In many Indigenous traditions, medicine is more than a remedy, it is a source of balance, healing, and connection. A newly released resource embraces this perspective, reframing financial wellness as an essential part of community health and resilience.
Created by teacher and writer Simon Brascoupé from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, in collaboration with AFOA Canada and Prosper Canada, Braiding Mind, Body, and Spirit: A Financial Wellness Bundle suggests we can reframe money as a tool for healing.
"The idea for the financial wellness bundle started in a very personal way,” says Brascoupé. “I kept thinking about traditional bundles, how they carry medicine, sacred items, and teachings. What if there was a financial resource that worked the same way?”
“Something you carry with you, not just for budgeting tips, but for healing, balance, and vision,” he says. “A bundle that holds teachings from our Elders, cultural values, and practical tools for handling money, especially during big life moments, like receiving a settlement payment.”
That’s what Braiding Mind, Body and Spirit became.
Challenging the western idea of financial education
Instead of making the financial bundle about numbers, Simon and his co-creators made it about values.
"In communities, I heard stories of hope and stress, of people dreaming about opening businesses, going back to school, helping family, but also feeling unsure of how to manage sudden wealth,” says Brascoupe.
They wove those teachings into the bundle, understanding that this was more than just another financial guide, it held deeper meaning.
“We used the Medicine Wheel. We included space for storytelling. We brought in ideas like gratitude, observation and sharing,” says Brascoupé. “Those teachings show up in activities, like drawing your money goals, or reflecting on how saving money is like preparing for winter.”
While traditional western financial advice looks to budgets, spreadsheets and spending trackers as the ultimate money management tools, this bundle skips the prescriptive list in favour of asking more thoughtful, heart-centered questions, like:
‘What does your heart tell you?’
‘How can your money support your community?’
‘What teachings have your grandparents shared about giving and receiving?’
“Money isn’t separate from the rest of your life,” says Brascoupé. “It’s deeply connected - to relationships, wellness, and healing.”
Working with frontline workers, community members, and people who had received settlement payments helped shape the direction of the bundle.
“What they wanted was clear” says Brascoupé: “Simple tools. Plain language. Cultural grounding. And flexibility. Something they could use in a workshop or just sitting around the kitchen table.”
Many ways to use the bundle
The bundle was created to be as flexible as the lives and traditions it serves. It’s not a one-size-fits-all manual, but rather an invitation for people to make it their own. “Some people might use it as a journal. Others might gather their family and talk about how to share or save settlement money. Some might use it with youth groups, or with Elders,” says Brascoupé. This adaptability means the bundle can live in kitchens, community centres, or quiet personal spaces, wherever it feels most at home. “It’s a tool you can come back to over time, like returning to the land in different seasons,” he says. Just as the land changes, so too do our financial needs and perspectives, making the bundle a lifelong companion.
The gift of confidence
At its heart, the bundle is about more than learning how to handle money, it’s about building the inner strength to use it with purpose. “If I could name one outcome, it would be confidence,” says Brascoupé. “Confidence to make money decisions that align with your values. Confidence to say no to scams. Confidence to share your dreams and build intergenerational strength.” That sense of confidence is deeply tied to self-determination. “This isn’t just about dollars, it’s about freedom and sovereignty. Freedom to follow your own dreams.” The resource encourages people to define success in their own terms, and to see financial wellness as part of living in alignment with their culture, values, and aspirations.
Starting your own bundle
For those new to the idea of creating a financial bundle, the process doesn’t have to be overwhelming. “If you’re thinking about making your own bundle, start small. Write down a teaching from an Elder,” says Brascoupé . “Like save for the winter. Draw your money goals. Talk to someone you trust.” The power of the bundle lies in its ability to grow and evolve alongside the person who holds it. “Your financial bundle should reflect your journey. It should be something that grows with you.” Over time, each addition, whether it’s a story, a goal, or a teaching—adds another layer of meaning and strength.
A tool for healing
When approached with care, money can be more than a means to an end, it can be part of restoring balance. “When we use money in ways that support balance, community, and future generations, it becomes a tool for healing,” says Brascoupé. For some, that healing is tied closely to their most sacred items and values. “I keep a bundle with a few things: my prayers, my grandmothers teachings, medicine, my life goals and hopes for my children and grandchildren.” Every time the bundle is opened, it serves as a reminder: “It reminds me of who I am, my responsibilities, and who I’m accountable to.”
For Brascoupe, working on this project has been transformative. “This work has changed me. I used to think financial literacy was all about being smart with money. But now I see it as healing. Grieving the past. Forgiving ourselves. And making new choices that support our future: mind, body, and spirit.” The resource challenges the idea that money is only about transactions. Instead, it carries a teaching that shifts the conversation entirely: “If I could share one item from my own financial bundle, it would be this teaching: Money is medicine.”
Braiding Mind, Body and Spirit: A Financial Wellness Bundle, was made possible thanks to our funders, the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) and Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA).