Dave Ramsey is religious about debt repayment, but one nurse’s boyfriend thinks she’s in “a cult” by following his money advice

“How can I manage burnout, stay motivated and help my partner understand why becoming debt-free matters so much to me?” she asked.

Norah said her boyfriend “doesn’t understand” why she’s so debt-obsessed. She puts every penny of each paycheque towards it — he thinks she should just make minimum payments.

Coleman asked if she’d explained the Ramsey Baby Steps method to him. She had — but it didn’t help. It just made things worse.

“He thinks it’s a cult,” she said, smiling.

The Ramsey Show co-hosts laughed when Norah raised the word “cult” to describe their work.

“I’ve never heard that before,” Coleman said.

But Norah’s boyfriend isn’t the only one to toss around that term in relation to Dave Ramsey. Over the years, online communities have described him and his followers as cult-like in their adherence to his approach.

It’s true that Ramsey, an evangelical Christian, links his financial advice to biblical principles. But being religious, charismatic and persuasive doesn’t mean he leads a cult. Ramsey’s fans are devoted to him and his advice, but he doesn’t use coercive techniques — and you don’t have to be Christian to follow his tips.

Still, he gets pretty intense when it comes to paying off debt. There may be a middle road for people like Norah — one between her all-in approach and the minimum payments her boyfriend suggests. In fact, that middle ground is exactly what Coleman, Cruze and Kamel recommended.

Finding debt-life balance

Coleman asked if part of the tension in Norah’s relationship was that she was always working. He praised her debt-free goal, and her commitment to a December 2027 payoff date. But he suggested she go easier on her goal and give herself more time to reach debt-free status.

“If you’re starting to get to a place of physical and emotional — and maybe spiritual and relationship — exhaustion, dial it back a little bit, you know, until you can get back up on your feet.”

Cruze agreed, and urged Norah to cut back on the overtime she’s working until she has the energy to get back to it.

That’s because it’s as important to have a debt-life balance as it is to have work-life balance.

Finding that balance is no easy task. In Canada, total household debt surpassed approximately $3.2 trillion as of the fourth quarter of 2025, according to Statistics Canada. Student debt alone is a significant contributor: The average Canadian borrower graduates with just over $15,000 on average in federal student loans, the Canada Student Financial Assistance (CSFA) program reported in its 2022–2023 statistical review.

Faced with crushing debt, some people may choose to ignore it — making minimum payments like Norah’s boyfriend suggests, or no payments at all. But that can lead to poor credit scores, delinquency and even bankruptcy, which isn’t a recipe for a happy life. Others, like Norah, may go all in on debt payoff, at the expense of their mental and physical health — and relationships.

How to strike an equilibrium

Paying off debt at a reasonable pace so you can take care of your own well-being should be your goal.

You can use Dave Ramsey’s recommended snowball method — paying off the smallest debt first and building up to the largest — or the avalanche method, paying off the highest-interest debt first and working your way down. Both approaches work, and both are available to Canadian borrowers.

You don’t have to do it alone, either. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC), a federal consumer financial regulator, offers free tools and guidance on debt management plans. Through an accredited, non-profit credit counselling agency, you may be able to access a debt management plan (DMP) offering lower interest, reduced monthly payments and a structured payoff period.

As Cruze says, paying off debt requires a marathon mindset. And the only way to win in the long run is to pace yourself.