Selling Sunset isn't just a show about real estate, drama, and outfits... it's a show about money. Over the past few years, Nicole has had four cast members from the Selling Sunset universe on Money Rehab: Jason Oppenheim, Emma Hernan, Mary Bonnet, and Polly Brindle. Today, she's pulling out four moments from those conversations that she hasn't been able to stop thinking about.

Jason, one of the most successful real estate brokers in LA, makes a confession you'd never expect from someone who sells homes for a living: renting often beats buying, financially speaking. Mary opens up about the ex-husband who secretly ran up six figures of debt in her name, and the exact tactic she used to rebuild her credit score from scratch. Emma explains why she's turned down millions in outside investment for her company and what she thinks is broken about "Shark Tank culture." And Polly gets brutally honest about maxing out three credit cards, borrowing from friends, and the mindset shift that turned her financial life around.

Start investing investing at SoFi.com/MNN 

Check out Nicole's financial literacy course ⁠The Money School⁠ 

Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company ⁠Private Wealth Collective⁠ 

Watch video clips from the pod on ⁠Money Rehab's Instagram⁠ and ⁠Nicole Lapin's Instagram⁠ 

Here's what Nicole covers today:

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?

00:15 Four Money Moments From the Selling Sunset Universe

00:42 Jason Oppenheim's Take: Renting Beats Buying

04:48 Mary Bonnet's Secret Debt and Financial Abuse Story

09:07 Red Flags to Watch For Before You Share Finances

12:29 Emma Hernan on Turning Down Millions in Funding

16:47 Polly Brindle: From Maxed Credit Cards to $48M in Sales

21:46 Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank

All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making any financial decisions or investments.

Divorce attorney James Sexton is back for part two of his conversation with Nicole; in part one, he talked about advice for couples getting married. Today, he’s giving advice for people getting divorced. Nicole and James dig into the financial habits that sabotage marriages, the creative ways people hide money before filing, and the red flags that signal a spouse might be planning an exit. Plus, James gives simple advice on what might be the most complicated part of this process: how to tell your spouse you want a divorce.

James also breaks down how alimony actually works, the best argument for keeping the house, and the negotiating tactics he uses to fight for a bigger settlement. Then things get spicy: the digital footprint mistakes blowing up divorces in real time, the unofficial "a-hole tax" judges impose on bad behavior in court, and the wild story of a $20 million divorce that almost collapsed over a toaster oven.

Check out Part 1 of Nicole's conversation with James Sexton

Start investing investing at SoFi.com/MNN 

Check out Nicole's financial literacy course ⁠The Money School⁠ 

Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company ⁠Private Wealth Collective⁠ 

Watch video clips from the pod on ⁠Money Rehab's Instagram⁠ and ⁠Nicole Lapin's Instagram⁠ 

Follow James’ work and check out his latest book

Here's what Nicole covers with James:

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?

02:31 The Financial Habit That Complicates Every Divorce

05:01 How People Hide Money Before a Divorce

09:21 Red Flags Your Partner Might Be Planning a Divorce

11:35 What To Do If You're Thinking About Divorce

12:11 How Much Does a Divorce Actually Cost?

17:13 Mediation vs. Litigation: Which Should You Choose?

19:37 The Best Way To Ask For a Divorce

21:18 How Alimony Really Works

25:00 When the Woman Is the Breadwinner

28:29 Is Alimony About Money or Power?

29:58 The Best Argument for Keeping the House

32:11 Bunnie XO, Jelly Roll, and Who's Entitled to What

34:56 Lightning Round

38:03 The $20 Million Toaster Oven Story

39:14 The Most Expensive Emotion in Divorce

39:20 What To Never (and Always) Put in Writing

40:00 How Social Media Can Blow Up Your Divorce

42:54 The "A-hole Tax" Explained

45:31 James Sexton's Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank

If you've been parked in SAVE plan limbo for the last two years, the waiting is over, and the letter that starts your 90-day clock is either already in your inbox or on its way. Today, Nicole breaks down what happened to SAVE, why doing nothing could send your payment from $0 to $900 overnight, and exactly what to do before that clock runs out.

Nicole walks through RAP, the new Repayment Assistance Plan replacing SAVE, how it calculates your payment off your income, and the upside most people miss: your balance can't grow even if your payment doesn't cover the interest. She also covers why studentaid.gov is about to get slammed, whether you should let the government pull your income data from the IRS, and how to avoid accidentally landing in a plan that doesn't count toward forgiveness.

