Shadow Work for Unlocking Wealth

Shadow Work for Unlocking Wealth

Money should be simple. You make it, you use it, you grow it into something bigger. But for some reason, no matter how much effort you put into your business, there’s always an invisible wall stopping you from reaching the financial success you know you’re capable of. Here, I’ll introduce you to the concept of using shadow work for unlocking wealth.

Maybe you can’t seem to break past a certain income level no matter what strategies you try. You might undercharge for your work, afraid that if you ask for more, people will think you’re greedy or unworthy.

Maybe you struggle with feast-or-famine cycles, where one month feels abundant, and the next, you’re panicking about bills, wondering if this whole entrepreneur thing will ever feel stable.

You work hard, take the right actions, but something isn’t clicking. That’s because money blocks aren’t just about numbers or tactics. They’re psychological, emotional, and deeply rooted in experiences you’ve likely never connected to your financial reality.

Shadow work is the missing key. If you’ve ever felt stuck, trapped in financial patterns that make no sense logically, it’s because you have subconscious beliefs running the show.

These beliefs were formed from childhood messages, past financial trauma, or cultural conditioning. Maybe you grew up watching your parents stress over money and internalized the idea that money is a struggle.

You might have been told that people with money are selfish or that wanting wealth makes you shallow. If you’ve ever thought, Why do I feel stuck no matter how hard I try? Why do I second-guess every business decision, even when I know what I should do?—you’re not alone.

Most entrepreneurs are dealing with unexamined fears, but they try to fix the problem with business strategies instead of looking inward. Subconscious fears control more of your financial decisions than you realize.

They dictate whether you confidently price your services or shrink your rates in fear of rejection. They determine whether you invest in your growth or stay in a cycle of hesitation, always waiting for “the right time.”

They influence how you show up online, how you market yourself, and even how much you allow yourself to receive. If you’ve ever noticed yourself sabotaging progress—turning down opportunities, avoiding sales conversations, delaying launches—you’re not lazy or undisciplined.

You’re protecting yourself from something your mind perceives as a threat. The problem is, your subconscious isn’t working off logic. It’s working off a set of outdated, hidden beliefs that were created long before you had a say in them.

Until you bring those beliefs to light and consciously rewrite them, you’ll keep running in circles, chasing financial freedom while unknowingly pushing it away.

Module 1: The Hidden Roots of Your Money Struggles

Money isn’t just about numbers. It’s about how safe you feel having it, how worthy you feel earning it, and how much you trust yourself to manage it. But most of that isn’t happening on a conscious level.

If money has always felt like a struggle—if you’ve never been able to hold onto it, if you undercharge despite knowing better, if you panic every time a bill is due even when you have enough—it’s because your relationship with money was shaped long before you started a business.

Childhood is where these beliefs took root. Whether you grew up in a household where money was always scarce or where it was never talked about, those early experiences created an invisible script that now plays out in the way you handle your finances as an entrepreneur.

Maybe you remember your parents fighting about money, tension hanging in the air every time bills came due. You internalized the idea that money is stressful, that having more of it only leads to problems.

Now, whenever you get ahead in your business, you find yourself sabotaging—overspending, undercharging, avoiding opportunities—because deep down, financial success feels unsafe.

Or maybe you grew up hearing “we can’t afford that” so often that it became part of how you see the world. Now, when it’s time to invest in yourself—whether it’s hiring help, upgrading your tools, or paying for coaching—you hesitate. Even when you have the money, there’s a voice inside saying, But what if I need it later? so you stay small, convincing yourself you can figure it out on your own.

Your childhood experiences didn’t just shape how you see money. They shaped how you see yourself in relation to money. If you were praised for being low-maintenance, for not asking for too much, for being the kid who never burdened anyone, you might have a deep-seated belief that wanting more makes you selfish.

If you had a parent who spent recklessly and left the family struggling, you might associate financial freedom with irresponsibility. If your family looked down on rich people, talking about them as greedy or corrupt, you may have unconsciously decided that having too much money would make you a bad person.

No matter how much you logically understand that making money is necessary, that belief still lingers beneath the surface, holding you back in ways you don’t even recognize.

For online entrepreneurs, these hidden beliefs can play out in ways that directly impact your income. If you struggle with pricing, constantly feeling like you need to “earn” every dollar by over delivering, it’s likely because your self-worth is tangled up with your fees.

You feel like you have to justify what you charge, so you add extra bonuses, spend hours tweaking the smallest details, and give away more than necessary. Even then, you still wonder if it’s too much, as if asking for fair pay is something to be ashamed of.

Or maybe you find yourself attracting difficult clients, the ones who nitpick every detail and expect more than what they paid for. You’re afraid to set boundaries because deep down, there’s a belief that if you say no, they’ll leave, and you won’t find anyone else willing to pay. That belief comes from a fear of scarcity, and it’s keeping you stuck in cycles of exhaustion and resentment instead of financial stability.

Feast-or-famine cycles are another major sign of unresolved money wounds. You have big income months, but instead of feeling secure, you immediately brace for impact, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Without realizing it, you start making decisions that drain your bank account faster than necessary. You overinvest, overspend, or suddenly find yourself in a creative slump where nothing seems to be working.

