Narrator: In 2012, a pregnant Rachel Rodgers sat in a local bank, desperate. She was a new lawyer and entrepreneur, and a $5,000 check from her first corporate client had just arrived. She needed the funds immediately to secure a childcare spot for her daughter, but the bank manager informed her of a standard two-week hold on out-of-state checks. As the manager and another banker scrutinized her account history, a wave of shame washed over her. She felt judged, small, and powerless. In that moment of vulnerability, she made a vow: she would never again be in a position where someone else held that much control over her family’s future. That single, frustrating experience became the catalyst for a radical financial transformation.

This journey from precarity to power is the driving force behind her book, We Should All Be Millionaires. Rachel Rodgers argues that for women, building wealth is not a luxury or a selfish pursuit; it is a revolutionary act. The book presents a roadmap for women to gain economic power, dismantle limiting beliefs, and build lives of freedom, choice, and impact.

Narrator: At its core, the book reframes the pursuit of wealth from an act of personal accumulation to a mandate for social change. Rodgers argues that money is a primary source of power in modern society, and for women to have true autonomy and influence, they must have economic power. This isn't about buying luxury goods; it's about buying freedom—the freedom to leave a toxic job, escape an abusive relationship, support causes you believe in, and invest in your community.

To illustrate this, Rodgers points to the historical example of Madam C.J. Walker. Born to former slaves just after the Emancipation Proclamation, Walker faced unimaginable poverty, racism, and sexism. Yet, through sheer determination, she developed a line of haircare products for Black women and built a manufacturing empire. By 1919, she was America's first self-made female millionaire. But Walker didn't just build wealth for herself. She used her fortune to fund scholarships, support the NAACP, and empower thousands of Black women by training them as sales agents, giving them a path to their own financial independence. Her story serves as the book's North Star, demonstrating that wealth, especially in the hands of women, can be a powerful tool for uplifting entire communities and demanding societal respect.

Narrator: Before women can build wealth, Rodgers contends they must first excavate and rewrite the limiting beliefs that keep them in a self-imposed "financial prison." These "Broke Ass Thoughts" are the internalized narratives that say, "I'm not good with money," "It's selfish to want more," or "I could never earn that much." These stories are often shaped by childhood experiences and reinforced by a society that bombards women with messages of scarcity and financial incompetence.

Rodgers shares her own story of growing up in a lower-middle-class family that experienced a brief period of abundance followed by a sudden collapse into financial hardship. That experience of losing everything instilled a deep-seated fear of instability that followed her even after she became successful. The book introduces "thought work" as the key to escaping this prison. It’s a practice of consciously identifying a negative thought, understanding its origins, and actively replacing it with an empowering "Million Dollar Thought." For example, replacing "The world is unfair, and I'll never get ahead" with "The world is unfair, and I’m going to be a millionaire to make it a better place." This internal shift is presented as the non-negotiable first step to changing one's external financial reality.

Narrator: Every day is a series of choices, and Rodgers categorizes them into two types: Broke Ass Decisions (BADs) and Million Dollar Decisions (MDDs). A Broke Ass Decision is one that depletes your time, energy, and mental space, leaving you feeling trapped and insecure. A Million Dollar Decision, in contrast, creates more time, energy, and options, making you feel powerful and free.

To make this concept concrete, the book presents the tale of two women: "Broke Boo" and "Rich Boo." Broke Boo earns a decent salary but is constantly overworked and stressed. She says yes to a promotion without a raise, spends her free time helping her boyfriend with his real estate side hustle instead of her own, and prioritizes everyone else's needs above her own. She is making Broke Ass Decisions. Rich Boo, on the other hand, negotiates a higher salary, hires a dog walker to free up time for the gym, and charges top dollar for her coaching services. She is making Million Dollar Decisions that compound over time, leading to greater wealth and well-being. The story illustrates that the path to becoming a millionaire is paved not by one giant leap, but by a consistent series of small, strategic choices that prioritize one's own growth and freedom.

Narrator: Rodgers argues that women are often conditioned to give away their power by failing to set and enforce boundaries. This is especially true at home, where many women perform a "second shift" of unpaid domestic and emotional labor, and at work, where they may tolerate disrespect or unfair compensation. The book posits that setting boundaries is not about being mean or controlling others; it is a radical act of saying "yes" to yourself.

A Million Dollar Boundary protects your most valuable assets: your time, energy, and well-being. The book shares the story of Kendra, who works a full-time job with a long commute, only to come home and be expected to cook dinner while her husband, Jack, relaxes. Kendra is exhausted and unfulfilled because she has not set a boundary around the division of household labor. Rodgers uses this common scenario, backed by data on the "second shift," to show how a lack of boundaries directly leads to burnout and prevents women from investing time in their own goals. Enforcing boundaries—whether it's negotiating a fair division of chores, leaving work on time, or saying no to requests that drain you—is framed as a critical investment in your own capacity to earn and thrive.

Narrator: The myth of the lone genius or the self-made solopreneur is one of the most damaging lies preventing women from scaling their success. Rodgers is adamant that you cannot and should not do it all alone. Building wealth requires building a team, both at home and at work. This starts with what she calls a "Million Dollar Squad"—a community of ambitious, supportive peers who challenge and inspire you.

Beyond a squad, the book makes a powerful case for hiring help. Rodgers tells the story of how she and her husband constantly argued over who would cook dinner until they finally hired a chef. The investment immediately eliminated a major source of stress, freed up mental energy, and allowed her to focus on growing her business, which ultimately expanded far more than the cost of the chef. Similarly, she tells the story of Shandra, a photographer who hired two part-time personal assistants. This freed her up to launch a new coaching business that quickly generated an additional $20,000 per month. The message is clear: delegating is not a luxury for the rich; it is a necessary strategy to become rich.

Narrator: One of the most significant financial mistakes women make is undercharging for their services. This often stems from imposter syndrome and the habit of pricing based on hours worked rather than the value delivered. Rodgers urges a fundamental shift to value-based pricing.

The book tells the cautionary tale of a freelance copywriter hired to write ten email newsletters. Thinking it would only take about ten hours, she quoted a price of $1,000. The company jubilantly agreed. Those ten emails went on to generate $300,000 in sales. The copywriter delivered immense value but captured almost none of it. She could have charged $10,000, and it still would have been an excellent investment for the client. This story powerfully illustrates the book's central pricing philosophy: stop thinking about what your time is worth and start calculating the value of the results you deliver for your clients. Doubling your prices is presented not as a greedy move, but as an act of claiming your rightful share of the value you create in the world.

Narrator: The single most important takeaway from We Should All Be Millionaires is that for women, the pursuit of wealth is an act of liberation. It is about fundamentally shifting from a mindset of scarcity, saving, and shrinking to one of abundance, earning, and expanding. Rachel Rodgers dismantles the traditional, often condescending, financial advice given to women and replaces it with an audacious call to action: earn more money. This is not just for personal gain, but because when women have more money, they have more power to shape their lives, support their families, and create a more equitable world.

The book’s most challenging idea is that the greatest barriers to wealth are not just systemic, but internal. It forces a confrontation with the "Million Dollar Lies" we have been told and the "Broke Ass Stories" we tell ourselves. It leaves you with a practical and profound challenge: identify the one area in your life where you are settling for less than you deserve, and ask yourself, what would the Million Dollar version of this choice look like?