Drip Trickle Flow Flood

Kicking off the second week of January, we continue the financial planning conversation with a practical, no-shame approach to setting yourself up for the year ahead. From improving financial literacy and knowing your numbers to spending with intention, paying down debt without guilt, and building flexibility into your plans, this episode is about creating stability without rigidity. We also revis...

Money decisions are rarely just about math. They’re about fear, confidence, trust, and timing. In this episode of Drip Trickle Flow Flood , we’re joined by Cheryl Hirss , owner of Sagewater Financial, to demystify what financial advisors actually do, who benefits most from working with one, and how taking emotion out of investing can dramatically change long-term outcomes. From navigating retireme...

What does it look like to build a creative life over decades and make it deeply satisfying and sustainable? In this episode, we sit down with cartoonist, illustrator, musician, and writer Todd Webb, creator of the daily comic strip The Poet . Todd shares how a project that started as a short book quietly turned into a six-year daily practice, how Substack, book collections, and pop culture art pri...

What does Home Alone have to do with inflation, buying power, and why your money can’t just sit still anymore? A lot more than you’d think. In this episode, we kick things off with a nostalgic look at Kevin McCallister’s $19 grocery run and use it as a lens to unpack how inflation quietly reshapes everything from groceries and housing to creative businesses, side hustles, and long-term financial s...

Having multiple streams of income sounds smart in theory… until it starts feeling chaotic, exhausting, and completely unsustainable. In this episode, we dig into the real question behind “multiple income streams”: how do you do it without burning out? We unpack why not all income streams should be treated the same, how energy (not time) is often the real constraint, and why seasons of earning matt...

In this episode of Drip Trickle Flow Flood , we sit down with intuitive coach, strategist, and podcaster Elena Lipson to talk about using intuition to craft your income streams. Elena walks us through her evolution from corporate trainer to coach, copywriter, employee, creator, and multi–income stream entrepreneur, and how intuition guided every shift. If you’ve ever stuck with something because y...

In this episode of Drip Trickle Flow Flood, we dive into the real cost of the holidays. Not just the dollars, but the emotions, expectations, and financial landmines that show up between November and January. From family pressure to overspending guilt to creative alternatives that keep the joy (and ditch the debt), we share honest personal stories, practical scripts, and a few hilarious holiday fa...

In this episode we’re talking to Eric, the creator of Ducktown Weekly —a nostalgia-packed print publication that brings back everything you loved about the funny pages. If you were the kid who raced to the comics before anyone else touched the newspaper, this episode is your warm hug. We dive into how Eric revived a nearly extinct format, why print can still feel magical, what it takes to start a...

In this episode, we dive into research that reveals a hard truth: our emotions - stress, anxiety, and full-on avoidance - are driving far more of our financial decisions than we might admit. More than half of Americans report being stressed about money. And the generational breakdown? Even more surprising. Melissa and Tony unpack why this happens, how to break out of avoidance mode, and the small...

Ever dreamt of turning your creative hobby into a career? In this episode, we chat with Tristin Rieken, a food photographer, recipe developer, and founder of Fresh Flavorful , who turned her love of cooking, adventure, and photography into a thriving content business. From early blogging days to landing brand deals and learning to value her work, Tristan shares what it really takes to build multip...

When homeownership feels out of reach due to rising interest rates, steep down payments, or complex mortgage qualifications, rent-to-own offers an intriguing alternative. In this episode, we dive into the pros and cons of rent-to-own from both the tenant and landlord perspectives. Whether you’re looking to move into your dream house, grow your investment portfolio, or just get creative in today’s...

What happens when you combine incredible cookies, a vintage 1954 trailer, and a whole lot of entrepreneurial spirit? You get GIRLnDOG Cookies , a Bellingham, WA-based cookie business built on joy, quality ingredients, and one woman’s dream of doing one thing really well. In this episode, we chat with Meredith, the founder of GIRLnDOG, about how she turned her love for baking into a business, why s...

Ever wonder how podcasters make money, and what goes on behind the scenes before the checks roll in? In this candid episode, we pull back the curtain on how Drip Trickle Flow Flood went from a book idea to a podcast, and now to a growing brand with its very first income stream. We share: How this project originally started as a book, but quickly pivoted into a podcast to test ideas, gather audienc...

Is it better to build a brilliant product or just market the heck out of an average one? Do honest founders win in the long run, or are deceptive tactics more profitable? And when it comes to success, is impact more important than money? In this episode of Drip Trickle Flow Flood , we break down an article from Entrepreneur magazine that analyzes how 7,000 founders ranked the ingredients for start...

So you want to write a book, but how do you actually publish it? In this episode, Melissa and Tony break down the three main publishing paths (traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing), share their own experiences navigating each model, and get brutally honest about the money, effort, and strategy involved. Whether you dream of landing a book deal, distributing through indie bookstores, or owning...

In this episode of Drip Trickle Flow Flood , we’re joined by veteran loan officer Gary Tice from Edge Home Finance. With over 25 years of experience in the mortgage industry, Gary brings a calm approach and deep expertise to a topic that often feels overwhelming—home buying. From improving your credit to navigating loans as a self-employed professional to demystifying investment property financing...

What started as a passion for backyard games turned into a Guinness World Record, a book, a multi-stream business, and a growing rental empire. In this episode of Drip Trickle Flow Flood , we sit down with Matt Greer, founder of Yard Games World , who shares how he built a thriving side hustle rooted in fun and competition. From cornhole marathons to social media strategy, Matt shows how play can...

What if the weirdest commercial of your life could help unlock a whole new income stream? In this solo episode with Melissa & Tony, Melissa pulls back the curtain on her unexpected entrance into a new income stream that’s quickly becoming a flow . Melissa breaks down how she’s blending 20+ years of experience into a profitable new income stream, and why this space might be perfect for others,...

After 20+ episodes, Melissa’s husband Gary finally joins us for a lively conversation that zigzags from building a monthly personal financial statement to flipping roadside finds, starting a finance club, and how pickleball coaching principles apply to money. You’ll hear how Melissa and Gary tag-team investing (research meets execution), why “movement without vision is chaos,” and how tiny, compou...

What do you get when a seasoned fractional CMO starts growing vegetables in her backyard? An unexpected pipeline of leads, and a brilliant example of drip, trickle, flow, flood in action. In this episode, we’re joined by Dusti Arab , founder of Hearth & Hollow , The Reinvention Co. and host of Referral Worthy . Dusti walks us through her multidimensional career as a marketer, her new passion p...

In this episode of Drip Trickle Flow Flood , we unpack a recent Fortune article about the rise in delisted homes, and what it really signals about the current housing market. Is it strategy? Stubbornness? Or something deeper about how people are processing a market that no longer feels predictable? We discuss: The psychology behind sellers refusing to lower prices Why real estate is more emotional...

In this episode of Drip Trickle Flow Flood , we sit down with the brilliant Jessie Rosen , USA Today bestselling author of The Heirloom and All the Signs, screenwriter for major studios like Warner Brothers and Netflix, and creator of a Substack newsletter all about bravery . Jessie opens up about the realities of money as a creative in Los Angeles: the shame, the hustle, the luck, the leverage, a...

In this episode of Drip Trickle Flow Flood , we sit down with filmmaker, producer, and entrepreneur Nick Moceri to talk about building a career at the intersection of film, branded content, and multiple income streams. From co-founding Donut Media to producing films like Kindergarten Teacher and Sovereign , Nick shares what it really takes to survive and thrive in a volatile creative industry, and...

In this episode of Drip Trickle Flow Flood, we’re tackling one of the most debated questions: Should you pay off your mortgage early? We break down the factors that make this a deeply personal and often misunderstood decision. From interest rates to emotional peace of mind to the job your money should be doing, we explore what really matters and how to think about this question. We also share our...

In this episode of Drip Trickle Flow Flood, we sit down we sit down with Quinn Tempest —business strategist, speaker, and founder of the Create Your Purpose Collective—to talk about how money doesn’t just show up in one form. Quinn opens up about her journey building a purpose-fueled business that reflects every season of her life. From early clients to building a thriving membership and coaching...