Debt doesn’t just take your money. It takes your choices. And if you’re an artist, freelancer, or anyone piecing together income from multiple places, that pressure can quietly decide what gigs you accept, what risks you avoid, and how heavy life feels month to month.

I’m joined by Danae Hannah, a financial literacy educator and accredited financial counselor who started out as a dancer, teacher, and producer and then did something a lot of people assume is impossible: she paid off her credit card debt and student loans while still working in the arts. Danae breaks down the real mechanics behind her three-year plan, why accountability mattered, and what changed once those monthly payments were gone. We also get honest about how little financial education most of us receive about credit cards, interest rates, insurance, taxes, and the fine print that turns “0%” into a very expensive lesson.

From there, we follow how her debt-free journey grew into a full-on career shift, including thousands of one-on-one counseling hours, the long road of financial planning certifications, and how the pandemic pushed her into essential work supporting families with tax filing and coaching. Danae also shares her bigger mission: wealth creation for liberation, and the goal of helping one million Black women become debt-free, along with what it’s like navigating a white male dominated financial services industry. We close with practical help you can use today: how to start tracking your money, where to find legitimate free financial counseling, and the scams she’s seeing most right now.

Denae is a graduate of Stanford University with a B.A. in dance. She continued her dance education attaining an M.F.A. in dance at Florida State University.

She is also a CFP® Candidate, enrolled in the Certificate in Financial Planning program at the Howard University School of Business.

Denae is on a mission to provide financial education wealth management education that allows healing around money and self-worth. Her services are based on the following guiding principles. In her own words…

“I am a real person, and I’m here to listen. I created the tools to become debt-free, but I did the internal work to make sure I stay that way. I use my story to encourage and guide my clients to become more than just financially whole.

Working with me is a judgement-free zone. I hold sacred space to allow you to breathe through all of the challenges that have plagued you for far too long and have kept you stuck in the mismanagement of money.

Your worth is not determined by the amount of money you have, and you are worthy of all the abundance life has to offer. Achieving financial goals should not be separate from personal development goals.”

If you’ve been telling yourself you’ll “figure it out later,” let this be your nudge. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations. What’s one money topic you want us to tackle next?

https://www.wealthydenae.com/

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