Today I’m bringing you my interview with Cecilia Thiam, a 35-year-old Swiss-American humanitarian aid worker who has spent most of her career living and working in sub-saharan Africa. She lost her job after the Trump administration enacted sweeping cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Now, she has had to scrap her plans, move to a new country with her 6-year-old daughter while parenting solo, and re-think her entire career.

We spoke on July 10, 2025.

This is part of a theme we are pursuing looking at how the Trump administration is affecting people’s personal finances. If you know someone who would be a great guest, get in touch at otherpeoplespockets@gmail.com or on Instagram or TikTok at @itsmayamoney. And on LinkedIn!

Thank you for supporting this show!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this season of Other People's Pockets, we're experimenting with a new angle for some of the episodes: How is the Trump administration affecting people's personal finances?

Today I'm featuring Daishi Miguel-Tanaka, an immigrants' rights advocate based in Washington, D.C. Daishi was born in Japan to a Japanese father and a Filipina mother. When he was 6, he and his family moved to the U.S. with a plan to obtain U.S. citizenship through Daishi's grandfather, a U.S. citizen. But when his grandfather died, that path to citizenship vanished, and Daishi and his family remained in the U.S. as undocumented immigrants.

Since he was a teenager, Daishi has been protected from deportation because he is a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). He spoke about how DACA has afforded him a financial life in the U.S., and what the Trump administration means for how he's thinking about his future and his money.

Follow Maya Lau:

Instagram: @itsmayamoney

TikTok: @itsmayamoney

Email: otherpeoplespockets@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whether you’re a longtime listener of Other People’s Pockets, or you’re brand new to this feed, thank you for being here! I have some news, which is that I am now publishing this show on my own! I finally have full control of this podcast feed, this show that I conceived and love so much, and I’m so excited for what this means about moving forward with creative freedom.

I’m going to focus part of this next season on something a little more news-related. I’m looking at how the Trump administration is affecting people’s personal finances. Whether it's changes to immigration policy, federal job cuts, tariffs … How are these big policy changes impacting the kitchen table conversations that we’re having about our money?

If you have a story you think would be great for this show, email me at otherpeoplespockets@gmail.com, or find me on Instagram or TikTok at @itsmayamoney

I am going to be putting out episodes on a different schedule than before ... think about once a month, until I get up and running.

A new episode of OPP drops tomorrow, July 15, 2025. Thanks everyone!

Your host, Maya Lau

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.