Transcript 0:00 [upbeat music] Hey, my name is Donald Desrosier. I am the host of One Eleven Podcast, where we sit down with entrepreneurs and hear their new beginning stories. 0:15 We are starting a new series and I'm looking for 11, that's right, 11 different unconventional entrepreneurs that are doing things in a very different way, and I want to really strip down a- and embrace that authenticity that is in you. 0:31 If you are, uh, doing entrepreneurship in an unconventional way, I want to hear from you, and I'm only looking for 11 of you. 0:38 So wanna start this brand new series, looking for 11 different unconventional entrepreneurs, founders that are doing amazing work. Hit me up in the DMs if that's you, and I would absolutely love to get you on the pod. 0:51 [upbeat music] We're gonna help get Jamie out. 0:57 Okay, guys, it's time to get a little energy for the night, and I gotta make sure that I'm drinking some water, so we're just gonna try and bang them both out at the same time. So I'm going to be reviewing Hydro Rush. 1:11 Time to get up, start moving. Gotta reach out and grab my Crypto Rush from Hydro Rush. Let's go. We've gotta get this generator started, and we're gonna need the energy to do that and to go exploring. Bye. 1:23 What's up, Sam? Gonna get the same flavor. I mean, and that rush is, you know, you're not rushed, but cheers, fam. [upbeat music] Okay, you guys have magnesium in here, 66 milligrams. 1:41 Sodium, sea salt, 1,000. All right, that's pretty high. You got some potassium, keeps you nice and invigorated, keeps your bones and your joints going good, muscles from cramping up. And then creatine. 1:55 Um, a lot of people have been telling me about creatine, you know, um, very good thing for, uh, from the weight training community. Yeah, let's see how this tastes. Okay. Not bad. All right, this is Hydro Rush. Yeah. 2:09 Aw, I'm excited. Thank you so much for coming on One Eleven Pod. Athena Evans, Coach K. You're a financial advisor and probably a lot of other things that we're gonna dive deep, uh, for today's interview. 2:22 But, uh, yeah, how are you doing today? Happy Friday, by the way. TGIF. Um, how you feeling today? Yes. Thank you again, Don, for having me. I'm feeling great today. It's very beautiful out here in Colorado Springs. 2:35 And, yes, I- I'm delighted to come on the show, and I wanna, uh, dive into so many different things. 2:40 Um, me and Don met on my podcast, so it's really refreshing to actually be on the other side and, um, you know, just, uh, talk to you in a different manner. Yeah, yeah. 2:49 It's like I always love doing swaps when we can, right? 2:52 So since you run a show, I run a show, I'm like, "Hey, let's do a swap," and, uh, we'll just, you know, dig into each other's lives, get to know each other on a deep le- deeper level. 3:02 And I know we were gonna do this in person, but, you know, things, um, traveling, i- it was just becoming a little too difficult for me to get back down to the Springs. So I was like, you know what? 3:13 Let's just do it virtual, uh, like we did- Oh, yeah... um, my interview. And, you know, it's, it's okay. It's okay. Right? So- Oh, yeah, all good. All good. Um, it's all good. 3:21 So I'm, I'm very thankful for technology, and I'm thankful- [laughs]... that we're able to do this, uh, with pretty good internet connection mind you. So, but anyway, yeah, let's get started. 3:31 Uh, why don't you just introduce yourself? 3:33 I know I kinda introduced you earlier, but just share us a little bit about, um, your background, where you come from, um, and then how you land into, uh, financial advising and becoming, uh, Coach K. Thank you. Yeah. 3:46 Again, uh, thank you for everyone that is watching today. Um, thanks Don for having me on the show. So my name is Athena Evans, AKA Coach K if you know me in the financial world. Um, I'm a financial advisor. 3:58 I do credit repair, and I also help entrepreneurs get funding for their business. So I'm from Colorado Springs, Colorado, born and raised. I've been here all my life. 4:05 I'm only 23 years old, but when I really just started diving into money, right? Everyone has to dive into money at some point. Um, I really wanted to learn how it worked. 4:15 So that's kind of where I dived, I really got into financial advisory. But I started in credit repair, um, and I'm hoping I could end in credit repair as well, end where I started. 4:24 Um, s- but I started in credit repair because I had bad credit. Like, a lot of people get into their field because they just really went through the experience, and I really went through the experience. I had bad credit. 4:35 Um, I went to go get my first car. It took me four hours to get a little, you know, two, two thou- I think it was like a 2006 Honda Pilot, right? 4:42 So it was like, and it already had, like, almost 300,000 miles on it, and it took me, like, four hours, and I was still paying, like, 600 a month for that car. 4:49 Um, so just looking at it now, right, um, I got into credit repair because I literally just had bad credit. And then I figured out how to fix my own credit and I said, you know what? 5:01 I'm learning from someone who's showing me how to fix my credit, but they have a credit repair business. So I started to learn about business, right? And I didn't jump right into credit repair. 5:10 I started, uh, you know, my businesses off of, you know, just a young kid getting my first tax check, right? I got my first tax return and I said, "Oh, my God. Let me go do something positive," right? 5:20 Um, so when I got my tax check I went and started a drop shipping store. Man, I did everything, Don. I did, like, Airbnb. I did, you know, um, I started, tried to start a car rental business. 5:31 Um, you know, just so many different aspects. So I learned every single way that people were getting money. Like, you see- Mm-hmm... so many people, they might get a car wash, they might get, uh, into real estate, right? 5:41 So I seen all these different aspects of entrepreneurship, but I failed at every single business. So [laughs] I had to, like, learn what, what was I doing wrong, right? And it all came back down to credit. Mm. 5:53 So once I fixed my credit I actually said, you know what? This is something that I know how to do. This is something that I've studied, right? 6:00 'Cause if anybody knows anything about credit repair, it's based on consumer law. So you literally have to go find law books and read things that nobody knows about consumers and what their rights are. 6:10 So once I really started getting into that, I was like, "Okay, how can I turn this into a business?" And come to find out, credit repair, this was in, I believe it was in, like, 2020. 6:18 So this was, like, right when credit repair was started booming. Like, credit repair was, like, something big. It wasn't just something that, you know, is just whispered in people's ears anymore. 6:27 People are actively outside doing credit repair. So once I started getting into it, I got a, I got a mentor. Um, and I just really dove right in, right? And I haven't stopped. 6:38 Um, every single day, I still learn about credit repair. 6:40 Um, I teach about credit repair, and that's kinda how I got into coaching because I spent so much money on my entrepreneurship and learning about credit repair and diving into coaches. 6:52 And if, if anybody knows, like if you, when you invest in yourself, you're gonna invest so much more than you're really investing into your business because to be a, a active entrepreneur, you have to have so many different things. 7:02 You have to have the drive. You have to have the health. You have to have the, you know, the need, and you have to have coaching. 7:08 But I got into the point where I was like, "Okay, I don't want to target someone who can spend $1,000 on credit repair," 'cause most times those people don't take it as serious as the person who has a vision, who really wants to start a business. 7:21 They might already have a business. They have money coming in, but they are stuck where they're at because they can't, can't get funding because they have bad credit. 7:28 So that's what kinda brought me into what am I gonna do to, you know, teach people how to do it without breaking the bank? Like, you shouldn't have to pay a arm and leg. Like, it looks like a medical bill. 7:37 Like, when you get, when you go to a medical hospital, when you start looking at what these coaches are charging, what, you know, a lot of these credit repair companies are charging. And I said, "You know what? 7:47 We need to be able to teach this to people without, you know, charging an arm and a leg, charging, making people come out of their savings." 7:55 Um, you know, so that was something that I really wanted to do, and that's why I started becoming a coach. And here I am now, Coach K, uh, doing credit repair. 8:03 We started funding, and I'm looking to do my app soon to where we can bring everything into a all-in-one, like a one-stop shop to where... 8:10 You know, you, as a entrepreneur, you got so many things in so many different places. You got your website. You got your calls. You got, you know, so many different ways that you have to let your business run. 8:19 But now that I'm getting into really studying business, there's something called systems. So that's what I've been implementing. 8:26 So my app's gonna be coming out soon, and it's just gonna be a all-in-one financial app for entrepreneurs who are starting up or entrepreneurs who just have a business. 8:34 Say they, like you might have money coming in, but you don't know anything about business, right? You don't know anything about which, who you need to hire, when you need to hire them. So that's what we're here for. 8:42 We want to build, uh, with entrepreneurs, everyday entrepreneurs. So that's, that's what we're doing in 2026. I love that. So this isn't your first business, right? 8:50 You've had, you've tried and failed at a few different other- Yes... businesses. So what was your very first business, and how old you, were, were you when you started it? 8:59 I was 18 when I started my very first business, business. I was, like, just turning 18. Um, and I was working at Burger King. Um, and I t- I talk about this all the time, right? 