Reducing Stress and Enhancing Financial Management with Accountability

 00:00:00 – Sara Walls 

But the thing with dishes and also the thing with money is that there’s going to be more dishes tomorrow or this afternoon. Yeah. So it’s not necessarily something that we can always kind of check off. It’s this thing that’s going to kind of keep coming. And so we have to figure out how to maybe have an ongoing relationship with it. Otherwise we get into that cycle right, where it piles up and it becomes this giant, overwhelming thing that feels terrible and we avoid it. And then we slog through it and it feels gross and horrible and we never want to do this again. 

00:00:39 – Linzy Bonham 

Exactly. Yes. Welcome to Money Skills for Therapists, the podcast that helps therapists and health practitioners in private practice go from money confusion and shame to calm clarity and confidence with their finances. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by numbers or avoided looking at your business money, you’re in the right place. Hi, I’m Linzy Bonham, therapist turned money coach and creator of Money Skills for Therapists. Before we jump in, check out my free On Demand masterclass. You’ll find the link in the show notes or@moneynutsandbolts.com under masterclass. It’s the best first step to finally feeling empowered with money in your private practice. Let’s get started. Hello and welcome back to the podcast. Today’s guest is Sara Walls. Sara Walls is a therapist and bookkeeper for therapists. She’s also a graduate of Money Skills for Therapists. So I had the pleasure of working with her a couple years ago, and since our work together, she has started doing this bookkeeping work for therapists, which is so exciting. So it’s so exciting to be able to have her on the podcast today and for me to hear more about what she’s built and the continued work that she’s done growing her financial skills since I last got to work with her. Today, Sara and I talk about her own journey of going from a therapist who was avoidant of money and overwhelmed and even ended up having to shut down her first version of her private practice because the money wasn’t working. Going from that to now. Being a bookkeeper for therapists, we talk about gatekeeping in the bookkeeping world and dig a little bit more into some of the dynamics in bookkeeping that can sometimes lead folks to maybe be a little bit defensive. We talk a little bit about experiencing some defensiveness and some gatekeeping from the financial world, but specifically talking about bookkeepers and some of the parallels between bookkeepers and how their work is valued and compensated and therapists and counselors and how our Work is also not always valued or well compensated. A disclaimer on this. We are talking about kind of like the, you know, a little bit of the. Maybe the dirt, the grist in the bookkeeping world. So if you’ve had an experience with a bookkeeper where bookkeepers have ever been defensive or kind of gatekeeping, not letting you really understand your numbers, we dig a little bit into some of the context that might inform those experiences. But also, of course, huge disclaimer. Many bookkeepers are not defensive and are lovely and willing to answer your questions. And that’s something for you to look for as you’re looking for financial professionals in general is people who are able to answer your questions clearly, be with you in your numbers, give you the communication that you need. So there are many great bookkeepers and accountants out there like that, Sara being one of them. But we dig into some of the context around bookkeeping and why sometimes bookkeepers, you know, it might be hard to be a bookkeeper sometimes. We also talk about what are some of the financial habits that therapists and health practitioners in private practice can develop and specifically how to make yourself work on your money if you have ADHD or are neurodivergent. So Sara herself shares a little bit about her experience and her learning from other people in the ADHD space and how that applies to money. Lots of great things that we covered today. Here is my conversation with Sara Wall. So, Sara, welcome to the podcast. 

00:04:18 – Sara Walls 

Thank you. I’m excited to be here. 

00:04:20 – Linzy Bonham 

I am very excited to have you here. I think that this is maybe the first time, maybe the first time on the podcast or in general that we’ve had, like, someone who I’ve got to see at the beginning of the journey and then has come back and been like, oh, hey, I built a financial business, which is like, so cool. So for folks listening, can you tell them just a little bit about yourself and what you do? 

00:04:44 – Sara Walls 

Yeah. Yeah. So my name is Sara Walls. I am a clinical social worker in Houston, Texas. I have a solo practice and I’m a grad of money skills for therapists. And about a year ago, well, given the timing of when this will come out. A year and a half ago, Sure. I started a bookkeeping business to support other therapists, other small business owners with getting their money in order and feeling better. 

