Financial Audit Podcast: "The Most Delusional Woman In Financial Audit History"

Date: February 13, 2026
Host: Caleb Hammer
Guest: Dolly, 38, Knoxville, Tennessee

Episode Overview

This episode features Dolly, a 38-year-old remote Revenue Cycle Systems Manager from Knoxville, Tennessee. Dolly joins host Caleb Hammer to confront claims from friends and family that she’s “bad with her finances”—a notion she’s eager to dispute. Through sharp banter, probing financial forensics, and sometimes brutal honesty, Caleb reveals layers of financial delusion, overspending, and questionable money decisions, culminating in what he calls “historic” financial mismanagement largely fueled by Dolly's passion for competitive cornhole.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction: Dolly’s Mindset & Motivation

• Dolly claims her finances aren’t “as bad as people say” ([00:28], [04:31], [22:08]).
• Instantly, inconsistencies emerge: she cannot state her exact income and struggles to access her payroll information ([01:31]-[04:39]).

2. Income & Paycheck Confusion

• Job: Remote Revenue Cycle Systems Manager, healthcare sector, based in California ([01:31]-[01:48]).
• Salary: Estimates $110,000 but is repeatedly unsure and takes a convoluted route to finally confirm ([01:54]-[03:23]).
• Net Pay: Brings in ~$3,035 bi-weekly, but initially cannot specify whether pay is bi-weekly or semi-monthly ([06:53]-[07:31]).
• Daily Pay Advances: Moves money to her checking account every day instead of waiting for “normal” paychecks, claiming “I like to see the money in my account” ([09:35]-[10:16], [15:19]).

"Why is it bad to move the money to my checking account every day?"
— Dolly ([10:16])

3. Debt Overview & Apathy

• Claims ~$50,000 in consumer debt, plus a $173K mortgage ([11:42]).
• Eventually admits her true knowledge of her debts only recently improved for the show ([13:14]).
• Mortgage manually paid monthly; avoids autopay despite no genuine rationale ([12:04]).
• Immense cognitive dissonance about whether her expenses and debts are "okay" ([22:08]-[22:13]).

4. Spending & Budget Breakdown

• Recurring Theme: Survivor bias—Dolly feels that if bills are paid (even on credit card minimums), she is financially responsible.
• Credit Cards: Pays minimums, not balances in full ([16:21]-[16:39]).
• Cash Flow: Recent month—brought in ~$6,000, spent $11,000 ([16:37]-[16:54]).
• Routinely puts bills and day-to-day spending on credit cards for “cash back,” ignoring or underestimating interest costs ([22:14]-[22:22], [32:46]-[33:07]).

"You brought in almost $6,000. But you spent 11."
— Caleb ([16:49])

5. Cornhole Obsession: Where the Money Goes

• Cornhole is both hobby and (she hopes) side-hustle, consuming thousands annually in tournament fees, travel, and equipment ([17:49]-[30:57]).
• Spends up to three hours daily practicing, plus regular travel for tournaments; justifies as “community” and personal happiness ([18:43], [20:47], [23:28]).
• Built an $800 sq. ft. dedicated “cornhole barn” in her backyard, which cost over $50,000—financed with high-interest loans ([41:25]-[49:07]).

"It cost me probably upwards of like 45, 50 [...] $50,000 so far for this."
— Dolly ([48:57])

• Entry fees, travel, and equipment over the past years approach $100,000 ([54:17]).

• Admits to a troubling extent of financial commitment:

"You could have done so many things [...] you’ve likely spent over $100,000 on cornhole."
— Caleb ([54:17])

6. Personal Life & Motivation

• Divorced, no children, three dogs. Formerly left California after marriage breakdown (cites “financial and domestic abuse” as partial cause) ([32:21]).
• Cornhole doubles as a social/love life: meets up with a younger “situationship” at tournaments, low commitment ([24:39]-[28:11]).
• Multiple purchases—often online, sometimes forgetting what's ordered ([71:05]).

