May 8, 2025 • 15 mins
Got a question? Send me a text.
Money shame often lurks in the shadows of entrepreneurship, especially for women. Whether it shows up as avoiding your bank accounts, undercharging, or feeling like you should be further along, money shame doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It’s just fear in your money mindset, not your true worth.
In this episode, I’ll show you that your financial numbers don’t define your value. Your worth is not based on your bank balance—it’s based on who you are. Your current finances reflect past beliefs about money, not your potential to create abundance.
You’ll learn practical steps to shift from avoidance to empowerment, starting with money dates—time to reconnect with your finances from a place of curiosity, not judgment. Even just 15 minutes can transform your relationship with money.
Key Takeaways:
- Understanding money shame is the first step to shifting your financial mindset.
- Your revenue doesn’t define your worth—true value comes from within.
- Regular money dates help you get curious, not critical, about your finances.
- Take one empowered financial decision each week to build confidence.
- Practice affirming statements like “I am worthy of financial freedom.”
Want to learn more or connect with me?
Step 1: Join my FREE Facebook Community.
Connect, share, and learn how to master your money with other women just like you.
➡️ Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/941450038160915
Step 2: Grab your FREE Human Design chart
Curious what your Human Design chart reveals about how you're uniquely designed to make aligned financial decisions?
➡️ Get your chart here: https://generatealifewelllived.com/receive-your-human-design-chart
Step 3: Ready to transform your relationship with money and build true financial confidence?
Let’s create a plan that feels aligned, intentional, and empowering—just for you.
➡️ Schedule your free clarity call here (https://tidycal.com/eringray/30-min-call-with-erin)
Money doesn't have to feel overwhelming. Let's create a plan that feels nurturing and custom to you.
From my soul to yours,
Erin
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Erin Gray (00:00):
Today we're talking about something that affects
more women entrepreneurs than Ithink you probably realize, and
that is money shame.
You know.
It shows up in such quiet wayslike avoiding your bank account
or undercharging, or tellingyourself that you should be
(00:22):
further along by now.
That's typically what my braintells me and I shouldn't say.
Or it could be and right, itcould be several of these things
.
Do you want to create a systemto stop avoiding your money?
Maybe you're feeling guilt andshame when it comes to your
finances.
Welcome to your money, yourrules.
I'm Erin, a former certifiedfinancial planner and CFO, and
(00:43):
yet I used to avoid my money andhad fear, no matter how much we
had.
I can't wait to teach you how Iovercame my money avoidance and
started consistently managingmy finances in a really simple
way.
It's time to get comfortablewith money and before we dive
into this week's episode, I wantto invite you to join me for a
one-on-one master your moneycoaching session.
(01:05):
During this hour, we will worktogether to understand where you
are financially, becauseunderstanding and being so clear
on where you are is the firststep to moving forward right, so
you're going to gain moreclarity and then begin.
What we will do is we willbegin to craft a tailored plan
that helps you align with yourfinances, with what you value
(01:28):
most and what feels good for you.
If you're ready to transformyour relationship with money and
create the freedom and theabundance that you deserve that
is your birthright you can goover to my website
generatealifewelllivecom andschedule your session.
I'm looking forward to workingwith you and empowering you even
(01:50):
more.
I want you to know that thetruth is that shame around money
is not a sign that something iswrong with you.
It is a sign that you are inyour human brain and not your
higher self.
Right Shame, those lowervibration emotions, are not who
you truly are right.
(02:11):
We are love, we are light, weare abundance, we are joy, and
when those lower vibrationemotions come up to the surface,
it is coming up to betranscended, to be healed and to
be worked through.
So in this episode, I'm goingto show you how to shift out of
that shame that we might befeeling and it might be
(02:31):
something that you're feeling ona consistent basis so that you
can reconnect with your power,with who you actually truly are
right, and start making clearer,more confident financial
decisions without needing tohave it all figured out first.
You know, first and foremost,like I say with everything is,
(02:51):
it is about awareness, right?
So really naming what isactually going on and money
shame.
