Disrupt Your Money: Liberation through Financial Education for Marginalized Business Owners

Taxes don't have to be scary! In this episode of Disrupt Your Money, host Meg K. Wheeler, CPA, Financial Educator, and Founder of The Equitable Money Project, breaks down the best tax deductions for small business owners. Forget the dry tax lectures—this episode keeps it light, actionable, and designed to help you keep more of your hard-earned money. If you're a marginalized business owner, this knowledge is even more critical, as the system wasn't built with you in mind. Let's reclaim what's ours!

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The home office deduction: what qualifies and how to make the most of it

• Self-employment tax deduction: why it exists and how to claim it

• Business meals: yes, your working brunch counts (if you do it right!)

• Education and training: why investing in yourself is tax-deductible

• Health insurance premiums: how to offset this major expense

• Software and subscriptions: the business tools that can lower your tax bill

• Retirement contributions: setting yourself up for future wealth while saving on taxes

• The golden rule of tax deductions: document everything!

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Book Recommendation: Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez. Purchase your copy at EquitableMoneyProject.com/READ.  

• Money Mindset Coach Highlight: Justine Nelson  (@debtfreemillennials_ on Instagram)

• Listener Question: How can small business owners protect themselves financially if there are new tax laws or regulations that favor larger corporations after the 2024 election?

💰✊🏾💸✊🏽💵✊🏻

This podcast is hosted by Meg K. Wheeler, CPA and Biz Money Coach and Founder of the Equitable Money Project. Meg is on a mission to turn online educators, service providers and coaches from Not Numbers People to Badass Money Makers. Are you ready to Disrupt Your Money? Learn more about Meg here!

• Need to get your money stuff set up right? Check out our financial foundations course the Biz Money Blueprint!

• Submit Your Questions - DisruptYourMoney.com

• Leave A Review- Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen 

This podcast is intended for informational & educational purposes only and is not intended as professional financial advice. 

💰✊🏾💸✊🏽💵✊🏻

Connect with Meg across social:

Facebook

Instagram- Equitable Money Project

Instagram- Meg K. Wheeler

Pinterest

Song Credit: Midnight Specials by Ash Nino

In this episode of Disrupt Your Money, we dig into what it really means to put your money where it matters in a system that was never designed for us to thrive. If you’re a woman, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, or otherwise part of a historically marginalized community, this conversation is about why your money work isn’t optional—it’s survival and it’s power.

Through stories, data, and a whole lot of real talk, we unpack the three buckets of economic distribution—income, pay, and wealth—and how they show up in your everyday life. Then we zoom out to the bigger fight: how to use your money as a tool for collective liberation. 

This episode is your invitation to stop feeling helpless and start using your dollars, your business, and your voice to fund the world you actually want to live in.

⏱️ In This Episode:

00:00 – Introduction: Why we’re talking about inequity before budgets and tax tips
01:48 – Economic inequity 101: income, pay, and wealth
04:08 – The racial and gender wealth gaps and who’s most impacted
06:58 – Opting out vs. protecting your power
08:35 – Why building wealth is part of activism
10:51 – Three ways to fight back: build wealth, create new systems, support each other
12:21 – Putting your money where it matters
14:10 – Educate Yourself: One Fair Wage
15:10 – Minimum wage, tipped wages, and what “fair pay” really looks like
17:27 – The World Is a Dumpster Fire: Roe v. Wade and reproductive justice
20:36 – Taking action: supporting Planned Parenthood and local reproductive justice orgs
22:35 – Closing thoughts

🔗 Mentioned in This Episode:

👉 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED) – Federal Reserve data on household financial well-being
👉 Commonwealth – Nonprofit focused on building financial security for financially vulnerable communities
👉 Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) – U.S. law governing minimum wage, overtime, and tipped wages
👉 One Fair Wage: Ending Subminimum Pay in America by Saru Jayaraman
👉 Planned Parenthood Action Fund – Advocacy arm fighting for reproductive rights
👉 Disrupt Your Money Bookstore – More justice-centered money reads curated by Meg

