Lisa’s story

That was a hesitation I could totally relate to because, three years earlier, I was sitting on savings I’d been accumulating and hoarding since my early 20s. There was never any justification that could ever warrant breaking into them. So I shared that on a no-pressure “discovery call.”

“After a virtual coffee chat with Nicola I felt like she really understood my situation and didn’t make me feel in any way stupid for having potentially thrown away thousands of pounds over the past 18 years! And I knew then that I’d found the right person to help me.”

There’s always one student every cohort** who really gets into investing. In spring 2024, that person was Lisa, an English teacher and the creator of the Yes Fluency membership for English learners. 

And it started when she flew through the first week’s materials on a weekend afternoon and then immediately discovered some money she’d forgotten about as a result of the first homework task. Just the act of starting to look at her finances made her money – and she had another couple of windfall type things happen during the course. 

Something was unlocking after all those years …

And some of that unlocking was of childhood fears placed there by a meanie maths teacher. Lisa’s doubts and worries told her she wouldn’t be capable of understanding the concepts on the course and that she’d make a fool of herself. But I break down the information into bitesize videos so students can rewatch as often as they want. I expect them to because it’s all brand NEW. And, by the way, it’s not maths, it’s concepts and new vocab, just like it is for Lisa’s YES Fluency English learners. 

“The materials made it super easy to understand concepts that were completely off my radar before the course and if I was ever in any doubt about anything, Nicola was always there to help me. And I smile to myself when I hear someone talking about the FTSE100 on the radio, because now I get it! Me, who was moved down a maths set at school because I was no good with numbers, according to my teacher!”

Lisa is the kind of student that’s rewarding for me because she did every homework, messaged me with questions and progress (and about all those flukey windfalls that were happening), and she came to every live class or sent me a question ahead of time. I love it when people ask me things! She even brought up an idea in the final strategy planning session that I’d never thought to ask people but will do from now on: What does success look like for me? 

To Lisa’s success

For Lisa, success is simply moving the money from that 0% account to places where it can grow. And, to that end, she’s well on her way already because she’s changed the way she thinks about investing.

“[Investing] is most definitely not what I thought it was. [The course] has genuinely been an eye opener. I never thought it possible that my ears would prick up at the mention of an index fund. I don’t know how Nicola did it but I’m now not only much more knowledgeable about investing, but I’m also actually interested in it!”

Lisa reminds me of my own journey, from money hoarder to genuinely excited and enthusiastic about the new world I’d discovered and which has changed my future. So I see where she’s headed and I’m excited for her. 

I know I’ll see that momentum and action turn into the ultimate goal which is basically that Lisa can go back to doing nothing because what she’s learned is passive ways of investing. So when she’s set up her accounts, there’ll be nothing more for her to do while her long-guarded savings are hard at work. 

**The No-Stress Money Plan is continuous enrolment now but it still has live classes twice a month.