July 2, 2025 • 29 mins
Hey BA Fam! Mandi's riding solo today for the brown table and sharing insights on the biggest headlines that impact your wallet.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Hey, hey, va fam. Welcome to Brown Ambition. Welcome to
the Brown Table. You know what, it's just me today.
I'm going solo. There is so much to talk to
you all about, so much that impacts your wallet, that
could impact your career, and I thought it was time
for me to do a solo show. So welcome. Whether
you're watching on YouTube or you are listening wherever you
(00:38):
get your podcasts, Welcome to Brown Ambition. This is where
your money, your career, and the culture intersect. I am
Mandy Money. I am your host. And whether you are
brand new to the show or you are OGBA fan
from ten almost ten years y'all ten years now, twenty fifteen,
we launched Welcome. You are in the right place. I
am going to break down some of the headlines that
(01:00):
really matter, really have an impact on what we're going
through today, and I hope you find this insightful. I
also want y'all to let this be a reminder that
as things are happening in the world, there's always something
that we can be doing or changing it up personally
to inoculate ourselves and protect ourselves the best we can
(01:21):
from the shenanigans that are happening. And we know where
the Shenanigans are happening. And in fact, that brings me
to my very first item of the day. This is
kind of breaking news. I'm actually recording this on Tuesday,
and about half an hour ago the news broke that
the Senate has actually passed Trump's Oh what are we
(01:44):
calling this? He's gonna make like we're technically supposed to
call it the most aseni name I've ever heard of,
the Big Beautiful Bill. But I'm going to call it
the big beautiful pile of bs and tax breaks for
the rich and incredible spending to social safety net programs
(02:06):
that are going to put so many of us at
risk in this country, including Medicare, including social Security. But
the Senate now has passed the Big Beautiful Bill. They
passed it even though three of their own, the Republicans,
three of their own defected and voted against the bill. JD. Vans,
(02:26):
of course, Trump's favorite little stooge, was the tie breaking vote.
And now it's on its way to the House. So
let's do a quick recap. I'll just remind you what's
actually in this bill. This bill is going to shake
up everything from how much we pay in taxes to
what kind of benefits we might get from the government.
This bill is going to lock in the tax cuts
(02:47):
that were put into place from Trump's first term, which
we're set to expire this year in twenty twenty five.
We're talking about adding trillions of dollars to the US
deficit over the next ten years if this bill is
going to pass. Now, Republicans love tax breaks for the rich.
They love taking away tax funded social safety net programs
(03:09):
for the people who are in need. They don't always
have a way to make up funding for that in
other ways. And it's kind of crazy because if anyone
with two brain cells to rup together could look at
someone's budget and say, so, you're going to spend trillions
of dollars more, but you don't have a way to
like raise more money, get a higher paying job, find
(03:31):
a way to pay for all these new expenses. Like
who's looking at this person? Who would talk to that
person and be like, oh, yeah, I approve of this budget.
This makes so much sense. But that's exactly what lawmakers
are doing right now. And when it comes to this big,
beautiful pile of bs that includes cuts to Medicaid, food
stamp programs, and other social programs to pay for the
(03:53):
tax break. The bill proposes one point two trillion dollars
being cut from Medicaid and food stamps or the SNAP
program that means stricter eligibility, new work requirements. They could
require you to work up to eighty hours a month
in order to be eligible, and millions, especially those low
income families and rural Americans, actually risk losing their health
(04:14):
coverage or food assistants. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that
nearly twelve million Americans could lose Medicaid coverage and millions
more could see their health care cost increase, or they
could even lose coverage under the Affordable Care Act if
this were to pass as is. So we have to
keep our eyes on this, yeall. The biggest losers from
this bill are people that you know, Republicans don't give
(04:37):
two flying fs about and yet needed their votes so
bad to elect this fascist dictator into the White House.
But the biggest losers low income families and individuals could
lose health care coverage and food assistants, especially if they
can't meet new work requirements. Rural Americans may see their
hospitals closed down, medical practices closed down because they no
(04:58):
longer have or eligible to be covered through Medicaid. This
man opens his mouth or puts pen to paper or
of giant sharpie to paper and tries to sign something
new into law. So what can we do. It's not
law yet, it's got to clear the House somehow. They're
saying that Trump may have this bill on his desk
(05:18):
by the fourth of July, and this man loves pomp
and circumstance, so that would be the headline. I'm sure
he would love to have. But how are they going
to get this thing through the House in the next
three days? I have no idea, but it's not too
late for you to contact your elected officials on Capitol Hill.
Let them know if you support or don't support the big,
beautiful spending bill, and let them know what they can
(05:41):
do or what you're going to do with your vote
if they vote with it or against it. Like, we
have to let our voices be heard, and these officials
are literally elected to represent us, so let's make them
do their job. All right. Now, let's shift from politics
to the power of technology in our everyday lives, especially
when it comes to finding a job. And y'all know
aw as a career coach myself, I'm in the trenches
(06:02):
with so many of us right now who are out
here trying to navigate this crazy job market. So I
want to talk about Derek Mobley. Derek Mobley versus Workday.
This is a man who, after more than one hundred
unsuccessful job applications, decided to take a stand. Derek Mobley
is suing software firm Workday, claiming that it's hiring algorithms
(06:22):
screened him out unfairly. His story highlights a growing concern
as AI becomes more entrenched and hiring, are we actually
sacrificing fairness for efficiency. Mobley's case could set a president
for how tech companies are held accountable in the job market.
This man, who is has decided to sue work Day,
alleging that by using this AI software, it is weeding
(06:45):
out candidates who may be older, who may have some disabilities.
He himself has struggled with anxiety and depression. He's also
a black man, so they may be weeding out candidates
of color, and even if they're not doing it intentionally,
these this software the technology that companies are using to
deal with the sheer breadth of applications they are getting
(07:08):
from Americans right now, from workers right now. They are
not taking the time to slow the f down and
ask themselves is more harm being done than good when
we rely on bots to help us. We through all
these applications, and I'm really interested to hear where this
case goes. It's working its way through the courts now.
