The 5 Financial Numbers Every Business Owner Must Track With Bucketlist Bombshells
Release Date: 07/14/2025
Breaking Money Cycles: Why You Feel Broke Even When You Have Money (10-Minute Daily Fix)
It's Not About The Money
Have you ever looked at your bank account and thought "this should feel like enough," yet still felt that familiar knot of anxiety in your stomach whenever money came up? You're absolutely not alone in this experience. This week, I'm diving deep into why you can feel broke even when you have money - and it has nothing to do with the actual numbers in your account. The real culprit? Your nervous system and how it's been programmed to recognise what feels "safe" around money. If you grew up hearing "we can't afford that" or witnessed your parents stress about finances, your body has been...
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Breaking Money Cycles - Why Saving More Money Never Makes You Feel Safe
It's Not About The Money
In this deeply personal episode, I explore why having more money often doesn't make us feel safer, and why this isn't actually a money problem - it's a meaning problem. Drawing from my own experience of nearly losing my youngest son Thomas twice in his first five weeks of life, I reveal how our "not enough" programming around money often stems from our deepest fears about being unprepared when someone we love is at risk. Through my three-zone model of receiving, holding, and giving, I break down how these inherited money beliefs create an exhausting cycle where we work harder but can never...
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Why Hustle Culture is Killing Your Success: The Long-Haul Leadership Revolution with Chris Ducker
It's Not About The Money
In this episode, I'm joined by Chris Ducker, serial entrepreneur, founder of Youpreneur, and author of the brand new book "The Long-Haul Leader." Chris shares his deeply personal journey from building multi-seven figure businesses whilst burning himself out, to being diagnosed with phase three adrenal failure, depression, and anxiety all in the same day in 2021. What emerged from that breakdown was a complete reimagining of what sustainable success looks like - moving away from hustle culture towards what he calls "long-haul leadership." We explore his Life OS framework with its four key...
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Building a Business That Runs Without You with Alexis Kingsbury
It's Not About The Money
Episode Overview In this episode, I'm joined by Alexis Kingsbury, a multi-entrepreneur who started his first business at just 12 years old, yet failed with six consecutive businesses throughout school and university. After being told by a management consultant that he'd "never be able to build a team" and having his first employee quit saying his company had "no culture, no processes and no proper ways of working," Alexis has gone on to build two successful software businesses and a consulting practice serving over 600 organisations worldwide, including Google, Sony and Pepsi. Most...
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From Leukemia to Financial Adviser: How Crisis Shaped My Money Story with Michelle Taylor
It's Not About The Money
Episode Overview In this episode, I'm delighted to chat with Michelle Taylor, founder of Women in Wealth and host of the "Talk Wealthy to Me" podcast, who shares her incredibly powerful and vulnerable money story. From growing up with two parents who had completely opposite approaches to money, to being diagnosed with leukaemia at 17, to finding herself unable to buy a magazine at the airport because four credit cards were declined - Michelle's journey is a masterclass in resilience and financial transformation. Her story beautifully illustrates how our early money experiences shape us, and...
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How to Break Generational Money Blocks in 7 Days
It's Not About The Money
In this episode, I share a powerful story about a well-known financial celebrity who, despite decades of expertise and clear logical reasons, had been putting off the same property purchase for almost 20 years. What we discovered in our conversation reveals everything about why you might be undercharging, avoiding money conversations, or sabotaging your financial success - and it's not what you think. Through my seven-day money story discovery process, I'll show you how to uncover the hidden inherited survival strategies that have been passed down through three generations, affecting every...
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Always Free - How to Become Financially Free with Jason Graystone
It's Not About The Money
In this episode, I'm delighted to chat with Jason Graystone, author of "Always Free" and investor who achieved financial freedom at just 30 years old. Jason and I actually met on a ski trip with Daniel Priestley earlier this year, and I couldn't resist having him on the show to discuss his remarkable journey from hiding behind the sofa as bailiffs knocked on the door in his childhood council estate, to building a half-million subscriber YouTube channel and living completely financially free on his West Sussex farm. We dive deep into why most people never achieve financial freedom, the...
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Master Female Financial Freedom in 1 hour: Everything They Never Taught Women About Money!
It's Not About The Money
In this comprehensive masterclass episode, I share everything I learned during my 15 years working inside banks as a trained financial adviser, watching thousands of intelligent people convinced they weren't good with money. After discovering that you don't need to be rich to get started, don't need financial qualifications, and definitely don't need to love numbers to build wealth like the top 1%, I'm pulling back the curtain on the complete system that's helped thousands break free from financial stress. This is your complete guide to transforming your relationship with money - covering both...
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How to Build Rich Relationships With Selena Soo
It's Not About The Money
Episode Overview In this episode, I'm delighted to chat with bestselling author and visibility expert Selena Soo about her incredible book "Rich Relationships." After following Selena's work for years and witnessing the transformative results her expertise creates, I dive deep into her revolutionary approach to building, nurturing, and activating your million-dollar network. We explore how rich relationships - those that massively enrich the quality of your life - are truly the fastest way to get from where you are to where you want to be, especially in today's economy where trust is at an...
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Why You're Busy But Not Profitable (And The 3 Ways To Fix It)
It's Not About The Money
In this episode, I tackle one of the biggest challenges facing business owners today: working 50-70 hours a week but still lying awake wondering where all the money has gone. Through a real client case study and practical strategies, I reveal why being busy isn't the same as being profitable, and share the three fundamental ways to transform your hard work into actual profit that pays you properly. Chapters 00:00 The Busy vs. Profitable Paradox 02:45 Understanding Profit Confusion 06:07 Designing Your Life for Profit 09:13 The Importance of Knowing Your Financial Needs 12:06 Time...
info_outlineIn this episode, I chat with the incredible duo behind Bucket List Bombshells - Cassie and Shay - who met serendipitously in a Mexican coffee shop after both quitting their corporate jobs with one-way tickets. Together, they've built a freedom-based, service-based business generating over £4.5 million in revenue whilst serving thousands of women worldwide. We dive deep into their contrasting money relationships, the power of visionary-integrator partnerships, and the lessons learned from scaling sustainably.
Episode Highlights:
The Coffee Shop Origin Story - 2013
- How both women independently decided corporate wasn't their dream and quit their jobs for one-way tickets to Mexico
- Meeting in a Playa del Carmen coffee shop through a mutual friend
- The early question that shaped everything: "What does the dream life look like for us?"
- Building a business around the life they wanted to live, not the other way around
- How having a mentor with an online business provided a blueprint for possibility
The Contrasting Money Relationships in Partnership
Shay's Journey (The Integrator):
- Fast money growth creating challenges with holding wealth and abundance
- Spending money as quickly as it came in during early success phases
- Shiny object syndrome and following other successful entrepreneurs without understanding their mechanics
- Identity becoming tied to daily revenue numbers and success/failure cycles
- Learning to separate self-worth from business metrics
- Now finding joy in CEO dashboards and empowering clients with financial clarity
Cassie's Journey (The Visionary):
- "Ignore the numbers and work harder" mentality from early conditioning
- Type A personality believing harder work = more money
- Leading to burnout from constantly doing more: more offers, more team, more marketing
- Going from 25 different offers to just one at their simplification point
- Learning that scaling comes from amplifying what works, not adding complexity
Essential Financial Metrics Every Business Owner Should Track
- Lead Generation Numbers: How many leads monthly from each source (word of mouth, Instagram, networking)
- Lead to Sales Call Conversion: Aiming for baseline 50% conversion rate
- Sales Call Conversion Rates: Most entrepreneurs guess these numbers rather than tracking accurately
- Revenue vs. Profit Focus: Focusing on profit margins rather than just revenue figures
- Paying Yourself First: Fixed salary approach rather than percentage-based payments to create stability
The Simplification Revolution - From 25 Offers to 3
- How complexity became the enemy of clarity and growth
- The realisation that confused minds don't buy and confused CEOs don't lead well
- Discovering that more offers don't equal more money
- Learning to say "not right now" to opportunities and creative ideas
- The power of channelling creativity outside the business through art classes and hobbies
Key Business Philosophy Shifts
Business as a Marathon, Not Sprint:
- Recognising different seasons in business and life
- Moving away from "always more" mentality toward sustainable growth
- Understanding that there's never enough when the goal is always more
- Finding peace through stepping back, scaling back, and simplifying
Creative Boundaries for Visionaries:
- Not asking the business to serve all creative needs
- Finding outlets for creativity outside revenue-generating activities
- Understanding the difference between one-time creative pursuits and sustainable business offers
- Focusing on refinement and consistency rather than constant new launches
Partnership Dynamics and Communication
- The importance of communicating when things don't feel aligned
- Learning to trust yourself again after perceived failures
- Not assuming your partner shares the same passion and vision at all times
- The breakthrough that comes from honest communication about misalignment
- How addressing issues strengthens both partnership and connection to vision
Practical Tools and Strategies
The Buyer Persona Deep Dive:
- Going beyond surface-level target audience work
- Understanding dream clients down to what car they drive and podcasts they listen to
- Using real client emails and call language to refine messaging
- Leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT with detailed buyer personas for better content creation
- Using sales call transcripts to analyse money mindset blocks and selling patterns
Financial Stability Creation:
- Creating business financial stability that supports desired lifestyle
- Implementing profit-first principles with fixed salaries
- Quarterly bonus structure similar to traditional employment
- Removing the emotional roller coaster of percentage-based payments
Final Thought
True freedom in business comes not from doing more, but from simplifying and amplifying what works whilst building around the life you actually want to live. Success is sustainable when you understand your natural strengths, communicate openly with partners, and create systems that support both financial growth and personal fulfilment.
Chapters
00:00 Celebrating Milestones and New Beginnings
00:55 The Journey to Entrepreneurship
02:19 The Coffee Shop Connection
05:55 Defining the Dream Life
10:40 Navigating Money Mindset
16:05 Data-Driven Decisions in Business
21:15 Understanding Key Financial Metrics
26:03 Balancing Vision and Numbers
32:49 Advice for Future Entrepreneurs
43:39 Communicating Needs in Partnerships
48:46 Free Resources for Entrepreneurs
Resources:
Get my FREE book 'It's Not About The Money'
Take the Money StoryTypes® Quiz
Sign up to my FREE Newsletter
Become a Certified Financial Coach
Take the Bucketlist Bombshells Buyer Persona & Brand Messaging Questionnaire
Listen to The Future Of Money and AI With Natalie MacNeil podcast episode