Table of Contents

1. The Setback Nobody Talks About
2. Why Financial Setbacks Hit Women Differently
3. What a Financial Setback Actually Looks Like (Real Examples)
4. The Emotional Spiral: Why Your Mindset Takes the First Hit
5. How to Start Over Financially Without Starting From Zero
6. Rebuilding Financially: The Practical Steps That Actually Work
7. What Financial Resilience Looks Like in Real Life
8. The Role of Community in Recovering from a Financial Setback
9. Frequently Asked Questions

The Setback Nobody Talks About

Here is something I have noticed in nearly two decades of working with women and their finances. The setback that derails people is rarely the one they saw coming.

It is the divorce they thought they could afford but could not. The job loss that happened eight months before retirement eligibility. The emergency fund that got used up for one emergency and then another before it could be rebuilt. The business that almost made it. The medical bill that showed up the same month...

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays with its focus on family and gratitude, and it’s the perfect opportunity to feel grateful for everything that I have, despite whatever bumps in the road tried to take me off course throughout the year. But Thanksgiving can also be a difficult time for people for a variety of reasons so I wanted to share how developing a gratitude mindset can help you take a different approach to not only Thanksgiving but each new day. 

So what is a gratitude mindset? 

Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful and exhibiting a readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Simply put, a gratitude mindset is the ability to focus on the positive things in life rather than the negative - you know the glass is half full kind of thinking. You see opportunities instead of obstacles. When you can focus on gratitude, the number of things you appreciate continue to grow. 

Why should you strive for a gratitude mindset?

Engaging in a gratitude...

April is Financial Literacy Month! It’s such an important time for me because I truly believe in the importance of education, especially around money. The reality is that the schools don’t provide much, if any, financial education.

So, I want to make sure you have the tools to feel confident in sharing this information with your kids and also so you are confident in advocating for yourself when it comes to your finances.

I remember learning about money at a young age — I must have been about 10 and my brother was 15. My mom was a single mom. She hurt her back and couldn't go grocery shopping, so it fell to us (my brother and I) to go to the store and get what we needed.

It was the first time we had to be responsible to get the groceries and it was a little scary. We were in charge of making sure we chose wisely so we would all have food to eat for the whole week and hadn’t loaded the cart with groceries that would exceed our budget.

Even though it was a little nerve-wracking, that expe...

If you want to increase your income and feel confident advocating for yourself financially, your mindset is the very first place to start. While we cannot control everything around us, we do have influence over the most powerful piece of the puzzle: our thoughts, our reactions, and the beliefs that shape how we approach money. When you take ownership of that inner voice, you put yourself in a strong position to attract and earn more.

And it begins with a simple act: asking for what you want.

Kids have this mastered. My kids ask for McDonald’s constantly and they do it with zero hesitation. Even though they hear “no” almost every time, they keep asking. They have not yet learned the fear that so many adults feel around money, rejection, or being seen as “too much.” There is a lot we can learn from that confidence.

Wanting something does not guarantee it will happen. But believing you have agency and actively participating in your money journey opens the door to more opportunities. Yo...

Table of Contents

1. Where Watch Her Thrive Began
2. How the Mission Evolved
3. What It Really Means to Thrive
4. The Intentional Money Method: A Framework for Financial Empowerment
5. Who Watch Her Thrive Is For
6. The Empowered Sisterhood: Community as a Wealth-Building Tool
7. What You Will Find Here
8. A Note on Loss, Reinvention, and Thriving Anyway
9. Your Invitation to Thrive

Where Watch Her Thrive Began

If you have been here since the early days, you might remember when this community was called Moms Managing Money. If you do, I am raising a glass to you right now. Seriously. You were there at the beginning, and you matter more than you know.

Back then, I was a financial planner and former equity research analyst trying to build something that felt like a real resource for women managing household finances, navigating motherhood, and trying to figure out what "financial stability" even meant for them. The blog started as a collection of tips. It grew into a community. And then it outgr...

