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Yo Quiero Dinero

How Mental Health Messes With Your Money with Mariana Barajas

Season 8, Ep. 356
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In this episode of Yo Quiero Dinero, Jannese sits down with Mariana Barajas, licensed therapist and money coach aka @lamoneytherapist 

to unpack the deep, emotional connection between mental health and money.

From first-gen pressure and eldest-daughter trauma to scarcity mindsets, over-spending, money hoarding, and burnout, this conversation goes beyond budgeting tips and gets to the root of our financial behaviors. Because let’s be real: most of us already know what to do with money—what stops us is what’s happening in our nervous system.

Mariana breaks down how childhood experiences, cultural conditioning, and subconscious beliefs shape the way we earn, spend, save, and invest—and what it actually takes to heal your relationship with money.

If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t keep money, why you’re afraid to take financial risks, or why success still doesn’t feel like enough… this episode is for you.


What We Get Into

00:01 – 02:00

  • Mariana’s background as a licensed therapist and money coach
  • Why mental health and financial wellness must be treated holistically

02:01 – 05:00

  • First-gen upbringing, eldest daughter pressure, and seeking parental validation
  • How childhood emotional neglect can shape adult ambition and burnout

05:01 – 07:45

  • Growing up with limited financial resources
  • How early awareness of money scarcity impacts confidence and decision-making

07:46 – 10:10

  • The fast dopamine hit of spending once you “finally make it”
  • How retail therapy can quietly lead to debt and lifestyle inflation

10:11 – 13:20

  • Identifying subconscious money beliefs
  • Introduction to financial therapy and why budgeting alone isn’t enough

13:21 – 15:30

  • The Money-Worthiness Framework
  • Challenging limiting beliefs, building self-trust, and the role of community

15:31 – 18:10

  • People-pleasing, and cultural expectations placed on women
  • How these beliefs impact earning, saving, and self-advocacy

18:11 – 21:45

  • Preparing for motherhood financially and emotionally
  • Funding maternity leave, wellness practices, and not losing yourself in motherhood

21:46 – 24:00

  • Fear-based money behaviors: hoarding, anxiety, and control
  • Understanding where “fear of losing everything” really comes from

24:01 – 27:15

  • Why some people can’t hold onto money
  • Spending as a reflection of worthiness wounds and external validation

27:16 – 30:45

  • Values-based spending vs. keeping up appearances
  • Letting go of money decisions driven by comparison

30:46 – 33:45

  • Increasing income as a wealth strategy
  • Breaking limiting beliefs around “acceptable” income in helping professions

33:46 – 36:30

  • Building generational wealth with intention
  • Custodial Roth IRAs, 529s, and giving kids financial options

36:31 – 39:30

  • Why funding your retirement is a gift to your children
  • Breaking cycles of financial dependence and self-sacrifice

39:31 – 41:45

  • Supporting family financially without destroying your mental health
  • The emotional weight of being the “sandwich generation”

41:46 – 44:40

  • How to work with Mariana
  • Financial therapy vs. coaching and knowing which one you need


Key Takeaways

  • Your money habits didn’t come out of nowhere—they were learned.
  • Scarcity isn’t just financial; it lives in your nervous system.
  • Over-spending and under-earning often stem from worthiness wounds.
  • Budgeting won’t fix trauma—but healing trauma will fix your money.
  • You don’t need to do it all alone—community is part of wealth-building.
  • Generational wealth is built over generations, not in one lifetime.


Resources Mentioned



Connect with Mariana

  • Instagram: @lamoneytherapist
  • Offers:
  • Financial Therapy (California residents)
  • Financial Coaching (nationwide).


This podcast was produced and edited by Idea to Launch Productions

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