The Journal

Notes on money, mindset & becoming wildly you.

Honest essays, client breakthroughs, and the unglamorous behind-the-scenes of building wealth from the inside out. No shame, no spreadsheets you'll abandon by Friday — just real life, real numbers, real freedom.

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Featured essay

The day I stopped budgeting and started living

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Latest from the journal

Young professional woman with curly hair bun wearing an orange sweater sitting at her desk, typing on a laptop, and taking notes in a spiral notebook Money Mindset

Oct 14, 2026 · 6 min read

You don't have a spending problem. You have a story problem.

The numbers are never the real numbers. Here's how to find the belief underneath the balance.

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Smiling middle aged business woman using laptop at work office, professional female executive entrepreneur in red suit Client Wins

Oct 7, 2026 · 4 min read

She paid off $42k without a single spreadsheet

A quiet, stubborn, deeply unsexy story about consistency — and the moment it finally clicked.

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Young professional woman delivering a confident, engaging presentation at a conference podium Behind the Scenes

Sep 30, 2026 · 8 min read

What I learned hosting The Wealth Within

Four days, forty women, and the one thing that shifted in the room by Sunday afternoon.

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Young professional woman leaning over a laptop at a wooden desk, smiling while working from a bright home office Life & Business

Sep 22, 2026 · 5 min read

The 1-minute money habit that changed my mornings

It's not a journal. It's not an app. It's 60 seconds and a pen — and it works.

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African corporate businesswoman writing notes while working at her home office on a laptop Money Mindset

Sep 15, 2026 · 7 min read

Stop budgeting. Start living. Here's the actual math.

A gentler framework for people who have quit on themselves three budgets in a row.

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Young adult businesswoman smiling, using a digital tablet while sitting in a contemporary office space Life & Business

Sep 8, 2026 · 6 min read

How to price yourself when you're still scared

You can't out-earn a nervous system that doesn't feel safe holding more. Let's fix that first.

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One email. Every Sunday. Never salesy.

A short essay, one reframe, and a tiny money action you can actually do in under five minutes. Join 10,000+ women rewriting their relationship with money.

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An emotional woman with a microphone is sitting in an armchair, showing a confident, friendly expression on her face

About the author

Hi, I'm Lisa Chastain.

I'm a financial coach, speaker, and the founder of The Wealth Within. I've spent over a decade helping women stop treating money like a test they keep failing — and start using it as a tool for the life they actually want. This journal is where I share the messy middle of that work.

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Reading is a beautiful first step. If you're ready for accountability, a room of women who get it, and a plan that fits your actual life — start here.