• 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
  • 52 minutes 44 seconds
    Episode 490: Love, Money + Navigating Difficult Conversations Before You're Ready With Myra Strober & Abby Davisson REWIND

    Myra Strober, labor economist and Professor Emerita at Stanford University and Abby Davisson, social innovation leader and career development expert, join the Journey to Launch podcast to discuss how to make conscious decisions about money with love as the primary framework.

    We chat about the intellectual roadmap for life's biggest decisions, why we need to have difficult conversations before we're ready and how love and money are intertwined in all of life's challenges and phases.

    In this episode, you'll learn more about:

    • Making decisions about money with love at the forefront of consideration
    • What the 5 C framework is and how you can implement them in your life right now
    • Why you should be having conversations about personal topics alongside the professional ones
    • How to be an agent of change within the institutions you participate in
    • The importance of checking in with those you admire and trying to anticipate the consequences of life's choices + 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 Myra & Abby:

    Connect with me:

    5 August 2026, 9:00 am
  • 50 minutes 6 seconds
    Episode 489: Building Through Failure, Reinvention & the Future of Money with Fernando Espuelas

    Fernando Espuelas has spent three decades building companies and shaping conversations at the intersection of technology, business, and public life. In this episode, I sit down with him to talk about his path from an immigrant childhood in Uruguay to becoming one of the internet's early pioneers.

    Fernando immigrated to the U.S. from Uruguay at age 10 and grew up watching his mother clean houses and work nights so he could get an education. He worked gas station and pet store jobs before eventually co-founding StarMedia, the world's first pan-Latin internet portal and the first Latin internet company to go public.

    Today Fernando leads Vera Money, the first Emotional AI Financial Operating System, built to help Zillennials reduce money anxiety and take control of their finances. He shares why he built Vera around trust and ethical AI, and what keeps him building instead of chasing retirement.

    In this episode, Fernando shares:

    • His immigrant journey from Uruguay and how early hardship shaped his ambition
    • How a history degree led him into advertising, then into launching the consumer internet in Latin America
    • Why he believes retirement isn't the goal, and what keeps him building
    • How Vera uses AI to help people manage money without selling their data or charging hidden fees + 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 Fernando:

    Connect with me:

    29 July 2026, 9:00 am
  • 54 minutes 19 seconds
    Episode 488: How Cindy Zuniga Paid Off $215,000 of Debt in 48 Months

    Cindy Zuniga went to law school to make an impact in her community. After three years in law school and $215,000 of debt later, Cindy realized the real cost of her decision. Her first year out of school she paid $24,000 towards her student loans. However, only $4,000 went towards her loan's principal balance, and the other 20,000 paid off just the interest on her loan. That's when Cindy said enough is enough and devised a plan to pay off all of her debt in 48 month. Find out how Cindy paid off $215,000 in 48 months and kept her expenses low while living in New York.

    In this episode you will learn:

    • What to consider before taking out student loans for a degree
    • How to educate yourself and your family about student loan debt
    • 3 reasons to refinance your student loans
    • How to stick to your financial goals in any environment
    • Tips for talking about finances with your partner
    • How to lower your expenses, save money, 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 me:

    22 July 2026, 11:42 am
  • 50 minutes 37 seconds
    Episode 487: Burnout, Boundaries, and The Risk Worth Taking w/ Teri Ijeoma

    What if the biggest risk you take is the one that changes everything? In this episode, I chat with Teri Ijeoma, trader, entrepreneur, author, and founder of Trade and Travel, an investment education company that has taught over 40,000 students how to actively invest. Teri left a toxic career as an assistant principal, taught herself to trade stocks while traveling the world, and built one of the top investing courses. Now she's back with her debut book, The Risk Worth Taking, and she's sharing the full picture of what the journey has actually looked like.

    Teri opens up about everything that's happened since we last spoke from growing her company to a team of 40 and navigating the burnout that came with it, to making the difficult decision to step back, downsize, and move from Puerto Rico back to the U.S. in search of a deeper community. She shares how a health scare became a turning point, why she chose to prioritize herself over expectations and obligations, and what it meant to finally bring a new dream to life by finishing her first book. It's an honest conversation about success, reinvention, and creating a life that aligns with what matters most.

    In this episode, Teri Ijeoma shares:

    • How she scaled back from 40 employees to two and transitioned her course to self-study
    • Her Smart Risk Framework, the 4 C's, and how it applies beyond investing
    • What Trump Accounts are, who qualifies, and why she wants every parent to know about them
    • The story behind her new novel-style investing book and how it teaches trading through fiction + more

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

    15 July 2026, 9:00 am
  • More Episodes? Get the App