Getting Rich Together

Syama Bunten
  • 4.8 (47)
  • Investing
  • Weekly

How do women get rich? Getting Rich Together brings you the money conversations most people never get to hear. I'm Syama Bunten, founder of Wealth Catalyst, wealth strategist, and private investor. After my divorce, I wrote to fifty women asking to talk about money. Ninety-five percent said no. The women who said yes changed how I thought about wealth, power, and what was possible. Their openness inspired this podcast. Each week, I interview women founders, investors, executives, and creatives about how they earn, invest, build businesses, and make financial decisions. Guests include Rebecca Minkoff, Jacki Zehner, Fran Hauser, and Jennifer Justice. We talk about entrepreneurship, angel investing, venture capital, financial independence, retirement, philanthropy, and generational wealth. We also explore the personal side of money: childhood beliefs, ambition, marriage, divorce, setbacks, and the relationships that open doors. You'll hear the decisions behind financial outcomes and the lessons women rarely share publicly. These women became my wealth expanders. Their stories can help you see new opportunities, ask better questions, and take greater ownership of your financial future. Follow Getting Rich Together with Syama Bunten for new conversations about women, money, and wealth every week.

  1. 3d ago

    How to Become a Venture Capitalist by Betting on Yourself First, With Sydney Thomas

    Most women wait until they feel qualified to invest. Sydney Thomas told her coworkers she was going to be a VC before she knew the first thing about it. On Getting Rich Together, host Syama Bunten talks with Sydney, founder and general partner of Symphonic Capital, about how to become a venture capitalist by betting on yourself first.  Her money instincts started early. She sold bracelets and Cutco knives to pay for what she wanted and saved so much that her mom joked she never knew where Sydney kept it. Later, she lived on $28K a year in New York and learned exactly what enough looked like.  That self-reliance shaped how she chose to break into venture capital. Sydney shares how cold emails and six months of persistent calls to a venture capital partner who wasn't hiring eventually opened the door to her first opportunity at Precursor Ventures. She explains how she built a shadow portfolio before she could write a check and why that experience helped shape her investment philosophy. She also gets honest about starting a venture capital fund before she had every answer and why she thinks perfection will not keep women safe. Her story is a real look at how to become a venture capitalist and what it asks of an emerging fund manager.  If you have ever waited to feel ready before you invest, press play. Sydney's story shows how women interested in venture capital can begin by making the decision to bet on themselves.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Betting on Yourself Before Anyone Else Does 02:33 San Diego Childhood, Side Hustles, and Saving Money 09:46 Duke, New York, and Learning What Enough Means 19:09 Business School, Gig Contracts, and a Full Scholarship 29:51 How to Become a Venture Capitalist Through Persistence 34:50 Building a Shadow Portfolio Through a Podcast 39:21 Starting Symphonic Capital Before Having Every Answer 42:58 Why Risk Is the Job in Venture 45:01 Nervous System Work and Running Your Own Race 47:59 Joyful Legacy, Community, and Money as a Tool   Find more from Syama Bunten: Your money story may be shaping your financial life more than you realize. After hundreds of conversations with women at all stages of their financial lives, Syama distilled the questions that helped her understand her own patterns into The Money Story Reset, a free guide featuring five guided reflections and personal stories from her journey. Download The Money Story Reset and begin uncovering the beliefs behind your financial decisions: https://wealthcatalyst.com/reset/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syama.co/ Join Syama's Substack: https://thewealthcatalystwithsyama.substack.com/ Website: https://wealthcatalyst.com/ Big Delta Capital: https://www.bigdeltacapital.com/ Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

  2. Oct 20

    The System Wasn't Built for Us: Naseem Sayani on Moving Capital to Female Founders

