Marin Laukka
The Joyful Budgeting Coach who helps women in the “mind-eff middle” make confident decisions with new money - because when women are less stressed and more free to enjoy their money, the entire world benefits.
First: What is the “mind-eff middle”?
When you aren’t rich enough to never have to think about how you spend your money, but have enough privilege or extra cash to still feel guilty about the money you have…
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Do I need to spend hours shopping for the best deal, even when we both know I could technically afford these gorgeous shoes I cannot stop thinking about 100x over?
Is it irresponsible for me to get a nicer car instead of saving more for my future kids’, their daycare and college funds (...even though I'm not pregnant yet)?
How am I making more than average and still feel like I have to live small? ...I don't buy the dining table I actually want, I say “no” to fun things like coffee and dinner with the girls, and I stress about money instead of trusting it’ll be there (even when I know I’ve always made it work)...
(and how the heck are others so carefree with their money without a worry about how much their wedding and spontaneous flight to Cancun cost them?!)
Failing to find answers that put your mind at ease makes sense once you realize most financial resources either focus on how to invest great wealth or get out of significant debt - and you relate to neither; so here you are, in the “mind-eff middle.”
While there are plenty of resources that provide solutions for managing money, there are none like me that deeply understand the intense shame and guilt that cause women in the mind-eff middle to overwork, overspend, or avoid their money altogether.
This isn’t just adding stress to your life... it’s draining your valuable time, energy, and ability to make smart, simple choices.
It’s costing you money, both the making and enjoying of it - and prevents you from being present for things that really matter: trips with your family, confidence and ease at work, quick and simple decisions that prioritize joy without worry or fear ruining the moment…
No one wants to hear the rich girl complain.
I founded this weird, secret club when I was a freshman in college with $13,000 and no way of knowing if that was enough.
From the outside looking in, panicking was the last thing I needed to do.
I’m the daughter of a doctor and two graduate-educated, supportive parents in a society that gives me, a white woman, lots of privilege. At 18, I had been accepted to every college I applied for and was having my education (as a dance major, mind you) fully paid for with a combination of scholarships and my parents’ support.
Although I was incredibly stressed and overwhelmed, I also knew I was in a privileged situation - so although I didn’t know how to quantify how much money was “enough” or how to ease my mind about whether I had it…
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- I saved as much money as possible - or felt like I was doing something very wrong if I dared to buy the good coffee.
- I worked 2+ jobs while going to school even though one (or none) could have sufficed, which gave me very little time to prioritize my health and led to my struggling with a very serious mental illness.
- And throughout my 20s I burned relationships because I was so stressed about spending $7 on a friend’s birthday or taking a day off from work to actually be present on family vacation.
After 6 years of education and in year two of my business, I then received a $100,000 gift.
How awful, right? But again, I panicked.
I turned to blogs about when to hire business support, how much a 20-something-year-old should have in retirement savings, and whether you should invest money or pay off debt first ...even though I didn’t have any debt.
Ladies… I couldn’t even admit to google that I had a lot of money because I knew so many of my peers were struggling with hundreds of thousands in student loan debt and working their butts off to make money.
Rolling in guilt and high-functioning anxiety, I didn’t find any answers. I also didn’t hear anyone else talking about this, which only amplified my feelings of shame and being alone with my questions about how to spend it “right.”
I didn’t touch my gift for years ...until 2021, when I had a total breakdown and breakthrough about what was going on and what I needed to do.
It’s me, hi! I created the solution.
My unique skillset and combined experiences in business and life makes me the expert to talk about the why and how of enjoying your money.
My expertise includes extensive training with the budgeting system YNAB (You Need a Budget) and triple certifications as a life, yoga, and budget coach.
I also hold a Master’s degree in how to live a happy and meaningful life (really… My Master’s degree is in Positive Developmental Psychology).
This makes me the coach to lead women like you through your important mind-eff middle money questions, feelings, and goals.
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- “How much do I need and does my cash flow cover it?”
- “How much can my business pay me.. Or ideally, how much would I need to make to cover our family’s dreams of putting money down on a water-front home?”
- And: “How is my spending feeling? …good? …in alignment with my values and joys - like quality thrifted clothing, a boujie business photoshoot, and family trips to the lake?
