Must Be The Money

This Host and Oscar-winning producer shares how he found his path to success after suffering the embarrassment of being fired from a leading entertainment network. He now co-hosts podcasts on The Ringer focused on culture and politics, has authored a book on health and runs a production company. In this episode, Van Lathan explores how entrepreneurship and self-identity have helped him recognize o...

From riding his bike to Japanese arcades as a military kid to designing video games like Madden and UFC played by millions of fans. Victor Lugo’s career fused together engineering, creativity, and culture. Now he's betting on himself as the founder of his own independent studio. In this episode, he breaks down how to turn a passion for gaming into a real career, why "Blerd" culture could shape the...

Angela Yee has built a solid broadcasting career and business portfolio. In this episode, she gets candid about going from credit card debt and living paycheck to paycheck, to owning real estate in New York and Detroit, running a coffee business, and hosting a syndicated radio show on her own terms. Her blueprint is simple: stay consistent, protect your brand, and never stop stacking.

Before the Breakfast Club, billboards and her Brooklyn brownstone, Angela Yee was a broke college grad doing data entry. Landing a job at Wu-Tang Management was the first step to becoming one of the most recognizable voices in radio. She explains how the relationships formed along the way became the foundation for everything that followed.

Austin Clements, a co-founder and Managing Partner at a Los Angeles-based venture capital firm, shares secrets about how the industry works and why his company is rooted in economic inclusion. Slauson & Co. is backed by some of the world’s most influential tech companies, including Google, Meta and PayPal. In this episode Austin Clements shares his journey to success, busting money myths while...

Revolt CEO Detavio Samuels reveals how staying focused on the mission rather than the man helped him navigate multiple crises. He breaks down the ladder-jumping career strategy that took him from Johnson & Johnson to the C-suite, why your employees are your best investment, and how Revolt's new employee-ownership model is built to create a financial windfall for the workers who built the media...

Crystal McCrary has never let anyone else define her. She’s a New York Times bestselling author, sports tech entrepreneur, and former entertainment lawyer. In this episode, she unpacks how she bet on herself at every turn, why all debt isn't bad debt, and how her youth sports startup GameUp is turning generational knowledge into serious wealth.

The founder of culture-shaping media business The Shade Room, breaks down how she turned a simple Instagram account into an influential social-first company. Angie Nwandu reflects on the personal experiences that shaped her entrepreneurial mindset and leadership style. It’s an honest conversation about resilience, ownership, and what it takes to build influence and sustainable revenue in today’s f...

Former NBA champion turned media entrepreneur Matt Barnes engages his twin sons in an honest discussion about money management and the financial system. There’s a vulnerability to this conversation which is rare for professional athletes who have reached this level of success. The episode highlights generational differences in approaches to finance, knowledge gaps in investing, and priorities for...

From South LA to the world's largest asset management firm, Jabari Magnus breaks down the financial moves that truly matter, saving from your first paycheck, building credit the smart way, and letting compound interest do the heavy lifting. The first Black Managing Director at BlackRock gets real about the wealth-building lessons he learned the hard way and the ones he's now passing down to the ne...

Join host Lee Hawkins for season one of Must Be The Money, a new financial podcast offering economic intelligence for a new generation. Produced in partnership with Marketplace APM, Matt Barnes, and P. Frank Williams' For The Culture.