How to Become Financially Independent in Your 20s, an Adulting101 Student's Story

You can't budget your way to financial independence if you're too scared to ask for a raise or send a DM.

Host Heather Redisch sits down with Ella Katz, content creator and founder of Taller Toddlers, to talk about how to become financially independent in your 20s after leaving a stable job at ABC News.

Ella reflects on the year she spent working with Heather and the money habits she built along the way, including the ritual she built just to check her bank account without panic. She gets honest about financial independence from parents, the guilt that came with early support, and how she is learning to spend on her own terms instead of copying what she grew up watching.

Ella also opens up about quitting her job to freelance before the income caught up. She talks about learning how to negotiate a higher salary even when her hands were shaking, and about practicing networking without fear of rejection well enough to land guests like a Dancing with the Stars pro.

Press play to hear how to become financially independent in your 20s from a former Adulting101 Masterclass student who is still figuring it out.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Meet Ella Katz Of Taller Toddlers

02:11 Leaving ABC News For Something More

08:21 Rethinking The Word Influencer Online

12:49 What Taller Toddlers Is All About

16:43 Biggest Surprises Of Your Twenties

20:56 Building Confidence To Network Without Fear

26:36 Talking Openly About Money And Guilt

33:59 Building A Weekly Money Ritual

37:56 Freelancing, Boundaries, And Avoiding Burnout

43:57 Rapid Fire Questions With Ella

Connect with Ella Katz:

Follow Taller Toddlers on Instagram

Subscribe to Taller Toddlers on YouTube

Follow Taller Toddlers on Tiktok

Connect with Heather Redisch:

Follow Adulting101 on Instagram

Podcast production and podcast strategy provided by HiveCast.fm