Then, Nicole flags two things you don't want to miss: a quadrupled autopay discount worth locking in before September 30th, and a little-known Secure 2.0 rule that lets your employer match your student loan payments straight into your 401(k). If you're already in default, she also breaks down what's coming this fall as wage garnishment turns back on, and the two ways out. Finally, today's tip you can take straight to the bank: a tax-filing move married borrowers should run the numbers on before their next RAP payment is calculated.

Start investing investing at SoFi.com/MNN 

Check out Nicole's financial literacy course ⁠The Money School⁠ 

Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company ⁠Private Wealth Collective⁠ 

Watch video clips from the pod on ⁠Money Rehab's Instagram⁠ and ⁠Nicole Lapin's Instagram⁠ 

Here's what Nicole covers today: 

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab? 

00:16 SAVE Is Officially Dead 

01:29 What Happens If You Do Nothing 

02:12 Check Your Real Balance (Interest Never Stopped) 

02:37 Meet RAP: The New Repayment Assistance Plan 

03:24 Get Ahead of the Studentaid.gov Stampede 

04:40 The 401(k) Match You Didn't Know You Had 

05:21 If You're in Default: What's Coming This Fall 

06:35 Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank

This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor or tax professional before making any financial decisions.

Mauricio Umansky is one of the most successful luxury real estate agents in the world, selling homes for A-listers and closing massive deals. Today, he joins Nicole to break down exactly where the real estate market stands right now: why we're finally shifting out of a three-and-a-half-year transaction low, why “rentvesting” might be a move to consider in some markets, and the 10-year rule that means almost no one who buys a home ever ends up losing money on it.

Then Nicole and Mauricio dig into the parts of his world reality TV can't capture: the $124 trillion wealth transfer reshaping who owns real estate next, his "playvestment" strategy for buying property purely because it makes him happy, his take on the mansion tax killing development in LA, and whether he'll ever trade real estate for a run at Mayor of Los Angeles.

Start investing investing at SoFi.com/MNN 

Check out Nicole's financial literacy course ⁠The Money School⁠ 

Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company ⁠Private Wealth Collective⁠ 

Watch video clips from the pod on ⁠Money Rehab's Instagram⁠ and ⁠Nicole Lapin's Instagram⁠ 

Learn more about Mauricio’s work and The Agency

Here's what Nicole covers with Mauricio:

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?

03:04 Is This a Buyer's or Seller's Market?

04:10 Comparing Today's Market to Past Cycles

08:17 The 10-Year Rule According to Mauricio

09:21 Rentvesting Explained

10:35 Real Estate Returns vs. the Stock Market

11:45 Where Mauricio Would Buy Right Now

14:35 His Investment Thesis: Hospitality, Flipping, and Branded Residences

15:43 The Real Odds of Getting a Deal Done

16:56 Inside His Portfolio: Real Estate vs. Equities

17:53 Will AI Replace Real Estate Agents?

19:01 The $124 Trillion Wealth Transfer and Family Compounds

22:15 Short-Term Rentals and the 2028 LA Olympics

23:12 Would He Run for Mayor of LA?

29:56 The Mansion Tax, Explained

32:16 Reality TV: Help, Hurt, and Are the Numbers Even Real?

39:01 The Passion Project That Makes Him Zero Dollars

40:16 The Truth Behind His "$6 Billion" in Sales

46:24 Mauricio's Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank

All investing involves risk, including loss of principal. This episode is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always consult a licensed professional before making financial decisions.

Divorce attorney James Sexton has a theory: the smartest thing you can do before you get married is think like someone whose job is ending marriages. Today, James joins Nicole for part one of a two-part conversation, sharing what you need to know before you say "I do." Make sure you're subscribed to Money Rehab so you don't miss part two in a few weeks, where they get into what you need to know before you get divorced.

James unpacks why every couple needs a prenup, and shares the wildest prenup clause he's ever seen. He also gets into what actually makes fidelity and sex clauses hold up in court, and why most DIY prenups fall apart long before they're ever tested. 

Then Nicole and James zoom out to the stuff that can predict divorce long before anyone hires a lawyer: the small, unsexy daily habits that keep a relationship alive, and the financial fights that are never really about the money. Plus, James explains why he thinks couples should see a divorce attorney before they get married, and as weird as it sounds… we agree.

Start investing investing at SoFi.com/MNN 

Check out Nicole's financial literacy course ⁠The Money School⁠ 

Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company ⁠Private Wealth Collective⁠ 

Watch video clips from the pod on ⁠Money Rehab's Instagram⁠ and ⁠Nicole Lapin's Instagram⁠

Learn more about James Sexton and his work

Here's what Nicole covers with James:

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?

