Meet Wendy Wright, LMFT | Financial Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Wendy Wright, LMFT and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Wendy, do you have a budget? how do you think about personal finances?
I intentionally don’t use the word “budget”, but instead use the word “plan”. In my work as a Financial Therapist, I help my clients find ways to improve their relationship with money. Part of this can often start with intentional word changes. The word “budget” can bring up imagery of restriction, judgment, and shame, especially for those who have struggled with this. By shifting the word to “plan”, often the imagery changes to something more flexible and adjustable. And this is a key component to financial healing — building in flexibility and learning a shame-free way to make adjustments to the plan. For my own money life, I use a planning and tracking tool to build my monthly and yearly money plan. I find it key for entrepreneurs to know their personal money needs in order to then build a business that fuels overall life satisfaction. Knowing your personal money life, needs, and wants, impacts your business plan and things such as pricing and setting aside money for time off.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Sometimes I think of life like a quilt, lots of pieces that may seem random but come together to create beauty! My story includes time in business – I have been a mortgage loan officer, a Realtor, flipped houses and owned businesses! – and time as a therapist. For over 20 years, I have been a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. During this time, I earned the designation Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. This blend of understanding of business and finances, and then eating disorders/disordered eating, led me to see a parallel that my eating disorder clients were having in their relationship to money! I like to call this the Intersection of Money and Milkshakes. This led me to find this newer field of therapy, Financial Therapy. Now, my private practice is focused on offering Financial Therapy. I help guide my clients out of money fog and into clarity and confidence in their money life. This journey also came from my own healing work, my own recovery from an eating disorder and my own recovery from the financial devastation of a divorce. Once I began to see parallels in my own life of a scarcity mindset in food and in money, I was able to find even deeper healing. I am so passionate about bringing this healing to my clients.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
It took me many years to realize my lifelong dream of living in Colorado! As a teen, my family began coming here – driving all the way from Memphis! – for annual ski trips. I became, and still am, a skier! So if someone wants me to show them the fun here, it will be to hop in the car and head to the slopes! Copper Mountain is one of my favorites. I also love Steamboat Springs. Well, truth be told I love all the slopes!!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My work as a Financial Therapist is grounded in the work of Bari Tessler, fellow Financial Therapist. Bari literally “wrote the book” on financial therapy, The Art of Money. She puts words this the process of money healing in such a beautiful way! My other mentor in this field is Karen McCall. Karen wrote Financial Recovery and founded the Financial Recovery Institute. She taught me so many things that I now use with my clients. I am so grateful to Karen and Bari for their groundbreaking work in the emotional healing around money!!

Website: wendywrightcounseling.com

Instagram: @wendywrightcounseling

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-wright-lmft-financial-therapist-cfrc-ceds-ciec-70943723/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendywrightcounseling

Image Credits
@rememberyourvoice