Highly Visible & A Little Misunderstood cover art

Highly Visible & A Little Misunderstood

Highly Visible & A Little Misunderstood

Written by: Jonathan Dumas
Listen for free

About this listen

 Highly Visible & A Little Misunderstood is about providing space to chill in the nuance of the complex conversations shaping our society and culture. We ain’t about proving anyone wrong or even proving ourselves right, but we are exploring with our guests, and you all, how to do this thing called life.

New episodes drop every Thursday everywhere you get your podcasts.

Find us on Instagram: @HighlyVisiblePod
Support the show on Patreon: Patreon.com/HighlyVisiblePodJonathan Dumas Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Money, Feelings, and the Courage to Want More (with rita zhang)

    Money, Feelings, and the Courage to Want More (with rita zhang)
    May 14 2026

    In episode 4 of our Money Unmasked series, Jonathan sits down with financial empowerment coach and educator rita zhang, founder of Community Roots Financials, to talk about money as something we feel in our bodies, hearts, and spirits—not just in our budgets and spreadsheets.

    rita works with low‑income, immigrant, and communities of color, and she’s less interested in “perfect” financial literacy than in what it means for people to feel powerful, seen, and self‑determined in their financial lives. Together, she and Jonathan explore how stress, guilt, and anxiety around money are often coping responses to systems that were never designed with us in mind—and how slowing down to actually feel those emotions can become a deeply liberatory practice.

    They get into:

    • How rita went from racial and immigration justice organizing to financial empowerment coaching
    • Why she thinks of her work less as “finance” and more as holding space for people’s wisdom to emerge
    • The quiet courage it takes for working‑class and first‑gen folks to name what they truly want—not just what they need to survive
    • How grind culture and capitalism convince us we’re “not doing enough,” even when we’re doing everything
    • The idea of class straddlers: being the “bridge” generation between low‑income roots and a different material reality
    • What it means to see yourself as one drop in the ocean and the whole ocean when it comes to healing, money, and lineage

    If you’ve ever felt guilty for wanting more rest, more joy, or more “non‑essential” spending—or if you’ve felt behind because you don’t speak the language of traditional finance—this conversation offers a gentler, more honest way to think about money, power, and healing.

    rita closes with an invitation rooted in self‑compassion: meet yourself exactly where you are, take one next step that feels possible, and let that be enough.

    Connect with rita zhang / Community Roots Financials:

    • Website: https://www.communityrootsfinancials.com/
    • Community Roots Financials on Linkedin
    • Follow on Instagram: @communityrootsfinancials

    Resources Mentioned in the Show (If you purchase any of the books below I get a small commission):

    • Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey
    • Learn more about “Class Straddlers”

    🎧Listen to Previous Episode: Redefining a "Good Life" at 30 (with Dr. Tiona Sykes)

    Stay Connected:

    📺Join our Community on Youtube

    📬Get updates, behind-the-scenes content, and first access to the upcoming newsletter

    👉🏾Buy me Ko-fi ☕️

    🔗All links → https://linktr.ee/highlyvisiblepod

    📲Follow us on Instagram

    🕰️ Follow us on TikTok

    Credits:

    Produced & Edited: Jonathan Dumas

    Produced & Additional Editing: Reggie Hall

    Socials & Community: Myron Bobyrk-Ozaki

    Email: HighlyVisiblePodcast@gmail.com

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Redefining a “Good Life” at 30 (with Dr. Tiona Sykes)

    Redefining a “Good Life” at 30 (with Dr. Tiona Sykes)
    May 7 2026

    In episode 3 of our Money Unmasked series, Jonathan sits down with licensed marriage and family therapist Dr. Tiona Sykes to unpack what happens when money, hustle culture, and our sense of worth all get tangled together.

    Tiona shares how growing up with the message that “nothing in life is free” shaped her belief that safety only comes from working multiple jobs and constantly grinding. Now 30 and in a season of employment transition, she reflects on what happens when that grind stops, the anxiety that surfaces, and how easy it is to feel like you’re failing even when your life looks “good” from the outside.

    Together, Jonathan and Dr. Sykes explore:

    • How family stories (“you have to earn everything”) and hustle culture form our earliest money scripts
    • The pressure to always be doing more, making more, and optimizing more—and how that erodes joy
    • The guilt of wanting more when you were raised to “just be grateful” and not ask for too much
    • What travel, community, and non‑U.S. cultures have taught them about money, happiness, and consumption
    • The quiet grief and anxiety that show up around bills, debt, and time, even when the numbers technically “work”
    • How to start redefining a “good life” at 30 in a way that honors your values, nervous system, and relationships—not just your bank account

    If you’ve ever looked at your life on paper and thought, “I should feel more secure than this,” or wondered what you’re actually chasing when you chase more money, this conversation will feel like exhaling with a friend who gets it.

