• 40 minutes 20 seconds
    Episode 501: From Living in Her Car to Building a Venture Fund: Arian Simone on Wealth, Freedom & Fearlessness

    Access to capital can determine which entrepreneurs get the opportunity to turn their ideas into successful businesses. In this episode, I sit down with Arian Simone, founder and CEO of the Fearless Fund, to discuss her work investing in women of color, why access to funding remains a challenge, and what it takes to build a venture fund focused on closing that gap. We also talk about her journey as an entrepreneur, investor, author, philanthropist and more.

    In this episode, Arian shares:

    • Going from living in her car at 23 to building a PR and marketing business through referrals
    • How venture capital works and when loans, grants, or unconventional funding fit better
    • The 2023 lawsuit against Fearless Fund and the wealth gap behind it
    • Taking inventory of what fear is costing you and creating from freedom instead of struggle

    What's New in the Paperback Edition of Your Journey to Financial Freedom:

    • A bonus chapter: When Life Happens: Staying on the Path to Financial Freedom Through Setbacks, Shifts, and Uncertainty
    • A book club and discussion guide with prompts, exercises, and action steps
    • Updated corrections from the original hardcover
    • Exclusive bonuses when you purchase the paperback, including:
      • The Fire Starter Course
      • The Find Your FIRE Number Worksheet

    Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode:

    Connect with Arian:

    Connect with me:

    21 October 2026, 9:00 am
  • 54 minutes 2 seconds
    Episode 500: Funding Your First Rental Property, Homeschooling, and Redefining Financial Freedom w/ Erika Brown

    A 7% interest rate looks like a wall to a lot of buyers, but Erika Brown sees a market where deals are landing $45,000 and even $150,000 under asking. In this episode, I sit down with Erika, a real estate investor and serial entrepreneur whose portfolio generates over six figures a year, for an update five years after her first appearance.

    Erika left banking, got her real estate license, and built a team. She went on to acquire almost 40 rental properties, start a nearly seven-figure landscaping company, and co-found a Georgia brokerage with over 250 agents. It all began with a goal of making $5,000 a month so she could attend her kids' activities without asking permission. Today, she and her husband are selling properties to pay off properties, shrinking the portfolio while increasing cash flow.

    Erika also breaks down how to read a market, fund a first investment property, and decide whether you are an owner, an operator, or a passive investor. Her bigger point is that building wealth is about having options, including when to push, when to pause, and how much of your life to spend on what matters.

    In this episode, Erika shares:

    • Why high interest rates can create real estate opportunity instead o nog f closing the door
    • How to fund a first investment property with the step-up strategy, a 401k loan, a HELOC, or a self-directed IRA
    • The difference between owners, operators, and passive investors, and how to choose your role
    • Why she is paying off properties and prioritizing options and time with her family over more hustle

    Check out Erika's Conference The Owning It and Living It Experience happening November 13 to 15 at the Starling Hotel in Midtown Atlanta. Use code FREEDOM for 30% off tickets, which close October 31.

    What's New in the Paperback Edition of Your Journey to Financial Freedom:

    • A bonus chapter: When Life Happens: Staying on the Path to Financial Freedom Through Setbacks, Shifts, and Uncertainty
    • A book club and discussion guide with prompts, exercises, and action steps
    • Updated corrections from the original hardcover
    • Exclusive bonuses when you purchase the paperback, including:
      • The Fire Starter Course
      • The Find Your FIRE Number Worksheet

    Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode:

    Connect with Erika:

    Connect with me:

    14 October 2026, 1:30 pm
  • 27 minutes 21 seconds
    Episode 499: Did The FIRE Movement Lose The Plot?

    Financial independence started as a formula: save and invest 25 times your expenses, then step away from the job. In this solo episode, I respond to an Instagram post from Ashley Evans asking whether the FIRE movement has lost the plot, as more of the conversation shifts toward making more money, growing businesses, and owning more.

