Other People's Pockets

How do you compensate someone for giving life to another person's dream?

Sunshine Hanson is a three-time gestational surrogate, which means that on three different occasions, she was pregnant with and gave birth to other people’s babies, and was paid for it.

Her experience of helping families who wanted biological children but could not carry them on their own and navigating the financial aspects of that, inspired her to start he...

What happens when you finally start to budget in your 50s, then you discover to your total surprise that you are $40,000 in debt?

I spoke to Margo Clayson about the uncomfortable conversations she had — and new relationship patterns she created — on her journey to becoming financially sound.

Clayson is founder of The Mighty Microgreen, an organization that helps educators create interactive STEM and nutrition lessons usi...

Amelie Tsoungui is a Cameroonian immigrant who moved to the U.S. at age six. After two decades growing up in Chicago and spending part of her 20s in L.A., she decided to self-deport to Cameroon in 2025 after the Trump administration said it would revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Cameroonian nationals. The cancellation of TPS meant she would no longer be able to live in the U.S. legally.

This experience of moving back to W...

Today we're honoring a member of the Other People's Pockets family, Carmen González, who tragically died this past August at the age of 24. Carmen was guest number 4 on this show, sharing how she handled her finances as a journalist, student and undocumented immigrant in Los Angeles.

What you'll hear is a montage of voices of people who knew and loved Carmen, followed by a re-release of the episode featuring her on OPP i...

Quay Crowner is a longtime U.S. federal government executive who served at multiple agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, the Government Accountability Office, and the Department of Education.

The 55-year-old Maryland native was most recently the Director of Outreach Impact and Engagement for Federal Student Aid at the Department of Education, when she was put on leave and ultimately fired this year as part of President ...

Today I’m interviewing someone who helps me immensely with my work, the way I approach my career, and how to just be more effective and intentional with my time.

I’m talking to my executive coach, Taylor Winters, because she has some really interesting ideas about the concept of “enough,” which we talk about a lot on this show.

This episode is a Pocket Dial! That's where we pause to reflect on the money themes that come up ...

Today I’m bringing you my interview with Cecilia Thiam, a 35-year-old Swiss-American humanitarian aid worker who has spent most of her career living and working in sub-saharan Africa. She lost her job after the Trump administration enacted sweeping cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Now, she has had to scrap her plans, move to a new country with her 6-year-old daughter while parenting solo, and ...

On this season of Other People's Pockets, we're experimenting with a new angle for some of the episodes: How is the Trump administration affecting people's personal finances?

Today I'm featuring Daishi Miguel-Tanaka, an immigrants' rights advocate based in Washington, D.C. Daishi was born in Japan to a Japanese father and a Filipina mother. When he was 6, he and his family moved to the U.S. with a plan to obt...

Whether you’re a longtime listener of Other People’s Pockets, or you’re brand new to this feed, thank you for being here! I have some news, which is that I am now publishing this show on my own! I finally have full control of this podcast feed, this show that I conceived and love so much, and I’m so excited for what this means about moving forward with creative freedom.

I’m going to focus part of this next season on something a ...

I'm so proud to present the pilot episode of a new show I'm hosting, Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story.

In 1920, a broke immigrant in Boston became one of America’s richest, most infamous men—practically overnight. In just nine months, he swindled the modern equivalent of a quarter billion dollars, upended the world of finance, and etched his name into history as the mastermind behind one of the most notorious scams e...

Hi! I'm dropping in this quick note to say that Other People's Pockets will be back with new episodes soon! Also! I have a special new project to share with you. I'm hosting a new podcast that tells the story of Charles Ponzi, a broke immigrant who became one of America's richest, most infamous men, practically overnight—and etched his name into history as the mastermind behind the Ponzi scheme. 

Hosted by me and...

Today on Other People's Pockets, you're going to hear what it's like to receive financial planning advice, and the person receiving the advice is ... me! My income, savings, and retirement goals will get scrutinized by Isabel Barrow, director of financial planning at Edelman Financial Engines and frequent guest on the podcast Everyday Wealth, along with Jean Chatzky, financial journalist and bestselling New York Times a...

It's hard to believe it, but this is the 35th episode of Other People's Pockets, which means it's the end of our first season! For this special episode, we reached out to some of our past guests for a "Look Back" -- an update on their financial situations & viewpoints. Cord Jefferson stopped earning money for a while and didn't know when more would come. Carmen González is learning how to apply for credi...

Building credit. Being on your parent's cell phone plan. Learning to drive. There are many financial benefits to having a relationship with your family of origin. Today's guest, Jessica, has experienced what it’s like to not have those advantages. Jessica severed ties with her biological parents due to emotional abuse she experienced from them throughout her life. Jessica has built a strong network of friends — her chosen f...

How does a love of extreme weather translate into making money? Raychel Sanner is a storm chaser and co-founder of Tornado Titans, a media brand by self-described “weather nuts” who capture images of supercells, monsoons, blizzards and more. As a Choctaw trans woman born and raised in Oklahoma, Raychel is transforming the image of storm chasing away from being dominated by straight, white cis-men. Raychel chats about the income she...

Ismatu Gwendolyn is a mental health professional and life coach who is trying to rethink how we care for those in need. Ismatu has navigated sex work in order to afford life and graduate school, and they discovered that as a stripper, talking to men in a club was not so different than counseling a client as a therapist. Ismatu let us have a peek inside their personal finances to find out how this all comes together.

Follow Ismat...

It's time for another Pocket Dial! That's where we pause to reflect on the money themes coming up on Other People's Pockets. Jared Ball is a professor of Communications and Africana Studies at Morgan State University in Baltimore and the author of "The Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power." He helps unpack the lies around "passion work" and why it feels like you have to be out for yourself when it c...

What is this whole "financial-freedom-through-real-estate-investing" thing people are doing, and is it real? Maya interviews Deandra McDonald, a real estate investor and influencer with 320k+ followers on her TikTok, @simplerealestate. Deandra says she became financially free at 28 after five years of house-hacking (buy a property, rent part of it, live in the other part, and have your tenant pay your mortgage!). Deandra on...

Have you ever thought about how money feels in your body? Or how sticking with a budget might start with healing your money wounds first? Today Maya interviews Bari Tessler, a financial therapist and author of "The Art of Money: A Life-Changing Guide to Financial Happiness." Bari explores what it feels like to even hear the truth about other people's money stories, and how to navigate our own.

Follow Bari Tessler at:

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