Why We Need More Compassion and Self-Care In Money Conversations

Finally seeing her people at Fincon provided a powerful moment of connection for Michelle Jackson. As someone focused on how policy, access, and equity issues shape personal financial decisions, Michelle often feels disconnected from the dominant perspectives in the personal finance space.

For Michelle, most money conversations logic reflects the lived experiences of those speaking. "If I'm a person who deeply believes a thing, and I don't believe that policy impacted anything with my money, I can't change their belief system," she explains.

However, for Michelle, weaving activism into her content feels natural given her background of financial protests and boycotts. She thinks critically about logic gaps and centers people's real-life struggles.

Transitioning from employee to entrepreneur brought insightful lessons for Michelle too. She's learned to listen to her intuition and focus on what works best for her goals and energy. "I was not motivated to monetize my brand and create money in the ways other people were with their brands," she realized.

Now Michelle prioritizes projects that scale more easily without forcing monetization into spaces like advocacy. She's found greater alignment focusing the personal brand on community service while earning income from other sites.

That search for alignment, and the continual testing it requires in creative businesses, persists as a journey, especially after Michelle nearly quit everything. Building an online brand is wild. "It's hard," she reflects. But the pieces have fallen into place more fully since starting.

Michelle also emphasizes self-care, from hiking to reading romance novels, as non-negotiable. She wants rest for everyone, noting how depletion impacts decisions, health, and simply experiencing people positively. For Michelle, leading with compassion and managing reactions are essential life philosophies.

Michelle Jackson loves to have the financial conversations that are often ignored. Why and how financial policy impact our money? Especially women's money.

What resonated most or surprised you about Michelle's outlook as a personal finance creator centered on equity, policy, and social justice? Let us know your main takeaways and reactions in the comments. And be sure to check out Michelle's podcast and website for more of her refreshing perspectives.

You can listen to our full conversation here.