03:13 Why James Chose Divorce Law (Not the Money)

06:06 Has Divorce Law Soured James on Romance?

08:33 James's Own Marriage, Divorce, and Dating Life Now

14:23 Why You Should Talk to a Divorce Attorney Before You Marry

15:49 The Small Habits That Keep a Relationship Alive

21:16 What Actually Ends Marriages

27:28 Should Marriage Have a Higher Bar to Entry?

29:37 Is Your Prenup Actually Enforceable?

31:38 The $10,000-a-Pound Prenup Clause: A True Story

38:03 DIY Prenups and What Not to Skip

44:54 Fidelity Clauses and Sex Clauses

49:01 Do Prenups Actually Prevent Divorce?

50:41 Why the Prenup Conversation Is Secretly Romantic

53:03 The Story of the Lemons: Why Positional Bargaining Fails

57:51 The Most Toxic Financial Fights in Relationships

58:41 What Money Can (and Can't) Buy

1:00:54 Coming Up: James's Divorce Advice in Part Two

All investing involves risk, including loss of principal. This episode is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always consult a licensed professional before making financial decisions.

Today, Nicole is teaming up with U.S. Bank to unpack the state of small businesses and what entrepreneurs can do right now to get ahead. 

Nicole sits down with Shruti Patel, U.S. Bank's Chief Product Officer for the Business Banking segment, to unpack the findings from the bank's fourth annual Small Business Survey and what they reveal about the state of entrepreneurship right now. Shruti breaks down why small business optimism dipped from 93% to 83% this year even as resilience holds strong, why only 3% of owners are currently considering a sale or exit, and what that signals about the massive wealth transfer coming as Boomer-aged owners hand off their businesses to the next generation over the next decade.

Then the conversation turns to Gen Z founders specifically: their appetite for bold, calculated risk, and the surprising trend of delaying life milestones like marriage and family to build their businesses… a bet that, according to the data, is actually paying off in faster growth.

Nicole and Shruti also get tactical: how business credit actually works (and why your personal credit score matters more than you'd think) and the real documentation lenders want to see. Plus: how small businesses are using AI to cut costs (even when the ROI math gets murky), where digital currency payments stand today, and why frictionless checkout is a bigger deal than most owners realize. 

Learn more about U.S. Bank's Small Business Banking solutions at: usbank.com 

Check-out the results of U.S. Bank’s Small Business Survey: https://www.usbank.com/business-banking/business-resource-center/small-business-survey.html

Here's what Nicole covers with Shruti:

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?

00:43 Meet Shruti Patel, U.S. Bank's Chief Product Officer

01:20 Inside U.S. Bank's 4th Annual Small Business Survey

02:16 Why Optimism Dropped from 93% to 83%

04:45 Why Only 3% of Owners Are Considering an Exit

05:18 The Great Wealth Transfer and Succession Planning for the Next Decade

06:31 Inside Gen Z's Bold, Calculated Approach to Risk

07:37 Delaying Marriage and Family to Build a Business

09:03 "You Can Have It All, Just Not All at Once"

11:07 How Gen Z Defines Success

12:10 The Death of the "Shark Tank" Fundraising Dream

13:45 Debt vs. Equity: Rethinking How to Finance Growth

14:17 What Banks Look for Before Approving a Loan

16:08 Do Businesses Have Their Own Credit Score?

17:38 Personal Guarantees and the Documentation You'll Need

19:06 The SBA Loan Process

19:38 How Small Businesses Are Actually Using AI to Save Money

21:16 The "Digital Target Checkout" Problem with AI Costs

22:39 Where Digital Currency and Crypto Payments Stand Today

24:15 Why Frictionless Checkout Is Everything

26:03 Inside U.S. Bank's Business Essentials Launch

29:32 U.S. Bank's Partnership with the NFL and the Financial Edge Program

33:45 Shruti Patel's Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank

All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making any financial decisions or investments.

Kevin O'Leary is back on Money Rehab, and this time he's changed his tune on crypto. Nicole presses "Mr. Wonderful" on his wild reversal: from owning 27 coins to just two, why he thinks the real money is now in power infrastructure, and why the Clarity Act could break Bitcoin’s price ceiling.

