Volala: Volatility is the life of our party

Does Ayeh think the One Big Beautiful Bill will fix anything or just move the pain around? This week, we dig into the One Big Beautiful Bill—a massive budget proposal that promises growth while quietly shifting costs, benefits, and uncertainty across the economy. Whether you’re trying to buy a home, pay down student loans, plan for retirement, or just make sense of where the economy is heading, th...

“When there’s a feeling, there’s a bottom line.” While it’s easy to blame DEI budget cuts on politics, Ayeh argues they’re more a casualty of economic whiplash. Between 2020 and 2025, wild swings—from pandemic stimulus to inflation to investor pressure—reshaped what companies can fund and what they expect in return. Many DEI programs weren’t built to weather that volatility. But those same shifts...

In this listener-fueled episode, Jenni and Ayeh skip the script and dive into the economic questions buzzing in inboxes, group chats, and grocery store checkout lines alike. If it feels like policy is being made on the fly, that's because... it kind of is. From tariff whiplash to unexpected stock market rebounds, we unpack the pressure points shaping today’s economic reality—and what might com...

In this episode of Volala , we unpack the economic "dense fog" that’s clouding business and consumer decision-making in 2025. From spiking inflation expectations to surprising shifts in jobs data, tariffs making everything from solar panels to furniture more expensive, and a deep dive into why housing plays such a huge role in inflation—this one has it all. You’ll hear why economists are...

Ever feel like the economy has turned into one giant tug-of-war? In our latest Volala: Volatility is the Life of Our Party , we explore how everything from federal budget cuts to high-speed news cycles is changing the very meaning of “economic power”—both globally and right in our own communities. Here’s a quick look at what’s on the menu: • The Economy as the New Battleground While conflicts on r...

What does Ayeh think about DOGE?  There's a difference between efficiently knocking down a house and efficiently running a construction site. On this episode of Volala: Volatility is the Life of Our Party, we talk sustainable efficiency - opportunities for the government to save while considering the full economic toll of uncertainty– after we touch on the economic throughlines where uncertain...

We’re Building the Podcast We Wanted to Hear A lot has changed in just two weeks—and if you’re trying to make sense of it all, you’re not alone. Welcome to the “It’s Economic!” edition of Volala: Volatility is the Life of Our Party . Ayeh Bandeh Ahmadi, with over 20 years of experience across federal agencies—including managing trillions in U.S. debt at Treasury during the first Trump administrati...

Welcome to the debut episode of Volala: Volatility is the life of our party ! Host Jenni Ruiz sits down with Ayeh Bandeh-Ahmadi , founder of Volascope Labs , for a lively discussion about making economic insights accessible, engaging, and downright fun. Ayeh shares her fascinating journey from her early career at the U.S. Treasury to her deep dive into logistics at Transfix, finally culminating in...