A coach for the human side of money.
Hi, my name is Chris and I am the founder of Dollars & Distortions. I built this practice on a simple belief: most financial challenges aren't really about a math problem that needs to be solved. They're about overcoming the stories, fears, and habits we've observed and adopted into our personal identities.
- · One-on-one financial coaching
- · Behavior-first methodology
- · Virtual sessions, worldwide
- · Est. 2026
Change is hard. Knowledge alone rarely gets you there.
Most of us already know what we "should" do with our money — spend less, save more, invest consistently. And yet, the gap between knowing and doing can feel impossibly wide. That's not a failure of intelligence. It's how human behavior actually works.
Before launching Dollars & Distortions, I spent years having conversations with friends and colleagues about money. These are individuals who had achieved personal and professional success, yet when we got on the topic of money and more importantly, using money as a tool to build a life that they would look forward to, I faced frequent resistance. The block wasn't knowledge, it was a self-limiting belief that getting good with money would be too difficult.
That's the work I love most: gently surfacing those distortions, naming them, and replacing them with frameworks that feel true. We'll talk about cash flow and goals, yes — but we'll also talk about what money means to you, where that meaning came from, and whether it still serves you.
Real change takes more than another article, podcast, or spreadsheet. It takes someone in your corner who can help you notice the patterns, work through the resistance, and build habits that actually stick. That's exactly what coaching is for — and it's the heart of what I do.
My approach is calm, structured, and confidential. There are no products to sell, no commissions, no judgment. Just a steady partner helping you steer your own ship with clearer eyes and a steadier hand.
Formally trained in the frameworks behind the work.
My foundation is a Master of Social Work (MSW) from UCLA. Beyond that core training, I've pursued additional specialized certifications in the evidence-based modalities I draw on most in coaching — because the human side of money deserves more than improvisation.
Master of Social Work from the University of California, Los Angeles — the clinical foundation underneath everything that follows.
Completed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy training through the Beck Institute, the gold-standard source for CBT education.
Additional Beck Institute certification focused specifically on anxiety — the emotion most often tangled up with money decisions.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy training led by Russ Harris — values-driven work that pairs naturally with building a life money is meant to serve.
At UCLA, I was one of roughly ten students selected as a Title IV-E recipient — a competitive federal scholarship for graduate social workers committing to public child welfare — and the only out-of-state recipient in my cohort.
I satisfied that payback with two years in Child Protective Services, widely regarded as one of the most demanding roles in the field. That experience taught me how to stay calm, present, and useful inside other people's hardest moments — a steadiness I bring into every coaching conversation today.
I was the first social worker to provide embedded mental health care at Travis Air Force Base under the True North pilot program — bringing care directly to airmen inside their units rather than waiting for them to seek it out.
Knowledge in practice.
A decade of direct client work has taught me how behavior actually changes — and why it usually doesn't.
I've navigated the financial and emotional reality of stepping away from work, more than once.
Working in a mental health role I love while my investments quietly do the heavy lifting in the background.
Financial independence isn't a fantasy in my life — it's a deliberate, ongoing practice I bring into every session.
Points, miles, and the art of traveling well for less.
I bring the same behavior-first mindset to travel hacking that I bring to money coaching. Maximizing points and miles isn't about chasing deals — it's about building systems that let you see the world without derailing your financial plan.
- 1. American Express Platinum
- 2. American Express Gold
- 3. Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 4. Chase Ink Preferred
- 5. Chase Freedom Unlimited
- 6. Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi
- 7. World of Hyatt Credit Card
- 8. Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card
- 9. United Explorer Card
- 10. Discover it