Kevin also gets into the messy, litigious world of data centers, including the lawsuits, the death threats against his own family, and where he thinks the money trail leads. Then things get personal: his $5 million "you're not wealthy until" rule, the eye-popping story behind the $35 million outfit he wore to the Oscars, and which Shark he’d call to bail him out of jail.

Of course, no Kevin O'Leary episode is complete without a fight, so Nicole and Kevin reignite their $28 sandwich debate and reach a truce… Almost.

Start investing investing at SoFi.com/MNN 

Check out Nicole's financial literacy course ⁠The Money School⁠ 

Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company ⁠Private Wealth Collective⁠ 

Watch video clips from the pod on ⁠Money Rehab's Instagram⁠ and ⁠Nicole Lapin's Instagram⁠ 

Here's what Nicole covers with Kevin:

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?

01:25 Kevin O'Leary Returns (RIP Labubu)

02:05 Confessions of a "Social Media Whore"

04:33 Buying Longevity: The Ozempic Debate

07:30 Wealth, Health, and Sleep Optimization

08:45 Inside Kevin's Lawsuit Playbook

14:00 Foreign Adversaries and the Data Center Wars

15:19 Debunking the Data Center Water Myth

19:19 From 27 Coins to Just Two: Kevin's Crypto Reset

23:55 The Quantum Computing Threat to Bitcoin

26:36 Kevin's New Bitcoin Price Target

29:01 Why Power, Not Crypto, Is the Real Trade

33:07 Should You Still Buy Crypto Right Now?

34:41 The Kidnapping Risk Nobody Talks About

36:28 The Money Bag: Financial Envy

38:01 The $5 Million Rule for Feeling Wealthy

40:15 Why Kevin Refuses to Google His Net Worth

42:23 The $35 Million Oscars Outfit

49:19 Passing Down Collectibles (and the Tax Trap)

51:40 Who Bails Kevin Out of Jail?

58:56 Kill, Marry, Fire: Pelosi, Holmes, and Cathy Wood

1:03:55 Data Center Death Threats

1:04:16 Round Two: The $28 Sandwich Fight

1:10:42 Kevin O'Leary's Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank

All investing involves risk, including loss of principal. This episode is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always consult a licensed professional before making financial decisions.

Bill Ackman built one of the most closely watched hedge funds on Wall Street; when he speaks, markets move. Literally. Today, he joins Nicole to break down the opportunities he’s seeing in the market, which companies are in his portfolio, and what could trigger the next 2008. 

Bill walks Nicole through his investing playbook, the biggest mistake new investors make, and whether we’re in an AI bubble. Then, Nicole and Bill play a rapid-fire round of Bullish or Bearish where Bill gives his takes on gold, Bitcoin, Chipotle, Starbucks, T-bills, Trump, and Mamdani. Bill also gets personal about his inheritance plans for his four daughters, what he actually thinks makes someone successful in business, and whether he would run for office.

Check out Nicole's financial literacy course⁠ ⁠The Money School⁠⁠ 

Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company⁠ ⁠Private Wealth Collective⁠⁠ 

Watch video clips from the pod on⁠ ⁠Money Rehab's Instagram⁠⁠ and⁠ ⁠Nicole Lapin's Instagram⁠⁠ 

⁠Follow Bill Ackman⁠ on X

Learn about ⁠Pershing Square⁠

Here's what Nicole covers with Bill:

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?

01:14 Bill Ackman on the State of the Economy Right Now

03:00 Who Wins the AI Race: OpenAI vs. Anthropic vs. SpaceX

04:31 Why a Great Business Is Like a Bond

05:56 Is the Stock Market Too Expensive Right Now?

07:01 Where to Put Your First $1,0000

7:39 Inside Pershing Square's 12-15 Stock Portfolio

09:22 Democratizing Hedge Funds with PSUS

10:39 Buying Stocks at a Discount

11:18 Apple's Innovation Problem and Life After the iPhone

12:33 The Best Advice for New Investors

14:06 Are We in an AI Bubble?

16:46 Predicting the Future and the Next Financial Crisis

17:52 Why You Should Never Borrow Against Your Stocks

19:20 Carl Icahn's Billion-Dollar Leverage Cautionary Tale

20:16 The Worst Investing Advice He's Ever Heard

23:00 Fixing the Retirement Crisis

25:48 Bullish or Bearish: Gold, Bitcoin, Chipotle, Starbucks, Trump and Mamdani

33:30 What It's Like When Your Tweets Move Markets

35:15 Would Ackman Ever Run for Mayor of NYC?

