Getting Rich Together

Syama Bunten
  • 4.8 (46)
  • 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. 2d ago

    How to Build Wealth from Poverty Twyla Garrett's Road from Welfare to Real Estate Developer

    Generational wealth building for women starts long before the first investment, the first business, or the first paycheck. It starts with the decision to believe your life can look different from the one you inherited. On Getting Rich Together, host Syama Bunten sits down with Twyla Garrett, a serial entrepreneur, real estate developer, and founder of the Garrett Foundation, whose story is one of the most compelling examples of how to build wealth from poverty you will ever hear. Twyla grew up in Cleveland's inner city, was removed from her home at 14, spent time in juvenile homes, and relied on welfare and food stamps during college. She left with a financial acumen that would eventually carry her to seven figures within a year of walking away from a government job. Twyla does not skip the hard parts. From doing taxes and bookkeeping as a teenager to buying her first home at 26 with just $4,000 and shaky credit, to transforming a derelict Cleveland train station into the city's largest jazz supper club, Twyla's path is a masterclass in how to scale a business from nothing. Women entrepreneurs and real estate intersect throughout her journey in ways that feel practical and urgent, not abstract. But the conversation goes further than personal success. Twyla is now channeling everything she has built into a model for affordable homeownership in the inner city, one that replaces Section 8 dependency with actual ownership. People take care of what they own. A $200,000 condo with a $900 monthly mortgage costs less than what Section 8 currently pays for a two-bedroom rental. That gap is where generational wealth building for women and for entire communities becomes possible. If you have ever wondered whether your starting point disqualifies you, this episode is a reminder that your starting point does not have to define what you build next. And if you are ready to keep going, Wealth Catalyst is where women take it further. 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. Women are gathering in 32 cities this year for intimate, honest conversations about money, risk, and what they are building. Find your city and claim your seat at wealthcatalyst.com.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Getting Rich Together With Syama Bunten and Twyla Garrett 02:29 Growing Up in Poverty in Cleveland's Inner City 08:39 How Twyla Turned Childhood Trauma Into a Success Mindset 18:56 Learning to Manage Money From Scratch and Building the Foundation for Generational Wealth Building for Women 29:40 Buying Her First Home at 26 With $4,000 and Bad Credit 33:04 Why She Left Her Government Job to Build a Business From Nothing 47:11 The Cleveland Train Station That Made Millions and Changed Lives 50:49 Affordable Homeownership vs. Affordable Housing and Why the Difference Matters 55:10 The Garrett Foundation's Vision for Inner City Communities 1:02:09 How to Connect With Twyla Garrett and the Impact League   Connect with Twyla Garrett: Website: https://www.twylagarrett.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fedbizlady/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/twyla-garrett8016/    Find more from Syama Bunten: 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

    1h 6m

  2. May 19

    Women Raising Capital and the Funding Model Built for Them with Melissa Wallace

    The system was not built for women raising capital, so Melissa Wallace built a new way forward. Melissa is the founder of Fierce Foundry, the first femtech venture studio in the United States. Long before she was reshaping how female founder funding works, she was sorting babysitting money into labeled envelopes and selling handmade greeting cards door-to-door with her dad's old briefcase. The instinct to build was always there, even before she had the language for it. With host Syama Bunten, Melissa shares the personal story behind the mission. She talks about a marriage in her twenties that ended with her ex-husband emptying her bank accounts after she asked for space, and a divorce process where she was willing to give up everything just to walk away clean. She shares how she went on to build a marketing agency, learned to lead instead of carrying every task herself, and kept seeing the same funding gap show up for women in health tech. Investors wanted proof of customers. Founders needed help getting customers. Too many had no early capital to make either happen. That loop is what Fierce Foundry was built to break. As a venture studio for women, it acts as a co-founder from day one, not a short-term program with a graduation date. It brings early capital, skilled operators, and support from idea through exit. This conversation offers a clearer path for any founder trying to understand how to raise pre-seed funding without relying on the usual gatekeepers. Women raising capital in femtech startups should not have to prove they belong before they even get started. Melissa is building the infrastructure to help more women build, fund, and scale what the world has been missing. If this conversation moved you, keep it going. Find a Wealth Catalyst Freedom Tour salon near you, or claim your seat at the Wealth Catalyst Summit in San Francisco on October 16, 2026.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Meet Melissa Wallace, Founder of Fierce Foundry 02:59 Growing Up With Money: What Her Father Taught Her Without Saying a Word 05:54 Her First Business at Age 10 and the Pricing Lesson That Stuck 09:19 The Exchange Year in Brazil That Changed How She Saw the World 16:40 Early Career, a Bad Marriage, and the Cost of Conformity 18:55 Losing Everything in a Divorce and Choosing Freedom Over Financial Security 23:45 From Employee to Entrepreneur: The Pattern She Finally Broke 29:50 Building a Marketing Agency and Learning to Step Back From the Work 35:04 Women Raising Capital: Why Less Than 2% of VC Funding Goes to Female Founders 38:00 How the Fierce Foundry Venture Studio Model Works From Idea to Exit Find more from Syama Bunten: 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

