Women & Money: The Shit We Don't Talk About!
Women & Money: The Shit We Don't Talk About!
Women, Money & Power: The Fight for Financial Independence with Barb and Maggie
W NOTES
If they don’t give you a seat at the table… you bring a damn folding chair. That’s the energy we’re bringing today, because March is Women’s History Month, a time to reflect, celebrate, and most importantly, keep pushing forward.
March is the third month of the year, so we thought, what better way to honor this month than by highlighting 3 powerful women from history, 3 modern trailblazers carrying that same fight, and 3 women who will be leading us the day this episode airs for “The Next Wave: Women Shaping Business & Wealth”? Financial independence fuels real freedom and we, as women, need to keep owning our money and our power!
Why does this matter? Because when women have control over their money, they have control over their choices, their futures, and their lives. And this will impact generations of women to follow behind us on our path.
We’ve come a long way, but let’s be real, we’re still fighting for financial equality. That’s why “The Next Wave: Women Shaping Business & Wealth” is all about moving forward together. We’ve got 3 incredible coaches ready to challenge and inspire us:
- Jenna Dillon is an executive coach helping women build powerful networks that drive success. She's going to be talking about empowerment through authority, advocacy, and leadership.
- Lauren LaForge, a sales expert teaching value driven strategies that convert. She's going to dive into creating a vision to get what you want in life.
- Cameo Roberson, a systems pro showing women how to scale without burnout. She's going to be sharing smart systems that we could put on rinse & repeat to work less and get more done.
We believe in lifting women up in every way, we’re donating to &Rise, a nonprofit helping women rebuild their lives after trauma and abuse. Because when women rise, we all rise!
This episode was a reminder that we are part of something bigger. The women who came before us including Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, and Susan B. Anthony fought like hell for their rights and ours. Women leading today are breaking barriers for the next generation. And we have the power to keep pushing forward through ACTION.
So, if you’re listening on the morning of Friday, March 14th, there’s still time to grab your seat at our event and make a contribution towards &Rise. Please share this episode and invite every woman you know, because this is for all of us!
Got a unique financial story to share? We’d love to hear your story! It could inspire our community of women. Fill out our intake form here!
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[00:00:00] Gloria Steinem once said, we will never solve the feminization of power until we solve the masculinity of wealth. Barbara Provost and Maggie Nielsen are the team at purse strings that will help you navigate the ins and outs of financial independence so that you can be financially fearless. This is women in money, the shit we don't talk about.
Barb: Hey, everyone. Welcome back to Women in Money, the shit we don't talk about. I'm Barb. And as always. I'm here with my brilliant daughter and co host Maggie.
Maggie: Hello, mom. Hello, everyone. We are so glad to have you here for another empowering episode. We've been reflecting on the incredible stories we've had heard on our show, and especially in this past month.
Barb: Yes, Black History Month gave us an opportunity to [00:01:00] really focus on the resilience and financial empowerment from women of color. And let me tell you, the stories we've heard have been nothing short of inspiring.
Maggie: Seriously, our guests have shared such incredible insight, and it's not just about money, but about power, perseverance, resilience, they're really breaking the cycles It's a reminder that financial freedom is more than just a bank account balance, but it's about that control over your life.
Barb: Exactly. And that's something that historically, women have had to fight for. We've heard about systemic barriers. Workplace discrimination, wealth gaps, lack of generational wealth, and yet despite all of that, we as women still rise.
Maggie: And that resilience, that fight, that's what fuels us to keep having these conversations because the more we talk about it. The more we change it
Barb: Yes. And that brings us to March, Women's History [00:02:00] Month. This month, we get to celebrate the women who have Come before us who fought for our rights that we have today and also recognize that this fight is far from over.
Maggie: Women's history month is such an important time for reflection and celebration. It's about recognizing the achievements of women throughout history. Women who have challenged the systems who've demanded better and who've refused to accept no as an answer.
Barb: And here's the thing, these women weren't just fighting for themselves, they were fighting for us, for future generations of women, to have opportunities that they never had.
