as a young person, clair personally experienced the nightmare so many face of compounding private student loans, predatory credit card lenders, and a sudden, unpayable-y high emergency room bill incurred during an emergency medical crisis—which turned into collections accounts that haunted her for years. she experienced endless threatening calls, a plummeting credit score, and partial homelessness.

this experience forced her to pursue financial literacy and she charted a path toward financial independence, with a lot of help along the way, help many people don’t have. now, clair spends her time advocating for equitable pay in the workplace, mentoring younger folks on finances, helping folks access higher paying roles and industries. her experiences and this work inspired her to create debt riot.

clair believes that access to healthcare, education, and healthy food and clean water are fundamental human rights. no person should ever have to mortgage their future and self-determination because they can’t pay a bill.