Cindy Zuniga-Sanchez
Cindy Zuniga-Sanchez, Esq. is a money coach, speaker, and the author of Overcoming Debt, Achieving Financial Freedom: 8 Pillars to Build Wealth. After graduating law school in 2015 with $215,000 of debt, Cindy documented her debt payoff journey on social media, while sharing the personal finance knowledge that she was learning in a simple and relatable way. She has spoken to thousands and coached hundreds on budgeting, saving, debt payoff, investing, credit, building generational wealth, and more. She is committed to helping millennial women, particularly women of color, create a realistic money plan to achieve financial freedom.
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before the venture/ corporate journey?
I was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. As the daughter of immigrants and having grown up in a low-income community, my financial literacy was limited. I embarked on my journey to become financially savvy after graduating from law school with over $200,000 of debt.
Every industry that is now a large-scale, top-notch business once started as a small idea in the minds of entrepreneurs. What was that idea or motivation that made you start your business/initiative? What motivated you within to say “YES, go for it!”
I started documenting my personal finance journey on social media in 2018. As my community started growing, many of my followers started requesting coaching services on everything from how to build a budget to how to create a debt repayment plan. Although I did not initially plan on creating a business, my community gave me the motivation to do so.
Tell us something about your initiative or current role. What is it about, and what impact are you trying to make?
I am currently focused on the students within my self-paced course, The Blueprint to Financial Freedom (The “BFF”). The BFF includes video lessons and resources for budgeting, saving, debt payoff, and investing. It also includes monthly group coaching calls with me. My goal with my course is to educate as many millennial women as possible on how to achieve financial freedom.
Your journey and your vision are very inspiring, but are there any achievements or accomplishments you would like to mention?
I am most proud of my new book, “Overcoming Debt, Achieving Financial Freedom: 8 Pillars to Build Wealth,” which was released in November 2022. In it, I share my story of going from six figures of debt to a six-figure net worth. I share the eight fundamental pillars for financial freedom, and how readers can apply the pillars to their journey with an easy-to-follow roadmap complete with checklists and templates.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity?
I want more women to become more confident and empowered in managing their finances.
Women are a growing force in the workplaces worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. There are cracks in glass ceilings everywhere, with many women breaking through to carve out a space right at the top of the pyramid. What are your thoughts about women’s leadership today?
Effective leadership requires active listening. Taking the time to listen to the feedback, concerns, and ideas of those around us makes us better leaders and it makes our companies and organizations stronger.
What would you want to say to our young women leaders/audience reading this?
Becoming financially free is not just for older, wealthy men. Young women can start becoming financially literate and taking control of their finances by accessing resources around them — whether that be books, podcasts, social media, or traditional media.