Maggie: That's why we wanted to highlight three incredible women today, women who not only changed history, but truly understood the power of financial independence and what it means for women's equality.
Barb: Okay, first up, we have the one, and the only, Gloria Steinem.
Maggie: Everyone's heard of her. She starts every podcast [00:03:00] episode for us. She's an icon. Gloria is one of the most influential feminists of our time back in 1970s. She co founded miss magazine, which was huge because at the time there weren't really any major media platforms dedicated solely to women's voices and issues.
Barb: That's right, and Ms. Magazine wasn't just about talking the talk. It was about real change. It covered topics that the mainstream media ignored, like reproductive rights, domestic violence, workplace discrimination, financial independence, all the things women needed to talk about but weren't supposed to talk about.
Maggie: Women and money. We're talking about that shit.
Barb: You got it.
Maggie: But beyond journalism, Gloria was deeply involved in activism. She co founded the miss foundation for women. Which funds grassroots organizations, helping women achieve economic independence. And because she knew, [00:04:00] just like we always say, money is power.
Barb: And that's the key takeaway from Gloria's work. When women have financial power, they have the ability to make choices about their career, their relationship, their futures. And that's why she always said, money shouldn't link us.
Maggie: Ooh, I love that quote. Because it's true, when women support each other financially, everyone benefits.
Barb: Now let's talk about someone who refused to wait for permission to lead.
Maggie: I don't think we talk about Shirley enough, because she was legendary. In 1968, she became the first black woman ever elected to the U. S. Congress. And then in 1972, She ran for president.
Barb: And not just as a symbolic first either. Shirley was in it to win it. She fully believed she could win.
And she should win. Her campaign slogan was Unbought and [00:05:00] Unbossed. Which, by the way, is the best campaign slogan I've ever heard. Seriously. And she was all about economic justice. She fought for fair wages, child support, financial access for marginalized communities, because she knew that without financial independence, Real freedom is just an illusion.
Maggie: And that's why she famously said, if they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair. And I love that. And you know what? That still applies today. Women, especially women of color are still being left out of boardrooms, leadership roles, investment opportunities, you name it, which is why we have to keep showing up, keep demanding our seats or hell bring the whole damn table.
And now we have to talk about the great Susan B. Anthony. She's mostly known for women's suffrage, but her work in economic equality was just as groundbreaking. Susan was here 50 years before women got the right to vote. [00:06:00] Fighting not just for voting rights, but for financial rights. She wanted women to own property, earn their own wages and build wealth.
Barb: Sounds familiar, doesn't it? She put her money where her mouth was. In 1872, she illegally voted and got arrested. And they fined her 100, and of course she flat out refused to pay. And her response was, Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God. That's the kind of energy we need today. Susan knew that financial independence was everything because when women have money, as we always say, then they have choices, and when you have choices, then you have power.
Maggie: We love power.
Barb: Okay, we've talked about three historical women who have paved the way for financial empowerment. Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, Susan B. Anthony. But what's really amazing is that their legacy is still alive today.
Maggie: Yes. We know women who are carrying that same fight today. Women who are pushing boundaries, [00:07:00] fighting for financial freedom and changing the game.
Barb: So let's highlight three powerhouse women we know who embody what Gloria, Shirley, and Susan stood for.
Maggie: So the first one, the modern day Gloria Steinem, I think of Mackenzie Scott. She's a novelist, a philanthropist, and a billionaire. Yes, she was married to Jeff Bezos, but now is known for her philanthropy. Over the past five years, she has donated over 19 billion with a B to over 2, 000 organizations.
Barb: That's crazy.
Maggie: So she signed this giving pledge promising to give away at least half of her wealth over the course of her lifetime. And she does this no strings attached style of giving, allowing nonprofits to have full control of how they deploy their funds.
She said that her aim has been to support the needs of underrepresented people from groups of all kinds. The organizations she had donated to focus on racial equity, gender justice, education, economic [00:08:00] opportunities, often prioritizing grassroot groups, led and serving marginalized communities.
