Money Memories

Money Memories

By Ilona Limonta-VolkovaSociety & CultureBusinessEntrepreneurshipEducationInvesting
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Money Memories episodes

  • The $38,000 House That Changed Everything
    Jaina Anne grew up in a Navy family where money was scarce and the wealthy were viewed with suspicion. The 2020 market crash jolted her into seeking financial literacy, leading from Palantir stocks to Ethereum mining to real estate investing. A chance conversation about a $38,000 Indiana house shattered her California assumptions and launched her into building a 10-property portfolio using creative financing. Now she teaches real estate investors how to turn contractor payments into luxury vacations while challenging the millennial fear of taking calculated risks.
    19 min
  • Building Latin America’s Open Banking Future — En Español
    When first featured on Money Memories in English, Ximena’s story stood out as one that needed to be shared more widely. This episode continues the conversation in Spanish. She reflects on how growing up in Uruguay shaped her entrepreneurial mindset, what it took to raise venture funding in a conservative business culture, and why Prometeo was designed as a pan-regional platform from day one. The discussion also explores the barriers women founders face in fintech and why closing the gender funding gap remains one of Latin America’s biggest untapped opportunities. A conversation about building boldly across borders—and in your own language
    30 min
  • A Founder’s Journey from Tehran to Web3
    In this episode of Money Memories, Ilona sits down with Bam Azizi, founder of Mesh, to explore how childhood hustle and immigrant resilience shaped his path from a makeshift library in Iran to scaling infrastructure for the future of crypto. Bam shares why user experience—not hype—is the industry’s biggest hurdle, and why staying lean might be a startup’s greatest asset.
    20 min
  • A Mother’s Memory: The Pain That Sparked a Mental Health Startup

    After losing his mom shortly after college, Drew Barvir set out on a journey to understand the complex connection between money, mental health, and meaning. In this episode, he opens up about how childhood arguments over finances shaped his earliest beliefs, how grief became a turning point, and why he built Sonar — a tech platform bringing accessible emotional support to students across the country. It’s a deeply personal story of loss, resilience, and reimagining what it means to feel financially and emotionally secure.

    19 min
  • From Caja de los Zapatos to Financial Freedom: Alejandra Lozano's Journey with Operation Hope [Archive]
    Meet Alejandra Lozano, a dedicated Financial Wellbeing Coach for Operation HOPE, located inside Wells Fargo’s HOPE Inside center in South LA. With over seven years of experience in the finance industry, Alejandra is passionate about uplifting Black and Brown communities and empowering their financial journeys. Alejandra shares how her childhood experience with "la caja de los zapatos" (the shoe box) reflects the sentiment that many communities in the U.S. feel about financial institutions. She also shares some of the most powerful stories of transformation that Operation HOPE was able to provide.
    21 min
  • Solving the climate puzzle with clean energy, blockchain and bold ideas

    What happens when blockchain meets clean energy? In this episode of Money Memories, we explore the intersection of climate tech and Web3 with Adam Silver, founder of VC-backed startup Plural. Learn how decentralized technology can help modernize the power grid, support the energy transition, and drive impact at scale. Whether you are a climate enthusiast, crypto-curious, or love founder stories, this episode will spark new ideas about the future of energy.

    19 min
  • A Student Loan "Sherpa" Breaks Down What Borrowers Need to Know

    Student loan expert Michael Lux—featured in The Wall Street Journal—has spent years helping borrowers navigate the complexities of repayment and policy changes as the founder of The Student Loan Sherpa.

    In this episode of Money Memories, we break down the latest in student loans: key policy shifts, smart repayment strategies, and what borrowers need to know now.

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    24 min
  • From Nigeria to Wall Street: A Journey of Resilience and Financial Freedom

    We’re joined by Ehis Akhetuamhen, host and creator of Unmuted Moments, a podcast about finding your voice in work and life. He shares his remarkable journey from growing up in a one-bedroom apartment in Nigeria to building a career in finance in the U.S. After losing his father at 13, he learned that financial success isn’t just about hard work—it’s about where you work. We talk about career choices, financial resilience, and why speaking up is just as important as skill. Plus, how a mailman’s unexpected favor helped change the course of his life.

    16 min
  • How Even $5 Can Change Your Financial Future
    Many of us grew up with a scarcity mindset around money. Tim Flacke, co-founder of Commonwealth, explores how that mindset develops, why savings matter beyond just dollars and cents, and how his organization is working to change financial systems for the better.
    22 min
  • Generational Wisdom: Financial Lessons from My Grandmother
    Ilona sits down with Katrina Robinson, a professional trustee and wealth management expert, whose journey spans Kingston, Jamaica, to leading the multinational estate planning firm Cone Marshall. Katrina shares how her grandmother's wisdom and lessons on saving shaped her approach to planning for the future. Katrina also discusses the importance of financial planning at every stage of life, providing practical tips on building wills and trusts, and creating inventories of assets. Whether you're just starting your financial journey or looking to preserve wealth for future generations, this episode offers timeless insights into planning with purpose.
    17 min

About Money Memories

From the publisher's feed

Money Memories is a podcast that’s on a mission to make money conversations less taboo — one memory at a time. Each week we interview a new guest, and discuss how their earliest money memory affected…