HerMoney with Jean Chatzky EP 517: Breaking Free From Destructive Money Patterns with Therapist Kati Morton
Mar 4, 2026
Kati Morton, licensed marriage and family therapist and mental health educator, author of Why Do I Keep Doing This?, explores why emotions drive our money moves. She discusses control as safety versus harm. She explains emotional versus compulsive spending. She offers quick tools like impulse logs, delay tactics, and media limits to reduce reactive purchases.
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When Control Becomes Self Sabotage
- Control feels like safety but becomes unhealthy when aimed at things outside your influence.
- Kati Morton explains unhealthy control is an external locus of control: trying to manage others or market outcomes instead of your own actions.
Wait 24 Hours Before Impulse Purchases
- Wait before buying: create space to make calmer decisions by delaying purchases 24 hours.
- Kati Morton recommends identifying triggers (stressful day/week) and avoiding one-click buys to prevent impulse spending.
Track Urges With An Impulse Log
- Use an impulse log to slow the urge: write the item, your current emotion, and what you expect it will give you.
- Then distract, call someone, and only buy if the urge persists after the delay.