    I explain the 25 times rule and the 4% draw down math that first drew me in 12 to 13 years ago, and share the comment I left on Ashley's post. I reached my goal of leaving my nine to five in 2018, and today I'm in what I call work flexibility, stage four of my five stages to financial independence. As a mom of three living in New York City, I have no interest in growing my business if it costs me time and energy freedom. I also walk through the idea of a "vehicle" for reaching FI, which was my full time job and later became Journey to Launch, and why it's okay for that vehicle to slow down.

    The episode also covers the parable of the Mexican fisherman and the investment banker, and the reality that "enough" looks different for everyone depending on security needs, family responsibilities, and history with money. Your plan can change, your pace can change, and you get to define what enough means.

    In this episode, I share:

    • Why Ashley Evans's post on the FIRE movement prompted a bigger conversation
    • How the 25 times rule and 4% draw down work, with a $40,000 a year example
    • Using a full time job or a business as the "vehicle" to reach financial independence
    • How to think about enough versus more, security, and the choice to say no + more

    What's New in the Paperback Edition of Your Journey to Financial Freedom:

    • A bonus chapter: When Life Happens: Staying on the Path to Financial Freedom Through Setbacks, Shifts, and Uncertainty
    • A book club and discussion guide with prompts, exercises, and action steps
    • Updated corrections from the original hardcover
    • Exclusive bonuses when you purchase the paperback, including:
      • The Fire Starter Course
      • The Find Your FIRE Number Worksheet

    Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode:

    Connect with me:

    7 October 2026, 9:59 am
  • 44 minutes 58 seconds
    Episode 498: The Healthcare Heist: Why Our System Is Broken & How to Protect Your Wealth w/ Jordan Grumet

    Health insurance is one of the biggest questions standing between you and leaving your job, and for a lot of families, it's the reason one spouse never does. In this episode, I welcome back Jordan Grumet, hospice physician, host of the Earn & Invest podcast, and author of Taking Stock, The Purpose Code, and his newest book, The Healthcare Heist.

    Jordan lost his father, a physician, when he was seven and made it his mission to become a doctor like him. Once he got there, he burned out fast, and financial independence became his way out. He breaks down what healthcare really costs once you leave an employer plan, how long-term care can drain a family's assets, and how insurers, drug companies, and private equity have pulled money out of the system.

    Jordan makes the case that real change starts when doctors and patients share their stories and push for reform together. Until then, there are practical steps you can take now, from appealing insurance denials to planning for long-term care early.

    In this episode, Jordan Grumet shares:

    • Why healthcare is one of the biggest obstacles to financial independence and early retirement
    • The limits of ACA subsidies, health sharing ministries, Medicare Advantage, and Medigap plans
    • How long-term care costs, Medicaid spend-downs, and the five-year lookback affect families
    • Everyday ways to protect yourself, from appealing denials to choosing generics and physician-owned practices

    What's New in the Paperback Edition of Your Journey to Financial Freedom:

    • A bonus chapter: When Life Happens: Staying on the Path to Financial Freedom Through Setbacks, Shifts, and Uncertainty
    • A book club and discussion guide with prompts, exercises, and action steps
    • Updated corrections from the original hardcover
    • Exclusive bonuses when you purchase the paperback, including:
      • The Fire Starter Course
      • The Find Your FIRE Number Worksheet

    Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode:

    Connect with Jordan Grumet:

    Connect with me:

    30 September 2026, 9:00 am
  • 1 hour 1 minute
    Episode 497: How To Quit Like a Millionaire So You Can Stop Working & Start Living With Kristy & Bryce

    Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung left their lucrative software engineering careers to enjoy world travel and freedom. Both retired in their early 30's with a 7-figure portfolio and have complied their secrets to success in their book Quit Like a Millionaire: No Gimmicks, Luck, or Trust Fund Required. Kristy and Bryce are financially independent, self-made millionaires who hail from humble beginnings and learned along their journey how to follow the money so they could afford to pursue their passions.

