Lemons and Pineapples
On the Lemons and Pineapples podcast, no-nonsense life coach & entrepreneur Emma O'Brien shares inspirational stories, tried & tested tools and amazing guest interviews to guide you on your self development journey.
Learn how to shift your mindset and change your life for the better with fun and entertaining weekly episodes that will help you live on the lighter side of life.
Lemons and Pineapples
S4-Episode 11: Why Women Struggle to Make Money (and How to Rewire for Wealth & Worth) with Karen Berzanski
This conversation is a straight-talking road map for women who feel stuck around money. We unpack why so many of us unconsciously give our financial power away (hello, patriarchy + intergenerational programming), how those beliefs show up as procrastination, over-giving, perfectionism, and under-charging, and the practical tools that help you shift into wealth + worth.
Karen shares her own story—from healing trauma to paying off $13k debt—plus how EFT tapping and self-worth work change your relationship with money so you can take aligned action (without B-minus guilt).
What You’ll Learn
- Why your money issues are rarely about the money—and what they’re really about
- The “financial garden” metaphor: stop snipping weeds at the soil line and pull them up by the roots
- How inherited fear and social conditioning (e.g., “women aren’t good with money”) keep you small
- The nervous-system angle: turning off “freaked-out brain” and switching on “peace brain” so you can make clear decisions
- Why progress beats perfection (ship the B-minus work!)
- Karen’s 3 power moves for financial success
Key Takeaways & Sticky Notes:
“Money work is identity work.” Change the story, then the numbers can change.
Regulate to rewire. You can’t dream big from a dysregulated state. Calm first, then plan.
Abundance isn’t only a finish line. Practice pleasure and joy while pursuing goals.
B-minus work ships. Your people want resonance, not polish.
Guest Links & Resources
About Karen Berzanski: CEO & founder of TheLuckySoul.com, creator of the M-Spot membership. Karen helps women clear hidden money blocks so they can earn, receive, and lead with confidence.
Free training: The Guilt-Free Money Reset — Three Money-Guilt Mistakes and How to Break Free (includes 21 Practical Abundance Strategies + 12 Things to Stop Doing) HERE
Website: TheLuckySoul.com
YouTube: @TheLuckySoul - Wild, Wealthy & Free
Instagram: @theluckysoul
About Your Host (that’s me, Emma)
I coach mid-life women who are done playing small to rebuild self-worth, regulate their nervous system and rewrite the beliefs that keep them stuck. My approach blends thought work, shamanic journeying/soul retrieval, somatic tools, and no-nonsense accountability so you can lead your life and money with sovereignty.
Work With Me: Explore what’s keeping you under-earning and map your next best step book a FREE call HERE.
If you’re done playing small and ready to lead yourself — you’re in the right place.
I’m Emma O’Brien — Martha Beck trained and certified life coach, HeartMath practitioner, and shamanic healer helping high-achieving women stop second-guessing themselves and finally trust their own voice.
Through nervous system re-calibration, strategic coaching, and deep energetic work, I help you move from self-doubt to self-trust so you can create a life you actually want to be in — no external approval required.
🌀 Want to work together?
Explore the 6-week Nervous System Reset, 1:1 coaching, or Shamanic Soul Retrieval sessions here: emmaobriencoach.com
Questions or ready to chat?
DM me on Instagram @emmaobriencoach
or book a free connection call HERE.
Timestamps
- 00:00 Welcome + why this conversation matters
- 01:32 Karen’s mission: a matriarchal, circular model of power where everyone thrives
- 02:40 From accident + chronic pain to money healing: applying root-cause tools to finances
- 04:46 Paying off $13k while learning to live abundantly (joy + debt can co-exist)
- 07:16 Women, money savvy, and giving power away to partners/advisors
- 09:49 Inherited fear: how generational programming shapes our earning ceilings
- 11:34 Emma’s shamanic work on the belief “women are worthless” and the productivity shift
- 15:05 EFT explained: calming the amygdala, turning on the relaxation response
- 20:03 The sneakiest money beliefs and how to question them
- 22:10 Making money with ease vs. the “work hard or it doesn’t count” program
- 24:18 Progress > perfection: publish the imperfect video
- 27:22 Three steps: name what you want, tap on the resistance, claim your worth
- 33:21 Karen’s free training: The Guilt-Free Money Reset
- 34:45 Where to find Karen
- 35:30 Close