Episode Summary In this episode of Kat Walks, I’m walking you through one of the hardest and most humbling experiences of my adult life—how I went from a credit score in the low 500s to 795.

This is Part 1 of my credit story. I share how I ended up with bad credit, what it cost me, and the exact step-by-step process I used to start rebuilding. From the Capital One card I opened at 18, to the $5,000 personal loan I took out for a now long-gone ex, to the shame, dependency, and fear I carried for nearly a decade—I’m sharing all of it.

This episode is for anyone who’s been silently struggling with their finances, and especially for those who are ready to start fixing it—without shame.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• Why I was in credit card debt by 20
• The moment everything fell apart during the 2008 financial crisis
• How my credit dropped into the 500s and stayed there for 8 years
• The real cost of bad credit: housing, cars, phones, and career opportunities
• How I pulled all three of my credit reports and started the dispute process
• Why small debts under $1,000 often fall off when challenged
• How I negotiated directly with creditors to pay off what remained
• What a secured credit card is and why it was the game-changer for me
• How I got approved for my first real credit card after years of denial
• Why I believe there’s no shame in starting over—just power in starting

Resources Mentioned

• AnnualCreditReport.com – Pull your free credit report from all three bureaus
• Secured credit cards – Ask your bank or credit union if they offer one
• Debt settlement (DIY vs. using a service—what I chose and why)

Next Up In Part 2 (for paid subscribers on Substack), I’ll share how I went from good to great—reaching a credit score of 795 and learning how to keep it there. We’ll go deeper into credit card strategy, utilization, points, and handling debt when life happens again.

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