Money Stories

Hunter Terpenny: Being Poor is a Calling - Money Stories Ep. 47

Most entrepreneurs track every dollar in and out. Very few stop to ask what the money is actually for. Hunter Terpenny grew up on 40 acres in rural Virginia, watching his dad quietly save for years to pay for college, in a household where you earned what you got and nobody handed you anything. 2008 wiped it out almost overnight. That moment stuck with him and shaped the path that followed, including walking away from a funded startup and spending three years living out of his truck with a climbing rack, a surfboard, and a futon mattress. When he was done wandering, he started Humm Accounting with four clients and grew to over 100 businesses in under two years, entirely through word of mouth. We unpack: • How watching a parent lose everything shapes your entire money story • What three years of living with almost nothing teaches you that success never will • Why the goal of accumulating money is really just the goal of never having to think about it • How your resource level changes the way you experience time • The thought experiment every entrepreneur needs to do before setting a financial goal About Hunter Terpenny: Hunter Terpenny is a CPA and founder of Humm Accounting, a full-stack financial services firm built to help entrepreneurs understand their numbers and make decisions with confidence. Husband, rock climber, powder chaser, accounting enthusiast, business owner, and blissfully exhausted father of two. Connect with Hunter: Website: https://hummaccounting.com/ Email: unter@hummaccounting.com For listeners of this episode, Hunter is offering 20% off setup, onboarding, and accounting stack reviews.

Keith Roberts: Never Build a Business Until You Understand This - Money Stories Ep. 46

Most entrepreneurs are good at making money. Far fewer are good at keeping it, or knowing what it's actually for. Keith Roberts spent 24 years building Zen Man, a creative agency that grew into a machine that nearly broke him. He traded his time for money, weathered lawsuits, hid foreclosure notices from his employees, and hit rock bottom before finding his way out. In this conversation, Keith shares the full arc from starving artist to agency founder to author and speaker, and the lessons that only come from building something real and nearly losing it all. We unpack: • Why being great at making money can actually create a poor relationship with it • The difference between building a business and building a life • How Keith used ancient Eastern wisdom to navigate the chaos of modern entrepreneurship • Why the hustle mindset eventually stops working, and what comes next • How to hold big goals without attaching your self-worth to the outcome • What wealth actually means when you strip away the comparison and the scorecard This is a deeply honest conversation about the cost of success, the power of intention, and what it looks like to finally build something that serves your life instead of consuming it. About Keith Roberts: Keith Roberts is a transformational leadership speaker and founder of Zen Man, where he spent 24 years creating digital solutions for major brands like Frontier Airlines, Remax, and The Lumineers. Author of The Zen of Business, he blends ancient wisdom with modern leadership strategies, delivering powerful, story-driven keynotes that help leaders navigate change with intention, clarity, and purpose. Connect with Keith: Website: https://keithrobertsiii.com/about-keith-roberts Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/zenman42/ X - https://x.com/Zenman42 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zenman/ Book: The Zen of Business: Ancient Wisdom to Help Modern Leaders Lead with Intention, Clarity, and Purpose

Niraj Shah: The Mindset That Turns Success Into Freedom - Money Stories Ep. 45

Many entrepreneurs achieve success only to realize they are further away from freedom than when they started. Niraj Shah has spent his career building businesses and working closely with entrepreneurs navigating success. Over time, he began to see a common pattern: the pursuit of achievement can quietly pull people away from the life they hoped success would create. In this conversation, Niraj shares how early lessons shaped his thinking about ownership, entrepreneurship, and building wealth that actually supports the life you want. We unpack: • Why many entrepreneurs achieve success but never find freedom • The difference between income and ownership • How investors think about time, risk, and opportunity • Why clarity about your life changes every financial decision • The mindset shift that turns success into freedom This is a thoughtful conversation about building wealth with intention and using entrepreneurship as a vehicle for freedom rather than just achievement. About Niraj Shah: At 30, Niraj survived a major stroke that permanently changed how he sees time, energy, and success. What could have ended his story became fuel. Since then, he’s co-founded 5 companies, invested in or advised more than 50 founders, and built an investment portfolio that balances reliable income with high-risk bets. Today he runs DKZ Equity, an M&A advisory firm that helps entrepreneurs create and capture more value from the businesses they’ve spent years building. He also writes about entrepreneurship, energy, and freedom. These topics shape how he thinks, works and lives. Connect with Niraj: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niraj5hah/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niraj5hah/ X: https://x.com/niraj5hah For a refreshing take on M&A: https://www.dkzequity.com/ Subscribe to his newsletter: https://www.nirajs.com/#/portal

Chris Girbés: Why Financial Growth Alone Is Never Enough - Money Stories Ep. 44

Chris Girbés has built a life rooted in intention, family, and meaningful work, yet his journey with money has been anything but simple. In this episode, Chris and I reflect on how success and fulfillment are shaped not just by what we build, but by how we relate to it. We explore why financial growth does not create a sense of enough and how old money stories continue to drive high performers. Chris also shares what it looks like to redefine wealth around values, family, and lived experience. We unpack: • Why success on paper often fails to deliver a felt sense of safety • How early money stories continue to influence adult decision making • The difference between awareness, insight, and integration • What it really means to define enough • How presence and family reshape the definition of true wealth This is a grounded conversation about building a life you don't need to escape from and using money as a tool to support what matters most. About Chris Girbés: Chris is the co-founder of Five Oceans Advisory, a firm built to reimagine traditional financial advice for entrepreneurs. He spent over a decade in the financial services industry, including years building his own practice in performance driven environments. Chris helped launch Five Oceans alongside his friend and mentor Marc Campbell to create a values aligned, life first approach to wealth strategy. He grew up in San Diego and earned a degree in Business Administration from Principia College, where he played both football and baseball. Chris currently lives in Southern California with his wife Alexis and their two sons. Connect with Chris: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisgirbes/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisgirbes Check out Five Oceans Advisors, his financial life planning company: https://fiveoceansadvisors.com/

Special Episode: Confronting the Painful Truth - The Inner Circle Ep. 5

Step inside The Inner Circle, where Kevin Dahlstrom and I speak freely and honestly without judgment, challenging each other in pursuit of truth. A single question frames this conversation: What’s the most painful truth you’ve had to accept about yourself? Drawing from different stages of life, Kevin and I share the kinds of realizations that only come with time and self examination. The discussion is honest and raw, with their perspectives converging around growth and self awareness. We explore: • How painful self awareness becomes a catalyst for growth • The difference between accountability and self condemnation • What aging and limitation reveal about priorities and presence • How regret and compassion can coexist • Why confronting reality reshapes how you live the next chapter This conversation offers a grounded look at self reflection, and the clarity that can emerge when difficult truths are faced honestly and carried forward into daily life. Connect with us on X for more from The Inner Circle, and let us know how you're liking the new format. Kevin Dahlstrom: https://x.com/Camp4 Mike Brown: https://x.com/mbrown_co