7. Financial Defense & Host Skepticism

• Insists she’s “good with money” due to paying bills, using cash back, avoiding autopay unless incentivized ([15:24], [13:06]).
• Caleb repeatedly highlights the contradiction between daily cash advances, minimum debt payments, and ballooning liabilities vs. her perception ([13:36]-[16:39], [37:15]-[38:32], [22:19]).
• Exposes Dolly’s faulty budgeting practices, especially her focus on “immediate happiness” over long-term stability and debt repayment ([20:55]-[21:22], [38:32]-[42:04], [88:44]).

8. Emotional Disclosure: Cornhole "Palace" Financing

• Took out multiple high-interest personal loans to build the cornhole barn; also required HOA-mandated improvements ([41:25]-[47:54]).
• At one point, considered cashing out retirement to pay for hobby-related debt ([60:02]).
• Caleb: “You have a room that probably adds an extra $10,000 in equity if you’re lucky [...] And now you have nothing to show for it.” ([54:17])

9. Budget, Sacrifice, and Potential Action Plan

• Caleb lays out a possible budget:
  • Mortgage: $1,132/mo
  • Consumer debt minimums (excluding home): $1,565/mo
  • Utilities: $515
  • Other essentials: groceries, car, pets, insurance (totals approximated)
• With tight budgeting and using $15K of her emergency fund against high-interest debt, it could take ~4 years to pay off, assuming behavioral change ([89:33]-[90:15]).
• Firm advice: Cornhole does not fit in the budget until debts addressed ([89:33]-[90:25]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “That’s historic. I’ve never heard anything like that on this show.”
  Host Caleb on $50,000 cornhole practice barn ([49:07])

• “Everyone around you is correct and I want them to know that they were correct, and she came on here for you not to be correct. But you are correct.”
  Caleb, on friends/family assessments ([21:45])

• “I just don’t consider it bullshit spending.”
  Dolly, on cornhole expenses ([34:53])

• “You’re budgeting by the day, not by the month... and when we’re budgeting by the day, with a proven method, you’re never going to make any progress.”
  Caleb ([37:53])

• “If you don’t actually give a shit, then I don’t give a shit.”
  Caleb urging behavior change ([89:33])

Major Timestamps & Topics

• [01:31] – Dolly introduction/job/income confusion
• [09:35] – Admission of daily pay advances
• [11:42] – Admitting full debt load and mortgage
• [16:37] – Monthly spend vs. income calculation ("You spent 11, brought in 6")
• [22:08] – Defense and denial ("I'm paying my bills, I'm making money")
• [26:11] – Cornhole as social/love life
• [41:25] – Personal loans for cornhole barn
• [48:57] – $50,000+ spent on practice space
• [54:17] – Total cornhole spend approaches $100,000
• [60:02] – Considering 401k to pay down hobby debt
• [88:44] – Debt repayment timeline: ~4 years with strict budget
• [89:33] – "Cornhole does not fit in the budget"
• [90:25] – Final assessment: willingness to change is the only real solution

Tone, Style, and Dynamic

• Caleb: Sarcastic, aggressively honest, occasionally mean but ultimately goal-oriented.
• Dolly: Defiant, self-deprecating, defensive but candid; oscillates between self-assured and self-aware.
• Interaction features many humorous, crass exchanges, with the host pushing hard to break guest’s denial.
• Guest’s refusal to consider cornhole a luxury or unnecessary expense is a recurring comedic/dramatic element.

Summary: Key Takeaways

• Dolly is a high earner with significant consumer debt, self-inflicted by a refusal to forego luxury/pleasure spending—mainly cornhole.
• Despite high income, she spends nearly double what she makes, mostly on travel, tournaments, and an extravagant cornhole barn funded with high-interest loans.
• She approaches money on a day-to-day, “feel good now” basis, deflecting from long-term consequences until harshly confronted.
• Caleb prescribes a strict budget, aggressive debt payoff, and a moratorium on non-essential spending—especially cornhole—until debts are in order.
• Guest seeks validation for her spending from the host but is ultimately told, unfiltered: everyone around her has been right all along.

For Listeners:

If you’re ignoring debt, floating expenses on daily pay advances, or telling yourself your hobby is an “investment,” this episode is required listening. Caleb’s ruthless audit isn’t just for Dolly—it’s a warning for anyone rationalizing reckless financial behavior.

For more, including the call to Dolly's cornhole coach boyfriend and a potential live cornhole challenge, catch the post show on Hammer Elite.