After nearly 20 years as a sales and sports-technology executive, Melyssa Jaskiewicz read one statistic on a flight home — only 24% of C-suite executives are women, and 94% of them played sports. From this she decided to leave her career and she became the founder of Leveling the Fields, a Charleston nonprofit removing the cost, options, and access barriers that keep girls out of sports. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about her "money like a river" mindset, why she runs a nonprofit like the real business it is, and how a confident nine-year-old grows into a woman who negotiates her salary. It's not strictly a money episode — it's about the confidence, leadership, and self-worth that financial empowerment is built on. As Melyssa puts it, "When more girls play, more women lead."

You can find out more about Leveling the Fields and Melyssa here:

Website: levelingthefields.org
LinkedIn: Leveling the Fields
Instagram: @levelingthefields @melyjask

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Feel free to reach out to Your Financial Maven® at www.yourfinancialmavenpodcast.com⁠. I would love to hear from you about your money story or insights!

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Become a Supporter by the furthering of Financial Education Empowerment and get a shout out in an upcoming episode: YFM+ Supporter

_______________________________________________________

The purpose of this podcast is to provide general information on the subjects discussed. It is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. It is not meant to resolve your specific financial needs or situations. Please consult with your CPA, tax, or financial professionals.

Your Financial Maven® is produced and hosted by Samantha M. Besnoff, CPA. Editing by Kris Zarnoch of ⁠KMZen Creative. Music written, composed, and performed by Daniel Shore

In Episode 62, I sit down with attorney and founder strategist Scherrie L. Prince — host of the Play Big Faster Podcast — for a candid conversation about what it truly takes to protect a business you’ve worked hard to build.

Scherrie advises entrepreneurs and closely held companies at the intersection of business strategy and estate design, and she makes a compelling case that these two disciplines should never live in separate files. Drawing on her own path — from a Mississippi farm, through a probate dispute over an estate left with no will, a handshake partnership that unraveled, and the 2008 crash — she explains why control in a business must be intentional, not accidental.

Together, we unpack the idea of building a “moat” around your assets: the layered protections — documentation, corporate formalities, insurance, and legal structure — that keep a creditor from “piercing the corporate veil.” Scherrie discusses the coordinated advisory team every founder needs (CPA, attorney, financial advisor, insurance agent, and banker), the spousal consent most owners never consider, the four questions to ask before taking on a partner or investor, and why every founder should reverse-engineer their exit from day one.

It’s a practical, wide-ranging conversation with one reassuring throughline: no decision in business is fatal — as long as you surround yourself with the right people and plan ahead.

About the Guest

Scherrie L. Prince is an attorney who advises entrepreneurs, closely held companies, and founders navigating expansion, partnership changes, and succession. Her work centers on ownership structure, governance clarity, incentive alignment, and exit design. Unlike traditional advisors who separate business planning from estate planning, Scherrie integrates the two — helping owners align their operating agreements, entity structure, and long-term transfer strategy so that control is intentional, not accidental. She is also the host of the Play Big Faster Podcast, where she interviews founders and industry leaders on business, marketing, and the trends shaping long-term growth and leverage.

Connect With Scherrie

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Podcast: Play Big Faster — available everywhere you listen, and video-first on YouTube

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Feel free to reach out to Your Financial Maven® at www.yourfinancialmavenpodcast.com⁠. I would love to hear from you about your money story or insights!

Do you want to me a be a guest on Your Financial Maven®? Click here to fill out the Guest Inquiry form.

Become a Supporter by the furthering of Financial Education Empowerment and get a shout out in an upcoming episode: YFM+ Supporter

_______________________________________________________

The purpose of this podcast is to provide general information on the subjects discussed. It is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. It is not meant to resolve your specific financial needs or situations. Please consult with your CPA, tax, or financial professionals.

