Flash forward later that week, I'm grabbing a coffee with my collegues Katie and Andrea when they mention the idea of getting a group of girls together to form a “money club”.  Andrea sipped her latte and said “ You know, it will be kind of like a book club, but we’ll talk about money.”

And that’s when Oprah called.

Ok, her producer called (actually I'm pretty sure that first call was from an intern), but you get the point, it was a dream come true moment which led to us on stage with Oprah herself and, somehow forming coherent sentences, sharing our story with the world. 

At the same time our lives were changing... Angela moved back to Toronto, Robyn married Salim and had her first baby Emmy, Katie and Nick welcomed baby Hannah, Andrea's marketing career was on fire in Vancouver, and I had moved to Denver after marrying Jason and had just welcomed baby Jack! 

I launch the first digital version of Your Richest Year and it's a crazy success! 

Life is more settled as we move into our dream home and the Smart Cookie girls and I decide to start a tradition of reuniting every summer for a girls trip, and theses trips are everything.

I ran back to my cubicle and called Ang and said “you’ll never believe it!? The girls at work want to set up a money club, just like what we were talking about!”

Andrea invited her friend Robyn to join us, and so the five of us girls met up at Katie’s condo and sat around her kitchen table for our first meeting. That first meeting we laid it all out on the table, our debt, our bank statements, our spending... but most importantly our dreams.

And that’s when Oprah called.

Ok, her producer called (actually I'm pretty sure that first call was from an intern), but you get the point, it was a dream come true moment which led to us on stage with Oprah herself and, somehow forming coherent sentences, sharing our story with the world. 

At the same time our lives were changing... Angela moved back to Toronto, Robyn married Salim and had her first baby Emmy, Katie and Nick welcomed baby Hannah, Andrea's marketing career was on fire in Vancouver, and I had moved to Denver after marrying Jason and had just welcomed baby Jack! 

I launch the first digital version of Your Richest Year and it's a crazy success! 

Life is more settled as we move into our dream home and the Smart Cookie girls and I decide to start a tradition of reuniting every summer for a girls trip, and theses trips are everything.

And that was when everything clicked. We got clear on what a truly rich life really looked like, set a plan, and made small, smart strategic actions every single day.

And the secret ingredient to it all:
Be surrounded by positive, smart, supportive friends who truly see the best in your and wholeheartedly want you to live your richest life.

And that’s when Oprah called.

Ok, her producer called (actually I'm pretty sure that first call was from an intern), but you get the point, it was a dream come true moment which led to us on stage with Oprah herself and, somehow forming coherent sentences, sharing our story with the world. 

At the same time our lives were changing... Angela moved back to Toronto, Robyn married Salim and had her first baby Emmy, Katie and Nick welcomed baby Hannah, Andrea's marketing career was on fire in Vancouver, and I had moved to Denver after marrying Jason and had just welcomed baby Jack! 

I launch the first digital version of Your Richest Year and it's a crazy success! 

Life is more settled as we move into our dream home and the Smart Cookie girls and I decide to start a tradition of reuniting every summer for a girls trip, and theses trips are everything.

In only a year together, after using the signature system we created together, we were able to pay off more than $50,000 in debt, and increased our earnings by more than $100,000!

And that’s when Oprah called.

Ok, her producer called (actually I'm pretty sure that first call was from an intern), but you get the point, it was a dream come true moment which led to us on stage with Oprah herself and, somehow forming coherent sentences, sharing our story with the world. 

At the same time our lives were changing... Angela moved back to Toronto, Robyn married Salim and had her first baby Emmy, Katie and Nick welcomed baby Hannah, Andrea's marketing career was on fire in Vancouver, and I had moved to Denver after marrying Jason and had just welcomed baby Jack! 

I launch the first digital version of Your Richest Year and it's a crazy success! 

Life is more settled as we move into our dream home and the Smart Cookie girls and I decide to start a tradition of reuniting every summer for a girls trip, and theses trips are everything.

Beyond the numbers, for each of us – LIFE had become so much richer. We were working in careers and businesses that we loved, surrounded by the best kind of friends.

What had began as a group to get smart about money, had changed everything in our lives for the better.

And that’s when Oprah called.

Ok, her producer called (actually I'm pretty sure that first call was from an intern), but you get the point, it was a dream come true moment which led to us on stage with Oprah herself and, somehow forming coherent sentences, sharing our story with the world. 

At the same time our lives were changing... Angela moved back to Toronto, Robyn married Salim and had her first baby Emmy, Katie and Nick welcomed baby Hannah, Andrea's marketing career was on fire in Vancouver, and I had moved to Denver after marrying Jason and had just welcomed baby Jack! 

