In this episode of the Banking on Girls podcast, we are excited to feature Wendy Teleki, the Head of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) at the World Bank.

We-Fi plays a crucial role in supporting women entrepreneurs in over 60 developing countries by enhancing their access to finance, markets, skills, and technology.

Wendy has been recognized as one of Forbes’s “50 Over 50” women in finance for her outstanding leadership in advocating for women's economic empowerment and entrepreneurship. She is also the co-author of "Rebalance: How Women Lead, Parent, Partner and Thrive," where she shares her personal journey and insights on finding purpose in one's career.

In this episode, Wendy discusses the valuable support the We-Fi project provides to women entrepreneurs, addressing the challenges they face at every stage of the entrepreneurial process—from launching their businesses to accessing necessary funding.

As a bonus, she offers advice for young women beginning their educational and career journeys, emphasizing the importance of choosing a purposeful path, a journey which she herself, outlines in her book.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation about empowering women in business and the steps we can take to create a more inclusive financial landscape.

In this episode of Banking on Girls, we’re joined by Professor Hal Hershfield, a distinguished expert in marketing, behavioral decision-making, and psychology at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. As the author of Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today, Professor Hershfield explores how understanding and connecting with our future selves can transform the way we make long-term financial decisions.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How Professor Hershfield’s research helps people visualize and emotionally connect with their future selves to improve saving behavior.
• How Professor Hershfield learned about money as a child and how he is raising his own children.
• Practical strategies for parents to teach children about saving, spending, and giving.

Key Takeaways:

• Building a connection with your future self can inspire actionable change in the present.
• Early financial education is crucial for instilling lifelong habits of thoughtful saving and spending.
• Simple, relatable techniques can help children and adults alike envision a more financially secure future.

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Maura Cunningham, founder of Rock the Street, Wall Street—a groundbreaking non-profit organization dedicated to empowering high school girls by teaching them the fundamentals of math, investing, and finance. Maura brings over 25 years of Wall Street experience in finance and wealth management, as well as insights from her journey as a mother to a successful trial lawyer.

Together, we discuss Maura’s mission to shatter the math barrier for girls in the U.S. and foster financial literacy from an early age. Maura explains how Rock the Street, Wall Street has been creating transformative impacts for young women, particularly those in high school, preparing them for financially independent futures.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Maura’s Motivation: What inspired Maura to leave her successful Wall Street career and start Rock the Street, Wall Street.
• The Lifecycle of Girls in Math: Maura outlines the typical "math journey" for girls in the U.S. and why many are discouraged from STEM at an early age.
• Breaking the Cycle: How her high school programs are designed to build confidence in finance and investing, cultivating the next generation of women leaders in finance.
• Raising Financially Savvy Girls: Insights from Maura's personal experience raising her daughter, with advice for parents raising girls in today’s fast-paced, complex world.

Connect with Rock the Street, Wall Street:

Learn more about Maura’s organization, their programs, and ways to get involved:

https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com/