Podcasts – Attainable Wealth

Don’t Wait Until 45 to Learn About Money with Ana Pineda

Academics spend years becoming experts in their fields, but many reach midcareer realizing they were never taught the fundamentals of personal finance.

In this episode of Academics and Their Money, Neeka Miremadi and Inga Timmerman sit down with former entomologist turned academic coach Ana Pineda to discuss her journey from a decade of postdoctoral research to building a successful coaching business. Ana shares how leaving academia transformed not only her career, but also her relationship with money.

Together, they explore why so many highly educated professionals struggle with financial literacy, the importance of budgeting, and how shifting from a scarcity mindset to intentional investing can create greater freedom and confidence. Ana also reflects on the realities of grant funding, transitioning out of academia, and why investing in yourself often provides the highest return.

Whether you’re a graduate student, postdoc, professor, or considering a career beyond academia, this conversation offers practical financial lessons alongside an honest look at redefining success.

Ana’s ifocusandwrite website: https://www.ifocusandwrite.com

Academia Isn’t Your Only Option: One Career Change That Doubled Matt Goren’s Income

What if the skills you’ve spent years developing in academia are worth far more than you’ve been led to believe?

In this episode of Academics and Their Money, Neeka Miremadi sits down with Matt Goren, former psychology professor and current Chief Strategy Officer at Danko Education, to talk about the financial realities of academia, career transitions, and why academics often underestimate both their value and their earning potential.

Matt shares his journey from graduate school during the Great Recession to teaching at UC Berkeley and the University of Georgia before ultimately transitioning into the financial planning education industry. Along the way, he reflects on the hidden opportunity cost of spending years in graduate school, the financial wake up call that changed his entire approach to money, and how one career change ultimately doubled his income, then doubled it again.

More importantly, Matt explains why leaving academia doesn’t mean abandoning your passion for education. Instead, it can mean finding new ways to teach, mentor, and make an impact while building greater financial security and flexibility.

We also explore why so many academics underestimate their transferable skills, how project management, critical thinking, and analytical problem solving are incredibly valuable outside the university, and why increasing your income is often one of the most effective ways to improve your financial future.

Whether you’re committed to academia or wondering what opportunities exist beyond it, this conversation offers an encouraging reminder that your PhD is more than a credential. It’s a skill set that can open far more doors than you might realize.

Say Hello to Matt:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjgoren

From Professor to Business Owner: The Financial Basics Every Academic Entrepreneur Needs to Know

Many academics dream about turning their expertise into something more, whether that means consulting, coaching, writing, speaking, creating courses, tutoring, or building a private practice. But moving from professor to business owner comes with a lot of financial questions: Do I actually have a business? Do I need an LLC? How do taxes work? What retirement accounts are available?

In this episode of Academics and Their Money, Neeka Miremadi and Inga Timmerman break down the financial basics academics need to know when starting a business on the side or transitioning into entrepreneurship.

They discuss the difference between a hobby and a business, why you do not need an LLC to be considered self employed, and what an LLC actually does (and does not do) for you. They also explain self employment taxes, quarterly estimated payments, business deductions, and the different ways businesses can be structured, including sole proprietorships, LLCs, and S Corps.

The conversation also covers overlooked opportunities for self employed academics, including SEP IRAs and solo 401(k)s, how to keep university employment and business activities separate, basic bookkeeping practices, and when it is worth bringing in outside experts like CPAs, attorneys, or financial planners.

Whether you are thinking about starting a side business, monetizing your expertise, or leaving academia altogether, this episode provides a practical roadmap for building a strong financial foundation as an academic entrepreneur.

Your Sabbatical Is Not a Productivity Challenge: How Bethany Wilinski Helps Academics Recover From Burnout and Fall Back in Love With Their Work

What if your sabbatical wasn’t about accomplishing more, but about creating the space you actually need to recover, reflect, and reconnect with your work?

In this episode of Academics and Their Money, we sit down with Bethany Wilinski, professor, researcher, and sabbatical coach, to talk about burnout, money mindset, and how academics can design sabbaticals that truly support the life they want to build.

Bethany shares her journey from elementary school teacher to professor at Michigan State University, including how her own experience with burnout after earning tenure changed the way she approached her sabbatical. Instead of pursuing the ambitious research plan she originally envisioned, Bethany realized she needed to ask a different question: What does she actually need from this time away?

That shift led her to create a sabbatical focused on rest, family, and renewal, including spending part of her sabbatical in Bordeaux, France with her family. After seeing how transformative that experience was, she created her sabbatical coaching business to help other academics plan intentional breaks that balance personal priorities with professional goals.

We also talk about the financial side of academic life, including how Bethany’s perspective on money evolved, why academics often struggle to prioritize financial security, and how earning more money can coexist with wanting to make a meaningful impact.

Bethany shares practical advice for academics preparing for a sabbatical, including:

Why trying to maximize productivity can lead to sabbatical regret
How to set boundaries with colleagues, students, and service commitments
Why rest can actually make you more effective in your career
How to redefine what “productive” means during a sabbatical
How to create intentional breaks even when a formal sabbatical is not available

Whether you are planning your own sabbatical, feeling burned out, or simply looking for ways to create more space in your academic career, this episode offers a thoughtful conversation about money, work, rest, and designing a life aligned with your values.

Learn more about Bethany here:

Website: https://bethanywilinski.com
Podcast: Sabbatical 101: https://bethanywilinski.com/sabbatical101/

Stop Treating Money Like a Dirty Word and Start Valuing Your Expertise with Jennifer Polk

What happens when a historian realizes the traditional academic path is no longer the right fit?

In this episode of Academics and Their Money, Neeka Miremadi and Inga Timmerman speak with career coach and entrepreneur Jennifer Polk about her journey from a “pre-K to PhD” academic path to building a business dedicated to helping PhDs find meaningful work beyond academia.

Jennifer reflects on earning a history PhD, navigating a challenging academic job market, and ultimately hiring her own career coach, a decision that helped shape the direction of her post academic career and led to the creation of From PhD to Life. She shares how this transition pushed her to develop a grounded, practical approach to money, one centered on understanding real living costs, consistently tracking spending, and making career decisions with clarity rather than fear.

The conversation explores what self employment actually looks like in practice, including income variability, lack of traditional benefits, retirement planning, and the realities of pricing one’s work. Jennifer also challenges common academic narratives around money, emphasizing that people with PhDs deserve to be paid fairly and do not need to apologize for valuing financial stability or success.

More broadly, this episode offers an honest look at career transitions beyond academia and speaks to anyone questioning their path, exploring self employment, or trying to build a healthier, more grounded relationship with money.

“It’s Not Wrong to Want More” Building Wealth Without Leaving Your Values Behind with Gertrude Nonterah

“It’s not wrong to want more.” – Gertrude Nonterah

In this episode of Academics and Their Money, hosts Neeka Miremadi and Inga Timmerman sit down with Gertrude Nonterah, founder of The Bold PhD, to talk about career pivots, personal branding, wealth building, and the complicated relationship academia has with money.

Gertrude shares her journey from earning a PhD in microbiology and immunology to unexpectedly losing her postdoc position when her lab shut down. What followed was a difficult job search that forced her to rethink how academics present themselves outside the university system. She explains how learning to communicate her skills, build a personal brand, and transition from an academic CV to an industry resume completely changed her career trajectory.

The conversation also dives deep into money mindset in academia. Gertrude challenges the unspoken belief that pursuing money somehow makes academics “less virtuous,” arguing instead that financial stability, wealth building, and intellectual pursuits can coexist. As an immigrant who built everything from scratch, she shares why financial independence, investing, and creating opportunities for future generations matter deeply to her.

Neeka, Inga, and Gertrude also discuss:

The opportunity cost of pursuing a PhD and postdoc
Delayed earning power and investing timelines in academia
Why many academics struggle to talk about themselves professionally
The importance of starting to invest early, even with small amounts
Personal branding and LinkedIn strategies for PhDs
Entrepreneurship, lifestyle businesses, and redefining success
How wealth can create freedom, flexibility, and legacy

Gertrude also shares practical financial advice she wishes she had learned sooner, including the power of compounding, fractional investing, and overcoming the belief that “I don’t have enough money to start.”

This episode is an honest, empowering conversation for academics navigating career uncertainty, financial anxiety, or the tension between intellectual passion and financial goals.

Changing How You Think About Money: A Framework and Book Recs for Academics

“Most academics don’t actually have a money problem. they either have a system problem, a behavioral problem, or a burnout problem.”

In this episode of Academics and Their Money, Inga Timmerman and Neeka Miremadi break down a curated set of personal finance ideas designed specifically for academics who are financially stable but still feel like something is missing. Rather than focusing on earning more or optimizing investments, the conversation centers on how money behavior, psychology, and life design shape financial well being.

They introduce a three part framework for thinking about money: building simple systems that reduce friction, learning how to actually use money in alignment with personal values, and preparing intentionally for retirement or major life transitions.

The first section explores how automation and simplicity outperform constant financial optimization. The core takeaway is that most people benefit more from “good enough” systems than from complex, manually managed financial setups. Automating savings, investing, and bills reduces cognitive load and helps ensure consistency over perfection.

The second section shifts into spending and value alignment. The conversation challenges the idea of endless saving and highlights the importance of using money to reduce stress, increase freedom, and build meaningful experiences while you are able to enjoy them. It also emphasizes that spending should reflect personal values, not social comparison or inherited habits.

The final section focuses on retirement and identity. Retirement is reframed as a lifestyle transition rather than a financial milestone, with emphasis on what life looks like after work ends. The discussion also explores how subconscious beliefs about money, often formed early in life, shape long term financial behavior and can either support or limit financial wellbeing.

They close by reinforcing that financial success is not just about accumulating wealth, but about having a system, understanding your behavior, and intentionally spending on what actually matters while maintaining the energy and clarity to enjoy it.

