161. How I Increased My Credit Score From 471 to 700 in 12 Months
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On this solo episode of the podcast, I’m following up with part 2 of my own credit story as part of my Money Series.
If you missed it, please tune in to episode 159, which is the first part of this story where I share my struggles with managing money and credit and explain how these problems all started.
So many of you reached out to me saying you have experienced these issues too. I really hope this series helps even one person feel empowered to take control of your finances – it’s never too late!
In this episode I’m talking about the next step: how I increased my credit score from 471 to 700 in 12 months.
I’m walking through the exact steps I took when my finances were at their worst in order to gain control of my money, credit, and life. I learned all of this through trial & error and my own experience and I want to share what I learned with you all in hopes that it may help someone in a similar spot.
In 2019 I was in the worst financial situation I have been in. I was recently separated, living with my parents, and had horrible credit after a lifetime of mismanaging credit cards and letting bills go to collections.
With the support of my family, I was able to have a safe space to lick my wounds and come up with a plan to tackle my debt and relearn how to manage my money.
In this episode I share:
The importance of changing your mindset around money and creating a money mindset of worth and confidence
Why I stopped calling myself ‘broke’ and became solution oriented
How to consolidate multiple debts into one payment to help you pay off debt
Getting student loans out of default with a customized payment plan
How to pull free credit reports
How I tackled all the derogatory accounts on my credit report
Utilizing Trello (a project management tool) to organize my debt and payments
Creating a side hustle just for paying off debt
The importance of having ‘debt’ to improve your credit score
How to get a credit card when you have terrible credit
Secured credit cards, what they are and how to use them responsibly
How to dispute old credit inquiries and remove them from your credit report
At the end of the episode, I also answer some questions you guys asked me about my credit journey.
If you’re enjoying this Money Series and want to hear from money experts on this podcast, please reach out and let me know!
Financial management is wellness, too!
Resources mentioned:
Annual Credit Report - at the time of this post, you can order your credit report from Experian, Equifax & Transunion for free every 7 days.
Road to 750 Facebook group, YouTube channel, and Instagram
Trello - software I use to organize my business and personal life
Open Sky - the first secured credit card I used
State Department Credit Union secured credit card
160. Making Health A Priority, Self-Love, & Building Confidence with The Cultivated Vegan
Shout out to this week's sponsor:
Maxine's Heavenly https://brnvgn.me/maxinesheavenly - use discount code BROWNVEGAN to save 25%
Clicking the link above is an easy and free way to support the podcast.
Thank you so much for checking out the sponsors!
Listen here…
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SheRonda is wellness coach & plant-based nutritionist on a mission to teach women how to redefine health and rid themselves of toxic attachments and unhealthy habits.
After SheRonda was diagnosed with Graves Disease (hyperthyroidism) and thyroid eye disorder, she was led down a long path of recovery, seeking answers for herself after years of traumatic health issues and being misdiagnosed by numerous doctors. Her research led her to understand that many of her remaining health problems could be improved by changing her diet. She became pescatarian, then vegetarian, and after seeing the huge health benefits of these dietary changes, eventually SheRonda became vegan and didn’t turn back.
Stepping into the vegan community, SheRonda quickly began to wonder, “Where are all the vegans that look like me?” In her initial research, she wasn’t finding any representation of black vegans or other people of color. In this episode, SheRonda talks about digging deeper to discover that there was already a community of black vegans who were living this way of life and creating inspiring vegan content.
SheRonda now teaches women how to take control of their own health, not just in terms of what they eat, but from a holistic approach she calls the Six Seeds of Holistic Health. She helps women foster more self-love, confidence, and self-care practices that tangibly make a difference in their daily lives.
In this episode, we chat about:
How her health crisis led her to vegan life
The positive impacts of eating vegan
Why it’s important to be your own advocate (she was misdiagnosed multiple times)
Going vegan while living in the South
Prioritizing yourself, your health, and your own self-care
Defining what holistic health actually means
Struggling with and living with depression and anxiety
The steps you should take to love yourself, build your confidence, and go after the life you deserve.
Contact SheRonda:
159. Thriving on Raw Food, Vegan Dating & Travel Tips with A Yummy Vegan
Shout out to this week's sponsor:
Maxine's Heavenly https://brnvgn.me/maxinesheavenly - use discount code BROWNVEGAN to save 25%
Clicking the link above is an easy and free way to support the podcast.
