What happens when someone who grew up witnessing financial conflict decides to transform their relationship with money? Laura sits down with Carrie Friedberg, author of the book "At Peace With Money: A Holistic Roadmap to Financial Wellness," to explore how she moved from credit card debt and constant anxiety to becoming a money coach who helps others find their own financial peace.

Carrie grew up in a household where money was a source of tension and secrecy. Despite enjoying financial security on the surface, the misalignment between her parents around spending created an atmosphere of stress that Carrie carried into her young adult life. Living on a teacher's salary while maintaining an active social life, she found herself trapped in a cycle of credit card debt, emotional spending and profound anxiety about money.

The turning point came through an unexpected source: her yoga practice. The physical, emotional, and spiritual transformation Carrie experienced on the mat gave her the courage to seek help with her finances. After trying various approaches on her own, she discovered the power of working with a money coach who provided both practical tools and emotional support. This two-year journey didn't just change her bank account; it transformed her self-esteem, her relationships, and ultimately her career path.

Now a money coach herself, Carrie shares the essential steps for building financial wellness, from tracking your spending for at least 90 days to creating a realistic spending plan that honors both your current lifestyle and your future goals. She emphasizes that financial health isn't about deprivation or quick fixes but rather a sustainable practice that requires consistent attention and self-compassion.

💡 Money patterns often begin in childhood.
Growing up with parents who held opposing views on spending left Carrie anxious around money. She observed secrecy, conflict, and tension during everyday financial moments, which her body absorbed long before she could articulate it. Understanding these early imprints is a critical step in reshaping adult money habits.

💡 Financial wellness is a long-term practice.
Just as physical or emotional health doesn’t change overnight, neither does financial health. Carrie’s transformation unfolded over years. The reward was improved self-esteem, healthier relationships, and peace of mind.

💡 Tracking spending creates awareness and change.
The most powerful tool in Carrie’s journey was tracking every dollar she spent for at least 90 days. This practice helped her see her real habits instead of assumptions. Whether done by hand, through apps, or with a bookkeeper, the key is awareness rather than avoidance.

💡 A spending plan doesn’t require sacrificing joy.
Carrie learned that financial health doesn’t mean cutting out everything you love. By identifying non-negotiable self-care and intentionally spacing out other expenses, she shifted away from feast or famine spending.

Book

What happens when you combine childhood memories of your mother opening your home to refugees, a crisis playing out on television screens worldwide, and the belief that ordinary people can make extraordinary change? You get Hearts and Homes for Refugees—a movement that has helped resettle and support over 1,000 refugees in the Lower Hudson Valley and inspired a national shift in how America welcomes those fleeing persecution.

In this conversation, Laura sits down with Kathie O'Callaghan, founder of Hearts & Homes for Refugees. Kathie shares her journey from breaking barriers as the eldest daughter in a large Catholic family in Louisville, to working on Capitol Hill and in New York corporate PR, to stepping back to raise four teenagers, to founding an organization that would change the refugee resettlement landscape in America.

When the Syrian refugee crisis erupted in 2015, Kathie remembered the Vietnamese family her mother helped resettle in the 1970s through their parish. She knew there was a model that worked—faith communities and neighbors providing extended support beyond what government-funded resettlement agencies could offer. So she gathered people around her kitchen table in Pelham Manor and said: We can do this. And they did. Now, the community sponsorship model Hearts & Homes pioneered has spread nationwide, with millions of Americans stepping up to welcome Afghan and Ukrainian refugees.

This episode is essential for anyone who's ever thought "someone should do something" about an issue they care deeply about, for women wondering if they can make a difference after stepping back from careers, and for anyone seeking inspiration about what's possible when you trust your gut, mobilize your community, and refuse to accept that the way things are is the way things have to be.

Key takeaways:

💡 Your childhood experiences can become your life's mission—decades later: Kathie's mother opened their Louisville home as a "revolving door" to Vietnamese refugees, homeless people, and anyone needing help in the 1970s. Forty years later, watching the Syrian crisis, those childhood memories became the blueprint for Hearts & Homes for Refugees.

💡 The best solutions often come from models that already worked: Kathie didn't invent refugee sponsorship—she remembered it from her childhood and adapted it for 2016. Sometimes innovation isn't creating something new; it's recognizing what worked before and bringing it back when it's needed again.

💡 You don't need permission or a roadmap to start something important: In 2016, resettlement agencies said community sponsorship wouldn't work. Kathie said "watch us" and gathered people around her kitchen table. That model reshaped refugee resettlement nationwide. Sometimes you just have to build it and trust they'll come.

💡Success isn't about money—it's about impact, one family at a time: Kathie defines success as seeing her vision come to life, bringing diverse communities together, and knowing that every single volunteer—whether leading a cohort or driving once a month—feels they're doing the most important work they've ever done.

Connect with Kathie: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram X Website Advocacy Toolkit

What if the most important leadership role you'll ever have isn't managing a team, but leading yourself? In this conversation, Laura Rotter sits down with Miki Feldman Simon—executive coach and author—who shares her journey to discovering her true calling: helping people live with intention, authenticity, and purpose.

Miki's path wasn't linear. From fashion design to psychology to HR to operations to marketing, she explored diverse fields while developing a consistent through-line: curiosity about people and the ability to create psychological safety that gets others to open up. After moving from Israel to Australia to the United States, taking forced career breaks due to visa restrictions, and taking care of aging parents, Miki found herself asking the fundamental question that drives her work today: Who do you want to be?

Her answer became the CORE framework—a four-step process detailed in her book Core Leadership. CORE stands for Clarify, Operationalize, Reflect and Evaluate. This isn't just a leadership model for executives—it's a framework for anyone who wants to stop being managed by other people's priorities and start showing up as the person they truly want to be.

This episode is essential listening for anyone feeling pulled along by life rather than intentionally choosing it, for parents trying to model values for their children, for professionals wondering if their credit card statement reflects what they say matters most, and for anyone ready to ask: In this moment, who do I want to be?

💡 Leadership starts with leading yourself—it happens everywhere: You don't need a management title to be a leader. Leadership shows up in your kitchen, with your family, in how you respond to stress. If you're not intentional about leading yourself, you'll be managed by other people's priorities and habits, pulled along without direction.

💡 Ask others about your strengths—you can't see them clearly yourself: Miki asked her teenage daughter "What are my strengths?" and received a life-changing answer: "You have simple solutions to complex situations." We dismiss compliments or assume everyone has our gifts. Ask at least three people who know you well what your strengths are—the answers will surprise and empower you.

💡 Clarify who you want to BE, not just what you want to DO: We spend enormous energy on what we want to accomplish but rarely ask who we want to be. When your values, priorities, and vision of yourself are clear, decisions become easier—even painful ones—because you have a compass guiding you.

💡 Your credit card statement reveals your true priorities: Say family is your priority? Check your calendar and bank statement. We rationalize that we'll "someday" focus on what matters, but operationalizing your values means your actions actually align with what you say is important.

Resources: Core Leadership

The 6 Types of Working Genius