Getting Rich Together

Building Wealth With Intention (Not Flash) with Dawn Dobras

What does it really take to build wealth through discipline, strategy, and long-term thinking—while still creating meaningful impact? In this episode, Syama Bunten sits down with third-generation entrepreneur, C-level executive, and angel investor Dawn Dobras, whose career spans fashion retail, creative industries, and board leadership. Dawn shares how early lessons in financial literacy, competitive drive, and strategic planning shaped her rise from an entry-level role in fashion retail to investing in and mentoring female and diverse founders. This conversation isn't about flashy wins. It's about building financial security early, thinking like an operator, and using wealth as a tool to empower others and create lasting change. Key Topics: Chasing the entrepreneurial spirit from a very young age Maxing out the 401k as early as possible It's never too late to start investing and learning more about it Being a conversation starter about investing among women peers Owning your expertise and fully realizing your potential Getting more savvy about the investments you make Teaching kids to be productive and to always be moving forward every day Creating a butterfly effect to help others harness their power for exponential change   Connect with Dawn online: Website: https://www.capitalf.vc/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawndobras Instagram: @dawndboras   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

The Long Game of Wealth: Real Estate, Risk, and Reinventing Life with Anne-Michelle Wand

What does it really look like to build wealth—slowly, intuitively, and unapologetically on your own terms? In this episode, Syama Bunten sits down with real estate investor, developer, and global entrepreneur Anne-Michelle Wands, whose life story spans single motherhood, salon ownership, real estate mastery, and ultimately building a legacy in Panama. Anne-Michelle shares how she went from sleeping in a hallway with two young sons to owning multiple properties across the U.S., Hawaii, and Central America—by trusting herself, spotting gaps others missed, and choosing ownership again and again. This conversation isn't about overnight success. It's about resilience, intuition, and designing a life where money supports freedom—not the other way around. Key Topics: Breaking the Silence Around Women & Money Early Money Imprinting & Entrepreneurial Roots Nonlinear Paths to Wealth (Motherhood, Survival & Reinvention) From Employee to Owner: Building Businesses That Create Freedom Real Estate as a Wealth Multiplier Scaling from Local to Global Investing Lessons From Risk, Failure & Resilience Abroad Legacy Wealth & Purpose-Driven Investing Connect with Anne-Michelle Wand online: Website: https://www.passive-profit-partners.com/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cr8grtsuccess?originalSubdomain=pa 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  

Why More Women Should Buy Businesses Instead of Start Them with Jeanne Wang

What if building wealth didn't mean starting from scratch—or doing it alone? In this episode Syama sits down with investor, advisor, and mentor Jeanne Wang to explore a powerful (and still under-discussed) path to wealth: buying and operating existing businesses. Jeanne shares her journey from growing up in a small Pennsylvania farm town, to Wharton, to decades in private equity—before intentionally shifting her focus toward supporting women as owners, operators, and investors. Together, Shama and Jeanne unpack the emotional, financial, and identity-level decisions that shape women's wealth journeys, especially mid-career. This is a conversation about legacy, risk, confidence, and why women owning businesses isn't just good for returns—it's good for communities. Key Topics: Why signing bonuses and performance guarantees matter more than base salary in your first negotiation The power of choosing diverse experience and strong culture over the highest-paying job offer How to evaluate career opportunities through the lens of working with highly motivated people The critical difference between building a business from scratch and buying an established one How to build wealth through alternative assets while maintaining a risk-averse mindset The importance of financial literacy education and creating investment competitions with your family Why legacy is measured by the number of women you help into ownership, not personal accolades Connect with Jeanne Wang online: Website: https://www.villagesearchpartners.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeannewang1/    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    

Breaking the Scarcity Mindset & Building a Business on Your Own Terms with April Uchitel, Founder of The Board

April Uchitel is the founder of The Board, a pioneering fractional executive community connecting top-tier talent with brands that need specialized expertise. With a prolific 30-year career spanning Violet Grey, DVF, and leading tech startups, April has built some of the most coveted brands in fashion and beauty. Her journey from managing a Contempo Casuals in Boulder to running global sales strategy for multimillion-dollar companies is a testament to the power of relationships, resilience, and finally betting on yourself. In this conversation, April reveals how growing up watching her salesman father navigate feast-or-famine finances created a scarcity mindset that kept her at companies far too long—and how she finally broke free in her 50s to build her life's work. You'll discover the moment she realized equity matters more than salary, why she moved her family cross-country to chase freedom over titles, and how she's redefining what fractional work means for burned-out executives and growing companies alike. April shares why the future is fractional, how to ask for what you're worth when you don't know the game, and why surrounding yourself with community is the antidote to the isolation of entrepreneurship. Key Topics: How a scarcity mindset from childhood kept her in stable jobs too long—and cost her wealth The wake-up call that equity and ownership matter more than any salary increase Why she left a half-million-dollar CEO role to build something with true agency Moving from fear-based decision making to designing life on your own terms The fractional revolution—why specialized expertise beats bloated org charts Building a membership-based business that bootstraps without VC pressure Why community and human connection are your greatest competitive advantage Regulating yourself as a founder when the buck stops with you on everything   Connect with April online: Website: https://www.wearetheboard.co/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/april-uchitel-2b56b414/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apriluchitel/?hl=en   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  

Establishing Wealth That Lasts with Lindsay Hadley, Managing Director of Harbor Fund

Lindsay Hadley is the Managing Director of Harbor Fund, the first venture capital-shaped 501(c)3 investing in films and television that change culture for good. She's the founding executive director behind Global Citizen, brought the first $17 million to the organization, and has spent her career galvanizing A-list celebrities, billionaire philanthropists, and major corporations around causes that matter. Her journey from witnessing extreme poverty in post-Soviet Russia to raising $12 million in her first year at Harbor Fund is a masterclass in applied faith and relentless purpose. In this conversation, Lindsay reveals how growing up in a conservative Mormon community where women were expected to be stay-at-home mothers shaped her resistance to traditional career paths—and how becoming the primary breadwinner created painful but necessary conversations in her marriage. You'll discover the inflection point when she sold her dream home for double what she built it for, moved to Hawaii, and completely reimagined her relationship with money and mental health. Lindsay shares why she left the "eat what you kill" consulting treadmill to build residual income, how she's now matching philanthropists with Hollywood's elite to fund purpose-driven storytelling, and why changing one person's world matters as much as changing the world. Key Topics: How witnessing extreme poverty in post-Soviet Russia shaped a lifelong paradigm about money and privilege Navigating the painful cognitive dissonance of being the primary breadwinner in a traditional marriage The financial inflection point of selling a home for double and rethinking wealth strategy at 40 Moving from "eat what you kill" consulting to building residual income streams Why the most powerful engine in the world is Hollywood—and how to hijack it for good Creating the first venture capital-shaped nonprofit investing in films that change culture Building a $100 million fund to become top 1% of independent film financing Why dangerous love and being fully known matters more than any professional legacy Connect with Lindsay online: Website: https://www.capitafinancialnetwork.com/team/lindsay-hadley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-hadley-6796a748/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsayshadley/?hl=en   Find more from Syama Bunten: Instagram: @syama.co, @gettingrichpod 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