Rooted Cash Podcast

In this final episode, DJ Flip-Phone checks in with Kyla as she reflects on her journey with the $50 Study. Since graduating high school, Kyla has moved to Richmond, Virginia, started her first job, and stepped into a new chapter of independence. Kyla shares the lessons she’ll carry for life, how the $50 Study shaped her mindset about money, and how it empowered her to make choices about her futur...

For Episode 5, Kyla reconnects with Vernell—the original host of the Rooted podcast and one of the first students in the $50 Study.   They talk candidly about how receiving $50 a week shaped their views on independence, responsibility, and financial literacy. From side hustles like candle-making and T-shirts to real talk about how cash transfers build confidence, this episode explores how money is...

In this episode of the Rooted Cash podcast, Be Loud Junior Producer Kyla sits down with Talia Livneh, program director at the Rooted Foundation and leader of the $50 Study — a direct cash transfer program providing $50 a week to high school students across New Orleans. T heir conversation explores how the program began during the pandemic as a response to students needing financial support to stay...

In this heartfelt episode, Kyla sits down with her big sister for a powerful, personal conversation about money, boundaries, sacrifice, and sisterhood. Listen in as two sisters connect across generations to talk money, mental health, and what it means to grow up without losing yourself. Sponsored by the Rooted School Foundation as part of the $50 Study, the episode explores how financial experienc...

Meet Kyla — an 18-year-old senior at New Harmony High School and your host of the Rooted Cash Podcast 🎙️ For episode 2, Kyla shares what it felt like to get $50 a week—no strings attached.  From sushi runs to her fear of asking for help, she talks money, adulthood, and what it means to grow up without everything you need—and why equity matters now more than ever. This is all part of the $50 Study,...

Hosted by the vibrant and insightful Kyla , a senior at New Harmony High, this episode is part of the $50 Study — a direct-cash transfer program by the Rooted School Foundation that puts real money in the hands of young people. For episode 1, Kyla takes us inside her world — from navigating the highs and lows of high school to chasing her dreams of real estate and creative directing. She shares wh...

For this final episode, Dj Villian sat down with Kanye, a junior at Rooted School in New Orleans.  They talked about how much Kanye grew over this last year, learning how to better manage his money and use the weekly stipends to help the people around him. This is the last episode of season 2 and we have a big announcement! The $50 Study received a grant from the City of New Orleans to scale this...

This episode, DJ Villian interviewed Freddie, an ambitious Senior from Rooted New Orleans who learned everything possible about 3D design and printing. This last year, Freddie used the money from the $50 Study to prototype a top secret design for his own product. With the help of the $50 Dollar Study, he used that prototype to test his idea and continue to develop it over his Senior year.  Thanks...

We went to Rooted New Orleans to sit down (in person!) with students about their experience so far with the $50 Study.  Peyton is a recent graduate at Rooted New Orleans with a passion for environmental justice and journalism. Peyton and Vernell cover a wide range of positive  topics, reflecting on how Peyton has used the $50 to double down on self-care, invest in black-owned businesses, and even...

We went to Rooted New Orleans to sit down (in person!) with students about their experience so far with the $50 Study. Ethan is a senior at Rooted that loves video game design. He talks about how this study has helped him better understand "impulse spending" and how he is learning how to better save to reach his larger goals.  Don't forget to follow us @the50dollarstudy on Instagram. There, we wil...

To better understand how the $50 study is impacting the Rooted community in Indianapolis, we interviewed Nyarian. Nyarian is an aspiring pediatricians that loves to work with kids. She shared with how the money helped support her family and pay for her long list of extracurriculars and sports. Don't forget to follow us @the50dollarstudy on Instagram. There, we will be sharing pictures, videos, and...

For the next few episodes, we will interview students from Indianapolis Rooted. This episode, we talked to Caleb, a senior from Rooted Indy and an aspiring film maker. Although initially skeptical of the study, he shares how the money has changed his impacted his life and relationship to money. If you want to follow us on social media, follow us @the50dollarstudy on Instagram. There, we will be sh...

We talked with La'Nyah, an impressive junior from Rooted Indianapolis. La'Nyah is a creative entrepreneur starting her own photography business while also juggling a ton of different hobbies and hustles.  We talked about how this study has given her he opportunity to launch her business and support her siblings at home.

For the next few episodes, we will interview students from Indianapolis Rooted.  First up, we talked with Dwayne, an impressive junior from Indianapolis or what he called, “the land of cold and corn”.  He is an aspiring track runner, future software developer, and just an overall amazing young person.  We talked about how this study has given him everything from more money to hang out with friends...

Back in December, we sat down with Rooted students on the first day of the “$50 Study”. They had JUST learned that they were chosen to participate and were still wrapping their head around this research, its mission, and why it exists. For this episode,  we wanted to share with you their individual goals for the year ahead and their bigger dreams around “financial freedom”. Lastly, Rooted started...

AND we are back! Rooted Schools is conducting the  “$50 Study”- providing 83 Rooted students with $50 a week unconditionally, no strings attached for 40 weeks. Why? The goal see what happens when youth are given unconditional cash transfers. How will this money improve their academic performance? Social-emotional wellbeing? Professional prospects? There will be a team of scientists from University...

Welcome to Rooted Cash Podcast. What is it? Why are we doing this? Listen to Rooted senior Vernell Cheneau break down their vision and purpose behind this podcast.

For their very first interviews, DJ Villian And DJ Bio interview Kaitlin Karpinski- the founding principle of The Rooted School in New Orleans. Their conversation covers everything from the main motivation behind the school's design to the real need for the Cash Transfer Pilot. Big shout out to "Ms. Karp" for her time to connect and reflect with us.

DJ Villian breaks down what the term "Universal Basic Income" means and the potential impact that similar policies would have for the New Orleans community and beyond.

We “sat down” over Zoom with Dr. Amy Baker and Dr. Stacia West- the founders of The Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania. They explained the current movement behind basic income policies and how a similar study conducted in Stockton, CA influenced the design of the cash transfer pilot at Rooted.

Grateful to Denzell Caldwell of the Nashville Economic Justice Alliance (or NEJA) for making the time to share his experience organizing and advocating for fair income in Tennessee. In this interview, we talk about the many different challenges in this work and the potential impact it could have on local community.

An amazing conversation with 4.0 CEO Hassan Hassan about his own personal journey and how that drives his leadership behind the cash transfer pilot. We also talked about the legend of 2pac, what it means to be financially literate, and our own dreams for the future.

We close our interviews with Jonathan Johnson- founder and CEO of Rooted School. We look back on the early days of Rooted, our upcoming graduation, and what the cash transfer pilot means for the future of our community.

One year later, we sit down (in person!) with DJ Villian, Hassan Hassan, and Jonathan Johnson. What were the major learnings from the study? How has this pilot shaped their perspective on money? What is next for the cash transfer pilot? This conversation is the perfect ending to an incredible year of growth and learning.