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Welcome to the 68th edition of Your Weekly Aura, a newsletter featuring must-read money and mindfulness tips and tricks from Courtney & Kelsey. This week we’re talking about the mind-gut connection and getting curious about our family history. If you like this newsletter, please share it with your friends and subscribe below.

Let’s investigate.

Happy Wellness Wednesday, Fam!

A growth mindset is one of the most powerful tools to help you achieve your goals. When you believe in yourself, you're more likely to succeed. And yet, when it comes to our moods and our mindsets, many of us are self-sabotaging our mindfulness efforts with mindless eating.

Like our financial system, our food system in the U.S. wasn’t designed to nourish the masses. After years of corn, wheat, and other farming subsidies, it’s become more challenging and expensive to find accessible, nutrient-dense food. It’s no wonder so many of us are stressed out and malnourished today. When we don’t nourish our bodies, our mindset suffers.

That’s because of something called the brain-gut connection.

Just like we all have unique money stories, we all have a unique microbiome - and how we take care of that microbiome and our gut health has a direct impact on our mental health.

Fun fact, the gut and the brain actually develop from the same place in the embryo and remain connected in the human body by the vagus nerve (yes, that vagus nerve that is also responsible for mood regulation).

Around 90-95% of our serotonin is produced in our gut. Serotonin is often referred to as the "feel-good" neurotransmitter because it plays a crucial role in promoting feelings of happiness, well-being, and overall positive mood.

Have you ever noticed that in the days after a particularly wild weekend of late nights or boozy brunches, your body starts craving yummy whole foods? That’s your gut begging you for a reset.

While some guiding principles apply universally, like eating a balanced diet that includes probiotic-rich foods, when it comes to owning your own health journey or your money journey, we need to put on our investigative hats and get curious.

Where are your ancestors from? What did they eat there? Where do you live now? What’s getting added to your food that shouldn’t be there? What nutrients is our food missing today?

I’m Irish, Scottish, and English on my mother’s side and Eastern European/Ashkenazi Jewish on my father’s. Thanks to my mom’s side, I tolerate dairy better than most of my Jewish friends (JBS anyone?).

I also have ADHD and cutting out gluten and sugar has been a game changer for my productivity and overall health.

But I didn’t just wake up one day and know this - I had to go on a journey with medical professionals, nutritionists, and healthcare experts that helped me analyze my family history, document clues about my overall health and mood, form a hypothesis, and create a plan to test my theories about which foods are best for me.

Whether you’re struggling with gut health or financial anxiety - the first step is getting curious.

If we really want to build a better world for the future, we need to get comfortable with our past. So, consider this an invitation to put on your favorite Sherlock Holmes hat and houndstooth get-up and dive in.

Learning about our family history isn’t just a fun thing to do - it’s integral to unlocking secrets to our own health and happiness.

So let’s get digging!

For Your Aura

Want to learn more about your money story and discover your Aura? Take our quiz to find out your money personality today.

The Star: Are you suffering because of your parents’ beliefs about money?

The Empath: Even in the NFL, it’s better to enjoy your job and be underpaid.

The Thinker: If you want to be rich, you have to know your numbers.

The Activist: This company wants to pay you $10,000 to walk 10,000 steps.

Ask the Expert

How much do I need in my Emergency Savings?

Generally, experts recommend keeping a minimum of 3-6 months in Emergency savings. To determine the appropriate emergency savings amount, calculate your essential monthly expenses, including rent/mortgage payments, utilities, groceries, transportation, healthcare, and debt payments. Multiply that monthly amount by the number of months you want to cover (e.g. 3-6). That will give you a target savings goal.

If you’re a freelancer with less than steady income, you may want to opt for 9-12 months and figure out a way to save a larger percentage of your take-home pay, when you receive it. Remember to pay yourself first.

If you need help figuring out your number, you sign up for an Aura account by downloading Aura from the app store.* As soon as you create a log-in, you’ll be able to access our Spending and Investing Optimizer tool (you can check out a quick demo here). Not only will it help you prioritize building up your emergency savings, but you’ll also get personalized insights into your monthly spending, saving, and investing.

When it comes to mindful money management, the best plan is the one you can stick with so determining your emergency savings amount is all about what fits you and one you feel good about. And remember, it’s always a good idea to consult with financial advisors and money experts who can help you build a plan with personalized insights and recommendations based on your individual circumstances and goals.

*Android users request access here.

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