Other People's Pockets

Kyle Coon is a blind Paralympian triathlete on Team USA. Kyle was diagnosed with eye cancer at 10 months old and had his eyes removed at age 6. His blindness didn’t stop him from becoming a competitive rock climber, downhill skier, runner and triathlete. He revealed how personal finance is different as a blind person, and what it means to rest almost all your financial hopes on winning a medal in...

A few weeks ago, I had the cockamamie idea to fly to Shreveport, Louisiana. I wanted to visit a weed doctor, get a medical marijuana prescription, and then smoke weed and interview her while high. And that is exactly what I did! Jaya McSharma is a medical doctor and the co-owner of CannaCare of Louisiana, a medical marijuana clinic. Jaya is also an actress and filmmaker and has some wild stories a...

How does money mix with religion? Blair Pogue is a church leader who works for the bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. She's a longtime former priest at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul, where she helped manage the church's finances and encouraged people to give 10% or more of their income. She shares how much she's paid and whether it's enough — and how she trac...

As a Muslim, Khalid Kadir navigates personal finance differently than most of his fellow Americans. That means not obtaining traditional loans (because you're charged interest, which is forbidden) or buying conventional insurance (because it often relies on speculation). Khalid, who teaches engineering at UC Berkeley, explains how following the rules of Islamic finance has meant a much less gl...

Once upon a time, Chelsea Fagan was a financial mess. She had a credit score of around 450, debt that went to collections, and so many unpaid traffic tickets that she got arrested. She whipped herself into financial shape by writing about her journey at The Financial Diet, where she's co-founder and CEO. She explains why some of her employees earn more than she does and why you don't have...

Can you put yourself through college by selling rocks on eBay? Philip Persson did! He's a geologist and mineral dealer who's been obsessed with digging things out of the ground since he was little. Sometimes it means trespassing. And sometimes it means confronting moral questions about where amazing crystals actually come from. Phil explains the connection between rocks and his path to fin...

This episode contains adult content and listener discretion is advised. Maybe the sexiest voice you will hear on this show? Yumprincess Elle is a voice actor, writer and singer who stumbled into the world of creating audio erotica on a whim. Now she has an avid fan base and has built a new financial future by doing this style of online sex work. She says that as a disabled person, creating audio p...

Laura Lyster-Mensh has witnessed people die, and through that she's discovered some surprising things: family-related financial shenanigans, aloneness, secrets. She's also realized that unlike being a birth doula or a hospice nurse, being a death doula is not a way to earn money. Why? Listen to find out. Follow Laura Lyster-Mensh: Twitter: @lauracollinslm Instagram: @lauraoncapitolhill Fol...

Coss Marte is a lifelong entrepreneur and the founder of CONBODY, a workout program he created in prison that employs formerly incarcerated fitness instructors. He also founded CONBUD, a legal cannabis dispensary that's taking advantage of licenses being given to people convicted of marijuana-related offenses. Coss talked about why being in prison can be so expensive, and how finding a job pos...

Jeremy Bowditch is many things: Neighborhood Council Member in Los Angeles, Lakers fan, wine snob. He's not afraid to admit that what he does to make money — advertising — doesn't light his fire. Lately, he's focused on redistributing the wealth he discovered by marrying his wife, and on being transparent about how they actually afforded a house.  Follow Jeremy Bowditch at: Instagram:...

Ingrid Nilsen was one of the quintessential YouTube stars of the 2010’s, known for her candid, girl-next-door style videos about makeup and "boyfriend-approved" outfits. Then one day, she quit YouTube, saying goodbye to her 8 million followers and the fortune that came with them. Now, Ingrid runs a fragrance company, The New Savant, that she co-founded with Erica Anderson. She gets a paych...

At age 11, Uzziah Campbell founded Calm & Cure Candle Co. as a way to process the trauma of the pandemic and murders by police. Now 14, Uzziah has a growing savings account and is learning to manage the money from his business. His mom, Nakia, joins to discuss how it all comes together. Follow Uzziah and Nakia Campbell: Instagram: @calmandcure_candles  Instagram: @the.mental.motivator calmandc...

Ben Shewry has one of the top restaurants in the world, but even he needs to supplement his income. Ben is the New Zealand-born chef and owner of Attica, in Melbourne, Australia, a highly-acclaimed yet anti-"fine dining" establishment. He talks about his paycheck, his skater punk youth, and the definition of "selling out." Follow Ben Shewry: Instagram: @benshewry Attica: https://ww...