00:05:16 – Linzy Bonham 

Yes. 

00:05:16 – Sara Walls 

About their money. 

00:05:17 – Linzy Bonham 

And you’re currently both ending. Do I understand that you have clinical clients and you also have bookkeeping clients who are other therapists? 

00:05:24 – Sara Walls 

Yes. 

00:05:24 – Linzy Bonham 

Okay. Okay. So you have, like, walked the journey and been in the same position as so many other therapists. Like, trying to figure out money, making mistakes, feeling overwhelmed. Can you share a little bit about that journey and, like, what finally shifted things for you with money? 

00:05:43 – Sara Walls 

Yeah, absolutely. So I kind of have like a part A and part B of my journey. Really. The first part was right after I got my provisional license. I was working for a group practice as a 1099 contractor and so set up my own LLC to run everything through that and thought I was doing okay. I kind of had a system to track my income and my expenses and those kinds of. Of things. It would pile up, I would avoid it here and there, but I’d kind of eventually catch up. But it became clear the more I got into it that what I didn’t know was how much I could actually afford to pay myself, when I could pay myself, how consistently I could pay myself, exactly how much I should be saving for taxes. And I also really fell into the, like, it’s a write off trap. Right. Like, I thought I was doing all of these good things by taking these trainings, and I even went on, like, conference trip across the country. I was like, I can write all this off. This is great. And while that was true and I did pay less in taxes, I also didn’t have money to, like, pay my bills and all of those things. 

00:07:04 – Linzy Bonham 

Yes, yes. 

00:07:06 – Sara Walls 

So, yeah, it eventually got to the point where I just decided I needed to go get a W2 paycheck agency job and just kind of, just kind of call it so that I could have some predictability on the personal side. 

00:07:23 – Linzy Bonham 

And I think a lot of therapists go through that journey. Like, I was recently at the aca, the American Counseling association with Diane, who coaches with us, and we were chatting with folks coming through the booth, and sometimes we’d be like, do you have a private practice? They’re like, I used to. Used to have a private practice. So, yeah, I think there is a segment of therapists who go into private practice and they’re like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. And then like, back. Back out into. Into the W2 or the employee world again. 

00:07:50 – Sara Walls 

Yeah. Because it’s so much. 

00:07:52 – Linzy Bonham 

Yes. 

00:07:52 – Sara Walls 

There’s so much to learn. And we don’t really have. We don’t get a lot of that education, as you know, and as I’m sure has been talked about a lot on this podcast. But also it’s hard to know where to go sometimes, too. 

00:08:04 – Linzy Bonham 

Yes. Okay, so you got back into W2 land. 

00:08:08 – Sara Walls 

Yes. And then, long story short, a few years later, started to get an inkling to kind of give it a try again. And I can’t remember exactly how or why or when I ran across it, but I ran across your work and I ran across the Profit first book by Mike Michalowicz. And that was a game changer for me because it gave me a starting place, it gave me a structure on like, hey, maybe like about this much is how you should focus on paying yourself. About this much is what’s reasonable to spend on expenses. And so just having that kind of not like rigidity but just kind of a guideline, a place to start was really, really helpful for me and definitely shifted the success of the second go round. 

00:09:00 – Linzy Bonham 

Yes. Yeah. Having a framework. Because I think too, I think about how you were tracking. There’s certain things that are figureoutable in terms of the tracking is the details. So it’s like, okay, we can capture the details. I made this much and I spent this much. But this is how I remember feeling too. When I started in private practice, I was like, and then what is the grand picture? What is the bigger picture? And I felt that way too when I came across Profit first, which was actually right around the time I was starting this business is when I also came across profit first. I did a training with Tiffany McLean and Allison Perior in San Francisco. That was one of my, it’s a write off things. That was actually an excellent, excellent investment working with them, being like, my private practice is full. I can’t do more clinical work than I’m doing. I kind of want to help therapists with money. Ended up reaching out. Tiffany McLean ended up in their program and at their retreat they had like a financial person to like sit with. And a lot of people sat with the financial person and they were like, oh no, I have to do everything. But I was like, little Achiever went and sat with like the financial coach who’s like so lovely. And she went through her checklist and I was like, got it, got it, got it, got it, got it. My little, like a student. It’s a certain vibe. It’s not a great vibe. But then at the end she was like, okay, then you want to check out Profit First. She’s like, if you got all this stuff sorted out, you’re really going to want to read Profit First. And that’s when the book was quite new. Like it had only been around for maybe a year or two. And yeah, for me, when I, when I discovered Profit first, it also was like, okay, here’s the thing that I’ve been looking for which is that that broader logic to how money can and should move. And as you say, like, it’s a starting point. Right. It’s not. It’s not rigid. It doesn’t have to be rigid. Some people, I think, misunderstand that about profit first, but it gives you boundaries and guidance. 

