Mikelann V.
Financial therapist and money coach at Seattle Money Coach
Motivational/Self Development
Education: Western Washington University - John F. Kennedy University
Seattle, WA, USA
Biography
For more than two decades, master money coach and speaker Mikelann Valterra, MA, AFC®, has helped people transform their relationship to money and shift their money mindset. A highly respected expert in financial psychology, she has written and spoken extensively on powerful, practical ways to reduce money anxiety as well as effective methods for earning, saving, reducing debt, and managing money. Mikelann has been quoted in national publications, including Forbes, USA Today, and Business Insider. She also guests on podcasts all over the world. Mikelann is the author of Rise Above the Money Fog: The key to confidence, clarity, and control over your life. When not writing and speaking, she teaches clients how to rise above the money fog and craft their ideal life—letting go of financial stress forever. When not working, you can find Mikelann on the dance floor indulging her love of Argentine tango.
Passion
My passion hobby is dancing Argentine Tango. So, I am a financial therapist and money coach by day, and I dance by night. I’ve used my skills as a money coach to create a life I once only dreamed of. I enjoy helping other people do the same and fund their own passions. I love drawing parallels between learning to dance tango and learning how to handle money, so you can effortlessly “dance” with money. It takes both a healthy money mindset and skills to dance well with money so you can be productive at work AND enjoy your life.
Some workplace food for thought: Financial stress has a serious impact on worker productivity and overall satisfaction. In the workplace, finances are the number one source of stress, more so than the actual work, health and even family issues. The American Psychological Association found that over 70% or adults in America are stressed about finances! Even among employees with an annual household income of $100,000 or more, 52% report feeling stressed by finances. And employees burdened by money matters are nine times more likely to have troubled relationships with coworkers and are twice as likely to be searching for a new job. I’m passionate to change this.
Featured Video
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
I sometimes get paid for speaking
Topics
Best Story
It’ all about tango shoes! I enjoy educating people on the impact of dopamine on the brain—and how it causes them (and their customers) to spend money without understanding why. So, I use many stories from my tango life to illustrate this. Story—I was once at a festival and walked into the vendor hallway that was full of HUNDREDS of beautiful tango shoes spread out on twenty vendor tables. (Yes, I have pictures!) My brain immediately got “high” and wanted to buy, buy, buy!! I used the tricks I teach audiences to get back in control of my brain and navigate a weekend festival where I bought what I truly wanted from a thoughtful place, and managed to keep my savings plan intact. (And yes, this is the inside track on understanding consumer spending.)
Origin Story
I have been a financial coach for 27 years. When I had been coaching about 13 years, I went through a huge divorce. As a newly single mom and almost penniless, I had to use all my skills around money to re-create my life from the ground up. Within a year I had purchased my own home, restarted my retirement accounts and doubled my business. I used the methods I teach my clients to give me peace and courage no matter what storms raged around me. I ended up creating a life I could once only dream of. I love sharing stories and actionable strategies with audiences so they can build their own wonderful life, free of financial anxiety.
Example talks
Testimonial from meeting planner
"Money can be a dry topic, but not with Mikelann!!! Listening to her is a unique opportunity to learn more about ourselves and what motivates us. Mikelann presented her brilliant perspective on money, emphasizing the importance of having a healthy relationship with money, and making it a tool to support us, rather than letting it control us…. Mikelann does all this in a fun, interesting, and stimulating way. Money should be a tool and not a master!” --Nancy Sorensen, President, Southwest Seattle Business and Professional Women
Keynote: Can Wealth Buy Happiness? Insights from a financial therapist turned tango dancer
The science of happiness is popular now-a-days—from focusing on what makes us happy to how to live a more meaningful life. But what does the science of happiness tell us about money? How do we decrease our financial stress and anxiety, and how exactly should we use money for a happier life? After working with people for over two decades on healing their relationship to money, financial therapist and money coach Mikelann Valterra has the answers. An avid Argentine Tango dancer by night, Mikelann weaves stories and insights from the crazy dance world with the latest science and psychological research on achieving true financial wellness. You really CAN learn to dance beautifully with money.
• Explore how much money it takes to be happy, and discover who is the happiest, and why.
• Understand the true impact “comparison culture” has on our lives, wallets, and consumer spending.
• Uncover the impact of neurochemicals on your spending and learn three keys to regain control of your brain.
• Expose the psychological treadmill that keeps us hooked on lifestyle spending—the reality that when we make more, we often spend more.
• Unearth the deeper connections between money and happiness that make “keeping up with the Jones” a thing of the past.
Walk away with actionable strategies to reduce financial anxiety and be happier with YOUR relationship to money, today.
Breakout/ Seminar: Discover your Unique Money Personality – and feel better about money
There are four money personality types. Would you like to know which one is yours? Knowing your “type” helps you better utilize your unique strengths around money (that you may be unaware of) and avoid the related common pitfalls. This workshop dives into the psychology of money to help you understand why you feel and behave the way you do around money. Once you know yourself better, you will find greater ease in your relationship with money. You will also see that there is no bad "money personality", but we all have unique strengths. Enjoy taking a fascinating quiz that money coach and financial therapist Mikelann Valterra has developed over her two decades of working with people. You will identify your own type and walk away feeling empowered around money.
Breakout/ Seminar: Income Breakthrough! The four keys to unlocking your earning power
Ready to earn at your potential and break through your “internal income ceiling?” Nationally renowned money coach and financial therapist Mikelann Valterra will address the fascinating psychology of what causes women to earn less than we are worth. Women deal with complex emotional and practical issues around making money. Mikelann has worked for two decades helping women conquer “underearning” and move into greater prosperity. In this talk, she’ll share four keys that will help you go from financially surviving to abundantly thriving.
Breakout/ Seminar: Escape the Debt Cycle Forever—Understanding debt, savings, and our emotions
Does it feel like you get one step ahead financially, and then move two back? If you are tired of being stressed out financially, help is here. In this powerful seminar, money coach and financial therapist Mikelann Valterra will share the secrets of not only getting out of debt but building lasting savings. She will teach you how to build meaningful savings, even when money feels tight, and address the deep emotions that underlie how we approach our money. You will learn the three different kinds of savings that lead to building true net worth, so you can tackle getting out of debt, or prevent debt from ever happening. Yes, it really is possible.
Talk titles of past workshops and speeches--
• How to Transform Financial Anxiety into Empowerment—insights from a financial therapist
• Navigating the Emotional Waters of Money During Divorce
• Escape the Golden Handcuffs and Design a Life You Love
• Money and Life Transitions—the questions to ask for a money fog-free next chapter
• Rising above your childhood money story
• Rise Above the Money Fog – From Fear, Overwhelm, & Guilt to Your Dream Life