Maina Mwaura, Urban Faith Contributing Writer

From Survival to Thriving: Anthony O’Neal on Financial Vision, Breaking Debt, and Building Wealth

by Maina Mwaura, Urban Faith Contributing Writer | Aug 27, 2026 | Commentary, Faith & Work, Headline News | 0 comments

In a society where over half of Americans struggle to cover an unexpected emergency, living paycheck to paycheck has become normalized. But according to financial expert, bestselling author, and speaker Anthony O’Neal, breaking free from financial struggle isn’t about getting rich quick—it’s about establishing a clear vision, unlearning bad money habits, and following a practical system. In this exclusive conversation with UrbanFaith, O’Neal breaks down the core principles behind his book, Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck, sharing actionable advice on escaping consumer debt, creating multiple streams of income, and positioning yourself for generational wealth.

Below are selected excerpts from the interview, the full interview is above.

Maina: I got to ask you, man, when I read through the book… It was one of those things to where I was like, “Where was this book at when I was 18?” because it’s such basic principles. But at the same time, you researched this. What was the work like in bringing this all together?

Anthony O’Neal: This is research that I just have accumulated over my 42 years of living, and then also within the last 15 years of me being in the financial literacy space. I really don’t believe that there was a lot of books that speak specifically to minority issues and to middle-class issues, but still impactful to anyone who wants to read it.

I think that we don’t have really financial illiterate people. We have people—watch this—they’ve learned finances, but they’ve learned it the wrong way. Meaning that we watched Mom and Dad pay the bills. We watched Mom and Dad go to work. We may have even watched Mom and Dad pay tithes to the church. But then we also watched them live paycheck to paycheck. So, what happens is we just duplicated what we learned and what we saw. The reason why people are living paycheck to paycheck is because that’s just become the norm. The American dream keeps us in survival mode; it doesn’t keep us in thriving mode.

And just because you are out of paycheck to paycheck and let’s say you’re debt-free, consumer debt-free, that’s just the foundation. Now, how do we build wealth on your income? If you’re a school teacher making $50,000 in North Carolina, how can you still build a seven-figure portfolio and you’ve never made six figures in your life? There is a strategy and a system for that. Which is why we have the book, Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck.

Maina: You say “write your financial vision,” man. So, where do you start with that, Anthony? What do you do first?

Anthony O’Neal: Get away from the noise. Get away from your friends and family members who can speak into your vision. Every July, I’m taking a cruise, and I honestly spend about 2-3 hours on that cruise, and I just look at my vision, and I update my vision for my life and for my money. And then when I come back, I’ll speak to like my mentors and accountability partners and explain to them what I want to do over the next 12 months.

You can’t really build wealth if you don’t have a clear vision of where you want to go. You got to identify: Where do you want to be at within the next 12 months? Where do you want to be at within the next 10 years? And where do you want to be at when it’s time for you to retire?

Number two, in order for this vision to happen, you got to have a “why.” One of my good friends, Pastor Darius Daniels, said something that was powerful. He said, “If your why doesn’t make you cry, then the price of commitment will make you cry.” And so, if you don’t have a deep enough “why” down in your soul that makes you get emotional about the vision you want to accomplish, then you’re never going to accomplish that vision.

Maina: How is America doing in general, man? When I see 54% of Americans don’t have $400 saved up, man, how are we doing as a country in this area?

Anthony O’Neal: I still think that America’s one of the best places where we can financially win, right? But again, everything comes back to system and strategies. We’re seeing that the cost of living is going up, but income is not going up. Having one source of income is outdated. You need to have two, three streams of income to really win.

I believe, especially every Black person who hears this, reads this, watches this, or listens to this, you need to be getting into some form of AI and tech on the side. Keep your 8-to-5 job, but also get into a side business that can duplicate that.

Right now, in the next 5 to 10 years, I believe we’re going to see the biggest wealth transfer. We’re going to see people who are in their senior citizen years, they’re tired of working, they’re tired of running this business, and they want to just get rid of this business and sell it. I want you to be in a position to where you can go in there and acquire the business. You take this system, add it with a new system of AI and tech, you raise it up. Now, you’re walking into a seven-figure business because you were in a position to purchase it. But you got to get out of debt first.

Maina: Can you just give us an explanation: Why is debt bad?

Anthony O’Neal: Debt is bad because you’re borrowing from your future to pay for today. And you’re borrowing for your future to fill a void and an insecurity that you have today. Debt is robbing us of our wealth-building potential. It is robbing us from true financial peace and freedom.

I am not a fan of consumer debt. I don’t have any consumer debt. I do have real estate and some business debt. So, you see, I have assets, but I do not have liabilities. Buy the purse when you can afford it. Meaning, you should be able to afford that at least two to three times minimum before you can actually afford it. Because you can make the payment today, can your tomorrow actually afford it?

Maina: Is this book for everyone, man?

Anthony O’Neal: This book is not for everyone. It’s not for the person who wants to get rich quick. It’s not for the person who doesn’t want to change their life, who’s comfortable about where they are. But this is for the person who’s like, “I’m ready. I’m ready to change.”

I believe the best time to start was yesterday. The second best time to start is today, no matter how old you are. If you pick up this book and you read it and apply it, within the next 18 to 24 months, your financial situation will be completely different, and you’ll have a different future moving forward.

In His Own Words: Hunter Biden on Faith, Grace, and Forgiveness

by Maina Mwaura, Urban Faith Contributing Writer | Aug 18, 2026 | Commentary | 0 comments

In a candid interview with UrbanFaith, Hunter Biden opened up about his spiritual life, navigating public shaming, and how radical transparency became a key part of his personal recovery and renewal. The full intervew is above,

Below are verbatim excerpts from the conversation, edited for clarity and length.

On Finding Faith in the Midst of Public Shaming

Hunter Biden:

“From the outside, what my life looks like in the past seven or ten years, it looks like a nightmare. The public shaming of me over the course of the past seven years has been ubiquitous. It’s everywhere.

I was given the greatest gift that I could be given to save my life in a moment in time in which I did not think I had any hope: I was given the gift of complete and utter transparency. I could not hide from my faults and my sins. I had to own them all. I had no more secrets. We are only as sick as our secrets.

Guilt is an appropriate reaction to something when you do wrong, and it is incumbent upon us to make amends with the people that we’ve harmed or hurt. Shame, however, is not. Shame is you telling yourself that you’re not worthy for the love that is being granted you—by God, or by another [person]. I don’t live in that shame anymore.”

On Recovery, Surrender, and Family Support

Hunter Biden:

“Addiction is a family disease. It affects everybody. What saved me was connection. The thing about my dad was that there was never a moment in time where I was not certain that that door would always be open if I choose to come back through it.

Unconditional love is not love without consequences. Unconditional love is not love without accountability. Unconditional love is simply leaving the door open that no matter what, that love will be there to carry you through whatever struggle or obstacle that you’re facing.

It’s really hard when you fall down this darkness of your own making and your own disease. You have to have a light at the end. He was always there, shining a light back towards me that helped me find my way home.”

On Human Connection and Faith

Hunter Biden:

“I have a deep faith—in the idea that we are all the children of God, that we are all connected.

Each one of us has an obligation to the other because there is no distance between us. In that universal philosophy is an incredibly beautiful thing, which is that we are our brothers’ keepers. To me, that’s my faith.”

Faith, Motherhood & Special Needs Parenting: Camille Joy Encourages Families

by Maina Mwaura, Urban Faith Contributing Writer | Jul 10, 2026 | Commentary, Headline News | 0 comments

For Camille Joy, motherhood did not unfold the way she imagined it would. Instead, it invited her into a deeper reliance on faith, a slower understanding of joy, and a kind of love shaped by unexpected challenges. In her book Moments of Joy, Joy writes to parents who are learning how to hold gratitude and grief in the same hands. Through honest storytelling and gospel-centered hope, she reminds readers that God is present not only in answered prayers, but also in the daily, unseen moments where endurance is formed and joy quietly takes root. The full audio interview is below with written excerpts edited for clarity and length below.

MAINA

Where did the book come from? When did you know it was time to write it?

CAMILLE JOY

I knew it was time to write it in 2021. It took a long time to get to that place. Writing a book is very scary. Being published is even scarier. And once you get to the edits, that’s even more scary.

I knew it was time in 2021 when I began to encourage people online. I realized there were other parents like me who needed this kind of encouragement — not just kind words, but understanding that even in this diagnosis, God is still with us. That your child is still beautifully and wonderfully made.

MAINA

I have to admit, when I was reading it, I felt like it could be a book for all parents. Even though it’s inspired by parenting a child with disabilities, I kept thinking, every parent needs this.

How did you know to write it specifically for parents who have a child like Mason — especially since you have other children?

CAMILLE JOY

I do — I have four other children. Mason is my fifth.

