From Podcast to Proclamations: Watching Earn Your Leisure Become History

Greenburgh Town Clerk Hosts Fireside Chat with Greenburgh’s Own Troy Millings & Rashad Bilal, Founders of Earn Your Leisure

On Saturday, March 21, 2026, I showed up to Greenburgh Town Hall for a Fireside Chat called “You Deserve to Be Rich,” and I already knew I was not sitting in the back like this was something to casually observe.

No.

I was front row. Centered. Ten toes down in my chair, coat still half on because I got there early and wasn’t about to lose that seat. Close enough to hear the mic crackle before anyone spoke. Close enough to see the intention before it turned into words.

I didn’t come to spectate, I came to receive.

And the setting? Greenburgh Town Hall. Not some exclusive rooftop. Not a “members only” situation. A town hall. Which already told me: this conversation about wealth wasn’t being gatekept, it was being given back.

Now, Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings, co-creators of Earn Your Leisure and New York Times bestselling authors of You Deserve to Be Rich, came in with a presence that wasn’t loud, but it was grounded. Like, “we’ve lived this, we’ve studied this, and we’re here to translate it.”

And from where I was sitting? You feel that kind of energy differently.

You catch the pauses. The looks. The way they lean into certain points like, no, don’t just clap, apply this.

They weren’t just talking about money. They were talking about behavior. About how we’ve been conditioned to survive instead of build. About ownership in a way that made you check yourself without feeling shamed.

And I had a moment, front row, pen hovering, not even writing, where something hit me a little too clean:

I’ve been thinking about money like something to manage… not something to multiply.

And I didn’t like how true that felt.

Because nobody teaches you that survival thinking can follow you even when you’re no longer just surviving.

And let’s talk about the book for a second.

Because You Deserve to Be Rich isn’t just a catchy title, it’s a confrontation.

Like, do you actually believe that?

Or do you believe you’re supposed to struggle, just make enough, just get by?

They were breaking down what it means to master the inner game of wealth. Not just external strategies, but mindset. And let’s be real, if your mindset is still rooted in lack, you can sabotage abundance before it even hits your account.

And sitting there, front row, I had to check myself again.

Because it’s one thing to hear “you deserve more.”

It’s another thing to realize you might not be moving like you believe it.

Now, Greenburgh Town Clerk Lisa Maria Nero, MPA, was moderating, and I appreciated that she wasn’t just there to keep time; she was there to ground the conversation. She made sure it stayed connected to the people in the room. Like, okay, this sounds good, but how does this apply right here, right now?

That matters.

Because theory without application is just entertainment.

And let’s be clear, this didn’t just “happen.”

There was intention behind this entire setup.

County Executive Ken Jenkins, part of the setup team, helping ensure this kind of conversation actually reached the community. Danielle Millings. Abdoulaye Sow. Sara Bracey White from the Arts Council making sure culture had a presence. Greenburgh Town Councilmembers Hon. Gina Jackson, Hon. Ellen Hendrickx, Hon. Francis Sheehan, and Town Supervisor Paul Feiner coordinated this.

You could feel that this was built on purpose.

And honestly, sitting there, it hit me:

The people closest to the challenges in our community are often the ones closest to the solutions that actually make an impact.

And Earn Your Leisure is proof of that.

Because this didn’t come from theory. This came from lived experience, from navigating the same systems, the same gaps in information, the same questions so many of us have had, and deciding to turn that into access for everybody else.

That’s why it lands.

That’s why it resonates.

Now here’s where it shifted.

Because toward the end, after all the conversation, after all the knowledge dropped, the room moved into something else entirely.

Recognition.

And not light recognition, institutional recognition.

A Black History Award from the Greenburgh Town Clerk.

Proclamations from U.S. Congressman George Latimer, with a U.S. flag flown over the Capitol. A letter from Governor Kathy Hochul. Recognition from NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Senator Shelley Mayer, naming March 21st their day.

And I’m sitting there, hands folded now, pen down, just watching it stack up, thinking…

This is what it looks like when impact gets documented.

Not just celebrated, but recorded.

Then more:

A proclamation from County Legislator Jewel Williams-Johnson and the 17-member Board of Legislators.

The Mayor of White Plains Justin Brasch, named March 21st Earn Your Leisure Day.

And I had to pause internally like…

a whole day?

Because again, this started as a podcast.

And then it kept building.

A Jumbotron Day is set for April 4, 2026.

Inclusion in a Greenburgh Bicentennial history book.

A street name change.

And the promise of an honorary street naming: EYL Way.

Now listen… a street name?

That’s permanence.

That’s people giving directions using your impact.

That’s history you can literally walk on.

And sitting front row, I didn’t miss any of it.

I saw the pride before it turned into applause. The quiet disbelief. The side glances that said, we really did this. The kind of moments that don’t always make it into recap videos but matter the most.

And I had this realization, clear, uncomfortable, necessary:

This wasn’t just about wealth.

This was about what happens when you stop playing small with information that could change your life.

Because yes, they talked about money. Ownership. Mindset.

But what I witnessed?

Was what it looks like when that knowledge turns into something so impactful that it can’t be ignored, by the people or the institutions around them.

So no, I didn’t walk out with a new investment portfolio magically set up.

Let’s stay grounded.

But I walked out with something just as important:

A shift.

A sharper awareness that wealth isn’t just about what you earn, it’s about what you build, what you multiply, and what outlives you.

And I’m glad I sat in the front row.

Because I didn’t miss a single drop.

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