Mindful Millionaire with Leisa Peterson

Leisa Peterson

Open your mind and expand your possibilities through heart-centered discussions about money, business and mindfulness. Join host Leisa Peterson, business coach and long-time finance-pro, for inspiring discussions, interviews and commentary that will inspire your mind, warm your heart and solidify your connection with your higher Self. It's the perfect blend of self-mastery, visionary leadership and practical financial wisdom.

  1. The Numbers Don't Lie: What's Really Happening to Women at Work with Stefanie O'Connell

    MAY 7

    The Numbers Don't Lie: What's Really Happening to Women at Work with Stefanie O'Connell

    You've been told the same story your whole career. Negotiate. Work harder. Be more confident. Speak up. And if you do all those things, the doors will open. But what if that story was designed to keep you quiet? In this episode, I sit down with Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez, author of The Ambition Penalty: How Corporate Culture Tells Women to Step Up and Then Pushes Them Down. Stefanie is a journalist, the host of Real Simple Magazine's Webby Award-winning Money Confidential podcast, and the creator of the newsletter Too Ambitious — and she has spent years compiling the research that the mainstream personal finance world has been slow to reckon with. The gender pay gap in the United States just widened for the second year in a row. It's now back to where it was in 2005 — when many of us started our careers. Decades of girl power, leaning in, and girl-bossing, and we are right back where we started. This conversation is about why. And more importantly, what actually works. We talk about the ambition penalty — the real, documented, data-backed sum of professional, financial, social, and personal costs women pay for simply wanting more. We dig into the myths of meritocracy that have conditioned women to blame themselves for systemic problems. And we talk about what history shows us actually moves the needle — because it's not power poses. I also share something I've never talked about on this podcast before: the day I accidentally found my entire team's salary sheet and what I did with it years later. This is one of the most important conversations I've had on this show. Especially right now. In this episode: Why the gender pay gap is back to 2005 levels — and what that means for every woman doing "all the right things" The ambition penalty defined: the professional, financial, social, and personal cost of wanting more Why negotiation alone will never close the gender pay gap (and the attorney whose job offer was rescinded for asking) The 30 identity characteristics research shows are weaponized against women — while being used to elevate men The paradox of meritocracy: why the people who most believe they're unbiased exhibit the most bias How feminism was turned into a dirty word the same way socialism was — and why that was strategic What the civil rights movement and feminist movement can teach us about what actually works Why ambition isn't the problem — hyper-individualism is Community as a career strategy: salary transparency, collective organizing, and building resilience together Leisa's BART story: the accidental salary discovery that changed everything Who this book is for — and why it matters that men read it too Connect with Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez: Website: www.stefanieoconnell.com Newsletter: www.tooambitious.com (Too Ambitious) Instagram: @stefanieoconnell LinkedIn: Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez Book: The Ambition Penalty — available everywhere books are sold (hardcover, Kindle, audiobook)

    45 min
  2. Democratizing Wellness: What Yoga Looks Like When It's Actually for Everyone

    MAY 7

    Democratizing Wellness: What Yoga Looks Like When It's Actually for Everyone

    What does it mean to democratize wellness? And what does yoga have to do with building a more equitable world? In this episode, I sit down with two of the most important voices in yoga today: Tamika Caston-Miller, E-RYT 500, executive coach, and founder of the Ashe Yoga Collective, and Ashley Nicole Rideaux, E-RYT 500 teacher trainer, meditation teacher, and co-host of This Is Not Tea. We met at the Sedona Yoga Festival, and this conversation had been brewing ever since. We go deep on what yoga really is — and what it isn't. We talk about liberation as a practice. About the two pandemics we're navigating: the physical one we lived through, and the spiritual one we're still inside. About why yoga studios are rarely where they're most needed. And about how the tools of classical yoga — tapas, swadhyaya, and ishvara pranidhana — are exactly what we need right now to do the hard work of being in honest relationship across difference. We also get practical. Tamika and Ashley share how they've built an online, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ affirming yoga community with equitable pricing. I share what happened when I added a sponsorship option to my nine-week workshop — and how it changed everything I thought I knew about generational generosity. If you've ever wondered whether wellness was designed for you, this episode is for you. And if it was, this episode is even more important to hear. In this episode: Why yoga stalked Ashley into becoming a teacher (and how acting, eating disorder recovery, and a commercial residual check all played a role) Tamika's journey through chronic pain, a medical system that only saw her body size, and what hot yoga gave her that doctors wouldn't What "democratizing wellness" actually means in practice The Yoga Sutras as a roadmap for working across difference: tapas, swadhyaya, ishvara pranidhana Why every space needs to be trauma-informed, not just "specialty" ones The financial reality of doing liberation work: asking for your worth when you've been conditioned not to Tiered pricing, scholarships, community sponsorship, and the economics of shared-care models Two pandemics: physical and spiritual — and why the second one doesn't have an end date yet What Ashe Yoga Collective is building and who it's for Connect with Tamika Caston-Miller: Website: tamikacastonmiller.com Studio: asheyoga.com Substack: Soul Garden Instagram: @tamika_castonmiller LinkedIn: Tamika Caston-Miller Podcast: This Is Not Tea Retreat: Sacred Valley, Peru — June 27–July 3, 2026 Connect with Ashley Nicole Rideaux: Website: yoga-with-ashley.com Instagram: @ashleyrideaux Studio: asheyoga.com Retreat: Vietnam (upcoming)

