Suze Orman

In the halls of the CNBC studios, I always know when the Money Lady, as her fans affectionately call her, is around. A fantastic energy follows Suze Orman wherever she goes, and it's contagious. The scene is always the same: people firing off money questions and Suze answering them with as much passion as a single human being can muster. She loves knowing that her advice will save people from getting deeper into financial trouble. That's her mission.

I've always liked Suze; she tells it like it is and doesn't let anyone get away with anything. You may call it tough love, but I know it comes from a deeper place. As a kid growing up on the South Side of Chicago, she had a speech impediment. She went on to win two Emmy Awards and become one of the world's most prominent motivational speakers.

Perhaps you know all that if you are one of the millions who have read Suze's best sellers (eight so far) or hang on every word of financial advice she dispenses during her award-winning TV show. One thing you may not know about her, however, is that her seemingly endless supply of compassion is not only of the professional variety. Suze, 56, has a saying, "People first, then money, then things," and she firmly holds true to that motto. In the midst of the current economic turmoil, it's comforting to know that Suze is there to navigate.

Deutsch, an advertising executive, is the host of CNBC's The Big Idea