I have been interested in sex & relationship education for many years now, ever since doing a group course with the wonderful Michelle Kasey back home in New Zealand.

An area that we all want to be better at, and only recently did we start realising that we need help! So here we have a dating coach, Elize Simon! Who shares so vulnerably about the journey into this career and also about navigating the difficult terrain of how the hell do we make it work sustainably.

She gives precise figures, costs, charging structures, and her spicy take on how to be better at sales!

• Elize’s Instagram
• Elize’s Sincere Singles Social events in NYC
• Book she recommends everyone reads: Polysecure
• The Flourishing Center work Elize recommended

Hosted by Elina Ashimbayeva - follow me on my adventures with money and impact on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and Instagram

Music by ⁠Mark Michele⁠

I first came across Chidi at an online social impact conference and immediately thought of my friend Julia back home - both of them are pros at navigating two worlds: communities affected by generations of extraction AND spaces of power and capital.

Chidi is a 43-year-old English teacher at Horace Mann, one of the most elite private schools in the country. He's also the founder and CEO of NewComm, a learning community where high schoolers from historically marginalized neighborhoods in the Bronx use Black literature as a foundation for understanding society, then choose real projects to work on with $10,000 grants to make them happen.

We talked about what it's like to live in both of those worlds, how he actually raises the money and what the numbers look like, and whether it's possible to enjoy the fundraising and operational side of mission-driven work, because, lezbehoneeest, most of us in this space find it painful, and I wanted to know how Chidi doesn't.

My big takeaway: let’s create our own playbook to learn from when it comes to purpose and money!

Chidi’s LinkedIn

NewComm website

Oh and go on Facebook and find your local “Buy Nothing” community!

Hosted by Elina Ashimbayeva - follow me on my adventures with money and impact on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and Instagram

Music by ⁠Mark Michele⁠

Edited by ⁠Jemilah Ross-Hayes

Breanna Lee is 21, studying at Northwestern, whom I met through stalking (khm-khm doing research) on AI ethics. She interned with Tech Justice Law, researching algorithmic harm and gaps in Big Tech's trust and safety efforts.

In our interview, we talk about Tedio, a book series and mobile app she set out to create to help parents raise kids who can consciously refuse fast dopamine.

We talked about what it actually costs to pursue this kind of work - her parents' retirement savings in Korea going toward her American university degree, the cultural expectations around studying film and philosophy, how she funds Tedio, and the honest reality of trying to build a sustainable life in AI ethics.

We also got into whether ethical social media is even possible, the tools that actually help you scroll less (it's not your willpower), and what it's like to do all of this and still feel like you're procrastinating. Ha!

When I was in Chicago for one day, Breanna showed me the Bean, and we ate very disappointing deep-dish pizza.

Shout out to cool 21-year-olds!

Resources:

• Breanna’s LinkedIn
• Her start-up, Tedio
• Common Sense Media, a child’s digital safety advocacy and education organisation
• Maka Kids, a streaming app for kids with no addictive algorithms
• Actions you can take around AI safety and ethics
• Tech Justice Law, an impact litigation and advocacy organization bringing justice to individuals and communities harmed by tech products
• Watch the AI Doc or if you want to listen to an episode instead, listen to this with Tristan Harris

• One Sec, an app I use to help me block Instagram (and other apps)

Hosted by Elina Ashimbayeva - follow me on my adventures with money and impact on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and Instagram

Music by ⁠Mark Michele⁠

Edited by ⁠Jemilah Ross-Hayes

Ashlyn Baum spent five years bootstrapping a due diligence platform for NGOs and public sector organisations in New Zealand before moving back to the US, having a baby, and taking a tech job.

We get into what happens when purposeful work stops providing the security you need, why people in the impact space have an allergic reaction to sales and fundraising, how AI is reshaping her thinking on money and career longevity, and what "success" actually means when you're caught between the corporate machine and the work that matters.

Hosted by Elina Ashimbayeva - follow me on my adventures with money and impact on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and Instagram

Here is Ashlyn's LinkedIn

Music by ⁠Mark Michele⁠

Edited by ⁠Jemilah Ross-Hayes

James Dong was the first person I was suggested for this podcast. I read a 41-page doc on his approach to work & values and was like… umm… yes please, can we talk?!

He studied at Berkley, consulted at Bain & Company, worked in early-stage nebulousness at a number of tech startups, and launched Last Minute Gear.

Last Minute Gear was an outdoor gear rental shop. James has just closed it down after 10 years of operating, and this episode is all about that.

