Singer-Songwriter Susan Werner joins Carl for a deeply personal conversation that weaves together her upbringing on a midwest farm, her financial philosophy, and how it intersects with her pursuit of creative integrity. From the sound of coins jingling in her father’s pocket as a young child to the smell of manure—“the smell of money” on an Iowa farm—Susan shares how early experiences shaped her understanding of value and work. Susan opens up about navigating the unpredictable economics of a lif...
Apr 09, 2025•59 min
What should we do to protect our finances and investments right now? First off, when markets get scary? We should avoid chasing predictions. It turns out that creating financial resilience is not about making perfect predictions about what’s coming next. It’s about building a life that can adapt to whatever arrives. This approach works, regardless of what’s happening with tariffs, markets, or potential recessions. By focusing on what you can control, you’re building financial strength that serve...
Apr 03, 2025•12 min
Carl tackles the fear and uncertainty that often accompanies volatile markets (are you feeling a little bit of that right about now?), with a reassuring reminder that market fluctuations are normal. Carl emphasizes the importance of staying focused on long-term goals rather than reacting emotionally to short-term market movements. —----------------------------- Follow 50 Fires on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/50firespod/ Please direct business inquires to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Cover...
Apr 02, 2025•8 min
Making tough financial decisions can be overwhelming, especially when emotions and biases come into play. In this mini episode of 50 Fires, Carl shares a powerful mental tool he calls The Overnight Test. This simple yet effective exercise helps navigate the inertia of holding onto investments, properties, or even routines that no longer serve us. Through real-life stories—including a long-abandoned family cabin, an under-performing stock, and a small business owner's dilemma—Carl illustrates how...
Mar 26, 2025•9 min
Peter Singer may be, as The New Yorker calls him, the planet’s “most influential living philosopher." He has written the classic text Practical Ethics, The Expanding Circle, The Life You Can Save (which gave rise to the organization of the same name) and Pushing Time Away (an account of the life and fate of his grandfather, a victim of the Holocaust). Carl and Peter discuss the carefulness around spending instilled by his parents at an early age and reflects on the ethics of giving and altruism....
Mar 19, 2025•30 min
Katie Gatti Tassin, the creator of the Money with Katie Podcast, joins Carl to explore the personal and philosophical sides of money. Katie shares her journey from launching a personal finance blog to selling it to Morning Brew, and how that experience reshaped her views on wealth, work, and independence. Together, they dive into Katie’s early memories of money, the financial habits instilled by her parents, and the emotional weight of financial decisions—like buying a luxury car and the conflic...
Mar 12, 2025•1 hr 8 min
At 54 years old, Kevin Dahlstrom has discovered the secret to ‘enough.’ A four-time CMO, founder, rock climber, father, and husband, Kevin joins Carl to explore themes of career control and the true importance of aligning one’s life with personal values. They discuss strategies for gaining control over one’s career, the significance of unstructured time for creativity, and the concept of a low-cost ideal life. Ultimately, Kevin advocates for a mindset that prioritizes experiences over material p...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 11 min
Celebrated author Pam Houston describes her extraordinary journey with Carl in this inspiring episode —from a childhood shaped by financial anxiety to finding solace and purpose in the natural world. Pam shares the remarkable story of how she bought her beloved ranch in Wyoming with just 4.7% down and a signed copy of her first book, the life lessons she learned from her father’s obsession with money, and how she discovered the true meaning of “enough.” Along the way, Pam reflects on the power o...
Feb 26, 2025•1 hr
Joshua Becker is best known as a minimalist. He’s the founder of Becoming Minimalist and the bestselling author of books like The Minimalist Home and The More Of Less. In this episode, Carl and Joshua discuss the paradoxes of wealth and happiness, the impact of cultural expectations on spending, and the importance of aligning financial decisions with personal values. Joshua also presents his case against car payments, so listen to this episode before you purchase your next new vehicle. For more ...
