Hey there, I’m Doris
One of my clients, Diane, called me her “effing Financial Fairy Godmother.” 😊
I don’t have a wand, but I do help women transform their lives by getting really good at managing their money.
Another one of my clients, Willy, sent me this message:
I always appreciate your straightforward way of presenting the material. You are kind and compassionate, but I mostly appreciate your directness in telling us how it is.
I believe that the fastest way for a woman to become financially healthy is by taking an honest look at her situation, with a No Shame, No Blame, No Judgment approach…
… then taking one small step at a time to accomplish her goals.
What I offer women is an evidence-based approach on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to taking control of their money, building their confidence, and creating great options for themselves so they can lead life on their terms.
In my own story of transformation, I’ve built two seven-figure portfolios and a successful business.
Here’s the thing:
I don’t have an MBA. Or an Economics degree. Or a formal finance background.
(But I’ve had clients who’ve had those degrees.)
I’m a former doctoral candidate with a prestigious scholarship, whose life was upended when I found myself widowed in my early thirties.
And on top of that, I inherited $400,000 of debt, most of which was from my late husband’s business.
The problem – beyond the obvious – was that I had walked away from my studies to help him in his business.
I know – what was I thinking, right?
The thing is, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.
(I was soooo wrong.)
My husband had cancer.
The cancer required invasive treatments.
He couldn’t work.
So I stepped in to run his business and take care of him.
In the process, I walked away from security and a known path to success, into total vulnerability.
And that is how life gave me a boot to the head.
I wrote a book about my experience – and that of more than three dozen other divorced and widowed women.
It’s called Protect Your Purse, Shared Lessons for Women: Avoid Financial Messes, Stop Emotional Bankruptcies, and Take Charge of Your Money. You can learn about my book here.
Today, I am financially free, and I have helped thousands of women get fantastic results with their finances.
Getting to this point, though, wasn’t easy.
I wish I could say that I turned things around on a dime, but that’s not at all what happened.
When you don’t have guidance and support, it feels at moments as though you’ve signed up for the Black Diamond path through life – bumpy, steep as hell, and full of obstacles.
(I love to ski black diamond runs; I just don’t want that to be a metaphor for my life.)
When the fog of grief lifted long enough for me to realize the depth of my money problems, the researcher in me was determined to figure it out.
Two years later, I was debt-free.
That’s when I started asking big questions
How do women become financially vulnerable?
How can we build strong financial foundations to weather life’s storms?
Did others face massive mindset challenges when trying to move past other people’s expectations?
(I was supposed to be a professor, not someone obsessed with women’s financial wellbeing, which prompted a “WTH?” reaction from a lot family and friends.)
So many questions and all of them complex.
As I tackled them, I started rebuilding my life through real estate investing.
I became the President of a real estate investors organization in my city as I built a seven-figure portfolio.
People who knew my turnaround story started asking me to help them solve money and credit challenges so that they, too, could buy real estate.
Before I knew it, I was spending as much time helping my clients sort out their financial challenges as I was building a real estate portfolio.
I had figured out what works and what doesn’t.
The entire time, I read everything I could get my hands on about managing money, investing, psychology, behavioral economics, and mindset.
After ten years of helping clients repair complicated financial problems, I realized I was seeing a clear pattern:
Women were almost always more financially vulnerable than men.
That was a defining moment for me.
I decided to dedicate my work to helping women build strong financial foundations.
Today, through Your Financial Launchpad, I offer what I wish had existed for me all those years ago when I got serious about taking charge of my money:
- Evidence-based courses taught in plain English – not blahblahblah spouted off by some dude trying to impress you with impenetrable jargon. (What the hell is with that?)
- An approach based on your core values and not traditional budgeting. Budgeting sounds so sensible, like it should work; but it doesn’t for a staggering number of people. Now I know why.
- A safe, judgment-free space to ask questions and talk about all those hard experiences, because heaven knows money comes with a hefty dose of shame and embarrassment – which we all experience to some degree.
I’ve learned the hard way
(remember that Black Diamond run?)
over nearly two decades
Now I offer a simple system with guidance, so that you don’t have to face that steep, treacherous learning curve.
If you’ve had enough of feeling that you’re not where you’re supposed to be financially, or you want dealing with money to be, well… easier, I can help you with that.
Life without financial stress is as great as it sounds. The grass looks pretty green over here!
And the good news is that it’s within your reach.
You can absolutely learn to use money as a powerful tool to free you up to focus on the things that matter most for you.
Aside from helping women to rock their finances, I want to emulate a mountain goat and hike in the world’s most beautiful places. (OK, maybe I won’t perch on any ledges, though.)
You? What’s your dream?
Let’s make it happen.
It starts with understanding the order in which to tackle your finances.
Book a complimentary Discovery Call and let’s have a chat about the best place for you to start your own financial transformation.
Whatever your financial goals are, they’re doable. I’ll show you how to accomplish them.