How I quantum leaped from $30k in debt to $300k+ the next year...

💥 Blowing up my life and breaking through my financial glass ceiling

Last week, TBM re-aired their Financial Freedom episode from 2022, where I shared a story about how I was in $30k of credit card debt and came up with a creative solution to get rid of it fast: selling my car. I was the Marketing Director at TBM at the time, and this convo between Lacy, Jess, and me ended up being one of their top-streamed episodes EVER (sorry, Joe Dispenza). People even wrote to tell me they were so inspired that they sold their cars after listening (!!!)

What’s not included in that podcast is that the very next year, I went on to have my highest revenue year yet, grossing well over $300k. I had a year full of inbound client requests, finally found and moved into my dream two-bedroom house in LA, maxed all my retirement accounts, did a Pilates teacher training, and bought a new car. It was literally like I hopped into a new dimension of abundance… I couldn’t believe how different my life looked just a year later.

Only in retrospect can I clearly see the practical and spiritual lessons from this time… so if you’re resonating with 2022 me — not to worry. So much can change in a very short time if you’re ready to get real with yourself and tackle your blocks with radical action. Here’s how I quantum leaped from $30k in debt to a $300k year.

Some mirror decal brilliance I came up with for TBM.

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Tackling debt & shame

When I realized my income couldn’t keep up with my debt, I had to make a radical plan. Often, debt piles up because we avoid looking at our finances—we already feel some premature guilt or shame… but the only way to get out of it, and stay out of it, is to stay on top of it. So I opened all my credit card accounts in different tabs, dumped the totals into a spreadsheet, and added them up.

When you do this, you might feel stressed and overwhelmed. Feel your feelings. This is your chance to practice self-love and let go of some shame you’ve been carrying. See it as simply as that.

I also went on a major podcast and “outed my shadow” about debt to millions of people. While this may not be possible (haha), consider telling a non-judgmental and optimistic friend or family member that you’re in debt and making a plan to pay it off (bonus points if you tell them how much).

Un-isolate yourself from this experience. Almost everyone is carrying some kind of debt—there is nothing wrong with you! It may help you deepen your relationship through vulnerability. Everything is material for growth.

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Make a radical payoff plan

When I’m ready to make a change, I go all in. And in this story, I blew up my life not only to pay off my debt, but because it was time for a new chapter…

Here’s what I did to get out of debt and reboot my finances:

• I took my BMW X3 to CarMax and sold it for $32k — the car market was very strong during this time, God bless!

• I got rid of all my expenses, got a friend to take over the lease on my apartment, and put my stuff in storage.

• I canceled all of my subscriptions besides anything I needed for work.

• I followed up with everyone who owed me money and stopped being that person who just pays for everything — I love being generous (I still am today) — but if you’re tight on finances, you’ve got to get people to pay you back and split the bill. Not because you’re in lack, but because you have a goal and need to take care of yourself right now.

• I sold some stuff on The RealReal, OfferUp, and at Crossroads.

• I returned a few things I bought in the last 30 days.

In just a WEEK from the moment I decided to change my life, I paid off the debt, made a ton of space, and got some money flowing — and then I realized there was a client who owed me $24,000 that I had never invoiced for. OMG.

Here’s a photo of me moving my stuff into storage in a friend’s car.

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Plot points: No home, no car… now what?

I thought maybe I’d be nomadic and spent a month staying with friends and family, until I realized I needed to be grounded and have my own space — so I signed up for a new apartment. It was an interim solution, so I wasn’t too picky — my only goal was to settle and reset.

It was in this little house that I had the spiritual breakthroughs that eventually led me to the “making $300k” part of the story…

In terms of a car, a dear friend let me borrow her precious 2000s gold Toyota Highlander, with roll-down windows, for a whole year while she was out of town. A huge blessing!

My cozy interim apartment!

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Auditing & editing my client load

One of the reasons I ended up in debt is that I consistently violated my 80/20 rule. I spent 50% of my time on trades, projects for friends, giving free advice, and doing discounted small projects. This meant that I literally didn’t even have any more earning time in my week – so I needed to clear some space.

When I took stock of my clients, not a single one of them was paying me over $100 an hour. Even the ones who agreed to pay me that rate were getting a discount because I was over-giving. I needed to stop that. Here’s what I did:

• I set up “office hours” sessions, and whenever a potential client reached out or someone asked me for advice, I’d send them my link to book a paid session.

• I ended all of my trade agreements and wrapped up all of the projects that were paying me less than my market rate, and I had to get serious about saying no to new opportunities that came in these packages.

• I got a new client on retainer that increased my monthly income.

These were good steps in the right direction… but during that fall, I had an ongoing existential crisis about “finding my purpose.” Sure, I was settled, paying my bills, and back on track… but I felt incredibly aimless.

With that came a lot of frustration and resentment about how I’d spent the last 10 years of my career “building things for other people, with no credit or equity.” I could get viscerally frustrated thinking about clients that I felt I’d made rich with my good ideas and hard work… and what did I get out of it?!?! Nada (NOT TRUE at all — but that was my inner narrative at the time). Finally letting go of these feelings and beliefs is what unlocked a new level of abundance.

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Breakthroughs that raised my financial glass ceiling

I decided to stay home and have alone time for Christmas and New Year’s that year. Sounds sad to some, but I love having a stretch of alone time with nothing to do. I turned off my phone for a week and spent every day going on long walks, doing morning pages, cleaning and organizing, taking baths, reading spiritual books, having great convos with inspiring friends, and going to bed early.

That week changed my life. Here are the realizations that shifted my internal world and my financial trajectory:

• I was making my clients my source of abundance. I was looking at them with my hand out, asking them to give me what I thought I deserved. But what I came to see and feel is that God is my source of abundance. The universe is infinite, unlimited, and includes everything we need. So why am I looking to any one person as my source of security or income?

• I was making myself small. I would hop into new client dynamics and become someone’s b*tch. And that made me resentful, and I did it to myself—with no boundaries and a tendency to overgive to ensure people liked me and wouldn’t get rid of me. I had to realize that I was the asset… the Michael Jordan that people wanted on their team… and I needed to start showing up with that energy in my client relationships.

• I needed to forgive. Every work experience I’d had contributed to my growth and success in positive ways. I had worked hard, had fun, and learned a ton about what and what not to do. I needed to take the blessings and forgive the rest. I started to see how everything was an outward manifestation of how I felt about myself… and once I forgave it—and forgave myself—I was free. Forgiveness became my new MO.

• I sat down with someone who saw my magic. He was more experienced than me and clearly recognized my career potential. We had similar skills, but he was charging about 10x more than I was for consulting. He helped me understand how to talk about my value and present my skills to command a higher rate.

I even wrote down everything I was letting go of and then burned it all!

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A week later, a new big-budget client reached out…and a faucet of new opportunities turned on…

I didn’t send cold emails or “try” to do anything… I shifted my energy. The idea that you can change your energy and the universe shifts around you is not just a woo-woo nice-ism. It’s an absolute truth. But the thing is, you have to be ready for it… You can’t rush past your lessons in the spirit of manifestation.

I didn’t have a single month in 2023 where I didn’t make $30k.

And toward the end of the year, I moved into an amazing two-bedroom house that I found in one night and moved into a week later. My handyman came over to my new house and asked, “What the heck happened?!”

And a few weeks later, I bought a new car :) Almost a year after I sold the first one.

The day I moved into my house! As you’d expect, I unpack everything that day.

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Epilogue

I can’t believe I’m seriously publishing this personal novel on Substack… my mom says it’s too long. But I hope that if you’re in debt, stuck in a cycle with low-paying clients, feeling resentful, discouraged, or existential, my story can provide some hope and inspiration.

A lot of people wanted a follow-up to the podcast episode… so here you go!! Please share with anyone who needs to read it! xo!

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★ Thanks for reading :) I’m here to help you on your self-employed journey. To start making money, grab my e-course How to Go Freelance or book a 1:1 Office Hours session where we can dig into your dreams and goals. Follow me on TikTok, Instagram, and shop my WFH Essentials here.