I launch the first digital version of Your Richest Year and it's a crazy success! 

Life is more settled as we move into our dream home and the Smart Cookie girls and I decide to start a tradition of reuniting every summer for a girls trip, and theses trips are everything.

And the secret ingredient to it all? We were there for one another. 

In only a year together, after using the signature system we created together, we were able to pay off more than $50,000 in debt, and increased our earnings by more than $100,000!

And that’s when Oprah called.

Ok, her producer called (actually I'm pretty sure that first call was from an intern), but you get the point, it was a dream come true moment which led to us on stage with Oprah herself and, somehow forming coherent sentences, sharing our story with the world. 

At the same time our lives were changing... Angela moved back to Toronto, Robyn married Salim and had her first baby Emmy, Katie and Nick welcomed baby Hannah, Andrea's marketing career was on fire in Vancouver, and I had moved to Denver after marrying Jason and had just welcomed baby Jack! 

I launch the first digital version of Your Richest Year and it's a crazy success! 

Life is more settled as we move into our dream home and the Smart Cookie girls and I decide to start a tradition of reuniting every summer for a girls trip, and theses trips are everything.

Beyond the numbers, for each of us – LIFE had become so much richer. We were working in careers and businesses that we loved, surrounded by the best kind of friends.

What had began as a group to get smart about money, had changed everything in our lives for the better.

And that’s when Oprah called.

Ok, her producer called (actually I'm pretty sure that first call was from an intern), but you get the point, it was a dream come true moment which led to us on stage with Oprah herself and, somehow forming coherent sentences, sharing our story with the world. 

At the same time our lives were changing... Angela moved back to Toronto, Robyn married Salim and had her first baby Emmy, Katie and Nick welcomed baby Hannah, Andrea's marketing career was on fire in Vancouver, and I had moved to Denver after marrying Jason and had just welcomed baby Jack! 

I launch the first digital version of Your Richest Year and it's a crazy success! 

Life is more settled as we move into our dream home and the Smart Cookie girls and I decide to start a tradition of reuniting every summer for a girls trip, and theses trips are everything.

I remember googling “smart money advice for women”. I scrolled through hundreds of links – there wasn’t one I could relate to. That weekend my friend Ang and I started talking and had this idea... wouldn't it be amazing to learn about money together, educating ourselves and sharing what we learned in a fun, inspiring way, just like girlfriends would over drinks. 

Realizing what was about to happen when our episode aired, I remember being in the limo after the show on the way to the airport and calling my brother and saying “hey, I think we need a website, can you help!?”
We spent the six months in a whirlwind, landing a life changing book deals with Random House pitching, creating and staring in our own TV show.

At the same time our lives were changing... Angela moved back to Toronto, Robyn married Salim and had her first baby Emmy, Katie and Nick welcomed baby Hannah, Andrea's marketing career was on fire in Vancouver, and I had moved to Denver after marrying Jason and had just welcomed baby Jack! 

I launch the first digital version of Your Richest Year and it's a crazy success! 

Life is more settled as we move into our dream home and the Smart Cookie girls and I decide to start a tradition of reuniting every summer for a girls trip, and theses trips are everything.

I remember googling “smart money advice for women”. I scrolled through hundreds of links – there wasn’t one I could relate to. That weekend my friend Ang and I started talking and had this idea... wouldn't it be amazing to learn about money together, educating ourselves and sharing what we learned in a fun, inspiring way, just like girlfriends would over drinks. 

Over the next five years we criss cross North America together, wrote two best selling books, appeared on The Today Show, The New York Times, CNN and produced and shot The Smart Cookies TV show. We shared hotel rooms together in about every city in North American and shared countless moments where we laughed till our cheeks hurt together and bawled our eyes out together.

At the same time our lives were changing... Angela moved back to Toronto, Robyn married Salim and had her first baby Emmy, Katie and Nick welcomed baby Hannah, Andrea's marketing career was on fire in Vancouver, and I had moved to Denver after marrying Jason and had just welcomed baby Jack! 

I launch the first digital version of Your Richest Year and it's a crazy success! 

Life is more settled as we move into our dream home and the Smart Cookie girls and I decide to start a tradition of reuniting every summer for a girls trip, and theses trips are everything.

I remember googling “smart money advice for women”. I scrolled through hundreds of links – there wasn’t one I could relate to. That weekend my friend Ang and I started talking and had this idea... wouldn't it be amazing to learn about money together, educating ourselves and sharing what we learned in a fun, inspiring way, just like girlfriends would over drinks. 

