Money Tales

What happens when a child learns they are 'worth' $80 every two weeks? Today on Money Tales, our guest is Melissa Ripp, an entrepreneur who reflects on how her childhood experiences—like learning the amount her dad paid in child support—deeply shaped her relationship with money. We’ll explore how those early lessons influenced her entrepreneurial journey and her drive for financial independence. This conversation goes deep into the emotional side of money and the lasting impact of those early money moments.

Melissa “Mel” Ripp is an engaging keynote speaker, proud entrepreneur, and passionate Wisconsinite who believes that everyone—no matter where they’re from, what they do, or who they do it for—has something incredible to offer the world.

With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit and corporate marketing and communications, Mel has guided several organizations in a variety of niches and industries—performing arts and music, historic preservation, tourism, K-12 education and education technology, manufacturing, insurance and finance, healthcare, and social services in telling their stories and communicating their “whys” to their audiences.

Jumping into full-time entrepreneurship six years ago, Mel is the founder and CEO of Peapod Marketing & PR Consulting, a marketing and thought leadership consultancy that works to elevate the ideas and perspectives of women executives and entrepreneurs by helping them develop an authentic platform for their expertise through messaging development, social media and content creation, and public relations strategies.

She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English with a Creative Writing emphasis and a Communication Arts degree with an emphasis in Radio, Film, and Television production.

When she’s not working with clients or dreaming up her next big idea, Mel is probably hanging out with her two biggest fans—husband Zack and cat Poseidon, driving with the music cranked down a country road in her home of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, or buying yet another houseplant for her office. Houseplant count: 43.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Mark Shiller. What happens when your kids start worrying about money…and you have no idea why? Mark and his wife have four children, each at that pivotal stage in their early twenties. The couple noticed an interesting trend: their kids were stressing about money, worrying more than expected. It wasn't because of anything Mark or his wife had said or done, so where was this anxiety coming from? As Mark unpacked these unexpected fears, he stumbled upon some surprising revelations about how unspoken expectations and societal pressures can shape our financial mindsets, often in ways we don't realize.

Mark is an attorney, author, speaker, and family wealth counselor who works with individuals, couples and families on accomplishing positive wealth stewardship. He has leveraged his creativity and desire to work collaboratively with clients and their advisors to develop thoughtful, tailored approaches to even the most complicated personal, tax and financial planning challenges. His deeper engagements tend involve the identification and leveraging of a family’s personal, financial and moral capital to inform and direct multi-generational planning goals. Success in this effort is not just measured in taxes avoided, but in the quality of a family’s “Next Gens” and their effective and efficient succession of ownership and management of family businesses and wealth.

Mark is also the author of the recently released book – How to Not Ruin Your Kids with Money. It’s a conversational, accessible, deep-dive into managing wealth within family’s well – and a great springboard into conversations within your own family. The book is an outgrowth of his work and one of his most highly regarded keynotes on the subject. Not only are his presentations considered practical and actionable, but they are always made more enjoyable with the humor Mark has honed in his 20-year plus career as a professional improv comedian with the national improv comedy troupe, Fish Sticks Comedy.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Naseem Sayani. This episode is about seeing gaps in an industry and taking bold action to close them. Naseem was at the forefront of digital strategy, launching a product studio within a global consulting firm. She built startups from the ground up and noticed a disturbing pattern: the capital wasn’t diverse, the founders weren’t diverse, and the products being created weren’t serving women. As one of only two female partners out of 45 worldwide, she knew something had to change. When her own fertility journey collided with these realizations, Naseem drew a line in the sand. Now, she’s channeling her expertise into Emmeline Ventures, a seed-stage fund investing in tech and innovation that are helping women live, thrive, and prosper.

Naseem is Co-Founder and General Partner at Emmeline Ventures, a seed-stage fund investing across healthcare, financial services, and sustainability, specifically where technology and innovation are helping women live and thrive. The fund has 23 companies in its portfolio, including Alloy Women’s Health, LunaJoy, WealthMore, and The Beans.

