Episode 72: The Hard Conversations We Weren’t Taught to Have | Talking About Sex, Money & More with Betty-Anne Howard
Episode Snapshot:
Some of the hardest conversations in our lives are the ones we were never taught to have. In this episode, Dr. Katie chats with Betty-Anne Howard about why topics like sex and money (among many others) still carry so much silence, shame, and discomfort — and how learning to talk about them can transform the way we communicate about everything else.
Summary:
In this thoughtful and energizing conversation, Katie sits down with speaker, author, educator, former sex therapist, and financial planner Betty-Anne Howard to explore why conversations around sex and money so often go quiet. Together, they examine how silence is learned, how shame gets passed down through families and culture, and why many of us were never given the language, permission, or emotional safety to talk openly about topics that profoundly shape our lives.
Rather than staying at the level of taboo, this episode goes deeper into what avoidance is really protecting, how our lived experiences shape our relationship with sex and money, and what it looks like to begin talking about difficult topics with more curiosity, compassion, and courage. This episode offers listeners a framework for approaching any conversation they’ve been avoiding.
Key Learnings:
Avoidance is often learned early through silence, shame, and lack of language, not because we are incapable of hard conversations.
Our relationship with these topics (like sex, money, mental health, emotions) is shaped by family systems, culture, lived experience, and the stories we’ve internalized over time.
Many difficult conversations become more charged when we assign labels, create polarities, or equate the topic with our worth.
Before diving into a hard subject, it can be helpful to first talk about how to talk about it, including safety, boundaries, and consent.
Curiosity, better questions, and gentle next steps can help normalize conversations that once felt impossible.
Resources:
Betty-Anne's website
Reflection prompt: What messages did I learn about this topic growing up?
Reflection exercise: Draw your current relationship with money or sex, then draw the relationship you want
Guest Info:
Betty-Anne Howard is a speaker, educator, author, and award-winning financial planner who helps people have more honest conversations about the topics that shape their lives most deeply. With a background in social work, sexual health education, and sex therapy, she brings a rare blend of emotional insight and practical wisdom to conversations around sex, money, relationships, and self-worth. Her work helps individuals, couples, and families challenge shame, break silence, and build healthier relationships with themselves and one another.
