Mind Over Money: Reaching Financial Wellness with Lorna Saboe-Wounded Head
In this episode of Tips for Change, host Tiffany Mutchler sits down with Lorna Saboe Wounded-Head, Family Resource Management Field Specialist with SDSU Extension, to unpack the emotional and practical layers of financial wellness. Together, they explore how shifting your mindset and taking small, actionable steps, can move you from feeling controlled by money to being in charge of it.
From Teacher to Financial Advocate
Lorna’s route into the world of personal finance is rooted in her early career as a middle- and high-school teacher, where she found a passion for helping students make sense of money beyond just numbers. Over time, she pursued advanced education in adult learning and family financial planning, landing in her role at SDSU Extension, where she designs and leads programs statewide to empower consumers in managing resources.
What Does “Financial Stress” Really Feel Like?
In the conversation, Tiffany and Lorna explore how financial stress is more than numbers; it’s a physical and emotional burden that manifests in everyday life. Lorna describes how stress often emerges from surprise expenses, spiraling choices, or ignoring bills altogether. She also explains how hiding from the problem can amplify the sense of overwhelm.
They also explore how financial pressure doesn’t stay in the finance corner; it can affect your relationships, trust, health, and overall sense of stability.
Shifting Mindsets & Building Habits
One of the core themes is that you are in control of your money; your money is not in control of you. That belief isn’t just a slogan, it’s a lens through which Lorna guides listeners to reframe what’s possible. She shares practical habits listeners can try immediately:
Tracking actual expenses (not estimates)
Automating savings or bill payments
Defining wants vs. needs
Anchoring every decision around your financial goals
Offering self-compassion for past choices
Lorna also shares a real-life success story: a client who transitioned from living paycheck to paycheck and relying on credit cards, to eventually going a month without using credit, saving, and feeling renewed confidence in her financial control.
Financial Wellness as a Family Journey
Tiffany and Lorna also dive into how money conversations can—and should—happen within families. They discuss:
How couples with different money styles can bridge gaps
The idea of “money dates” (regular check-ins)
Involving children in age-appropriate ways
Using tools like Greenlight, a kids’ debit/savings app (free to Voyage checking account holders)
Setting clear expectations, creating boundaries, and building shared financial routines
Encouragement for Those Who Feel Stuck
If you’ve ever looked back at financial missteps with regret or felt frozen by fear, this episode offers a kind but firm invitation to move forward. Lorna encourages forgiveness for past choices and support through professional counsel. Her message is simple: mistakes can teach us, and real change begins with one small step.
Episode Mentions:
About Lorna
Lorna Saboe Wounded-Head is the Family Resource Management Field Specialist at SDSU Extension, where she works statewide to elevate financial literacy, especially among youth, college students, and adult learners. Her programming focuses on equipping people with knowledge and strategies to make sound financial decisions. She leads the Money Mentors volunteer network and holds certifications, including AFC® (Accredited Financial Counselor).
Before joining SDSU, Lorna taught high school Family & Consumer Sciences. She later served in faculty roles in consumer sciences and held leadership in extension programming.
If you want to learn more about her work, or access her resources and counseling offerings, you can visit her SDSU directory page here.
