When Your Confidence Is Tied to Your Paycheck with Shannon Brome-Ward

Why financial confidence changes how women show up, negotiate, and build wealth.

Rooted in Your Confidence Podcast | Episode Recap

A lot of us got the job. Got the title. Got the paycheck.

And still felt like one wrong move away from losing it all.

I've been there. I worked in male-dominated industries. I made good money. I had the skills, I had the certifications, I had everything I was supposed to have. And there were seasons where I still couldn't fully stand in my own voice, because everything I felt about myself was tied to that job, that income, that environment.

That's not just a money problem. A lot of times, it's really a confidence problem.

And in this episode, certified money mindset coach and financial educator Shannon Brome-Ward breaks down exactly how the two are connected, and what we can actually do about it.

When We Spend to Feel Confident

If you've ever bought the bold outfit, the designer bag, or the accessory that screamed I belong here, not because you wanted it, but because something at work shook you, you're not alone.

I'll tell you the truth about myself: I was spending money when my confidence was disrupted. Bold colors to be seen. Fashion to be taken seriously. Accessories like someone was selling me confidence off a rack. And I thought I was fine because the money was coming in.

But Shannon helped me articulate something I hadn't fully named yet: when you spend to fill a confidence gap, you end up financially insecure, which shakes your security, which shakes your confidence all over again. And then it's not just work anymore.

It's: What are people going to say? Are they going to find out? What about your family? What about the people you're supporting?

For women especially women in demanding environments that spiral is real.

Your Pension Might Not Be Enough. Your 401(k) Might Not Be Either.

This part might make some people pause for a second, but it's something we need to talk about.

Shannon is direct about it: most people don't know how much their life actually costs today. So they have no real way to know if what they're saving is going to be enough tomorrow.

A pension is a starting point not a guarantee. A 401(k) is one tool in the toolbox, not the whole toolbox. Shannon's question for every client is: what does it actually cost for you to live right now? Because until you know that number, "enough" is just a guess.

Assets Give You Options. Options Change How You Walk Into the Room.

This is the part of the conversation that I want every woman listening to sit with.

Shannon talks about shifting how you think about your job: treat it as your primary investor, and build assets outside of it. Things that generate income for you. Things that pay you whether you show up to work that day or not.

Because when you're not solely dependent on that one paycheck, something shifts. You negotiate differently. You communicate differently. You stop twisting yourself into a pretzel trying to fit in, and you start showing up as yourself.

I've seen this play out with women in aviation, in construction, in the trades, in corporate women who are breaking concrete and breaking ceilings at the same time. When their confidence gets chipped away daily by microaggressions and environments that weren't built for them, money becomes the place they try to repair it. Shannon flips that idea: build your financial foundation first, and watch it hold you up everywhere else.

Like my mother used to say, you just stand up straighter.

The Million Dollar Package Story

Pay attention to this one.

Shannon had a client making $250,000 a year who decided to make a move. Three companies came back with offers all somewhere between $500K and $650K. Her client was ready to say yes.

Shannon said no.

Because Shannon had done the research. Men in equivalent roles at those same companies were walking away with million dollar total compensation packages.

Her client couldn't give Shannon a single reason why she shouldn't be paid the same. Not one.

After weeks of coaching, working through her skillset, her value, what she brought to the table she went back into those negotiations differently. They countered at $850K. Shannon coached her to hold. She walked away with the full million.

The companies wanted her. They just counted on her not knowing what she actually brought to the table or not being willing to ask for it. She asked. She got it.

"Women Will Leave $5,000 on the Table. Go Get It."

You don't need a million dollar package for this to apply to you.

Shannon breaks it down: $5,000 left on the table when invested compounds into hundreds of thousands of dollars over time. Every time you don't negotiate your salary, every time you let a contractor overcharge you because you're not comfortable pushing back, every time you accept the first number a car dealership gives you that's money walking out the door.

The goal isn't just to earn more. It's to negotiate for what you've earned, and then put that money somewhere it can grow.

As Shannon puts it: go back and ask. And if they don't come to the number, go back again.

This is where your Brag Bag matters. When you know your receipts, you negotiate differently.

Building Financial Confidence When You Don't Feel Confident

Here's something Shannon said that I think is going to stay with a lot of women:

You don't have to wait until you feel confident to start building financial confidence.

You can start with $25 a month. You can start by learning how the market works, how money flows, how to manage your cash and your debt. You can start by reading one book, listening to one podcast, or finding one coach or community that talks about the things you don't know yet.

And as you watch your money grow as you learn to invest, to negotiate, to build assets that confidence bleeds into the rest of your life. Shannon compared it to women who start working out: that 6am win doesn't stay in the gym. It follows you into the boardroom, into the negotiation, into how you carry yourself everywhere you go.

One area of growth always spills over. Always.

The Exit Strategy Every Woman Needs

Shannon calls herself the queen of the exit strategy and whether you're planning to stay in your career for decades or you're already mentally out the door, this applies to you.

At some point, you will exit. The question is whether you'll be ready when you do.

Shannon's point is clear: an exit isn't just "I'm leaving." It's a plan. It's knowing what your life needs to look like, what needs to be in place financially, and what your next chapter is going to be built on. Women who exit on their own terms are the ones who started planning before they needed to.

Start now, even if you're staying.

Rooted, Not Stuck

Shannon said something near the end of our conversation that I keep coming back to.

When I asked her what it means to be rooted in your confidence, she said: "Showing up in my full, authentic self. Everywhere I go, in everything I do, in everything I say. And then I'm pouring."

That's it. That's what we're building toward not just financial security, but the kind of confidence that lets you pour from a place that's actually full.

If you're making good money and still feeling stuck, still shrinking in rooms you've earned the right to be in, still spending to fill gaps that money can't actually fill this episode is for you.

And if you want to go deeper on what confidence disruption looks like for women working in male-dominated environments, I explore it more in my upcoming book, Your Truth Changes Everything.

Find Shannon

Shannon Brome-Ward is a certified money mindset coach, financial educator, and founder of Whole Budget. She helps high-earning women build long-term wealth through intentional investing, financial education, and negotiation coaching.

Find her on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok at @ShannonBromWard.

She has a group program launching soon for women who want to start investing or who have been investing and want to understand what's actually happening with their money.

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Rooted in Your Confidence wherever you listen, and share this with a woman who's working hard and ready to make her money work just as hard for her.