A Dallas-native has been tasked by a TV network to dish out tough love on money matters

Leah Collins is used to giving out tough financial love to friends and clients. Now, the Dallas native is doing it on national television.

Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) debuted “Maxxed Out” starring Collins in January, an eight-episode financial advice show where she works with people to break bad spending and money management habits. It’s now available on streaming services such as Hulu, HBO Max and Discovery Plus.

Collins, who lives in Arkansas where she works in real estate finance for mega-retailer Walmart, came back to Dallas to film the show.

“I think I wanted a place where I was comfortable, I love my Texas roots,” Collins said, “[It] was [also] a good place for casting.”

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In the show, a concerned person nominates friends or family members on the brink of financial collapse to receive Collins’s financial guidance.

Close-up view of stack of US dollars.

Collins is not afraid to bring up uncomfortable topics like sex and relationships in dishing out financial advice.

The first season features one woman with 40 credit cards, one debt-ridden entrepreneur with an obsession for pricey collectibles and another struggling with student loans and depending on her mother for help.

Alexis Morrison, who was on episode 2 of “MAXXED OUT,” said her finances weren’t in a good place before being on the show.

“It was really bad, I had more than $60,000 in debt,” Morrison said. “I wouldn’t have been able to get out of debt on my own.”

Morrison followed Collins’s advice to move to her parents’ house and improve her financial habits to reduce unnecessary expenses. Since then, she has paid two loans and two credit card bills, and is in the process of starting a new business.

“My life is back on track, Morrison said. “Since meeting Leah, I stopped playing games.”

Head of OWN Unscripted Programming and Development, Drew Tappon, said, “MAXXED OUT” isn’t just a show.

“[The show reflects] the financial pressures so many of us face and the ripple effect they have on our closest relationships,” Tappon said in a statement.

Wedding plans bring a reality check

Collins brought her financial philosophy to her personal life, which, in 2020, took an unexpected turn.

At the time, Collins was engaged and had clear financial plans, which she later realized weren’t as compatible with her fiancé’s financial approach.

“I wanted a small, intimate wedding; his guest list alone was 200 people,” Collins said in a TEDx Talk in 2024. “You don’t really know someone until you have seen their finances.”

The financial incompatibilities led Collins to call off the wedding, just a few weeks before the big day. She says that if people can communicate about money, they can communicate about almost everything.

Since then, Collins has helped couples, both premarital and married, navigate their financial situation.

Collins didn’t know she would end up in the world of finance.

More people “maxxing out”

In the U.S., 23% of couples have ended a relationship due to financial incompatibility, and another 34% would consider doing so, according to a LendingTree study.

On the same note, household debt has increased by $191 billion to hit $18.8 trillion in the fourth quarter, according to the latest Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit.

Although Dallas County is in the lower range of debt-to-income ratios, surrounding counties such as Denton, Ellis and Kaufman recorded higher levels, data shows.

Collins said student loans are a common cause of debt.

“I remember when at football games, I was at the stadium and there would be the credit card companies with their tables set up,” Collins said.

“They would give you your free t-shirt if you signed up for a card. It starts very, very early.”

Other common causes of debt include emergencies, medical expenses, and day-to-day living expenses, according to a JG Wentworth study.

Financial literacy might be one issue.

The TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index (P-Fin Index) 2025 annual survey, which measures financial literacy, found that only 49% of U.S. adults answered the index questions correctly.

The same report showed that, on average, Gen Z answered only 38% of the index questions correctly.

Those with a low level of financial literacy are twice as likely to be debt-constrained and five times as likely to lack non-retirement savings sufficient to cover one month of living expenses, or to be unsure whether they have such savings.

Collins said she likes strategies such as “the snowball method,” which focuses on paying off the smallest credit card balances first and then progressively paying off larger debts.

Collins also recommends checking credit reports every six months to stay informed.

In her TED talk, Collins also shared the “three don’ts before you say I do,” which aim to keep people financially protected while in a romantic relationship: Do not ignore the red flags, don’t leave yourself unprotected and don’t be afraid to walk away.

Collins continues to check on the people she helps while managing her responsibilities as a single mom of a five-year-old.

“I think the biggest challenge is just keeping up with everything,” Collins said. “More people [are] reaching out to me needing help, and [I have] to respond to everyone and make sure that I’m able to help people in the best way that I can, while also maintaining my mental health.”

She also continues to work in corporate finance, provide financial advice and share tips and strategies on social media.

How Collins ‘stumbled into finance’

During an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Collins admitted changing her major five or six times in college, until her father told her he would not pay for her to go back to school if she didn’t pick a major and stick with it.

“Like many 18-year-olds, we don’t know what we want to do with our lives,” Collins said. “I kind of just stumbled into finance.”

Collins knew she was good with numbers and, like her mom, decided to pursue a career in finance.

She graduated from Texas Tech in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in finance, and from UT Arlington in 2013 with an M.B.A.

She now has more than 20 years of experience in corporate finance, having worked at Fortune 100 companies while also growing as a personal financial coach.

Collins’s own experience with debt also shaped her journey as a financial advisor. While doing her taxes around 2017, she realized her debt had grown.

“[I] realized I made a lot of money, the most I had ever made,” Collins said. “I looked around and I was just trying to figure out, where did it go?”

She decided to get her financial freedom back and, within 18 months, managed to pay off $40,000 in debt, raise her credit score to over 800, and purchase investment properties across the nation.

Collins saw an opportunity in her experience to teach others to ease their financial pressures, helping them protect their wealth and build their financial literacy.

“Once I got out of debt, that became my mission,” Collins said. “I feel like it’s my ministry.”

Collins’s financial advice is now reaching a wider audience thanks to “MAXXED OUT,” which is described as a “financial intervention.”

“We want viewers to feel seen and understood, while also walking away with practical tools to rewrite their financial story and reclaim their peace of mind,” Tappon said in a statement.

Ashley Benavides, a senior at Southern Methodist University, said the show reflects a sensitive topic.

“Personal finances aren’t something people want to put out there,” Benavides said. “I watch MAXXED OUT because I admire how people open up their lives to get out of their financial problems.”

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