Rewiring Our Minds for Wealth

Disclaimer: Nothing in the content materials shall be considered legal, financial, or actuarial advice.

Credit source: Image by Freepik

At the Wayfinders Summit, we hold space for courageous conversations that unlock human potential.

One of the most powerful sessions this year in Toulouse, came from someone who brings nearly three decades of experience across HR procurement, change management, and international coaching. Kate Gondouin is a powerhouse, someone who blends strategic insight with a deep human lens. And in her session,

During our "Neuroscience of Wealth" session, she invited us into a bold reframe:

Wealth isn’t built in a spreadsheet or bank account, it’s built in the brain.

I had the honour of welcoming Kate to the virtual stage again at our virtual summit, knowing we needed to extend her time. Not because her slides were complex, but because what she offered us was the kind of transformation that can’t be rushed. She led us through practical exercises, compelling science, and deeply personal reflections, all designed to help us rethink the stories we carry about money.

Here’s a recap of the session and some of the key takeaways, through my lens as your host.

Where Wealth Truly Begins

Kate started with a question that immediately grounded us: Where is wealth actually created?

We might be quick to point to our salaries, investments, or business ventures, but Kate pointed out that it all starts with the brain. More specifically, the subconscious mind, which drives a staggering 95% of our decisions, especially the ones we repeat most often.

This isn’t just about money.

When we talk about wealth, Kate reminded us, we’re also talking about relationships, health, time, and energy.

For this session, the spotlight was on financial wealth, and more importantly, how our mental models and inherited beliefs shape what we believe is possible.

Our Brain’s Bias for Safety

One of the most insightful parts of Kate’s talk was her breakdown of the SCARF model, developed by Dr. David Rock in 2008. SCARF stands for:

• Status

• Certainty

• Autonomy

• Relatedness

• Fairness

  
  

These five elements, Kate explained, are the core triggers that determine whether our brain feels safe or threatened. And when we feel threatened, even subtly, we don’t lean in. We pull away.

Think of the last time you met with a financial advisor and felt like the language was over your head. That’s a status threat. Or when you tried something new financially, like investing, and immediately felt uncertainty or loss of control. Those are certainty and autonomy threats.

Our brains are wired to retreat from threat faster than they move toward reward. It’s primal. But in the modern world, especially when dealing with money, these mental reflexes can keep us stuck. Kate’s invitation was to recognise these patterns and work with them, not against them.

The Power of Early Programming

Here’s the kicker: by the age of seven, most of our core beliefs about money are already formed.

That means if you grew up hearing, “money doesn’t grow on trees,” or watching your parents stress about bills, those patterns likely became embedded in your subconscious.

They become your thermostat setting, a term Kate used to explain how we calibrate our comfort zones with money. If you suddenly receive more than your subconscious is programmed to handle, you’ll unconsciously find ways to return to your baseline.

We upgrade our phones every year.

But how often do we upgrade our beliefs?

Kate encouraged us to consider this: is it time for a mindset upgrade?

Listen to the Your Voice

Kate offered a simple but transformative exercise: complete these sentences and pay close attention to your immediate thoughts and whose voice you hear:

• Money is…

• Wealth means…

• Making money is…

  
  

That voice? That’s your subconscious.

It may be your mother’s voice, a school teacher, society, or your younger self. Recognising that inner dialogue is the first step to changing it.

And change, as Kate outlined, doesn’t come from wishful thinking. It comes through intentional, embodied practice.

The AIR Model: A Practical Path Forward

To help us anchor these insights, Kate introduced the AIRE Model, a four-step framework she uses with clients to create lasting change:

1. Awareness – Get curious. Track your thoughts, emotions, and patterns around money. Ask: Where did this belief come from? Is it still serving me?

   
   

2. Intention – Define what you want. Who do you want to become? What does your next-level financial life look and feel like?

   
   

3. Repetition – Rewire through practice. Your neural pathways strengthen through repetition, so show up daily. Take small steps that signal to your brain: this is safe, this is who I am now.

   
   

4. Embodiment – Act as the person you want to become. Carry yourself with the posture, energy, and confidence of your future self. Not someday—today.

   
   

   This model isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about alignment between your conscious goals and your subconscious programming.

Small Shifts, Big Impact

One of Kate’s most important messages was this: celebrate the progress.

In a culture obsessed with outcomes, we often wait to feel proud or successful until the goal is fully achieved, but in the world of neuroscience, progress itself is the rewiring.

Just like training a dog with small treats, your brain responds to encouragement. Each moment of awareness, each intentional decision, each time you show up differently, it counts.

And if you fall back into old patterns?

That’s not failure.

It’s feedback.

You are the Programmer

As Kate closed her session, she left us with this truth:

You have already created your past. Now it’s time to program your future.

We aren’t powerless in the face of old programming, we’re the authors of what comes next. Through awareness, intention, repetition, and embodiment, we can reshape our relationship with wealth, not just to have more, but to feel more resourced, more capable, and more in control.

Kate’s session wasn’t just about neuroscience, it was about agency. About reclaiming your story and choosing a new direction.

I was deeply moved. Not just by the science, but by the possibility.

Let’s take these learnings forward.

Let’s raise our thermostats.

And let’s remind ourselves, again and again, that wealth begins within.

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References

• Wayfinders Summit 2025, Live Presentation by Kate Gondouin — available on our Skool community here.

• Rock, David. (2008). SCARF: A brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others. NeuroLeadership Journal

• Bargh, J.A., & Chartrand, T.L. (1999). The Unbearable Automaticity of Being. American Psychologist

• Cambridge University (2013). Financial behaviour formation in children

• Learn more about K&G Consulting & Coaching 

• IMF and World Bank Reports on Behavioural Economics and Financial Decision‑Making-IMF research World Bank Reports

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