Money is Freedom (and Resentment is a Compass)

A woman on Facebook called me a traitor yesterday.

Not because I did something harmful. Not because I committed some unforgivable act. But because I shared my experience of crossing the U.S. border a few weeks ago… and I said I’m choosing not to spend my winter in Canada.

That was it.

And I sat there for a minute, genuinely stunned. Like, how did we get here?

How did we get to a place where someone who doesn’t know me at all is calling me disloyal to my country because I’ve decided I want sunshine and a different version of winter?

And honestly… as much as I wanted to brush it off, it landed. Because it wasn’t just rude. It was extreme. It was personal. And it was loaded with something bigger than me.

When freedom triggers people who feel trapped

Here’s what I think is really going on:

When people feel trapped, someone else’s freedom can look like an insult.

Not because freedom is wrong, but because it highlights what they don’t feel they have.

That comment wasn’t really about border crossings or travel choices. It was about resentment — and resentment is rarely the real emotion.

Resentment is usually grief. Or fear. Or exhaustion. Or “I’m doing everything right and it still feels hard.”

And if you’ve ever felt that… I get it.

Winter can feel heavy. Life is expensive. The cost of living stress is real. People are stretched thin. Everything feels loud and fragile. And when we lose control internally, we start trying to control other people externally — through judgment, labels, and moral outrage.

But here’s the truth we don’t talk about enough:

Resentment is a compass

It points to something you want.
Something you need.
Something you’ve been denying.
Something you’ve been quietly tolerating.

If someone else’s choices trigger you, it might not be because they’re wrong… it might be because you’re done feeling powerless in your own life.

And I want to be really clear here: resentment doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you a human.

But what you do with it matters.

You can weaponize it and use it to tear someone down.
Or you can listen to it and let it teach you something about yourself.

Money is freedom (and it creates options)

This moment brought me back to something I believe at my core:

Money is freedom.

Not because money fixes everything.
Not because your worth is measured in your bank account.
But because money gives you options.

Options like:

• being able to leave when something feels heavy

• choosing rest instead of burnout

• saying no when something doesn’t align

• creating flexibility in your schedule

• changing your environment when your nervous system needs it

• building a life that feels like yours

Those options are not reserved for “special” people.

They’re built.

Slowly. Consistently. One decision at a time.

This is the part I wish more women knew: financial freedom isn’t about becoming a totally different person. It’s about building systems that support you. It’s about learning the skills that give you choices.

And yes, it takes time.
But it’s possible.

A small challenge: build one option this week

So if you’re reading this and you’ve ever felt a flash of resentment toward someone else’s freedom — I want you to pause and ask yourself this:

What is it trying to show me?

Not “What’s wrong with her?”
But:
What do I want?
What do I feel trapped by?
Where do I want more choice in my life?

Because the moment you stop using resentment as a weapon and start using it as information… you get your power back.

Here’s my challenge for you:

Pick one freedom you want more of this year.

Maybe it’s:

• more time

• more flexibility

• more money breathing room

• more autonomy

• the ability to travel

• the ability to change jobs

• the ability to say no without panic

• the ability to make decisions without fear

Then choose one tiny action you can take this week to build toward it.

Open a Freedom Fund savings account.
Automate $25/week.
Cancel one expense you don’t even enjoy.
Learn one investing concept this month.
Ask for the raise.
Apply for the role.
Start the side income.
Have the money conversation.

Freedom doesn’t always start with a plane ticket.

Sometimes freedom starts with one small decision that reminds you:
my life belongs to me.

A final thought

You are not here to prove loyalty through suffering.
You are not here to live your life according to someone else’s rules.
And you do not need to attack someone else’s choices to feel better about your own discomfort.

Resentment can be a weapon… or it can be a compass.

And if you’re feeling trapped, I hope you remember this:

You can build options.
You can build strength.
You can build freedom.

One small step at a time.