Tonya is my sistergirl and 1/5 of The Frugal Fab 5. Ambitious. Creative. Powerful. Beautiful. I am glad this woman is in my life. Definitely a DreamGirl. -K

What do you do and why is it important?

I wear two hats. By day I am stabilizing New York City neighborhoods by helping homeowners who are facing foreclosure save their homes. By Morning and Night and whenever I can during the day I am creating a movement of millennial women who have a healthy relationship with money. Both of these positions are important because the family is the cornerstone of our community. My work stabilizes families and helps fortify their future.

 What are three things that you know for sure?

I know that everything in our life begins with intention.

Mom is almost always right.

Jodeci was the best male R&B group of the 90s.

 What is the best advice (financial, emotional, spiritual, health-related) that you have ever received? Why did that piece of wisdom resonate with you so much?

I was on a street in Harlem and a woman stopped me as I passed her and her friends on the sidewalk. She told me that I needed to follow my heart. That someone in my life was attempting to extinguish my light and I couldn’t allow them to do that because I had things to accomplish that would impact the world. I have never forgot that meeting. It was like God sent her to me to open up my heart to my purpose. I have been doing that every since and I must say, it has made me one of the happiest people I know.

What are you the most proud of as a woman, entrepreneur, scholar, or anything in between?

I am proud of my resilience and refusal to be unhappy. I have confidently walked away from bad relationships, jobs I hated, cities I hated, because I am committed to my happiness and believe in my ability to recover from any setback.

I am also proud of my Master’s degree in Urban Policy Administration.

What is going on in your business/career that EVERYONE should know about now?* Is there a product or services that we should ALL know about?

My blog is becoming more and more amazing each day and I am working on my first book! It will be a free e-book titled “7 Things You Can Do Today To Live A Financially Fabulous Life”. Make sure you follow me on social media and the blog so you will know when it drops.

Where do you see yourself and your business in the next five years?

I see myself owning a leading digital media group.

What makes you a DreamGirl?

I am grounded in my purpose and I am not afraid to shake things up in pursuit of it.

What rituals, if any, do you do on a daily, monthly, or yearly to keep you focused, positive, or centered?

I talk to myself every day. I have a list of things and the type of people I want for myself on my mirror in the bedroom and I read them out loud to myself everyday. If I am walking out of the door and realize I forgot to do it I will run back into the house and read them.

How do you handle setbacks? What skills, support, or personality trait do you rely on the most to help you overcome adversity?

Whenever I encounter a setback I force myself to think about all of the other setbacks I have overcome. I tap into my past success and use them to boost my confidence in that moment.

I also only allow myself 10 minutes to be upset or disappointed about something. I give myself 10 minutes to sulk and then I move myself from that place and into a place of productivity

Tonya Rapley is your guide to becoming financially fabulous. After improving her credit score by 120 points in 18 months, she fell in love with personal finance. Tonya is now a Certified Financial Educator and the founder of My Fab Finance where she promotes financial freedom by inspiring financial behavioral change and offering relatable information that increases financial literacy.

Tonya has been featured on Credit.com, US News, ABC’s Here and Now, Yahoo! Finance, Go Girl Finance, Diversity Woman, The Wall Street Journal, and Madame Noire.