Feb 19, 2025•51 min•Season 3Ep. 4
What happens when passion meets financial reality? In this episode of 50 Fires, Carl sits down with artist Daren Thomas Magee, the creative mind behind Real Fun, Wow. Daren opens up about the challenges of making a living as an artist, the unfiltered realities of financial ups and downs, and his unique approach to staying grounded despite financial stress. From the pressure of selling art to the mental resilience needed to navigate debt, this conversation explores what it really means to follow ...
Feb 12, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Have you ever caught yourself making a decision about money—big or small—and thought, Wait. Whose voice is that in my head? Is this really me? Or is it the voice of my parents, a professor, society, or maybe even fear? Dr. Gena Gorlin understands this deeply and has spent significant time unraveling this pattern of thinking. As a clinical psychologist specializing in the needs of ambitious builders—especially founders—she helps them break free from limiting voices and mental scripts that keep th...
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 2
What happens when you spend $200,000 a year but only make $30,000? In this lively episode, Carl dives into the numbers with Joel Stein—one of America’s wittiest cultural commentators—to explore his unique experiences with money. From renting Lamborghinis to hosting billionaires at Burning Man, Joel’s journalism career has granted him access to experiences that money simply can’t buy. Carl and Joel tackle questions like: What’s the real cost of chasing “enough”? And why are people more secretive ...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 1
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Dec 24, 2024•7 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Tony Riddle is a natural lifestyle coach, father, husband, the best-selling author of Be More Human and a record-breaking barefoot endurance athlete. In this conversation, Tony and Carl explore the themes of failure, intentional living, and the importance of community, emphasizing the alignment of capital with happiness. The discussion also touches on the concept of home as a community and the role of uncertainty in life, challenging each other and all of us to grant more permission in our lives...
Dec 18, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Dallas Hartwig is a co-founder of the Whole30 program and co-author of two New York Times bestselling books — It Starts With Food and The Whole30. He’s also co-host of The Living Experiment podcast, and on this episode of 50 Fires, he shares his fears about financial stability while prioritizing quality of life and time with his children. He and Carl also discuss the nature of generosity, and the impact of giving on relationships in our lives, both big and small. Dallas reflects on his experienc...
Dec 11, 2024•58 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Katie Arnold is an author, journalist, competitive ultra runner and host of running and writing retreats. Her new book, Brief Flashings in the Phenomenal World, is out now. In this episode of 50 Fires, Katie and Carl explore themes of self-discovery, the meaning of money, and the practices that help her maintain authenticity in a world filled with external expectations. Katie emphasizes the significance of writing and meditation as tools for self-reflection and personal growth, while also addres...
Dec 04, 2024•58 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Email List: Sign up at https://www.50fires.com/ for our monthly email with resources for financial advisors! Follow 50 Fires on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/50firespod/ Please direct business inquires to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Cover Art: Josh Passler - TheFinArtist.com Music Credits: Alexandra Woodward / Rabbit Reggae / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Cody Francis / Wherever You’re Going / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...
Nov 27, 2024•11 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Krista Tippett is an icon of reflection and moral imagination. As the creator and host of the radio program On Being, Krista’s voice has been a steadying for millions of listeners over the years, guiding conversations about life’s biggest questions, and inviting us to think more deeply. Krista and Carl venture into the complex and often messy relationship that we all have with money. Not just as a cultural force, but as something deeply personal. Together they examine the stories we inherit, the...
Nov 20, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Kara Swisher joins Carl for a wide-ranging conversation about money and meaning - from her early experiences with money to observing the habits of influential billionaires up close. If you’re not already familiar with Kara, her reputation precedes her: she’s direct, honest, and unapologetic about asking tough questions, especially to the wealthiest of individuals in our society. Over the course of her career, Kara has interviewed many of the most influential figures in the tech industry: Steve J...
Nov 13, 2024•49 min•Season 2Ep. 20
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Nov 06, 2024•12 min•Season 2Ep. 20
What job have you given money, and is it realistic? Jonny Miller and Carl explore this question in a discussion that digs deeper into the meanings of wealth, ambition, and fulfillment. Jonny is the founder of the Nervous System Mastery program, providing high-performers - from the CEO of a rocket ship company to startup founders recovering from burnout to busy parents attempting to stay afloat amidst the chaos of raising a family- with evidence-backed protocols to cultivate calm, build resilienc...
