May 21, 2025 • 55 mins
BA Fam we’re back at the Brown Table! It’s been a minute, but the original crew Mandi, Yanely, and Chris are together again and catching up on everything. From West Coast travels and birthday plans to coaching updates and sleep podcast dreams (yes, really), this episode is full of laughs, life, and hard-earned lessons.
Mandi shares the behind-the-scenes of launching her new 12-week VIP coaching program and why one-on-one coaching needs more than just one call. We also get real about the job market and how AI is already shifting the game especially for new grads and folks trying to break in. The tea? Relationships matter more than ever.
Chris is dreaming up a new show (spoiler: it might put you to sleep—in the best way, and Yanely is out here living her best life… and finally seeing Beyoncé live in her hometown.
And of course, we round it all out with a good ol’ Brown Boost / Brown Break—featuring a Pulitzer Prize-winning book and a sobering reminder that hiring bias is still alive and well.
What We Talk About:
- Life & travel updates (hi, Portland! hey, Hawaii!)
- Why Mandi’s shifting back into one-on-one coaching
- Coaching horror stories + how to find the right fit
- AI’s takeover and what that means for your career
- How side projects can keep your creativity flowing
- Book recs, Beyoncé, and a big announcement 👀
Links + Resources:
✨ Apply for Mandi’s VIP coaching: https://mandymoney.com)
📖 James by Percival Everett (Chris's Brown Boost pick)
📱 Essence article: “Black, Qualified, and Ignored” by Aaliyah Jones
BA Fam, do us a solid:
Leave a review. Share this episode with your favorite group chat. And don’t forget—your dreams (and your coins) deserve strategy and support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We're approaching the halfway point for the year. And I
remember back in January I said, twenty twenty five smells
like money, honey. I think what I meant to say
was maybe like the back hand.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Okay, you'd be surprised by having something just like a
little bit not related to your business that you can
play with ends up, you know, helping you out a
little bit in the end when you come back with
fresh eyes.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
All Right, I'm open to like things that maybe a
little more enjoyable and creative that are didn't for what
I normally do.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Sounds like a good old midlife.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
You know, just kidding. That's right, because me and Mandy
are basically forty so you know how it is.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Oh why you had to do that to many?
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Forget that I edit the show and there's so much
I can just tell.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yeah, basically is basically forty crew. You know.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Well, heyba fam, welcome to the Brown Table. It's been
a minute. Well it's been a minute since the original
trio the og Og three are back again. Yes, missed y'all.
Speaker 5 (01:03):
I've been nuts. I feel like we tried to schedule
and then then we all couldn't make it, and then
or Mandy could.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
But we couldn't, and then we rescheduled.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
But first make it sound like I don't just send
you an invite out of the blue once and.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
I'm trying trying to give you the best, give you.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
No time to think, or it's just like, yeah, I
kind of feel like doing the Brown Table this week.
Speaker 5 (01:25):
Though. That's authentic. Though, that's how y'all know. We're not scripted,
we're not rehearsing. We didn't go through this.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
We just jump on and give you what we got
because we have no idea what's happening.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Yes, and the last time y'all Nelly couldn't come, I
just canceled it. But today because y'all didn't want to
just hear me and Chris, I.
Speaker 5 (01:41):
Almost couldn't come. But it's just like, I'm at this hotel.
The WiFi is kind of rinkydinky, and I was like,
you know what, we're gonna We're gonna We're gonna give it.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
We're gonna give it a shot. We're gonna give it
a go and see how it goes.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Why not, it's gonna go great. I have a felt
I recorded Brown Ambition from Mumbai, so I think Oregon.
I hope the Wi Fi can cut it, because yeah,
you know, yeah, are you doing impressive things with your
you know, testifying self.
Speaker 5 (02:07):
Not this week. This week is a little more of
a personal trip. I came to visit one of my
best best friends for my first year teaching. She's living
in Portland right now. And then next week I actually
celebrate Jamel's fortieth birthday. So my partner's turning forty. So
we just needed to be on the west coast because we're.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Going to go to Hawaii for his birthday. So we
sort of slowly made our way west.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
That's so smart because that is a long ass flight
from the East coast.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
Girl, the time zone difference is it gets, it hits you.
So we're slowly kind of itching our way over west.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
But I'm excited for that.
Speaker 5 (02:39):
I'm excited.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
He's he's also excited.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
He's he's like it took him a long time to
figure out what he wanted to do, like actually, because
we talked about all these different places and but you've
been you know, finally we made a choice and it
is Hawaiie.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Oh, I'm so excited for y'all, even though you already
live in a tropical vacation destination. Sure, yeah, another beach.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
But come on, we can't compare them Miami to Hawaii.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
They're just it's just different.
Speaker 5 (03:04):
The water is different, the colors are different, the food,
the culture, it's just it's so different.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Now. I've been to Hawaii once before, but Jamil has
never been to Hawaii and also never been.
Speaker 5 (03:13):
To Portland either, so this is like two first Portland
and also Hawaii will be like two first trips for us.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
So that'd be nice, the two very different places, Portland
and Hawaii.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
It's gonna say, it's good to start the bar low
with Portland.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
You know. I thought Portland was cute. Jamil's not. He's
not really feeling it. He's like, we could go yesterday. Yeah.
But I'll tell you what I like. I'll tell you
what I do like.
Speaker 5 (03:34):
It is a little, you know, grungy, but in the
downtown area, but just thirty forty minutes drive and you're
in the middle of the woods. Truly liked like it's
that is. I don't think there's any other major city
where you can or have some major city but city
where you're in the city limits and you're in the
middle of the woods like that.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Was really cool to see. And then the second thing is,
I ain't seen.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
No McDonald's, Chapotle, red Lobsters, starbush, those crunchy organders would never.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
That was so beautiful though I was walking around, it's
like all.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
Really locally owned spots, like truly I was. I said, well,
I haven't seen not not a McDonald's in site, not
a Starguars in site.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
So you know, that's kind of cute.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Chris, You're not gonna time in and let her know
about how far the woods are from San Francisco.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
I'm not trying to show up yan Ellie story, but
since you brought it up, yes, is it in.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
The city limits?
Speaker 5 (04:27):
Though?
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Is it in the city limits.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
In San Francisco? You know, it's only seven miles by
seven miles. It's tiny little spot. But you drive north
like twenty minutes and you're in mirror woods, redwood forests,
great trails. You at the beach over there, I say,
it's I organ is nice though too. You get the
quick exit to the forest. I say, San Francisco. It's
kind it's very similar. If you ever go get a
chance to come back out there and go up north,
you'd be right in some like crazy looking forests.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
Nice. Okay, well you know I'm gonna check it out.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
I'm gonna check it out.
Speaker 5 (04:52):
I also feel like San Francisco is so expensive compared
to Portland, but in terms of nature.
Speaker 4 (04:59):
I would give you that have to go check it out.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
That is there, Betimes, you have to live in the
woods there.
Speaker 5 (05:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Right, you said, you said Portland's kind of grungey. But
coming from New York, I'm surprised to hear you say
that because New York could be you know, New York's
got a spots where it's a little you know, while
like New.
Speaker 5 (05:14):
York has its spots where it's a little while, but
I feel like it is in certain areas. I feel
like the entire entirely of Portland downtown is grunge.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
At least from what I saw.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Like cool grunge, like privileged white folks trying to be
alternative grunge, or like.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
Parts are that, yes, some parts of that, and other
parts are just like the grunge that never quite got.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
A little blow up. So god, it's just yeah, it's
all that versus New York.
