Her Money Matters

29 Staying on Track: How to Turn Your 2026 Goals Into Reality (Part 2)

This episode is Part Two of our two-part goal-setting series for 2026, and it’s all about what happens after the inspiration fades. Last week, we talked about why goals matter, the psychology behind them, and how to get clear on what you want through things like vision boards and manifestation. This week, we move into the real work, which is how to stay on track.
Joined by my partner in crime, Helene Psarakis, we unpack the systems, structures and behaviours that actually help goals survive real life. We talk about why motivation isn’t enough, how habits and small steps create momentum, and why accountability can dramatically improve follow-through.
We also dive into the importance of recording and tracking your goals, the role automation can play in reducing friction, and how to set yourself up for consistency rather than perfection. Along the way, we bust the 21-day habit myth, share the research that really matters, and give you practical ways to put all of this into action.
And yes — we bring in a little pop culture fun with I’m So Excited by the Pointer Sisters, because that feeling of excitement doesn’t come from thinking about goals. It comes from knowing you’ve started.
In this episode, we cover:
Why staying on track is harder than setting goals
The psychology behind habits, small steps and consistency
How recording and tracking goals increases follow-through
Why accountability buddies work — and how to use them properly
The truth about habit formation and the 21-day myth
How automation removes friction and supports progress
Practical ways to keep goals alive throughout the year
If you set goals for 2026 and want to actually achieve them, this episode will help you put the right structures in place — without pressure, guilt or unrealistic expectations.

28 Why New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work and How to Plan an Impactful 2026

Welcome to the first episode of 2026.
Every January, we dust off the same New Year’s resolution playbook. Do better. Be more disciplined. Finally get your money sorted. And every year, most of those resolutions quietly disappear by the end of January, leaving a familiar mix of frustration and self blame behind.
In this episode, I talk about why that happens, and why it has very little to do with motivation or willpower. Resolutions are usually disconnected from real life, especially for women in their forties, fifties and sixties who are juggling work, family, money, ageing parents and everything else that comes with this stage of life.
We dig into why money resolutions feel particularly heavy, how deeply held beliefs and identity shape behaviour far more than good intentions, and why chasing outcomes without changing how you see yourself rarely leads to lasting change.
From there, the conversation shifts to a different approach.
I break down the science behind manifestation in a practical, no nonsense way, focusing on what actually works. We talk about focus, visualisation and emotion, why clarity matters, and how tools like vision boards and designing your ideal day can help turn intention into action when they are grounded in reality.
This episode is about starting 2026 without the pressure to fix yourself. It is about designing your days with intention, building momentum in a way that feels sustainable, and creating a year that supports the life you actually want to live.
 
Here is the link to The Wheel Of Lifehttps://cdn.moble.com/w/1847/2293062/file/wheel-of-life-coaching_0c909efaa5323.pdf

27 Best of 2025 Replay: The Most Loved Episode for 2025 - The 5 Money Personas and Limiting Beliefs

As we wrap up 2025, we’re revisiting the episode that resonated more than any other this year - Episode 16: Are You a Spender, Planner or Avoider? The 5 Money Personas and the Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back.
This conversation struck a chord because it helped women see themselves clearly, in the behaviours, habits, and the stories we carry about money. In this episode, we unpack the five core money personas, how they show up in everyday life, and the beliefs that can either support your progress or hold you back.
What really made this episode a standout was the pop-culture reference we used to tie it all together. With Sex and the City as our theme, we explored how Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha each represent a different relationship with money, and why recognising yourself in one of them can be surprisingly powerful. It was a heap of fun, and gave language to something many women feel but rarely articulate.
If you’re hearing this for the first time, this episode will help you understand why you make certain money decisions and where small shifts can make a big difference. If you listened earlier in the year, this is a great moment to reflect on what’s changed and what you might want to take with you into 2026.
This is our final episode for 2025. Helene and I will be back in person next week to kick off the first episode of 2026, and we cannot wait to continue the conversation with you.
And please remember… Your Money Matters, Your Future Matters, and You - You Matter.
See you in 2026.

26 Best of 2025 Replay: Why Super Needs to Be Your Super Hero

As we ease into the Christmas break — that magical time where no one knows what day it is and leftovers count as a meal — we’re revisiting one of the most popular episodes of the year.
Coming in as our second most-listened-to episode is Why Super Needs to Be Your Super Hero. And we are not surprised this was one of the most listened to episodes.
Superannuation is one of the most powerful financial tools available to women — yet it’s also one of the most misunderstood. In this replay, Naomi pulls together 20 minutes of the very best moments from the original episode, breaking super down in a way that’s practical, relatable, and actually makes sense.
Using the idea of super as your financial cape, this episode explores why we want super to be the hero of your future — not the villain quietly eroded by fees, poor performance, or neglect. Naomi also challenges listeners to think differently about their super by giving it a superhero identity of its own (hers? Lara Croft — bold, strong, adventurous, and absolutely not here to play small).
In this replay, we cover:
Why super really matters — especially for women
Why you need to actively care about it (even if retirement feels far away)
What makes super such a tax-efficient structure
How much choice you actually have when it comes to your fund
The different types of contributions you can make
How and when you can access your super
And the pop culture tie-in to Bonnie Tyler’s Holding Out for a Hero — because your super really can be exactly that
We’re taking a short festive breather, but Naomi is still around if you need support over the break. And from both Naomi and Helene — thank you for being part of this community.
🎄 Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a safe, happy festive season.🎙️ We’ll be back with a brand-new live episode on 5 January.
Because your money matters — and so do you.

25 Planning a Holiday over the Festive Season? Here’s How to Avoid the Holiday Hangover

If there was ever a time to channel Madonna and belt out Holiday — it would be so nice! — it’s the festive season. Between the Christmas chaos, end-of-year burnout, and the annual migration to beaches, airports, and relatives’ spare rooms, the silly season can be a very expensive time to “celebrate.”
In today’s episode, we’re talking all things festive travel — the real costs, the hidden costs, and the “I did not budget for this!” costs. Whether you're heading up the coast, flying interstate, or just trying to escape your own kitchen, we’re breaking down how to plan, budget, and enjoy your holiday without coming home to a financial hangover.
We are taking a page straight out of Madonna’s book, because if Holiday taught us anything, it’s that taking a break should feel joyful, simple, and liberating — not stressful, guilt-ridden, or funded by a credit card you’ll resent until Easter.
We’ll cover:• Why festive-season expenses creep faster than a heatwave• Clever ways to plan your travel budget (that actually stick)• How to avoid blowing the cost-of-living Christmas budget• Smart money moves for accommodation, transport, food and the sneaky extras• And how to start the new year feeling refreshed — not financially frazzled
So grab an iced latte, put on your favourite summer playlist, and let’s make this year’s holiday feel less like a financial avalanche… and a little more Madonna-level fabulous.

24 The Heart Behind Insurance Cover: Why it Matters

When we think about insurance, most of us picture paperwork, premiums, and things going wrong. But behind every policy is something far more meaningful: real people, real families, and real moments where life suddenly changes, and the right cover becomes the difference between crisis and stability.
In this episode, Naomi sits down with Jacqui Lennon, Chief Technology and Transformation Officer at Zurich Insurance Australia, to explore the deeply personal side of insurance — the part we don’t talk about enough. Jacqui has seen first-hand working with customers at their most vulnerable: illness, injury, loss, recovery, and everything in between. She’s encountered what happens when people do have the right cover… and when they don’t.
Together, they dive into:
The life moments where insurance steps in and holds things together
Real client stories that show how a claim can change someone’s path, from medical crises to unexpected life twists
Why GoFundMe shouldn’t be your financial plan
The emotional decisions we make about insurance, and why so many women put it off
What the four major covers — Life, TPD, Trauma, and Income Protection — are actually designed to protect
This episode is all about understanding the heart behind the cover — how insurance supports you when the rest of life feels uncertain, and why building this safety net is one of the most powerful gifts you can give yourself and the people you love.

23 New Year, New Career: Is Now the Time for Change?

As the year winds down and the champagne starts calling, so does that little voice in your head asking, “Is this really what I want to be doing next year?”
 
In this episode, Naomi and Helene dive into the end-of-year phenomenon that has so many people standing at a career crossroads — weighing up whether to stay, go, or reinvent themselves altogether. December is bonus season, reflection season, and, for many, career-questioning season.
 
Naomi marks one year since her redundancy — and what a transformation it’s been, moving from corporate life to self-employment. Helene’s done the same, and together they unpack what triggers people to think about changing careers, how to recognise the signs it might be time, and what to consider — both financially and emotionally — before making a move.
 
They also dig into the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data, which shows that 40% of Australians have been in their jobs for just one to four years, and 8.5% of women changed jobs last year, mostly for better opportunities, family reasons, or improved work conditions.
 
And of course, in true Her Money Matters style, there’s a pop culture nod — this time to The Clash and their 1982 anthem “Should I Stay or Should I Go” — because sometimes, deciding whether to stay or leave a job feels exactly like that.
 
So if you’ve been feeling restless, stuck, or just curious about what’s next, this episode is your permission slip to reflect, reassess, and maybe take that first step toward something new.

22 How to Smash Your 2026 Goals - Recorded LIVE with the Balmain Rozelle

If you’ve never been to a live podcast recording, picture this: fifty powerhouse women, a packed pub, a few glasses of wine, and a whole lot of laughter, energy, and inspiration flying around the room. We recorded this podcast in one take, with a LIVE audience - the audio fed straight into our computers.  
This was recorded the day after Melbourne Cup, and we packed out the room with 50 incredible women from the Balmain Rozelle Chamber of Commerce who were ready to swap champagne flutes for goal sheets and channel their 2026 ambitions.
With The Power by Snap! as our pop culture reference, we turned up the volume (literally) on what it means to set goals that align with your values, habits, and vision for the year ahead. We went through a couple of activities live which you can find in the resources below and talked about the importance of setting your goals early, and making sure they are SMART.  
Now while the concept of setting SMART goals sounds simple, turning broad intentions into clear, measurable goals is often the hardest part and where most of us get stuck.
Then came the magic moment: we asked everyone in the room to write down their 2026 goals. Some focused on fitness and wellbeing (including a future yoga teacher in the making), others on home renovations or creating more balance with family, and some were focused on growing businesses, increasing income, or taking brave steps into new ventures.
Different goals, same thread — each reflected courage, clarity, and the determination to make next year count.
 
⚡ Download & Get Involved
Keep the momentum going with our free downloads:
📝 Goal Setting & Values Activity Sheet – https://www.thinkbowl.com.au/wheel-of-life-her-mindset-matters?qr=view
🎯 DL Flyer + QR Code –
GOALS FROM OUR ATTENDEES
Start my second business in Europe and Asia Pacific before the new year, website and media packs by end of January and first clients in Feb and continue to expand with incremental and measurable goals
My goal is to set my SMART goals for 2026 - sitting here today I realize I need to spend time on clarifying this
Increase income within the next 12 months by $100,000
To build my team to senior roles so I can have time off with my kids during school holidays
Sell house in February for $xxm
My Goal is to drop down to working 5 days a week by June 2026
Make $10,000 per month net by the end of the year
A better understanding of my finances being a single women in my 50’s
Renovate our house by Dec 2026
Home Renovation finished by Christmas
Get married in September in Whistler
Do yoga teacher training by September 2026
 
🎧 Press play and feel the power.Because when women back themselves, set direction, and share the journey — that’s when the real magic happens.
👉 Listen now, and use the QR code in the flyer to send us your 2026 goals.

21 What Your Super Statement is Really Trying to Tell You

For most of us, opening our super statement lands somewhere between “mildly overwhelming” and “absolutely not today.” In this very real and surprisingly empowering episode, Helene opens her actual superannuation statement live on the podcast — giving all Avoiders a soft place to land.
Naomi walks through the 6 key things your super statement is trying to tell you — Fees, Investments, Performance, Contributions, Insurance, and Beneficiaries — breaking down what they mean in simple language, why they matter, and how to turn a yearly dread into a moment of clarity.
Together, they unpack why our brains avoid financial information, how curiosity rewires money confidence faster than you think, and the small mindset shifts that turn “free-falling” into taking back control of your future self.
This week’s pop-culture throwback is Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” (1989/1990) — the perfect anthem for the emotional rollercoaster of pretending you’re fine while things feel chaotic underneath. Just like Tom, many of us look calm while quietly avoiding the numbers… until today.
By the end of this episode, you’ll know exactly what to look for on your super statement, why even one small action counts, and how awareness always costs less than avoidance. Your future self will thank you.

20 Why a Property Valuation is Your Best Friend to Help You Decide Whether to Stay, Renovate or Move

Ever caught yourself wondering whether to stay, renovate, or move - but felt unsure where to even start?Before you call the agent or start planning that kitchen makeover, this episode of Her Money Matters is a great place to start.
I’m joined by professional Property Valuer Belinda Botzolis, who takes us inside the world of property valuations.  We cover off what they really mean, how they’re done, and why understanding your home’s true worth can help you make every decision with more clarity and confidence.
Inspired by Flo Rida’s hit “My House”, we’re talking about what it really means to own, love, or leave your home, and how a proper valuation can help you decide whether to marry it, spruce it up, or move on.
We’ll break down why valuations differ from real estate appraisals, the surprising factors that influence your home’s value, and the practical steps you can take to get the most accurate result. Whether you’re refinancing, renovating, downsizing, or just curious, this episode will help you make informed choices about your biggest asset.
🎧 So kick back, press play, and welcome to your house — because knowing what it’s worth is the first step in shaping your financial future.