Money Tales

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Dana Garnett. What happens when a privileged life built on international corporate success suddenly implodes? Dana discovered the high cost of poor communication during conflict when she and her ex-husband burned through $270,000 in legal fees to get through their divorce. That was equivalent to the money they had saved for their daughters' college educations. But Dana's story doesn't end there. As a former Coca-Cola executive turned mediator, she transformed her painful divorce experience into a mission to help others navigate life's most challenging conversations with greater ease. Her story reveals powerful insights about how we can preserve not just our financial wealth, but our health and our relationships during times of crisis. Dana Garnett, Mediator & Conflict Resolution Strategist, helps you resolve conflict preventing you from successfully living and running your personal or professional life – like clashes over business strategy or operating values, C-suite or team confrontations, succession rivalries, generational and family fallouts, divorce, and disputes over trusts and estates. Anything where conflict poses a risk to your professional or personal well-being. From years of experience as a Mediator for the State of Texas for civil and family cases, Dana has developed and refined a unique conflict resolution coaching process outside of mediation where you get to the heart of and clear complex conflict fast with lasting change, without needing everyone around the table. It takes two or more to tangle, but it only takes you to achieve real resolution so you can focus freely on matters most in your life. Founder of The Mindful Strategy, Dana merges CPA Big 8 Accounting and her international career with The Coca-Cola Company with vast global life lessons from working and living for 22 years across diverse cultures on six continents – including seven years in Bangkok, Thailand where she learned mindfulness directly from Eastern philosophical teachings. First-hand experience as a party to litigation that resulted in personal and financial loss prompted Dana's deep dive into relationship dynamics and her passion for helping you avoid the pitfalls of unnecessary conflict. Dana is a national speaker, certified trainer, and holds a Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution and Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching from Southern Methodist University, and a Master of Science in Accountancy and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the University of North Texas. She sits on the Board of Fulfilling the Vision, a nonprofit that supports the arts in Dallas, Texas and beyond through books and media that publicizes Dallas artists who are successful around the world.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Jamie Yuenger. At 17, Jamie explicitly told her mother not to buy her a car because the family couldn't afford it—yet came home to find one in the garage anyway. When she pressed about insurance, her mother assured her it was covered, but after the car was totaled in an accident, Jamie discovered the insurance had been canceled. Next, Jamie was told she'd have to stay home from school to pay back the damages. In that pivotal moment, just two months before starting college, Jamie made a defining choice: despite her fear of confronting her mother, her fear of not escaping the cycle of financial chaos was greater. As the first person in her family to attend college, she refused to let her mother's financial decisions derail her future, demonstrating how breaking free from inherited patterns sometimes requires the courage to choose your own path. Jamie Yuenger is the founder and CEO of StoryKeep, the premier legacy media company serving ultra-high-net-worth families globally. With a background in folklore and a deep passion for human stories, Jamie leads a creative team that produces bespoke films and private podcasts to preserve family history, values, and legacy. Her work is rooted in the belief that storytelling is a powerful bridge across generations, fostering connection, belonging, and meaning. Jamie speaks internationally on the role of narrative in wealth transfer and family resilience. She and her partner, Piet Hurkmans, run StoryKeep together and live with their daughter in the Netherlands. Prior to launching the company, Jamie worked in public media and studied Scandinavian culture and oral tradition. She's known for her grounded style, her curiosity, and her ability to help families reflect on who they are, where they come from, and what truly matters.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Margaret Katz Cann. Most of us carry our family systems into adulthood without even realizing it, from how we parent, to how we think about success, to how we handle money. But what happens when those inherited patterns stop working - when life hands us something so unexpected, we're forced to question it? Margaret calls it the 'family force field', that invisible pull to repeat what we grew up with, even when it no longer serves us. Margaret shares how her son's crisis shattered that force field and pushed her into deep self-examination, revealing just how hard, and necessary, it can be to break the script and forge your own path. Fundraising coach Margaret Katz Cann spends all day long talking about money. The founder of MKC Coach, Margaret helps people who need to raise money to do the work they want to see happen in the world. She specializes in executive fundraising and leadership coaching, working with nonprofit and startup executives to stop tripping over their ask, to connect to passion and leadership – and step into the world of compelling fundraising. After growing up with her own money story, Margaret became an experienced and joyful fundraiser herself, spending 22 years at the Community Foundation Boulder County, where she helped raise over $160 million for the community. She is passionate about helping clients address their own money stories, step away from anxiety and dread, so they can raise the money they need to do their work. Margaret is passionate about drawing from our own lives, about growth and healing, and about storytelling. She is the author of I Used To Be Good: How I Found My Voice by Losing My Pleaser, due out later in 2025. The raw and vulnerable story is about her personal journey, through a wealthy and chaotic childhood that looked great from the outside, to find her own voice. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Caroline Lewis. Caroline was checking all the boxes for her career: climbing the corporate ladder, leading big teams at Nike, and chasing the next promotion. Then, suddenly, she was off the ladder entirely. Caroline shares the moment her fast-moving, say-it-like-it-is style clashed with corporate politics, and how that unexpected exit became the launchpad for a more purpose-driven, powerful relationship with money. Caroline is the MP and founder of Rogue Women. She is also a Partner at Rogue Ventures and Kauffman Fellow. Before entering venture capital, she was Senior Director of Global Strategy and Operations at Nike where she managed a portfolio of strategic programs focused on consumer experience, digitization, and big data. Her love for start-ups comes from her early career experience as a founder of an e-commerce business and as a leader at a consumer health product company. Caroline holds an MBA from Portland State University and a B.S. in Behavioral Psychology from Davidson College where she played D1 Field Hockey.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Sophie Bertin. You know that feeling when everything looks good on paper, a great job, supportive colleagues, a solid paycheck, but something inside keeps whispering, this isn't it! That was Sophie. She had a comfortable life, but comfort wasn't enough. It took a spark - an unexpected stat about entrepreneurs from a business school dean when Sophie was at a less-than-satisfying moment in her career - for her to realize: “Why am I in the 50% who haven't taken the leap?” That catalyzed her turning point. Sophie Bertin has a varied career path, from strategic consultancy, to banking operations, to the European Commission and now turned entrepreneur. She recently founded Serapy with the aim of improving corporate compliance training through the combination of simulations, gamification, role play and online tools. Serapy uses the latest educational theories to provide trainings with increased retention rate, and combines that with AI tools to enhance the learning process. Serapy is currently present in Switzerland, Bulgaria, Portugal, France and the UAE. Serapy has been accepted in the incubation program of the Unicorn Factory Lisbon and of Station F in Paris. In addition to Serapy, Sophie has her own consultancy (Parnima Consulting) since 2016, where she works with top legal and regulatory firms, consultancy firms and financial clients on EU Regulations in the area of Financial Services, Foreign Subsidies and State Aid. She also serves as independent board member of Eastnets, a leading provider of AML, SWIFT and payments solutions. She sits on the Remuneration, Nomination and Governance Committee. Before becoming entrepreneur, Sophie was Group Head of Corporate Development and Managing Director of SIX Group (in Switzerland), in charge of strategy development, innovation and regulatory affairs. During the Financial Crisis, she served as Head of Unit at the Directorate General for Competition within the European Commission. There, she was responsible for the review and approval of the State aid provided by Member States to the financial services (mostly banks) during the financial crisis of 2008-2014. Prior to her role with the European Commission, Sophie held senior positions within SWIFT, where she was globally in charge of Asset Servicing; with The Bank of New York Mellon; and worked with the top consultancies McKinsey and later Bain &Co. She started her career path as IT and database programmer, which is very helpful now with the latest AI tools she uses in her start-up. She started her studies in Vienna, graduated from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris, holds an MBA from INSEAD and a post-graduate diploma in EU Competition Law from King's College. She holds also a diploma from the Swiss Board Institute. She is member of the Executive Committee of the INSEAD Alumni organization, and she is also the founder and president of the global INSEAD Women in Business Club. Recently, she finished an advanced AI Mastery class and won the award for the best AI Application Builder. She is promoting and advocating for AI literacy among women and through the INSEAD Women in Business Club organizes events for Women in AI.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Dr. Marianne Cooper. Marianne has built a career exposing inequality, while living inside it. As a sociologist and parent in Silicon Valley, she's seen firsthand how even the wealthy fear falling behind, and how families across the spectrum quietly hustle to secure their children's futures. In this episode, Marianne shares what it's like to understand exactly how privilege is reproduced while trying to avoid passing it on herself. Marianne Cooper, Ph.D., is a sociologist, speaker, writer, and expert advisor. She is a senior research scholar at Stanford University's VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab and an affiliate at the Stanford Center on Poverty & Inequality. Dr. Cooper is an expert on gender, women's leadership, inclusion, economic insecurity, and the future of work. Her book, Cut Adrift: Families in Insecure Times, examines how families are coping in an insecure age. Dr. Cooper was the lead researcher for Sheryl Sandberg's NYT best-seller Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead and she is an author on all of the Lean In & McKinsey Women in the Workplace reports. Dr. Cooper regularly speaks, writes, and consults on these topics for media outlets like The Atlantic, The New York Times, and Harvard Business Review and companies such as Adobe and Sony. She is an affiliated educator for the Center for Institutional Courage and a LinkedIn Top Voice for Gender Equity. She received her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley.

