By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Better understand why financial knowledge alone often fails to create behavior change
• Recognize the role of ambivalence and readiness in financial decision-making
• Gain a foundational understanding of Motivational Interviewing
• Learn a new framework for thinking about financial behavior change
• Be introduced to a more collaborative, person-centered approach to financial conversations
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Module 1: Why Financial Knowledge Alone Often Fails

Gain a deeper understanding of why people struggle to follow through on financial goals despite good intentions.

Topics include:

• Why financial behavior is not simply a knowledge problem
• Common reasons people struggle to follow through
• The role of stress, scarcity, emotions, confidence, and competing priorities in financial decision-making
• Why information and advice alone often fail to create lasting change

Module 2: Understanding Ambivalence and Readiness for Change

Explore why people often feel “stuck” and how readiness influences financial behavior change.

Topics include:

• What ambivalence is and why it matters
• Why people can want change and resist it at the same time
• An introduction to the Stages of Change model
• Understanding readiness and motivation for change

Module 3: Introduction to Motivational Interviewing for Financial Empowerment

Learn the foundational mindset behind Motivational Interviewing and why it is increasingly relevant in financial empowerment settings.

Topics include:

• What Motivational Interviewing is (and is not)
• The spirit of MI:
• Partnership
• Acceptance
• Compassion
• Empowerment
• An overview of the Four Processes of Motivational Interviewing:
• Engaging
• Focusing
• Evoking
• Planning

Module 4: A Different Kind of Financial Conversation

See how communication style can influence motivation and follow-through.

Participants will observe a brief demonstration of an MI-informed financial conversation and compare it with a more traditional advice-giving approach.

June 27, 2026, Saturday

9:00-11:30 AM, Philippine time.

Php 1,800 per person.

For in-person group trainings, please send us an email at [email protected]

Ivy Llena, Founder and Principal, MIFE

Ivy Llena is the Founder and Principal of the MI Institute for Financial Empowerment (MIFE).  She began her economic and financial empowerment work at the Eleison Foundation, where she co-designed financial education curricula, counseling and coaching programs, and a matched-savings initiative for survivors of human trafficking and their families. During this time, she also co-pioneered the contextualization of Motivational Interviewing for Filipino cultural norms, adapting MI practice to local values, social dynamics, and lived realities.

Read more about Ivy