debt

When my friend Jason Vitug asked me to speak for the Road to Financial Wellness, more than anything I wanted to say “No.”

I was full of excuses.

I don’t have experience as a speaker.

I’m too busy.

I’ve worked behind the scenes on the road, not in the spotlight.

Saying Yes

But I also didn’t want to be lame, so I said “Yes” instead. And I am so glad I worked through my fear and did it! I now want to pursue more speaking opportunities to share my story and inspire others to get out of debt.

Though I have a theatre background, I haven’t been in the spotlight with just me up there for more than a few minutes at a time, so this was definitely a bit out of my comfort zone.

But it was a great way to connect with others and tell my story in a new way. Also, it was like a homecoming.

Some of you may know that I’ve helped out with the Road to Financial Wellness for the past two years. I’ve been inspired by the mission and love helping Jason make this project happen. I helped organize the NYC event, the Chicago event and am planning the San Diego finale this week.

So it was a nice change to be on the other side of the stage. I am so grateful for this opportunity.

My friend Patrice Washington recorded me. It’s funny, I told her not to record it, because I was too scared. But since she knew it was my first public speaking gig she thought it would be good so I could get feedback. It’s nice when friends do what is best for you, even when you’re scared and just want to say no.

So, I’m getting out of my comfort zone even more and posted this on YouTube. We all have to start somewhere right? I hope you enjoy the video and it inspires you to get out of debt.

P.S. I’ll be in San Diego this week at FinCon. If you see me, say hi!

This blog post is part of the World Suicide Prevention Day blog tour. If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit www.Suicide.org

—-

“I don’t know how I can go on with all of this debt.”

“I’m worth more dead than I am alive.”

“I’m so stressed out, I’d rather die than deal with this debt.”

Over the past couple of years, I’ve received numerous emails from people searching “I want to kill myself because of debt” and finding my blog. Some I never hear from, some leave comments, and some send me emails.

I spent a portion of my vacation in Italy responding to someone who was getting hounded by creditors and wanted to absolve his family of the shame of being in debt. Last Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving I responded to more emails as well. During the holidays, I see a spike in traffic.

I answer every single email, no matter what day or time it is. It doesn’t get any easier to get these emails. My heart still hurts and I want to help. But why do I care? Because it’s personal.

My relationship with suicide

I will never meet my maternal grandfather. I know him vaguely through photos and stories, but mostly I know him because what he did.

He committed suicide when my mother was five years old, leaving my grandma alone to raise six kids. Though I am happy to report that my mother and her siblings have become happy, healthy adults, this one event is a stain on our family history.

There’s an emptiness. A hole. A branch of the family tree, abruptly cut off. We try to grow branches on our own, but come up short.

Aside from that, I had my own issues with suicide as a teenager. I was a depressed, awkward teenager and had trouble finding my place in the world. A puzzle piece that didn’t fit.

Through pills and razors, I flirted with ending it all. It would be easier that way. Or so I thought. One of the toughest conversations I’ve ever had was telling my parents how I felt. I could see the horror on my mom’s face, as she contemplated the potential of losing not only her father, but also her daughter to suicide.

I got the help I needed and got better. But even though I recovered from my suicidal feelings, depression has been a major character in the play of my life.

When I was deep in debt a few years ago, some of the thoughts came back. “It would be easier to end it all.”

Paying off debt felt so enormous. I felt trapped, stuck, and mostly ashamed of getting myself into this situation.

But I realized that killing myself over debt wasn’t worth it. It’s a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Back to counseling I went and ultimately I created a plan to get out of debt.

I started this blog as a lifeboat. I began to side hustle. I chose to believe that my only option was to get out of debt. And I made it happen.

What to do if you’re feeling suicidal because of debt

If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal because of debt, first let me tell you, you are not alone. You are not a loan. You are not crazy, you do not “deserve this” and you can overcome this.

I know how hopeless everything feels. The weight of debt is strong and the world looks bleak. Any ray of hope is hard to find. Your life feels like it’s controlled by something else. You feel an inner turmoil so deep, it’s hard to put into words.

But if you are really feeling hopeless because of debt, here’s what you can do:

1. Talk to your creditors. Can you lower your payments? Lower your interest rate? Go on temporary deferment? If your debt is causing you financial stress and you are unable to pay, talk to your creditors first.

2. Consider a debt management plan. There are nonprofit credit counseling agencies out there that can work with you to help you pay off debt. Make sure it’s a legit company. It could help.

