Give Her Dollars

Update: I recently launched my newsletter, The Sheconomist, and would love for you to subscribe: sheconomist.com - I share so many tools and resources that help young, high-achieving women with radical money and career self-advocacy.

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This week, we sit down with the remarkable Victoria Kennedy, Founder & General Partner at Seed to Harvest Ventures, a Venture Capital fund passionately advocating for women of color founders at the pre-seed and seed stages, ensuring their voices are heard even when they are not in the room.

Victoria sheds light on the alarming statistics regarding Black female startup founders' access to venture capital, underlining the urgent need for change. With only 0.34 percent of total venture capital invested in Black female founders in the first half of 2021, the disparities are stark.

Seed to Harvest's unique mission centers on investing in products and companies developed by and for women of color. Victoria emphasizes that historically overlooked individuals bring a fresh perspective, which can lead to innovative solutions for underserved markets. Women of color are poised to become the next billion dollar consumers, holding significant purchasing power, making them an exciting investment opportunity.

Victoria shares her insights into creative fundraising strategies and underscores the importance of mental health, dismantling limiting narratives and building a comprehensive support network to thrive in this demanding industry.

Update: I recently launched my newsletter, The Sheconomist, and would love for you to subscribe: sheconomist.com - I share so many tools and resources that help young, high-achieving women with radical money and career self-advocacy.

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In this episode, we sit down with Janvi Shah, Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree and Co-Founder & CEO of Hue, an innovative e-commerce technology company with a mission to transform our online shopping experience. We chat about Janvi's journey, from her time at Harvard Business School to co-founding Hue and raising over $2 million in venture capital funding.

Discover how Janvi and her co-founders Sylvan and Nicole help consumers discover the best products for their unique skin tone, skin type, hair color, and other preferences, based on recommendations from people who look like you, thereby bridging the gap between customers and inclusive product offerings.

We also dive into the challenges of raising venture capital funding as an all-women founding team, and the importance of women advocating for themselves in order to be recognized by prestigious organizations such as Forbes 30 Under 30, Inc., Elle, or Unilever. 

Update: I recently launched my newsletter, The Sheconomist, and would love for you to subscribe: sheconomist.com - I share so many tools and resources that help young, high-achieving women with radical money and career self-advocacy.

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To kick off Season 2 of the Give Her Dollars podcast, Thamina is excited to be joined by Elizabeth Galbut, Co-Founder of Venture Capital Firm SoGal Ventures, a global community that spans over 50 cities across 6 continents, dedicated to uplifting female and minority entrepreneurs.

In a candid reflection on the VC landscape, Elizabeth points out the industry's shortcomings in supporting women, urging the importance of intra-community support. Through avenues like angel investing, Elizabeth emphasizes the power of women's wealth in effecting meaningful change, citing this as one of the most invigorating eras to be a woman entrepreneur with fresh opportunities and innovative funds at our fingertips.

Elizabeth shares her excitement about the AI tools emerging in the market, tools that promise to revolutionize businesses, making them more economical, efficient, and providing a more equitable start for female entrepreneurs, even with limited capital.

Beyond tools and finances, Elizabeth strongly believes in the power of authentic networking, urging women to embrace a networking style that aligns with their unique personality.

Delving into the nitty-gritty of startup dynamics, Elizabeth delineates the qualities she values in founders and offers invaluable advice for budding female entrepreneurs. Her insights on generational wealth are especially profound: She challenges the notion that a conventional 9-5 job, combined with traditional investment avenues, might not necessarily be the path to big financial success. Instead, she champions the notion of 'learning money', urging young women to take calculated risks early in life, to view money as an enabler of their financial future, and to invest wholeheartedly in themselves.

Check out  the Fempire x SoGal course:  https://fempire.iamsogal.com

Update: I recently launched my newsletter, The Sheconomist, and would love for you to subscribe: sheconomist.com - I share so many tools and resources that help young, high-achieving women with radical money and career self-advocacy.

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This week our host Thamina dives deep into a topic close to her heart: financial independence and the importance of women investing in women. 

She explains how financial independence provides women with more options and the tremendously positive impact this ripple effect would have on a global scale.

However, the journey is far from complete. Thamina explores various obstacles that still prevail, including the pay gap, wealth gap, VC funding gap, and GDP gap, which disproportionately impact women, particularly women of color. The stark numbers underscore the urgency of the situation, but also the opportunity for change.

Thamina emphasizes the need for women to create change for themselves, and shares four crucial steps towards achieving this: talking about money, negotiating salaries, creating additional income streams, and aligning investment strategies with values pertaining to gender equality.

Our host also discusses how we can support fellow women: shopping at women-owned businesses, crowdfunding women-owned businesses, becoming angel investors or LPs at VC funds, and leveraging alternative investment platforms.

She drives home the message that as startup investors, we can decide which companies shape the future of our society, and by supporting diverse founders, we foster inclusivity in the products and services entering our world.

Tune in to this eye-opening episode and take a step towards creating a future where gender equity and inclusive economic growth is the norm. 

Our host Thamina is starting a monthly personal finance accountability group for women and non-binary people. Listen to this short episode to learn more.

If you're interested in joining, please fill out this form by June 25, 2023 to join the initial launch cohort for free.

Thamina reflects on Season 1 of the Give Her Dollar podcast and shares a few details about Season 2.

If you haven't left us a 5-star review yet, please do so and share this show with your friends and on social media. Providing visibility for a woman's work that you are able to access at no cost is an easy but powerful way to give back.

Thamina is doing this on the side in addition to her demanding 9-5 job in corporate America, and there are easily 10+ hours of work going into each episode. That's 120+ hours for Season 1 alone. 

