Money, Meet Meaning

After hearing from three faith-driven entrepreneurs, Tom and Amber turn to a question that sits at the center of modern work life: Can you bring your whole self to work – or does faith inevitably get left at the door? Drawing on insights from Eboo Patel, Jenna Nicholas, and Tim Busch, they explore what it looks like to integrate values not just personally, but structurally – through decisions, lea...

What happens when faith doesn’t stay personal but becomes the foundation for how you build, invest, and lead? Amber and Tom explore faith-based entrepreneurship through three distinct voices, each integrating spiritual conviction into their real-world work. Tim Busch shares how his Catholic faith shaped a model of principled entrepreneurship grounded in dignity, care for his employees, and buildin...

After their conversation with Amy Butler, Amber and Tom turn to an emotionally charged question facing many faith communities today: Is it more faithful to preserve a dying congregation – or to repurpose its financial assets for new life? They explore what’s really at stake when institutions decline: not just budgets and buildings, but memory, identity, and the stories held in stained glass, pews,...

Many of us were taught an unspoken deal: live faithfully, do the right things, and life will work out. In this episode, Amber and Tom gently - but firmly - challenge that transactional model of faith and money with Amy Butler, a pastor, author, and founder of Invested Faith. Amy shares how her own ministry journey exposed the limits of “cosmic vending machine” theology – and why she believes faith...

After their conversation with Amjad Quadri, Amber and Tom turn to a deeper question beneath financial decision-making: What is actually in our control, and what do we need to let go of? Drawing on the islamic concept of rizq – the idea that our provision is ultimately in God’s hands – they explore the tension between effort and surrender in everyday financial life. From saving for retirement to pu...

What does it mean to invest in a way that aligns with your deepest beliefs? In this episode, Tom and Amber explore the principles of halal investing with Amjad Quadri, who works at the intersection of faith and finance. Amjad explains how Islamic investing avoids “sin stocks” like alcohol, gambling, and interest-based lending – and how it’s guided by both spiritual principles and practical financi...

After their conversation with philanthropists Kim Duchossois and Jessica Swoyer Green, Amber and Tom return to explore one of the thorniest questions in generosity: If you have more, should you give more? What unfolds is a candid, thoughtful look at the tension between purpose and self-preservation – between the call to give and the instinct to save. Drawing on wisdom from Jewish teaching, Christi...

What does it mean to leave a legacy?  In this episode, hosts Amber Hacker and Tom Levinson sit down with Kim Duchossois and Jessica Swoyer Green, a mother-duo from one of Chicago’s most community-minded philanthropic families, to explore what gets passed down through generations besides wealth. Kim and Jess share how their family shifted from transactional to transformational giving, the rising in...

After talking with Harvard Business School’s Nien-Hê Hsieh about moral gray zones in leadership, Tom and Amber zoom in on the everyday gray zones most of us face: What do you do when ethical clothing costs twice as much? Should you switch banks if yours funds fossil fuels? How much label-scanning is too much? From private school garage sales as a surprisingly ethical hack to choosing a local commu...

Ever tried to buy some chocolate and ended up in a spiral of label-scanning and ethical cross-checking? Tom and Amber open this episode with the dizzying reality of ethical consumerism – and then zoom out. They’re joined by Nien-Hê Hsieh, who grew up with the Doomsday Clock on his family’s kitchen counter – a daily reminder that money, power, and human choices carry existential weight. Now a profe...

After their conversation with Buddhist teacher Cara Lai, Amber and Tom return to one of the deep tensions at the crossroads of spiritual life and financial planning: Do we save and prepare for the future, or trust that resources will appear when we’re living into our purpose? From Cara’s confessed hatred of her 401(k) to modern-day parables, Buddhist wealth teachings, and listener stories, Amber a...

What if your money habits say more about your heart than your bank account?  In this episode Tom Levinson and Amber Hacker talk with Cara Lai, a Buddhist mindfulness teacher, about the spiritual side of money. Cara shares why she hates her retirement account, and how she’s learning to move from fear-based saving toward generosity and trust – including through a pay-what-you-choose model for her te...

