# BONUS EP - RM Chantal with Katie & Matthew | Series 4 Ep 36

An episode of [Money Mentor Podcast™](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1632604767), 1 May 2026, 17 min.

Audio: https://episode.flightcast.com/vg0oz2oqbptti87weypxuquj.mp3

In this episode, Chantal sits down with Katie and Matthew to break down how they took full ownership of their financial journey and elevated their results to the next level. From early on, they stood out for their work ethic, xbut the real shift came when they committed fully to the process and tookcontrol of their outcomes. Through structure, regular check-ins, and clear weekly planning, they built strong accountability and stayed focused on their goals. A key turning point was leaning into challenges and cutting back on unnecessary spending, proving that small, consistent decisions compound into massive results. They made sacrifices along the way, reducing lifestyle spending and delaying short term reward but stayed focused on the bigger picture. Their progress has been driven by discipline, mindset, and a willingness to do what most won’t. Their message is simple: take ownership, stay consistent, and trust the process, the results will follow. 👉 Watch the free webinar to start your journey: https://bit.ly/43V2jKN

## Transcript

[0:00] A lot of people don't have that education of knowing that.
[0:04] People just think they're going to keep that home loan for 30 years and they just keep doing the same thing.
[0:09] Where we were fortunate enough to, you know, if you do this and you do this right, look at the outcome.
[0:15] And we've done it.
[0:16] Yeah, it was hard, but...
[0:18] We just pushed and pushed.
[0:20] Money is the root of all evil.
[0:22] The fucking lack of it is.
[0:23] Not money.
[0:24] The lack of understanding money.
[0:26] When I put that into emphasis, when I realized our psychological effect and how it hit our family, I have to be in the fucking way.
[0:32] You are now watching the money made to a podcast with Graham Holm.
[0:35] Graham Holm.
[0:36] Graham Holm.
[0:37] Graham Holm.
[0:38] You're fucking gone.
[0:41] See ya.
[0:42] Hi, Infinity fam.
[0:43] I am Chantal, team leader of the Relationship Managers here, and I have got some very special people here.
[0:49] This is Katie and Matt.
[0:51] Say hi, guys.
[0:51] Tell us where you're from and how long you've been with Infinity.
[0:55] Hi, Infinity family.
[0:57] I'm Katie.
[0:58] This is Matt.
[0:59] I'm Matt.
[1:00] We have been with Infinity since May of 2023.
[1:03] Very excited to have been on the journey now for almost three years.
[1:09] That time has certainly flown by very, very quickly.
[1:13] But we're from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales.
[1:15] Fantastic.
[1:16] So how's it all going?
[1:19] Pretty good.
[1:19] Pretty good, yeah.
[1:20] Understatement, guys.
[1:21] That's an understatement.
[1:22] Yeah.
[1:23] Really good.
[1:24] Really good.
[1:25] Excellent.
[1:27] We'll jump into that in a second.
[1:28] But I met you guys back in 2024 sometime.
[1:31] I took over as your relationship manager.
[1:34] And the minute I met you and you outlined your progress and what you were doing and how hard you were working, I was like, wow.
[1:41] Wow.
[1:42] These guys are doing fantastic, but you had taken it to another level.
[1:48] You really, the thing that resonated for me was that you took ownership.
[1:52] This is your journey.
[1:54] This is, you guys are driving it.
[1:56] How did you get to that mindset?
[1:58] Mm-hmm.
[2:00] I think from where we've come from, not having a lot of structure, and once we had a goal, we just wanted to get there as a result, drive it home as quick as we could, couldn't we?
[2:14] And I think too, you know, we've always been, I suppose, money savvy, if we can put it, you know, in those terms.
[2:23] So from a mindset perspective, it was...
[2:25] you know, a reasonably easy transition, I guess, for us.
[2:29] You know, we had always been pretty conservative and careful with budget.
[2:34] So I guess the most important thing that we knew that we needed to apply is the discipline.
[2:41] You know, you can't just float along, you know, in this particular journey without the hard work and the discipline.
[2:47] There is no magic wand.
[2:49] You know, it is important just to
[2:51] I guess for people to know that, that it is about really knuckling down, you know, working hard.
[2:57] What things did you do to accelerate what we put out the roadmap for you?
[3:03] Because I just had a quick look and you should have paid your home off in two years and two months, which was already an incredible achievement.
[3:11] You did that in 18 months because you were challenged.
[3:14] We'll get into that.
[3:15] That was part of it.
[3:17] But what other little things did you do above and beyond?
[3:22] We didn't have a lot of – we only really had one asset, which was the boat, something that I kind of built over the last few years and I kind of wanted to hang on to it as a family thing that we would do.