    In this episode we discuss:

    • How Kristy went from surviving off 44 cents a day to a 7-figure portfolio.
    • How you can use CRAP (Creativity, Resilience, Adaptability, and Perseverance) to achieve success.
    • How to cut expenses from your budget so you can maximize your income and minimize waste.
    • How to choose your degree and career based on the math.
    • Why your home is not an investment and how avoiding home-ownership helps you achieve financial independence sooner.
    • Why taxes are for the poor and how to win the tax game.

    What's New in the Paperback Edition of Your Journey to Financial Freedom:

    • A bonus chapter: When Life Happens: Staying on the Path to Financial Freedom Through Setbacks, Shifts, and Uncertainty
    • A book club and discussion guide with prompts, exercises, and action steps
    • Updated corrections from the original hardcover
    • Exclusive bonuses when you purchase the paperback, including:
      • The Fire Starter Course
      • The Find Your FIRE Number Worksheet

    Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode:

    Connect with Kristy & Bryce:

    Connect with me:

    23 September 2026, 11:36 am
  • 1 hour 5 minutes
    Episode 496: Tiny Home Living w/ Jewel Pearson & Why You Don't Have To Give Up Luxury To Go Tiny REWIND

    Simplicity and the concept of 'less is more' can be beneficial in much more than finance. The tiny home movement has proved to be a great new option for a lot of people looking to live a simpler, more abundant life. This week's guest, Jewel Pearson, is not only a tiny homeowner but she is also an advocate and community leader that shares her tiny living experiences and assists others in achieving their tiny living dreams.

    Over the course of a decade, Jewel worked toward downsizing her life and in 2015 she built the tiny home of her dreams in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her 360 sq ft home has been featured on HGTV's shows "Tiny House, Big Living" and "How Are They Now" and has been featured in several other media outlets. As a proud supporter of tiny living and the simpler lifestyle that it offers, she provides support through her consulting services and workshops that she teaches around the country. Jewel has also founded the Tiny House Trailblazers; a duo collaboration of powerful and uniquely talented women of color who together are a strong representation and voice for diversity and inclusion within the tiny house movement.

    In this episode we discuss:

    • Why everyone should redefine or rather choose for themselves what tiny living means
    • The misconception some people have that living in a tiny home means you sacrifice quality, luxury, and design & why tiny living does not mean "small living"
    • How downsizing and living this life helped Jewel to live her life fully and abundantly
    • What Jewel's life was like before the tiny home and what prompted the change
    • The steps it took to actually make the changes she needed to move into her home
    • How to start the tiny living process
    • Jewel's mission to bring the tiny home movement to more people of color and some of the racism she has experienced in the community
    • The different tiny home options
    • Factors to consider in making the transition to tiny home living
    • Jewel's thoughts on the FIRE (Financially Independent, Retire Early) movement

    What's New in the Paperback Edition of Your Journey to Financial Freedom:

    • A bonus chapter: When Life Happens: Staying on the Path to Financial Freedom Through Setbacks, Shifts, and Uncertainty
    • A book club and discussion guide with prompts, exercises, and action steps
    • Updated corrections from the original hardcover
    • Exclusive bonuses when you purchase the paperback, including:
      • The Fire Starter Course
      • The Find Your FIRE Number Worksheet

    Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode:

    Connect with Jewel:

    Connect with the Tiny House Trailblazers:

    Connect with me:

    16 September 2026, 9:00 am
  • 46 minutes 11 seconds
    Episode 495: DIY & Trade Job Path to Financial Freedom with Tinian Crawford

    You may think that you need a traditional education to reach Financial Freedom, but on this episode, Tinian Crawford is here to tell us otherwise. He shares with us how lucrative a job in the Trades can be and why more people should be looking to a trade career and building their DIY skills to help them reach their goals of Financial Independence.

