Lena Rizkallah has carved out a niche giving financial advice to women in their 40s and 50s, often helping them navigate transitional moments in their lives. For these clients — who may be going through a divorce, starting a businesses or taking on a new creative project — Lena helps frame out a financial plan that can enable the vision. “Money equals freedom,” she says.

Born to Palestinian parents who immigrated to the US and raised in a suburb of Washington D.C., Lena followed a winding path to Beacon.

In this interview, we talk about:

• The Gaza catastrophe through the eyes of a second-generation Palestinian immigrant

• Lena’s decision to give up a career as an Immigration lawyer to work in finance

• Her “moving to Beacon” story as a single woman, and why she kept her NYC apartment

• Her panels and speakeasies focused on women and female business owners

• What Gen X women have in common; common money mistakes; "Think big"

• The current investment climate; why economic doomerism is wrong

Lena's website: https://www.lenarizkallah.com/

Photo by Michael Isabell: https://www.michaelisabell.com/
Beaconites is recorded at Beacon AV Lab: https://www.beaconavlab.com/

Our interview with Sergei Krasikov is a must-listen if you’re into trails, open spaces, water sheds and being outside in any weather.

Originally from Belarus, Sergei has made Beacon his home in every sense. He is a community builder and civic volunteer with a special focus on land conservation. As the chair of the Conservation Advisory Committee and founder of the Fishkill Creek Watershed Alliance, he has advanced a city-wide composting program, trail clearing, a water testing program and more. Right now he’s focused on an inventory of open spaces that could eventually be adopted into the city’s comprehensive plan.

On top of all that, Sergei is running for City Council for the consequential 2026-2028 term.

City business aside, it’ll come as no surprise that Sergei is an active outdoorsman – a trail runner, swimmer, cross-country skier and yogi. We spent a chunk of this interview talking about things listeners can do outside in Beacon and surrounding areas.

Links and further reading:

Earth Day cleanup. The CAC is organizing its annual Sat April 26 Earth Day clean up, trail clearing & riparian buffer planting followed by a Green Fair at Hudson Valley Brewery. More info at: https://www.greenbeaconcoalition.org

Water testing. The Fishkill Creek Watershed Alliance, in partnership with Bard College Community Science Lab, Riverkeeper and Beacon Institute, is starting a community water quality testing program throughout the watershed this May. They're currently seeking volunteers to help collect samples that will be tested for metals, chemicals, biological markers and more. More info at https://www.fishkillwatershed.org

Photos by Michael Isabell: https://www.michaelisabell.com/
Beaconites is recorded at Beacon AV Lab: https://www.beaconavlab.com/

Paulette Myers-Rich has collaborated with dozens of artists and writers during a long career in fine art printing. In this interview we talk about many of them - including a series of books featuring Irish poets produced in collaboration with the Center for Irish Studies at the University of St. Thomas.

Paulette came to Beacon late in life, settling here in her fifties in part because it visually echoed her industrial river city home of St. Paul, Minnesota. Once here, she continued to produce letterpress printed works under her imprint, Traffic Street Press, and opened the No. 3 Reading Room exhibition space. In our interview, Paulette talks about her creative partnerships with artists and writers, the setbacks of Covid, and the importance of fine art books today.