I have a deep appreciation for the journey that financial trauma can take us on. As a childhood victim of familial identity theft, I’ve felt the heavy burden of debt and the anxiety that follows. But I also know that it can get better. Today, I use that lived experience to help clients find their path back to financial stability, no matter how impossible that might seem. I’m an AFCPE® Accredited Financial Counselor, as well as an Associate Professor of Consumer Affairs at South Dakota State University. I’ve conducted extensive research on the subject of identity theft and serve as an Associate Editor of Book Reviews & Profiles for the Journal of Financial Therapy. I hold a Ph.D. in human development and family studies from Iowa State University and an M.S. in personal financial planning from Kansas State University. You can also read the full story of my road to financial recovery in my 2020 book, The Less People Know About Us.