💬 Connect with Us:
🌐 Website → https://equitablemoneyproject.com
📸 Instagram → https://instagram.com/equitablemoneyproject
🎧 Podcast → https://equitablemoneyproject.com/podcast

In this episode of Disrupt Your Money, we sit down with data visualization powerhouse Ann K. Emery to talk about what it actually looks like to build a business that fits your family, not the other way around. From soul-sucking corporate jobs to a thriving business that takes summers off, Ann has redesigned her work to support the life she wants—rather than the one capitalism keeps trying to hand her.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you have to choose between being present for your family and building serious wealth, this conversation is your permission slip to question the whole setup. Grab your notebook (or your passport), and get ready to imagine what your business could look like if it was designed around your life from day one.

⏱️ In This Episode:

00:00 Introduction: Why building a business that fits your life is part of financial liberation
00:41 Meet Ann K. Emery & Depict Data Studio
02:15 What Ann’s business looks like today: school-hours schedule and summers in Europe
06:23 Ann's story of corporate burnout at 22
09:31 Doing “everything right” and still struggling
11:49 Planting seeds with blogging, YouTube, and conference talks
14:01 The Uganda workshop that proved the math of self-employment could work
18:23 Starting a family and a business at the same time
20:33 Balancing business and caregiving
24:00 Designing your ideal week
30:00 Systems instead of stress
32:31 Digital nomad life with three kids
41:26 Staying open to wild opportunities and Ann’s advice for building a business that truly fits your family

🔗 Mentioned in This Episode:

👉 Depict Data Studio – Ann’s data visualization training & consulting studio
👉 Connect with Ann on LinkedIn 

💬 Connect with Us:
🌐 Website → https://equitablemoneyproject.com
📸 Instagram → https://instagram.com/equitablemoneyproject
🎧 Podcast → https://equitablemoneyproject.com/podcast

🚀 Your Next Step:
Ready to make your money match your values? Download our free Wealth is Resistance Action Kit → https://equitablemoneyproject.com/kit

In this episode of Disrupt Your Money, we stop playing small and start stealing the right lessons from the very corporations we love to drag. Meg pulls back the curtain on how big companies treat their money and shows you how to apply those tools in your own business without importing all the corporate greed, exploitation, and nonsense.

Instead of romanticizing “scrappy” struggle, we look at what actually makes big companies powerful. You’ll learn how to step fully into your CEO role, pay yourself like a real employee, quit letting your feelings run your financial decisions, and think differently about debt, support, and structure. 

⏱️ In This Episode:
00:00 Introduction: Why we’re borrowing (select) money lessons from big companies
01:09 Big corporations vs. community-centric businesses—and what we do and don’t want to emulate
04:56 Stepping into your CEO identity
05:32 What “real business” infrastructure actually looks like
06:56 Separating business and personal money
08:03 Paying yourself like you matter
11:11 How big companies leverage debt to grow
13:39 Building your own financial support team
15:27 Recap: The core money lessons we should steal from big companies
16:06 Why You Should Care: The Supreme Court, abortion pills, and why reproductive justice is a money issue
26:48 Spotlight: Elevated Access
28:07 Listener Question: Should I put my first rental property in an LLC?
31:55 Wrap-up: Why investing in support is not “extra”—it’s strategy

🔗 Mentioned in This Episode:

👉 Biz Money Library – Meg’s free hub of templates, checklists, resources & guides

👉 Elevated Access – nonprofit volunteer pilot network providing free flights for people seeking abortion and gender-affirming care

👉 Submit your listener question or story → https://disruptyourmoney.com

💬 Connect with Us:
🌐 Website → https://equitablemoneyproject.com
📸 Instagram → https://instagram.com/equitablemoneyproject
🎧 Podcast → https://equitablemoneyproject.com/podcast

🚀 Your Next Step:
Ready to make your money match your values? Download our free Wealth is Resistance Action Kit → https://equitablemoneyproject.com/kit

Welcome back to Disrupt Your Money! In today's episode, host Meg K. Wheeler, CPA, Business Money Coach, and Founder of The Equitable Money Project, dives into one of the most transformative steps for building generational wealth: creating your financial all-star team.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the financial side of your business or thought hiring experts was out of reach, this episode is for you. Meg breaks down the essential roles on your financial team—tax advisor, bookkeeper, CFO, investment advisor, insurance specialist—and how to afford them, no matter your budget. Learn actionable steps to grow and protect your wealth while navigating systemic barriers and rewriting the rules of financial success.

