Aaron Thomas — How a Prenup Could Save Your Relationship Before It Starts
Aaron Thomas is a nationally recognized family law expert, Harvard Law graduate, and three-time winner of Atlanta’s Best Divorce Attorney. With over 1,000 clients—including NBA Hall of Famers, Super Bowl champions, and Grammy-winning artists—he has built a career helping high-profile and everyday couples navigate marriage, divorce, and financial security.
In this episode of Mindful Money, I talk with Aaron about the modern case for prenuptial agreements. Far from being a sign of distrust, Aaron reframes prenups as a tool for clarity, fairness, and long-term harmony. We discuss how finances reflect deeper relationship dynamics, the importance of transparency before marriage, and how prenups can evolve as couples grow. Aaron shares practical strategies to prevent conflict, protect both partners, and avoid the heartbreak and financial devastation of a messy divorce.
In this episode:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:21) - Meet Aaron Thomas
(03:02) - Lessons learned about money growing up
(04:56) - What led Aaron to Family Law
(06:41) - What inspired The Prenup Prescription?
(07:40) - Why divorce rates spike during hard times
(08:33) - Prenups aren’t just for the rich: Changing public perception
(14:03) - With or without a prenup: What really changes in divorce
(16:58) - How prenups can reduce conflict and build stronger relationships
(29:14) - What happens when life outgrows the prenup?
(33:18) - How shifting norms are reshaping modern prenups
(34:44) - Why millennials are embracing prenups like never before
(37:33) - Helping couples avoid the pitfalls no one warned them about
(39:06) - The one thing couples should do before getting married
(41:59) - How to connect with Aaron
Get full show notes and links at https://mindful.money.
Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindfulMoney.
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Ellen Hendriksen — How to Be Enough: Self-Criticism and Perfectionism Unpacked
Dr. Ellen Hendriksen is a clinical psychologist who will help you calm your anxiety and be your authentic self. She serves on the faculty at Boston University's Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD) and is the author of How to Be Enough: Self-Acceptance for Self-Critics and Perfectionists as well as How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety.
In this episode of Mindful Money, I talk with Ellen about the deep connections between perfectionism, money anxiety, and our sense of self-worth. We unpack how cultural and familial messages lead us to measure value by performance, especially financial. Ellen shares powerful tools for shifting from rigid rules to freely chosen values, embracing imperfection, and practicing self-compassion without lowering our standards. We also dig into perfectionistic self-presentation, psychological safety, and the tension between striving and accepting ourselves as we are. This conversation is full of insight—and surprisingly liberating.
In this episode:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:27) - Meet Ellen Hendriksen
(02:12) - Ellen's background and upbringing
(03:35) - Lessons on money from childhood
(05:37) - Ellen's career journey to clinical psychology
(07:55) - Why money anxiety isn't really about money
(13:32) - The cost of comparison: how social media warps value
(16:00) - The Venn diagram of doing and being
(16:44) - Shifting from rules to values
(26:10) - How perfectionism and self-presentation isolate us
(30:07) - Chasing growth, losing connection
(33:28) - Managing perfectionism and self-criticism
(37:21) - Can mindfulness beat perfectionism?
(40:29) - A first step in unwinding perfectionism
Get full show notes and links at https://mindful.money.
Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindfulMoney.
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Leisa Peterson — Embracing Financial Abundance Through Narrative and Self-Compassion
Leisa Peterson is a money mindset coach, author, and financial educator who helps people transform their relationship with money. With more than 25 years of experience in financial services, she founded WealthClinic to help people overcome financial anxiety and build wealth from a holistic perspective. Leisa is the author of The Mindful Millionaire, and hosts The Art of Abundance podcast and The Mindful Millionaire podcast. She combines practical financial strategies with mindfulness practices to help clients create lasting abundance.
In this episode of Mindful Money, I talk with Leisa about her courageous shift from nonfiction to fiction in her new book, The Money Catalyst. We unpack her deeply personal journey from scarcity to abundance, the emotional awakenings sparked by a trip to Paris, and how creating a fictional character helped her heal old wounds. We also dive into journaling prompts, mindset shifts, and the power of embracing “no.” Leisa’s vulnerability, insight, and generosity offer a fresh perspective on wealth—one that’s as much about inner transformation as it is about financial success.
