Chasing Financial Equality

About Chasing Financial Equality

Founded by two ex-paramedics and a software engineer, Maslow is a social enterprise startup that’s chasing financial equality for humanity. With plans to build a new and equitable finance industry, Maslow wants to transform the worlds largest industry so that it advocates for and is owned by billions of people, not just a few. Chasing Financial Equality features interviews between Maslow’s founders, industry experts, supporters, social commentators, celebrities and critics, and covers rarely discussed truths about the finance industry, the immense problems it creates for society, and the solutions we must pursue if we’re to live sustainably and peacefully on this spaceship we call earth - the only home we know.

Publisher

Maslow

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 Aug 2023

Latest episode

23 Sept 2025

Latest episodes

23 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Sept 2025

   Wrong Numbers: Why Happiness Trumps Economic Growth with Martin Oetting

   In this episode, Kane Jackson speaks with filmmaker Martin Oetting about his documentary "Purpose," which explores reimagining economic systems that prioritize wellbeing over GDP growth. Born in West Germany to a politically engaged family, Martin brings personal insight to this challenge of creating economies serving people and planet. The conversation covers Martin's seven-year journey creating a film following two economic pioneers: Katherine Trebeck (Australian economist in Scotland) and Lorenzo Fioramonti (Italy's former Economic Development Minister). Martin's project was sparked by the 2016 US election, which made him question how supposedly successful economies could produce profound societal dysfunction. Martin articulates the fundamental shift wellbeing economy advocates propose: measuring what truly matters to people (family, health, security, meaningful work) rather than just money made. He discusses translating complex economic concepts into compelling narratives and his vision for making "economics a popular sport" through community dialogue. Despite current setbacks, Martin maintains that purposeful action toward better systems remains both possible and necessary. Key Themes The Purpose of "Purpose" (03:15-06:54) - How West Germany's post-war validation through economic growth informed Martin's interest in alternatives to GDP as our success yardstick. What Really Matters (06:54-09:53) - How people universally value family, health, security and work, yet economic measurements fail to reflect these priorities. GDP's Flaws (07:48-09:53) - How this convenient but flawed short-term solution became permanently embedded, counting aggregate money without measuring distribution, equality, or wellbeing. Trump's Election as Catalyst (10:03-12:43) - How this pivotal moment made Martin question America's economic "success" despite social and democratic dysfunction. America as Cautionary Tale (12:43-14:26) - How countries still point to America's GDP growth while ignoring declining life expectancy, crumbling infrastructure, and democratic instability. The Time-Poverty Paradox (15:18-17:35) - How growth-obsessed economies rob people of time to contemplate alternatives, leaving economics to specialized "oracles." Wellbeing Economy Framework (18:06-23:30) - Society collectively deciding what goals matter, setting measurable indicators, then inviting all actors to compete on finding solutions. Trickle-Down Economics Critique (23:30-25:49) - The false promises and communication challenges in our "post-truth sound bite world." Storytelling for Change (25:49-29:52) - Martin's quest to translate economic, academic and political work into relatable art forms through film, stage shows, and writing. Academic Responsibility (27:16-29:52) - Critique of academics speaking only to peers rather than making work accessible to the public. Advertising Techniques for Academia (29:52-31:26) - How focusing on outcomes rather than specifications could help communicate complex ideas. Political Navigation Lessons (31:26-33:56) - How Martin's directness works in certain contexts but limits political effectiveness. Filmmaking Journey (34:18-40:05) - The ups and downs of Martin's process, from initial joy through pandemic isolation to distribution challenges. Creator Perspective Challenges (40:05-44:42) - The psychological challenge of spending thousands of hours with creative material and maintaining fresh eyes. Strategic Optimism (45:23-49:06) - Balancing daily doubts with purposeful action and present-moment awareness. Individual Action Steps (49:54-53:36) - Creating study groups, making economics a "popular sport," and questioning GDP growth alternatives. Respecting All Life (55:04-57:13) - Martin's wish for universal respect for all living beings and recognition of our interdependence.

2. 

   15 Sept 2025

   Seeing the Unseen: Shining a Light on Untapped Potential with Nikki Tugano

   In this compelling episode, host Kane Jackson speaks with Nikki Tugano, founder of Seen Culture, who strategically navigated the venture capital landscape as a solo non-technical founder to secure funding for her tech startup. From her formative years in the Philippines to becoming a recognised force in the tech world, Nikki's journey demonstrates how unique perspectives and psychological insights can become powerful business advantages. The conversation reveals how Nikki leveraged her background in psychology and commerce to understand human potential at scale, why self-awareness creates competitive advantages in business (particularly given that while 95% of people believe they possess it, only 10-15% actually do), and how her experiences of being underestimated motivated her to build a platform that captures hidden value in organisations. Through strategic decisions like reinvesting every dollar into her company, Nikki illustrates how entrepreneurs transform constraints into catalysts for innovation. This insightful discussion examines the psychology behind funding decisions, the business case for recognising diverse contributions, and what becomes possible when systems are designed to unlock potential rather than perpetuate traditional patterns. Key Themes & Timestamps 1. Foundation Building & Self-Reliance (02:00 - 05:00) Nikki discusses how being raised by her grandmother and growing up as an only child cultivated her independence and internal locus of control - traits that became entrepreneurial assets. 2. Psychological Framework & Self-Awareness (04:00 - 07:00) How understanding attachment styles and psychological patterns equipped Nikki with exceptional self-awareness and relationship navigation skills essential for leadership. 3. Psychology as Business Intelligence (08:00 - 10:00) Why psychological understanding provides more business value than traditional commerce education, given that business fundamentally operates through systematic people dynamics. 4. The Self-Awareness Advantage (11:00 - 13:00) Analysis of Harvard Business Review findings showing the gap between perceived and actual self-awareness, and how this creates opportunities for conscious leaders in startup ecosystems. 5. Venture Capital Psychology (14:00 - 17:00) Strategic analysis of how affinity bias, confidence perception, and gender dynamics influence funding decisions, including why women's demonstrated self-awareness doesn't always translate to funding success. 6. Seen Culture's Value Proposition (17:00 - 20:00) How Seen Culture quantifies overlooked contributions in organizations using data-driven approaches similar to sports analytics, creating measurable business value. 7. Strategic Resource Allocation (29:00 - 32:00) Nikki's approach to startup bootstrapping, including reinvesting every dollar into the business, utilizing accelerator resources, and maintaining singular focus on mission execution. 8. Market Intelligence from Experience (29:00) How encounters with bias provided valuable market research, revealing gaps in traditional business practices and validating the need for Seen Culture's solutions. 9. Resilience as Competitive Advantage (32:00 - 33:00) How early life experiences created a higher tolerance for uncertainty and challenge, providing advantages in the high-stress startup environment. 10. Vision for Systemic Change (35:00 - 37:00) The multiplier effect of recognising hidden talent - how democratising recognition creates better problem-solving capacity across organisations and society. 11. Strategic Approach to Diversity & Inclusion (38:00 - 43:00) Nikki's evolved perspective on building diverse teams, using sports team composition as a model for understanding how different strengths create competitive advantages. 12. Unstoppable Execution (44:00) Kate Kirgizova's observation of Nikki's commitment to her mission - reinvesting every resource while maintaining unwavering focus on creating systemic chan

3. 

   18 Aug 2025

   Ending Guesswork: Building a Better Informed Future with Kate O'Keeffe

   In this episode of Chasing Financial Equality, host Kane Jackson speaks with Kate O'Keefre, the serial entrepreneur, innovator, and CEO + co-founder of Heatseeker, who is revolutionising how businesses make product decisions through AI-driven market experiments. Drawing from her extensive experience in Silicon Valley and as a partner at BCG Digital Ventures, Kate shares insights on replacing flawed survey methodologies with real-world testing that reveals what customers actually do rather than what they say they'll do. Known for her directness and efficiency, Kate explains how Heatseeker works to democratise access to market experimentation, leveraging AI to create and test product hypotheses through controlled social media campaigns. She discusses the journey of building Heatseeker with her co-founders, the challenges of creating a new category in the Australian market, and how data-driven decision-making can help diversify whose ideas get implemented in both startups and corporations. The conversation explores Kate's previous work founding Cisco's Hyper Innovation Living Labs, where she connected corporate executives directly with end users like cancer patients to build more human-centered solutions. Kate also shares her perspectives on gender equality in tech, the potential for crowdfunding platforms like Birchal (where she serves as a board member) to democratise access to capital, and the critical importance of strong governance in scaling startups. The episode concludes with Kate's personal reflection on the power of kindness and supporting others through difficult times. Key Themes & Timestamps 1. Heatseeker's AI-Driven Market Testing (04:16 - 07:21) Kate explains how Heatseeker helps businesses validate ideas through live market experiments rather than traditional surveys, revealing the gap between what people say versus what they actually do. 2. Ship Fast and Iterate Philosophy (07:21 - 08:54) Discussion of the startup mantra "ship fast and iterate," with Kate emphasising that shipping must include getting products in front of real customers to gather meaningful feedback. 3. Recruiting Co-Founders (09:04 - 11:15) Kate shares the serendipitous story of how her husband met Rutger Coolen, former head of product at Atlassian, on a snowy hiking trail in New Zealand, leading to him joining Heatseeker. 4. Australian Product Development Culture (11:15 - 12:00) Brief comparison of American versus Australian approaches to product leadership, highlighting the more formal methodologies used in the US. 5. Building a New Category (12:00 - 14:24) Kate discusses the challenges of creating a new category in market research and experimentation, and how Heatseeker has evolved its messaging to communicate its value. 6. AI Implementation in Heatseeker (14:38 - 18:38) Detailed explanation of how AI powers the Heatseeker platform - from ingesting information about clients and competitors to generating experiment variants, executing tests, and interpreting results. 7. Data Aggregation Strategy (18:38 - 20:21) Kate reveals Heatseeker's ambition to build a large data repository that provides pattern recognition capabilities, giving clients an "unfair advantage" based on insights from previous experiments. 8. Supporting Diverse Founders (20:21 - 26:32) Discussion of Kate's evolution from wanting to create a female-focused VC fund to now believing her greatest impact comes from being a wildly successful female founder who delivers returns to investors. 9. Hyper Innovation Living Labs Experience (26:59 - 32:06) Kate shares her experience at Cisco creating environments where senior executives built and tested prototypes directly with end users like cancer patients, leading to successful startups like Circle Of. 10. Disconnection Between Executives and Users (32:06 - 35:28) Conversation about how executives often become disconnected from end users, using an example of banking executives trying to understand millennials without actua

Who has been a guest on Chasing Financial Equality

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Aubrey Blanche-Sarellano
• Paul Smith
• Vicki Saunders

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

62,478

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

23 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 39 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

24

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

60

Contact Chasing Financial Equality

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.