3. Is bankruptcy or student loan forgiveness an option? I am NOT a financial planner, so I am not recommending these options but, they are something you should look into. I literally had someone tell me bankruptcy would be worse than death because of the shame. But I know several people who have filed bankruptcy, and they have moved on to have happy, productive lives. Your life isn’t over. Will it be tough? You bet. But it’s not over. Also, there are student loan forgiveness options for federal student loans through an income-driven plan or through Public Service Loan Forgiveness. If you have medical debt, call your lender and see if you can negotiate a payment plan or get some forgiven. As I mentioned in my book, I got an ER visit completely covered when I was uninsured.

4. Talk to a counselor. When I was deep in debt, finding myself in tears every day I went to therapy. There is NO shame in therapy. I honestly think everyone should go to therapy. Why? We all need a non-biased third party to help us see things differently. Our friends and family can help, but having someone else to talk to can offer a new perspective. I couldn’t afford traditional therapy, so I went to the local graduate school and got low-cost counseling. I was able to negotiate the sessions to $5 as I was on food stamps. Look for help at your church, graduate schools, community centers, and more.

5. Realize you are not your debt. For so long, I hated myself because of my debt. It represented all my mistakes. It represented the past that I was trying to move on from. The number consumed me with shame and guilt. Then one day, I realized I am not my debt. With or without debt, I am still a good person. It’s important to separate yourself and realize there’s more to life than this one number. And it’s important to enjoy your life now, even with debt on your shoulders.

“We have to connect with a new story and a new sense of self. We need to feel grounded in our life today, not waiting until the debt is paid off to start living.” says financial therapist Amanda Clayman.

Debt affects us in many ways — but it doesn’t have to be forever

Debt can feel all-consuming and take over our lives, affecting us in numerous ways.

“Living under the burden of debt affects us in numerous ways. We can break these down into regret, feeling trapped, and feeling like “our real life” is out of reach because of our financial obligations,” says Clayman.

It feels like we are working only to pay off debt, so what is the point? The point is to conquer debt and continue to live your life. Realize that life goes on and debt does not have to be forever. That with help, a plan, and a budget you can overcome this difficult period.

It’s important to remember, you are not alone. You are not a loan. Debt is NOT a death sentence.

Seek help, reach out, and don’t suffer in silence.

Resources:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Info about Debt Management Plans

Info about bankruptcy

Directory for low-cost counseling

Suicide Forum

For better or for worse, when it came to paying off debt, I was all in. Once I started this blog and publicly declared that I was going to get out of debt, I did everything in my power to make that a reality.

I started side hustling like crazy. I began to freelance, which later turned into my career. Once I doubled my income, I started throwing crazy amounts of money toward debt — $3,000 to $4,000 each month.

I saved a little, but not a lot. Just enough. I forgot about retirement. Didn’t invest. And now I’m 31-years-old and am effectively starting at square one.

It’s been five months since I paid off my debt and I should, in theory, have a lot of money to show for it. If I was putting that kind of money toward debt, wouldn’t I have close to $15,000 saved and invested now that my debt is out of the way?

I should, but I don’t.

I wish I could tell you that everything was balanced and I was able to stash cash like it was going out of style since becoming debt-free. But in my typical all-or-nothing personality, I decided to move to LA and go to Italy with my mom and write a book, all roughly at the same time. Not only that, but I got hit big time by Uncle Sam this tax season.

All of this money I thought I would have suddenly was tied up.

I had gone years without spending money on Big Life Changes and neglected every other area of my financial life in a single pursuit of becoming debt-free.

I know many of you were concerned with my strategy, and in my stubbornness, I ignored it…because I was going to be debt-free as soon as possible, no matter what.

And then, once my debt was paid off I changed everything. This has come at a cost that I’m realizing now, as I have barely anything to show for all of my hard work.

You may be wondering, how did this happen? Well, let’s review:

In January, a month after becoming debt-free, I technically “owed myself” because I had dipped into my tax savings account as well as emergency fund to pay off all my debt. On top of that, I owed a little more than I thought for quarterly taxes (because I’m self-employed), which set me back a little further. In short, I didn’t save much that month, because I had to replenish funds and pay the tax man.

February was a big month. I was actually able to save and invest $5,500 — $2,500 for investing, $1,000 in an emergency fund, $1,000 in an Italy fund and $1,000 for my moving fund. I felt proud. I felt rich, even.