You know, when I was doing somemarket research, a lot of women
that I was talking to they weresharing the same and similar
stories, and when I would tellthem that they are not the only
woman that has experienced theseemotions or think or feel this
(03:12):
way, you could immediately seethe relief in their face and
their shoulders would drop.
And I think this is one of thethings I am so passionate about
is helping women one empowerthemselves even more, change
their identity, right, who theylike return, I shouldn't say
when I say change their identity, what I mean is like return to
(03:32):
who you actually truly arebefore.
Everyone told you who youshould and shouldn't be.
And one of the things I don'tthink that we're talking enough
about is, like these feelingsthat we are feeling and we think
we're the only ones that aregoing through this.
And I want to tell you you arenot right.
You are one of one bill.
You know 8 billion people inthe world and a lot of women
(03:54):
feel this way.
So maybe you were told growingup or somewhere along the way,
that you were bad with money oryou didn't know how to handle
money or you weren't good withmath, or whatever might have
been said to you.
And if you look at what isactually most often underneath
(04:15):
that is this feeling of fear,right, fear of being judged,
fear of not and I'm air quotingdoing it right, fear of failing.
And the first step is to onebecome aware of what you are
actually thinking and feeling.
Right, and stop labelingyourself.
Right, you are not bad withmoney, you're.
(04:35):
And even if you feel like, oh,I'm not good with math, there's
lots of people let's just, evenif your brain doesn't even want
to agree with, okay, I'm goodwith math.
Okay, there's lots of peoplethat don't necessarily know all
the ins and outs of math andthey are million billionaires.
Right, so you are in theprocess of learning how to
manage your money with clarity,with confidence.
Right, this is a skillset andskills develop over time.
(05:00):
Right, we didn't know how toride a bike initially.
We use training wheels.
Right, and so one learning howto be kind to yourself when you
notice that those harsh wordsstart to show up, when your
brain is giving you that, youknow, throwing those thoughts at
you and also changing, goingback to returning to who.
(05:21):
You are right, who is the womanwho feels confident, who is
clear with her money, and movingfrom that space.
So start to detach your worthfrom your numbers.
You know, in a world where wehave been taught that the
external world is what createsus thinking and feeling about
(05:42):
ourselves, which is the completeopposite, your revenue does not
define your value.
I say this all the time.
You know your worth, yourlovability, your deservedness.
It is not in your bank accountand it does not equal your bank
account.
You know, we start to feelshame when we let these external
(06:05):
things, like our income, ourexpenses or even debt that we
might have, shape our identityinstead of deciding what, who we
are, deciding what our identityis and then creating from that
space.
You are not your financialresults.
You are worthy, you aredeserving and you are lovable,
(06:25):
just because you exist.
Now your wealth consciousnessmight be at a different level,
right, and that is somethingthat we can change and work on,
but your numbers don't representwho you are.
They represent what you believeto be true, like your
perception about you and yourrelationship with money and
there is a big difference there.
(06:46):
So I want to invite you to getinto the numbers without the
drama.
One of the things that I do whenI sit down initially with
clients is we actually get downto the numbers.
Right, let me look at yourfinancial plan, or let me look
at your expenses with you.
Let me look at your, yourincome with you.
You know both from a businessand when I say expenses, you
know from your business and fromyour personal standpoint.
(07:08):
Like, let's look at all of yourincome and your investments.
Like let's actually dive intowhere you are, and a lot of
times, what we think in our headversus what is actually
happening is so different.
Right, our brains paint thispicture versus when we actually
find out.
On paper we're doing such agood job, so giving yourself
(07:31):
credit, and so, if you have beenavoiding your finances, this is
your permission to look at themwithout judgment.
Really start to cultivate theemotion of curiosity.
You know, with my clients, oneof the things I really encourage
you to do is to have consistentmoney dates.
You know, setting up this timeto spend with you and your money
(07:54):
, even if it's just 15 minutesto log in to look around at your
bank accounts, to look at yourPNL, to look at your expenses
and really get reacquainted withyour numbers so that you can
really become one.
