Nikki L. Garry

SARAH JANE PHOTOGRAPHY

Age: 39 Occupation: Financial coach and educator, founder and owner of Your Money Matters, LLC. Family: Parents, Willie A. Garry and Verna L. LaGarde

Career highlights and/or accomplishments:

A few of my notable academic accomplishments have been being a fi rst generation college graduate, obtaining both my bachelor and master degrees in accounting.

Professionally, after working in Corporate America for approximately 15 years I took a leap of faith into full-time entrepreneurship as of 1/11/2019. This is by far my greatest professional accomplishment to date! Community involvement: I am an advocate of giving back to the community and fi nd great fulfi llment in serving others. Throughout the community I serve as vice-chairman of the city of Decatur’s Human Relations Commission and trustee for the Decatur Public Schools Foundation. Additionally, I am an active volunteer at local non-profi t organizations, such as Reasonable Service, Kingdom Come Ministries, and my alma mater, Millikin University. their attention, such as our highly anticipated Splash Cover Water Park.

What should the community do to attract

more young people to the area? As with any city, Decatur will only be as great as we, the citizens, make it. Young people are full of life and vibrant so they must have something healthy and constructive to catch Who inspires you to be better? My primary reason for working as hard as I do is to build a legacy for my unborn children. This is of the upmost importance to me and I consistently endeavor to pave the way for them. It’s truly all about the next generation.

What is the best and worst piece of advice

you have ever received? Some of the most impactful life-changing advice I have received came from a career coach that I hired out of Louisiana. She helped me to realize that my passion, alone, for Your Money Matters was enough. It may seem simplistic but she challenged me to not wait for the validation of someone else to pursue my passion and my dreams. Within three months of working with her I submitted my corporate resignation and haven’t looked back since!

If you were a fi ctional character, who

would you be and why? I’m truly a child at heart and Scooby Doo, hands down, is my favorite cartoon! Of the main characters I would be “Daphne Blake.” She is funny, fashion forward, inquisitive, and enjoys shopping! What are your three favorite movies? I love action and comedy movies; however, I don’t have a specifi c favorite. Though I’m very active throughout the community, I am a homebody at heart and love watching television. Right now my new favorite show is “Chrisley Knows Best.” Their family is hilarious!

Diskey

helps keep life positive! The worst advice, “Fake it until you make it.” I have heard this from peers to managers, and it stings more each time I hear it. If you have to fake it, why are you doing it? If faking it is the answer, what is the defi nition of making it? Life is short- fi nd what’s real to you, embrace it and enjoy it! lows the continuation of the great underdog story through many of life’s changes. With one of the best 80’s rock, motivational, and emotional soundtracks in the background, Rocky is back to self-refl ection in advance of the fi ght of his life. Now challenged with themes of age, family, death, and a volatile political climate, he is pushing the limits of his mental and physical toughness. In the end, everyone seems to learn a valuable lesson about life. 2. A not so mainstream favorite, “Eddie and the Cruisers.” Another outstanding soundtrack, an intriguing story, and the idea that sometimes all we need is “words and music”. 3. For my fi nal favorite I would list these three movies my family loves, and promise that anyone of them will make your day better: “A Goofy Movie,” “Cool Runnings” and Surf’s Up! Who inspires you to become better? I am humbled and grateful for the many people in life that have and continue to inspire me. My parents, who each have given me so much. My mother taught me about compassion, empathy, and leading with your heart, while to this day being the absolute example of mental toughness. My father, who gave me the knowledge and wisdom that is the backbone of the person I am today, and inspires me to be a great father. My best friend, Tory Williams, inspires me every day to keep driving goals and to never settle. My sons. For almost a year they have shown me new things every day and given me a renewed sense of purpose. The joy cannot be measured. Most importantly, my inspiration comes from my wife, Danielle. For almost 15 years she has pushed me to be the best me. She has provided unwavering support, been the voice of reason, walked with me down every path, and has become an amazing mother. In the fortunate life I have had, there are too many friends, coaches, mentors to mention them all, but I hope they know.