Meet Crystal L. Gunn

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Crystal L. Gunn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Crystal L. below.

Crystal L. , first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
For almost two decades I have been empowering women and my community economically through financial literacy, homebuying education, personal financial coaching and business advising. The impact I’ve had was recognized in 2023, in a major way, as I was a United States Presidential Lifetime Achievement award recipient for the work I do in financial literacy.

Today, I speak proudly about my talents, the impact I’ve had and continue to have and the lives I’ve helped to shift by using my gifts. I walk firmly in that, knowing there is more work to be done and more lives to impact.

I move differently now but that wasn’t the case six years ago. To get a clear understanding of my story, I must go back a little over 22 years ago. I was VP of a Credit Union, the youngest and only Black VP in all the Oakland County Chapter of Credit Unions, in Michigan. I left the Credit Union to start a mortgage brokerage office with my husband. We had a daughter in 2001 and divorced in 2005.

For the next 4 – 5 years, I owned a few businesses; closed one, failed at another, went through a state of depression and entered into a financial storm, of which I had to figure my way out through prayer, trial and error and a lot of research.

I got knocked down hard and I thought that was the story that defined me. A mentor told me differently. It was my next steps that would define me.

It was great advice, ultimately changing my life, but in that moment, I had no idea what my next steps were to be, so faith is what led those steps. I made it out of the storm, not knowing the storm was necessary. It was part of my journey. It was a necessary stepping-stone for the roles I were destined to have – Financial Strategist, Speaker, Author, Coach, CEO, Activist, Amazing Woman!

I say these things proudly and boldly today, but in 2017, it wasn’t as easy. I was doing the work. I was having the impact. Lives were shifting but something wouldn’t allow me to amplify my voice. There was something holding me back.

May 31, 2017, my father died, and my heart shattered. About a month later, I was exercising at home and having a conversation with God. Another conversation about my next steps and during that conversation, I heard my father’s voice, as if he were in the room. “I’m no longer there physically for you to come sit with me, you no longer need to come help your mom take care of me. You have everything you need. You have no more excuses, so what are you going to do now?”

It was in that moment I realized the problem. I lacked the faith in myself to do the things I was called to do. Some level of imposter syndrome was holding me back. I knew I couldn’t cure it over night, and I also knew that I couldn’t let it hold me back.

I no longer relied on the faith I had in myself. I turned to the faith I had in God and that faith is unshakeable. I realized that if God chose me for these assignments in my life, surely, He had the faith in me to accomplish them, so I borrowed God’s faith in me.

God’s faith in me turned into my faith in me and if ever the imposter syndrome shows up, I remind myself of God’s faith in me and continue to walk boldly in my purpose.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
When I was going through my storm, God gave me some assignments. I like to call them previews of what I was to accomplish. The very first was The Amazing Woman Network which was to empower and unite black women globally under the pillars of reclaiming personal power of the mind, body and spirit, reclaiming financial power and increasing social involvement. These pillars guide my life and every business I have and program I create.

Through my personal financial coaching, I help individuals redefine their financial relationship by creating a personal financial system of success and I help small business owners create a solid foundation to grow. It’s never just about the budget, credit or the business plan, I’m able to walk someone through a process that reveals why they operate the way they do with money, helps to heal those actions and thoughts allowing for improvement in their finances and every other area of their lives.

My podcast, Amazing Women Speak, brings conversations to uplift and motivate women to own, honor and execute their amazing.

AWN Cares is designed to uplift the women and communities we serve through our programming. The Red Dot Project provides Red Dot Bags, filled with sanitary pads and a handwritten note of encouragement, to organizations who service those in need. Curated Conversations is a mental wellness experience which touches on the senses and relaxes the mind, allowing for healing conversations.

United Community Solutions programming strives to improve the economic conditions in the communities we serve through financial literacy, small business building, collective economics and development.

As VP of the Detroit Black Chamber of Commerce, I passionately advocate for Black businesses, propelling them towards success.

My newest program is the SMaRT Initiative (Single Mothers are Rising & Thriving), which is committed to fostering financial independence, personal growth, and a supportive network, ensuring participants embark on a path toward long-term prosperity and well-being. It’s a wholistic approach which will positively impact the mother, her children, her future mate, her entire family, the communities she serves and the generations that follow.

I also recently launched my newest ebook, The Financial Mirror, a Reflection of Your Money Beliefs and Behaviors. It’s an introspective exploration designed to reveal, challenge, and ultimately reshape your understanding of money, credit, investing and personal financial.

From the boards on which I proudly sit, as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and the collaborations I have with other organizations for greater impact, I can live my life pillars, boldly and unapologetically.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
About 12 years ago, I took an assessment that showed me the 5 things at which I was naturally talented: connectedness, belief, achiever, intellection, and positivity. When I first saw these, I was underwhelmed and dismissed them. Years later, when I happened upon that assessment report and reread my top 5 traits, I realized it was those very traits that make me so good at what I do.

Education, mentors, and life experiences will play major parts in your life, but the biggest impacts are self-discovery and self-work. As you discover the thoughts, habits and actions that no longer serve you and release them, your personal elevation soars. That personal elevation opens you up to successes you’ve never imagined. My strongest qualities will be different than someone else’s. Figure out who you are, what shaped you, heal where you need to heal, and your world opens. It’s a journey, and the journey is where the magic happens.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Collaboration is key for we are better together and have greater impact. I welcome conversations with others to see where there is a fit. Visit www.crystalgunn.com and look at my businesses, programs, and initiatives. If you find where we are a match or something speaks to you, email me at crystal@crystalgunn.com and let’s set up a call. Together, our impact is endless.

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