9:07 Because this is when I started looking at systems. Mm. If you've ever seen anything about Burger King or a fast food, it's a system. Like, everybody has their role- Mm... 9:15 and that's how they can get food out under, you know, two to three minutes, right? Right. Um, and it's still quality food, and they still, you know, the... We don't make a million dollars a year. 9:24 But the business owner- [laughs]... who owns the 10 Burger Kings, they make millions of dollars a year. Mm. So you can see how that system is working. 9:32 Um, but I, my first ver- my very first business was a dropshipping store. Hmm. And I got this dropshipping store because, you know, I was looking at just so many different videos. 9:41 I was going to so many different webinars. That was kinda when, it was like when webinars were the thing. Like, webinars were just- Yeah... coming out. People were making so much money doing webinars. 9:49 So I watched this webinar about, uh, dropshipping and Amazon fulfillment. Um, and I wanted to get into it. So I, you know, dove into it. I bought the coach. I spent my whole tax check on it. 10:01 And you know, I had that store for about a year, I think it was. Um, and I never made a sale. I made one sale that whole time. [laughs] And, and it was crazy- Damn... 10:11 'cause it's like, it was like, it taught me a lot early on, so I'm glad I did it. Um- Mm-hmm... 10:16 and another thing was, like, I didn't spend enough time on it, but you know, dropshipping, you don't have to spend too much time on it. 10:20 So I was like, I was one of those business owners, I really had to learn the hard way. 10:24 Like, I didn't make a sale in that business for my first year, and the first sale I made was, like, a lamp, and then, like, a week after that, um, I remember it was, like, something, there was a huge bill on there for, like, a fulfillment app that I had downloaded. 10:39 Mm. And it was, like, $400. And I'm like, I'm tell, I'm talking to my coach. I'm like, "Bro, I'm not paying this. Like, I can't pay, I can't come out of pocket and pay this right now. 10:46 I haven't made any money with the store. You're supposed to be helping me." But you know, the biggest thing that I learned about that, Don, was I was making my own ads. 10:54 So I was making my own ads for, like, TikTok, um, you know, all that type of stuff. I ha- I made my own website on Shopify. Um, so I learned a lot about creating ads and how dropshipping works and how- Mm... 11:06 uh, selling online works. So you know, looking back at it, you know, I failed very, very, like, fell on my face. 11:12 [laughs] But I learned a lot about it, and that's kinda what started getting me into, okay, let me go try another business. And then I had, uh, my second business was a clothing line. Um- Mm... 11:22 I still have the clothes to this day. Um, but then I just stopped doing it. So it was, like, so many different reasons why I got into business and I got out. 11:30 I either wasn't putting enough time into it, or it just was something that wasn't for me and that I just wanted to pivot with. And I, one thing I will say is, like, I make s- like, fast, uh, decisions. Mm. 11:40 So whenever I do make pivots in my business, I'll do it that day. Like, um, I remember- Yeah... uh, I had went to go see JT Foxx, right? Um, I went- Mm-hmm... to one of his, uh, events. 11:49 And he's, if anybody doesn't know who that is, he's a really, like, renowned speaker, um, one of the best speakers. Mm. So I went to his event. I paid for the Q&A. I paid for this picture with him. 11:58 Um, and I ta- I just, I just said one question. And JT's very, like, straightforward. Like, he's, like, no BS. Like, he really, like, hurt a lot of people's feelings when he was doing this. [laughs] Oh, wow. 12:08 But it was, it was like, he was telling you the truth. Like, a lot of business owners, we wonder why we're not making money, because we're not willing to listen to the people who are actually making money. Mm. 12:17 Um, and I was able to sit down with this, with this gentleman, and I told him... A- all I said was this. I said, "So I have a business in credit repair." He stopped me in my, in my, uh, in my tracks, right? Mm. 12:27 He said, "No." And he just said, "No." And I was like- [laughs]... "What do you mean no?" [laughs] I was like, "What do you mean no? Like, I've been doing this for three, four years now. What do you mean no?" Mm. 12:36 And he says, um, he says, "It's very attractive to do, uh, to do credit repair, but it's very bottom of the barrel." Mm. And it, when I thought about it, and I'm like, he's so right. He's so right. Mm-hmm. 12:47 So I said, "I-" So how would I transition that into, you know, uh, finances? And he said, "Work with AI." And that day I said, "Okay, you know what? I've been thinking about this app. 12:58 I've been, you know, wondering how I'm gonna put all this in one place." Mm. Um, I have e-books, I have, you know, consultation calls, I have school com- uh, my school community. Yeah. 13:07 We have so many different things to where we're doing lives, we're doing, uh, y- YouTube, the- Mm-hmm... the, um, the podcast, but how do I put it all in one? And that's when I came and I was like, "You know what? 13:18 It's time to get the app going," and that kinda, like, pushed me into, you know, starting the app. Actually, you know, looking into systems and really just diving into, like, how does a successful business really run? 13:29 And, you know, that quick pivot, you know, pushed me into doing what I'm doing right now. But it wasn't just what he said, it was n- not only because it was true, but it was because it was something that I just... 13:38 I had been thinking about in the back of my mind. So, um, yeah, my first business I fell flat on my face. 13:45 But [laughs] you know, even today I still, you know, fall flat on my face with, you know, my business today w- in credit repair. Sometimes I got, like, uh, JT was saying, you know, it's bottom of the barrel sometimes. 13:54 You deal with people who can't afford it, you deal with people who can't afford the time, you deal with people who don't want to do it, they want the fast way out. 14:02 Um, so I had to, like, really, you know, dive deep into what I really wanted to deliver to people and how I wanted to deliver it, and that's when I came up with the app. 14:09 And, you know, that's g- been my full focus for the last few months. Interesting. Yeah, thanks for sharing that. And you know what? Your first business wasn't a failure, it was a learning experience, right? 14:19 Because we always learn, uh, through experience, and you just got better, right? Even with the- Yeah... clothing business. Maybe it just wasn't sparking joy for you, that's why you didn't wanna continue to do it. 14:31 So you're like, "I wanna- Yeah... do something else," or, "I wanna find something else that I like to do, that I enjoy doing, and that helps people at the same time," right? So with- Right... 14:39 credit repair, with being a financial advisor, especially with this app too, I'd like to hear more about the app and why you find the app is so useful, and how you use that with your coaching. Yeah. 14:50 So the app has been, like... So me as a business owner, I'm trying to find the most efficient way to, like, deliver things, right? 14:57 So when I had, when I started out, I had, you know, a website, funnels, um, YouTube channel, and everything was going through to the same products, right? 15:05 But when I thought about a app and I thought about using AI, right, um, I started thinking, 'cause in credit repair you use AI. Like, and in most businesses- Mm... in corporate America you're using AI. 15:15 Even if you hire somebody, they're using a, a, a workforce or they're using a CRM, they're using something like that, right? Mm-hmm. Um, so I had to implement AI. So I was like, "Okay, do I want a website? 15:27 No, I want a app." So the app- Mm... really was, like, attractive to me. It was just, like, that, that looked sexy to me. Like, uh, you know, somebody- Mm... downloads my app on their phone- [laughs]... 15:35 they can get their credit repaired, they can, you know... Say you wanna learn how to become a marketing, uh, a marketing guru, right? Say you wanna k- teach marketing, right? 15:44 So I wanted all that to be there and I just figured, you know, a app would be the best way to deliver that to people. 15:50 Because, you know, a lot of people just go to YouTube or they have to go to so many different places to get scattered information. Mm. 15:56 But if you could just have that all in one place, that was kinda what, what my vision is. And even just naming the app Visionary Hustlers has been, like, my big, my big thing. 16:06 So that's been, um, that's been the, the way I wanna deliver it basically. So the app has been, you know, just, just my, my full-on focus. Okay. Okay. So are you... 16:16 So is that, like, just your business, or are you coaching people as well with the app? Yeah. Or how does that work with the coaching? Uh, so I, I wanna coach people about funding, about credit repair. Mm. 16:28 So everything that we do would be involved in the app. So if they wanna come in and they wanna say, "Hey, Coach K, um, can I get your course on how to fix my credit in 60 to 90 days?" Yep, it's in the app, right? 16:39 So then they come to me and they talk, and we might have a one-on-one, right? Or, you know, they pay for something, right? They pay to talk to me- Mm... come to one of my events, one of the speaking events. Mm. 16:48 And they say, "Hey, Coach, I wanna, you know, do a car wash. I wanna get a car wash." Okay, go on the app, because there's gonna be someone on there who's gonna show you how to get funding or how to get, uh- Mm... 16:58 how to buy a business, right? How, mergers and acquisitions, that type of thing. So the hub would be, like, a basically a, a hub for coaches, right? So coaches could come on there and, you know, uh, offer their services. 