Shameless Financial Liberation: Pamela Capalad’s Journey Beyond the Hustle

Shameless Financial Liberation: Pamela Capalad’s Journey Beyond the Hustle

 

In this episode, our guest Pamela Capalad and I explore the emotional landscape of money—what it means to untangle shame, embrace spaciousness, and move toward true financial liberation. Pamela is a Certified Financial Planner™ and Accredited Financial Counselor™ who has been working at the intersection of money and justice for over 15 years. Her journey took her from teaching money to kids at summer camp to running Brunch & Budget, a financial planning practice rooted in equity, community, and creativity.

 

We talk about her personal evolution—closing her business, navigating a major health diagnosis, and redefining her next chapter without rushing into “what’s next.” Along the way, we explore the complexities creatives and artists face around money, how childhood and cultural narratives shape financial decisions, and why liberation sometimes means slowing all the way down. Pamela shares honest insights about burnout, entrepreneurship, and the power of naming adaptations instead of labeling behaviors as broken. This conversation is full of gentle truth-telling and expansive questions.

 

Pamela Capalad: Redefining Financial Confidence with Compassion

 

Pamela Capalad, CFP® AFC® is a Certified Financial Planner™ and Accredited Financial Counselor™ who has been in the financial services industry since 2008. She founded Brunch & Budget to create a shame-free space where people—especially those left out of traditional finance—could make real progress with their money. Through her work, she helps individuals move beyond fear and scarcity into a place of clarity and confidence.

Pamela has been featured in The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, Vice Magazine, and was named one of New York Magazine’s Best of New York in 2019. She's also received several prestigious awards including Investment News’ 40 Under 40 and AFCPE’s Financial Planning Center of the Year. Today, she continues her mission through group coaching, speaking engagements, and financial programs like Sea Change—a cohort-based experience designed specifically for creators and people of color. Pamela’s approach is bold, empathetic, and always rooted in the values of justice, rest, and community.

 

Podcast Highlights

 

[00:02:30] Meeting Pamela & how literature led her to money
[00:06:20] Realizing most adults didn’t feel confident enough to teach money
[00:07:10] The start of Brunch & Budget and trading meals for advice
[00:09:20] The difference between financial advice and financial liberation
[00:12:00] adrienne maree brown’s “Small is All” & redefining impact
[00:19:30] Artists, shame, and the paradox of making money from your art
[00:36:10] What going through a health crisis is teaching her
[00:38:30] The lie of the “girlboss” and the truth about rest
[00:47:20] Sea Change: What group financial coaching can really look like
[00:57:20] Redefining financial liberation in business and beyond

 

Pamela’s reflections invite us into a gentler, more courageous way of relating to money. Whether you're a creative navigating the tension between art and income, a caregiver rethinking what productivity means, or an entrepreneur redefining success on your own terms—there’s something here for you. This conversation reminds us that growth doesn’t always come from doing more. Sometimes, the most radical thing we can do is rest, listen to our bodies, and trust the process of becoming. Pamela’s honest, grounded take on money invites you to slow down, take a breath, and ask yourself: what does freedom and liberation look like for me and those I love? Stick around for the whole conversation—you might hear a version of yourself you’ve been waiting to meet.

 

Resources

 

Get Shamele$s Website & Podcast

Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown

Art of Money by Bari Tessler