The Wake-Up Call
It wasn't until I got out of the military in 2020 and started looking into buying a home that I realized just how financially unprepared I was. When I reviewed the requirements to qualify for a mortgage, I discovered that my credit score was a 584 — nowhere near what I needed.
That moment forced me to face a reality I had never been taught how to navigate. I turned to what I thought was the solution: a credit repair company. They sold me a dream, promised results, and for six months took payments without communication, transparency, or progress. I was left right where I started — except more frustrated and discouraged.
Taking Control
Instead of giving up, I decided to educate myself. I studied credit laws, strategies, and dispute procedures. Along the way I also tried another credit repair company, and between what I learned on my own and the actions they took, I eventually raised my score to a 672, enough to purchase my first home in 2021.
The Real Lesson
But soon I learned another painful truth: fixing your credit without fixing your financial habits is temporary. My score began slipping again because I didn't yet understand budgeting, debt management, or responsible utilization. In other words, I had "repaired" my credit, but not my relationship with money.
So I doubled down on financial literacy. I took courses. I studied personal finance on YouTube. I started understanding money the way it actually works — not emotionally, not reactively, but strategically. Over time, things transformed. I began having money left over at the end of the month. I stopped feeling financially anxious. My credit score grew from 584 to eventually an 832.
That's when I had the realization that changed everything:
"If I could go through all of this because no one taught me, how many other people are silently struggling the same exact way?"
The Mission
Millions of hardworking people are trapped — not because they're irresponsible, but because nobody ever gave them the blueprint. Society teaches us how to spend, but not how to build. And when people finally get the courage to seek help, they are often met with overpriced "repair" services that only fix symptoms instead of the root problem.
That's why I created Big Brain Financial Coaching — not to sell a quick fix, but to teach financial independence as a skillset. Because lasting transformation doesn't come from a credit dispute letter — it comes from education, guidance, and empowerment.
Big Brain exists to provide the knowledge I never had, so others don't have to learn the hard way like I did.