What happens when you leave a thriving medical practice—not because you're burned out, but because your definition of success changes? Rishma Walji, our guest this week on Money Tales, spent two decades as a doctor where she helped others navigate emotionally complex decisions about life, hormones and healthcare. But when her own crossroads arrived, Rishma made a bold pivot choosing family, personal growth and intentional living over her credentials and paycheck. Rishma shares the emotional calculus behind pivoting away from the work she trained so long for, how she reconciled ambition with motherhood and why her definition of success had to expand beyond income. Rishma Walji trained as a Naturopathic Doctor and PhD. She spent over 20 years in clinical practice helping patients make big decisions about health, hormones and family. She's currently writing a book about intentional decision making. A lot of her work is related to awareness and emotion that can either guide or mislead our life choices. She is host of the XO Conversations Podcast and a TEDx speaker.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is John Anderson. What happens when the rockstar lifestyle starts to feel more like a death sentence than a dream? For John, the parties, the wealth, and the wine cellar full of excuses were all just masks for something much darker. He had it all—or so it seemed—until two tragic losses and one haunting realization stopped him in his tracks: If I don't change, I'm next. This is a conversation about money, privilege, and the moment you realize that real wealth isn't what's in your bank account—it's in the life you choose to live. John Anderson is a lifelong business strategist and entrepreneur. Through his published book Replace Retirement: Living Your Legacy in the Exponential Age, and in his coaching business Anderson shares his passion for living the second half of life better than the first half. For 30 years he has coached CEOs and executive teams in developing clear, measurable goals underpinned with structures and insights to achieve both professional and personal success. Anderson's entrepreneurial spirit has guided much of his professional life starting in the office furniture industry where he built, then sold, a leading office furniture dealership. He was the first coach to work with Verne Harnish, during the time Harnish developed Scaling Up, now considered one of the leading executive coaching organizations. Anderson is active in corporate speaking and coaching and has equity in a variety of entrepreneurial companies.  The focus of his current work is developing holistic plans for individual executives utilizing the Exponential Leader Practice. In the late 90's John Anderson founded the Detroit Chapter of the Entrepreneurs Organization, was recognized by Michigan's Future 50 award, “Today's Workplace of Tomorrow” award, and in Crain's list of Forty under Forty.  He served on the Leadership Oakland board, the Oakland County Business Roundtable and is considered one of the most networked entrepreneurs in the region. Anderson started his career with IBM.

When people talk about climate change, they're focused on saving the planet. This episode of Money Tales is about the economic possibilities that addressing climate change can open. Our guest this week is Tito Jankowski. For Tito, climate change isn't just a crisis, it's one of the biggest opportunities of our time. When he looked at the scale of carbon removal needed, he saw a trillion-dollar industry on the horizon. Tito realized this global challenge could be a launchpad for innovation, impact and massive business growth. It's about shifting from fear to possibility—and building the future we actually want to live in. Tito Jankowski is the CEO and founder of AirMiners. AirMiners has helped accelerate 200 carbon removal startups, collectively raising $200 million and selling $93 million in carbon removal. One of AirMiners' graduates, CarbonRun, was recently featured on the cover of the New York Times.

Picture this: You're a kid shivering in your home, which never goes above 68 degrees in the winter. And you decide right then– your future includes a thermostat set at 72. That desire sparked Shellye Archambeau's life's ambition. Shellye is our guest this week on Money Tales. Her experience spans from being the new kid at school in seven states to breaking barriers as a Black woman CEO in Silicon Valley. Shellye talks about the intentional financial decisions that shaped her path and the raw, courageous conversations with her then-future husband that helped her build the life she envisioned as a teenager. Shellye's story is a masterclass in ambition and authenticity. Fortune 500 board member, Former CEO of MetricStream, advisor and author Shellye Archambeau is an experienced CEO and Board Director with a track record of accomplishments building brands, high performance teams and organizations. Shellye currently serves on the boards of Verizon, Roper Technologies, Okta and Lineage. She is also a CEO mentor with the EXCO Group and serves on the board of two national nonprofits, Catalyst and Braven. Shellye has over 30 years of experience in technology. She is the former CEO of MetricStream, a Silicon Valley-based governance, risk and compliance software company. During her tenure, MetricStream grew from a fledgling startup into a global market leader. She is the author of Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers and Create Success on Your Own Terms, a book that will inspire you and provide the tools to enable you to fight the battles, make the tradeoffs and create the life you want. She is also a Forbes contributor and the protagonist of the Harvard Business School Case Study: Becoming a CEO. Shellye is the founder of Ignite Ambition, a community focused on the professional development of people in the early to mid-stage of their career.  Their mission is to provide professionals with the knowledge, inspiration, perspective and tools that they need to overcome their challenges, achieve their aspirations and excel in their professional careers. Shellye enjoys the performing arts, traveling, cooking and writing a blog, shellye.com, that provides career advice, insights and other musings.

This episode of Money Tales is all about being different. Sarah Peterson is our guest this week on Money Tales. What happens when a high-achiever realizes that the things she was chasing—salary, status, and sparkle—aren't what truly fill the cup? Sarah found herself right in that spot. She spent her early twenties pursuing high-paying jobs and glamorous roles, only to end up buried in credit card debt and disconnected from her values. The financial wake-up call that changed everything included the moment a tax mistake forced her to move back in with her mom. From there, she rebuilt, learning to prioritize purpose over prestige and finding career clarity and balance. Sarah is a strategic and creative marketer with over 16 years of experience driving successful campaigns and achieving business goals. Currently at Google, she owns the end-to-end omni-channel marketing and merchandising strategy for several retail accounts. Her expertise extends to cross-functional initiatives such as AI, product marketing, DEI, and team leadership. Day to day you'll find her developing high-visibility marketing programs aligned with brand moments and business pillars. Prior to Google, Sarah held roles in partner marketing, event management/professional sports and merchandising at companies including the Minnesota Twins, Vizio, Best Buy, and Target. She is a passionate leader and mentor, dedicated to developing the next generation of marketing talent. Outside of work you can find her checking out the Minneapolis food scene, at a local fitness studio, volunteering or spending time with family/friends - specifically her nieces and nephews who have completely stolen her heart.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Marlis Jansen. Marlis was one of our first guests and shared her money tales in episode number five. She joins us this week to talk about the HEARTS framework she developed for achieving financial wellbeing. Marlis describes financial wellbeing as possessing solid financial skills and deep emotional intelligence about money, so that we can meet our financial responsibilities, reduce stress and live more purposeful, joyful and impactful lives. We go deep into HEARTS in this episode, which is an acronym for each of the components for achieving financial wellbeing. Marlis Jansen is a licensed psychotherapist who is trained in wealth psychology and a sixth-generation member of a family of stewardship. This combination of professional training with lived experience gives her a unique perspective on the nuances and complexities of owning financial wealth. Prior to founding Graddha, Marlis worked for several healthcare startups and spent a decade as a stay at home mom.  As a product developer in the healthcare information technology space, she designed strategies to maximize trust and safety for patients to help them take ownership of their health decisions. Marlis also served as Director of Business Development and Director of Product Development in a couple of health care startups.  Her experience as a mom inspired her to contemplate how we ascribe value to people and work. Marlis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Harvard University, a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Financial Psychology and Behavioral Finance from Creighton University Heider College of Business. She is an active member of the Purposeful Planning Institute, Financial Psychology Institute and the Financial Therapy Association. She serves on the Board of the Stone Age Institute and, since 2009, has served as Vice President of The Springcreek Foundation, her family's private philanthropic foundation. Marlis speaks French well and is proficient in Spanish and Norwegian. She loves to enjoy home cooked family dinners, hike Mt. Tam with her family and dogs, travel in unfamiliar countries and cultures, and stay up late playing board games.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Barry Ritholtz. From his early days navigating chaos on a trading desk to building a $5 billion advisory firm, Barry shares why investing is simple, but not easy—and how mastering your emotions may matter more than mastering the market. These are the lessons Barry covers in his most recent book How Not To Invest: The ideas, numbers, and behaviors that destroy wealth - and how to avoid them. Barry is the co-founder, chairman, and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management LLC. Launched in 2013, RWM is one of the country's fastest-growing financial planning and asset management firms. Named ETF Investor of the Year and one of the Financial Times' top 300 firms, RWM manages over $5 billion for 3,900 families. Called the “blogfather” for creating The Big Picture, one of the first market weblogs, the site covers everything related to investing. Since its launch in 2003, its mix of behavioral finance and data analysis has attracted 275 million visitors. Barry is also the creator and host of Masters in Business, the longest-running and most popular podcast on Bloomberg Radio. His book, Bailout Nation, was named one of the Best Business Books of the Year, selected as the Investment Book of the Year, and awarded a First Amendment Award for Outstanding Journalism. He lives on the north shore of Long Island with his wife, Wendy, and their spoiled dogs, Teddy and Kody.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Lata Gullapalli. Lata has seen firsthand how, when one woman gains financial independence, she lifts an entire community with her. What started for Lata as quiet, behind-the-scenes mentorship has now become a movement, spanning from rural India to the Middle East to the UK. With the right support, women who were once financially dependent are now building businesses, securing their futures, and rewriting their roles in society. Lata is an investment banker specializing in mergers and acquisitions, with over 25 years of experience in investment banking across South Asia, Russia and the U.K. She serves on five boards of both commercial and nonprofit companies as a non-executive Director and is the Chairperson of one of the companies listed on Nasdaq, while also playing a key role on their audit and renumeration committees. Lata is a recognized expert in mergers and acquisitions, financial restructuring and capital raising. She has designed innovative products for raising capital, set up and run startup companies, and developed strategy and finding plans. Her leadership has guided teams into joint ventures and taken a company public with an initial public offering. She holds an MBA from INSEAD in France and has extensive expertise in corporate law, financial strategy, taxation and economics. Beyond finance, Lata is also an award-winning author with published works in both fiction and nonfiction. Her writing has received excellent editorial reviews, and she is currently working on a long novel. Lata is a board member of a Trust primarily focused on education for underprivileged children and young people. She also advises on the restructuring and rebuilding of an institution that oversees more than 300 schools, and 26 institutes dedicated to supporting underprivileged youth. Additionally, she leads a mentorship program for women entrepreneurs in rural India which is now expanding to other countries. She has also designed and instructs a course on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and sustainable change for universities in Jordan. Plans are underway to roll out the mentorship program across multiple countries. Lata is deeply passionate about supporting underprivileged individuals, including but not limited to women, children and young people, in finding their own strength and power to go off and do what they dream about, whatever that may be. As a speaker and advocate, she actively promotes mentorship for women in senior leadership roles.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Joel Franks. On his daily commute from Westchester to New York City, Joel befriended a man—let's call him Ben—who seemed to have it all together. Confident and well-dressed, Ben earned close to a million dollars a year, yet he was financially stretched, juggling an expensive lifestyle. That's when Joel realized financial success isn't just about income. It's about behavior. Joel is the founder of FinWizdom and an adult financial literacy facilitator. He is an accomplished financial content developer, author, educator and trailblazer in applying behavioral finance to connect with an audience. With extensive financial marketing experience in banking, investments and insurance, he offers a unique perspective to financial literacy. In addition to consulting for financial industry pioneers and giants, he is an adjunct lecturer of Applied Behavioral Finance at NYU and Managerial Decision Making at CUNY. Joel is the host of the FinWizdom podcast series—an exploration of how your emotions influence your ability to manage money. He uses storytelling to explain investment concepts and various psychological biases that impact financial decision-making. Joel is also the award-winning author of Creating Wealth Starts with Financial Health, an international best seller and recipient of the 2024 EIFLE for Adults' Book of the Year. His mission is to help individuals and organizations recognize behavioral risks and learn how to accommodate, not ignore, them.

