I am a Certified Educator in Personal Finances and creator of "Money Talk Before The Commitment Walk" and "Debt Stops At The Altar" financial education program. These programs teaches couples how to communicate about money throughout the lifetime of their marriage. Let's face it, a lot of couples do not talk about money prior to walking down the aisle and then are surprised once they are back from the honeymoon. What I have created is a preventative program and one that will also help a couple get a financial footing if they already have financial stress.Also, I have launched a contest in the Colorado area for engaged couples titled Confessions About A Money Management Secret.

EDUCATION | Doctorate of ministry in Biblical Counseling; Masters in Human Resources; BS in Business Adminstration and Management; Paralegal certificate; certified educator in personal finances.

HOW TO GET STARTED | There are many financial courses out there to become certified as a financial counselor.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | You have to like people. You have to be unbiased. You have to be able to talk from experience and not only from book knowledge. You have to be able to look at the big picture in order to see viable solutions. You have to be willing to listen to your clients and be patient as they explain their situation.

how I got started | I grew up in a single parent household, with all the financial challenges that often entails, and I have had the experience of being in debt. When my husband and I got married, we had ,000 in debt between us. We came up with a five-year plan to get out of debt, but we did it in two and a half years without declaring bankruptcy. We were only earning ,000 a year at the time. We've been married thirteen years now and have six-year-old twins. Couples kept coming to us, wanting to talk about what to do with their debt. As a part of my doctoral program, I wrote a book titled Debt Dilemma. I started speaking and teaching, and then created the financial education programs in 2007. I would see so many couples go down the aisle and say, I do, without ever discussing their finances or their ideas about finances. They never talked about it, until they had a financial emergency. I want to encourage people to be proactive, to realized that things will happen and they need to be in a solution-oriented mode instead of reacting emotionally.

why this job?| Because it changes people's lives. People haven't been taught how to manage money- we didn't have a class in K-12 on that very important subject. People need to learn that when they make a financial mistake, they need to pick themselves up, brush themselves off, and learn from it. People are embarrassed to talk about money.

why I love this job!| The opportunity to tell a person, "You're going to be okay. You can come out of this, you don't have to have a credit card, you don't have to charge. You can get out of debt and have a good life."

my typical day| I'm an independent counselor, so some days I talk with alot of clients, other days, just a few. I put on seminars for couples- currently I'm preparing to work with military couples. I served eight years in the military, so I understand the challenges they face.

what they are | Getting people to forgive themselves for making the choices that got them into debt: self-blame is a block to moving on. It's hard to help people picture themselves living without debt. If they can see it, they can do it. It's hard for people to separate themselves from family, friend and coworkers who speak negatively to them, and that is something they have to do if they're to be successful. It's also a challenge to get people to think about the future and the challenges they will face-dealing with elderly parents, for example.

all about growth | The potential for growth is huge: I've done my research and there's not another program out there like this one. Bride magazines talk about how to budget for the wedding, but not how to manage your money in the marriage. Money is the #1 cause for divorce, so there's a great need.

my website| http://www.DebtAtTheAltar.com