Getting Rich Together

Syama Bunten
  • 4.8 (47)
  • Investing
  • Updated Weekly

By 2030, women are projected to inherit more than $30 trillion in wealth. That's power and possibility—but here's the catch: women still earn just 85 cents on the dollar, and we don't get a 15% discount when we shop. Financial literacy and confidence haven't kept up with the times. That's where Getting Rich Together comes in. I'm Syama Bunten. After my divorce, I wrote to fifty women asking to talk about money. Ninety-five percent said no. But the few who said yes changed everything. They became my wealth expanders—showing me new ways to think about money, power, and what's possible.

They were, in essence, my personal wealth catalysts -- something we can all be for each other as we unlock the wisdom inside. This podcast brings those conversations and that catalyst to you. Each week, you'll meet women across industries and backgrounds—investors, founders, leaders, and creatives—who are redefining wealth on their own terms. Their stories are here to expand your vision, unlock your wisdom, fuel your confidence, create a wealth catalyst in your own life, and remind you that wealth isn't built alone. It's built together.

  1. 1d ago

    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

  2. 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

  3. Sep 1

    Trust Leads to Transactions: Syama Bunten's Vision for Wealth Catalyst

    In this special birthday episode, Emily Scott turns the microphone around and interviews Syama Bunten, founder of Wealth Catalyst and host of Getting Rich Together. Syama shares the story behind building a podcast and community rooted in women's capital agency, trust, and the belief that every woman is closer to her greatness than she may realize. She reflects on the milestones so far, including 140 podcast episodes, getting over 2,000 five-stars on Spotify, three Wealth Catalyst Summits, salon rooms across the country, and thousands of introductions between women who needed to know one another. They also talk about what does not show up in the numbers: redefining success beyond a traditional P&L, learning that generosity requires reciprocity, the woman Syama leans on, and why she is no longer interested in convincing anyone that this work matters. This is a conversation about building something without a clear blueprint, standing in your greatness while remaining curious, and listening to the wiser self who says: you are just getting started.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Emily Scott Takes Over as Interviewer for Syama's Birthday 02:41 The Origin Story of Getting Rich Together and Its Launch 07:20 Episode Numbers, Downloads, and Building a Women's Financial Empowerment Community 10:42 Inside Wealth Catalyst, the Summits, and the Freedom Tour Salons 15:48 Who Actually Shows Up in the Room and Why 21:54 Surprises, Resonance, and the Magic of the Salon Tour 29:20 Self-Worth, Identity, And Redefining Success 42:52 The Next Leg, Mini Summits and New Markets 1:05:27 Time Management, Boundaries, and Working Without Burnout 1:10:05 A Heartbreak That Reshaped How Syama Leads 1:14:25 Mentors, Chosen Family, and Leaning on Trusted Women   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

  4. Aug 25

    How to Start Angel Investing, Cheryl Kellond on Her First $1,500 Check

    Cheryl Kellond made her first angel investment in an at-home fertility startup and watched it get written off to zero. She still says it was worth it, and she built Play Money to make sure more women get the chance to find out for themselves how to start angel investing. Cheryl is the founder and CEO of Play Money and a serial entrepreneur who has raised more than $20 million in venture capital and led nearly a billion dollars in product revenue. On Getting Rich Together, host Syama Bunten asks Cheryl about the founder who went silent after taking her money, and how that experience shaped an angel investing platform for beginners instead of scaring her off the space entirely. Cheryl breaks down why startup investing for women has long relied on fragmented deal flow, individual outreach, and warm introductions, and why she built Play Money to make angel investing work more like scrolling than fundraising. She also runs the math on an idea that became a major aha moment for her. If just 20 percent of accredited investors invested $10,000 a year, she says they could move $30 billion in capital and replicate the entire early-stage startup funding ecosystem. Cheryl also shares how to start angel investing with a check the size of a weekend trip, and why communication between founders and their investors matters long after the check is written. Find a salon near you or grab a seat at the Wealth Catalyst Summit in San Francisco on October 16 at wealthcatalyst.com    Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Meet Cheryl Kellond 02:13 Shy Childhood, Fairfield County, and Early Rebellion 07:39 Single Motherhood, Night Shifts, and University of Chicago 11:14 The MIT Sloan Admissions Story 12:03 Blogging, Building HTML Sites, and the AOL Sale 19:22 California, Marriage, and the Move to Colorado 22:01 Chaos, Growth, and a Career at Yahoo 27:17 The Boardroom Moment That Changed Everything 28:32 Launching a Startup and Learning It the Hard Way 45:50 Her First Angel Investment and What Went Wrong 49:05 How to Start Angel Investing Through Play Money 56:35 The Math Behind Moving Billions in Capital 1:00:46 Fun Money, Costa Rica, and a Final Ask   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.   Attend a Salon near you: wealthcatalyst.com/salons 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 Wealth Catalyst Summit: https://wealthcatalyst.com/summits Speaking: https://syamabunten.com Big Delta Capital: www.bigdeltacapital.com Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