Naseem’s investing and business-building experience comes from 20+ years in executive leadership roles across management consulting, agency services, venture incubators, a corporate venture capital firm, and an active angel investor. She and her partners launched Emmeline Ventures with a deliberate focus on investing in solutions that unlock the spending power of women and expanding the 2% of venture capital that currently goes to female founders.

Naseem has an MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business, where she was awarded the Dean's Leadership Award two years running, and a BA from UCLA in Business Economics, where she graduated cum laude.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is B. Pagels-Minor. B. graduated college in 2008 and quickly landed a lucrative consulting job. But when the economy crashed, B. ended up working as a barista and then as a store manager at Target. They entered the role at Target with a lot of confidence. B. quickly learned that leadership isn't about being the smartest; it's about earning your team's respect. If the team doesn’t follow you, it’s you who will go. After Target, B. faced multiple near-disasters while experimenting with different roles and companies, trying to find what best suited their skills. This mindset of trial and error proved vital in navigating their career journey.

B. is a distinguished award-winning product strategist, acclaimed podcast host within the Top 25% on Spotify, seasoned startup advisor, investor, and performance coach. As a highly regarded thought leader in product management and agile technologies, B. has steered international product teams at Fortune 100 and FAANG companies. With over a decade of service as a non-profit director, B. has driven large-scale technological and business strategy transformations across historically complex industries such as healthcare, software, and finance. Throughout an illustrious career, B. has supported revenue generation exceeding $20 billion and delivered exponential investor value. Recognized for a proven track record, B. is an experienced and growth-focused professional known for spearheading the development and execution of business, product, and culture strategies and operating as a qualified financial expert across board roles. Adept at identifying product-market fit and driving efficient scaling, key competencies include business development, product management, safety & regulatory compliance, revenue & margins growth, and cross-functional collaboration.

Currently, B. operates in the startup ecosystem as an investor and trusted advisor. B. has helped their startups successfully raise hundreds of millions of dollars and nurtured companies from pre-seed to seed and from seed and beyond. B. was recruited into and led the listening team at Sprout Social and then led the acquisition and integration of a chief competitor, Simply Measured, effectively positioning the company for its final round of funding that ultimately led to a multibillion-dollar exit.

B. was then recruited to the team at Apple to help lead the agile transformation for the App Store Developer Tools team and owned the experience and quality of App Store Connect, the front door to the App Store. Under B.’s leadership, App Store Connect was overhauled entirely to dramatically increase the speed and efficacy of various tooling to increase the number of apps submitted substantially and approved each day while increasing the overall satisfaction score of the product by three basis points in 2 quarters. B’s success with overhauling the systems led to an opportunity to lead quality of the App Store Connect product, ownership of the App Store Connect App, and ownership of regulatory and compliance programs. B. led the integration of GDPR into the App Store, the overhaul of the App review process to support the Korea and Brazil Age Verification requirements, and also owned the relationship between App Store legal and the App Store team, including being the translator between legal and tech teams due to their experience having attended law school. The overall changes to the App Store improved relationships across critical partners like Microsoft and EA and helped the App Store exceed $60BN in revenue. Later, B. was recruited to lead the product function for finance and membership data for Netflix. Chief responsibilities included SOX compliance and ownership; reporting to finance, audit, and various finance and tax regulators; and principally responsible for helping develop insights to help supercharge Netflix’s ability to right size content value and cost.