    On this episode you will learn:

    • Tinian's backstory & his entrepreneurial journey into the world of Financial Independence
    • What's considered a "trade job" and how pursuing trade skills is a great alternative to a traditional college education
    • The demand for trade jobs and the gap between skilled workers and available positions
    • How one can get started in the trades, how to get your children started & how to pivot into a trade career
    • How to become a trade entrepreneur in order to reach your financial goals
    • The gender gap and barrier that women may experience when looking to get into trades but why women are needed in these fields plus so much more

    What's New in the Paperback Edition of Your Journey to Financial Freedom:

    • A bonus chapter: When Life Happens: Staying on the Path to Financial Freedom Through Setbacks, Shifts, and Uncertainty
    • A book club and discussion guide with prompts, exercises, and action steps
    • Updated corrections from the original hardcover
    • Exclusive bonuses when you purchase the paperback, including:
      • The Fire Starter Course
      • The Find Your FIRE Number Worksheet

    Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode:

    • Apply to Share Your Journeyer Story, here.
    • Join the Journey to Launch Book Club to dive deeper into financial freedom with guided discussions and resources here!
    • Join The Weekly Newsletter List to get updates, deals & more!
    • Leave Your Journey To Financial Freedom a review!
    • Get The Budget Bootcamp
    • Check out my personal website here.
    • Leave me a voicemail– Leave me a question on the Journey To Launch voicemail and have it answered on the podcast!
    • YNAB – Start managing your money and budgeting so that you can reach your financial dreams. Sign up for a free 34 days trial of YNAB, my go-to budgeting app by using my referral link.
      • What stage of the financial journey are you on? Are you working on financial stability or work flexibility? Find out with this free assessment and get a curated list of the 10 next best episodes for you to listen to depending on your stage. Check it out here!

    Connect with me:

    9 September 2026, 10:58 am
  • 43 minutes 36 seconds
    Episode 494: Strengthen Your Mindset & Confidence To Turn Being Underestimated Into Your Greatest Advantage with Arlan Hamilton

    Arlan Hamilton was homeless when she launched a venture capital fund dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech. In 2015, she created Backstage Capital, a venture capital fund that invests in high potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or members of the LGBT community. Today, Backstage Capital has raised more than $7 million and invested in more than 130 startups companies led by underestimated founders.

    In this episode of the Journey to Launch podcast, Arlan and I are talking about the mindset, confidence, and self-care that led to Arlan's ultimate success. We also discuss Arlan's new book, It's About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated Into Your Greatest Advantage. Arlan's story is inspiring and this is an episode you don't want to miss.

    In this episode you'll learn:

    • How to use confidence to fuel your success
    • What it means to invest in yourself
    • The importance of self-care and how to set boundaries
    • How to write a successful, tailored pitch
    • What really matters in life, and more

    What's New in the Paperback Edition of Your Journey to Financial Freedom:

    • A bonus chapter: When Life Happens: Staying on the Path to Financial Freedom Through Setbacks, Shifts, and Uncertainty
    • A book club and discussion guide with prompts, exercises, and action steps
    • Updated corrections from the original hardcover
    • Exclusive bonuses when you purchase the paperback, including:
      • The Fire Starter Course
      • The Find Your FIRE Number Worksheet

    Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode:

    Connect with Arlan:

    Connect with me:

    2 September 2026, 10:33 am
  • 55 minutes 8 seconds
    Episode 493: Become a Profitable & Successful Investor with Mabel Nunez REWIND

    Mabel Nunez is the founder & Chief Education Officer at Girl$ on The Money – a stock market investing education company targeted toward individuals who are underrepresented in the investing world. Mabel grew up in the South Bronx as an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, with limited resources & a strong emphasis on education from her father. She learned very little about personal finance or investing while in school until she was in college, where she took an investing analysis class which began her passion for investing & personal finance. Mabel holds both a Bachelor of Science and an MBA in Finance. However, most of what she's learned about investing came from experience.

    Mabel's mission is to teach what she's learned (and continues to learn) since starting her investing journey. She is passionate about transforming investing beginners into confident, knowledgeable, and profitable investors.

