288: From Pain to Purpose: Building Whole Health Wealth with Matt Paradise
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288: From Pain to Purpose: Building Whole Health Wealth with Matt Paradise
Some conversations stay with you long after they end. This one did.
In this episode of Work from the Inside Out, I had the privilege of speaking with Matt Paradise, whose life story is a profound reminder that transformation doesn’t begin with a spreadsheet, a promotion, or a five-year plan. It begins with hope. Matt’s journey took him from teenage homelessness and addiction to sobriety, mentorship, and eventually a 20-year career helping others navigate financial stress with compassion and clarity.
What struck me most was Matt’s insight that money is rarely just about numbers. Financial distress often reflects deeper struggles: identity, self-worth, fear, and unexamined beliefs. In his years of counseling, Matt saw how debt, overspending, and financial infidelity were symptoms of unmet emotional and psychological needs. Real change, he explains, requires intrinsic motivation: the inner belief that your life can be different.
Matt’s story deepens even further when he shares his experience being diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and life-threatening cancer. Faced with uncertainty, repeated hospitalizations, and eventually a liver transplant, Matt was forced to confront what truly mattered. Health, family, purpose, and the realization that financial security alone does not equal wellbeing.
During his recovery, Matt wrote Financially Capable: A Friendly Guide to Building Whole Health Wealth. The book reflects his expanded framework for wellbeing, one that integrates physical health, emotional resilience, relationships, purpose, and money. It’s practical without being prescriptive, compassionate without being abstract, and deeply human.
If there’s one message Matt leaves us with, it’s this: You are enough. You don’t need permission to take the next step. Progress begins with knowledge, action, discipline, habit, and eventually, a life that supports who you’re becoming. This episode is a powerful reminder that working from the inside out isn’t optional; it’s essential.
In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, learn more about:
Why financial stress is rarely just about money
The difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
How addiction, debt, and overwork share common emotional roots
What it means to build Whole Health Wealth
The role of mentorship in personal and professional transformation
How serious illness can clarify purpose and priorities
Why “done is better than perfect” when life is uncertain
A practical five-step framework for meaningful change
Reframing “have to” into “get to”
Why hope matters—even when it’s not a strategy
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About Tammy, host of
Work from the inside out
Before launching my coaching practice, I worked in mental health, higher education, public policy, and fundraising. Those experiences showed me how deeply our work shapes our sense of purpose—and now I help clients navigate change and growth so they can feel more fulfilled and aligned in what they do