    49 min

  3. May 12

    The Mindset That Helped Her Rebuild After Two Devastating Financial Losses | Kristin Thomas

    Most women never get an honest blueprint for building wealth because the women around them were never allowed to talk about it either. Kristin Thomas grew up inside that silence. With inherited wealth on one side of her family and a grandfather who built everything from nothing on the other, she absorbed two completely opposite relationships to money and was taught to openly discuss neither. What she learned instead was how to read a room, adapt fast, and connect with anyone. Those skills mattered more than she expected when it came to women and money. Her real financial education started the hard way. A fraudulent stockbroker targeted her recently divorced mother and wiped out the family savings. Financial fraud protection was not something anyone had prepared her for. So she prepared herself, buying every real estate book she could find and knocking on foreclosure doors in her early twenties. Women investing in real estate was not a common conversation then. She was doing it anyway. By 30, she owned 15 investment properties. Then 2008 hit. Financial loss and recovery became her whole reality. She rebuilt in luxury real estate and spent years at work that left her feeling empty. The pandemic forced her to stop. That pause became Marble Collective, a platform preserving the stories of inspiring women. Women entrepreneurship, for Kristin, turned out to be about legacy more than revenue. She is raising two sons differently, teaching kids about money with the transparency she never received. Women and money passes through generations. That is exactly the point. Wealth Catalyst Summit in New York on May 14 is where this conversation continues. Built for women ready to stop being quiet about money and start building something real. Find your seat at wealthcatalyst.com.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Women and Money: Why We Need to Talk About It Differently 02:44 Growing Up Between Inherited Wealth and a Self-Made Legacy 09:56 How Losing Her Entire Inheritance to Financial Fraud Changed Everything 14:39 The Foreclosure Strategy That Launched Her Real Estate Career 22:12 Losing a 15-Property Portfolio in 2008 and How She Rebuilt 29:32 Building a Family and Teaching Kids About Money Intentionally 33:46 How the Pandemic Sparked the Idea for Marble Collective 42:17 Preserving Women's Stories and Building a Legacy That Lasts   Find more from Kristin Thomas: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinthomas_/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-thomas-1092a01b  Website: https://www.marblecollective.com  Find more from Syama Bunten: 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

    49 min

  4. May 5

    Women's Sports Investing: Where the Smart Money Is Moving Before It's Too Late | Lorine Pendleton

    Women's sports investing is one of the biggest opportunities in the market right now, and Lorine Pendleton has been calling it for years.  Host Syama Bunten sits down with Lorine Pendleton, founder of 125 Ventures, a venture capital fund at the intersection of sports, media, entertainment, and technology. She grew up in Harlem, earned her degree at Brown, went to law school at night while working in entertainment, and eventually negotiated the very first hip hop arena tour at a time when promoters refused to book rap artists in large venues.  Building wealth as a woman, she learned early, starts with the basics. Her father came from nothing, bought six multifamily homes, and talked about money openly at the dinner table. That foundation shaped everything that followed. Save consistently. Live below your means. Understand equity.  Her entry into angel investing for women came through a CNN segment that stopped her cold. She learned that less than 1% of venture funding reached Black founders and less than 2% reached women. She found Pipeline Angels, wrote her first check, and never looked back. The Rising America funds she co-raised went on to become some of Portfolia's best performers, with investments like Canela Media returning 50x.  What sets Lorine apart is her view of women's sports growth as a structural opportunity, not a social cause. The attendance numbers, media rights deals, and a 400% WNBA salary increase backed by a Nobel Prize-winning economist make the case plainly. Startup equity explained through her lens means understanding where value lives before everyone else catches on.  If this conversation has you thinking bigger about where to put your money and your attention, join us at the Wealth Catalyst Summit in New York on May 14. Lorine will be on stage, and this is exactly the kind of conversation that will continue there.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Introduction to Lorine Pendleton and 125 Ventures 03:03 Growing Up in Harlem: Early Money Lessons and Financial Foundations 11:30 Choosing Passion Over Pay: Breaking Into Entertainment Law 13:00 Negotiating the First Hip Hop Arena Tour 20:13 Understanding Startup Equity and Early Tech Exits 25:54 The CNN Moment That Sparked Her Angel Investing Journey 32:00 Why Women's Sports Is the Biggest Investment Opportunity Right Now 34:58 The Technology Infrastructure Behind Women's Sports Growth 39:03 WNBA Salaries, Valuations, and the Data That Proves the Opportunity 41:39 How to Connect with Lorine Pendleton and 125 Ventures Find more from Syama Bunten: 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

