We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Debbie O’Hara a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Debbie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, let’s jump into one of the most exciting parts of starting a new firm – how did you get your first client who was not a friend or family?
I’ll never forget my first client, Beth. The way we started working with each other was like magic. In order to tell you the story I have to go backwards. Growing up I never learned anything positive about money. Money was the reason why my parents fought, why we moved around so much and even why the utilities were shut off from time to time. In high school, I learned everything under the sun except for how to manage money. So when I went into my first marriage I did exactly as I saw growing up, I handed my paycheck over to my then husband. Eventually when our relationship turned toxic and abusive I had to leave with my two little kids. For years everything and anything (including my legal fees to divorce him) went on credit cards. When I married my now wonderful husband, he sat me down and showed me that those years cost me $48,000 of credit card debt. Even though he said what a great guy would say which is, “Your debt is my debt and we’ll get through this together.” For the first time ever a fire lit within me and I knew I needed to change my life and do this for myself! So I went to work. I was in the library grabbing as many financial books as I can get my hands on. I would read nights and weekends and the more I learned the more I implemented and in two years the $48,000 of debt was gone. But I knew within my heart that I wasn’t done. If I didn’t know how to manage money there had to be other people out there that didn’t know either. So three weeks later I started my Youtube channel “How Debbie Saves.” I’ll never forget that in the third video I said if anyone has any questions I’ll leave my email address below. Within 10 days I thought my email got hacked because I had so many messages from women asking me for help. I started coaching them on finances from my kitchen table absolutely for free. One day I heard a podcast talk about money coaching and I realized I can turn this into a business. So in my next Youtube video I announce that I was starting my money coaching business and Beth jumped in. I’ll never forget our first call. I wanted to quote her $1000 for three months of weekly coaching. The reason why I wanted to to quote $1000 is because that’s what you heard about online, making four figures. But I was nervous and opened my mouth and $980 came out. She didn’t hesitate and said, “Absolutely send me the invoice.” Beth paid off her house and her husband retired all because she worked with me. They travel in an RV from State park to State Park living their retirement in a way that fills their heart. She was a true joy and we are still in touch even today.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a Money Coach and Financial Speaker who’s passionate about helping women, couples, and female entrepreneurs take control of their finances with confidence and ease. Through my 1:1 coaching program and my group program, Financially Fearless Women, I teach clients how to face their numbers without fear, gain true financial clarity, pay off debt, and create the life and business they truly desire.
What sets me apart is my belief that financial freedom isn’t about restriction, it’s about alignment. So many people in the financial space teach budgeting from a place of lack, but that only reinforces the idea that you’re “bad with money” when you slip up. I do things differently. I help my clients build flexible, life-friendly budgets that reflect their goals and values. When they see how much power they have in the income they already make, everything shifts. They begin paying off debt faster, saving for the future, and building businesses that actually support the life they want to live.
I’m most proud of watching my clients go from feeling overwhelmed and ashamed of their finances to feeling confident, empowered, and excited about what’s possible for them. My mission is to show that money doesn’t have to be stressful. It can be simple, freeing, and deeply supportive when you have the right tools and mindset.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I’ll never forget my first youtube video. It was called, “Meal Planning Made Simple: 7 Easy Tips.” I still have it up on my channel because I don’t want to forget how my business started. That video is so embarrassing because I was sitting so far away from the camera (which was my iphone on a tripod), the refrigerator humming is clearly heard and I’m not even sitting up straight. I was so uncomfortable but I had a mission in my heart…to talk about money from a place of excitement instead of lack. So I thought I would start with how to save money on groceries. LOL
The advice I would give to anyone starting their business is to simply start. Don’t worry about your hair, outfit, sticking to a script, etc. At the end of the day someone is going to buy from you not only because you can help them but because they like you and feel connected to you. So the more authentic you can be the better. My client Lauren has been working with me for over 2 years now. I will never forget our first call. Once she said yes to working together she said, “I have to tell you Abby is so cute and the way that Emily was playing with her during your hike was so cute.” I was taken back. Abby was our puppy and Emily is my daughter. She then said, “I’ve been following you for months.” She connected with me because I show up as I am. So don’t let the feeling of everything has to be perfect to simply show up on content. You can do it.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
What has helped me build my reputation in this industry is that I genuinely care about my clients. They’re never just numbers or sales to me. When a client says yes to working together, I tell them, “We’re in this together.” Because I know how much courage it takes to face your finances and transform your relationship with money.
My clients are breaking through years of limiting beliefs and patterns that have held them back, so I focus on making the process feel supportive, fun, and empowering and never stressful or shame-based. As they start to see progress and prove to themselves that they can do it, they often say, “This is easier than I thought.” Hearing that truly lights me up.
My business has grown organically through referrals because my clients can feel how much I care. They trust me enough to send their friends and family my way, and that’s how you build a reputation that has people saying your name in rooms you’re not even in and that’s a beautiful thing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://howdebbiesaves.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howdebbiesaves/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-ohara-coach/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HowDebbieSaves
