Money Tales

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 p...

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 highe...

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 l...

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 S...

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 automa...

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...

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 re...

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 challeng...

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 reb...

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. Underst...

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...

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 tak...

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 Morales-Hellebo is our guest this week on Money Tales. Lisa grew up as member of the only brown family in an affl...

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, recycli...

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. T...

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 do...

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 produc...

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 resp...

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 sibl...

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 h...

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...

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...

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 s...

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...

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, "Absolutel...