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August 14, 2025 13 mins
Let’s talk about the real Hot Girl Finance movement—and no, we’re not talking about stuffing envelopes or giving up oat milk lattes.Amber Duncan is a Florida mom of five and founder of Life After Debt, who went from bankrupt to building a multimillion-dollar movement that’s helped Americans erase millions in credit card debt. No trust fund. No pity party. Just vibes, vengeance, and very sharp legal strategy.She didn’t climb out of the financial mud just to play nice. She’s blowing up the playbook...and burning the shame with it.If Business Insider is calling you “the woman who’s helped Americans erase millions in debt,” you’re probably doing something right.

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Ambert.

Speaker 2 (00:00):
Hi Amber, It's Aero Collins. How are you doing today?

Speaker 1 (00:03):
I'm good? How are you doing? Arrow?

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Absolutely fantastic. Now, before we even get started, I got
to ask you this because I'm a freak like this.
I noticed on your your letterhead that Amber and Duncan.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
It's different font on my letterhead. Well, you know, it's
all a branding thing.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yes, I was hoping you were going to say that
because it because it really catches your eye immediately.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Good. I'm glad to hear that.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
So now when it comes to branding, how important has
that been for you as you continue to grow beyond
where you once stood?

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Well, for me, I think branding is probably your biggest
billboard for who you are as a person and what
you have to offer people. So it's an extremely important
piece of the puzzle that you get it right and
it speaks to your message and who you.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Are right out of the floodgates.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
I've always been one that until it's exactly the way
I want it, I'm not putting it out there.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Does that mean that you just called yourself a perfectionist?

Speaker 1 (01:00):
I mean, you know, I'm definitely a type A for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
And is that the reason why that you extend your
outreach to so many people who need your leadership skills.

Speaker 3 (01:12):
I believe that we're all giving gifts for a reason.
And in my world, I've had years of grinding and
being in the workforce and building companies that I'm proud of,
and now I feel like it's time to actually give
back and create spaces for people that I can help
them succeed and hit the mark and bring their dreams
to reality.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Yeah, because it seems like since the COVID lockdown, it's
like everybody has stopped and we need to have that
fuel to get going. And finally, you know, people like
yourself are saying, hey, look, I know the way for
you to go, but it's going to mean investing your
heart and your soul.

Speaker 3 (01:48):
Yes, that's right, And I think sometimes all we need
is somebody to get behind us and push us out
of that seat to take the first step. And I
know for me, I had that person in my life
that kind of got behind me and gave me the
confidence that I needed to just kind of take the
first step. And so I want to be that for
other people who have ideas and inspirations and just have

(02:10):
no idea where to start.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
Well, it starts with your book, That's where it starts.

Speaker 3 (02:15):
Yeah, well, I mean it's coming. I'm super excited about it.
I know that I'm going to be able to share
it with a lot of people, and so they're going
to have the tips and tools right in their hands
to let them know how to best start their own
business without ever looking back, but only seeing a future
that looks far greater than they ever imagined.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
And they need to be holding a yellow highlighter when
they're paging through the book. And the reason why is
because you have so many things in there, and they
instead of rereading the book, what you can do is
go back to the areas that you highlighted.

Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yeah, exactly, just take the bullet points out and I
think there'll be something for everyone in it.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
One of the things that you cover is the fact
that we live in uncertain times and sometimes that pushes
people right back into their cave. But you're offering people
the opportunity to find their place of security.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
That's right.

Speaker 3 (03:05):
And I believe that people, you know, if they're doing
something they're passionate about, then they're going to succeed at it,
but they're never going to feel secure and they're never
going to feel safe in a place that they're not
passionate about. As soon as they find that sweet spot
for themselves, I do believe that that is where they're
going to thrive. That is where they're going to see
the financial gain, and that is where they're going to

(03:26):
impact the most people. But the passion has to align
with their actual drive and their work and their work
ethic so that it all flows together and that's where
the magic happens.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
One of the things that we're facing these days the
wall called tariff. And I did some research this morning
on the price of coffee, and what was so funny
in that research is that it's clearly stated the tariff
isn't the reason why the coffee's going up. It's going
to be the weather, It's going to be everything else
around it. It'll go up a little bit, but that's
not the reason why the prices are going up, because
weather conditions have everything to do with prices.

Speaker 3 (04:01):
Well, and I love that too, that you've kind of
zoned in on the fact that you know, we'd all
like to just grab at the first thing we see
in front of us as the byproduct of a new,
something new that's been put in place. But you're absolutely right,
there's so many environmental factors that are coming into play
when we see the prices increasing on consumable goods. However,
here's what I know. If you look at the tariffs

(04:22):
closely and you see behind the scenes of what's happening,
you see firsthand that the president is putting things in
place to lower our tax liability, our footprints and what
we will be paying as consumers, you know, through taxes
and through other avenues. So I believe the end game
will benefit everyone financially and will lower their tax liability.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
Isn't that one of the reasons why people only go
so far with creating their own personal business is the
fact that all of a sudden, we got to talk
about taxes, we got to talk about social security, we
have to talk about health insurance for those on your team.
I mean, it seems to get too big for people
that had this brilliant idea.