Speaker 5 (05:38):
I feel like there's it's pockets and you can you
can walk up the block, and all of a sudden,
it's not grungy anymore.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
Now it's upscale. So just depending where you are, you
can really it can change. It colds really quickly.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
But I didn't get that vibe here. Also, I literally
have been here for two days, so I don't know.
Maybe there's just more to see from just the downtown
that I've stayed in.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
All right, we gave them enough free press. Go to
Portland or not, on your way to Hawaii, on your
way away, no business, y'all. You know, May is underway
a rhyme, so she read a thousand children's book a day. Yes,
May is underway, and we're approaching the halfway point for
(06:16):
the year. And I remember back in January, I said,
twenty twenty five smells like money, honey. I think what
I meant to say was maybe like the back hand.
And also I think the universe misheard me. They said, oh,
you want us to cost you a lot of money,
like the bills will get higher, which is like, not great.
(06:40):
But I feel I have shifted my business a little bit.
You know, I started out with Mandy money Makers. I'm
still doing Mandy money Makers. If you're listening, don't worry,
but it's such a great group in a community. And
between the podcasts that writing the book, what really fell
off was my ability to do one on one coaching right,
(07:02):
and I found a way to bring it back. Yeah
it So I'm doing it my my accountability buddy Nakala
shout out to Nakaela from side Hustle Pro. She talked
me into and then talk me into, but she showed
me a path where I could do if I got
people to sign up for a package of coaching, like
a twelve week I'm going to meet with you once
(07:24):
a week over the course of twelve weeks, We're going
to pick a goal and we're going to accomplish it
in that like three months. That I could package it
like that, and I could charge a price that honestly
is a great value considering that it's twelve weeks one
on one coaching. But also I am selfish. I want
to feel good when I have a one on one
coaching session, and the thing about a one off is
(07:45):
that and I'm usually I download. I'm very good at
like assessing the challenge and just like saying what the
other person what she needs to hear to get her
motivated and then action plan and so after like forty
five minutes to an hour or you're off this call.
And this is why I record all of my coaching
calls because I'm like, don't write all this down. I'm
going to send you the transcript. It's going to have
(08:07):
action items and it and then go forth and conquer.
But then the follow up if they don't join the makers,
I you know, I feel like I feel like a
trauma doctor, like an er doctor who you have someone coming.
It's like my leg is broken, I have this like
negotiation I gotta do or this, you know, my resume
is broken, and you fix it and then they go
(08:27):
off and you hope that they follow up with their
primary care and they get you know, so this twelve
week VIP coaching, I'm doing applications only because I really
want to work with women who have a goal in
mind and are very very motivated to achieve it. Because
I want it to be a given a take, like
I want to feel like I have offered a real
(08:47):
transformation of real service, and I want her to feel
like she's actually she's like it's not just that she
knows what to do and has the action plan but
she has somebody to coach her through it. So I'm
very excited. And if you want to apply for Mandy
money Maker VIP coaching, just go to the show notes
and I'll put a link in there, and or you
can go to Mandy money dot com and check it
(09:09):
out there. But it's an application. I think I'm going
to take like three and see how it goes. But
I'm feeling good about it, and I love that now
that I've submitted the manuscript for the book, I think
this is a really good way to spend the extra time.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
Yeah, and honestly I love that. I do think that
that's like the hardest thing I've done one off coaching
where it's just like a one on one for an
hour and then it's like that's got a follow up email,
And like you said, it definitely is really hard to
know if it was applied, if this worked, if there
were challenges that came up, if you need to adjust
course or pivot. Like you it's one and done sometimes
(09:48):
and then or they have to read book, but it's
just not the same. So I really love that ongoing
because that's honestly what coaching should be.
Speaker 4 (09:55):
Or if you go to therapy or if you go.
Speaker 5 (09:56):
To coaching, it's not like you do one session and
then you're like thanks, do like it doesn't.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Work, Like yeah, no, you can't fix you can't fix
anything in an hour.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Have y'all ever done like a VIP coaching like that
yourselves for any aspect of your business career, like kind
of worked with someone to get something done.
Speaker 5 (10:15):
I've only done one hour one on ones. I did
small group coaching when I did, like the Rockerry boot camps,
and people wanted to actually like well in the class
we did like learning to be like, you know, a
couple hundred people in a zoom class, and then the
small groups would the small cohorts of three to five
people who would actually apply, so like we're gonna sit
down and apply what we learned in class. You're gonna
(10:36):
open your account right now, you're gonna ask me questions
along the way, and I'm like literally here handholding along
the way.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
But that was still small groups.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
I've never really done a one on one that goes
on for like a few months, and that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
I'll be sick of me. But I mean, like, for
y'all personally, the one thing the reason I'm excited about
this is because I worked with the coach to write
the book proposal for my book that have went on
to get an helped me get an agent and then
get a book deal. And writing the book proposal, it
was one of those things where I knew what I
needed to do. I had so many friends, I mean, lord,
I talked to Tiffany all the time. She could just
(11:10):
give me. You know, she was like, take my proposal
and you know you can base it, you know, base
the format off of this, and YadA YadA, and you
know several friends who could have done that. Yeah, Ellie,
you've written a book. But knowing that you need to
do it, and then sitting down and like doing the work,
I knew I wanted to get it done in like
a three to four month timeline, and I was like,
I'm going to get pregnant at the end of this,
(11:30):
so I need to you know, I was really playing
in my year and I work with the coach and
it was wonderful because yes, could I have written the
eleven week step or whatever the plan step by step? Sure,
But I also knew that Rachelle was going to be
waiting for me on Zoom she's a very mean, scary lady.
She's not, She's so she's so cool. But I it
(11:55):
really worked for me, and I'm someone who really does
get shit done. But I'm hoping to give the same
feeling too and the people I work with.
Speaker 5 (12:02):
Yeah, I mean, coaching is a game changer. I personally
have worked with the coach more so for the types
of goals that are things that I'm not motivated to do,
so fitness training.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
I have a fitness coach. I just feel like for
me when it comes to.
Speaker 5 (12:14):
Like my business, that's like the stuff that like I
wake up going like, oh, I can't wait to do
this or do that, or like, you know, to put
this presentation deck together for this speaking opportunity that I got,
Like I'm so excited. Literally a couple of weeks ago,
I did a partnership with Jordan Brand where I got
to speak to the top sixty athletes in the country
right now at the high school level that are about
to go to college ball and I did financial literacy
(12:36):
training for them. We provided them with a part of yeah,
like a ton of coaching education, and it was just
amazing for me to think, like I would wake up
in the morning and just be like, the one thing
I want to do today is work on my slide deck.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
So I can make it more fun, more engaging.
Speaker 5 (12:49):
I could come up with some games that we could
play so they can like learn credit in a hands
on way. And so for that type of stuff, I
feel like I don't I haven't necessarily needed a coach.
And of course, like when it comes to increasing revenue,
yes I might get a coach for that, But where
I have gotten coaching, it's like the stuff where I
wake up and I go, oh, like I don't really
want to do it, and I need somebody to come
knock on my door and take my ass to the
(13:10):
gym and push me. Because I know that that's not
where necessarily I wake up, like it doesn't spark joy
for me to get up and go, you know, lift
weights or go do cardios. So I've gotten coaching there,
But I will say, just like recently, I've watched my
boyfriend like hire coaches for.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
Very specific things.
