Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Emanuel.
Jill, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
If you would have told me ten years ago I’d be helping people with their finances, I would have told you that you were crazy.
I moved to Phoenix in 2006 after graduating with my Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The weekend of graduation I loaded up everything I could fit into my 1998 Mazda 626 and drove to Arizona with a dream of beginning my new career, enjoying beautiful mountain hikes, laying by the pool soaking up the sun and working to pay down the $150,000 worth of student loan debts I arrived with.
Only a few short months after arriving in Phoenix, I met a fellow former Nebraskan, Matt – who soon became my boyfriend, then my fiance and ultimately my husband. Once we were married, life went into overdrive – we became pregnant with our first son on our honeymoon, bought our first house, settled into our new life together and by all outward appearances, we were living the American dream.
What wasn’t visible to the outside world was our now combined $180,000 in student loan debt and the $20,000 in debt we had accrued from our wedding, honeymoon, purchasing of a new home and having a baby. I thought we were doing all we could to make things work, in our lives and with our finances, but when my husband wound up out of a job in 2013 things quickly spiraled out of control.
The credit card debt we had been carrying quickly grew to almost $50,000 in the six months my husband was out of work. We had two young kids at this time (two and four years old), I was working massive overtime trying to help fill in the gap in income, and we were steadily falling further and further behind.
Queue my introduction to Fiscal Fitness Phoenix.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Has the road been smooth??? Ha! No. Definitely not. But then again, nothing truly worthwhile comes easily.
When we were first introduced to Fiscal Fitness Phoenix, I thought we were out of options. I looked at our lives and wondered how on earth we were in this spot. We both had professional degrees, we were hard workers, we were doing everything “right” by traditional standards and yet we found ourselves in a pile of debt and despite the hours and hours I would spend trying to budget, plan and strategize how to flip things around there was no light at the end of the tunnel.
When I was referred to Fiscal Fitness, it kind of felt like our one last desperate attempt before the walls really came crashing down on us. We had both spent so much time (and money) on our educations and working to create a good income – but we had one major gap in that education – we never were taught what to do with that income once we started earning it.
Our first session with our financial coach, I felt nervous, excited, hopeful, and like a failure all at the same time. I feared I would be judged, told how wrong I’d been doing things and that I would be so embarrassed and ashamed. What I found was the exact opposite of that. I found someone who would support us as we worked to turn things around. I found a plan that was clearly painted before me, and I knew if we focused and worked hard we could completely turn things around. And that’s exactly what we did.
Fifteen months later, all of our credit card debt was gone, and we had an entirely new way of looking at money. For the first time in my life, I understood what it felt like to be in control financially and to be reaching our financial goals with a plan and purpose.
I felt like I held the key to solving so many of life’s challenges, because – let’s face it – money permeates every aspect of our lives. Now that I had learned a better way to handle our finances it felt like a gift I needed to share with others. Our lives had been completely transformed, and I knew I wanted to help others do the same.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Fiscal Fitness Phoenix story. Tell us more about the business.
At Fiscal Fitness Phoenix, we help take the stress out of money.
As the lead Financial Coach, I work with individuals, couples, and solopreneurs to transform their financial lives. I honestly cannot think of anything better than being able to help people reach their goals in life. I help people figure out and navigate some of life’s biggest decisions. I get to help them plan and create some of the best moments of their lives.
Our clients are getting out of debt, buying their dream houses, paying cash for their cars, going on family vacations and not having to put a penny on credit, participating in the hobbies and activities that they (and their families) love and moving their financial position forward every step of the way. It is truly an honor and a privilege to be with them on their journey.
Fiscal Fitness Phoenix has gained a reputation of being the top financial coaching firm in the country, and I am so proud to get to call this home.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
When I first started helping others with their finances, I was doing it at my dining room table.
I would hear friends or co-workers complaining about money, or fights they were having with their spouse, or how they were worried about their debt and I would invite them over to see if there was anything I could do to help them. I did this for “fun” for a number of years, all the while wishing and wanting to be doing it all the time, because it gave me so much more excitement and fulfillment than what I was doing during my day job.
In 2017, my own financial coach, Kelsa Dickey, announced that she was going to start training others to do what she does thru the Financial Coach Academy (which is now in its 3rd year). I knew that was my moment to take the plunge. I enrolled and completed the Academy and was absolutely thrilled when I was asked to be a part of the Fiscal Fitness Phoenix team upon completion.
It’s funny how life comes full circle. How the challenges we face lead us to the greatest rewards. How everything we encounter and the struggles we overcome mold us and teach us the lessons we need to learn, in order to reach our fullest potential. Joining Fiscal Fitness Phoenix feels that way to me. It gives me so much pride to be part of such an amazing team.
To have partners to work with who are on the same mission I am – to change the world. To make it a place where people talk openly about their finances. Where people share ideas, encourage one another, focus on their goals, and achieve them! I absolutely love helping my clients build their dream life, and I couldn’t feel more honored, blessed and fulfilled in doing so.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fiscalfitnessphx.com
- Phone: 480-788-4588
- Email: info@fiscalfitnessphx.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fiscalfitnessphx
- Other: iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify @ Overcoming Financial Stress with the Saver and the Spender
Image Credit:
Shannon Marie Photography
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