What happens when you finally start to budget in your 50s, then you discover to your total surprise that you are $40,000 in debt?

I spoke to Margo Clayson about the uncomfortable conversations she had — and new relationship patterns she created — on her journey to becoming financially sound.

Clayson is founder of The Mighty Microgreen, an organization that helps educators create interactive STEM and nutrition lessons using microgreens.

She’s also an educator, longtime student, mom, grandmother, wife and Canadian now living in rural Idaho. I talked to her about the unusual way her financial reckoning came about, how she navigates money and marriage, and what budgeting looks like when you’re living off Social Security.

Email me (Maya) with guest ideas, questions, or hello's at otherpeoplespockets@gmail.com Find me on social media here.

Find Margo:

The Mighty Microgreen

LinkedIn

Instagram

Amelie Tsoungui is a Cameroonian immigrant who moved to the U.S. at age six. After two decades growing up in Chicago and spending part of her 20s in L.A., she decided to self-deport to Cameroon in 2025 after the Trump administration said it would revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Cameroonian nationals. The cancellation of TPS meant she would no longer be able to live in the U.S. legally.

This experience of moving back to West Africa, a home she only knew as a child, sparked her passion for digital storytelling, leading to multiple viral TikTok videos on her channel @amsthebomb237, where you can watch, almost in real-time, what it is like to transition to life in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon.

Her work explores themes of immigration, assimilation, spirituality, feminine rage, and karmic lineage, drawing from her BFA in Film and Television from DePaul University.

I spoke to Amelie as part of a series on how the Trump administration is affecting people's personal finances.

Email me (Maya) with guest ideas, questions, or hello's at otherpeoplespockets@gmail.com. Find me on social media here.

Connect with Amelie: Linktree

Today we're honoring a member of the Other People's Pockets family, Carmen González, who tragically died this past August at the age of 24. Carmen was guest number 4 on this show, sharing how she handled her finances as a journalist, student and undocumented immigrant in Los Angeles.

What you'll hear is a montage of voices of people who knew and loved Carmen, followed by a re-release of the episode featuring her on OPP in 2023.

Carmen, if you're anywhere out there listening, we love you. And we miss you so much.