    Most venture capital was never built with women in mind. Naseem Sayani got tired of waiting for the system to change, so she decided to help change where the money goes. In this conversation with host Syama Bunten on Getting Rich Together, Naseem shares her journey into venture capital for female founders and what it takes to move more funding toward overlooked businesses. Before co-founding Emmeline Ventures, she built her career in consulting and digital innovation at firms including Booz & Company and Boston Consulting Group. Growing up in a traditional South Asian household in Los Angeles, she was taught to prioritize education, save money, and prepare for marriage. But she had different plans for her future. Naseem shares how she went from implementing major business decisions to wanting a seat at the table where those decisions were made. That ambition led her to business school and eventually into venture investing. She explains how watching female founders struggle to raise capital pushed her to start angel investing in women-led companies and later leave her consulting career to write bigger checks. She also discusses the lack of women in investment decision-making roles, how women's health investing has evolved since 2019, and why bringing more women into venture capital matters. And she explains why the differences in how male and female founders experience fundraising need to be discussed more openly. Listen now to hear how Naseem turned her experience in consulting into a mission to fund more female founders, why individual angel investments weren't enough for her, and what she believes needs to change to get more capital into women's hands.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Why Venture Capital Wasn't Built for Women 02:55 Growing Up in a Gendered Immigrant Household 07:58 Wanting to Be an ER Doctor Like Clooney 10:20 Choosing Campus Life Over the Marriage Track 16:52 Starting a Career Amid 9/11, Enron, and Acquisitions 23:26 Financing an MBA and a Paid Sabbatical 32:05 Building a Product Studio Inside Booz and BCG 39:08 Watching the Gender Gap in Startup Funding 43:07 Leaving a Partner Track to Go Full Venture 51:23 Building a Legacy for Female Founder Funding   Connect with Naseem Sayani: Listen to The Capital Flex podcast   Find more from Syama Bunten: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syama.co/ Join Syama's Substack: https://thewealthcatalystwithsyama.substack.com/ Website: https://wealthcatalyst.com Download Syama's Free Resources: https://wealthcatalyst.com/resources Speaking: https://syamabunten.com Big Delta Capital: www.bigdeltacapital.com Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

  3. Oct 13

    What to Do When Your Spouse Dies, The Missing Step in Estate Planning for Women

    You can have the will, the trust, and the estate plan and still not know what to do first when your spouse dies. Samina Bari learned that in 2023, when her husband died suddenly in an accident. Her financial advisor sent her a PDF checklist. She ended up typing Social Security questions into Google. On Getting Rich Together, host Syama Bunten talks with Samina, Founder and CEO of Farewell. Samina spent the last decade of her operating career focused on biotech M&A, advising CEOs and boards on investor strategy and positioning. She explains where estate planning for women falls short and why a checklist of steps after the death of a spouse rarely helps someone navigate the first days of grief. She explains the questions she needed answered in those early days and why she struggled to find a clear path forward. Her story shows how financial independence for women can start with small, deliberate decisions. She bought a condo at 21 with a lowball offer and refused to budge. She took a significant pay cut to get inside Pfizer and shares what she weighed before saying "yes". She also makes the case that the great wealth transfer needs better infrastructure to help families move assets with more clarity, especially as more inherited wealth passes to women. Press play to understand what comes after the estate plan and why preparing for the administrative side of loss matters before you ever need it. Then keep the conversation going at the Wealth Catalyst Summit, a full-day event. Claim your seat at wealthcatalyst.com.     Episode Breakdown: 00:00 When an Estate Plan Leaves You Without Answers 02:55 Rejecting Expectations and Choosing Independence 06:44 Night Shifts, Kiplinger's, and a Condo at 21 13:52 Samina Bari's 20-Year Plan From Hospital to Lipitor 19:13 Salary Negotiation and Knowing When to Walk Away 28:30 Building an Advisor Team, Wills, and Trusts Early 31:44 Tesla Stock and a First Angel Check 36:13 Sudden Loss and Writing Don't Call Me Widow 43:41 What to Do First When Your Spouse Dies 50:26 Why the Great Wealth Transfer Needs a System Connect with Samina Bari: Visit the Farewell website: https://withfarewell.com/  Visit Samina's website: https://saminabari.com/    Find more from Syama Bunten: Your money story may be shaping your financial life more than you realize. After hundreds of conversations with women at all stages of their financial lives, Syama distilled the questions that helped her understand her own patterns into The Money Story Reset, a free guide featuring five guided reflections and personal stories from her journey. Download The Money Story Reset and begin uncovering the beliefs behind your financial decisions: https://wealthcatalyst.com/reset/   Apply For Your Seat @ The 4th Wealth Catalyst Summit | San Francisco, October 16: https://wealthcatalyst.com/sf2026/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syama.co/ Join Syama's Substack: https://thewealthcatalystwithsyama.substack.com/ Website: https://wealthcatalyst.com/ Big Delta Capital: https://www.bigdeltacapital.com/   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