Then the money runs out, and you go into survival mode, scrambling to bring in cash as quickly as possible. This cycle isn’t just bad luck. It’s a familiar pattern that feels safe, even though it’s frustrating.

If your early experiences with money were unstable—if you watched your family go through financial highs and lows, if money always seemed to disappear as fast as it came in—your nervous system is conditioned to expect instability. So when things start feeling too good, too secure, your subconscious pulls you back to what’s familiar.

The key to breaking free from these patterns is identifying where they started. Think back to your earliest memory involving money. Maybe it was watching a parent anxiously count cash at the grocery store, knowing they didn’t have enough to cover everything in the cart.

Maybe it was hearing someone say, “Money doesn’t grow on trees,” in a way that made you feel guilty for even wanting something. Maybe it was being told that you had to work twice as hard just to get by.

Whatever it was, that moment planted a seed that has been influencing your financial decisions ever since. You might not remember every detail, but the emotions tied to those experiences are still shaping how you handle money today.

Take a moment to reflect. What messages about money did you absorb growing up? Were you taught that it was scarce, that it had to be earned through struggle, that it made people greedy?

Were you told that financial security was something “other people” had, but not you? When you think about making more money, what fears come up? Do you feel a sense of guilt, shame, or even panic at the idea of raising your prices, selling more, or hitting a new income goal? Those reactions aren’t random. They’re the result of years of conditioning that told you what was and wasn’t possible for you.

Shadow work isn’t about blaming your past. It’s about understanding it so you can change what’s no longer serving you. Until you bring these hidden beliefs to the surface, they’ll continue running your financial life in the background, dictating your decisions without you even realizing it.

When you uncover where your money struggles truly began, you stop fighting yourself. You stop seeing money as something that controls you and start rewriting the beliefs that have kept you stuck. Because the truth is, you were never meant to live in scarcity. You were just taught to.

Exercise: Uncovering Your Earliest Money Memory and Its Impact

Close your eyes for a moment and think back to your childhood. Try to recall the first time you became aware of money—what it meant, how it was used, and how people around you reacted to it.

Maybe it was watching a parent stress over bills, hearing an argument about spending, or feeling embarrassed about not being able to afford something. Whatever memory surfaces, sit with it.

Now, ask yourself:

• What emotions did you feel in that moment? Fear, guilt, shame, excitement?
• What message did you absorb from that experience? Did it teach you that money was stressful, hard to get, or something to be feared?
• How does that belief still show up in your business today? Do you avoid financial decisions? Undercharge? Panic when you have money, afraid you’ll lose it?

Write down everything that comes up, even if it doesn’t seem significant. Patterns will start to emerge. Once you recognize the belief you formed in that moment, challenge it. Is it really true? Does money have to be difficult? Does financial success have to come with guilt? The more you question these beliefs, the less control they have over you.

Module 2: Recognizing Financial Self-Sabotage

You put in the work. You follow the strategies. You do everything the experts say will lead to success, but somehow, you’re still stuck at the same income level. No matter how much effort you pour into your business, you can’t seem to break through.

You might chalk it up to the market, the economy, or bad luck, but deep down, something isn’t adding up. You’ve seen others with fewer skills and less experience skyrocket past you, yet you stay right where you’ve always been. That’s because the real obstacle isn’t external. It’s you.

Financial self-sabotage is one of the biggest reasons online entrepreneurs struggle to grow, and the worst part is that it’s happening beneath the surface, without you even realizing it.

You might think you want success more than anything, but if part of you is afraid of what comes with it, you’ll find ways to block it at every turn. That fear can take different forms. Some people are terrified of failure—of putting themselves out there, trying something big, and falling flat.

But just as many are secretly afraid of success. They worry that making more money will change them, that it will bring criticism, pressure, or expectations they aren’t sure they can handle.

Whether it’s failure or success that scares you, the result is the same: you stay in a familiar place where nothing really changes, convincing yourself that you’re trying when, in reality, you’re holding yourself back.

Procrastination is one of the most common ways financial self-sabotage shows up. You tell yourself you need more time, more information, more clarity before you can move forward.

You hesitate on launching, delay making offers, and sit on good ideas until the moment has passed. You might spend hours tweaking your website, researching instead of acting, or endlessly reworking content that’s already good enough.

On the surface, it looks like you’re just being thorough, but underneath, you’re avoiding the one thing that will actually move the needle—taking bold, decisive action. If you’ve ever found yourself waiting for the “perfect time” to launch, scared of doing it wrong, that’s not strategy. That’s fear. And fear keeps you broke.

Underpricing is another form of sabotage that keeps online entrepreneurs stuck. You see it all the time—people who are incredibly skilled but charge far less than their work is worth.

Maybe they believe it will help them attract more clients, or maybe they don’t think they’re experienced enough to charge premium rates. But at the core of it, underpricing is about self-worth.

It’s about a deep-seated belief that people won’t pay more, that you have to overdeliver just to be considered valuable, or that charging high prices is somehow unfair. The reality is, the people who charge more don’t always have better skills. They just believe they can.

