Coaching
Note: I am returning from sabbatical as of November 2023. I look forward to being back in the work with you soon!
Who do I support?
I work with wealthy* people who are interested in aligning their resources with their social justice values through redistribution, reparative action and divestment/reinvestment. I am based in California, but I grew up in the U.K. and work with clients in both North America and Europe.
I have a particular calling to support people who are moving money towards the healing of ancestral harms. For example: "my great-great-grandfather was a Southern politician who advocated for red-lining, and I know I need to be resourcing Black-led housing justice organizing," or “my father financed and built oil refineries in Brazil, I want to be returning these resources to fund resistance to extractivism in South America." Even if you don’t know anything about your ancestors, or where your money comes from, I’d still love to speak with you.
Maybe you:
Have a trust fund or stock portfolio your parents set up for you when you were young. You are clear this money isn’t really yours, and are called to return it, but you’re worried you’ll make the wrong decisions;
Inherited money when a grandparent passed away, and it has been sitting in a bank account without you knowing what do with it;
Own land or property that has come to you through your family, that you imagine could be in greater service than it is now;
Have a “college fund” that you never (or only partially) used, and want to make a plan for what that money is now for;
Are interested in organizing your parents, partner or other relatives to begin or increase their giving and redistribution.
Or your story might not look anything like this, but you know that you are able to and interested in redistributing wealth, and need some support to begin or increase your giving and/or values-aligned investing.
* wealthy? You are likely reading this page because you have access (or will in future) to more money than you need for yourself and your family. You can compare your net wealth to others in the U.S. here. For the purpose of this coaching offering, I support those who are in the top 10% of their age bracket by net wealth (including primary home equity).
“It has been a great honor of my life - a massive and good labor - to embark on this journey of reparations and return, and Morgan was the midwife in bearing it into the world. I was floundering, and Morgan offered a (very thoughtfully created) container grounded in gratitude, honoring our sacred wisdom within, and expansive social-political and economic justice. In walking alongside, listening, and offering her gentle, enticing invitations, I felt a deep joy and trust in our work together. Not to mention all the vastly helpful tips, resources, practical and sage offerings in between. I feel an immense gratitude to her for aiding me in moving my life in this direction.”
- Leah, 3o, farmer educator and Demere descendant. residing in Belvedere Park, Atlanta.
Why coaching?
Have you encountered overwhelm, loneliness, paralysis, shame, or a feeling like you should wait until you “know more” before you redistribute wealth or divest it from the extractive economy? I know I’ve experienced each of those myself. These stopping points can hold us back from making the contribution we are uniquely positioned to make, in a time when our support and solidarity is so dearly needed.
Coaching provides a safe, confidential space for you to look at and move beyond the places you’ve previously stopped yourself. I don’t give advice or tell you what to do, rather, coaching puts your own wisdom into action. The method I am trained in, ontological coaching (from ontology — the study of being), is informed by both ancient wisdom teachings and modern neuroscience.
The series of sessions we’ll have together will be your opportunity to get clear about your vision for moving money, and to take consistent, meaningful action towards that vision. At the same time, you’ll experience lasting shifts in the way you show up for all the work that most matters to you.
"You create such a loving and accountable space for the work; I could not have done it if not for the space you gave to tricky emotions and bad days amongst the good. I learned alternative ways of thinking about wealth; I learned alternative ways of thinking about my mom and her place in the world and my life. You introduced me to possibilities I really did not know existed before, and they hugely enriched my life. With every new person I talked to -- from Green Alpha to Adasina to Seed Commons -- I felt the bubble of goodwill you create around you. It carried me through to other loving, kind, and principled people -- people I could learn from and get involved through.”
- Julia, 27
What will you get from coaching?
We will work together to build a plan that moves you toward your goals. I will be on your team as you look at how to align your wealth with your social justice values, so that your vision gains some breathing room in a culture where you may have been hiding this conversation up until now. Here are examples of what I love (and am trained) to support people with…
Practical action
Get clear on where your actions with regards to money have been incoherent with your values, up until now
Redistribution & divestment planning — Decide how much, where & how you want to invest, spend and/or redistribute your wealth
Create the structures you need to make this happen — Such as a budget, income and career goals, referrals to values-aligned financial professionals
Research, discover & clarify your money story, gaining the capacity to tell the truth about your wealth and family story in a wide variety of situations
Personal transformation
Get clear on your core values, so that you can align your actions and resources with them
Create a thriving vision for your life beyond participation in systems you no longer believe in
Gain a sense of integrity and coherence, as you take consistent action towards those values
Discern between external and internal stopping points
See the possibility for relationship and collaboration with people you previously thought were in your way
Learn what qualities of being you wish to contribute to movements and life, showing up whole-heartedly beyond guilt and shame
Interested? The first step is to send me an email introducing yourself, and then we’ll schedule a complimentary conversation to see if we are a good fit to work together.
"Through Morgan's coaching, I found an outlet to lean into abundance rather than be consumed by the guilt of privilege or overwhelmed by the scope of action. With her guidance, resources, patience, and support, I now have frameworks for redistribution and divestment that have resulted in material movement and empowered me to begin difficult conversations and articulate values-based goals. The past 7 months have drastically and deeply changed my outlook on social justice, accountability, transformative action, and harm. The work I was able to accomplish during this time is already shaping how I make major life decisions in terms of career, location, living situation, etc. I could not be more humbled and inspired by this process.
While I am certainly proud of the money I have been able to personally give, the conversations I had during coaching spurred me to bring these topics into the larger wealth network of my immediate and extended family. With the tools and language I began to take away from our sessions, I felt I was able to hold my own in conversations with parents, grandparents, and, importantly, financial advisors. Being able to articulate my requests (for more money, more divestment, different investment) and explain my reasoning (using transformative giving principles) has opened pathways for collective action that will far exceed the impact of any movement I am able to make on my own. I could not have done this without the safe space of these sessions to pose questions, talk through ideas, and reflect on my own intentions."
- SUSANNA, 25
What is not coaching?
Some useful distinctions about what money coaching is and is not:
Therapy is about healing and insight, and how the past impacts the present; coaching is about action, and how the present will impact the future.
Donor advising suggests organizations you can move money to based on an agreed upon strategy; coaching offers a space for you to get clear on your priorities/commitments/politics, and figure out who/where you’ll go to learn more if you need to.
Financial planning uses software to give you numerical goals for earning/spending/savings/investing; coaching provides space for you to see what money decisions you might be called to make even if they don’t abide the norms you’ve been handed.
Financial/investment advisors invest your money on your behalf, based on an agreed upon strategy; coaching offers a space for you to get clear on your priorities/commitments/politics, and figure out who/where you’ll go to learn more if you need to.
“Every time I talk to Morgan about moving money, I leave with a deeper sense of what it means to align your principles and practices. She holds you with compassion and fierce integrity at the same time. She helps you uncover wisdom beneath the shame, next steps beyond the paralysis. I’ve learned so much from watching her walk the talk, balancing the inner and outer work.”