    53 min
  3. How Codependency Shapes Your Financial Decisions with Michelle Farris, LMFT

    FEB 26

    How Codependency Shapes Your Financial Decisions with Michelle Farris, LMFT

    Money and relationships are deeply intertwined — and yet we rarely talk about how our emotional patterns drive our financial decisions. In this eye-opening conversation, Leisa sits down with psychotherapist Michelle Farris to explore the surprising connection between codependency and money. Michelle breaks down how people-pleasing, over-giving, and a lack of boundaries don't just affect our relationships — they quietly drain our finances too. You'll learn how codependent patterns that start in childhood show up as over-lending, paying for others to feel liked, under-earning, and giving away resources at your own expense. More importantly, Michelle offers practical, compassionate baby steps for reclaiming your financial power — without losing your generous heart. Whether you've been the person who always picks up the check, lent money that never came back, or found yourself giving more than you can afford, this episode will help you see your patterns clearly and start putting yourself back in the equation. In this episode: What codependency actually is (and why it's more common than we think) How over-giving with money is often about seeking love and validation What financial boundaries look like in real life Why receiving is a skill — and how to practice it The connection between self-trust and financial decisions How to take baby steps toward healthier money habits in relationships To Learn more about Michelle Farris LMFT: 🎥 YouTube: Relationships That Work with Michelle Farris 🌐 Website & Free Codependency Guide: counselingrecovery.com

    31 min
  4. "In love, of love, with love, as love" - A conversation with Simran Singh

    FEB 3

    "In love, of love, with love, as love" - A conversation with Simran Singh

    What does it mean to build a life of service that doesn't deplete you? In this profound conversation, Leisa sits down with spiritual teacher and author Simran Singh to explore the intersection of money, consciousness, and true abundance. Simran shares her journey from working in her family's fashion business to creating 1111 Magazine, hosting 900+ radio episodes, and performing a one-woman show across 66 cities—all as acts of love rather than traditional business. She reveals how she shifted from Type A, masculine-driven productivity to feminine flow and organic creation, and why that shift changed everything about how money shows up in her life. Key insights from this episode: The mantra that guides Simran's life: "in love of love, with love, as love" Why money is the "metaphysical equivalent to connection" How to work with collective fear without getting swept up in it The difference between ego serving you versus you serving your soul Why 2026 calls for "positive selfishness"—tunnel vision on your own frequency Moving from material obsession to meaningful wealth Simran offers a different paradigm for those of us building conscious businesses: one where fulfillment matters more than seven figures, where service fills you up rather than depletes you, and where money flows from connection rather than force. If you're navigating the tension between spiritual values and practical sustainability, this conversation will meet you exactly where you are. Learn more about Simran at iamsimran.com and 1111mag.com Find her books on her website and Amazon.

    41 min
  5. Money and the Mother Wound with Michelle Atlas

    JAN 7

    Money and the Mother Wound with Michelle Atlas

    Your relationship with money isn't just about budgets and strategies—it's deeply connected to your earliest attachment patterns, particularly with your mother. In this conversation, transformational coach Michelle Atlas reveals how the mother-daughter relationship shapes everything from our sense of worthiness to our capacity to receive, and how these early patterns become our money attachment styles. Michelle, who lived in an ashram for 12 years and has been on a spiritual path for over four decades, shares the surprising connection between anxious, avoidant, and disorganized attachment styles and our financial behaviors. She opens up about her own journey from shopping to fill a void to experiencing a spontaneous moment of self-forgiveness that completely transformed her relationship with money—and herself. In this episode, you'll discover: How mother wounds show up in your bank account Why attachment styles and money styles are one and the same The somatic sensations that drive your money decisions Why decades of spiritual practice matter in transformation work How to befriend money the way you'd befriend a trusted companion The path from "I need this to feel whole" to "I am enough" Whether you've been working on your money relationship for years or you're just beginning to sense there's something deeper beneath your financial patterns, this conversation offers a portal to profound healing. Resources mentioned: Money Attachment Style Quiz: https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/68deac846f8a60001590a48f Michelle's Website: https://www.michelleatlas.com

    37 min
4.9
out of 5
39 Ratings

About

Open your mind and expand your possibilities through heart-centered discussions about money, business and mindfulness. Join host Leisa Peterson, business coach and long-time finance-pro, for inspiring discussions, interviews and commentary that will inspire your mind, warm your heart and solidify your connection with your higher Self. It's the perfect blend of self-mastery, visionary leadership and practical financial wisdom.