Other People's Pockets

Quay Crowner is a longtime U.S. federal government executive who served at multiple agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, the Government Accountability Office, and the Department of Education.

The 55-year-old Maryland native was most recently the Director of Outreach Impact and Engagement for Federal Student Aid at the Department of Education, when she was put on leave and ultimately fired this year as part of President Trump’s executive order to dismantle Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs, even though her job had nothing to do with DEI.

I'm talking to Quay as part of a series I’m doing on how the Trump administration is affecting individuals’ personal finances.

Today I’m interviewing someone who helps me immensely with my work, the way I approach my career, and how to just be more effective and intentional with my time.

I’m talking to my executive coach, Taylor Winters, because she has some really interesting ideas about the concept of “enough,” which we talk about a lot on this show.

This episode is a Pocket Dial! That's where we pause to reflect on the money themes that come up on Other People's Pockets.

Today I’m bringing you my interview with Cecilia Thiam, a 35-year-old Swiss-American humanitarian aid worker who has spent most of her career living and working in sub-saharan Africa. She lost her job after the Trump administration enacted sweeping cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Now, she has had to scrap her plans, move to a new country with her 6-year-old daughter while parenting solo, and re-think her entire career.

We spoke on July 10, 2025.

Whether you’re a longtime listener of Other People’s Pockets, or you’re brand new to this feed, thank you for being here! I have some news, which is that I am now publishing this show on my own! I finally have full control of this podcast feed, this show that I conceived and love so much, and I’m so excited for what this means about moving forward with creative freedom.

I’m going to focus part of this next season on something a little more news-related. I’m looking at how the Trump administration is affecting people’s personal finances. Whether it's changes to immigration policy, federal job cuts, tariffs … How are these big policy changes impacting the kitchen table conversations that we’re having about our money?