Earlier, B. worked at startups primarily in the Chicagoland area across industries such as marketing, sales, automotive, education, social media, B2B, B2B2C, DTC, and agencies building numerous analytics and insights tools to help either businesses or individuals make 2 not only better business decisions but more effective decisions. B. has made a career out of being the force multiplier in the room by asking engaging and thoughtful questions that allow boards to think differently about an issue and by supporting the development and growth of key leaders using their background in performance coaching. B. has consistently been recruited to committees such as the audit, executive, and governance committees for all of their boards and has spent most of their time as a leader on each board, thoughtfully nurturing each organization through complex financial, human capital, and regulatory issues. B. is the award-winning founder of DVRGNT Ventures, B.PM Consulting & The Wealth Salons. B.’s fierce drive to promote diversity in tech and impact authentic change continues to define their work and life outside of their work. B. is a proud graduate of Northwestern University with a focus on history and an MBA and Master of Information Systems from Robert Morris University. B. gives back to various organizations by being the Vice Chair on the Board of Directors at Howard Brown Health, one of the top 3 largest LGBTQ community health centers in the country and has grown from under $10MM to over $250MM during B.’s service, Vice President and secretary on the Board of Directors at the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, and Board of Directors of both the Northwestern Alumni Association and Outfest. B. has been honored as one of the Queer 50 from Fast Company in 2022 and 2023, 35 Hero Advocate Executives by Involve People and Yahoo Finance UK, 40 under 40 by Silicon Valley Journal, and a finalist for 2022 LGBTQNation Heroes of the Year.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Dr. Donna Marino. When it comes to money, there’s always more we can do to learn about its nuances and complexities to build the relationship we want with it. Dr. Donna shares her personal stories that bring this theme to life. On September 11th, 2001, her life changed forever when, at just 25, she lost her father in the 9/11 attack. As she and her siblings grappled with grief, they faced the overwhelming task of settling their father's estate. This included navigating the complexities and controversies of the 9/11 Victim's Compensation Fund. With a considerable amount of money from this, Dr. Donna had to quickly learn how to manage her finances. Initially relying on her brother for guidance, she eventually took control of her financial decisions.

Dr. Donna is a distinguished Family Business Executive Coach with over two decades of experience as a psychologist, specializing in helping family businesses resolve conflicts, develop leadership talent, navigate transitions, and build high-performing teams. Her profound expertise in human behavior, family dynamics, and organizational systems uniquely positions her to address the specific challenges and strengths of family enterprises. As a part-time faculty member at Loyola University Family Business Center, sought-after speaker and author, featured by TEDx and Fast Company, Dr. Donna brings unparalleled insights and practical strategies to her clients. Discover the transformative impact of her coaching, in her acclaimed book "Unleash the Wise Leader in You! A Women's Guide to Leadership," and her podcast "Courageous Conflict," available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Albert Shakhnazarov. Albert’s Money Tales are about the importance of having confidence in yourself and truly believing that you are worthy of living a successful life. Born in a refugee camp in Moscow, Russia and spending his early years relying on government assistance, Albert heard the same advice: get a job, work for someone else. In his communist homeland, working for yourself was unheard of. When Albert came to the US at the age of 14, he realized success wasn't about hours worked but the value and impact created. Despite his family's belief that money was the root of all evil, Albert saw the confusion: if money wasn’t important, why did everyone chase it and fight over it? Albert committed himself to solving that puzzle and achieving financial success.

Albert, the indomitable force behind Axe Elite, has risen from the ashes of adversity to create a life-changing company that empowers individuals to shatter their limitations and embrace a world of boundless opportunity. As the founder and CEO of Axe Elite, his unwavering vision is to establish a formidable sales powerhouse where at least 1,000 people can achieve a life-transforming income of $100,000 or more.

Albert was born in a refugee camp in Moscow, Russia, where his early years were marked by immense struggle and hardship. His family, seeking refuge from political persecution in Azerbaijan, endured a harrowing journey through refugee camps, motels, and dire living conditions. Yet, amidst the turmoil, the flame of resilience burned brightly within Albert's spirit.

The winds of fortune shifted when the Catholic Church stepped in to sponsor the family's passage to the United States. Upon arrival, Albert poured every ounce of his strength into his work, laboring tirelessly for the same pay as others who put in far less effort. It was this injustice that fueled his determination to forge a new path—one that would level the playing field and reward hard work and perseverance.

With an indomitable spirit, Albert brought together his most trusted allies to lay the foundation for Axe Elite within the confines of a humble attic in Hartford, Connecticut. Over time, the company has grown exponentially, boasting a team of highly skilled agents and a state-of-the-art headquarters in Wethersfield, CT.