Speaker 3 (05:03):
It is, but it can be overwhelming, you know. I
look at it like giving birth. I have five children myself,
and I you know, I call it the birthing process
because it's one thing to have an idea and if
everybody got paid for an idea, man, we'd have a
ton of millionaires walking around. But the truth is it's
bringing it to fruition. It's going through the first trimester,
and the second trimester and the third trimester. And by

(05:25):
the way, as soon as you get that business up
and running, just like having a child, you're going to
every single day run into challenges that will want you
to stop and quit. And it's persevering and pushing through
those challenges and learning as you go. I mean, I've
been an entrepreneur for fifteen years and I can truly
say I'm still learning something every day and I'm grateful

(05:45):
for that.

Speaker 2 (05:46):
I dig for that, I mean I really do. I'll
sit there and go what can I learn today? I
got to go find something. It's almost like that movie
short Circuit Input. I have more input that's right.

Speaker 3 (05:54):
That's right, and that's how you grow, and that's how
you pivot, and that's how you're able to connect with
consumers in the market that we're in right now.

Speaker 2 (06:02):
Please do not move. There's more with Amber Duncan coming
up next. Hey, thanks for coming back to my conversation
with Amber Duncan. People want to buy happiness. They want
it all right now, How can we convince people that
it really is like getting a martial arts black belt.
You've got to go through the belts in order to
get there, and when you get there, you know you
got to go to the next belt, the next belt,

(06:23):
the next belt.

Speaker 3 (06:24):
Yeah, I think that, you know, just being real about
what's at the end. You know, they always say there's
a light at the end of the tunnel. And while
some people can take that and grab onto it, others
have a hard time seeing it. But if you can
come alongside somebody and walk them through with baby steps
and give them three action items and say do this
and then come back to me and let's go to
the next phase, then they start to feel more confident

(06:46):
in their ability to succeed as an entrepreneur. And so
what I found is the clients I work with, when
they have ideas, that's exactly what I do. I just
I don't overwhelm them. I give them three things, and
when they can complete those three things, they start to
feel very accomplished and very confident with their ability, which
gives them the confidence they need to knock out the
next three things that seemed impossible three months ago. So

(07:10):
it's a process like everything else. But if you show
up every day with the mindset that I'm going to
do this, I'm not going to be stocked, it will happen.

Speaker 2 (07:18):
What's great about you, Amber is the fact that we
all have seen Shark Tank and we all think, oh
my god, I'm learning everything on shark Tank. But you
actually take the time to teach those with these brilliant
products and ideas, and you coach them and it's not
all about well, what's my return on this investment?

Speaker 1 (07:35):
That's right? I mean, you know.

Speaker 3 (07:36):
Business brainstorms to me, was just a concept I came
up with to do a coaching call with individuals who
have ideas and one just want to validate their idea.
And I always say, if you can solve a universal problem,
you've got.

Speaker 1 (07:49):
A million dollar idea. You know.

Speaker 3 (07:50):
That's what I've done multiple times, and I encourage others
to ask themselves that question. And once they ask that question,
then study those who are doing something similar. What do
you like about it? What do you not like about it?
And then third, what's going to set you apart? And
what's going to set you apart is what I want
them to come to those business brainstorms with, so that
we can actually dive in and start to put the

(08:11):
pieces together to make it happen.

Speaker 2 (08:14):
You're doing a thing that I called defragging. Ask the questions,
then question the answers. I mean you start digging in
and start, you know, firming up that foundation.

Speaker 1 (08:21):
That's right, you know.

Speaker 3 (08:22):
I think the best way to get to know someone
is the more questions you asked, the clearer you're going
to get.

Speaker 2 (08:27):
Right one of the things that you covered very well.
Please no pity parties. I mean, come on, you've got
to get in there and you've got to understand what
your legal strategy is and make it make there be
a payoff.

Speaker 1 (08:38):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (08:40):
Well, the truth is is like you know, there's a
million dollar ideas, but you got to make sure that
it makes sense. And I think some of us can
go so quick and then jumping in and on an idea,
but we're not sure how profitable it's going to be.
And say, you've got to do the math what I
call a pro forma, so you can sit down and
actually see on paper. Hey, here's what I need amount

(09:00):
of clients to get X, this is my cost, this
is the return on my investment. Do the math. No
one to hire people so that you can reach that
profitability sooner rather than later. And by the way, it
does take a couple of years for a lot of
businesses to get to the profitability mark.

Speaker 1 (09:16):
But guess what you'll get there.

Speaker 2 (09:17):
Yeah, you just have.

Speaker 1 (09:18):
To have that pro form in place and follow it
like a math.

Speaker 2 (09:22):
I'm blessed to share a lot of conversations with musicians
today and one of the things that they put focus
on we don't play for popularity. And what they mean
by that is is that whatever the popular sound is
right now, they don't want to have anything to do
with it. So do you not take that a business
is the same way that don't play for the popularity,
play for what you know and what you can grow.

Speaker 3 (09:41):
That's right, you know, you don't want to appeal to
the masses. You actually want to be And I've always
taken pride in the fact that any business that I
do comes from a place of it's very niche, it's
very boutique, and I don't want to attract everyone. That's
why in a lot of things that I've done in
my processes and systems, I reverse psychology thing. You know.
I have a company that helps people with credit card debt.

(10:03):
And whereas credit card companies will set up to where
people can call in and ask for help and or
they'll call out and hold call and do mailers, I
set up a clarity call because I believe clarity is
what brings freedom. And so people actually book a free
fifteen minute clarity call to actually see where they are
with their credit card debt, so that I can then

(10:24):
point them in the right direction and get them on
the right path through my team. So you know, it's
all about creating an experience for individuals that never feels
like sales. And the truth is people do business with
people they like, and your branding should speak to that.

Speaker 2 (10:37):
One of my favorite things to do is at a
grocery store, have a conversation with somebody you don't know.
Just go have a conversation and because to me, that
builds up character and you know, you get you more
involved with the community.

Speaker 3 (10:47):
Yeah, lets you know who people are and what's really
going on out there. It's easy to live in our
bubbles and think that everybody lives like us, but the
truth is that's just not the case.

Speaker 2 (10:57):
So you're the founder of Life after Debt, explain what
that is and how can people invest in that.

Speaker 1 (11:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (11:04):
So you know, back in two thousand and eight, my
husband and I were both mortgage brokers, and as you know,
the housing industry tanked overnight. So with five kids and
multiple properties and a nanny that spoke no English, our
life quickly became just like the movie Dick and Jane
having Fun with Dick and Jane. I'm telling you, everything
about that movie was what was happening to us. And
so in that moment, we had to recognize that they're

(11:26):
left a gaping problem when the mortgage industry tanked, and
that is that most people were taking out the equity
in their home to pay off their credit card debt.
So once that was ripped off the table, there now
left a gaping problem. How were people going to deal
with their credit card debt? And for us, we had
to file bankruptcy and it was a humiliating process back
in two thousand and eight. So after leaving that room,

(11:47):
I remember telling myself, I will never find myself here again.
And there has to be a better way for consumers
to run into this situation, not because they were reckless,
not because they were careless, but because they were hard
working and they ran into a situation that bigger than
they were. And that's when we developed the reducemdebts dot
com Life After Debt so that we could present an
opportunity to help individuals by creating hardships that allowed us

(12:10):
to go in and settle their debts for about fifty
percent of what they owe if they qualified.

Speaker 2 (12:16):
We have become the side hustle generation, and I sometimes
I look at that going. I think it's cool that
you're dedicated and you want to do all these different jobs,
But I think we're getting tired. What are we going
to do about these people that are holding down three
to five different jobs?

Speaker 3 (12:28):
Man, I love this question. Here's why you know. I
have five children myself, and all of them are very entrepreneurial.
I have a sixteen year old who's already built a
million dollar business. And the truth is is, I think
that the generation of old we work harder rather than smarter.
And nowadays with all of the resources and tools we
have at our fingertips and what you can do with
partnering with brands and branding yourself, all you have to

(12:51):
do is insert the widget and you're making money. So
I think what we have to look at a little
harder is how can we work smarter rather than take
on three or four jobs and exhaust ourselves and ps
be unhappy doing them all?

Speaker 2 (13:03):
M m m all right, where can people go to
find out more about you and get their hands on
everything that you're doing, because I mean this is leadership
that we need.

Speaker 1 (13:13):
Well, thank you.

Speaker 3 (13:13):
Yes, you can visit my website which has actually reducedmdebts
dot com. And on that website, not only will you
find the link for a clarity call for those in debt,
but you'll also find the link for my business brainstorms.
And I work with people across the country with their
ideas and bringing them to fruition. I'd love to help
any anyone listening.

Speaker 2 (13:31):
Wow, please come back to the show anytime in the future,
and for the door is always going to be open
for you.

Speaker 1 (13:35):
Thank you so much, Eric for this time. Have a
great day.

Speaker 2 (13:38):
You'd be brilliant.

Speaker 1 (13:38):
Okay, all right, bybye.
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