Hello visitor! My name is Samantha Sparkes and I am a Prosperity Coach for Self-employed professional women

I started coaching in 2008, working mainly with talented women in corporate roles who were carrying high expectations, emotional load, self-doubt, overwhelm and burnout. We worked on resilience, emotional intelligence, communication and how to navigate demanding workplaces with more confidence.

Over time, I noticed something consistent. No matter how capable these women were, many were quietly struggling with money. Not because they were careless or irresponsible, but because money touched every vulnerable part of life: identity, security, caregiving, old messages, pressure and fear. I realised I had a natural affinity for this work. What felt manageable to me often felt tough, confusing or shame-filled for the women I supported. I began doing financial coaching informally, and those conversations were some of the most honest and emotionally charged of all.

What drew me in was not only the practical problem of lack of money, but the human one. Money affects how safe we feel, how much choice we believe we have, how we carry responsibility, what we tolerate, and what kind of future we imagine is possible. Money can either support a life of meaning and self-respect, or become a source of dread, pressure and disconnection. I wanted to work in that deeper territory, where practical change and inner change meet.

In 2021, after moving to Knysna, I began working more closely with self-employed women: healthcare professionals, estate agents, creatives, consultants and other service business owners. Many were doing meaningful work and earning their own income, yet living with seasonal cash flow, financial pressure, pricing fear and the loneliness of carrying so much on their own. On the surface they looked capable but underneath, many felt worried and ashamed of how chaotic money felt.

As I worked with more women, and through my assessment and interview research, four clear Money Strain Patterns began to emerge. Pleasing, Hustling, Avoiding and Scrambling are behaviours which emerged and are ways women often cope when money feels uncertain or overwhelming.

My work brings together money psychology, practical financial literacy, and a meaning-centred approach to change. We work on two things at the same time. Firstly, the emotional patterns and old messages that money triggers in you; and secondly, the financial systems, habits and routines that help you manage both business and personal money more wisely. The aim is not only to reduce stress, but to help you make financial choices that are more intentional, more sustainable, and more in service of the life you want to create.

I also create affordable tools and workbooks for South African women who work hard, carry a great deal, and want money to feel calmer. Every product I create is shaped by the real challenges I hear week after week: irregular income, pricing fear, money avoidance, overspending in the wrong places, weak boundaries, the pressure to overwork to feel safe, and the isolation of running a business without enough support. I test what I create with women in the same position and use their feedback to keep improving.

To support this work formally, I hold a Master’s degree in Industrial Psychology from Wits University; completed a twelve-month Financial Coaching programme through the University of the Free State; and trained as a Logotherapist (Educator) with the Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy South Africa where I am listed in the Directory of registered Logotherapists. These strands shape how I work: with respect for both the practical realities women face and the deeper human questions of meaning, responsibility, values and choice.

My aim is simple: to help women build a calmer and more confident relationship with money, without shame or judgement, and to support them in using money more consciously in service of a meaningful life and business.