Jacqueline Crider shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Jacqueline, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you chasing, and what would happen if you stopped?
I’m chasing alignment—the kind that makes you exhale when you walk into your home and think, “Yes. This is mine. And I chose it.”
I’m chasing a world where financial decisions, especially the big ones like buying a home, feel like a fully aligned, completely empowered choice—not a pressured transaction with people pushing you into boxes that don’t fit. That’s why PBJ Mortgage exists. Because homeownership shouldn’t feel like a guessing game or a sales pitch. It should feel like a clear, confident yes to yourself.
I’m building Financial Mastery Simplified and PBJ Mortgage for every person who has ever felt small in the face of financial jargon, shamed by a spreadsheet, or forced into making money moves that didn’t align with their life. I’m chasing a world where people rewrite their money stories and finally feel at home—in their finances and in their actual homes.
And if I stopped?
If I stopped, people would keep believing that feeling overwhelmed, confused, or dismissed during a mortgage process is just “part of it.” That shame is normal. That financial decisions have to feel hard, or worse—out of their control.
If I stopped, someone else would buy a house that doesn’t fit. Not because they wanted it, but because someone else told them it was what they should afford, or that they “should” move fast. And that ripple effect? It’s too costly.
So, what am I chasing?
Clarity. Truth. Confidence. For the mom who wants to build generational wealth, for the couple navigating their first home purchase, for the woman rebuilding after divorce who’s finally ready to do things her way.
I’m chasing freedom. And I’m not stopping. Not now. Not ever.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi—I’m Jax Crider, founder of Financial Mastery Simplified and PBJ Mortgage.
PBJ started about three years before my life changed. At the time, I thought I was just building a better mortgage company—one that prioritized education and empowerment. But looking back, my whole being was already craving alignment. I just didn’t know how badly until the rug got pulled out from under me.
At 40, I hit one of the most difficult financial chapters of my life. And it shook everything. I had all the credentials, followed all the rules, and still found myself asking: Why isn’t this working?
That moment cracked me open. It forced me to redefine what real financial mastery actually looks like. Not rigid rules or perfect plans—but clarity, deep alignment, and trusting yourself when everything feels uncertain.
That’s what inspired Financial Mastery Simplified. It’s more than financial education—it’s a place where people come to rewrite their money story, reconnect with their instincts, and build systems that fit. And PBJ? It’s still here, helping people make empowered homeownership decisions without pressure or confusion—because buying a home should feel like you.
This work isn’t about doing money “right.” It’s about doing it in a way that feels true.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was an inquisitive loner. The kind of kid whose head was always in a book and mind in the clouds. A daydreamer of the greatest kind. I loved animals more than just about anything, and I was endlessly curious about people—their quirks, their contradictions, their quiet pain. Someone who asked why without ceasing.
I was always drawn to the ones who felt left out. The misfits. The not-quite-belongers. Because I knew what that felt like.
I’ve always known I was different. For a while, I didn’t realize that “different” meant “weird” until the world told me so. And when it did, I tried. I tried so hard to be who they said I should be. To fit their mold. To color inside their lines. I really, really did.
But that ache to belong never left. It just went quiet. I buried it under ambition, performance, and checking all the boxes.
And still—I always knew I wanted to help people. At one point, I thought that meant becoming a pediatrician. I didn’t know then that my version of healing would look different—that it would be about helping people heal their relationship with money, self-trust, and the stories they’ve been told about what success should look like.
In a lot of ways, I’m still that dreamer. Still a bit of that loner. But now, I’m building something for all of us who never quite fit—so we can finally stop trying to, and start building lives that fit us.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering stripped away everything I thought I knew about myself.
I had built my life with precision. Followed the rules. Kept things tight, responsible, and safe. I worked hard—so hard—to stay ahead of the struggle, to avoid the chaos I had seen others fall into. I thought if I planned well enough, worked long enough, followed every step perfectly… I could outsmart the pain.
But pain caught me anyway.
When the financial ground beneath me gave out, it didn’t just shake my bank account—it cracked open every illusion I had about control, worthiness, and what it means to be “good” with money.
That season of unraveling—when I had to be brutally honest about my situation, when I had to ask for help even though I hated it, when I had to let people see behind the curtain—that season taught me more than any amount of success ever did.
It taught me empathy at a depth I hadn’t reached before. I finally felt what so many of the people I serve go through. The shame. The fear. The quiet desperation to fix it alone.
It taught me to pay attention to the ones who show up when they don’t have to. To value real support. To drop the mask.
It taught me that alignment isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. That ignoring your truth eventually comes at a cost, and sometimes that cost shows up as a crisis you didn’t see coming.
Success had given me structure. But suffering gave me soul.
Now, I don’t just teach people how to manage money—I teach them how to meet themselves in the mess. How to find power in their truth. How to rise, not just financially, but fully.
Because I’ve been there. And I wouldn’t trade the depth I gained for any version of success that kept me shallow.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
They’re chasing success without ever learning to trust themselves.
Imposter syndrome is real—and social media has turned up the volume on it. Everywhere you look, it seems like everyone else has it figured out. Their finances. Their brand. Their dream home. Their “purpose.” And so the smart ones—the overachievers, the planners, the ones who should know better—follow the formula. They do what the gurus say. They play the game.
And on paper, it works.
They get the job, the title, the house. Sometimes the second house. They hit the milestones our culture promises will make them feel whole.
But it doesn’t land.
Because deep down, they never tapped into their power. They never stopped to ask, What do I actually want? They never gave themselves permission to be wildly, unapologetically aligned with their truth.
They thought success would give them that. It doesn’t.
Self-trust does.
The truth is: none of it matters—the dream job, the picture-perfect house, the growing bank account—if it’s not built on a foundation of inner alignment. If it’s not tied to your actual desires, values, and purpose, it will always feel like a borrowed life. And even the smartest among us get caught there.
Because they’re waiting for someone else to validate them. To say they’re worthy. To tell them, “Yes, that dream you have is enough.”
But here’s the truth they missed: you were always allowed to do it your way.
Smart people get it wrong when they look outward for a path that was always meant to be designed from within.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What light inside you have you been dimming?
My potential.
I was raised to believe perfection was the gold standard. That excellence wasn’t just about doing well—it was about knowing everything. About your career. Your industry. Every connected dot. So, I did what I do best: I put my head down and became a master of my craft. I studied. I stacked certifications. I became the expert behind the curtain.
But with all of that knowledge—all of that preparation—I still doubted myself.
I didn’t believe I was worthy of a voice in my space. I didn’t think I had enough to offer to serve on the level I dreamed of. To really help people. To make the impact I knew I was meant to make.
So I dimmed it. I made myself small in rooms I could have led. I delayed launching things. I over-prepared instead of showing up. I self-sabotaged—quietly, strategically. All in the name of “readiness.”
But readiness was never the issue. It was permission.
Then some people walked into my life and held up a mirror. They looked me dead in the eye and said: Stop waiting to share your light. Stop acting like you don’t already have everything you need.
That moment woke something up in me.
Because everything I teach now—about alignment, about self-trust, about rewriting your money story—I teach it because I lived the opposite. I ignored my instincts. I tried to follow the rules. I waited for someone else to validate my voice.
And I will never do that again.
I dimmed my light because I thought I had to earn my power. Now I know better. Now, I help others remember they were powerful all along.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://urals.co/jax-crider
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jax_crider
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pbj-mortgage-jacqueline-crider/
- Twitter: https://x.com/pbjmortgage
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jax.crider
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pbjteam
- Other: Free financial awareness tool! https://tinyurl.com/pbjteamfreetool
Image Credits
Bold Social