This episode brings you a raw, firsthand experience of a female start-up founder in the consumer-packaged goods – or CPG - space. Zoë Levin is our guest this week on Money Tales. Unlike digital startups that can scale at lightning speed, Zoë's company, Bim Bam Boo, faces a different reality, one where every roll of toilet paper requires strategic financial maneuvering. With investors chasing AI and capital for consumer goods in short supply, she's had to be resourceful, resilient, and relentless. But for Zoë, the stakes are even higher than just business success. After growing up in a household where financial volatility was the norm, she's determined to do things differently, ensuring that no matter how unpredictable entrepreneurship gets, her own family's stability is non-negotiable. In our conversation, Zoë shares the hard truths of raising capital, managing risk, and the lessons she carries forward from her father's high-stakes ventures. Zoë (AKA, “The Toilet Paper Queen”) is the CEO and founder of Bim Bam Boo, a tree-free paper company on a mission to wipe away deforestation. Her impact-driven leadership style has saved over 1.2 million pounds of trees. From Kickstarter to kicking-ass at grocery stores nationwide, she has navigated a 900% increase in growth and became the #1 selling tree-free toilet paper brand at Whole Foods.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Brett King. What if, in 50 years, money as we know it no longer exists? Futurist Brett King believes we're heading toward a world where artificial intelligence automates nearly everything from jobs to healthcare to supply chains. As AI disrupts industries at an unprecedented scale, traditional employment may no longer be the main way people earn a living. Universal Basic Income, once a radical idea, may become essential just to keep economies running. But if automation provides food, shelter, and healthcare as a default, will we even need money? Or will wealth become something entirely different? In today's episode of Money Tales, Brett takes us on a journey into the future of money and what it means for all of us. Brett King is an International Bestselling Author, a world- renowned futurist and media personality. President Xi Jinping cited his book Augmented. He has spoken in over 50 countries, given keynotes for TEDx, Wired, Techsauce, Singularity University, Web Summit, The Economist, IBM's World of Watson, CES, SIBOS and more. He has appeared on CNBC, BBC, ABC, Fox, and Bloomberg. He advised the Obama administration on Fintech. King hosts the world's #1 Fintech Radio Show/Podcast called Breaking Banks (180 countries, 6.5 million listeners). He is the founder of Moven, a globally recognized mobile start-up, which has raised over US$40 million to date, and launched the first in-app mobile bank account offered anywhere in the world. Banking Exchange named him the King of the Disruptors, he was nominated as American Banker's Innovator of the Year, voted the world's #1 Financial Services Influencer by The Financial Brand and listed by Bank Innovation as one of the top 10 "coolest brands in banking". King was shortlisted for the Advance Global Australian of the Year for being one of the most influential Australians offshore. His book "Augmented: Life in the Smart Lane", was a top-10 non-fiction book in North America. Bank 4.0 remained a global bestseller in banking more than 12 months after release. "The Rise of Technosocialism", his 7th book was released November 2021.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Bronson Hill. From delivering newspapers in the rain to earning $15 an hour in high school, Bronson learned early on that trading time for money wasn't the path to wealth. His real breakthrough came years later when Bronson realized money isn't just about the hours you work, it's a tool to create value, help others and transform lives. As the Managing Member of Bronson Equity, Bronson is a general partner in 2500 multifamily units worth over $250M. Bronson is the host of The Mailbox Money Show where he breaks down the investor mindset and has personally raised over $45M for real estate and his private equity deals. Bronson is the author of the best selling book, Fire Yourself; Replace Your Working Income with Passive Income in 3 Years or Less, and is a regular contributor to YouTube and his blog. Bronson is a regular keynote speaker and leads The Wealth Forum, an exclusive mastermind for affluent passive investors, providing unmatched investment opportunities within a growth-oriented community.  Bronson is a frequent guest on podcasts like the Best Ever Show with Joe Fairless and was a speaker at the large Limitless Conference with Ken McElroy.

This Money Tales episode is all about how the messages we learn in our youth and the experiences we have with money as we're growing up shape and orient our relationship to money. Our guest this week is Sue Bevan Baggott. Growing up with home haircuts and hand-sewn clothes, Sue learned early the value of frugality. But it was her and her husband's decision to live on one salary while investing the other that laid the groundwork for Sue to transition from corporate executive to purpose-driven angel investor working to close the gender gap in startup funding. As a human-centered Executive Advisor and Innovation Catalyst, Sue is passionate about empowering leaders to create positive impact, accelerate life-improving innovation and invest for impactful changes in our world. In her career journey from global innovation leader at Procter & Gamble (growing mega-brands from Pantene to Pampers), to Founder of Power Within Consulting, to “Accidental” Angel Investor and Startup Advisor, Sue learned to leverage the power of human-first strategies to accelerate leadership, innovation, business, and entrepreneurial success. Sue strives to unleash people's purpose-driven power as leaders, innovators, and investors to drive positive change – through her speaking, writing, consulting, and advisory/board roles. Through multiple early-stage funds, Sue invests in the change she wants to see in the world with a diverse portfolio of innovative startups solving significant world problems at scale. As an Associate Producer for the award-winning documentary, Show Her the Money, Sue advocates for greater inclusion in the startup world, aiming to encourage more people to invest for change and elevate entrepreneurial success for under-represented founders.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Avery Moore Kloss. Have you ever been in a place where you knew deep down something had to change, but fear kept holding you back? That's exactly where Avery found herself, watching her husband, an entrepreneur at heart, slowly lose his spark in the corporate grind post-pandemic. Avery candidly shares how she wrestled with the fear of losing financial stability, realizing that she was the one holding him back from his dreams. In this episode, we dive into the moment she finally said to her husband, 'Just quit the job. We'll figure it out.' Avery Moore Kloss is the founder and lead creator of Folktale Studio. As a journalist, educator, entrepreneur, podcast host and award-winning radio documentarian, Avery's passion is in helping others capture their stories through audio. With Folktale Studio, Avery is committed to helping up-and-coming digital storytellers create podcasts that connect their unique stories with the world. As the host of the podcast “Grown Up,” Avery dives deep into the unconventional career journeys of her guests, exploring how they've navigated the twists and turns of the working world. It's a show about finding your way—even if that way looks nothing like what you expected. When she's not crafting podcasts, Avery teaches Audio Storytelling at Wilfrid Laurier University, where she also serves as the Podcaster-in-Residence. In her classes and office hours, she empowers the next generation of digital storytellers to embrace creativity, curiosity, and authenticity in their work. Avery is a proud graduate of Carleton University's School of Journalism and Communications, holding a combined honours degree in Journalism and History. Her storytelling journey began as a casual Associate Producer at CBC Ottawa before taking her to Portland, Maine, to study radio documentary at The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies (now part of the Maine College of Art). It was there that Avery discovered the art of long-form audio storytelling, a love that continues to shape her career. Her dedication to storytelling excellence earned her the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award in 2011 for “My Name is Meth,” an in-depth series exploring the growing crystal meth crisis in rural Ontario. Avery lives in Paris, Ontario, with her husband and daughter. When she's not behind the mic, you can find her enjoying the simple joys of small-town life, dreaming up her next big story, or sharing quiet moments with family.

