This episode, Tom is joined by Alison Staloch, CFO at Fundrise, to talk about innovation and the compliance landscape in fintech.
In this episode, Tom sits down with Alison Staloch, CFO of Fundrise, for an engaging discussion about her journey in finance, perspectives on industry regulations, and unique approach to leadership. They explore topics like aligning values with opportunities, fostering inclusivity to drive innovation, and Alison’s experience as Fundrise’s first female executive. Alison also shares how Fundrise cultivates inclusivity across the organization and highlights the intangible value of connecting with her team in person throughout the year.
Alison:
“So, of companies that went public over the last 12 to 18 months a couple things to note. First one's super obvious, there's a focus on fundamentals. Sustainable business models, path to profitability, not growth at all costs like it was for so long. And then the second maybe less obvious observation is that all companies faced a constrained capital environment during the downturn, and some may have ended up relying on Interesting structured agreements, investor-friendly terms, whatever they needed to do basically to remain liquid, survive… I think the financial and strategic pressures that they navigated to reach this point will become more apparent, and maybe we'll see some of that uncovered in the coming year.”
Links & Resources:
Intro: [00:00:00] Cash is king. Smart. Very smart. Good business. So, show me the money.
Tom Gavaghan: Welcome to Liquid: How CFOs Outperform. I'm your host, Tom Gavaghan. Today I'm joined by special guest, Alison Staloch, CFO of Fundrise. Alison, thank you so much for joining us.
Alison Staloch: Thanks for having me, Tom.
Tom Gavaghan: Before we dig in, I think it'd be important to kind of dig in a little bit of your background and experience, because it's quite vast and diverse. I would ask to start, what drew you to Fundrise after your extensive background with working at the SEC and KPMG?
Alison Staloch: Yeah, so I found a, I'd say like a near perfect alignment of values and opportunity. I had spent nearly two decades, to your point, in audit, accounting, and compliance, and I wanted to shift into a role where I could build something, um, where I could apply my, my very specific regulatory and technical expertise.
to help [00:01:00] scale an organization with a clear, meaningful mission. And so, the mission at Fundrise very broadly is, you know, to build a better financial system for the individual, and specifically to democratize access to private markets. And that was ultimately what really struck a chord for me. After years of advocating for investor protection at the SEC, I was really excited about Joining a company that's truly focused on leveling the playing field for everyday investors, not just talking about giving people access or marketing to retail without a real vehicle that they can access.
Um, we're actively designing innovative solutions to make it possible, while also maintaining an incredibly high standard of regulatory discipline. And so that balance between innovation and compliance, I think is really rare in the FinTech space. And it was clear to me that this was a company With both the vision and the execution to back up the narrative.
Tom Gavaghan: And the regulation and the accessibility at the same time as well with what you do at [00:02:00] FundRise. I think it's super interesting. I would ask, I guess, in terms of your evolution and growth, anything that sticks out to you from mentorships or experiences that kind of shaped your leadership philosophy?
Alison Staloch: Yeah, so I think one of the more pivotal influences in my Career was my first boss at the SEC Matt. Um, he, he did a couple things. One, he, he reinforced for me that leadership starts with relationships. That was something I kind of always believed throughout my career. Um, and he really believed it. He really role modeled it. Um, he showed me that, you know, especially within the SEC, um, but I think it applies everywhere that.
Trust is the foundation of, of everything, whether you're managing a team or driving a strategic initiative. Investing and understanding people's motivations and strengths, um, you, you create an environment where collaboration flourishes. You get buy in for even, even tough decisions. And then he also reinforced the idea that curiosity is more [00:03:00] valuable than certainty.
Um, so, he encouraged me to ask questions. I felt like I was drinking from a fire hose when I first joined the SEC because, you know, being that steeped in the regulatory environment was very new for me. Um, and he, yeah, he encouraged me to admit when I didn't have all the answers and approach challenges with a growth mindset, and I think that approach doesn't just build credibility as a leader. It, it also invites others to engage in the same way, to contribute, and, and to solve problems together.
