July 22, 2025

Make Money to Retire Early | Walli Miller

Make Money to Retire Early | Walli Miller
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Walli Miller is a first-generation millionaire, financial coach, and early retiree who left her 9-to-5 before age 40. After a career in public service, Walli reached financial independence and now helps high-achieving, primarily first-generation women build wealth, create financial freedom, and design a life they love. Through her private coaching business, Walli empowers others to rewrite their money stories and achieve what once felt impossible.

On this episode we talk about:

  • Walli’s first job in New York City through the Summer Youth Program and what it taught her about work and money

  • Her transition from public service to financial independence, reaching millionaire status, and retiring early—all on a government salary

  • The generational impact of money mindsets, and why credit, wealth, and financial habits are “hereditary”

  • The “aha!” moment that changed Walli’s relationship with money and launched her journey to wealth

  • How she used tax-advantaged accounts, intentional saving, and mindset shifts to build seven figures in her stock portfolio

  • The importance of automating savings, increasing investments gradually, and eliminating mindless spending

  • The difference between math and mindset: why 80% of financial success is mental and emotional

  • Her path from unpaid coaching to a thriving coaching business—helping others, especially women and people of color, break cycles and become work-optional

  • The FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, and what it looks like to be “work optional”

Top 3 Takeaways

  • Financial independence is possible without a massive salary—strategic saving, investing, and automation can build real wealth.

  • Money stories and mindsets inherited from childhood play a huge role in our financial behaviors; changing the narrative is key to breaking cycles.

  • Achieving “work optional” status isn’t about deprivation—it’s about intentionality, paying your future self first, and living aligned with your values.

Notable Quotes

  • “I thought wealth was for somebody in a velvet robe, not for federal employees earning $100,000.”

  • “I realized after years of coaching that about 15% is numbers and 85% is mindset and relationships.”

  • “Paying your future self first—before you spend on anything else—is the most powerful habit for building freedom.”

Connect with Walli Miller:

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