After publishing my #1 new release book and supporting over 326 clients and 2,700 audience members, I developed a proven money coaching strategy that combines practical money management with essential money mindset tailored to help YOU feel good about what you choose to do with your money.
Because if women in the mind-eff middle don’t have a system to make money decisions with confidence, one of two things will happen:
You’ll either go off on the people you love or give up on something you once enjoyed because high-functioning anxiety only works until it doesn’t… and now you’re too burned out to sugar-coat all the stressors and worries you’ve been ignoring.
OR
You’ll hand off your financial decisions - which indirectly hands off every aspect of your life from who you marry, what jobs you accept, how you treat yourself on your birthday, what causes you donate to, how much time you get with your babies, or if you deserve to go on vacation.
Without a system you love using to make confident financial choices, you completely give away your power to someone else …and that will most likely be an older, white man because that’s the current majority in the world of finances.
As uncomfortable as it is to start talking about your mindset + spending habits with money, don’t you want the alternative (giving away your power) even less when it boils down to your potential life and impact?
Spoiler: Women Rock and Everyone Wins.
In the era of the great wealth exchange, where billions of dollars will be transferred into the hands of women over the next few years, the opportunity here is huge.
We’re talking about big money in the hands of heart-centered, visionary women like you who statistically are more likely to see positive returns on investments, lead profitable businesses, and improve communities with your wealth
…but only if the women who receive this money are the ones leading decisions about what to do with it.
And when it wasn’t until 1974 that women could get a credit card without a man’s permission…
When just over 35 years ago women weren’t allowed to get a business loan without a signature from her husband, father, or brother…
When this list persists today in so many ways including women still only getting 2% of venture capital investments in part because only 15% of the people deciding where this capital will go are women…
or at home 2/3rds of households still putting a man in charge of financial decisions for the family…
The potential to reconsider who’s making financial decisions is world-changing.
And again, contrary to what social media likes to joke about, when women make financial decisions they’re really freaking good at it and everyone benefits.
I used to feel ashamed about my relationship with money because I thought I didn’t know how to spend it “right.”
Now, my relationship with money is powerful - and it’s backed by a proven system I created once I figured out my shame and money avoidance had more to do with the complex relationship our society has with women, our power, and our money;
I simply needed a system that would empower me to make my own choices with the data and mindset to back them confidently - so, I created one.
I knew I was right, and I have receipts to prove it.
Women who work with me say they wish they’d started years ago after feeling immediate relief from the stress, confusion, and overthinking that had kept them from enjoying their money (and life) until now.
What I support my clients to do is simple: we look at your money in a holistic, summarized way so you can see your money picture clearly and make all future decisions confidently.
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- My clients find an average of $6,000 within their first few months by catching cash leaks they didn’t know about or were too overwhelmed to see. It’s also not uncommon for my clients to find hundreds and thousands of dollars they forgot they had because before our work together they didn’t have a system to see it all in one place.
- My clients feel more confident with their situation no matter what it looks like because at least they know what it is; never again will they have that looming fear wondering, “Have I forgotten to pay something?” “Will an upcoming expense catch me off guard and stress me out more?”
- Uncertainty is replaced with excitement because my system outlines a simple, step-by-step path for them to follow in order to achieve their goals, guaranteed; this includes big upcoming purchases, paying down debt, and knowing how much they want to make for the type of life they’ve always imagined (lakeside home, anyone?)
- My clients find new opportunities to make and enjoy even more money, if they want it, because for once all income streams and expenses are summarized on one screen.
- My clients know when, exactly, their goals will be achieved, with flexibility to ebb and flow with life as opportunities and life events arise so they can not only prioritize their dreams, but enjoy life along the way. Spontaneity is a welcomed and fun part of joyful budgeting.
- My clients no longer feel overwhelmed or stressed at the thought of money. Their personalized, emoji-filled system automatically and forevermore helps them to know exactly what they have, where they are with their goals, and what they want to do so they can make decisions from a place of clarity, confidence, and joy.
Do you, too, want to feel confident, joyful, and decisive with your money instead of stressed, overwhelmed, and inhibited from having more cash to enjoy?
