The Wealth Miseducation: Shifting Generations

Inherited Hustle: The Roots of Survival Thinking

For many Black and a significant number of bi-racial women, money has never just been about money.

It’s been about survival. About security. About staying one step ahead of crisis.

We didn’t grow up with the language of wealth — We grew up with the language of “making ends meet.”

Of being the backup plan. Of being the reliable one. Of fixing what others broke.

And so, we inherited the hustle.

Not just as a work ethic, but as a worldview.

A way of moving through life that says:

• “Rest is laziness.”

• “You can’t afford to take risks.”

• “Save, but don’t dream too big.”

• “As long as the bills are paid, that’s enough.”

This wasn’t carelessness. It was conditioning.

Passed down from mothers who had to stretch what was never enough.

From grandmothers who were excluded from generational wealth, land, pensions, or opportunity.

We learned to make magic out of scarcity —

But no one taught us how to feel safe in abundance.

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In this blog, we’ll explore:

• How our mindset around money was shaped by history and survival

• The hidden costs of carrying a scarcity mindset

• What it means to shift the wealth narrative for ourselves and those coming after us

• How wealth isn’t just what we earn — it’s what we believe is possible

Scarcity in Our Stories: How We Were Taught to Play Small

Scarcity doesn’t start with numbers in a bank account.

It starts with the stories we’re told — and the ones we tell ourselves.

The Story of “Enough”

Many of us were raised to believe that wanting more was risky — maybe even selfish.

• Wanting rest meant you weren’t working hard enough

• Wanting more income meant you weren’t grateful

• Wanting freedom meant you were abandoning your responsibilities

• Wanting ease meant you weren’t strong enough to struggle

We were taught that ambition must always be wrapped in humility.

That financial success should be whispered, not celebrated.

That it’s safer to stay small than to risk failing out loud.

These beliefs didn’t come from nowhere — they were inherited.

From mothers who never got to ask for what they needed.

From fathers who were denied access to financial systems.

From cultures that told Black and bi-racial women to be caretakers, not visionaries.

And so we learned to shrink our dreams.

To cap our potential.

To live in a constant state of “just enough.”

Scarcity Isn’t Just About Lack — It’s About Fear

Fear of outgrowing the people around us.

Fear of being judged for having more.

Fear of not knowing how to manage success once we reach it.

Fear of finally relaxing, only for everything to fall apart.

This fear shows up in real ways:

• Undercharging for our work

• Avoiding financial literacy conversations

• Sabotaging opportunities before they can bloom

• Feeling guilt when we choose ourselves

The result?

We become trapped in a mindset that says survival is noble, but thriving is unrealistic.

But what if that’s not true?

What if wealth isn’t the betrayal — what if it’s the healing?

What Wealth Really Means: Redefining Abundance on Our Terms

Wealth is not just a bank balance.

It’s not just stocks, property, or portfolios.

It’s how safe we feel.

It’s how rested we are.

It’s how many choices we can make without fear.

For Black and bi-racial women — especially those who are first-generation wealth builders — true wealth includes the things money alone can’t buy:

• Time freedom: the ability to slow down, breathe, and live without constant urgency

• Wellbeing: mental clarity, physical health, and the absence of financial anxiety

• Access: to education, networks, and spaces that reflect your value

• Legacy: knowing the seeds you plant today will grow beyond you

• Agency: the power to say “yes” to alignment and “no” to exploitation

Wealth Is Also Collective

In many Western models, wealth is portrayed as individual success — accumulation, status, exclusivity.

But in our communities, wealth has always had a shared meaning:

• Taking care of your elders

• Investing in your siblings

• Sponsoring a niece’s tuition

• Starting businesses that hire others

• Building community wealth, not just personal comfort

This is abundance with purpose — wealth that circulates, uplifts, and expands beyond you.

And to build that kind of wealth?

You don’t just need strategy.

You need to shift the story you’ve been told about what’s possible.

Shifting the Mindset: From Hustle and Fear to Vision and Ease

We’re not just here to break generational curses.

We’re here to build generational ease.

And that requires unlearning a mindset shaped by hustle, hyper-independence, and fear.

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From Hustle to Intentionality

Hustle taught us to work hard — sometimes until we broke.

But building wealth requires working smart, resting well, and trusting that doing less does not mean becoming less.

The wealth mindset asks:

• What if I could earn more without burnout?

• What if my time had value, not just my output?

• What if slowing down made me sharper — not weaker?

This is not laziness. It’s liberation.

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From Fear to Vision

Fear says: “I might lose everything, so I won’t try.”

Vision says: “I might change everything, so I must try.”

Wealth building isn’t only for those who grew up with access.

It’s for those who are ready to say:

• “I deserve more than survival.”

• “My children won’t inherit my exhaustion.”

• “We don’t have to struggle just because our mothers did.”

Shifting the wealth mindset is not about shame for what we didn’t know —

It’s about honoring our mothers by going further than they were allowed to go.

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From Isolation to Collective Growth

Wealth-building can feel lonely when you’re the first.

But you’re not alone.

Communities like Chrysalis International exist to remind you that you don’t have to figure it all out in silence.

You don’t have to choose between money and meaning.

You don’t have to dim your light so others can feel safe.

You get to rise — and bring others with you.

You Are the Shift

You are not just chasing wealth —

You are changing the definition of it.

You are proof that legacy doesn’t begin with inheritance — it begins with intention.

That you don’t need permission to dream bigger than survival.

That wealth isn’t something we wait to receive — it’s something we choose to cultivate.

You are planting trees under whose shade your great-granddaughters will sit.

You are shifting generations — one mindset, one boundary, one brave investment at a time.

Let this be the moment you release the guilt.

The fear.

The story that says you have to suffer to be worthy.

Because your expansion is not a betrayal.

It is a blessing — To those who came before you.

To those who walk beside you.

And to everyone who will rise after you.

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Further Reading & References

• Mullainathan, S., & Shafir, E. (2013). Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much.

• hooks, bell. (2000). All About Love: New Visions.

• Jaffe, A. (2020). “The Myth of the Hustle: Why Rest Is Resistance.” Harvard Business Review.

• Brown, Brené. (2012). Daring Greatly.

• Black Girl Finance (UK) – https://www.blackgirlfinance.co.uk

• McKenzie, L. (2023). “Wealth for the First Daughter: On Shifting Financial Trauma.” Black Ballad.

• Therapy for Black Girls – https://therapyforblackgirls.com

• The Financial Diet – “Why Scarcity Mindset Is Holding You Back (Especially If You’re a Woman of Color)”