  5. Aug 18

    Grace Belangia on Angel Investing, LP Funds, and Building Wealth Outside Silicon Valley

    Grace Belangia didn't build her startup ecosystem in Silicon Valley. She built it in Augusta, Georgia, a city with medical, military, and energy communities but no established tech community. On Getting Rich Together, host Syama Bunten talks with the cofounder and executive board member of Make Startups about her path from writing angel checks on her own to becoming an LP in a VC fund. Grace traces her money instincts back to her mother, an immigrant who taught her that saving and investing are two different things. That lesson followed her into a research role at a private equity firm in her twenties, where she saw firsthand how the investment world worked and started learning how capital actually moves. She talks through how she learned to angel invest through Pipeline Angels, what it took to learn the space through a six-month investing cohort, and why she eventually expanded from direct angel investing into funds run by managers she trusts. She also explains economic mobility through entrepreneurship and the philosophy she calls reserve and deploy. If angel investing for women feels out of reach, or you're curious about what it takes to become an LP in a venture capital fund, this conversation lays out the real path Grace took. Press play, then find a salon near you or grab a seat at the Wealth Catalyst Summit in San Francisco on October 16 at wealthcatalyst.com.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Grace Belangia's Childhood in LA and Palo Alto 05:12 High School Years and Early Community Building 07:43 College, Political Science, and Career Uncertainty 10:49 Learning Finance Inside a Private Equity Research Desk 14:44 Marriage, the Navy, and the Move to Georgia 20:10 Founding a Startup Ecosystem in Augusta 23:07 Learning to Angel Invest Through Pipeline Angels 29:20 How Grace Became an LP in a VC Fund 33:39 Reserve and Deploy, Grace's Investing Philosophy 38:04 Economic Mobility, Legacy, and Building the Bridge   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.   Attend a Salon near you: wealthcatalyst.com/salons 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 Wealth Catalyst Summit: https://wealthcatalyst.com/summits Speaking: https://syamabunten.com Big Delta Capital: www.bigdeltacapital.com Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

  6. Aug 11

    The Tombstone Story Behind Jenna Nicholas' Spirituality and Impact Investing Career

    Jenna Nicholas learned that work is a form of worship before she ever managed anyone's money. On this episode of Getting Rich Together, she joins host Syama Bunten to discuss how spirituality and impact investing became part of the same practice rather than two separate parts of her life.   Jenna is a leading impact investor, the founder of Impact Experience, runs a fund with Lightpost Capital, and is the author of the new book Enlightened Bottom Line. She grew up in London as part of the Bahá'í community, where service, spirituality, and work were closely connected. That upbringing set her on a path toward socially responsible investing before she had the language to describe it.   Jenna tells Syama about the summer she spent in Kinshasa as a child and the joy she noticed there that she had not seen back home. She also reflects about the three years she lived in a mentor's basement apartment, an experience she now considers her real graduate school. That mentor, Wayne Silby, later faced a question at a Buddhist retreat about what his tombstone might say. His answer pushed him to reconsider the legacy he wanted to leave and helped turn the Calvert Funds into a pioneer of socially responsible investing.   Jenna shares how social entrepreneurship pulled her away from a human rights law track and toward building Impact Experience. She explains how purpose-driven businesses can align profit, values, and social impact without treating them as competing priorities.This is a strong entry point into impact investing for women ready to put real money behind their values, and a reminder that spirituality and impact investing do not have to exist in separate conversations. Press play, then find a salon at wealthcatalyst.com/salons or join the Wealth Catalyst Summit in San Francisco this October 16.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Blending Spirituality, Business, and Impact Investing 01:49 Growing Up in London's Baha'i Community 03:20 A Life Changing Summer in Kinshasa 07:14 Stanford and the Social Entrepreneurship Awakening 10:24 Three Years Living in a Mentor's Basement 15:47 Shifting Foundation Capital Away From Fossil Fuels 19:11 Investing Personally Through Lightpost Capital 26:49 Building a Values Based Investment Portfolio 31:39 The HEAL Framework and Devoted Health 34:44 The Tombstone Story Behind Values Based Investing 41:34 Unlocking Capital for Overlooked Founders and Funds     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.   Attend a Salon near you: wealthcatalyst.com/salons 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 Wealth Catalyst Summit: https://wealthcatalyst.com/summits Speaking: https://syamabunten.com Big Delta Capital: www.bigdeltacapital.com         Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

