DeShena Woodard Expertise: Debt elimination, budgeting, saving money Title: Personal Finance Writer Education: University of Houston Location: Missouri City, Texas Highlights Over three years of experience writing and coaching on paying down debt, budgeting, saving money, and moreHer story of becoming 100% debt-free has been featured on Nerdwallet and numerous podcastsFounder of Extravagantly Broke, a blog that shares personal money experiences to help others make smart financial decisions Experience DeShena Woodard has over three years of experience writing and speaking about paying down debt, saving money, budgeting, and more. She is a Certified Life Coach, as well as a bonafide Financial Freedom Coach.DeShena found her passion for personal finance when she finally became debt-free, eliminated financial stress from her life, and started her own business. Her story has been featured on numerous websites including Nerdwallet, as well as podcasts like The Money Mindset, Nurses on FIRE, Everday Style School, and The His and Her Money Show. DeShena has also written for CreditKnox.com and DealTaker.com.In 2018, DeShena started a blog called Extravagantly Broke, where she shares her personal money experiences and tailors her content toward coaching and educating professionals on making smart money decisions. Education DeShena got her bachelor's from the University of Houston-Victoria. She also holds a certification as a Life Coach. About The Balance The Balance, a Dotdash Meredith brand, makes money easy to understand. We give people tools they need to not only make smart financial decisions but also prepare for the experiences they will have along the way. Our team of expert writers and editors have extensive qualifications in the topics they cover, and many of them have MBAs, PhDs, CFPs, and other advanced degrees and professional certifications. We require our writers to use primary sources in their articles, which are also approved by our Financial Review Board and fact-checked. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.