This episode of Money Tales is all about how our self-worth can get deeply entangled in our work that we get so caught up in what we do for a living that we lose touch with who we are as an individual. Our guest this week is Ashley Paré. As an HR insider with access to tech's most guarded secrets - C-suite dynamics, salary data, and negotiation playbooks - Ashley started her career fearlessly advocating for her worth. As she said, "I had bills, I was valuable, I had an education - why not ask?" But the higher Ashley climbed, the more the corporate world's unwritten rules and fear of consequences weighed her down. When she finally made her "infamous ask" for a raise, channeling the bold moves she'd coached countless colleagues through, it backfired. Ashley's boss wasn't just saying no - he was angry she'd even asked. That moment sparked Ashley's mission to help people reclaim that early fearlessness and master the art of negotiation. Ashley Paré is the CEO & Founder of Own Your Worth®. She's helped thousands of women grow careers on their own terms by being authentic in tough conversations, building bridges through negotiation, and trusting “no” is not the end. As an Executive Coach & Keynote Speaker, Ashley gives clients the tools to own their worth in order to create wealth, power and impact. Ashley is a TEDx Speaker with more than a decade of corporate experience in global Human Resources. She's been featured in The New York Times, Glamour, CNN Money, Good Morning America and more. She resides with her husband and two sons in Boston, MA. You can connect with her on Instagram @Iamashleypare and learn more about her work at https://ashleypare.com/.  

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Anthony Thomson, who also goes by his initials “AT”. Anthony is a marketing professional who transitioned into entrepreneurial banking with one key belief: the power of data to create opportunity. Athony tells us a heartwarming story about a Metro Bank initiative that made banking exciting for kids: coin-counting machines that turned their loose change into a guessing game with prizes. This is a conversation about how small innovations can make a big difference and how Anthony has brought that mindset into his incredible career evolution. Anthony is at heart, a marketer, who believes passionately that profit should be the by-product of giving the customer a better product, service or experience. He has built, scaled and exited multi-million-dollar fintech businesses in the UK and Australia. He is currently co-founder and chair of archie, a global growth accelerator for fintechs, a non-executive director of Wio Bank in the UAE and ekko A UK based international business that empowers financial services companies to integrate sustainability. Previously, Anthony was Founder and CEO of Europe's largest financial services specialist agency, which sold to Publicis. He was also the Founder and former chairman of two of the UK's leading challenger banks, Metro Bank (with a market cap of over $5 billion) and atom bank (with a market cap of over $1 billion), and the co-Founder and chair of 86 400, Australia's first smart bank (acquired by National Australia Bank for over $440m). He is co-author (with Lucian Camp) of No small change, why financial services needs better marketing, published by Wiley. From 2011 to 2014 he served as visiting professor to London Metropolitan University Business School. He also served as the David Goldman Visiting Professor of business innovation and enterprise at Newcastle University Business School from 2017 to 2018. When he's not working, Anthony collects wine and guitars and races cars. Not all at the same time.  

This episode is all about the unwavering search for purpose and fulfillment. Hugh Massie is our guest this week on Money Tales. From accountant to behavioral specialist, Hugh realized that what truly drives financial decisions isn't just the numbers; it's the human behavior behind the numbers. From observing patterns in how people act under pressure to bringing in a behavioral psychologist to decode money habits, Hugh's story is about blending expertise with empathy. He even uprooted his life to build a groundbreaking system in the U.S., all to help people understand their own financial DNA. Hugh is the Executive Chairman and Founder of DNA Behavior International – the Behavior and Money Insights Company. As a Titan 100 CEO and widely recognized Behavioral Solutions Architect, Hugh addresses every opportunity and challenge from the proven perspective of “behavior makes money”. With his unique analytical approach, Hugh helps growth-minded leaders create an Exponential Future by building “category king” people-centric businesses, and in the process, enhance financial decision-making, culture and performance. Hugh's purpose is to empower people worldwide to optimize the alignment of their natural “hardwired” talents and financial behaviors to make quantum leaps for creating an Exponential Future with reduced stress, thereby enabling greater happiness, more success and improved health for longer.  Applying the pioneering behavioral finance research Hugh has undertaken since 2001, his moonshot goal is to commercialize DNA Behavior' AI-driven BeSci Tech Platform so that by 2030 fully it informs over 1 billion people annually on how to enhance their decision-making and relationships for increasing life, financial and business longevity by 30 or more years. Hugh partners with clients to create an Exponential Future by developing trail-blazing financial behavior apps for building the “New BeFi Economy” impacting all key areas of life, finance and business.

In this episode of Money Tales, we sit down with bestselling author, Daniel Pink, who shares the bold decisions that transformed his life and career. At a pivotal moment in his early 30s, Dan made the choice to leave his job as a political speechwriter to pursue his passion for writing. His leap of faith wasn't blind. With his wife's support, careful planning, and a frugal mindset, Dan charted a rational path through uncertainty, balancing existential and financial risks. Dan is the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including his latest, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward. His other books include the New York Times bestsellers When and A Whole New Mind — as well as the #1 New York Times bestsellers Drive and To Sell is Human. Dan's books have won multiple awards, have been translated into 46 languages, and have sold millions of copies around the world. He lives in Washington, DC, with his family.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Sara Eversden. Sara grew up in a neighborhood where labels like 'the lower-income side of town' were casually tossed around. But for her, it wasn't about what her family didn't have, it was about what they gained. In a community rich with diversity, both socioeconomically and racially, Sara developed a deep comfort and appreciation for being in all kinds of environments. That early exposure shaped how she navigates the world today, including her relationship with money and identity. Sara Eversden is a leader in healthcare finance, and operations with over two decades of experience driving success for physician organizations and medical groups across the U.S. As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with a master's in healthcare administration, Sara has a proven track record of optimizing organizational performance, transforming complex organizations, and leading high-performing teams. Currently serving as Senior Vice President of Women & Children's Operations at Envision Healthcare, Sara manages a multi-state portfolio spanning 15 states, 70 hospitals, and 500+ clinicians. Previously, Sara held pivotal roles such as Market President & CEO at Women's Health USA, where she integrated multiple practices post-acquisition, and as a CFO within McKesson's US Oncology Network, where she spearheaded financial strategies for Network practices. Sara's expertise spans startups, turnarounds, post-merger integrations, and complex reorganizations, making her uniquely positioned to navigate challenging healthcare environments. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Sara is passionate about empowering the next generation of leaders through education and service. She is a former board member at the National Charity League and co-founded a nonprofit aimed at providing college scholarships to high school graduates from underserved populations. A four-time participant in the Phoenix Rock ‘n' Roll Half Marathon, Sara is also an avid adventurer, having completed the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim trek three times.

Today's Money Tales episode is about purpose. Purpose is something we often talk about on Money Tales because, in our experience, when people align their relationship with money to their purpose, they make more satisfying and confident money decisions. Dr. Jordan Grumet joins us again on Money Tales. Since we last spoke with him, Jordan has been spending a lot of time talking and speaking about purpose. When he shared his message about purpose with audiences, he encountered something surprising: people weren't leaving inspired, they felt anxious. This “purpose anxiety,” as Jordan calls it, comes from society's obsession with what he dubs, “Big P Purpose”, the idea that happiness lies in discovering some grand, singular mission in life. Jordan invites us to embrace “Little p purpose” instead. It's about finding joy in the everyday; the simple things we love doing, the processes that light us up. By focusing on these small, tactile joys, we can take the weight off the search for “Big P” purpose and make it something approachable, fulfilling, and even fun. Jordan, born in Evanston, Illinois in 1973, found the spark to become a doctor after a deeply personal event reshaped his life's trajectory. The unexpected loss of his father, an oncologist, ignited a passion within him to practice medicine and instilled a unique vantage point that later melded seamlessly with his financial expertise. This convergence of roles has spurred him to explore profound notions like wealth, abundance, and financial independence with a thoughtful and critical lens. Completing his studies at the University of Michigan, Jordan earned his medical degree from Northwestern University before embarking on a journey in Internal Medicine in Northbrook, Illinois. Presently, he serves as an associate medical director at Unity Hospice. With a profound understanding of both medicine and finance, Jordan unveiled his thoughts through blogging, specifically focusing on financial independence and wellness. This passion culminated in the launch of the Earn & Invest podcast in 2018. His dedication bore fruit in 2019 when he was honored with the Plutus Award for Best New Personal Finance Podcast, followed by consecutive nominations for Best Personal Finance Podcast of the year in 2020 and 2021. In August 2022, Jordan's literary pursuit took shape as his book, Taking Stock: A Hospice Doctor's Advice on Financial Independence, Building Wealth, and Living a Regret-Free Life was published by Ulysses Press. His second book, The Purpose Code, will be published January 2025 by Harriman House Press. Jordan's journey intertwines medical insight and financial wisdom, resonating deeply with those seeking a balanced, meaningful life. Click here to listen to our first episode with Jordan.