And because they believe it, their customers believe it too. If you’ve ever felt resistance to raising your prices—even when you know you should—ask yourself what you’re really afraid of.

Are you worried people won’t buy? That they’ll question your worth? That they’ll expect more from you than you can handle? That fear is what’s keeping you from financial growth, not the market, not the competition—just you.

Over-delivering is another trap that keeps you in cycles of exhaustion without real financial gain. It feels like generosity, but it’s actually a hidden fear of not being enough. You add more and more to your offers, pouring endless hours into perfecting every detail, trying to make your product or service so good that no one could ever question its value.

But in doing so, you’re not just overworking yourself—you’re training your audience to expect more while paying less. Instead of attracting high-value clients who respect your time, you end up with buyers who take everything and still want more.

The worst part is, the more you give, the more undervalued you feel. You start resenting your business, feeling drained instead of excited, and eventually, you burn out completely.

The truth is, real wealth doesn’t come from over-giving. It comes from setting strong boundaries, valuing your time, and trusting that your work is worth what you charge—without having to tack on endless extras.

One example of financial self-sabotage in action is the entrepreneur who always seems to be on the verge of a breakthrough but never quite gets there. Take someone who starts gaining traction in their business—maybe their audience is growing, their engagement is up, and people are showing real interest in their offers.

They feel that momentum, but instead of capitalizing on it, they start second-guessing themselves. Maybe they worry that their success won’t last, or that they aren’t ready for the level of responsibility that comes with making more money.

So, they pull back. They stop showing up as consistently. They take longer to respond to opportunities. They hesitate, waiting for reassurance that never comes. Then, when their business plateaus, they tell themselves it just wasn’t meant to be. But the truth is, they were afraid of stepping into something bigger, so they slowed themselves down before it could happen.

Another common pattern is making money, then getting rid of it as fast as it comes in. Maybe you finally have a big month in your business, and instead of feeling secure, you feel uneasy.

Suddenly, you’re spending more than usual, investing in things you don’t really need, or finding unexpected expenses that wipe out your profit. Before you know it, you’re back where you started, wondering why you can’t seem to hold onto money.

This is financial sabotage at work. If you grew up in an environment where money was unstable, or if you have a subconscious belief that having too much makes you a target, your mind will find ways to bring you back to a level that feels familiar. Until you address the root cause, no amount of business strategy will fix the problem.

Recognizing these patterns is the first step in breaking free from them. The reason self-sabotage is so powerful is that it feels logical in the moment. You tell yourself you’re just being careful, that you’re waiting for the right time, that you need to be really ready before taking action. But the truth is, there is no right time. The fear isn’t going away.

The doubt isn’t disappearing. If you’re waiting for some magical moment where you feel 100% certain before making a move, you’ll be waiting forever. The only way to break through an income ceiling is to act before you feel ready, before you have all the answers, before the fear is gone.

Success isn’t just about what you do. It’s about what you allow yourself to have. If part of you is still resisting wealth, no strategy will ever be enough. You have to confront the fear, the guilt, the hesitation, and decide that you’re done letting it control your business. Because the truth is, you don’t need more time. You don’t need more validation. You just need to stop waiting for permission to go after what’s already yours.

Exercise: Spotting Self-Sabotaging Money Patterns in Your Business

Self-sabotage isn’t always obvious. It hides in habits that seem reasonable, even responsible, but in reality, they keep you stuck. The first step in breaking these patterns is recognizing them. This exercise will help you identify the ways you may be unconsciously blocking financial success in your business.

Step 1: Identify Your Financial Patterns

Take a moment to reflect on your relationship with money in your business. Answer these questions honestly:

• Do you find yourself constantly hitting the same income level, no matter how much effort you put in?
• Have you ever delayed launching a product or service, convincing yourself you need to tweak it just a little more?
• When someone asks your price, do you feel the urge to justify it, apologize, or offer a discount before they even ask?
• Do you over-give in your offers, piling on extra bonuses or spending excessive time delivering, just to feel like it’s “worth it” for the buyer?
• When you have a big income month, do you immediately start spending or suddenly find unexpected expenses draining your account?
• Do you hesitate to invest in things that could help you grow—coaching, tools, outsourcing—because you’re afraid of “wasting” money?
• Do you secretly fear that if you become successful, you’ll have more pressure, criticism, or responsibility than you can handle?

If you answered “yes” to any of these, you’re dealing with self-sabotage. The next step is figuring out where those patterns come from.

Step 2: Find the Root of the Pattern

Look at the behaviors you identified. Now ask yourself:

• Where did I first learn this?
• What early experiences or messages about money could have contributed to this belief?
• What am I afraid will happen if I stop doing this?

For example, if you undercharge, is it because you grew up hearing that asking for money is greedy? If you avoid spending in your business, did you grow up in a household where money was always tight, making you afraid to take financial risks?

If you keep hitting the same income ceiling, do you associate wealth with responsibility or judgment, making you subconsciously resist it? These connections are what keep you stuck, and once you see them, you can start rewriting them.