(07:28):
So Mite has a new study that's come out from
their media lab where it asks does using AI tools
like chatchept actually harm our critical thinking skills? So the
research is suggesting that heavily relying on AI generated answers
can reduce our ability to reason through complex problems. And
it's a reminder for us to stay sharp and keep
(07:50):
questioning and not just accepting the information we're giving. I mean,
even the best technology can let us down, and whether
it's humans or bots. Now, if y'all miss this, there's
a new CEO at Red Lobster. His name is Wait.
I should have practiced this Damala Adamolicum. He is Red
Lobster's visionary new CEO. He is only thirty four years old,
(08:12):
kind of exciting. I hope that they give him room
to grow, in room to fail, and I hope that
he's not given like the glass cliff that so many
women of color are given when we come in to
save struggling companies and are quickly given the boot and
the blame when things don't work out immediately. Ugh. Yeah,
but let's talk about your job search. So, job market
(08:35):
strategies for twenty twenty five, the latest data is showing
that job seekers can succeed when we focus on targeted
skills based strategies and leverage AI tools. So I wanted
to kind of go through some actionable TEP steps and
tips that y'all could be leveraging in your job search.
So the first thing is very simple, tailor your application
for every single job. I don't want any shortcuts being taken.
(08:58):
If and especially if the job application has a field
for additional information, cover letter, portfolio, you need to be
giving them the whole kit and kaboodle. Any little thing
can help you separate yourself from the pack and stand
out from the crowd. We have to be customizing your
resume and cover letter. Can use AI tools. You can
pop in your resume, you can pop in the job
(09:19):
description and say, hey, give me some advice on how
I can tailor this for the job. It's so easy now,
there's really no excuse. The fact that it's so easy
means that we're actually in a more challenging application environment
because everybody and their mama can use chat GPT now.
It's so useful, it's so accessible, easy to use. So
how do we then stand out from people who already
(09:40):
are tailoring their resumes? So this is where you're going
to be wanting to beef up your application. It's about
adding in that personalized cover letter. It's about doing some
deep dives and digging into finding out who is actually
the hiring manager for this role. Am I connected with
them or someone who knows them, who knows someone who
knows them on LinkedIn? How can I get a referral
(10:03):
from someone internal at the company, even if it's someone
I haven't spoken to in years? Like taking that leap
to ask for a referral. Too many of us are
too afraid to do that, don't want to seem greedy
or needy, when really just put your humility to the side,
like you can, you can be honest, like, Hey, I'm
in a tough spot right now, I could really use
(10:23):
a referral, and I am being vulnerable and asking you
for it. And that's a very human thing. I don't
know why we're so afraid of that, but it's so.
It's just what it takes today, right, Like you need
to be willing to put yourself out there and just
ask for what you need to give yourself a shot
at this really really challenging job market that we're in.
Unemployment right now in the US is a steady four
(10:45):
point two percent. However, nearly three and five people around
the world say they're planning to look for new jobs
at twenty twenty five. Like, let that sink in. The
majority of people are looking for new work in twenty
twenty five. Those who don't know, I actually have a
VIP career coaching program cohort. It's very selective. You can
(11:07):
apply if you go to Mandy money dot com and
fill it an application. I'm really looking for job applicants
who can demonstrate by filling out this application that they
are really committed to getting a new role in twenty
twenty five, that they are willing to put in that work,
and that they are looking for someone to really hold
(11:27):
their hand and walk them through that process. Like I'm
going to be handing you all the tools and equipment
but are you actually going to put it to use?
So if you're interested in that to be a Mandy Money,
a VIP Mandy money maker, you can go to Mandy
money dot com and fill it an application. I'd love
to hear from you. This weekend with one of my
VIP Mandy money Makers, I spent probably three hours doing
(11:50):
one of my favorite things, which is trying to track
down really hard to find hiring managers and related relevant
co workers of hiring managers for open positions that the
people that I'm working with are trying to apply for.
So I have one Mandy money Maker vip who wants
(12:12):
to stream job. I can't tell you how many people
apply for jobs at the big brands like Appril, Facebook, Meta, Google,
Like they are getting hundreds, if not thousands of applications
for roles. There couldn't be a more challenging job to
go after than one at one of these huge tech
companies that everyone wants to work for. And I know
(12:35):
my VIP maker. She wanted me to spend a lot
of time with her resume, her and her cover letter
to start with, And I'm like, I couldn't care less
about your resume right now? BA fam if you've listened
to me talk about resumes before, you know, I am
not the girly you come to when you want me
to tweak your resume. I am the gurly who wants
(12:57):
to help you get a job and understands how to
leverage relationships to get opportunities and not just through a
piece of paper. All right, let me tell you a
bit about my process. I'll usually start by going on
LinkedIn and searching for the job posting, and then I
will see if anyone from the company has been posting
about the job. And what you'll find is the hiring
(13:20):
manager will often share the job listing on their LinkedIn profile.
So if you search for the job listing and they
pop up with the hiring manager saying, hey, come join
my team or I'm hiring, and that's how you know,
That's how I know I found you. Like, let's say
their name is Jessica. It's like, Jessica Smith, you're the
hiring manager for this role. Now I know who I
(13:42):
need to target. And immediately from there I start talking
to my client. I'm like, so we're going to create
an application that's going to make Jessica really excited to
talk to you. And almost immediately I stop thinking about
the application tracking system and I think about who am
I submitting my Who am I submitting this application too?
And what are they excited about? What are they looking
(14:03):
for and what's going to make me stand up from
the pack? And I also want to know what has
this person said recently about the work that they do
and what do they think is most important. So once
I find the hiring manager, usually it'll be through LinkedIn,
I will search for the name. I'll run it through
a Google or my my AI bought of choice called Perplexity.
(14:25):
I'll search for their name and I'll say, has Sowin's
Has Jessica Smith spoken at any conferences or professional events
that are publicly available in the past year, And it'll
pop up and they may have been on a panel,
They may have been interviewed somewhere, and it could pop
up with a recording of that panel. It could be
a podcast interview. You can specifically say has this person
(14:49):
had any media interviews over the past, you know, over
the course of their career, and it'll spit out, you know,
links to maybe some interviews they've given. You'd be really surprised.