Tom Gavaghan: Yeah, I was in an article yesterday talking about, um, the Great Recession being over, but also not like being that there's still that trend of people not being satisfied with their job. And one of the biggest things they said is that leadership not taking an interest in what motivates people.
Um, and, and I think it's super important because every person's different. And I always say to things, I'm like, what motivates you? And if it's money, that's fine. Whatever motivates you is what motivates you. But like, it's good to know so that way we can align kind of growth plans against those things. So, I think sometimes that's just so overlooked or [00:04:00] trying to unilaterally apply motivational factors across every single person when, as humans, we're all different. Right?
Alison Staloch: Right. Yeah. And you need to understand that both of the people you're trying to lead and the stakeholders that you're trying to engage with.
Tom Gavaghan: Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, well, we're always trying to outgrow, outperform, and outlast our competition. So, I want to get into what we call the Chief Outperformance Officer.
Um, and I think we get an opportunity here to get deep on a couple of things, uh, that you and I want to talk about on the economic side of things. I think before we get there though, I, I wanted to talk a little bit more about some tactical activities and things that we're seeing, at least on our side, and talking with different companies of all shapes and sizes, right?
Um, with Fundrise, knowing what you guys do and how you guys work, I have to imagine that there's a lot of flow, a lot of payment activity going through, uh, varying dollar amounts, but obviously a lot of volume. Can you share how you ensure that that is done efficiently, accurately, securely, and if you guys have any unique ways in which you do that?
Alison Staloch: Yeah, no, I mean that that's [00:05:00] completely right. Our, our business is heavily steeped in the operations of payments and, and getting payments right is, is mission critical for us. Um, it isn't just about numbers and getting money to the right place. It's about maintaining the trust of our users and protecting our investors assets with the utmost care.
So, we, we manage. Um, you know, let's say several billion in annual financial transactions across ACH wires and book transfers, and that demands a robust and multifaceted approach. And I think the two things that are key for me are internal controls and culture. And so if I hit on internal controls first, you know, to safeguard our wire process, if we focus on that specifically.
We definitely emphasize strong internal controls, and that includes everything you might imagine. Segregation of duties, thorough reconciliation procedures, multi level approval processes, regular external and internal process reviews, templates, all of that. Um, and in [00:06:00] addition to that, we focus on designing our workflows with scalability in mind, so that we can ensure that as our transaction volume grows, our risk management practices remain just as effective.
Alison Staloch: And then the second piece, culture. I think it plays a really pivotal role. Um, so a couple examples of, of ways that we think about that twice a year, we conduct Socratic seminars with all of the team members that are involved in the wire process, you know, from start to finish, whether they're requesting a wire, approving a template, um, submitting a wire, approving the actual funding.
We probably have about 40 team members that, that are involved in that process. And so twice a year we bring everyone together. The sessions center around kind of real world case studies of fraud attempts. So, I think recently we've looked at like, you know, deep fake CEO scams or email compromise. Um, and, and basically use that time to dialogue with everyone, ensure the team, understands the evolving threats because I think [00:07:00] fraud attempts are constantly evolving in, in this day and age.
Um, it's kind of scary how quickly they are. Um, we talk about how they could manifest at Fundrise, how, you know, allowing us to kind of identify the potential vulnerabilities and implement preemptive safeguards. In addition to that, our leadership team is like very actively involved in the wire process and we stress the importance of diligence here on, on a regular basis.
Tom Gavaghan: I think it's incredibly creative, right? I don't think I've seen that. And I think it's actually super important. I hope others listening kind of think about ways to incorporate that. I think, I forget the recent study, um, who did it, right? But it's not surprising. It's that 80 percent of companies have been targeted by fraud.
I argue that I think 20 percent haven't realized it yet because in my opinion, I think it's everybody because it's all so personal. You and I, you, I get text messages and emails all the time, right? That look, you know, partially real, but you know, I'm informed enough, right? To know what to look out for. But yeah, I think it's, you know, there is 80%.
