Yes, The System Is Rigged. Your Mindset Still Matters. Here's Why.

Let me say this clearly, right up front:

Systemic racism is real. Sexism is real. Economic inequality is real.

If you're a woman, a person of color, LGBTQ+, disabled, or part of any marginalized group—the barriers you face aren't in your head. They're structural. They're measurable. They're documented.

And I'm not here to tell you to "just think positive" and those barriers will disappear.

That would be insulting, dismissive, and factually wrong.

But I am here to tell you something else. Something that might be uncomfortable, but that I've seen play out thousands of times:

Two people facing the exact same systemic barriers will have wildly different financial outcomes.

And the difference isn't in the barriers themselves.

The Question Nobody Wants to Ask

Here's what makes this conversation so difficult:

When we talk about mindset and money, we risk sounding like we're blaming people for their circumstances. Like we're saying poverty is a "choice" or that you can "manifest" your way out of systemic oppression.

That's not what I'm saying.

But here's what I am asking:

If two women, both Black, both single mothers, both living in the same neighborhood, both facing the same wage gap, the same discrimination, the same lack of generational wealth—if one builds a thriving business and one stays stuck in survival mode...

What's the difference?

Because the external barriers are identical.

The difference has to be internal.

The Both/And Truth

This is where most abundance coaches get it wrong. They make it either/or:

Either your circumstances are the problem OR your mindset is the problem.

But it's both/and:

The system IS stacked against you AND your internal relationship with money still matters.

You face real barriers AND you might be carrying additional barriers you inherited.

Discrimination is real AND you might have limiting beliefs on top of that discrimination.

Here's what this looks like in practice:

A Latina entrepreneur faces real discrimination when seeking funding. Banks are statistically less likely to approve her loan. That's a fact. That's a systemic barrier.

But here's where mindset comes in:

Does she:

Apply anyway, knowing the odds are against her but trying multiple avenues?
Or does she not apply at all because "people like me don't get funded"?

Does she:

Charge what her service is worth, knowing she has to work twice as hard to be seen as half as good?
Or does she undercharge because she doesn't feel worthy of premium pricing?

The systemic barrier is the same in both scenarios. The internal response is different.

And that internal response? That's where my work comes in.

What Mindset Work Actually Does

I understand how overwhelming money anxiety can feel—especially when you're already facing systemic barriers. I'm trained by certified coaches with decades of experience in money mindset work, and here's what they've learned:

Your journey isn't about fixing racism, dismantling the patriarchy, or solving income inequality. Those are collective problems that require collective action—policy changes, social movements, structural reform.

Your journey is about learning to stop carrying inherited shame, unworthiness, and scarcity stories ON TOP OF the real barriers you already face.

Because here's the cruel truth:

If you're already climbing uphill because of systemic disadvantages, you can't afford to also carry the weight of:

"Money is evil"
"People like me don't deserve wealth"
"I'm not smart enough"
"I don't belong in wealthy spaces"
"Asking for what I'm worth is greedy"

Those stories? Those aren't the system. Those are internalized.

And they're optional baggage on an already difficult climb.

The Pattern of Those Who Succeed

When you look at people who succeed despite systemic barriers, you'll notice something:

They're not the ones who pretend the barriers don't exist.

They're the ones who say: "Yes, this is harder for me. And I'm going to do it anyway."

They're the ones who carry rage at injustice and refuse to carry shame about their worthiness.

They're the ones who acknowledge "the game is rigged" and still play strategically.

They don't add internal barriers on top of external ones.

You can be one of them.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Scenario 1: The External Barrier

A Black woman applies for 20 business loans and gets rejected 18 times because of documented lending discrimination.

That's systemic racism. That's real. That's exhausting and infuriating.

Scenario 2: The Internal Barrier ON TOP

The same woman also believes:

"I'm not good with money" (inherited from her grandmother)
"Rich people are greedy" (absorbed from her community)
"Who am I to want more?" (internalized from years of being told to "stay in her lane")

Here's what happens:

The woman who's done the internal work keeps applying. She knows she's worthy. She knows her business is solid. She gets rejected 18 times and keeps going—and finds the bank with a lending program she's an exact fit for on application #20.

