Money and Capacity for Nurses: Lessons From My CFP® Exam Journey

As January comes to a close and February settles in, this episode offers a more practical conversation about money, capacity, and consistency.

In this episode of the NurseMoneyDate® Podcast, April shares what studying for the CFP® exam is teaching her about realistic goal setting, behavioral finance, and staying engaged without burning out. Becoming a certified financial planner is a multi-year process that has required honest reckoning with time, energy, and focus, the same reckoning nurses face with their money every day.

This conversation explores planning fallacy, cognitive load, and why intensity often feels attractive but rarely holds up. April reflects on how overestimating future capacity shows up in both studying and financial goals, and why reality-based systems work better than aspirational ones.

For nurses navigating heavy seasons, long shifts, and emotional fatigue, this episode reframes discomfort as part of growth, not a sign that something is wrong. It explains why repeatable, low-intensity money practices build more trust than perfect plans, and how weekly money dates create safety, consistency, and clarity over time.

This is a grounded reminder that progress doesn’t come from pushing harder. It comes from staying in relationship with your money, one honest decision and one money date at a time.