38:01 The World He Wants for His Four Daughters (and His Inheritance Plan)

42:25 The Real Formula for Success in Business

44:21 Bill Ackman's Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank

All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making any financial decisions or investments.

Comedian and creator Laura Clery built a media empire of 26 million followers, and then watched her marriage and her bank account collapse at the same time.

Laura opens up about the financial wreckage of her divorce: how her ex-husband's relapse and addiction affected their financial lives, how she ended up paying two mortgages at once without fully understanding why, and the surreal moment she realized her water had been shut off. She walks Nicole through the costly mistake of choosing mediation over hiring a lawyer, why she couldn't afford the retainer when she finally needed one, and the moment her ex hacked her YouTube and Facebook accounts, deleting years of content and her entire livelihood in the process.

Nicole and Laura also get into the bigger financial lessons: why Laura now insists every woman keep her own separate bank account, how watching her mother stay in a difficult marriage without financial independence shaped her own choices, and how she rebuilt. But first, Laura shares about the freak accident that almost killed her.

Check out Nicole's financial literacy course ⁠The Money School⁠ 

Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company ⁠Private Wealth Collective⁠ 

Watch video clips from the pod on ⁠Money Rehab's Instagram⁠ and ⁠Nicole Lapin's Instagram⁠ 

Get What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Hotter

If you or someone you know is struggling with the same issues Laura speaks of today, here are resources for addiction and domestic abuse

Here's what Nicole covers with Laura:

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?

02:03 The Freak Refrigerator Accident

12:24 The Inside Job Conspiracy

14:35 Writing What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Hotter

16:12 Early Money Dynamics With Her Ex

18:31 Booking TV Commercials

21:52 Becoming Facebook's Biggest Comedy Star

23:45 Who Really Controlled the Money

25:01 The First Relapse and Years in Recovery

27:00 Catching the Infidelity

29:53 When It All Went Public

32:00 "You're Not a Victim, You're a Volunteer"

37:08 No Prenup and Two Mortgages

39:53 The Day Her Water Got Shut Off

42:27 Choosing Mediation Over a Lawyer

47:00 The Hack51:14 Post-Separation Abuse

54:47 Why She'll Never Live With a Man Again

58:37 Her Parents' Marriage and the Cost of Staying

1:01:01 Why Every Woman Needs Her Own Bank Account

1:01:51 "Mommy Has Money Again"

1:02:39 Money Fixes Money Problems, Not Everything Else

1:05:54 Reframing the Mental Block

1:09:41 Laura Clery's Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank

All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making any financial decisions or investments.

As Chief Investment Strategist at Hightower Advisors, Stephanie Link spends her days researching the market’s winners. Today, she's breaking it all down for us. Stephanie explains why the economy keeps defying the doom-and-gloom headlines, which stocks she thinks will champion the next decade, and why she believes we're only in the third inning of the AI revolution.

Nicole and Stephanie get tactical fast: the difference between the Mag 7 and the "S&P 493," which stocks are not worth the hype, and Stephanie's thesis that cybersecurity stocks will end up being bigger than AI. She names her favorite tickers across cybersecurity, data centers, robotics, and quantum computing, and explains whether it’s too late to buy NVIDIA. Stephanie also gets real about the so-called "AI bubble," the circular spending debate freaking out investors, and why she bought SpaceX but capped it at just 2% of her portfolio.

Plus: what her 19-year-old daughter is investing in, why "FAANG" just got a 2026 update, and the one boring, unsexy ETF Stephanie says every new investor should consider.

Check out Nicole's financial literacy course ⁠The Money School⁠

Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company ⁠Private Wealth Collective⁠

Watch video clips from the pod on ⁠Money Rehab's Instagram⁠ and ⁠Nicole Lapin's Instagram⁠ 

Read more about Stephanie’s work

Here's what Nicole covers with Stephanie:

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?

01:12 Stephanie Link Joins Money Rehab

01:41 Why the Market Keeps Defying the Doom and Gloom

04:07 CapEx, Decoded

06:58 The K-Shaped Economy: Why the Vibes Don't Match the Numbers

09:49 Inflation, Oil Prices, and the War's Ripple Effect

11:41 Mag 7 vs. the S&P 493: Which ETF Should You Buy?