The woman carrying those internal stories quits after a few rejections. The external barrier was the same. But she added "I'm not worthy" on top of "this is hard," turned that into "this is impossible," and stopped before finding the yes.

Your journey is about recognizing which barriers are external (you can't control the bank's bias) and which are internal (you can work with the stories that say you shouldn't be asking in the first place).

That's the difference between staying stuck and breaking through.

The Hardest Truth

Here's what makes this work so challenging:

Sometimes the stories we carry served us at one point.

"Don't stand out" kept your grandmother safe in Jim Crow South.

"Don't trust the system" protected your parents from predatory lending.

"Keep your head down" helped you survive a hostile workplace.

Those stories had validity. They had purpose.

But now they might be keeping you smaller than necessary.

And the work isn't to shame yourself for carrying them. It's to recognize them, honor what they protected you from, and decide if they still serve you.

What I'm NOT Saying

Let me be crystal clear about what this isn't:

❌ "Just think positive and racism disappears"

❌ "You're poor because of your mindset"

❌ "Systemic inequality is your fault"

❌ "Ignore discrimination and focus on gratitude"

❌ "You can manifest your way out of oppression"

That's all toxic, privileged nonsense.

What I AM Saying

✅ The barriers are real AND your internal relationship with money matters

✅ You didn't create the system AND you can work with your response to it

✅ Rage at injustice is valid AND carrying shame about your worth isn't required

✅ The climb is steeper for you AND you don't have to add extra weight to your pack

✅ Fighting systemic change externally AND doing internal work aren't mutually exclusive

Why This Matters

Because here's what I see happening:

People use the very real existence of systemic barriers as a reason not to do the internal work.

"Why should I work on my money mindset when the system is rigged?"

And I get it. I really do.

But here's the thing:

The system being rigged doesn't mean you should also rig yourself against yourself.

You're already facing headwinds. Why add your own resistance on top?

The Work We Do Together

I understand how overwhelming money anxiety can feel, especially when systemic barriers make everything harder. I'm trained by certified coaches with decades of experience helping people transform their relationship with money.

When you work with me, we don't ignore your reality.

We don't pretend you have the same advantages as someone born wealthy, white, male, and able-bodied.

But we do work on:

Separating what's systemic from what's inherited
Identifying which stories you picked up that aren't serving you
Building nervous system safety around money despite external instability
Releasing shame that was never yours to carry
Creating internal permission to want more, ask for more, receive more
Developing financial resilience in an unjust system

Not because your mindset created your circumstances.

But because your mindset determines how you navigate those circumstances.

Your journey is about removing the obstacles you can control while you fight the ones you can't.

The Both/And Path Forward

When you succeed in this work, you won't be someone who ignores injustice.

You'll be someone who:

Names it clearly
Feels appropriate rage about it
Refuses to carry shame because of it
Works to change it externally
AND refuses to add internal limitations on top of external ones

You won't choose between "acknowledge systemic barriers" OR "work on mindset."

You'll do both.

Because the barriers being real doesn't mean you should make them worse by adding your own.

An Invitation

If you're facing systemic barriers—and let's be honest, most of us are in some way—you have a choice:

You can say "the system is rigged, so why bother with internal work?"

Or you can say "the system is rigged, which means I can't afford to also carry unnecessary internal barriers."

You have the power to choose the second path.

Not because you're broken. Not because you created your circumstances.

But because you deserve support that meets you where you are, acknowledges what you're up against, and helps you remove the obstacles you can control.

I'm here to help you do that—trained by coaches with decades of experience, available 24/7, for less than your monthly coffee budget.

The world is hard enough.

Let's not make it harder by carrying stories that aren't even yours.

With solidarity and abundance, Sophia

P.S. If you're thinking "but you don't understand what I face"—you're right. I don't fully understand your specific barriers. But here's what I do understand, trained by coaches with decades of experience: whatever you're up against externally, you don't need to also be up against yourself internally. That's where your power lies, and that's the work we do together.