Making Change with your Money

Imagine growing up watching your mother choose between paying the electric bill or buying groceries. Imagine filing bankruptcy, losing your house, living in cars.At some point, you've probably asked: How do I break free from the money patterns I inherited? How do I build wealth when I'm starting from nothing?Maybe you've tried to outrun your financial past. You've worked hard, done everything "right." But financial trauma doesn't disappear because you get a paycheck. And for women especially, we're more likely to live in poverty in retirement, take career breaks that cost us earning potential, and prioritize everyone else's financial security before our own.Emily was born months after her sister passed away, into a household drowning in medical debt, depression, and hopelessness. By eleven, her father had abandoned the family. Her mother, unable to separate emotions from financial decisions, gave up hope.But Emily chose differently. She graduated high school three years early, started working, and at nineteen launched her first business as a virtual assistant to C-suite executives and family offices.That gateway changed everything. She learned how capital moves by working with the people who controlled it. She helped create one of the first blockchain ETFs. Today, she runs Numinous Capital—a venture capital firm investing in biotech and deep tech companies building between the coasts.Here's what Emily learned that her mother never could: sometimes debt feels more secure and comfortable than not having it. "Debt acts almost like a father that's not there," she told me. "It's on your back constantly. And it may feel secure and safe."This is the paradox of financial trauma. The very thing destroying you can feel like the only stable relationship you have. It's familiar. It's known. And letting it go can feel more terrifying than keeping it.Emily witnessed this in her mother, who stayed trapped in the cycle until she passed away. But Emily chose differently. She learned to recognize the pattern without repeating it.Now, financial security means something entirely different: nervous system regulation. "It's this sense of calm and peace that we all owe ourselves," she says. Not about buying more things. Not about keeping up with anyone. Just knowing her money's growing, knowing she has a fallback plan, knowing she's creating opportunity for future generations.Emily's closing message for anyone navigating financial hardship or transition: "You have it all already. Everything that you need you already have. Don't be afraid to take risks. Don't be afraid to take chances on yourselves."And here's the mindset shift she practices: when you hit a snag and start losing hope, try something different. Just once, say "Maybe this is a good thing. Let me make this into a good thing."That's how you bend reality. Not by denying your circumstances, but by reframing how you deal with them. Not by pretending your past doesn't matter, but by refusing to let it determine your future.Guest: Emily is the founder of Numinous Capital, a venture capital firm investing in biotech, deep tech, and capital-intensive companies building between the coasts. She started her first business at nineteen and has spent her career learning how capital moves through markets—from family offices to hedge funds to venture capital.Resources:Numinous CapitalLinkedIn

Imagine you're sitting on the couch one evening, looking at your spouse, and suddenly the words just come out: "I'm exhausted. All we do is chase our responsibilities."At some point or another, you've probably heard yourself asking: When did life become this never-ending list of tasks? When did I start scheduling heartworm medicine for the dog on my calendar but not anything that actually brings me joy? When did I forget that life is supposed to feel good sometimes?Maybe you've tried to fix this. You've told yourself you'll relax after the next project wraps up. You've promised yourself a vacation once the kids are older, once you get that promotion, once you have more money saved. But here's what actually happens: the promotion comes, the project ends, and somehow you're just as busy, just as burned out, just as far from joy as you ever were.Because waiting for joy to find you doesn't work. The "afters" never come. And in the meantime, you're spending 90,000 hours of your life—40 years—in the workforce, showing up busy, stressed, and depleted.This was exactly where Lisa found herself. She grew up with a father who taught her that hard work was the badge of honor in their family. She learned early that if you don't have enough money, you work more. And she took that lesson into her corporate career as a healthcare executive, outworking everyone around her, believing that exhaustion was the price of success.Until the night she looked at her husband and said, "I want to put something else on our calendar. Something fun. I want to chase joy like it's my job."He looked at her confused and said, "Okay, what do you want to do?"And she realized: she had no idea.So she went to Home Depot, bought a giant whiteboard, brought it home, and asked her husband to hang it in their bedroom. He said, "Lisa, people don't put whiteboards in bedrooms." And she said, "We do."That whiteboard became the place where she and her family started building a joy list—things they used to do, wanted to do, could do. And she learned that if you wait for joy to come after everything else is done, you'll be waiting forever.If you've ever found yourself showing up to work, to your family, to your life as "busy"—if you've ever felt like you're going through the motions just to keep the wheels turning—this conversation is for you.This is a conversation about giving yourself permission to schedule joy with the same seriousness you schedule everything else. Because here's the truth Lisa discovered: joy doesn't happen to you. You happen to it.Guest: Lisa is a former healthcare executive turned author and speaker who teaches corporate leaders how to create impact while actually enjoying their lives. Her book "Joy Is My Job" introduces practical frameworks for building joy into busy lives.Resources:Joy Is My JobFacebookLinkedInInstagramWebsite