Everyone had different needs. Even my youngest son before Mason, who is still eight years older than Mason, his needs are ever evolving as a sibling of a child with a disability. Those children often become the center of the family because of the complexity of their health and neurological needs.

Mason became the center, but I had to remember that everyone still needed me. My oldest is about to be 25, and they still need their mother forever. I need mine.

With Mason, I had to crumble up everything I thought I knew about parenting. I knew motherhood. I knew structure. But then here came a child with special needs who had sensory restrictions even around food. I found myself cooking one meal for my family and then chicken nuggets for him. That was a complete shift for me.

And within the body of Christ, these parents are often rejected. Their children are demonized. People mean well, but they say things like, “You’re not praying hard enough.” That hurt deeply. I remember Mason was in my womb. The doctor said he’s going to be born with congenital heart disease. He told us he would need several surgeries. The doctor asked, “do you want to keep this baby or not?” And of course, my husband and I were like, “What? Of course we’re going to have our child. We’re going to accept everything.” But immediately when he was born, I began to face those people who would say you need to say this scripture. You need to pray. You’re not praying hard enough. It just hit me in my heart. I think people mean well, but those things that are [hurtful] with the parent. I began to feel rejected. I knew I could pray. I knew I was an intercessor. I knew that. But what do I do when here on earth, my baby is still not healed? Now what? You know? And God is still good. He’s still faithful.

God taught me how to pray differently. He taught me compassion for parents who are isolated and often misunderstood.

MAINA

Tell me about Mason.

CAMILLE JOY

Mason is eight years old. He loves music — gospel music especially. He wants one praise song “Anthem of Praise” by the late Richard Smallwood on repeat all day. He taps us and says, “I want music.”

He also loves straws. One straw. That’s his thing. He fidgets with it constantly. That’s just how his mind works.

MAINA

On page 33, you write: “Life often throws us unexpected curveballs.”
You include this affirmation: “I embrace the unexpected with grace, knowing that each detour is an opportunity to love my child.”

Can you explain that?

CAMILLE JOY

With Mason, it has been diagnosis after diagnosis; congenital heart disease, autism, intellectual disability, ADHD. If you don’t anchor yourself in Christ, it can overwhelm you.

The first thought is often negative. It takes effort to hold on to joy. But every unexpected thing becomes an opportunity to love your child deeper and learn them better.

I allow myself a moment to feel it and then I wipe my tears and keep going.

MAINA

How do you become grateful over circumstances as a parent of a child with special needs?

CAMILLE JOY

I take the seat of gratitude. Jeremiah 29:11 has anchored me through everything.

God has a plan for our future. Mason is His child before he is mine. That is his child. That is his baby. He has a great plan. There I can just take the seat of gratitude over any circumstance. Like you said, as a parent, it doesn’t matter even with special needs or not, there are many things that are going to happen, and you take the seat of gratitude over your circumstance. My mom used to say, we had you and we thought “we can write a book on parenting. This is easy.” And she said, then we had your sister and we said to ourselves, no, that’s not a good idea. It’s kind of one of those things where each child always brings this like – “Oh, yes,” with [raising them].

MAINA

What would you say to people who want to support friends raising children with special needs but don’t know how?

CAMILLE JOY

First, have compassion. Do not give unsolicited advice. Because although we think we know it all, this is a path you have not walked. This path, you have no idea what it takes to raise a child with special needs. When you have a friend and they have a child with special needs, you may say they make it look easy. But you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors.

If someone comes to mind, send them a Starbucks card. Send a text. Let them know they’re seen. Many parents don’t know they have community. Some feel alone. They feel isolated. And they won’t let you know. But when you say, you know, I see you…[it matters]. My sister watched my son recently. And when I went to pick him up, her husband said, “Camille, I don’t know how you guys do it.” He was like, “we only had him for eight hours.” But he saw our strength. See their strength without having to take care of the child. See their strength, even if you don’t understand their journey.

MAINA

When you hit send on the book, did you feel like you said everything you needed to say?

CAMILLE JOY

No. There’s always more to say. There’s always more encouragement to give.

Learn from The Past: Urbanfaith x Courtney B. Vance and Jamaal Bernard

by Maina Mwaura, Urban Faith Contributing Writer | Aug 15, 2025 | Black History, Commentary, Headline News |

These are excerpts from an interview transcribed and edited for clarity and length from Jamaal Bernard’s Offscript Podcast submitted by UF contributor Maina Mwaura. Jamaal interviews acclaimed actor Courtney B. Vance about his new audible reading of W.E.B. Du Bois: Biography of a Race, 1868-1919 by David Levering-Lewis now available on audible. The full interview can be watched or listened to anywhere you find podcasts.

