Episodes

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Juan Thomas. Juan grew up in suburban Chicago and as an African American, he saw a different level of privilege when hanging-out with white kids and felt out of place in both worlds. When he attended Morehouse college, he did a deep dive on African American theological giants, inspiring him to become a servant leader. Juan also wanted to be the first black president. Although that’s been taken, he’s still committed to political aspirations and is focu...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Finka Jerkovic. We all know it's hard to change our money habits and bad money behaviors. Finka has figured out some key techniques that have reliably allowed her to change course and to value money as a resource for fueling her and her family’s values and dreams. Finka shares these techniques with us so we all have an opportunity to learn and apply them to our own lives. Finka is an author, international speaker, workshop leader and coach. As Preside...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Dave Goetsch. Dave is a Hollywood comedy writer with a passion for helping people engage with their personal finances. You’ve likely enjoyed his work if you’ve watched “United States of Al” and “The Big Bang Theory.” Dave knows it's empathy that connects people to the characters he brings to life on the screen. Understanding that money conversations can be hard, Dave shares that we need to employ that same empathy when talking about money so we can bu...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Bhaj Townsend, a woman who has grace by her side and as her compass. Bhaj has done it all! She nearly became a professional tennis player. She next became a successful restaurant entrepreneur. During a break, she became a longshorewoman. Bhaj then got into commercial real estate and was next offered the opportunity to tour the world as a jazz guitarist. She later moved into financial planning and helping families with money. This might all sound excit...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Janet Gregory. Janet is a successful Silicon Valley tech maven and the breadwinner of her family. She was an early employee at a start-up in the late 90s and wasn’t sure if the business plan would take off. Much to her delight—it did—the company IPO’d and the stock price went through the roof … and then the dot-com bubble burst followed. As the stock went from its highest highs to its lowest lows, Janet and her husband watched their funds dwindle. The...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is John Foley. John is a former lead solo pilot of the Blue Angels. Being up in the sky, flying 18 inches apart from the next plane at 500 miles per hour requires intense communication and a deep understanding of what your role is. Also critical to this level of success is having trust in your team, and a commitment to continuous learning. As you’ll hear, this is how John approaches all aspects of his life, including his personal finances. John is a form...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Tania Vasallo. Growing up in a society where men were in charge of money and everything else, this dynamic woman flipped those rules on their head. Tania grew up in Spain and it wasn’t until she spent a year studying in the US at age 15 that she had her first taste of true freedom. For Tania, this was the freedom to take ownership of herself and her decisions, which is one of her core values. This craving for freedom has driven Tania to take charge of...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Rabbi Steve Leder. Rabbi Steve has had a remarkable career impacting the lives of many and he’s not done. In addition to being the Senior Rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles, he’s also known as being a modern, wise man who, as you’ll hear in this episode is warm, kind, funny, deep and nonjudgmental. All of this from a man who at age 14 was arrested for stealing Bob Dylan albums at Target. Luckily for all of us who have been blessed to be...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Rebecca Macieira-Kaufmann. Rebecca has been leading a fast-paced, globetrotting life as a CEO of multinational businesses. She is publishing her first book titled the “Fit CEO” in September 2021. The book covers how to be the leader of your life: physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally. Like most things in life, you can apply these principals to your personal financial health, which Rebecca talks about with us today. Rebecca has broad leader...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Naseema McElroy. Naseema found herself nearly a million dollars in debt, working as a nurse. She knew she couldn’t out-earn her financial ignorance. In less than three years, Naseema became financially smart and debt-free. She is now focused on making her finances work for her so that she can spend time on the things most important to her — ¬raising and sharing amazing learning opportunities with her two daughters, without diverting progress toward he...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Janine Quijije. Janine became a single mom at a young age in a community of immigrants, going through the motions and not striving for more. All that changed when Janine looked down at her five year-old daughter’s face and realized she needed to create something different for her daughter. Janine got curious and set out to create her own career path, dodging obstacles of judgement along the way. Janine is the Chief Advancement Officer for Communities ...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Randy Horn, a self-described grinding entrepreneur. Randy created a board game company out of business school that generated millions of dollars of revenue. Unfortunately, he lost that business after a multi-year trademark infringement lawsuit. Randy invested his heart and soul into this business and suffered a great personal and financial loss as a result. While he felt the bottom of the abyss, Randy picked himself up and saw that his entrepreneurial...