How to Escape the Money Hamster Wheel and Build Real Wealth: Lessons from Krisstina Wise

Do you ever feel like you're stuck on a hamster wheel, running as fast as you can but not really getting anywhere?

I know I’ve felt that way. I know you’ve felt that way. And so has Krisstina Wise, my guest on the last episode of Getting Real.

Krisstina Wise is a self-made millionaire, real estate mogul, and creator of the Wise Money Method. She's built several seven-figure businesses and coached high-income entrepreneurs on how to build true financial freedom. But, here's the thing—you don't get to that level of success without some serious bumps along the way.

In fact, as Krisstina shared with me, success is often much messier than it looks from the outside. She had it all—awards, fame, multimillion-dollar businesses—but there was something she was missing. Something huge.

Here’s what she taught me, and what you need to know, about building real wealth and escaping the never-ending grind:

1. The Path to Success Is Anything but Straight

Krisstina dropped a truth bomb right from the start: “People will envy where you are, but they don’t envy how you got there.”

Isn’t that the truth?

From the outside, people saw her success—the accolades, the big stage appearances, the financial abundance. But what they didn’t see were the dark nights of the soul, the sleepless nights, and the moment when her body literally shut down because she had pushed herself too far.

Krisstina was living what looked like the dream, but she wasn’t fulfilled. She was stuck on a hamster wheel of chasing the next success, the next dollar, the next thing she thought would finally make her feel “enough.”

2. Wealth Is More than Just Money

Here’s the kicker: No matter how much money you make, if you’re only chasing bigger paychecks and shinier things, you’re never going to feel wealthy.

Wealth, Krisstina says, is “the money you haven’t spent yet.”

Let that sink in for a second.

It's not about the car you drive or the house you live in. It's about what you've built—the assets, the investments, and most importantly, the health and well-being that money can’t buy.

Krisstina’s story hit hard when she shared how she went from the top of her career to being completely bedridden in a matter of days. Her body gave out after years of overworking, pushing herself to the limit, and ignoring the signals that something was wrong.

She said:
“I had all the fame, I had the multimillion-dollar business, I had the picture-perfect life. But on the inside, it was a complete shit show.”

That’s when she realized: True wealth includes your health. If you don’t have that, no amount of money in the world will make up for it.

This is why in the Millionaire Real Estate Investor Goddess Program we don’t just measure your net worth growth and income received as a indicator of success.  We also measure Joy and Pleasure in each of your major life areas.  If your net worth has hit 7-figures and beyond, but your relationships, health, and general sense of well-being are terrible, that is NOT wealth. 

3. How to Break Free from the Hamster Wheel

So, how do you get off that hamster wheel? How do you stop working just to pay last month’s bills and start creating true wealth and freedom?

Krisstina broke it down into a simple, actionable concept that changed everything for her: The 3 Buckets of Money.

Here’s how it works:

• Bucket 1: Earned Income – This is the money you make from your job, business, or hustle. It’s active income, and it requires your time and energy.
• Bucket 2: Household Money – This is the money you spend on your life—your bills, mortgage, groceries, and yes, even your Amazon Prime addiction. This bucket is all about managing your spending, because here’s the truth: If you don’t know how much money you need to live well (but within your means), you’ll always be chasing more.
• Bucket 3: Wealth Creation – This is where the magic happens. This is the money you invest in assets that grow and create passive income over time. Real estate, stocks, businesses—these are the things that will generate income without you having to trade your time for it.

Krisstina says that escaping the hamster wheel isn’t about making more money—it’s about managing what you have and investing wisely. “The only way out of the hamster wheel is to spend less than you make and invest the difference.”

Sound simple? It is, but it's not always easy. That’s where discipline, clear vision, and having expert support come into play.

At REI Goddesses, our focus is on helping you with that third bucket - creating wealth through real estate, which 90% of millionaires have used to grow their wealth. 

4. Know How Much Is Enough

One of the most eye-opening moments of our conversation was when Krisstina talked about the importance of knowing how much is enough.

If you don’t define what “enough” looks like for you—whether it’s money, success, or fulfillment—you’ll always be chasing more. And trust me, that chase will never end.

Krisstina put it like this:
“If you don’t know what ‘enough’ is, you’ll always be in the perpetual chase for more.”

Take a moment to ask yourself: What is enough for me? How much money do I need to live my good life? Not the life social media tells me I need, but the life that’s fulfilling, joyful, and meaningful to me.

5. Get Aligned with Your Partner

Krisstina also dropped some wisdom about how crucial it is to be aligned with your life partner when it comes to money. If you’re not on the same page financially, it can cause all kinds of stress—personally and financially.

And when you’re aligned? Man, the synergy is powerful.

She shared how one of her biggest lessons was realizing that “marriage and money go hand in hand.” A strong partnership, both in life and in finances, can amplify everything you’re trying to build.

Here’s the bottom line: Wealth isn’t about earning more—it’s about creating a life that feels rich in every sense of the word. It’s about defining what success looks like for you, managing your money wisely, and investing in things that will allow you to live a life of freedom and health.

As Krisstina says:
“The money will take care of itself when you take care of your life.”

If you're ready to stop running on that hamster wheel and start building real wealth, you have to listen to this episode [Click Here]. Krisstina Wise is living proof that you can have it all—without losing yourself in the process.