In today's episode, I’m sharing my conversation with Leslie Forde — author, CEO, researcher, and advocate for women’s maternal needs. Leslie is the creator of Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs, a powerful framework that helps explain why traditional self-care so often falls short for moms. We talk about why so many of the struggles moms face aren’t personal failures, but the result of systemic and cultural pressures — including scarcity and money stress. Leslie shares how growing up with financial instability shaped her relationship with work and options, how financial stress shows up in the nervous system, and why understanding money as options (not just numbers) can be so empowering. We also explore why believing we deserve care is such an essential — and often missing — starting point. Find more from Leslie: 🌐 Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs: https://momshierarchyofneeds.com/ 📘 Repair With Self-Care — available wherever books are sold 💼 Connect with Leslie on LinkedIn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you loved this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate, or review Money Isn’t Scary — it helps more women find these much-needed conversations. You can also find me here:🎙️ Website: moneyisntscary.com📸 Instagram: @moneyisntscary ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are you interested in working 1:1 with me? I'm now officially a Certified Money Coach (CMC)® where I work with you to create greater balance, a higher consciousness and help you transform your relationship with money. This goal of this work is to guide you to a deeper understanding of the unconscious beliefs and patterns we carry that create stress and fear and hold us back from living the life that you want. You can book a quick 15-minute call here so I can learn more about you and your goals for the program. I'm so excited to be able to connect with you on a deeper level and help you discover what's blocking you from living the life you really want!