Finding Beauty In The Struggle: A Talk On Money & Faith

In this inspiring talk, Lou shares a personal season of financial contraction and the unexpected gifts it brought. Through humility, faith, and renewed purpose, he reflects on trusting the journey, letting go of control, and staying grounded when things get tough. A reminder that every challenge is stewarding us to grow.

Transcript

Hello.

Welcome.

My name is Lew Redman.

Thank you for listening.

I hesitate to share this with you.

Part of me feels that it will detract from my credibility as a coach or a teacher.

However,

I know that the greatest teaching I could offer is through example.

In short,

My business revenue has nosedived.

I went from averaging $10,

000 per month for four years to making only $5,

000 per month for the last few months.

At the same time,

My expenses are higher than ever.

My wife and I recently moved cross-country from New Jersey to Oregon,

And she stopped working,

So I've been taking on the load for both of us.

This devilish combination has brought a financial pressure I thought I would never feel again.

In 2021,

I went from making $50,

000 the year before to $100,

000.

And when this happened,

I assumed I flipped some switch and I was on a track toward millions.

I mean,

That's what all the spiritual business coaches say.

They rave about their quantum trajectory.

50K,

100K,

500K,

3 million.

I welcome this possibility.

However,

I didn't get in this for the money.

Don't get me wrong.

I love receiving money,

And if I had a choice,

I'd take more than less.

But it seems that some,

Quote,

Spiritual coaches make it all about money.

I've been meditating on the biblical verse,

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.

There are seasons of expansion and contraction.

Each a necessary part of the whole.

Each guiding us to awaken if we choose to see it that way.

This financial downturn has helped me shed light on an identity that had crept in around being successful.

As in Enneagram 3,

This one's hard.

If I'm not successful,

Who am I?

This humbling season has done nothing but strengthen my connection to God.

It has forced me to trust and surrender the process,

Just as I did when I quit my job in 2015 with no money saved.

Although I'm feeling the pressure,

I'm not anxious.

I'm grateful.

To quote the rapper J.

Cole,

There is beauty in the struggle,

Ugliness in the success.

I've seen the ugly,

But right now I feel the beauty.

Even with all the uncertainty,

There's unshakable faith.

In a strange way,

I feel I was made for this.

I love being an entrepreneur.

I love not knowing how much I'll make next month.

I love the journey.

I'm grateful because we don't change when things are comfortable.

I hit a revenue plateau for four years,

And this is forcing me to seek support,

Hire a new coach,

And take action that will help me break through to the next level.

I feel a renewed resolve to create more value,

Expand my work,

And have the resources to care for my family and steward my resources toward the greatest good.

Expansion or contraction,

I'm not going anywhere.

I'm in it for the long game.

The fake ones are there when it's good.

The real ones love when it's bad.

They know that's what makes it interesting.

If you're in it for the right reasons,

You are a real one.

No matter where you're at,

If you give all your faith to God while taking imperfect action and stay in the game,

You will find your way.

Thank you for being on this journey with me.

I am so grateful for your attention,

And it is an honor truly to be able to share and hopefully offer some support for your journey.

I'll be sure to keep you updated on how things unfold.

If any of this resonated,

Feel free to leave a comment.

I always love hearing from you.

And if you're feeling financial stress as well,

You might like a newer track that I just published on here called Transforming Financial Stress.

That'll be a bit of a longer meditation where we'll get to do some work around our financial situation.

All right.

I'll see you soon.

Reviews

Thanks for sharing your experience with this season, keeping it real for those of us who have or are experiencing a challenging season of our lives as well, whether financially or otherwise. Thank you, keep trusting, it will all work out. Namaste.

Appreciate the authenticity and clarity, Lou! 2025 has been a challenging year, financially, and my first thought is that I'm doing something wrong. My second thought it I need to work harder, more, more, more. But maybe neither is true. Maybe it's simply a time of contraction, and all is well. Thank you!

Lou, I loved this! Indeed it has made you GAIN credibility, trust and authority in my book. Not to mention my resonance. I had no idea what the details were gonna be, but felt drawn to listen. I too went from making over $250k//yr over 10 yrs ago to $0 for a couple of years (I run a hostel, covid hit us hard… no one wants to stay in a hostel in a pandemic) to now more like $40k/yr. It is humbling and yet immensely healing. To learn to find safety inside myself, not in money. When I was making over $250k I thought my scarcity was over. But indeed, the Divine wanted me to learn more lessons and heal more wounds. It’s hard, but I view it as a gift. Your talk kept it real and down to earth. Thank you

I appreciate your courage in sharing this. I am on same journey at the moment. Totally got it. I am trusting the abundance around me. I am content, have more freedom and creativity navigating this chapter of my life. It is an adventure. Namaste 🙏 Blessings!

Thank you Lou for your authenticity and reminder to trust the process 🙏

Thanks for sharing so honestly and from your heart. Your words resonate and give me food for thought - will definitely listen again. I wish you well with your journey! 🙏💛

Just what I needed to hear at just the right time 🙏

Lou, your money message so timely and helpful! Thank you! I tgg to use my path. I am keeping the faith and taking daily action to be of service.🙏❤️🌹☘️

Dear Lou, as ever its your authentic vulnerability and your ability to be so open and honest that keeps me coming back to your work. Thank you for recording this and sharing what you've been going through. It's so beautiful to hear that you've found so much peace & gratitude during such a stressful time. Thats the power of faith in action. 🙌

Appreciating your honesty and witnessing your commitment to the journey.

Thank you for your authenticity, raw honesty and courage. Hearing your words this morning has given me hope. As a coach myself everything you said resonated deeply and I often wonder lately what’s the point. But perhaps it’s time to shift gears
Reset and lean in. Thank you 🙏 ❤️

Lou ist voll aus dem Herzen heraus! Toll!
Danke.

Demonstrating vulnerability like this allows us all to feel more free to be ourselves. 🩷

Thanks 🙏

Vulnerability connects us all and inspires. Thank you for sharing!

Thank you ❤️🥲

Thanks for sharing Lou 🤍 I love the part where you surrrender to God…he is the one who takes care of us 🙏🏻

I needed this right this very minute. I am also a contractor. I work in theater around access and disability and took the dive last year. It is a challenging time and I cannot tell you how good it was to hear “stay in the game” because I am in it for real. You reminded me faith is stronger than fear. I just need to let go. Blessings and sending so much positive energy to you and your wife.

Real.

Hello Lou,

Thank you for sharing what happened with you.

Sometimes we go through difficulties in life, but when we meet them with gratitude, they open the door to new perspectives. They help us grow and reveal inner strengths we didn’t know we had.

There is no true “ugly” in life’s challenges, only difficulty. And difficulty shows up to push us beyond our comfort zones, to shift how we see things, and to guide us toward new ways of being.

Love & Light