In this episode of Strong Roots, Amy and I sit down with “Dear Debt” Author Melanie Lockert. Melanie shares her inspiration for the her book and the concept of “Breaking up with your debt”. Melanie also has a blog where she discusses similar topics, and as you’ll hear, she has a real passion for helping people not feel overwhelmed. It was truly a pleasure to chat with Melanie and if your interested to find out more, check out the show notes below. Thank you for listening and be sure to rate and subsribe!
Melanie Lockert
@deardebtblog
ABOUT
Melanie Lockert is the founder of the blog and author of the book, Dear Debt. Through her blog, she chronicled her journey out of $81,000 in student loan debt.
She is also the co-founder of the Lola Retreat, which helps bold women face their fears, own their dreams and figure out a plan to be in control of their finances. She is passionate about empowering women, helping others get out of debt, and focuses on the intersection of debt and mental health.
As a mental health advocate, every September she organizes a Suicide Prevention Awareness Blog Tour, to help share resources for those struggling with debt and suicide.
Click the Image to Check out the Blog
DEAR DEBT MANIFESTO
Welcome to my home on the web. Dear Debt is committed to inspiring others to get out of debt for good and take back their lives.
It’s a safe space, a community and a place where people can talk openly about the emotional aspects of being in debt — the highs of making progress, the lows of feeling buried in debt, and the plateaus of feeling stuck.
Dear Debt was founded on a few principles:
Everyone matters and we can all learn from each other.
Although we are all in debt for different reasons, we are in this together and we will help inspire each other to get out of debt.
There is no judgement.
You are not a loan. You are not alone.
Your self-worth is not based on your net worth.
Dear Debt: A Story About Breaking Up With Debt
In her debut book Dear Debt, personal finance expert Melanie Lockert combines her endearing and humorous personal narrative with practical tools to help readers overcome the crippling effects of debt. Drawing from her personal experience of paying off eighty thousand dollars of student loan debt, Melanie provides a wealth of money-saving tips to help her community of debt fighters navigate the repayment process, increase current income, and ultimately become debt-free.
By breaking down complex financial concepts into clear, manageable tools and step-by-step processes, Melanie has provided a venerable guide to overcoming debt fatigue and obtaining financial freedom.
Inside Dear Debt you will learn to:
Find the debt repayment strategy most effective for your needs
Avoid spending temptations by knowing your triggers
Replace expensive habits with cheaper alternatives
Become a frugal friend without being rude
Start a side hustle to boost your current income
Negotiate your salary to maximize value
Develop a financial plan for life after debt