  4. Oct 6

    Financial Astrology and Market Cycle: Money Under the North Node in Aquarius 2026

    Every 18 years, the same money story repeats. First comes a speculative gold rush, then a reckoning. Astrologer Ophira Edut traced that pattern from Jamestown to the 2008 crash, and she says we have entered another corrective cycle. If you have ever wondered what financial astrology and market cycles could reveal about your own money choices, this conversation is for you. On Getting Rich Together, host Syama Bunten sits down with Ophira Edut, a bestselling author, astrologer, and one half of The AstroTwins and co-founder of Astrostyle.com. Ophira grew up in an immigrant family in Detroit where she and her twin sister earned their own spending money through dog walking, babysitting, calligraphy, and other entrepreneurial projects. She sold her first business, HUES magazine, at 26 and later built a thriving astrology business with her sister without a single outside investor. Her path makes a real case for astrology for entrepreneurs. Ophira explains what the North Node in Aquarius 2026 shift could mean for AI, crypto, and the economy through March 2028. She shares a Kabbalah lesson that shaped the way she thinks about desire, abundance, and money, and why she treats money as energy you attract so you can share it. Listen for the spotlight and lighthouse question she wants every woman to ask herself right now. Press play to hear how Ophira reads financial astrology and market cycles, and what it could mean for your next move. Then take the conversation further at a Freedom Tour salon near you or at the Wealth Catalyst Summit in San Francisco this October 16.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Meet Ophira Edut of The AstroTwins 03:00 Detroit Roots, Painted Jeans, and Teenage Hustles 14:02 A Sassy Contest, Hues Magazine, and First Exit 24:04 Gloria Steinem, Ms., and Landing Teen People 31:40 Losing the Cash Cow and Launching Astrostyle 36:12 Never Late Horoscopes and Learning Financial Forecasting 46:59 How Ophira Thinks About Investing Her Capital 52:40 Financial Astrology and Market Cycles Through 2028 1:02:38 Money as Energy and the Lighthouse Question 1:07:52 Legacy, Lifelong Learning, and Where to Find Ophira Find more from Syama Bunten: Your money story may be shaping your financial life more than you realize. After hundreds of conversations with women at all stages of their financial lives, Syama distilled the questions that helped her understand her own patterns into The Money Story Reset, a free guide featuring five guided reflections and personal stories from her journey.   Download The Money Story Reset and begin uncovering the beliefs behind your financial decisions: https://wealthcatalyst.com/reset/ Apply For Your Seat @ The 4th Wealth Catalyst Summit | San Francisco, October 16: https://wealthcatalyst.com/sf2026/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syama.co/ Join Syama's Substack: https://thewealthcatalystwithsyama.substack.com/ Website: https://wealthcatalyst.com/ Big Delta Capital: https://www.bigdeltacapital.com/   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

