The Chirp: A Podcast By Pigeon

Sometimes, life can get overwhelming, and suddenly at that. One day you may be planning to start a new dream job in your dream city, but without notice, all of that could change in an instant. Our guest this week, Amadan Heyliger, is no stranger to this reality. A lover of pretty much everything; art, music, technology, real estate, travel, and best of all, speed walking - Amanda walked us through the journey she had to undergo both financially and mentally during a time at which all of life's struggles came crashing down on her all at once. An awesome tale of resilience and being open to life's opportunities, Amanda reminds us that despite our struggles, there is a little bit of fun, beauty, and positivity in everything.

We all know that managing your finances is tough. We also know that running a business is tough. But what if you had to manage your finances while also trying to run a self-employed business during a time at which economic activity across the world ground to a screeching halt? Well our guest this week, Rachel Curry, had to do just that. Having started her career as a freelance writer only months prior to a global pandemic beginning, Rachel spoke with us about the struggles she had to endure to make ends meet during the financial meltdown caused by COVID-19. A sobering story filled with misplaced trust, and hope for a better tomorrow, Rachel shows us the ugly side of what can wrong when you ask for help.

Life is full of expectations. Whether struggling to understand the desires of a significant other, confused about our roles within our careers, or tired of being let down by the people around us, meeting or achieving expectations is a tough reality we all have to deal with. Just like everyone else, our guest this week, Buddy Rathmell is no stranger to expectations. Having moved halfway across the world from the United States to Thailand in hopes of starting a successful escape room business, Buddy shared with us the gravity of the expectations he faced along his journey. A journey filled with uncertainty, angst, lifelong friendships, and financial insecurities we discussed all the hurdles but also triumphs that can fill life when expectations get involved. Sometimes expectations work out as planned and other times they lead to disaster, but all in all, setting the right expectations is key to making sure everything works out in the end.

Progress is something we all look to continually achieve in life. From getting better at a sport to learning a brand new skill, every day we are constantly trying to be better people and do grander things in our lives to make it worth living. Making progress in anything isn't easy, oftentimes it takes resilience, a little ingenuity, and ultimately the drive to overcome many struggles. Our guest this week, Ngalinda Ngalinda is no stranger to overcoming the struggles it takes in order to be successful. A Dubai-based businessman, Ngalinda walks us through the lessons he's learned in life from his early years in Africa, his coming of age time in Ireland, and his time in academia honing his skills in the world of computer science and sales. Struggling is a natural part of life, so listen closely as Ngalinda reminds us that overcoming struggle is only the path forward to truly reaching success.

Finding your calling is not easy. Some people search their whole lives to find that one thing they are good at, while others are just born with a natural knack for something. Our guest this week, Benjamin Dennehy has experienced a little bit of both to get to where he is today. Having earned the name The UK's Most Hated Sales Trainer, Benjamin was a lawyer by education but found out that sales was his true calling all along. After a grueling 20+ year journey of learning the ropes of his craft, while trying to scrape together just enough money to put food on the table for himself and his family, Benjamin has now amassed quite the name for himself and turned his life around for the better. Listen to our conversation with Benjamin as he walks us through what it takes to not only be a great salesman but to have enough persistence to make it through tough financial times.

For our special 20th episode we are recapping some of the greatest hits from The Chirp so far. We've brought you stories from entrepreneurs, writers, musicians, thinkers, artists, philanthropists, travelers, mechanics, and so many more. Each with their own unique story, we've had conversations with so many amazing folks about their trials and tribulations with money and how in those times they depended on their friends, family, loved ones, and community to make it through. Sometimes these stories did not end well and other times everything worked out for the best, but all in all, they all share a common thread and voice that we at The Chirp want to continue to create a space for. So without further ado, here are our greatest moments from the podcast so far!

There are only a few things in this world more powerful than the words trust and support. We trust our friends and family to have our backs when times are tough and rely on the support of our community to make it through life's challenges. Our guest this week, Jon O'Bryan is no stranger to either of these words. Founder and CEO of Y Combinator-backed startup, Atlas, Jon has a PhD in Theoretical Cosmology and is a 4-time success in the world of startups. Even with all of these accolades under his belt, over the years, Jon has relied quite heavily on his trust in others and the support of his loved ones in order to achieve much of his success. Supported by his father, family, investors, colleagues, and more, you'll come to learn by listening to our conversation with Jon, that everyone, no matter your achievements, at some point will have to call upon the help of others to get through life.

Money has a funny way of disappearing when you need it most. From unpaid promises to overextended budgets money can often disappear in life’s most crucial moments. No stranger to this reality, our guest Jérémy Chevallier has had his fair share of loans with friends and family go wrong at the worst possible times. A friend vanishing to Vegas when times got tough, and the purchase of his dream home dependent on the status of a failed wire transfer - our conversation with Jérémy showed us that sometimes luck plays a huge role in the outcome of mixing money with your relationships.

Being a student is tough. And, being a student, Youtuber, content creator, podcaster, product manager, and black woman in tech, to be frank, is nearly impossible. However, our guest, Miko James is pulling off the impossible and making it look easy while doing it. Although only 24 years old, voice of The Black Enterprise Network, Miko is all too familiar with the world of borrowing and broken promises. A childhood riddled with financial commitments gone sour and focused on making the dream of a promising career her reality, Miko for a long time grew financially by herself, without any help at all. Considering the successes Miko has garnered thus far, surprisingly, even she has had to turn to her family for help in a time of need; making a self-proclaimed uncomfortable situation of having to borrow money for the very first time a necessary one in order to secure her own financial future. Listen to Miko as we learn about the world of early-career tech and come to understand that even the best of us need a helping hand every once in a while.

Knowing how to navigate your finances is a tough skill to master. With money being a taboo topic within our communities and relationships, it's hard to learn the right strategies to secure a stable financial future for yourself when very few are willing to talk candidly about these topics. Even with this unfortunate reality in mind, there are, however, resources and people out there trying to change this guarded narrative. One such pioneer, Brenda Olmos, a first-generation American, registered nurse securing a Ph.D., and co-host of the podcast, Minority Millenial Money, is altering the way we think about money by creating spaces to educate, communicate, and foster open dialogue around the taboo aspects of personal finance. Listen to Brenda as she dives deep into articulating the positive effects talking about money openly can have on everyone.