Step 3: Rewriting the Belief

Now that you’ve identified a pattern and its root, challenge it. Ask yourself:

• Is this belief actually true? Or is it something I was taught but never questioned?
• What would change in my business if I didn’t believe this?
• What is a new belief I can replace this with?

For example, if you’ve always felt guilty about making money, you might rewrite that belief as: Making money allows me to help more people, create stability for myself, and live a better life. If you’re afraid of investing, you might replace that fear with: Smart investments help my business grow faster and create more income in the long run.

Step 4: Take One Immediate Action

The fastest way to break a self-sabotaging pattern is to act against it. Choose one small action that goes against the belief you’ve been holding.

• If you undercharge, raise your prices today.
• If you delay launching, set a date and commit to it.
• If you hoard money out of fear, invest in something that will help you grow.
• If you panic when you have money, start practicing feeling safe with it by sitting with the discomfort instead of reacting.

Small actions create big shifts. Every time you override an old pattern, you prove to yourself that the fear isn’t real. The more you do this, the easier it becomes to break free from self-sabotage and start making financial decisions from a place of confidence instead of fear.

Module 3: The Scarcity Mindset Trap

Scarcity is a mindset, not a financial condition. You don’t have to be broke to operate from scarcity, just like you don’t have to be rich to operate from abundance. The way you think about money determines the decisions you make, and if your default setting is scarcity, you will always feel like you’re one step away from losing everything, no matter how much you earn.

This isn’t just about struggling entrepreneurs. Even people who’ve built six- and seven-figure businesses can find themselves stuck in survival mode, constantly worrying about where the next dollar is coming from, hoarding cash, or making decisions based on fear instead of opportunity.

If you’re afraid to take financial risks, if you feel like money always slips through your fingers, if you find yourself in constant feast-or-famine cycles, you’re dealing with scarcity conditioning.

Scarcity is ingrained early. Maybe you grew up in a household where money was always tight, where spending had to be justified, and where financial stress was a constant presence.

Or maybe you were raised by parents who were financially stable but still operated from fear, warning you to be careful, save everything, and avoid taking risks. Either way, you learned that money was fragile, that it could disappear at any moment, and that financial security was something you had to grip tightly or risk losing.

As an adult, this conditioning plays out in ways you don’t even realize. Even if you have money, you hesitate to use it. You worry about spending, even on things that could help you grow. You cling to what you have, convinced that if you let go, you might not get it back.

This survival-based thinking keeps you stuck. When your mindset is rooted in scarcity, every decision comes from a place of fear. You undercharge because you’re afraid people won’t pay more.

You say yes to low-paying clients who drain your energy because turning them down feels risky. You resist hiring help because you think you have to do everything yourself, even if it’s burning you out.

You spend hours searching for free solutions instead of investing in tools or training that could make your business easier and more profitable. Even when money is coming in, you don’t feel secure, so you either hoard it or spend it impulsively, trying to get rid of the discomfort of having it. The result? You stay stuck in a cycle where money feels stressful no matter how much you make.

Panic about investing is one of the clearest signs of a scarcity mindset. Logically, you know that spending money to improve your business is necessary. Hiring a coach, outsourcing tasks, upgrading your systems—these things aren’t luxuries; they’re the moves that allow businesses to grow.

But if you’re stuck in survival mode, every investment feels like a threat. You obsess over whether it’s the “right” choice, fear that you’re wasting money, and delay making decisions until the opportunity passes.

You tell yourself you’ll invest when you’re making more, but the truth is, you’re not making more because you’re afraid to invest. The people who scale the fastest aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets. They’re the ones who are willing to bet on themselves, knowing that money flows when you use it wisely instead of clutching it out of fear.

Online entrepreneurs see this play out all the time. Imagine two business owners. One sees an opportunity to work with a mentor who could help them grow faster. Their initial reaction is fear.

The investment feels big. There’s no guarantee of results. They could just keep trying to figure it out on their own. But they recognize that the fear is scarcity talking. They remind themselves that successful entrepreneurs invest in their growth, not because they’re reckless, but because they trust themselves to make that investment work.

They go for it, commit to the process, and within months, they’ve built a more sustainable income. The other entrepreneur sees the same opportunity but lets fear take over.

They hesitate, doubt, and talk themselves out of it. They tell themselves they’ll do it later, when they have more money. But because they’re not getting support, they stay stuck, repeating the same patterns, struggling longer than necessary.

Scarcity doesn’t just affect how you handle money. It also affects how you show up in your business. When you’re operating from desperation, it bleeds into your marketing. You feel like you have to convince people to buy from you, so you come across as needy instead of confident.

You lower your prices hoping to attract more customers, but instead, you attract people who expect everything for free. You launch products or services in a rush, focused on making quick money instead of delivering value that builds long-term trust. Even your energy in sales conversations shifts—potential buyers can feel when you’re operating from scarcity, and it repels them.

Shifting from desperation-based marketing to an abundance mindset changes everything. When you trust that money will come, you stop chasing it. You start pricing your offers based on value instead of fear.

You attract better clients who respect your time and energy. You make decisions that position you for long-term success instead of constantly trying to make quick cash. Abundance doesn’t mean being reckless with money. It means knowing that there is always more available, that you don’t have to hoard it, and that investing in your business isn’t a risk—it’s a necessary part of growth.

