This post is sponsored by Capital One.
The opinions are all mine. It is my Universe, after all.

Anyone who knows me, knows I am terrible at sports. Terrible with a capital T. Got knocked in the head trying to catch a softball in 4th grade terrible.  I think you get the picture. But just because I am terrible at sports does not mean that I don’t need a coach. Enter Capital One’s Money Coach. That’s why I am so excited that Capital One has brought Money Coaching to Austin. What is Money Coaching you might ask?

Who doesn't need a little coaching?

Well, it’s not financial advising. As I mentioned in anticipation of #BankingReimagined, I haven’t had enough money to warrant advising. Or so I thought. Because with Money Coaching, I am learning how I can make the most of my resources – financial, emotional, and even spiritual resources – to reach the goals I want out of my life.

With the fabulous Amanda, Austin Money Coach extraordinaire, we talked about me, my life, and my dreams. Money was really secondary. The night before my Coaching session, I was asked two questions. “When it comes to money, what keeps you up at night?” and “What are you hoping to get out of Money Coaching?”

My answers? Number One - We live paycheck to paycheck and I worry that we will be stretched too thin to handle a crisis.

Question Two?  I want to align my financial life with my spiritual life. I want to be a force for good for my family, friends, my community, and beyond. If I am stressed about money, however, I do not have the energy, much less the finances, to reach those goals. So how did Amanda help me put my finances and feelings into balance? With post-its, of course! And again, those who know me, know I love post-its. (More than once, I have received them as gifts). Back on task, however, she methodically wrote down all my aspirations and closely held beliefs on dozens of mini post-its. From there, I created this value chart.

We whittled those dozens of pink papers (gotta love a girl with pink post-its!) into nine values. I then colored in the related pie pieces to indicate how well I am living these values. You can see that it is an uneven wheel of fortune. Which is why this was only the first of three sessions you would have.

After the first session and with this information, we can create a roadmap to better align my values, beliefs, goals, and spending toward what actually matters in my life. It’s a totally different approach to thinking through your financial situation and how it aligns or is misaligned with how you live your life. It’s a subtle way of talking about your finances that you don’t even realize you’re diving into issues that were keeping you up at night. In fact, it’s more like life coaching for your finances.

So, if you have questions about money keeping you up at night or, like me, feel that your values and your monetary value are not in line, I cannot recommend Money Coaching enough. Plus, you don’t have to have a Capital One account to participate. It’s free for everyone!