Jenna Nicholas learned that work is a form of worship before she ever managed anyone's money. On this episode of Getting Rich Together, she joins host Syama Bunten to discuss how spirituality and impact investing became part of the same practice rather than two separate parts of her life.

 

Jenna is a leading impact investor, the founder of Impact Experience, runs a fund with Lightpost Capital, and is the author of the new book Enlightened Bottom Line. She grew up in London as part of the Bahá'í community, where service, spirituality, and work were closely connected. That upbringing set her on a path toward socially responsible investing before she had the language to describe it.

 

Jenna tells Syama about the summer she spent in Kinshasa as a child and the joy she noticed there that she had not seen back home. She also reflects about the three years she lived in a mentor's basement apartment, an experience she now considers her real graduate school. That mentor, Wayne Silby, later faced a question at a Buddhist retreat about what his tombstone might say. His answer pushed him to reconsider the legacy he wanted to leave and helped turn the Calvert Funds into a pioneer of socially responsible investing.

 

Jenna shares how social entrepreneurship pulled her away from a human rights law track and toward building Impact Experience. She explains how purpose-driven businesses can align profit, values, and social impact without treating them as competing priorities.This is a strong entry point into impact investing for women ready to put real money behind their values, and a reminder that spirituality and impact investing do not have to exist in separate conversations. Press play, then find a salon at wealthcatalyst.com/salons or join the Wealth Catalyst Summit in San Francisco this October 16.

 

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Blending Spirituality, Business, and Impact Investing

01:49 Growing Up in London's Baha'i Community

03:20 A Life Changing Summer in Kinshasa

07:14 Stanford and the Social Entrepreneurship Awakening

10:24 Three Years Living in a Mentor's Basement

15:47 Shifting Foundation Capital Away From Fossil Fuels

19:11 Investing Personally Through Lightpost Capital

26:49 Building a Values Based Investment Portfolio

31:39 The HEAL Framework and Devoted Health

34:44 The Tombstone Story Behind Values Based Investing

41:34 Unlocking Capital for Overlooked Founders and Funds

 

 

Find more from Syama Bunten:

Your money story may be shaping your financial life more than you realize. After hundreds of conversations with women at all stages of their financial lives, Syama distilled the questions that helped her understand her own patterns into The Money Story Reset, a free guide featuring five guided reflections and personal stories from her journey.

Download The Money Story Reset and begin uncovering the beliefs behind your financial decisions.

 

Attend a Salon near you: wealthcatalyst.com/salons

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syama.co/

Join Syama's Substack: https://thewealthcatalystwithsyama.substack.com/

Website: https://wealthcatalyst.com

Download Syama's Free Resources: https://wealthcatalyst.com/resources

Wealth Catalyst Summit: https://wealthcatalyst.com/summits

Speaking: https://syamabunten.com

Big Delta Capital: www.bigdeltacapital.com

 

 

 

 

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