Plus, Meg shares a sobering statistic about the wage gap's impact on retirement, a must-read book recommendation, an inspiring money mindset tip from Larissa Steffen, and answers a listener's question about whether financial advisors are worth it for small budgets.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Why building a financial all-star team is critical for marginalized business owners.

• The five key roles on your financial team and how each one supports your goals.

• How to afford financial experts—even if you're just starting out.

• The compounding effects of the wage gap on retirement and why fighting for equal pay is essential.

• Practical tips to address money trauma and develop healthier financial habits.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Book Recommendation: Get Good with Money: Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole by Tiffany "The Budgetnista" Aliche. Purchase your copy at EquitableMoneyProject.com/READ.

• Money Mindset Coach Highlight: Larissa Steffen (@worriedtowealthy on Instagram).

• Listener Question: Is hiring a financial advisor worth it if you don't have a lot of money to invest?

💰✊🏾💸✊🏽💵✊🏻

This podcast is hosted by Meg K. Wheeler, CPA and Biz Money Coach and Founder of the Equitable Money Project. Meg is on a mission to turn online educators, service providers and coaches from Not Numbers People to Badass Money Makers. Are you ready to Disrupt Your Money? Learn more about Meg here!

• Need to get your money stuff set up right? Check out our financial foundations course the Biz Money Blueprint!

• Submit Your Questions - DisruptYourMoney.com

• Leave A Review- Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen 

This podcast is intended for informational & educational purposes only and is not intended as professional financial advice. 

💰✊🏾💸✊🏽💵✊🏻

Connect with Meg across social:

Facebook

Instagram- Equitable Money Project

Instagram- Meg K. Wheeler

Pinterest

Did you Disrupt Your Money, build your bank account, and transform your way of life?  Tell us how this episode impacted you and leave a review at Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. 

Breaking down financial systems is always better with a buddy - tell a friend about this podcast so you can Disrupt Your Money together: http://disruptyourmoney.com

Song Credit: Midnight Specials by Ash Nino

Join Meg and Coach Mackenzie Holznecht of Running with Bacon as they dive into the power of habit-building in both fitness and finance! Together, they unpack how to make these often tricky topics more approachable, focusing on the power of small steps and tailoring habits to fit your unique lifestyle. Coach Mack gets personal, sharing her journey with finances and how she's harnessed the power of technology to simplify and automate her habits. Tune in for an inspiring conversation on how to assess, adapt, and refresh your routines as life evolves—because every big improvement starts with just one small step!

Join us as we discuss: 

• How habits will set you up for long-term success in fitness and finance.

• Why starting starting small is significant 

• When to evaluate and adjust your habits

• How to hold yourself accountable

• Why you should automate everything in finance and fitness 

Coach Mack is the founding health coach of Running with Bacon (yes, that's actually the name of her business) and she's obsessed with healthy habits! She helps women transform into the fittest and strongest they can be, one small step at a time. 

In addition to being a 'fitness mom' to many, she's got a Belgian Malinois puppy, she can't stop talking about her obsession with Reese's cups, and if you don't catch her in her garden, odds are good she's catching up on the latest Real Housewives episode. Follow her on Instagram or YouTube. 

💰✊🏾💸✊🏽💵✊🏻

This podcast is hosted by Meg K. Wheeler, CPA and Biz Money Coach and Founder of the Equitable Money Project. Meg is on a mission to turn online educators, service providers and coaches from Not Numbers People to Badass Money Makers. Are you ready to Disrupt Your Money? Learn more about Meg here!