    In this episode, Mabel shares:

    • How fear kept her from starting to invest, despite graduating as a finance major, reading articles and listening to shows on investing
    • How she has been investing for 16 years with a focus on individual stocks in a self-directed taxable account. She invests in companies with long-term potential, rarely selling stocks and preferring a Warren Buffett-style strategy
    • That investing in ETFs or index funds, such as the S&P 500, can be a simpler alternative to buying individual stocks & advises against buying "cheap stocks" or investing in unproven companies.
    • How she struggled to tell her parents about quitting her 9-5 stable job to pursue her passion & the challenge of balancing personal dreams with family expectations, particularly for immigrant families + much more!

    What's New in the Paperback Edition of Your Journey to Financial Freedom:

    • A bonus chapter: When Life Happens: Staying on the Path to Financial Freedom Through Setbacks, Shifts, and Uncertainty
    • A book club and discussion guide with prompts, exercises, and action steps
    • Updated corrections from the original hardcover
    • Exclusive bonuses when you purchase the paperback, including:
      • The Fire Starter Course
      • The Find Your FIRE Number Worksheet

    Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode:

    Connect with Mabel:

    Connect with me:

    26 August 2026, 9:00 am
  • 55 minutes 28 seconds
    Episode 492: The Geometry of Wealth: How to Shape a Life of Money and Meaning with Brian Portnoy REWIND

    In this week's episode, Brian Portnoy simplifies the complex world of money. Brian has over two decades of experience in the personal finance space, and he's also an investor, educator, writer, and entrepreneur. In his book, The Geometry of Wealth, he tackles the challenges of making better investment decisions and how money fits into a joyful life.

    In this episode, we go beyond the numbers and talk about the behavioral science behind your relationship with money. Learn how your behavior impacts your ability to become wealthy and why your brain chooses survival over wealth.

    In this episode you'll learn:

    • The difference between wealthy and rich
    • Why your brain is wired to make terrible money decisions
    • The meaning of the Geometry of Wealth
    • How to set goals to become wealthy (and not just rich)
    • What a comprehensive financial plan looks like, and more

    What's New in the Paperback Edition of Your Journey to Financial Freed

    • A bonus chapter: When Life Happens: Staying on the Path to Financial Freedom Through Setbacks, Shifts, and Uncertainty
    • A book club and discussion guide with prompts, exercises, and action steps
    • Updated corrections from the original hardcover
    • Exclusive bonuses when you purchase the paperback, including:
      • The Fire Starter Course
      • The Find Your FIRE Number Worksheet

    Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode:

    Connect with Brian:

    Connect with me:

    19 August 2026, 9:00 am
  • 1 hour 6 minutes
    Episode 491: How to Live a Rich Life & Make Your Own Money Rules w/ Ramit Sethi

    Ramit Sethi is New York Times bestselling author and founder of I Will Teach You to Be Rich. After 16 years in the personal finance space, Ramit is still teaching people how to set specific goals for themselves and their money. He has a unique way of talking about money and challenges the normal points of view you often hear from other personal finance "gurus".

    In this episode, Ramit shares tips on how to; save you money, earn more, and live a rich life.

    In this episode you'll learn:

    • An exercise to help you get specific about your goals and money
    • Ramit's story about going from a free blogger to a paid author and how to prepare yourself for your own journey
    • Why you need to earn more
    • The CEO model and how you can use it get rich
    • Five phone calls you can make to save $1,000 right now, and more

    What's New in the Paperback Edition of Your Journey to Financial Freedom:

    • A bonus chapter: When Life Happens: Staying on the Path to Financial Freedom Through Setbacks, Shifts, and Uncertainty
    • A book club and discussion guide with prompts, exercises, and action steps
    • Updated corrections from the original hardcover
    • Exclusive bonuses when you purchase the paperback, including:
      • The Fire Starter Course
      • The Find Your FIRE Number Worksheet

    Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode:

    Connect with Ramit:

    Connect with me:

    12 August 2026, 9:00 am
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