Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Andrea Merriman shares her life story on TikTok after husband's Ponzi scheme.
- Her ex-husband, Shawn Merriman, was convicted for a $20 million Ponzi scheme.
- Andrea Merriman rebuilt her life in Utah and now shares lessons with TikTok viewers.
DRAPER — A woman whose life changed overnight when she learned her husband was running a multimillion dollar scheme is now sharing her journey with the world.
Her ex-husband, Shawn Merriman, was imprisoned for fraud. He had been running a $20 million Ponzi scheme.
"I thought I was the only one in the world, except for maybe Ruth Madoff, who had had this terrible public disaster happen, and I didn't really have anyone who'd been down that road to turn to," Merriman said.
She said her husband had a double life.
"He appeared to be one way to me, to his family, to his friends, to the world, which was a hardworking, family-oriented, honest, good man, member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," Merriman said.
After her husband's conviction for fraud upended her life and after losing everything, Merriman moved to Utah with her four children for a fresh start.
"The very first week we moved here, having made the promise, we weren't going to mention the P word: prison," she said.
Determined to rebuild, Merriman worked multiple jobs over the course of a decade.
"I feel like it was a long, hard slog for a decade of trying to rebuild or making a decision or making a plan, and something didn't work out or things like that, and it was very frustrating at times," she said.
Now, her children are grown.
"Three of the four have graduated from college, two from BYU, one from UVU," Merriman said. "They have professional careers. A couple of them are married. I even have some grandkids."
She lives in Draper with her new husband, David.
"As an added bonus, when I remarried, got the opportunity to help three more kids learn to be resilient and prepared to be successful adults," Merriman said.
She's sharing her new life and lessons learned from her past with hundreds of thousands of viewers on TikTok.
Reflecting on her journey, she said, "I don't think any of us do anything alone, so being able to talk about it and do TikTok has been a chance for me to kind of pay it back and hopefully pay it forward."
On her page, she reveals even more details from that painful chapter of her life.
"The kicker of something equally as big to me, and as devastating and incredibly shocking to me, was the fact that, the money and the crime wasn't all; there was more," Merriman said. "It was infidelity."
Through TikTok, her new approach is resonating with a wider audience.
"I speak to anyone that's ever had the thought to do something wrong, because I am a living example of what can happen and how vast and unimaginable the fallout can be," Merriman said.