The real breakthrough happens when you stop seeing money as something you have to grip tightly and start seeing it as something that flows. When you trust yourself to make smart financial choices, when you let go of the fear that every decision will make or break you, money stops feeling like a threat. It becomes a tool. And when you use that tool wisely, you create a business that thrives—not one that just barely survives.

Exercise: Rewiring Your Brain to Feel Safe Around Money

Scarcity isn’t just a mindset—it’s a conditioned response. If money has always felt stressful, unsafe, or unpredictable, your brain has been trained to associate it with fear. That means no matter how much you earn, your nervous system still reacts as if you’re struggling.

You panic when money is low, but you might also panic when you have it, feeling an urge to spend, hoard, or second-guess every financial decision. The goal of this exercise is to retrain your brain to see money as something safe, stable, and available, instead of something that controls you.

Step 1: Identify Your Money Triggers

Think about the last time you felt stressed, anxious, or fearful about money. What triggered it? Maybe it was checking your bank account, receiving a bill, debating a business investment, or pricing an offer.

Notice the physical sensations that come with it—does your chest tighten? Do you feel a pit in your stomach? Does your mind race through worst-case scenarios? Your body’s reaction is key because financial fear is often more emotional than logical. Recognizing where this panic starts helps you separate past conditioning from present reality.

Step 2: Challenge the Fear Response

Now ask yourself: What am I really afraid of? If you hesitate to spend, is it because you believe you’ll never get more? If you undercharge, is it because you think people won’t pay? If you feel guilty about making money, is it because you associate wealth with greed?

Break down the fear into its root belief. Most financial stress isn’t about money itself—it’s about the meaning you’ve attached to it. Once you identify the belief, question it. Is this actually true? Has money always run out? Do I really have to struggle? Or have I been repeating a story that no longer serves me?

Step 3: Train Your Nervous System to Relax Around Money

Your brain will always return to what feels familiar, even if that familiarity is financial struggle. To change that, you have to show your body what safety around money feels like. Close your eyes and imagine looking at your bank account without anxiety. Picture receiving a large payment and feeling calm instead of panicked.

Visualize yourself making a business investment and trusting that the money will come back multiplied. Notice what happens in your body—does it resist? If so, breathe through it. The goal isn’t to force yourself to feel differently overnight but to introduce a new possibility: What if money wasn’t something to fear? What if it was something I could trust?

Step 4: Take a Small Action That Confirms Money is Safe

Your brain needs proof that it’s okay to handle money differently. Choose one action that goes against your usual scarcity response. If you hoard money, spend a small amount on something that makes your life easier—an automation tool, a business resource, or outsourcing a task.

If you hesitate to charge what you’re worth, raise your price slightly and sit with the discomfort instead of backing down. If checking your bank account makes you anxious, do it daily, but reframe it as tracking growth rather than confirming fear. Every time you take an action that contradicts your old scarcity response, you reinforce the idea that money is safe, available, and within your control.

Over time, these shifts compound. The more you train your brain to feel safe with money, the less you’ll operate from fear. The goal isn’t just to have more—it’s to change the way you experience money entirely so that no matter how much you have, you feel stable, confident, and in control.

Module 4: Healing the Fear of Financial Responsibility

Making more money should feel exciting. You work hard to grow your business, and financial success is the natural result of that effort. But for some reason, every time you start making more, you feel a creeping sense of discomfort.

You might downplay your success, avoid talking about money, or even make financial decisions that shrink your profits without realizing it. Part of you wants more, but another part feels uneasy about what comes with it. That unease is a sign that deep down, you fear financial responsibility—not just the numbers, but what more money represents.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, more money, more problems. It’s been repeated so often that most people accept it as truth. The idea that wealth brings complications, stress, or unwanted attention is deeply ingrained in many entrepreneurs.

If you grew up in a household where money caused arguments, where financial success was associated with greed, or where people talked about wealthy individuals in a negative way, it’s likely that you internalized some of these messages.

Even if you logically understand that making more money is a good thing, your subconscious may still be holding onto the belief that financial growth comes with consequences.

One of the biggest fears around making more money is the idea that success will bring pressure, expectations, and stress. You might think that if you earn more, you’ll have to work harder, manage more responsibilities, or become the go-to person when others need financial help.

You may even worry that you won’t know how to handle it and that one mistake could cause everything to come crashing down. If you’ve ever resisted raising your prices, expanding your business, or increasing your income, it’s worth asking yourself: Am I afraid that making more will bring more problems? Because if you believe that money will add stress to your life, you’ll unconsciously block yourself from receiving more.

For many entrepreneurs, guilt plays a huge role in financial self-sabotage. If you come from a background where money was scarce, where your family struggled, or where financial success wasn’t the norm, you might feel like making more sets you apart in a way that feels uncomfortable.

You may feel guilty about out-earning friends or family members who work traditional jobs. You might hold yourself back to avoid making others feel uncomfortable, afraid that your success will create distance in relationships.