17:10 And then mentees, uh, you know, anyone who just wants to learn or who needs access to certain things, they could be able to come on there as well. 17:18 So it's not only just come and get your credit repaired and learn from me, it's learn from everybody that I have in my network that is, you know, doing their thing, just, just out there really learning and teaching people, right? 17:30 'Cause if you know anything about being a coach, you have to be the best student. So, you know- Mm... 17:35 I have to learn more than my students so I can answer every question, and, you know, be in different situations and know how to handle it. So that's why I was like, "Okay, the app is, the app is the best thing." Got you. 17:45 Got you. So how are you, um, marketing the app? Right now I'm not marketing the app because [laughs] uh- Well, besides what we're talking about on the podcast- Yeah... obviously we we're, we're marketing it here. Yeah. 17:56 But besides this, like, so is it not ready yet, or is it still kind of in beta, or how is it coming- It's, it's in beta right now. Okay. We're testing it out. Um, and this- Gotcha, gotcha... is another thing. 18:05 I've been doing the app just off of AI. So I've- Okay... been creating the app myself. Cool. So when I started creating the app, I was like, "Do I want a app developer?" 18:14 And then, you know, I started looking into it and I was like, "You know what? I got, I got some time on my hands," right? Mm-hmm. Um, everything that I've been doing now is also, has been automated over the years. 18:22 So I've automated my business, so now I can take a step back and I can spend some time on working on the app. But right now we're testing it out, seeing if the, uh, the CRM is working. 18:31 And we're still trying to get some coaches and some business owners in there so that we can have more, uh, you know, more access. We got someone in the travel agency, we have someone in construction- Yeah... 18:40 a few restaurant owners, um, someone who does mergers and acquisitions, taxes. But I wanna create a bigger network, and it's not only just locally in, you know, Colorado, um, but we're trying to do it globally. 18:52 So, um, you know- Mm... that's something that we're trying to build. And I'm very much a perfectionist, so I'm like, "Okay, I'm not dropping it until it's absolutely perfect," although it's never gonna be perfect. 19:02 But, you know, that's why I wanna, you know, create a team around me to where everybody can give me input and I can just take it and run with it. Hmm. Absolutely love that. 19:11 So you said you've only been working on the app for the last few months, right? Yeah. Okay, and you've been- It's been about three months. Okay. And you've been doing it through AI. Which AI are you working? 19:19 I've been using Base44. Base44- Oh, okay... is pretty nice. I like it. Yeah, and they also do websites too, so it's pretty clean. I have seen the ads for Base44 on YouTube all the time. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. 19:29 I haven't looked into them though. That's cool. I love that. And so to me, the app sounds like it's definitely this community of, like, focus on helping people essentially, right? Yeah. 19:40 And helping specific people that wanna, um, he- and dealing with their finances specifically, right? Right, right. Yep. The base of it is basically you come in, you get your credit fixed- Mm-hmm... 19:52 and then we're not just showing you how to fix your credit and go get funding, like, you know, build a relationship with the bank. Mm-hmm. 19:56 But then once you do that, now you have a community of people around you who are maybe not just doing what you're doing, but now you have someone who, okay, now I need marketing because I just started my, my app or whatever that looks like, or now I just started my restaurant business, I need someone to come in and, uh, let's do some events, right? 20:13 So it's al- it's also a networking hub to where people can just meet people and just create those connections. I love that. I love that. So, um, let's just say I'm a business that wants to be a part of your app. 20:26 What's some of the qualifications? What's some of the criteria that you look for to invite, I guess, potential vendors, would you call them or? Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Definitely. Yeah. 20:35 So what I'm looking for is someone who is a consultant, a coach, a teacher, right? Okay. Someone who has something to offer in a way of, uh, delivering it like a teacher, basically. 20:45 Like, we wanna have coaches, people who know how to sit down with the entrepreneur and teach them things step by step. 20:51 Um, another thing that we wanna have is people who are not just, you know, running a business, but they have ran a business. 20:59 Like, you're not just running your business and you're there every single day because it's hard and you can't duplicate yourself, but someone who's able to work on their business instead of in their business. 21:08 So we're looking for those CEOs. We're looking for those people who are, you know, hitting at least 500, 500K a year, something like that, right? Mm-hmm. 21:16 And even if you're, even if you're lower in that, in that, uh, in that tax bracket, what are you bringing to the table that's different, right? So we're just here to make long-lasting connections. 21:25 So if you're a health and wellness coach, right, but you want to, like my, my man, uh, David Alexander, great, great chef, right? 21:33 But he, his, he teaches about the body, and he teaches what is really needed for someone who wants to go vegan or, you know, just someone who wants to have a healthy day. 21:42 Um, but he would bring something different to the table to whereas, you know, me just talking about credit all day, right? Mm-hmm. 21:49 So different, different strokes for different folks, but we wanna have something for everybody. 21:53 So we're not just talking about, you know, funding and finances and credit and travel, but we also have people like David who's gonna come on and he's gonna teach you about how to be positive and how to live your life a healthy way. 22:05 And if you're not going vegan, he says it's just like, "Just go vegan three days a week," right? And he's helped me, like, you know. So we're, we're- Mm... 22:11 trying to create a community of people who just wanna live wealthy and healthy, and that's what, you know, what we call the podcast, and that's what we do in our everyday life. 22:19 We just wanna be healthier because we wanna spend this money longer, right? [laughs] So that's kinda what, that's kinda the people that we're looking for. Okay. Very cool. 22:28 So why didn't you name the app, like, Healthy and Wealthy? See, I, I wanted to do that, but it- Yeah... I don't know. But, like, the Visionary Hustlers has been something- Mm... that's been stuck with me so long. Really? 22:38 And you know, you just start brainstorming and you're like, "Okay, that's what I wanna call my app." But then- Mm-hmm... you know, we might have a wealthy and healthy segment in there because that's a good idea- Okay... 22:46 because everything that we do is literally focused on, like, are we gonna be healthy today? Not only just, like- Mm... eating, but, like, mindfulness and, you know, spiritualism- Mm-hmm... 22:56 and everything that comes with just being whole as one. And a lot of people think, you know, money is, like, evil. They think, like, the m- Mm... people who are rich, they, they, they're m- like, bad people, right? 23:06 Or having too much money is a sin, right? Um, but that's so far from the truth. And the m- the biggest, the biggest, my biggest mentor is, like, um, Myron Golden, right? Mm-hmm. He talks about the Bible all day, right? 23:18 But he's, like, one of the richest men. Like, one of his coaching... His low-tier coaching is, like, $50,000 an hour. So it's not about the money for us. Wow. 23:26 We just wanna be able to, you know, um, teach people in a different way. Like, we're teaching people in a different way and doing it in a holistic way. Uh, we wanna involve the kids too. 23:35 Like, we wanna start doing things outside, you know, like some, uh, big, big events, but we're still talking about finances, right? Mm. 23:41 So we just wanna change the game of, you know, putting finances and, you know, wealth into every conversation, right? Those, those conversations are not, um, held as heavily as I believe they should be. 23:53 Um, and I think that, you know, schools should be talking about it, I think parents should be talking about it so that the kids in the new generation know what to do when they get, you know, 21 and they have their first tax check, right? 24:03 Or they get their first car at 16, or they get that first check from their job. What are you really doing with that money, right? When I first started, I was buying the new Jordans, right? Right. 24:12 Now if I get a check, I'm, I'm looking at it differently. So- Mm-hmm... um, that's kinda what we're doing. And you know, the app is gonna be something that everyone can get access to basically. I love that. 24:22 So when is the app, um, gonna be released? I'm pushing for November. Pushing for November. Okay. Um, and that's- Cool... gonna be where... I, I wanna, you know, just create a big rollout. So- Mm... 24:33 you know, once the app is finished, we're gonna, you know, go hard with the marketing and really just push it to where, you know, once it does drop, we're just gonna go crazy. Okay. I love that. I love that. 24:43 And are you planning to, like, host monthly events? Like- Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah... like networking events, that sort of thing, to kind of promote- Yes... the app, but also promote the people that are part of the app? Yes. 24:54 That, that's- Love that... one of the biggest things that I wanna do. Like, the creating the events is something that we've been, that I've been diving into a lot. You know, I go to- Mm... 25:02 a lot of events, you know, networking. Mm-hmm. But I wanna be the one throwing those events now. Yeah. I wanna be the one, you know, uh, meeting people, you know, showing... 