The Financial Coaches Podcast

Hosted by Maria Casillas and Cody Sizemore

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269

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Welcome to the Financial Coaches Podcast, where we talk about how to build your coaching practice from startup to scaleup while being the kind of coach your clients crave. Finally, a podcast for Financial Coaches. Your hosts, Maria Casillas and Code Sizemore. Brought to you by New Money Habits and Sizemore Financial Coaching. The Financial Coaches Podcast is the ultimate resource for financial coaches and professionals dedicated to empowering individuals and transforming lives through financial

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October 26, 202633 min

When Financial Coaching Clients Face Unexpected Setbacks | EP266

A client has been making real progress. They've paid off several debts, freed up some room in their budget, and are beginning to feel hopeful about their financial future. Then something happens that neither of you expected, and suddenly all that progress feels much harder to see. How do we help clients through moments like that? In this Financial Coaches Classic, Cody and Maria begin with an unexpected conversation about the Detroit Lions and an injury that overshadowed an otherwise remarkable win. As they explore Cody's reaction, Maria notices some interesting parallels to financial coaching, particularly how easily we can take ownership of a client's successes and how differently we respond when things go wrong. Cody shares the experience of working with a couple who had made significant financial progress before the husband unexpectedly lost his job. He explains why his first response was to reach out and listen, how they eventually began discussing practical next steps, and why the work his clients had already done still mattered, even though their circumstances had changed. Maria brings her own experience with a family job loss into the conversation and explores how financial progress can create options that aren't always obvious in the middle of a difficult situation. It's a conversation about recognizing whose progress we're celebrating, remembering what clients have already accomplished, and being present when they need support before they're ready to start solving problems. THE Financial Coaches Network https://www.patreon.com/NewMoneyHabitsFinancialCoaches Getting Started as a Financial Coach https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/webinar/gsfc-registration THE Financial Coaches Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/nmhcoaches Schedule a Call https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/fcpodcast_contact Questions or ideas for the show? podcast@newmoneyhabits.com Music by Summer School. Follow us: @newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

October 19, 202634 min

How to Turn Genuine Conversations Into Coaching Consultations | EP265

You know that getting someone on the phone can be an important step toward bringing on a new coaching client. But what happens before that call? How do you start a conversation with someone who might need your help without making them feel like you're trying to sell them something? Maria and Cody explore the conversations that happen before a consultation is ever scheduled. Cody shares how he approaches people who have engaged with his social media content, why he focuses on building a relationship first, and how he recognizes when it might be appropriate to invite someone onto a call. He also walks through an actual message exchange that began with a comment on a Facebook post and eventually led to a coaching relationship. Maria asks questions about timing, boundaries, and what separates genuine outreach from the unsolicited sales messages we've all received. For financial coaches who are trying to connect with potential clients, this Financial Coaches Classic offers a practical look at how curiosity, listening, and thoughtful follow-up can open the door to a conversation about working together. THE Financial Coaches Network https://www.patreon.com/NewMoneyHabitsFinancialCoaches Getting Started as a Financial Coach https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/webinar/gsfc-registration THE Financial Coaches Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/nmhcoaches Schedule a Call https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/fcpodcast_contact Questions or ideas for the show? podcast@newmoneyhabits.com Music by Summer School. Follow us: @newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

October 12, 202637 min

Do We Really Know What Our Clients Value? | EP264

Financial coaches talk a lot about helping clients align their money with their values. But before we can help someone do that, there may be a more important question: Do we actually understand what they value? In this Financial Coaches Classic, Maria and Cody are joined by Catherine Van Der Laan to explore what can happen when we look beyond the spreadsheet and start paying attention to the decisions represented by the numbers. Catherine shares how she helps clients identify what matters to them, examine whether their spending reflects it, and use that understanding as a framework for future decisions rather than simply following a prescribed financial plan. But the conversation goes deeper than identifying a few values and comparing them to a budget. Sometimes what a client initially says matters most isn't quite the whole story. Through questions, observation, and experience, they may discover something underneath it—or become more precise about what mattered all along. Helping clients align money with their values begins with understanding the person making the decisions. THE Financial Coaches Network https://www.patreon.com/NewMoneyHabitsFinancialCoaches Getting Started as a Financial Coach https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/webinar/gsfc-registration THE Financial Coaches Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/nmhcoaches Schedule a Call https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/fcpodcast_contact Questions or ideas for the show? podcast@newmoneyhabits.com Music by Summer School. Follow us: @newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

