From broke at 24 to $500,000 at 30

Hi Sheconomist Insider 👋 It’s Thamina, Founder of The Sheconomist. This is your bi-weekly dose of celebrating the female economy where I help ambitious, purpose-driven women like yourself flip the script on money, career & wellbeing conventions so you can live life on your own terms.

TLDR:

• 💫 10 online mentors to learn from in 2026

• 🏋️‍♀️ How to make adopting new habits sustainable

• 💰 From broke at 24 to $500k at 30

• 💜 Meet Kylee McGrane-Zarnoch, Founder of A Moment of Magic

Friendly Ask: Do you love this newsletter? Do you want more in-depth resources such as courses, events, and a membership? Then please share The Sheconomist with your friends because I can only offer more transformation for YOU when the scale is there. Plus, you would make a dream come true. Thank you. 💜 

🧪 Freedom Formulas

10 amazing women to follow to be inspired in 2026 and beyond:

In a previous edition, I shared how I believe that the future of social media will be less about doomscrolling and more about spending our time more intentionally by following authentic individuals whose content actually adds value to our personal and professional lives.

(As you’re reading this, I’m actually already on my annual, strict 2-week digital detox - no social at all!!)

I genuinely believe in the power of “digital mentors” because I’ve experienced it first-hand and have been able to turn some of my digital mentors from afar into real-life mentors and friends.

That’s why I wanted to curate a list of 10 incredible women whose content and work inspired me in 2025 - hoping that some (or all) can inspire you as well going into the new year:

• Grace Beverly - there are few people that embody being a very successful multi-passionate entrepreneur; from fitness and retail fashion to productivity tools and the creator economy, Grace has built a $70 million empire
  

• My friend Caitlyn Kumi knows how to bring ambitious young women together for engaging in-person events; if you’re based in the US (especially NYC), you should totally join the waitlist of her Miss EmpowHer membership community
  

• Victoria Effer - my mentee, friend and collaborator who is full-time Business Creator and shares a lot of motivating content on LinkedIn; I admire how committed she’s been to growing her LinkedIn audience this year (from ~20k to ~60k) and for taking the leap to quit her Big Tech job
  

• Yaneisha Pérez Padilla - my ex-work wife and former General Manager at Ironhack Puerto Rico who is one of the strongest and most courageous women I know; she’s lived in 5 different countries across 3 continents and is now doing fractional community growth & personal branding work in case you’re looking for support in those areas
  

• Mallory Contois - she’s currently one of my favorite LinkedIn creators who shares incredibly thoughtful and smart posts around career and community growth - VP of Growth at Maven, her impressive resume includes previous experiences at Pinterest, Compass, Cameo and Mercury
  

• Adriana Carvajal - my dear friend Adri quit her job at Google a few years ago to become a full-time creator and entrepreneur (1.6M+ followers) who shares very high-quality content at the intersection of AI, Big Tech & Career - her content is currently only available in Spanish but that might change in the future 👀
  

• Alicia Teltz - my former co-worker who is one of the most unapologetically unhingend voices on LinkedIn whose content is honestly hilarious, incredibly genuine and helpful if you want to learn how to build a following on LinkedIn
  

• Stephanie Cartin - there are few women that are bigger cheerleaders for other women in business than my friend, mentor, and role model Steph who co-founded Entreprenista, a community for female founders; she’s so giving and caring and I especially love her transparency around her fertility journey
  

• Danielle Canty - I somehow managed to gain Danielle, co-founder of Bossbabe, as a mentor in 2024 and attended her Two Percent Mastermind retreat that same year which was truly life changing; she teaches women entrepreneurs how to scale their companies to 7 figures and beyond without burning out in the process
  

• Courtney Johnson - my friend is the queen of personal branding & ungatekeeping; she makes building a personal brand very accessible and shares all her tips and tricks in a very transparent, tangible and easily digestible way

Follow them, buy from them, hire them to support the female economy.

If you end up enjoying the work of these powerhouse women, I’d love to know about it. Just drop me a DM.