    At the end, Jonathan and Tiona invite you to name your own story around enoughness and success:

    • When you think about money right now, what emotions come up first?
    • What would a “good life” at this stage actually look like for you?

    Connect with Dr. Tiona Sykes:

    • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiona-sykeslmft/

    Resources Mentioned in the Show (If you purchase any of the books below I get a small commission):

    • Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
    • Here is the Emotions/Feelings Wheel

    🎧Listen to Previous Episode: Building Wealth That Actually Feels Good (with Reni Eniola aka xoReni)

    Stay Connected:

    📺Join our Community on Youtube

    📬Get updates, behind-the-scenes content, and first access to the upcoming newsletter

    👉🏾Buy me Ko-fi ☕️

    🔗All links → https://linktr.ee/highlyvisiblepod

    📲Follow us on Instagram

    🕰️ Follow us on TikTok

    Credits:

    Produced & Edited: Jonathan Dumas

    Produced & Additional Editing: Reggie Hall

    Socials & Community: Myron Bobyrk-Ozaki

    Email: HighlyVisiblePodcast@gmail.com

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Building Wealth That Actually Feels Good (with Reni Eniola aka xoReni)

    Building Wealth That Actually Feels Good (with Reni Eniola aka xoReni)
    Apr 30 2026
    In episode two of our Money UnMasked series, Jonathan sits down with financial educator and content creator Reni Eniola aka xoReni to talk about money, emotions, and building wealth in a way that actually feels good—not restrictive, shame-filled, or overwhelming. Reni bought her first house at 23 and has since become a trusted voice on financial literacy, career development, and “adulting” online. But beneath the milestones and the numbers, Reni is most interested in the emotional relationship we have with money—especially how childhood experiences quietly shape the way we save, spend, hustle, and dream as adults. Together, Jonathan and Reni explore: How her parents started teaching her about money at age four—and the stories that left an imprintWhat she thought money would give her when she bought her first house, and what it actually didWhy so many of us think we have a “money problem” when what we really have is an emotional or identity storyThe tension between taking bold risks and having a financial safety netWhat people are really pursuing when they say they want “financial freedom”How to start relating to money from self-worth and self-compassion instead of fear and self-judgment If you’ve ever felt behind with money, ashamed of what you “should know by now,” or overwhelmed by all the rules and advice, this episode offers a gentler, more honest way to think about wealth, security, and the kind of life you want to build. At the end, Jonathan and Reni invite you to reflect on your own story: Money represents When I think about money, I feel Your answer might show you what you’re actually pursuing when you pursue money. Timestamps (Approx.) 0:00 – Intro & why this conversation matters in Money Unmasked3:00 – Who Reni is and how she became “Reni the Resource”7:00 – Learning about money at four years old: early lessons & family influence13:00 – Buying a house at 23: what she hoped money would give her20:00 – Emotions, identity, and why “just budget better” isn’t enough28:00 – Financial risk vs. safety nets in entrepreneurship36:00 – What people are really chasing when they chase financial freedom44:00 – Practical ways to start healing your relationship with money52:00 – Jonathan’s reflection & audience invitation Connect with Reni: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@xoReni Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xoreni/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@xoxoreni Website: renitheresource.comCheck out the Don’t Go Broke Collective Accountability GroupDon’t Go Broke Trying Podcast: Listen on Youtube or Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods Resources Mentioned in the Show (If you purchase any of the books below I get a small commission): Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia HerseyThe Trauma of Money by Chantel ChapmanThe Debt Trap: The Hidden Brain Podcast Everything but Money by Jessica MorehouseSteph & Den Free Budget Template Money for Couples with Ramit SethiI Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi 🎧Listen to Previous Episode: What Are We Really Pursuing When We Pursue Money Stay Connected: 📺Join our Community on Youtube 📬Get updates, behind-the-scenes content, and first access to the upcoming newsletter 👉🏾Buy me Ko-fi ☕️ 🔗All links → https://linktr.ee/highlyvisiblepod 📲Follow us on Instagram 🕰️ Follow us on TikTok Credits: Produced & Edited: Jonathan Dumas Produced & Additional Editing: Reggie Hall Socials & Community: Myron Bobyrk-Ozaki Email: HighlyVisiblePodcast@gmail.com
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 5 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
No reviews yet