Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
Spotify
StitcherLadies, it’s time for a financial mindset makeover! Whatever you’ve heard about money not being for you? Not true. And you can trust us on that—so go ahead and get that bag! In this episode, Jen and Jill are joined by Kara Loewentheil of The New School of Feminist Thought to empower women everywhere to break free from limiting beliefs and societal expectations and reclaim our financial power!
People don't have to believe that it’s easy or guaranteed, they just have to believe it's not impossible.
Sponsors:
- December 29th. We’re already looking ahead after Christmas. But let’s plan for a couple weeks ahead. On December 29, Jill and I will be hosting a FREE live meal planning class that is only free for people who pre-order our new book, Buy What You Love Without Going Broke. So, for all of our pre-orders we are going to be sitting down with you for over an hour. We are going to help you craft and form a one year meal plan and we’re not just talking about dinners, we are talking snacks, lunch, breakfast all as well as incorporating the meal prep component to it. So if you want us to help you come up with a one year 2025 meal plan for the year, pre-order the book and then submit the form and you will get access to that.
Check out some relevant episodes
Kara Loewentheil is the NYT bestselling author of Take Back Your Brain, an Ivy League women’s rights lawyer turned Master Feminist Coach and the founder of The New School of Feminist Thought.
How History Shapes Women’s Finances
Starting from the roots, Kara explains that women often manage the household purse rather than earn it—a legacy rooted in a patriarchal society in history. This dynamic still resonates today, as financial advice for women usually emphasizes budgeting, saving, and responsibility. While for men, it centers on investing, building wealth, and risk-taking. It was then that it was realized, history is still not far from its influence.
For her, one challenge women face in shifting their financial narrative is the tendency to be over-responsible, believing everything must be perfect or else, something is wrong. Yet, research shows women often excel as investment managers because they can assess risks more effectively. Suggesting that if women shift their mindset to allow for some risk, they could have the best of both worlds.
Money Lies Women Believe
Kara laid three main money lies that we have been taught. One common lie is that wanting to build wealth or caring about money is morally wrong, as though it reflects something bad about us. This belief traces back to Western history, where wealthy Christian cardinals and popes lived in palaces while telling the peasants that money was evil. Yet, the origins of this belief were never questioned.
Another lie is the idea that men are inherently more knowledgeable and capable of handling finances, often tied to traditional notions of masculinity linked to money. Last is a mindset rooted in the awareness of the flawed system, making it hard to even try or what she calls “deck is stacked and so you may as well not even try.”
Debunking Money Lies
Kara offered two ways to start breaking free from the beliefs we once thought were our realities. The first is to gather evidence of what you have accomplished rather than focusing on what you still need to do. She also emphasizes that people don’t need to believe that success is easy or guaranteed; they just need to believe it’s not impossible.
The second approach focuses on your intentions—why do you want something in the first place? It’s about setting realistic goals and understanding why they matter to you. In the end, because how we associate money with ourselves is what will truly shape our financial mindset.
What's one money belief you've personally had to unlearn as a woman and how did that shift impact your financial decisions?
For Kara, it’s the belief that money is bad, so she challenged it by starting a business. Jill’s is that investing isn’t for her, and she’s undoing it by investing. Jen’s is that she must be the breadwinner to be worthy.
Get more from Guest
Book: Take Back Your Brain
Instagram: @karaloewentheil
Bill of The Week
Thank you Kara for sharing your bill about buying a house and the ways you worked through cognitive biases!
Thanks so Much for Listening!
Thanks so much for listening. We love love love reading your kind reviews and we especially loved this one from:
✰✰✰✰✰
Say No to Impulse Buys!
Loved this episode! You girls were spot on about combating impulse buying with hobbies. I use to be a shopaholic, but hobbies have now taken over the shop til' you drop urge. Currently filling that shopping void .....Calligraphy, embroidery, adult coloring, puzzles, scrabble, baking, juicing, journaling, weight lifting, Hoopla ...all done with bare minimal supplies and self-taught thanks to ...IG, YouTube, and Tik Tok! So looking forward to your upcoming book!!!
If you want to check out our monthly challenge community head to frugalfriendspodcast.com/club to see what challenge we have coming up next.
And keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to reviews@frugalfriendspodcast.com. And don’t forget to share your favorite quote from the episode by using the hashtag #FrugalFriendsNote. 
