Matcha, Money + Mindset

Partnership Spotlight:

• Event Type: Fireside chat and community roundtable 

• Partners: Bamboo Royal Oak, Royal Oak Downtown Development Authority, and Rehla Coffee

• Location: Bamboo Royal Oak

• Role: Financial therapist, community facilitator, and speaker

• Topics: Financial confidence, emotional relationship with money, financial boundaries, women and money, money conversations, entrepreneurial financial wellbeing

• Audience: Women in the metro Detroit area ready for an approachable conversation on personal and entrepreneurial finances
  

A new type of money conversation

For a lot of people, talking about money brings up stress, comparison, shame, or the classic Midwest response of “ope, I think I heard the soup start to boil over,” to get out of the conversation.

That’s why Bamboo Royal Oak created Matcha, Money + Mindset: an intentional event designed to flip the script and allowed women to talk about money over brunch and oat milk lattes. Hosted in partnership with Bamboo Royal Oak, Royal Oak Downtown Development Authority, and Rehla Coffee, we created a space for women in metro Detroit to talk openly about money.

By creating a safe space for these conversations, attendees connected over much more than generic financial tips and tricks. Participants were able to explore their relationship with money by getting curious about how their emotions, identity, daily habits, and lived experiences impact them. 

The Vision

Ally Baird, Community Director at Bamboo Royal Oak, knocked the logistics out of the park. When she reached out to discuss the intention behind this event, I was thrilled to partner with them. Ally wanted to create a safe space for women to talk about money comfortably and confidently. Ally recognized something many community builders are seeing: people are craving spaces where they can talk about real-life topics like money without judgment.

Attendees were greeted by money-themed bingo cards and encouraged to get to know one another to create connections ahead of the programming. Because of the pre-lunch timing, matcha and brunch sammies were available. Once everyone had a bite and settled in, the fireside chat and money-mindset programming began. 

My Role as Facilitator and Fireside Chat Panelist

Alongside Lauren Daniels, I participated in a fireside chat and guided community conversations.

As a financial therapist, my role was to guide the conversation beyond the usual personal finance checklist. Yes, we talked about budgeting, saving, investing, and debt payoff strategies.

But we also talked about the deeper questions underneath:

• Why is it so hard to charge for our work?

• Why do we feel guilty saying “no” when someone asks us for money?

• How do we actually build money habits we can stick with?

Key Themes from the Matcha, Money & Mindset Event 

Many attendees were also entrepreneurs, whether they were freelancing on top of a full-time job, or carving out an entirely new path for themselves. So many business owners are so good at taking care of their clients, making sure their customers get exactly what they want, and giving back to their communities. 

But they aren’t so good at taking care of themselves. When it comes to the financial lessons for these entrepreneurs, we spent time talking about the importance of building their confidence. Specifically, how to understand your numbers, charge appropriately for the services and products you provide, and find the right people to collaborate with. 

Lauren Daniels brought the perspective of a multi-business entrepreneur, sharing lessons from building Sumptuous Spirits, a premier bar staffing company, and Digital Rich Technologies, a hospitality tech company. Drawing from her background as an auditor and founder, Lauren shared how she leaned into her “nerd” strengths to create financial systems that actually worked for her brain, helping her confidently track business income, expenses, and growth.

When we shifted to the topic of personal finances, the energy in the room became more intimate. I invited attendees to literally get closer: moving away from the tables and sitting together in a circle of chairs.

We talked candidly about:

• Debt payoff strategies

• Navigating financial well-being resources in the community

• Creating loving but firm financial boundaries

• Treating savings goals as seriously as bill pay

I also guided attendees through a money meditation, where a few people bravely shared the financial goals they envisioned reaching by the end of the summer.

We closed the event by celebrating financial wins and choosing one small, tangible money action to take next.

Money in Community >
Going it alone

A huge thank you to Ally Baird and Bamboo Royal Oak, Royal Oak Downtown Development Authority, Rehla Coffee, Lauren Daniels, and everyone who joined us for this meaningful conversation.

Opportunities like this reaffirm my belief that money conversations are better when they happen in open, supportive community spaces. We aren’t meant to figure it all out on our own.

If you want to bring a shame-free, emotionally informed financial wellness experience to your organization, workplace, or community, please reach out!

I facilitate financial well-being workshops, keynotes, retreats, and events designed to help people feel more confident and connected with their money. I absolutely love collaborating with thoughtful partners to create experiential and memorable financial wellness events.