Amber Duncan on Scaling Businesses Through Operational Clarity

In this episode of Success Leaves Clues Podcast, host Pedro welcomes Amber Duncan, entrepreneur, business operations coach, and founder of Life After Debt. After losing everything during the 2008 financial crisis, Amber rebuilt her life, created one of America's largest debt settlement operations, and now helps entrepreneurs increase profits through better systems, leadership, and operational clarity.

Amber shares why most businesses don't have a revenue problem—they have an operations problem. She explains her hands-on three-month consulting process, how she identifies leadership bottlenecks, builds high-performing teams, and uses numbers to drive smarter decisions. The conversation also explores entrepreneurship, raising entrepreneurial children, why she rejects traditional budgeting, and how clarity creates confidence in business and life.

Whether you're a business owner looking to scale, a leader struggling with team performance, or someone searching for clarity in your next chapter, this episode is packed with practical strategies and hard-earned wisdom.



Connect with

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberdunc/
Website: https://www.reducemydebts.com/

Transcript

Amber Duncan 0:00

So I have a minimum of a three month working relationship with most of the businesses that I go into because I believe it really takes a lot to go in to actually observe, do my due diligence in order to put a plan in place. I'm really big about systems and processes and getting to know the people. People are your biggest assets. So spending a lot of time in the floor. So in those first three months, I'm going into the place of business one day, every single week, spending a day, taking notes, observing, and really understanding and doing more listening than talking. And so that first month just allows me to see where the holes are, where the areas of improvement need to be. It also lets me recognize who the key players are in the business so that when we go into month two, we've got a clear-cut plan of who can I count on to oversee projects. And then from there, I like to look at bottom line numbers. Numbers tell the whole story. So my goal with any company is to say, where are you today? At the beginning of me coming in, where do you want to be when I get done in three months? Where would you love to be from a number standpoint? Net profits.

Davis Nguyen 0:57

Welcome to Success Leaves Clues, the podcast where we interview business owners on how they built their businesses and the hard lessons they learned along the way. My name is David Swain, and I'm a business coach and a founder of Purple Circle, where we help business owners achieve their first six-figure, seven-figure, and eight-figure year, all without sacrificing their quality of life. Before becoming a business coach and before founding Purple Circle, I started and scaled several seven and eight-figure coaching businesses and have been a consultant at several businesses doing over $100 million each, including some that are publicly listed and doing over a billion dollars each. In every episode of the podcast, you're going to learn lessons that took our guest years to learn, and you'll be able to learn that in minutes. No matter if you're a new business owner or an established business owner, every episode is going to give you the clues in order to elevate your business.

Pedro 1:41

Welcome to Success Leaves Clues Podcast. I'm Pedro, and today I'm joined by Amber Duncan, who, after filing for bankruptcy in 2008 with five kids and no safety net, rebuilt from zero to build one of the largest debt settlement operations in the US and a multimillion dollar coaching practice. Today she coaches entrepreneurs on the operations, staffing, branding, and mindset work it takes to keep going when business gets hard. Welcome to the show, Ember.

Amber Duncan 2:15

Thank you so much, Pedro. It's a pleasure to be here.

Pedro 2:17

Great to have you. Okay. Now you could be doing so many things, right, Ember, with your life. You could be a plumber, chef, you name it. But you chose coaching, right? Yeah. Now, can you walk me through why that decision, okay? A little bit about the origin story that got you where you are right now.

Amber Duncan 2:35

Sure. Yeah. So, you know, back in 2008, when when I ventured in and started one of the largest companies helping people with credit card debt, I came with zero skills. College dropout, my husband and I had just lost everything. And we really just were solely focused on taking what was a horrible situation and basically making lemonade out of lemons. And so jumping into starting a business, I learned like the school of hard knocks, you know, no education to tell me what to do. But I'll tell you, there were so many mentors I had along the way to pour into me and to teach me that when I got to the phase of, okay, we're done with our company, we're selling it. I knew that I wanted to give that back to other people who had ideas, who had these huge things that they were so scared to launch. And so that's where the coaching really began for me around business coaching.

Pedro 3:25

Okay. We were talking pre-podcast, 18 years owning the business. And then three, the last three, really diving into coaching, right? Is that correct? Right. Yes. Okay. And we're talking about life after debt, right? That's the main piece you're working on. Okay.

Amber Duncan 3:41

Right. So life after debt, yeah, life after debt is the debt coaching, which I do clarity calls around people struggling with credit card debt. That's more of individual, one-on-one, no shame or guilt. Show up for free 15 minutes to help so I can help you curate a plan. Business coaching comes into play when I do a lot of operational business coaching. So go into a company's operations, look at everything, do a SWOT analysis, and just dive in. So strength.

Pedro 4:08

Let's see if I remember back in my my my college days. Threats, opportunities, and weaknesses. That's right. Right? Okay. Interesting. Now I want to ask you one thing. Because you're being you've been 18 years in the game, then you you the last three, we established that into more into coaching. You twofolded that, right? There is a B2B component and then more of a B2C. The other one that was which you mentioned, the clarity calls and all that. But the last three years made a little bit of a shift, an identity for you a little bit, right? You you stepped in into coaching more, right? So I would love for you to walk us through that identity shift from, you know, I'm testing this, I'm I I exited that business, sold that business you mentioned, and I'm gonna start digging into coaching, right? How did that look like when you started for working with coaching? Because I see a lot of coaches uh in the early days that they're like test they're testing waters, they're trying to see if this is really gonna be something, you know, and they eventually they they start building the coaching practice itself. So can you walk us through first of all, if that was like how that I'm not gonna call a leap of faith because you wax it at a business, but that shift, how did that look like for you?

Amber Duncan 5:21

Well, you know, throughout my entire career in a corporate type environment, I always felt like that I was asked questions by other business owners, like, how are you doing this or what are you doing here? So I was already feeling myself heading in that direction. But when I left corporate America, at that point I decided, you know what, the truth is, is I'm gonna launch a podcast. And I just want to educate people, educate people on business, educate people on debt, and just have conversations. And out of those conversations started to erupt this desire from individuals who had companies that were reaching out saying, hey, can you help me with? And you know what? I'm one of these people that I'm like, absolutely. Let me come in and take a look. And so it just kind of organically evolved for me just trying to educate people on the podcast life after debt, which, you know, I always say there's two ways out of debt. One is living on a budget, which who wants to do that. And the other is drive more income. And how do you drive more income? Become create a business, you know. So it kind of just took on a life of its own from there. Interesting.

Pedro 6:23

Sounds like you're very you're a problem solver, right? So people keep giving you stuff and you're like, yeah, why not? Let me do it.

Amber Duncan 6:31

Yeah, right. Yeah, I love problems. I think I think most million-dollar ideas actually come out of problems people are struggling with. It's an idea. Yeah, and that's the thing.

Pedro 6:40

It's something you're solving, right? Because I see a lot of people today in the I AI space and uh developing apps, and sometimes I feel I feel like I'm not sure if you agree with me, but it's it sounds like it's backwards. Like they're coming up with an idea without realizing they have a problem to solve. Right. You know, they're just like, I think this will be great, but they haven't talked to anyone, the ICP they don't know. They're just throwing out there to see if it, you know, if it lands. Did that make sense?

Amber Duncan 7:06

Yeah, they're just talking as if it's no big deal. And that's what I think people don't realize is that thing that they're solving, that is your million-dollar idea. And most of the time it's coming out of problems that we're experiencing ourselves. So it's just such a crazy concept, but I see it over and over again.

Pedro 7:23

Okay. And after you got rolling, right, on the three years ago stage, who are the people that kept showing up? You already kind of established that who you serve today, right? We're talking about the business owners and all that strategic piece and uh the B2C, which are people trying to get rid of that. But can you walk us through the evolution of it, of that? Because I'm not sure if that immediately was like that. You're immediately start helping those people, or you ended up sharpening the blade and attracting a certain type of tribe, you know, that you serve right now.

