244. JVN on Queer Joy, Money Trauma, and The Financial Wake Up Call That Changed Everything

Financial Feminist

Her First $100K

Self-improvement, Education, How To, Business

4.7 • 6.2K Ratings

🗓️ 14 July 2025

⏱️ 87 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What happens when a cultural icon known for spreading joy and glam realness opens up about their most personal financial struggles? In this episode, I sit down with the one and only Jonathan Van Ness aka JVN for a raw, vulnerable, and hilarious conversation about money trauma, impulse spending, and the financial wake-up call that changed everything. From their first money memory at Bath & Body Works to navigating money as a public figure living with HIV, JVN shares how they went from financial avoidance to agency—with a little help from our past conversations. We dive deep into how queer joy is not just resistance, but a vital tool for survival, why financial literacy is crucial for marginalized communities, and what it really takes to heal your relationship with money. Plus, you'll hear Jonathan’s tips for luxury bag resale (you'll want to take notes), the emotional weight of growing up without financial guidance, and how they've transformed their entire financial life, mindset, and self-worth. Tune in! JVN’s links: Website: https://jonathanvanness.com/ Hot & Healed tour: https://jonathanvanness.com/tour/ Book: Let Them Stare: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/let-them-stare-jonathan-van-nessjulie-murphy? variant=43252198768674 Read transcripts, learn more about our guests and sponsors, and get more resources at https://herfirst100k.com/financial-feminist-show-notes/jvn-money-trauma-financial-healing/ Looking for accountability, live coaching, and deeper financial education? Check out our exclusive community! Join the $100K Club: https://herfirst100k.com/100k-pod Our favorite travel and cash-back credit cards, plus other financial resources: https://herfirst100k.com/tools Not sure where to start on your financial journey? Take our FREE money personality quiz! https://herfirst100k.com/quiz Special thanks to our sponsors: Squarespace Go to www.squarespace.com/FFPOD to save 10% off your first website or domain purchase. Indeed Get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at Indeed.com/FFPOD. Rocket Money Stop wasting money on things you don’t use. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/FFPOD. Quince For your next trip, treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve from Quince. Go to Quince.com/FFPOD for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Netsuite If your revenues are at least in the seven figures, download the free e-book Navigating Global Trade: 3 Insights for Leaders at NetSuite.com/FFPOD. Saily Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily eSIM data plans! Go to Saily.com/FFPOD download the Saily app and use code 'FFPOD' at checkout. Masterclass Get 15% off any annual membership at Masterclass.com/FFPOD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you're someone who's been ignoring your money and expecting your financial problems to just
0:03.8	solve themselves, this episode is for you. We are talking today to the iconic Jonathan Van Ness.
0:10.3	Whether I've made like 40,000 a year or what I've made in these last few years, the impulsivity
0:15.1	and like the resistance to budgeting, that was there then and it was there now. We're talking
0:19.4	impulse shopping, luxury bags, financial trauma, budgeting breakdowns, and
0:23.9	queer joy.
0:24.5	In one of the most deeply personal and transparent conversations he's ever given.
0:28.7	So like the whole system is really fucked up because the last thing someone should be
0:32.7	worrying about is like acquiring their pills.
0:35.0	Jonathan and I have a refreshingly honest conversation about personal growth,
0:39.0	about healing from money trauma and joy as a form of resistance.
0:42.5	This is why I'm so passionate about politics and I talk about it so much and living with HIV
0:46.1	is like in my 20s, the HIV social safety net like saved my life.
0:50.1	From their earliest money memories and hint,
0:52.5	spending all of the money at Bath & Body Works is involved, to navigating financial overwhelm at the height of famous success.
0:59.0	JVN opens up about how they went from financial avoidance to agency.
1:02.5	I was like eight decisions away from being like episode one in Schitt's Creek, but not tax evasion, just impulse spending.
1:07.0	So like you change my life.
1:08.5	They share how my advice, which is kind of fucking insane,
1:12.0	change their entire framework around money and their entire relationship with their personal
1:16.2	finances and why it's never too late to get started. Along the way, we're talking luxury
1:20.1	bag reselling. We're talking about surviving the chaos of social media and why financial
	...

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