I know, I found some one who was interviewed on
a newsletter, and in this newsletter they were sharing really
cool like personal stories of their career and also the
inner workings of the company. And this was like a
(15:10):
trade newsletter. So this is something that like it wouldn't
be super publicly available, you know, to anyone who's just
like scrolling on the internet. You kind of had to
go digging to look for it. And because they're giving
an interview to like a trade publication, it's like inside baseball.
So they're just they're more they feel more comfortable, more safe,
so they may drop gems in the interview to tell
(15:31):
you more about their perspective on their field, but also
just give you something that you can bring up to
them when you get that interview and when you're actually
sitting across from them or you know, virtually or in person.
Once I have found any recent media interviews, newsletter interviews
they've been quoted in, I'm looking for their alma mater.
(15:54):
I'm going to see if they did any panels or
spoke on any events having to do with their alma mater,
from undergrad, from grad school, whatever it may be, and
see if I can. Another thing is see if they've
left their contact details on any of these other platforms,
so they may not They're probably not going to have
their email on their LinkedIn page one hundred percent. And no,
(16:16):
they may not even have it on there if they
have a personal website. But the Internet has a way
of keepings alive, so if they've ever shared it in
the past, you may be able to come across it
by doing some googles into past speaking events that they've
done or past networking events that they have been a
part of. And from there, I go on YouTube and
(16:37):
I will search directly on YouTube for the person's name,
and I'll try it, and I'll also look at their
This is I'm really telling you guys all my creepy
stalker seekers, but this is how hard I go for
my vip bandy money makers. I will go on the
hiring manager's LinkedIn page, I'll see where else they've worked
in the past, and I will do the same search,
but looking for any any speaking engagements, any interviews, any
(17:01):
events that they had been a part of from past
roles as well, And chances are if they're at a
big company like Apple or Google, they've gotten a lot
more private as they've moved along in their careers because
you know, they don't want everyone have in their contact details.
But in the past they may have been a bit
more loose and they may have let something slip that
gives me a little bit of a nugget, a little
(17:22):
piece of a hint, or like a little cookie crumb
on the trail that I can follow to the next
cookie crumb. Is it a cookie crumb or a bread crumb?
Bread crumb, but cookie crumbs are more delicious, So I'll
go with cookie crumbs, and then I will follow that
to the next and then hopefully if it doesn't lead
me to like a direct email, at least what I've
(17:43):
done in this information gathering stage is given my Mandy
money maker a lot of good solid information on what
this person's perspective is, on the work that they're doing,
what's important to them, what makes them tick. And you're
going to get a really good sense of someone before
you sit in an interview with them. Now, knowing the
hiring manager and other people on the team is great,
(18:06):
but then how do you actually get an interview? How
do you get your application scene in a in a
mountain of thousands, And I'll have to tell you what
I told my Mandy money Maker, which is that it's
not just other job applicants from other companies that you're
up against. You also have to think about the internal applicants.
These companies are massive, and they're the people who work
(18:28):
there will stay there for years and years because they're
you know, very lucrative jobs. They are great places to
work largely, and those people also have career ambitions and
they may be gunning for an opportunity that is, you know,
maybe it's posted widely now, but you don't even know
what's been happening on the inside. Maybe they've known that
this job was coming way more way, you know, further
(18:49):
in advance. Maybe the hiring manager gave them a heads
up and let them know, hey, put your hat in
the ring for this opportunity. So you have to think
about the internal candidates as well, and to that, I
would say the next best thing to being an internal
candidate is being someone who's referred by an internal candidate.
And a lot of y'all will be stuck at this
(19:11):
stage because you don't have You're gonna check your network
and realize you don't even have a way in to
this big company because you don't know anybody who knows
somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody. You gotta know
somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody. You got to
I'm not saying this game is rigged. You're never gonna
catch me. Sit here and tell y'all that the corporate
game is rigged and nothing is fair. Everyone's a nippo baby. No.
(19:35):
I'm here to be a realist with y'all and to
tell you the truth, which is that human relationships matter.
They matter matter. Out of all the mandy money makers
that I work with, the majority of them are getting
new opportunities because of relationships that they have nurtured for years.
If you're someone who has been working in a silo,
(19:56):
who has been, you know, doing good work, showing up,
clocking in, clocking out, maybe you're cordial enough, but you're
not really forming connections with people throughout your career. It's
going to be infinitely more challenging for you to get
to be seen among all these all the competition that's
out there, versus someone who has nurtured relationships with people,
(20:17):
and can I don't know, text a colleague that they
haven't worked directly with for ten years, but are still
cordial enough with that this person could just send them
a text in the morning, and then all of a sudden,
you have an internal referral to the company of your
dreams because of someone that I met ten years ago
(20:38):
and I liked working with, and I maintained that relationship.
I'm speaking facts right now. That's actually what happened in
the case of this VIP moneymaker. She and I are talking,
she wants to work at her dream company. I go
to my LinkedIn page. I see that I know a
handful of people who actually work at this company, one
of whom happens to be someone who I'm really cool with. Actually,
(21:00):
he called me up when he was interviewing for the
role to help with the negotiation process, and so I
reach out to him and yeah, we haven't exchanged a
message in over a year, but the connection is still there.
And because I tend to attract people who are just
really nice and down to earth, he had no problem saying, oh, yeah,
(21:22):
I'll take a look at that resume. I'll let you know,
and if I think she'll be a good fit, I'm
happy to refer her Like boom. You got to have
these cordial connections. You got to put yourself out there.
You got to put yourself in the room with other
people who it may not be apparent to you in
that moment, you know what potential opportunities may spark from
(21:45):
this little kindling of a flame of a relationship. But
the point, that's not the point. The point isn't to
be able to predict years and years into the future.
The point is to start nurturing and planting seeds of friendship.
And don't let it be when you're applying for a
role that all of a sudden you're reaching out to
someone cold for the first time in years and years.