Amber Duncan 7:55

Well, my social media strategy has always been one of a platform of education. And so I do these small snippets called the money mom to where I'm either talking about money or I'm talking about how I talk to my own kids about business ideas. I have five children, and out of our five children, you know, we have successful entrepreneurs at the age of 17 who've already built million dollar companies. And that's because we're constantly brainstorming with them. And so with sharing, you know, it creates more of this oh, well, let me reach out to her and see if she has any interest in coming into our business because they've read my story, they've looked me up, they see that I've built successful companies from debt settlement to cupcake stores to fashion e-commerce. I've had my hands in quite a bit.

Pedro 8:39

My God, now you got me very curious because I'm a father of two boys. Well, not necessarily a father, I'm a referee, right? One is four, that's the one, the other is eight. They hug and fight in the same intensity in a five-minute time frame. So there's that. But you got me so curious right now. Like if you had a pinpoint one or two gold nuggets that you see most people reacting to the money mom, right? To to bring awareness into the money conversation, into the family talk, what would that look like?

Amber Duncan 9:12

You know, probably the biggest thing that catches people off is that I I don't believe in telling my kids we can't afford something. We don't use that language in our house. I actually think the word budget is horrible. You'll never hear me talk to my kids about a budget. You might as well just put a lid on what they're capable of. So if my son comes home and says he wants a Bugatti or he wants, you know, whatever he wants, then great. How are you gonna get it? What business are you gonna launch? And and let me help you. Let's brainstorm. So I'm all about creating opportunities rather than squashing dreams and making our kids think that they have to wait till they're out of college or they have to, you know, they have to necessarily even finish school. Surprisingly, one of our sons who has been extremely successful, he got his GED because every time he'd go to school, the teachers were handing him money and saying, Hey, can you help me with business? or hey, can you invest this for me? And it's like, what are we doing here? So, you know, I think that looking at every child in a unique set of lenses and seeing what their skill set is and feeding that and allowing them to come into your business world at a very young age, they they grow up around it. So they not only take what they've learned from you, but then they've got this whole other, this generation is so AI, so social media, you know, they're savvy. So add that component and they're off to the races.

Pedro 10:31

No, I get it. We were talking pre-podcast about Dave Ramsey, right? And then you mentioned the budget. So for you, it's about the lens. It's about not about what you gotta, you gotta, you need to cut off. It's more about what's possible. It's about more of a positive take, right?

Amber Duncan 10:46

What an awful way to go through life, thinking you have to live between the lines. Do you know how many people I talk to? Like, all right, let's sit down. I feel like there should be like somber music playing in the background, you know, when you're saying let's sit down and go over the budget. How depressing of a way to go through life.

Pedro 11:04

What yeah, like what do I need to cut now, right? It's like, what do I need to let go?

Amber Duncan 11:09

You never break out of that because you're constantly living into it rather than believing what's possible and saying, here's my rich life, here's the way I want to live. I want to travel at least once a month. I want to have a Range Rover. I want put out the things you want and live into that. Figure out a way to make it happen rather than cut back to live into between the lines. Oof. Depressing.

Pedro 11:35

Okay. You're you're getting me into a deep, deep rabbit hole here. Olave. Okay. Interesting. Now I want to do a little bit of game of pretend here, Amber, if you don't mind. I want to pretend I'm your ICP, but I want you to pick one, okay? Because I know there are two here that we we discussed. So which one do you want me to be? You choose, surprisingly. I want to go with the corporate guys. I think I think that's since this is we're talking about business ownership here in the podcast, I think that makes more sense, okay? Now let's pretend I'm that person. I am a leader, I own a business, I have a team, I'm your ICP, I'm your avatar. First of all, how would I be able to find you, right? Marketing wise.

Amber Duncan 12:15

Marketing-wise, you can always find me on my website, reducemydeaths.com. But uh, you know, a lot of people have seen me. I'm part of the women's initiative for the AFPI, America First Policy Institute. So I do a lot of stuff in DC around that, around business, around finance. But, you know, I think for most people, I I have spoken in quite a bit of arenas around business and around my success from going to zero to a millionaire in a year with my own experience and not really much training, and really just inspiring those around me to do the same. So I think just finding on the website social media, Amber Dunk on Instagram, that's where a lot of people find me. Okay.

Pedro 12:53

So, Amber, I went through your website and sealed your avatar. I'm like, wow, this looks cool. Or, you know, someone referred me to work with you and look at what you got out there on social media. It resonated with me, long story short. I go through the sales process. We can say there is alignment, or you can talk a little bit about that. Okay. But what I really want to know is like, can you give me a rundown of how does it look like a little peek behind the curtain to work with you, right? And the outcomes I can expect.

Amber Duncan 13:24

Absolutely. So I have a minimum of a three-month uh working relationship with most of the businesses that I go into because I believe it really takes a lot to go in to actually observe, do my due diligence in order to put a plan in place. I'm really big about systems and processes and getting to know the people. People are your biggest assets, so spending a lot of time in the floor. So in those first three months, I'm going into the place of business one day, every single week, spending a day, taking notes, observing, and really understanding and doing more listening than talking. And so that first month just allows me to see where the holes are, where the areas of improvement need to be. It also lets me recognize who the key players are in the business so that when we go into month two, we've got a clear-cut plan of who can I count on to oversee projects. And then from there, I like to look at bottom line numbers. Numbers tell the whole story. So my goal with any company is to say, where are you today at the beginning of me coming in? Where do you want to be when I get done in three months? Where would you love to be from a number standpoint? Net profits. That's all that matters to business owners. So the truth is that if everything is going right, you're going to see a major increase in your net profits. But if you're actually having me come into your business and nothing changes, I wouldn't hire me either. But I'm so positive about and I'm so sure about the results that I bring to the table that I would say most people, not only most, I would say 99% of them after the three months are renewing their contracts with me and keeping me on for the remainder of the year. And then some just because of the impact it's made in their company, moving the needle in the right direction.

Pedro 15:00

Okay. And let me ask you this. I'm curious about one thing. It's like, let's pretend I was onboarded, right? I'm working with you. And in the initial point of contact on the call, I was like, yeah, so I need help with my team, they're underperformer, or underperforming, or whatever that looks like. And you get there and you realize actually Pedro is a problem, right? The leadership is the problem. And I'm the pain client. But I am and I was not very upfront about it. I was blaming the team, you know, and all that. So how do you navigate that type of conversation when you realize the leader is actually undermining the entire process?

Amber Duncan 15:39

Yeah, that's actually a great question. And you know, the truth of the matter is that I am an eight on the Enneagram. So I am very comfortable with confronting hard conversations in a way that's conducive and in a way that's going to yield positive results. And, you know, when I sat in a leadership role, I always had a business coach. And so I always invited criticism, correction because I wanted to be a better leader. And so one of the first things I asked to the leader when I'm going into their business is, do you give me permission to tell you everything that I see for the good of the company? So whether it has to do with you or anyone else, is there anything that's off limits that you do not want me to discuss with you? And I get that permission from the very beginning because I'm not doing a business a service. It would actually be a disservice if I went in there and sugarcoated or did not address the true issue, especially if it starts at the top, because that's a trickle-down effect.

Pedro 16:30

Okay. I love that you're leveling the playing field that they won. So it's like it is asking for permission, but it's asking for permission to guide you through something better. That's the the reason you they brought you in, right? So that makes sense. That's right. Now I have another example that I'm curious about. Is like you mentioned the leadership team, the key players, right? So let's say I brought you in. I'm okay. I'm a good guy in the scenario, I'm not bad, Pedro. Okay, this is good Pedro. And uh you're meeting the team, right? And you're noticing a key player that is some of a teenage attitude of like a okay, mom, you know, the the guy that doesn't really want you there. Yeah, you know, like a bad apple. Yeah, and I'm not sure if that happened. Like all the time. Okay, all the time. I have to deal with this lady, she doesn't know anything about the business, and I need to explain myself, you know, that vibe. Um, how do you navigate that guy, the bad Pedro?

Amber Duncan 17:29

Surprisingly, I think one of my greatest strengths is being able to immediately know who's who's a good fit for that role in that in that company and who isn't. Who's the drama queen? Who everybody plays a role, right? And so I can pretty quickly sniff that out, you know. Um, I can remember in my own company, I there was a girl who she was a crier. That's the way she manipulated situations. She cried every single time. She'd cry and run to the other owner, cry and run to the other owner. But at the end of the day, I could either feed into it and play the game, or I could call it exactly what it was, which was I could literally look at her crying and not react at all and continue with my conversation, just as if I'm not acknowledging this behavior, first of all. So, you know, I think that you have to be very strategic when dealing with any type of employee who is considered a problem child. But, you know, Pedro, at the end of the day, they always work their way out, especially when you have someone like me coming in the company. They're gonna get very antsy. They're going to feel very out of place. And so I demand results and I have levels of accountability that requires that everyone at some level is either sending over a nightly email with their production. Is and you'll find that most of the time these people that are the drama queens or the problems, they're the lower producers, which is why they're causing problems. So nobody's looking behind the curtain of what's really going on with this person. They're a waste of space. They spend more time crying than they do getting stuff done. So it's it's those kind of things that you just have to be able to navigate. But I do it in such a way that they really feel like they got me.

Pedro 19:08

You know, my dad, he had a consulting firm here in Brazil, private owned. And uh, he told me something that I really need to ask you. Is like sometimes he he felt like a scapegoat. Like the owner wanted to fire some people, but they didn't have the guts. Yes and they want to blame him because the consultant is here. That's right.

Amber Duncan 19:29

Did that happen to you two? All the time. You'd be shocked how many people will hire me simply to be the bad guy. But you know, let me let me just say to business owners out there, if you are loved by everyone on your team, you are not doing your job. You can be loved and be respected, but you know, at the same time, not everyone's gonna like you, and you have to be okay with that. You have to be okay with knowing that people aren't necessarily gonna talk the best about you behind your backs. All you can be responsible for is that you're integrus in the way that you're leading and you are having the hard conversations in a non-emotional way. You're, you know, keeping your integrity intact. But at the end of the day, if you're out to please everyone, you'll run your company in the ground. Yes.

Pedro 20:13

Okay. Now, let me throw you a small curve mold that I saw my dad going through a little bit. And it's so interesting because he's in Brazil or was working with that, and now you're there in the US and some commonalities, right? But let's see if this happens. The consulting/slash coaching job is very hands-on, face-to-face, and it can burn you out, right? It it depends on you showing up. At least with him, it was like that. So, how do you think about capacity? So you don't stretch yourself too thin because the business, at the end of the day, sometimes they want to talk to Amber, right?

Amber Duncan 20:46

That's right. So when I used to own my own business, I think it's a different approach than when you're going into other people's business. I actually find more delight in going into other people's business and solving their problems and putting out fires and having the hard conversations. I like it more than I did my own. And I think it's because I know I can get in and get out. And I actually, there's not that tie to it, to the bottom line, to the extent that it is my company and I have to see this person every single day. I think what happens a lot of times is that because I go in and I embrace everyone from the top to the bottom, some people create like, well, you just don't understand what he's doing to me. And then it becomes what I call the big comfy couch. And I don't entertain that. It's like I got to get in and get out and make a difference. And so you have to be very careful when you're going into these organizations that you're not listening to everything that you hear. You're keeping a little bit of a barrier up, but you're also limiting your conversations and your have boundaries around when you're making yourself available to these people. Cause it, yeah, it can take, it can take over. And at the same time, I only deal with, especially if I'm going in, if if that's what the company's hired me to. Do I only do five of those at a time just because the bandwidth on me personally and keeping everything straight and really giving it everything that I have, I wouldn't take on more than that.

Pedro 22:09

So you're intentional about your capacity. Okay. Very intentional. You know, there was another example that my dad told me. I think it's so funny. And and I worked at Ernest and Young here in Brazil, so consulting background too. It's like they hired him, and sometimes they're hiding stuff from him. Like, so he doesn't get to know that they were doing something they shouldn't be doing. Right. So he knows down the road. They're like, what's up?

Amber Duncan 22:34

Did that happen to you too? It does. You know, you'd be shocked. It's the dumbest things, too. It's like, this would have helped if we knew it right up front. So let's get it out, you know? Or, you know, I've gone into companies before, and I'm talking companies that probably had no business taking out loans to start the company because the monthly income, there's no way they're ever going to, it's it isn't worth it. If they would have done a pro forma from the beginning, it doesn't make sense on paper, right? So it's like you find out later, yeah, no, I didn't self-fund, I took out this loan. And then I have the, I'm like, wait, what? What right? So it's like those kind of things that can definitely throw you for a loop. But again, it's not your business, truly. And so it you're only as good as what they tell you. And so I can only coach up to what they're telling me. And and I tell them right from the beginning, the more vulnerable, the more honest you are, the more you lay all your cards out on the table, the bigger impact I can make. Yeah. Okay.

Pedro 23:26

Now let's shift gears for a second here. I am curious about future, right? So where are you taking all this? Looking ahead. Where do you see the business going? Are you thinking about scaly, hiring, or is there a next step you're excited about, Amber?

Amber Duncan 23:40

Yeah, I mean, I love honestly, I love business, but I actually love helping other people reach their business goals. And so I am doing a lot of one-on-ones right now with individuals with ideas. That's another consulting avenue that I have where they call in, they do a business brainstorm with me for an hour, and we really see if they have something. And then from there, if they do, then I can help them create and put the pieces in place to grow professionally and bring this thing to life. I'm doing a lot of that. I'm also writing a book right now, which I'm super excited about. Um, it's called Let Me Be Clear. So it's all about clarity and what happens when you get clarity in certain areas. You know, I think we seek recognition or acknowledgement from other people to validate our ideas or our way of thinking. And honestly, probably in the last five years, I've seen people just crave clarity and they want to talk with someone that they feel like they can walk away and they're completely clear about their next move. They're completely clear about what they need to do to succeed without all the fluff. Just give it to them. So I'm super excited about that. And just, you know, continuing to go in and turn, turn operations upside down and watch it flourish after that. That is fun. You know, that's a lot of fun for me.

Pedro 24:55

Exciting. Okay. You know, and whenever we're aiming towards something new, next chapter and all that, always something we're refining in the present, right? So what are you currently trying to improve or tighten up in your business?

Amber Duncan 25:06

Well, I mean, as far as tightening up my business, I think marketing is always an area to where it's a it's a moving target. And so especially around debt, you know, debt is an ooey topic that most people aren't going to like and comment on your social media, you know, pages as if they're agreeing with you that they're struggling with credit card debt. So it's a very, very hard avenue to go down when it comes to debt. And by the way, you're waiting for people to hit their rock bottom moment. Same in business. You know, business, especially if it's people who know you or they put on like they're doing great, the last thing they're going to do is reach out and ask for help because maybe they're not doing what they think. So you're really just kind of navigating between the marketing of people with who are struggling in debt, but also business owners who could who could use a boost in their net profits. I I stay pretty busy, surprisingly. You know, right now, it's actually more about slowing down a little bit. That that's probably what I see myself for the next five years. I am in that phase. My kids are getting older. I have grandkids now. So being able to enjoy life a little, not take everything so seriously. As much as I love business, it is nice to also find that balance. Like, okay, I don't necessarily have to take on this company right now. So yeah, a little bit of that too. Okay.

Pedro 26:20

So it's like it's not scaling by scaling. It needs to respect some boundaries, some certain type of lifestyle.

Amber Duncan 26:27

Yeah. I'm watching my kids and they're working smarter, not harder. They're making a lot of money in two hours a day. So what am I doing here? And that's really where I want to get into is you know, how can we scale this in a way that doesn't require more of my time or hours in the day, but can yield a better profit, but in less time.

Pedro 26:47

No, let's step here real quick in a sci-fi territory. Okay, if you don't mind. Let's pretend we have a time machine in front of you. Okay, Amber. Uh, we're gonna have two stops. First stop, you can't actually I'm gonna give you two options in the first stop. You can go back 18 years ago or three years ago, okay? And you can give yourself one piece of business advice you wish you knew back then that you know now. What would that be? And which which stop are you actually pinpointing as later? Three or eighteen years ago.

Amber Duncan 27:16

I'm gonna choose 18 years. And uh here's here's the piece. When someone shows you who they are, believe them the very first time. When you actually see who someone is, especially in business, just just believe that that's exactly who they are and don't reopen the door.

Pedro 27:34

Love dad.

Amber Duncan 27:35

People are your greatest asset or your biggest problem in business. And and I when I look back over the 18 years, most of the hiccups or most of the turmoil in business, it comes from the wrong people.

Pedro 27:47

Yeah. You know, I worked in sales too as a high-ticket sales closer and all that. And uh, I think behavior is a language, right? Like if someone no-shows you, is it worth it to chase someone like that? No, you know, did I give you a reason?

Amber Duncan 28:02

If not, just believe them the first time.

Pedro 28:06

Yeah, right. It's like it's like whenever someone acts in a certain way, they're trying to tell you who they are. It's about you believing are in them or not. It's it doesn't have to be with you, right? Right, that's right. A hundred percent. Okay.

Amber Duncan 28:19

You can't you can't change and improve everyone.

Pedro 28:22

Yeah, I I think sometimes I at least myself, I'm very optimistic about people's intentions sometimes. Yeah. And you're like putting myself in their shoes, and reality is more it's often disappointing, I would say. Okay. Second stop, you can go back in time, 18 years, entire time frame, pinpoint, one exact point in time that you felt you felt the most fulfilled. That you felt like this is the reason why I started this. You know, that moment. And you may have several, yeah, several, several moments, but I want the top of mind, you know?

Amber Duncan 29:01

Yeah. So for me, it's it's three years, going back three years, you know, as as much as I did in the 15 years of helping thousands of people with their credit card debt in the corporate arena. To me, my purpose where I felt the most fulfilled was when I launched the podcast Life After Debt. And the reason why is because sitting down and having real conversations with individuals about their struggles, about how I was able to help them out of this and navigate them out of debt, attorneys, financial planners, all the individuals that I had interviewed, it reminded me of why I do what I do and why I love it. And being able to educate consumers about their rights, knowing what rights they have in this world around their credit card debt, that they don't have to just answer their phone and be harassed, that they can validate their debt. And giving them tools in their toolbox to me is more rewarding than all the money I made in the 15 years. It's like I loved doing that and hearing and seeing the response from individuals, like, oh my gosh, I had no idea. Thank you so much. So obviously, three years ago, for me, the impact of helping businesses and helping individuals, that definitely let me ask you this because I'm very curious about people exposing themselves publicly since I am a podcast host.

Pedro 30:14

Have you had a hard time for people, you know, showing their true colors out in the public, talking about that, uh, talking about the obstacles, the challenges, or not at all. At least in the early days of the podcast, right?

Amber Duncan 30:28

Well, you know, it always takes you creating a space for vulnerability. And so for me, when I shared my own story that we were both mortgage brokers, we lost everything in 2008 and filed bankruptcy. And I was standing in front of the bankruptcy attorney and he said, I'll see you here again. And I was like, Heck no, you're not gonna see me or anyone else I can help. Like, what a statement. But it pissed me off enough to do something to make a difference. And so that's when we started the company helping others avoid bankruptcy. So, you know, it's my story that opens up the door for people to be honest about theirs. It's like, oh, well, then if you've been there, I feel comfortable telling you that I'm behind on my credit cards and I'm but you've got to create the space for individuals by being vulnerable yourself if you want them to share. And so that's something that I've never had a problem with is sharing my own story. And that's what created the ripple effect of other people feeling comfortable enough to ask for help. And by the way, unless you can get real about it and ask for help yourself, like that's 95% of the issue. Once you can do that, you are you you literally have turned the corner. You can't ask for help unless you're vulnerable enough to share. And as human beings, we are wired to never show our cards. How are you? Fine, how are you? Great, but that's not true, dude.

Pedro 31:41

I think that is like the true key asset for a coach is like being able to be vulnerable. You know, I had people on the show telling me, like, for example, uh, the reason they became a coach was because like this kudos to her, Lauren Lawrence. She opens up the episode saying she became a coach because and she uh he helped she helps people lend to get into the job market after 50, right? And one of the reasons was because her brother committed suicide after being laid off. But the way she owns her story, it's so powerful, right? It's hard to not connect with someone like that. And the way you're you're you're talking about it's just like if you're open enough, because coaching people, I mean, you're asking hard questions, you're exposing them. It's only fair you do the same, and you're open about your own story too, right?

Amber Duncan 32:29

That's right, that's right. I want people to know I've been there. I have sat in that seat, I have felt what you're feeling right now, and guess what? There's a life after it. I'm living it.

Pedro 32:38

Love that. Okay. Now, if someone listening wants to connect with your follow your work, Amber, and we're gonna have all the links in the description, okay? But where can people find you best and connect with you?

Amber Duncan 32:48

Sure. They can find me at reduce my debts, debts with an s dot com, or you can email me directly at amber at reducemydebts.com. Along with that, uh, you can also find me on Instagram. It's Amber Dunk, the debt coach. So yeah, definitely, definitely uh reach out, ask for help. Okay.

Pedro 33:07

You know, few golden nuggets from this chat that I feel the need to highlight. Okay. Let's start with the origin story that you were being asked by other business owners when you start more of into the three years ago, the coaching journey, right? And you and it's not something you wake up a day and you're like, oh, I'm gonna be a coach, I'm gonna do this. And it's just like very organic, very natural, right? And there is one point that really stood out to me is the the educational piece that everything that came to fruition, it was about educating people towards something you feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel, just like you said. So I love that purpose mentality. It and at the end of the day, as you you said, numbers, great, profit, bottom line, great. But the purpose, the reason behind it is I think it's even greater. Like, and and it it shows that you do have it, okay. Now, also the money mom, I really like that, you know. I'm I'm just spinning my wheels on that, and the positive lens you have about the thing. It's not just about the budget. The budget sounds so negative, right? And you're like, what's possible? You want to go there? You want to go there? Yeah. Yeah. Okay, what are you gonna do about it, right? I I love that. Like, how are we gonna how we're gonna solve that? Because it's a different lens. Instead of cutting stuff, it's like imagining what's possible. Real love does it.

Amber Duncan 34:33

I mean, we're we're shaping our kids right now to have a belief about money, either that it's scarcity or that you can have anything you want. You just have to work for it and you have to be smart and you have to figure out how to get it, and that's fun.

Pedro 34:45

Yes, last but not least, back to purpose. When you said you love helping individuals with their goals, right? It's not just about educating, but getting them to that outcome. It's something that drives you. So this is just my long-winded way of saying, Amber, that I appreciate what you do and I appreciate you being here and sharing so openly today, okay? It was great having you on.

Amber Duncan 35:07

Great being on Pedro.

Davis Nguyen 35:08

That's it for this episode. This episode, as well as this podcast, was brought to you by Purple Circle, where we help business owners elevate their business to six, seven, and eight figure years, all without burning out. If you're looking to grow your business as well as get the time freedom that you are looking for, visit us at join purplecircle.com and see what we can do to help you.