Money isn’t just about math—it’s about your mind, your history, and your nervous system. In this episode, Autumn sits down with mental-health-focused finance coach and author Shang Saavedra to unpack why wealth is truly a mindset and why budgets keep “failing” for really human reasons, not because you’re bad with numbers.

Shang shares how childhood bullying, generational trauma, and growing up as an immigrant shaped her early “revenge success” story—and how she had to heal emotionally to build a healthier relationship with money. She walks through her three root causes of “bad” money behavior (feast and famine, adverse events, and scarce immigrant), the trigger → action → reward loop that quietly drives your spending, and why mental health needs to come before budgeting for lasting change.

Autumn and Shang also dig into:

• Why shame-based money advice backfires
• How divorce, medical debt, and caregiving can derail even high earners
• Teaching kids about money through modeling, chores, and allowance
• Why your career is not your identity—and how that truth can actually fast-track freedom

You’ll also hear Shang’s story of becoming work-optional in her 30s, the mindset shifts that made it possible, and what it really looks like to build wealth while honoring your mental health and values.

Connect with Shang on Instagram at @savemycents and learn more about her work and coaching at savemycents.com.

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