How does the absence of it make you feel?
What did you feel when you bought a prized possession?
The money topic makes many uncomfortable. I have witnessed this first hand in dealing with my clients. This is because of the emotional hold that money has over us and how those emotions affect how we spend, borrow, and save or invest.
Money is however not a topic we can easily ignore because it is an enabler that is ingrained in all spheres of our lives. If your financial life (sphere) is not in order, every other area of your life will be in disorder.
I am a financial literacy and wellness coach, Author of 2 personal finance management books – ‘Managing Your Finances God’s Way’ and ‘Smart Money Habits’, Trainer, Speaker and Founder of Zueric Consulting (a corporate financial management firm). I have served in corporate companies and held various finance and leadership positions for over 18 years. I serve on several boards including one of a publicly listed company.
Over 60% of Kenyans living below poverty line. Unemployment rate on the rise. Thousands lose their cash to pyramid schemes. …Such headline stories break my heart. I know that something went wrong somewhere but that something can be done for us and by us.
I believe that a financially healthy nation is a productive nation. Financial concerns may be a personal matter, but they directly affect one’s performance in every area. On the home front for example, financially challenged individuals tend to have less than stable families. At the office front, many employees suffer stress caused by financial disorder leading to poor performance. Financial issues are a leading cause of rise in depression cases in the world. These reasons, together with the growing demand for financial knowledge are the basis of my passion to impart financial literacy and inspire financial wellness to as many people as possible.
My mission is to guide people to stress less about money. I make my little contribution (my ‘little thing’) in imparting financial literacy and wellness through my books, blog posts, social media platforms, speaking engagements, personal financial management coaching and mentorship programs.
I thrive in working with people (individuals, couples or groups) to identify solutions that help them live their lives better. My drive is to help them make the best of their resources and achieve long-term change so that they can focus on what is important to them.
I am in my element when helping people out of money stress. I lose myself in it, quite literally. I enjoy the journey, walking with a person, one-to-one, a small group or with a couple. But what gives me most satisfaction, way more than anything, is the victory. When they stay the course and we win together. When the goal is achieved.
My journey to personal finance coaching wasn’t planned. I could say it started as a mistake if there’s anything like that. It all started when people started reaching out to have their finances fixed. One seeking help on how to get out of debt, the other consulting on investment ideas and yet another seeking guidance on retirement planning. I was happy to help. It is from these people that I got a referral and then another. This continued for a while but it was not until in mid-2014 that I decided to take this on professionally. I saw a need and huge gap that needed to be filled. Fast forward to today, barely 5 years later, I have become a sought after speaker running several coaching programs and soon to be published author of not one but two books! I have stayed the course and am humbled to be making an impact on people’s lives.
Other than the fact that I am a trained accountant, CPA with my first degree in accounting, I have been privileged to work with various corporates, taking up leadership positions in finance and general management. With this, I gained loads of exposure not only in how to deal with people right, but also in understanding how investments work. I am especially thankful to have worked with 2 stock brokers and an investment firm wherein I gained a lot of hands on investment experience. This knowledge has not only been useful to me as an investor but has made it possible to walk the money management journey with several people.
Through my journey as a coach, I have come to the realization that many people do not follow through to their achievement of goals because of lack of accountability. Often, what they want to achieve is something that they know about and can already do but just choose not to. I am happy to have given that extra push and to have been able to hand hold my clients to the very end.
My defining characteristic is a hands-on, roll-up-the-sleeves approach in dealing with my students and clients. This has helped me build strong relationships with them and in return have become my greatest ambassadors. I am a member of ICPAK (Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya) and AWAK (Association of Women Accountants) where until recently I served as a member of the board of directors. I am a wife and mother of four. When I am not solving money matters, I love to spend quality time with them and with their doting dad Jimmy. I try to be a good Christian so I take pride in serving at my church. I occasionally enjoy a round of golf and often create time to write or read a good book.
