About me

As a child, I witnessed a lot of hardship around money. Growing up in a single-parent home with my mother raising three daughters on a paltry teacher’s salary taught me important lessons about money. There was a lot of generosity in the Goan village where I grew up, and we were even given a free home to live in!

Fresh out of university back in 1999, with a degree in psychology, my first love, I moved to exciting Mumbai, India. I joined an exciting financial landscape as privatisation swept India. As part of the very first bancassurance team at a leading Mumbai life insurance company, I introduced clients to investment options with a stock market link. Naturally, they were hesitant; their comfort lay in traditional, low-risk products with guaranteed returns.

This experience cemented my values. True financial guidance surpasses mere investment knowledge. It demands a genuine connection, offering clients the tools to understand both financial principles and their own complex money mindset. Only then can they confidently make the best decisions for themselves.

The 2008 recession was scary to witness. It helped me see how important emotions were in decisions around money. I watched as some clients (the extreme minority) let fear rule and bail out of their investments, making tragic financial mistakes.

I also began noticing my own dysfunctional relationship with money much more when I started my own financial practice back in 2013 and began working on better awareness with many strategies I have documented on my ‘Conscious Money’ YouTube channel. I had to confront my own shame around asking for money—this was never an issue when I held a job—but all of a sudden, having to invoice clients and charge enough became a huge challenge.

My experiences shaped a comprehensive approach, focusing on the external (financial planning, goals, etc.) but also our inner relationship to money. Where needed, I enjoy helping my clients see unconscious beliefs that keep them stuck. These unconscious beliefs often stem from our conditioning which includes early childhood experiences, our parental influences, culture, religion as well as unquestioned assumptions and commonly held norms/realities. The unconscious is always in the driving seat so it is worth delving here, but again, not for everyone. I invite clients to do this work but never want to impose or force; life has its own rhythm and people are ready if and when they decide to do this work.

Transforming our relationship with money from the inside out is powerful work. Clients usually take me up enthusiastically on my suggestions of books, podcasts, or workshops. I am excited to bring my passion for psychology to financial planning; this makes the work so much more enjoyable for me and also for my clients. I love seeing them have insights around their relationship with money and experiencing joy, freedom, peace and contentment in their lives.

• Yoga – I am a fan of Iyengar Yoga and really any kind of yoga.

• Cycling - in London, along the river or along the many cycle paths.

• Books – I read a lot; mainly about Psychology, Investing & our relationship with money.

• Minimalism – I try to follow a ‘zero waste’ lifestyle, reducing my use of plastic. I compost all food waste in a Wormery in my garden. I try to shop local and do not own a car – which is easy in London and I detest driving. I am the proud owner of a Brompton bike which I fitted with an electric Swytch kit.

• Meditation - I have a daily practice and it is a high priority. I talk about it a lot on my channel.

• Food – I am a huge foodie, love cooking, and love a good cup of ‘chai’ preferably infused with ginger. I gave up my London allotment as I could not put in the hours it takes to grow food (huge respect for farmers everywhere); though I love the principles of permaculture and use those in my garden at home.

• I do have bad habits and I love to travel although I am trying to fly as little as possible. I use ‘love miles’ to visit people I love in India. I aim to be non-preachy about all of these things; in my own life, change has happened gradually towards being conscious with money. And I care a lot about the impact of our collective actions on nature, insects and wild life.