October 5, 202620 min

Why Financial Coaches Shouldn’t Coach Alone | EP263

Financial coaching can be lonely work. You may be building a practice by yourself, making decisions you’ve never made before, watching other coaches who seem much further ahead, and wondering whether you’re doing any of it right. In this Financial Coaches Classic, Maria and Cody revisit why relationships with other coaches can matter far beyond networking. Cody shares what changed when he finally began connecting with other financial coaches—and why those relationships became important enough that he isn’t sure he would still be coaching without them. ep136-20240422 ep136-20240422 They also explore some of what can keep us isolated in the first place: pride, fear, embarrassment, imposter syndrome, and the vulnerability of admitting that we don’t know something. Sometimes another coach can see what we can’t see while we’re buried in our own practice. And sometimes one good conversation with someone we trust is enough to help us see the next step differently. ep136-20240422 You don’t have to build your coaching practice alone. THE Financial Coaches Network https://www.patreon.com/NewMoneyHabitsFinancialCoaches Getting Started as a Financial Coach https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/webinar/gsfc-registration THE Financial Coaches Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/nmhcoaches Schedule a Call https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/fcpodcast_contact Questions or ideas for the show? podcast@newmoneyhabits.com Music by Summer School. Follow us: @newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

September 28, 202620 min

What Kind of Coach Are You Becoming? | EP262

Sometimes the question isn’t whether you should be a financial coach. It’s whether the version of financial coaching you’ve been picturing actually fits the kind of work you feel called to do. In this Financial Coaches Classic, Maria shares a conversation with a coach who was trying to decide whether financial coaching really aligned with what she valued. Maria understood the tension because she had wrestled with something similar herself. Early in her coaching journey, she thought financial coaching meant staying close to budgets, numbers, and telling people what they should or shouldn’t do. Over time, she realized that the work she was most drawn toward had much more to do with how people think, what they believe, how they behave, and what they value. Money still mattered, but it touched all of those things rather than replacing them. ep147-20240708 (1) Maria and Cody begin to describe financial coaching less as one narrowly defined role and more as a spectrum. Some coaches are deeply numbers-oriented. Others spend more time helping clients understand the behavior and beliefs connected to their money. Many live somewhere in between. The question isn’t where a financial coach is supposed to sit on that spectrum. It’s where your strengths, interests, experience, and the people you serve naturally place you. ep147-20240708 (1) And that may change as you grow. Cody eventually turns the conversation from simply identifying what kind of coach you are into considering what kind of coach you want to become. If the clients in front of you keep revealing questions you don’t yet know how to help them explore, that may not mean you’re doing financial coaching wrong. It may be showing you where you want to keep developing. ep147-20240708 (1) 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode THE Financial Coaches Network https://www.patreon.com/NewMoneyHabitsFinancialCoaches Getting Started as a Financial Coach https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/webinar/gsfc-registration THE Financial Coaches Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/nmhcoaches Schedule a Call https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/fcpodcast_contact Questions or ideas for the show? podcast@newmoneyhabits.com Music by Summer School. Follow us on social: @newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