Divorce changes everything, including your financial life. And while the process itself is incredibly hard, what comes next is where I see women do some of the most powerful work of their lives.

I'm Leah Hadley, AFC, CDFA, MAFF, the founder of both Intentional Divorce Solutions and Intentional Wealth Partners. I work with women every day who are navigating the financial and emotional terrain of life after divorce. And I've done this work myself.

This post is a curated guide to my best resources across income, money management, mindset, and co-parenting. Think of it as a starting point for wherever you are in the rebuilding process.

How to Rebuild Your Finances After Divorce

The financial reset after divorce is real. In many marriages, one spouse managed the money while the other stayed more removed from the details. If that was your situation, you may be starting from a place of uncertainty. That's okay. Clarity comes quickly once you decide to pursue it.

The most important first ...

Starting or maintaining a budgeting system can be a daunting task. Trying different methods until you find one that works is not uncommon. But, having the right attitude toward money, savings, and budgeting plays a crucial role. In this post, we explore five essential mindset shifts - strategies to get your finances in order.

Strategy #1: Embrace Money Transparency

Neglecting your financial situation can be incredibly stressful, particularly when unexpected expenses arise. That's why it's crucial to establish a budget that encourages you to address your finances proactively before a crisis strikes, enabling you to have a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of your financial standing.

By embracing the habit of checking your bank account on a daily basis, you can easily track your progress, make adjustments when necessary, and ultimately feel more empowered and in control of your financial well-being.

Strategy #2: Understand that Budgeting is a Process

When it comes to fi...

One of the questions I hear most often from parents is some version of: "How do I get my kid to stop spending every dollar the second it lands in their hands?"

It is such a good question, and honestly, it is one I wrestle with in my own home too.

Here is what I know for certain: teaching kids to save money is not just about the dollars. It is about building the relationship with money that they will carry into adulthood. Every habit we help them form now, whether it is resisting the impulse buy or working toward a goal, is laying the foundation for the financial decisions they will face later.

And that is worth every conversation, every teachable moment, and yes, every negotiation over the toy aisle.

Why Teaching Kids to Save Is Harder Today

Let us be real: we are raising kids in the age of instant gratification. Two-day shipping. One-click purchasing. Digital wallets that make money feel invisible. The concept of waiting and saving runs completely counter to the world they are na...

You scrub the baseboards. You donate three bags of clothes. You finally tackle that junk drawer. And then you sit down and feel genuinely good about your space.

But when was the last time you did that for your money?

Spring cleaning your finances is not just about tidying up numbers on a spreadsheet. It is about getting honest with where you are, getting clear on where you want to go, and building a system that actually works for your real life. Not someone else's. Yours.

I talk about this a lot in my book, Intentional Money: The Modern Woman's Guide to Building Wealth, Purpose and Peace. The very first pillar of what I call the Intentional Money Method is Clarity. Not perfection. Not having everything figured out. Just the willingness to look.

Spring is the perfect time to look. First quarter is done. Taxes are hopefully filed. And there are still nine months left in the year to make meaningful progress toward your goals.

So let's do this together. Here is your step-by-step sprin...

I have been working with women on their finances for nearly two decades, and one of the most consistent patterns I have seen is this: the women who make the most meaningful progress are almost never doing it alone.

Not because they are more disciplined. Not because they have more money to work with. But because they have someone in their corner. Someone who knows their goals, checks in on their progress, celebrates the wins, and tells them the truth when they are sliding off track.

That is what a real accountability partner does. And if you do not have one, finding one might be one of the most impactful financial decisions you make this year.

What a Financial Accountability Partner Actually Is

An accountability partner is not a cheerleader, though encouragement is part of it. And they are not a financial advisor, though they might help you think through decisions. A true accountability partner is someone who holds space for your goals, asks the hard questions, and shows up consiste...