(22:09):
There are some people who that's fine with them, but
some people may be turned off by that. Setting a
schedule with yourself, like actually making a list going through
your LinkedIn, you know, going back to past jobs, seeing
where former colleagues have ended up and where their careers
have gone, and making a list of in reminders for yourself,
like setting a phone reminder or a calendar alert every
few months, like send so and so a note, ask
(22:31):
how they're doing, Send so and so a congratulatory message
on LinkedIn. You know, do something to keep your connections warm.
It just is going to increase the likelihood that if
you go to them with a specific ask or I'm
looking for referral or i'd love if you can put
in a good word, whatever, that they'll be willing to
do that for you because you've put in time and
energy into them and they are not afraid to do
(22:52):
that for you as well. So invest in those relationships.
Don't just go to those people when you need something,
invest in them. Try to bring value and add value
in whatever way you can. If you're someone you're listening
to this and you're like, I got nothing to offer?
What do I have to offer anybody? It's time to
do some deep thought work into that because I know
you do, sis, I know we have something to offer.
(23:13):
Each of us has unique talents and wisdom and insights
to share. It's just about talking to someone who can
help you spotlight your talents and the value that you
have to share. We have a hard time maybe seeing
it ourselves sometimes, but speak to your friends and people
who you trust and ask them to talk you through
what they think your key value and strengths and what
(23:37):
you add to the people and your peers that are
around you, and have them start helping you highlight those
because that will give you the confidence to maybe reach
out more to these connections because you know you're bringing
something to the table if all else fails. I know
I can talk to people about launching a podcast and
a coaching business, like I can offer that. I can
talk to people about writing a book and that whole
(23:58):
process and getting professional speaking gigs and you know, negotiating.
So those are things that I know I can always
be of service too. So I'm always happy to offer
those to peers and context that I have because I
know it'll add value to them. And it starts to
like we're talking about if we keep the seed analogy going,
(24:19):
because you know, I love my garden. If I'm if
I'm planting those seeds, you know, offering some value is
like putting adding the water, you know, making sure you're
watering those seedlings, adding fertilizer when it needs a little
extra love. Those types of investments of time are really
really crucial, especially in a job market like this. All right,
ba Fam, I'm going to take a quick break and
I'm going to be right back with brown boost or
(24:41):
brown break stick with me. I will be right back,
all right, ba fam, I'm back. It's time for brown boost,
brown break. I shouldn't have to tell y'all what I'm
going to break this week, because yes, your girl is
going to I am not just breaking. I'm calling for
(25:04):
the immediate resignation of whoever was in charge of my girl,
Beyonce's hydraulics and her her bungee cord or whatever the
hell was keeping that car about her Houston concert, because
tell me why you had our queen dangling by a
thread on this fake car. Tell me why, tell me why?
So me and I'm sure Blue Ivy will co sign this,
(25:24):
we want the immediate dismissal, removal of this person or
person's responsible, because you are not capable of protecting our queen.
I am so glad that my brother, when he sent
me that text, he prefaced it by saying, Beyonce's okay,
because like, we can't. I can't. I can't, I can't.
I don't even want to think about it. I don't
want to think about it. We've lost too many greats.
She's the greatest performer of our general, of a generation,
(25:46):
of my generation. And I was just sweet, We're not ready.
We're not ready for that, okay, so I'm going to
take a break for people who who have a bad
day on the job that could cause someone their life.
And I just want to wish Beyonce, why and we
love you so much and you were so incredible and brave.
And I know, one of the cutest things that she
(26:07):
said after this whole situation, you know, they fix the
car or they lower the car, and she comes back
on stage to finish her song, and one of the
cutest things is that she's like, I know, Bee, I've
got me. Y'all would have caught me. And it was
just such a sweet moment because she is right. Everyone
would have laid down their bodies to catch her. Everyone
(26:28):
there's no way to her feet, her hair on her
head would touch that ground. She would have been okay,
But yeah, it was really scary, And I just hope that, yeah,
I hope that she wasn't shaken up too much by
it and that her kiddos are okay, because that must
have been really scared. If it was scary for me,
I never met this woman a day in her life
or mine. If it was scary for me, I know
(26:49):
it was terrifying for her. Her closest loved ones so
my heart goes out to them, and that's gonna be
a wrap, be a fam. Thank you for joining me.
Thank you for listening to my solo Brown Table. Let
me know how y'all felt about it. Do we like this?
Should I keep doing more of these? I kind of
like them both. I don't know what it says about
(27:09):
me that I don't mind just sitting here and talking
to myself for an hour, like literally just talking to
myself with my dog in the corner, being like, girl,
can you be quiet so I can just get a nap.
But I'm so grateful to y'all. Be a fan. Thank
you for supporting the show. Don't forget to leave a review,
like subscribe. Check us out on social media. I am
(27:30):
at Mandy Money and also the podcast is at Brown
Ambition Podcast on ichen, TikTok and all the places on
LinkedIn to Now. If you are in the job search
process and you have questions you want to leave a
question for the show, you can email me directly Brand
Ambition Podcast at gmail dot com, or you can slide
into my dms. I am at Brand Ambition Podcast on
(27:52):
ig and Yes, I read each and every letter and
I love them all. Thank y'all again, take care of
you well and we'll see you Friday for the Baqa.
Oh and don't forget Wash Day woo Saw. Wash Day
Woosa is now a thing. We had our first wash
Day Wusaw this past Sunday with Doctor Riquel Martin. I
got such good feedback on that episode, and we have
(28:13):
a really good one coming up for y'all this coming Sunday.
So make it a part of your wash day routine
to listen to Brown Ambition while you are getting your
life together, just pouring back into yourself at the end
of a long week, getting prepared for the week to come.
I'm be sharing some really inspirational and inspirational and like
(28:35):
a warm hug of a conversation with some really incredible
women that are gracing this show with their presence and
pouring into us. So I'm very excited about that. Check
out your wash Day Woosaw with Brown Ambition every Sunday,
check in Wednesdays for the Brown Table, where we do
the latest headlines at the intersection of money, culture, career,
(28:56):
and then Friday for the Baqa, where we take your
questions and answer them on the show. And with that,
I will say goodbye again. I'm Mandy Widard santos Aka,
Mandy Money. Thank you so much, BA fan, sending all
lots of love, Be well,
Hey, hey, va fam. Welcome to Brown Ambition. Welcome to
the Brown Table. You know what, it's just me today.
I'm going solo. There is so much to talk to
you all about, so much that impacts your wallet, that
could impact your career, and I thought it was time
for me to do a solo show. So welcome. Whether
you're watching on YouTube or you are listening wherever you
(00:38):
get your podcasts, Welcome to Brown Ambition. This is where
your money, your career, and the culture intersect. I am
Mandy Money. I am your host. And whether you are
brand new to the show or you are OGBA fan
from ten almost ten years y'all ten years now, twenty fifteen,
we launched Welcome. You are in the right place. I
am going to break down some of the headlines that
(01:00):
really matter, really have an impact on what we're going
through today, and I hope you find this insightful. I
also want y'all to let this be a reminder that
as things are happening in the world, there's always something
that we can be doing or changing it up personally
to inoculate ourselves and protect ourselves the best we can
(01:21):
from the shenanigans that are happening. And we know where
the Shenanigans are happening. And in fact, that brings me
to my very first item of the day. This is
kind of breaking news. I'm actually recording this on Tuesday,
and about half an hour ago the news broke that
the Senate has actually passed Trump's Oh what are we
(01:44):
calling this? He's gonna make like we're technically supposed to
call it the most aseni name I've ever heard of,
the Big Beautiful Bill. But I'm going to call it
the big beautiful pile of bs and tax breaks for
the rich and incredible spending to social safety net programs
(02:06):
that are going to put so many of us at
risk in this country, including Medicare, including social Security. But
the Senate now has passed the Big Beautiful Bill. They
passed it even though three of their own, the Republicans,
three of their own defected and voted against the bill. JD. Vans,
(02:26):
of course, Trump's favorite little stooge, was the tie breaking vote.
And now it's on its way to the House. So
let's do a quick recap. I'll just remind you what's
actually in this bill. This bill is going to shake
up everything from how much we pay in taxes to
what kind of benefits we might get from the government.
This bill is going to lock in the tax cuts
(02:47):
that were put into place from Trump's first term, which
we're set to expire this year in twenty twenty five.
We're talking about adding trillions of dollars to the US
deficit over the next ten years if this bill is
going to pass. Now, Republicans love tax breaks for the rich.
They love taking away tax funded social safety net programs
(03:09):
for the people who are in need. They don't always
have a way to make up funding for that in
other ways. And it's kind of crazy because if anyone
with two brain cells to rup together could look at
someone's budget and say, so, you're going to spend trillions
of dollars more, but you don't have a way to
like raise more money, get a higher paying job, find
(03:31):
a way to pay for all these new expenses. Like
who's looking at this person? Who would talk to that
person and be like, oh, yeah, I approve of this budget.
This makes so much sense. But that's exactly what lawmakers
are doing right now. And when it comes to this big,
beautiful pile of bs that includes cuts to Medicaid, food
stamp programs, and other social programs to pay for the
(03:53):
tax break. The bill proposes one point two trillion dollars
being cut from Medicaid and food stamps or the SNAP
program that means stricter eligibility, new work requirements. They could
require you to work up to eighty hours a month
in order to be eligible, and millions, especially those low
income families and rural Americans, actually risk losing their health
(04:14):
coverage or food assistants. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that
nearly twelve million Americans could lose Medicaid coverage and millions
more could see their health care cost increase, or they
could even lose coverage under the Affordable Care Act if
this were to pass as is. So we have to
keep our eyes on this, yeall. The biggest losers from
this bill are people that you know, Republicans don't give
(04:37):
two flying fs about and yet needed their votes so
bad to elect this fascist dictator into the White House.
But the biggest losers low income families and individuals could
lose health care coverage and food assistants, especially if they
can't meet new work requirements. Rural Americans may see their
hospitals closed down, medical practices closed down because they no
(04:58):
longer have or eligible to be covered through Medicaid. This
man opens his mouth or puts pen to paper or
of giant sharpie to paper and tries to sign something
new into law. So what can we do. It's not
law yet, it's got to clear the House somehow. They're
saying that Trump may have this bill on his desk
(05:18):
by the fourth of July, and this man loves pomp
and circumstance, so that would be the headline. I'm sure
he would love to have. But how are they going
to get this thing through the House in the next
three days? I have no idea, but it's not too
late for you to contact your elected officials on Capitol Hill.
Let them know if you support or don't support the big,
beautiful spending bill, and let them know what they can
(05:41):
do or what you're going to do with your vote
if they vote with it or against it. Like, we
have to let our voices be heard, and these officials
are literally elected to represent us, so let's make them
do their job. All right. Now, let's shift from politics
to the power of technology in our everyday lives, especially
when it comes to finding a job. And y'all know
aw as a career coach myself, I'm in the trenches
(06:02):
with so many of us right now who are out
here trying to navigate this crazy job market. So I
want to talk about Derek Mobley. Derek Mobley versus Workday.
This is a man who, after more than one hundred
unsuccessful job applications, decided to take a stand. Derek Mobley
is suing software firm Workday, claiming that it's hiring algorithms
(06:22):
screened him out unfairly. His story highlights a growing concern
as AI becomes more entrenched and hiring, are we actually
sacrificing fairness for efficiency. Mobley's case could set a president
for how tech companies are held accountable in the job market.
This man, who is has decided to sue work Day,
alleging that by using this AI software, it is weeding
(06:45):
out candidates who may be older, who may have some disabilities.
He himself has struggled with anxiety and depression. He's also
a black man, so they may be weeding out candidates
of color, and even if they're not doing it intentionally,
these this software the technology that companies are using to
deal with the sheer breadth of applications they are getting
(07:08):
from Americans right now, from workers right now. They are
not taking the time to slow the f down and
ask themselves is more harm being done than good when
we rely on bots to help us. We through all
these applications, and I'm really interested to hear where this
case goes. It's working its way through the courts now.