00:10:51 – Sara Walls 

Yes. 

00:10:52 – Linzy Bonham 

Which is nice. We need that. 

00:10:53 – Sara Walls 

It is nice. Yes, it is nice.

00:10:55 – Linzy Bonham 

So the second go around, you were more successful. I’m hearing, like, my work, profit first. And I’m curious, like, where did you end up in that work that you ended up actually moving towards your own bookkeeping business? Because this is something that’s evolved, like since you and I worked together. So there’s a whole part of the story that I don’t know at all. 

00:11:13 – Sara Walls 

I’ll be honest. I think it’s always kind of been something in the back of my mind because even that first go round, I’ve always been kind of curious about this stuff and interested in this stuff. I’ve used YNAB, the you need a budget software for over 10 years and follow personal finance stuff on Instagram. So friends and colleagues have always kind of. I get questions. I get questions and I’ve enjoyed answering them and talking to them about it, right? 

00:11:42 – Linzy Bonham 

Yes. 

00:11:43 – Sara Walls 

But I think the turning point for me or the thing that really kind of kicked me in the butt, I guess, to really pursue this was in a networking community that I’m a part of. I got the opportunity to run a workshop. Basically. We had had some CPAs come talk, one of which Julie Harris, the Prophet first for therapist author. And my task was to kind of say, like, hey, we got all this great information from these CPAs. Now let’s maybe figure out what we can actually do with that or how we can actually put that into practice in our businesses. So I put together a little walkthrough of some profit first stuff and just had so much fun. My little, you know, socially anxious introvert self was not excited about, like giving a workshop about money stuff and talking to all these people, and I had a blast. 

00:12:40 – Linzy Bonham 

Yes. 

00:12:40 – Sara Walls 

So, yeah, decided like, maybe I need to look into this more and figure things out. So I took some bookkeeping classes, some accounting classes, got some certifications, and really loved debits and credits, which I feel like makes me really weird. 

00:13:02 – Linzy Bonham 

Yeah, you’re a unique breed of therapist, you know. Welcome to our little club. 

00:13:07 – Sara Walls 

Yes. Yes. Yeah, yeah. Weird in the therapy world and also weird in the finance world. 

00:13:12 – Linzy Bonham 

True story. 

00:13:12 – Sara Walls 

Yeah, it’s fun. So, yeah, when I was like, if I’m liking This. And I’ve heard a lot of people hate debits and credits. It’s probably a sign I need to, like, lean into this. 

00:13:24 – Linzy Bonham 

Totally. Yeah. I think in business, that’s often an area of opportunity when you’re like, what? You guys hate this? 

00:13:30 – Sara Walls 

Really? 

00:13:31 – Linzy Bonham 

This is so fun. Like, okay, all right, you want me to talk about this? I feel like that with the work that I do all the time at this point where it’s like, I get to do a call and we just get to talk about money. You’re paying me for this. This is so great. So, yeah, it’s a sign of opportunity in business. So thinking about your clients that you work with, like, I’m curious, what have you seen change for them when they get the right booking keeping support? Because I also know sometimes folks have maybe worked with financial professionals who aren’t a great fit. That’s actually something that comes up a lot in both money skills for therapists and money skills for group practice owners. Is sometimes folks having to reassess, like, oh, my bookkeeper never replies to me, or I asked her this question and she just got really defensive and gave me this evasive answer. And sometimes there is this kind of come to Jesus that ends up having to happen about that relationship of like, oh, is this actually the right fit for me? And if it’s not having to find somebody else for the folks that are working with you, where it is a right fit and obviously you get what they do. Being a therapist, what do you see change for people when they find the right bookkeeper? 