This episode of Money Tales is about grit and pushing yourself and others forward. We're joined by Shira Yevin, a fearless disruptor who's never been afraid to challenge the status quo. When she noticed a glaring lack of women on stage at the Vans Warped music tour, she didn't just ask questions. Shira took bold action. Crashing the festival in a pink RV with her band, Shira ultimately created a platform that showcased over 300 female-fronted bands, including legends like Paramore and Joan Jett, and earned a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Shira is on a mission to empower female freelancers and transform male-dominated industries. Shira is the visionary founder and CEO of Gritty In Pink which is revolutionizing the music industry through her groundbreaking marketplace, INPINK. This platform empowers women and gender-expansive creators with employment opportunities, providing a space to showcase their talents, connect with employers, and secure fair pay. Backed by Live Nation Women and advisors like Melissa Etheridge, INPINK is a testament to her relentless pursuit of gender equality. Shira's influential work, recognized in reputable publications such as TechCrunch, Forbes, Billboard, NPR, and The New York Times, and her role as a recognized speaker at major events like SXSW, Music Ally Next, and New York Tech Week are a testament to her relentless pursuit of gender equality that drives transformative change across industries.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Ashli Sims. Ashli is a reporter turned nonprofit fundraiser, who takes us into the complex world of asking for support. Ashli's current journey began with a Kickstarter campaign to fund a storytelling project in Tanzania, where the ask was clear and the purpose was powerful. But when her career evolved into professional fundraising, the stakes got higher, and so did the challenges. Ashli shares how she learned to focus on impact rather than the dollars, reframing what it means to ask for help in a way that connects people to purpose. Ashli Sims is a storyteller who breaks down barriers and opens doors so Black entrepreneurs can build wealth for themselves, their families, and future generations. She has twenty years of experience, working as a news reporter, an advocate for vulnerable children, a fundraiser and a nonprofit leader. She's a graduate of Northwestern University and has a certificate in Nonprofit Management from the Oklahoma Center of Nonprofits. Ashli has raised more than $16 Million for four different organizations. She joined the Build in Tulsa team in April of 2021, charged with helping raise money for the effort, before she was promoted to lead the initiative in February of 2022. Since Build in Tulsa launched operations two and a half years ago, the network has grown to include 400 entrepreneurs, facilitating more than 10,000 hours of training and coaching and investing $10.5 Million with underrepresented founders. Ashli is an Aspen Institute 2023 Health Communities Fellow and serves on the board of 36 Degrees North in Tulsa and a community pantry and soup kitchen, Iron Gate. She's been featured in Forbes, Essence, and Fortune. As Managing Director of Build in Tulsa, Ashli is helping reclaim the narrative: Black Wall Street is not a history lesson, but a blueprint. She believes the next Black-led billion-dollar company will be based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Patrick Grimes. Patrick thought he had struck gold with a high-risk, high-reward pre-development real estate project that promised big returns. But 2009 hit, and instead of achieving riches, he lost it all: the property was foreclosed, the IRS came calling and Patrick was left to rebuild from scratch. In today's episode, Patrick shares the hard-earned lessons that reshaped his entire financial philosophy to one of cautious leverage and diversification. Patrick is CEO and Founder of Passive Investing Mastery. Since 2007, Patrick has actively engaged in diverse alternative investments, including nearly 5,000 multifamily units and roles in commercial lending and energy. He is an international bestselling co-author of the Amazon #1 best-sellers ‘Persistence, Pivots, and Game Changers,' and ‘Persuasive Leadership,' also a Barnes & Noble #1 Best-Seller.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Amanda Heyman. Amanda went from journalism to a career in law, driven by a mission to serve the public interest and champion social justice. Then, life took a surprising turn when she and her husband saw a golden opportunity in fantasy soccer. Moving to a venture-backed business focused on growth and profit was a major pivot. Together, they co-founded Starting 11, a fantasy sports app that combined her husband's 30,000-hour passion for fantasy sports with Amanda's network and startup savvy. But stepping into the world of capitalism brought new challenges, like pitching for venture capital, raising funds, and weighing their financial goals against their principles. Amanda shares how she navigated this shift in mindset, balanced personal values with business ambition and managed the unique pressures of being in business with her husband. Amanda is co-founder and Managing Partner of Tundra Ventures, a pre-seed venture fund investing in companies focused on health, wealth and resilience solutions with 1) exquisite founder-market fit and 2) unique insight into untapped markets and overlooked end users. Prior to founding Tundra, Amanda spent four years as a Founding Partner at Lunar Startups, a Twin Cities-based accelerator designed to supercharge high-potential startup companies founded by diverse CEOs. Amanda created her own proprietary system of business milestones linked to a curated digital platform that helped 75 Lunar cohort companies create a strong foundation for scale. Amanda has taken her proprietary system to Tundra Ventures, where it forms the backbone of Tundra's founder support platform. In addition to her 10+ years of experience as an attorney for startups, Amanda is a seasoned entrepreneur. She co-founded and served as General Counsel for a venture-backed global sports technology company; prior to that she co-founded a boutique law firm focused on natural food startup companies. Amanda further developed expertise in the food and agriculture sphere as an international expert on organic agriculture for the United Nations in Mauritius, a Fellow in Practice at the Vermont Law School Center for Agriculture and Food Systems and a staff attorney at a national nonprofit law firm serving family farm businesses. Amanda has also handled FEMA appeals for Hurricane Katrina survivors, managed an online news network at a Boston digital media startup (acquired by MTV) and won awards for her newspaper reporting in Wisconsin and New Mexico. Amanda has served as an advisor and board member to various startup support organizations, including Forge North, The Nice Center at NDSU and Minnesota Cup. She was named a 2021 and 2020 Minnesota Rising Star by Super Lawyers/Thomson Reuters, a 2017 MN Cup High Tech Division Winner and a 2015 Women in Business award winner by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Amanda holds a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and earned a B.S. in Journalism and a Certificate in Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After many years living near the best lake in Minneapolis, she currently resides in the Bay Area with her husband and young daughter.

This episode of Money Tales is about how education, employment and financial freedom are not as closely linked in the US today as they've been in the past. Stephanie Van Putten, our guest on the podcast, is a Stanford and MIT grad who followed all the "rules" for success in America— only to discover the game had changed. Stephanie challenges the long-held belief that education and hard work automatically lead to financial freedom. As a Black woman in tech, she navigated complex layers of bias and confronted pay disparities at tech giants like Microsoft, and later witnessed the uneven playing field of venture capital firsthand. Stephanie's journey reveals an uncomfortable truth: even with elite credentials, the path to building wealth is not as straightforward as it once was. Stephanie Van Putten a is a founder, technologist and activist that has been featured in The Atlantic, MIT Tech Review, NY Times, Fortune, Forbes and Bloomberg to name a few.  Stephanie's career spans two decades working in SaaS, consulting, startups and venture capital: Microsoft, Deloitte, TripAdvisor, Blendoor and the Equity Alliance. Stephanie is currently a trustee at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), guest lecturer and the executive director of Visible Figures: executive network and platform for high profile women leaders across the African diaspora. She has a BS in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University, an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and an Alpine Level I Certification from Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA).

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Laurel Mintz. Laurel is a powerhouse entrepreneur and venture capitalist whose journey with money and leadership began in an extraordinary way. At just 26, Laurel took on the role of interim CEO in her family's business during a time of crisis. Suddenly responsible for a team of 60, she quickly discovered the company was over-leveraged and in need of a major turnaround—a daunting challenge for anyone, let alone a young professional new to the role. Laurel calls this chapter her first real “money journey,” and it was a trial by fire that shaped her approach to business, leadership, and, most importantly, financial resilience. With a J.D/M.B.A from Rutgers University and over 15 years running an award-winning marketing agency, Laurel Mintz is uniquely positioned to lead a fund like Fabric VC. Laurel has worked with more than 200 companies in the CPG and technology spaces, from startups to blue-chip global brands like Facebook, Verizon Digital Media, Geico, PAW Patrol and Zendesk. Her Board of Directors work and extraordinarily networked presence with organizations like Women Founders Network, Los Angeles Venture Association, Reuters and Women Business Enterprise National Council provides no shortage of relevant deal flow.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Robert Heil. Robert and his wife organically built their own financial plan through open conversations about money. Early in their marriage, they realized that despite earning more, they weren't making progress toward their goals. This motivated them to align their values, set financial priorities and craft a plan that worked for their family. Robert reflects on the power of those conversations, how they shaped their family's lives, and the lasting impact of a financial plan rooted in what matters most to them. Robert Heil is the CEO of Financial Aid Services (FAS) a higher education consulting firm specializing in financial strategies, operational efficiencies, and tech-enabled financial aid services for colleges and universities.  Under Robert's leadership the company is experiencing transformational growth by leveraging industry-leading expertise with a mission to make higher education more affordable and accessible.  The firm's deep commitment to client success has positioned FAS as the industry leader in financial aid operations for colleges and universities. Robert's career spans over 25 years generating growth for organizations and their clients.  Prior to FAS, Robert held senior executive roles at private equity backed companies like RuffaloCODY, Everspring and Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL) where he consistently created innovative solutions for clients while generating exponential growth and value for the companies he led. Known for his foresight on emerging trends in both business and higher education, Robert is a respected thought leader and a genuine, values-driven leader. Robert is a graduate of Abilene Christian University and serves on several corporate advisory boards. He lives in Atlanta, GA, with his family.

This week's episode of Money Tales is all about angel investing. We're joined by Marcia Dawood, and she's on a powerful mission to make early-stage investing accessible to everyone. This investing purpose became apparent to Marcia when her mother was diagnosed with ALS, a devastating disease. Marcia knew she wanted to drive change that could find cures and solutions to the world's biggest challenges. While she didn't have billions to invest, Marcia discovered angel investing as a way to support entrepreneurs tackling the causes that mattered most to her. Many people think angel investing is only for the wealthy, and it can be intimidating. But Marcia sees it as an opportunity to educate and empower. Marcia Dawood is an early-stage investor who serves on the Securities and Exchange Commission's Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. She is a venture partner with Mindshift Capital, a member of Golden Seeds, and the chair emeritus of the Angel Capital Association (ACA), a global professional society for angel investors. She is the author of Do Good While Doing Well, Invest for Change, Reap Financial Rewards, and Increase Your Happiness, which will be released in September 2024. She is also an associate producer on the award-winning documentary Show Her the Money. A TEDx speaker and the host of The Angel Next Door podcast, Marcia walks the talk and holds investments in over fifty early-stage companies and funds. She is committed to expanding support for diverse companies that overcome the world's biggest problems and accelerate positive change. She is passionate about bridging the gap from early-stage inception to building thriving, profitable companies. Previously, Marcia worked in sales, marketing, and operations for Kaplan Education for over sixteen years. She received an MBA from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School. Marcia currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, Izzy, and she feels lucky to be the stepmom to three amazing sons.

In this episode of Money Tales, we explore how trust and relationships form the true foundation of wealth. Our guest is David Homan. Early in his career, David experienced a defining moment when he was leading a philanthropic organization that suffered significant losses from Bernie Madoff's Ponzi Scheme. Thrust into a financial and emotional crisis that was not of his own making, David had to rebuild trust with donors and other stakeholders while at the same time navigating the complexities of bankruptcy law. His experience reshaped how David views success which is not just in terms of money, but in the relationships and trust that truly sustain us. David Homan is a “connector of connectors” and the founder of Orchestrated Connecting, a private community of impact focused givers whose networks span the world. He has partnered with many prestigious family offices and investors, speaking on impact and relationship value. With a forthcoming book and a newly launched start-up around connection, he is dedicated to tackling climate change, mental health, health equity, supporting the arts--among other passions and in building a diverse world of “givers” to align capital to improve outcomes for all. He is also a working classical composer and proud father of two.

What happens when you realize that working harder is not the answer? Alexandria Butler, widely known as Lexi B, is our guest this week on Money Tales. Lexi B talks about her exhausting years of juggling two jobs just to stay afloat, and how a surprising layoff became the wake-up call she needed. Lexi B decided she was done trying to do this alone and sought advice from a financial advisor. Understanding her goals helped Lexi B break free from financial stress, focus on her priorities and start building wealth. Lexi B is a sought-after figure in the tech industry, renowned for her transformative work and exceptional ability to cultivate executive leadership and promote workplace equity. With an extensive background at prominent Silicon Valley tech, Lexi B elevated her mission of empowering professionals to new heights by launching a podcast, Sit with Lexi B. This groundbreaking repository serves as a powerful medium for celebrating and discussing the transferable skills that are essential for building the professional life individuals aspire to have. Lexi B's reputation as a sought-after speaker and workplace culture commentator has earned her numerous invitations to share her profound insights and wisdom with organizations of all sizes, as well as prestigious publications such as Tenable, Pearson, Diginomica, CBS and more. Bringing her unique blend of entertainment and expertise to the table, Lexi B is poised to revolutionize the way corporate entities approach professional growth and development.  

Ever feel stuck in a financial rut? This week's guest, Ruth King, knows that struggle intimately. In this episode of Money Tales, Ruth opens up about how desperation to escape being broke only made things worse—the more she focused on not being broke, the more it consumed her. But everything changed when Ruth started writing 25 affirmations every morning. By shifting her mindset though these daily mantras toward success, and away from fear, Ruth began to see her financial reality transform. Ruth is well known as the “Profit and Wealth Guru.” She has a passion for helping businesses get and stay profitable utilizing the latest systems, processes and technology. Ruth holds an MBA in Finance from Georgia State University and Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively. Ruth started the Decatur, Georgia branch of the Small Business Development Center in 1982.  She also started the Women's Entrepreneurial Center and taught a year-long course for women who wanted to start their own businesses.  This course was the foundation for one of the classes at the Women's Economic Development Authority in Atlanta, Georgia. More recently Ruth was the instructor for ICE, the Inner City Entrepreneur program in conjunction with the Small Business Administration. This 16-week course taught business owners with at least $400,000 in revenues (and many had over $1,000,000 in revenues) how to grow to the next level. A large part of the curriculum was aimed at improving the financial knowledge of the business owners enrolled in the course. Her latest book, 101 Dumb Financial Mistakes Business Owners Make and How to Avoid Them, joins 5 other award winning books: The Courage to be Profitable, Profit or Wealth?, The Ugly Truth about Cash and The Ugly Truth about Managing People. Ruth has also been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal Radio Network, the Big Biz Show, and many regional and local radio programs. She has appeared on MSNBC's It's Your Money program, Fox San Diego, and many other local television stations. Ruth has spoken internationally on financial topics for Kohler, Carrier Corporation, Safeguard (division of Deluxe), and many other corporations and national, state and local associations.

We recorded this Money Tales episode live, on-stage at Future Proof Festival. Our guest is Chelsey Goodan, author of the bestseller book UNDERESTIMATED: The Power and Wisdom of Teenage Girls (Gallery Books.) Chelsey discusses her early lessons from her parents, which have shaped her lifelong relationship with money, and how she balanced finances while pursuing a Hollywood career. By creatively taking on a side hustle as a tutor to teenage girls, she experienced so much with her students. Now, as a successful author and advocate, she's helping the rising generation of young women understand that money isn't just a “boys' club.” Chelsey's mission is all about making girls feel empowered which includes taking control of their financial futures. Chelsey's book Underestimated: The Wisdom and Power of Teenage Girls has been endorsed by Oprah's Book Club, saying: “If you have a teenage girl in your life, you need to read this.” Amazon's Editorial Director chose UNDERESTIMATED as her "Editor's Pick, Best Nonfiction,” featuring it on CBS Mornings, and when Chelsey was on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, they exclaimed: "We couldn't stop talking about your book." Chelsey has been a mentor and empowerment coach to teenage girls for 16 years. She speaks regularly to audiences about gender justice, conducts workshops, and serves as the mentorship director of DemocraShe, which supports and guides girls from underserved communities into leadership positions. As a keynote speaker, Chelsey teaches communication strategies that make everyone feel seen, heard, understood, valued, and celebrated, creating psychological safety for everyone from teenage girls to CEOs. She is also a board member for A Call to Men, a national gender-based violence prevention nonprofit that educates men and boys about healthy masculinity. Featured in TIME Magazine, Oprah Daily, and NBC News, Chelsey's passion to explore humanity's potential for authenticity, liberation, and empowerment permeates all her work. Learn more at www.chelseygoodan.com.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Lisa Morales-Hellebo. This episode is all about the will and drive of a young Latina to rebel against cultural norms and prove to herself and the world that, by playing by her own rules, she can accomplish whatever she puts her mind to. Lisa grew up as member of the only brown family in an affluent neighborhood, facing relentless racism that put a chip on her shoulder and sparked an unyielding determination. Now, Lisa is using that drive to take on refashioning the $3 trillion end-to-end industrial value chain. After turning down millions from Silicon Valley investors who didn't understand her vision, she's leading a revolution to invest in brown women and overlooked innovators. Lisa has 28 years in tech, design and systems thinking, entrepreneurship, and community building, and has recently added VC to her list of titles as Founder & Co-Managing GP at REFASHIOND Ventures: the Industrial Transformation Fund  — a NY-based venture fund that invests as the first institutional check in early-stage startups refashioning industrial value chains across Data & AI, Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing, and Next Generation Logistics; defensible through economic moats. Lisa has always been obsessed with how things are made and pioneered mass-customization, personalization, and on-demand micromanufacturing for P&G in Silicon Valley in 1999 at a company called Reflect.com. Lisa is catalyzing the paradigm shift to localized demand chains as CEO and Founder of REFASHIOND OS (rOS), which is deploying a unified Data Layer & Control Tower across manufacturing value chains. She is also a founder of The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation, an organization that is changing how supply chain professionals learn about, collaborate, and adopt early-stage supply chain innovation around the world. Lisa is a Carnegie Mellon University alum with University Honors, Techstars alum, founded & built the New York Fashion Tech Lab, serves on the board of 3 other accelerators, has been featured in numerous publications along with 2 books, and has been the recipient of several awards; including Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine's Top Woman in Supply Chain 2022, Top 100 Women in Supply Chain 2020, 2021, 2022, & 2023; and WWD's Most Influential ESG Leaders 2023.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Kian Seah. This episode is all about recycling. Recycling materials, re-cycling money, re-cycling opportunities, and re-cycling lives. Kian shares an incredible story of transforming family shame into pride and success. Kian grew up in a household where the entire family participated in recycling other people's used items to get by. At the time, recycling was seen as a ‘dirty' job – one his parents asked him to hide from others. Decades later, Kian and his siblings have turned that same recycling work into one of Malaysia's largest companies, creating immense value by giving discarded plastics and other materials a new life. Kian is the founder and managing director of Heng Hiap Industries (HHI). Established since 2002, HHI is a fully integrated plastic recycling company, being the FIRST company in the world to receive Ocean Bound Plastic Certification co-developed by NGO Zero Plastic Oceans and Control Union. Having developed Smart Plastics to address plastic manufacturers' need for high quality, customized recycled plastic resin, Kian also designed the Smart Factory in Johor Bahru from the ground up. The factory is GBI-certified (“Green Building Index”) Gold and is now producing PLASHAUS Ocean Plastic while implementing a full track-and-trace program that directly addresses plastic consumers' concerns about marine pollution. HHI Smart Plastics has reached the shores of 38 countries globally including China, Japan, Australia, India, and multiple countries in Europe, meeting customers' high-performance standards and stringent requirements in quality. In the last 18 years, Kian and HHI have won multiple accolades for business leadership and product innovation – the more notable ones being: the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) in the World in the category of environmental leadership (2013), The Edge newspaper of Malaysia named him “The Michelangelo of Recycling” (2018) and most recently, Frost and Sullivan awarded HHI “2020 Malaysia Smart Waste Solutions Technology Innovation Award”.

What happens when a child learns they are 'worth' $80 every two weeks? Today on Money Tales, our guest is Melissa Ripp, an entrepreneur who reflects on how her childhood experiences—like learning the amount her dad paid in child support—deeply shaped her relationship with money. We'll explore how those early lessons influenced her entrepreneurial journey and her drive for financial independence. This conversation goes deep into the emotional side of money and the lasting impact of those early money moments. Melissa “Mel” Ripp is an engaging keynote speaker, proud entrepreneur, and passionate Wisconsinite who believes that everyone—no matter where they're from, what they do, or who they do it for—has something incredible to offer the world. With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit and corporate marketing and communications, Mel has guided several organizations in a variety of niches and industries—performing arts and music, historic preservation, tourism, K-12 education and education technology, manufacturing, insurance and finance, healthcare, and social services in telling their stories and communicating their “whys” to their audiences. Jumping into full-time entrepreneurship six years ago, Mel is the founder and CEO of Peapod Marketing & PR Consulting, a marketing and thought leadership consultancy that works to elevate the ideas and perspectives of women executives and entrepreneurs by helping them develop an authentic platform for their expertise through messaging development, social media and content creation, and public relations strategies. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in English with a Creative Writing emphasis and a Communication Arts degree with an emphasis in Radio, Film, and Television production. When she's not working with clients or dreaming up her next big idea, Mel is probably hanging out with her two biggest fans—husband Zack and cat Poseidon, driving with the music cranked down a country road in her home of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, or buying yet another houseplant for her office. Houseplant count: 43.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Mark Shiller. What happens when your kids start worrying about money…and you have no idea why? Mark and his wife have four children, each at that pivotal stage in their early twenties. The couple noticed an interesting trend: their kids were stressing about money, worrying more than expected. It wasn't because of anything Mark or his wife had said or done, so where was this anxiety coming from? As Mark unpacked these unexpected fears, he stumbled upon some surprising revelations about how unspoken expectations and societal pressures can shape our financial mindsets, often in ways we don't realize. Mark is an attorney, author, speaker, and family wealth counselor who works with individuals, couples and families on accomplishing positive wealth stewardship. He has leveraged his creativity and desire to work collaboratively with clients and their advisors to develop thoughtful, tailored approaches to even the most complicated personal, tax and financial planning challenges. His deeper engagements tend involve the identification and leveraging of a family's personal, financial and moral capital to inform and direct multi-generational planning goals. Success in this effort is not just measured in taxes avoided, but in the quality of a family's “Next Gens” and their effective and efficient succession of ownership and management of family businesses and wealth. Mark is also the author of the recently released book – How to Not Ruin Your Kids with Money.  It's a conversational, accessible, deep-dive into managing wealth within family's well – and a great springboard into conversations within your own family. The book is an outgrowth of his work and one of his most highly regarded keynotes on the subject. Not only are his presentations considered practical and actionable, but they are always made more enjoyable with the humor Mark has honed in his 20-year plus career as a professional improv comedian with the national improv comedy troupe, Fish Sticks Comedy.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Naseem Sayani. This episode is about seeing gaps in an industry and taking bold action to close them. Naseem was at the forefront of digital strategy, launching a product studio within a global consulting firm. She built startups from the ground up and noticed a disturbing pattern: the capital wasn't diverse, the founders weren't diverse, and the products being created weren't serving women. As one of only two female partners out of 45 worldwide, she knew something had to change. When her own fertility journey collided with these realizations, Naseem drew a line in the sand. Now, she's channeling her expertise into Emmeline Ventures, a seed-stage fund investing in tech and innovation that are helping women live, thrive, and prosper. Naseem is Co-Founder and General Partner at Emmeline Ventures, a seed-stage fund investing across healthcare, financial services, and sustainability, specifically where technology and innovation are helping women live and thrive. The fund has 23 companies in its portfolio, including Alloy Women's Health, LunaJoy, WealthMore, and The Beans. Naseem's investing and business-building experience comes from 20+ years in executive leadership roles across management consulting, agency services, venture incubators, a corporate venture capital firm, and an active angel investor. She and her partners launched Emmeline Ventures with a deliberate focus on investing in solutions that unlock the spending power of women and expanding the 2% of venture capital that currently goes to female founders. Naseem has an MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business, where she was awarded the Dean's Leadership Award two years running, and a BA from UCLA in Business Economics, where she graduated cum laude.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is B. Pagels-Minor. B. graduated college in 2008 and quickly landed a lucrative consulting job. But when the economy crashed, B. ended up working as a barista and then as a store manager at Target. They entered the role at Target with a lot of confidence. B. quickly learned that leadership isn't about being the smartest; it's about earning your team's respect. If the team doesn't follow you, it's you who will go. After Target, B. faced multiple near-disasters while experimenting with different roles and companies, trying to find what best suited their skills. This mindset of trial and error proved vital in navigating their career journey. B. is a distinguished award-winning product strategist, acclaimed podcast host within the Top 25% on Spotify, seasoned startup advisor, investor, and performance coach. As a highly regarded thought leader in product management and agile technologies, B. has steered international product teams at Fortune 100 and FAANG companies. With over a decade of service as a non-profit director, B. has driven large-scale technological and business strategy transformations across historically complex industries such as healthcare, software, and finance. Throughout an illustrious career, B. has supported revenue generation exceeding $20 billion and delivered exponential investor value. Recognized for a proven track record, B. is an experienced and growth-focused professional known for spearheading the development and execution of business, product, and culture strategies and operating as a qualified financial expert across board roles. Adept at identifying product-market fit and driving efficient scaling, key competencies include business development, product management, safety & regulatory compliance, revenue & margins growth, and cross-functional collaboration. Currently, B. operates in the startup ecosystem as an investor and trusted advisor. B. has helped their startups successfully raise hundreds of millions of dollars and nurtured companies from pre-seed to seed and from seed and beyond. B. was recruited into and led the listening team at Sprout Social and then led the acquisition and integration of a chief competitor, Simply Measured, effectively positioning the company for its final round of funding that ultimately led to a multibillion-dollar exit. B. was then recruited to the team at Apple to help lead the agile transformation for the App Store Developer Tools team and owned the experience and quality of App Store Connect, the front door to the App Store. Under B.'s leadership, App Store Connect was overhauled entirely to dramatically increase the speed and efficacy of various tooling to increase the number of apps submitted substantially and approved each day while increasing the overall satisfaction score of the product by three basis points in 2 quarters. B's success with overhauling the systems led to an opportunity to lead quality of the App Store Connect product, ownership of the App Store Connect App, and ownership of regulatory and compliance programs. B. led the integration of GDPR into the App Store, the overhaul of the App review process to support the Korea and Brazil Age Verification requirements, and also owned the relationship between App Store legal and the App Store team, including being the translator between legal and tech teams due to their experience having attended law school. The overall changes to the App Store improved relationships across critical partners like Microsoft and EA and helped the App Store exceed $60BN in revenue. Later, B. was recruited to lead the product function for finance and membership data for Netflix. Chief responsibilities included SOX compliance and ownership; reporting to finance, audit, and various finance and tax regulators; and principally responsible for helping develop insights to help supercharge Netflix's ability to right size content value and cost. Earlier, B.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Dr. Donna Marino. When it comes to money, there's always more we can do to learn about its nuances and complexities to build the relationship we want with it. Dr. Donna shares her personal stories that bring this theme to life. On September 11th, 2001, her life changed forever when, at just 25, she lost her father in the 9/11 attack. As she and her siblings grappled with grief, they faced the overwhelming task of settling their father's estate. This included navigating the complexities and controversies of the 9/11 Victim's Compensation Fund. With a considerable amount of money from this, Dr. Donna had to quickly learn how to manage her finances. Initially relying on her brother for guidance, she eventually took control of her financial decisions. Dr. Donna is a distinguished Family Business Executive Coach with over two decades of experience as a psychologist, specializing in helping family businesses resolve conflicts, develop leadership talent, navigate transitions, and build high-performing teams. Her profound expertise in human behavior, family dynamics, and organizational systems uniquely positions her to address the specific challenges and strengths of family enterprises. As a part-time faculty member at Loyola University Family Business Center, sought-after speaker and author, featured by TEDx and Fast Company, Dr. Donna brings unparalleled insights and practical strategies to her clients. Discover the transformative impact of her coaching, in her acclaimed book "Unleash the Wise Leader in You! A Women's Guide to Leadership," and her podcast "Courageous Conflict," available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Albert Shakhnazarov. Albert's Money Tales are about the importance of having confidence in yourself and truly believing that you are worthy of living a successful life. Born in a refugee camp in Moscow, Russia and spending his early years relying on government assistance, Albert heard the same advice: get a job, work for someone else. In his communist homeland, working for yourself was unheard of. When Albert came to the US at the age of 14, he realized success wasn't about hours worked but the value and impact created. Despite his family's belief that money was the root of all evil, Albert saw the confusion: if money wasn't important, why did everyone chase it and fight over it? Albert committed himself to solving that puzzle and achieving financial success. Albert, the indomitable force behind Axe Elite, has risen from the ashes of adversity to create a life-changing company that empowers individuals to shatter their limitations and embrace a world of boundless opportunity. As the founder and CEO of Axe Elite, his unwavering vision is to establish a formidable sales powerhouse where at least 1,000 people can achieve a life-transforming income of $100,000 or more. Albert was born in a refugee camp in Moscow, Russia, where his early years were marked by immense struggle and hardship. His family, seeking refuge from political persecution in Azerbaijan, endured a harrowing journey through refugee camps, motels, and dire living conditions. Yet, amidst the turmoil, the flame of resilience burned brightly within Albert's spirit. The winds of fortune shifted when the Catholic Church stepped in to sponsor the family's passage to the United States. Upon arrival, Albert poured every ounce of his strength into his work, laboring tirelessly for the same pay as others who put in far less effort. It was this injustice that fueled his determination to forge a new path—one that would level the playing field and reward hard work and perseverance. With an indomitable spirit, Albert brought together his most trusted allies to lay the foundation for Axe Elite within the confines of a humble attic in Hartford, Connecticut. Over time, the company has grown exponentially, boasting a team of highly skilled agents and a state-of-the-art headquarters in Wethersfield, CT. Today, Axe Elite stands tall among the elite, recognized as one of the top-producing partners for multi-billion-dollar telecommunication giants. Albert's story is a testament to the unyielding power of the human spirit and the limitless potential that lies within each of us. At Axe Elite, the mission is clear, to create a world where limitations are nothing more than a distant memory, and where greatness awaits those who dare to dream.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Catherine Gray. Catherine Gray is our guest this week on the podcast. Catherine is an advertising professional turned movie producer. Her most recent film titled, “Show Her The Money”, is raising the awareness of how underfunded women are in the start-up world. As we've talked about before, only 2% of venture capital dollars are invested in women owned businesses. Catherine's goal with this new film is to educate women, and men, about venture capital, about the outsized discrepancies of investments not going to women and, with that, changing our culture through film and media. Catherine is the producer of the groundbreaking new documentary “Show Her The Money”- featuring rock-star female investors who invest in diverse women entrepreneurs with innovations that will change the world. Catherine is doing a 50-city grassroots tour of the film to encourage more women to invest in female founded funds to move the needle on women getting less than 2% of venture capital. Catherine is also an author, TEDx speaker, podcast host, founder of She Angel Investors and co-founder of the nonprofit She Angels Foundation. She hosts and produces the popular podcast series “Invest in Her”, distributed on Apple, Spotify, IHeart Radio and wherever you listen to podcasts. Catherine has produced, co-produced and directed several documentaries including “I Can't Marry You”, with Ellen DeGeneres' mom Betty as narrator for PBS, “Millionaires True Stories” and several LGBTQ films for LOGO. She also helped start a gay cable network and produced a series called “Way-Off Broadway” with trailblazing entertainers and recording artists. Currently, Catherine is co-producing “Millennials Are Killing Musicals”, with plans to go to Broadway. This female driven show focuses on motherhood and the impact of social media. The team behind it is 80% women- and the show and music was created by a woman- Nico Juber.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Maher Kaddoura. At just 13 years old, Maher embarked on a solo journey that would forever change his perspective on life and money. Traveling alone, across international borders, taking buses and hitchhiking, Maher explored Turkey and Bulgaria. As the son of a refugee, Maher was no stranger to the survival instinct. From a young age, it was ingrained in him that he had to earn money for anything he wanted. Maher discovered that money earned through his own hard work and effort tasted much sweeter. He also learned that he had control over his choices. Maher believed that if he improved his decision-making process when it came to money that would increase the chances of financial success and create a better future for himself. Maher Kaddoura stands out as role model of innovation and social entrepreneurship. As a former managing partner at Accenture-Middle East and a seasoned entrepreneur, Maher has founded several firms that are leaders in their fields, from strategy consulting to system integration. His investments and board roles span a variety of sectors, illustrating his versatile business acumen and dedication to fostering growth in the knowledge economy and beyond. Maher serves on the advisory boards of prestigious institutions such as the National University of Singapore (NUS), University of Chicago, and the Buck Institute, where his strategic insights significantly enhance their initiatives in research and education. His global perspective enriches these institutions, bridging the gap between academic theory and real-world application. Maher recently authored "The Art of Leapfrogging," a book that encapsulates his innovative approach to bypassing traditional steps in problem-solving and development to achieve accelerated results. This publication has positioned him as a thought leader, further extending his influence in the realms of social change and entrepreneurship. Maher's commitment to societal improvement is evident through his founding of Al-Jude NGO in 1999, which spearheads high-impact social programs. His "Falafel Theory" of maximizing resources for widespread benefit drives his initiatives, such as the Hikmat Road Safety program and the MeshMosta7eel TV show, which challenges participants to tackle national issues creatively. An avid adventurer, Maher's travels to over 100 countries enrich his understanding and appreciation of global cultures. His experiences from the Arctic to the mountains of South America are not just adventures but also a source of inspiration and learning that he shares through his engaging storytelling and street photography.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Mike Robbins. In 2005, pressured by the rising housing market, Mike and his wife, Michelle, bought a home with no money down and no savings. That was a thing you could do back then. The negative amortization loan they secured seemed manageable at first, but Mike and Michelle soon realized they were sinking deeper and deeper into debt with no equity to show for it. They were getting by, and life was getting good for the couple. Mike's business was starting to thrive. Then the housing market crashed. By 2009, Mike's business had halved, and they were hundreds of thousands of dollars underwater. With two young children and a declining business, they were left asking, "How did this happen?" That's when they hunkered down and started chipping away at the problem to change their situation. Mike is the author of five books, Focus on the Good Stuff, Be Yourself Everyone Else is Already Taken, Nothing Changes Until You Do, Bring Your Whole Self to Work and We're All in This Together.  He's an expert in leadership, team performance, and company culture who delivers keynotes and seminars around the world that empower people, leaders, teams, and organizations to be more successful. Prior to his speaking and writing career, Mike was drafted by the New York Yankees out of high school but turned them down and chose to play baseball at Stanford University where he pitched in the College World Series. After college, Mike signed with the Kansas City Royals. He played three seasons in the Royals organization before arm injuries ended his playing career while he was still in the minor leagues. After his athletic career was cut short by injuries, Mike worked in sales and business development for two tech companies, before starting his own consulting business in 2001. Mike's clients include some of the top organizations and institutions in the world, such as Google, Wells Fargo, eBay, Gap, Microsoft, Schwab, Airbnb, the Oakland A's, Harvard University, Coca-Cola, and many others. Mike and his work have been featured on NPR, ABC News, the Oprah radio network, and in Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.  He's a regular contributor to Forbes, hosts a weekly podcast, and his books have been translated into fifteen different languages. For more information about Mike and his work, visit www.Mike-Robbins.com.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Emily Chang. Emily's financial adventures began in her early 20s in the most unexpected way. One frigid night, Emily found a young girl huddled by the roadside, clearly beaten and wearing nothing but a windbreaker. She took the girl to a diner, offered her a meal, and then invited her to stay in her spare room for the night. That one night turned into a week, then months, until Emily could help her find stability. Emily's family worried the girl might steal or harm her, but Emily chose to see the potential for good. She helped not just that one girl but went on to assist 17 individuals over the next 23 years, transforming lives one by one. Emily is a global commercial leader with 24 years of experience spanning QSR, Retail, Hospitality, Creative, Tech, and FMCG industries. An acknowledged thought leader in Digital Customer Experience, Workplace Culture, and Business Strategy, Emily holds an exceptional track record of accelerating global brands. She is a bicultural leader with proven success bridging China and U.S. cultures. Before joining VML, Emily was CEO of McCann Worldgroup in China, where she looked after 450 team members across four agencies located in three offices. She developed new strategic and digital O2O capabilities to partner with clients like IKEA, LEGO, The North Face, and Innocent Juice. Prior to McCann, Emily was CMO of Starbucks China, where she oversaw all commercial functions including Digital Flywheel, Loyalty, Sales & Partnerships, Category Management, and Studio. She led the commercial teams that brought O2O experiences to life: Shanghai Roastery Augmented Reality, Starbucks Delivery, and Digital Gifting. Prior to Starbucks, Emily served as Chief Commercial Officer for InterContinental Hotels Group, Greater China where she led transformation of brand experience, loyalty offering, data and BI, and OTA strategy/implementation to turn around share and become the #1 hotel brand in China. As the first executive in China for Apple Retail, she oversaw the APAC region, expanded the flagship footprint, and developed the Apple Asia retail operating model. Emily began her career at P&G, where she worked across all three business units, from upstream innovation to retail and digital marketing at Walmart. Emily believes passionately in living with intention and leading with authenticity. She's a servant leader who gives back by teaching and sharing with next gen leaders; she has delivered four TEDx talks and spoken at other industry-leading events like Fortune Most Powerful Women. She recently published a best-selling book called “The Spare Room,” telling the stories of 17 children she and her family have cared for in their spare room.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Kathleen Quinn. Hers is a story about the importance of not putting off to tomorrow what you can do today. Kathleen and her husband, Michael, were updating their estate plan when Michael asked if they could set up a scholarship to help students. Kathleen, who had spent 35-years in university alumni relations and development, immediately said, "Absolutely." Michael insisted the scholarship be in Kathleen's name, honoring her decades of hard work. In 2020, just three weeks after signing the scholarship paperwork, Michael was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer and died four months later. Kathleen shares how grateful she is that they didn't put this important project off. Kathleen Quinn is an executive coach who guides her clients to own the power they already have to lead a life of purpose and impact. She's also a certified grief educator.