Stepping forward to volunteer as a money coach is a big deal. All sorts of thoughts come to mind. Am I good enough? I’m not so perfect with money myself, who am I to tell other people how to manage theirs? I’m not an experienced speaker or trainer.
Native Galway woman Demi had many of these thoughts. But she also had something else, the passion and drive to believe that money coaching is an important ministry and worth challenging her fears to be part of. Hear her full story in the video above.
Motivations
As I listened to Demi speaking about her motivations there are two that jump out.
First is her own personal lived experience. Coming from a single parent family she knows what it is like to go without. She saw her mum struggle financially as she was growing up. Single parent households are especially vulnerable to poverty still today. https://onefamily.ie/press-release-cso-figures-confirm-poverty-rates-for-lone-parents-increasing/
Later, as a young parent Demi also struggled and the cycle was set to continue as she had never been taught how to manage money. That’s not uncommon in Ireland. Think about your own life, did anyone ever sit down and explain budgets, or using credit wisely or share any other financial wisdom with you?
Demi experienced as a child and as an adult what it’s like to live with financial stress and this is a key motivator for her to help others.
It’s one thing hearing about them (financial struggles) but when it’s your lived experience, I think you can really relate to others, in that way.
Her second big motivator is her heart as a Christian. Her faith led her to study Social Care. She wants to make a difference in people’s lives, which she does through her work as a school retreats leader. Years later that desire is still there and money coaching feels like a great fit for her life goal to love God by helping others.
Training Helps
Demi discovered, not for the first time in her life, that training really helps to overcome fears. She found the CAP Ireland Induction training really helpful.
Worries about learning online and not being a financial expert were relieved as she quickly felt relaxed and able to ask questions when she needed to.
there was no such thing as a silly question. So if I was asking a really simple question or a really difficult question, I felt that ease and that comfort to ask.
Whilst she has come a long way in managing her own finances, Demi also learned a lot more than she had expected that she could put into practice herself.
We don’t expect our coaches to have always been great with money, very few people are. So we love to see them applying the money coaching ideas to bring improvements in their own lives. After all, we all have something to learn.
We are continually trying to improve our training, adding new resources and supports. We want our coaches to feel really confident about what they are doing.
If you choose to train as a Money Coach or a Befriender, we are committed to support you throughout your money coaching journey. You can register for training here. https://forms.gle/DrzFwgQzDttgK3Hk6
The first time coaching experience
It was an experience I’ll say! It was absolutely brilliant. Again, I suppose all my normal feelings like, what am I doing? I’m nervous, I’m terrified. How am I gonna stand in front of a room and present something like this?
And I remember speaking to Helen about it who was just so reassuring and she was so encouraging and so positive saying, “you can do this”.
It is a real privilege for me as a CAP trainer and as a member of the money coaching team in Discovery Church to support coaches like Demi, Janet and Befriender Christelle, giving them the confidence to step out in their new role.
Janet, Demi and Befriender Christelle
A detailed planning session put Demi at ease. Money coaching is not complicated and all the information you need is available. Careful preparation really helps to calm nerves.
…we met up the week before with Helen and Janet my other co leader … we actually ran through the whole program and what it would look like from start to finish, and that definitely helped put me at ease.
Only a few minutes into the first session, Demi was excited and the nerves had gone. The atmosphere was relaxed and no-one seemed uncomfortable. It was such a thrill for me to see how much she, Janet and Christelle were enjoying the experience.
What about the participants?
Demi was surprised how much fun everyone was having talking about money!
This is common feedback from new coaches.
She also noticed how comfortable people were talking about money.
I think what was very interesting is that people felt at ease, talking about finances and , you know, the responsibilities of life. And in the room… there was a really wide range of circumstances in that room.
It’s easy to think that money coaching will be really somber and that people will be reluctant to share. That’s not been my experience over the years. There is no expectation to share but the money coaching is well designed to help people relax, reflect and help them to get the most out of the experience. It’s great to discover that managing your money well brings joy to your life.
Demi’s advice – ask your questions
Demi’s advice to people interested in getting involved with a money coaching ministry is great advice. Ask your questions.
If you are curious about, feel drawn to or even if you’re skeptical about money coaching, get in touch with us at CAP Ireland. Remember there is no such thing as a silly question.
As we finished the interview Demi highlighted that how we use and care for our money is a spiritual matter. Honoring God’s care and provision by caring for what he has given us is really important. Through money coaching you can help people in your church to do that and you can offer it to your community as an opportunity to connect people to God’s love and care.
Interested? Why not register for the online Taster event that I’m hosting on March 18th and ask those questions. See the events page for more info and to book a place. https://capireland.ie/capevent/money-coaching-taster-event-online-your-questions-answered/
Any other questions, email me at helen@capireland.ie