From Marine to Monk to Money Manager
Doug Lynam’s life story reads like a remarkable novel—one that defies every career counselor’s advice. After graduating at the top of his Marine Corps Officer Candidate School class, Doug made what most would consider a radical left turn: he became a Benedictine monk. For twenty years, he lived in a monastic community while simultaneously serving as Math Department Chair at a prestigious private school.
Armed with a degree from St. John’s College (the renowned “Great Books” school in Santa Fe), Doug brings philosophical depth and intellectual rigor to the often-overwhelming world of personal finance. His unique background—combining Marine Corps discipline, monastic mindfulness, mathematical precision, and financial expertise—creates a speaking experience unlike any other.
When Doug left monastic life in 2017, he joined LongView Asset Management, a sustainability-focused B Corp, where he became a partner and helped grow the firm to $260 million in assets. Today, he’s a sought-after authority on conscious wealth creation, guiding everyone from Hollywood luminaries to impact-driven organizations.
Doug’s insights have been featured in The New York Times, The Street, and CNBC. His first book, From Monk to Money Manager: A Former Monk’s Financial Guide to Becoming a Little Bit Wealthy—and Why That’s Okay, became a transformational guide for thousands seeking to reimagine their relationship with wealth. His latest book, Tame Your Money Monster: Nine Paths to Money Mastery with the Enneagram, revolutionizes financial psychology by combining ancient wisdom with modern behavioral insights.
His remarkable journey has opened extraordinary doors, including a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2022—proving that sometimes the most unconventional paths lead to the most meaningful destinations.
As a speaker, Doug masterfully blends monastic mindfulness with financial expertise and engaging humor, transforming complex concepts into accessible wisdom. Whether addressing corporate leadership teams, financial professionals, or individuals seeking financial freedom, Doug delivers practical strategies wrapped in profound insights about money, meaning, and purpose.
Doug believes we vote with our money, and every financial decision signals where we want our world to go. His mission is simple: help people become conscious creators of wealth while making the world a better place—one financial decision at a time.
Doug promises his presentations contain zero financial jargon that requires a dictionary, though he can’t guarantee you won’t occasionally laugh so hard you snort. Consider yourself warned.
Taming Your Money Monster: Nine Paths to Money Mastery with the Enneagram
This groundbreaking presentation merges ancient personality wisdom with modern financial strategy, revealing why traditional budgeting advice fails and personality-driven solutions succeed. Drawing from unique experience as both Benedictine monk and Wall Street money manager, participants discover how their Enneagram type creates predictable financial self-sabotage patterns. The session identifies each type’s specific “money monsters”—unconscious behaviors stemming from childhood wounds that derail financial goals—and provides personalized pathways to transform these weaknesses into wealth-building strengths. Participants learn to heal the psychological roots of money dysfunction, moving beyond surface-level financial tips to address the deeper trauma-money connection that drives destructive patterns.