Money Tales

This episode of Money Tales is about how education, employment and financial freedom are not as closely linked in the US today as they’ve been in the past. Stephanie Van Putten, our guest on the podcast, is a Stanford and MIT grad who followed all the “rules” for success in America— only to discover the game had changed. Stephanie challenges the long-held belief that education and hard work automatically lead to financial freedom. As a Black woman in tech, she navigated complex layers of bias and confronted pay disparities at tech giants like Microsoft, and later witnessed the uneven playing field of venture capital firsthand. Stephanie’s journey reveals an uncomfortable truth: even with elite credentials, the path to building wealth is not as straightforward as it once was.

Stephanie Van Putten a is a founder, technologist and activist that has been featured in The Atlantic, MIT Tech Review, NY Times, Fortune, Forbes and Bloomberg to name a few.  Stephanie’s career spans two decades working in SaaS, consulting, startups and venture capital: Microsoft, Deloitte, TripAdvisor, Blendoor and the Equity Alliance. Stephanie is currently a trustee at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), guest lecturer and the executive director of Visible Figures: executive network and platform for high profile women leaders across the African diaspora. She has a BS in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University, an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and an Alpine Level I Certification from Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA).

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Laurel Mintz. Laurel is a powerhouse entrepreneur and venture capitalist whose journey with money and leadership began in an extraordinary way. At just 26, Laurel took on the role of interim CEO in her family’s business during a time of crisis. Suddenly responsible for a team of 60, she quickly discovered the company was over-leveraged and in need of a major turnaround—a daunting challenge for anyone, let alone a young professional new to the role. Laurel calls this chapter her first real “money journey,” and it was a trial by fire that shaped her approach to business, leadership, and, most importantly, financial resilience.

With a J.D/M.B.A from Rutgers University and over 15 years running an award-winning marketing agency, Laurel Mintz is uniquely positioned to lead a fund like Fabric VC. Laurel has worked with more than 200 companies in the CPG and technology spaces, from startups to blue-chip global brands like Facebook, Verizon Digital Media, Geico, PAW Patrol and Zendesk. Her Board of Directors work and extraordinarily networked presence with organizations like Women Founders Network, Los Angeles Venture Association, Reuters and Women Business Enterprise National Council provides no shortage of relevant deal flow.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Robert Heil. Robert and his wife organically built their own financial plan through open conversations about money. Early in their marriage, they realized that despite earning more, they weren’t making progress toward their goals. This motivated them to align their values, set financial priorities and craft a plan that worked for their family. Robert reflects on the power of those conversations, how they shaped their family’s lives, and the lasting impact of a financial plan rooted in what matters most to them.

Robert Heil is the CEO of Financial Aid Services (FAS) a higher education consulting firm specializing in financial strategies, operational efficiencies, and tech-enabled financial aid services for colleges and universities.  Under Robert’s leadership the company is experiencing transformational growth by leveraging industry-leading expertise with a mission to make higher education more affordable and accessible.  The firm’s deep commitment to client success has positioned FAS as the industry leader in financial aid operations for colleges and universities.

Robert’s career spans over 25 years generating growth for organizations and their clients.  Prior to FAS, Robert held senior executive roles at private equity backed companies like RuffaloCODY, Everspring and Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL) where he consistently created innovative solutions for clients while generating exponential growth and value for the companies he led. Known for his foresight on emerging trends in both business and higher education, Robert is a respected thought leader and a genuine, values-driven leader.

Robert is a graduate of Abilene Christian University and serves on several corporate advisory boards. He lives in Atlanta, GA, with his family.

This week’s episode of Money Tales is all about angel investing. We’re joined by Marcia Dawood, and she’s on a powerful mission to make early-stage investing accessible to everyone. This investing purpose became apparent to Marcia when her mother was diagnosed with ALS, a devastating disease. Marcia knew she wanted to drive change that could find cures and solutions to the world’s biggest challenges. While she didn’t have billions to invest, Marcia discovered angel investing as a way to support entrepreneurs tackling the causes that mattered most to her. Many people think angel investing is only for the wealthy, and it can be intimidating. But Marcia sees it as an opportunity to educate and empower.

Marcia Dawood is an early-stage investor who serves on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. She is a venture partner with Mindshift Capital, a member of Golden Seeds, and the chair emeritus of the Angel Capital Association (ACA), a global professional society for angel investors.

She is the author of Do Good While Doing Well, Invest for Change, Reap Financial Rewards, and Increase Your Happiness, which will be released in September 2024. She is also an associate producer on the award-winning documentary Show Her the Money.

A TEDx speaker and the host of The Angel Next Door podcast, Marcia walks the talk and holds investments in over fifty early-stage companies and funds. She is committed to expanding support for diverse companies that overcome the world’s biggest problems and accelerate positive change. She is passionate about bridging the gap from early-stage inception to building thriving, profitable companies.

