This week I sat down with blogger and author Melanie Lockert to discuss the struggles people face when it comes to debt.

Melanie 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. Her work has appeared on Business Insider, Time, Huffington Post and more. 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.

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Melanie’s background and how she began educating others about debt
• What inspired Melanie to create Dear Debt
• The safe space and community she has created
• How debt can affect a person’s mental health
• One of the top searches Melanie sees as it relates to debt
• The three taboo topics Melanie sheds light on
• The different types of letters to debt seen on her blog
• Why people write letters to thank the debt they’ve incurred
• Times debt can be a very good thing for people
• Melanie’s debt journey and how she paid off $81K
• How being in debt is similar to the 5 stages of grief
• When Melanie hit the lowest of the low point
• The way she doubled her income in one year
• The ins and outs of Lola Retreat
• How the Lola Retreat came about and when the next event will be

LINKS WE MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

• Dear Debt Blog
• Dear Debt Book

GET SOCIAL WITH MELANIE AND LET HER KNOW YOU HEARD ABOUT HER HERE

• Melanie’s Website
• Lola Retreat
• Melanie's Email
• Twitter
• Instagram