Episode 189: When You’re Inside the Jar, it’s Hard to Read the Label with Julia Carlson

Welcome to living beyond the shadow of doubt. Podcast.

I am so looking forward to having you get to know my friend and fellow cohort, Julia Carlson, so grateful that you could find time in your schedule to come on so welcome.

Sure. Thanks for having me. I’m happy to be here.

I know you are busy, and you’ve been traveling a lot lately, and maybe we’ll even hear about some of that as we chat.

Fun.

But to get started, I’m going to give you the opportunity to share with our listeners a little bit about you and your background and your origin story.

Yeah. So goodness, when I was preparing for this, I’m like, you know what my background is, faith in finances, so that.

Hey!

That’s a funny combination, right? But.

He is.

Yeah. So I grew up… my parents—my mom was a stay-at-home mom, my dad, for the most part, was a pilot as a child, and so my mom really guided our family and faith. We went to a Christian church basically every Sunday and did Bible study, and it wasn’t anything I ever thought was a choice until later in life. But something I feel like I got from childhood was that strong faith foundation. My relationship with God has changed since then, because it was very academic, academic, academic at first. We can talk about that. And then, because of my grandparents—both teachers—my grandfather got to invest at a pretty young age and taught my parents how to invest. I remember sitting on his lap watching the ticker symbols roll by on Bloomberg.

Oh, my goodness!

That’s interesting, but that’s in my memory. Then, when I was 18, he actually gifted me some stock. At the same time, in my senior year of high school, I had an amazing business teacher who taught me about investing and how to build a business and entrepreneurship. So I had all these forces shaping me at a young age. I got married at 19 thinking I’d stay home and have babies, but I had trouble getting pregnant, so I got a job at a bank as a teller—I think I was 19 then.

Okay.

Right after I got married, they had an investment department, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, yes—this is what I want to do.” I got licensed, left the bank at 23, and started what is now my wealth-management company. I’ve been married almost 29 years now, have three kids, and it’s been a journey of ups and downs.

I don’t think I realized that money has been part of your story from the beginning. That’s not a common experience—to have a grandfather teaching you the ropes.

That’s why I wanted to write my book. I’ve worked with clients for over 25 years and realized that healthy money mindsets like mine are very uncommon. My parents taught me how to save and invest.

Yeah, yours is a unique perspective. In my work, I often see people’s relationship with money mirrored in other relationships—partners, faith, family of origin. It’s powerful to hear your story and know you’re helping women (and really anyone) explore their mindsets around money.

Absolutely. It’s also a mirror of our relationship with ourselves, shaped by those around us. I have memories of someone in seventh grade telling me I had to lose weight before high school—instilling body-image issues that lasted into my thirties. If we grow up hearing “we can’t afford this,” or “money is evil,” we carry those beliefs until we dig into the subconscious and rewire them.

Exactly.

There are so many themes and beliefs around money. How do you help clients increase awareness and maybe entertain the thought, “I might be wrong about this”?

What I do is reflect back. There’s a quote in my book: when you’re in the jar, it’s hard to read the label. So I listen, ask questions, and say, “Here’s what I’m hearing.” We women especially need to verbalize our feelings, and having someone ask the right questions and listen generously brings awareness: “I wonder if there’s another way to think about this.” Feelings around money often involve guilt, avoidance, ignoring. But curiosity creates wonder—then we can talk about money without shame or fear. That space holds transformation. People learn in spirals: one insight leads to another. The biggest thing is forgiveness—of ourselves, partners, parents—because they did their best. There’s always a gift in each situation. When we ask, “What did I learn?” the past transforms and doesn’t dictate our future.

I’m self-diagnosing as you speak—“Yep, I relate to that mindset.” I bring it up because some listeners are having that response, too.

That’s why I wrote my book, Money Loves You. It makes those insights readily available.

I love that title—I wasn’t raised with that mindset, and most people aren’t.

I got that in a meditation; it was a download. Money’s not a person, but it’s energy—a resource we decide how to handle. When we gain mastery, it becomes playful and fun. Too many people say “I hate money” or “money hates me.” We give power to money instead of being in charge of it. Most of us weren’t taught this in school, and the first thing we’re offered as adults is a credit card—no wonder so many get into debt. Retailers hound us to open cards. If we don’t have a voice saying “no,” we follow the crowd. My book covers inner wealth—how our self-talk generates outer wealth. It starts within, then we take action to build actual wealth.

I see parallels with faith journeys—my podcast is Living Beyond the Shadow of Doubt. When I pivoted in my faith years ago, beliefs arose that felt part of my identity. Once a belief no longer serves, what then?

For me, it’s faith. Fear is always there, but my faith is bigger than any fear. Living beyond doubt means being faith-driven, knowing I’m on a higher purpose so doubt falls away.

That’s beautiful. What does “living beyond the shadow of doubt” mean to you?

(Answered above.)

Now for some fun, quick questions—just one or two words. Favorite book?

I just read it on an airplane during interviews and thought, “Dang, this was a good book.”

Which book?

Money Loves You.

Introvert or extrovert?

Extrovert—I love my introvert time.

Favorite artist?

Lauren Daigle and Adele.

Morning lark or night owl?

Morning lark, thanks to my husband.

Celebrity crush?

I really don’t watch a lot of TV—back in the day, Matthew David.

Still water or diet soda or something else?

Still water.

Furthest place you’ve traveled?

Sri Lanka.

If folks want to connect, what’s the easiest way?

Instagram: @thejuliacarlson, and my website is thejuliacarlson.com. I check my DMs.

Julia. Thank you again—this has been so much fun. I’ve learned a lot about you and myself. Take care!