25:10 You, you meet people all the time but, you know, when you're in a different light, when you're looked at in a different light, um, you know, you can make more bigger connections. 25:17 So I also wanna be someone who has a space, and we're looking for a space here soon to where it- Mm... this is where people come to network. So, um- Love that... 25:26 that's another thing that I'm looking to do because the events are the biggest thing now. Like, events are the wave of the new business world, especially in Colorado. 25:33 Um, everybody wants to go out and meet people and network- Mm-hmm... and that's how they've been be- bringing in more business. So the networking events are, like, really the new wave in 2026. I love that. 25:44 Yeah, I think IRL events are becoming a lot more popular now due w- due to AI and just it's hard to tell what's real and what's not real online anymore. And so people really want that human connection. Mm. 25:55 From what I've found and going to, yeah, I'm, I'm definitely one of those people that like to go to, uh, networking events. I actually just went to one yesterday, and I was [laughs] at another one two days ago. 26:05 So yeah, it's a, it's a big part, I think, of what we do as entrepreneurs, though. So- Yeah... 26:11 um, I'd love to hear more about who are you looking for, like, target market-wise when you're focused on building this app and also in, in your coaching? Yeah, yeah. 26:22 So I'm focused on people who are ready to start their business. They have bad credit, you know, but they, they have s- they need, like, guidance, right? Mm-hmm. 26:32 So, you know, just the other week I was working with this young lady. She was only 22, right? And I'm 23. But she had a, you know, not bad credit, but she had a few bad things on her credit. Right. 26:41 Just things that, you know, we could, we could knock out within, you know, a couple months. And then the day after that I got a client, and he was, like, 56, I believe. 26:49 Um, and he had not necessarily bad credit, but he had a lot of credit, and it was very, um... it was, like, all over the place, right? 26:58 So he had some things that he didn't even know were on his credit report, like, that he had no, no recollection of even opening. Then he had things going back 10 years, late payments, things like that. 27:08 But he had a business, and he was making over $10,000 in his business every single month. 27:13 So those are also people that we will work with because, you know, as a business owner, you might, you know, know how to make the money- Mm-hmm... but do you know how to spend it? Do you know how to save it? 27:21 Do you know how to budget? Um, and another thing that we've been working with is we've been working with debt hardship. So we have partnered with, uh, one of my good friends and his company, which is Debt Sweep. 27:31 So they teach entrepreneurs how to, like, really deal with hardship. Like, if you don't know... Like, a lot of people think, like, when times get hard, you can't negotiate with your bank or you can't... 27:40 You know, you just have to stop paying, and they... that's how they get in bad credit, but you can negotiate. So those are a lot of things that we, we look for, just people who they wanna learn. 27:50 Like, if, if you have, you know, bad credit, but you're willing to put in the work, right? 27:54 A lot of times we dealt with people who just trying to get their credit right for no reason, which is a big, really big red flag, right? You don't wanna get your credit fixed just for no reason. 28:02 You wanna get your credit fixed because you wanna get approved for a car, or you're looking for a home here in a couple years. Um, so those are the people that we're looking for, people who have goals, right? 28:10 Because the, when you're looking to push towards your goals, we've seen, like, okay, those are the people who are gonna put in the work. 28:17 Um, and then, you know, we're working with younger individuals and people who are just starting. They're like, "Okay, I'm ready. I don't wanna work a job," or, "This job that I'm working is not where I wanna end up. 28:27 Can you show me how to become an entrepreneur?" Um, and that's one of the big things that I want to look for when I, I'm teaching now. Um, not necessarily teaching those older entrepreneurs who have businesses. 28:39 You know, we can come in and they can... You know, 'cause older entrepreneurs, they don't wanna learn from a 23-year-old, right? They're like, "All right, we're-" What? 28:45 [laughs] They're like, [laughs] they're like, "We're doing-" Come on. You know a lot. Yeah. I feel like you're a lot older than you, than people think you are, you know? Just based- Yeah... 28:54 off your maturity, emotional intelligence. I didn't think you were 23 when you interviewed me. I thought you were- Really?... in late 20s. Yeah. Yeah. [laughs] Yeah. So, and a lot of people- Yeah... 29:03 you know, think I'm a lot younger than I look, too. I'm 37, but I act 27, so you know what I'm saying. You know? Right. Like, age is just a number. Remember that. Yes, exactly. Age is just a number. 29:13 [laughs] It really is. Yeah. 'Cause I was like, it was, it was like, when I was, like, 16, I was thinking about this stuff. But it, it really is- Mm-hmm... just a number. 29:20 But the thing that I like to say is, like, I don't like to go through the same thing twice. Mm. So a lot of the lessons I've learned, um, I don't- Yeah. I, I learn it, and then I move on, and I go do things. 29:29 And that's, like, one of the big things about entrepreneurship. Like, I'm one of those entrepreneurs, like, I'm all over the place. 29:34 Like, I might, you know, today I might wanna do some credit repair stuff, but tomorrow I might, you know, spend the whole day at the studio, you know? Mm-hmm. 29:41 So there's so many different things that, you know, I just jump around and do. But, uh, it's just being creative and creating things. Like, I like to create things. 29:48 So as entrepreneur, like, when I'm looking for people to coach, that's who I'm looking for, people who like to create. 29:54 Um, and that's why I've made so many connections because whether, you know, you're young, you're old, whether you're from Colorado, whether you're from New York, and you wanna create, you know, we, we can have that conversation. 30:07 So I think, like... Another thing is, like, I'm able to... Bruce Lee said, he said, "Be like water." So I can be in any different room. 30:14 I can be in rooms where, you know, I've met people who made a million dollars this month. I've met people who made a million dollars over 12 years, right, who are in retirement. 30:23 I've met young individuals who are making 100,000, and they're younger than me, right? At 18, right? Mm-hmm. So in every different room, I'm able to form into what, what's needed in that room. 30:34 So not to say that, you know, I, I fake it or anything, but I can go into any room, and I can have that conversation with different people. 30:41 So I pride myself on being able to, like, really, uh, have that conversation and really just meet different people, and that's really what, that's really what business is. You just meet different people. 30:51 Um, and, you know, you just find different people who need what you're selling, or you, you know, vice versa, right? So that's kinda the big thing that I look for. Um, but yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's a... 31:02 I think entrepreneurship is just a way to be creative, so that's, that's my big thing, just create. Yeah. No, I think you're absolutely right. 31:10 And yeah, I always see entrepreneurship as a way to connect with others in a very meaningful and intentional way, especially when it comes to podcasts, too, and that's kinda why we're here today, too, to get a little deeper into your life. 31:22 And so I'd love to hear more about, like, the future of, you know, Coach K. Actually, before we do that, uh, where did you come up with the name Coach K? Because your name's Athena Evans, so I'm just- Yeah. 31:34 [laughs] I wanna, I wanna clear that up real quick, and then I wanna talk about some future endeavors. But yeah- Yeah... what, what's up with Coach K? So I get this question so much, so, um- Okay, cool. 31:44 [laughs] First, when I first started, uh, I, I was like- I'm just gonna call myself Athena Evans, right? I knew I had to have some type of name. Mm-hmm. I don't know what. Yeah. 31:53 Um, but once I started getting into it, you know, this was actually a couple months ago. Wait, no, it was probably like a year ago, um, where I came up with the name Coach K. 32:01 Um, so I was on the phone with one of my clients, and he was just like, you know, we're chopping it up, we're rapping about a few things and- Mm-hmm... 32:07 uh, he was one of my clients, but we also started talking about, you know, like I said, you meet people, they have bad credit, but they're making money, like so much money in their business. Mm-hmm. 32:14 This guy was making like 50K a month in his business- Yeah... but he had bad credit. So- Sure... um, I'm fixing his credit. So we started talking about, you know, creating a business. 32:21 We started chopping things up, and before he hung up the phone he called me Coach A. So I'm like, "Okay, I like that. I like that. I like, I like Coach A," right? So I'm like, "Okay, cool." Mm-hmm. 32:29 Um, but then I was like, you know, how can I switch things up? And my rap name is K9, so I just say Coach K. And it was just like, it just matched and meshed with everything. 32:38 That way I could kinda like brand myself as not only a, a coach and a financial advisor, but also a artist and be able to just do things in a, a different way. 32:45 So Coach K kinda just came about by somebody calling me Coach and, you know, me just putting my name on it and, you know, it's, it stuck. So, um, uh, I definitely like when people call me Coach K. 32:55 I, uh, like I, I was just like somebody, I was just walking, uh, and somebody just called me and they're like, "Coach," and I'm like, "Yes, I like that. Call me Coach." 