Your Financial Maven® is produced and hosted by Samantha M. Besnoff, CPA. Editing by Kris Zarnoch of ⁠KMZen Creative. Music written, composed, and performed by Daniel Shore

In this episode of Your Financial Maven®, I sit down with Megan Schwan, founder and CEO of Sidekick Accounting Services, a national virtual firm on a mission to change the statistic that eight out of ten small businesses fail. Megan shares her path from teen mom and high school accounting student to running her own firm for twelve years, and together we dig into what actually helps overwhelmed entrepreneurs find clarity: starting with a separate business bank account, understanding that "knowing your numbers" has nothing to do with being good at math, and using the Profit First method to flip the formula so profitability comes first. We also talk about why revenue doesn't equal profit, how to run a regular expense analysis (and tame subscription creep), the real role of AI in accounting, and why giving yourself grace, protecting time to think, and setting boundaries matter just as much as the numbers — especially for women in business. It's a warm, practical conversation between two soul sisters in the profession who genuinely want to see small businesses thrive.

You can find Megan here: https://www.sidekick-accounting.com/

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Support the show

Feel free to reach out to Your Financial Maven® at www.yourfinancialmavenpodcast.com⁠. I would love to hear from you about your money story or insights!

Do you want to me a be a guest on Your Financial Maven®? Click here to fill out the Guest Inquiry form.

Become a Supporter by the furthering of Financial Education Empowerment and get a shout out in an upcoming episode: YFM+ Supporter

_______________________________________________________

The purpose of this podcast is to provide general information on the subjects discussed. It is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. It is not meant to resolve your specific financial needs or situations. Please consult with your CPA, tax, or financial professionals.

Your Financial Maven® is produced and hosted by Samantha M. Besnoff, CPA. Editing by Kris Zarnoch of ⁠KMZen Creative. Music written, composed, and performed by Daniel Shore

Your Financial Maven® Podcast is excited to have reached 60 episodes!!! Join me as I chat with Catherine Lang-Cline about "The Rules of the Game for Women in Business." We had an exciting and thought provoking conversation about what women need to know when they are running their own business or working in the corporate business setting. You can check out more about Catherine Lang-Cline here: https://catherinelangcline.com/.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Feel free to reach out to Your Financial Maven® at www.yourfinancialmavenpodcast.com⁠. I would love to hear from you about your money story or insights!

Do you want to me a be a guest on Your Financial Maven®? Click here to fill out the Guest Inquiry form.

Become a Supporter by the furthering of Financial Education Empowerment and get a shout out in an upcoming episode: YFM+ Supporter

_______________________________________________________

The purpose of this podcast is to provide general information on the subjects discussed. It is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. It is not meant to resolve your specific financial needs or situations. Please consult with your CPA, tax, or financial professionals.

Your Financial Maven® is produced and hosted by Samantha M. Besnoff, CPA. Editing by Kris Zarnoch of ⁠KMZen Creative. Music written, composed, and performed by Daniel Shore

In this episode of Your Financial Maven®, host Samantha Mittman-Besnoff, CPA, sits down with Jennifer Kornoely, founder of the She Reads, She Leads book club — a community for women entrepreneurs to build financial literacy and business skills through reading and discussion. Jen shares how losing a corporate job became the catalyst for launching her own real estate photography business and, eventually, a thriving monthly book club that connects women across the country. Together, they dive into common money myths holding women back, the power of learning in community, and key insights from books like Profit First and The E-Myth. If you're a woman in business looking for connection, accountability, and a smarter approach to money, this episode is for you.

You can find Jennifer here: https://www.shereadssheleads.com/

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Feel free to reach out to Your Financial Maven® at www.yourfinancialmavenpodcast.com⁠. I would love to hear from you about your money story or insights!

Do you want to me a be a guest on Your Financial Maven®? Click here to fill out the Guest Inquiry form.

