Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Snyder.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Caroline. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In some ways, my life path feels really disjointed, but when I look at it all together the connections between each phase become clear — I’ve always loved people, I love creative problem solving, making others laugh and learning. It’s just that as a kid I spent my time creating silly skits for my sister, and I now I help others become money badasses.
I started my career as a high school Social Studies teacher – teaching in Cameroon, West Africa and then in New Orleans, Louisiana where I lived for 13 years. Over the course of my five years in education, I taught nine different courses, which was absolutely exhausting. I loved the kids though and I loved the intense problem solving that teaching requires.
Growing up, I would never have thought I would do anything related to finance. In fact, I was so turned off by money that I avoided the subject at all costs (pun intended) until my mid-20s when I was directed (er, forced) to teach financial literacy as part of one of my high school courses. As soon as I approached finance from an educator’s standpoint, I became less terrified by my own financial situation (which was a mess) and was able to gain the clarity and confidence I needed to get my money in line.
I quickly realized that my true passion was bringing that same peace of mind to others. I went back to grad school, studied finance and worked in the industry before founding Verdi – a financial coaching company designed for feminists who want to create their own unique versions of financial success.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think anyone has ever started a business without a few struggles. I’d put mine in two buckets: 1. mental health and 2. working with constraints.
I left teaching after my mother died of cancer. I had struggled some with situational depression prior to her death, but after I started experiencing major panic attacks and anxiety. I wish I could say that I immediately went back to therapy and spent my time really working through those issues, but I didn’t. I drank a lot of wine and worked intense hours trying to ignore my problems.
Although it was several years after she died when I started Verdi, my mental health struggles hadn’t gone away. I had, however, finally started working really seriously on how to work through the underlying issues instead of just putting a bandaid on them. I’m an avid proponent of therapy, I run and do yoga, journal daily and try really hard to maintain a meditation practice. I still struggle with anxiety and panic attacks and expect that I will for the rest of my life, and the pressures of being a business owner can make those struggles more acute. There are days that I need to just step away and I’m working on feeling okay about that!
The second area that I constantly struggle with is working within constraints. My company is completely self-funded, which means when I want to invest in something to help the company grow I need to first make the money to be able to do that. Sometimes this feels frustrating – I have to balance the real financial needs of my family and my business – but, I also am really proud of what I’ve been able to do without outside help.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Verdi Advising – what should we know?
Verdi Advising is a financial coaching company for feminists who want to discover, define and design their own paths to financial success. We’ve been brought up to believe that success can only look one or two ways, when in fact there are millions of ways to be successful with money! I see Verdi’s role as the guide to help clients figure out first what feels really good for them and then help them create systems and plans for how to reach those goals. For some people that means focusing our coaching time together on making more money so that they’re able to live the lifestyle they really want and for others it means diving deep into their spending habits to cull out the things that aren’t serving them. Every one of my clients is different and that’s what makes it so much fun!
I specialize in working with clients who have inconsistent incomes (entrepreneurs, freelancers & side hustlers). The traditional financial advice isn’t great for most people, but it is especially unhelpful for people who don’t live a 9-5 W2 lifestyle. Verdi’s approach is perfect for those people because it is based on the belief that all lifestyles are valid and good, you just have to get the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to make it truly work for you!
I work with clients in few ways: 1. Personalized, one on one coaching; 2. Group coaching; 3. In person workshops and 4. online courses. Everything except for my in person workshops I do virtually so that I can work with people all over the country!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I’m successful because I’m focused on what I truly love to do. I don’t spend my time doing things that I feel like I’m supposed to and instead focus my energy on what gives me more energy! I’m not always perfect at that, but I am good at checking in with myself and readjusting as my priorities change over time.
Sometimes this focus makes me feel like I’m not living up to the expectations that others have for me, but I try to remind myself that what really matters is living a life I’m proud of, bringing joy to others and improving the world around me. If my version of that doesn’t match someone else’s version that’s okay.
Contact Info:
- Website: verdiadvising.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @verdidaily
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verdidaily/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/VerdiDaily
Image Credit:
Ilene Squires https://ilenesquiresphotography.com/
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