After talking with AI investor Colin Evans, Amber and Tom return to the mic to wrestle with the thorny questions Colin’s episode raised. Can purpose win out over profit – or does money have the final say? If AI frees us from toil, is that liberation – or the loss of something essential? And what values should guide the people building our machines – should there be a “Hippocratic Oath” for AI prog...

What happens when artificial intelligence meets ancient wisdom? In this episode, hosts Tom Levinson and Amber Hacker talk with Colin Evans, a tech innovator and AI investor whose journey spans Buddhist monasteries, Catholic churches, and Silicon Valley boardrooms. Colin shares how his spiritual roots inform his work at OpenAI, and why he believes AI has the power to free people–not just to do more...

After their conversation with Dr. Che “Rhymefest” Smith, Amber and Tom return to a provocative line attributed to Quincy Jones: “When money walks in the room, God walks out.” Is that true – or does money simply expose what already has our attention? Drawing on listener responses, spiritual traditions, and pop-culture moments like We Are the World and “Man in the Mirror,” they explore whether money...

From the South Side of Chicago to global stages, Dr. Che “Rhymefest” Smith has lived at the crossroads of art, money, and spiritual searching. Amber and Tom sit down with the Grammy- and Academy Award-winning songwriter, educator, and public servant to explore what happens when inspiration intersects with industry and calling becomes responsibility. Rhymefest reflects on cultural currency, Hip-Hop...

After their conversation with financial expert Bobbi Rebell, Tom and Amber return to a surprisingly thorny question: How much should we tell our kids about our money? From sharing your income to explaining a budget cut, they explore the delicate balance of authenticity, care, and preparing kids for the real world of money. Drawing on listener stories, family dynamics, and wisdom from spiritual tra...

Every parent wants to raise financially confident kids – but between peer pressure, TikTok trends, and our own money baggage, how do we actually do that? In this episode, Tom and Amber sit down with Bobbi Rebell, Certified Financial Planner® and author of Launching Financial Grownups, for a candid conversation about what kids really need from us when it comes to money. Bobbi shares the single bigg...

After speaking with Pastor John Jackman about his church’s remarkable work forgiving millions in medical debt, Amber and Tom return to a thorny question beneath the headlines: Is it more faithful to relieve suffering now or to focus on fixing the systems that cause it? From medical debt and healthcare reform to everyday acts of generosity, they explore the tension between mercy and justice, urgenc...

What would it look like to take ancient scripture seriously in a modern financial system? Tom and Amber sit down with Pastor John Jackman of Trinity Moravian Church in Winston-Salem, NC, to explore one of the most innovative financial ministries in the country. Inspired by the biblical practice of Jubilee, Trinity Moravian has raised small amounts of money to purchase millions of dollars of medica...

Get ready because Season 2 of Money, Meet Meaning is launching in a few weeks! Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠LinkedIn⁠, and ⁠Threads⁠, and share your thoughts with us by emailing ⁠info@moneymeetmeaning.com⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final episode of the first season, Tom and Amber reflect on an “embarrassment of riches” – the wealth of lessons our guests shared about navigating their spiritual and financial lives in order to live a more meaningful life with money.  Plus: Are sacred religious values … subversive?  The top 10 lessons we learned from Season 1 What we missed: a taste of Season 2   Follow us on Instagram, L...

Can a budget bring you peace?  Tom and Amber find out how with Jesse Mecham, personal finance expert and founder of the super popular YNAB (You Need A Budget) app. Jesse shares how money can help us express ourselves in the best of ways - and how his own faith has helped shape his business since Day 1. Plus:  Tom makes a couple confessions Amber shares why budgeting, to her, is a spiritual experie...

Join Amber and Tom as they dive into the lavish world of Hindu weddings with South Asian wedding planner Jankhana Desai (“JD”) of JDEventz. Together, they explore the intricate balance between spiritual significance, extravagant celebration, and financial expense. JD shares her wealth of experience in orchestrating grand Hindu weddings, shedding light on how abundance is not merely a display of we...

“Health is our greatest wealth!”  If you’ve ever spent a few minutes reading the label on Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, you know it’s a fascinating fusion of the physical and spiritual.  Join a fascinating discussion as Tom and Amber sit down with Lisa Bronner, granddaughter of Emanuel Bronner, to learn more about the spiritual act of caring for our bodies and spaces. The conversation ranges from Dr....