Shannon Spills the Tea on FinGym Friends
After 10 years of podcasting and 554 episodes, we’re coming down to the final episodes of Martinis and Your Money. These final episodes before Happy Hour will be a chat between me and you. When I was thinking about how I wanted to end this podcast, all I could think was, “I have to make it epic for my fans and listeners,” who have supported me for almost a decade. I have shared so much with you over these past 10 years, but I’ve also held some things back.
My intent with these final three conversations with you is to answer all of the questions, spill all of the tea, and share all of the lessons I’ve learned not only over the past 10 years but also over the past 46 years I’ve been on this earth.
I am splitting the final three episodes before Happy Hour into three categories: my personal experiences, my work and professional experiences, and my blogging and podcasting experiences. You can listen to all three, one or none.
I know that many of you have come here for years for money-related advice and guidance, and I will have that in these final episodes, but I’ll also have more. My intent in sharing all of this with you is in the hopes that my journey and the lessons I’ve learned can help you or someone you know who has been on a journey. I have faced a great deal of challenges over my life, and I would face all of them again if I knew that my story could help just one person.
Podcast Notes
Discovering Purpose and the Beginning of The Financial Gym
Shannon’s journey building The Financial Gym began during a period of personal reflection and life coaching when she turned 30. She was unsure about everything in her life and knew she was meant to do something different. The book Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill opened her eyes and has been a guiding force.
Her early career in finance, working with high-net-worth clients, left her feeling unfulfilled. Her job was helping rich people get richer, but she really wanted to help people of all financial shapes and sizes become financially healthy.
At the time, one of her pro-bono clients told Shannon that she felt truly saved by the guidance Shannon was offering. This helped her realize her purpose: to help people become financially healthy and help them find happiness. In 2013, the vision of a “Financial Gym” came to her—a welcoming place for everyone to build financial health, just like a regular gym.
Building The Gym Against the Odds
Building The Gym has not been easy. At first, everyone in her life thought she had lost her mind, even her husband at the time, but the idea consumed her life. Nana was the one person who believed in her and gave her the courage to continue on the path. She gave herself two years in a beta phase under the name “Next Generation Financial.”
She started blogging and trying to find clients for her new business. Her first client, Jillian, came from Shannon’s sister’s book club, and slowly but surely, the other members of the book club and other clients started trickling in.
Shannon was always burning through cash. After using her personal funds and Bill’s IRA, her mentor Bob invested $100,000 into The Gym, keeping the dream alive. There have been many times when The Gym was almost not able to make payroll, but every financial challenge has taught her resilience and reaffirmed her commitment to this mission.
Navigating Growth, Challenges, and a Vision for the Future
Being a CEO and boss can be an incredibly isolating journey. Shannon has faced challenges with employees, board members, and toxic investors. She has learned a lot and grown through the process, but the road has been long and challenging. She feels like she’s become a great CEO in the last three years.
Shannon’s goal has always been to help one million people become financially healthy, and she still has that dream today. As of now, The Financial Gym has helped over 15,000 clients and, with the newest RIA offerings, continues to grow.
Reflecting on her journey, Shannon feels grateful for the challenges she has faced. After many years on this journey, she feels more healthy and confident than she ever has as CEO. She’s incredibly thankful for her current team and excited about the future of Financial Gym.
Takeaway: My biggest takeaway is that your work relationship is like any other. It should be one you want to be in, one where you’re valued and one you learn and grow from. Toxic managers and co-workers are there to make you stronger and help you learn, but you don’t have to stay in them as long as you think. Ultimately, be communicative and play nice in the sandbox, it’s amazing how small the world is and you never know when some of those toxic people may help you down the road.
Resources Mentioned in the Episode
Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill by Matthieu Ricard
Celebrating 500 Episodes with Client #1 Jillian
I encourage you to email me at Shannon@fingyms.com or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook Page, and let me know what you want to hear.
As many of you know, other than running this podcast, I’m the founder and CEO of The Financial Gym, and we are celebrating 10 years of this journey. Now more than ever, I see the importance of the work we do every single day. Rising inflation, the return on student loan debt, high-interest rates on loans and mortgages, and volatile stock markets make it a time where, now more than ever, you need a best financial friend to help you make the best choices along the way.
At Financial Gym, you get paired with a Certified Financial Trainer, who we call your BFF. Our team has coached clients through every financial season, whether they were living paycheck to paycheck or headed into Financial Independence and Retirement. As a reminder, we work with individuals, couples, or business owners.
The exciting news of 2024 is that Financial Gym now has a sister company, FG Advisory Services, available for people looking for more traditional financial advisory services like asset management delivered by a team that looks and behaves nothing like a traditional financial advisory services company. We literally have a solution for you, no matter where you’re starting from. So what are you waiting for? Head over to or send friends to financialgym.com to get started today. Our warm-up calls are free of cost and judgment, so you have nothing to lose.