Episodes

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 ho...

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 near-de...

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, she...

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 values c...

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 daughter’s t...

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 scarcity....

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 socioe...

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 pre...

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 co...

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 now ...

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 th...

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 offering ...

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 to s...

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 and...

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 turned to a friend who recommended the book "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. Reading this book...

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 songwriter, but she had very little control over her financial future. It wasn't until she discovere...

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, attached them to certain family memories. There were two strong forces that helped Marguerite’s fa...

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 is an educator, empathy and grief communication coach, university lecturer, speaker and widow advoc...

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 tax structures and regulations. Sam decided to figure out a way to make a business that would be like...

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. By her mom’s math that bond would be worth double by the time Joi was 18. She was right. That money e...

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 continually working for her resume. But Leslie is an entrepreneur at heart, and this was frustrating. U...

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 time. AdaPia blamed herself because, with her background, she thought she should have known better. The...

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 that created more opportunities for Christina and her mother than they ever would have imagined. This i...

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 side attorney fees just as Ken’s own business was being hurt by the Financial Crisis. This meant Ken...