I coach women to build vision-driven financial plans, but first I help them transform their relationships with money. Because the best laid plan is useless if you haven't primed yourself for success.

The inner work is necessary, and it's deep. I watch my clients move through various phases, starting with recognizing that their own beliefs have been the root of most of their financial woes. And then realizing that knowing this very fact is the most powerful tool at their disposal.

There are four distinct stages my clients move through.

Stage 1: The Archaeologist

They are fixated on the past, believing it's the key to their future. Constantly searching for proof that history repeats itself. Digging up old financial fossils to support their beliefs. Ruminating on what they did wrong and what could have been if they had just (fill in the blank).

Stage 2: The Investigator

In this stage, they've started to question what they believe to be true. They look for evidence to the contrary, seek to clarify the situation, and gather factual information as opposed to old stories. They finally recognize the truth - that their beliefs and the associated behaviors have held them back financially.

Stage 3: The Trainer

Now they are empowered to change. I give them the tools and exercises to train themselves to build new thought patterns and habits. This is where accountability matters the most. Change won't happen overnight, but it doesn't take as long as most think. Consistency is the key.

Stage 4: The Evangelist

After reworking their relationship with money, my clients immediately notice new opportunities, helpful people, and financial abundance that seem to show up out of nowhere. And when they see the fruits of their inner labor, they want to tell the world about their transformation.

We all have the ability to move through these stages and to transform our relationship with money. But first, we must acknowledge the need to do so, and then we must commit to take action.