Other People’s Pockets

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Have you ever wondered how your friend bought that vacation home or why that colleague of yours makes everyone meticulously split the tab down to the last Diet Coke? Other People’s Pockets is a show about other people’s money. We ask people from all walks of life to get radically transparent about their personal finances in order to learn more about who we are and what makes us tick (and perhaps we level the playing field a little bit along the way?).

Most Recent Episode

Raychel Sanner, Storm Chaser

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…

Ismatu Gwendolyn, Community Health Worker

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…

Pocket Dial: Jared Ball Explains the Myth of Black Buying Power + more

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…

Deandra McDonald, Real Estate Investor

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.…

Bari Tessler, Financial therapist

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,…

Kyle Coon, Blind Paralympian

Kyle Coon is a blind Paralympian triathlete on Team USA. Kyle was diagnosed with eye cancer at 10 months old and had his eyes removed at age 6. His blindness…

Jaya McSharma, Weed Doctor

A few weeks ago, I had the cockamamie idea to fly to Shreveport, Louisiana. I wanted to visit a weed doctor, get a medical marijuana prescription, and then smoke weed…

Blair Pogue, Episcopal Priest

How does money mix with religion? Blair Pogue is a church leader who works for the bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. She's a longtime former priest at St.…

Khalid Kadir on Islamic Finance in America

As a Muslim, Khalid Kadir navigates personal finance differently than most of his fellow Americans. That means not obtaining traditional loans (because you're charged interest, which is forbidden) or buying…

Chelsea Fagan, Money whiz who rebounded from shitty credit

Once upon a time, Chelsea Fagan was a financial mess. She had a credit score of around 450, debt that went to collections, and so many unpaid traffic tickets that…

Phillip Persson, Rock Salesman

Can you put yourself through college by selling rocks on eBay? Philip Persson did! He's a geologist and mineral dealer who's been obsessed with digging things out of the ground…

Yumprincess Elle, Audio Erotica Creator

This episode contains adult content and listener discretion is advised. Maybe the sexiest voice you will hear on this show? Yumprincess Elle is a voice actor, writer and singer who…

Laura Lyster-Mensh, Death Doula

In witnessing people go through the dying process, Laura Lyster-Mensh has discovered some surprising things: family-related financial shenanigans, aloneness, and secrets come to light. She's also realized that unlike being…

Coss Marte on post-prison life: legal weed, workouts, and entrepreneurship

Coss Marte is a lifelong entrepreneur and the founder of CONBODY, a workout program he created in prison that employs formerly incarcerated fitness instructors. He also founded CONBUD, a legal…

Jeremy Bowditch, Politically-active, Wine-loving Ad Man who is redistributing the wealth

Jeremy Bowditch is many things: Neighborhood Council Member in Los Angeles, Lakers fan, wine snob. He's not afraid to admit that what he does to make money — being a…

Ingrid Nilsen, Former YouTube Star & Entrepreneur

Ingrid Nilsen was one of the quintessential YouTube stars of the 2010’s, known for her candid, girl-next-door style videos about makeup and "boyfriend-approved" outfits. Then one day, she quit YouTube,…

Uzziah and Nakia Campbell, Teenage Candle Maker + His Inspirational Mom

At age 11, Uzziah Campbell founded Calm & Cure Candle Co. as a way to process the trauma of the pandemic and murders by police. Now 14, Uzziah has a…

Ben Shewry, chef of Attica restaurant in Australia

Ben Shewry has one of the top restaurants in the world, but even he needs to supplement his income. Ben is the New Zealand-born chef and owner of Attica, in…

Wednesday Martin on the economics of her open marriage

Wednesday Martin is a writer and social researcher whose #1 NYT-bestelling book, "The Primates of Park Avenue," revealed the inner world of rich Upper East Side mommies. Now, her anthropologist's…

Pocket Dial: Mary O’Hara Explains Socioeconomic Class (+more)

It's time for a Pocket Dial! That's where we zoom out and reflect on what people are saying so far on Other People's Pockets. Mary O'Hara, an award-winning journalist whose…

Nick Sansano, Record producer and NYU professor

He's produced and mixed records for Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Sonic Youth and others, but Nick Sansano doesn't blow his royalty checks on fancy cars. How did this music maker…

Katherine Spiers, Restaurant critic & Food investigator

Her job involves eating her way through L.A., but Katherine Spiers also has a less-talked-about way her finances all come together. The host of the Smart Mouth podcast and founder…

Maya Lau, Host of Other People’s Pockets

Ever wonder how much the host of this podcast makes for doing … this podcast? Maya Lau, host of Other People's Pockets, gets the tables turned on her by Jane…

Sana Javeri Kadri, Spice Disrupter & CEO/Founder of Diaspora Co.

At just 23, Sana Javeri Kadri founded a company that exploded an old-world colonialist industry – the spice trade. This small business owner who lives between India and California is…

Maggie Wolbert, Hair colorist with an electric palette

Maggie Wolbert will transform your hair — but only into bright, mega-watt, loud colors! This "vivid artist" turned her passion for brilliant hair color into a money-making niche in Tacoma,…

Ray Suarez, Journalist who clung to the middle class

You surely recognize Ray Suarez’s voice from NPR, PBS Newshour, Al Jazeera America and more. Yet and still, this renowned broadcaster and author has found it difficult to find desirable…

Tori Dunlap, Finfluencer who wants to make women rich

She started her money education business as a side hustle, but spoiler: Tori Dunlap now makes millions. The Her First 100k founder and CEO talks about the income (and stress)…

Dr. Liam Dodd, Scientist with a bone to pick

If Liam Dodd – a literal nuclear physicist – can work at world-renowned institutions and still be unhoused, we've got a problem. Liam shares how he pivoted from his couch-surfing…

Carmen González, Immigrant, Student & Big Spender

For most of her life, Carmen González has been undocumented, navigating work and school without making money the "traditional" way. She shared why she overspends on her community in spite…

Cord Jefferson, Hollywood writer & producer

He is winning Emmys these days, but not long ago, Cord Jefferson was a blogger with one plastic fork to his name. Cord “did what he loved” and the money…

Adam Davidson, Economics Journo & Entrepreneur

Adam Davidson co-founded NPR's hit podcast Planet Money, wrote The Passion Economy, and was an economics writer for The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine. So of course…

Mistress Marley, Financial Dominatrix

Real job alert: Earn money from men who send you cash just because you exist, no sex involved. Mistress Marley talks bondage, real-time reparations, and why her clients think giving…

Coming Soon: Other People’s Pockets

Have you ever wondered how your friend bought that vacation home or why that colleague of yours makes everyone meticulously split the tab down to the last Diet Coke? Other…

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