Then March came, and it was hectic. Trying to move out-of-state is not cheap and definitely not fun. Towards the end of the month, when we were packing, our food bill got out of hand. At some point, you just sort of give up on cooking when you’re preparing to move and all of your stuff is in boxes.

The move itself wasn’t cheap either with a rental van, hotel stays, and gas. Once again, I was able to save a little, but the move cost more than I saved, which hindered my progress. Also, I owed the IRS about $3,000. Apparently, I made good money last year and didn’t save enough.

April came and was the worst month yet. A financial apocalypse, even. My accountant and I were going through my income and expenses to prepare for my quarterly taxes. I had just gotten off the heels of paying federal taxes, but this was another bomb.

I had a five-figure tax bill. Once again, I didn’t have enough saved and it wiped me out completely. Emergency fund? Gone. Tax fund? Depleted. Everything I had worked for was taken by the tax man. I have very few expenses that I can write off and apparently this year, I’ve been rocking the income and the IRS wanted their fair share. When I heard the news, I felt so defeated. It felt like a big setback.

Now my accountant is encouraging me to save not 30, not 40, but 50 percent of my income for taxes. WTF?! We’re overestimating here as falling short has obviously been a pattern of mine. I don’t want to owe the IRS, so I’ve continued to tap my savings. But now, as discussed, I’m literally saving half of my income for taxes.

To shake off this big blow, luckily I had Italy to look forward to. Italy was amazing, but spending two weeks there was expensive. Priceless, totally-worth-every-penny, but expensive. To make matters worse, I invoiced for half of what I usually make at the end of April. It was at that moment that I felt so low and frustrated with freelance life.

I work my butt off and have practically nothing to show for it. I pay 50 percent to taxes and can barely afford to take a vacation, because if I don’t work, I don’t get paid.

But then I started getting mad at myself…wondering how did all of this happen? How was I making so much money, but had nothing to show for it? I now realize that in my all-or-nothing debt payoff strategy, that I was screwing myself in other areas. I borrowed from savings and taxes. I also just assumed I could save the same amount for taxes and didn’t realize the extent that my income had grown.

In some ways, I feel like a failure. A (now) high-income earning freelancer with hardly anything in the bank. I realized that even though I was able to pay off debt ahead of schedule, starting at square one set me back in many ways. Deciding to move and travel all at once perhaps wasn’t such a good idea.

Also, taxes are a b!$%* if you’re self-employed. So, I haven’t made the progress I thought I would on my finances. I’m just recovering from the financial wipeout during tax season. I’ve replenished my emergency fund to $3,500. I have $3,000 invested. And am now saving a helluva lot more for taxes.

It’s not great and I’m not proud, but I’m taking baby steps to get where I need to go. I realize now how my all-or-nothing strategy got me in trouble, so am trying to save and invest in a sustainable way.

I wish I could share with you how awesome debt-free life is and how I’m rolling in the dough, living a life of luxury. But it’s been tough. It’s been a hard breakup. Debt is still showing me who is boss and I’m trying to reclaim my finances as I effectively start over and move on.

Being debt-free is great, but it’s not the end goal. It’s a goal. And life continues. If you’re working to get out of debt, don’t forget other areas of your financial life. Perhaps don’t make so many sweeping changes within months of paying off your debt. And if you’re self-employed or freelancing, save your money! More than you think you need!

I’m hoping that this is just a rough patch in my financial life and that I can learn how to lower my tax bill, earn more, and still save and invest most of my income. This has been a huge lesson for me and one that I wanted to share with you.

Has an all-or-nothing strategy ever got you in trouble with your finances? Stay tuned to find out how I plan on overcoming this and get my finances back on track. 

Hey debt fighters! I’m in Italy with my mom, finally crossing my debt-free dream off the list. Feels so good and like all the hard work I did for years finally paid off.

I’m excited to get back to focusing on Dear Debt when I get back. After winning best debt blog and paying off my debt, I want to help others get out of debt. While I am doing what I can to financially help others get out of debt, of course I want to provide content that you will actually read and find helpful.

This year has been a bit insane from working on my book, moving out-of-state and traveling.

Even though life has been full of transitions and growing pains, this blog is still my baby.

So, I want you to tell me what you want, what you really, really want 😉

Do you want more content on how to get out of debt? More info on side hustles? How to start your own business? More emotional vomit from me? (ha!) More about overcoming money mindset issues? I want to hear from you! It’s important to me that I don’t just ramble in my own universe and I connect with readers.

