surprise Lucy at all• The fairy tale narrative we were sold as little girls and why it sets so many women up to feel like failures• Why Lucy believes that if a single woman tells you she’s happy, you should believe her• The financial realities of living solo, from the single person tax to the hidden costs most people never consider• The most underrated benefits of single life that nobody talks about, including peace, emotional stability and the lack of compromise• Why life is an inside job, and what that means whether you’re single or not• What wealth means to Lucy, and why freedom is at the heart of her answer Chapters: 00:00 Introduction01:16 Fact or Fiction: Will Half of Women Be Single by 2030?02:40 Why More Women Are Choosing to Stay Single05:08 The Relationship Story We're All Taught07:32 Disney, Fairytales & Finding Prince Charming08:44 What Does Success Really Look Like?10:36 Is Lucy Anti-Relationship?12:12 The Reality of Being Happily Single14:08 The Question Every Single Woman Gets Asked15:21 Why Lucy Chooses to Stay Single18:16 Why She Becomes Her Best Self Alone20:03 Lucy's Relationship History24:09 The Lockdown Moment That Changed Everything25:30 Why She Created Thrive Solo28:01 The Double Standard Between 'Spinster' and 'Bachelor'31:04 Writing Shiny Happy Singles35:12 Why So Many Women Feel Seen37:16 How to Start Enjoying Being Single41:29 Why Happiness Is an Inside Job44:27 What Married Friends Need to Understand46:07 Why We Don't Celebrate Single People Enough48:45 Stop Putting Your Life on Hold53:48 The Personal Growth That Comes From Being Single57:43 The Money Reality of Single Life59:26 Why Lucy Left BBC Radio 201:02:09 Starting Over During Lockdown01:03:26 The Financial Cost of Following Your Purpose01:07:00 The 'Single Tax' Explained01:11:45 Financial Independence vs Financial Security01:16:30 Final Advice for Anyone Feeling Behind in Life01:20:15 Closing Thoughts Follow Lucy Meggeson:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/lucy-meggeson-a419a1227?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F Website: https://www.lucymeggeson.com Buy Shiny Happy Singles: https://amzn.eu/d/02Mj0JId Follow Anna Brading:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annajoybrading/ Website: https://www.mentoramoney.com Follow Money & Us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moneyanduspod?_r=1&_t=ZN-97TWiGIYThe YouTube: https://youtube.com/@moneyanduspod?si=eezWMsuQ7uY4ipBP Buy Money Mentor: https://amzn.eu/d/03ISOm6z Sponsor: XTB - https://geolink.xtb.com/FKPRM Capital at Risk. Investment Values May Rise and Fall

  6. Aug 11

    What It Really Costs To Play for England with Zoe Harrison

    She debuted for England in 2017, won the Rugby World Cup in 2025, and plays for one of the most successful clubs in the country. Zoe Harrison is one of the most exciting players in women's rugby, and this conversation goes far beyond the sport itself. In this episode of the Money and Us podcast, Anna sits down with Zoe for a candid conversation about elite sport, money and the realities most people never consider when they watch female athletes compete on TV. Zoe talks openly about the financial challenges facing women in professional sport, the significant gap between what spectators see and what athletes actually live, and why so many female players are still having to balance their sporting careers alongside full time jobs. She also gets into the mental demands of performing at the highest level, what elite sport teaches you about resilience, confidence and how to think about success, and why the mindset you build on the pitch follows you into every other area of your life. Perhaps most compellingly, Zoe reflects on something most athletes don't consider until it's almost too late. When a sporting career ends, you don't step off at the top. You step back to the beginning, years behind your peers, and have to start building all over again. It's a conversation about sport, money and what happens when the thing that has defined your whole life suddenly has to change. Key Moments: The G-force of a contact in women’s rugby is the equivalent of a car crash at 20mphHow Zoe went from tag rugby at four years old to playing for EnglandThe financial reality most people don’t see when they watch female athletes on TVThe lack of financial support in women’s club rugby and what that means day to dayThe mental challenge of performing at the highest level consistentlyWhy elite athletes are so focused on the present that they forget to think about what comes nextWhat happens financially when a sports career ends, and why it’s harder than most people realiseWhat wealth means to Zoe, and why her answer is beautifully simpleChapters:00:00 Introduction01:55 Fact or Fiction: Rugby Hits Like a 20mph Car Crash04:05 How Zoe Harrison Fell in Love with Rugby07:53 Being Bullied for Playing Rugby10:21 From Hobby to England International13:27 Can Women Make a Living From Rugby?18:20 How Women's Rugby Can Keep Growing20:14 What It Feels Like to Play at a Sold-Out Twickenham21:42 Preparing to Play for England24:14 The Leadership Skills Rugby Taught Me26:41 Losing the Rugby World Cup Final30:16 Turning Defeat Into Motivation36:33 The ACL Injury That Changed Everything38:01 Why Her Injury Made Her a Better Athlete41:26 The Sacrifices Behind Elite Sport43:14 Fighting to Win Her Place Back44:56 Winning the Rugby World Cup47:01 The Emotional Side of Success Nobody Talks About50:06 Why Purpose Matters After Achieving Your Goal52:50 The Financial Reality of Women's Rugby55:55 Planning for Life After Professional Sport59:37 What Wealth Means to Zoe Harrison Follow Zoe Harrison: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoeharrison123/?hl=en-gb Follow Anna Brading: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annajoybrading/ Website: https://www.mentoramoney.com Follow Money & Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moneyanduspod?_r=1&_t=ZN-97TWiGIYThe YouTube: https://youtube.com/@moneyanduspod?si=eezWMsuQ7uY4ipBP Buy Money Mentor: https://amzn.eu/d/03ISOm6z Sponsors: Thanks to our sponsor PensionBee - https://www.pensionbee.com/uk XTB - https://geolink.xtb.com/FKPRM Capital at Risk. Investment Values May Rise and Fall