Books mentioned as part of our framework:

I Will Teach You to Be Rich — Ramit Sethi (with a grain of salt…not an endorsement of the author!)

The Psychology of Money — Morgan Housel

The Art of Spending Money — Morgan Housel

Die With Zero — Bill Perkins

How to Retire — Christine Benz

Mind Over Money — Brad Klontz and Ted Klontz

+ The Money Script Quiz Inga mentioned: https://www.bradklontz.com/moneyscriptstest

“Extra Credit” book:

Unraveling Faculty Burnout — Rebecca Pope-Ruark

+ We also interviewed Rebecca! Here’s the link to her amazing episode: https://attainablewealthfp.com/academia-wont-love-you-back-rebecca-pope-ruark-on-money-burnout-and-balance/

Academia Isn’t the Safety Net You Think, From Burnout to a Six Figure Exit with Paulina Cossette

In this episode of Academics and Their Money, Paulina Cossette shares her journey from political science professor to successful business owner and coach for academics seeking life beyond academia.

Raised by a single mother with financial instability, Paulina pursued higher education believing academia would provide long-term security. Instead, she discovered a reality many academics face: limited salary growth, geographic constraints, and a workload that often spills into nights and weekends. After years of burnout, especially following the birth of her son, she made the difficult decision to leave academia in 2019.

Paulina began freelancing as an academic copy editor, eventually scaling her business to six figures by learning how to market herself and attract private clients. Along the way, her mindset around money evolved significantly, from scarcity-driven frugality to understanding the value of investing in herself, her business, and her time.

Now, she helps other academics transition into entrepreneurship through coaching and her program, Becoming an Academic Editor. She shares candid advice for those considering leaving academia, emphasizing the importance of exploring options, seeking guidance, and defining what you want your life to look like before deciding on your next career move.

This episode dives into the financial realities of academia, the emotional weight of burnout, and the practical steps to build a more flexible, fulfilling, and financially scalable career outside traditional academic paths.

Paulina created her program, Becoming an Academic Editor or Coach, because she believes that every educator deserves to have the life they were promised—one with a flexible schedule, a comfortable income, and the ability to do the work we love. You can connect with Paulina on LinkedIn or get access to her podcast at AcadiaEditing.com/BecomeAnEditor.

Paulina S. Cossette, PhD

Acadia Editing Services | Schedule a call

I help academics build flexible, fulfilling businesses using their existing training and expertise.

LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Fed up with burnout? Join 100+ scholars in Becoming an Academic Editor or Coach

Curious about turning your academic skills into a profitable business? Get my free workbook, Map Your Academic Business

Financial Therapy Month: You Don’t Have a Money Problem, You Have a Nervous System Problem with Oliver Schnusenberg

Money stress isn’t always loud or obvious. More often, it shows up as a constant, quiet hum in the background of our daily lives.

In this Financial Therapy Month episode of Academics and Their Money, hosts Neeka Miremadi and Inga Timmerman sit down with returning guest Oliver Schnusenberg to unpack what money stress actually looks like, and why even financially stable, responsible people still feel anxious about money.

Oliver breaks down three common “money stress profiles”:
• the avoider
• the over-controller
• the people-pleaser

Each represents a learned, protective response rooted in past experiences, not a lack of discipline or knowledge.

The conversation explores the neuroscience behind these behaviors, explaining how our nervous system often overrides logic when money feels tied to survival, control, or belonging.

Through a candid, real-time coaching moment with Neeka, the episode brings these concepts to life, highlighting how over-control and scarcity thinking can show up even when you’re objectively “doing everything right.”

The key takeaway: knowing what to do with money isn’t the same as being able to do it.

Listeners will walk away with practical tools to reduce reactivity, including grounding techniques, small-step exposure strategies, and a powerful reframe:
Instead of asking, “What should I do with my money?”, ask, “What do I want this money to support about the kind of person I want to be?”

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who’s ever felt behind, anxious, or stuck in their financial habits, even when the numbers say they’re doing just fine.

Episode referenced by Inga and Neeka:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/less-hustle-more-intention/id1824876017?i=1000747695500

Oliver’s website:
https://www.equilibriaevolution.com

Financial Therapy Month: Building a Healthier Financial Life, Practical Tools for Money & Emotions with Nate Astle

“Shame is the enemy of change. We can’t shame ourselves into better financial behavior.”
— Nate Astle

In this episode of Academics and Their Money, Neeka Miremadi and Inga Timmerman talk with financial therapist Nate Astle about the emotional side of personal finance and why our financial habits are often shaped long before adulthood.

Nate explains how childhood experiences, family dynamics, and cultural influences shape the way we think about spending, saving, and financial security. The conversation focuses especially on relationships, where many financial conflicts are actually about deeper issues like autonomy, respect, and feeling heard.

They also discuss the powerful role shame plays in financial decision making, and why replacing judgment with curiosity can help people make healthier financial choices.

Finally, Nate shares practical tools couples can use to communicate about money, reduce conflict, and build a more collaborative approach to managing finances.

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