If you’ve ever downplayed a big win or avoided sharing your financial progress, this is why. It’s not that you don’t want success—it’s that you’ve been conditioned to believe that growing beyond what’s familiar could cause rejection, jealousy, or resentment.

The belief that wealthy people are greedy or selfish is another common block that keeps entrepreneurs from fully stepping into financial success. If you’ve spent years hearing that rich people take advantage of others, that success requires stepping on people to get ahead, or that having too much means you’re out of touch, you may have developed a subconscious resistance to wealth.

No one wants to be seen as greedy, so if you associate money with negative traits, you might push it away without realizing it. You might find yourself giving discounts even when it’s not necessary, overdelivering to prove you’re “not just in it for the money,” or avoiding conversations about pricing altogether.

The truth is, making more money doesn’t change who you are—it amplifies what’s already there. If you’re generous now, you’ll be generous with wealth. If you value integrity, you’ll continue to act with integrity. Money doesn’t turn people greedy; it just reveals their true nature.

Breaking free from these fears starts with recognizing them. If you’ve been holding yourself back financially, ask yourself what you’re really afraid of. Are you worried that more money will bring more stress?

That you’ll be expected to take care of others? That people will judge you or treat you differently? That you won’t be able to handle it and will lose everything? These fears often operate beneath the surface, so it’s easy to mistake them for logic when they’re really just old conditioning.

But the reality is, none of these things are inherently true. More money doesn’t have to mean more stress. You don’t have to take care of everyone just because you have more.

People who judge you for succeeding were never truly in your corner. And losing everything? That fear comes from a scarcity mindset. The truth is, money is a skill. The more you earn, the more you learn how to manage it.

One example of this fear playing out in real life is the entrepreneur who hesitates to scale because they’re afraid of the added responsibility. Maybe they’ve been handling everything themselves, and the idea of hiring help feels overwhelming.

They know that outsourcing would free up time and allow them to make more, but part of them feels like it’s easier to stay small. They worry that bringing in more money means keeping track of more expenses, making bigger decisions, and possibly failing in a way that affects others.

So instead of growing, they keep doing everything alone, undercharging, overworking, and wondering why they can’t get ahead. The truth is, staying small doesn’t eliminate responsibility—it just keeps you stuck in struggle.

Another example is the entrepreneur who resists raising their prices, even when they know their work is worth more. They might tell themselves that they don’t want to alienate clients or that they just want to be “affordable,” but underneath that, there’s a deeper fear: If I make too much, people might resent me. If I start earning more, I might become one of those people others judge.

They don’t realize that by keeping their prices low, they’re not just hurting themselves—they’re also reinforcing the belief that their work isn’t valuable. The people who see the worth in their work will pay, but the ones who expect everything for cheap will always take advantage of them. When they finally raise their rates, they find that they attract better clients, work less, and make more—all without any of the fears they thought would come with it.

Releasing financial guilt is a process, but it starts with reminding yourself that success doesn’t take away from anyone else. Money isn’t a limited resource. Just because you make more doesn’t mean someone else makes less.

If anything, wealth allows you to create more opportunities—not just for yourself, but for others. The more you have, the more you can invest in your business, hire others, and contribute in meaningful ways. You’re not taking from anyone by becoming successful. You’re proving that it’s possible.

If you’ve been holding yourself back, ask yourself: What if making more money actually made my life easier, not harder? What if financial success allowed me to give more, help more, and create more impact? What if growing my wealth wasn’t something to fear, but something to embrace? Because the truth is, success isn’t something to be afraid of. It’s something to step into, unapologetically.

Exercise: Releasing Limiting Beliefs About What Wealth Means

Your beliefs about wealth shape every financial decision you make. If you associate money with stress, greed, or responsibility, you will subconsciously push it away, even if you say you want more. The goal of this exercise is to uncover and challenge the beliefs that are keeping you stuck so you can redefine wealth on your own terms.

Step 1: Identify Your Core Money Beliefs

Think about the messages you’ve absorbed about wealth over the years. Without filtering yourself, write down the first thoughts that come to mind when you hear the word wealthy. What are the phrases, judgments, or emotions that surface?

Do you think of wealthy people as powerful? Greedy? Hardworking? Lucky? Dishonest? Do you believe that wealth is reserved for a certain type of person? That it’s difficult to obtain? That having a lot of money means having a lot of stress?

Look back at what you wrote. Notice any patterns or contradictions. If you’ve been struggling to increase your income, there’s likely a negative belief somewhere in your list. If deep down you believe that wealth comes with problems, that money is hard to keep, or that people will judge you for making more, those beliefs will create invisible roadblocks in your business.

Step 2: Trace the Origin of These Beliefs

Now, ask yourself: Where did these ideas come from? Think back to childhood. Did your parents struggle financially? Did they fight over money? Were you told that people with money were “lucky” or that wealth had to be earned through sacrifice?

Maybe you heard comments like rich people don’t care about others, money changes people, or you should be grateful for what you have instead of wanting more. Even if these statements weren’t directed at you, they shaped your relationship with money.

If you grew up in an environment where money was a source of stress, your subconscious may have linked financial success with pressure or instability. If wealth was treated as something only certain people could achieve, you may have internalized the belief that it’s not possible for you.

