Episode Details

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this special rebroadcast episode of The Money Healing Club podcast, Rachel Duncan is the guest on It's All Poetry, a podcast hosted by copywriter, poet, and self-described word nerd Nicole Cloutier that dedicates each episode to exploring exactly one word in depth. And the word they chose? Wealth. Together they dig into its etymology, its evolving definitions across centuries, and the deeply personal, often contradictory feelings it stirs up in all of us.

They explore the surprising gap between "rich" and "wealthy," why wealth can feel morally dangerous to want, how the Boomer vs. Millennial economic experience has quietly shaped what financial security even looks like today, and what it actually means to build slow money in a world obsessed with the quick win.

💬 "Wealth feels quieter. It feels like it's okay to want wealth where maybe it's not okay to want to be rich." — Nicole Cloutier

Key Takeaways

• The word wealth carries much more emotional and moral baggage than its dictionary definition, and unpacking that is the first step
• "Rich" is about perception and spending; "wealthy" is about lasting value that grows on its own
• The 4% rule and "Rule of 25" are powerful frameworks for understanding what a real retirement number actually looks like for YOU
• Fast money (cash flow) and slow money (investing) both matter and serve different purposes
• Many people unconsciously inherited the belief that wanting wealth is greedy or shameful
• The systemic advantages Boomers had (subsidized education, pensions, economic booms) are largely gone, and that context matters for how millennials build wealth today
• True wealth, at its core, is about safety: having your needs met and options available

About Nicole Cloutier: Nicole is a copywriter, poet, MFA graduate, and host of the It's All Poetry podcast, where each episode explores one word in depth with one guest. She's also the founder of Copy Poetics, a studio devoted to helping purpose-driven business owners find their voice and make money doing what they love.

⏰ EPISODE BREAKDOWN

00:00 | A Word That Changes Everything Rachel introduces this rebroadcast and shares why "wealth" is the concept she's had the biggest personal transformation around.

10:30 | Rich vs. Wealthy: What's the Real Difference? The two break down why "rich" feels flashy and short-term while "wealth" feels quiet and lasting, and what that says about how we really relate to money.

26:00 | The Boomer vs. Millennial Wealth Gap A frank conversation about how systemic support quietly built Boomer wealth and why the playbook simply doesn't work the same way anymore.

40:00 | What Do YOU Actually Want Wealth to Mean? Drawing from ancient Greek philosophy, etymology, and lived experience, Rachel and Nicole land on a definition of wealth rooted in safety, options, and value that grows on its own.

💌 Connect with Nicole

• Nicole Cloutier's website
• Nicole’s podcast - All that Poetry

📚 Resources Mentioned

• “Die Broke” by Stephen M. Pollan & Mark Levine

💬 Join the Conversation

What does the word wealth bring up for you: hope, guilt, confusion, something else? Rec