THE UNFILTERED UPGRADE
Real conversation.
Real pivots.
Real life.
I'm Diona — single mom, NYC transplant, and former financial services advisor turned full-time freelance consultant. This is where I document the pivot, share the money moves, and teach women how to build on their own terms.
From Corporate America to freedom through freelance. On purpose.
"It’s a stripping of the old you."
Self & Style
*
The Unfiltered Life
*
Dream it
*
Self & Style
*
The Pivot
*
Money Moves
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Self & Style * The Unfiltered Life * Dream it * Self & Style * The Pivot * Money Moves *
Five pillars.
One honest conversation.
From Corporate
America
to freedom.
On purpose.
MEET DIONA
For more than 20 years, I built expertise and credibility in Corporate America—helping companies expand internationally, transforming new markets into profit, and bringing others’ visions to life.
In 2023 I Ieft.
I left because I wanted control over my time and my money. I left because I was done being limited by a paycheck and someone else's demands on my calendar. I left because I wanted more time to be a mother. More time to be me.
I built The Inner Circle for the woman standing at the same door I stood at. Who knows, something has to change, but doesn't have a roadmap. Who needs a place that is honest about how hard the pivot is — and equally honest about what is waiting on the other side of it.
That decision — and everything I had to figure out on the other side of it — is exactly why this community exists.
I am not here to inspire you. I am here to do this with you.
I'm the founder of See Me Fund, a community for women founders. I'm a single mom to a beautiful boy who makes every decision more meaningful. And I'm almost a year into life in New York City, figuring out what home looks like when you're building from scratch.
The Inner Circle is where I document all of it — the pivots, the money, and the very unfiltered truth of what it takes to change your life.
20
Years in finance
See Me
Fund
Women founders community
2026
Creating and living my dream life.
“ I didn't leave a 20-year career because I was done climbing the ladder.
I left because I finally figured out what I wanted."
The Freelance Upgrade
A 10-week live cohort giving women
the tools to purse freelance .
Taught live by Diona — 20 years in financial services, now teaching the exact frameworks she used to build her own freelance business from scratch.
Go through the program live with your cohort. Weekly group calls with Diona, real-time feedback, and a room full of women doing the work alongside you.
- 10 weeks of live weekly sessions
- Real-time Q&A and hot seat coaching
- Cohort community access
- All session replays included
- All Access members save 20% at checkout
All Access members: use your discount at checkout
All 10 weeks of course materials delivered as fillable workbooks, each paired with a short 2-3 minute module video from Diona. Go at your own pace, revisit any week, and keep lifetime access - no membership required.
- Personal welcome video from Diona
- 10 fillable weekly workbooks (PDF)
- 2-3 min module intro video per week
- Personal closing video from Diona
- Lifetime access - no membership required
- Does not include live sessions or cohort community
All Access members save 20% at checkout
One membership.
All access.
One price, everything included, no tiers to navigate.
Everything. For every member. No locked content, no upgrades. You're in - fully.
- Private Circle community - four dedicated rooms
- Monthly live Real Talk group call with Diona (60 min, recorded)
- Money Moves Monthly - financial strategy deep-dives
- Full template vault: budget, invoice, outreach, rate card
- Quarterly open books - Diona's real freelance income breakdowns
- Live session replays within 24 hours
- Monthly hot seat - live group feedback on your work
- Bi-monthly personal voice note check-in from Diona
- First access to every new resource, template, and bonus drop
- 20% off the Live 10-Week Cohort ($397 to $318)
- 20% off the Self-Paced Course ($197 to $158)
- Priority waitlist for every cohort round
Inner Circle members save 20% on both course options at checkout. The self-paced course includes 10 fillable weekly workbooks, a short module intro video per week, and a personal welcome and closing video from Diona. It is not a recording of the live cohort sessions. Discount is applied at checkout with an active membership and is subject to change. Results will vary. See full earnings disclaimer at dionarichards.com/disclaimer.
Start here — it's free
Take something
with you.
FREE GUIDE
The Freelance Rate Calculator
Stop guessing what to charge. This guide walks you through setting a rate that actually reflects your expertise.
FREE TEMPLATE
Client Proposal Template
The exact proposal framework I used to land my first freelance consulting clients in financial services.
FREE TRAINING
5 Things You Need Before You Land your first freelance client
A candid video training from someone who made every mistake so you don't have to.
THE INNER CIRCLE
JOIN THE LIST
All The Updates.
Weekly-ish notes from a single mom navigating career pivots, life, and figuring out what "enough" actually looks like.
"No marketing emails. No fluff. Just the real stuff, straight to your inbox."
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. I hate spam too.
FIND ME EVERYWHERE
Come say hi.
Let's be internet friends.
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