Ep #115: 5 Phrases High-Earning Women Don’t Say About Money

Hey coach, if you want to change your financial life, you have to start by changing your financial language. And most women have been taught to speak about money in ways that shrink them. I'm Kendall, and in this episode of The Money Coach School Podcast, I'm showing you the five phrases high-earning women just don't ever use.

These tiny sentences shape your identity, your self-trust, and your income more than any spreadsheet ever will. You're going to hear why these phrases limit ambitious, sensitive women like you and what to say instead if you're ready to uplevel your income. Because every financial revolution starts with a woman who refuses to keep speaking the way she was conditioned to. It's all here for you inside this episode. Let's dive in.

Hey, coach. We're talking about upleveling here today. Because if you've been feeling a pull towards more money, more ease, and bigger opportunities, that's not random. It's your next level activating. I'm Kendall, and in this episode of The Money Coach School Podcast, I'm walking you through the 5 signs that signal, yes, you are ready for an uplevel. And why these signs are more important than any strategy that you've been currently obsessing over.

You're going to hear why ambitious, sensitive women feel their growth internally first, how to interpret these 5 signals as financial data, and why these cues often show up right before a major money leap. Because every financial uplevel begins as an inner one. It's all inside this episode of The Money Coach School Podcast. Let's dive in.

Welcome to The Money Coach School Podcast. To really excel at coaching women, you have to be skilled, confident, and even fearless at money coaching. If you're passionate about women holding genuine money power and love supporting women entrepreneurs, then this is the show for you. Now, here's your host, money feminist Kendall SummerHawk.

Hello, beautiful coach. I'm getting into something here today that separates women who talk about their next level from women who actually step into it. High-earning women don't just think differently about money, we speak differently. We lead ourselves differently. We use language that reflects power, not permission.

Women who create overflow don't tiptoe around money, and they stop babying their dreams. They stop telling themselves stories that let fear keep a hold of the steering wheel. Women who rise into overflow don't just change their bank accounts, they change how honest they are with themselves. And they change the courage they bring to their decisions. And they change the way they relate to money through a money feminist lens, one that refuses to shrink or apologize or wait for permission.

So today, I want to walk you through five things I would never say about money. Not because I'm perfect, not because I'm fearless, but because removing these from my vocabulary is exactly what helped me go from not having enough money like all the time to becoming a self-made multimillionaire. So let's dive into this.

Phrase number one: “I can't afford it.” This phrase is the fastest way a powerful woman takes herself out of the game. “I can't afford it” isn't about money. It is about hesitation disguised as practicality, and it lets you avoid being honest. I can't afford it is often a softer, more socially acceptable way of saying, "I'm afraid to decide. I'm afraid to choose. I'm afraid to say yes to what it is I really want."

High-earning women practice radical honesty with themselves because the real question is, "Do I actually want this?" And if the answer to that question for you is yes, then the next question becomes, "How do I choose to make this possible? Or how do I want to create this?" Courage really springs from our desire. That's emotional authority. That's money feminism. A woman letting desire lead instead of self-denial. So it's not can I, but what opens when I decide? What becomes possible when I decide?

Now, I have dozens of examples of this from my own life and business, and I can tell you that every time I said yes and figured out a way to at least have a taste of what it was that I wanted, instead of shutting down that desire with an "I can't afford it," it led me in the direction of making more money, of having the experiences and the training and the mentoring that I really, really wanted. It wasn't always overnight, of course, but it happened. I made the decision, and then I found even small ways to start living into that experience. And I honestly wouldn't be who I am here today with you if I hadn't done that.

All right, phrase number two: It's too expensive. Now, this phrase is subtle self-sabotage dressed up as discernment. When women say too expensive, what they often mean is, "I'm not used to seeing myself at that level." But high-earning women don't collapse their desire to match a price tag. Right? Write that down. Let me say it again. High-earning women don't collapse their desire to match a price tag. Instead, they raise their identity to match their vision. So instead of "too expensive," try this truth-telling phrase instead: "It's not aligned," or, "I don't value it." And that's perfectly okay.

Money feminism is the refusal to make yourself smaller so that price tag feels safer. And it's okay not to value something that's really expensive. So for example, I know a lot of women love shoes, especially the fancy ones with the red soles. And granted, some of them are super pretty, I get that. But for me, spending two thousand dollars on shoes, that is just something I would not ever do because I simply don't value it. I don't say they're too expensive because that's not the truth. But spend two thousand dollars on custom dressage boots, beautifully fitted for my extra wide size D width feet and calves? Yeah, I'm there in a heartbeat. The point is to go deeper than "it's too expensive."

"It's too expensive" is also a cover-up for fear of breaking away from what is familiar and how we see ourselves up until now. For example, I remember about 10 years ago, I was ready to buy a new car. I knew I wanted to upgrade. It was going to be a fairly significant upgrade from what I was driving, which I'm too embarrassed to even tell you what I used to drive. But I knew I wanted to upgrade a bit from what I had, but I didn't know what that would be, what actual brand of car that would be. And I'll never forget my mom saying to me, "Why don't you buy a Mercedes?"

