The Junior Boardroom Podcast
Big ideas in business, finance, and the real world — broken down for kids, by kids. Hosted by 10-year-old Raina, 8-year-old Devin, and their dad Mel.
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Episodes
- Episode 7 · July 1, 2026 · 48 minWhose Fault Is It? Liability for Kids (Waymo crashes and McDonald's getting sued for hot coffee)What does it really mean to be responsible when something goes wrong? This episode of The Junior Boardroom opens with a real one: Raina reads the actual waiver from her horse riding camp out loud, the one that makes you accept "any and all risks of injury... or death". From there the kids crack open one big grown-up word, liability, and suddenly start spotting it everywhere: the "No running" sign at the pool, the waiver at the ski resort, the "no riding in the cart" sign at the grocery store, even a locked-up tennis court. They play a "Whose Fault Is It?" game full of curveballs (a golf ball through a window, a dog bite on a dog-sitting job, a stadium pretzel that makes you sick, an ice cream that sends the blame climbing all the way up the supply chain from the shop to the store to the farm, and a tennis match that shows why a waiver protects you for accidents but never for hurting someone on purpose). They take it to the jungle with a Costa Rica ziplining trip and a very bitey sloth that teaches what happens when you ignore a warning sign, wrestle with who's to blame when a self-driving Waymo crashes, and hear the true story behind the famous "hot coffee" lawsuit that sounds silly until you hear the whole thing. It all builds to the most ridiculous, escalating disaster story we could dream up, and the real lesson hiding inside it: fault is almost never just one person, and you should never blame the first name you think of.
- Episode 6 · June 16, 2026 · 39 minCurrencies for Kids: How Money & Exchange Rates Work Around the World (Yen, Euros, Pesos & the Colón)In this episode of The Junior Boardroom, the kids take a trip around the globe, touring eight currencies tied to their own classmates' home countries: the US dollar, Japanese yen, Brazilian real, South Korean won, the euro, Indian rupee, Turkish lira, British pound, and the Costa Rican colón. They crack the secret that a big number on a price tag doesn't mean something is expensive (that same Pokémon pack costs about four dollars almost everywhere, once you do the exchange-rate math), and find out why France has no "French dollar." With the family's August trip to Costa Rica weeks away, it's live math on air: converting colones, won, and pounds in their heads, plus how a kid's debit card does the currency conversion automatically the moment you travel. A warm, kid-friendly guide to currencies, exchange rates, and money around the world.
- Episode 5 · June 9, 2026 · 28 minStocks & IPOs for Kids: SpaceX, OpenAI & Anthropic and the AI IPO Boom ExplainedDad just made a real announcement: he's buying Raina (10) and Devin (8) one real share each of a real company, SpaceX. But before they own a piece of it, they have to understand what they're actually getting. In this episode of The Junior Boardroom, the kids break down the three biggest names in the news right now, SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic, and figure out why everyone is so excited (and a little freaked out) about their IPOs. Along the way the board learns what a stock really is (one slice of a company, like a slice of birthday cake), who actually owns YouTube (Google), and where those slices get bought and sold (the stock market in New York, which works just like a farmer's market where prices go up when everyone wants the apples). The kids tackle live math on air: figuring out profit on a $135 SpaceX share, and calculating a company's market cap (share price times number of shares). Plus a real boardroom debate, when someone offers you double for your share a month later, do you sell, hold, or buy more? Even the smartest people on Wall Street argue about that one every single day. A fun, kid-friendly intro to stocks, IPOs, AI companies, and investing, perfect for the car ride to school.
- Episode 4 · May 23, 2026 · 28 minThe Business of Pets: What Does a Dog REALLY Cost? | Business & Money for KidsRaina has been campaigning for a dog for TWO YEARS. So this week, the Junior Boardroom puts pets on trial. Is owning a dog actually a good deal? We dig into the $150 billion U.S. pet industry (yes, that's bigger than the entire NBA), and we teach two business concepts every kid — and grown-up — should know: recurring costs and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). In this episode: Why companies LOVE pet owners (hint: you keep coming back every week); live math on air: $100/month × 12 months × 12 years = the real price of a dog; the jobs built on top of dogs — dog walkers ($600/week!), trainers (six figures), and vets; service dogs and how a K-9's nose is 10,000× more powerful than ours (300 million smell cells vs. our 6 million); famous movie dogs that out-earned their human co-stars — Toto from The Wizard of Oz, Air Bud, Marley & Me, and the cautionary tale of 101 Dalmatians. After all the math, does Raina still want a dog? You'll have to listen to find out.
- Episode 3 · May 9, 2026 · 25 minThe Business of Tennis For Kids: Wimbledon, French Open, Grand Slam Prize Money & Hawk-Eye CamerasGame, set, money! With the French Open just around the corner, Raina (age 10) and Devin (age 8) break down the business behind professional tennis. We take a quick tour of all four Grand Slams: the Australian Open, the French Open (Roland-Garros), Wimbledon, and the US Open. Then we tackle the big questions: How much does the US Open champion really take home? Why did it take until 2007 for women to earn equal prize money? Why is Roland-Garros the only Grand Slam still using human line judges? And how did 204 Hawk-Eye cameras change tennis forever? A fun, stat-packed episode for young athletes, tennis fans, and curious kids, perfect for the car ride to practice.
- Episode 2 · April 13, 2026 · 21 minTax day for kids: what are taxes, why we pay taxes, and who is the IRS?It's Tax Day season! In this episode of The Junior Boardroom, Raina (age 10) and Devin (age 8) learn what taxes are, how income tax works, who the IRS is, and what happens if you just... don't pay. Plus — why does the government take money out of your paycheck before you even see it? A fun, kid-friendly breakdown of taxes perfect for the car ride to school.
- Episode 1 · February 17, 2026 · 30 minThe business of basketball: how the NBA makes $76 billon a year (for kids!)Hey Steph Curry fans! Ever wonder how the NBA makes billions of dollars every year? In this episode, join 8 and 10-year old siblings, Devin and Raina in the boardroom to learn about the massive business behind your favorite dunks and three-pointers. We dive into billion dollar TV deals, explain why a tiny patch on a Golden State Warriors jersey is worth $20 million, and figure out why an All-Star seat costs more than a car.