A Certified Nursing Assistant rebuilt her life after juggling four jobs and over $26,000 in debt, and finally feels like her paycheck is hers again. Enrolled Debt: $26,502
Graduated: September 2025
Program Length: 3 years, 1 month
Meet Lisa H.
Lisa is a Certified Nursing Assistant and has been caring for older adults for more than 30 years. She recently moved to live near her son, who’s in the Air Force, and to help care for a dog they co-parent. She’s also a grandmother (and soon-to-be grandmother again)!
For fun, Lisa loves going to the beach and spending time with her kids and grandchildren. After years of struggle, she says, “Life is pretty darn good, I gotta say.”
What was going on before you decided to work with Five Lakes?
I had just left my ex, and I was 55 years old. I had no credit. I had nothing. A friend of mine said, “Get a secured credit card and start to build up your credit,” so that’s what I did.
Then all of a sudden, I’m getting all these offers for credit cards and I’m like, “Oh, well, I’ve never had real credit cards before. What the heck? I’ll get a credit card.” All of a sudden, I had 10 of them.
My paycheck is finally mine.
Everything was great for a while: I was buying a whole bunch of stuff for the apartment and I was like, “Oh yeah, I’ll pay it back.”
That’s when I started to realize that I couldn’t keep up with the credit card payments. It was bad. I was spending at least $200 to $300 a week of my paycheck just to keep up with the minimums.
Then it got to be even more, then more and more. And I’m like, “Oh my God, this is bad!” At that point, I had four jobs just to keep up.
What did carrying that debt feel like?
It was really weighing on me. I was like, “How am I going to do this? Am I just going to go bankrupt?”
I was worried. I mean, really worried. Could I pay my rent? Could I pay my car payment? It really does feel like you’ve got 20 pounds on each shoulder when you’ve got this debt.
How did you discover Five Lakes?
I did some googling and I was like, “Well, I like the name Five Lakes. I’m going to call them up and see what they can do for me. They sounded like they knew exactly what to do, which made me feel comfortable.
It almost sounded too good to be true. I thought, “Oh my goodness, is this seriously going to work?” But they were very professional. They obviously knew what they were talking about.
What was your experience going through the program?
It was a really, really good experience. The team was fantastic and very accommodating.
And the lower payments made such a difference to my ability to live. I was working four jobs before. I was exhausted — working nights … working days. It was a lot. I was able to stop working two of those jobs — that was a big relief.
What was graduating like?
Oh my God, I was so happy! It was like the hugest cloud lifted off my head. I was just like, “Yes, I’m done!”
Now I don’t have to work 70 hours a week. And I have money to do things like go out to lunch or get my hair done. I couldn’t even get my nails done before. I had to watch every penny. Like, “I can’t go to this event because that’s using too much gas.” It was like that.
My financial habits have changed 100%. I have two credit cards, but if I spend a little bit, I pay it off right away. I’m not going into debt ever again.
What are you looking forward to now?
I’d like to travel, of course. I want to work a little bit less. I have more money than most people my age. You have to save, but you know what? I want to be able to live too!
How would you sum up what Five Lakes did for you?
Peace of mind and joy, really. It was such a big help. I can’t even tell you what it meant. It changed my life, to go to Five Lakes and have them help me sort it out.
I felt taken care of. I felt like this was all going to be taken care of, and I was going to come out on the other side, like shiny new!
Success Post-Grad
With Five Lakes, Lisa turned a debt load of more than $26,000 into a real debt-free plan, reduced her monthly burden enough to stop working four jobs, and stayed the course until she reached the finish line.
Today, she’s debt-free, more careful with credit, and enjoying the freedom to spend on everyday life again — from lunch out to a trip to the salon — without the constant weight of minimum payments hanging over her.
“My paycheck is finally mine.”
Real client compensated for sharing their authentic experience — results and savings reflect their individual circumstances.