Our first ever in-person gathering

On Saturday 6th June, we held our first ever Wise Monkey social.

That might not sound particularly remarkable, but for me it felt like the culmination of something that had been building for years.

When I started Wise Monkey nearly 25 years ago, I simply wanted to create a different way of working with people around money. Back then, if you wanted to support people with their financial lives, the obvious route was financial advice. And while financial advice has an important role to play, the relationship was often shaped by what someone had available to invest. If there wasn’t money to invest, there wasn’t always an obvious place for that person to go.

I wanted something different - a way of working that was fully client-centred, where the focus wasn’t on products or investments, but on helping people navigate both the practical and emotional aspects of their financial lives. I looked around for an organisation that shared that ethos and couldn’t find one. So I built it.

At the time, I had no idea that this would eventually lead to training hundreds of people in financial coaching, or that a whole network of coaches, educators, facilitators, financial planners and money professionals would grow around those ideas.

Over the years, and particularly since moving our training online, something special has emerged. What started as a five-day face-to-face training evolved into an 11-week programme, opening the doors to people from across the UK and beyond. Alongside that, a thriving network began to grow through regular Community Conversations, professional development sessions, business development sessions, networking groups, mentoring and supervision.

Today, more than 250 people have trained with Wise Monkey - and most have never met in person. Which is why Saturday felt so important.

When the online community met in real life

The original plan was a rooftop social in London. Unfortunately, after a period of glorious sunshine, the weather had other ideas. Heavy rain meant we had to abandon the rooftop and move indoors at the last minute.

As it turned out, that more intimate setting was absolutely perfect.

Within minutes, the room was buzzing. People who had only ever seen each other on Zoom were chatting face to face. Coaches who completed their training years ago were sharing stories with those still on the programme. Familiar faces were reconnecting, new friendships were forming, and conversations were flowing freely.

What struck me most was how quickly everyone mixed. There wasn't a group of experienced coaches in one corner and newer ones in another. People moved naturally between conversations, sharing ideas, asking questions and supporting one another.

More than one way to use financial coaching

One of the joys of looking around the room was seeing the incredible variety of people who have come through the training.

Some have built successful financial coaching practices. Others have incorporated coaching into financial planning, accountancy or mortgage advice. Some are delivering workshops and financial education programmes. Others are using the skills in leadership roles, organisations, schools, community projects or alongside entirely different careers.

Many talked about how the training had influenced not just their work, but their relationships, confidence and everyday conversations. The coaching skills themselves may be the common thread, but the ways people use them are wonderfully diverse.

What connected everyone wasn't a particular job title or business model. It was a shared belief that conversations about money can be more human, more empowering and more effective.

The conversations that mattered

As the afternoon unfolded, conversations moved between client work, business development, workshop ideas, marketing challenges and personal experiences. People shared what was working well, but they also talked openly about the struggles - the uncertainty that can come with building a business, the challenges of finding clients, and the lessons learned from things that didn't go to plan.

There was an honesty and generosity in those conversations that felt incredibly refreshing. Nobody was trying to impress anyone. People were simply sharing what they knew and helping one another where they could.

Several people commented on how energising it felt to be in a room full of people who understood the work they do. I think that's why the atmosphere felt so special. There was a real sense of belonging. Not because everyone was the same, but because everyone shared a common purpose and a desire to help people have better conversations about money.

Why face-to-face still matters

Financial coaching can be a surprisingly lonely profession. Many coaches work alone and spend their days supporting other people. There isn't always a team around you, and there aren't many opportunities to think out loud with someone who truly understands the work.

I love our online sessions, and I'm genuinely grateful for the way technology allows us to connect people from across the UK and beyond. Without it, the network we've built simply wouldn't exist in the way it does today.

But there is still something different about being together in the same room. The conversations that happen between conversations. The unexpected introductions. The spontaneous moments you could never quite plan for. The sense of energy, belonging and possibility that comes from sharing physical space with other people.

Saturday was a wonderful reminder that while online connection is incredibly valuable, face-to-face connection has a magic of its own.

The real strength of Wise Monkey

As I left at the end of the afternoon, I felt enormously proud.

Not just because the event had been such a success, but because of the people in the room. Their warmth. Their openness. Their generosity. Their willingness to share ideas, support one another and celebrate each other's successes.

When I started Wise Monkey all those years ago, I was looking for something that didn't seem to exist.

On Saturday afternoon, standing in a room full of people sharing ideas, supporting one another, and united by a desire to help people have better relationships with money, I realised that not only had I found it - together we'd built it.

And that felt pretty special.

Thanks to everyone who came along for our first social. Judging by the number of conversations about when we're doing it again, I don't think this will be our last gathering.

If you've ever wondered whether financial coaching might be for you, we'd love to hear from you. Our next Financial Coach Practitioner Certificate begins in September.