We were lucky to catch up with Aj Schneider recently and have shared our conversation below.

AJ, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

When I decided to become a finance coach, I started crafting my methodology—how I would conduct calls, what my talking points would be, and how I could create real transformation for my clients. That summer, I spent months practicing with friends, analyzing their finances, helping them build budgets, and asking for feedback. But I needed to see if my approach was scalable—if I had something that could truly serve the masses.

One of my friends was always stressed about money. She was the kind of person who championed anything she believed in—relatable, kind, and fiercely loyal. So when I offered to coach her for free, I knew she would show up 100%. I also knew that if she found value in our work together, she would spread the word.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Her finances radically transformed in a short period of time. She went from struggling to afford rent and student loan payments to tripling her income, implementing a 0% interest debt repayment strategy, refinancing her student loans, and—most importantly—gaining a sense of financial confidence she didn’t know was possible.

She recently reached out to tell me she hit six figures. Every major milestone in her life—getting married, moving out of state—she still ties back to the financial foundation we built together.

While she may have been a free client, her belief in me became the backbone of my business. In my first two years, 87% of my clients came from her referrals. She says I changed her life, but the truth is, her trust and willingness to follow my guidance changed mine.

Beyond The Green wouldn’t exist without her.

AJ, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Alexandra Jaye Schneider, but everybody knows me as AJ. I’m the founder and CEO of Beyond The Green Coaching, where my team and I help people heal their relationship with money so they can stop feeling overwhelmed, have a starting point to organize their finances, build wealth with confidence, and manage and take advantage of debt.

My journey into finance coaching wasn’t traditional—I didn’t come from Wall Street or have a finance degree. I was a yoga teacher, deeply immersed in wellness but constantly stressed about money. I had a scarcity mindset that kept me stuck, living paycheck to paycheck, and I genuinely thought I’d never be someone who “had money.” That belief dictated my reality—until I decided to change it. I started learning everything I could about money: budgeting, debt repayment, investing, and, most importantly, the psychology behind financial behavior. Once I applied these principles to my own life, I went from being the “poor friend” with no savings to completely transforming my financial future—paying off all my high-interest debt, maxing out my retirement accounts, buying my mom a condo, and building real wealth. It also completely transformed my life, I finally showed up in the world as I wanted the world to see me. I became a magnet (with boundaries).

What truly changed my life wasn’t just fixing my finances—it was realizing that money is energy, a reflection of how we show up in the world. I wanted to help others experience that same transformation. I started coaching friends, then referrals, then clients. Before I knew it, I had built a business that helped hundreds of people ditch financial stress, get clear on their goals, and finally feel in control of their money.

What We Do at Beyond The Green Coaching
We offer a mix of 1:1 coaching, group coaching, and self-paced courses, with our signature program, Heal Your Relationship With Money, at the core of it all. My coaching goes beyond spreadsheets—it’s about aligning your values with your finances, creating a sustainable budget, paying off debt without sacrificing your life, and building wealth from a place of confidence.

I specialize in working with high earners who feel stuck in a paycheck-to-paycheck cycle, small business owners who want to make their money work for them, and couples who were never taught how to manage money or how to talk about it but are ready to change that story.

What Sets Me Apart
I don’t just teach budgeting—I teach people how to think differently about money.

I show my clients that budgeting is the most radical form of self-care—it’s not about restriction but freedom.
I emphasize that debt repayment and wealth-building are not mutually exclusive—you have to save while paying off debt to break out of the cycle.
I focus on financial empowerment, not just financial education—because knowing what to do isn’t the same as actually doing it.
And honestly? I don’t sugarcoat things. If you’re waiting for a raise, an inheritance, or some external event to “fix” your money problems, I’ll tell you straight up—that’s not the answer. The answer is learning how to manage what you have now so that when you do make more, you’re actually keeping and growing it.

What I’m Most Proud Of
Beyond The Green has helped hundreds of people take control of their money. I’ve personally seen clients go from drowning in debt to hitting six-figure salaries, from feeling hopeless to buying their first home, from financial anxiety to complete stability. I’ve also built a business that allows me to employ an incredible team, be present for my family, and create a lasting impact in an industry that often makes people feel ashamed of where they are financially.