  7. Aug 4

    The Money Conversation Every Couple Needs To Have with Rotimi Merriman-Johnson, fiancée Dora Balusa and Simon Brading

    Most of us know that money and relationships are deeply connected. Few of us ever talk about it honestly, especially not with our partners in the room. In this episode, Anna does something a little different. She sits down not just with one of the UK's most well regarded finance creators and financial advisors, Rotimi Merriman-Johnson, but with their partners too. Rotimi's fiancée Dora Balusa, a talented makeup artist, and Anna's own husband Simon join the conversation for one of the warmest, most honest and most revealing episodes of Money & Us yet. Together, the four of them explore what really happens when money meets love. From navigating salary differences and financial anxiety in relationships, to whether couples should combine their finances, how to set boundaries when work bleeds into home life, and why communication about money is one of the most important things can do before you walk down the aisle. This is the conversation most couples never have. If you're in a relationship, thinking about getting serious with someone, or simply want to understand how money really works between two people, this one is for you. Key Moments:• 1 in 5 Brits have considered ending their relationship over salary differences• Why only 22% of Brits find talking about money with their partner awkward, and why that number feels surprisingly low• How Rotimi and Dora met twice, once online and once on Hinge, and why the universe had other plans• Why Rotimi led on money conversations from day one and how that helped Dora become more comfortable with her finances• The case for couples therapy before the big issues arrive, not after• Joint finances vs separate pots, and why there’s no one size fits all approach• How two content creators manage work-life boundaries when everything is always on• What wealth means to Rotimi and Dora, and why their answers will stay with you Chapters:00:00 Introduction00:02 Fact or Fiction: Money & Relationships04:27 How Rotimi & Dora Met10:42 When Should Couples Talk About Money?14:03 Who Should Pay on the First Date?16:09 Money, Values & Cultural Expectations18:38 Has Modern Dating Made Relationships Harder?23:33 Does Being a Financial Expert Change Your Relationship?25:28 Saving for the Future vs Living Today31:13 Managing Money When You're Self-Employed34:11 Setting Healthy Work-Life Boundaries41:34 Why Couples Really Argue About Money42:16 Navigating Cultural Expectations Around Marriage45:06 How Children Change Your Relationship With Money58:24 Black British Wealth: The Financial Reality01:05:58 Why Representation Around Money Matters01:10:11 Practical Relationship Advice That Actually Works01:12:03 Love Languages & Financial Compatibility01:13:12 Gender Roles & Splitting Finances01:16:13 Joint Accounts vs Separate Accounts01:18:55 Money Systems Every Couple Should Have01:20:31 What Does Being Wealthy Really Mean?01:22:36 Final Thoughts Follow Rotimi Merriman-Johnson:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmoneyjar/?hl=enLinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rotimimerrimanjohnsonX: https://x.com/mrmoneyjar?lang=enWebsite: https://www.mrmoneyjar.com Follow Dora Balusa:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dorabmakeupartist?igsh=MXZtbDE3Z2g0dHF6aw== Follow Simon Brading:LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/simonbrading?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F Follow Anna Brading:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annajoybrading/ Website: https://www.mentoramoney.com Follow Money & Us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moneyanduspod?_r=1&_t=ZN-97TWiGIYThe YouTube: https://youtube.com/@moneyanduspod?si=eezWMsuQ7uY4ipBP Buy Money Mentor: https://amzn.eu/d/03ISOm6z Sponsor: XTB - https://geolink.xtb.com/FKPRM Capital at Risk. Investment Values May Rise and Fall

  8. Jul 28

    The Truth About Alcohol, Money and Mental Health with Millie Gooch

    She went from a five night a week binge drinker to founding the Sober Girl Society, now the largest sober curious community for women in the world. Today, Millie Gooch is an author, mental health and addiction expert, and one of the most important voices on sobriety and alcohol culture in the UK. In this episode of the Money and Us podcast, Anna sits down with Millie for a candid and compelling conversation about addiction, money and the hidden cost of alcohol that most of us never stop to calculate. Millie opens up about her journey from anxious university student using alcohol to cope, to waking up at 26 and realising she simply couldn't carry on. She talks about the shame spiral, the debt, the mental health toll, and the moment everything changed. Not a dramatic rock bottom, but a quiet moment of clarity that she credits with saving her life. They also get into something most people never consider. The real financial cost of addiction, the way delivery apps have removed every barrier between us and substances, why we are living in the most addiction prone era in human history, and what we can all do to support someone we love who might be struggling. Whether or not alcohol has ever been part of your story, this is a conversation that has something for everyone. Key Moments: Over 1 million alcohol related hospital admissions in the UK between 2023 and 2024How Millie went from a non-drinker to a five night a week binge drinker in a matter of monthsThe hidden financial cost of addiction, from the drinks themselves to Uber cleaning fees and debtWhy she describes her turning point not as a rock bottom but as a moment of clarityHow delivery apps have removed every barrier between us and substances, including buy now pay laterWhy we are living in the most addiction prone era in human historyThe green light moments approach to talking to someone you're worried aboutWhat wealth means to Millie, and why her answer has nothing to do with moneyChapters: 00:00 Introduction00:01 Fact or Fiction: Alcohol & Hospital Admissions02:55 Millie's Story: How Alcohol Took Over06:26 Why She Started Drinking at University10:24 The Moment Everything Changed11:37 Getting Sober: The First Six Months13:20 Are You Drinking to Escape Your Feelings?15:03 Why We Don't Teach Emotional Resilience17:00 Why Millie Founded Sober Girl Society20:29 How Shame Fuels Addiction22:59 The First Step to Breaking Free24:18 Why British Drinking Culture Is So Normalised29:15 The Financial Cost of Alcohol Addiction31:17 Does Alcohol Really Make You More Yourself?34:45 Are We Living in an Age of Addiction?36:11 Alcohol Delivery Apps & Instant Gratification38:09 Social Media, Vaping & Modern Addictions41:03 Finding Hope in an Overwhelming World44:18 The Hidden Financial Impact of Addiction46:40 The £27 Billion Cost of Alcohol50:33 The Alcohol Harm Paradox Explained52:08 How Alcohol Change UK Is Driving Reform56:12 Why We Need More Friction, Not Less58:45 Alcohol, Marketing & Social Conditioning01:03:12 What a Healthier Relationship With Alcohol Looks Like01:07:40 Final Advice for Anyone Struggling01:10:18 Closing Thoughts Follow Millie Gooch:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milliegooch/?hl=enLinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/milliegooch?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2FWebsite: https://sobergirlsociety.com/pages/welcome-let-us-show-you-around Buy Hangxiety: How Alcohol Messes with Your Mind: https://amzn.eu/d/05GPWRNqBuy The Sober Girl Society Handbook: https://amzn.eu/d/03IcVXoe Follow Anna Brading:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annajoybrading/ Website: https://www.mentoramoney.com Follow Money & Us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentoramoney/?hl=en-gb TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moneyanduspod?_r=1&_t=ZN-97TWiGIYThe YouTube: https://youtube.com/@moneyanduspod?si=eezWMsuQ7uY4ipBP Buy Money Mentor: https://amzn.eu/d/03ISOm6z Sponsor: XTB - https://geolink.xtb.com/FKPRM Capital at Risk. Investment Values May Rise and Fall

About

Money and Us with Anna Brading is your reminder that it’s never too late to take control of your finances and change your life. Anna is a Certified Financial Education Instructor, author and mum who knows first hand what it feels like to do all the things you’re taught to do and still feel completely lost with money. She figured it out, changed her life, and has since built a community of over 250,000 people, written a bestselling book and has been invited to Parliament to advocate for better financial education for all. Now she’s here to help you do the same. Most of us were never taught how money really works. Almost three quarters of UK adults never received any financial education at school, so it’s no wonder so many of us feel overwhelmed, underprepared and like we’re somehow behind. We’ve convinced ourselves it’s too complicated, that we’ve left it too late, or that the advice out there just doesn’t apply to our lives. The reality of juggling work and kids, caring for elderly relatives, going through health challenges, and still showing up with a smile on our faces. What if the right conversation, at the right time, could change everything? Every week, Anna sits down with some of the UK’s leading experts for honest, real conversations about money in the context of real life. From entrepreneurship and investing to relationships, grief, addiction, parenthood and raising the next generation, these are the conversations that meet you where you are right now, not where you think you should be. Money and Us is a space where no question is too small, no starting point is too late, and nobody is made to feel judged or behind. Most of us are figuring this out as we go, and that’s exactly what this podcast is here for.