Our Story Started With Real Struggles

Back in 2019, we were just three friends who'd made every budgeting mistake in the book. Credit card debt, missed payments, that sinking feeling when rent was due. We figured if we could turn things around, maybe we could help others avoid the same painful lessons.

What We Actually Stand For

Here's the thing - we're not going to sugarcoat financial reality or promise overnight transformations. Money management is tough, and anyone telling you otherwise probably hasn't been broke at 2am worrying about bills.

  • Honest Conversations
    We talk about the messy parts of budgeting that other courses skip. Like how motivation disappears after week three, or why you'll probably fail your first budget attempt.
  • Real-World Testing
    Every technique we teach has been battle-tested by people dealing with actual financial stress. No theoretical nonsense from someone who's never bounced a check.
  • Progress Over Perfection
    Small improvements compound over time. We celebrate the person who saves their first $50 just as much as someone building their emergency fund.
Team members working together on financial planning documents

How We Got Here

Six years of learning what actually works when you're starting from financial chaos.

2019
The Wake-Up Call
Kirsten's credit card got declined buying groceries. That night, the three of us sat down and admitted we had no idea where our money was going. We started tracking expenses on napkins and spreadsheets.
2021
First Success Stories
After helping friends and family members get their finances sorted, we realized our messy, trial-and-error approach was actually more relatable than perfect financial advice from experts.
2023
Building the Framework
We formalized our teaching methods after seeing the same patterns in hundreds of budgeting journeys. Turns out, most people fail for the same predictable reasons.
2025
Where We Are Now
Today we're focused on creating education that acknowledges the psychological and emotional sides of money management. Because spreadsheets don't fix spending triggers.
Kirsten Mallory, Co-founder and Lead Educator
Kirsten Mallory
Co-founder & Lead Educator
"I spent my twenties thinking budgets were punishment. Now I know they're actually permission slips to spend guilt-free on what matters."

Teaching Philosophy

We believe financial education should feel like getting advice from a friend who's been through the same struggles, not a lecture from someone who's never had to choose between groceries and petrol.

Our approach focuses on building sustainable habits rather than perfect systems. Because the best budget is the one you'll actually stick to for more than two weeks.

Peer Learning
Iterative Improvement
Practical Solutions
Bethany Korsgaard, Program Development Specialist
Bethany Korsgaard
Program Development
"Every lesson we create gets tested with real people facing real money stress. If it doesn't work in practice, it doesn't make it into our programs."

What You Can Expect From Us

No Financial Fairy Tales

We won't promise you'll become wealthy or debt-free overnight. What we will do is show you how to stop money anxiety from running your life and start making progress, even if it's slow.

Support When You Mess Up

You will blow your budget. You will make impulse purchases. We'll help you get back on track without the shame spiral that usually follows financial mistakes.

Tools That Actually Work

Every worksheet, calculator, and technique we share has been tested with people who have kids, irregular income, debt, and all the other complications that make budgeting challenging.

Students participating in interactive budgeting workshop