Today we’d like to introduce you to Khori Hooks.
Hi Khori, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story begins on the corner of 60th and Warrington in the Cobbs Creek section of Philadelphia. I was born to a matriarchal led household, with my mother working as a Medical Assistant Instructor and my grandmother being a principal in three different school districts throughout her career. While they worked- I explored, observed and created.
Learning was always exciting to me, as it opened the door to new worlds. At the age of seven, I practically begged my mom to enroll me in the private boarding school, Girard College. I was introduced to the school because my brother submitted an application, but unlike me, he wasn’t interested in living at school, that was my moms decision. After enough begging, alongside the disapproval from my grandfather and father- who would both turn out to not be as present in the rest of my journey- my mother decided to listen to my pleas and allow me to apply to the school.
I was accepted and a few months into second grade, I was skipped to the third grade because I needed more of a “challenge” (makes sense, especially since I would learn with my grandmother for fun on the weekends). I didn’t know it yet, but I would attend Girard College from 2nd to 12th grade and my experience at Girard would help build the foundation for the rest of my life.
As a student who attended boarding school for the majority of her life, independence became expected- not out of choice, but I had no other option. I had to be the overseer of my experiences as they shifted between my home life and my life at school. My curiosity to explore, observe and create now blended with questioning reality and asking myself “what’s the purpose of this life thing, anyway?”. I didn’t know it yet, but this is where the fun would begin.
As I continued to ponder on my purpose, I thought about all of the things that I enjoyed about life. With each thought, I found that there was one common denominator- and that is, I enjoyed feeling good. I would later discover that “feeling good” was primarily due to hormones that were released in my body based on the actions I took. But it wasn’t enough to land on a purpose that only benefited me- recognizing that a part of my feeling good was based on those feeling good around me. I determined that my purpose in life would be to help people “feel good”, and while feeling good could take on various forms, I would eventually translate my mission to helping people live a better quality of life.
There are many factors that contribute to quality of life but again, I needed to find the common denominator. Money. And while money alone can not solve all of our problems, it damn sure could help.
I attended Temple University to study Economics and Cognitive Neuroscience. Throughout my studies, I also worked as a Research Assistant in the Center for Applied Research in Decision Making (CARD) Lab. I was fascinated by the art of money and how people developed their relationship with it. While money seemed like such a basic, obvious thing before, I would discover that people’s relationship with money was more psychological than logical. Yet the learning process around money was very logic focused.
After graduating from Temple I worked at New York Life insurance company then transitioned to Monument Advisory Group, a private wealth firm at Ameriprise. During this time, I would also study for my securities licenses with the goal of becoming a Financial Advisor. My premise was that I would become a credentialed Advisor and then be able to help translate all of what I learned back to the community that I came from. And Woolah! My mission will be fulfilled! But there was one hiccup- it seemed like the more credentialled I became, the further away I was from the community in which I sought to help. The focus became AUM and increasing the size of our book of business- the community was either secondary or not in the picture at all.
I took it upon myself to volunteer with nonprofits, schools and even host my own financial literacy wine tastings and happy hours. While that was a good introduction to the world of finance for some, for most, it was just another finance workshop- whatever that meant to them. I needed to do more, I needed to tap back into my nature- I had explored, I was observing but now I had to create.
How could I combine the nature of people and what they enjoy, with the financial knowledge that they need to help them live a better quality of life? I knew the answer would not be discovered in another financial literacy workshop.
I had to create an environment that people willingly chose to attend and actually looked forward to. An experience that people would tell their friends about and invite their partners to. It was down this loophole where I finally landed on the idea of The Financial Literacy Game Show.
The idea was simple, I would create a game show that would both teach and challenge participants as part of the experience. And just like in any game show, motivation is led by the potential for a reward. Ok- so let’s make a $1000 grand prize for the final winner. Even moreso, let’s tie the experience in with a format that proved successful in other settings. Squid game. Let’s make the format and mood of the show be inspired by the extremely popular Netflix series, Squid Game. I would add a live host and an on screen character, referred to as Character X, to teach the lessons in the game. Slowly but surely, my vision was coming together.
On November 6th, 2025 I hosted my first soft launch of The Financial Literacy Game Show which would later be titled, Money UnMasked. The idea alone garnered over 125 attendees, all in the name of financial literacy. The proof of concept was a success.
Today we have a bootstrapped team of 12 and are preparing to host three more shows this year (2026) along with our brand activations, smaller “mini shows”, that can be hosted at high schools and professional organizations.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth roads are subjective. While I do not live life with regret, I believe that our experiences, both beautiful and unsightly, make up our reality based on how we CHOOSE to interpret them. My struggles- my father pretty much ignored me for most of my life, my mother died from alcohol abuse right before I graduated from college, I had to raise my younger brother at the age of 21- I could go on, but who’ s counting? I can either use my life’s experience to enhance my purpose or break and prove that none of the turmoil was worth it. I choose purpose.
We’ve been impressed with Money UnMasked, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Money UnMasked is the Financial Literacy Game Show that teaches players everything they need to know to win. I am a Financial Advisor turned Game Show Producer, who blends money logic with the psychology that guides consumer decision making. I enjoy observing and creating out of the box solutions to problems. In this case, the problem was ineffective approaches to introducing financial education.
My goal is to blend what we know about the consumer mindset with an experience that produces long term, impactful gain for our audience. The purpose of the production is to reimagine the way that consumers explore the world of money.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
The world is just one big stage with endless stories. You don’t choose the story you’re born into, but there will come a time when you become the producer. Recognize when you reach that point and take full advantage of it- or someone else will.
Contact Info:
- Other: https://41ogg6.share-na2.hsforms.com/2sswHCJZCTEqeyPYvfKKFaQ