It's an opportunity for you tofeel gratitude for where you are
(08:16):
, for you to practice theemotion of having right and
feeling feeling grateful forwhat you have generated, for the
way that you have beencirculating your money.
And if a money date feels, ooh,I don't feel like I want to go
on a date with money, if thatfeels too strong, can you just
have a meeting with moneyinitially.
(08:37):
Right, you can even change theword from I had to in the
beginning change the word frommoney to currency because money
was sometimes a little bittriggering in my body right, so
say it's something else.
You can even change thecurrency, right, and say it's
something else to show that yourbody, that you feel safe and
that you feel secure.
Right, because a lot of timeswhen what I've noticed with
(09:00):
women this was true for myselfis I didn't feel safe with money
.
So if we don't feel safe withmoney, then we aren't going to
want to sit down with it.
Right, but the more that we doit, the more that we cultivate a
loving relationship withourselves and with money.
The more that we are supportiveand that we are nurturing and
nourishing to ourselves and ourmoney, the easier it gets.
(09:25):
So the goal isn't try, you know,isn't to just like try to fix
everything in one sitting.
The goal is to stop letting thefear dictate your relationship
with money and whatever yourbank account is currently, it is
because of your past thoughts,right.
Your beliefs about youridentity in the past, right.
(09:46):
When you think about how do wecreate, how do we manifest, it
is from our current thinking iswhat we create in the future.
So when you look at your bankaccount, when you look at where
you are financially, that iscoming from your past thinking.
So you can get curious what inmy current you know what, excuse
me what in my past thinking,what were my beliefs around
(10:09):
money that created this and whatdo I want to start thinking and
believing about myself, who Iam as an individual, and also
about my money.
So what's one financial decisionthat you want to make this week
?
To own and, to you know, haveyour own back and to feel more
(10:32):
empowered, right, you don't haveto come in and overhaul
everything, and maybe for someof you.
It might just be.
I'm going to just look at mybank accounts.
I'm going to look at my PNL.
I'm going to see where I am.
I'm going to appreciate mymoney.
Maybe that is your exercise forthis week.
If you have been doing this work, if you have been looking at
your accounts on a consistentbasis, then, okay, what's the
next step?
(10:52):
Right?
Who is the woman that takescare of her money, that looks at
it, that grows it?
How does she think, feel andact?
What does she do?
So what's one decision that youwanna make?
Maybe it's setting up a taxaccount so you're prepped and
ready when it comes time fortaxes.
Maybe it's looking at your P&Land seeing, like, does
(11:14):
everything that I currentlyspend money on and circulate?
Is that still in alignment withwhat I want?
Taking action is how we createeverything in our life.
So the more that we are in theenergy of taking action, we also
are building up that confidencethat we have because we are
(11:35):
taking care of our money,because we are looking at it
from a place of curiosity,without shame, and we are
creating more confidence withinus and how we handle our money.
So, to recap one name thefeelings that you're feeling in
your body right.
What is really going on, reallystarting to detach your worth
(11:57):
from your numbers, who you are,your worth, your lovability,
your deservedness.
It is inherent.
It is not, it is not negotiable, it has nothing to do with any
external number.
Really getting into the numbersright, without the drama,
getting into curiosity,understanding where you are
(12:19):
financially and then looking atwhat is one decision that I want
to make.
You know, if you think aboutacting from that end game, place
right the woman who alreadyfeels so successful, the woman
who already has what she wants.
What decision would she bemaking?
And make one of those decisions.
(12:42):
And before we go, I want toinvite you to join me for a
one-on-one master your moneycoaching session.
I want to say you don't need towork with anybody, but I will
say it's a lot more fun when youget to work on your money with
someone that empowers you, thatis walking along beside you,
(13:02):
that is asking you reallyreflective questions and that is
seeing in you what you may notsee in yourself yet.
During this hour, we are goingto work together to look at
where you are financially, talkabout your goals, your values
and create a really tailoredplan for you that helps you
(13:22):
align with your finances.
