Welcome to this week’s episode. I’m so excited to have Sarah Maxwell with us today. Hi, Sarah. For those who are new to you, could you give us a little introduction?
Yeah, of course. I am Sarah and I founded a company called Wealth Coach. I work with individuals, couples, businesses and groups – focusing on the power of connecting to your money and the joy of connecting to your finances. I bring quite a lot of bright colour to each explanation and try to make it a very inviting and creative environment to help with that connection.
Amazing. I have to ask, what does it mean to connect to your money?
So connecting to your money is really around feeling it in your life. So allowing it into your life. I work with a lot of people who see money almost as an enemy, something that they can never quite get hold of, something that isn’t necessarily a friend or a great part of their life.
The work that I do brings in that connection. So it’s one side mindset and relationship and the other side practicalities. It’s important to bring in both of those sides, and invite money into your life and the energy of money.
It’s not the same for everybody, and people will have different hangups and blocks and potential issues with their relationship with money. They will have different things that they want to solve and work through and different understandings of the practicality. So yeah, it’s about bringing all of those things together and making money a part of your life and a part of your life that you love.
What led to you launching Wealth Coach?
I’ve spent 20 years in corporate financial services. My background initially started off in mortgages, where I would work with people to get their first homes and enjoyed that part of the work – working with individuals and couples and getting them onto the property ladder. From there, I moved into investments and worked with other businesses.
That was more of a corporate job. I was working with independent financial advisors, as opposed to individuals. So that was a huge change. That’s where I was for 10 years and that was interesting, a huge growth for me. That’s what led me to become a wealth planner.
I had been exposed to the practical sides of money, which are really important, but also the joy money can bring to an individual when they understand it – that’s why I created Wealth Coach. I wanted to help shape that mindset, along with the understanding – you can’t have one without the other, as it’s almost like doing half a job.
What’s wealth to you?
Wealth, to me, is many things. When people think of wealth, some will think it’s having a million pounds or something like that but wealth is so much more. That’s the reason behind the name of my business because, for me, wealth is how you want to feel about your money.
It’s having intentions for your money. Figuring out what that figure is for you, whatever you might call financial freedom, or whatever your intention is – which helps you look forward in your life. It’s more than just a physical figure. I did a podcast recently about how much is enough, as it’s quite an interesting subject. The research definitely showed that your ‘how much is enough figure’ increases throughout your life.
When people say “I want to make 1 million pounds,” I ask them – what is it that million pounds actually gonna do? What do you want your life to look like? It’s so important to set intentions with your money, otherwise, you will lose track of what you’re working towards.
When you think of money, it’s a very practical thing but also intensely linked to mindset. We need money for essential living costs. We need money for things that we want to spend that give us joy as well as growth in security.
If you don’t have an intention for your money, if you don’t know why you want that money – you’re just going to spend it on things you don’t need. Wealth for me is my family being happy and me feeling a part of that family. Both answers equate to wealth.
When did you realise you understood money better than most people?
I think probably age seven or eight, certainly, under the age of 10. I used to make jewellery and be quite creative.
I loved colour, beads – taking things apart and putting them back together. I would then sell that jewellery, so from a very young age, I’ve had this real saving mentality. I had a little red money box I’d save my money in. Eventually, the jewellery turned into hair wraps and I’d go to local fairs and sell bits and pieces.
I’d always save the money I made (I think that comes from the adults that I saw around me as a child, which is where a lot of your money habits and beliefs come from). My downfall though was that I never really put an intention on that money. I’d save and really enjoyed that process but what I was saving for was nothing – I didn’t know, and so the money just stayed in the money box.
Being creative, what are some of the other ways you bring that element into your career?
A Lot of my experience of the last 20 years has been very much you have to use blue because blue is a security colour and people are then going to feel secure.
It’s very interesting because, in my opinion, I want people to feel connected, and to feel excited about their money – not just secure. I want to reach a totally different person than the people that have always been attracted to the blue. I want to talk to people who haven’t connected to their money and haven’t felt like it’s a part of their lives.
What is your career teaching you right now?
You know what? I absolutely love it. There’s a huge part of me that wishes I’d have started even sooner. I think I waited a long time to be ready and I think I sat for a long time in the security of being a part of the corporate world.
I mean, I’m glad I did it, but there is a huge part of me that almost wishes I’d have taken that jump even sooner than I did. If my career has taught me anything, it’s to just do it. Just take the leap and get it done. I think I built the idea up in my mind to be far scarier than it actually was and I certainly spent quite a lot of time in my head planning. But actually what I have learnt is that I needed to be out of my head and more confident with my decision.
What’s your advice for somebody who’s considering taking their side hustle from part-time to full time?
My advice would be don’t be afraid to try. Try to focus on all the positives of doing what you want to do. You don’t have to quit your day job right away, you can start researching and doing bits in the background around your 9-5. It can be scary, but you can bring your idea to life gradually. You might even start by just simply doing a course in the subject that you’re interested in, or the thing that you think you want to do because invariably it will change throughout your lifetime.
My vision of what Wealth Coach is has continued to change even over the last year because I’m constantly learning through my experiences. I think anybody that thinks that they know all of the answers gets a bit stuck. If you’ve got something, then work towards it but hold it loosely and allow it to change and allow feedback. Being open to all of those experiments and learning new things is so important.
How can our listeners connect with you and find out more about you as a colourful creative wealth coach?
I have a website, which is wealth-coach.co.uk. I say this all the time, but you want to put sunglasses on because it is very bright! I’m also on Instagram so I love connecting with people there.