Speaker 5 (13:28):
You know. So he saw a software developer and he
wanted to create an app. He was working on it
on his own, and he just hit like this one snack.
He was like, I'm just not getting past this one point.
Speaker 4 (13:38):
So he hired a coach to work with.
Speaker 5 (13:40):
Him on that, and this is like a programmer who
has a lot.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
More experience than him, and that was just amazing for him.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
He was able to actually get this app done and
it's now being sold in the Slack app store.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
And he's got a lot of customers, y'all.
Speaker 5 (13:51):
He's making money off of the Slack app.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
And he will never be able to get past.
Speaker 5 (13:54):
That point if he didn't get the coach to really
just get past that one point.
Speaker 4 (13:59):
Coach, she is a game.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
Changer for sure, and I've seen it and I've experienced it,
so I do think there's definitely something there to the
ongoing coaching or like, hey, from this point A to
point B, we're gonna get to you know, these two
or three things done in that time frame, and having
that coach hold you accountable.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
It can be, it can be make or break.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
It's everything, you know. Like for me, I'm coming from
the opposite side of this where I am not very
self motivated, but I've never hired a coach and I'm
one of those people like don't worry, I'll figure it out.
I just I'll just stress myself out until I get
it done. But they feel like they're always rushing. And
I hearing you two talk about this name, we think like,
maybe this's something I should even check out because like
having someone because I've been like accountability with friends. But
(14:40):
then also, you know, if it's your friends, they're only
going to be so many. Unless your friends, Mandy, they're
only gonna be so many to you, right, They're gonna
be nice.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
You don't want to call you out, but you don't
want due to your.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Coach, who's someone who can like they're not personally invested
in like your relationship in that way where they can
be more real with you and really keep you you, you know,
on it. I kind of like the idea that because
I'm someone who's like I can procrastinate for days, you're different.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
You are it is Hey, ba fam, we gotta take
a quick break, pay some bills, and we'll be right back.
All right, ba fam, We're back. Chris. What would you?
What does popcorn finance? Chris nine?
Speaker 3 (15:21):
You know what, I think, I'm not a very strategic thinker.
Like I can come up with some ideas, I can
do things that interest me, but me I'm thinking like
two weeks ahead. I'm not thinking months or years ahead.
Some last night, what's your plan five years now? Five years?
Let me figure out what's having at the end of
the month, because I don't even know what that's to
look like.
Speaker 5 (15:39):
Yeah, that's a good one.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Actually, you know what, I agree with that I was talking.
It's so funny. I was talking to Tiff the other
day and I'm like, I think I need someone else
for them to help me with the podcast. I think
I need a strategic thinker, and she's like, yeah, there
used to be two of you. But you know, Tip
was never like fully fully on the strategic part with me.
And I'm like, I don't know that. I want to
(16:01):
keep doing like the growth and strategic thinking behind Brown
Ambition and all my big, bold, ambitious plans. I'm such
a this word sounds so douchey, a visionary where I'm
a creative person. I see where I want to go
and I get very excited and I'll do a couple
of things, but then it's like, oh, wait, you have
the day to day that you need to get done
(16:22):
as well, and then those like big ideas sort of
start to So I want to think that far ahead,
but combining the long term thinking with the two week
out thinking is really hard for one person to do,
and so I have been I don't know if it's
a coach I need or just a like a business partner,
someone who is more on like the operations and not
(16:43):
even operations, but like, yeah, the growth monetization strategy. I'm
getting a lot of support from iHeart and I you know,
shout out to iHeart hey, and I'm lucky to have
a weekly call with their team, and they're connecting me
with other people on the network, and I'm learning a lot.
So I'm hoping by the end of this year. I'm
not trying to make any decisions right now, but I'm
(17:05):
hoping by the end of this year, I'll have a
better sense of who I might need to help with
the overall strategy and what even a person like that word,
where do they exist? What are they doing? All? Okay? Why?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Yeah? Right? And how do you find the good ones?
Speaker 4 (17:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (17:19):
That's the part, because you can hire a coach and
then be so upset that it felt like a waste
of money. Because I've heard a lot of horror stories,
especially about coaches that aren't high you know, high high
priced coaching packages. But I think you know pretty quickly,
and that's also on you a little bit to like,
you know, how they say, like manage up. When I
(17:40):
worked with my just my fitness coach, when we first
started working together, it was like very consistent. At the
same time, we had this, you know, a very strict schedule.
And then once she got comfortable, we got a little
comfortable with us, I got a personal relationship, but be like, oh, can.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
I come like a little bit later or a little
bit It would just.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
Start changing all the time and the day of and
so then it's like, okay, if I just allow it
and I'm cool with that, that's now the new normal
for our coaching. And so I kind of be like, oh,
that's not that's not going to.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
Work for me.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
So I really do think like if you even just
have an inkling of like, wait, this coach isn't either
doing what they said they were going to do, or
holding the accountable in the way that I thought they
were going to, or holding the original agreement as it
was agreed upon, like that can meet, but do not
sit on it.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
Do not say okay, but let me see if maybe
it gets better, Like no, no, no, I need a
bit in the bud.
Speaker 5 (18:29):
So you have an opportunity to get the maximum value
from that coach and from the coaching program.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Yeah, it's tricky. Testimonials, recent testimonials all that's really important.
Oh yeah, like talk to I would It's like go
through a referral, you know, if someone worked with them
and raved about them, someone that you trust. That's really
the best way because there is no regulatory body like
out here trying to make sure these one off coaches
are doing a good job. So it is pretty that's.
Speaker 5 (18:55):
True, which is kind of wild about it.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
It really is.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Well what's going on? Well? Business wise? Well, Chris, you
didn't really say what's new with you biz wise?
Speaker 3 (19:07):
You were saying, you know, talking about strategy. I've been
thinking about it for a while, like what's next. I
did take a little pause from the podcast and I've
been doing some other work with you did What does
that mean? So i'n't done an episode for about two
months now, and this is I've never taken a break
from the show. It's a big boss and I've never
taken a break.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
Are you stopping popcorn finance? Is it ever going?
Speaker 3 (19:27):
It's going to come back? But I was trying to
be really strategic about what I wanted to look like
when it comes back, and you know, how do I
want to approach things. That's what I'm kind of been
working through, and I've been doing like other work for
like I still do a host a series for True
Lion Credit Union called money Bursts, So I've been I've
been kind of focusing on that, put some videos together,
put them contic those ideas there, while I'm kind of
thinking about what I want the podcast to look like
(19:49):
when I come back, So I might do some reformatting,
changing up the style a little bit, and I just
want to be consistent with it whatever I do, because
you know, I think sometimes have these ideas like oh, yeah,
this is what I'm going to do. I do for
like two weeks and I'm like, oh hold up, let
me I need to I get too busy. Let me
go back and do it the old way. So I
don't want to do that flip flopping back and forth.
I want to if I make a change, I want
to stick to it. So kind of thinking through that
(20:10):
and an idea for a new show, I shouldn't be
thinking of new things to do while I'm still trying
to figure out the old stuff. But I have a
new concept. I'm in the process of kind of like
really fleshing out a sleep podcast I've been thinking about.
So I'm kind of doing both those at the same time.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Wait, I think I just gave sleep three easy.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
I found out I didn't know these things existed till
like a little while ago. But basically, it's a podcast
that people used to go to sleep. So so it's
something that's not like, oh, complicated or kind of like
draws you in too much. It's like simple enough and
like low stakes enough that you can if you miss something.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
I told you got that Quiet Storms V one O three.
Speaker 5 (20:48):
Voice, he got it, you.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Can get well. Like the calm app has stories, Like
people just tell stories. It'll be like Matthew McConaughey. But
I couldn't. His was very annoying. Yeah, because like people
accent bother me.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Yeah, he didn't have a calming voice. He's too it's
too unique.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Yeah, it's like a children's book.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
I'm just dying that you wanted to sleep.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
I will put people to sleep. So I'm kind of chucking.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
So you're gonna your superpower is how you're boring.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
You lean into it. Mandy's always hating on me, Like,
you know what, this hate is inspiring me. If your
hate makes me money, then I'll take it. Okay.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
People would love to not listen to it.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
All I'm gonna do is start talking about like tech.
I whenever talked to Mandy about her problems that she
always has, And I start going in detail, her eyes
just gonna glaze over, she slumps in her chair. Might
just there we go. That's somebody. I start reading manuals opportunity,
so what?
Speaker 1 (21:47):
But it would be like, yeah, would it be you
like reading something or saying something to make people fall asleep?
Or are you actually like looking at how to sleep?
Speaker 3 (21:55):
No, I'm not an expert to sleep. I couldn't help
you for your how to sleep. But it will be like, uh, what,
I'm trying to figure out. How do I want to
do it. I don't want to go with like finding
short I would love to do like maybe some combination
of finding short stories from like like like small authors
or people want to submit stories that I could read,
or even just a round of I going.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Send me your stories. People can follow.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
Submit your stories. People falls into or go like the
AI route and like get like somebody AI generated very
basic stories and like go through that because someone gave
me the idea of doing things that are very like
scenery and scenic based, like it puts you you listening
to yourself in an environment, but it's very like common
low stakes environment, Like it's like describing what's around you
(22:34):
and like you're going in this direction, so things like that.
So I'm I'm trying to figure out exactly what it'll be,
and I might I'll probably do like some tests recordings
and see which one kind of works and like send
itis and people say, hey, what do you think about this?
Which worsch version do you like? And then yeah, try
to run with that.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
That's cool, that's fun.
Speaker 5 (22:50):
I honestly, I feel like everybody should have a project
that is just like exploratory where you can like a
B test and just learn because there's going to be
things that you're going to take from that that are
applicable to your business and you might not even realize it.
Because I've done and not necessarily because I wanted to,
but I have had to help a lot of like
family members with projects and things, and they just sucked
me into these things, and I'm like, all right, I'll
help you out, and then I end up learning so
(23:12):
much and I'm like, wait a minute, hold on, Like
I can do that, whether it's project management, whether it's
just like ay, be testing things that I then go
and try out, Like you'd be surprised by having something
just like a little bit not related to your business
that you can play with ends up you know, helping
you out a little bit in the end when you
come back with fresh eyes or fresh ears to take
(23:32):
popcorn finance podcasts back to the people.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
You know, that's true because I did That's spend some
time up here with a couple of friends helping them
with like video projects. So I had a friend who
did a live podcast at KAWL, the NPR station here
in San Francisco. So I did the video recording for
him at the at the station, I was helping someone
else with a live event they were doing at one
of these spaces that they were in it. So I
(23:57):
was like, I also, I kind of learned things about
video and auction while I'm doing it. And then also
it's kind of fun to like turn your mind off
on what you're used to doing and do something else.
Kind of I help Mandy and Tiffany with their live
podcasts out in New Jersey, and I doing stuff like
that is like a fun thing. I'm also like considering
that too, So all right now I'm open to like
things that maybe a little more enjoyable and creative that
are given to what I normally do.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Sounds like a good old midlife.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
You know, kidding, that's right, because me and Mandy are
basically forty. So you know how it is.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
To forget that I edit the show, and there's so
much I can just tell.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Yeah, basic is basically forty crew Brandy, you know.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
I So you know, actually I mentioned Nikayla. She's the
side hustle pro podcaster and she and I have the compals,
and she's actually been experimenting with like passive income from
creating YouTube videos of just AI generated like music. Like
she's like, I want to start a jazz channel on YouTube.
(24:59):
People you know just how background music and people just
turn it on kind of like how you go to
YouTube and get the fireplace.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
Yeah, yeah, you.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Know, like get logs on the fire And I was like, okay,
go off, sis, try try that out. Those those little
like yeah, those ideas. But she says that's becoming like
a new potential passive income stream for people using AI. Yeah, Chris,
if you were going to do that podcast idea, I
would be like, for sure AI. I got to read, y'all.
(25:27):
I was trying to get through this article earlier because
it's so related to what we're talking about. Almost. It's
from a LinkedIn executive and it's in the New York Times.
I can post a link, but the headline is, I'm
a LinkedIn executive. I see the bottom rung of the
career ladder breaking. And this executive goes on to basically
(25:47):
outline all these signs of what we've known all along
that's been happening. It's like AI is to today's young
workers and honestly the whole workforce, what like manufacturing and
the net were to excuse me our parents generation and
our parents' parents generation in terms of like taking those
(26:07):
entry level jobs out of the picture, because they're usually
like the lowest, lowest hanging fruit that AI can take over, right,
And I was reading this and I was I also
did an interview with CNBC last week and the guy
kept asking me like and he kept asking me, like
the job market, you know, what are some tips you have,
(26:29):
and I was like, just hang on, y'all, hang on
and learn how to use AI. And the job market
is trash, and you know, that's all I got for you.
And I could feel him like trying to get squeeze
water from a stone a little bit. But in this
article it's just so apparent. So I'll share some of
the I'll try and share someone like the little nuggets.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (26:51):
That makes a lot of sense though, because if you
think about it, those jobs, those jobs are the ones that.
Speaker 4 (26:56):
Are so easily replaceable by AI, like those.
Speaker 5 (26:59):
Entry level position where you're doing stuff like you know,
like the routine office work that are usually like reviewing documents,
filing documents, customer service, or even even in tech basic
coding a I will literally do all of that now.
So his his piece is like, yeah, if it's not
scaring some of these recent grads or like entry entering
(27:21):
into the workforce level kind of entry level employees, and
not necessarily meant to scare them, but it's just the reality.
I think it's really a good point.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Yeah, my home first, like the job I got after
I was laid off from my first magazine job during
the Great Recession, the next job I got was reviewing
legal documents for a newsroom, so that they're and I'm
like that one hundred percent could be automated now with AI.
And those are the types of jobs that are, yeah,
that are disappearing. So there's a shift in the latest
unemployment numbers for college grads. So the unemployment rate for
(27:52):
college grads has risen thirty percent since twenty twenty two.
And meanwhile it's about eighteen it's risen eighteen percent for
all workers. So those younger people, especially, I know, my
my producer intern, Gabrielle is listening like it's okay, growing
out three more years of school, You're safe, but listen.
(28:13):
And then LinkedIn has something called the work the Workforce
Confidence Index. Over half a million professionals answer this and
that it's hitting new lows and because of this uncertainty
and gen z are even more pessimistic about their futures
and any other age group out there. Sixty three percent
of three thousand executives at LinkedIn surveys that AI will
(28:35):
eventually take over. But then it goes on to talk
about how like colleges and universities are trying to train
up you know, their teachers to learn AI. It's too late,
Like for me having come through a journalism program during
the social media digital revolution of journalism, colleges are so behind,
(28:56):
Like it takes so much time to train these professors
and then get the curriculum together. If it's a public university,
you have you know, the board, you have the state.
