Join host Syama Bunten for an inspiring conversation with Cate Luzio, founder and CEO of Luminary, the global platform advancing women and underrepresented talent in the workplace. Cate shares her remarkable journey from a middle-class upbringing with an FBI agent father and teacher mother to leading multi-billion-dollar corporate banking units at JP Morgan and HSBC, before launching her own company at age 44.

In this candid conversation, Cate reveals how her Gen X "save, save, save" mentality and early lessons about hard work shaped her financial foundation. You'll hear about her pivotal "what's your number?" moment at JP Morgan that changed how she thought about compensation, her strategic decision to self-fund Luminary instead of raising venture capital, and how she navigated building a business through a global pandemic.

This episode is a masterclass in calculated risk-taking, the power of using your own capital to maintain control, and why profitable, sustainable businesses don't need to be unicorns to be successful and impactful.

Key Topics:

1. How Gen X saving habits create entrepreneurial freedom - Learn why the "pay yourself first" mentality enables bigger life moves later
   
   
2. The compensation conversation that changes everything - Discover how asking "what's your number?" can transform your earning potential
   
   
3. Why self-funding beats venture capital for some businesses - Understand when using your own capital gives you speed and control advantages
   
   
4. Building cash-positive businesses from day one - Get the blueprint for creating sustainable companies that don't rely on endless fundraising
   
   
5. Navigating major life changes as financial catalysts - Explore how divorce and career pivots can clarify money priorities and goals
   
   
6. The strategic advantage of being a seasoned founder - Learn why starting a business in your 40s brings networks, experience, and better judgment
   
   
7. Smart acquisition strategies for growing businesses - Discover how profitable companies can grow through buying complementary businesses
   
   
8. Balancing lifestyle and business reinvestment - Master the art of paying yourself appropriately while funding company growth
   
   

Connect with Cate Luzio:

Luminary: luminary.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cateluzio

Find more from Syama Bunten:

Instagram: @syama.co, @gettingrichpod

Website: syamabunten.com

Download Syama's Guide to Getting Rich: www.syamabunten.com

Big Delta Capital: www.bigdeltacapital.com

Join host Syama Bunten for an inspiring conversation with Catherine Gray, CEO and founder of She Angel Investors and executive producer of the award-winning documentary "Show Her the Money." Catherine shares her remarkable journey from growing up with entrepreneurial parents outside Washington, DC to becoming a trailblazer in cable television advertising and eventually a passionate advocate for women in venture capital.

In this engaging conversation, Catherine reveals how she built multiple successful businesses, from a college photography franchise to pioneering cable TV advertising when only four channels existed. You'll hear about her bold leap into creating content that changes culture, including producing groundbreaking LGBTQ+ programming and documentaries. Catherine also opens up about her strategic approach to real estate investing, her philosophy of balancing wealth-building with enjoying life, and her mission to educate women about alternative investments.

This episode is a masterclass in recognizing emerging opportunities, the power of storytelling to drive social change, and why women need to claim their space in venture capital and alternative asset investing.

Key Topics:

1. How entrepreneurial parents shape money mindset - Learn why early exposure to business ownership creates lifelong wealth-building habits
   
   
2. Spotting ground-floor opportunities before they explode - Discover how to identify emerging industries and ride the wave of growth
   
   
3. The art of strategic real estate flipping - Get the blueprint for Catherine's $40k profit on her first property purchase
   
   
4. Why you should invest in what you're passionate about - Understand how funding causes you believe in creates both impact and returns
   
   
5. Breaking into venture capital as a woman - Learn the difference between angel investing and VC funds and why diversification matters
   
   
6. Using media and storytelling to change culture - Explore how investing in film, theater, and content can drive social transformation
   
   
7. Building wealth through alternative assets - Discover why only 2-5% in venture capital can outperform traditional market investments
   
   
8. The power of "paying yourself first" - Master the psychology of saving and investing before spending on lifestyle
   
   

Connect with Catherine Gray:

Show Her the Money: https://showherthemoneymovie.com/

She Angel Investors: sheangelinvestors.com

Invest in Her Podcast: Available on all major podcast platforms

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinelgray/

Find more from Syama Bunten:

Instagram: @syama.co, @gettingrichpod

Website: https://syamabunten.com/

Download Syama's Guide to Getting Rich: www.syamabunten.com

Big Delta Capital: www.bigdeltacapital.com

I am here today with the incredibly kind, generous, and brilliant Wendy Li. Wendy is the co-founder and Chief Investment Officer at Ivy Invest, where she's democratizing access to the same sophisticated investment strategies typically reserved for billion-dollar endowments and foundations.

Today, we take a deep dive into Wendy's remarkable journey from growing up in a tight-budget immigrant family in Pennsylvania to becoming a top institutional investor managing multi-billion dollar portfolios. You'll hear about her early relationship with money shaped by her parents' financial struggles and eventual success, her unexpected discovery of finance as a career path at Columbia, and her unique experience working in the investment offices of prestigious institutions like the Met Museum.

Wendy shares candid insights about being a natural saver from her early twenties, the power of compounding through market volatility, and her bird's-eye view of the vast landscape of investment opportunities most individual investors never see. She opens up about the scary but ultimately rewarding decision to leave the security of institutional investing to build Ivy Invest, and how her mission is to bridge the gap between what billion-dollar institutions can access and what individual investors have available to them.

Listen as Wendy discusses her "endowment in a box" approach, the importance of building financial cushions that provide life optionality, and her vision for helping the next generation of investors build wealth in ways they didn't previously think possible. It's a conversation filled with practical wisdom on investing, risk-taking, and creating meaningful impact through financial innovation.

Key Topics:

1. Growing up in an immigrant family with financial struggles that transformed when her father completed his PhD and entered the semiconductor industry
   
   
2. Discovering finance as a career path at Columbia through Wall Street recruiting, despite initially planning to become a lawyer
   
   
3. Starting her career at the Met Museum's investment office under female leadership and learning the institutional investing landscape
   
   
4. Developing a natural saving mindset in her twenties, living frugally in NYC to maximize investments and build wealth through market volatility
   
   
5. Understanding the vast world of alternative investments as an institutional investor - from private equity to real estate to specialized credit strategies
   
   
6. Making the difficult decision to leave institutional investing security to co-found Ivy Invest with her family's support
   
   
7. Building "endowment in a box" - democratizing access to sophisticated asset classes with just a $1,000 minimum investment
   
   
8. Balancing legacy building through both family relationships and creating pathways for others to build wealth
   
   

Connect with Wendy online:

Website: https://www.ivyinvest.co/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-li-cfa/

Find more from Syama Bunten:

Instagram: @syama.co, @gettingrichpod

Website: https://syamabunten.com/

Download Syama's Guide to Getting Rich: www.syamabunten.com

Big Delta Capital: www.bigdeltacapital.com