Isabel
Age: 24
Location: California
Occupation: Insurance Benefits Analyst
Total Debt: $196,170
Isabel is a 24-year-old benefits analyst living in California, in one of the most expensive cities in the country. Isabel currently finds herself in about $200,000 worth of debt, incurred mostly from her marketing degree from Menlo College. While the crushing weight of her debt is formidable, Isabel is not going down without a fight. Not only does she have a full-time job, but she also side-hustles as a birthday party clown, a model, and as an artist which is her true passion. Isabel is looking to attack her debt head-on and has plans to eradicate it from her life by the time she is 30 so that she can begin to save for a home and a wedding. She has the passion, but she needs the guidance of the Going From Broke Team.
Enam & Carlin
Ages: 32 & 31
Location: North Carolina
Enam’s Occupation: Financial Rep at a Credit Union, Esthetician, Youth Pastor
Carlin’s Occupation: Police Officer, Ordained Minister, Youth Pastor
Total Debt: $208,000
Student Loan Debt: $138,000
Medical & Credit Card Debt: $70,000
Enam and Carlin were college sweethearts who are now married in North Carolina, sharing their home with three sons and the looming spectre of over $200,000 of debt. The source of their financial situation is largely student loans, but also out of pocket medical expenses for one of their sons who suffers from sickle-cell disease. Both are incredibly hard working with Enam holding down jobs as a financial representative and an esthetician and Carlin working as a police officer and an ordained minister while both also share vocations as youth pastors at their church. The couple come from families where they are the only college graduates and they hope to forge a new path for the future of their children. While they struggle to get onto the road to financial freedom, they pray the Going From Broke teams can help them draw the roadmap that will get them there.
Tina
Age: 35
Location: New York
Occupation: Social Worker
Total Debt: $140,000
Student Debt: $120,000
Credit Card Debt: $20,000
Tina is a single mom in New York struggling to weather the storms cresting the horizon of her life. Parenting alone is difficult in the best of circumstances, but add to that the difficulty in raising a mildly autistic daughter paired with mounting pressure of $140,000 of debt. The money Tina owes is a brutal combination gathered from student loans, weight-loss surgery, her daughter’s therapies, a self-admitted online shopping addiction, as well as the cost of her divorce, which helped her put a toxic relationship behind her. Despite the shadows cast by her debt, Tina strives towards a brighter future not only for herself and her daughter but also those around her as she works as both a high school social worker and a weight loss counselor. While Tina struggles to improve the lives of others, she hopes the team from Going From Broke can provide her with a little shelter from the gale as she moves forward.
Chelsea & jake
Age: 28 & 29
Location: Texas
Chelsea’s Occupation: Baker
Jake’s Occupation: Guitarist & Cosmetologist
Relationship status: Married
Total Debt:
Chelsea and Jake are a married couple living in Texas, with more than $37,000 of debt between them. The problems started for them between 2017 and 2019, when they racked up medical debt after Chelsea miscarried four times. The couple had their “miracle baby” Hendrix in 2020, but the financial hits didn’t let up: COVID all but obliterated the couple's earnings last year. And today, even with Jake working three jobs and Chelsea's home bakery making a slow recovery, the couple is struggling to keep up financially. With a new child and another one on the way, they are hoping not just to pay off their debt, but also to start saving cash for a home and their children’s future. With life on the brink, they’ve turned to the Going From Broke team for help.
Ryan
Age: 26
Location: New York
Occupation: Handyman/Contractor
Total Debt: $175,000
Student Debt: $50,000, and $30k parent plus loan
Vehicle Loans: $83,000
Credit Card: $11,000
Ryan is a 26-year-old handyman from New York who is buried in $173,000 of debt. Ryan has dreams of being an entrepreneur, but the obstacles in his personal life have not made it easy. After a rough breakup last year, he now lives with his mother, who is battling stage 3 breast cancer. Together, they are in a home that is facing foreclosure, which is Ryan’s biggest stressor. While he considers himself good with money, he has taken out massive loans to buy two cars, a truck, a motorcycle, the gas, and upkeep of which eat up half his income every month! He has no savings and more debt than he knows what to do with. Now, Ryan is getting a chance to climb out of his debt with help from the Going From Broke team.
The donovAn
Age: 31
Location: Georgia
Occupation: Classical Pianist
Total Debt: $90,000
Student Loan Debt: $70,000
The Donovan is a 30-year-old concert pianist living in Georgia. And while he’s magic on the keyboard he struggles with his finances: The Donovan has $90,000 of total debt, including $70,000 of student debt. The Donovan comes from a “long line of broke,” as he puts it, and is hoping to be the first in his family to break the cycle. Despite earning six figures as a concert pianist, he can’t seem to climb out of his debt. He has the income, but he is also relied on by some family and friends for support. Now he needs a plan and the discipline to pay off his debt, and the Going From Broke team is going to see if they can help.