People of EarnIn: Courtney Waters

Courtney is the definition of a strong woman. Even though she’s gone through struggles in her past, Courtney is still determined to live life to the fullest. From swimming with dolphins to skydiving, she lives with no regrets. Here’s her story:

“After my dad passed away, I had this existential crisis where I had to redefine life for myself. That’s when I decided I was going to start checking things off my bucket list. I was going to start paying attention to things I wanted to do so I’ve been working to check things off every year.

One of the things I checked off was skydiving. I was so nervous the first time my cousin and I went. The parachute instructor was asking me all these questions and I was getting more and more nervous but I'm not a punk. I told myself, “I’m gonna do this.” And when they opened the door, the anxiety just built. Then they count to three and we're just out. There’s so much wind in your face, you can't open your eyes, and it’s cold since you’re so high up. But then they pull the parachute and you stop. That's when you can really see everything, how high you are, and it was beautiful.

I had this sense of bravery because, at the time, I was stuck in an abusive relationship. So it kind of symbolized that I’m stronger than I think I am. Sometimes your mind stops you out of fear so it was basically facing that fear. If I could face this fear, I could face my other fears and work on getting out of the relationship.

I was going through some financial issues while being a single mom and being behind due to my last relationship when I came across EarnIn. I was constantly overdrafting, sometimes overdrafting a lot. And the overdraft fees would build up more than what I was originally overdrafting for. So I downloaded EarnIn and it definitely has really saved me so much from overdrafts. I tell everybody to download EarnIn because it's really helped me catch up, get back on a better financial track, and make up for all the overdrafts. And if something comes up, I’ll know that I'm able to go in and get money from my next check.

Right now, it's been a little hard because I'm going through a divorce. I'm taking care of my kids by myself and there's a lot of costs and fees associated with getting divorced. I just want to get to a point where things are financially stable for me. I'm not in a bind, and I make decent money, but with all these fees popping up, I just need things to calm down. Part of what was making me behind on my finances was being in the marriage that I was in. Part of the abuse was also financial abuse. So that put me in a financial situation that wasn't ideal.

What motivates me is the perspective that I am blessed. I have my children here, two boys and a girl. They’re one of the biggest things that keeps me pushing because I have to do it for them. I also love my job. I work in an elementary school as a family support therapist, so I work with students and their families to help them with mental health. I've definitely had a lot of struggles, but I'm blessed in a lot of ways. And that motivates me because there are some people that don't have what I have. There are people who aren't living anymore. I have breath. I have life. So I just want to live it to the fullest. I don't want any regrets in life when I'm old looking back. I just want to take advantage the best way that I can.”

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