A Goodbye That Changed Everything

What do you let go of when holding it all together is holding you back?

By Tricia Daniel

Wealth Advocate for Women Rebuilding After Life Shifts

Founder, SOWN Financial & the Starting Over Wealth Network

Goodbye Isn't Always an Ending. Sometimes, It's a Beginning.

If you’ve ever laid awake at night replaying a financial decision you wish you could undo, you’re not alone.

Financial anxiety doesn’t always look like maxed-out credit cards or overdraft fees. Sometimes it looks like silence.

Sometimes it looks like shame.

And often, it feels like the weight of holding everything together when you're quietly falling apart.

I know that feeling well.

Nearly three years ago, just one month after my husband and I were married blending together our family of 6 sons, he suffered a spinal injury that altered the course of our lives. We moved from dreaming about our future to surviving hospital emergency rooms, three spinal surgeries, and the long 565 day waiting game of disability claims.

The financial impact was staggering, over $600,000 in debt.

But what broke me wasn’t just the money. It was the shame.

The guilt of thinking, I should have been more prepared.

The fear of people finding out that the financial expert was, in fact, struggling to breathe.

What I Learned About Wealth in the Wilderness

I had spent my career helping others build wealth, steward their resources, and feel confident about their money. But none of that training taught me how to navigate the emotional storm of financial trauma.

I needed more than a financial plan. I needed healing.

And that healing began the moment I gave myself permission to let go of the pressure to have it all together.

So, I said goodbye.

Goodbye to the shame.

Goodbye to the silence.

Goodbye to the story that said I had to carry it all alone.

The Widow, the Oil, and the Empty Jars

There’s a story in 2 Kings 4 that has become deeply personal to me. A widow finds herself in a desperate place. Buried in debt, her sons at risk of being taken from her. She reaches out, and the prophet Elisha tells her not to find coins or do a fundraiser but to borrow empty jars.

Because what she had, a single jar of oil, already in her home was enough.

But first... she had to make room for the miracle.

That image has lived in me ever since.

Because when we’re willing to release the shame and create space, God can bless what’s the little amount, the resources, the gifts within that suddenly have room to multiply.

I didn’t have all the answers, but I had my voice.

I had my story.

I had a mustard seed of faith and a desire to help others walk through what I had survived.

And that was Enough to begin again.

A New Season, A New Mission

Today, I’m rebuilding. Not just my finances, but my foundation.

I'm teaching women how to overcome financial fear and shame with compassion, strategy, and faith.

I'm guiding them into conversations about money that don’t feel like pressure but peace.

And I’m creating space for others who are ready to stop hiding and start healing.

I call this season “The Rebuild.” It’s when you stop surviving and start healing, slowly, gently, with wisdom and faith. And it begins with something I call The First Step to Enough - a weekly letter to help you breathe again and rebuild what matters most.

Join the Journey

Every week, I send out a sacred letter.

Part devotional, Part financial wisdom & Always filled with care.

You’re invited to walk with me, whether you’re just starting to heal or ready to pour your own oil into the world.

👉 Click here to join the journey

Because your financial story doesn’t end here. It’s just getting started.

Tricia C. Daniel, MBA, CFLP, CFEI

Wealth Advocate for Women Rebuilding After Life Shifts

Founder, SOWN Financial & Starting Over Wealth Network