In this episode of Brick by Brick, Loren Wernette sits down with Rebecca Irey, the founder and CEO of Blue Skye Financial, to talk about the new rules of money, retirement, and financial independence. Rebecca shares her personal journey—from growing up on a ranch to building a national financial planning firm—and how that shaped her belief that the American Dream isn’t broken… most people just never got the roadmap.

Together, they dig into why traditional financial advice often fails younger generations, how entrepreneurs overlook their own retirement, and what practical, tax-efficient strategies actually create financial clarity.

• Financial education is the missing piece. Most people never learned the rules of money, which keeps them stuck.

• The American Dream still works—but you need non-traditional tools to get there today.

• Rebecca’s ranch-to-finance journey shows how money can create opportunity for anyone, regardless of where they start.

• Entrepreneurs are great at making money… but often horrible at planning for themselves.

• The traditional retirement system is broken for Gen Z and millennials, requiring new strategies.

• Leverage beats spending. Wealth is built by using money as a tool, not a lifestyle.

• Retirement isn’t an end. It’s about giving yourself the freedom to do the work you want to do.

• Long-term care planning matters—people are living longer, and ignoring this creates huge financial strain.

• Avoiding taxes legally is a civic responsibility, not a cheat code.

• Money is energy. Creating wealth helps you, your family, and society as a whole.

00:00 — Welcome & Introduction
03:12 — Rebecca’s upbringing on a ranch & her path into finance
10:45 — Why financial education is failing Americans
17:20 — The challenges entrepreneurs face planning for themselves
25:08 — How retirement planning has changed for younger generations
33:50 — Leveraging money vs spending it: what actually builds wealth
40:15 — Taxes, long-term care, and planning for longevity
48:30 — Rebecca’s message: a roadmap exists no matter where you're starting
54:10 — Final thoughts and where to connect with Rebecca

🔑 Key Takeaways🎧 Episode Chapters (Corrected & Structured)

Website: https://blueskyefinancial.com
Meet the Team: https://blueskyefinancial.com/meet-our-team/
Instagram: @blueskye_financial

In this episode of Brick by Brick Wealth Building Conversations, Loren Wernette sits down with Garrett Maroon — founder of the 2:10 Collective, host of The Faithful Agent Podcast, and author of The Balanced Breakthrough. Garrett built a seven-figure real estate business entirely by referral, then intentionally restructured his life to protect his faith, marriage, and time with his kids.

Today, he teaches entrepreneurs how to build businesses that run on relationships, healthy boundaries, and purposeful systems — not hustle, burnout, or chaos.

Garrett shares the mindset shift that happened when his wife challenged him to build a company in under 40 hours a week, what most entrepreneurs get wrong about referrals, and how defining success around your values changes everything.

This conversation is real, practical, and packed with wisdom for entrepreneurs who want to grow without losing their life in the process.

• How Garrett shifted from the grind to a “life-first” business

• The power and simplicity of referral-driven growth

• Why boundaries create freedom (not restrictions)

• How to win at home and in business

• Integrating faith authentically into your work

• Why hiring and delegating early is essential

• The mindset change that helped Garrett reclaim his time

• How The Balanced Breakthrough helps entrepreneurs redefine success

00:00 – Intro to Garrett and 2:10 Collective
03:10 – From higher ed to real estate
07:42 – The 40-hour challenge that changed everything
13:55 – Building a referral-only business
20:18 – Setting boundaries and avoiding burnout
27:03 – Faith, family, and redefining success
34:22 – Systems that support a life-first business
41:50 – Lessons from The Balanced Breakthrough
48:15 – Final thoughts

Garrett Maroon — 2:10 Collective
Website: https://www.210collective.com
Bio: https://www.210collective.com/bio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garrettmaroon/
Podcast: The Faithful Agent Podcast
Book: The Balanced Breakthrough

Key TakeawaysChaptersGuest Contact

Episode: The Power of Open Banking in Today’s Economy
Guest: Peter Maher — CEO of Ovanti USA & Founder of Flote

In this episode, I sit down with Peter Maher to break down one of the most impactful shifts happening in today’s financial landscape: open banking—and how it’s completely reshaping the way lenders understand financial health.

Peter leads Ovanti’s U.S. division and is the founder of Flote, the company’s U.S. rebrand that focuses on using real-time cashflow instead of outdated credit scores to evaluate financial wellbeing. The result? More accurate decisioning and far better access for consumers who've traditionally been boxed out by old credit systems.

We dig into:

• Why credit scores no longer tell the full story

• How open banking gives lenders real-time insight

• The evolution from Ovanti to Flote for U.S. expansion

• How Flote plans to disrupt payday lending and lease-to-own models

• Why financial innovation should protect—not exploit—consumers

• What the future of financial accessibility looks like in an open-banking world

Key Takeaways

• Open banking provides a clearer picture of financial health.

• Ovanti’s U.S. rollout is operating under the new brand: Flote.

• Flote uses cashflow-based underwriting rather than credit scores.

• Legacy credit systems are restrictive and often misleading.

• Open banking is gaining real traction in the U.S. economy.

• Flote’s mission revolves around transparency and consumer-first design.

Sound Bites

• “Open banking is the future of finance.”

• “Credit scores don’t define financial health.”

• “Financial innovation shouldn’t come at the cost of the consumer.”

• “Real-time cashflow tells the real story.”

• “Flote is redefining accessibility in modern finance.”

Chapters
00:00 – Meet Peter Maher & the origins of Ovanti
00:05 – What open banking really is
00:10 – The problem with traditional credit scoring
00:18 – The Flote approach: cashflow over credit
00:28 – Financial accessibility and the future of open banking

Connect with Peter

• Ovanti Global — https://www.ovanti.com/

• U.S. Leadership Bio — https://www.ovanti.com/ovanti-us-leadership

• Flote Partnerships — https://getflote.com/

• LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/ptmaher/

• Partnerships Email — partnerships@ovanti.com