❣️ Thamina’s Top Picks

🎙️ If you’re thinking about New Year’s resolutions and adopting healthier habits in 2026, listen to this conversation

✍️ I linked this a few weeks ago but I cannot stress how much this daily planner has helped me calm my anxiety and overwhelm on busy days (it was sold out for a bit) and everyone loves to start the new year with a new planner

🎁 My “in laws” gifted me this timeless piece and I love it - becoming a new staple in my closet

📈 The audit every CEO and (part-time) solopreneur should do in December

✨ This week’s Moodboard

Post credits go to Sol ☀️, Nikki Eliya, JZD, Alba Belli

💸 Cooking up Wealth

Let me ask you something:

What if the secret to building wealth wasn’t about working harder…

…but about using what you already have, in smarter, more strategic ways?

I used to think wealth was for “other people.”

People with trust funds.

People with finance degrees.

People who didn’t grow up watching their mom stretch every dollar (or Euro, in my case).

At 24, I was broke.

I was earning under $30,000 a year in my first job out of college and silently panicking every time rent was due.

My cheap $2,000 car broke down a few times within that one year I owned it, and I had to borrow money from my dad twice because I didn’t have enough to cover repairs.

And yes, one time I did (quite literally) roll down a hill into my car shop after my break gave out and it was scary AF.

Fast forward a few years?

I’ve built a $500K+ investment portfolio, live in my dream luxury apartment building in New York, and treat my loved ones to incredible experiences, all thanks to strategically leveraging the corporate benefits my job in Tech Sales was offering.

And in my new free guide, “From Broke at 24 to $500K at 30”, I show you exactly how I did it.

It’s the honest, transparent roadmap I wish I had when I first entered the workforce.

You’ll learn:

• How I used my salary, 401(k), ESPP, and RSUs to eventually invest over 40% of my income - on autopilot

• What most people miss when it comes to equity compensation

• The small decisions that added up to multiple six figures of growth (without budgeting every matcha)

• The mindset shifts that changed everything, especially as a woman in tech

If you’ve ever felt like you’re earning “good money” but still not getting ahead… OR if you’re planning on pivoting to a job that offers equity compensation, this guide is your starting point.

Because you deserve clarity.

You deserve confidence.

And you deserve to feel like your paycheck is working for you, not the other way around.

If being more strategic with your personal finances is a goal for you in 2026, take advantage of these quieter days in late December/early January to invest 10-15 minutes to read through this guide.

Knowledge is power.

🌊 Women Making Waves

Kylee McGrane-Zarnoch has built a non-profit to support the mental health and emotional healing of 150,000 medically vulnerable children across the country.

In one sentence: What's your purpose in life?

“My purpose in life is to show people the power of one moment—one act of kindness, one spark of courage, one bit of magic—to make an impact on the world around them.”

It's not bragging if it's based on facts. What's an accomplishment you are proud of?

“Building A Moment of Magic from a dorm-room dream into a national nonprofit that harnesses the power of play to spark joy, foster connection, reduce isolation, and support the mental health and emotional healing of over 150,000 medically vulnerable children across the country.”

What financial goal or milestone are you currently working towards?

“We’re working toward a financial and strategic ecosystem that positions A Moment of Magic to lead the national movement for pediatric psychosocial care—sustainably expanding our reach, strengthening our programs, and reimagining a healthcare space where every child has access to programs and experiences that support their mental health and wellbeing.”

What is the greatest challenge young women are facing today?

“The greatest challenge young women face today is daring to thrive in systems that weren’t always designed for us...and still having the passion, courage, and vision to make them better for those who come next.”

How do you define success?

“I define success as making sure our founding idea is integrated into every part of our work. A Moment of Magic started with one simple belief: that people need connection just as much as they need care. Over the years, that belief has become the lens through which we make every decision: care in what we do, how we do it, and who we do it for. Success, to me, is when that shows up everywhere: in how a child feels seen during a hospital visit, in how a volunteer grows through service, and in how our team supports one another through the challenges of building something bigger than ourselves. If connection remains at the center — if people continue to feel it, live it, and lead from it — that’s success.”

What's your favorite woman-owned/-founded brand?

“Does Taylor Swift as a brand count? I’m endlessly fascinated by how she leads with both creativity and control, owning her work, shaping her narrative, and scaling her impact without losing her authenticity. As a founder, I really am inspired by that balance of heart and strategy: building something meaningful while making sure the vision always stays in your own hands.”

Follow Kylee’s work here:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Website

In abundance,

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