So, comment on what you want to see or send me an email.

Ciao!

Hey everyone! Sorry I’ve been MIA here, but as I mentioned I’m in the midst of finishing up my book and also inundated with client work. #goodproblems.

I hope you have been enjoying the dear debt letters!

But if you want to catch me, join me for #CentSaiChat on Friday, February 12th at 1pm ET/10am PT. You can watch online here. I’m excited to host a Blab about Love Conquers Debt with my friends at Centsai — just in time for V-day. You can check out a previous Blab I’ve done with the Debt Free Guys.

Hope to see some of you there!

Paying off $81,000 in student loan debt is the toughest thing I’ve had to do. It took me many years, and a lot of blood, sweat and tears.

Now that I’m debt-free, I’m giving back each month to my readers, acting in my dream role of debt fairy godmother.

Last month I gave $50 to David in Brazil…this month, who knows?! But I do have some good news! I was recently interviewed by my good friend Shannon at Financially Blonde about getting out of debt. It’s a feel-good shot of inspiration if you need it, so take a listen.

She was so inspired by what I am doing that she agreed to also contribute this month! So we’re giving away $100 to someone. You can enter to win by commenting here and letting us know what BIG goal you are working toward this year. You can also tweet us your answer @blonde_finance and @deardebtblog.

Let us know what you’re working toward this year!

Over the past month of being debt-free, I’ve sat in amazement that I reached my destination. The journey was tough and a wild rollercoaster, but I made it. Sometimes it still doesn’t feel real.

Other times I laugh to myself, because I can see all those hard times as lessons now. They sure seemed tough at the time, but I was getting primed for self-employment. I was working my way from the bottom to the top and learning the hard lessons along the way.

When I think about my journey, I can’t ignore the influence of this blog and my readers on my success. I could have started this blog three years ago and wrote in silence. But I found others that pushed me. Encouraged me. Helped me.

My blogger friends helped me launch my new career. I got a chance to start over, work for myself and pay off my debt faster than I imagined.

Now, I want to give back and create my ideal position. In my fantasy, I’m a debt fairy godmother that helps encourage you, support you and helps you pay off your debt.

So my plan is to really give back to this community that gave so much to me. I plan on donating a portion of my blog income each month to a reader in debt. It’s not going to be a lot, or anything life changing, but as someone who was in debt for a long time, I know that every little bit helps. I don’t make a lot of money on this site, as I’ve carefully chosen to limit any ads or sponsored posts on my site.

Having a site about getting out of debt and constantly pushing people to buy just doesn’t make sense you know? But I’m determined to help others pay off their debt, even if it’s just a small chunk of change.

In addition to helping one reader each month with a small amount of money to put toward debt, I’ll also be giving away financial books, Starbucks cards and whatever I feel like will keep you motivated to keep going.

I know how hard it is to get out of debt and stay motivated which is why I want to be a debt fairy godmother (ha, I just like saying that). While paying off debt, I remember how a $10 Starbucks gift card changed my day or an unexpected $25 felt like $25 I didn’t have to come up with to put to my debt.

So, how can you be one of the lucky readers? Keep reading. Comment. Share a post if you feel like it. I’ll be choosing winners at my discretion each month.

This month it just felt appropriate to have my first winner be David from Brazil. He wrote a touching dear debt letter that I think resonated with a lot of people and gave us a new perspective on how people outside of the U.S. are dealing with debt.

I am so excited to give back to this community and have a little fun!

A lot of people have asked me if I am going to stop writing about debt or if I will change directions. For now, no. I’ll be right here cheering you on. Pushing you. Encouraging you.

While I will still be writing about debt, I may be writing less on this site for the next few months. In case you missed my Year in Review post, I am in the midst of working on a book(!). It’s exciting and exhausting trying to manage client work, my blog and this book. As much as I hate to say this, I’m not superwoman, so I have to cut back a little.

But don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. Heck, I’m writing a book BASED on this blog! Including some of the dear debt letters (score!).

Thanks again from the bottom of my heart for supporting me for the past three years.

I’ve been waiting to write this post since I started this blog. It felt like the day would never come, although I dreamed about it constantly. Every time I wanted to give up or every time I did yet another side hustle and stayed up too late, worked too hard, I remembered what I was working for: debt freedom.

After paying my student loans for nine years — seriously for the past four and a half — I am debt free! I am still letting my new reality set in, but almost immediately after I saw the balance at zero, I felt a huge weight off my shoulders. I cried, screamed and danced. And I plan to have a debt free party at some point soon to properly celebrate.

The journey has been long and intense. As long-time readers have known, I started this blog in January 2013, to keep myself accountable in the debt payoff process. At that time, I was in one of the lowest periods of my life. I had (with much resentment) moved to Portland, Oregon after being unable to find a job after graduating from NYU. While I was happy to be reunited with my partner, I found myself struggling even more. The interviews were scant and all I was able to secure was temporary work. Because of the lack of money coming in, I also found myself on food stamps.

After working so hard in graduate school — and getting into so much debt for it — my reality felt like a slap in the face. It was humbling and hard. I conflated my self-worth with my net worth and thought that because I couldn’t find work and I was in so much debt, that I was worthless. All of these feelings led to a deep depression and constant lingering anxiety. I tried therapy (again), but it didn’t help. It was one of those things where I knew I had to make drastic changes in my personal and professional life, but I didn’t know where to start.

After crying every day, hitting my head against the wall, wondering, “What’s next?”, I finally decided I was sick and tired of feeling sorry for myself. So, I decided to start this blog to keep myself accountable. I wanted to turn my negative energy into something positive — an outlet for my time to do something that could keep my mind off of not really having a career or any viable options to pay off my loans.

In my very first post, I set a goal of being debt free within four years. At the time, it seemed like a brazen and bold goal, as I had $57k left. I was making $12 per hour and my contract was ending in a few months. How in the heck would I be debt free in four years? But something powerful happened when I set that intention. I set a goal — a BIG one — and even though I had no idea how I would actually reach that goal and even though it seemed so out of reach at the time, I made it happen. A year early.

Throughout the years this blog has launched my freelance writing career as well as my event planning business. Because of it, I quit the job that I eventually found, and more than doubled my income, which helped me pay off my debt even faster.

Now, you’re probably wondering. How did she do it? How did I announce that I had $11k in debt just last week and now I am debt free?

Well, there are a variety of factors that led me here. As a personal finance writer, I am not proposing or recommending that anyone in debt do what I did — I just want to be transparent about how it happened.

Emergency Fund

I decided to dip into my emergency fund and take out $1500. I now have $1500 remaining. I plan on replenishing this once my payments hit in January and I would like to build it to $5,000 to $10,000.

Income

For the past month, I’ve worked my tail off. I added a few new well-paying clients and worked nearly every day in November and will probably do the same in December. From all my work, I received a good chunk of change in the first week of December. I decided to NOT save for taxes this month and put all my income to debt. Once again, as soon as January hits, I am replenishing my tax fund. I didn’t take anything out of it, I just didn’t add to it. I still have a few more payments coming in this month and plan to use those to live off of and also add to my tax fund.

Windfall

Whenever people write about windfalls, I always think, “Who are these people getting windfalls?” I have never once thought or expected that I’d have a windfall of money. But earlier this year my mom received a sizable bonus at work — and decided to share a portion with me.

I argued with her and told her no, absolutely not. She is the sole breadwinner in my family and works her butt off and she deserves every cent of it. But she was insistent. She wanted to share a portion of it, so that I could relax and stop working seven days a week. I reluctantly said yes and am forever grateful for her generosity.

For the past few months, the money has sat in a separate account and I’ve pretended it wasn’t there. I knew deep down that I’d use it to get rid of the last of my debt. So I took the $4,000 and moved it to my account, and with my extra emergency fund money, and not saving for taxes I made my very last payment.

I know I technically “owe” myself money next month, but I know the money is coming in and know every cent I earn will be mine (or Uncle Sam’s). I’ll replenish my tax fund and emergency fund in the first week of January. And then I can start actually saving and investing for the long-term. If I’m as successful as I was with my debt, I’m thinking I can actually catch up for all this lost time.

I also have a lot of big expenses coming up — a lot of transitions. I plan on sharing all of these things in a future post, but suffice it to say, 2016 will not be a cheap year. I am so grateful I am making more money now and my debt is paid off. It will afford me so many opportunities and I can actually start building wealth, rather than paying for my past.

For all my readers still in debt, I want you to know being debt free IS possible. I feel like so many of us think it’s out of reach, because we either feel like we’ll never get out of debt, or if we try it will take forever. We’re daunted by the “forever” and “never”, but being debt free is possible. Even if it’s five or ten years later, you can do this.

After all is said and done, I’ve probably paid close to $100,000 toward my student loan debt. I borrowed $81,000 and paid a lot in interest over the years. Sometimes I get sad, thinking how awesome it would be to have $100,000 in the bank, instead of having a net worth of basically zero. But I’m proud of what I’ve done. I’ve worked many long nights and shed a lot of tears to get here and it feels so damn good.

I appreciate every single reader and thank you for all your support and encouragement. I can confidently say I would not be here without you. You’ve given me a chance, a push, an opportunity at another career. I want to continue to inspire others who are in debt showing them that being debt free IS possible and you don’t have to be rich to do it. You just have to be willing to work at it, like anything else worthwhile in life.

Thank you again — from the bottom of my heart.

Hey everyone! Apologies for the radio silence. You think that the holidays would be the slow time for freelancers, but I’ve found it to be anything but. I got slammed before Thanksgiving, worked pretty much everyday except the actual holiday and have been catching up ever since.

If I haven’t been working, I’ve been trying to sleep or trying to keep my head on straight (and only succeeding very rarely).

So, what in the heck is new with me?

Well, I went home to LA for Thanksgiving and saw my amazing 93-year-old grandpa (check out this cutie on Instagram). He’s just as charming as I remember. He’s a WWII vet, cancer survivor, librarian and yoga teacher. In short, he’s a badass and I’m proud to call him family. It meant so much to see him after not seeing him for six long years. It was also the first time my partner met him.

My grandpa actually went in to hug Ryan and said he’s such a nice man (#tears). I also got a chance to boogie with him and share stories. Although I worked a lot in LA, seeing my family and friends felt so good.

The past couple months have been hard on me emotionally for a number of reasons and it’s been so nice just to decompress with people who get you.

It is so nice to catch up with friends that you haven’t seen in a while and just pick up where you left off, as if no time has passed at all.

Financial Update

On the debt front, I paid off another $3,000 last month and now have $11,000 in debt. I’m so close and am working on making some exciting moves forward!

Not only that, but I secured some raises for 2016. I did a lot of research about asking for raises in November, effective January 1, and I knew I wanted to make my mark. I didn’t want to leave any money on the table.

In one case, I secured a 25 percent raise. That would NEVER be possible in the nonprofit world — or probably any job. The best part was that my clients all agreed I deserved a raise and were happy to pay it. No fuss at all. Hot damn, it really does feel awesome to have great clients that appreciate you and respect what you do.

If you’re wondering how I did it, check out my workshop in January where I’ll spill the beans on charging what you’re worth and asking for more. I know it seems super scary, but this is your LIVELIHOOD at stake. You are the boss and no one will care more about your money than you do. Don’t wait for things to happen, you have to ask.

Travel

I can confidently say that 2015 has been the year I’ve traveled the most (about half for work as an event planner). In January I went to NYC, in March I went to Vegas with Tonya, April I went to Spain and Portugal, September I went to Charlotte, October I went to LA and November I went to Denver and LA. And it’s not over yet!

In a few short days, I’m headed to NYC again for a super rad #UnOfficeHoliday Party. If you’re in the city, I hope to see you there. I’m so excited as I’m still deeply in love with NYC and hope to move back some day.

The Year Ahead

This year is just whipping by, so naturally I’m scheming and planning for the year ahead. I have some big plans that have yet to see the light of day, but they’re there. They’re happening. I’m just toiling away, hoping to make progress on my goals. Hopefully I’ll be sharing some cool things soon, but aside from that I’m very excited for my workshop in January.

I LOVE teaching and enjoy chatting with others. I’m hoping that I can focus on doing more workshops and events in 2016 and less client work. Don’t get me wrong, I love writing, but at my current pace, it leaves me little time to write here or have any notion of creativity left, so I want some ‘free’ time for my brain to decompress.

In addition, I’ll be planning a blog tour about suicide prevention and debt. The searches about suicide and debt have surged and it breaks my heart. Some people have reached out to me and let me know my words have helped, which means the world to me. I cry like a little baby every time I read something like that (me? sensitive? NEVER!). I want to grow this blog into a platform for helping others — in whatever small way I can. Working in the nonprofit world I always felt like I was making a difference.

Sometimes it’s less clear with a blog and writing, so it’s nice to get that feedback. I don’t want to write just to write or have my name on some website. I want to inspire people to dump debt and realize they are worth so much more than their debt. And that your life can change at any time, even if it feels like it will never happen.

So, yeah. Feeling jazzed and overwhelmed about what’s ahead. What about you?