Inspiring Conversations with Shellee Howard of College Ready

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shellee Howard.

Hi Shellee, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started this work the way many moms start big things: sitting at my kitchen table, staring at confusing college brochures and financial aid forms, determined not to let my kids graduate buried in debt.

My journey into college consulting began as a mom just trying to figure it out for my own family. As my oldest went through the process, I realized very quickly that admissions wasn’t just about grades and test scores—it was strategy, timing, money, and mindset. When that child was accepted to Harvard’s Biology (pre-med) program, I used a full-ride offer from USC to negotiate a stronger financial package. Later, when my second child graduated from the University of Alabama debt-free, it hit me: most families had no idea this was even possible.

That realization is what gave birth to College Ready 18 years ago. I didn’t set out to build a global company; I wanted to teach other families what I had learned the hard way—how to send their student to college without losing their mind or their money. Today, College Ready helps middle and high school students and their parents find the right academic, social, athletic, and financial fit, while understanding the return on investment of every college decision. Our approach is holistic: we combine academic planning, financial strategy, and personal growth so families can pursue dream schools without sacrificing their financial future.

Over the years, our team has guided thousands of students to their top-choice colleges, earning more than $80 million in scholarships and achieving admission rates that are multiple times the national average. Every student we work with builds a personalized college strategy, writes authentic essays, and completes a Passion with Purpose project that includes at least 200 hours of community service. It’s not just about getting into college; it’s about developing leaders who know who they are, what they stand for, and how they want to impact the world.

My work has also expanded beyond the U.S. through our nonprofit, EmpowerEducation.world, I’ve been able to connect students’ passion projects to real-world impact—like raising funds to build classrooms and schools in Uganda, Mexico, and Ecuador. One of my favorite stories is of a group of teenagers who raised over $28,000 and physically helped build a classroom in Uganda. Experiences like that are why I believe college should be a launchpad for purpose, not just a brand name on a sweatshirt.

Along the way, I became a two-time bestselling author, an international speaker, and an educational consultant recognized with multiple global awards. I’ve had the privilege of being featured on FOX, CBS, NBC, and now on Inside Success TV’s Next Level CEO with Daymond John, where I share the strategies behind our “debt-free college” philosophy and why I’m so passionate about aligning vision, values, and financial planning. My mission now is bold but simple: to help over a million families access higher education and graduate without debt.

Today, I lead a growing team of certified college consultants, editors, and tutors who share the same heartbeat. Every student is meant for greatness, and money should not be the barrier that keeps them from achieving it. I spend my time innovating new tools and programs, building strategic partnerships, traveling to visit colleges around the world, and staying close to the families we serve. The company may have grown, but my “why” hasn’t changed—I’m still that mom at the kitchen table, making sure families know they don’t have to choose between a great education and a financially healthy future.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not a smooth road. Worth it? Absolutely. Easy? Not even close.

In the beginning, it was just me at my kitchen table, helping my own kids and a few friends, and I wildly underestimated what it would take to turn that into a real, sustainable company. I was doing everything myself—meeting with families, reading essays at midnight, tracking deadlines, handling billing, updating the website, and trying to be a present mom at the same time. There were plenty of nights when I questioned whether I could keep pouring into everyone else’s kids while still showing up for my own.

One of the biggest ongoing challenges has been education and mindset. When I talk about going to college without debt, many families either don’t believe it’s possible or think it’s only for “other” people. I’ve had to battle a ton of myths: “We’re too middle-class for aid,” “Only perfect students get scholarships,” “We’ll just take loans and figure it out later.” Helping families unlearn that and trust a different process takes time, patience, and a lot of repetition.

Building and scaling College Ready has brought its own set of hurdles. The college admissions landscape changes constantly—testing policies, financial aid formulas, AI in essays, shifting acceptance rates—so my team and I have to stay ahead of the curve while still delivering deeply personalized support. As we grew from just me to a whole team of certified consultants, editors, tutors, and community outreach, I had to learn to lead, delegate, and build systems rather than trying to hold everything together by sheer willpower. That’s been a growth curve for me as a founder.

Another fundamental challenge has been reaching the right families. For 18 years, my biggest struggle hasn’t been getting results—it’s been getting in front of families early enough with quality families who understand the value of planning. We’ve tried different types of marketing over the years; some have worked beautifully, others… not so much. There have been seasons where we poured money into Google and Facebook ads that drove clicks, but not parents who were truly ready to engage and do the work. That’s part of why I’ve recently invested in professional SEO, a new website, and a dedicated PR team—to make sure the story we’re telling matches the transformation we’re actually delivering.

On a personal level, the most challenging part has been holding space for families’ fears and pain. I sit with parents who are terrified they’ve “failed” their child, students who feel like their worth is tied to a name on a sweatshirt, and families who are quietly drowning in financial stress. It’s emotional work. There have been days when I’ve carried those stories home with me and had to remind myself to step back, recharge, and practice the exact healthy boundaries I encourage my families to set.