33:03 So, um, definitely, so that's why, where I came up with Coach K. I definitely like it. It sticks. People like it. So it definitely was just some- something that just, uh, meant something to me, you know? That's cool. 33:13 I love that. No, no. And wait, wait, so you rap too? So you're a rapper? I do. I do. No way. I do rap, yes. How long have you been doing that for? Uh, forever, forever. 33:23 Uh, that was the first thing I was, I wanted to do, um, when I was a- Really?... uh, y- yes. I definitely, like, love music. That's my, that's- Okay... that's my first love, right? 33:33 I always tell people like my first love is music. Mm-hmm. Then I, then I got into credit repair. Um, so- So different [laughs]... it's like [laughs] So random. [laughs] Just random. Just random. Credit repair. Yes. 33:45 Music, credit repair. It's like, yeah. But I definitely, uh, do a little bit of everything. I like to rap. Okay. I like to, uh, sing R&B music. Um, it's just a lot of... Just like I said, it's just create. 33:54 Just I like to just create. Mm-hmm. So I'd spent a lot of time in the studio, uh, when I was growing up. I, you know, when I got, started getting tax money again, I, um- Mm-hmm... 34:03 that big tax check I got, I started a business and I went and bought like $3,000 worth of studio stuff. Mm-hmm. And, uh, haven't really been in the studio for about a year. Mm-hmm. 34:11 I just, uh, got back in the studio a couple months ago. All of my home studio stuff is still in my pantry [laughs] in boxes. Oh, wow. 34:18 So, uh, it's, uh, it's been a long time since I got in the studio, but I got in- Mm-hmm... 34:22 the studio a couple months ago just, just trying to, you know, get back in there and really, um, really dive into, uh, what I'm making music on now. 34:30 'Cause it's different from when I was a c- uh, a couple years ago, you know, when I wasn't really diving so much into my business. I was out being a, you know, a young, a young cat in the, in... 34:39 Outside, just outside just trying to party all the time. So it- Oh, okay... it changed, right? So it was like now I'm diving- Mm-hmm... into my business. I was staying inside. I've been getting myself together- Mm-hmm... 34:49 for like the past two years or whatever that looks like. Um, and now it's just like, okay, I gotta reinvent myself again. So now I just, I just spend a lot of time, you know, re- redoing my old music. 35:00 Uh, but I definitely love to rap. That's the first, the first love I ever had, the first career I ever wanted. 35:05 And, you know, it's something that I'm diving back into because I have the time now, I got the money to invest into it. Mm-hmm. So now it's like let's, let's, let's dive back into where, where it all started. Yeah. 35:15 No, that's so cool. Um, so have you come out, like, with your original music or do you just do like covers or? Okay. Yeah. I, I have a, I have, I have some of my original music out. Okay. 35:25 Um, a lot of it was like, you know, just cool stuff in SoundCloud, uh, but now- Okay... 35:29 um, I've kinda been like doing my new music, but kinda like throwing new stu- like my old stuff into my new, um, into my new projects. 35:38 So my new project that's coming out, it's gonna be like half of songs that I wrote this week, um, and then there's gonna be a couple in there that are like two, three years old. Um, and I- Okay... 35:46 I see like the same music. I'm making the same music. Right. But now it's like just different stories, you know? So I like really, like, relaxed music. 35:54 Um, one of my favorite rappers is Curren$y, who I had the pleasure of doing a song with. Um- Oh, wow... so it's like- That's cool... those are the, that's the type of music we wanna learn about. 36:02 Um, if every- anybody listens to Larry June, those are the type of people that I like to, th- I like to vibe to, and that's the type of music I like to make. 36:08 So, um, yeah, definitely, definitely want to get into dropping this music 'cause I got so much music that I just haven't dropped. 36:15 Like I said, I'm a perfectionist, and I was doing a lot of it in my studio, my home studio. And I didn't know, I really didn't know what I was doing, so [laughs] I went and got- Mm-hmm... 36:23 the most expensive stuff and didn't know- Oh... how to do anything with it. So, um- Wow... I had to learn, like, very, like literally learn by trial and error. Mm-hmm. 36:31 Um, so now if I were to, you know, dive back in the studio, I'd have to be, you know, um... It's just a different environment now. So it's, it's, it's fun. 36:39 It's, it's, it's, uh, it's one of the, one of the things I'm best at. So it's- Yeah... one of my first loves. I love that. I love that. That's so cool. Yeah. 36:47 So if you could do anything now in the world, would you still be doing what you're doing today, or would you just do straight-up music or what? I would probably still be doing everything I am doing right now. 36:58 The only thing I would add in there is what I'm, like, my future, which is public speaking. Mm-hmm. Um, like I, when I was young, I always knew I would be on a stage. Mm-hmm. 37:06 I thought it was gonna be a music stage, which, you know, I still would love to do. I have one of my performances tomorrow, one of my first performances tomorrow. But I still wanna be able... 37:14 Like, I did speaking tours and did, like, speaking, uh, public speaking before I did any music, um, like, uh, venues or anything like that. So that would be the only thing I would add on there. 37:23 Like, I really wanna do, like, public speaking. 37:25 I wanna be able to go out and speak in front of hundreds of thousands of people, um, and, you know, just really show people what entrepreneurship is and why fi- finances and credit and budgeting is really, really the key to all that, right? 37:39 Like a lot of people, a lot of people say, you know, the o- everything comes down to mindset, or everything comes down to, you know, whatever, whatever that looks like. Mm-hmm. 37:47 For me, everything comes down to credit and finances. So that's what- Mm-hmm... that'd be the only thing I'd add on there. Everything now is everything is coming into fruition. 37:55 I wouldn't really change anything other than I wish I would've done it sooner, which is crazy to say. But, um- Mm-hmm... yeah, I wish I would've done it sooner. 38:01 That's, I don't really regret nothing, and I would do it over the same way. Yeah, I always think about that too looking back at my life. I'm like, "Oh man, I wish I would've done this sooner," right? Yeah. 38:11 Like I feel like that's almost like a regrets, regrets that we do have, but at the same time it was that learning experience. 38:18 And you wouldn't be the person you are today if you, you know, did that thing sooner, you know? You just did other things that completed you and shaped you for who you are now. Right. Right? 38:27 So I think that, you know, just, um, taking time and being more aware of who you are and what you're doing and how you're helping others and how you're helping, you know, others solve their problems. 38:40 Um, and I really liked when you were talking about public speaking and getting on stage and everything. 38:45 And so I'm curious, like if you were, let's say, to do a speech tomorrow, what would that speech be about and, uh, who would, who would you want to impact with- Yeah... uh, with your, with your talk? 38:57 I love that question. So if I were to do a, a speech tomorrow it would be... Credit for me is, credit for me is a tool, right? So that's what I tell people. Mm-hmm. 39:09 I tell people, you know, you can use credit as a hammer. Like look at it as a hammer. A hammer can be used to build a table or you can like knock somebody over the head with it, right? 39:18 Like there's so many different ways that you can use a tool. Um, so I say credit is a tool. You just gotta know how to use it. So I always teach leverage. Um, and I'm one of those entrepreneurs, I'm not going to... 39:29 I'm one of those speakers, I'll, I'll say that or I'm not gonna teach you the, the, the mechanics of it, right? You can pay me for that, right? 39:35 But if I were to talk about teaching and speaking, I would say, you know, credit is gonna be your bridge, right? Right. Before you needed that car, you didn't have that car, you had credit. 39:45 It got you over that bridge to point A, uh, to point B, point A to point B. Now you got that car, right? Um, so I would basically say, you know, if you want credit you gotta really understand how money works. 39:57 Um, and when I tell people about credit and money it really is the same thing. It's one in the same. Um, and people think that they don't have to have good debt or they, they don't wanna be... 40:06 I hear it all the time, "I wanna be debt-free." No, you don't wanna be debt-free, you wanna have good debt, right? You wanna have good debt versus bad debt, right? 40:13 Um, so you wanna have debt that appreciates not depreciates. Um, so I tell people that credit is a lifestyle, right? One of my books is The 800 Club, The 800 Club Blueprint. So credit is a lifestyle to me. 40:24 Credit is how you think about money, how do you look at money, what is your relationship with money, right? Do you look at money as something to spend? Because spending is the small part of money, right? 40:34 You have funding. I mean, you have, uh, m- management. You have to manage your money, you have to save your money, you have to invest your money, right? You have to protect your money. 40:42 So there's so many different things that you have to understand about money. We've only been taught how to spend it and how to make it. So- Mm... you know, credit is a lifestyle, right? 40:50 And credit is really a way to, you know, it's not the end game, right? It's never gonna be the end game. Nobody wants to have... You don't just get an 800 credit score and then that's it, right? 41:00 Um, then that's just all your problems are solved. 41:02 But what you can do is you can use that and leverage it to create a business that's gonna take you out of your business so you can quit your 9:00 to 5:00 job so that you can, you know, protect your money. 