What I Want People to Know
You don’t have to be “good with money” to change your financial future. You have to be willing to learn and take action.
There’s no “right” income level to start. I’ve helped people earning six figures who were still broke and helped people making less build wealth from the ground up. It’s not about how much you make but how you manage it.
Your financial situation does not define you. What you do next does.
Whether you’re ready to finally stop feeling stressed about money, want to create a financial plan that works for your life, or are tired of trying to figure it out alone, Beyond The Green Coaching is here to help.

I built this company because I know exactly what it’s like to feel lost when it comes to money. And I know how powerful it is when someone gives you the roadmap to change your life.

When you heal your relationship with money, it impacts every single relationship in your life, including the one with your self.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The Pivot That Changed Everything
In 2020, I made a terrifying, life-altering decision—I went all in on my coaching business. Up until that point, coaching had been something I did on the side, a passion project that I fit in between working as a yoga studio manager. But when the pandemic hit, the yoga industry collapsed overnight. And it was the most bizarre thing. I was really happy.

I hadn’t realized that I was deeply unhappy. I was gifted the incredible opportunity of unemployment and I decided to use that time to build up my dream business.

That summer, I launched the very first round of my ‘Heal Your Relationship With Money’ course. I had no fancy marketing, no big audience—just my personal story, my financial coaching framework, and a deep belief that people needed this work. My goal was to sign up 10 people and make $10,000. I had 10 prospect calls, 10 sign-ups, and made $9,316—and just like that, I knew this was it.

That moment wasn’t just about making money. It was about proving to myself that I had something real, something that could change lives. I realized I didn’t need to wait for permission, validation, or some perfect set of circumstances to make my business work. I just had to show up and do the work.

Since then, my coaching practice has grown beyond what I ever imagined. I’ve helped hundreds of clients pay build financial confidence, wealth, debt strategies and heal their relationship with money. off debt, We are a team of four incredible individuals spanning across the US. That signature program has run 16 times, and I’ve built a business that allows me to live life on my terms while making a real impact.

That pivot—from seeing my business as a side hustle to treating it like the game-changer it was—was the best decision I ever made. And every time I work with a client who’s terrified to make a big financial move, I remind them:

You don’t need certainty to start. You just need to trust that you are capable of figuring it out.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Unlearning That Money Was Out of My Control
I grew up believing that money wasn’t something you could control. It was unpredictable, fleeting, and completely outside of my hands. In my house, money was stressful. It fluctuated constantly. When it was there, it was spent—because who knew when it would come again? When it wasn’t, we struggled. Tuition bills, unexpected expenses, and financial tension shaped my reality—I knew way too much about our finances at way too young an age. I watched my parents fight relentlessly over money, and I internalized the belief that money wasn’t stable and I would never truly have control over it.

I also thought that you needed a lot of money to be successful—that to be the best in your field, to truly “make it,” you had to earn at the highest level. Otherwise, you were nothing. Money wasn’t something you managed, organized, or built upon; it was something that happened to you. If you had it, you spent it. If you didn’t, you struggled. That was the cycle I knew.

So I operated the same way. I’d get money and immediately spend it because having it felt temporary. I never believed in saving because, in my mind, money wasn’t something you built—it was something that came and went. I didn’t know financial security was even a possibility. I thought everyone else was just better at making money than we were.

I had to unlearn all of that.

I had to teach myself that money isn’t an uncontrollable force—it’s a skill you can master. That financial stability isn’t something you’re born into—it’s something you create. That true success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about how you manage what you have.

The moment I stopped treating money as something outside of me and started seeing it as something I could organize, plan for, and grow, my entire life changed. I went from living paycheck to paycheck, constantly stressed about money, to building wealth, maxing out my retirement accounts, paying off debt, and creating a business that helps others do the same.

Now, I help my clients rewrite their own money stories. Because if I can go from believing money was completely out of my control to becoming a financial coach—someone who helps others create stability, build wealth, and change their financial future—then you can too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beyondthegreencoaching.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondthegreencoaching?igsh=MWhyZmMxejJqa3EyNQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aj-schneider