Like there's all these things in your way that slow
things down, and yeah, isn't a beautiful And so I'm
just for anyone who's in school right now, I really
(29:18):
encourage you, or if you know someone who's on the
younger side, you have to start taking it on your
own to find opportunities to learn the breaking AI technology
in your field. So one of my favorite things, I
think I'm more excited about my producer intern than she's
just like, you're getting so much great experience, don't you know.
(29:41):
But you know she's editing the show, she's editing our
Monday episodes, and I know within Riverside this recording software,
there's an AI tool, and so she's going to get
to experience how AI can make her work easier. I
still need a producer who understands, like how to take
this rough cut that an AA I put together and
make it better and understand nuance. But when I was
(30:05):
doing the CNBC interview, this is where the opportunity lies
for young people. The producer who was producing my segment,
which was also in Riverside, you know, we did the
whole interview on Riverside. And I know when I record
this podcast, I can go click Riverside's AI clip generator
and it'll spit out like twelve sixty second clips. You know,
(30:25):
I can even pinpoint a word. I wanted to, you know, target,
and so I asked the producer. I was like, oh, sorry,
you know, do you get a ton of clips to
use the magic tool on Riverside? And she was like,
oh no, I you know I do. I do my own.
It's organic. And I was like, lady, you better hurry,
you better get comfortable because I could be you know.
(30:48):
It's it's you're not going to be able to get
away with having a whole job doing one Instagram real
a day. When AI can do ten, you can be
more twenty, right, I mean more an hour, right. So
it's really really and but that's the opportunity because the
old fuddy duddies, We're not old fuddy duddies, guys, but
(31:13):
we hung up in my career. No, But when I
was coming up in my career, my editors didn't care
about podcasts or Twitter. They all kind of like roll
their eyes. Maybe Twitter wasn't early was easier for journalists,
but like Instagram and TikTok, and they were all like, uh,
the youths. Meanwhile, who was job popping and getting paid
(31:33):
more and more? You know, So it's just y'all need
don't freak out about it. But don't expect your college
professor to prepare you for today's job market. You have
to be doing that work yourself.
Speaker 5 (31:46):
Definitely, you really do.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
And it's like it's it's utilizing the tools now, right,
Like that's the thing, like you become more efficient at
your job and you kind of have to be because expectation,
the baseline expectation is risen now because you can get
a tool to do a decent job for you for
very cheap, sometimes free, So you need to be able
to do that and some to stand out, which kind
of you know, it sucks because now it's like, you know,
(32:08):
the standards, the base the bar is a little bit
higher than what it used to be, but it can
also make you a lot more efficient and creative, because
I think that's the thing we all want, right. It's
like sometimes we get bogged down, I know for me,
like you know, making stuff like creating them all the time.
You get bogged down with all the little ad many things,
all the little tashit repeat over and over again. And
being able to learn these tools makes you just that
(32:29):
much better at what you do, and it takes some
that weight and pressure off. So yeah, I mean, and
sometimes it's like I have a lot of friends who
are really hesitant to adopt any AI tools out of fear,
but they're starting to see it's like these things are
not going anywhere, Like it's just it'll be integrated more
and more. Everything that latches now has an AI feature,
even if it's not even really AI, they're gonna call
it AI. You better get used to it because that's
(32:50):
what we are. That's a fact.
Speaker 5 (32:52):
That is a fact, and I feel like it should
it should be something that you are proud of. Like
a little bit many of what you were saying was
kind of like a little bit of a sense of
pride and being like, no, I don't use AI. I
handmade these clips and it's like, I know that sounds conintuitive.
It's like you feel like you should be proud of that,
but actually check yourself. What you should be proud of
(33:16):
is the ability to say to them, I actually have
a strategy where my workflow includes AI, so I'm able
to get you twenty clips where typically you might get one.
And so you optimizing your workflow by using AI and
actually being honest and open about that, That's what's going
to be impressive, not saying no, no, I sat.
Speaker 4 (33:34):
There for two hours and listen to.
Speaker 5 (33:35):
Everything again and again and then and then I handcrafted
it clips the way I thought back maybe back in
the day that might have been, or for certain mediums
that might make sense, right, like you, if you're handcrafting,
you know, fashion clothing or a handbag, like okay, sure
there's still a place to charge a lot of money
for something handcrafted or handmade. But in the world of technology,
(33:56):
don't be afraid to like just blatantly include in your
workflow and your process and show how that makes you optimal.
Speaker 4 (34:05):
Versus somebody else.
Speaker 5 (34:06):
Because even for assistance virtual assistance, people are saying, oh,
they're going to go by the wayside. AI is going
to take over all that. Actually, I really don't think
that's true. I think that the AI tasks are still
going to be a little bit of an annoying thing
that takes Even if it takes five minutes, it's five
minutes that I, as the CEO, don't want to do.
So I'm going to hire an assistance to do those
(34:26):
five minute AI tasks. And even if it's something as
simple as like I forward you a transcript video recording
of a meeting that I had with another exec, your
job is to transcri, click a button that transcribes that,
and then synthesize it using whatever AI to give me
bullet points that I can then follow up with that
other exec and a follow up email and say thank
you so much.
Speaker 4 (34:45):
These are the things we spoke about. I don't have
to do that. You do it because it sounds.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
Like, oh, but it's so quick to do it with AI,
But high value people with like the the time is
so valuable.
Speaker 4 (34:55):
Even five minutes of clicking.
Speaker 5 (34:56):
Around AI and transcribing is a task that they don't
want to do so and just using the AI might
be something that they delegate. And that's where you come in,
going I know exactly how to transcribe your notes, synthesize them,
and send you a transcript that you can literally copy
and paste as a follow up email. Where you have
to do nothing that is right there value, but you
(35:16):
have to not shy away from AI, like Mandy said.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
Yeah, and then like the you know C suite, they
can stay, you know, they can focus on their big
strategy and like they know the kids are like, oh
handle the technology for sure, that also gives you an advantage.
Speaker 5 (35:31):
Sure, and not even just the big strategy. But you
know what they do, they smooth and rubbing elbows with
other people with a lot of money, making deals, having conversations.
Speaker 4 (35:38):
If that's the social stuff is.
Speaker 5 (35:40):
Really what those the face of the company does to
you know, obviously keep the relevance of that business in
the industry. And that means I can't be behind a
computer all day clicking AI stuff.
Speaker 4 (35:50):
I got to be out there with people.
Speaker 5 (35:51):
I gotta be on my private jet go into a
meeting in London and then go immediately back to Miami
to I have to be able to move quickly through
the world, and I can't necessarily put all my time
into text. So I do think there's still going to
be a world where the quicker you can get up
on the AI game and then offer that as a service.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
Don't sleep on that.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
Yeah that's a real thing.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Yeah well, Chris, you better get your voice AI before
somebody else comes up with one. You gotta be in early.
You gotta get out there. The sleep podcast.
Speaker 3 (36:22):
It's in the works. I gotta get some down. You
know what I'm saying, Bye bye?
Speaker 4 (36:26):
What is it?
Speaker 3 (36:27):
May by June, I have something some test runs ready
to go.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
By then I'll tell you it was only like a week.
Speaker 4 (36:32):
I'll be a tester. I I like to sleep.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Do them for kids.