41:12 Then you go dive into things like life insurance. You go dive into things like trust and estates, right? So you go get assets. All that's built off of credit, right? Um, Elon Musk did not go buy Tesla with his own money. 41:25 He didn't put up billions of dollars out of his own pocket to buy, uh, what is it? X I think it is. Um, so I just would say, you know, credit is a tool and it's a lifestyle as well. 41:36 So credit is something that you can leverage to create the lifestyle that you want. So that's kinda like how I approach it. 41:43 Um, and who I would be trying to impact would be people who really have a vision who, and who are really willing to put in that work, and you either have it or you don't i- in my opinion, right? 41:51 It's not on you, it's in you, in my, in my opinion, right? You don't have the, the time to, um, you know, to really like, uh, like okay, I'll give you a perfect example, right? You don't have the time to really 42:06 like, uh, uh, commit to a job, right? You don't wanna commit to something, right? Mm-hmm. 42:09 You don't wanna commit to this lifestyle that you know in two, three months, in two, three years if a opportunity came by you're literally walking out of the door, right? 42:18 And those are the things that I seen when I was starting, right? I was like, you know what, like I'm a chef now. Like I, I still cook and I still, um, you know, do things in the kitchen every single day, right? 42:27 That's one of my, one of my, uh, one of my biggest dreams is where I wanna start a, a kitchen or, you know, something like that. I don't know what it's gonna be yet, but I wanna cook. 42:34 [laughs] Um, [laughs] so like I didn't want to like commit to every single kitchen that I was in. 42:40 Even when I got up to doing high-end stuff and, and you know doing the, the big thing I still wanted to do it on my own, right? I still wanted to be the one running the kitchen. 42:49 Not to say I didn't, you know, learn anything 'cause I really know how to learn and I knew how to, you know... 'Cause if you've ever worked in a, a kitchen, you know it's real stern, it's real fast. 42:57 You gotta, you gotta run around and you really have to learn by seeing things, right? You, you can't just go take a course on how to be a chef, right? You have to get in the kitchen. 43:06 Um, and you like, you know, if you, if you've ever seen those movies, y- you know, people are really stern. They really, and it's really like that in the kitchen. They really do talk shit all day. 43:13 Like it's really, that's really what it is. Um, so I had to really evaluate what type of environment I wanted to be in. I was in some good environments, I was in some bad environments. 43:22 But every single time I got a better opportunity I would drop everything. Like if, like if somebody called me and said, "Hey, Athena, I need you at this event today," I'm not going to work, you know? 43:32 So those were the things that I would start seeing and I was like, "You know what? These are the people that, like the people like me that are..." And, and you would see it, right? 43:40 I would go into work and I would be like the dude that's late, he's probably gonna be, you know, I'm probably gonna, you know, uh, end up chopping it up with him at one point. 43:48 Um, the lady who always ends up chewing out the boss, I'm probably gonna end up chopping it up with her at one point. Because those are the people who are like I know- I'm worth more. Mm-hmm. 43:57 I'm not willing to accept less. And the second I get a better opportunity, I'm going to take that opportunity. 44:03 Those are the type of people that I wanted to have conversations with, and those are the type of people that I still, um, that I sell to, right? People that know, like, "Okay, I know what this is doing for me right now. 44:12 It's helping me pay my bills, it's helping me get my kids through school. It's helping me, you know, do what I need to do. But the second I get right and I get my business going, this is what I wanna do." 44:21 And I help accelerate that, right? So I help you say, "Okay, I know my credit's bad," because most people think that, you know, your credit is not gonna be that bridge, but it is that bridge. 44:30 It gets you from point A to point B, or point A to point Z for some people, right? It helps you retire, it helps you really create that end game plan. Um, so I look at it as, okay, I'm gonna be that acceleration. 44:41 I'm gonna be that bridge for entrepreneurs to say, "I wanna get out of this and get to the other point in my lifestyle. Um, and really just start building something that's for me." 44:50 And then I wanna make impact with that, right? So people who want to make impact, um, you know, nonprofits, right? 44:56 Uh, businesses who, you know, people who are already making money, but they want to create an impact in different ways, right? Mm-hmm. Coaches, consultants, people who've... 45:04 Uh, the, I was just talking to this, uh, young man the other day, and his dad was, um, one of the people who worked for one of the local news companies. Mm-hmm. And he was like, "You know what? 45:14 The second I get, um, the second I get my first check at this job, I'm going to buy a camera." And he said he was going to buy a camera because he wants to do short films, you know? Okay. 45:21 So there's so many different things that you see in life, and you're like, "Those are the people that I wanna talk to. 45:26 Those are the people that I wanna learn from," because I learn from things, I learn things from my clients every day, and those are the type of people that I wanna be in that conversation with. 45:34 Because money is just something that you add in. Like, I know about money, I can teach you about it, but I can't teach you your vision. 45:40 So when I see people's vision, it just, you know, uh, kinda, like, pushes me to do bigger things. So that's who I really wanna talk to. Mm, I love that. I love that. 45:50 So money and credit for your speech is the main two points you wanted to bring up. And I think from there you're able to really assess, but also, you know, talk to the people. 46:01 And, and we use money every day, if you think about it. It's kind of important. [laughs] Yes. [laughs] Right. But, but it comes and goes, right? Yep. 46:10 You can make all the money in the world, but you know what's more important than money, Athena? Yeah. You probably know this already: relationships, right? Right. 46:18 So relationships are the building blocks to entrepreneurship. You know- Mm-hmm... 46:22 if you don't have the right relationships, and if you can't communicate your intention and, um, have that clarity to build that confidence to create a greater community within your entrepreneur, um, adventure, I like to say, um, I think that it's, it's hard. 46:40 It's really hard. And I've noticed some of, or some of the most successful people out there are the people that can clearly communicate their intentions and- Yeah... what they want out of life, and then they go get that. 46:51 Or they connect with the right types of people that they can bring value to, right? So- Yeah... um, I do really see, um, a very bright, bright path for you, because you're a great communicator, honestly. 47:02 You know, I'm just gonna throw that at you, and I wanna hear more about how your podcast got started too, because you've been running it for a little bit, right? So- Yeah... and that's another thing that you do. 47:13 A- a- and side note, are you really wanting to become a chef, too, and do that? Or was that just, like, an analogy? I just want to be- Yeah... clear on that. Okay, [laughs] so, so- Yes. [laughs]... 47:22 that's another thing you want... Oh my gosh, you wanna do so many things, Athena. Yes. This is crazy. 47:27 And so, um, yeah, just talk me through a little bit about, um, how you got started with the podcast and how you're able to keep up with everything. Yeah. [laughs] It's, it's, it's a, it's a, um, it's a doozy, for real. 47:40 Like, um- Uh-huh... I got into the podcast, and we call it the Wealthy and Healthy Podcast because, um, I started my own health journey myself. 47:48 Um, I started learning about fasting and holistic health, and really just diving into not only, "Okay, I'm gonna work out, I'm gonna go to the gym," right? But I wanna be healthy, right? I wanna be healthy. 47:59 So I started learning about how food works and how- Mm... that, like, that's, like... 48:04 I lo- I talk about politics and we talk about things like that, and we talk about finances, but I really don't stress, uh, enough on food, right? I really study food a lot. 48:14 Um, I loved food c- growing up, I loved to cook. Mm-hmm. So that's what really dove into the Wealthy and Healthy Podcast, like really creating it. 48:21 It started out just being, you know, me setting up my, um, my mic and, you know, like I had, like a, a Yeti mic, a Blue Yeti. Right. And I just had a laptop, right? 48:31 And I would just turn it on and I would just record my thoughts and, you know, just what I was doing to be healthy that day. 48:36 And then it started growing into, "Okay, now I'm gonna talk about the wealthy side of, of, uh, entrepreneurship," right? Mm-hmm. 48:42 So that's when I started, you know, really diving into, "Okay, now we're gonna talk about credit. I'm gonna show people how to do credit, um, and do that in a different way," right? So it wasn't just, you know... 48:52 And now we're just, we just, now I just bring entrepreneurs on and we just talk. But it started out- [laughs]... 48:57 as being a podcast of me just wanting to, um, teach people how to holistically heal and still be an entrepreneur. 49:05 Um, so that's how it started, and growing it now, it's still, we still have a small audience, but the people that I really s- speak to are people who really go through the things that we go through as entrepreneurs who, when you're still trying to wake up at 5:00 AM and you know you went to sleep at, you know, 2:00 AM, right? 