Wanting Money Doesn't Make You a Greedy Coach
My money story, and why it's okay to want more than just enough.
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Most coaches were taught that wanting money makes them greedy. That if you were truly aligned, truly of service, the money would just show up while you stayed humble and quiet about it.
Frankly, that's the wrong story.
Wanting money does not make you a bad coach. It does not make you greedy, unspiritual, or out of integrity. Most of the time it means you have lived through what it feels like to go without. And you decided, on purpose, that you are done living that way.
Money is a thing for me. Here's why.
Where My Money Story Started
My money story started in a working class home where there was always just enough and never extra.
We were not poor. We were not rich. We had just enough to share among siblings, and my parents tried. They tried hard.
Then we came to the US. And just enough became less than that.
My dad went from an office job to lifting crates in a supermarket. He came home with his hands scratched and bruised. Some days I saw them and said nothing.
One day I looked at his hands and made myself a promise.
I don't want to be poor. Not. Ever. Again.
I was a kid. But that promise ran most of what came next.
So I Did Everything "Right"
So I did what you do when you make a promise like that. I studied. Hard.
I earned my doctorate. I took the job that promised lifetime security, the kind of job you do not walk away from.
And then I learned something nobody warns you about. The secure job did not actually feel secure.
Because here is what "secure" looked like up close.
Decisions about my life were made by other people. Whether I kept my job depended on how many times I got called into HR. On whether my boss happened to like me that quarter.
That is not security. That is borrowing someone else's permission to feed yourself.
Sound familiar?
But Isn't Abundance About More Than Money?
Yes, abundance is about more than money. And also, that line is very easy to say when you have never actually gone without.
You have heard it before. Abundance is not measured by what's in your bank account.
And sure. That's true.
But when you have lived through a season where abundance was not even in your vocabulary, you hear that line differently.
When money is the thing you do not have, money becomes the only thing you think about. It decides whether your dad's hands ever get a break. It decides what you can and cannot do for the people you love.
So yes. Money is a thing for me. I promised myself I would never be poor again, and I have kept that promise.
But here is the part that surprised me.
It was never only about me. I don't just want to never be poor again. I want to help other people never be poor again either. That is the whole reason I do this work.
Why Coaches Undercharge (And Why It Isn't Humble)
Coaches undercharge because somewhere along the way they learned that wanting money is dirty, and that belief quietly keeps them broke.
I've seen it constantly. A coach pours everything into the work, gets real results for real people, and then whispers her price. Or discounts it before anyone even asks.
And she calls it humility.
Frankly, it is not humility. It's the same old story dressed up in nicer clothes.
Here's the thing. You cannot help one single person climb out of "just enough" if you are quietly going broke being noble about your rates.
Call it greed if you want. I call it memory. I remember exactly what less felt like.
Your money story is not something to hide from your business. It is the engine underneath it.
Stop Apologizing For Wanting Money
If money is a thing for you, stop apologizing for it.
You are allowed to want it. You are allowed to want it loudly. Especially if you were ever the kid staring at a pair of bruised hands, making a promise.
Here is what I invite you to do today. Stop discounting your work to feel humble. Say your real price out loud, once, just to yourself. That's it.
Tell me your money story in the comments. I read every single one.
Cheers, Michelle
FAQ
Does wanting money make you a bad coach?
No. Wanting money does not make you a bad coach, greedy, or out of integrity. Most of the time it means you have lived through going without, and you decided on purpose that you were done living that way. The coaches pretending they don't care about money are often the ones quietly going broke.
Why do so many coaches undercharge?
Coaches undercharge because they were taught that wanting money is dirty, and that belief keeps them broke. They pour everything into the work, get real results, then whisper their price or discount it before anyone even asks. They call it humility. Frankly, it's the same old story dressed up in nicer clothes.
Is it unspiritual to want to earn well as a coach?
No. Earning well is not unspiritual, and "abundance is about more than money" is an easy line to repeat when you have never actually gone without. You cannot help one person climb out of "just enough" while you are quietly going broke being noble about your rates.
How do I start charging what I'm actually worth?
Start by saying your real price out loud, once, just to yourself. Stop discounting your work to feel humble. That one small act of hearing your true number is where most coaches begin to undo the story that's been keeping them small.
