Hi, I’m Rachel. I’m a financial coach and educator with a passion for teaching people how to take control of their lives.
Teaching people about personal finance gives me life. It’s my true, greatest passion and something I would’ve never imagined doing growing up as the daughter of a single mom under the poverty line. I also didn’t think financial success was possible with my disability. It’s been a journey. I’ve learned a lot but had to unlearn even more — rejecting the stereotypes and stigmas society places on people from underprivileged backgrounds and people who don’t check the “normal” box.
This is My Story
My path to financial stability is anything but normal. I was raised by my mom and grandma in Central Florida, but when I was 15, my grandmother passed away. My mom, who had been her full-time caregiver for three years, couldn’t land a job during the height of the Great Recession. With no income coming in — not even my grandma’s Social Security checks or my mom’s occasional freelance work — we quickly fell into poverty.
We were on EBT and Medicaid. We had to sell our car and most of our possessions. We only escaped homelessness because my grandmother paid off the mortgage on the home we shared with her two months before she died.
Eventually, I went away to college where I tried to ignore my past and the financial trauma it caused me. I wanted to be normal, whatever that meant.
I worked hard in school but as graduation neared, I was delt another blow. At the age of 22, I was diagnosed with a progressive eye disease called cone dystrophy and declared legally blind.
Saying I felt lost and hopeless is an understatement. I was bitter and angry, too. I felt completely out of control of my life. Despite all my efforts, I couldn’t seem to get ahead. No one else understood what I was going through. Everyone seemed to have it so much easier than me (and they probably did).
Losing My Vision
For years, I rejected my disability. I was determined to live and function as a fully sighted person. I wouldn’t use my white cane, only discussed my vision loss when absolutely necessary and didn’t identify as disabled.
Part of this journey includes a career change. I worked as a reporter at two small town newspapers after college, pursuing my passion for journalism and storytelling. But after a round of layoffs in 2019, I landed a new job writing about investing and retirement.
That career pivot changed my life. I literally got paid to learn and write about personal finance and investing — topics no one ever taught me growing up. I earned more money at my new job, so I started putting my knowledge to work by building an emergency fund, opening an investment account and paying off my credit card debt.
I found that through financial literacy, I gained a level of control over my life I had never experienced before. I could see my hard work finally paying off.
And by writing about money, I could share important information with others and help people make smarter decisions about their finances.
A New Kind of Insight
Since starting my financial journey 4 years ago, I’ve:
- Spent thousands of hours learning about personal finance and completely transformed my relationship with money.
- Paid off all my credit card debt.
- Paid off $21,000 of my student loan debt.
- Increased my salary 186%.
- Built up my savings and started investing.
- Earned my designation as a Certified Educator in Personal Finance.
- Wrote hundreds of articles about saving, budgeting, investing, retirement, repairing credit, insurance and how to boost your income.
- Went from over $30,000 in debt to a net worth of $52,000 (and counting!)
Along the way, I learned to accept my disability as a part of who I am, instead of denying my true self. I may have been losing my vision, but I could clearly see my path to financial success and wealth.
This opened the door and guided me to what is now my true passion and life’s work: Educating other people with disabilities and their loved ones about money.
Why? Because we face different obstacles than the average person. We don’t always see our true potential because no one’s given us access to the tools and information we need to turn our dreams into realities.
Discovering My Calling
Working as a coach is one of the most incredible, rewarding experiences of my life, and I’m dedicated to helping clients regain their sense of worth, advocate for themselves financially, set goals and build real wealth.
Where we come from isn’t our fault. Who we are isn’t a character flaw. But only we can take ownership over our financial future.
I’m living proof that with the right mindset, resources and support, we can break barriers.
I know what it’s like to feel discouraged, hopeless and lost. I’ve been there. I also know what it’s like to be on the other side and feel excited for what’s ahead, not constantly stressed about money.
Today, I believe that financial empowerment is the gateway to independence, a life where you make your own decisions and shape your destiny.
If my story resonates with you, I’d love to connect. Let’s book a call to discuss how we can work together.