Thank you so much for checking out the sponsors!
Listen here….
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Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher for weekly episodes.
Angel is a wellness speaker and coach who helps women thrive on a plant diet and vegan lifestyle from head to toe.
In our episode we chat about:
Angel’s best tips for vegan travel, favorite places in the world to eat vegan, and why you have to go into vegan travel with the right mindset.
The benefits to raw food, her favorite meals and how to eat raw vegan during the colder months.
Why she prefers vegan men while dating
Connect with Angel:
Resources mentioned:
158. I Was Walking Around With A 471 CREDIT SCORE Chile! (Solo Episode)
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This episode is very different from my usual content on the podcast.
I feel a little uncomfortable sharing my credit/money story, but I also realize I’m not the only one out there with this struggle.
What does this episode have to do with vegan life? Everything! If your money ain’t right, you’re probably not eating right too. Money affects other areas of our lives…especially how we eat and take care of ourselves.
I’m starting this MONEY series because I always see people in their 20s and early 30s talking about how much money they’ve saved and how many student loans they paid off.
I rarely see content from people like me…starting “late” and still want to build wealth.
Some background about my relationship with money and credit…
Growing up, my parents always told me to pay myself first and to never charge more than I could afford to pay off monthly on my credit cards.
My dad even made me watch Suze Orman and other financial shows and lecture me about money as a kid/teenager.
The problem? I didn’t listen to a damn thing.
I can remember getting my first credit card as soon as I turned 18.
In fact, it was as if the credit card companies knew when I was turning 18 because the solicitations came right away.
Even though I knew it wasn’t free money I still felt like it was in a way…I could run up $500 and pay $20 a month…interest be damned.
My first experience with credit debt was in college. Do you remember when credit card companies used to set up booths giving away free pizza and a sweatshirt for opening up a line of credit? By the end of that semester I had about $6,000 in credit card debt.
Then at 20 years old…Navy Federal Credit Union gave me a personal loan…for $25,000!
I have NO IDEA what I spent that money on. I couldn’t keep up with the nearly $500 payments and they refused to reduce the payments (my fault of course) so I filed for bankruptcy.
I didn’t have a credit card for a while, but I would allow medical bills and other bills go to collections instead of making payment arrangements.
I was so ashamed about my financial situation.
Once I got married, I really didn’t care about money or credit because my ex-husband had excellent credit and a decent job.
I hid behind him.
Once we separated (16 years later), the reality of my situation slapped me in the face. I lived with my parents for about six months licking my wounds and getting myself together.
I started saving a little money and then got nervous about applying for apartments because I didn’t know what my credit score was at that moment, but knew it was likely in the gutter.
After moving into my new apartment, I pulled my FICO scores and my median credit was a 471!
Tell me why I didn’t know scores went that low? How dreadful.
What to expect in the MONEY series? Candid solo episodes from me, everyday people, and financial experts about money mindset, credit, saving for an emergency fund, investing, and homeownership.
Be sure to send me a DM on Instagram if you have any guest suggestions,
Thank you!
Resources mentioned:
Trello - used this software to help
157. Healing Your Body Through Fat Loss, Solo Vegan Travel & Can You Build A Booty in the Gym? with Rasheeta Joy
Shout out to this week's sponsors:
Freight Farms https://brnvgn.me/freightfarms
Maxine's Heavenly https://brnvgn.me/maxinesheavenly - use discount code BROWNVEGAN to save 25%
Clicking the links above is an easy and free way to support the podcast.
Thank you so much for checking out the sponsors!
Listen here…
Powered by RedCircle
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher for weekly episodes.
In this episode, I chat with plant-based wellness coach Rasheeta Joy about:
Solo travel around the world as vegan - the food, the people, tips & the lessons
Is it possible to build a booty in the gym or is it all genetics?
Baby steps you can take right now to eat healthier and move your body.
Rasheeta’s mission is to teach women how to heal with plants & get the body they desire with fitness.
Connect with Rasheeta:
Resources mentioned:
Previous episode with Rasheeta
Chickpea stew from Brown Vegan YouTube
Cowspiracy (Netflix)
Seaspiracy (Netflix)
What the Health (Netflix)
Forks Over Knives (Netflix)