Most days I feel like I’m building a new life while still holding together the old one.

I’m a 40 year old single mom of 4. Yes, my kids are older: 20, 17, 16, and 13.
I co-own a barbershop. I still work behind the chair as a barber.
I still juggle bills, perimenopause (which can kick rocks btw), inconsistent income, deadlines, emotions, and motherhood.
Some nights I’m strong and “got this”. Some nights I cry in the shower because I feel like I’m failing.
Every night I’m still determined.

I’m not out of survival mode.
Not yet.
But I’m not willing to stay here forever.

And that’s where my version of freedom started.
Not at the finish line.
But the messy-middle decision to do it differently.

The Real Truth About “Freedom” That No One Talks About

The world tells you freedom means:

• Quit your job
• Make 10K months
• Never struggle again
• Heal everything
• Become a new woman overnight

Cute idea. Terrible advice.

Freedom started with numbers I didn’t want to see.

No savings.
Inconsistent Income.
Trying not to get behind on my bills.
Stressed every day.
Still trying to build a better life anyway.

Freedom looked like tracking my income even when it stressed me out.

My income was all over the place.
Some weeks I made $2,100.
Some weeks I made $800.

But clarity is better than pretending.

Freedom looked like fixing my money before my life felt “stable”.

I didn’t wait for the perfect moment.
I created the moment.

Freedom meant choosing structure when everything around me felt chaotic.

I stopped running from numbers.
I stopped telling myself I’d figure it out “later”.
Later never came.

I built systems that didn’t care how messy my life was.
Systems that worked anyway.

What I’m Building From the Middle

People love a transformation story when it’s finished.

No one talks about the ugly middle…
The part where you’re rebuilding yourself while already exhausted.

Here’s what my “middle” looks like right now:

• Building a financial system that finally makes my life make sense
  I created the Freedom by Design Financial Command Center because nothing else worked for the way I lived, earned, and survived.
  
• Paying off debt in real time
  Not glamorous.
  Not fast.
  But consistent.
  
• Rebuilding myself as a mom
  Not perfectly.
  Not without guilt.
  But with intention.
  
• Running a barbershop AND building my digital business
  Chaotic?
  Yes.
  Worth it?
  Every time.
  
• Creating freedom I can feel, not just dream about
  Quiet mornings.
  Breathing room.
  A life that fits who I am now, not who I had to be to survive.

If You’re Still in Survival Mode Too… You’re Not Behind

You’re not lazy.
You’re not failing.
You’re not “bad with money”.
You’re not too late.

You’re just in the middle.

And the middle still counts.

You’re allowed to build a better life while still healing from the last one.
You’re allowed to want peach while still figuring out how to create it.
You’re allowed to start before you feel ready.

That’s what I’m doing.

That’s what this brand is built on.

If You Want a Place to Start, Start Here

I made a free Reality Check Calculator because I needed a wake-up call, one that wasn’t shame-based or confusing.

This calculator shows you:
– What you actually need to make
– Why you feel behind even when you’re working nonstop.
– How much you’re undercharging without realizing it.
– The real numbers that will help you breathe again.

It’s simple.
It’s honest.
It might piss you off a little (in a good way).
It definitely changes things.

Grab the Reality Check Calculator.

The Bottom Line

I’m still in the middle.
Still rebuilding.
Still becoming.

But I’m not going back to survival mode.
Not after learning how powerful it is to finally tell yourself the truth.

And if you’re here, reading this?

You’re building your freedom too.

One decision.
One system.
One honest step at a time.