I don’t remember the first time I felt embarrassed about money, but I do remember how easily it started showing up everywhere. Quietly, like a background app I couldn’t close.

It was in the group chat when someone casually suggested a weekend trip I couldn’t afford. It was at the dinner table when my friends split the bill evenly, even though I’d only ordered fries. It was in my head when I opened my banking app and winced.

Money shame has a way of weaving itself into our 20s. Most of us grew up without real financial education, just a mix of “don’t spend too much” warnings and vague messages that credit cards were dangerous. Then, suddenly, we’re adults with paychecks, student debt, rent, taxes, and a growing feeling that everyone else somehow knows what they’re doing.

But they don’t. Not really.

What most people don’t talk about is how common this shame actually is, or where it really comes from. Because money shame isn’t always about the numbers in your account. It’s about the story you’re telling yourself, the story that you’ll never catch-up.

Maybe you think you're behind. Maybe you feel like you should’ve “known better.” Maybe you compare your situation to friends who seem to be thriving and wonder what’s wrong with you.

The truth is, you’re not behind. You’re just learning in real-time, like most of us are.

And that’s because no one really taught us how to manage money , not in school, not in most homes, and definitely not in a way that spoke to our lives now.

We weren’t shown how to budget in a world of rising rent and gig work. We weren’t taught how to file taxes as a freelancer, or why an RRSP matters when retirement feels 40 years away. And we definitely weren’t taught how to feel okay asking questions about money, without guilt or fear of judgment.

At Skyward, we meet people every day who are smart, ambitious, and doing all the right things; except they still feel like they’re “bad with money.”

But being “bad with money” is rarely the problem. Being uninformed, overwhelmed, or isolated? That’s the problem. And it’s one we can solve; not by pretending it doesn’t exist, but by creating space to talk about it openly.

Unlearning money shame starts with small things. A calendar reminder to check your bank balance (without flinching). Asking your friend how they budget, and sharing your own system, however messy it feels. Booking that first call with someone who can walk you through things without judgment (that’s us).

Financial confidence isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being informed, supported, and kind to yourself as you figure things out.

Because the truth is — we were never supposed to know all of this alone. And the shame you’ve been carrying? It was never yours to begin with