Getting Rich Together

I am joined this week by the bold and brilliant Mel Dorman. Mel is not only a successful real estate investor with nearly three dozen rental units but also a financial activist devoted to helping people reclaim their financial power through ethical real estate investing.

Today, we dive deep into Mel's journey from being a self-described "anti-capitalist" social worker to becoming a real estate investor who's redefining what wealth-building can look like when it centers people and community. You'll hear about Mel's unconventional first business breeding reptiles in high school, her transformative humanitarian work abroad, and the family crisis that sparked her mission to build wealth differently.

Mel shares how she discovered seller financing as an alternative to traditional real estate investing, building a multi-million-dollar portfolio starting with just $500 out of pocket. She opens up about the profound moment at her father's bedside that crystallized her purpose to teach others what she learned too late to help him. Listen as Mel talks about creating the Seller Financing Academy, her vision for economic justice through local ownership, and how transformation happens when we build wealth in community with our neighbors rather than extracting from them.

Key Topics:

1. Starting with financial celibacy and learning that opting out of capitalism doesn't protect you from it

2. The family crisis that forced a reckoning with money as power and agency

3. Discovering seller financing as a relationship-based investment strategy built on social capital, not money capital

4. Turning $500 into 23 rental units through creative deal structuring and strategic thinking

5. The promise made at her father's bedside that became her life's mission

6. Why transformation happens in community, not through weekend boot camps

7. Building ethical real estate ecosystems where neighbors become partners instead of extraction targets

Connect with Mel online:

Join me for an extraordinary conversation with Biet Simkin, renowned spiritual teacher, bestselling author, and the self-proclaimed "David Bowie of meditation." Biet's journey from abject poverty in Queens with an awakened shaman father to becoming a sought-after spiritual guide earning seven figures is unlike anything you've heard before—and it will challenge everything you think you know about money, success, and destiny.

In this raw and transformative episode, Biet shares her childhood growing up in a roach-infested tenement apartment after her mother died of pancreatic cancer, being raised by a father who believed love and consciousness were the only currencies that mattered. She was reading Carl Jung at nine years old, meditating deeply, and already convinced she possessed magic—even as she cried every day at public school where she was punched for seeming "too intelligent."

Biet takes us through getting signed to Sony at 18, watching her music career collapse as the industry imploded, and descending into drugs, alcohol, and dating "the wrong men" as a DJ in New York's party scene. But after the devastating loss of her four-month-old daughter to SIDS, followed by her best friend's suicide, her father's death, and her house burning down, Biet found sobriety—and with it, her true calling.

She reveals how she went from earning $12,000 a year (living on $1,000 a month in NYC) to $170,000 in one year, then tripling to over $400,000, and eventually hitting seven figures—all without following conventional business advice, creating funnels, or doing what everyone said she "should" do. Instead, she trusted her magic, priced herself like Picasso, and believed the quantum field would deliver.

This episode is for anyone who's ever been told they're "too much," too spiritual, too unconventional—and for those ready to stop apologizing for their gifts and start claiming their worth.

Key Topics:

1. Why being raised in "abject poverty" by an awakened shaman became her greatest blessing
2. The dangerous lesson: when you're taught that money is shameful and love is the only real currency
3. From signed at Sony to career collapse: navigating the music industry implosion without a safety net
4. How devastating loss and trauma became the portal to sobriety and spiritual awakening
5. The moment her partner asked to see her numbers—and why shame kept her hiding from financial truth
6. Going from $12,000/year to six figures by trusting her magic instead of business gurus
7. The Picasso pricing philosophy: "I said so, therefore it's worth it"
8. Why sales and marketing are spiritual practices—and how to sell yourself without apology

Connect with Biet online:

Join me for an inspiring conversation with Laura Nix Gerson, CEO and co-founder of NixGerson Media and host of the VentureF podcast, where she champions women investing in women. Laura's journey from military kid moving across the globe every three years to becoming a pioneer in building communities for women investors is a masterclass in turning connection into catalyst.

In this rich conversation, Laura shares her formative years growing up in a military family, living everywhere from Korea to Iran to Germany, and how those constant moves taught her the art of building relationships and creating anchor points in times of change. She reveals the profound impact of her father's Sunday afternoon budget meetings—complete with handmade grids before spreadsheets existed—showing her the importance of allocating dollars across buckets including charity and savings.

