About Aelyn
Adulting is hard. But it doesn't have to be.
Aelyn’s reason for existing is simple—to teach everyone the life skills necessary to not only survive, but thrive. We provide the lessons and tools that no one ever taught us. We want to rid the stigma of “not knowing” and help people become self-empowered through self-education.
Ariana Gaffoglio
Founder + CEO
Like so many of us, I witnessed the divorce of my parents. I was heartbroken, of course, but the true heartbreak was witnessing my mom struggle to find independence after decades of being taken care of by someone else. After seeing my mom struggle to gain financial confidence and ultimately, freedom, I vowed to never be financially dependent on anyone and empowered myself to learn the skills my mom never learned.
I pursued a career in real estate and now work on one of the top teams in the world. I spearhead the OFFICIAL x A Team in Orange County and I have sold over $1 billion dollars in real estate.
I attribute a lot of my success to the team of people who help me stay on top of my life and finances — my financial advisor, insurance broker, CPA, and lawyers. I realized that most people don’t have the discretionary income to be able to afford these services.
And that’s when Aelyn was born.
director of operations
Alyssa Dringman
As Director of Operations at Aelyn, Alyssa is passionate about planning and executing our many resources that help make life’s challenges more manageable. She is especially interested in helping women find wellness, as she is a huge advocate for mental health. After struggling with postpartum depression and anxiety following a traumatic birth, Alyssa realized the importance of normalizing chemical imbalances and caring for yourself.
Alyssa previously worked in the cosmetics industry after pursuing an education focused on special effects makeup for film and television. She also spent many years working in sales and marketing, but stepped away from that role to focus on being a mother while her husband was deployed. Now that her husband is home, Alyssa is excited to use her background in sales and marketing to help as many consumers as possible discover Aelyn’s amazing resources.
editorial director
Jacqueline DeMarco
Jacqueline is a freelance writer based in Southern California who has written on a wide range of topics including finance, travel, and wellness for publications such as The Everygirl, Coveteur, Girlboss, and Apartment Therapy. When not whipping up articles, she’s worked with fashion brands, like Gorjana, Underclub, and St. John, to help tell their brand stories. She joined Aelyn as their Editorial Director because she connected strongly with the brand’s mission to help provide education on the extremely important topics we weren’t taught in school. Jacqueline believes that one of the best ways to achieve wellness is through financial education, so she spends a lot of her time creating resources that help consumers gain control of their financial life.
Marketing Director
Jake Ryder
Jake has a background in startup marketing, growing consumer-focused companies from the ground up both strategically and tactically. He’s based in New York City and loves spending time in the city’s parks, farmers markets, new restaurants, and trying out new fitness classes.
Find YourOwn Success
With every course, you take one step further towards building your dream life.
