There is a reason you know what to do with money and still struggle to do it. In this episode, I sit down with Rahkim Sabree, financial therapist, accredited financial counselor, and author of Overcoming Financial Trauma, to talk about what is really driving our money behaviors and why the answer goes much deeper than budgets and spreadsheets.

After more than a decade in the banking industry, Rahkim walked away from it all to build something on his own terms. That leap eventually led him to the financial therapy space, where he now helps people understand that our relationship with money is shaped by six distinct sources of trauma, from generational and observational influences to workplace, systemic, and societal pressures. He also shares what happened when a house fire destroyed his home just weeks before his book launched, and how he used his own frameworks to navigate the loss.

His core message is that most financial education skips the emotional and physiological roots of why we behave the way we do. Once you understand where your money behaviors come from, real change becomes possible.

In this episode, Rahkim shares:

The six sources of financial trauma and how they show up differently for each person
Why our nervous system responds to money as a threat, and what that looks like in everyday behavior
The difference between a scarcity mindset and a scarcity reality, and why that distinction matters
How he navigated his own financial trauma after a house fire destroyed his home just weeks before his book launch

What's New in the Paperback Edition of Your Journey to Financial Freedom:

A bonus chapter: When Life Happens: Staying on the Path to Financial Freedom Through Setbacks, Shifts, and Uncertainty
A book club and discussion guide with prompts, exercises, and action steps
Updated corrections from the original hardcover
Exclusive bonuses when you purchase the paperback, including:
- The Fire Starter Course
- The Find Your FIRE Number Worksheet

Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode:

Check out Overcoming Financial Trauma by Rahkim Sabree: Available wherever books are sold
Rahkim's Forbes Column
Check out the FIRE Calc
Get your paperback edition of Your Journey To Financial Freedom if you haven't already.
Apply to Share Your Journeyer Story, here.
Join the Journey to Launch Book Club to dive deeper into financial freedom with guided discussions and resources here!
Join The Weekly Newsletter List to get updates, deals & more!
Leave Your Journey To Financial Freedom a review!
Get The Budget Bootcamp
Check out my personal website here.
Leave me a voicemail– Leave me a question on the Journey To Launch voicemail and have it answered on the podcast!
YNAB – Start managing your money and budgeting so that you can reach your financial dreams. Sign up for a free 34 days trial of YNAB, my go-to budgeting app by using my referral link.
What stage of the financial journey are you on? Are you working on financial stability or work flexibility? Find out with this free assessment and get a curated list of the 10 next best episodes for you to listen to depending on your stage. Check it out here!

Connect with Rahkim:

Connect with me: