In today’s episode, I chat with Diania Merriam, the founder of The EconoME Conference, also known as the “Ted talks of the FIRE Movement (Financial Independent Retire Early). She is also the host of the popular podcast, Optimal Finance Daily where she narrates articles from the best personal finance blogs on the planet. After getting out of $30k of debt in 11 months, she used her newfound financial freedom to negotiate a remote working arrangement with her employer, take a 2-month sabbatical to walk 500 miles across northern Spain on the Camino de Santiago, and launch her own business. Diania saves 60% of her income and is on track to be financially independent by the time she’s 40 years old.

Diania is such an inspiration for guiding all of us into learning how to be more mindful and grateful for the little things in life. During our discussion, she also gets candid on how clarity with our finances is optimal— and even understanding where we are mentally and emotionally in our relationship with money. 

“Money is only as valuable as your clarity of how you’re going to use it and your comfort level of how much is enough.” - Diania Merriam