  7. Aug 4

    Retiring at 50 and Building Financial Literacy for Women of Color

    No one explained a 401(k) to Anita Battle. She had to ask a coworker, copy what the coworker did, and hope it worked out. In this conversation with host Syama Bunten on Getting Rich Together, human-centered leadership expert and board director Anita Battle talks about financial literacy for women of color and what gets lost when families never talk about money. Anita grew up in Oakland wanting to be a lawyer, then became a teacher instead. She later became the first woman of color in national sales at a major telecom company, learned golf because that is where deals happened, and saved her commissions while colleagues bought boats. Her path into financial literacy for women of color started with basic 401(k) advice for beginners and grew into hard-won money lessons for first-generation professionals with no family blueprint to follow. Anita also describes becoming her mother's caregiver. She explains how to prepare financially for caregiving long before it becomes urgent, and she offers guidance on trusts versus wills in estate planning, especially for homeowners in California. She also covers taking early retirement for women in corporate America, something she pulled off herself at 50. Financial literacy for women of color has to be visible to spread. If you never see anyone who looks like you, the bridge stays broken. Wealth Catalyst exists to build that bridge. Find a salon at wealthcatalyst.com/salons or join the Wealth Catalyst Summit in San Francisco on October 16.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Growing Up in Oakland and Early Money Lessons 03:49 Choosing Law, Then Choosing Teaching Instead 05:56 A Full-Ride Scholarship to Loyola Marymount 15:23 Breaking Into Telecom at GTE 17:41 Learning About 401(k)s as a First-Gen Professional 23:40 First Woman of Color in National Sales 29:21 Taking Early Retirement at 50 33:35 Becoming Her Parents' Full Time Caregiver 40:18 Pensions, Stock Vesting, and Retirement Surprises 48:16 Travel, Theater, and Giving Back Through Mentorship 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.   Attend a Salon near you: wealthcatalyst.com/salons 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 Wealth Catalyst Summit: https://wealthcatalyst.com/summits Speaking: https://syamabunten.com Big Delta Capital: www.bigdeltacapital.com Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

  8. Jul 28

    Angel Investing for Women, Building Wealth from Scratch, and Backing the Founders VC Overlooks With Lisha Bell

    Writing your first angel check is an act of conviction. For Lisha Bell it was also an act of defiance. She had spent 20 years as a Black woman in tech, rarely working alongside other Black people or women, watching founders who looked like her get passed over. VC wasn't going to fix it. So she decided to write her own checks. And she wants more women to do the same. Lisha grew up working the cash register at her dad's gas station in South Central LA, counting nickels and dimes, watching money move through a community in real time. She understood early that money was a tool and a need. When her family lost everything, that lesson got sharper. She got to the Bay Area, maxed out her 401k from her very first paycheck, and bought a house in Oakland at 24. Not because someone told her to. Because she was afraid of being poor and she wasn't going to wait for anyone else to sort it out. In this conversation with host Syama Bunten, Lisha talks about what it actually looks like to become an angel investor when you built everything yourself, why she did it with a community of women instead of alone, and what it means to deploy capital into founders nobody else was betting on. Lisha built the room she needed when nobody else would. Syama is doing the same thing at Wealth Catalyst, salons and summits where women speak candidly about money, risk, and the choices that shape a life. If you want to be part of that room,join us at the Wealth Catalyst Summit, a full-day event in San Francisco this October 16, 2026, or find a Freedom Tour salon happening near you.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Introduction to Lisha Bell and Women's Financial Power 02:31 Childhood Money Lessons from a Family Gas Station 06:58 Growing Up Between Worlds and Shaping Her Identity 13:14 Early Wealth Building Through Saving and Homeownership 22:51 Why She Chose an MBA to Increase Earning Power 26:48 Startup Culture, Career Risk, and Becoming a Mother 30:20 Angel Investing for Women and Writing the First Check 40:32 Why Emerging Fund Managers Matter in Venture Capital 44:56 Capital Preservation and Investing With Purpose 52:40 Access to Capital for Women and Building an Equitable Future Connect with Lisha Bell: Facebook: Follow Lisha on Facebook  X: Follow Lisha on X  LinkedIn: Connect with Lisha on LinkedIn Instagram: Follow Lisha on Instagram Youtube: Watch the Sisters with Ventures Podcast Find more from Syama Bunten: Attend a Salon near you: wealthcatalyst.com/salons Instagram: Follow Syama on Instagram Join Syama's Substack: Join Syama's Substack Website: Visit the Wealth Catalyst website Download Syama's Free Resources: Download Syama's Free Resources Learn About Wealth Catalyst Summit Events: Wealth Catalyst Summit Website: Visit Syama's website Big Delta Capital: Visit the Big Delta Capital website Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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4.8
out of 5
47 Ratings

About

By 2030, women are projected to inherit more than $30 trillion in wealth. That's power and possibility—but here's the catch: women still earn just 85 cents on the dollar, and we don't get a 15% discount when we shop. Financial literacy and confidence haven't kept up with the times. That's where Getting Rich Together comes in. I'm Syama Bunten. After my divorce, I wrote to fifty women asking to talk about money. Ninety-five percent said no. But the few who said yes changed everything. They became my wealth expanders—showing me new ways to think about money, power, and what's possible.

They were, in essence, my personal wealth catalysts -- something we can all be for each other as we unlock the wisdom inside. This podcast brings those conversations and that catalyst to you. Each week, you'll meet women across industries and backgrounds—investors, founders, leaders, and creatives—who are redefining wealth on their own terms. Their stories are here to expand your vision, unlock your wisdom, fuel your confidence, create a wealth catalyst in your own life, and remind you that wealth isn't built alone. It's built together.

Information

  • Creator
    Syama Bunten
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    142
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    Getting Rich Together

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