And I'll never forget that moment because my visceral reaction was, "What? Me buy a Mercedes?" It was such an instant identity shock to my system. Yes, it was more money than I had thought of spending, but it actually wasn't about the money. I had the money, but I had not thought of myself at that level until that moment. So yes, I did buy the Mercedes. I totally love my car, and I still drive it to this day. I absolutely love it.

All right, phrase number three is something along the lines of "someday, one day." This phrase is ambition in a straight jacket. "Someday, one day" is how women keep their next level at arm's length while appearing reasonable. And here's why. Women are socially conditioned to delay their desires, to wait until the stars align, until they feel more qualified, until they're ready, until everybody else has taken care of first, until nothing around them or no one around them might be disrupted by their ambition. And I think deep down, "someday, one day" is a way of saying, "I don't trust myself yet."

But here's the thing. Women who uplevel, they don't wait for the calendar to bless them. They don't wait until everything feels calm. They don't wait for permission. They bring their future into the present by saying, "If I want it, then the timing is now." They choose it. Money feminism is the courage to take your desires out of the waiting room and bring them into your present moment. So this is the emotional maturity of a woman who decides not later, not eventually, now. And I want you to jot this down. Presence creates momentum, postponement creates plateaus.

All right, phrase number four: I wasted money. Now this is one that I can slip into if I'm not being really present, aware, and intentional. The phrase "I wasted money" is drenched in shame. And I know that one so well. Shame is one of the oldest money control tools used against women. High-earning women do not shame themselves for spending, for trying, for learning, or investing. They don't worship perfection. They don't weaponize money mistakes against themselves. They worship growth. They value growth because money circulates. Money comes back. Money expands when you let it move. Believing money can be wasted puts you in emotional debt with yourself. Believing money circulates always keeps you in overflow.

So money feminism here looks like refusing to participate in the cultural narrative that women must be perfect with every dollar or else they're, quote unquote, "bad with money." So the money feminist reframe here is really simple. Nothing is wasted. Everything returns. Or here's another reframe if you like this one better: Every dollar I spend returns in clarity, capability, or cash.

And if you look back at the situations where you were saying "I wasted money" and instead looking at it through that lens, "nothing is wasted, everything returns," or through the lens of "every dollar I spend returns in clarity, capability, or cash," you're going to find value in what you put that money into, even if it's something you wouldn't choose to do again. That's okay. That's called learning.

All right, phrase number five: I'm not ready. Yeah, this one sounds so thoughtful, doesn't it? It sounds so wise. It sounds so grounded. But you know what? It's fear with lipstick on. It is the softest, sweetest, most sophisticated form of self-protection. "I'm not ready" is how brilliant women, like you, delay the life they want while telling themselves it's being responsible. High-earning women, they don't wait to be ready. They claim readiness. They say, "If I desire it, I'm ready for it." They access courage even when it's uncomfortable. They understand that every version of themselves who ever made a quantum leap did it before they felt safe. That's money feminism in its most intimate form, a woman trusting herself more than she gives power to her fear.

So my coaching question for you is, "What if I actually am ready? And the only shift is admitting it?" It's a great question, right? That alone can change everything.

All right. So to wrap up here, these five phrases are not innocent, but what they are is expensive. They cost you clarity, income, opportunities, and self-trust. And they cost you time because every time you say them, you reinforce an old identity, one that keeps you circling the same numbers, the same decisions, the same almost version of your potential.

High-earning women rise because they choose courage over comfort, they choose honesty over hiding, and they choose expansion over apology. Because the money you desire isn't created by strategy alone. If that was true, everybody would be billionaires, right? It's created by emotional honesty. It's created by courage in your decisions. And it's created by the money feminist power of refusing to shrink yourself around your desires. When you stop speaking to money from fear and start speaking to it from truth, everything changes for you.

If you love the money coaching we do inside this podcast, then please join me inside my brand new workshop. It's free. It's called Uplevel. This is where you create the money breakthrough that unlocks your million-dollar business. It's practical, it's emotional, it's powerful, and it's made for ambitious, sensitive women like you who are ready to step into more income, more profit, and step into living your rich life.

The Uplevel workshop is free. A replay will be available, and I will link to the registration page in the show notes below. And remember always, you're here for more, more money peace, more money power, more unapologetic wealth on your terms. This is your money empowerment era. I am here for it. I am here for you.

All right, thank you for listening, and I'll see you in next week's episode.

Thank you so much for tuning into this week's episode of The Money Coach School Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast, make sure you follow so you never miss an episode. Also, I would so love and appreciate if you would leave a 5-star review. Your review supports women just like you in discovering all of the juicy tips and insights I’m sharing here on how to coach women on money.

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