Wednesday Martin is a writer and social researcher whose #1 NYT-bestelling book, "The Primates of Park Avenue," revealed the inner world of rich Upper East Side mommies. Now, her anthropologist's eye is turned toward a different type of social currency: sex, erotic capital, cheating, "ethical" non-monogamy, and all things women's sexuality. And she reveals the tricky money...

It's time for a Pocket Dial! That's where we zoom out and reflect on what people are saying so far on Other People's Pockets. Mary O'Hara, an award-winning journalist whose work centers on social policy and socioeconomic class, helps us process what we're learning about people's income, class identity, and money secrets. Follow Mary O'Hara: Twitter: @maryohara1  Instagr...

He's produced and mixed records for Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Sonic Youth and others, but Nick Sansano doesn't blow his royalty checks on fancy cars. How did this music maker build a life in expensive NYC despite the ups and downs of his field (and despite the sometimes ruthless politics of being an NYU professor)? Check out Nick Sansano in his band, Bronze Fondue . Follow Maya Lau at: Twitt...

Her job involves eating her way through L.A., but Katherine Spiers also has a less-talked-about way her finances all come together. The host of the Smart Mouth podcast and founder of TableCakes Productions explains her pivot from food writing to business ownership, her culinary curiosities, and what really causes famines.  Follow Katherine Spiers: Twitter: @katherinespiers Instagram: @katherine_sp...

Ever wonder how much the host of this podcast makes for doing ... this podcast? Maya Lau, host of Other People's Pockets, gets the tables turned on her by Jane Marie, host of the podcast The Dream and co-founder of the podcast studio Little Everywhere. Maya gets grilled about her financial life, her money history and the one thing that might make her feel like she finally has "enough."...

At just 23, Sana Javeri Kadri founded a company that exploded an old-world colonialist industry – the spice trade. This small business owner who lives between India and California is testing the theory: Can you be an ethical, fair-paying boss, and still turn a profit? Follow Sana Javeri Kadri at: Twitter: @SanaJaveriKadri Instagram: @sanajaverikadri Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @mayalau Instagram:...

Maggie Wolbert will transform your hair — but only into bright, mega-watt, loud colors! This "vivid artist" turned her passion for brilliant hair color into a money-making niche in Tacoma, WA. She talks about not fitting into the corporate world, and which months of the year are rain-makers, hair dyeing-wise. Follow Maggie Wolbert at: Instagram: @hairnirvana Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @m...

You surely recognize Ray Suarez’s voice from NPR, PBS Newshour, Al Jazeera America and more. Yet and still, this renowned broadcaster and author has found it difficult to find desirable jobs the older he gets … and he’s not afraid to admit he’s angry about it. Follow Ray Suarez at: Twitter: @RaySuarezNews Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @mayalau Instagram: @itsmayamoney TikTok: @itsmayamoney Advertis...

She started her money education business as a side hustle, but spoiler: Tori Dunlap now makes millions. The Her First 100k founder and CEO talks about the income (and stress) of influencer life, and how to do capitalism the feminist way.  Follow Tori Dunlap at: TikTok: @herfirst100k Instagram: @torikdunlap + @herfirst100K Twitter: @herfirst100k Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @mayalau Instagram: @its...

If Liam Dodd – a literal nuclear physicist – can work at world-renowned institutions and still be unhoused, we've got a problem. Liam shares how he pivoted from his couch-surfing life in academia to a career in which they (gasp!) pay you. This episode was recorded several months ago, so some details that were discussed may have changed. Follow Dr. Liam Dodd at: Twitter: @audioworm and: liamado...

For most of her life, Carmen González has been undocumented, navigating work and school without making money the "traditional" way. She shared why she overspends on her community in spite of it all. Follow Carmen González at:                                                                                          Twitter: @thtMXanwriter Instagram: @carmxnig Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @ma...

He is winning Emmys these days, but not long ago, Cord Jefferson was a blogger with one plastic fork to his name. Cord “did what he loved” and the money actually followed… how tf?! Follow Cord Jefferson at: Twitter: @cordjefferson Instagram: @cordjefferson Follow Maya Lau at: Twitter: @mayalau Instagram: @itsmayamoney TikTok: @itsmayamoney Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privac...