(07:28):
So Mite has a new study that's come out from
their media lab where it asks does using AI tools
like chatchept actually harm our critical thinking skills? So the
research is suggesting that heavily relying on AI generated answers
can reduce our ability to reason through complex problems. And
it's a reminder for us to stay sharp and keep
(07:50):
questioning and not just accepting the information we're giving. I mean,
even the best technology can let us down, and whether
it's humans or bots. Now, if y'all miss this, there's
a new CEO at Red Lobster. His name is Wait.
I should have practiced this Damala Adamolicum. He is Red
Lobster's visionary new CEO. He is only thirty four years old,
(08:12):
kind of exciting. I hope that they give him room
to grow, in room to fail, and I hope that
he's not given like the glass cliff that so many
women of color are given when we come in to
save struggling companies and are quickly given the boot and
the blame when things don't work out immediately. Ugh. Yeah,
but let's talk about your job search. So, job market
(08:35):
strategies for twenty twenty five, the latest data is showing
that job seekers can succeed when we focus on targeted
skills based strategies and leverage AI tools. So I wanted
to kind of go through some actionable TEP steps and
tips that y'all could be leveraging in your job search.
So the first thing is very simple, tailor your application
for every single job. I don't want any shortcuts being taken.
(08:58):
If and especially if the job application has a field
for additional information, cover letter, portfolio, you need to be
giving them the whole kit and kaboodle. Any little thing
can help you separate yourself from the pack and stand
out from the crowd. We have to be customizing your
resume and cover letter. Can use AI tools. You can
pop in your resume, you can pop in the job
(09:19):
description and say, hey, give me some advice on how
I can tailor this for the job. It's so easy now,
there's really no excuse. The fact that it's so easy
means that we're actually in a more challenging application environment
because everybody and their mama can use chat GPT now.
It's so useful, it's so accessible, easy to use. So
how do we then stand out from people who already
(09:40):
are tailoring their resumes? So this is where you're going
to be wanting to beef up your application. It's about
adding in that personalized cover letter. It's about doing some
deep dives and digging into finding out who is actually
the hiring manager for this role. Am I connected with
them or someone who knows them, who knows someone who
knows them on LinkedIn? How can I get a referral
(10:03):
from someone internal at the company, even if it's someone
I haven't spoken to in years? Like taking that leap
to ask for a referral. Too many of us are
too afraid to do that, don't want to seem greedy
or needy, when really just put your humility to the side,
like you can, you can be honest, like, Hey, I'm
in a tough spot right now, I could really use
(10:23):
a referral, and I am being vulnerable and asking you
for it. And that's a very human thing. I don't
know why we're so afraid of that, but it's so.
It's just what it takes today, right, Like you need
to be willing to put yourself out there and just
ask for what you need to give yourself a shot
at this really really challenging job market that we're in.
Unemployment right now in the US is a steady four
(10:45):
point two percent. However, nearly three and five people around
the world say they're planning to look for new jobs
at twenty twenty five. Like, let that sink in. The
majority of people are looking for new work in twenty
twenty five. Those who don't know, I actually have a
VIP career coaching program cohort. It's very selective. You can
(11:07):
apply if you go to Mandy money dot com and
fill it an application. I'm really looking for job applicants
who can demonstrate by filling out this application that they
are really committed to getting a new role in twenty
twenty five, that they are willing to put in that work,
and that they are looking for someone to really hold
(11:27):
their hand and walk them through that process. Like I'm
going to be handing you all the tools and equipment
but are you actually going to put it to use?
So if you're interested in that to be a Mandy Money,
a VIP Mandy money maker, you can go to Mandy
money dot com and fill it an application. I'd love
to hear from you. This weekend with one of my
VIP Mandy money Makers, I spent probably three hours doing
(11:50):
one of my favorite things, which is trying to track
down really hard to find hiring managers and related relevant
co workers of hiring managers for open positions that the
people that I'm working with are trying to apply for.
So I have one Mandy money Maker vip who wants
(12:12):
to stream job. I can't tell you how many people
apply for jobs at the big brands like Appril, Facebook, Meta, Google,
Like they are getting hundreds, if not thousands of applications
for roles. There couldn't be a more challenging job to
go after than one at one of these huge tech
companies that everyone wants to work for. And I know
(12:35):
my VIP maker. She wanted me to spend a lot
of time with her resume, her and her cover letter
to start with, And I'm like, I couldn't care less
about your resume right now? BA fam if you've listened
to me talk about resumes before, you know, I am
not the girly you come to when you want me
to tweak your resume. I am the gurly who wants
(12:57):
to help you get a job and understands how to
leverage relationships to get opportunities and not just through a
piece of paper. All right, let me tell you a
bit about my process. I'll usually start by going on
LinkedIn and searching for the job posting, and then I
will see if anyone from the company has been posting
about the job. And what you'll find is the hiring
(13:20):
manager will often share the job listing on their LinkedIn profile.
So if you search for the job listing and they
pop up with the hiring manager saying, hey, come join
my team or I'm hiring, and that's how you know,
That's how I know I found you. Like, let's say
their name is Jessica. It's like, Jessica Smith, you're the
hiring manager for this role. Now I know who I
(13:42):
need to target. And immediately from there I start talking
to my client. I'm like, so we're going to create
an application that's going to make Jessica really excited to
talk to you. And almost immediately I stop thinking about
the application tracking system and I think about who am
I submitting my Who am I submitting this application too?
And what are they excited about? What are they looking
(14:03):
for and what's going to make me stand up from
the pack? And I also want to know what has
this person said recently about the work that they do
and what do they think is most important. So once
I find the hiring manager, usually it'll be through LinkedIn,
I will search for the name. I'll run it through
a Google or my my AI bought of choice called Perplexity.
(14:25):
I'll search for their name and I'll say, has Sowin's
Has Jessica Smith spoken at any conferences or professional events
that are publicly available in the past year, And it'll
pop up and they may have been on a panel,
They may have been interviewed somewhere, and it could pop
up with a recording of that panel. It could be
a podcast interview. You can specifically say has this person
(14:49):
had any media interviews over the past, you know, over
the course of their career, and it'll spit out, you know,
links to maybe some interviews they've given. You'd be really surprised.
