Dear friend,
In case you didn’t see the news yesterday, I’m standing at a tender threshold.
After 24 years of teaching my Art of Money methodology, the program that begins in just a few days, on May 1st, 2025, will be the very last time I offer this work in its current form.
If you missed yesterday’s email (about me starting a sabbatical in August after this round of the Art of Money program ends) and would like to hear the full story behind this decision, you can find that letter here.
To those of you who have already reached out through emails, comments, and private messages: your words have touched me more than you know.
I have been letting them wash over me like a blessing, feeling them land, soften, and settle in my heart as I prepare to step into a sabbatical break after the end of this last round of the program.
It will soon be time to listen to the stirrings in my soul about what is to come next in my work life.
Thank you, truly.
Today, I want to share a love note of sorts.
It’s an email written by Nili, a former Art of Money member who traveled through this journey not once, but twice, and later became a beloved co-host on our live community calls.
Over the year she’s been around, Nili has become a dear friend, and the letter she wrote to her own community about how this work changed her relationship with money moved me so deeply, I asked if I could share it with you.
What she wrote feels like a poem to me.
It’s honest and brave and beautifully captures the spirit of what deep money work can look like when we meet it with presence, compassion, and a willingness to grow.
In a few days, we’ll begin the journey of the final round of the Art of Money journey for one last time.
You can find all the details here, if you feel the call to join us for this final ride.
But for now: pour a cup of tea, settle in, and let Nili’s story wash over you.
May it bring you some inspiration, some comfort, and perhaps a glimmer of hope for what’s possible in your own relationship with money, and with yourself.
Hey,
Yes, I know—
It’s been over four months
since the last time I wrote to you.
I’ve found myself on a deep emotional journey,
asking big questions about life,
and I’ve also chosen to continue working
on my relationship with money.
As you’ve probably heard me say before,
this relationship has never been easy.
And honestly?
It will probably never be “completely resolved.”
At the same time, I’ve come to understand that our relationship with money—
isn’t a short story and not always a romantic one either.
One thing’s for sure, money and I are in a Catholic marriage.
It’s a relationship that will stay with me—and with you—until our very last day.
And that’s exactly why I choose to give it a place in my life,
even now.
My relationship with money is complex,
and it’s definitely not the fairytale I was promised—
no happily-ever-after in riches.
And yet, I’ve learned there are things I can do
to positively influence this relationship.
Especially when I choose to focus on what I can change,
and let go of everything that’s out of my hands.
Easier said than done—
but I practice it every day.
In recent years, my relationship with money
has become both more intimate and more painful.
Especially given the greatest financial hardship I’ve ever faced,
which has brought me to the edge.
Still, just as I continue to heal my complex PTSD from a recent intense event,
and the financial PTSD that’s followed me since declaring bankruptcy—
I chose, in this time, to do something brave:
to return to the very heart of this relationship.
I chose to meet money—
not just through Excel spreadsheets,
but mostly
through pain,
through the heart,
through the body,
through thoughts,
through beliefs,
through reactions,
through decisions and choices,
through stories,
through family history,
through needs and desires and dreams,
through values,
through practical tools—
and yes, of course, through the numbers too.
The break I took from supporting others
and from guiding around money trauma
allowed me to focus solely on rebuilding myself
and become a devoted student again—
this time with an extraordinary guide:
Bari Tessler.
Bari Tessler is a wise, fascinating, deep, and gentle mirror.
She is, in fact, the very first financial therapist in the world—
long before it became an official profession.
She started over 24 years ago.
She is a gifted healer,
a remarkable teacher,
a storyteller and space holder,
who creates loving and compassionate containers
where she invites her students
to dance with their eternal partner—money.
So we can live in peace with it,
and build a relationship that’s healthier,
more honest,
and more loving.
Unlike other teachers in the field,
Bari doesn’t make flashy promises of getting rich quick,
nor does she use manipulative marketing tactics.