00:14:39 – Sara Walls 

I think a few things. One is just kind of. I mean, very broadly, just how they feel about their books and about their money and their business finances. There’s. There can be this kind of. I’m reluctant to really paint this in broad strokes, but I guess a flavor of gatekeepiness sometimes from some folks in the accounting world. 

00:15:01 – Linzy Bonham 

Don’t be reluctant. It’s the truth speak truth to power. 

00:15:03 – Sara Walls 

All right. Yeah, yeah. Some gatekeepiness, right? 

00:15:06 – Linzy Bonham 

Yeah.

00:15:08 – Sara Walls 

A lot of jargon or just a. I don’t know, it may not feel great to ask questions. And so once folks feel like they can ask those questions, I don’t know, it just kind of unlocks something. It unlocks that empowerment or just confidence that, like, oh, okay, I can understand this. This is not a super complicated thing that I’m not smart enough to understand.

00:15:34 – Linzy Bonham 

And I do see that get activated a lot in folks when they do encounter gatekeeping and jargon. Sometimes, like, I think about this more with, like, Financial advisors. But I think about, like, you know, the, like, old white dude behind the big oak desk, which, like, let’s be fair, it’s a nice desk. But it’s like that, like, this is the space between you and I, you know? And, like, people who, like, end up working with their father’s financial advisor, there’s a certain, like, kind of archetypical story. There’s. But where it’s just almost like they want to pat you in the head and be like, don’t worry about that little girl. 

00:16:02 – Sara Walls 

I got this.

00:16:03 – Linzy Bonham 

Which is such fucking bullshit. And I do think that shows up in other spaces in different ways. That’s not what I’ve experienced as more of the flavor in accounting and bookkeeping. But what I do see. And let’s dig into the gatekeeping. I know you were reluctant, but I really want to talk about the gatekeeping. What I do see is this kind of. Other people couldn’t possibly understand this. You can’t understand this or this. Like, almost like. Like it’s a science that is complex. But I would say that bookkeeping is more of an art. Controversial statement, I’m sure, for bookkeepers, none of whom listen to this podcast, except a couple of lovely ones that I can think of who do, like, therapists and bookkeeping combo. But a little bit of this defensiveness around their work that then by putting up a gatekeeper, like the slamming down the gate, they don’t have to answer questions. I’m curious for you, like, what do you think that is? Where does that come from? Because we experience the slamming of the gate and the feeling of like, oh, I must not be smart enough to understand this. What do you think is happening on the other side, as somebody who has a foot in each world. 

00:17:11 – Sara Walls 

Oh, that’s a really good question. That’s a really good question. And that’s one that I’m gonna have to think about for a second. I do think in some ways, bookkeepers maybe are similar to therapists in that I say we. I guess I’m part of both worlds. Sometimes feel a little devalued by clients sometimes. Or by CPAs and tax preparers and people kind of higher up on the ladder in the accounting world. 

00:17:40 – Linzy Bonham 

Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

00:17:41 – Sara Walls 

And so there can be this kind of. Yeah. Defensiveness or protectiveness or like, I need to prove myself or justify my worth or my knowledge or something. Right. 

00:17:51 – Linzy Bonham 

Yeah. And I totally see that. Like. And I’ve sometimes talked to my students about bookkeepers. I think bookkeepers are. They’re used to being ignored by their clients, which also can’t be a good feeling. Right. To be like, you know, you reach out to a client to be like, hey, I’m like missing this thing, or da, da, da, hey. And they just like, they see your email and they’re like, so I can also see you there. Where there would be like, that’s not a fun position to be in as a professional who’s trying to help, because again, you’re helping somebody with something that they don’t enjoy and they find stressful, which is often why they have outsource that task in the first place. But I can also see how relationally that would be a hard position to be in as a bookkeeper, where you’re chasing people and your clients are kind of resentful, or resentful is not the right word. They’re a bit scared of you. You make them do hard things. It kind of makes me think of dentists, right? Where it’s like, nobody is like, yeah, I’m going to the dentist today. Although my dentist has a really nice office and they give you hand massages. Although the hand massages have deteriorated in quality over time, I do have to say. But most people fear going to the dentist. And it’s the same thing. Like, dentists are depressed because nobody’s happy to see you and you’re doing things that are hard. And like, I do wonder if there’s a dentist bookkeeper overlap in that sense. Although dentists get paid way more than you folks, so at least they have like their BMW to drive around to feel better. 