If you're ready to transformyour relationship with money and
really create more ease, moreflow, more trust, more freedom
and abundance that you deservethat you, that it is your right
to have, I invite you to go tomy website,
generatealifewelllivedcom andschedule your session.
(13:45):
Thank you for being here today.
Decide that you are confident,right, who you are when you ask
yourself I am.
I want you to.
I want you to get to the placewhere you say I am confident, I
am powerful, I am highlysuccessful, I'm highly
resourceful.
Right, go, make one powerfulmoney decision and keep showing
(14:08):
up like the CEO that you are.
I'm rooting for you.
I'll see you in the nextepisode.
I would love it if you wouldleave a review for this podcast.
It helps the show grow and Ilove hearing from you.
And if this episode resonatedwith you and you have a business
bestie who is also avoiding hermoney, will you share this
episode with her?
My mission is to help morefemale entrepreneurs feel safe
(14:32):
and empowered with their money.
Okay, I'll see you in the nextepisode.
Today we're talking about something that affects
more women entrepreneurs than Ithink you probably realize, and
that is money shame.
You know.
It shows up in such quiet wayslike avoiding your bank account
or undercharging, or tellingyourself that you should be
(00:22):
further along by now.
That's typically what my braintells me and I shouldn't say.
Or it could be and right, itcould be several of these things
.
Do you want to create a systemto stop avoiding your money?
Maybe you're feeling guilt andshame when it comes to your
finances.
Welcome to your money, yourrules.
I'm Erin, a former certifiedfinancial planner and CFO, and
(00:43):
yet I used to avoid my money andhad fear, no matter how much we
had.
I can't wait to teach you how Iovercame my money avoidance and
started consistently managingmy finances in a really simple
way.
It's time to get comfortablewith money and before we dive
into this week's episode, I wantto invite you to join me for a
one-on-one master your moneycoaching session.
(01:05):
During this hour, we will worktogether to understand where you
are financially, becauseunderstanding and being so clear
on where you are is the firststep to moving forward right, so
you're going to gain moreclarity and then begin.
What we will do is we willbegin to craft a tailored plan
that helps you align with yourfinances, with what you value
(01:28):
most and what feels good for you.
If you're ready to transformyour relationship with money and
create the freedom and theabundance that you deserve that
is your birthright you can goover to my website
generatealifewelllivecom andschedule your session.
I'm looking forward to workingwith you and empowering you even
(01:50):
more.
I want you to know that thetruth is that shame around money
is not a sign that something iswrong with you.
It is a sign that you are inyour human brain and not your
higher self.
Right Shame, those lowervibration emotions, are not who
you truly are right.
(02:11):
We are love, we are light, weare abundance, we are joy, and
when those lower vibrationemotions come up to the surface,
it is coming up to betranscended, to be healed and to
be worked through.
So in this episode, I'm goingto show you how to shift out of
that shame that we might befeeling and it might be
(02:31):
something that you're feeling ona consistent basis so that you
can reconnect with your power,with who you actually truly are
right, and start making clearer,more confident financial
decisions without needing tohave it all figured out first.
You know, first and foremost,like I say with everything is,
(02:51):
it is about awareness, right?
So really naming what isactually going on and money
shame.
You know, when I was doing somemarket research, a lot of women
that I was talking to they weresharing the same and similar
stories, and when I would tellthem that they are not the only
woman that has experienced theseemotions or think or feel this
(03:12):
way, you could immediately seethe relief in their face and
their shoulders would drop.
And I think this is one of thethings I am so passionate about
is helping women one empowerthemselves even more, change
their identity, right, who theylike return, I shouldn't say
when I say change their identity, what I mean is like return to
(03:32):
who you actually truly arebefore.
Everyone told you who youshould and shouldn't be.
And one of the things I don'tthink that we're talking enough
about is, like these feelingsthat we are feeling and we think
we're the only ones that aregoing through this.
And I want to tell you you arenot right.
You are one of one bill.
You know 8 billion people inthe world and a lot of women
(03:54):
feel this way.
So maybe you were told growingup or somewhere along the way,
that you were bad with money oryou didn't know how to handle
money or you weren't good withmath, or whatever might have
been said to you.
