Hi, I'm Daniel.
My relationship with money started earlier than most. At twelve years old, I started and ran a small business making and selling duct tape products. Simple in the grand scheme of things, but it gave me an early understanding of essential money management.
After graduating from Emerson College, I worked as a freelance Assistant Director on projects throughout Los Angeles: music videos, commercials, shorts, features. Freelance as a lifestyle meant constantly not knowing when or how much my next paycheck would be, but that uncertainty taught me something important. Budgeting wasn't just about tracking dollars. It was an avenue to managing my anxiety and fear. I went from being afraid to look at my bank account to knowing exactly what my dollars could and could not afford.
Today, I serve as the Senior Administrator for Events & IT at Emerson College Los Angeles, and I still budget the way I always have. Not because I have to, but because it genuinely makes my life better. It's helped me achieve once in a lifetime experiences like use credit card points and miles to cover a significant chunk of a Canadian cross country train trip, from Toronto to Vancouver. I've also had the opportunity to teach workshops to students about to graduate, and at local community organizations such as With Love Projects.
Transparency about my privilege is important to me: I graduated without college or car loan debt, advantages that gave me a foundation many people don't have. That's a big part of why I care so much about this work. Everyone deserves access to the tools and knowledge that help them feel financially in control, especially in systems designed to confuse us. I see budgeting not as a restrictive tool, but as an opportunity to reclaim your agency in an imperfect system.
When I'm not coaching, you'll find me hiking and camping through California's national parks, forests, and mountains. Whether you're budgeting for the first time or trying to untangle years of complicated feelings about money, I'm here to figure it out with you. No judgment. No shame. Just real, tangible steps.