00:19:10 – Sara Walls 

But. 

00:19:10 – Linzy Bonham 

Yeah, exactly. I would argue that. I think, like, bookkeeping is an underpaid profession. 

00:19:14 – Sara Walls 

Yeah. 

00:19:15 – Linzy Bonham 

I think it’s kind of like the counseling of the accounting world. 

00:19:19 – Sara Walls 

100%. 100%. There’s a lot of talk in bookkeeping groups, too, about is your fee really supporting you and your business. 

00:19:26 – Linzy Bonham 

Yeah, sometimes the math seems really bad to me. If I even think about my bookkeepers and what I pay them, which is a pretty typical rate. It’s not a low rate, it’s not a high rate. I’m like, wow, how many clients do they have to have to make the numbers of their business work? And it must be a ton for their particular business that I’m thinking about where you have the head bookkeeper, the owner of the company, and then there’s like three different people I talk to. So that’s a lot of humans. And so, yeah, it seems to be a business where, generally speaking, those services are not highly valued and therefore there’s not A lot of compensation for those services, which I’m sure. Yeah. Also contributes to defensiveness or a lack of goodwill maybe, on the part of bookkeepers. Is that fair to say? 

00:20:09 – Sara Walls 

I think that is fair to say. And I also think, too, there is maybe, I don’t know, feeling misunderstood or feeling sometimes there maybe clients are oversimplifying their understanding just a little bit. Right. Like, I’m not trying to make bookkeeping out to be this complicated thing, but when I did kind of lean in and take some of those accounting classes, I was like, oh, okay. There are some more complex things that I didn’t know. I didn’t know. 

00:20:37 – Linzy Bonham 

That’s it. Yeah, certainly. And I think also as soon as you get into any kind of scale in your business or more complicated incorporation statuses. 

00:20:46 – Sara Walls 

Yeah. 

00:20:46 – Linzy Bonham 

There are some more complicated pieces where. Exactly. Like, you don’t know what you don’t know. And so, yeah, I could see clients not necessarily understanding what you’re doing for them because they don’t speak that language. 

00:20:56 – Sara Walls 

Exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

00:20:58 – Linzy Bonham 

So for therapists who are listening, first of all, takeaway message. Bookkeepers are people, too. Yeah. And thinking maybe, you know, there’s. Yeah. That piece of just, you know, just appreciating what your bookkeeper does for you. They’re doing things that you don’t like to do. What are some financial habits that you would suggest for folks listening, whether or not they’re considering working with a bookkeeper? What do you see as some good financial habits for therapists to put in place to bring down some of the stress around money? 

00:21:27 – Sara Walls 

Really just finding a way to regularly approach your money in some way, whether that’s opening your bank app and looking at it or attending to your spreadsheet or your QuickBooks or whatever. I think having that routine or that consistency does a couple of things. I mean, they’re like little exposures. Right. To kind of help with the anxiety. And also, too, when we do it more, we know what we’re doing. For example, there’s this great decluttering person that I follow. Her name is Dana K. White, and she’s kind of in the ADHD world, and she talks about neurodivergent folks tendency to maybe let the dishes pile up here and there until they become this, like, giant project. And then we have this big festival where we clean all the dishes and spend all day, like, I’m gonna do the thing. 

00:22:25 – Linzy Bonham 

Yes, totally. Totally. 

00:22:26 – Sara Walls 

Yeah. And it’s kind of clunky because we’re like, oh, we’re out of dish soap. Or, like, where did I put the dish wand again? 

00:22:34 – Linzy Bonham 

And also, there’s so many dishes. Where do you stack them all? And you have to start. Yeah, it’s a process. Not a process. It’s a massive project by that project. 

