When Marilee first connected with Crown, she described her life as chaotic and unmanageable. Despite a thriving design business and a sizeable inheritance, she admitted, “In all honesty, I ruined my life.” Failed investments, broken relationships, and a restless search for fulfillment left her exhausted and empty.

Everything began to change when she started working with a Crown Budget Coach in June 2024. Though she had long practiced daily Bible reading and prayer, she realized her faith hadn’t fully reached into how she handled money. “The scriptures started working, and my thinking began to change,” she recalls.

Her coach, Brian Young, walked patiently with her through the realities of budgeting and financial stewardship. The process wasn’t easy—at one point she quit in discouragement, sold her home, and gave away nearly everything she owned. But even through upheaval, God was guiding her steps. She eventually resettled in Reno, purchased a small home with cash, and returned to the coaching process with renewed hope.

Work for her interior design business began to flow again, but this time she saw it differently. No longer was she striving to make her name great. Instead, she recognized that God could use her in small but meaningful ways. “I cried buckets in disbelief,” Marilee says. “All along, there was the answer to God’s will.”

As she embraced her spending plan, she began to experience freedom. “I feel taken care of by God when I deposit my monthly ‘salary’ and take care to make it all work. I’m grateful that God is providing, and I can afford to live a healthy life in a blessed, paid-off house.”

Looking back, Marilee describes the experience as a turning point: “It is like a faucet has opened up in my life of new resources, business, and LIFE—true living in the Kingdom. I am humbled and so grateful!”

She credits her transformation to God’s faithfulness and the steady support of her Crown Budget Coach: “I am forever grateful for Brian, Crown, and that one sunny day when this lost sheep got tracked down! Thank you to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I want to build for You!”