What if your shame around debt isn’t really yours?
In this episode, Adina breaks down how debt shame is strategically manufactured to keep historically marginalized communities in silence — and in survival mode.
She shares a personal story of a recent financial spiral, what it triggered emotionally, and how she navigated it without bypassing the real fear, frustration, or guilt.
From there, she unpacks how generational money trauma, internalized high-achiever pressure, and systemic financial exclusion are all entangled — and why rewriting your beliefs about debt is one of the most powerful things you can do on your wealth-building journey.
Whether you’re currently in debt, avoiding the topic altogether, or helping your clients move through their own shame… this is a reclamation conversation.
Because financial healing is activism.
Because you are allowed to be human.
And because the shame was never yours to carry.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why shame around debt is designed to keep you small — and quiet
How to distinguish your beliefs from inherited or projected ones
A trauma-informed process for breaking the spiral and re-regulating
The difference between reacting in fear and responding with clarity
Empowering reframes for anyone working through debt or other financial challenges
Why financial flexibility is wealth
And how wealth-building can start with one belief shift at a time
Resources Mentioned:
→ Message Adina on Instagram: @adinaapplebaum or @immigrantfinance to Book a Financial Counseling Session
→ Join the 2025 Immigrant Finance Certification Cohort: https://www.internationalempowerment.com/immigrant-finance-certification-program
🔥 If this episode gave you a new perspective or moment of relief, share it with someone you care about.
You’re not alone. And you don’t have to carry shame with you on the path to liberation.