What she does offer is
an invitation to a courageous journey
of reflection and healing
to transform your relationship with money.
A human journey.
A slow one.
A gentle one.
Eye to eye.
With immense softness and compassion.
With Bari, there’s no magic formula like
“My way is the only way.”
On the contrary—she gives us all the tools we need
to discover our own right path.
And what I love most about Bari’s course
is that you never feel like you’re “behind.”
You’re exactly where you need to be
on your timeline—
not compared to anyone else.
In The Art of Money course,
there’s room for a warm, full-hearted embrace of our humanness.
For radical acceptance of everything we’ve been through,
are going through, and will go through with money.
It’s a completely different experience than anything I’ve had in the last 20 years
since I began my journey of healing this relationship.
The Art of Money—the method Bari developed—
emerges from both her personal lived experience
and her professional work with thousands of clients.
It’s built on three main stages:
• Stage One – Emotional healing of your relationship with money
• Stage Two – Developing nourishing financial habits and practices
• Stage Three – Creating a Money Map, a future plan based on your values
But honestly? This isn’t just another online course.
It’s an intimate, moving, and transformational journey
of rediscovering yourself—
your past, your present, your dreams—
your feelings, your beliefs, your patterns—
and yes, your spreadsheets, apps, and bank statements too.
What was my experience with the course?
I’ve taken it twice already—
and I’m going to take it again.
Because Bari’s course is a meaningful part of my journey.
And even if I’m still far from “fixing” my money challenges,
I know something deep inside me has shifted.
Especially how I show up at every crossroad
where money is involved—
and all the emotions it stirs up.
I see my patterns more clearly.
I nurture kinder, gentler financial habits.
I’m quicker to forgive myself
for mistakes—past and present.
There’s so much more tenderness in me now.
And most importantly—a broader understanding
of my entire money story.
And slowly, hope is returning.
Just because things are tough right now,
doesn’t mean they’ll always be this way.
Since joining the course, I’ve started practicing “Money Dates”—
daily meetings with my money,
where I show up with an open heart and honesty,
even in the midst of hardship.
It’s not always comfortable,
but with time, it’s becoming more doable.
And I’m learning so much about myself—
emotionally, mentally, behaviorally, socially—
simply by meeting my relationship with money head-on.
Why am I sharing all of this with you now?
Because maybe you’re in this place too—
struggling with money,
seeking a new way to feel and relate to it,
or simply yearning to heal and shift something in your connection to it.
So if you feel ready—or even just curious—
and you’re open to going through this journey in English,
I truly recommend checking out the details of the full course.
It opens very soon—on Thursday, May 1st, 2025.
In addition to the 12 live sessions with Bari Tessler,
there are weekly implementation gatherings
to help you digest and apply what you’ve learned.
Throughout the course, you’ll have access to class recordings
and a huge treasure trove of rich, nourishing materials
to watch, read, and listen to—
packed with practical tools.
And trust me—Bari is generous.
You’ll have access to all these materials for a long time after the program ends,
and they’ll serve you for years to come.
You can go through them in order or as needed—
and most importantly, at your own pace, in your own way.
As mentioned, the next course begins in just a few days—Thursday, May 1st, 2025.
This time, I’m here just to make the connection—
and to remind you:
You are not alone on this path.
There is help.
There is guidance.
There is a way.
Sending a warm, heartfelt hug,
~Nili Dor HaElla
I’m so grateful to Nili for sharing her story. It’s so full of honesty, courage, and hope.
If her words touched something in you, or if you feel even the smallest stirring of curiosity, I invite you to take a moment to learn more about the journey we’re about to begin.
This final round of The Art of Money is a sacred gathering place — for healing, for growth, for finding new ways to meet yourself and your money with compassion and strength.
You can find all the details right here.
Whether you join us this this last ever round of The Art of Money program or simply take a deep breath and keep walking your own path with money, I’m sending you my warmest support.
