In Vickie Champion's mind, money matters are no laughing matter. Although her story is not an uncommon one, it has given her a unique perspective. Her program is not based on some idealistic theory, but founded on solid reality. You see, Vickie's relationship with money has been far, far from ideal...

In her mid-twenties, to Vickie - like many young people - "managing money" meant barely getting by as she lived paycheck to paycheck. She had no savings because she felt there wasn't enough to bother saving, no investments, no plan for her money... It went out as fast as it came in, and she felt no matter how frugally she lived, never splurging or going beyond her means, something always came up short. Then, a medical crisis brought everything crashing down, and the resulting bills caused her to declare bankruptcy. Although this was actually a deep relief for Vickie, it was also a wake-up call because it forced her into a new way of life...

Because Vickie now had to pay for everything in cash, it was necessary to follow a budget for the next ten years. During this time she learned what managing her money really meant and "thrived."

After a few more years, Vickie began to feel she had everything under control with her money problem, so she got a credit card. Still thinking she had a handle on things, she got another one. Then another one. Then, she got a credit card to pay off her credit cards, until she ended up with twelve totally maxed out cards. Problem was, she never dealt with the real issue: under earning. Being self-employed, she was scared to death to pick up the phone and make sales calls, afraid to face the rejection. So heavily into denial about her situation, she continually told herself everything would be better tomorrow, or the next day. If she got a new client, or if any other positive event occurred, she would get an overly inflated sense of elation and tell herself "This is it! I'm OK now!" She would stop making calls again, and her income would start plunging yet again. Instead of facing the real problem, she would just put it on the credit cards, let the budget slide and hope it would work itself out. Her financial situation slide desperately back out of control. A second bankruptcy followed.

The patterns of Vickie's poor money habits lead her to feel like a complete failure. After all, this was the second time around, and she still could not solve her money problems. What was missing?

In her lifetime, Vickie had practically every symptom of a debilitating relationship with money:

• Felt that following a budget took her freedom away.
• The total amount due on her credit cards rose every month.
• Nickel and dimmed her money away "making do" because she thought she could never have what she really wanted anyway.
• Had little or no savings, investments, or assets.
• Spent more as she made more money.
• Did not take time to appreciate what she had.
• Resented others who had more.
• Thought winning the lotto or some other windfall would solve all her problems.
• Always had excuses for not earning more, not saving more, and not following a budget.
• Most of all, she didn't know what her dreams were.

At her eleventh hour, she made a decision to get serious about healing her relationship with money. Vickie started reading books, going to workshops, talking to everyone she could, learning all she could! Most of all, she started listening to her "intuition." Soon, she noticed her self-esteem rising, she could sleep at night, her bank account was growing, and moreover, she had something she'd never experienced before - a sense of balance and peace.

It finally occurred to her how many others she had met in similar situations, and that she could help. And so, Mind Over Money Matters™ was born.

Most people are reluctant to open up about their emotional reactions to money. For some, to say anything about it would be admitting a problem exists, some feel stupid for having gotten themselves in this situation to start with, others may not even realize the extent of their circumstances. And it does not matter how much money you have, people across all social classes suffer from having a poor relationship with their money.

So take the time to review yours. Do you have a story similar to Vickie's? Being honest with yourself, do you have any of the symptoms listed above? If so, contact Vickie. Let her experience and insight help you understand your relationship with money, re-establish a healthy balance in your life, and reconnect with your dreams!