Ep448: Stop Playing Small With Money: How Janine Mix Turned $120K Debt Into a Mission to Empower Women of Faith

Hi, I’m Jules
I’m Jules, founder of Unconventional Life, born from a dream after a near-death experience seven years ago. As a 2x TEDx speaker, global event host, multi-millionaire entrepreneur, and artist, I’m passionate about guiding you to unleash your soul’s greatest gifts. Together with my two sisters, I’ve expanded UL’s mission by co-creating Pink Lemon Agency, a creative marketing agency designed to help bring bold visions to life.
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When Janine Mix found herself sleeping in her car, $120,000 in debt, and praying for a miracle, she didn’t realize the greatest shift she would ever make wasn’t about numbers — it was about belief.

Today, she’s a Christian entrepreneur, investor, and bestselling author of Buy The Damn Coffee — a bold invitation for women of faith to stop letting guilt and scarcity run their lives. Through her podcast Permission to Prosper and her teachings, Janine helps women turn financial shame into spiritual strength — and reclaim the abundance that was always meant for them.

 

When the “Cut Coffee, Save Money” Advice Fails

“I followed every rule,” Janine told Unconventional Life host Jules Schroeder. “I budgeted, I cut expenses, I did everything right — and I was still broke.”

That moment of realization — sitting in her car, exhausted from doing “everything right” — became the turning point. She saw how the traditional financial advice aimed at women often keeps them small.

“You can’t shame yourself into prosperity,” Janine said.

Instead of focusing on deprivation, she began asking: What if wealth wasn’t about restriction, but expansion?
That single question led her to rebuild her mindset, her business, and eventually, her entire life.

 

Faith as the Foundation, Not the Limitation

Janine grew up believing that “good Christians” should be humble, frugal, and content with less. But as she began healing her relationship with money, her faith deepened — not weakened.

“God doesn’t want us broke — He wants us equipped,” she explained.

She reframed wealth as a form of stewardship: the more resources she had, the greater her capacity to serve. Jules resonated deeply with that message — that prosperity is not about greed, but about alignment and purpose.

This faith-driven philosophy became the backbone of Janine’s work. Her mission: to empower women of faith to stop apologizing for wanting more and start building lives that reflect their full potential.

 

The Hidden Money Influencers

During the interview, Janine broke down what she calls The Three Money Influencers — the unseen forces that quietly dictate financial behavior:

  1. Family conditioning: What we learned about money growing up.

  2. Faith or cultural narratives: The stories that equate wealth with vanity.

  3. Personal identity: The internal story about what we deserve.

“You can’t heal what you hide,” Janine told Jules. “If you don’t face your beliefs about money, they’ll keep running the show.”

It’s not spreadsheets that keep people stuck — it’s the stories they believe about themselves.

 

Why Budgets Don’t Work (and What Does)

When Jules asked why so many people feel defeated by budgeting, Janine didn’t hold back:

“A budget built on fear keeps you small. A spending plan built on purpose expands you.”

She teaches women to stop obsessing over cutting costs and instead focus on growing income, investing in themselves, and aligning spending with their values.

Her approach is less about “how much” and more about “why.”
It’s a mindset shift — from restriction to responsibility, from fear to freedom.

 

From Survival to Stewardship

Once Janine paid off her debt and became financially free at age 33, she could’ve stopped there. But true to her nature, she turned her victory into a mission.

“When women have money, they fund dreams,” she said. “Not just their own — their families, their communities, their churches.”

Today, through her coaching and content, Janine helps women transition from surviving to leading — from quietly “making do” to confidently multiplying wealth for Kingdom impact.

Her work is rooted in one conviction: more money in the hands of good women means a better world.

 

Buy The Damn Coffee

The title of her bestselling book started as a joke — a response to all the financial advice telling women to “cut out the lattes.” But it soon became a rallying cry.

“Buy The Damn Coffee isn’t about being careless,” Janine said. “It’s about giving yourself permission to live.”

In the book, she dismantles shame-based money habits and offers a faith-anchored roadmap to prosperity — one where joy, generosity, and abundance can coexist.

For anyone who’s ever felt guilty for wanting more, Buy The Damn Coffee is both a wake-up call and a warm embrace.

 

Give Yourself Permission

As the episode drew to a close, Jules asked what she hoped listeners would take away from her story.

Janine’s answer was simple — and powerful:

“Permission. Permission to prosper before you have proof. Permission to believe you’re worthy of wealth. Permission to stop playing small.”

Her voice softened as she added,

“It’s not about chasing money. It’s about becoming the kind of woman who can handle more — more responsibility, more joy, more impact.”

 

Giveaway

Janine is giving Unconventional Life listeners an exclusive free chapter preview of her bestselling book, Buy The Damn Coffee — plus access to her Permission to Prosper audio series.

Claim your copy at BuyTheDamnCoffee.com/bookoptin

 

Connect with Janine