    43 min

  5. Apr 28

    The Great Wealth Enlightenment and Women's Financial Power

    94% of women expect to be fully in charge of their finances at some point in their lives. Only 28% feel confident about it. That gap in women's financial confidence is what this episode is about and Syama Bunten thinks she knows exactly where it comes from. Women don't give themselves credit for what they've already done. The student loans they paid off. The homes they bought. The kids they raised on their own. The aging parents they cared for. All of it is money. All of it counts. And reclaiming that is where women's financial confidence actually begins. In this solo episode, Syama introduces what she calls the Great Wealth Enlightenment. For the first time in history, inherited wealth and earned wealth are converging in women's hands at the same time. Decades of overturned rules and regulations have allowed women to build businesses, get credit, and invest in ways that simply weren't available before. By 2030, $30 trillion will be in women's hands. The question Syama is asking is what women decide to do with it and whether they feel equipped to make that call on their own terms. She gets personal. She talks about sending an email to 50 girlfriends just trying to find out what other women were doing with their money because nobody had ever shown her what was possible. This episode is the invitation. Syama spent years looking for a room where women could talk honestly about money, learn from each other, and stop operating in silos. So she built it. Wealth Catalyst salons are gathering women in 32 cities this year. Or come find your people at the Wealth Catalyst Summit in New York on May 14th.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 The Great Wealth Enlightenment and Women's Financial Power 04:10 Why Financial Success Does Not Guarantee Financial Confidence 08:45 Wealth Expanders and Smarter Investing Decisions for Women 12:55 Why Women Are Not Risk Averse With Money and Life 17:20 How Values Shape Wealth Building and Capital Stewardship 23:10 Why Women Need Peer to Peer Money Conversations 29:50 Money Stories Self Trust and Financial Self Responsibility 34:40 Private Credit Risk Tolerance and Better Investment Context 39:10 Wealth Catalyst Summit and the Future of Women Building Wealth Find more from Syama Bunten: 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

    39 min

  6. Apr 21

    How to Trust Yourself With Money and Make Confident Financial Decisions with Libby Clark

    No advisor, no spreadsheet, no perfect plan can replace trusting yourself. With money, with risk, with the decisions that actually shape your life. And when things don't go as planned, the question is whether you'll still have your own back. Libby Clark has spent her career inside those moments. Strategic advisor, attorney, former COO, she's the person leaders call when the pressure is high and the path forward isn't clear. But before any of that, she was a kid watching her single mother stretch very little into something that felt like enough. And the money lesson that stuck wasn't about saving or investing. It was a question that became a filter for every decision she would ever make: what does my dollar mean to me? Not what looks right. Not what everyone else is doing. What does it mean to you. In this conversation with host Syama Bunten, Libby traces how that question followed her through a career built in high stakes rooms, through divorce, through real estate gambles she made on the spot, and through the moments where listening to herself turned out to be the only advice worth taking. She also names something most financial conversations skip entirely. It's not the bad investment that stops people. It's the voice that shows up afterward. How you talk to yourself on the day something doesn't go the way you planned is where financial confidence actually lives or dies. This episode is part of the larger conversation Syama is building at Wealth Catalyst, salons and summits where women speak candidly about money, risk, and the choices that shape a life. If that kind of room is calling you, find a salon near you or join the Wealth Catalyst Summit in New York on May 14.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 High-Stakes Decisions, Money Questions, and Working With Advisors 05:06 Single Mom Money Lessons and Intentional Spending 08:23 Trusting Intuition and the First Full-Body Yes 11:50 Cancer, College Pivots, and Financial Resilience 15:38 New Zealand, Autonomy, and Leadership That Changed Everything 23:44 Why Libby Clark Chose Law and the Architecture of Power 36:54 Financial Autonomy, Intentional Spending, and Real Estate Investing 42:52 Self-Trust, Fear of Failure, and Confident Financial Decisions 50:38 Why Founders Need Integrated Advice in High-Pressure Moments 57:45 Loyalty to Yourself and Brave Money Decisions Connect with Libby Clark: Website: Visit the Libby Clark Law website LinkedIn: Connect with Libby on LinkedIn 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

    1 hr

  7. Apr 14

    Intergenerational Wealth Transfer Starts With Trust, Not Money

    Talking about money in families is hard. Talking about legacy is even harder. In this conversation with host Syama Bunten, Amy Castoro gets into why so many wealth transfers go sideways. Not because of bad legal structures or poor planning, but because families never learn to talk to each other. About what they actually need. About what they're afraid of. About what the money means to them and what they want it to mean for the next generation. When those conversations don't happen, conflict fills the gap and the wealth that was supposed to bring a family together ends up pulling it apart. Amy talks about the pressure that lands on the next generation, the damage that lingers after family conflict over money, and why women are increasingly at the center of these conversations as decision-makers, caregivers, and keepers of family culture. But before all of that, she shares where her perspective actually comes from. She grew up watching her mother stretch every dollar, lead with generosity, and hold things together through sheer resourcefulness. That upbringing gave her a particular lens on what wealth actually means and what it costs families who treat it as a financial problem instead of a human one. It's that backstory that explains how she became CEO of The Williams Group and why she approaches this work the way she does. This episode is part of a larger conversation Syama is building at Wealth Catalyst, salons and summits where women talk candidly about money, legacy, and what it actually takes to get it right. If that's the room you've been looking for, find a salon near you or join us at the Wealth Catalyst Summit in New York on May 14th. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Wealth, Family Conflict, and Building a Lasting Legacy 02:41 Amy Castoro's Childhood, Money Story, and Family Values 08:05 Resourcefulness, Hardship, and Early Lessons About Women and Wealth 12:04 From Ballet to Organizational Psychology and Career Direction 16:33 First Job, Six-Figure Income, and Amy's Early Money Mindset 23:20 Leaving New York, Joining Disney, and Finding Meaning at Work 28:09 Financial Security, Resourcefulness, and What Wealth Really Means 30:50 Women, Power, and the Future of Intergenerational Wealth Transfer 35:11 Family Legacy Planning, Trust, and Communication in Families 43:07 Values-Based Investing, Next Generation Wealth, and Creating Peace in Families Connect with Amy Castoro: Website: Visit The Williams Group Website NextGen Leadership Institute Program: Join the NextGen Leadership Program LinkedIn: Connect with Amy on LinkedIn 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

    50 min

  8. Apr 7

    From Real Estate to Angel Investing: Katie Dunn on How Women Build Real Leverage

    Some women learn money in a classroom. Katie learned it in her dad's real estate office. On Getting Rich Together, host Syama Bunten talks with investor, advisor, and former commercial real estate finance executive Katie Dunn about angel investing for women and the path that led her there. Katie grew up around deals, properties, and practical lessons about ownership, then built a career financing major commercial real estate transactions before moving into startup investing and founder advisory work. This episode is for anyone curious about women founders fundraising, a smarter startup fundraising strategy, and how to become an angel investor without pretending the process is simple. Katie's story makes angel investing for women feel concrete. She connects early money lessons to real estate investing for wealth building, then shows how that experience shaped the way she evaluates founders, opportunities, and risk. What makes this conversation worth hearing is Katie's honesty about money and power. She is clear that angel investing for women is not just about access or confidence. It is also about ownership, decision-making, and making money without apology. Hearing how Katie built her edge over time makes angel investing for women feel more grounded, more doable, and much less intimidating.   Episode Breakdown: 00:00 From Commercial Real Estate to Angel Investing 02:45 Katie Dunn's Early Money Lessons and Real Estate Upbringing 16:31 Breaking Into Commercial Real Estate Finance After College 24:22 First Investments and Real Estate Investing for Wealth Building 30:37 How Katie Dunn Learned Angel Investing and Startup Deal Flow 40:11 Using AI and Founder Advisory to Improve Startup Fundraising Strategy 46:53 Why More Women Need to Invest and Close the Female Founder Funding Gap   Connect with Katie Dunn: LinkedIn: Connect with Katie on LinkedIn Instagram: Follow Katie on Instagram  Tiktok: Follow Katie on Tiktok Website: Visit Katie's website   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

    52 min
See All (126)

4.8
out of 5
46 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
    126
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    Getting Rich Together

You Might Also Like