In this episode:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:38) - Meet Leisa Peterson
(03:19) - Writing from personal experience
(06:45) - Struggling with a scarcity mindset
(10:11) - How writing transformed Leisa’s closest relationships
(11:58) - Writing fiction vs. nonfiction
(14:29) - How storytelling shifts the money conversation
(16:06) - How Leisa’s books complement each other
(16:48) - Narrative, identity, and the limits of perspective
(22:24) - How reflection shapes abundance
(24:51) - Learning from financial setbacks
(26:28) - The AWAKE process in action
(29:49) – Understanding the RAIN mindfulness method
(30:48) - A powerful takeaway for improving your financial life
(33:39) - One thing to stop doing to get better results
(34:42) - A place that deeply impacted Leisa
(36:45) - How to connect with Leisa
Get full show notes and links at https://mindful.money.
Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindfulMoney.
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Daniel Umfleet — The Disconnect Between Real Dollars and Virtual Spending
Daniel Umfleet is the Chairman and CEO of the Kindbridge Group, Founder of Kindbridge Behavioral Health, and a member of the Kindbridge Research Institute's Board of Trustees. His work involves expanding Kindbridge’s mental health and responsible gambling initiatives, partnering with government and corporate entities, and leading innovative solutions such as AI-driven responsible gambling tools and athlete mental health programs.
In this episode of Mindful Money, I talk with Daniel about the rising tide of gambling-related financial harm—especially among young adults. Daniel shares insights from his work with Kindbridge’s partnership with UCLA, the psychological roots of gambling addiction, and the financial systems unintentionally enabling it. We discuss the role of dopamine, how gamification affects decision-making, and why financial literacy alone isn’t enough. This conversation will open your eyes to the silent damage happening behind closed doors—and what we can do, as individuals and a society, to address it head-on.
In this episode:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:59) - Daniel's background and upbringing
(04:23) - From consulting to coffee shops to Kindbridge
(09:48) - The invisible crisis: gambling addiction in America
(12:19) - Raising awareness around gambling addiction
(14:57) - What counts as gambling? Defining risky behavior
(18:18) - How gamification is rewiring our relationship with money
(25:00) - Warning signs of problematic gambling
(28:55) - How to talk to a loved one about gambling
(32:54) - Entertainment or addiction? Rethinking "healthy gambling"
(37:19) - Gambling in a 24/7, app-based world
(39:32) - Strategies for combating impulsive decision-making
(46:13) - Personal reflections and where to connect with Daniel
Get full show notes and links at https://mindful.money.
Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindfulMoney.
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Hanna Horvath — How Money Scripts Secretly Shape Your Financial Life with Hanna Horvath
Hanna Horvath is a Certified Financial Planner who specializes in decoding the psychological forces driving our financial decisions. Through her newsletter "Your Brain on Money," she explores how unconscious scripts, cognitive biases, and emotional triggers shape our relationship with money.
In this episode of Mindful Money, I talk with Hanna about the unconscious beliefs that shape our financial decisions, the psychological roots of money anxiety, and why so many people feel stuck despite having financial knowledge. Hanna explains how our upbringing, environment, and generation influence our money mindset—and how becoming aware of our internal money scripts is the first step toward financial well-being. We also explore practical ways to bring spending in line with personal values and reclaim mental space from money stress.
In this episode:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:07) - Meet Hanna Horvath: financial journalist and expert
(02:13) - Hanna’s background and early career
(03:46) - The turning point: from wealth accumulation to money psychology
(04:34) - The disconnect between financial knowledge and behavior
(05:19) - Navigating financial journalism and starting a newsletter
(12:20) - Generational perspectives on money
(16:27) - Understanding money scripts and psychological drivers
(18:34) - The influence of childhood on money perception
(20:20) - Money as a tool for expressing values
(21:14) - Dealing with financial media and overwhelm
(22:22) - Practical tips for financial management
(26:52) - Aligning spending with personal values
(32:56) - How to connect with Hanna
Get full show notes and links at https://mindful.money.
Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindfulMoney.
Do you struggle with money? You’re not alone. Money is a means, not an end. It’s a necessity of life for sure, but more money does not always guarantee a “good life”. Money enables many aspects of modern life, but as a dominant consideration it becomes destructive. The paradox is that more time and energy spent on personal finance does NOT create better outcomes. Unlike many other parts of life, we can’t create better outcomes by being smarter, spending more time, or putting in more effort. Join Mindful Money author and experienced 40-year investor Jonathan DeYoe as he shares stories from artists, authors, entrepreneurs, and other advisors about how they mindfully minimize their need to think about money and get more out of life. If you aren’t happy with your finances, feel like money takes more time that it should, or want to place your financial decisions into the broader context of your life, this show is for you. Each episode will draw the line between the “enough” activities that the academics tell us are additive to family outcomes, and those “little bit more” efforts that take time and sap energy, but do NOT improve outcomes.
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