In this powerful and transparent episode of Journey to Launch, I sit down with Nika Booth, award-winning financial coach, content creator, and founder of Debt Free Gonna Be, to unpack how she paid off more than $200,000 in debt while refusing to sacrifice joy along the way.

From student loans and credit card balances to IRS debt and government furloughs, Nika shares the raw truth behind her financial journey, the highs, the setbacks, and the emotional lessons that reshaped her mindset about money, self-worth, and freedom.

She opens up about her early money mistakes, growing up in a household where finances weren’t discussed, and how the 2019 federal shutdown became the wake-up call that sparked her debt-free mission. Nika also reveals what it really felt like to finally see her student loan balance hit $0, and how she’s now helping others find hope, healing, and fun in their own money journeys.

For the full episode shownotes, go to https://journeytolaunch.com/episode450

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