16:16 Why Stephanie Says No to Leveraged ETFs

17:32 Cybersecurity Will Be Bigger Than AI

20:16 The Best Cybersecurity Stocks on Stephanie's List

23:15 How to Vet a CEO Before You Buy the Stock

25:16 Investing Lessons from Stephanie's 19-Year-Old Daughter

28:23 What Stephanie Won't Buy: Crypto, Staples, and Energy

32:20 Inside the AI "Food Chain": Powering the Data Center Boom

35:43 Robotics and Quantum Computing: The Next Big Themes

41:00 MicroStrategy vs. Palo Alto: What "On Sale" Really Means

43:07 FAANG Is Dead, Long Live MANGOES

43:47 Why Stephanie Bought SpaceX (and Kept It to 2%)

55:40 Is It Too Late to Buy NVIDIA?

59:06 Grading the Innings: AI, Cybersecurity, and Robotics

59:50 Hot Stocks: Micron, SanDisk, and the Chips Everyone's Chasing

1:02:27 Is There an AI Bubble?

1:03:16 The Circular Spending Debate

1:08:08 Stephanie Link's Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank

All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making any financial decisions or investments.

Disclosures: Hightower invests in companies including Boeing Company, Dover Corp, General Electric, Quanta Services, Rockwell Automation, Union Pacific Corporation, Broadcom, International Business Machines Corporation, Marvell Technology Inc, ServiceNow Inc, Palo Alto Networks Inc, Snowflake Inc, Synopsys Inc, Bank of America, Capital One, Coinbase, Morgan Stanley, Truist Financial Corp, Amazon.com Inc, Meta, SpaceX, Alcoa Corp, Antofagasta PLC, Natera Inc, UnitedHealth Group Inc, iShares MSCI Brazil ETF, SLB Limited

Employment attorney Ryan Stygar joins Nicole to hand us the playbook our employers hope they never find. He breaks down what "at-will employment" actually means and the exact moves to make the moment you get that dreaded out-of-nowhere email from HR. He also reveals everything that's negotiable in a severance package: the cash amount, COBRA coverage, equity vesting schedules, and non-disparagement clauses, and shares how he turned a $6,000 severance offer into over $60,000 for one client.

Then Nicole and Ryan role-play a firing from both sides of the table — so you know exactly what to say and what never to say. They dig into the issues that disproportionately affect women at work: pregnancy discrimination (the number one form Ryan sees in his practice), his controversial-but-legally-sound advice to disclose your pregnancy early, what rights you have if you miscarry, and how return-to-office mandates are quietly being weaponized as stealth layoffs. 

Plus: AI keystroke monitoring, non-competes in the current legal landscape, and the interview questions that are totally illegal — that you're probably being asked right now.

Check out Nicole's financial literacy course ⁠The Money School⁠ Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company ⁠Private Wealth Collective⁠ Watch video clips from the pod on ⁠Money Rehab's Instagram⁠ and ⁠Nicole Lapin's Instagram⁠ 

Get Ryan's book ⁠Get It in Writing⁠

Here's what Nicole covers with Ryan: 

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab? 

02:01 Ryan's Path: From Firefighter to Workers' Rights Lawyer 

02:52 Nicole Gets Let Go From CNN 

03:44 Why HR Is Not Your Friend 

05:34 The Right (and Wrong) Way to Fire Someone 

06:41 It's Illegal to Fire Someone for Discussing Their Pay 

08:44 Building Your Paper Trail From Day One 

20:07 At-Will Employment, Explained 

24:50 What to Do the Moment You Get That HR Email 

26:31 Don't Sign Anything When You're Fired 

29:14 Severance Is Negotiable 

31:54 How Contingency Lawyers Can Help (Even When You're Broke) 

33:38 What Else Is on the Table: COBRA, Equity, and Non-Disparagement Clauses 

37:38 Role Play: Getting Fired (What Not to Do) 

39:23 Role Play: Getting Laid Off (The Right Way to Handle It) 

44:09 How a Good Employer Handles the Conversation 

46:34 Freelancers and the 1099 vs. W-2 Trap 

49:59 The Fear of Getting Blacklisted for Asserting Your Rights 

50:19 Sexual Harassment: Who's Most at Risk and What to Do 

52:44 Maternity Leave and Pregnancy Discrimination 

55:28 Controversial Advice: Disclose Your Pregnancy Early 

59:14 What to Get in Writing When You're Pregnant 

01:02:16 Your Rights If You Miscarry 

01:04:59 Return to Office as a Stealth Layoff Strategy 

01:08:10 AI Tracking and Keystroke Monitoring 

01:12:25 Non-Competes: What You Need to Know in 2026 

01:17:09 Illegal Interview Questions (Role Play) 

01:23:00 Ryan Stygar's Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank

All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor or attorney before making any financial or legal decisions.