Don Lamar was born in 1975 in Detroit, Michigan, the second of four children in a working-class family. His father worked as a machinist at a local auto plant while his mother held various jobs to help make ends meet. Growing up in the city during the economic turbulence of the late seventies and eighties shaped his understanding of financial precarity from an early age.
After graduating from Cass Technical High School in 1993, Don enrolled at Wayne State University with ambitions of becoming an accountant. However, financial pressures forced him to leave after two years. He spent the next decade working a series of jobs—warehouse supervisor, insurance salesman, call center manager—while trying to build stability for himself and his young family.
By his early thirties, Don found himself in a familiar American predicament: decent income but drowning in debt, with a credit score that closed more doors than it opened.
A denied mortgage application in 2007, just before the financial crisis, became a turning point. Rather than accept defeat, he began an intensive self-education in credit repair, consumer protection law, and personal finance. Over the following three years, Don rebuilt his credit from the low 500s to over 750.
More importantly, he developed a systematic approach to financial recovery that he began sharing with friends, family, and eventually their referrals. What started as informal kitchen-table conversations evolved into something more structured. In 2012, he obtained his certification as a credit counselor.
Two years later, he added life coaching credentials, recognizing that financial struggles were rarely just about money—they were intertwined with self-worth, relationships, and life direction. His practice grew primarily through word of mouth, built on a reputation for practical guidance delivered without judgment.
The scope of Don's work expanded naturally over the years. Clients who came for credit repair often needed help understanding their rights when dealing with aggressive collectors. Those seeking life coaching frequently discovered that unaddressed financial anxiety was undermining their progress in other areas.
His first book, published in 2018, distilled years of client work into accessible guidance for readers navigating similar challenges. It sold modestly but consistently, finding its audience through community centers, churches, and social media recommendations. Two more books followed, each drawing from the evolving lessons of his practice.
Speaking engagements came next, initially at local events and gradually expanding to regional conferences. Don's style on stage mirrors his coaching approach: direct, practical, and grounded in lived experience rather than theory. He speaks about credit repair and financial recovery, but also about resilience, second chances, and the slow work of rebuilding.
Now approaching fifty years in a life marked by setbacks and comebacks, Don continues to work primarily with individuals and families facing the kinds of challenges he once navigated himself. His client base includes entrepreneurs seeking business funding, couples working toward homeownership, and individuals trying to break free from the cycle of financial stress.
He lives in the Detroit area with his wife of twenty-three years. They have two adult children and, as of recently, one grandchild. When not working, he mentors young professionals in his community and continues studying consumer finance and protection law. He believes that the best coaches never stop learning, and that everyone deserves someone in their corner who has been where they are.