Money Memories

Hosted by Ilona Limonta-Volkova

Business Education Society CultureInterviews guestsExplicit

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Episodes

121

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

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 their professional trajectories and molded their relationship to personal finance.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 13, 202612 min

Building Outside the Bubble: What the Best Founders Understand About Community

Startup success isn't reserved for Silicon Valley. Andrew Albert joins Money Memories to discuss what he's learned helping founders build companies in emerging ecosystems, why capital efficiency is making a comeback, and how community can become a competitive advantage. We explore the relationship between money, ambition, and place, and why some of the most overlooked regions are producing the next generation of great companies. A conversation about entrepreneurship, economic opportunity, and building where others aren't looking.

May 6, 202616 min

She Earned More Investing Than at Her Job. Then Everything Changed.

Nicole Ingham grew up believing money came from sacrifice. In this episode, she shares how a childhood of bargain hunting shaped her financial mindset, why she struggled with money in early adulthood, and the moment investing transformed her life. We explore why women are still underserved by financial systems, how to start investing even with $10, and what it really takes to build wealth on your own terms.

April 8, 202614 min

The Two Founders Building a Company They Almost Didn't Start

Before David Black and Heather Townsend became co-founders, they were people who almost did something — and didn't. Dave passed on buying a DC bar for $150,000 because he didn't know where to get financing. Heather built an earmuff company, had 500 pairs manufactured in China, and watched them arrive at her apartment. Years later, they met at UVA's Darden School of Business, reconnected during the pandemic, and built Cabana (yourcabana.com), a mental health platform designed to close the 11-year gap between when people start struggling and when they finally ask for help. In this episode, they talk about the scar tissue that prepared them for real entrepreneurship and the personal loss that made Dave obsessed with that statistic.

March 25, 202620 min

She Left a Six Figure Salary to Save Lives One Lap at a Time

Paulana Lamounier grew up in a Haitian household in Long Island where money wasn't talked about openly but was modeled constantly, from susu to savings books to tithing. She went on to build Black People Will Swim after a student's offhand comment about buoyancy sent her down a rabbit hole of racist history she couldn't unsee. In this episode, Paulana gets candid about leaving a $95K salary to go full-time on her mission, the financial realities of running a purpose-driven small business on pool rental fees and grant funding, and why the way you manage your personal finances is exactly how you'll manage your business.

March 13, 202619 min

What My Mom Knew About Business That MBAs Don't

Ray grew up watching his single mother sell homemade dishes poolside during World Cup games in their Silver Lake apartment complex, and never forgot that resourcefulness. After a winding career path from photography to marketing to commercial lending in San Francisco, he returned to LA and found himself more energized by underserved entrepreneurs than by traditional banking. Now a small business coach at Operation Hope, he helps community members in Spanish-speaking and overlooked neighborhoods separate their finances, write business plans, pitch investors, and build toward generational wealth. His message is simple: the answers are already inside you, and all it takes is one person willing to show up and say, "call me anytime."

February 11, 202622 min

The Housing Market Nobody Talks About

Jeff Hurst leads Furnished Finder as CEO, working inside a housing market most people never see. Serving traveling nurses and clinicians on short-term contracts, the platform sits where mobility, work, and stability collide. In this conversation, Jeff reflects on how temporary work reshaped housing long before “remote” became a buzzword, why trust outweighs scale, and how health care labor shortages quietly shape local economies. The episode traces the invisible infrastructure that keeps hospitals staffed and asks what it really takes to run a durable marketplace without chasing hype.

January 29, 202616 min

From Nigeria to Wall Street: A Journey of Resilience and Financial Freedom [Archive Episode]

This episode, we're looking back at our conversation wtih 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.

January 14, 202615 min

Why Money You Can Access Immediately Feels More Valuable

University of Oregon Associate Professor of Economics Jonathan Davis says he grew up with a sense of scarcity around money. His family always seemed to have enough, but there was this pervasive feeling that they wouldn’t. “I remember this narrative of, ‘money’s gonna be tight this year, don’t expect as many Christmas presents as last year,’” he says. In this episode, Davis shares findings from his research on EarnIn, a service that allows folks to get an advance on their wages without paying interest, and how immediate access to money makes the money feel more valuable, and helps alleviate the feeling of scarcity that can lead to financially unwise decisions.

December 18, 202520 min

From Sunday Shifts to Whole Foods: Building a Cookie Dough Brand

Kathryn Bricken grew up in a family of six where early responsibility and earning her own money shaped how she viewed work and value. Sunday shifts at Publix, paid at time and a half, taught her how to think strategically about income long before she became a founder. What began as a love of food evolved into building Doughlicious, a gluten-free cookie dough brand now sold at Whole Foods, Target, and major retailers nationwide. Along the way, she learned that scaling a consumer brand means making uncomfortable decisions about spending, manufacturing, and carrying the responsibility of dozens of paychecks. Her message: saving matters, but knowing when to invest in growth is what turns a passion into a lasting business.

December 3, 202518 min

The Instagram Effect and Why You're Probably Doing Better Than You Think

Grant Gallagher grew up watching his parents constantly argue about money, teaching him what not to do with finances. Early in his credit union career, helping a 50-year-old man use an ATM for the first time revealed the massive gap in financial education. Now with over 15 years in the industry, he champions hands-on financial literacy through budget simulations and financial reality fairs, as well as his own podcast. His message: stop judging your finances against Instagram highlights and give yourself permission to ask for help.