This week on the Journey to Launch podcast, I’m joined by Lori-Sara Gauthier, a public health worker based in Toronto who is in the thick of transforming her finances and her mindset. Lori-Sara recently paid off $14,000 in consumer debt, is working on eliminating her student loans, and is intentionally charting a path toward financial freedom.

Lori-Sara opens up about her spending habits, emotional triggers behind money decisions, and the moment she realized something had to change. Through self-awareness, therapy, and learning about the FIRE movement, she’s rewriting her money story and embracing the power of small, consistent actions.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Lori-Sara fell into and climbed out of $14K of credit card debt
• The emotional connection between childhood scarcity and adult overspending
• What she’s doing now: building an emergency fund, tackling student loans, and investing for the future
• Why she threw a party to celebrate being debt-free, and how running helped her stay on track
• Her evolving thoughts on FI, public service pensions, and leaving room for future flexibility

Other Links Mentioned in episode: 

• Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin
• Clever Girl Finance by Bola Sokunbi
• You Need a Budget by Jesse Mecham
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• YNAB –  Start managing your money and budgeting so that you can reach your financial dreams. Sign up for a free 34 days trial of YNAB, my go-to budgeting app by using my referral link.
• What stage of the financial journey are you on? Are you working on financial stability or work flexibility? Find out with this free assessment and get a curated list of the 10 next best episodes for you to listen to depending on your stage. Check it out here!

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