Happy New Year! And welcome back to another episode of Money Files.

This is the ​last ​episode ​of the ​debt ​identity ​series ​and ​I ​am ​going ​to ​be ​talking ​to ​you ​about ​survival ​debt. The kind of debt that shows up after a divorce, a medical issue, a job loss, a major income shift, or a season you could not have planned for. Survival debt does not come from overspending or poor discipline. It comes from life happening faster than your savings could keep up, and it may be flavored with ​a ​little ​bit ​of the ​multiple ​types ​of ​debt that we’ve discussed in this series. ​

When you understand why the debt exists, you stop treating it like a personal failure and start managing it with clarity instead of shame. Join me as I walk you through how survival debt often gets misclassified as a spending problem, how fake math shows up when emotions are high, and why paying off debt aggressively without changing the story usually leads to burnout and repeat cycles.

If you have ever felt shame by debt that came from trying to survive a hard season, this episode will help you breathe again and move forward without self punishment.

Episode Highlights:

[01:47] Why naming your debt matters

[02:10] What survival debt actually is

[05:00] Life events that create survival debt

[08:45] When debt becomes a story about who you are

[11:30] How fake math shows up after hard seasons

[14:20] Why rushing payoff plans lead to burnout

[16:50] Renaming debt to reclaim control

[19:40] Five questions to neutralize survival debt

1. What did ​this ​debt ​allow ​me ​to ​survive ​or ​protect?

2. What ​story ​am ​I ​telling ​myself ​about ​what ​this ​debt ​means?

3. How ​would ​I ​view ​this ​debt ​if ​it ​belonged ​to ​someone ​I love?

4. What ​would ​neutralizing ​this ​debt ​emotionally ​look ​like ​for me?

5. What would ​change ​if ​this ​debt ​wasn't ​treated ​as ​a ​personal ​failure?

[23:00] Choosing a calmer path forward

Tune into this episode of Money Files to learn how naming survival debt helps you release shame, stop fake math, and build a sustainable plan rooted in clarity and self trust.

Get full show notes and the episode transcript: https://wealthovernow.com/debt-identity-series-understanding-survival-debt-why-your-debt-is-not-a-personal-failure/

Links mentioned in this episode…

Set up a call | Financial Coach Washington, DC | Wealth Over Now

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