Hi! I’m Hannah Brown, licensed mental health therapist and money coach. A few years ago I was constantly stressed about money, had $0 in savings and over 8K+ of credit card debt (on top of a car loan and 100K of student loan debt!) I never had a plan with my money and just thought money was all a bunch of math which is why I wasn’t good at it.
My money stress really started in grad school where I had no idea how to manage my money and thought a solid plan was putting everything on my credit card and hoping one day to pay it off. After I graduated I got a clinical job where I was getting paid the most $ I had ever made but still felt stressed about money.
Then I made the switch to private practice and no longer had a steady paycheck but instead only got paid when I saw clients. This made my money stress sky rocket.
The final breakdown was my dog needing emergency surgery. After I maxed out all my credit cards, I still could not afford the surgery because I had $0 in savings to pay for it. I say in the waiting room sobbing while filling out another credit card application all while wondering if my dog was going to be okay. Once I started crying to my therapist about my $ problems, I knew something needed to change.
I finally started figuring out a plan with my money and understanding my finances - and y’all I did not go to school for this so if I can learn this stuff, so can you!
Now I have an emergency fund to cover any unexpected cost. My partner and I saved and paid for our 15K wedding all on our own. We have paid off 22K of debt. I did this all while still living my life and traveling which is my favorite thing to spend money on.
I also still have debt I’m working on paying off and don’t make a 6 figure income so I teach from a place of relatability and understand how you’re feeling because I’ve been through it too!