  5. Sep 29

    The TaskRabbit Founder Story, From a $27,000 Pension to an IKEA Acquisition

    Wealth Catalyst is where women go to take the conversation further, and Leah Solivan's journey from building TaskRabbit to backing the next generation of founders fits that mission perfectly. Two percent. Leah says that's the share of women who receive venture capital funding for their businesses. After spending years raising money as a founder, she now sits on the other side of the table, investing in companies and working to expand who gets access to capital. Host Syama Bunten talks with Leah Solivan, founder of TaskRabbit and Managing Director of Precedent.vc, about the TaskRabbit founder story that started with a $27,000 pension and eventually led to an acquisition by IKEA. Leah shares how she went from knowing almost nothing about venture capital to learning how to pitch investors and raise money for her company. An email to the CEO of Zipcar became a pivotal connection, opening the door to mentorship, warm introductions, and some of TaskRabbit's first angel investors. Those early relationships shaped how Leah thinks about investing today. For anyone interested in angel investing for beginners or wondering how to become an angel investor, she shares the story behind the first check she wrote into someone else's company and why backing founders became the natural next chapter after TaskRabbit. Listen to hear how she chose IKEA over two other offers, how she built a career in venture after the acquisition, and what she is teaching her own kids about money. Join the Wealth Catalyst Summit, a full-day event in San Francisco this October 16, and claim your seat at wealthcatalyst.com.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Leah Solivan's early entrepreneurial spark in Massachusetts 06:19 Choosing a college for its ballet program 09:34 Landing an engineering job during the dot com bust 11:14 Using an IBM pension to fund TaskRabbit 17:03 The Cold Email That Led to Her First Angel Investors 19:22 Learning How to Pitch Investors 25:04 How to become an angel investor herself 28:44 Choosing IKEA over two other acquisition offers 35:05 Launching Precedent VC and Breaking Precedent 42:29 Why venture capital still fails women founders Find more from Syama Bunten: Your money story may be shaping your financial life more than you realize. After hundreds of conversations with women at all stages of their financial lives, Syama distilled the questions that helped her understand her own patterns into The Money Story Reset, a free guide featuring five guided reflections and personal stories from her journey.   Download The Money Story Reset and begin uncovering the beliefs behind your financial decisions: https://wealthcatalyst.com/reset/ Apply For Your Seat @ The 4th Wealth Catalyst Summit | San Francisco, October 16: https://wealthcatalyst.com/sf2026/ Register to Attend a Salon Near You: https://wealthcatalyst.com/salons/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syama.co/ Join Syama's Substack: https://thewealthcatalystwithsyama.substack.com/ Website: https://wealthcatalyst.com/ Big Delta Capital: https://www.bigdeltacapital.com/   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

  6. Sep 22

    From Nightclub DJ to Angel Investor: One Woman's Path to Financial Independence

    Angel investing can feel like it takes a spare million dollars and access that most of us never get. Emma Malina challenges that assumption, and this episode shows how women can start angel investing with a check as small as five thousand dollars. Emma Malina is an active investor and the host of Matcha and Money, a Santa Barbara gathering built to get women talking honestly about capital. On Getting Rich Together, host Syama Bunten traces Emma's path from teenage DJ to New York real estate broker to investor. As a teenager, Emma walked into a bank with fifty pounds from a DJ gig and opened a pension plan despite being told she was too young. That same instinct shaped her real estate career, including a 1031 exchange that helped move her from a Brooklyn walk-up to a 3,600-square-foot house on an acre in Santa Barbara. She also shares her first steps into equity crowdfunding for beginners and pre-IPO investing for beginners, the family estate crisis that pushed her toward Matcha and Money, and a clear answer for anyone wondering how to become an angel investor with little money. Her larger case is that women have real power in how they use their money, and that becoming thoughtful owners, investors, and stewards of capital gives them a greater voice in shaping the future. Listen for the full story and a real starting point if you have been waiting to write your first check.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 A Teenage DJ Opens Her First Pension 04:35 Growing Up Between Santa Barbara and London 08:20 First Jobs, Club Culture, and Early Money 20:49 The Bus Stop Ad That Started It All 29:04 Restaurants, Real Estate, and Building Instincts 37:38 Retirement Accounts and Her First Apartment 44:31 Leaving New York and Starting Over 49:45 How Women Can Start Angel Investing 51:42 Her Mother's Estate and a Hard Lesson 56:37 Building Matcha and Money From Her Living Room   Find more from Syama Bunten: Your money story may be shaping your financial life more than you realize. After hundreds of conversations with women at all stages of their financial lives, Syama distilled the questions that helped her understand her own patterns into The Money Story Reset, a free guide featuring five guided reflections and personal stories from her journey. Download The Money Story Reset and begin uncovering the beliefs behind your financial decisions: https://wealthcatalyst.com/reset/ Apply For Your Seat @ The 4th Wealth Catalyst Summit | San Francisco, October 16: https://wealthcatalyst.com/sf2026/ Register to Attend a Salon Near You: https://wealthcatalyst.com/salons/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syama.co/ Join Syama's Substack: https://thewealthcatalystwithsyama.substack.com/ Website: https://wealthcatalyst.com/ Big Delta Capital: https://www.bigdeltacapital.com/     Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

