My Story
From poverty in South Africa to helping women around the world transform their relationship with money.
Where It Started
I grew up in South Africa, in a family where money was always the source of tension, fear, and silence. We didn’t have much. What we did have felt precarious — like it could disappear at any moment.
Then, when I was fourteen, my father died. And overnight, “not enough” stopped being a feeling and became our reality.
I watched my mother struggle. I watched how money — or the lack of it — shaped every decision, every relationship, every possibility. And somewhere deep inside, I made a promise to myself: I will never feel this powerless again.
The Overcompensation
So I did what many of us do. I overcompensated. I worked hard, earned well, and spent even harder. New clothes, nice things, the appearance of having “made it.” On the outside, I looked successful. On the inside, I was drowning in debt and shame.
The spending wasn’t about the things. It was about proving — to myself, to the world — that I wasn’t that scared fourteen-year-old anymore. Every purchase was a bandage over a wound I didn’t know how to name.
I’d lie awake at night doing the mental arithmetic. I’d feel physically sick opening bank statements. And I’d do what I always did the next day: spend more, because the temporary relief felt better than the permanent dread.
The Turning Point
My transformation didn’t come from a budget app or a financial advisor. It came from understanding that my relationship with money was never really about money. It was about safety. About worthiness. About a little girl who learned that money means survival, and not having it means death.
When I discovered money coaching — the kind that goes beneath the spreadsheets to the stories we carry — everything changed. Not overnight. But fundamentally.
I trained as a Certified Money Coach (CMC). I studied NLP. I learned about the 8 Money Archetypes and recognised myself in every single one of them at different stages of my life. The Innocent who trusted others to handle her finances. The Warrior who tied her identity to her income. The Fool who spent to feel alive.
And slowly, painfully, beautifully — I rewrote my money story.
Why I Do This Work
Today, I work with high-achieving women who are exactly where I was. Women who’ve built impressive careers and still feel anxious about money. Women who earn six figures and still feel like frauds. Women who know, intellectually, that they’re financially fine — but can’t shake the feeling that it’s all about to collapse.
I do this work because I know that the gap between “knowing” and “feeling” is where all the suffering lives. And I know that gap can be closed — not with more information, but with deeper understanding.
Your money story started long before you opened your first bank account. Let’s go back to where it began, and write a better ending.
My Methodology
The 8 Money Archetypes
At the heart of my work is the Money Archetype framework — a psychologically grounded model that identifies eight distinct patterns in how people relate to money. Each of us carries a unique blend of these archetypes, shaped by our childhood experiences, cultural conditioning, and personal trauma.
The archetypes aren’t labels. They’re lenses. When you understand which patterns are running your financial life, you gain the power to choose differently.
- The Innocent — avoids financial responsibility, trusts others to handle money
- The Victim — feels powerless, believes money “happens to” them
- The Warrior — driven and competitive, ties self-worth to net worth
- The Martyr — gives everything away, feels guilty about having money
- The Fool — lives for today, avoids planning, impulse-driven
- The Creator — believes money is beneath them, conflicted about charging
- The Tyrant — uses money to control, hoards out of fear
- The Magician — the integrated ideal, balanced and wise with money
My coaching weaves archetype awareness with NLP techniques and trauma-informed practices to create lasting behavioural change — not just surface-level money tips.
Credentials and Training
CMC
Certified Money Coach — the gold standard in money coaching certification, focused on the psychological and behavioural aspects of our relationship with money.
NLP Practitioner
Neuro-Linguistic Programming — evidence-based techniques for rewiring limiting beliefs and creating new neural pathways around money.
IAPC Accredited
International Authority for Professional Coaching and Mentoring — ensuring the highest ethical and professional standards in coaching practice.
Speaker and Educator
Invited speaker at Google, Erste Bank, and numerous conferences. Regular columnist and podcast guest on financial wellness topics.
As Seen In
Google — Invited speaker on money mindset and financial wellness in the workplace.
iHeart Radio — Featured guest discussing money trauma and the psychology of spending.
The Female CEO Podcast — Episode on why high-achieving women struggle with money guilt.
AWCZ Magazine — Regular columnist on financial empowerment for women in Switzerland.
SmartPurse — Listed expert in their directory of financial professionals for women.
The Wealth Alchemist Podcast — Deep dive into money archetypes and transformational coaching.
Let’s Talk
If anything in my story resonated with you — if you recognised yourself in any of those patterns — I’d love to hear from you. A discovery call is free, it’s confidential, and it’s the first step toward a completely different relationship with money.