I think [00:08:00] oftentimes being open about it is, is, is important. Trying to hide it. Like, what are you hiding from? Everybody's targeted, right? It's not a reflection of you because you're getting targeted. You can't help that. What you're going to help is how you prevent it.
Alison Staloch: If you're doing a lot of payments, like you are absolutely being targeted.
And even if you aren't, you, you might be because fraudsters don't necessarily understand a business before they, they target you. So,
Tom Gavaghan: no, they don't care.
Alison Staloch: Absolutely. And, and talking about the scams that have happened, like, you know, it's, it's a lot more fun to talk about what could happen than what has happened.
So, being, being prepared for it is, is important. Um, yeah, it's a fun exercise and it is,
Tom Gavaghan: and it's enlightening. I think we go into conferences and user group meetings and stuff like that. You learn so much by hearing what others have heard about. I mean, I, I remember hearing the deep fake stuff back in, I don't know, 2017, 2018.
I remember that being like, That was a mind blowing advancement, right? That I was like, and now it's just normal. Now I can go on my, any one of us with a computer can do that. I was thinking that, you know, that was something that only the most nerdiest of, of technology people could figure out. Anybody, a 12 [00:09:00] year old could do it.
Alison Staloch: Right, and it's totally frightening and in comparison to the scams of past where, like, you know, they'd try to, you know, Impersonated CEO over text message and you're like, I can tell that my CEO Ben doesn't speak this way. You know, this isn't him. Um, but yeah, the deep fake is scary.
Tom Gavaghan: Far, far, getting far more intricate. Yeah. Um, I think you and I have a, uh, a, a, a penchant for the, uh, the economy, uh, and the markets. Right. So I think it'd be, Opportunity to probably talk a little bit more about some of the environment that we're in now, but also I think what's coming. Our CEO, I think recently she was on Bloomberg, right? She talked about like this coiled spring in the liquidity market, right?
That kind of this like pent up environment perhaps maybe becomes unleashed here in 2020, uh, in 2025. I'd ask from your experience at SEC because your timing there coincided with a feverish IPO SPAC market in 2020, 2021, right? Uh, what do you, what do you see coming?
Alison Staloch: Yeah, no, so yeah, I was at the [00:10:00] 2021, and the IPO and SPAC markets of that time were, I mean, just wild, right? Like, defined by extraordinary liquidity, speculative optimism, crazy, crazy valuations.
Tom Gavaghan: Crazy valuations.
Alison Staloch: Crazy valuations. And, and today's environment, I think, reflects a much more measured, calculated, cautious approach to public offerings. I think, you know, the rising interest rates, economic uncertainty, and kind of the lingering effects of the last few years have made companies a lot more deliberate in their path to the public markets.
And, you know, there has been, I don't think we can call it a wave, but maybe a sprinkle of IPOs over the last like 12 to 18 months. And I think they provide a really interesting lens into the shifting dynamics of what we'll probably see. Um, to your CEO's point, um, in the, in the new year when some of that kind of pent up readiness um, come, comes out.
So of companies that went public over the last 12 to 18 months, like my observations, a couple of things to [00:11:00] note. First one's super obvious, um, you know, it's, there's a focus on fundamentals, sustainable business models, path to profitability, you know, not growth at all costs like, like it was for so long, a more balanced approach.
And then. The second, maybe less obvious observation is that, you know, many companies, all companies faced, um, a constrained capital environment during the downturn. And some may have ended up relying on interesting structured agreements, investor friendly terms, you know, whatever they needed to do basically to remain liquid, survive, um, how they got through that.
And I think we may see some of that kind of become unveiled in the public markets in the coming year. So, you know, I, I think you're right. The public markets are showing signs of cautious optimism. We'll probably see that really unspiral in, in the coming years. Um, but I, I think we will see companies going public, not just to raise growth [00:12:00] capital, but, but, you know, because they're ready, um, they're actually ready and they want to meet investor expectations.