Oct 30, 2024•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 19
Jerry Colonna is a certified professional coach dedicated to the notion that better humans make better leaders. Drawing on his wide variety of experiences as a former venture capitalist and practicing Buddhist, Jerry and Carl explore the intricate relationship between money, emotions, and family ancestry. He shares personal anecdotes about his early memories of money, the emotional weight it carries, and how these experiences shaped his understanding of financial relationships throughout his lif...
Oct 23, 2024•54 min•Season 2Ep. 18
David C. Baker is the author of multiple books, including “The Business of Expertise: How Entrepreneurial Experts Convert Insight To Impact + Wealth”. He’s a helicopter and airplane pilot, an avid photographer, and taught high performance motorcycle riding/racing. Based in Nashville, he has visited and worked all over the world. On this episode of 50 Fires, he shares his insights on staying curious in life, the importance of keeping meaningful hobbies, and how to shut out the noise of comparativ...
Oct 16, 2024•54 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Sarah Spain is a veteran sports reporter who currently hosts “Good Game with Sarah Spain”, a daily podcast covering the biggest stories in women’s sports. Sarah and Carl discuss the challenges and realities of working in the sports industry, including the financial struggles and gender inequity that comes with it. Follow and Listen to "Good Game with Sarah Spain": https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-game-with-sarah-spain/id1752100672 Email List: Sign up at https://www.50fires.com/ for our...
Oct 09, 2024•52 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Teenage investor Chris Truong joins Carl to discuss why investing your money should be boring. At just 16 years old, Chris started a long-term diversified investing club at his high school - a club for ‘boring investment’, as he puts it - and it has grown from a club of 2 people - just him and his teacher - to over 40 of his peers. Chris emphasizes the importance of investing for long-term financial stability and the misconception that picking individual stocks can lead to quick wealth. He also ...
Oct 02, 2024•36 min•Season 2Ep. 15
The world is a better place when we are all trying to do the thing that lights us up. Ben Katt shares his experience of following his intuition and making a job change to focus on writing a book and rebooting his meditation teaching practice while in his 40s. Ben recently authored a book called “The Way Home: Discovering the Hero’s Journey to Wholeness at Midlife”, and on this episode of 50 Fires, he and Carl discuss many of the principles in that book that helped him embrace his uniqueness and ...
Sep 25, 2024•53 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Jodi Kantor and Ron Lieber are both distinguished journalists at The New York Times, and today they join Carl to discuss the importance of financial stability for their family while pursuing work that is meaningful, both as individuals, and as a couple. Ron has been the “Your Money” columnist for The New York Times since 2008, and worked as the editor for Carl’s “Sketch Guy” column when he was at the Times. In 2017, Jodi and her colleague Megan Twohey I broke the story of decades of sexual abuse...
Sep 18, 2024•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 13
What does it truly mean to balance success with artistic integrity? Brendan Leonard, an artist and creative known for his humorous and thoughtful writing at Semi-Rad.com, shares his journey through the delicate balance of staying true to his creative vision and the pressures of mass appeal. This episode explores a familiar theme on 50 Fires: Why do we need money, and what is it really for? Reflecting on personal stories, Brendan and Carl observe that true security may be more about mindset and l...
Sep 11, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Stephanie Kelton is an American Economist, Academic, and a leading proponent of Modern Monetary Theory. She served as chief economist on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee in 2015, and POLITICO called her one of the 50 Most Influential Thinkers the year after. On this episode of 50 Fires, she joins Carl to share her own personal stories about money and discuss what it means to her. The conversation explores the themes of taking risks, learning how (and when) to say yes to opportunities, and the ch...
Sep 04, 2024•57 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Peter Rollins is an Irish philosopher, author, storyteller, producer and public speaker who has gained an international reputation for overturning traditional notions of religion and being in the world. Peter joins Carl to reflect on how we can align our lives more closely with our values, using money to enable that alignment. This wide ranging conversation focuses on themes of desire, lack, and the pursuit of fulfillment, while exploring the relationship between money, satisfaction, and everyda...
Aug 28, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 10