Speaker 4 (36:38):
You know.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
My son and I are doing sleep meditations at night.
Like I just pull up the Peloton meditations and I
just it dawned on me one night. I was like,
I use this to go to sleep. He's just twitchy
and he's a five year old, you know, and he's like,
I want water, I want but he's so tired. But
he'll fight his sleep and he actually really enjoys it.
And now he asks, he's like, are you to do
(37:00):
our meditation? And we do one in the morning too,
But you know that's just breathing and grown up music
and stuff. So if there was like a fun one
I don't.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
Know, an adult any kid version ideas.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
Yeah, like what if you just told stories about the moon,
you know, like stuff that were like dinosaur fossils, like
shit that five year olds are obsessed with. Why do
caterpillars the most?
Speaker 4 (37:24):
You know what?
Speaker 5 (37:25):
You can then just go and get the children's series
for national geographics. I remember when I was a third
grade teacher. I had all these thin little like my
first reader, and it would be about all these random
topics like oh, different types of clouds in the sky
and like the ones that can tell your storms coming,
like and if you literally just like teach.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
That and like talk about it, that would probably pop
off for the kids.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
Oh yeah, I mean, don't tell everybody it's not geo
because like copyright now, but you change it.
Speaker 5 (37:52):
Up, you change it up, you use AI to change
it up.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
Okay, yeah, but then but then the fact checking, that's
where you need a human because like what if AI
doesn't making shut out like it does be.
Speaker 3 (38:03):
Doing right, that's I don't want to be educational because
then I might have to really proof read it just
make give some nonsense.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Yeah, well okay, fine by June, all right, well, should
we take a break and come back with a brown booster,
a brown breck. Let's do it right, ba family, right
back with one of my favorite times of the brown table,
brown boost, brown brick, and we're back. All right, We're
(38:31):
gonna do brown boost brown break. Just to remind y'all,
we're either going to boost something that we're excited about,
we that's giving us life, that's sparking joy, or something
that we are sick of and need a brown break from.
And if my memory serves me, Chris is never ready
and usually prepare like wants me and you Nelly to
go first so he can come up with something.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
I'm ready. I can't.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
Is it related?
Speaker 3 (38:56):
Oh well, I mean that was a great story, But
now I got something new. I can't ready this time.
So once in my life I can't prepared for this. Okay,
so my brown boost come doing a boost this week.
Is a book I just finished reading. It's called James
by Percival Everett. He wrote the book Erasure, which the
movie American Fiction was based on a couple of years
(39:18):
ago with Jeffrey Wright. Really good movies, Jeffrey Wright. It
was sterling K Brown. I always forget that I call
her Maxine because that's all. I just remember her from
living single. I always a real name. Yes, it was
such a great movie. So I watched the movie, loved it,
one of my favorite movies. A year so I read
the book Erasier and then this year, I guess, like
towards the end of last year, at the beginning of
this year, he wrote a new book called James, which
(39:40):
is the story of Huckleberry Finn told from the perspective
of the slave Jim or James. And he just won
the Pulitzer Prize for the book. And it is so
good because I don't I don't remember Huckleberry Finn very
much from school. I just remember it was racist and
said the end word a bunch of it.
Speaker 5 (39:59):
Remember too, they were on a boat in the river,
and that's all I remember.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
The little white girl in my English class asking the
teacher why she couldn't say the N word.
Speaker 3 (40:08):
Oh, that's what I hated. That come up so you
could tell the kids who were who were nervous, and
the kids who couldn't wait for their term for that
word to come around in their little section to read.
Why we're reading this book out loud in class? I
don't know, but but this book, it flips the story
on his head and it's all from James's perspective, and
so you get to see him talking about how like
(40:28):
basically colde twitching, how like teaching him his family's kids
and other kids on the plantation how to speak with
broken English so that the white people will kind of
like not pay too much attention to them, and they
won't and it'll make them feel comfortable because they think
it makes them think that you're done, but you know
you're not. And the story of how he ended up
with huck Finn, and there's like points in time where
(40:49):
they separate, so you can see what happens to James
when he's still running and trying to find his freedom,
because basically in the story, he leaves because he finds
out he's going to be sold and he doesn't want
to leave his wife and his dark behind, so he
leaves and he passed a goal and then come back
and get them. And so you're following the story of
him dealing with huck Finn try like kind of like
treating him like he's dumb, but then slowly realizing he's not.
(41:11):
I don't want to spoil it. But it's so well written.
I love this book. I went through it in like
a week and I read along with with b. We
we had a little mini book club reading the book
and so it's so good, so good. I highly recommend
you it.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Rigue set me up. I was like, that was one
of our resolutions, was to read books together. He was like, okay,
start with this, Like he likes a DaVinci code. Shit,
I mean sorry, then, well we know how you feel
about that.
Speaker 3 (41:39):
Right.
Speaker 6 (41:40):
There's a smart, you know, attractive white guy who is like,
gotta find the code the secret of like this ancient
religion religious section in Italy and tombs and all kinds
of Vaticans and stuff that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
And I read this thick book and tell me why
he hasn't read my choice? For him, it wasn't as exciting.
Speaker 3 (42:04):
What was the book?
Speaker 1 (42:06):
Well, there were a couple of different ones. The one
that I wanted him to read really badly was called
The Unconscious Parent. See, his books are for fun, but
I was like trying to pass trying.
Speaker 4 (42:17):
To do homework, trying to do homework.
Speaker 7 (42:21):
Joy reading.
Speaker 1 (42:22):
It's supposed to be about the other person's interest, you know,
like taking an interest.
Speaker 5 (42:29):
Like y'all should I feel like ya should have an
interest in him, y'all should know. I feel like y'all
should be reading that together, like a chapter before bed
together or something.
Speaker 4 (42:37):
So yeah, because you're trying to make him read that alone.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
It's myself the bar so low for these men.
Speaker 5 (42:44):
But you want to read.
Speaker 4 (42:45):
But you want to read that, girl, y'all got to
read that together.
Speaker 3 (42:48):
Man, He's like, all right, from my mind, I'm picking
the encyclopedia. We're going to go through Q.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
For husbands who need to learn their wives, like relearn
the love language post kids. You know, love languages change. Yeah,
it's a little more passive aggressive. I should have picked
a novel. Maybe we'll do James, we gotta start a
Brown and Mission book club.
Speaker 5 (43:08):
This was supposed to be Brown Brak.
Speaker 4 (43:10):
Sorry, that's for Brown book Club.
Speaker 3 (43:14):
To inspire some better books.
Speaker 1 (43:18):
What tell me that? To my face? I didn't hear you.
Speaker 3 (43:22):
We're trying to inspire Mandy to pick some better books
because that was not a good time.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
But The Conscious Parent is an amazing book that I've
already read, which is why I know my husband should
read it. I've been voracious. I think that's how I
can tell that life with two kids like my also
Remy's turning two this coming weekend, which is crazy, but
that I'm having more like time to actually devour novels
(43:48):
and listen to my nonfiction. I like to read novels
with the with the physical book, and it doesn't matter audiobook,
the nonfic. But I have all these books going at
different times, and I'm just like falling back in love
with reading and it's really great. So you might be
saying a little something, ba fam, I think a Brown
Ambition book Club makes so much.
Speaker 4 (44:07):
I love that mm hmm.
Speaker 1 (44:09):
And I won't just have it be my book. It'll
be great. It'll be a mix. It's got to be
a mix. I don't like only personal finance books. I
rarely read them because I do it's all the time.
I love novels, I love historical fiction. I love Yeah,
I love you know a business strategy, and and and
like books that explain what the hell is happening in
(44:30):
this world. And I think we should always have a mix.
We need our Kennedy Ryan's, and we need our Percival
what's his name Everett and Katanji Brown Jackson's. You know
of the word of the world altogether.
Speaker 5 (44:45):
That's right, all right, Well, did you do your brown
bo brown break?
Speaker 1 (44:49):
Not yet?
Speaker 5 (44:51):
Okay, why don't you?
Speaker 1 (44:53):
Okay, I I have to do a break, even though
I kind of wanted to do a boost, but I
have to do a break because there was this crazy
on Instagram that someone I think a BA listener had
sent me about this woman and this actually, like I
don't know why I was so surprised, but I guess
I was just hoping in twenty twenty five it wouldn't
be this case wouldn't be the case. But there is
(45:15):
a woman who create who was having a really hard time,
like so many of us are getting calls back or
getting responses to applications for jobs. And this was from Essence.
Oh yeah, Essence magazine. The headline is black qualified and ignored.
One woman's LinkedIn experiment exposes job discrimination after months of
(45:36):
job rejections, Aliah Jones posed as a white woman on
LinkedIn to uncover racial bias and hiring. I think uncover
is a bit hyperbolic because, like it has been this way,
there's studies already that have been done to show that
there's racism and bias and hiring and I'm just you
know what, I'm not gonna. I will boost Aliyah for
(45:57):
doing the hard work, for doing the do the legwork
to show that this shit is still happening. So I'll
post a link in the show notes if you want
to see. She did a whole series on TikTok about
it and how it you know, over the course of
eight months when she was Emily, she got calls back,
she was able to get you know, interviews, and that
(46:20):
never changed. Like Emily would get lots of interest and
then Aliyah would not. And like I run a coaching
community of black and brown women and this kind of
shit is heartbreaking, but it just reminds me how much
more important, Like I think the James's and the Emily's
(46:41):
of the world can get by with a strong resume,
a good cover letter, you know, a strong LinkedIn profile,
But those strategies alone and we don't have. We can
talk about how unfair it is and how it's not right,
but the reality is we need something extra. And because
we need, we have to like defend ourselves against that
(47:01):
bias on the other side and what we can own, No,
we can't stop the bias from happening. We just have
to accept that it's going to happen. And what we
can own is how we can disarm people with our presence,
our personalities are like our humanity, by actually forming relationships
with people and getting referrals so that you know, I
(47:22):
had my you know, one of my favorite managers over
the years. I used to call him my like what
did I call him? Well, his name is Nick, but anyway,
he was as cis white dude. I didn't call him
to his faith, what did I call just my white
like fairy godfather. Because Nick would be in rooms and
because he endorsed Mandy, I could come in and be
(47:44):
my full authentic self and I never really had to
worry about what I said because Nick had endorsed me,
and literally all the other white guys around the C suite,
I'd be at tables with them, but I was Ni's Mandy,
you know, and by virtue of him endorsing me, that
helped them get over whatever barriers there might have been
to them welcoming at that table or seeing me in
a leadership role and all of that. And did it
(48:06):
suck that I needed to have a Nick, you know,
to to help smooth that path? Yes, And yeah, I
shouldn't have to wow, but that's like the reality. And
so yeah, thank you to Aliah for doing this work.
It's a sobering but necessary reminder that the shit still happens.
So if you are someone who is struggling, just know
(48:29):
what I have been trying to tell y'all for so long,
and why the CNBC reporter who keeps talking to me
is so tired of me saying relationships. But that really
is a secret sauce and it's a survival mechanism for us,
especially who have names that sound different, look different. Maybe
my success in my corporate careers because my name is
Mandy Woodruff and on its face like maybe, and I
(48:52):
know I'm light skinned and I was wearing my hair straight,
so you know, passing for little racially ambiguous probably did
help me, you know. So anyway, I say all that
to say it is happening, and there are some things
that we can do to counteract it. But yeah, it
doesn't feel great. It's not nice to see it.
Speaker 5 (49:13):
Yep, to be reminded, especially with data to back it up,
because of course a lot of people will claim it's anecdotal,
that's your experience, not mine the data. The data is
not life, so that's important.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
Human experiences can be data. It's called qualitative.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
Okay, that's right. That's right.
Speaker 5 (49:31):
Qualitative and quantitative. They both matter, y'all.
Speaker 4 (49:35):
They both matter.
Speaker 5 (49:36):
Well, I'm gonna switch things up.
Speaker 4 (49:37):
My boost is gonna be.
Speaker 5 (49:39):
I got Beyonce tickets, y'all. I'm going to see Beyonce
in Houston her home sound opening nights Saturday, June's twenty eighth, Okay,
and I'm so excited because I wanted to see Beyonce
life for so many years. I've seen Beyonce in person
one time on accident. That was because on accident. Listen
(50:02):
to this.
Speaker 4 (50:03):
My first day with Jamil.
Speaker 5 (50:04):
He took me to a jay Z concert at the
Brooklyn that Stadium because he know I'm from Brooklyn and hello,
hold on, I love Dizzy. So we're at the concert
and the very last song, Beyonce comes out and they
performed Forever Young together to close the concert. So I
did not expect to see Beyonce, but clearly I'm still
with this man thirteen years later, and because of that first.
Speaker 1 (50:24):
Date early out of the park.
Speaker 5 (50:28):
So you've never seen Beyonce Beyonce concert live because the
first time, she was really torrented. I couldn't go. I
was in a really deep debt payoff journey, and I
was like, I'm not I'm not going to do it,
like I really want to treat myself and do it
when I'm in a position financially that I that I
want to be in. This time, I was so sad.
(50:50):
I went through the tour dates and none of the
tour dates worked for me because I'm traveling NonStop except
for one day or one weekend, which was June twenty eight.
That one weekend I actually happened to be free, and
so I got tickets.
Speaker 4 (51:04):
Y'all. I'm gonna be seeing beyoncea in Prision.
Speaker 5 (51:07):
Finally. I'm so excited, like I think it's going to
be so much fun. I need to get me a
little pair of Drango boots and a little cowboy hats.
Speaker 1 (51:16):
Girl Dingham Bandana arrived today. I'm so not d what
is it, Paisley Bandana? Because I have been I literally
created a canva and I canva like project and I
pieced together. I legit. I was like this shoes and that,
and I cannot wait. I'm going to see him and
(51:36):
I'm going to see her in London in two weeks
in London.
Speaker 5 (51:41):
That's amazing, a whole trip out of it.
Speaker 1 (51:45):
So excited. I'm so so excited. I will be in
the bucking pit and I'm just saying, London, you better
bring it. I better see lots of I want to
see you.
Speaker 5 (51:53):
I want to I better see posts from you, many
tech I want to get text message videos from you
in the pit.
Speaker 1 (51:59):
All right, I know that, girl. I don't want to that.
I don't want to miss it like those people who
used to die, like pass out my during Michael Jackson's concerts.
You missed the whole.
Speaker 3 (52:09):
Thing, other money just to pass out exactly.
Speaker 1 (52:13):
No, no, no, those tickets were not they were. I
think our tickets were eight hundred dollars. Oh yeah. Oh
look I did fourteen for Nisans fourteen hundred, yes.
