Money Tales

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Dr. Alicia Castillo Holley, Ph. D., MBA, MSci. Alicia's upbringing in Venezuela was rooted in socialist ideals during stable times. However, the financial crisis there changed everything. With $600 and two kids in tow, she embarked on a new chapter in the US, eventually earning an MBA and becoming a venture capitalist. Alicia's unique perspective sees w...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guests are Lynne Twist and Sara Vetter. Lynne and Sara call themselves “work wives” who run the Soul of Money Institute and the Pachamama Alliance. They observe that society perpetuates the myth of scarcity—insisting there's never enough time, money, love, or fulfillment. Lynne and Sara work each day to challenge that automatic and unconscious assumption. In our...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Celeste Villalobos Tahamont. Celeste is navigating the intricate tapestry of both motherhood and daughterhood. She shares how she’s juggling her responsibilities that range from managing a bustling household with her own young family, building out her business as a solopreneur and helping her aging parents. As she grapples with decisions that shape her...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Nancy Colier. Growing up, Nancy’s love for equestrian sports clashed with her father's belief that it was reserved for the privileged. But Nancy’s determination prevailed; she became a top-level equestrian and rode on the national circuit. She tells us that when she finally won, she realized the success wasn't about the winning; it was about the strengt...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Jennifer Burnham-Grubbs. When Jennifer was a student at Princeton, all of her friends talked about how they were opening bank accounts. Jennifer decided she should have one too. She walked into a local bank, and the process seemed straightforward until she faced a question she hadn't anticipated. The teller asked Jennifer how much money she was going to...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Felecia Froe, MD. One day when Felecia was practicing medicine, she asked a patient about her profession. The patient responded that she was a real estate investor and over the course of many conversations, Felecia was hooked. Felecia ultimately found a property she thought was a good deal and had this patient take a look at it. The patient challenged h...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Greg Menefee. When he was growing up, Greg’s perception was that his family was just as well-off as any other. Greg was an avid skier and one year his dad promised him a new pair of $300 skis for the upcoming season. As that season drew closer, the skis never materialized. Greg ultimately mustered the courage to ask his mom about them. It was in that mo...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Justin Breen. Justin started his first company with zero business background. As Justin tells us, at the time he didn't even know what an entrepreneur was. Back then, he was wrapping up a 20-year career as a journalist and decided to leave that profession when his salary was greatly reduced as result of cutbacks. He tried to find a different journalism...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is James Scruggs. As young adult, James thought stocks were the key to accumulating wealth and making a lot of money. He invested his first bonus in telecom stocks, at just the wrong time and sadly lost everything. This experience shattered James, as he always wanted to be different from his parents, who, James tells us, aren’t savers. Seeking advice, he t...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Robyn Crane. Robyn started her career as a singer-songwriter. At one point, she had worked really hard to set up a number of shows at some great venues. Right before the tour, Robyn got sick, and she had to cancel the shows. This heart-breaking experience made her realize she had little control over her success. Robyn could be the best singer, the best...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Marguerite C. Lorenz, CTFA, CLPF. Marguerite has navigated many challenges in her life. One occurred in October 2007 when her home, along with over 100 others in her neighborhood, burned to the ground. Marguerite and her two children, who were in middle school at the time, lost everything. This included some objects, that they didn’t realize until later...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Kathi Balasek. Life can take unexpected turns and change in an instant. For Kathi, life went from wife to caregiver to widow when her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Suddenly, she was left to parent five kids on her own. The experience taught Kathi the importance of having a dream team of professionals to help navigate life's challenges. Kathi...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Samantha Varner. Over the last 15 years or so, Sam has moved with her husband to three different countries. Each move came soon after the birth of a child. While her husband’s career prompted the relocations, Sam, an entrepreneur at heart, continued to focus on her own career. Sadly, the international moves disrupted her plans because of the different t...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Joi Jackson-Morgan. When Joi was eleven years old, she earned her first paycheck as a newspaper delivery person. She distinctly remembers it was for $40.72. Joi wanted to use the money to buy a new pair of shoes. Her mom had different plans. Joi’s mother took her to the local bank and helped Joi open an account and use the money to buy a savings bond. B...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Leslie Feinzaig. Leslie grew up in Costa Rica. She describes her family as immigrants to that country who endured hard lives. She came to the US as a Visa-dependent business school student and soon realized that staying here for her career while still tethered to a Visa required her to take jobs with large companies who could sponsor her. This meant con...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is AdaPia d’Errico. All long-term investors lose money at some point, usually due to market fluctuations. Many years ago, AdaPia, who worked in finance, lost her entire life savings when she was defrauded by a private placement she invested in. As she tells us, even though she was the victim, she positioned herself as the perpetrator in her mind at the tim...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Christina Bui. As Christina tells us, losing everything was good for her. The fall of Saigon happened in 1975. Leaving everything they had behind, Christina’s mom paid a stranger with gold to get a flight out of Vietnam. The plane took off on what happened to be the day before the Saigon airport was bombed. This harrowing escape was a pivotal moment tha...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Ken Pecus. Ken is one of those resilient people who hit financial bottom and catapulted back up again. Long story short, he got caught up in legal battle over a franchise agreement. He knew he was in the right and kept the fight going for four long years. In the end, he lost half the lawsuit, and faced financial tragedy when the judge awarded the other...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Fran Maier. From her first start-up, Match.com, to her latest and fifth start-up, BabyQuip, Fran is a passionate entrepreneur whose mantra is, “It’ll all work out”. Fran’s motto was put to the test during the pandemic. On March 6, 2020 she presented BabyQuip, a baby gear rental business dependent on people’s travel, to the sharks on Shark Tank. Days lat...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Hilary Blair. Hilary helps businesspeople get comfortable in the uncomfortable. She believes our society has shut down a lot of sharing within conversations and, as a result, we miss out on leadership opportunities by confusing confidence and comfort. Hilary observes that you can be confident if you accept the discomfort that might be involved. Tell you...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Lauren Keen Aumond. Lauren landed a finance job with a small company when she graduated college. A year into the role, she decided she wanted to learn more and earn more. Lauren thought she had to leave the company to do so, but instead an internal opportunity opened up for a sales position. Sure enough, she applied. When the head of the company learned...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Diania Merriam. In her twenties, Diania felt like she was wasting her privilege. She was an educated white woman in a first world country with a good job, yet Diania was living paycheck to paycheck and running up a mound of debt. She decided something had to change. Diania made a mindset shift and became a supersaver. She got creative and resourceful ab...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Lisa Gautier. Lisa cares deeply about the hair on your head. That might sound weird but let me tell you why. 25 years ago, she and her husband started an environmental public charity called Matter of Trust. Matter of Trust is famous for running a program where they collect hair clippings from thousands of salons. They then form the hair clippings into m...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Dr. Jordan Grumet. Jordan’s father was a doctor who sadly collapsed and died of a brain aneurysm while working at the hospital. Jordan was young at the time, and he was determined to grow up be just like his dad. Jordan figured that if he became a doctor he could step into his dad’s shoes and do the things that his dad never got the chance to do. So, Jo...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Bree Schumacher. Bree is a lifelong entrepreneur who took a $500 loan and turned it into a 7-figure business with over one hundred employees, which she ran for nineteen years. Bree sold the business in 2020. While she could easily have sold it to a competitor and immediately walked away, Bree went with her heart. She knew selling the precious business t...