49:21 Um, you're still trying to get up and be productive, but you know, you have so many things to do. Some of the people that we, that are, some of our listeners have kids, right? 49:29 So they are, you know, have so many different things to do at once, and I think I have so many things on my plate, I couldn't even imagine adding a kid to that, to that, um, to that mix. Mm. 49:38 So, um, to answer your question on how I-... juggle it all. I really don't. I really just [laughs] I really have to make the time. Like, I really have- Mm... 49:47 to make the time to really sit myself down and, like, push myself to do things different. 49:53 Um, and that is how I was able to start the podcast and even just, you know, say I'm gonna do the podcast and, um, I'm gonna do credit repair and I'm gonna do music. 50:04 And I still do my chef stuff, I'm still cooking in those high-end kitchens. But the way I would manage it all is I would say, "Okay, what's my top priority," right? Which is most of the time credit repair. 50:15 Um, so I- Mm-hmm... you know... And, and another thing is automations, right? Systems. Mm. So my business can run by itself just because of the business that I run. 50:24 Like, certain people probably won't be able to do that if you're, like, doing hair or, you know, if you're doing, like, you know, life coaching, you really have to sit down with people. Mm-hmm. 50:31 For the most part, I can do credit repair automa- autom... Like, in an automated process, right? 50:35 I can send out letters, um, and all I would have to do is hop on a call with, you know, my clients once or two, once or twice a month, right? Mm-hmm. Um, and we still get great results. 50:44 So that was something that I was like, "Okay, I'm able to work that, on that, and then I can, you know, branch out." So that's when I started the podcast. 50:52 And then the podcast was just something that, you know, every day, every day people understand how... You know, especially like me, you, we understand how important content is, right? Mm-hmm. 51:00 So I was like, "Okay, everything is content." Like, every single thing- Mm-hmm... that we do is content. 51:05 So I was like, "Okay, every single time I wanna do something on the podcast, I'm just gonna be organic," and that was easy for me. 51:11 So that was something that- [laughs] And I think the way you juggle things is organically. Like, do you wanna do this stuff? Like, do you wanna- Mm... make time for it? 51:19 Like, so me doing the podcast is something that I like to do. I like to speak, I like to talk, so it was easy for me to hop on there. 51:25 Um, another thing is with, you know, cooking, like, it's easy for me to do that and I spend a lot of time doing that, especially 'cause, um, when I studied food and I studied, like, how to holistically heal yourself, I learned about bitters, I learned about fasting, I learned about how important fruit is versus vegetables. 51:40 Um, how, you know, sometimes you wanna take meat out, how our bodies aren't really built to, uh, digest meat, how our bodies aren't built to chew meat, right? 51:49 So I learned a lot of things about food that helped me in my everyday life to where I was able to have that energy in the morning. Mm. So in the morning, like, one thing I do is I don't eat before 12:00 PM. 52:01 Like, I don't eat before noon. Um, and I also don't really, like, drink too many fluids. If I do eat, I might eat some fruit. 52:09 Um, I usually would just drink, like, fruit water, you know, just squeeze a lemon in my water until 12:00 and then I don't eat past 8:00. So that helps me stay very, like, focused and motivated in the morning, one thing. 52:19 Um, and another thing that I do is a morning routine is a very, very, um... It's very, like... A lot of people do it, right? I don't really have a morning routine, I just wake up when I wake up. 52:31 And, you know, I do- Mm... certain things in the morning. Like every entrepreneur, they might wake up and they are gonna check their email, they might check their, you know, bank account, see how much money they made. 52:40 Me, I really just wake up and I go with the flow. Um- Mm... maybe that, it, it could be detrimental to me some days, 'cause some days I might not, you know, get out of the house until, like, 2:00 and I just might- Mm. 52:49 Mm... sit down and, you know, just dive into the work. But I think that's also something that helps me juggle. 52:54 I think everything is, like, it's just I just wake up and go with the flow, so I'm not really, I'm not very, like, um, I don't have my day planned out, you know? 53:02 And but one thing I do s- I will say is I have my goals planned out, so I don't stress myself on deadlines, I stress myself on saying, "Okay, this needs to be done." 53:11 Um, and then once I finish it, I move on to the next thing. I think a lot of that comes with discipline too, 'cause I'm able to be disciplined in that and able to, like, really put the time away. 53:20 Um, and I don't have a lot of distractions too, so you know, that's... It's, it's, I would say I juggle it in, like, my own way but I think another thing about it is, like, system. 53:28 So I had to create that system for myself, and it's kinda like a mental thing. Um, but- Mm... I, I think that's something I do wanna perfect. Like, what am I gonna do during my day and how can I be more productive? 53:37 That's something that I think everybody wants to perfect, and, like, time management is huge. A lot of people don't want to, like, really admit that they need to manage their time, and I'm one of those people. 53:46 So [laughs] Like, let me just, I just make it happen, to be honest. [laughs] Yeah, I guess so. You know, it's so funny, the irony of, like, yeah, I need systems in my life but I like to go with the flow, you know? 53:57 And I'm like- Right... "Okay." [laughs] It's either, like, one or the other, and I know as entrepreneurs we love having the freedom to do what we want. But however- Right... 54:06 like, within a format though and within a system, because for me, like, morning routines, I think we talked about this on your podcast, like, I need that to start my day. Mm. 54:16 If I don't have my morning routine, um, that's a system for me. I can't, I can't start my day, I can't start my work, I can't start... I don't feel like myself, you know? Mm. 54:26 So it's really interesting that you say that, how, like- Yeah... you don't really have one, you kinda just go with the flow or you just do what needs to get done. 54:33 And I'm like, but how do you know what needs to be done if you don't- [laughs]... schedule it out ahead of time? Right. Right? Like- Yeah... I don't know. I d- but everyone works differently, right? Yeah. 54:43 So, um, you know, usually you have to go have a plan, right? You gotta have some type of strategy I would assume. 54:49 But you know, if you know what needs to be done at that moment and you just get it done, then you move onto the next thing and it's working for you so far, I can't say, you know... 54:58 And I'm a big believer, it's like there's no right or wrong- Yeah... when you're living your life, you know? It's like, what's effective and what's not effective? This is what a business- Right... 55:06 coach taught me way back in the day when I was running my photography business. So I'm thinking to myself, "Okay, well, if it's effective for her, go for it. But if it doesn't- Yeah... 55:14 seem to be very effective, you know, what do you need to do to change that?" Would probably- Right... be my question to you, but you would know that answer more than me, so. Yeah. You know? 55:22 I think the, I think the big thing- [laughs]... about it is, like, I think the big thing is, like, I'm still... And not only is it, like, I've, I haven't been doing it for too long. Um- Right... 55:31 and I'm still young in the game and still kinda, like, you know, might kinda still be wet behind my ears a little bit. But, um- [laughs]... I think the big thing about the way I work is, like, my projects, right? 55:41 So I'll have like- Mm... a project and I'll be like, "Okay, this is what I'm working on until it's done." It might take me a week, it might take me two hours, and then I move on to the next thing. 55:50 But I do, like, when you, when you talk about planning, I think it, it's like, it's- It's a plan. I like, all, like, I have so many, like, notebooks. When I tell you, Don, I have, like, 50 notebooks- [laughs]... 56:00 full of just stuff, right? Note- Just full of information- [laughs]... and it, and then I'm like, okay. I never, I'm one of those people, like, I never go back and look into them, right? Mm-hmm. 56:08 And I'll have my days and my weeks planned out, and then I'll look at that, but then I'll scroll. 56:12 I'll, like, you know, go two pages, and then I see so much information that I'm like, "Oh, how did I even, how did I, how am I missing this?" Mm-hmm. 56:18 So I think a lot of it is, like, visual learning for me, and it's, a lot of it's, like, okay, um, I'm one of those mental learners. Like, I remember a lot. 56:25 Like, I, I wouldn't say I have a photographic memory, but I'm pretty darn close. 56:28 So a lot of the stuff that I do is bas- basically, like, okay, I can remember, like, a conversation I had yesterday or, you know, like two weeks ago. Mm-hmm. And I remember like, okay, I gotta get that done, right? 56:38 But it's like, it's really just going here and here and here and here and here. 56:41 [laughs] And it's like, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and that's, you know, something that I'm like, okay, time management is something that I definitely have to perfect. Mm. 56:49 Planning things out, something I definitely have to perfect. Um, and that's- Mm... 56:53 and, and, you know, the fact that it's already going so well now just shows me, like, once I do really get my s- my things together- Mm... and create that system, it's gonna get bigger and better. Yeah. 57:02 Time management is huge. That's for sure. Yeah, I've been noticing once I can manage my time better, things just fall into place better, right? Right. 