[3:36] But to see the bigger picture overall was to cut ties with it.
[3:40] Eventually made the decision and we decided to sell it and we put that towards achieving the goal.
[3:47] Yeah.
[3:48] The other thing that we did was we worked on the RFFF.
[3:54] We sort of started at 770, that sort of decreased to 700, another decrease at 650, and then when we were issued a challenge from G, we actually decreased that to 600.
[4:06] Yeah, I mean, look, everyone knows the increased cost of everything, food and fuel and all of the things.
[4:14] But I think...
[4:16] being really mindful of, you know, challenging ourself around doing that every week.
[4:20] You know, it was that, I suppose, little accomplishment.
[4:23] You know, wasn't that where we came very close to sometimes, but yeah, under budget for most weeks.
[4:30] So I guess being really mindful of, you know, who needed to do most travel that week.
[4:36] You know, which car do we sort of prioritise in terms of, you know, filling up?
[4:39] We would have regular chats during the week.
[4:43] of what's going on, where we're at, how much we're going to need to spend, just so we could be on the same page and not go over that.
[4:50] Well, that's clarity, isn't it?
[4:52] Yeah.
[4:52] It's a really clear picture of what you need for the week and how you're going to make that work.
[4:58] That's really impressive, guys, because some people would just go and tap and overdraw and then transfer more money if need be.
[5:05] So, you know, to be able to be disciplined, as you said, which is a really key word, is very impressive.
[5:11] Yeah.
[5:13] So the challenge, explain to anyone watching what happened.
[5:18] We got you on our MAM, which is our monthly accountability meeting.
[5:21] I think it was October 2024 and you were having a bit of a chat with G and what did he say?
[5:28] Look, he was pretty impressed with what we had done so far since joining Infinity and issued the challenge that, you know, could we pay the remainder of our mortgage in a 12-month period?
[5:41] We'd already paid off about $180,000 up to that particular point.
[5:46] And he said, well, you know, is there a chance that you could keep going, you know, with that momentum and, yeah, finish off that mortgage in 12 months?
[5:55] So that was around $170,000.
[5:57] Um, we gladly accepted the challenge.
[6:00] We were a little bit, I'm short.
[6:01] A bit hesitant, but you're like, oh, can we actually get there?
[6:04] Um, but yeah, with really knuckling down.
[6:10] And the outcome of the challenge is obviously that you would pay out your home loan, but there was a sweetener.
[6:15] There was two sweeteners.
[6:16] Two sweeteners.
[6:17] Yeah, what was ours?
[6:19] So the first one was that he spoke about giving us $5,000 as a personal gift for that, which we were just incredibly blown away by.
[6:29] And I guess probably more importantly for us was the second part of that, which was that he would donate $10,000 to a charity of our choice.
[6:39] Yeah.
[6:40] So we donated the $10,000 to the Jane McGrath Foundation?
[6:45] Spoiler alert, you smashed the gold, didn't you?
[6:47] We did.
[6:49] We did, yeah.
[6:50] No, that's fantastic.
[6:51] And what a, I mean, what a fantastic feeling it must be for you to be able to do that.
[6:58] You would have made sacrifices along the way, but ultimately you paid out your home loan.
[7:02] You got $5,000.
[7:03] Cool.
[7:03] That's great.
[7:04] Yeah.
[7:04] But to be able to put money towards something that's really special for you or a charity.
[7:09] Yeah.
[7:10] He's got a big heart, but you guys would have dug deep.
[7:13] We did.
[7:14] Yeah.
[7:14] I told you I was going to bring it up.
[7:16] Tell us the fry pan story.
[7:17] I told you.
[7:19] This all sort of comes under the umbrella of compromise and sacrifice.
[7:24] We've made it a new fry pan for a little bit of time now.
[7:28] For that period, for that whole year where we were trying to save, we got a fry pan at home that we use.
[7:36] We needed to replace.
[7:37] We needed to replace.
[7:37] It was getting a little bit old.
[7:40] But you were refusing to.
[7:41] We were refusing to just, you know, spend money on things that realistically we just could work around.
[7:46] And I think that was a really important part, you know, for us is that, you know, if we could find a different way of making something work without necessarily having to spend the money at the time because we were so focused on the goal of what we wanted to achieve, then we found that way, didn't we?
[8:00] It's something else.
[8:00] Yeah.
[8:01] And a lot of people would think, oh, it's a frying pan.
[8:03] I could just go and get another one.
[8:05] But I guess you looked at that as it's a stepping stone and it's not getting me closer.
[8:10] Yeah, not yet.
[8:11] It'll come later on.
[8:12] Yeah.
[8:12] And I think it was for us probably, I say, the principle of the matter.
[8:16] You know, we really embraced, you know, not just the challenge from G, but also, you know, the end goal and that particular target.