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Jenny Kassan. Jenny grew up with messages of rich people being evil, which created a chip on her shoulder about wealth. As Jenny created goals for her future, making money wasn’t on the list. But then she shifted her focus and as her career evolved, she interacted more and more with wealthy people. This allowed Jenny to realize that wealth doesn’t reflect a person’s heart, what they’re doing with the money reflects who they really are. Jenny has over ...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Steve Watts. Steve was a self-proclaimed workaholic until his early 40s when he experienced a religious awakening inspired by former pro football player, Rosey Grier, which led Steve to find Christ and redefine the purpose of his life. Steve no longer worked to earn money to spend on himself, and began to tithe, learning that there’s much to receive from giving. Steve has been a full-time real estate agent for over 35 years and has a passion for creat...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Kathleen Burns Kingsbury. Kathleen has always been financially savvy, thanks in part to her parents talking to her about money all the time. And then, she and her husband were conned by the contractor next door. This rocked Kathleen’s world because she thought she should know better. Rather than letting this situation get her down, Kathleen’s voice for money conversations strengthened and amplified. Kathleen is a wealth psychology expert, founder of K...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Janine Firpo. On her way to getting her Ph.D. in marine biology, Janine realized how capped her earnings potential would be. Pivoting into computer science, she earned enough to fund her true passion of helping others rise up. Janine was a part of the wave in the role technology could play in helping solve poverty. Once a sufferer of bag lady syndrome, she now has a secure understanding of the role money plays in her life. Janine is a seasoned values-...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Cicley Gay. Cicley broke one of the biggest stereotypes. She is African American and was a single mom at age 16. While the system tried to categorize her as having capped potential, Cicley was smart, observant and curious. One teacher and one paper flyer changed the trajectory of her life forever. Today, Cicley is the single mom to three accomplished sons, and she is a successful entrepreneur. Money tales are woven throughout her life’s journey. Cicle...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Kelly Rodriques. Some tech entrepreneurs are fortunate enough to strike gold once. Kelly has had the good fortune to strike it multiple times. As he maneuvered from being the CEO of one successful company to the next, it became apparent to Kelly that there’s a lot of wealth at the top of startup companies, and plenty of room to share it more broadly across the rank and file employees. Kelly now spends time thinking about how to let other people financ...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Johanna Pfaelzer. Johanna has walked the creative path from actor to producer and now is an artistic director. Those steps gave her control over the future she wanted while still being able to influence theatrical arts in a powerful way. Under Johanna’s leadership, many notable works have been developed, including the 2016 Tony Award winner “Hamilton” by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Like many creative people, Johanna waitressed tables early on to pay her bills...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Kimberly Inskeep. Kimberly describes entrepreneurs as being hungrier, having an independent spirit and a driving desire to create their own destiny. She’s one to know because Kimberly started her first business when she was eight years old. Having these entrepreneurial instincts doesn’t guarantee success. Kimberly talks about how everything costs something and being successful in her career involved continually evaluating tradeoffs with her family and...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Steve Legler. From birth, Steve was the anointed successor to the family business his father created. It wasn’t his dream to take over the business, but Steve knew it was his duty to take on these responsibilities. After getting his MBA, he was told the business was to be sold and there was not going to be anything for him to run. Steve was relieved! Steve is a Family Legacy Advisor based in Montreal, Canada. After the unexpected sale of the family bu...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Courtney Kingston. When we hear stories of other people’s success, their journeys often seem straightforward and obvious. Courtney shares her experience that it’s not until you have a chance to look backwards at your life that you see how all the dots connect. Courtney’s family has many roots in Chile, on their farm outside of Santiago. This multi-cultural background influences much of who Courtney is, including her role as a leader of the family vine...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Laura Munson. Early in life, Laura decided to leave the safety and riches of the debutant society she grew up in for the wilderness of Montana to hone her skills as a novelist. Initially, Laura had a lot of freedom to write, then her marriage took a turn and forced her to monetize her passion for writing so she could pay her bills. Through these efforts, Laura has created a community of inspired writers, who join her in Montana or virtually, to explor...

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Jonny Moseley, an Olympic gold medalist freestyle skier who brought his signature moves to the sport. When we think about Olympians, our focus is usually on the sport. There’s a whole money story behind it, and Jonny shares how he learned to hustle to pull funds together to support himself. Jonny has leveraged these important relationship and business skills in his ongoing career as a television presenter, fellow podcaster and entrepreneur. Jonny is a...