I think we've seen some strong post listing performance of several of those IPOs that, um, You know, that have happened over the last 12 to 18 months, and I think that suggests a renewed appetite for well positioned companies. But again, I think the financial and strategic pressures that they navigated to reach this point, um, will become more apparent, and maybe we'll see some of that uncovered in the coming year.
Tom Gavaghan: Is that to say that maybe Some that did this in 2021 ish were not ready?
Alison Staloch: I mean, there, you know, there were a lot of companies going public at that time that, um, didn't have strong fundamentals. Um, and I think But just strong valuations. Yeah. But they had strong valuations. They did have strong valuations, right, yeah.
Tom Gavaghan: I think there is cautious kind of energy in a way. I think the interest rate environment is different. Cost of capital is impacted there. Valuations, [00:13:00] I think, are probably a little bit more realistic than where they were in 2021. And that, that gives me a little bit of more optimism in a way as a pragmatic person, right?
In terms of the direction there on that, on the, uh, in the market. I think, I also think there's IPO aspect that I think there's also the M& A activity as well, right? You have balance sheets that have been pretty growing pretty sizably, and you also have the. Finished assets perhaps that you can go out and get at a, at a, at a, at a pretty good discount, right?
That lack those fundamentals. Um, but they're good businesses. Um, and those are, I think you're gonna see opportunity there, perhaps of some consolidation in the markets, uh, for sure as well.
Alison Staloch: Yeah, I think a lot of companies are, you know, rethinking the timing or even prospect in full of going, of going public.
Um, and um, that could result in a lot more interesting. activity across the board, both in the private and public markets.
Tom Gavaghan: Do you see the coming, uh, administration and the pending changes there on the regulatory environment, um, impacting this more or less the same at all? [00:14:00]
Alison Staloch: I think it'll impact it pretty substantially.
Yeah, I think policy direction will absolutely influence the pace of IPO activity in the new year. The focus will shift. Towards policies that stabilize interest rates, encourage capital formation, it's generally going to be much more favorable conditions for, for public capital markets. And so we'll see a resurgence just as a result of that.
I don't think it will mirror kind of that frenzied activity of 2020, 2021. I anticipate this market, like we've been talking about, will, will be shaped by stronger fundamentals. Companies going public, um, because of long term strategy, not because they're chasing a valuation. Thank you.
Tom Gavaghan: Yeah, I, I would agree with you on that.
I think it'll be super interesting to watch. I think, uh, as, as people like ourselves that like to watch the markets and financials and fundamentals, it'll be interesting to see these, uh, this next evolution of things and how this impacts, I would say, the broader economy. And then you also have, obviously, the technology aspect as well.
This next wave of technology companies, I think, is going to be super interesting with the AI, um, [00:15:00] advancements, right?
Alison Staloch: I think the other interesting piece about the incoming administration, too, is, is kind of like, In parallel to that, the private markets and secondary liquidity solutions remain really viable alternatives.
We've kind of touched on that, but especially as the new administration affects policies that might open up those markets, private markets to non institutions, and we hopefully start to see more of a convergence of what's available to both retail and institutional investors.
Tom Gavaghan: Yeah, it's, it's funny in our space working in the technology side, you get to touch a lot of different types of, of, of companies.
And obviously we work a lot on the financial services and in the private funds and private equity space, the concepts of these open funds and the ability to kind of move money in and out is, is, is becoming more prevalent from what I see. It's a, it's a very interesting dynamic and I think an area that you'll wonder what the regulation might be down the road, right?
Because it has to come at some point. You see more regulation around AML now in the, in the private market, as well as like ESG. A lot of [00:16:00] focus there as well that are trying to keep things contained and controlled in a way. And I wonder, you know, these dynamics like open funds and stuff, if that, uh, how that changes.
Your regulatory background, I think is unique, right? Working from an SEC and then into a company like Fundrise. Um, can you share or anything, your background or what has influenced your approach to your leadership role now at a company like Fundrise?