So no, the road hasn’t been smooth. It’s been full of pivots, late nights, tough lessons, and more than a few “start over” moments. But every time a student calls to say, “I got in,” or a parent shares that their child graduated debt-free, or a teen in Uganda sits in a classroom our students helped build—that’s the moment that makes the rough patches worth it.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
College Ready is, at its core, the company I wish had existed when I was a confused, stressed-out mom at my kitchen table trying to figure out college for my own kids.

We are a college admissions and financial aid consulting firm that partners with middle and high school students and their parents to find the right academic, social, athletic, and financial fit for college—and to graduate with little to no debt. We don’t just focus on “getting in”; we focus on college and career success with a clear return on investment.

We specialize in building personalized, purpose-driven college strategies. That includes academic planning, college list strategy, essay development, scholarship and financial aid strategy, and our signature Passion with a Purpose projects, in which every student designs and leads a community-impact initiative (often totaling 200+ hours of service). These projects help students stand out in admissions and, more importantly, discover who they are and how they want to contribute.

What we’re known for is helping students get into great schools without crushing their families with debt. Over the past 18 years, our students have earned more than $80 million in scholarships and have been accepted to their top-choice colleges at rates that far exceed the national average. Families come to us for the strategy, but they stay because of the way we care for their kids as whole human beings—not just as GPAs and test scores.

There are a few things that really set College Ready apart:

We start earlier and go deeper. We begin working with some students as early as 7th grade to map out their high school academic plan, explore careers, and develop a standout strategy long before senior-year panic sets in.

We’re holistic and ROI-focused. We look at academic, social, athletic, and financial fit—and we talk openly about return on investment. Is this school worth what your family will pay or borrow? What does that degree unlock in the real world?

We have a proven, proprietary process. Our College Ready Plan is a structured, step-by-step roadmap that covers the seven critical components colleges evaluate: academics, testing, leadership, extracurriculars, community service, recommendations, and essays—plus a robust financial strategy.

Our team has walked this road as both experts and parents. Our certified college consultants are trained through UCSD/UCLA programs, have all graduated from college themselves, and all have children who’ve been through the admissions process. They bring both professional expertise and deep empathy to every family.

I’m especially proud of the heart behind our brand. Through our nonprofit, EmpowerEducation.world, our students’ Passion with a Purpose projects have helped fund and build classrooms and schools in places like Uganda, Mexico, and Ecuador. Watching a teenager realize that their college application project just helped children across the world sit in a classroom for the first time—that’s the kind of transformation that stays with them for life, whether or not an admissions officer ever reads about it.

We work with a wide range of students—7th grade through college transfer; artists, athletes, STEM kids, neurodiverse students, homeschoolers, international students, and everyone in between. What they all have in common is that they’re hardworking and willing to be coached. We don’t take every family; we partner with those who are serious about doing the work and who value guidance in both the admissions and financial side of the journey.

What I most want VoyageLA readers to know is this:

You do not have to choose between your child’s dream school and your family’s financial health. With the right strategy, it is absolutely possible to send your student to a great-fit college without losing your mind or your money. That’s what we do every single day at College Ready—and it’s why I’m still so passionate about this work after all these years

What makes you happy?
What makes me happiest is pretty simple: my family and the way travel and culture allow us to experience the world together.

Some of my favorite moments in life have been sitting around a tiny table in a country far from home, sharing food I can’t pronounce with people whose first language isn’t mine—and realizing we’re laughing at the same things. I’ve been traveling since I was young, and in 1985, I set a goal to visit 100 countries. I’m about to celebrate that 100th country, and what I love most isn’t the passport stamps—it’s the perspective. Travel constantly reminds me there is no single “right” way to live, raise a family, or define success. That humility and curiosity make me so much better at serving families from all different backgrounds.

I’m especially happy when I get to experience new places with my family. Some of our best memories are from trips where we walked through local markets, tried street food, visited historical sites, or toured universities together. Seeing the world through my children’s eyes—the questions they ask, the way they notice people, the way they respond to new cultures—fills me with joy. It’s the same feeling I get watching them step onto a college campus that fits them perfectly: that sense of, “Yes, this is where you’re meant to be.”

I also find a lot of happiness in how travel and culture connect with my work. Visiting schools in different countries, partnering with communities to help build classrooms in places like Uganda, Mexico, and Ecuador, and watching American students discover that their “college project” is changing lives on the other side of the world—that lights me up. It blends everything I care about: education, opportunity, compassion, and a global mindset.

At the end of the day, what makes me happiest is connection—with my family, with other cultures, and with the students and parents I’m privileged to walk alongside. Travel gives me fresh gratitude, my family gives me my “why,” and together they keep me inspired to help more kids step into the world confident, curious, and ready to make an impact.

Pricing:

• We help families prepare for their future starting in 7th grade through college.
• We offer a 30 minute are your College Ready meeting
• We offer group support and 1-1 consulting
• Joining www.empowereducation.world is free
• Our pricing starts at $497.00 and goes up depending on wants and needs

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.collegereadyplan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collegereadyplan/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shellee.howard1
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleehoward/
• Twitter: https://x.com/GoCollegeReady @GoCollegeReady
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr_WodPHDfSWEbiPdsRDbyQ
• Yelp: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr_WodPHDfSWEbiPdsRDbyQ
• Other: https://www.collegereadyplan.info