If you know me, you know how important financial independence is. As a woman, you have to be. Never depend on anyone...ever.

This week’s guest, Veronica Dagher, is an award-winning Senior Wealth Management and Personal Finance Reporter for The Wall Street Journal.  When she lost her father, she quickly learned the importance of being a financially independent woman. “I don't want to be in this position where something happens to my spouse one day and I don’t know how to handle money. This is not going to be my future,” Veronica explains in regards to her mother not knowing how to write a check.

Today, Veronica’s built a career around teaching women how to be financially independent. She’s the true definition of a go-getter. As a writer, she learned to be curious and prepare. I mean, she’s talking to people like Gloria Steinem!

Carla Harris is Vice Chairman, Managing Director, and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley. She is also an inspiration, a role model and a disruptor in the Financial Services industry. In her experience, people’s perception of you is the co-pilot to your reality and success. Carla believes we all have the power to change how we’re perceived.

One of her first big professional mistakes: thinking she had to put her head down, get the work done and not ask any questions. She now knows that all mistakes are simply a matter of not knowing. Carla touches on what to do as a woman on a board, how to gain early exposure and experience, and the value of a network. Listen in!

Diversity and inclusion. To create a space in your business that ensures that diversity and inclusion are part of the solution. As the CEO of Bar the Door Consulting, Katee Van Horn does just that. She focuses on what businesses can do to change, improve, and create true cultures of inclusion. Katee gives her take on what exactly diversity, inclusion, and belonging mean. She believes there are various ways to establish diversity and inclusion within a company - whether that’s at your town hall meetings or in your presentations. Start with small, incremental changes. You can’t boil the ocean overnight. Katee provides many perspectives, analogies, and ways to think about diversity and inclusion. Listen in to hear her experiences, stories, thoughts, and some inspiration for creating a culture of diversity and inclusion!

Andrée Simon is truly making a difference in the world. As CEO & President of FINCA Impact Finance (FIF), she leads a global network of microfinance banks and institutions. FIF’s network of community-based banks offer responsible and affordable loan and saving products to more than two million people across the world, empowering low income women and men to take control of their financial futures. Her two teenage kids are even committed to this mission…talk about an inspiration! Andree is a globetrotter who aims to conquer and save the world, one day at a time. With regular trips to Pakistan, Tanzania, Afghanistan and more, Andrée visits and oversees FINCA Impact Finance operations in 20 of the most difficult, yet most beautiful countries in the world. What a rockstar. Listen in to hear how she navigates being a fish out of water in most of those environments along with some wise advice.

The Head of Fixed Income at BMO. Janelle Woodward is responsible for fixed income capabilities across BMO Global Asset Management's $250B platform. This position, this responsibility… it’s a rarity as a woman in today’s day. In fact, Janelle was raised in a home with the belief that women were supposed to stay at home. Now, she’s the first generation professional women in her family. After having her first son, she quickly realized there was more that drove her than just being a stay at home mother. Listen in to hear Janelle touch on the importance of a work/life balance and how her three children pushed her to become a better mother and harder worker. Seriously, how does she oversee billions of dollars in fixed income globally and raise three children? Did I mention she also has her CFA? You’re an inspiration to us all, Janelle.

The Lawyer Who Rocks! Seriously, though. Joleen Hughes rocks and is the CEO and Founder of Hughes Media Law Group, a law firm that provides in-house counsel services to clients who are innovators in business. Did Joleen dream of being a lawyer? Absolutely not. In fact, after her undergrad, she worked for a music management company where she managed the up and coming bands in Seattle. After realizing that a band is a business with dynamics and people that are “married” together, similar to a startup, she decided it was time for something new. That’s when one of her mentors convinced her to go to law school. One could say, the rest is history! Joleen has been rocking her way through the industry ever since. Her business evolved from creating a brand that’s relatable to people that need a lawyer and who appreciate having lawyers that truly care about them, work hard, and keep their best intentions in mind. Did I mention that Joleen also has her own podcast, The Lawyer Who Rocks? Go give her a listen. And give this episode a listen, too!