I know, I found some one who was interviewed on
a newsletter, and in this newsletter they were sharing really
cool like personal stories of their career and also the
inner workings of the company. And this was like a
(15:10):
trade newsletter. So this is something that like it wouldn't
be super publicly available, you know, to anyone who's just
like scrolling on the internet. You kind of had to
go digging to look for it. And because they're giving
an interview to like a trade publication, it's like inside baseball.
So they're just they're more they feel more comfortable, more safe,
so they may drop gems in the interview to tell
(15:31):
you more about their perspective on their field, but also
just give you something that you can bring up to
them when you get that interview and when you're actually
sitting across from them or you know, virtually or in person.
Once I have found any recent media interviews, newsletter interviews
they've been quoted in, I'm looking for their alma mater.
(15:54):
I'm going to see if they did any panels or
spoke on any events having to do with their alma mater,
from undergrad, from grad school, whatever it may be, and
see if I can. Another thing is see if they've
left their contact details on any of these other platforms,
so they may not They're probably not going to have
their email on their LinkedIn page one hundred percent. And no,
(16:16):
they may not even have it on there if they
have a personal website. But the Internet has a way
of keepings alive, so if they've ever shared it in
the past, you may be able to come across it
by doing some googles into past speaking events that they've
done or past networking events that they have been a
part of. And from there, I go on YouTube and
(16:37):
I will search directly on YouTube for the person's name,
and I'll try it, and I'll also look at their
This is I'm really telling you guys all my creepy
stalker seekers, but this is how hard I go for
my vip bandy money makers. I will go on the
hiring manager's LinkedIn page, I'll see where else they've worked
in the past, and I will do the same search,
but looking for any any speaking engagements, any interviews, any
(17:01):
events that they had been a part of from past
roles as well, And chances are if they're at a
big company like Apple or Google, they've gotten a lot
more private as they've moved along in their careers because
you know, they don't want everyone have in their contact details.
But in the past they may have been a bit
more loose and they may have let something slip that
gives me a little bit of a nugget, a little
(17:22):
piece of a hint, or like a little cookie crumb
on the trail that I can follow to the next
cookie crumb. Is it a cookie crumb or a bread crumb?
Bread crumb, but cookie crumbs are more delicious, So I'll
go with cookie crumbs, and then I will follow that
to the next and then hopefully if it doesn't lead
me to like a direct email, at least what I've
(17:43):
done in this information gathering stage is given my Mandy
money maker a lot of good solid information on what
this person's perspective is, on the work that they're doing,
what's important to them, what makes them tick. And you're
going to get a really good sense of someone before
you sit in an interview with them. Now, knowing the
hiring manager and other people on the team is great,
(18:06):
but then how do you actually get an interview? How
do you get your application scene in a in a
mountain of thousands, And I'll have to tell you what
I told my Mandy money Maker, which is that it's
not just other job applicants from other companies that you're
up against. You also have to think about the internal applicants.
These companies are massive, and they're the people who work
(18:28):
there will stay there for years and years because they're
you know, very lucrative jobs. They are great places to
work largely, and those people also have career ambitions and
they may be gunning for an opportunity that is, you know,
maybe it's posted widely now, but you don't even know
what's been happening on the inside. Maybe they've known that
this job was coming way more way, you know, further
(18:49):
in advance. Maybe the hiring manager gave them a heads
up and let them know, hey, put your hat in
the ring for this opportunity. So you have to think
about the internal candidates as well, and to that, I
would say the next best thing to being an internal
candidate is being someone who's referred by an internal candidate.
And a lot of y'all will be stuck at this
(19:11):
stage because you don't have You're gonna check your network
and realize you don't even have a way in to
this big company because you don't know anybody who knows
somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody. You gotta know
somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody. You got to
I'm not saying this game is rigged. You're never gonna
catch me. Sit here and tell y'all that the corporate
game is rigged and nothing is fair. Everyone's a nippo baby. No.
(19:35):
I'm here to be a realist with y'all and to
tell you the truth, which is that human relationships matter.
They matter matter. Out of all the mandy money makers
that I work with, the majority of them are getting
new opportunities because of relationships that they have nurtured for years.
If you're someone who has been working in a silo,
(19:56):
who has been, you know, doing good work, showing up,
clocking in, clocking out, maybe you're cordial enough, but you're
not really forming connections with people throughout your career. It's
going to be infinitely more challenging for you to get
to be seen among all these all the competition that's
out there, versus someone who has nurtured relationships with people,
(20:17):
and can I don't know, text a colleague that they
haven't worked directly with for ten years, but are still
cordial enough with that this person could just send them
a text in the morning, and then all of a sudden,
you have an internal referral to the company of your
dreams because of someone that I met ten years ago
(20:38):
and I liked working with, and I maintained that relationship.
I'm speaking facts right now. That's actually what happened in
the case of this VIP moneymaker. She and I are talking,
she wants to work at her dream company. I go
to my LinkedIn page. I see that I know a
handful of people who actually work at this company, one
of whom happens to be someone who I'm really cool with. Actually,
(21:00):
he called me up when he was interviewing for the
role to help with the negotiation process, and so I
reach out to him and yeah, we haven't exchanged a
message in over a year, but the connection is still there.
And because I tend to attract people who are just
really nice and down to earth, he had no problem saying, oh, yeah,
(21:22):
I'll take a look at that resume. I'll let you know,
and if I think she'll be a good fit, I'm
happy to refer her Like boom. You got to have
these cordial connections. You got to put yourself out there.
You got to put yourself in the room with other
people who it may not be apparent to you in
that moment, you know what potential opportunities may spark from
(21:45):
this little kindling of a flame of a relationship. But
the point, that's not the point. The point isn't to
be able to predict years and years into the future.
The point is to start nurturing and planting seeds of friendship.
And don't let it be when you're applying for a
role that all of a sudden you're reaching out to
someone cold for the first time in years and years.