Understanding where these beliefs started allows you to see that they aren’t your truth—they were passed down to you. And just because you learned them doesn’t mean you have to keep them.

Step 3: Challenge the Narrative

Now that you’ve identified the beliefs keeping you stuck, it’s time to question them. Take each limiting belief and ask yourself:

• Is this actually true?
• Have I seen examples of people who contradict this belief?
• Is this belief helping me or holding me back?

For example, if you believe that making more money will bring more stress, ask yourself: Is money the source of stress, or is it how people handle it? You’ve likely seen people who have wealth but still live in chaos, just as you’ve seen people who have wealth and seem completely at peace.

Money doesn’t create stress—how you manage it does. If you believe wealthy people are greedy, think of entrepreneurs who use their money to make a positive impact. If you believe it’s hard to hold onto money, challenge yourself to see examples of people who manage wealth wisely and grow it sustainably.

Every time you challenge a belief, you weaken its power over you. The more evidence you find that contradicts the belief, the more you start seeing money differently.

Step 4: Redefine Wealth on Your Own Terms

Now, write a new definition of what wealth means to you. Instead of seeing money as something stressful, corrupting, or out of reach, what if it were a tool for freedom, security, and impact? What if it were something you could have without guilt? What if success didn’t mean pressure, but instead meant choice—choice over how you live, work, and give?

Write down a new belief that feels expansive and empowering. Some examples might be:

• Money gives me the freedom to create the life I want without struggle.
• The more wealth I have, the more I can support myself and others.
• Making money is a natural and enjoyable part of my business.

Read your new belief every day. The more you reinforce it, the faster your mind will start accepting it as truth. Wealth isn’t something to fear. It’s something you get to define, claim, and create on your own terms.

Module 5: Breaking Free from Undercharging and Overgiving

Charging what you’re worth should feel natural, but for many online entrepreneurs, it feels uncomfortable—almost wrong. You know your work has value, yet every time you set your prices, that nagging voice creeps in.

What if no one pays? What if I’m charging too much? What if I need to prove myself first? Instead of pricing based on the true worth of your offer, you price based on fear. You lower your rates, hoping to attract more clients.

You add bonuses, extras, and endless support just to justify your fees. You say yes to people who don’t respect your time because deep down, part of you feels like you need to.

The problem isn’t the market, the competition, or what your audience is willing to pay. The real problem is that your past is dictating your pricing, and until you break free from it, you’ll always feel guilty about charging more.

Money guilt isn’t just about numbers. It’s about self-worth. If you’ve ever felt like you needed to “earn” every dollar by overdelivering, it’s because somewhere along the line, you were taught that receiving money should come with effort, struggle, or justification.

Maybe you grew up in a household where money was tight, and every purchase had to be justified. Maybe you were told that financial success was for other people, the kind who worked harder, longer, or under circumstances you couldn’t possibly match.

Maybe you learned that asking for more—more money, more recognition, more support—made you difficult, demanding, or selfish. Those beliefs don’t just disappear when you start a business. They seep into how you market yourself, how you price your work, and how much you allow yourself to receive.

If you constantly undercharge, there’s a good chance you don’t see your work the way your clients do. What feels easy to you might be life-changing to someone else, but because it comes naturally, you assume it isn’t worth much.

This is especially common with skills that are second nature—writing, design, coaching, strategy, problem-solving. You think, If I can do this without much effort, why should I charge a lot for it?

But your clients aren’t paying for your time or effort. They’re paying for results. They’re paying for the years it took you to master this skill, the confidence that comes from working with someone who knows what they’re doing, the time they save by hiring you instead of figuring it out themselves. When you undercharge, you’re not making things easier for your clients—you’re making it harder for yourself to run a business that actually supports you.

Overgiving is another way money guilt manifests. You don’t just deliver what you promised—you add extra, spend hours making everything perfect, and go above and beyond in ways that drain your energy.

You do this not because it’s necessary, but because deep down, you’re afraid of disappointing people. You believe that if you don’t overdeliver, your work won’t be enough.

The problem is, overgiving doesn’t create loyal clients. It creates entitled ones. When you train people to expect more than what they paid for, they start taking advantage of that generosity.

They push boundaries, ask for constant revisions, expect unlimited access to you, and still hesitate when it’s time to pay your full rate. The clients who truly value your work don’t need over-the-top extras to justify your price. They pay because they trust your expertise, not because you threw in five bonuses and unlimited support.

Difficult clients are a direct result of undercharging and overgiving. When you price yourself too low, you attract people who don’t respect what you do. These are the clients who haggle, who expect fast turnarounds with unreasonable demands, who nitpick every little detail.

The ones who tell you they can’t afford your rates but somehow always find the money for other things. When you undervalue yourself, you send the message that your work isn’t premium.

And the people who look for the cheapest option? They’re also the ones who expect the most. They drain your time, your patience, and your business growth. Raising your prices doesn’t just increase your income—it filters out the clients who don’t align with the business you want to build.