And if you look at what isactually most often underneath
(04:15):
that is this feeling of fear,right, fear of being judged,
fear of not and I'm air quotingdoing it right, fear of failing.
And the first step is to onebecome aware of what you are
actually thinking and feeling.
Right, and stop labelingyourself.
Right, you are not bad withmoney, you're.
(04:35):
And even if you feel like, oh,I'm not good with math, there's
lots of people let's just, evenif your brain doesn't even want
to agree with, okay, I'm goodwith math.
Okay, there's lots of peoplethat don't necessarily know all
the ins and outs of math andthey are million billionaires.
Right, so you are in theprocess of learning how to
manage your money with clarity,with confidence.
Right, this is a skillset andskills develop over time.
(05:00):
Right, we didn't know how toride a bike initially.
We use training wheels.
Right, and so one learning howto be kind to yourself when you
notice that those harsh wordsstart to show up, when your
brain is giving you that, youknow, throwing those thoughts at
you and also changing, goingback to returning to who.
(05:21):
You are right, who is the womanwho feels confident, who is
clear with her money, and movingfrom that space.
So start to detach your worthfrom your numbers.
You know, in a world where wehave been taught that the
external world is what createsus thinking and feeling about
(05:42):
ourselves, which is the completeopposite, your revenue does not
define your value.
I say this all the time.
You know your worth, yourlovability, your deservedness.
It is not in your bank accountand it does not equal your bank
account.
You know, we start to feelshame when we let these external
(06:05):
things, like our income, ourexpenses or even debt that we
might have, shape our identityinstead of deciding what, who we
are, deciding what our identityis and then creating from that
space.
You are not your financialresults.
You are worthy, you aredeserving and you are lovable,
(06:25):
just because you exist.
Now your wealth consciousnessmight be at a different level,
right, and that is somethingthat we can change and work on,
but your numbers don't representwho you are.
They represent what you believeto be true, like your
perception about you and yourrelationship with money and
there is a big difference there.
(06:46):
So I want to invite you to getinto the numbers without the
drama.
One of the things that I do whenI sit down initially with
clients is we actually get downto the numbers.
Right, let me look at yourfinancial plan, or let me look
at your expenses with you.
Let me look at your, yourincome with you.
You know both from a businessand when I say expenses, you
know from your business and fromyour personal standpoint.
(07:08):
Like, let's look at all of yourincome and your investments.
Like let's actually dive intowhere you are, and a lot of
times, what we think in our headversus what is actually
happening is so different.
Right, our brains paint thispicture versus when we actually
find out.
On paper we're doing such agood job, so giving yourself
(07:31):
credit, and so, if you have beenavoiding your finances, this is
your permission to look at themwithout judgment.
Really start to cultivate theemotion of curiosity.
You know, with my clients, oneof the things I really encourage
you to do is to have consistentmoney dates.
You know, setting up this timeto spend with you and your money
(07:54):
, even if it's just 15 minutesto log in to look around at your
bank accounts, to look at yourPNL, to look at your expenses
and really get reacquainted withyour numbers so that you can
really become one.
It's an opportunity for you tofeel gratitude for where you are
(08:16):
, for you to practice theemotion of having right and
feeling feeling grateful forwhat you have generated, for the
way that you have beencirculating your money.
And if a money date feels, ooh,I don't feel like I want to go
on a date with money, if thatfeels too strong, can you just
have a meeting with moneyinitially.
(08:37):
Right, you can even change theword from I had to in the
beginning change the word frommoney to currency because money
was sometimes a little bittriggering in my body right, so
say it's something else.
You can even change thecurrency, right, and say it's
something else to show that yourbody, that you feel safe and
that you feel secure.
Right, because a lot of timeswhen what I've noticed with
(09:00):
women this was true for myselfis I didn't feel safe with money
.
So if we don't feel safe withmoney, then we aren't going to
want to sit down with it.
Right, but the more that we doit, the more that we cultivate a
loving relationship withourselves and with money.
The more that we are supportiveand that we are nurturing and
nourishing to ourselves and ourmoney, the easier it gets.
(09:25):
So the goal isn't try, you know,isn't to just like try to fix
everything in one sitting.
The goal is to stop letting thefear dictate your relationship
with money and whatever yourbank account is currently, it is
because of your past thoughts,right.
Your beliefs about youridentity in the past, right.
(09:46):
When you think about how do wecreate, how do we manifest, it
is from our current thinking iswhat we create in the future.
So when you look at your bankaccount, when you look at where
you are financially, that iscoming from your past thinking.
So you can get curious what inmy current you know what, excuse
me what in my past thinking,what were my beliefs around
(10:09):
money that created this and whatdo I want to start thinking and
believing about myself, who Iam as an individual, and also
about my money.
So what's one financial decisionthat you want to make this week
?
To own and, to you know, haveyour own back and to feel more
(10:32):
empowered, right, you don't haveto come in and overhaul
everything, and maybe for someof you.
It might just be.
I'm going to just look at mybank accounts.
I'm going to look at my PNL.
I'm going to see where I am.
I'm going to appreciate mymoney.
Maybe that is your exercise forthis week.
If you have been doing this work, if you have been looking at
your accounts on a consistentbasis, then, okay, what's the
next step?
(10:52):
Right?
Who is the woman that takescare of her money, that looks at
it, that grows it?
How does she think, feel andact?
What does she do?
So what's one decision that youwanna make?
Maybe it's setting up a taxaccount so you're prepped and
ready when it comes time fortaxes.
Maybe it's looking at your P&Land seeing, like, does
(11:14):
everything that I currentlyspend money on and circulate?
Is that still in alignment withwhat I want?
Taking action is how we createeverything in our life.
So the more that we are in theenergy of taking action, we also
are building up that confidencethat we have because we are
(11:35):
taking care of our money,because we are looking at it
from a place of curiosity,without shame, and we are
creating more confidence withinus and how we handle our money.
So, to recap one name thefeelings that you're feeling in
your body right.
What is really going on, reallystarting to detach your worth
(11:57):
from your numbers, who you are,your worth, your lovability,
your deservedness.
It is inherent.
It is not, it is not negotiable, it has nothing to do with any
external number.
Really getting into the numbersright, without the drama,
getting into curiosity,understanding where you are
(12:19):
financially and then looking atwhat is one decision that I want
to make.
You know, if you think aboutacting from that end game, place
right the woman who alreadyfeels so successful, the woman
who already has what she wants.
What decision would she bemaking?
And make one of those decisions.
(12:42):
And before we go, I want toinvite you to join me for a
one-on-one master your moneycoaching session.
I want to say you don't need towork with anybody, but I will
say it's a lot more fun when youget to work on your money with
someone that empowers you, thatis walking along beside you,
(13:02):
that is asking you reallyreflective questions and that is
seeing in you what you may notsee in yourself yet.
During this hour, we are goingto work together to look at
where you are financially, talkabout your goals, your values
and create a really tailoredplan for you that helps you
(13:22):
align with your finances.
If you're ready to transformyour relationship with money and
really create more ease, moreflow, more trust, more freedom
and abundance that you deservethat you, that it is your right
to have, I invite you to go tomy website,
generatealifewelllivedcom andschedule your session.
(13:45):
Thank you for being here today.
Decide that you are confident,right, who you are when you ask
yourself I am.
I want you to.
I want you to get to the placewhere you say I am confident, I
am powerful, I am highlysuccessful, I'm highly
resourceful.
Right, go, make one powerfulmoney decision and keep showing
(14:08):
up like the CEO that you are.
I'm rooting for you.
I'll see you in the nextepisode.
I would love it if you wouldleave a review for this podcast.
It helps the show grow and Ilove hearing from you.
And if this episode resonatedwith you and you have a business
bestie who is also avoiding hermoney, will you share this
episode with her?
My mission is to help morefemale entrepreneurs feel safe
(14:32):
and empowered with their money.
Okay, I'll see you in the nextepisode.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Cold Case Files: Miami
Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides. Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.