Have you ever found yourself repeating the same unhelpful money habits, even when you know better? Maybe you avoid looking at your bank account, hide purchases from loved ones, experience intense anxiety about debt, or overspend when you’re stressed.
Most traditional financial advice focuses on math, budgeting, or willpower. But what if a lack of knowledge isn't the real problem?
Credit Canada’s Education Lead and Credit Counsellor, Alexandra Rodriguez, alongside special guest Chantel Chapman, best-selling author and Founder and CEO of The Trauma of Money Institute, have a conversation about how financial shame develops, why it can keep people stuck in avoidance or survival patterns, and how we can begin to approach money with more compassion, context, and intention.
Drawing on her background in finance, behavioural research, and trauma-informed practice, Chantel will explore how financial stress isn’t just a numbers issue. For many people, our relationship with money is deeply shaped by underlying trauma, family dynamics, and broader economic pressures.
Alexandra is an Accredited Financial Counsellor and Education Lead who is deeply passionate about helping others achieve financial well-being. While her career has always been rooted in finance, she discovered her love for personal finance in 2017. Since then, she has been dedicated to empowering individuals and families to take control of their financial futures. Through her work in financial education and one-on-one counselling, Alexandra is helping Canadians build healthier relationships with money, overcome financial challenges, and take meaningful steps toward living the life they want, free from the weight of debt.
Chantel is the creator of the Trauma of Money Method™ and a recognized leader at the intersection of financial psychology, behavioural science, and systems change. She is a USA Today and Globe and Mail bestselling author of The Trauma of Money: Mapping Compassionate Pathways to Healing Financial Trauma and Disempowering Financial Shame, a body of work that has reshaped how thousands of practitioners around the world engage with money in their personal lives, their organizations, and the systems they work within. With over 20 years of experience across financial education, fintech, and curriculum design, Chantel has worked with universities, financial institutions, nonprofits, Indigenous-led organizations, and global capacity-building bodies to translate behavioural science and financial psychology into practical, programmatic interventions.