[8:24] So, yeah, there's all the small or what can be, you know, seen to be quite small parts in the meantime.
[8:31] But they all add up and that cumulative effect of what you say no to or what you compromise around.
[8:38] From a temporary perspective, we know that in time, you know, we'll get the fry pan and that's okay.
[8:45] Did you get the fry pan?
[8:46] Well, that's sort of an embarrassing story too.
[8:48] Oh, I haven't heard this one.
[8:50] What's going on with the fry pan?
[8:51] Look, we've searched for the fry pan that we've been looking for.
[8:55] We search for it and then we have something else come up and we're like, we'll come back to that.
[9:00] Yeah.
[9:00] I'm not sure that they make what we're looking for anymore.
[9:02] Anyway, it's not a big deal, but.
[9:03] It's on the way.
[9:04] Okay.
[9:06] Fantastic.
[9:07] So you had to work hard to get this challenge.
[9:11] You could have just given up and gone, hey, we're still going to be in a great position.
[9:15] Mm-hmm.
[9:17] Why didn't you?
[9:18] I mean, I think that's a great question, isn't it?
[9:20] I think probably, fortunately for us, we're pretty determined people.
[9:25] So I think that when we set our mind to something, you know, for us it can become a non-negotiable.
[9:32] There needs to be flexibility with that.
[9:34] And, of course, life, you know, throws, you know, lots of spanners in the work sometimes.
[9:38] But I think that determination and perseverance and really wanting to prove to ourselves that
[9:45] I think also the bigger picture, you know, small sacrifice now, long-term benefit of realising, you know.
[9:53] Paying the home loan off, 18 months.
[9:55] Yeah.
[9:56] And a lot of people don't have that education of knowing that, you know.
[10:01] People just think they're going to keep that home loan for 30 years and they just keep doing the same thing.
[10:06] Where we were fortunate enough to, you know, if you do this and you do this right, look at the outcome.
[10:12] And we've done it.
[10:14] Yeah, it was hard, but we just pushed and pushed.
[10:18] Well, you're now not three years, less than three years, two and a half years probably, in and three investment properties, paid off the home loan, really structured and purposeful with your money.
[10:33] So we'll be able to, I guess, continue that journey for you.
[10:37] I know we've got a settlement coming up soon and then we'll be able to look at what the next option is, which is super exciting.
[10:42] We have a
[10:43] chat offline a couple of minutes ago and onwards and upwards was your words.
[10:49] You don't want to stop.
[10:50] Yeah.
[10:51] And I think this is the, you know, building that foundation, you know, around what we have done in the last sort of couple of years and realising that you can do these types of things if you really, you know, put your mind to it, you know, don't really know what you're capable of, do you, until you actually just give it a go.
[11:07] Definitely.
[11:07] Say yes to those opportunities and, yeah, realise the potential.
[11:13] And so there hasn't been any family holidays for a while because you were very focused, but it's really, in the grand scheme of things, not a huge amount of time because you've got one booked.
[11:22] That's right.
[11:22] Yep.
[11:24] So it's a trade-off.
[11:25] I think everything you said there was so good.
[11:27] Temporary.
[11:28] We're making these temporary sacrifices.
[11:29] Temporary, yeah.
[11:31] And I think too, importantly, keeping our children in the loop around what we're doing and why, you know, to, I guess, you know, further their financial literacy and understanding and education around this, but also helping them to understand that, you know, there are really good reasons why you put the hard work in now, you know, and that is something I think that, you know, from a parenting perspective, we've always, you know, tried to instill, you know.
[11:55] I also think about Nick's spot, like,
[11:58] that encouraged them when we were going through the challenge.
[12:01] They got to the point where they seen how hard we were working.
[12:04] Um, and they started setting up a little stall out in front of our house, trying to sell cars.
[12:09] Bless them.
[12:10] And they were seeing the benefits from doing that because I think we're encouraging and inspiring them how to, this is, this is the way forward.
[12:18] Mm.
[12:18] Moving them away from that instant gratification really, isn't it?
[12:22] Yeah.
[12:23] There's reward in the hard work.
[12:25] Absolutely.
[12:26] And it doesn't have to be forever.
[12:27] That's right.
[12:28] Yeah.
[12:29] So, yeah, we did sacrifice a lot but I think now moving forward, as we said to G today, like you've got to find that balance of also having the downtime as well with the family and that's, yeah, we've got something booked in April coming up so that's going to be the, that's going to be the downtime for a bit.
[12:49] You deserve it.
[12:50] Absolutely.
[12:52] What would you say has been your best FFF tip?
[12:55] So you've reduced it from when you joined.
[12:59] What are you most proud of how you work your FFF?