Previously, Marcia worked in sales, marketing, and operations for Kaplan Education for over sixteen years. She received an MBA from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Marcia currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, Izzy, and she feels lucky to be the stepmom to three amazing sons.

In this episode of Money Tales, we explore how trust and relationships form the true foundation of wealth. Our guest is David Homan. Early in his career, David experienced a defining moment when he was leading a philanthropic organization that suffered significant losses from Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme. Thrust into a financial and emotional crisis that was not of his own making, David had to rebuild trust with donors and other stakeholders while at the same time navigating the complexities of bankruptcy law. His experience reshaped how David views success which is not just in terms of money, but in the relationships and trust that truly sustain us.

David Homan is a “connector of connectors” and the founder of Orchestrated Connecting, a private community of impact focused givers whose networks span the world. He has partnered with many prestigious family offices and investors, speaking on impact and relationship value. With a forthcoming book and a newly launched start-up around connection, he is dedicated to tackling climate change, mental health, health equity, supporting the arts–among other passions and in building a diverse world of “givers” to align capital to improve outcomes for all. He is also a working classical composer and proud father of two.

What happens when you realize that working harder is not the answer? Alexandria Butler, widely known as Lexi B, is our guest this week on Money Tales. Lexi B talks about her exhausting years of juggling two jobs just to stay afloat, and how a surprising layoff became the wake-up call she needed. Lexi B decided she was done trying to do this alone and sought advice from a financial advisor. Understanding her goals helped Lexi B break free from financial stress, focus on her priorities and start building wealth.

Lexi B is a sought-after figure in the tech industry, renowned for her transformative work and exceptional ability to cultivate executive leadership and promote workplace equity. With an extensive background at prominent Silicon Valley tech, Lexi B elevated her mission of empowering professionals to new heights by launching a podcast, Sit with Lexi B. This groundbreaking repository serves as a powerful medium for celebrating and discussing the transferable skills that are essential for building the professional life individuals aspire to have.

Lexi B’s reputation as a sought-after speaker and workplace culture commentator has earned her numerous invitations to share her profound insights and wisdom with organizations of all sizes, as well as prestigious publications such as Tenable, Pearson, Diginomica, CBS and more.

Bringing her unique blend of entertainment and expertise to the table, Lexi B is poised to revolutionize the way corporate entities approach professional growth and development.

Ever feel stuck in a financial rut? This week’s guest, Ruth King, knows that struggle intimately. In this episode of Money Tales, Ruth opens up about how desperation to escape being broke only made things worse—the more she focused on not being broke, the more it consumed her. But everything changed when Ruth started writing 25 affirmations every morning. By shifting her mindset though these daily mantras toward success, and away from fear, Ruth began to see her financial reality transform.

Ruth is well known as the “Profit and Wealth Guru.” She has a passion for helping businesses get and stay profitable utilizing the latest systems, processes and technology.

Ruth holds an MBA in Finance from Georgia State University and Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively.

Ruth started the Decatur, Georgia branch of the Small Business Development Center in 1982.  She also started the Women’s Entrepreneurial Center and taught a year-long course for women who wanted to start their own businesses.  This course was the foundation for one of the classes at the Women’s Economic Development Authority in Atlanta, Georgia.

More recently Ruth was the instructor for ICE, the Inner City Entrepreneur program in conjunction with the Small Business Administration. This 16-week course taught business owners with at least $400,000 in revenues (and many had over $1,000,000 in revenues) how to grow to the next level. A large part of the curriculum was aimed at improving the financial knowledge of the business owners enrolled in the course.

Her latest book, 101 Dumb Financial Mistakes Business Owners Make and How to Avoid Them, joins 5 other award winning books: The Courage to be Profitable, Profit or Wealth?, The Ugly Truth about Cash and The Ugly Truth about Managing People.

Ruth has also been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal Radio Network, the Big Biz Show, and many regional and local radio programs. She has appeared on MSNBC’s It’s Your Money program, Fox San Diego, and many other local television stations.

Ruth has spoken internationally on financial topics for Kohler, Carrier Corporation, Safeguard (division of Deluxe), and many other corporations and national, state and local associations.

We recorded this Money Tales episode live, on-stage at Future Proof Festival. Our guest is Chelsey Goodan, author of the bestseller book UNDERESTIMATED: The Power and Wisdom of Teenage Girls (Gallery Books.)

Chelsey discusses her early lessons from her parents, which have shaped her lifelong relationship with money, and how she balanced finances while pursuing a Hollywood career. By creatively taking on a side hustle as a tutor to teenage girls, she experienced so much with her students. Now, as a successful author and advocate, she’s helping the rising generation of young women understand that money isn’t just a “boys’ club.” Chelsey’s mission is all about making girls feel empowered which includes taking control of their financial futures.

