Talking With Dana June – July 13, 2026
Author, How 2 Cocktale: A Money Manifesto for the Service Industry
What happens when someone who's spent years working in Nevada's hospitality industry realizes that earning good money doesn't always lead to financial security?
This week on “Talk About Las Vegas With Ira,” Ira welcomes Dana June, founder of How 2 Cocktale and author of How 2 Cocktale: A Money Manifesto for the Service Industry. After more than a decade as a cocktail waitress, Dana experienced a life-changing realization during the COVID shutdown: thousands of hardworking service industry professionals know how to earn money—but few have ever been taught how to keep it, grow it, or build lasting wealth.
Dana shares her personal journey, inspired in part by watching both her own career and her mother's decades in the casino industry. She explains why financial literacy is still missing from many schools, how the casino environment can create an "easy money in, easy money out" mindset, and why too many longtime hospitality employees reach retirement age without savings or a 401(k).
The conversation explores practical strategies for living below your means, understanding your true financial needs, and creating long-term stability even when your income fluctuates from tips and shifts. Dana also discusses why employers should provide financial education and how businesses benefit when employees become financially confident.
Whether you work in hospitality, gaming, restaurants, tourism—or simply want to improve your relationship with money—this episode offers practical advice, eye-opening insights, and inspiration to take control of your financial future.
ABOUT DANA:
Dana June is the founder of How 2 Cocktale, a financial literacy initiative dedicated to making money education practical, relatable, and accessible. After spending more than ten years in Nevada's service industry while earning her Bachelor's degree in Business Management from UNLV and her MBA in Hospitality & Tourism from Washington State University, she recognized that many hardworking people earn good incomes but are never taught how to manage, protect, and grow their money.