In this episode of Between Builds, Tiffany sits down with Liang Zhao, CEO of Vansary and one of fintech’s most sought-after strategic communicators, for a candid look at what it really takes to lead, build, and show up in an industry that never slows down.

They explore the professional realities behind the personal ones: how postpartum reshapes leadership style, how founders and operators navigate visibility while juggling childcare, why authenticity has become a competitive advantage in PR, and what it means to build a career with both ambition and boundaries. Liang shares how becoming a mother intensified her clarity as a CEO, how community support translates into better decision-making at work, and why transparency has become central to how she leads teams and clients.

At its core, this episode is about working smarter, leading with intention, and recognizing that the “messy middle” isn’t a setback but the real operating environment for modern builders.

• How postpartum experiences influence leadership, communication, and executive presence
• Why authenticity is now a strategic asset in PR and fintech
• The hidden decision-making load working moms carry — and how it impacts performance
• How founders balance visibility, client demands, and real-life constraints
• Why community support systems matter professionally, not just personally
• The surprising link between creativity (yes, even cooking) and better leadership clarity
• The mindset shift from perfectionism to progress — and why it accelerates careers

Most founder stories skip what happens after the exit. This one lives there. 

Pete Glyman sold his first startup, Geezeo, after turning it into a platform used by over 10 million consumers and 500+ banks. But instead of jumping straight into his next fintech venture, he went somewhere nobody expected: hardware. Floating, solar-powered lamps. Prototypes. Manufacturing. Real-world constraints.

After scaling a fintech company to millions of users, why build a lamp?

In this Between Builds episode, Tiffany and Pete unpack the season between exits and new beginnings, when identity resets, experimentation begins, and the best ideas come from strange places. Pete shares how the physical world changed how he thinks about products, what pulled him back into fintech, and how he eventually founded Coinbax when the signal finally got loud enough.

This is a story about resisting the pressure to “build fast,” learning to listen to instinct, and why sometimes the weird idea is exactly the one you need to find your way home.

Tiffany Haynes sits down with Jordan Wright and Darin Petty to explore how you actually stay human while building something that’s never existed before. Recorded live at MoneyPot, this episode is pure kinetic energy — founders mid-build, mid-pivot, mid-life.

They swap founder frameworks in real time: how to spot pain that’s worth solving, how to trust defiance over consensus, how to pivot without losing belief. Jordan breaks down how Atomic bet on a credential-free future when it made no sense—and how timing and persistence turned that “wrong” call into a defining moment. Darin shares how Chisel turned long-term certainty into short, high-impact sprints that teach, de-risk, and convert.

In a rare vulnerable turn, the group gets into the emotional work of building: how to forgive, rebuild, and choose people over ego; how to live an integrated life where family, ambition, and community actually coexist.

It’s not a play-by-play of what to build—but a raw conversation about how to keep building when the noise, fear, and fatigue hit hardest.

Tiffany sits down with Jordan Wright and Darren Petty to explore how you actually stay human while building something that’s never existed before. Recorded live at MoneyPot, this episode is pure kinetic energy as the trio discusses founders mid-build, mid-pivot, mid-life.

They swap scars and secrets from the other side of “scale”: how to make bets that look wrong until they’re not, how to sell through chaos when your own doubts are louder, and how to rebuild trust in business partners, in teams, in yourself.

Jordan shares how Atomic bet on a credential-free future before the world was ready and what it feels like when timing finally catches up to courage. Darren unpacks how Chisel turned long-term certainty into short, high-impact sprints that prove value fast and force focus. Together, they go deep on the invisible work of leadership: forgiveness, defiance, integrity, and the audacity to keep showing up when it would be easier to quit.

If you’ve ever wondered how founders build through fear and not past it — this one’s for you.

In this episode of Between Builds, Tiffany sits down with Nicole Casperson — journalist, founder of Fintech Is Femme, and author of Fintech Feminists to talk about what it really takes to carve your own lane in an industry that doesn’t always make room for new voices.

From newsroom shifts to building a media platform and writing her first book, Nicole shares how she’s navigated the in-betweens: the uncertain seasons, the quiet coffee moments with her partner Anton, and the internal dialogue that shapes both identity and ambition.

They unpack the lessons learned in balancing career pivots, creative freedom, and staying grounded while building something bigger than yourself. Along the way, Nicole reminds us that joy isn’t a byproduct of success — it’s the foundation for it.

☕ “Sometimes carving your own lane means letting go of the title — and holding tighter to your truth.”

Hi, I’m Tiffany Haynes, and today I’m joined by my dear friend Liang to introduce Between Builds. This podcast is about the messy middle — the stretches between milestones where reflection, growth, and change happen. In this trailer, I share what inspired the show and what I hope it becomes for anyone navigating their own transition.