Agency and Autonomy, with Marit Bakken

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Marit Bakken. Marit grew up in Norway where her grandparents had a little farm. For them, money was bartering arrangements with neighbors. As Marit says, they’d pay half a pig to have someone slay their field for a month. Money was tight and the family had to work really hard. When she was twelve years old, her grandfather died. Shortly afterwards, Marit walked into a room and saw her mother and grandmother sitting on the floor, counting money, and crying. They had discovered a hidden stash of cash. The tears were filled with both anger, because that money could have made a difference to the family sooner, and joy because the extra money would help. Marit describes this as a pivotal moment. Seeing two generations of women, crying on the floor because the male head of the family had held this from them, set Marit on a path of agency and autonomy toward her own financial future. Marit has worked in communication most of her professional life. She was the Co-Founder of a strategic communications and public relations company, which was recognized as one of the Bay Area’s fastest-growing private companies and largest women-owned public relations company. Today, Marit is the Founder of 360 Relationship, where she is a highly regarded relationship and co-parenting therapist, and divorce mediator. She works closely with family law attorneys and financial advisors to, regardless of circumstances, ensure that people thrive in their lives and relationships.