Growing up in India, Chaitra Vedullapalli watched her mother and grandmother ask men for money. Not because there wasn't enough, but because that's just how it worked. She hated it. At eight years old, she became an entrepreneur selling handkerchiefs at her mother's social gatherings. The moment cash landed in her hand and she could buy what she wanted without permission? Magical. That moment sparked a lifelong commitment to agency over money.Chaitra spent 26 years in tech at Oracle and Microsoft, working on billion-dollar strategies. She was one of the youngest executives to reach the Oval Office, discussing multi-billion dollar contracts. But what came next defines her: founding Women in Cloud to help women entrepreneurs scale, leading capital campaigns to build community centers, investing in Hollywood films, and now building a $100 million fund.The breakthrough? Her family's "invest formula"—a framework she and her husband developed on day one of marriage to evaluate every financial decision. Six questions: Does it generate income? Expand network? Appreciate over time? What's the exit? How protected? Tax advantages? They score every investment against these criteria, creating a common language that eliminates money fights.But the real revelation came from Tim Ferriss's "The 4-Hour Work Week" and million-dollar mindset planning. Chaitra wrote down everything that would make her feel like a millionaire: business class travel, monthly nice dinners with her kids, experiential trips with friends, investing $50,000 quarterly in causes that matter. Then she calculated the cost. Her jaw dropped—less than $200,000. She realized if they had that base covered, everything else could flow toward impact. No stress. No zeros-chasing. Just memories and democratizing access.Chaitra's grandmother taught her: "If you want to change the world, give the first check to that community." It's not about permission. It's about agency. Whether you're navigating financial conversations with a partner, building a business, or using money for impact, Chaitra shows that money is energy meant to flow—toward fun, your future, and the change you want to see.Guest: Chaitra Vedullapalli, founder of Women in Cloud and technology executive with 26 years at Oracle and MicrosoftResources:Women in CloudWebsite: Chaitra VedullapalliLinkedIn

What happens when you write a novel, put it in a drawer, and your adult daughter stages an intervention? In this episode, Laura welcomes Susan Kleinman, author of All Afternoon, who shares her journey from magazine writer to fiction author, and how her daughter's tough love pushed her to finally publish her book.Susan grew up learning that money means values in action. While there were limits on clothing—no more than $15 per skirt—her mother took her to a book warehouse where Susan could fill a cart with 50-100 books. This clear message about what mattered shaped everything.After a published cover story in college and a 10-city book tour at 25, Susan's career didn't follow the typical upward trajectory. It looked like the letter U—starting high, dropping to steady magazine work, then rising decades later. When magazines folded during the 2008 crisis, she pivoted to fiction, winning a Sarah Lawrence fellowship and drafting "All Afternoon" in 2010.The book went through agents, rejections, COVID delays, and her father's death. At 59, Susan quit writing entirely. She made collage cards, slept late, thought she was happily retired. Then her daughter flew home: "You need to get a job. You seem aimless." Her daughter read the manuscript and insisted: "You have to get this book published." Now 61, Susan is self-publishing, learning marketing, connecting with bookstagrammers, and receiving reviews from strangers that make her cry.Key Takeaways:💡 Money is how you put your values into action. Susan's parents taught her this explicitly—there were strict limits on clothing, but unlimited books. This wasn't about their financial situation; it was about what mattered. Charitable giving was non-negotiable, but so was thinking deliberately about expenditures that create a life that fits who you are, not just what you want in the moment.💡 Career paths aren't always linear. Susan's career graphed as a U, not an upward trend—high success at 25, decades of steady but quiet magazine work, then a dramatic rise again at 61. She lost work during the 2008 housing crisis when decorating magazines folded, pivoted to fiction, then quit entirely before returning. The traditional career trajectory doesn't apply to everyone.💡 Sometimes your family sees what you can't. When Susan thought she was happily retired making cards and drinking coffee slowly, her daughter flew home and said, "This is an intervention. You need to get a job. You seem aimless." Her daughter's emotional intelligence caught what Susan couldn't see—she needed purpose and goals, not just leisure. Sometimes those who love us most can see our truth.💡 Time is not renewable—spend it deliberately. Susan's grandfather, a European immigrant, told her at 86: "Sometimes life is very long, but even so it ends." This shaped her approach to saying yes to opportunities even when tired or crabby.Guest: Susan Kleinman is a writer and author of All Afternoon, a novel set in 1978 about a woman confronting what she wants from life. Resources:All AfternoonFacebookInstagramWebsite