Jamaal Bernard

I’m so excited I’m here. A new episode of Offscript with a special guest, a friend, a friend for years. You see me grow up and Courtney B. Vance. You’re doing a piece for an amazing man, a man who is such a great individual, great inspiration, a great legacy within the community of people of color. And I love this because we have the young individuals, the further I think we get away from certain time points and period in history, the least amount of effect it has on generations, right? And what you’re doing here with this project is an amazing, amazing thing. So thank you so much for that, for my kids’ kids. Tell me a little bit about this project. –

Courtney B. Vance

You know, you talk about what we, you know, the further away you get from, you know, I’m a history buff, I love big biographies. And I didn’t know anything about W.E.B. Du Bois. If you go in black people’s homes, you know, post 1963, up to, you know, 2000 or so, they have a picture of Jesus and a picture of MLK on the wall. Prior to ’63, that was Jesus and W.E.B. Du Bois. That’s how big he was. And I didn’t know that. [It’s amazing] how quickly and how easily we forget and erase people. When he died in Ghana, the president of Ghana gave him a state funeral, on the same day that MLK was delivering his I’ve a Dream speech. The [most prominent] man pre MLK was leaving and MLK was ascending. And they were both at [living] at the same time. They were leaving and ascending at the same time. And for us not to know who he was, that’s how things can repeat. That’s how we lose a sense of who we are, because we don’t continually revisit. We say never forget. And in the information age, we say that and it’s scary. And then that’s why I love history.

Jamaal Bernard

So, [you read] this story, and then putting it on audible, genius idea, right? God used you, inspired you to act. How does your faith, you know, help you navigate the arena? Because you’re an actor, right? You are on big screen, you’re on the stage, now you’re doing audio books and whatnot, and this probably won’t be your last audio book. So how does your faith help you navigate this arena?

Courtney B. Vance

It’s all about my faith. It’s all about our faith. That allows me to stay calm when I don’t know what’s next or what’s happening, or is this the right choice to make? Is this the right timing? Is the timing right to actually ask, can we go in this direction? I don’t panic. As when the disciples were rowing across the, and they were on the one side, and Jesus said, you know, I’ll see you on the other side. He just didn’t tell them that they were gonna go into the storm. But if he says, I’ll see you on the other side, you know that despite the storm, you’re gonna get to the other side. Storms of life happen to all of us. We’re in a storm now, but we will get to the other side of it. Just like, and that’s why I read biographies to actually see how people dealt with the storms in their lives.

Jamaal Bernard

I was gonna ask, can you correlate your experience with something that you, with this project, with W.E.B. Du Bois, and the storm that he’s going through?

Courtney B. Vance

The storm he went through was…he was born a generation removed from slavery. And people at the time were, white and black, were figuring out, is it W.E.B. Du Bois’ way, or is it Booker T. Washington’s way? You know, which is the agrarian, do the trades, and it’s a combination. But white folks at that time were, scared. ‘Cause bottom line, it’s all about the vote. We don’t wanna educate them too much so that they start to come into our areas and impact our lives in terms of making sure that white folks always have what they need, and that they don’t have to answer to black people. So, [they] don’t want them to be engaged, but [they] don’t want to seem like we’re trying to keep them down. So, they were, as our director Christina said, they were figuring it out as they went along. The country was trying to figure out what direction it’s going. It’s fresh out of the Civil War, [W.E.B.] came into his own, into college. [It’s around] 1885, that was a generation removed from the Civil War. So, [white Americans are] trying to get there, but are [they] really helping black people? Are you just helping yourself? Are you only giving money, these rich philanthropists to causes that keep black people down? Or are you giving them to causes that help bring black folks into the mainstream? That was the dilemma.

I Lived to Tell The Story: UrbanFaith x Tamika Mallory

by Maina Mwaura, Urban Faith Contributing Writer | May 5, 2025 | Commentary, Headline News, Social Justice |

Tamika Mallory was raised in activism as her parents worked with Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network. She was also raised in the church, taking seriously the role that her faith community played in advocating for justice and shaping people’s lives. She is known for her activism for black women in a world where civil rights are being threatened more every day. Her memoir: I Lived to Tell The Story shares her story in a moment where her story is more important than ever. UrbanFaith contributor Maina Mwaura sat down with Tamika to talk about her memoir and what she sees in the world today.

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