Mikelann Valterra, MA, Money Coach, Author & Speaker

06/05/2026

There's a neurological reason saving feels like sacrifice — and it has nothing to do with willpower.

When you imagine your future self, your brain activates the same region it uses when thinking about other people. She literally registers as a stranger. So when you "sacrifice for your future self," it doesn't feel like taking care of you — it feels like giving something up for someone else.

No wonder spending wins every time.

But here's the good news: you can change this. When you start building a real relationship with the woman you're becoming — through journaling, reflection, simply asking what she thinks — she stops feeling like a stranger. And protecting her starts feeling like protecting yourself.

That's when everything shifts. 💙

What would you tell your future self right now if you could?

06/01/2026

I just published a new essay about something I’ve been practicing for years: asking my future self for guidance when I spend money. It’s changed everything for me — not in a restrictive way, but in a deeply compassionate one. If this speaks to you, I’d love for you to read it.

And how asking her changed everything

05/26/2026

Have you ever avoided looking at your bank account because it just felt like too much?

That's money fog — and it's more common than you think.

Money fog is the stress and anxiety that settles in when your finances feel too complex to face. It keeps you in survival mode: worried about overspending, juggling accounts, feeling guilty, and never quite able to look up and ask, Where do I actually want to go?

Here's what I want you to hear: if you're overwhelmed, it's not you. It's the complexity.

The first step to clearing the fog isn't a perfect budget or a financial overhaul. It's simplicity. When you strip away the noise, you can finally start building the life you actually want — with your money working for you instead of against you.
Are you living in money fog right now? Tell me in the comments. 👇

05/24/2026

When you're tired and busy, spending on convenience becomes the default — not because you're careless, but because you haven't yet decided what you want more.
That's the quiet truth behind autopilot spending. It's not a willpower problem. It's a clarity problem.

Intentional spending is a radical act of self-knowledge. It asks you to stop, look at your life, and answer honestly: What do I actually want my money to build?
The answer changes everything.

05/19/2026

What if budgeting wasn't about telling yourself no — but about making sure you always get to say yes?

Most of us were taught that a budget means restriction. Cut back, hold off, go without. But intentional spending works the other way around: when you know where your money is going, you can protect the things that actually matter to you. The trip. The dinner out. The class you've been putting off. Your future self who deserves options.

A budget isn't a cage. It's a map to what you love. 🗺️

05/05/2026

Busy week! I presented to EO Seattle down on the waterfront - Entrepreneurs Organization- on how to discover and leverage your “money personality”. (I wrote a 20 page e-book on the subject.) Amazing group gathered on a gorgeous Seattle day.

04/30/2026

We've all stood in a store (or scrolled online at midnight) asking ourselves: Is this worth it?

Here's the question that actually cuts through the noise: Will this bring me short-term satisfaction — or long-term joy?

Short-term? Buy the affordable version. No guilt, no fuss.

Long-term? That's worth investing in — as long as you've planned for it.

That's not deprivation. That's intentional spending. And it's the difference between a purchase that leaves you with buyer's remorse and one that leaves you with, well… really great tango shoes. 💃

What's something you've invested in that keeps giving back? Drop it in the comments.

04/21/2026

Big news — I’ve opened a Substack! Don’t worry, my regular newsletter isn’t going anywhere. This is just a new space where I can write more freely about the intersection of money, love, midlife reinvention, and yes… tango.

If you enjoy thoughtful storytelling and intentional living, help me out by giving my article a heart? (And you don’t need the Substack app to subscribe.) Man are tango shoes expensive —but I love them!

Inside the world of handcrafted heels, pivots, and intentional spending.

04/11/2026

Every money personality has strengths — and blind spots.

For Liberty personalities, the love of freedom can sometimes make the details of money feel tedious or constraining. Budgets feel like cages. Bookkeeping feels like a time clock. And debt can quietly accumulate while life is being beautifully, fully lived.

Financial confidence for Liberty women isn't about restricting the joy — it's about building enough structure to protect it. Because nothing threatens freedom faster than debt.

04/07/2026

There's a difference between spending money and using money.

One happens on autopilot — a cart here, a subscription there, a purchase you barely remember making. The other is a conscious choice that moves you toward the life you actually want.

"Be an experiencer, not a consumer" isn't a spending rule. It's an identity shift. When you get clear on what truly lights you up, your money stops leaking toward things that don't matter — and starts flowing toward moments that do.

That's what financial clarity actually feels like. Not restriction. Alignment. And it starts with knowing yourself well enough to spend like you mean it.