00:22:42 – Sara Walls 

Yes, exactly. Yeah. It’s a project. And sometimes it can be really satisfying to check off the project and complete it and get it off our list. But the thing with dishes and also the thing with money is that there’s gonna be more dishes tomorrow. 

00:22:57 – Linzy Bonham 

Yes. Yes. 

00:22:58 – Sara Walls 

Or this afternoon. Yeah. So it’s not necessarily something that we can always kind of check off. It’s this thing that’s going to kind of keep coming. And so we have to figure out how to maybe have an ongoing relationship with it. Otherwise, we get into that cycle, right. Where it, like, piles up and it becomes this, like, giant, overwhelming thing that feels terrible and we avoid it, and then we slog through it, and it feels gross and horrible. We never want to do this again. 

00:23:30 – Linzy Bonham 

Exactly. Yes. Which is often tax time for therapists. 

00:23:33 – Sara Walls 

Yes. 

00:23:34 – Linzy Bonham 

That’s when that happens. 

00:23:35 – Sara Walls 

Exactly. 

00:23:36 – Linzy Bonham 

Yeah. 

00:23:36 – Sara Walls 

And then we’ve done all this work, so we’ve earned a break from it. 

00:23:40 – Linzy Bonham 

True. Yes, totally.

00:23:43 – Sara Walls 

We’ll deal with it later.

00:23:44 – Linzy Bonham 

Yeah, yeah. 

00:23:44 – Sara Walls 

You’ll be fine. 

00:23:45 – Linzy Bonham 

Yes. 

00:23:45 – Sara Walls 

And it repeats. Right, so. Right. 

00:23:47 – Linzy Bonham 

So breaking it down into those little, little steps. And I am curious. You mentioned ADHD neurodivergence. I have found over the last, I’m gonna say, two years of money skills for therapists, maybe three. We have so, so, so many folks coming to the course with new ADHD diagnoses. Women in their 30s and 40s. So for them, not only is it they’re in the course because they want to attend to their money, but there’s also this, like. Okay, now how do I work with this? As somebody with adhd, my brain is wired in a specific way that makes these kinds of tasks hard to get to. So I think, especially thinking of folks with neurodivergence, what do you suggest as a way to actually sit down and do the thing? Because I’m not neurodivergent. And so this is something that I’m surrounded by ADHD folks. They’re my peeps. But because I’m like, the grounded, anchored one who’s less spontaneous and creative. So I am curious. What do you suggest for folks who maybe are getting to know themselves in this new way? How do you make yourself do the thing that you don’t want to do? Specifically talking about money?

00:24:52 – Sara Walls 

In this case, I’ll just share something that’s been Helpful for me is actually one of the things that I started doing in your program. Just kind of getting with somebody else to work on it together, having that little bit of accountability, some co regulation, too, and just kind of a designated time to focus on it. Notes is my huge nemesis. And so I have actually, after this, a designated time with a colleague of mine to focus on notes. And if you can find a therapist friend to focus on money with and do it together, that can really be a game changer. That’s kind of part of what I try to offer through my services, too, is after I complete someone’s books, I send them information. I make a little video with, hey, here’s your numbers and here’s what’s going on. And also, here’s my calendar. Let’s see if we can get some time to look at this together. 

00:25:50 – Linzy Bonham 

Yeah. Because I hear their connection, coagulation. I also think about shame reduction. Right. Of just like, also, you know, when. When the dishes pile up and you’re working it on your own, it’s also kind of this thing where you’re trying to, like, reset, hide the evidence. Whereas when you work on things with somebody else, then it takes some of the charge out of it. I think when you’re just like, okay, I’m working on my thing, you’re working on your thing. Because this is a thing that we all have to do and making that progress. We have an accountability buddy duo finishing up money skills for therapist right now, who. They both took time off in the program, actually, and they’ve both come back at the same time. And they are, like, possibly the cutest accountability partnership I have imagined. And there are two people. Christelle matched them. I can’t claim any of the glory here, but I was just saying to one of them yesterday, I was like, you two are the best accountability partnership I think I’ve ever seen. They meet twice a week. I know they meet for, like, half an hour on Tuesdays to, like, be connected. And then they meet longer later in the week, I think to actually do money stuff together, but. And they’re two people from, like, different walks of life. Different again, they’re not people I would have guessed. But when you find that person who you’re just like, yeah, let’s cheer each other on. Let’s be there for each other. And, hey, you were gonna work on that scary tax form. How’s that going? Or, like, did you call your bookkeeper like you said, it’s so powerful to get you out of. I think that frozen shame kind of Space that we can all get into with different things. So, yeah, I’m hearing the power of CO regulation. Body doubling is the phrase I hear a lot in the ADHD space. That’s a great tip. Sarah Walls, I have one more question for you. 