And that’s when Oprah called.

Ok, her producer called (actually I'm pretty sure that first call was from an intern), but you get the point, it was a dream come true moment which led to us on stage with Oprah herself and, somehow forming coherent sentences, sharing our story with the world. 

Life had taken us all in beautiful directions and it was time to face the reality that if we really want our vision for the Smart Cookies brand and mission to continue and grow, it needed to be run fully by one person, not five. 

Over a phone call with all of us spread out in - Vancouver, Toronto and Denver, the girls transferred ownership of the business to me.

I launch the first digital version of Your Richest Year and it's a crazy success! 

Life is more settled as we move into our dream home and the Smart Cookie girls and I decide to start a tradition of reuniting every summer for a girls trip, and theses trips are everything.

I remember googling “smart money advice for women”. I scrolled through hundreds of links – there wasn’t one I could relate to. That weekend my friend Ang and I started talking and had this idea... wouldn't it be amazing to learn about money together, educating ourselves and sharing what we learned in a fun, inspiring way, just like girlfriends would over drinks. 

And that’s when Oprah called.

Ok, her producer called (actually I'm pretty sure that first call was from an intern), but you get the point, it was a dream come true moment which led to us on stage with Oprah herself and, somehow forming coherent sentences, sharing our story with the world. 

As I navigated running the business on my own, I had baby Violet, and suddenly with two littles, life had become very full (and did I mention we were ALL – including Gingy the dog, living in a two bedroom apartment while we built our dream home. )

I launch the first digital version of Your Richest Year and it's a crazy success! 

Life is more settled as we move into our dream home and the Smart Cookie girls and I decide to start a tradition of reuniting every summer for a girls trip, and theses trips are everything.

I remember googling “smart money advice for women”. I scrolled through hundreds of links – there wasn’t one I could relate to. That weekend my friend Ang and I started talking and had this idea... wouldn't it be amazing to learn about money together, educating ourselves and sharing what we learned in a fun, inspiring way, just like girlfriends would over drinks. 

And that’s when Oprah called.

Ok, her producer called (actually I'm pretty sure that first call was from an intern), but you get the point, it was a dream come true moment which led to us on stage with Oprah herself and, somehow forming coherent sentences, sharing our story with the world. 

I worked on the business in bits and pieces, fitting in what I could during early mornings and naptime and traveled for events when Jason and I could make it work in our full schedules.

I launch the first digital version of Your Richest Year and it's a crazy success! 

Life is more settled as we move into our dream home and the Smart Cookie girls and I decide to start a tradition of reuniting every summer for a girls trip, and theses trips are everything.

I remember googling “smart money advice for women”. I scrolled through hundreds of links – there wasn’t one I could relate to. That weekend my friend Ang and I started talking and had this idea... wouldn't it be amazing to learn about money together, educating ourselves and sharing what we learned in a fun, inspiring way, just like girlfriends would over drinks. 

And that’s when Oprah called.

Ok, her producer called (actually I'm pretty sure that first call was from an intern), but you get the point, it was a dream come true moment which led to us on stage with Oprah herself and, somehow forming coherent sentences, sharing our story with the world. 

I worked on the business in bits and pieces, fitting in what I could during early mornings and naptime and traveled for events when Jason and I could make it work in our full schedules.

With the kids in school and Jason now working from home, I'm able to travel more, work on dream partnerships and get to speak on stage at the most stunning and inspiring events like The Atelier Collective and create new courses and workshops like Profit By Design.

I remember googling “smart money advice for women”. I scrolled through hundreds of links – there wasn’t one I could relate to. That weekend my friend Ang and I started talking and had this idea... wouldn't it be amazing to learn about money together, educating ourselves and sharing what we learned in a fun, inspiring way, just like girlfriends would over drinks. 

And that’s when Oprah called.

Ok, her producer called (actually I'm pretty sure that first call was from an intern), but you get the point, it was a dream come true moment which led to us on stage with Oprah herself and, somehow forming coherent sentences, sharing our story with the world. 

I worked on the business in bits and pieces, fitting in what I could during early mornings and naptime and traveled for events when Jason and I could make it work in our full schedules.

It's been one beautiful (sometimes messy) windy road, but I've always been the girl who, given the choice will always choose the scenic route, even if it does take a bit longer to reach the destination , so I guess this journey is no different. I'm so grateful for the incredible journey that led me here somehow I feel like this is just the beginning, and I can't wait to see what this next chapter holds for all of us Smart Cookies.