Chelsey’s book Underestimated: The Wisdom and Power of Teenage Girls has been endorsed by Oprah’s Book Club, saying: “If you have a teenage girl in your life, you need to read this.” Amazon’s Editorial Director chose UNDERESTIMATED as her “Editor’s Pick, Best Nonfiction,” featuring it on CBS Mornings, and when Chelsey was on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, they exclaimed: “We couldn’t stop talking about your book.”

Chelsey has been a mentor and empowerment coach to teenage girls for 16 years. She speaks regularly to audiences about gender justice, conducts workshops, and serves as the mentorship director of DemocraShe, which supports and guides girls from underserved communities into leadership positions. As a keynote speaker, Chelsey teaches communication strategies that make everyone feel seen, heard, understood, valued, and celebrated, creating psychological safety for everyone from teenage girls to CEOs. She is also a board member for A Call to Men, a national gender-based violence prevention nonprofit that educates men and boys about healthy masculinity. Featured in TIME Magazine, Oprah Daily, and NBC News, Chelsey’s passion to explore humanity’s potential for authenticity, liberation, and empowerment permeates all her work. Learn more at www.chelseygoodan.com.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Lisa Morales-Hellebo. This episode is all about the will and drive of a young Latina to rebel against cultural norms and prove to herself and the world that, by playing by her own rules, she can accomplish whatever she puts her mind to. Lisa Morales-Hellebo is our guest this week on Money Tales. Lisa grew up as member of the only brown family in an affluent neighborhood, facing relentless racism that put a chip on her shoulder and sparked an unyielding determination. Now, Lisa is using that drive to take on refashioning the $100 Trillion global industrial value chain.

Lisa has 28 years in tech, design and systems thinking, entrepreneurship, and community building, and has recently added VC to her list of titles as Founder & Co-Managing GP at REFASHIOND Ventures: the Industrial Transformation Fund  — a NY-based venture fund that invests as the first institutional check in early-stage startups refashioning industrial value chains across Data & AI, Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing, and Next Generation Logistics; defensible through economic moats.

Lisa has always been obsessed with how things are made and pioneered mass-customization, personalization, and on-demand micromanufacturing for P&G in Silicon Valley in 1999 at a company called Reflect.com. Lisa is catalyzing the paradigm shift to localized demand chains as CEO and Founder of REFASHIOND OS (rOS), which is deploying a unified Data Layer & Control Tower across manufacturing value chains. She is also a founder of The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation, an organization that is changing how supply chain professionals learn about, collaborate, and adopt early-stage supply chain innovation around the world. Lisa is a Carnegie Mellon University alum with University Honors, Techstars alum, founded & built the New York Fashion Tech Lab, serves on the board of 3 other accelerators, has been featured in numerous publications along with 2 books, and has been the recipient of several awards; including Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine’s Top Woman in Supply Chain 2022, Top 100 Women in Supply Chain 2020, 2021, 2022, & 2023; and WWD’s Most Influential ESG Leaders 2023.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Kian Seah. This episode is all about recycling. Recycling materials, re-cycling money, re-cycling opportunities, and re-cycling lives. Kian shares an incredible story of transforming family shame into pride and success. Kian grew up in a household where the entire family participated in recycling other people’s used items to get by. At the time, recycling was seen as a ‘dirty’ job – one his parents asked him to hide from others. Decades later, Kian and his siblings have turned that same recycling work into one of Malaysia’s largest companies, creating immense value by giving discarded plastics and other materials a new life.

Kian is the founder and managing director of Heng Hiap Industries (HHI). Established since 2002, HHI is a fully integrated plastic recycling company, being the FIRST company in the world to receive Ocean Bound Plastic Certification co-developed by NGO Zero Plastic Oceans and Control Union. Having developed Smart Plastics to address plastic manufacturers’ need for high quality, customized recycled plastic resin, Kian also designed the Smart Factory in Johor Bahru from the ground up. The factory is GBI-certified (“Green Building Index”) Gold and is now producing PLASHAUS Ocean Plastic while implementing a full track-and-trace program that directly addresses plastic consumers’ concerns about marine pollution.

HHI Smart Plastics has reached the shores of 38 countries globally including China, Japan, Australia, India, and multiple countries in Europe, meeting customers’ high-performance standards and stringent requirements in quality. In the last 18 years, Kian and HHI have won multiple accolades for business leadership and product innovation – the more notable ones being: the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) in the World in the category of environmental leadership (2013), The Edge newspaper of Malaysia named him “The Michelangelo of Recycling” (2018) and most recently, Frost and Sullivan awarded HHI “2020 Malaysia Smart Waste Solutions Technology Innovation Award”.