One example of this in action is the entrepreneur who keeps getting stuck in low-paying projects. They’re always busy, always working, but never seem to get ahead financially. They think they need to attract more clients to make up for their low rates, but in reality, their pricing is the reason they’re overworked.

They spend so much time fulfilling client requests that they don’t have the energy to scale, market themselves properly, or develop higher-value offers. They tell themselves they’ll raise their prices someday, but fear keeps them stuck. They don’t want to lose clients.

They don’t want to hear “no.” They don’t want to risk making a change that could backfire. But the truth is, staying in this cycle is the real risk. They’re already losing time, energy, and income potential by staying small.

Another common scenario is the entrepreneur who refuses to charge premium rates because they feel guilty making more than the people around them. Maybe their family or friends have traditional jobs with lower salaries, and they worry that earning more will create distance.

They downplay their success, keep their rates modest, and never push themselves to scale because deep down, they fear that stepping into financial abundance will make them unrelatable.

But holding yourself back doesn’t help anyone. You don’t have to shrink to make other people comfortable. The right people will celebrate your success, and the ones who don’t were never really in your corner to begin with.

Breaking free from undercharging starts with a shift in perspective. Instead of seeing pricing as a reflection of your worth, see it as a reflection of the value you provide. Stop asking, What will people pay? and start asking, What is this transformation worth to the right client?

Instead of overloading your offers with unnecessary extras, focus on delivering what actually moves the needle for your audience. Instead of fearing that raising your rates will push people away, recognize that the wrong clients leaving makes room for the right ones to show up.

One of the biggest shifts you can make is trusting that the right people will pay what you charge. There are clients who want cheap, and there are clients who want quality. If you underprice, you attract the first group.

If you charge based on value, you attract the second. But that shift starts with you. When you believe in your pricing, others believe in it too. When you stop overgiving, you start attracting clients who respect boundaries. When you set your rates based on confidence instead of fear, you finally start building a business that supports you instead of draining you.

Letting go of money guilt isn’t about ignoring your past conditioning. It’s about recognizing that those beliefs no longer serve you. You don’t need to prove yourself by overdelivering.

You don’t need to apologize for charging more. You don’t need to hold yourself back because of what others might think. You built this business for freedom, not for stress. And the moment you start valuing yourself the way you deserve, your clients will too.

Exercise: Setting Prices That Reflect Your True Value Without Guilt

Pricing isn’t just about numbers. It’s about how much you believe in the value of your work. If you’ve been undercharging, hesitating to raise your rates, or feeling guilty about asking for what you’re worth, it’s not because of the market.

It’s because of the stories you’ve been telling yourself about money, worth, and what people will pay. This exercise will help you identify the root of your pricing struggles and shift into a mindset where charging what you deserve feels natural, not shameful.

Step 1: Define What You Actually Provide

Think about the impact of your work, not just the task itself. If you’re a coach, you’re not just providing sessions—you’re helping someone break through limiting beliefs, take action, and change their life.

If you’re a designer, you’re not just making graphics—you’re creating a brand presence that helps businesses attract and convert customers. If you’re a writer, you’re not just putting words together—you’re crafting messages that sell, engage, and build trust. Stop thinking about what you do and start thinking about what results you create. Write down all the ways your work benefits your clients.

Step 2: Recognize Where Your Pricing Hesitation Comes From

If you feel resistance to charging more, there’s a reason. Ask yourself:

• Do I believe that making money should require struggle or effort?
• Do I worry that people won’t pay me if I charge more?
• Do I feel guilty asking for higher rates because I’m afraid of making more than my friends or family?
• Do I lower my prices to avoid rejection?
• Do I think charging less makes me more likable or relatable?

Once you pinpoint the belief behind your pricing fear, question it. Where did you learn this? Is it actually true? Or is it just an assumption you’ve carried with you?

Step 3: Set a Price That Matches Your Value

Now that you understand what you truly provide and where your hesitations come from, it’s time to adjust your pricing. Pick a service or product you offer and ask yourself:

• If I were pricing this purely based on its impact, what would I charge?
• If I knew my ideal clients wouldn’t question my rates, what would I charge?
• If I were charging based on confidence instead of fear, what would the price be?

Write down the number that feels right. Now, notice what emotions come up. If fear, doubt, or guilt surface, remind yourself: the right clients won’t hesitate to pay this. You are not making them do anything—they are choosing to invest because they see the value.

Step 4: Commit to Your Price Without Apology

Decide right now that you will no longer discount your worth out of fear. The next time someone asks your rate, state it confidently. No justification, no explaining, no shrinking back. If someone balks at the price, they are not your ideal client. The ones who truly value your work will pay. And the more you stand by your pricing, the more those ideal clients will be the ones who show up.

Money follows confidence. If you believe in what you charge, others will too. If you hesitate, they will hesitate. Pricing isn’t just a number—it’s a statement of how much you value yourself. And the moment you start owning your worth, everything shifts.

I’m bestselling USA Today and Wall Street Journal author Connie Ragen Green. My goal is to help at least a thousand people to reach six-figures and beyond with an online business. Come along with me, if you will and let us discover how we may further connect so you may achieve all of your dreams and goals and transform your life experience, with my help and guidance.
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