A lot of high earners are doing everything right on paper and still feel stuck. Not financially stuck. Mentally stuck. Priya Malani sits down with Marcia Dawood, angel investor, TEDx speaker, and author of the forthcoming Unapologetic Wealth, to unpack why so many people, especially women, struggle to act on the wealth they're building. They get into the surprising science behind inherited money fear, why financial avoidance is rarely about discipline, and how identifying your values is actually the first investing decision you make. If you've ever delegated your finances out of discomfort or let a raise disappear without a plan, this conversation is a useful mirror.

Takeaways:

• The one hangup people have once they have wealth is that they don't align it with their values and don't have a clear picture of their goals.
• Fear around money isn't always personal, it can be inherited, passed down through generations in ways that are measurably biological.
• Women aren't bad with money or overly risk averse, they're risk unpracticed, and the fix is reps, not a personality change.
• Choosing zero exposure to private markets is still an active portfolio decision, even if it doesn't feel like one.
• Modeling financial confidence isn't just for you, it shapes how the next generation thinks about money before they ever earn any.

  
  

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Guest Bio:

Marcia Dawood is the author of Do Good While Doing Well, TEDx speaker, Podcast host, and an early-stage investor who serves as the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. She is a venture partner with Mindshift Capital and the chair emeritus of the Angel Capital Association (ACA), a global professional society for angel investors. She is also an associate producer on the award-winning documentary Show Her the Money. Her new book, Unapologetic Wealth - Rewrite Your Money Story From Any Beginning, releases in March 2026.

Guest Links:

MarciaDawood.com

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Stash Wealth is a Registered Investment Advisor. Content presented is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to make an offer or solicitation for any specific securities product, service, or strategy. Consult with a qualified investment adviser (that's us) before implementing any strategy. Investing involves risk, including the loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. There…we said it.