Alison Staloch: Yeah, I mean, you know, I think everyone's background influences how they think about their future work, but, but I think my background at the SEC profoundly shapes how I approach financial leadership at Fundrise, especially in aligning operational rigor with innovation.
So, My time at the SEC reinforced for me that regulatory frameworks aren't just a set of rules to follow. They're a foundation for investor confidence and for market integrity. And I think that mindset has always existed at Fundrise, but I'm, you know, I'm obviously able to double down on that. And I think we make it a [00:17:00] priority to integrate compliance, deeply into our DNA.
It's not an afterthought, but it's kind of a core element of how we scale and innovate and, and how we build our technology.
Tom Gavaghan: It's fundamental and probably ensures some level of security right behind what you guys are doing to help scale in a, in a proper way for, especially for the sensitivity. Of what you guys touch and do there.
I'm going to ask one other question here off the cuff because it's been a hot topic of conversation and something I think you can speak to from your experience and your background. Um, in a regulatory environment and also looking at the broader economic landscape. On the crypto side, it's something that it's been a side conversation for many, many years at the corporate level.
Um, and it's still that way, but I can see, and I'm kind of internally saying, you know, from 2025 perspective, I think it's become more of a, the conversation is going to become more of a reality conversation, but not actionability. Maybe in 2025, I think there's this messaging that there is some pending, forthcoming kind of regulatory structure [00:18:00] around this that might make these things more accessible.
to the corporate treasury space, but I'd be super interested if you what your viewpoint is on that or if you think I'm on the mark or off the mark on that.
Alison Staloch: No, I think you're on the mark. I mean, obviously Trump has been, um, catering in some ways to the crypto community and we've, we've seen that play out.
I think who he, who he picked for SEC chair, I think it's clear that it's going to be Paul Atkins, um, who maybe is friendly, but not from the crypto community. Um, I think that was a big question, likely for people in the crypto space. I'm, I'm certainly not an expert in, in crypto, so don't, don't want to, um, Want to just put that out there.
I'm bullish on the technology. I think I still still kind of wonder what the use case is and it's
Tom Gavaghan: literally I was at a speaking at a conference last week and they had bankers talking about it. And that was the exact same thing they said, which is I'm bullet. I The backend technology of it, we believe in, but the utilization of it, we don't have a premise [00:19:00] on it right now.
Want to shift topics, one of the areas that we like to talk to is our secrets, not our personal ones, just our professional ones, um, and kind of what has helped us get to where we are. Uh, ask a couple questions I think about your, your, your leadership role and that you have being the first female leader within Fundrise, is that correct?
Alison Staloch: I am, yes.
Tom Gavaghan: Yeah. How have you approached fostering a culture of inclusivity within the, within your org and broadly within, maybe even outside your org, within, within, uh, Fundrise?
Alison Staloch: Yeah, so, I'm, I'm, I'm the first female executive, but I, I should be clear, there are plenty of women in, in a leadership role. Um, at, at Fundrise, especially, you know, it's funny when I look around my team, it's, it's almost wholly women, so only true at, um, at the executive level.
But back to your question, I, I think, you know, I, I believe, I think Fundrise believes that inclusivity and innovation go hand in hand. Um, so for me, fostering both starts with, you know, back to building relationships, [00:20:00] um, but also understanding the diverse perspectives, um, that you have on your team and that, that will drive your team's success.
So I think one of the more important lessons I've learned is that identifying and incorporating different viewpoints leads to better decision making and then more creative solutions. And so at Fundrise, you know, we intentionally cultivate. Cross functional collaboration, bring together people with varied skill sets and backgrounds, different expertises, and I think it's at those intersections when we see some of our most innovative ideas emerge.
Another practical step we take is to intentionally seek out talent from a range of backgrounds, geographies, previous professional experiences. So we don't like all come from fintech, you know, even me coming from a regulatory background is like very different than other people, uh, in, in the company. And so, That also results in great diversity that I think enriches our problem solving and really drives [00:21:00] creativity.
Key to, you know, your question, I think that that's how you get to kind of innovation. A lot of times, like, you have no idea that, like, someone has this amazing idea or amazing perspective because of something that they've experienced in their life. And if you're not curious about them and you're not asking, then you won't get the value of that.
Tom Gavaghan: I, uh, yeah, no, I agree. I'll ask another question in terms of like, um, What's your one piece of advice if you were to talk to another financial leader about making change, like, what would you, what would you offer them as advice?
Alison Staloch: Okay, well, this is, um, on narrative so far also, but I, I, here I would say start with listening.
Um, I think it's like the single most powerful tool a leader has, and it's, it's, it's one of the hardest things for me to do regularly. I always tell my team, like, I'm not short on opinions. So I. I try really hard at this. I'm constantly working on it, and I think it's constantly important, um, but especially when it comes to change.
[00:22:00] You know, change means uncertainty, and humans are naturally uncomfortable with uncertainty. And so you, you have to take the time to build relationships, establish trust. If it's not a new environment, um, engage and maintain that trust that you've hopefully already built. Meet with people, ask open end questions, listen to what they're saying, listen to what they're not saying, listen to how they're showing you how they feel about something, and just really getting a sense of the organization's team, project, whatever, the rhythm and culture before you kind of like just step in with solutions immediately.
Tom Gavaghan: On the things that are not saying, it's so, that's a really hard part, a really hard thing to do in a remote environment because a lot of what you're not, what they're not saying is, is, is, is being told via body language and things like that and attitude. Any tips there or experience there? I don't know what your work environment is, if you guys are always in person, but I'm not, um, you know, any, any tips there or experience there to help with that.
Alison Staloch: Yeah, so we're fully remote too, um, and I, [00:23:00] I think like the key there is like seeing each other in person. Yeah, you got it, yeah. At least, at least somewhat frequently, um, I, like I always joke every time we get together, we started doing these things that, um, it's an unfortunate name, but it's stuck and now, now we all kind of like it, but we call them super weeks, um, and so basically we get large groups of people together in our office in DC.
Um, and come together for, you know, whatever it might be, like strategic, um, initiatives for the year. It might be like project based, um, sharing matters about like a project or a sprint or something like that. But those times are when you get to remember that like the people you're dealing with are not just like a head behind a screen, but they're actually a human in 3D.
Alison Staloch: Um, and it's so, it's so important to have those, like, Like recent memory of just like knowing that it's another human you're dealing with.
Tom Gavaghan: I can't argue it. I would say though, one of the things is it's an investment and you're the [00:24:00] CFO, right? So is that something that you battle with sometimes? Like, oh, this is going to cost money, but, or are you a little bit more It's kind of empathetic because you know what it yields, even though it's not necessarily tangible ROI, you know the, the intangible ROI of it, right?
Alison Staloch: Well, we, yeah, we, we spent a year trying it out, testing it out, um, figuring out how much it was going to cost, reallocating spend from other lower ROI activities, and I think, We've, we've found the sweet spot of like how often that needs to be, and that's different for different teams, um, what types of activities we should be fostering.
We also have a headquarters, um, so, you know, that part is at least, we're not paying for the facilities.
So, um, yeah, we've been able to do it, um, some would say on like a shoestring budget, but
Tom Gavaghan: we're doing it,
Alison Staloch: and we're doing it,
Tom Gavaghan: and it's so important. Good for you guys. I'll ask as we close out here.
Best book you've read recently? Anything to share? Would love to add it to the list.
Alison Staloch: Yeah, [00:25:00] I love to read. The best book I've read this year, and it's been on my list for like a decade and I've been avoiding it, was Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. It's not new, very timeless, profoundly moving.
Tom Gavaghan: Quick read? Is it a quick read?
Alison Staloch: It is a quick read. It's not long, but it's a really hard read, but it is very hopeful for for your audience, you know, it's about the author's account of his experience in concentration camps, and then that's the first half of the book. The second half is kind of his insights into existential psychology.