Laura takes us through her fascinating career evolution: from launching her first nonprofit arts festival in college, to running prestigious art galleries (where she witnessed Elton John casually point at ten pieces of art without asking prices), to becoming one of LA's first "mommy bloggers," to ultimately founding VentureF. Along the way, she discovered a critical gap: brilliant women founders solving real problems but unable to access capital from predominantly male investors who couldn't understand why European baby formula or perinatal nutrition mattered.

Most powerfully, Laura discusses why she created VentureF as an aggregation point for women seeking to invest in other women—offering guides, glossaries, and curated communities to help accredited investors (many who don't even realize they qualify) deploy capital aligned with their values. With 66% of wealth transferring to women in the next decade, Laura is ensuring we're prepared to invest it wisely and meaningfully.

This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in building wealth through community, understanding alternative investments, or learning how to leverage relationships as your greatest asset.

Key Topics:

1. How constant change can become your superpower for building meaningful relationships
2. The power of budget allocation: why dividing your money into buckets (including charity) sets you up for success
3. Why building community and connection has been the through-line of every successful career pivot
4. The hidden barrier to female founders: solving real problems that male investors don't understand or value
5. What the great wealth transfer means for you: how to prepare for when 66% of wealth is in women's hands
6. Where to start as an investor: finding resources, education, and deal flow without feeling overwhelmed
7. How to have productive money conversations with your partner and raise financially literate kids
8. The shift from investing for returns to investing with values: using your capital to create change

Connect with Laura online:

Join me for an inspiring conversation with Jessica Karr, the heart-centered venture capitalist and founder of Coyote Ventures, who is transforming women's health and wellness through strategic investments. Jessica's journey from biochemist to early team member at Impossible Foods to launching her own impact-focused venture fund is a masterclass in following your values while building wealth.

In this episode, Jessica shares her unconventional path from working in her father's dental practice in Amarillo, Texas, to becoming a force in Silicon Valley venture capital. You'll hear how she navigated stock options as an early employee, the pivotal moments that shaped her investment philosophy, and why she chose to focus exclusively on companies advancing women's health and wellness.

Jessica opens up about the realities of raising a first fund, living capital-efficiently to play the long game, and why being "all in" on private markets aligns with her values—even when wealth managers cringe. Her story illuminates how scientific thinking, patience, and an unwavering commitment to impact can create both financial returns and meaningful change.

Key Topics:

1. Finding alignment between science, sustainability, and personal health through early experiences in healthcare
2. Navigating stock options and secondary markets as an early Impossible Foods employee
3. Transitioning from consulting to venture capital without traditional training
4. Raising your first fund and securing institutional LPs like Bank of America
5. Living capital-efficiently to enable long-term, high-reward opportunities
6. Building a thesis around women's health and wellness investing
7. Creating community and balance while pursuing ambitious career goals
8. Why being "all in" on private markets reflects living in integrity with your mission

Connect with Jessica Karr online:

Join me for an inspiring conversation with Josie Cox, award-winning journalist, author of Women Money Power, and founding editor of The Persistent. Josie's journey from a tiny Swiss village to becoming one of the most compelling voices in economic equality is a testament to the power of purpose-driven work and unwavering conviction.

In this deeply personal episode, Josie shares her unique upbringing as a "third culture kid" — growing up in Switzerland to a Czech mother and English father, navigating multiple languages and cultures, and learning early on about inequality when she transitioned from public school to an international school system. We explore how these formative experiences shaped her understanding of socioeconomic differences and fueled her passion for financial journalism.

Josie opens up about her career path from Reuters in Frankfurt to London and eventually New York City, making crucial decisions that prioritized passion over paychecks. She candidly discusses the tension between artistic fulfillment and financial security, her experience with eating disorders during college, and how meeting her now-husband transformed her understanding of partnership and shared resources.

Most powerfully, Josie reveals the moment that inspired her book *Women Money Power* — an off-the-record interview with a prominent CEO whose dismissive views on women's economic ambition became her call to action. Her mission is clear: to illuminate why economic inequality persists and to give courage to those fighting against it.

This conversation is essential listening for anyone interested in economic justice, the intersection of gender and finance, and how one person's voice can amplify change across generations.

Key Topics:

1. Choosing passion over profit: starting a journalism career despite modest pay
2. Navigating relationships and money with partners at different income levels
3. Combining finances in marriage and recognizing the value of unpaid labor
4. Why the gender pay gap persists and what we can do about it
5. The legacy she hopes to leave for her daughter and future generations
6. Speaking truth to power through journalism and advocacy

Connect with Josie Cox online: