In this episode, our guest Genet “GG” Gimja and I explore the gap between what we believe and what our money is quietly doing in the world. We dig into practical shifts and big questions alike: how banks leverage our deposits , the tools that make values-aligned portfolios more doable, the trade-offs inside the so-called American Dream, and how identity and lived experience shape the way we earn, give, and steward resources. GG’s refugee roots and research-driven approach bring rigor and heart to the gray areas: private prisons hidden inside index funds, politicians funded by our favorite shops, portfolios that look “neutral” but aren’t. Along the way, we name the quiet signals that sensitive people notice first, and the practical boundaries that make sustained care possible.

Genet “GG” Gimja — Host of Progressive Pockets

Genet “GG” Gimja is the creator and host of Progressive Pockets, a podcast born in the fall of 2020 from a simple but urgent question: how do we use money to reflect our values? What began as a private, 8-episode show on giving quickly expanded when listeners asked about impact investing and ethical spending. GG realized “giving back” wasn’t the whole story—our retirement accounts, banks, and everyday purchases also carry real-world consequences.

Today, with 100+ concise, practical, sometimes funny episodes, GG examines the crossroads of social impact and personal finance—helping people align how they spend, donate, and invest with the world they want to help create. Her format often responds to listener letters, translating dense research into clear, doable steps without losing moral nuance.

Grounded in her Eritrean American background and refugee roots, GG brings a community-centered lens to money. She treats generosity as flow, looks squarely at systemic contradictions, and invites listeners to pair conscience with competence—moving from uneasy awareness to informed action.

Episode Highlights:

• Welcome & how we met at FinCon
• Behind the scenes of a solo, research-driven show
• Co-organizing the Social Justice Meetup community
• The donate-with-one-hand, invest-against-values moment
• From skepticism to practical tools for values-aligned portfolios
• The “canary in the coal mine” and high sensitivity
• Refugee roots, the American Dream, and community trade-offs
• Abundance vs. debt and redefining wealth as stewardship
• Recognizing sensitivity: instantly spotting what people need
• From self-rejection to sustainable self-care

Keywords

#ProgressivePockets #GenetGimja #ValuesAlignedMoney #ImpactInvesting #SocialJustice #Donations #EthicalSpending #PersonalFinance #MoneyAndMeaning

Resources

Progressive Pockets Podcast

Click here to watch it on Youtube

Diana Gisel Yañez is an Investment Advisor Representative of Natural Investments PBLLC. Natural Investments is an independent Registered Investment Advisor. All the Colors is not a registered entity and is not an affiliate or subsidiary of Natural Investments. See our Disclosures and Disclaimers and read our Form CRS.