Today, Axe Elite stands tall among the elite, recognized as one of the top-producing partners for multi-billion-dollar telecommunication giants. Albert’s story is a testament to the unyielding power of the human spirit and the limitless potential that lies within each of us. At Axe Elite, the mission is clear, to create a world where limitations are nothing more than a distant memory, and where greatness awaits those who dare to dream.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Catherine Gray. Catherine Gray is our guest this week on the podcast. Catherine is an advertising professional turned movie producer. Her most recent film titled, “Show Her The Money”, is raising the awareness of how underfunded women are in the start-up world. As we’ve talked about before, only 2% of venture capital dollars are invested in women owned businesses. Catherine’s goal with this new film is to educate women, and men, about venture capital, about the outsized discrepancies of investments not going to women and, with that, changing our culture through film and media.

Catherine is the producer of the groundbreaking new documentary “Show Her The Money”- featuring rock-star female investors who invest in diverse women entrepreneurs with innovations that will change the world. Catherine is doing a 50-city grassroots tour of the film to encourage more women to invest in female founded funds to move the needle on women getting less than 2% of venture capital.

Catherine is also an author, TEDx speaker, podcast host, founder of She Angel Investors and co-founder of the nonprofit She Angels Foundation. She hosts and produces the popular podcast series “Invest in Her”, distributed on Apple, Spotify, IHeart Radio and wherever you listen to podcasts. Catherine has produced, co-produced and directed several documentaries including “I Can’t Marry You”, with Ellen DeGeneres’ mom Betty as narrator for PBS, “Millionaires True Stories” and several LGBTQ films for LOGO. She also helped start a gay cable network and produced a series called “Way-Off Broadway” with trailblazing entertainers and recording artists. Currently, Catherine is co-producing “Millennials Are Killing Musicals”, with plans to go to Broadway. This female driven show focuses on motherhood and the impact of social media. The team behind it is 80% women- and the show and music was created by a woman- Nico Juber.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Maher Kaddoura. At just 13 years old, Maher embarked on a solo journey that would forever change his perspective on life and money. Traveling alone, across international borders, taking buses and hitchhiking, Maher explored Turkey and Bulgaria. As the son of a refugee, Maher was no stranger to the survival instinct. From a young age, it was ingrained in him that he had to earn money for anything he wanted. Maher discovered that money earned through his own hard work and effort tasted much sweeter. He also learned that he had control over his choices. Maher believed that if he improved his decision-making process when it came to money that would increase the chances of financial success and create a better future for himself.

Maher Kaddoura stands out as role model of innovation and social entrepreneurship. As a former managing partner at Accenture-Middle East and a seasoned entrepreneur, Maher has founded several firms that are leaders in their fields, from strategy consulting to system integration. His investments and board roles span a variety of sectors, illustrating his versatile business acumen and dedication to fostering growth in the knowledge economy and beyond.

Maher serves on the advisory boards of prestigious institutions such as the National University of Singapore (NUS), University of Chicago, and the Buck Institute, where his strategic insights significantly enhance their initiatives in research and education. His global perspective enriches these institutions, bridging the gap between academic theory and real-world application.

Maher recently authored "The Art of Leapfrogging," a book that encapsulates his innovative approach to bypassing traditional steps in problem-solving and development to achieve accelerated results. This publication has positioned him as a thought leader, further extending his influence in the realms of social change and entrepreneurship.

Maher's commitment to societal improvement is evident through his founding of Al-Jude NGO in 1999, which spearheads high-impact social programs. His "Falafel Theory" of maximizing resources for widespread benefit drives his initiatives, such as the Hikmat Road Safety program and the MeshMosta7eel TV show, which challenges participants to tackle national issues creatively.

An avid adventurer, Maher’s travels to over 100 countries enrich his understanding and appreciation of global cultures. His experiences from the Arctic to the mountains of South America are not just adventures but also a source of inspiration and learning that he shares through his engaging storytelling and street photography.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Mike Robbins. In 2005, pressured by the rising housing market, Mike and his wife, Michelle, bought a home with no money down and no savings. That was a thing you could do back then. The negative amortization loan they secured seemed manageable at first, but Mike and Michelle soon realized they were sinking deeper and deeper into debt with no equity to show for it.

