Insights Straight to Your Inbox

Tips, freebies, event invites, and more to make your Childfree life even more amazing

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AboutPodcast

Insights Straight to Your Inbox

Tips, freebies, event invites, and more to make your Childfree life even more amazing

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Melissa Holcombe headshot

Melissa Holcombe

DSW, LCSW

Senior Advisor, Childfree Trust

Melissa Holcombe brings years of insight and an extensive background in guardianship and probate to Childfree Insights.

Her experience includes conducting competency assessments for adult guardianship petitions for Probate courts and serving guardianship clients through Adult Protective Services. This practical, in-the-field experience provides her with a distinctive ability to navigate complex legal and emotional dynamics for individuals.

For three decades, Melissa has distinguished herself through dedicated advocacy and exemplary work in social services. Following a decade of leadership as a child welfare case manager and supervisor, she spent 20 years in the public school system. During her tenure, she served as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison and Foster Care Point of Contact, specializing in support for vulnerable student populations.

Additionally, Melissa is one of the nation's first Certified Veterinary Social Workers (VSW), having earned her certification while completing her doctorate at the University of Tennessee in 2014. She provides compassionate counseling to those grieving the loss of a companion animal and seminars on compassion fatigue within the animal services community. She also shares her knowledge as an adjunct professor of undergraduate level social work.

In her free time, Melissa enjoys camping, hiking, and kayaking with her dog, Darcy.

Episode 190: What No One Tells You About Rental Properties

Rental properties look a lot more passive on social media than they do in real life. Justin Brown-Woods, Accredited Financial Counselor® and co-founder of Price of Avocado Toast, joins Bri Conn CFP® to share exactly what three years of long-distance real estate investing actually cost him,v and what he would do differently.

Episode 189: You Hit Your Financial Goals. Now What?

You hit the number. You did everything right. And now you have no idea what comes next. Dr. Jay Zigmont CFP® and Dr. Bill Yount, founder of the Catching Up to FI podcast, talk honestly about what legacy, purpose, and the second half of life looks like when you are Childfree.

Episode 188: Preparing for Major Life Events

Nobody thinks about the financial checklist until they are already in the middle of the move, the job switch, or the divorce. Dr. Jay Zigmont CFP® and Bri Conn CFP® walk through everything that should happen before the big life change, from timing a resignation to updating beneficiaries after a split.

Episode 187: Life Can Change on a Dime

Life has a way of arriving before the plan does. A parent’s medical crisis. An inheritance nobody knew existed. A tree through a bedroom roof. Stock options that turned out to be worth millions.

Dr. Jay, Bri, and Maddy share four real client stories about what happens when life tests the plan, and what made the difference each time.

Episode 186: Planning the Life You Actually Have

In this episode, Bri Conn CFP® sits down with Hillary, a client who is Childfree not by choice, for a real-life Childfree Wealth® checkup. Hillary has already done much of the emotional heavy lifting, moving through grief, redefining what her future looks like, and arriving at a place of clarity and intention. Now she is ready to match that clarity with a financial plan that actually fits her life.

Episode 185: Finding Your True Calling When Society Has Other Plans

In this episode, Bri Conn CFP® sits down with Sister Monica Clare, Episcopal nun and author of A Change of Habit, for a conversation about what it actually takes to stop living for other people’s expectations and start designing a life around who you actually are.