Addressing the Student Loan Debt Crisis to Empower Financial Freedom

by Jeff Bond

I'm the Co-Founder of Chat With Leaders Media and People First Elevation Team, where my team and I help values-driven businesses create content that strengthens relationships, fuels engagement, and drives high-performing cultures. We partner with communications, marketing, and people teams to produce thought-leadership podcasts, executive messaging, and event content. My team and I also work with leaders to transform company meetings into culture-defining moments—ensuring they align teams, elevate key voices, and inspire action. As a board member of Conscious Capitalism Atlanta, I advocate for business as a force for good. Outside of work, I’m passionate about faith, family, and using influence to create lasting impact.

In today’s episode, Jeff Bond hosts a conversation with Farrukh Siddiqui, Founder & CEO of Defynance, and Ashvini Nirbhavne, Marketing Analyst at Defynance. Defynance refinances existing student loans through income share agreements to empower people’s financial freedom. This conversation was hosted at the TAG FinTech South 2022 Conference at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Farrukh and Ashvini talk with Jeff about the student loan debt crises, aligning your personal values and goals with the organization at which you are employed, and the hope for the younger generation to continue creating businesses that do good and be uncompromising in their work-life balance.

More About Farrukh Siddiqui

Seasoned financial executive, social entrepreneur, and impact innovator with over 30 years of diverse professional background in social impact, product development, business development, sales, operations, and technology with a consistent leadership track record of achieving results by empowering staff, demanding organization-wide accountability, and transparency.

Farrukh is the founder of several companies, including Defynance, RedPerit, and Murzzy SRI, Inc.