• Need to get your money stuff set up right? Check out our financial foundations course the Biz Money Blueprint!

• Submit Your Questions - DisruptYourMoney.com

• Leave A Review- Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen 

This podcast is intended for informational & educational purposes only and is not intended as professional financial advice. 

💰✊🏾💸✊🏽💵✊🏻

Connect with Meg across social:

Facebook

Instagram- Equitable Money Project

Instagram- Meg K. Wheeler

Pinterest

Did you Disrupt Your Money, build your bank account, and transform your way of life?  Tell us how this episode impacted you and leave a review at Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. 

Breaking down financial systems is always better with a buddy - tell a friend about this podcast so you can Disrupt Your Money together: http://disruptyourmoney.com

Song Credit: Midnight Specials by Ash Nino

In this episode of Disrupt Your Money, we call BS on the idea that “it’s all a write-off, right?” and actually walk through what does and doesn’t count as a legit tax deduction for small business owners. Meg breaks down key write-offs in plain language so you can stop guessing, stop leaving money on the table, and start using the tax code to your advantage instead of just fearing it.

Framed through a liberation lens, she talks about why tax knowledge is a form of self-defense—especially under a new administration that’s more likely to prioritize big corporations and the wealthy than marginalized business owners. This isn’t a dry tax seminar; it’s about reclaiming resources in a system that wasn’t built for you and using every legal deduction you’re entitled to.

You’ll leave with both practical, actionable tax ideas and a reminder that your financial strategy is deeply political.

⏱️ In This Episode:
00:00 Introduction: Why tax deductions are a tool of resistance
01:57 Home office deduction: what actually counts as “exclusive use”
03:04 Self-employment tax
03:27 Business meals that actually qualify as write-offs
04:04 Education & training
04:38 Health insurance premiums as a major deduction for self-employed and marginalized business owners
05:14 Software, subscriptions & your website as “ordinary and necessary” business expenses
05:57 Retirement contributions (Solo 401(k), SEP IRA) as a double-win
06:54 The golden rule of deductions
07:17 Why you should care: the financial inequities facing trans communities
09:08 Book spotlight: Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
11:01 Money Mindset with Justine Nelson (Debt Free Millennials)
12:20 Listener Q&A

🔗 Mentioned in This Episode:

👉 Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez featured in Meg’s book review; grab it via her reading hub at EquitableMoneyProject.com/read

👉 Debt Free Millennials with Justine Nelson

👉 Call Your Representatives – Meg’s weekly Substack with scripts to contact your lawmakers

👉 Submit your listener question for a future episode → https://disruptyourmoney.com

💬 Connect with Us:
🌐 Website → https://equitablemoneyproject.com
📸 Instagram → https://instagram.com/equitablemoneyproject
🎧 Podcast → https://equitablemoneyproject.com/podcast

🚀 Your Next Step:
Ready to make your money match your values? Download our free Wealth is Resistance Action Kit → https://equitablemoneyproject.com/kit

In this episode of Disrupt Your Money, we flip the script on what your “money people” are actually for—and why filing your taxes is the least important thing your accountant should do for you. Instead of treating money support like an emergency-only hotline, Meg walks you through how building a true financial all-star team becomes one of the most powerful ways to create generational wealth.

And if your brain is already screaming, “Cool, but I can’t afford any of that,” this episode shows you how to start small, use fractional and project-based support, tap into community and memberships, and still treat yourself like the CEO you are.