[13:02] Shock around, I think.
[13:03] You know, I say time permitting.
[13:05] I know that time is precious, you know, for a lot of families.
[13:09] But really make an effort of, you know, incorporating that into, you know, your weekly routine with things.
[13:14] Yeah.
[13:15] Not just sort of going to the same place, buying the same things, you know, branching out and having some variety, you know, trying some different things.
[13:23] You know, shopping for, you know…
[13:25] specials and things like that.
[13:26] I know I love the clearance racks with things.
[13:30] Bargain, aren't I?
[13:30] Absolutely.
[13:31] Absolutely.
[13:32] Full of the chase.
[13:34] It is.
[13:34] Yeah, it is.
[13:36] So yeah, that is sort of something that we really embraced and sort of took it on as something that was exciting actually every week.
[13:42] So yeah.
[13:43] Yeah.
[13:44] Don't keep buying just the same stuff every week.
[13:48] Just, you know, we could do without this week.
[13:50] Mm.
[13:51] Yeah.
[13:51] But I think, you know, getting the kids involved as well around, you know, getting, I mean, kids have got a wonderful mind around creativity, you know, trying different things, I think.
[14:01] So that was really important, I think.
[14:02] Yeah.
[14:03] To take on board their suggestions.
[14:04] Yeah.
[14:04] Male pretz as well.
[14:05] Mm.
[14:06] Do stuff before.
[14:07] Like we said as well today, like we do a lot of sporting events of a weekend and a lot of the time we'll actually pack a bag with our food for the whole day because we might be there from, you know, seven in the morning till four.
[14:19] So.
[14:19] Yeah.
[14:20] I mean, it's not rocket science, is it?
[14:22] No, it's not.
[14:23] It's a little bit of effort, but you would save 50 bucks at least on a day like that.
[14:30] Easy.
[14:31] Absolutely.
[14:31] And that all adds up, as you were saying.
[14:33] It does.
[14:34] What advice would you have for anyone who might be thinking about joining or potentially someone who's like, oh, we're really comfortable.
[14:41] Maybe we're part of the program.
[14:42] We're just comfortable right now.
[14:45] What advice would you give them?
[14:48] Stretch yourself, you know, just do more than you think because you are capable of actually doing that.
[14:56] I think probably something importantly was, you know, not comparing yourself to other people, that everybody's, you know, experience and journey is individual, but trying to take something, you know, from other people's experience, you know, to help inspire your own.
[15:11] I love that.
[15:12] We do talk about that a lot as relationship managers with our client.
[15:15] Your journey is your journey.
[15:16] You can't compare.
[15:18] Which kind of leads me to something else we sort of talk about too.
[15:23] You guys have been with Infinity for a few years now and have had a couple of different relationship managers.
[15:29] But that hasn't slowed you.
[15:31] That hasn't changed your progress at all because you've had ownership of it.
[15:35] We're kind of here to give you the guardrails.
[15:38] and answer the questions.
[15:40] But you guys have driven that.
[15:41] And I think you're a fantastic example of what you can do when you really knuckle down and, you know, are clear in what you're going to do.
[15:51] just being on the same page with each other, knowing why, what you want to do, you know, look forward to things.
[16:00] Yeah.
[16:00] Just give it a go.
[16:01] Yeah.
[16:02] I think on some of those occasions where, you know, working really long hours and, you know, different shifts and all of these types of things, you get tired, you know, you get sometimes a little bit unsure about, you know, gosh, is this worth it?
[16:15] So I think...
[16:16] for us making sure that we communicated really regularly around, you know, building each other up and reminding each other of this is why we're doing this.
[16:24] Yep.
[16:24] This is the plan for the week.
[16:26] And we just kept moving forward with that.
[16:29] So was it worth it?
[16:30] Absolutely.
[16:31] Definitely.
[16:31] Absolutely.
[16:32] Yeah.
[16:32] We'll do it again in a heartbeat if we, if we needed to.
[16:34] Yeah.
[16:35] Well, I think there's still big things ahead for you guys.
[16:38] Your mindset is incredible.
[16:40] Thank you so much for your time and I look forward to hearing more about you.
[16:45] Did you ever think you'd be here doing podcasts with G?
[16:47] No, not at all.
[16:48] No.
[16:48] Did you think you'd be doing one with me?
[16:50] Not at all.
[16:50] No.
[16:52] Definitely not.
[16:53] Yeah.
[16:54] No, awesome.
[16:54] Thank you so much for joining and thank you so much for your story.
[16:57] I really think it'll help people and I'm really glad that you got to come and share it.
[17:01] Thank you.
[17:01] Thank you guys.
[17:02] Thank you for the opportunity.
[17:02] Thank you.
[17:03] Thank you.

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