(22:09):
There are some people who that's fine with them, but
some people may be turned off by that. Setting a
schedule with yourself, like actually making a list going through
your LinkedIn, you know, going back to past jobs, seeing
where former colleagues have ended up and where their careers
have gone, and making a list of in reminders for yourself,
like setting a phone reminder or a calendar alert every
few months, like send so and so a note, ask
(22:31):
how they're doing, Send so and so a congratulatory message
on LinkedIn. You know, do something to keep your connections warm.
It just is going to increase the likelihood that if
you go to them with a specific ask or I'm
looking for referral or i'd love if you can put
in a good word, whatever, that they'll be willing to
do that for you because you've put in time and
energy into them and they are not afraid to do
(22:52):
that for you as well. So invest in those relationships.
Don't just go to those people when you need something,
invest in them. Try to bring value and add value
in whatever way you can. If you're someone you're listening
to this and you're like, I got nothing to offer?
What do I have to offer anybody? It's time to
do some deep thought work into that because I know
you do, sis, I know we have something to offer.
(23:13):
Each of us has unique talents and wisdom and insights
to share. It's just about talking to someone who can
help you spotlight your talents and the value that you
have to share. We have a hard time maybe seeing
it ourselves sometimes, but speak to your friends and people
who you trust and ask them to talk you through
what they think your key value and strengths and what
(23:37):
you add to the people and your peers that are
around you, and have them start helping you highlight those
because that will give you the confidence to maybe reach
out more to these connections because you know you're bringing
something to the table if all else fails. I know
I can talk to people about launching a podcast and
a coaching business, like I can offer that. I can
talk to people about writing a book and that whole
(23:58):
process and getting professional speaking gigs and you know, negotiating.
So those are things that I know I can always
be of service too. So I'm always happy to offer
those to peers and context that I have because I
know it'll add value to them. And it starts to
like we're talking about if we keep the seed analogy going,
(24:19):
because you know, I love my garden. If I'm if
I'm planting those seeds, you know, offering some value is
like putting adding the water, you know, making sure you're
watering those seedlings, adding fertilizer when it needs a little
extra love. Those types of investments of time are really
really crucial, especially in a job market like this. All right,
ba Fam, I'm going to take a quick break and
I'm going to be right back with brown boost or
(24:41):
brown break stick with me. I will be right back,
all right, ba fam, I'm back. It's time for brown boost,
brown break. I shouldn't have to tell y'all what I'm
going to break this week, because yes, your girl is
going to I am not just breaking. I'm calling for
(25:04):
the immediate resignation of whoever was in charge of my girl,
Beyonce's hydraulics and her her bungee cord or whatever the
hell was keeping that car about her Houston concert, because
tell me why you had our queen dangling by a
thread on this fake car. Tell me why, tell me why?
So me and I'm sure Blue Ivy will co sign this,
(25:24):
we want the immediate dismissal, removal of this person or
person's responsible, because you are not capable of protecting our queen.
I am so glad that my brother, when he sent
me that text, he prefaced it by saying, Beyonce's okay,
because like, we can't. I can't. I can't, I can't.
I don't even want to think about it. I don't
want to think about it. We've lost too many greats.
She's the greatest performer of our general, of a generation,
(25:46):
of my generation. And I was just sweet, We're not ready.
We're not ready for that, okay, so I'm going to
take a break for people who who have a bad
day on the job that could cause someone their life.
And I just want to wish Beyonce, why and we
love you so much and you were so incredible and brave.
And I know, one of the cutest things that she
(26:07):
said after this whole situation, you know, they fix the
car or they lower the car, and she comes back
on stage to finish her song, and one of the
cutest things is that she's like, I know, Bee, I've
got me. Y'all would have caught me. And it was
just such a sweet moment because she is right. Everyone
would have laid down their bodies to catch her. Everyone
(26:28):
there's no way to her feet, her hair on her
head would touch that ground. She would have been okay,
But yeah, it was really scary, And I just hope that, yeah,
I hope that she wasn't shaken up too much by
it and that her kiddos are okay, because that must
have been really scared. If it was scary for me,
I never met this woman a day in her life
or mine. If it was scary for me, I know
(26:49):
it was terrifying for her. Her closest loved ones so
my heart goes out to them, and that's gonna be
a wrap, be a fam. Thank you for joining me.
Thank you for listening to my solo Brown Table. Let
me know how y'all felt about it. Do we like this?
Should I keep doing more of these? I kind of
like them both. I don't know what it says about
(27:09):
me that I don't mind just sitting here and talking
to myself for an hour, like literally just talking to
myself with my dog in the corner, being like, girl,
can you be quiet so I can just get a nap.
But I'm so grateful to y'all. Be a fan. Thank
you for supporting the show. Don't forget to leave a review,
like subscribe. Check us out on social media. I am
(27:30):
at Mandy Money and also the podcast is at Brown
Ambition Podcast on ichen, TikTok and all the places on
LinkedIn to Now. If you are in the job search
process and you have questions you want to leave a
question for the show, you can email me directly Brand
Ambition Podcast at gmail dot com, or you can slide
into my dms. I am at Brand Ambition Podcast on
(27:52):
ig and Yes, I read each and every letter and
I love them all. Thank y'all again, take care of
you well and we'll see you Friday for the Baqa.
Oh and don't forget Wash Day woo Saw. Wash Day
Woosa is now a thing. We had our first wash
Day Wusaw this past Sunday with Doctor Riquel Martin. I
got such good feedback on that episode, and we have
(28:13):
a really good one coming up for y'all this coming Sunday.
So make it a part of your wash day routine
to listen to Brown Ambition while you are getting your
life together, just pouring back into yourself at the end
of a long week, getting prepared for the week to come.
I'm be sharing some really inspirational and inspirational and like
(28:35):
a warm hug of a conversation with some really incredible
women that are gracing this show with their presence and
pouring into us. So I'm very excited about that. Check
out your wash Day Woosaw with Brown Ambition every Sunday,
check in Wednesdays for the Brown Table, where we do
the latest headlines at the intersection of money, culture, career,
(28:56):
and then Friday for the Baqa, where we take your
questions and answer them on the show. And with that,
I will say goodbye again. I'm Mandy Widard santos Aka,
Mandy Money. Thank you so much, BA fan, sending all
lots of love, Be well,
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