  7. Sep 15

    Teaching Kids About Philanthropy, How Family Giving Circles Turn Kids Into Participants Not Spectators

    Most wealthy families protect their kids from money conversations. Amy Dornbusch decided to do the opposite. Amy Dornbusch, founder of AtlasDaughters, joins host Syama Bunten on Getting Rich Together to talk about teaching kids about philanthropy through real experience instead of theory. Before she built a model for family philanthropy trips, she ran a restaurant and catering business in Brooklyn, spent a decade running a Napa vineyard, and launched and ran an investment fund through her family office. That path is why she trusts children with more than most parents think they can handle. Amy explains how a statistic she read, that eighty percent of the time you will ever spend with your kids happens before they turn ten, changed the direction of her career. She describes the inner workings of a family giving circle, where children get a real vote in where money goes, not just a seat at the table. She also shares the story of her six-year-old daughter teaching an entire school assembly about solar power after a trip to Zimbabwe, proof that raising philanthropic children starts earlier than most parents assume. This conversation makes a case for next-generation wealth education built on participation rather than protection. If you have ever wondered how to start teaching kids about philanthropy, press play and hear the shift Amy made when she decided to bring her kids into the family's philanthropy. Amy will be speaking at the Wealth Catalyst Summit in San Francisco on October 16. If her story moved you, register at wealthcatalyst.com and hear the rest of it in person.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Amy Dornbusch's Path From Restaurants to Philanthropy 02:36 Growing Up in Silicon Valley During the Boom 04:37 Selling Scrunchies and Learning Independence in Singapore 08:20 Choosing Boarding School and Finding Her People 16:42 Two Internships, Two Very Different Leadership Styles 19:29 Moving to New York With No Job Lined Up 27:12 Building a Restaurant, Catering Business, and Venue 36:06 Family Office, a Napa Vineyard, and Cancer Research Auction 47:57 Teaching Kids About Philanthropy Through AtlasDaughters 53:24 A Trip to Zimbabwe and What She Learned Find more from Syama Bunten: Your money story may be shaping your financial life more than you realize. After hundreds of conversations with women at all stages of their financial lives, Syama distilled the questions that helped her understand her own patterns into The Money Story Reset, a free guide featuring five guided reflections and personal stories from her journey.   Download The Money Story Reset and begin uncovering the beliefs behind your financial decisions: https://wealthcatalyst.com/reset/ Apply For Your Seat @ The 4th Wealth Catalyst Summit | San Francisco, October 16: https://wealthcatalyst.com/sf2026/ Register to Attend a Salon Near You: https://wealthcatalyst.com/salons/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syama.co/ Join Syama's Substack: https://thewealthcatalystwithsyama.substack.com/ Website: https://wealthcatalyst.com/ Big Delta Capital: https://www.bigdeltacapital.com/ Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