What happens when you follow all the rules—save diligently, work hard, climb the corporate ladder—but lose yourself in the process? In this episode, Laura welcomes Gretchen Schoser, founder of Schoser Solutions and co-host of the podcast "Shit That Goes On In Our Heads," who shares her journey from attempted suicide on Christmas Day 2022 to launching her own consulting business focused on mental health and change management.Gretchen's father taught her to save relentlessly. She worked at McDonald's through high school and college, put money into her 401(k) for 40 years, and did everything right financially. But beneath the surface, she was drowning. On Christmas 2022, after taking on everyone else's pain, she called 988, the suicide and crisis lifeline. A two-hour conversation saved her life.After accepting early retirement and launching a mental health podcast, Gretchen faced another transition: starting her consulting firm. On January 2nd, she opened her LLC, funding it with $30,000 from the 401(k) she'd built over four decades.Key Takeaways:💡 Financial security doesn't guarantee mental health. Gretchen saved diligently for 40 years, but on Christmas 2022, she nearly didn't live to use that money. She weathered toxic jobs because she couldn't afford to leave, showing up with a smile while dying inside. Financial wellness and mental wellness must go hand-in-hand—no amount of savings is worth sacrificing your mental health.💡 The 988 crisis line saves lives. When Gretchen was in crisis, she called 988, the suicide and crisis lifeline. You don't need to be suicidal—anyone in crisis can call. A trained professional talked with her for over two hours, saved her life, and helped her find resources. If you're struggling, 988 is available 24/7 in the US and Canada.💡 Starting a business after 60 requires strategic planning. Gretchen used ChatGPT to calculate startup capital needs, factoring in personal expenses, projected customers, and 1099 contractor realities. She withdrew $30,000 from her 401(k)—after 59.5, you avoid early withdrawal penalties. She hired a CPA, opened business and savings accounts, and sets aside 20% of every payment for taxes.💡 Being your own boss means being your own caretaker. Working from home makes it easy to overextend. Gretchen schedules reminders to step away, greet her spouse, and eat. She keeps overhead low, watches those $10/month subscriptions that add up, and prices below big consulting firms while protecting her time and energy.💡 Success shifts from chasing money to making a difference. Gretchen chased money and dreams for decades. At 60, she realized she had enough: a roof, food, her spouse, security. Now success means doing what makes her happy, helping companies protect employee mental health during transitions, and being the happiest her wife has seen her in 20 years.Guest: Gretchen Schoser is founder of Schoser Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in change management and employee mental health, and co-host of "Shit That Goes On In Our Heads" podcast. With 45 years in corporate America and expertise in UKG Recruiting and Onboarding, she's now a mental health advocate helping companies navigate transitions while protecting employee wellbeing.Resources:Company Websire: schosersolutions.comPodcast: "Shit That Goes On In Our Heads" at shitthatgoesoninourheads.net988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (available 24/7 in US and Canada)LinkedIn