September 21, 202627 min

What Do Your Clients Actually Want? | EP261

A client comes to you asking for a plan. Maybe they want to get out of debt, figure out how to say no to a family member asking for money, or solve some other problem that feels specific and measurable. As coaches, it can be tempting to start building the strategy right away. After all, they told us what they want. But what happens when the thing they are asking for isn’t quite the thing they are actually trying to accomplish? In this Financial Coaches Classic, Maria and Cody talk about slowing down long enough to understand what may be underneath a client’s request before moving into problem-solving. Maria shares the story of a client who repeatedly asked for help figuring out what to say when family members came to her for money. The immediate request was strategy: help me craft the email, help me say no, help me handle the next conversation. Over time, their coaching moved toward understanding why saying no was so difficult in the first place—and eventually the client recognized that she wanted to spend less time on the strategy and more time understanding herself. Maria and Cody also explore how questions can keep that discovery with the client. Instead of immediately asking how to accomplish the stated goal, a coach might stay with something as simple as, “What makes that important to you?” Sometimes what a client says they want is only the first layer of the conversation. The work is not deciding what they really need for them. It is helping them stay with the question long enough to understand what they actually want. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode THE Financial Coaches Network https://www.patreon.com/NewMoneyHabitsFinancialCoaches Getting Started as a Financial Coach https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/webinar/gsfc-registration THE Financial Coaches Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/nmhcoaches Schedule a Call https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/fcpodcast_contact Questions or ideas for the show? podcast@newmoneyhabits.com Music by Summer School. Follow us on social: @newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

September 14, 202625 min

When the Money Problem Isn’t Really About Money | EP 260

A client keeps using the credit card they’re trying to pay off. Another is remarkably good at saving money, but once the balance grows, she becomes anxious and spends it back down. From the outside, both behaviors can look like financial problems waiting for a financial solution. But what happens when the behavior makes considerably more sense once we understand the story behind it? In this Financial Coaches Classic, Maria and Cody explore what it means to coach beyond the numbers. They talk through the beliefs and experiences that can become tangled up with money, why similar experiences don’t necessarily affect two people the same way, and how questions like “How do you know that to be true?” can help clients examine assumptions for themselves rather than having the coach supply the answer. The budget still matters. The numbers still matter. But sometimes they tell us where to look without telling us what is really happening. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode THE Financial Coaches Network https://www.patreon.com/NewMoneyHabitsFinancialCoaches Getting Started as a Financial Coach https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/webinar/gsfc-registration THE Financial Coaches Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/nmhcoaches Schedule a Call https://www.newmoneyhabits.com/coaches/fcpodcast_contact Questions or ideas for the show? podcast@newmoneyhabits.com Music by Summer School @newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

September 7, 202622 min

When Faster Progress Isn’t Better Coaching | EP 259

As financial coaches, it can be easy to measure success by how quickly the numbers move. More debt paid off. More money saved. A goal reached sooner. But what if getting there as quickly as possible isn’t actually the best plan for the client? Maria and Cody revisit a real coaching situation involving a couple who received a raise while working toward debt payoff and future goals. Instead of putting every additional dollar toward the debt, they chose to increase their giving and give themselves more room for Fun Money. At first glance, that might look like slowing down their financial progress. But as Maria and Cody unpack the situation, something deeper becomes visible. The couple had been feeling guilty whenever they spent money on themselves. The issue wasn’t simply how much they were spending. Cody eventually recognizes that they may not have felt they deserved to enjoy the money at all. The conversation explores the difference between rigidity and intentionality, why an aggressive financial plan can sometimes create burnout, guilt and avoidance, and how coaches can help clients build a plan around what actually matters to them rather than someone else’s definition of financial success. Because sometimes the fastest route to the destination isn’t the healthiest journey for the person taking it. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode If this conversation has you thinking about how you define progress with your own clients, here are a few ways we can support you. Start with THE Financial Coaches Network , our space for coaches to connect, ask questions, and keep growing alongside others who understand the work. If you’re looking for a clearer path to build your coaching practice, take a look at Getting Started as a Financial Coach . You can also join our free Facebook group, THE Financial Coaches Community , to connect with other coaches, ask questions, and be part of the conversation. If you’d like to talk through where you are or what your next step might be, you can schedule a call with us here . Have a question for the podcast? Email us at podcast@newmoneyhabits.com . Music by Summer School. Follow us on social: @newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