  8. Sep 8

    Women's Business Center Resources, Corinne Goble on What Support Founders May Miss

    Most women running a business already know how to hustle. What they do not always know is how to find business resources sitting right in front of them, and that gap can cost years of struggle. On this episode of Getting Rich Together, host Syama Bunten talks with Corinne Goble, CEO of the Association of Women's Business Centers, about business resources most founders never hear about even after building a company of their own. Corinne grew up around her mother's trucking business, then came back as a young adult to rebuild its books after an embezzlement hit the company. She explains how her own boss blocked her transfer to a dream government affairs job in Washington DC, and how that refusal became the reason she found the organization she now leads. Corinne also traces what it took to step in and help rebuild her mother's trucking business from the inside, learning firsthand what it means to grow, and eventually exit, a family company. She walks through the first thing she did after taking over an organization with no staff and a scattered membership list, and why that single decision rebuilt trust faster than any strategic plan could. Listen for her take on women entrepreneur mentorship programs and what financial independence for women entrepreneurs looks like once the right people show up. Wealth Catalyst is where women go to take it further. Freedom Tour salons are gathering women in 32 cities this year, and the Wealth Catalyst Summit is a full day event in San Francisco this October 16. Find your city at wealthcatalyst.com.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Growing Up Inside a Motorcycle Club Family 02:29 Her Mother's Hostile Takeover of the Trucking Business 10:54 High School, College Choices, and Student Loan Lessons 20:24 Turning a Paperwork Mess Into a Profitable Business 25:56 Alabama, Credit Unions, and How Deposits Build Wealth 32:20 Launching an Agency and Landing the Kia Motors Job 40:24 Pausing Personal Wealth to Support Family 49:00 The Rejected Job That Redirected Her Career 54:20 Rebuilding Trust One Phone Call at a Time 1:03:22 The Hope to Women Summit and What's Next   Find more from Syama Bunten: Your money story may be shaping your financial life more than you realize. After hundreds of conversations with women at all stages of their financial lives, Syama distilled the questions that helped her understand her own patterns into The Money Story Reset, a free guide featuring five guided reflections and personal stories from her journey. Download The Money Story Reset and begin uncovering the beliefs behind your financial decisions: https://wealthcatalyst.com/reset/   Apply For Your Seat @ The 4th Wealth Catalyst Summit | San Francisco, October 16: https://wealthcatalyst.com/sf2026/ Register to Attend a Salon Near You: https://wealthcatalyst.com/salons/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syama.co/ Join Syama's Substack: https://thewealthcatalystwithsyama.substack.com/ Website: https://wealthcatalyst.com/ Big Delta Capital: https://www.bigdeltacapital.com/ Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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4.8
out of 5
47 Ratings

About

How do women get rich? Getting Rich Together brings you the money conversations most people never get to hear. I'm Syama Bunten, founder of Wealth Catalyst, wealth strategist, and private investor. After my divorce, I wrote to fifty women asking to talk about money. Ninety-five percent said no. The women who said yes changed how I thought about wealth, power, and what was possible. Their openness inspired this podcast. Each week, I interview women founders, investors, executives, and creatives about how they earn, invest, build businesses, and make financial decisions. Guests include Rebecca Minkoff, Jacki Zehner, Fran Hauser, and Jennifer Justice. We talk about entrepreneurship, angel investing, venture capital, financial independence, retirement, philanthropy, and generational wealth. We also explore the personal side of money: childhood beliefs, ambition, marriage, divorce, setbacks, and the relationships that open doors. You'll hear the decisions behind financial outcomes and the lessons women rarely share publicly. These women became my wealth expanders. Their stories can help you see new opportunities, ask better questions, and take greater ownership of your financial future. Follow Getting Rich Together with Syama Bunten for new conversations about women, money, and wealth every week.

Information

  • Creator
    Syama Bunten
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    148
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    Getting Rich Together

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