00:27:25 – Sara Walls 

Yes. 

00:27:25 – Linzy Bonham 

Your business is called Little Frog Bookkeeping, which is the cutest name. Tell me why. Why is it called that? 

00:27:32 – Sara Walls 

Yes, yes, yes. So it actually is a nickname I’ve had for my son. Yeah, I just, whenever I think of it, I have this image. There’s this picture of him just kind of laying on my chest with his little legs tucked under him, his little arms tucked in like a little tree frog. Yeah, yeah. And it was when he showed up that I started feeling like maybe I should start to look into this, this more. And. Cause growing up, I was always a big math and science nerd, and so that kind of pulled toward that younger side of myself. 

00:28:05 – Linzy Bonham 

Yes. Bringing it around again. 

00:28:07 – Sara Walls 

Yeah, I love that. 

00:28:08 – Linzy Bonham 

Okay, so for folks who are interested in learning more about you, learning about your services, where can they find you?

00:28:14 – Sara Walls 

Yeah, so my website is littlefrogfinancial.com I also spend some time on Instagram and LinkedIn here and there. Arawallslcsw. Yeah, those are probably the best places to find me. 

00:28:29 – Linzy Bonham 

Thank you, Sarah, for coming on the podcast. It was lovely to see you again today.

00:28:33 – Sara Walls 

Yeah, you too, Linzy. Thanks so much for having me. 

00:28:44 – Linzy Bonham 

Reflecting on the conversation with Sara, something that sticks out to me is both in our conversation of having a bookkeeper and getting that help and her talking about her experience of therapists becoming more confident in their numbers when they have the right person helping them, but also thinking about our conversation about co regulation, about working on your finances with somebody else, like finding an accountability buddy, a business buddy that you can work with.

00:29:10 – Linzy Bonham 

Both of these things make me think about just the importance of connection around money. You know, money can often be this overly personal, kind of like siloed experience where we each feel like we’re alone trying to figure out how to make money work. But we’re all doing that. Every single one of us has to manage money and figure out how to make it worked for us. So bringing other folks that you like and trust into your financial world, getting their. Whether it’s their. Their literal help with, you know, your bookkeeping, getting your. Your finances organized so that, you know, tax time is easier, whether it’s having somebody sit with you as you look at your numbers, make decisions around them, learn about money breaking down, that. 

00:29:50 – Linzy Bonham 

That shame and isolation around money is so. So so important and something that so few of us actually do. So I think that’s a really valuable takeaway from this conversation with Sarah, which is just think about how you can bring more support and connection into your relationship with money. Whether that’s hiring the right professional, maybe looking around for a different professional if you find that yours does not give you that sense of like being supported. And also think about who are people in your life that you can bring into your relationship with money more, who can support support you in you working on that relationship, whether that’s a business buddy or a partner or spouse or a friend, even just like maybe sitting and doing your taxes together at your dining room table with some fun music playing rather than it being this kind of dark, lonely experience. 

00:30:37 – Linzy Bonham 

So, Thanks so much for joining me today. I’m Linzy Bonham, therapist turned money coach and creator of Money Skills for Therapists. If you’re ready to go. From any confusion and shame to feeling clear and empowered, My Free On Masterclass is the best place to start. You’ll learn my four-step framework to get your private practice finances finally working for you. Register today using the link in the show notes or go to moneynutsandbolts.com under masterclass. I look forward to supporting you.