57:11 And then your, you know, whatever that you're focused on, uh, you have that result that you're looking for, right? So, um, and in speaking of that, I'm just curious, um, what does the future hold for Coach K. 57:25 and being a financial advisor? 57:26 Is this something that you wanna do long term, or do you think you're gonna be a chef long term, or do you think you're, you know, be a podcaster, you know, or you just, you're gonna ha- manage your time so well you're gonna just do it all, right? 57:37 Like- Yeah... what, what do you see, um, I guess in the future? Like, how are you building? And I know this app is really important, and I feel like this app will kinda be the catalyst of your next come up, right? Yeah. 57:49 Like, what you're really, um, focus, focused on. So, uh, but yeah, just dream with me, I guess. You know, let's say three years from now, where is, where is Athena, you know? Where are you? 58:00 Are you still in the Springs working? Or, like, three years from now, where do you wanna be in your business? Yeah. I mean, it- I'll say it like this. 58:07 I told myself I'm not moving out of Colorado until I actually do what I wanna do in Colorado. Mm. So, um, really, like, once I create the app, that's going to be, like, the, the separation of me from the business, right? 58:22 That's gonna be me being able to duplicate myself and say, um, you know, I'm gonna have my business here. You don't have to necessarily come to me, or you don't necessarily have to be taught by me specifically. 58:34 'Cause I wanna reach the world, right? So I can't teach the world. So I have to, you know, be able to duplicate myself, and that's kind of what the app is gonna do. 58:43 It's gonna help me still make the same money, even more money, right? You, just by doing subscriptions and doing credit repair through the app. 58:49 It's also going to help me say, okay, now I can take a step forward and actually do what I, what I wanna do, which is travel. Um, I wanna travel- Mm... and I want to really just be able to have a bunch of businesses. 59:01 Like, like, when we talk about time management, you know, people say, you know, you got family, you got your, your religion, whatever you believe in. Like, say you got God, family, and, you know, your business, right? 59:11 Mm. I got my family and I got business. I, I mean, I'm, I'm re- I'm not a religious person, but I do, I'm spiritual, right? So- Mm... 59:19 um, I believe in, you know, the more I dive into myself, the more I become closer to God or whatever. I, I w- I call it the Creator, right? I don't know. 59:28 I don't really, you know, think about, um, God as, like, a person or, you know, a religion. I'm not... Like, my, like, my, my father's Muslim, but- Mm... my mother and her family is, like, Christians, and, you know. 59:39 Um, so it's, it's a lot of different, lot of different things that I grew up with that I had to, you know, grow up and say, you know, "Once I get older, I'm going to look for certain things." So right now, 59:49 I, and, and here's what I'll say. Like, my future is business, business, business. Like, I want to- Mm... have as many businesses as I possibly can. Mm-hmm. I want to make as much money as I possibly can. 1:00:00 But why I'm doing that is because I wanna become a philanthropist. Mm. Um, I want to be able to travel, and I wanna be able to do things. 1:00:08 I wanna have certain projects that I work on that not only help people in my community, right, in the Black community, um, in the poor community, right, um, but also in the entrepreneur community, right? Mm. 1:00:19 Like, we have different conversations with different people, right? Like, so I wanna be able... Like I said, I've had so many different conversations with so many people. 1:00:27 Like, me and you, Don, people probably wouldn't think that we could sit here and have a two-hour conversation, right? [laughs] That was good. So, like, but we really- Mm. All the time... 1:00:34 but we really have great conversations, right? Yeah. Mm-hmm. And the, the so many different people that I meet, I think that it's important to really make an impact everywhere. 1:00:43 So before I'm a woman, before I'm a Black person, before I'm- Right... a Colorado native, I'm a, a human first, right? Mm-hmm. So that's what I look at. Um, so when I look at that, that's what my impact is going to be. 1:00:57 And to be able to do that, you gotta have power, right? Um, and I wanna be able to restore power in the poorer communities, right? 1:01:04 Not necessarily in politics, not necessarily by, you know, um, telling people to go down and vote, but more of a philanthropist to where I can go out and speak to people. And if people need it, I can give it, right? 1:01:18 So- Mm-hmm... um, that's kinda what the future looks like for me. In three years, I see myself traveling, speaking, um, you know, more businesses than I already have- Yeah... more money than I already have. 1:01:30 Um, but the big thing is- Right... making more impact. Um, how many more people can I teach? How many more people can I fix? How many more people's credit can I fix? How many more businesses can I fund? 1:01:41 How many more people would benefit from coming into our circle? Um, so that is where I see myself in three years, just becoming an, a one-stop shop for an entrepreneur, really. 1:01:53 Like, do you, d- like, whatever you wanna do, you could come over here, and you can get what you need as long as you're willing to put in the work. Mm. 1:02:00 And, you know, you're just a g- just genuine, just genuine, real, like, real community, um, is what I wanna build. And I wanna build it in, you know, bigger than anybody else has ever seen. 1:02:10 Like, if anybody thinks about Entrepreneurship. I want them to think Visionary Hustlers, Coach K, and the people that she has around her. Um, so that's where I see myself in three years. That's kinda like the end game. 1:02:22 Like, the, the like, you can a- like if you say, if you said it was in 10 years, it would kinda be the same thing. Um, 'cause that's been the goal from the beginning. 1:02:30 I just know that there's certain things that I have to do in, in all along the way, which is the app and, you know, uh, getting my public speaking career off the ground. 1:02:38 Um, but the end game is always gonna be how much power can we have to make as much positive impact as we can. Mm. I love that. I love that. 1:02:47 You're all about impacting people and, um, yeah, that's what really resonated me, with me when you interviewed me as well. 1:02:53 I was like, "Oh, I gotta get her on the pod too because she definitely has a story to share," and she really wants to impact as many people as possible to get, get them on the right road when it comes to credit repair or their finances. 1:03:04 And that's definitely number one, too, especially for people who move out of their family and they, you know, try to find themselves and they wanna, you know, do good in this world. 1:03:14 But they also, you know, they need money to do that, you know? Right. And you're able to help them along that journey. [laughs] Money is important, right? It definitely is. 1:03:22 Um, and it shouldn't be taken lightly, and you should know how to handle your finances, or your parents should have shown you or something, right? 1:03:30 But I know, you know, it's not always the case sometimes with a lot of these families. So it's great that you're able to share that knowledge with others who didn't, um, get that experience, let's say. 1:03:39 So, uh, but yeah, um, I, that's pretty much all I have. Was there anything else that you wanna discuss, you wanted to share, uh, before we end our time today? 1:03:48 Anything that I didn't cover that you wanted to share with everyone? No, I think we covered everything. You asked some great questions. We got really deep. Oh, awesome. Uh, this is one of my deeper podcasts. 1:03:57 Um, you know- Good... like I said, we always talk about finances and, you know- Mm... sometimes that gets, um, you know, you don't, you, they don't know who Coach K is a lot of times. They just hear me talk- Mm... 1:04:05 about a lot of money and a lot of, um, a lot of business stuff. So, [laughs] it was, uh, refreshing to come in and actually talk about, you know, what my goals were and- Yeah... 1:04:14 what, you know, who I, who I really am and what I really wanna do. So thank you again for, you know, just coming on my pod and for letting me- Mm... 1:04:21 um, come and bless your stage 'cause it's really been a, a great connection and, and I, I definitely, uh, there's more to come, for sure. Oh, for sure. I can see future collabs in the works, for sure. 1:04:30 And where can people find you, uh, if they wanna connect with you or wanna be coached with their finances? Where can people go to, to contact you? Yeah, they can go to my Facebook. Um, my Facebook name is Athena Evans. 1:04:41 It's the only one that I have with my government name. On everything else you can find me as Coach K or Coach K Capri. Okay. 1:04:48 Um, and if you look on the links in my bio, you'll be able to find the Wealthy and Healthy podcast. You'll be able to see my website. 1:04:55 You will be able to, you know, get consultations, whether it's credit repair, funding, whether you just, um, need some y- you know, guidance with your finances. Um, we talked about hardship earlier. 1:05:04 All that stuff will be in the link in my bio. So just go ahead and, you know, just come, just come kick it with us. See how it is over here, and, uh, I promise you won't go back. 1:05:13 And, you know, thanks again for, you know, uh, just, just listening. Uh, it was really fun to come on. Aw. Yeah. Thank you again, Athena. I appreciate you so much. And yeah, happy Friday again. We'll see you next time. 1:05:23 Thank you. Of course. [laughs] All right. Hey, guys. I hope you enjoyed the episode. 1:05:34 If you wouldn't mind liking, subscribing, commenting, sharing, rating, reviewing, it would mean the world to me and Stella here if you did that, and it really would help support the show. 1:05:46 Thank you so much, and stay grateful. Right, Stella? Stay grateful? [laughs] [outro music]