One of her quotes is that I didn't ask those I care about what to say to them or what to do for them. I can share what I have with them to stand behind them as they speak and they ask for themselves.
Barb: I really love that piece.
Maggie: it's really great. And she's really, leveraging her immense wealth to quietly, but radically redistribute that power.
And there's so much hubbub around, billionaires these days and all these, different things, but she's really using her financial influence to shift the power in tangible ways both, changing these existing systems and dismantling these economic barriers in real time.
I feel that. Steinem was always fighting for a seat at the table, and Mackenzie's coming in here and breaking the table apart and just handing out the pieces. And to me, she's our modern day Gloria Steinem [00:09:00] in my eyes.
Barb: She's fantastic. I just love how she really helped her husband earn all that money. It wasn't her money to spend. It certainly was. And I love how she's just distributing it. It's pissing some people off that she's doing that, but yeah, who can spend that much money?
Nobody. And she's using it for really great purpose and I just think it's so honorable and I admire her so much.
Maggie: And she's doing it so quietly, which sometimes I'm like, you can be louder about this, but she's not looking for the fame and for the applause, you know, she's just doing what she knows out of her gut is good to do she's creating space for women to talk about money to power success, And she's making sure you know voices are heard.
Barb: Love it. [00:10:00]
Love it. And I also love who I chose for the modern day Shirley Chisholm, which is the one, the only Billie Jean King. And, you know, Billie Jean King, she stands for more than [00:11:00] tennis. I remember this, when she accepted this challenge from Bobby Riggs in the famous Battle of the Sexes, because, of course, he claimed that women's tennis was inferior and that he could easily defeat any top female player.
But, in front of 90 million viewers, Billie Jean King dominated Riggs, and of course it silenced the critics, and it made her a symbol of women's empowerment. But not only that, she is a change agent because she continued to push for equity and leadership and finance it. She co founded the Women's Tennis Association and has been a driving force behind pay equity in sports and in corporate spaces.
And her advocacy led to all four Grand Slam tournaments offering equal prize money. And that set a precedent for other industries to follow. That's powerful. She used her voice in a [00:12:00] very powerful way. And, you know, Billie Jean King's fight for fairness remains relevant today. The gender pay gap persists across industries from sports to business, making her message more urgent than ever.
And her mantra, pressure is a privilege. She is emblazoned on the walls of the U. S. Open and reminds women that stepping into changing roles and pushing for change is an opportunity, not a burden. And I just love that so much. She continues to advocate for women in leadership, in equal pay, opportunities in sports, and beyond.
And from her work with the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, Influences boardrooms and media. And she today remains a powerful force and her legacy proves that one person's fight for fairness. can ignite a movement that [00:13:00] reshapes an entire industry. And I think about that because so many of us, like here at Purse String, sometimes we think we're out here on a skinny limb.
Is anyone heeding our message, hearing our call for financial equity and financial independence for women? But we have to remember, in the words of Billie Jean King, that one person's fight for fairness can really ignite a movement. Just like Shirley demanded a seat at the table, Billie Jean King is doing the exact same thing.
She's proof that when women step up and let their voices be heard, Everyone benefits,
Maggie: Definitely. Yeah, she was way ahead of her time Especially in that sports arena and I'm so glad God that I mean I'd be so nervous if I had to go win that tennis match For the sake of women no pressure, but
Barb: Russia is a privilege.
Maggie: pressure is a privilege, but I'm so glad, she did have the skills and expertise to beat him.
Because it's a fight, we have to keep pushing for, and I'm so glad she was able to break that barrier in tennis and start breaking that barrier in sports [00:14:00] altogether.
Barb: Beautiful. So the modern day Susan B. Anthony, for me, Melody Hobson. I just love her so much. And she's in Chicago, and she's a total powerhouse. You know, she's not just a leader in finance, but she's a game changer. As the co CEO of Ariel Investments, one of the biggest black owned investment firms in the U. S.,
She spent her career fighting for financial equity, diversity, in leadership, and making sure more people, especially women and people of color, have access to wealth building opportunities. She herself has broken barriers in an industry that's been dominated by white men for decades. And she's not just sitting at the table.