August 31, 202624 min

Why Great Coaches Ask More Than They Answer | EP 258

When a client brings you a problem, it can be tempting to start looking for the answer. But sometimes the most helpful thing a coach can do is ask a question that helps the client keep thinking. Maria and Cody explore the difference between questions that move a conversation forward and questions that quietly put all of the work back on the coach. They look at some questions coaches use almost automatically—like “Did I get that right?”, “Is it possible that…?”, and even “Tell me more”—and consider how small changes in language can create more room for the client to reflect, explain, and discover what may actually be happening. The conversation also gets into why the details of a client’s story aren’t always the most important thing to pursue, how open-ended questions can help uncover the themes underneath the story, and why asking good questions is a skill that gets better with practice. You don’t need a perfectly scripted list of coaching questions. But becoming more intentional about what you ask—and noticing when you’re doing more of the thinking than the client—is one of the ways we become better coaches. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode If this conversation has you thinking about the questions you ask in your own coaching sessions, here are a few ways we can support you. Start with THE Financial Coaches Network , our space for coaches to connect, ask questions, and keep growing alongside others who understand the work. If you’re looking for a clearer path to build your coaching practice, take a look at Getting Started as a Financial Coach . You can also join our free Facebook group, THE Financial Coaches Community , to connect with other coaches, ask questions, and be part of the conversation. If you’d like to talk through where you are or what your next step might be, you can schedule a call with us here . Have a question for the podcast? Email us at podcast@newmoneyhabits.com . Music by Summer School. Follow us on social: @newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

August 24, 202631 min

When You Have to Choose Between Good Things | EP 257

Sometimes the hardest decisions aren’t between something good and something bad. They’re between several good things that all matter, when there simply isn’t enough time, energy, or capacity to give yourself fully to all of them. Maria and Cody are both entering seasons of change, and in this conversation they share what that means for them personally and for THE Financial Coaches Podcast . Maria explains why she has made the difficult decision to step away from the podcast for an indefinite period of time so she can be more present for her family and the work she feels called to do there. What makes the decision especially difficult is that she still loves the podcast. It’s good work, it’s producing fruit, and it’s something she genuinely enjoys. But sometimes choosing what matters most means letting go of something that still matters. Cody shares a different but related season. After an unusually difficult year personally and financially, he has decided to take some time away as well. He talks candidly about surrender, becoming comfortable when things were going well, and being reminded what financial uncertainty actually feels like from the other side of the coaching relationship. Together, they reflect on what it means to recognize the season you’re actually in, make space for what that season requires, and accept that letting go of something good doesn’t mean it was a mistake. They also talk about where THE Financial Coaches Podcast goes from here. The podcast isn’t ending. Over the coming weeks and months, you’ll hear some intentionally revisited conversations along with new voices from trusted coaches Maria and Cody have known and worked with for years. 🎧 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode If this conversation has you thinking about the season you’re in and what it may be asking of you, this is the kind of thing that can be helpful to talk through with other coaches. THE Financial Coaches Monthly Meetup is a place to bring real coaching and practice questions into conversation with other financial coaches. You can also start with THE Financial Coaches Network to stay connected to the conversations and resources we’re building for coaches. If you’re looking for a clearer path to build your coaching practice, take a look at Getting Started as a Financial Coach . You can also join our free Facebook group, THE Financial Coaches Community , to connect with other coaches, ask questions, and be part of the conversation. If you’d like to talk through where you are or what your next step might be, you can schedule a call with us here . Have a question for the podcast? Email us at podcast@newmoneyhabits.com . Music by Summer School. Follow us on social: @newmoneyhabits | @sizemorefinancialcoaching

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