⏱️ In This Episode:

00:00 Introduction: Why your financial all-star team is a liberation strategy, not a luxury
01:22 Why marginalized business owners especially need support
02:07 Meet your all-star lineup and what each actually does for you
05:23 “I can’t afford a team”: how to start with one role, use hourly/project-based support & go fractional as you grow
06:46 Treating team-building as a journey
07:27 Why you should care: on gender and racial wage gap
09:08 Book Review – Get Good with Money by Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche
10:06 Money Mindset with Larissa Steffen (@worriedtowealthy): childhood “non-money” trauma that still shapes how you spend today
11:52 Listener Q&A
12:49 Closing thoughts: using your financial team to build generational wealth and disrupt systems that weren’t built for you

🔗 Mentioned in This Episode:

👉 Get Good with Money: Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole by Tiffany Aliche → featured in Meg’s book review; grab it via her reading hub at EquitableMoneyProject.com/read

 👉 Biz Money Blueprint – Meg’s financial foundations course for small business owners

 👉 Submit your listener question for a future episode or share your money story → https://disruptyourmoney.com

💬 Connect with Us:
🌐 Website → https://equitablemoneyproject.com
📸 Instagram → https://instagram.com/equitablemoneyproject
🎧 Podcast → https://equitablemoneyproject.com/podcast

🚀 Your Next Step:
Ready to make your money match your values—and build the kind of wealth that can actually support a team? Download our free Wealth is Resistance Action Kit → https://equitablemoneyproject.com/kit

We're starting Season 3 with a re-release of Meg's Money Story! She's getting vulnerable with her money mistakes and what she does every day to stay on top of the money stuff.

Join us as we discuss:

• Why it's so important to share our money stories

• The money mistakes Meg made as a kid

• How Meg's family influenced her thoughts and feelings around money 

• What lessons Meg learned from her money story and how she uses those every day

• Need to get your money stuff set up right? The Biz Money Blueprint is your road map to automating and maintaining your biz money systems. 

• Submit Your Questions - DisruptYourMoney.com

• Leave A Review- Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen

💰✊🏾💸✊🏽💵✊🏻

This podcast is hosted by Meg K. Wheeler, CPA and Biz Money Coach and Founder of the Equitable Money Project. Meg is on a mission to turn online educators, service providers and coaches from Not Numbers People to Badass Money Makers. Are you ready to Disrupt Your Money? Learn more about Meg and the Equitable Money Project here!

This podcast is intended for informational & educational purposes only and is not intended as professional financial advice. 

💰✊🏾💸✊🏽💵✊🏻

Connect with Meg across social:

Facebook

Instagram- Equitable Money Project

Instagram- Meg K. Wheeler

Pinterest

Song Credit: Midnight Specials by Ash Nino

In this episode of Disrupt Your Money, Meg gets real about something most of us never slow down long enough to examine: our money stories. She kicks off Summer School by putting herself in the hot seat first, sharing the messy, very human path from “I’m a CPA, I should have this all figured out” to “oh…my money baggage runs deep.”

Through childhood memories, high-school credit cards, and more than a few overdraft moments, Meg unpacks how privilege, scarcity, and mixed messages shaped the way she thought about safety, success, and “enough.” 

If you’ve ever felt ashamed of your past choices, stuck in credit card cycles, or convinced you’re “bad with money,” this episode is your permission slip to tell the truth about where you came from—and start rewriting your money story with compassion, strategy, and community instead of shame.

⏱️ In This Episode:
 00:00 Introduction & the return of Disrupt Your Money Summer School
 02:34 Why Meg is going first and sharing her money story
04:48 Growing up with a single mom & early money dynamics
06:24 Grandparents, “not enough,” and mixed money messages
08:38 High-school credit cards, early debt & money shame
09:40 The simple daily system Meg uses now to keep spending in check
11:56 The “go to school, get a good job” script—and when it stopped working
15:27 Teaching herself money after debt, overdrafts & financial stress
18:37 How culture, family, and identity shape the way we approach money today
19:19 Invitation to share your own money story & join the Summer School conversation

🔗 Mentioned in This Episode:

🎙️ Disrupt Your Money – submit a question or share your money story → https://equitablemoneyproject.com/podcast

💬 Connect with Us:
 🌐 Website → https://equitablemoneyproject.com
📸 Instagram → https://instagram.com/equitablemoneyproject
🎧 Podcast → https://equitablemoneyproject.com/podcast

🚀 Your Next Step:
Ready to make your money match your values? Download our free Wealth is Resistance Action Kit → https://equitablemoneyproject.com/kit