She's making sure more seats are added. Melody is all about closing the racial gap. Melody is all about closing the racial wealth gap and making sure underrepresented communities have the tools and opportunities to build real Lasting [00:15:00] wealth, and most recently she's taking that fight to women's sports.
She launched Project Level, a brand new investment fund to help women's sports get financial backing they deserve. And the first big move, she's investing in a brand new women's soccer team in Denver, which will start playing in 2026. So Denver's first major pro woman's team. Yay, but she's not stopping at soccer project level.
When we'll invest in women's sports across the board, making sure female athletes and leagues get the same opportunities as men,
Maggie: I love
Barb: let's be real women's sports are exploding and popularity, and it's about time the investment world caught. Up. So Melody's work matters Now more than ever. The wealth gap between races and genders is still a huge problem, and women, especially women of color, are still under underrepresented in leadership and in finance.
But [00:16:00] she's changing that one investment, one board, one boardroom, and now one sports team. At a time. So just like Susan B. Anthony. Yeah. Melanie Hobson knows the financial independence equals freedom. And she's making sure women today have the knowledge and the tools and the confidence to take control of their money.
So cool. I just, I love her so much.
Maggie: and as someone, you know, I live in Kansas city. And we do have the first female stadium. Only stadium built for women and that is our soccer stadium. And last season, I think every game was sold out and they were talking about how they made the stadium too small. And I just like throw my head back and laugh.
I'm like, of course you did. Like, I'm not surprised.
Barb: I know and like with women's basketball, I'd always say, why don't they have that on TV? How come we can't see it, until Caitlin Clark came along and, you know, my husband would say there's no money in it. Ha, there's money in it now.
Maggie: So our theme for 2025 Women's History Month is Moving [00:17:00] Forward Together. Look, we've come a long way, but we are still fighting for financial equality. We still see wage gaps, investment gaps, barriers to leadership. But like the women before us, We're going to keep going.
Barb: Yeah, so here's the thing. We can talk about history all day long, but what really matters is what we learn. And that's why we're so excited about our upcoming event, which will be happening on the day this episode airs. The next wave of women shaping business and wealth has been created with so much passion and collaboration and we are so excited to host.
We have three powerhouse coaches who are going to challenge and inspire us.
Maggie: First we have Jenna Dillon. She's an executive coach helping women build powerful networks that drive success. She's going to be talking about empowerment through authority, advocacy, and leadership. Then we have Lauren LaForge. She is a sales expert teaching [00:18:00] value driven strategies that convert, and she's going to dive into creating a vision to get what you want in life, which
we all want to get what we want. And then we have Camille Robertson. She is a systems pro showing you how to scale without burnout. And she's going to be sharing smart systems that we could put on rinse repeat to work less and get more done.
Barb: Since Women's History Month theme is 'Moving Forward Together', for every attendee, we're donating to &Rise, a nonprofit organization helping women live their best lives after trauma and abuse. Because when women rise, we all rise. This is how we move forward together.
Maggie:
So if you're listening to this episode, the morning of Friday, March 14th, there is still time for you to join us today. All the details are linked in the show notes. Invite every woman, you know, and this is for all of us. And if you're listening at any point in the future, consider [00:19:00] supporting and rise,
Barb: Remember, if there's no seat at the table,
Maggie: bring a damn folding chair.
Barb: See you next time, keep pushing forward, and be financially fearless.
Outro: You've been listening to Women Money, the shit we don't talk about. Now it's time to take what you've learned and make bold moves towards financial independence. Stay in the know by joining our newsletter for exclusive tools, resources, and updates that keep you financially fearless. Head to PurseStrings.
co and sign up today. Need a financial professional who gets it? Turn to PurseStrings Curated Directory, your go to resource for financial experts who know how to put you first. Love this episode? Leave us a review and help us empower even more women to own their financial power. Until next time, be financially fearless.