They were getting by, and life was getting good for the couple. Mike's business was starting to thrive. Then the housing market crashed. By 2009, Mike’s business had halved, and they were hundreds of thousands of dollars underwater. With two young children and a declining business, they were left asking, "How did this happen?" That’s when they hunkered down and started chipping away at the problem to change their situation.

Mike is the author of five books, Focus on the Good Stuff, Be Yourself Everyone Else is Already Taken, Nothing Changes Until You Do, Bring Your Whole Self to Work and We're All in This Together. He's an expert in leadership, team performance, and company culture who delivers keynotes and seminars around the world that empower people, leaders, teams, and organizations to be more successful.

Prior to his speaking and writing career, Mike was drafted by the New York Yankees out of high school but turned them down and chose to play baseball at Stanford University where he pitched in the College World Series. After college, Mike signed with the Kansas City Royals. He played three seasons in the Royals organization before arm injuries ended his playing career while he was still in the minor leagues.

After his athletic career was cut short by injuries, Mike worked in sales and business development for two tech companies, before starting his own consulting business in 2001.

Mike's clients include some of the top organizations and institutions in the world, such as Google, Wells Fargo, eBay, Gap, Microsoft, Schwab, Airbnb, the Oakland A's, Harvard University, Coca-Cola, and many others.

Mike and his work have been featured on NPR, ABC News, the Oprah radio network, and in Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. He's a regular contributor to Forbes, hosts a weekly podcast, and his books have been translated into fifteen different languages.

For more information about Mike and his work, visit www.Mike-Robbins.com.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Emily Chang. Emily’s financial adventures began in her early 20s in the most unexpected way. One frigid night, Emily found a young girl huddled by the roadside, clearly beaten and wearing nothing but a windbreaker. She took the girl to a diner, offered her a meal, and then invited her to stay in her spare room for the night. That one night turned into a week, then months, until Emily could help her find stability. Emily’s family worried the girl might steal or harm her, but Emily chose to see the potential for good. She helped not just that one girl but went on to assist 17 individuals over the next 23 years, transforming lives one by one.

Emily is a global commercial leader with 24 years of experience spanning QSR, Retail, Hospitality, Creative, Tech, and FMCG industries. An acknowledged thought leader in Digital Customer Experience, Workplace Culture, and Business Strategy, Emily holds an exceptional track record of accelerating global brands. She is a bicultural leader with proven success bridging China and U.S. cultures.

Before joining VML, Emily was CEO of McCann Worldgroup in China, where she looked after 450 team members across four agencies located in three offices. She developed new strategic and digital O2O capabilities to partner with clients like IKEA, LEGO, The North Face, and Innocent Juice.

Prior to McCann, Emily was CMO of Starbucks China, where she oversaw all commercial functions including Digital Flywheel, Loyalty, Sales & Partnerships, Category Management, and Studio. She led the commercial teams that brought O2O experiences to life: Shanghai Roastery Augmented Reality, Starbucks Delivery, and Digital Gifting.

Prior to Starbucks, Emily served as Chief Commercial Officer for InterContinental Hotels Group, Greater China where she led transformation of brand experience, loyalty offering, data and BI, and OTA strategy/implementation to turn around share and become the #1 hotel brand in China.

As the first executive in China for Apple Retail, she oversaw the APAC region, expanded the flagship footprint, and developed the Apple Asia retail operating model. Emily began her career at P&G, where she worked across all three business units, from upstream innovation to retail and digital marketing at Walmart.

Emily believes passionately in living with intention and leading with authenticity. She’s a servant leader who gives back by teaching and sharing with next gen leaders; she has delivered four TEDx talks and spoken at other industry-leading events like Fortune Most Powerful Women. She recently published a best-selling book called “The Spare Room,” telling the stories of 17 children she and her family have cared for in their spare room.