I think he's a psychiatrist, if I remember, but, but what, what really resonated with me, and I think, you know, for people as leaders, it was his core idea that like meaning is found not in what happens to us, but in how we respond. Um, and so, you know, a reminder that even in uncertainty, there's an opportunity to define our purpose and make choices that reflect our values and Um, man, [00:26:00] obviously, like, much harder circumstances and adversity that he faced in his life. And so, it's, you know, really inspiring. It kind of sticks with you.
Tom Gavaghan: That's interesting. I'll add it to the list. That is a growing list. I'll share one back. It seems correlated. I don't think I've shared it with on the podcast before. Read it this year. It was Surrounded by Idiots. Um, which is a very provocative title.
It's about working with people with other personalities. It's, we're so reactive to say if somebody doesn't think or act the way I do, therefore they're an idiot. The whole premise of the book is, uh, is this consultant. I forget the guy who wrote it. Uh, but it was the, the reason why it's called that is because he was consulting for HR level things and he went into a CEO's office and the CEO was complaining about his, his company, his team, and everybody's idiots.
And the guy said, well, Well, who hired all these idiots? And the guy was like, get out of my office. And, um, and that's where he came up with Surrounded by Idiots. But it's certainly about the psychological aspect of working and embracing the things that we all possess, uh, because we all come from a different background in psyche, I guess.
Last thing on the density and scientific side, biohacking? It's a hobby? Or, like, what do you [00:27:00] call that? You, uh, anything to share? Any tips? Yeah.
Alison Staloch: Well, I, I mean, like, I'm, I'm just super interested in Tools and data, um, and using them to optimize health. I think it's like, it's kind of like having a financial dashboard, but for yourself.
I spend a lot of time thinking about this, it's, and it's, it's like a hobby, it's, it's fun. I've been wearing a whoop, um, which is a wearable text. I've seen those.
Tom Gavaghan: Yeah.
Alison Staloch: I've, I've had it for like five years. I've, I've literally, it, it says I haven't taken it off in 1, 200 days. Oh my gosh. It does last that long.
Tom Gavaghan: I've seen the advertisements.
Alison Staloch: And actually, um, a, a guy that I work with is beating me. Like, he's got like 1, 800 or something. Wow. I'm like, I'm never going to catch up. But. Um, but I think that, that's been like super helpful, like just to give you feedback on your strain.
Alison Staloch: Yeah. Yeah. That data. I, I do like blood testing, dex, body composition scans for like your bone and muscle health markers and, and then like the blood testing gives you like all kinds of detail on like [00:28:00] metabolic heart health.
And I think it's just like, it's really fascinating to like try to link behaviors and actions to outcomes. Um,
Tom Gavaghan: yeah. Yeah. And you can get the data. Yeah. I, I, the data element of like the. The whoops and the auras and things like that, I think is super, super, super interesting. Although, I am somebody who can get paralyzed by so much stuff if you look at it too much.
Alison Staloch: And like, there's so much data that like at some point you have to stop back, set back and just say, like, live your life, but.
Tom Gavaghan: But it's interesting, the financial dashboard equivalent to your body, I mean, there's a balance sheet and income statement somewhere sitting inside of our genome, I guess. Right, right.
Alison Staloch: Exactly.
Tom Gavaghan: Um, nope. That's interesting. Maybe we'll talk about that more. Uh, interesting to know about Whoop as well. Not sponsored, but.
Alison Staloch: Right, right.
Tom Gavaghan: Thank you, Alison. I really appreciate you being here. Anything to share with the audience who's listening in terms of keeping up with you or getting in contact with you at all?
Alison Staloch: Um, yeah, I'm not a huge social media person, but I'm on LinkedIn and, um, yeah, I really appreciate talking to you. This is a fun, fun conversation.
Tom Gavaghan: Yes, likewise. Thanks for tuning in, folks. To never miss an episode, subscribe wherever you listen. I'm your host, Tom Gavaghan, and [00:29:00] this is Liquid: How CFOs Outperform.