Get ready to dive into the world of financial aid with the amazing Howard Freeman! Today, we’re chatting about how navigating college expenses doesn't have to be as terrifying as a rollercoaster ride, especially when you have a guide like Howard, who's been helping families score affordable college options for over two decades. He’s got the inside scoop on everything from filling out those pesky FAFSA forms to understanding scholarships and grants—basically, he’s the financial aid superhero we never knew we needed!

With a sprinkle of humor and a whole lot of heart, Howard shares his passion for empowering students and families to make informed decisions without breaking the bank. So, whether you’re a parent pulling your hair out over tuition or a student wondering how to make college happen without selling a kidney, you’re in the right place! Buckle up, because this episode is packed with tips and tricks that can turn financial chaos into college dreams!

Guest Bio - Howard Freedman’s professional experiences were the right fit for creating a successful Financial Aid Consulting. For over twenty years, he has continued to make his clients feel confident and booming by helping them pursue the most affordable colleges. One of Howard’s favorite quotes is:

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to success is always to try once more.” Thomas Edison

Howard’s leadership and accomplishments in financial management, customer service, management, software consulting, process improvements, negotiations, and analytical skills saved organizations millions of dollars. It was only natural to reinvent himself into a more satisfying career as a financial aid consultant to give back to society positively.

Several years after creating Financial Aid Consulting, he was recruited to become the ACCESS program manager in the Boston Public School system. It helped him open his universe by providing financial aid services and scholarships to a diverse population of over 2700 high school seniors in over twenty high schools. This earned him a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He later returned to Financial Aid Consulting.

He graduated from the College Board’s Financial Aid Institute and completed ongoing training with college financial aid and admissions department professionals. This helped to better understand how these organizations are taught and operate.

Howard assumed leadership positions in professional organizations while becoming a public speaker and author for general and college-related national publications. A vast collection of his articles is shared on this website. He is also a highly acclaimed author of three editions of his book, Making College Happen, available on Amazon.com.

The American Payroll Association recognized him as Man of the Year, and the Massachusetts State Senate honored him with a citation. He later received the Whatever Takes Award from his former employer, InPower, a software developer, for outstanding customer service.

Howard received his BS in Business Management from Northeastern University and an MBA from Suffolk University in Boston.

A gift from our guest: 5 Mistakes Parents Make When Saving for College and How to Fix Them

https://www.financialaidconsulting.com/download

Howard's Website

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Get ready to dive into a world where storytelling meets parenting magic! We’re chatting with the dynamic duo, Amanda and Aaron Johnson, who are all about transforming life's narrative into something spectacular. Amanda's got 25 years of experience turning personal backstories into epic tales through her projects like the Story Oracle, while Aaron brings his entrepreneurial flair to the mix, ensuring every story is as unique as the person telling it.

We’ll explore how using stories can help parents communicate better with their kids, fostering emotional literacy and connection. So, grab your favorite snack, kick back, and let’s unravel the enchanting power of storytelling together!

Entrepreneurial at heart, Aaron Johnson has been both deeply involved with start-ups and mesmerized by Story and the hero’s journey since he was a child. When he began paving his own non-traditional education and career paths and rediscovered some of his own potential through Improv, Debate, and Mock Trial competitions, he quickly realized that every system and solution needs to be unique because every person’s vision, mission, and path is different. Today, he is the Co-founder (and Business Wizard) of Saved By Story Publishing and the Conference Director of the Partners in Treatment Conference on Mental Health.

Amanda Johnson alchemizes twenty-five years of transformative experiences through story literacy, writing, and narrative medicine to fulfill her mission through The Story Oracle and Saved By Story: to equip individuals to use humanity’s most innate tools to transmute the pain of their backstory into a more magically-ever-after for themselves, their loved ones, and those they serve.

Aaron's Facebook page

Amanda's Facebook page

@savedbystory on Instagram

@thestoryoracle114 on Instagram

Aaron's Website

Amanda's Website

Aaron on YouTube

A gift from our guests:

www.SavedByStory.house/foreshadows

This link has a full menu of free content to help fellow storytellers and story lovers utilize story to save their own story and save the world with it too.

Sponsored by Vibrant Family Education - creating Happy, Healthy and Successful kids

VibrantFamilyEducation@gmail.com or Kristina Heagh-Avritt on Facebook

Support Bringing Education Home

Copyright 2025 Kristina & Herb Heagh-Avritt

Today, we're diving into the fascinating world of personalized education with our special guest, Helen Panos, a rockstar educator with over 25 years under her belt! We kick things off by tackling the elephant in the room: the crazy emphasis on standardized testing and how it often leaves kids stranded in the educational Bermuda Triangle.

Helen shares her journey from the public school system to founding Dynamics Learning, where she’s shaking things up with tailored tutoring, SAT prep, and even college application assistance! We chat about the importance of catching learning gaps before they snowball into a mountain of stress, and how parents can be proactive in their kids’ education. So grab your favorite snack and settle in, because we’re all about making learning fun and impactful, one giggle at a time!

Sponsored by Vibrant Family Education - creating Happy, Healthy and Successful kids

VibrantFamilyEducation@gmail.com or Kristina Heagh-Avritt on Facebook

Support Bringing Education Home

Copyright 2025 Kristina & Herb Heagh-Avritt