Thank you for your continued support and feel free to follow our host on LinkedIn and Instagram for more women's advancement and money content. 

Update: I recently launched my newsletter, The Sheconomist, and would love for you to subscribe: sheconomist.com - I share so many tools and resources that help young, high-achieving women with radical money and career self-advocacy.

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This week, Thamina is sitting down with Aishwarya Balaji, a multi-passionate entrepreneur who has carved her own path in the world of business. Known for her ability to spot trends early before they hit mainstream consciousness, Aish has capitalized on her forward-thinking perspective in sectors as diverse as blockchain technology and the alcohol-free beverage space. She shares how her commitment to fostering growth in different aspects of her life has fueled her dynamic entrepreneurial journey.

We dive into the heart of Aish's everyday life as she discusses her energy-focused routine and the differences in how men and women utilize their energy, with Aish providing insights into how her understanding of the female 28-day hormonal cycle impacts her approach to her life and work.

Our conversation also turns towards 'A Fresh Sip', an alcohol-free beverage marketplace designed for the sober curious that Aish co-founded and that has had successful partnerships with giants like Netflix, SXSW, and New York Fashion Week. Aish sheds light on the challenges and rewards of building a business based on emerging trends, drawing parallels between alcohol and cigarettes as societal vices whose cultural significance is undergoing a major shift. We explore the broader implications of this shift, examining what it means to redefine socialization without the prevalent influence of alcohol.

Moreover, Aish details why A Fresh Sip has opted against raising venture capital for the time being, offering a fresh perspective on how VC funding isn't the one-size-fits-all solution it's often perceived to be. This leads into a broader discussion about the venture space, with Aish sharing insights from her experiences as a venture partner and offering advice to those considering this route.

Update: I recently launched my newsletter, The Sheconomist, and would love for you to subscribe: sheconomist.com - I share so many tools and resources that help young, high-achieving women with radical money and career self-advocacy.

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Did you know that you are probably financing gun manufacturers and deforestation? 

In this eye-opening episode, we sit down with Dianna Burkholder, Chartered Socially Responsible Investment Counselor & Founder of lightmoney.com, a game-changing tool that offers unprecedented insight into a company's social impact across six crucial causes: women's empowerment, prison profiteering, dark money, climate change, people over profits, and racial justice.

Diana challenges traditional notions of investment and consumerism, emphasizing the significance of voting with our dollars. What if we could shift the world for the better simply by rethinking where we put our money? We delve into socially responsible investing and how the majority embracing this approach could catalyze incredible societal change.

As we navigate through the complexities of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria, Diana exposes the prevalent misconceptions around ESG scores. Far from assessing a company's positive impact on the environment, social causes, or governance, ESG scores instead measure the financial risk a company faces due to their behavior on these issues. This crucial misunderstanding has significant implications for investors and consumers alike.

Discover how Diana was inspired to create LightMoney.com after realizing that there were no adequate tools to effectively screen companies for socially responsible behavior. We explore the stark reality that many of us unknowingly invest in companies and industries that conflict with our moral values, often through our retirement accounts.

We also discuss the rising trend of shareholder activism that is encouraging corporate transparency and positive change. However, amidst the companies embracing conscious capitalism, Diana cautions us about the increased prevalence of greenwashing.

Don't miss Diana's invaluable advice on tangible actions you can take today to engage in socially responsible investing and understanding where your investments are truly going.

Listen in to learn, reflect, and become an informed consumer and investor, ready to align your financial decisions with your values for a better world.

Links to topics discussed:

• Journalist Susan Antilla who shed light on sexual harassment on Wall Street
• As You Sow Non-profit
• investyourvalues.org

Update: I recently launched my newsletter, The Sheconomist, and would love for you to subscribe: sheconomist.com - I share so many tools and resources that help young, high-achieving women with radical money and career self-advocacy.

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Did you know you can invest in Broadway Musicals?

On this episode, Thamina is joined by Mina E. Black, Wall Street Survivor, Founder, Investor, Mrs. New York City 2019.

Navigating a world where she was often the sole representative of her race and gender, Mina developed a unique perspective on wealth management and financial inclusion.

She shares how her journey led her to unexpected paths of alternative investments, from real estate to angel investing, and ultimately to founding the RainMakers Collective.

In this episode, Mina elucidates her idea of 'layered wealth,' advocating for women's portfolios to be diversified beyond the conventional realms of stocks and real estate.

She shares her intriguing experiences and insights into the fascinating world of art, collectibles, sports memorabilia, rare books, Web 3, and even Broadway musicals.

Mina recounts her interaction with an all-women Broadway production and her conversations with female artists, sparking a thoughtful discourse on women in creative industries and supporting them in realizing their dreams.

With the RainMakers Collective, she has built a wealth think tank that brings fresh perspectives and innovative strategies to the table, challenging traditional notions of investment and yield.

Update: I recently launched my newsletter, The Sheconomist, and would love for you to subscribe: sheconomist.com - I share so many tools and resources that help young, high-achieving women with radical money and career self-advocacy.

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The traditional concept of retirement is becoming less relevant in today's world. More and more people wish to become work optional at earlier stages in their lives, or taking time off for sabbaticals.

In our latest episode, our host Thamina speaks with Stephanie McCullough, the Founder and CEO of Sofia Financial. For more than 25 years, Stephanie has been helping women feel more confident about their financial decisions by decreasing the stress often associated with money management.

Stephanie suggests that saving for retirement today is more about creating personal freedom and options. But many women still struggle with managing their finances and face unique challenges when it comes to retirement planning. Stephanie highlights how the conventional financial services industry isn't always addressing these issues effectively.

Tune in for a thoughtful discussion that may change your perspective on retirement.