Bari Tessler's Blog, page 2

A gentle invitation to reimagine your budget (with love + chocolate)

Dear friend,

What if your budget was a living, breathing map?

Let’s begin with a breath.

A deep, steadying breath that drops you down into your body—maybe even all the way into your belly, where intuition lives. That wise place that doesn’t care about spreadsheets or shoulds or what your uncle thinks you should be doing with your money.

Now… imagine this: what if creating a budget didn’t feel like pulling teeth?

What if it wasn’t rigid or punishing or full of shame? What if, inste...

The simple money practice that changed everything for me.

Dear Money Adventurer,

It’s time to pour yourself a warm mug of comfort and clarity. This next sip of Money Mocha is steeped in sacred storytelling, creative bookkeeping, and a practice that might just change how you feel when you sit down with your numbers.

What if bookkeeping didn’t have to be boring?

What if the categories in your financial tracking could speak your language — the language of meaning, memory, and values?

Years ago, I had a dream that stitched together the threads ...

Registration is open! Plus, a free Money Mocha to sweeten your day

Hello, my friend!

I’ve got some lovely news today.

The doors are officially open for the next round of my flagship, 3-month financial therapy course, The Art of Money, beginning on May 1st, 2025.

In celebration of the opening of registration for this next round of the program, as is tradition around Art of Money headquarters, over the next week and a half, I’ll pop into your inbox a little more often than usual, bringing you a handful of free, chocolate-infused, caffeinated money teachi...

The desert, Shakespeare, meatballs, and money psychology

Dear friend,

We just got back from a trip to Taos, New Mexico — one of our favorite places to hit pause, be in nature, and breathe more deeply.

There’s nothing quite like the desert stillness. The silence wraps around you and you can see full constellations in the sky. Plus, the scent of sagebrush follows you everywhere, like a gentle nudge to slow down.

Every day, we’d walk through the sage with our dog Blue, sip lavender chocolate at Chokola, and eat at our favorite restaurant, The Lo...

Why do I spend money so fast? (+ have a hard time holding onto it?)

Dear Friend,

A few weeks ago I gave a talk on Financial Therapy at my graduate school alma mater, Naropa University. There were real live humans in the audience and it was also streamed on Zoom, so the best of both worlds.

I didn’t realize that it was the first live talk (not online) that I had given since the pandemic.

And, it turns out I had covid when I was giving the talk!

I had tested negative before and after the talk but it was very clear I was still sick. You see, I brought h...

Want to Work With Me Privately?

Dear Friend,

Now that we’re settled into the new year, I’m taking the time to finalize my 2025 calendar.

It’s the perfect time of the year to look ahead to the changes we hope to see this year.

As my thoughts turned to you, I wanted to offer you additional private support to bring healing and growth to your relationship with money.

With this in mind, I’m opening spots in my calendar for 10 people to do private, one-on-one financial therapy sessions with me or a 3-session package that...

How to have better couples and parenting money conversations.

Dear Friend,

I’m often invited as a guest on other people’s podcasts, and sometimes, they are so good that I just have to share them with you.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of being interviewed on my dear friends, Krista and Will Vandever’s show, The Art of We, to talk about couples, parenting and money.

Krista and Will are a beautiful couple who are committed to helping couples create thriving relationships. Not only are they committed to helping others build healthy and lo...

Free Financial Therapy Talk at my Alma Mater (live + zoom) – Join me!

Dear Friend,

Sometimes life circles around and presents a door for you to walk through from a place and a time way back in your past. A door you may have walked through when you were much younger, with a whole lifetime of opportunity ahead of you.

A few months back, there was a little tap-tap-tap coming from one of those doors I walked through in my early 20’s…a door connected to Naropa University, where I graduated with my Master’s in Somatic Psychology (which forms the lovely and useful ...

On the pod: Rick Kahler on the importance of money emotions in financial planning.

Dear Friend,

Today, I bring you a lovely conversation I just had with my friend and colleague, Rick Kahler.

We just had a wonderful chat about all things financial therapy within the realm of financial planning, and I can’t wait for you to have a listen.

Of all my colleagues in the finance space, Rick is one of my longest running friendships. He’s one of the first financial planners I met when I was in the early years of developing my financial therapy method.

I credit Rick with bein...

Join me at Hollyhock on Vancouver Island for a 5-day Retreat!

If you know me, you know that I love to stay home, cuddle with my kitties, and even work from bed sometimes (okay, maybe it’s a daily thing.)

But I also love to combine work and travel once in a while.

So, when Hollyhock reached out to me last summer and asked if I would be interested in teaching a workshop on their beautiful Cortes Island (just off Vancouver Island) – I had an immediate, big YES.

I have always been very picky about when I travel for work and most likely I would have sa...