Getting Rich Together

Syama Bunten
  • 4.8 (47)
  • Investing
  • Updated 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. The 4th Wealth Catalyst Summit is on October 16th in San Francisco, aboard the newly restored historic boat, The Klamath. Join 120 women who are creatively building, deploying and preserving capital for a full day of wealth expanding opportunities, ideas, and connections. Attendees include founders, executives, investors, board directors, philanthropists. Apply here: www.wealthcatalyst.com

  1. 4d ago

    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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

See All (145)

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. The 4th Wealth Catalyst Summit is on October 16th in San Francisco, aboard the newly restored historic boat, The Klamath. Join 120 women who are creatively building, deploying and preserving capital for a full day of wealth expanding opportunities, ideas, and connections. Attendees include founders, executives, investors, board directors, philanthropists. Apply here: www.wealthcatalyst.com

Information

  • Creator
    Syama Bunten
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    145
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    Getting Rich Together

You Might Also Like