We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Veronica Deraleau. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Veronica below.

Veronica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

When I graduated with my MBA in 2017, while I was excited about the future, I was also scared and guilt-ridden that I had accumulated over $100,000 of debt. In my book, Making Money Is Simple, I detail the stress and shame that came with that realization, as well as the steps that I took to dig myself out of that hole.

By 2020, I had finished paying off my student loans in just three years on a single median income, so when COVID hit and many found their livelihoods put abruptly on hold, I felt called to share my personal finance knowledge.

I help professionals and creatives stop living paycheck to paycheck so they can provide an abundant life for their families and accelerate their dreams. Now, it’s super meaningful when I guide others in their financial journey, witness breakthroughs in their mindset, and help them pay off debt or own assets.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My professional journey has been a winding road, or maybe a matrix. In college, I studied Music and Economics while serving as a musician in the U.S. Army Reserve. Upon graduating during the Great Recession, I began working for a commercial energy start-up and was hooked. I loved the variety and learning of all aspects of business, from sales and marketing to operations and finance. I worked with commercial building owners and got the real estate bug. From there, I pursued my MBA and spent a few years working in commercial real estate asset management.

At the real estate company, I was given the opportunity to lead technology implementations and build out multi-million dollar property budgets. My eyes were opened to how high-net-worth individuals think about managing and growing money. In 2020, I leveraged my implementation experience and began working for a financial technology company doing data onboarding, eventually being promoted to manager of a data onboarding team.

In September 2024, I launched my financial coaching business and published my book, Making Money Is Simple. In my Money SIMPLE program, I teach individuals strategic budgeting and planning, how to pay off large amounts of debt quickly, save for significant milestones, and start investing for the future, in a way that is simple to understand without all the financial jargon.

Aside from my business education and career experience, I also deeply understand the emotional side of the equation from personal experience. My book explores the mindset it takes to achieve money freedom, or any other elusive goal through personal stories.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

For most of my professional career, I thought that if my business employers knew about my musical ventures, they wouldn’t take me seriously and would perceive a lack of commitment. Simultaneously, I felt that if artistic directors knew about my business career, they wouldn’t consider me a serious musician. I’m not sure where I got these ideas; maybe it was from the olden days of the music conservatory and Wall Street bro culture.

But the last 15 years and all the employers I’ve worked with have proven this untrue. Having launched and navigated a career during two recessions, the rise of social media, and the increased importance of personal branding, I’ve learned that leveraging my mixed career background and skill sets has proven to be an asset, not something to tamp down.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

What it really means to be ‘all in’

Matt Higgins’s Burn the Boats validated to me that fully committing to an entrepreneurial or creative venture does not have to mean doing it without any downside protection. In my 20s, I felt a sense of guilt for having a job that paid the bills, as if I hadn’t given music all that I could, but the truth is that I worked hard on my craft, and I didn’t need to starve for that to be true.

The same is true while I build my financial coaching business, which I launched in September, and I am so excited to grow and scale. As long as I am focused on chipping away at the highest-impact tasks and strategically moving the ball forward daily, I’m committed. Of course, that can go too far, and eventually, you have to know when to ‘burn the boats,’ but you don’t have to be reckless to be ‘all in.’

‘Consolidate your gains’ & ‘live your dreams concurrently’

Higgins also talks about ‘consolidating your gains,’ where each experience builds and gives you the skills, confidence, and leverage to pursue the next opportunity. Recounting my career path has shown this to be true. The business skills I gained from working for that first energy startup served me well in my singing and corporate careers. Those collective experiences have given me the confidence to launch my financial coaching business.

‘Live your dreams concurrently’ also had me nodding my head. In my experience, you either have little going on or are extremely busy. It’s wishful thinking that projects will neatly fall into place during less busy periods. And in the early stages of building a business or starting a creative endeavor, you say ‘yes’ as much as possible. It’s an excellent problem once you finally reach the point where you must begin strategically saying ‘no.’ So, you might as well get going and figure out how to balance things as you go.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://makingmoneyissimple.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingmoneyissimple/
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits

Angie Whitten, Rhianon Paige