In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Mirela Sula. At the age of 16, Mirela found herself in her home country of Albania, engaged to be married. Not because of a teenage romance or a whirlwind courtship, but because of something much darker – the risk of being sold into prostitution. Upon accepting the proposal, Mirela made her fiancé promise that he would allow her to continue her studies. If he didn’t, she vowed to disappear from his life. That promise was Mirela’s lifeline. She was...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Nina Israel. Earlier in her career, Nina found herself juggling two roles at a company, accounting and human resources. As she tells us, her salary seemed fair, until the company brought on a new hire to take on the HR function. Nina was astonished to discover that he was being paid twice Nina’s salary for doing half the job she had been doing. Nina became aware of the new hire’s salary because she was the person managing payroll. Nina confronted...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Allison Kinnear. In 2007, Allison found herself in Silicon Valley, working at Google, the epicenter of innovation. She was part of a team providing early childhood education to families of Google employees. While Allison was surrounded by the creation of immense wealth, her pay wasn’t anywhere close to the tech professionals at the company. As those coworkers enjoyed high salaries and stock options, Allison couldn't help but question her own worth....

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Laura Moreno Lucas. Laura arrived in the United States from Mexico when she was seven years old, unable to speak a word of English. With her parents tirelessly working to make ends meet and facing their own language barriers, Laura found an unexpected mentor in the form of a janitor at her elementary school. Day after day, this janitor stayed behind after school to help Laura navigate the complexities of her new language, instilling in her not only...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Rena DeLevie. As Rena looks back on the early days of her career, she regrets her harsh leadership style at the time, which she attributes to learning from those around her. To quote Rena, “I was an a*****e. I learned from the best and I really threatened and intimidated. It did not feel good.” By the time she hit her mid-thirties, Rena was done. The a*****e persona was a ruse that took too much energy to keep up. Rena realized that, at her core,...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Jennifer Guynn. After years of career success as a real estate developer, Jen decided to step away to raise her three children. She describes this as a scary jump for her and her husband because she was making good money, and it would be an adjustment to live on one income. Fast forward to when their youngest child went off to Kindergarten, Jen was ready to head back to work. But she knew that whatever she decided to do next, it had to be worth it...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Mariana Saddakni. Mariana is a Latina trailblazer in technology innovation. Her cross-cultural money journey started in Argentina where her family considered their wealth to be their intellect and capacity to learn. That was their status, not the money in the bank. Mariana’s ambition to learn more took her to the United States for graduate school. Her goal was to be at the top of her game in design and technology. Mariana talks about the financial...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Jodi Morris. Jodi is a fierce advocate for education and empowerment, especially for girls around the globe. From her own struggles navigating the financial aid system when she applied to college, Jodi recognizes the immense challenges faced by girls in less privileged parts of the world. She shares with us her passion for leveling the playing field and making education accessible to all, regardless of location or circumstance. Jodi's commitment...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Sarah “Sharky” Harkness. We dive into Sharky’s extraordinary journey where she narrowly escaped death not once, not twice, but three times. Sharky shares the raw moments of facing mortality, finding strength in the depths of despair, and embracing a no quit mindset. From battling through over two dozen surgeries within four years to shedding layers of shame, Sharky's story is a testament to the power of resilience and the courage to defy the odds....

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Ann Oleson. Ann embarked on her entrepreneurial journey in 2011. When she started her first business, Ann found herself navigating uncharted territory as a female entrepreneur. She craved role models and networks to guide her along the way. She was specifically looking for women founders of companies generating over a million dollars a year in revenue. Ann got there through creativity and persistence. Today, Ann and her network are breaking...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Robert Rao. Rob describes being raised by immigrant parents who came to this country with limited resources, as living in the shadows. It was easy to blend in and not be recognized for his potential. Rob had a key ally helping him persevere. He describes his mother as an incredible dreamer who thought bigger of her children. Rob did not disappoint. He’s come to realize that you need to have people in your life that give you hope. And he’s leveraged...

Manisha Thakor is our guest in this episode of Money Tales. Early in her career, Manisha earned big year-end bonuses at work. That caused her to begin to quate her self-worth with her net worth. As Manisha looks back, she sees that her identity was wrapped up in her work, and bonuses were an indication of how well she was doing. She kept her head down, kept working hard, and tried to meet society’s money expectations. Then, as Manisha was nearing age 50, she experienced the second of two...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Karen Mangia. Once, when navigating an unstable job, Karen faced job loss panic. Her rational mind could not control her wild imagination that she might not work again and wouldn’t have enough money for food. This shook Karen to her core because it wasn’t true. She had already created a financial safety net and her financial advisor demonstrated that she had plenty of funds available to get her through this period. As Karen shares in this episode,...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Robert Farrington. When he was 16, Robert got a job at Target. As he headed off to college, he kept that job and continued to work his way up the store’s leadership ladder. Robert decided to stick around after he graduated because the work was easy, fun and paid well as he ultimately became store manager. Meanwhile, on the side, he created an online platform to help college students. Life was good until things took a turn when Robert’s family...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Dr. Rene Caissie. Rene is a visionary in the realm of technology, Artificial Intelligence, and big data within the medical field. His journey took an unexpected turn when his daughter was diagnosed with a rare disease, CRPS. At that moment Rene found himself uniquely positioned, having built a platform for clinical research that intersected with his daughter's condition. It was a fortuitous alignment of passion and purpose that led to his...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Diane O’Connell. Diane had a successful career as an attorney for nearly two decades and then she began struggling with a silent culprit—generalized anxiety disorder. It wasn't a tangible injury with a straightforward recovery plan. Diane's journey to healing was like navigating an uncharted path where the source of her anxiety was elusive. Through treatment, Diane came to realize the condition was rooted in her deep-seated fear of financial...

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 wealth creation as a gateway to socioeconomic development. Alicia has given a lot of thought to...

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 conversation, they unpack the implications of living in a society where the economy often takes...

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 present and also impact her future, Celeste leans on the strength of family bonds, especially 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 strength and resilience it revealed within her. No matter what obstacles Nancy would face in life, she...

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 deposit into the account. Jennifer didn’t have any. She left the bank with a crucial realization...

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 her and said, “If you don’t buy this house, I will.” The patient then took the risk away by...

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 moment that his childhood perceptions crumbled, and Greg learned that his family didn’t have $300...

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 job but couldn’t, so he started a business instead and hasn’t looked back. Justin is the Founder...