We talk about the necessary switch from scale-everything to going-local-and-small. How much James paid himself, how he operated, what he learned about triple-bottom-line businesses, and whether ‘sustainable businesses’ even exist.

James is incredibly thoughtful, and I can guarantee that he will make you reflect on how you live your life. Enjoy! ✨

Useful links and resources:

• James’ Approach to Work doc
• His LinkedIn
• @blackforager and the specific link about anti-trespass laws
• The study on food waste % in the US from USDA
• A great recent read on what's going on with Buy Nothing
• Triple bottom line business explanation

Hosted by Elina Ashimbayeva - follow me on my adventures with money and impact on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and Instagram

Music by ⁠Mark Michele⁠

Edited by ⁠Jemilah Ross-Hayes

I’ve been an avid goer to all the events NYC has to offer since moving here recently. I bumped into today’s guest, Victoria at two events, which, you know, feels like universal serendipity in a huge city.

Victoria runs a bunch of hyperlocal ventures and initiatives around planning and historic preservation issues across Red Hook, Brooklyn. And she sustains herself by running a real estate company, Realty Collective. It feels like ethics and real estate do not belong in the same sentence but that’s why I wanted to interview Victoria! In a world of huge real estate conglomerates like Compass, how does one operate a small, local, community-connected business?

Resilient Red Hook

Realty Collective

Hosted by Elina Ashimbayeva - follow me on my adventures with money and impact on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and Instagram

Music by ⁠Mark Michele⁠

Edited by ⁠Jemilah Ross-Hayes

I met Liv in 2023 when we both came to NYC for a 6-week summer acting school. Years later, we reconnected, and I learned Liv is living this beautiful double (triple?) life. She's pursuing acting (I went to see her in this amazing Lesbian Bigfoot play, yes you heard that right). She's working a day job. And she's organizing to make the 72-unit apartment building where she lives in Jersey City rent-controlled — which means suing her landlords.

We talked about what that process actually looks like, what it costs, how she supports herself through it all, and how she holds these three lives together. We disagree, we agree, we laugh — I feel like I got to know Liv better through recording this, so hope you enjoy a little sneak into our friendship!

Find Liv's GoFundMe here and her IG here

Hosted by Elina Ashimbayeva - follow me on my adventures with money and impact on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and Instagram

Music by ⁠Mark Michele⁠

Edited by ⁠Jemilah Ross-Hayes

Thomas has been running Equal Entry, an accessibility consulting company, for 12 years. Twelve years of helping organizations make their apps and websites usable for the billion-plus people worldwide who experience disability. No big exit, no venture funding, no hockey stick growth - just a small team doing essential work that most of tech still ignores. (Fun fact: only 40% of the top 100 websites are actually accessible.)

I met Thomas at his accessibility meetup in NYC, and then we went to a Heated Rivalry spin class together 😛 because that's how friendships start on this podcast.

We got into the real stuff: how he runs the business, what it actually earns, how much he pays himself, and what 'contribution' means when your work matters but the market doesn't always reward it.

Find Thomas's work here:

• a11y NYC meet up
• Equal Entry
• Thomas Logan LinkedIn profile

Hosted by Elina Ashimbayeva - message me on LinkedIn or check out Making Good Money on Instagram

Music by Mark Michele

Edited by Ethan Alderson-Hughes

Baby I’m back!

My name is Elina Ashimbayeva and this is Making Good Money.

A podcast for people who run or want to run projects, organizations that are good for people and the planet AND who hate talking about money.

We have so much great content where people break down how they built their businesses, what playbooks they use, how to make sales, marketing tips, growing your wealth.

But what about us, artists, socially conscious entrepreneurs, activists, non-profits, usually broke, usually uncomfortable about money & the idea of business?

I want to see how people build wealth for liberation. To quote Simone Grace Seol and Joey Liu: “We can’t do land back and healthcare for all on thoughts and prayers”.

After running my Storyo platform for 5 years, where I interviewed over 200 people every day in New Zealand. Where the mission was always to share openly and vulnerably!

Not thought leadership but personal experiences and learning together.

This series is no different. I want to have transparent conversations with people who run tech for good projects, educational blogs, sex therapists, local grocers, artists and ask them all the vulnerable questions:

• How do you make money?
• What goes into running your business? Marketing? Sales?
• What values do you hold and where do they get shaky
• How do we build wealth, not to become rich but to sustain ourselves and people around us?

So if you are running or want to run your own project, organization that is value-led, mission-driven, tries to create good for the world AND you are like “how the heck do I and others navigate money conversations - join in!