20/20 Money Episode # 86 – How Two ODs ARE CRUSHING over $600K in Student Loan Debt: An Interview with Drs. Zac & Joelle Holland

Hello, and welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! My guests on today’s show are Drs. Zac and Joelle Holland. Joelle and Zac have been listeners of the show for some time and Joelle reached out to me to ask if I’d be interested in interviewing them about how they have both been laser focused on paying off their student loans. For me, it was an easy decision as creating a student loan repayment strategy is one of the most common challenges and discussion points for newer grads.

There’s so much amazing information and empowerment that’s shared in this episode. We start off on a bit of a tangent as Joelle and Zac talk about the decision they made when they had their first child to hire an au pair in their home and why that’s worked out so well for them compared to the traditional route of daycare that most families go with. They talk about how they found their au pair and their experience in using AuPairCare for placement, the process they went through, and specific examples of why it’s worked well for their dual-demanding professional schedules.

We then dive into the details on their plan and how they’ve built a plan to pay off the collective total of $673,000 in student loan debt they started out with after graduating optometry school. We talk about how they plan their income, why using a budget has actually given them more control and a greater sense of calm, how they changed their mindset to get comfortable with paying such a high amount month after month, the habit hacks they’re using to stay motivated and focused, and how their retirement savings strategy plays into their debt repayment goals. We wrap up the conversation with a couple of very real answers to the question that I ask every guest. If you’re an OD that has debt (regardless of whether it’s student loan debt or other practice debt) and you’re wondering how or if you can get crazy focused on paying it off, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. I’m so very grateful to both Zac and Joelle for being so open, honest, and transparent with their story and circumstances.

As a reminder, you can get all the information discussed in today’s conversation by visiting our website at integratedpwm.com and clicking on the Learning Center. While there, you can also set up a 20-30min Discovery conversation to learn a little bit more about what it means to work with our firm, how we serve ODs around the country, or check out any number of additional free resources like our eBooks and on-demand webinars.

And with that introduction, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Drs Zac & Joelle Holland.