We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Donna English a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Donna, appreciate you joining us today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?
“My journey really began with a second act. After more than 35 years as a nonprofit accountant, I was still working my 9 to 5 but also writing my first novel, The 9 G’s. Becoming an author opened a creative door for me, and I started thinking about a financial literacy book for families and especially children. But every draft I wrote felt a little too boring, too much like a textbook.
That’s when the light bulb went off—why not make it a game? I sketched out a circle, added spaces for Opportunity, Life Events, and Debacles, and started building cards and scenarios for childen. I researched board game design, created prototypes, and tested them with family and friends.
I’ll never forget the first time I held the prototype in my hands and thought, This is real. Or the moment when one of the children who played the game said, ‘Wow, I got another opportunity.’ That’s when I knew The Road to Abundance wasn’t just a game—it was a tool.
The transition from accountant to author to game creator shows that persistence and creativity go hand-in-hand. I took the discipline I’d built in my first act and used it to launch something fun, innovative, and impactful in my second act.”
Donna, 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?
My name is Donna English, and for over 35 years I worked as a nonprofit accountant, helping organizations stay compliant and financially healthy. That experience gave me a deep understanding of structure, discipline, and how money decisions affect people’s lives. But I also had another side of me—creative, faith-driven, and passionate about teaching in ways that feel alive and engaging.
As a single mom raising two daughters, I learned firsthand how important financial literacy, resilience, and creativity are. Now, as a grandmother of two beautiful granddaughters, I feel even more committed to creating stories, games, and tools that will strengthen the next generation.
That passion led me into my second act as an author. I wrote my first novel, The 9 G’s, a young adult book centered on the nine gifts of the Spirit. From there, I created children’s stories like Sparkle & Miles: A Trusting Smile and the Superpower Garden series. My goal has always been to combine faith, creativity, and practical life lessons so families—especially children—can learn values that strengthen them.
As I was writing, I started thinking about financial literacy. Originally, I wanted to create a book for families, but the concepts felt flat on paper. That’s when I came up with the idea to build a game—something fun, visual, and interactive. That idea became The Road to Abundance, a board game (and digital game in development) that teaches players about opportunities, life events, and setbacks in a way that mirrors real-life money decisions. I wanted kids and adults alike to experience financial lessons by playing, not just reading.
What sets me apart is the combination of disciplines I bring together: the technical expertise of an accountant, the creativity of a storyteller, and the vision of a social entrepreneur. I’m not just creating books or games—I’m creating tools that inspire, teach, and connect families.
I’m most proud that my work reflects who I am: a mother, a grandmother, an educator, and a faith catalyst. Whether it’s a grandmother reading Sparkle & Miles to her grandchild, a teenager discovering The 9 G’s, or a family gathered around The Road to Abundance, my products bring people together.
What I want readers, clients, and followers to know is that everything I create comes from a place of service and purpose. My brand—whether through books, games, or courses—centers on equipping people with spiritual, financial, and practical tools to live more abundant lives.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
One of the biggest pivots in my life came when my 10-year employment ended very abruptly, in 2022. At first it was a shock—after decades of being in steady nonprofit accounting roles, I suddenly had to make a choice: either go find another traditional job or take what I already had in my hands and build something bigger.
At the time, I already had one private client on the side, so instead of rushing back into another 9-to-5, I decided to lean into that work and expand it. That gave me the space and freedom to ask myself, What else can I create?
That’s when I really dove into my creative side—writing, developing The 9 G’s, and eventually imagining financial literacy not as a book but as an interactive game. What looked like a setback turned into a launchpad. Losing that job forced me to pivot, but it also gave me permission to design my second act: combining my accounting background with my creativity as an author and game creator.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
One of the chapters in my journey that really illustrates resilience was the three years I spent as a bakery owner with my daughter. We opened our shop with high hopes, and we poured our hearts into it. But we chose a location based more on what we could afford—cheap rent—rather than visibility. And in business, location matters. We had some ups, but honestly, there were mostly downs.
After three years of trying to push through, I made the difficult decision to close the doors in 2012. It felt like failure at the time, but what I learned was that sometimes resilience isn’t about holding on, it’s about knowing when to pivot, when to release something, and when to trust that the story isn’t over.
And it wasn’t over. My daughter, who was my partner in that bakery, kept going. Today, she owns her own business called The Little Fat Girl. She’s selling her brownies nationwide and has even had numerous celebrity clients. That, to me, is resilience in action: what didn’t flourish in one season found new life in another.
So I’m proud that even though my bakery story ended, the lessons—and my daughter’s success—continue to rise.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://iamdonnaenglish.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/iam_donnaenglish
- Facebook: facebook.com/donna english
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/englishlitpublishing
- Twitter: @englishdom4963
