Addiction, Recovery, and Giving Back | Deanna Broaddus from Recovering Women Wealth

The Financial Independence Show

In today's episode, you'll hear the powerful story from Deanna who writes at Recovering Women Wealth. Deanna would bounce around the world while sprinkling in college which she graduated from at age 28. By that time she had already been married and divorced but found her passion in teaching. Unfortunately, she then became addicted to drugs and alcohol and found her self six figures in debt. Thankfully at age 36 she got sober and now at 46 is debt free and on solid financial ground. Listen to one of the more powerful episodes we've ever had and let us know what you think. Episode Summary Her parents were good with money and she was rebellious She knew money was necessary to be able to get out on her own Deanna did some learn some money lessons but they didn't sink in until much later She admits that they wanted for nothing and were middle class Deanna's parents also saved up for her college Her dad was a successful salesman and her mom stayed at home She would end up bouncing around while sporadically going to college Deanna would end up in Europe, Colorado, and Ohio At 25 she was married and 27 she was divorced Deanna would also have to file for bankruptcy because so much debt was in her name At 28 she would finish her undergraduate degree and find her passion in teaching While it took her 10 years to get her undergrad, she got her graduate in just one year To pay for her lifestyle during all this she would rely on being a waitress She started out on a promising career in education as a mathematics teacher Then someone from her past came back to her life and got her hooked back on drugs She stopped teaching and got offered a job at a country club she used to work at Unfortunately, it was a job surrounded by alcohol Deanna would continue to spiral and found herself six figures in debt The Turning Point She recalls seeing three paths including insanity, death, and a glimmer of hope At 36 she realized she was done and quit cold turkey She was able to do this without entering a treatment facility Instead, she just utilized anonymous groups Her money journey started to turn around too A church friend introduced her to the Dave Ramsey techniques Now four years she was making a lot of progress but still had struggles She would end up losing her house due to foreclosure Now with little debt remaining, she was extremely motivated At age 43 she made the decision to move in with her parents to accelerate things She became debt-free in December 2017 Today she works in the insurance industry and loves her job She started that career-making $40k and is now up to $70k Deanna is actually looking to take a year and volunteer at an orphanage in Uganda We can't wait to see where life takes her and her powerful story Key Takeaways Financial freedom > Retiring Early: Deanna is 46 and not near the end of her FI journey but she feels so free without the burden of debt Use these powers for good: I love how this community takes there freedom and uses it help others the way Deanna does It doesn't have to be a sprint: Deanna has made huge strides but many would not feel comfortable taking a year off but that's what she wants to do so she can volunteer at an orphanage in Africa... and that's pretty awesome! Call to Action If you know someone facing addiction, send them Deanna's story. Even if you don't, we all have bad habits. Face one unhealthy habit this month and eliminate it! Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes