The Number

The Number | Episode 3 — The One Number

Most people manage money reactively — checking their bank account after the fact and hoping it adds up. In this episode, Wendy and Kelsey dig into The One Number: Black Star Wealth's system for cutting through the noise of multiple accounts, competing priorities, and unconscious spending. They explain why a spending plan works better than a budget, how automating your fixed costs frees up mental energy, and how a single weekly number can give you both boundaries and permission — depending on what you need.

In This Episode
  • Why "spending plan" works better psychologically than "budget" — and how the framing changes your relationship with money
  • How The One Number works: automating fixed costs so you only need to track one weekly discretionary figure
  • Why the number resets every seven days, and why that matters when life goes sideways
  • How to use your weekly number to understand the real trade-off between paying down debt and maintaining your current lifestyle
  • Why this system helps both over-spenders and under-spenders — and how it removes the guilt from both sides

Featured Quote
"It's about how much can you spend on your discretionary things every week without worrying. Everything else works." — Wendy Brookhouse

About the Hosts
Wendy Brookhouse is the founder and chief strategist at Black Star Wealth and a Certified Financial Planner with over 20 years of independent advisory experience. She works with entrepreneurs and business owners to build financial clarity, business value, and wealth that lasts.
Kelsey MacAulay is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Relationship Officer at Black Star Wealth, and a Certified Exit Planning Advisor. He works with business owners on the operational and strategic side of building a business worth transitioning.

Resources & Links
  • The One Number — Black Star Wealth's system for simplifying spending and aligning money with your goals. Learn more at blackstarwealth.com

Connect With Black Star Wealth
  • Website: blackstarwealth.com
  • LinkedIn: Wendy Brookhouse | Kelsey MacAulay
  • Podcast: The Number — available on all major platforms
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Creators and Guests

Host
Kelsey MacAulay
When the Black Star team needs something done, they go to Kelsey! Wendy Brookhouse is his wife: when she has a new financial invention, Kelsey builds it and brings it to life - he does the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to!
Host
Wendy Brookhouse
The Financial Planner for ambitious growth oriented Entrepreneurs
Editor
Shaun Whynacht
I’m the founder of Blue Cow Marketing and father of an amazing little boy. helping other business owners overcome challenges is my passion.

What is The Number?

The Number is a business podcast about the numbers that actually run your business.

Each episode focuses on one number. Revenue, profit, cash flow, capacity, time, valuation, customer cost, risk, or exit readiness.

Hosted by Wendy Brookhouse, and often joined by Kelsey MacAulay, the show breaks down what that number means, why it matters, and how it should influence the decisions you make as an owner.

Some episodes feature guests. Some are honest conversations. Some are solo deep dives.

If you own a business and want better clarity, better decisions, and better outcomes, it starts with knowing your numbers.