Become a Supporter by the furthering of Financial Education Empowerment and get a shout out in an upcoming episode: YFM+ Supporter

_______________________________________________________

The purpose of this podcast is to provide general information on the subjects discussed. It is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. It is not meant to resolve your specific financial needs or situations. Please consult with your CPA, tax, or financial professionals.

Your Financial Maven® is produced and hosted by Samantha M. Besnoff, CPA. Editing by Kris Zarnoch of ⁠KMZen Creative. Music written, composed, and performed by Daniel Shore

Do you ever feel financially stuck and just want a simple and easy framework to get unstuck? Then you will enjoy my latest episode where I chat with Financial Strategist Carilyn Marrero. She went from living paycheck-to-paycheck to building lasting wealth after immigrating to the United States. After experiencing financial pressure, debt, and starting over from scratch, Carilyn became determined to understand how money truly works. She uses a simple framework that she came up with after spending time learning other money systems. She calls it the Método LIBRE™ framework.

You can find more about Carilyn here: http://www.cmfreedomfinance.com/.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Feel free to reach out to Your Financial Maven® at www.yourfinancialmavenpodcast.com⁠. I would love to hear from you about your money story or insights!

Do you want to me a be a guest on Your Financial Maven®? Click here to fill out the Guest Inquiry form.

Become a Supporter by the furthering of Financial Education Empowerment and get a shout out in an upcoming episode: YFM+ Supporter

_______________________________________________________

The purpose of this podcast is to provide general information on the subjects discussed. It is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. It is not meant to resolve your specific financial needs or situations. Please consult with your CPA, tax, or financial professionals.

Your Financial Maven® is produced and hosted by Samantha M. Besnoff, CPA. Editing by Kris Zarnoch of ⁠KMZen Creative. Music written, composed, and performed by Daniel Shore

In July the OB3 Tax Bill was passed with information on Overtime and a deduction starting in 2025. On Friday January 23, 2026, the IRS made clarifications on this deduction. I summarize what it all means for you.

Also make sure to read and follow Kelly Phillips Erb and her indepth article on the Overtime deduction here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2026/01/23/irs-offers-more-info-on-how-the-new-overtime-deduction-works/

And you can also find more information on the IRS website here: Overtime Deduction

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Feel free to reach out to Your Financial Maven® at www.yourfinancialmavenpodcast.com⁠. I would love to hear from you about your money story or insights!

Do you want to me a be a guest on Your Financial Maven®? Click here to fill out the Guest Inquiry form.

Become a Supporter by the furthering of Financial Education Empowerment and get a shout out in an upcoming episode: YFM+ Supporter

_______________________________________________________

The purpose of this podcast is to provide general information on the subjects discussed. It is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. It is not meant to resolve your specific financial needs or situations. Please consult with your CPA, tax, or financial professionals.

Your Financial Maven® is produced and hosted by Samantha M. Besnoff, CPA. Editing by Kris Zarnoch of ⁠KMZen Creative. Music written, composed, and performed by Daniel Shore

I'm back from my holiday break! Hope everyone had a great holiday season and Happy New Year. Tax Season Opens Soon! Here is just some insights on what you need to know.

Here is a link to my Resources tab where you will find all kinds of great information: https://www.yourfinancialmaven.com/resources.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Feel free to reach out to Your Financial Maven® at www.yourfinancialmavenpodcast.com⁠. I would love to hear from you about your money story or insights!

Do you want to me a be a guest on Your Financial Maven®? Click here to fill out the Guest Inquiry form.

Become a Supporter by the furthering of Financial Education Empowerment and get a shout out in an upcoming episode: YFM+ Supporter

_______________________________________________________

The purpose of this podcast is to provide general information on the subjects discussed. It is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. It is not meant to resolve your specific financial needs or situations. Please consult with your CPA, tax, or financial professionals.

Your Financial Maven® is produced and hosted by Samantha M. Besnoff, CPA. Editing by Kris Zarnoch of ⁠KMZen Creative. Music written, composed, and performed by Daniel Shore