Becoming financially independent is no easy feat. And getting to a point in your career where you can advise those on being financially independent is truly an adventure. Listen in to hear how Alice Tang, the Vice President of BPG Wealth Management LLC, has endured through all. From cold-calling people non-stop to making a mere $2,000 in one year, Alice talks about what she went through to get to where she is today. Her dad once told her, “no matter what happens, it’s important to remember that you planted a seed that could one day be a plant”. Alice’s a strong believer in creating apprenticeships for newcomers to the financial industry so that they have a place to learn and grow with the right people and resources. Her mission is to help people become financially independent and retire with confidence. Give it a listen to hear more!

The Queen Bee Syndrome. To some, this means Beyonce. To others, the leader of the group. Hear Dr. Melissa Briggs-Phillips hit on what it is and how it impacts women today. Melissa explains why she dislikes the word “syndrome” and her reasoning. She compares research with her own insights as a woman. With experience teaching a Psychology of Women class at the Ohio State University, Melissa’s well-versed on The Queen Bee Syndrome. She uses a theoretical lens that looks at research and facts all while using real-life experiences. And it makes sense! Melissa is the Owner and Founder of Next Generation Behavioral Health, a full-service clinical psychology practice and consulting firm. After completing her Ph.D., Melissa spent 15 years providing leadership on complex projects before opening her clinical practice and organizational speaking full-time. She’s a “ruthless optimist” that believes innovation happens at the intersection of divergent disciplines. Listen in to hear more about research, the Queen Bee Syndrome, and what the word feminism means to her.

This weeks guest is the CEO & co-founder of Long Game, a personal finance app that encourages users to save money while winning cash prizes. Users of Long Game can win from 10 cents to one million dollars. A million dollars?! In her interview, Lindsay Holden discusses her fascination and experience with behavioral economics and how it sparked the idea of Long Game. From a simple interaction to a full gamified experience,  you can now level up, win Crypto and cash all through saving on the Long Game app. You can start winning prizes by simply connecting your bank in the application. With characters and animations, it truly makes the gaming experience enjoyable, magical, and pleasant. After two years, they already have hundreds of thousands of users whose average engagement is daily. Lindsay holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from the University of Colorado, Boulder. After school, she helped launch an early stage venture capital firm, Formation 8 where she got to learn the process and get exposure. After two years in venture capital, Lindsay quickly became inspired by entrepreneurs and wanted to try it out herself. Before Long Game, she co-founded the Applicant Auction, the primary auction for Top Level Domain names which held over $500M in auctions and over $1B in escrow before being acquired. Today, Lindsay’s focuses on the growth of Long Game, influencing those to save. Start saving and receiving rewards by downloading the Long Game app in the app store!

Laura Adams is a nationally recognized personal finance expert. She’s the author of many books and audiobooks, including Money Girl’s Smart Moves to Grow Rich a fun, comprehensive guide to personal finance. This book is written in simple language to help readers digest and understand the terminology, tactics, and attitudes that create a foundation for smart financial decisions. From accounting and real estate to owning a floor covering business and a COO for a small company, Laura’s had an extremely diverse career.  She never dreamed of becoming a personal finance writer. She’s always been fascinated by the management side of money as she was one of those teenagers that begged her parents for her own checking account at the age of 12 or 13. Eventually, she received an MBA from the University of Florida in Gainesville, becoming a student of finance through books, gurus, and advisers. This is when she became interested in writing and decided to write a blog about the various topics she had learned in her MBA program. Around this time, Laura fell in love with podcasts and took it upon herself to start her own show in 2007. Since then, Laura has podcasted every week. The following year, she was invited to join the Quick and Dirty Tips Network as the host of the Money Girl Podcast and blog. Laura’s latest book, Debt-Free Blueprint: How to Get Out of Debt and Build a Financial Life You Love, launched this year with detailed advice, strategies, helpful examples, and overlooked programs to eliminate debt and the stress that comes along with it. Laura focuses on financial confidence, being confident in your ability to use your knowledge and accomplish your goals.