Filene Research Institute's Creative Content & Media Manager Katie Gaynor stopped by the Studio Lounge to discuss the organization's Domestic Violence Recovery Loan Program -- in lieu of Domestic Violence Awareness Month this month (more specifically Purple Thursday -- October 24). 

Here are some of the domestic violence research and pilot program initiatives we discussed:

• Where did this domestic violence research topic come from and who is involved?
• How is this research working to address this complex issue while ensuring sustainability for the credit union involved?
• How can credit unions use this research to better serve their members?
  

Katie also provides examples of how loan program funds could be used to help victims affected by domestic violence. Check it out and let us know your thoughts.

Happy Money's Joseph Heck joined us on the show to share the latest news at Happy Money -- an organization that enables people to break up with their credit card and eliminate "Sad Money." Sad Money is the debt many of us carry around from overspending on credit cards and Happy Money looks to do something about by partnering with credit unions.

Joe also discussed why CMFG Ventures has invested in the the company to further its cause for consumers nationwide and encourage saving. Something we all have to get a bit better at, indeed.

Check it out and let us know your thoughts.

As fraud losses mount, financial institutions are increasingly turning to one of the newest ways to up your anti-fraud security game without infringing on convenience: behavioral biometrics. To get the inside scoop on behavioral biometrics and how beneficial they are to credit unions and banks, we invited OneSpan Senior Product Marketing Manager Sam Bakken on the show.

Sam explained what exactly are behavioral biometrics, shared some examples on how they are being used today at financial institutions, advice on implementing these new anti-fraud tools, and much, much more.

Really cutting edge stuff here, so check it out and let us know your thoughts.

So what do Mount Kilimanjaro and your credit union's data transformation have in common? Well, you're about to find out in this discussion with Thrive's Founder/CEO Anne Legg, as she is about embark on an epic expedition of her own to Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa.

Anne started thinking about her preparations for this adventure and began seeing many parallels to a credit union's data and digital transformation journey. She wrote a blog post on it entitled: "Data transformation is a lot like climbing the tallest, free-standing mountain in the world."

Anne is also providing enhanced exposure and raising funds for the following organizations:
National Credit Union Foundation
Girls on the run
Feeding San Diego

Enjoy our conversation and follow Anne on her adventure when leaves early next month.

Everybody is looking for a leg up on their digital journey's these days to maintain pace with consumers' growing expectations in this area -- no matter your industry. But for credit unions, it's vital to up your digital game to match these expectations and experiences being experienced elsewhere (Amazon, Apple, Uber, etc.).

That said, we invited Digital Growth Institute's CEO/Founder James Robert Lay to discuss this very topic and how his Digital Growth Accelerator Program can expedite a credit union's digital journey for continued success down the road, as consumers continue to evolve with the latest technologies. We covered a lot of ground in this conversation, so check it out and let us know your thoughts.

Oh, and James Robert is working on his latest book ("Banking on Digital Growth"), which will be published early next year at The Financial Brand Forum. Stay tuned!