Speaker 7 (52:26):
A lot, so I think our tickets were four hundred
so for there just yeah, so yeah, I probably paid
eight hundred for both.
Speaker 5 (52:36):
But of course, you know when you start going through
to pay and you see the fees and the taxies
and the service fee and this fee and the digital
transaction fee and this, and I'm like, what in the
hell it's at three hundred and fifty when I first.
Speaker 1 (52:49):
Went on here. I hope all those fees go to
the kids college fund. I hope that Blue Ivy, you know,
gets her a little spending money drew me like she's
set on.
Speaker 7 (52:59):
Don't vote me.
Speaker 5 (53:00):
They go to stuff gets get Master and all them
trashy trashy ticket It's true.
Speaker 1 (53:09):
It's so true.
Speaker 3 (53:10):
It's just yes. And also, did you guys get stuck
with like the ticket resealer resellers or we be able
to buy it directly? I know that's sometimes the problem.
Or they prices get like jacked up because everyone bought
all the tickets and they're trying to sell them back
to you later.
Speaker 5 (53:23):
I got them on vivid seats, so I think they
were resale, but I didn't get I didn't get a
terrible price compared to the original price.
Speaker 1 (53:30):
Yeah, that's a great price. Some people did make out
better by waiting because the demand was so high to
begin with, so the prices were like totally jacked up.
But either way, you're going.
Speaker 5 (53:41):
And you're gonna have a good time and we'll be
in the house.
Speaker 4 (53:44):
I'm so excited, y'all.
Speaker 5 (53:45):
I'm so excited to finally get to see Beyonce for
more than a three minute song with.
Speaker 1 (53:50):
Jaz all right, be a fan. Well, I'm going to
close out this week's Brown Table. Thank you, yan Ellie
and Chris for joining me. It's always a good time,
NBA fam. What do I have to say to you?
Speaker 3 (54:05):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (54:05):
Leave a review, share a show with a friend. I
hope you enjoyed Monday's bonus episode with the Mayel Organics
Monique Rodriguez and we'll see you Friday for the baqa.
Bye va fam, okay va fam. Thank you so much
for listening to this week's show. I want to shout
out to our production team, Courtney, our editor, Carla, our
(54:27):
fearless leader for idea to launch productions. I want to
shout out my assistant Lauda Escalante and Cameron McNair for
helping me put the show together. It is not a
one person project, as much as I have tried to
make it so these past ten years. I need help, y'all,
and thank goodness I've been able to put this team
(54:48):
around me to support me on this journey. And to
y'all bea fam. I love you so so so so much.
Please rate, review, subscribe, make sure you signed up to
the newsletter to get all the latest updates on upcoming episodes,
our ten year anniversary celebrations to come, and until next time,
talk to you soon via bye
We're approaching the halfway point for the year. And I
remember back in January I said, twenty twenty five smells
like money, honey. I think what I meant to say
was maybe like the back hand.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Okay, you'd be surprised by having something just like a
little bit not related to your business that you can
play with ends up, you know, helping you out a
little bit in the end when you come back with
fresh eyes.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
All Right, I'm open to like things that maybe a
little more enjoyable and creative that are didn't for what
I normally do.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Sounds like a good old midlife.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
You know, just kidding. That's right, because me and Mandy
are basically forty so you know how it is.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Oh why you had to do that to many?
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Forget that I edit the show and there's so much
I can just tell.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yeah, basically is basically forty crew. You know.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Well, heyba fam, welcome to the Brown Table. It's been
a minute. Well it's been a minute since the original
trio the og Og three are back again. Yes, missed y'all.
Speaker 5 (01:03):
I've been nuts. I feel like we tried to schedule
and then then we all couldn't make it, and then
or Mandy could.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
But we couldn't, and then we rescheduled.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
But first make it sound like I don't just send
you an invite out of the blue once and.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
I'm trying trying to give you the best, give you.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
No time to think, or it's just like, yeah, I
kind of feel like doing the Brown Table this week.
Speaker 5 (01:25):
Though. That's authentic. Though, that's how y'all know. We're not scripted,
we're not rehearsing. We didn't go through this.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
We just jump on and give you what we got
because we have no idea what's happening.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Yes, and the last time y'all Nelly couldn't come, I
just canceled it. But today because y'all didn't want to
just hear me and Chris, I.
Speaker 5 (01:41):
Almost couldn't come. But it's just like, I'm at this hotel.
The WiFi is kind of rinkydinky, and I was like,
you know what, we're gonna We're gonna We're gonna give it.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
We're gonna give it a shot. We're gonna give it
a go and see how it goes.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Why not, it's gonna go great. I have a felt
I recorded Brown Ambition from Mumbai, so I think Oregon.
I hope the Wi Fi can cut it, because yeah,
you know, yeah, are you doing impressive things with your
you know, testifying self.
Speaker 5 (02:07):
Not this week. This week is a little more of
a personal trip. I came to visit one of my
best best friends for my first year teaching. She's living
in Portland right now. And then next week I actually
celebrate Jamel's fortieth birthday. So my partner's turning forty. So
we just needed to be on the west coast because we're.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Going to go to Hawaii for his birthday. So we
sort of slowly made our way west.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
That's so smart because that is a long ass flight
from the East coast.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
Girl, the time zone difference is it gets, it hits you.
So we're slowly kind of itching our way over west.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
But I'm excited for that.
Speaker 5 (02:39):
I'm excited.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
He's he's also excited.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
He's he's like it took him a long time to
figure out what he wanted to do, like actually, because
we talked about all these different places and but you've
been you know, finally we made a choice and it
is Hawaiie.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Oh, I'm so excited for y'all, even though you already
live in a tropical vacation destination. Sure, yeah, another beach.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
But come on, we can't compare them Miami to Hawaii.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
They're just it's just different.
Speaker 5 (03:04):
The water is different, the colors are different, the food,
the culture, it's just it's so different.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Now. I've been to Hawaii once before, but Jamil has
never been to Hawaii and also never been.
Speaker 5 (03:13):
To Portland either, so this is like two first Portland
and also Hawaii will be like two first trips for us.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
So that'd be nice, the two very different places, Portland
and Hawaii.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
It's gonna say, it's good to start the bar low
with Portland.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
You know. I thought Portland was cute. Jamil's not. He's
not really feeling it. He's like, we could go yesterday. Yeah.
But I'll tell you what I like. I'll tell you
what I do like.
Speaker 5 (03:34):
It is a little, you know, grungy, but in the
downtown area, but just thirty forty minutes drive and you're
in the middle of the woods. Truly liked like it's
that is. I don't think there's any other major city
where you can or have some major city but city
where you're in the city limits and you're in the
middle of the woods like that.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Was really cool to see. And then the second thing is,
I ain't seen.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
No McDonald's, Chapotle, red Lobsters, starbush, those crunchy organders would never.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
That was so beautiful though I was walking around, it's
like all.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
Really locally owned spots, like truly I was. I said, well,
I haven't seen not not a McDonald's in site, not
a Starguars in site.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
So you know, that's kind of cute.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Chris, You're not gonna time in and let her know
about how far the woods are from San Francisco.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
I'm not trying to show up yan Ellie story, but
since you brought it up, yes, is it in.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
The city limits?
Speaker 5 (04:27):
Though?
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Is it in the city limits.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
In San Francisco? You know, it's only seven miles by
seven miles. It's tiny little spot. But you drive north
like twenty minutes and you're in mirror woods, redwood forests,
great trails. You at the beach over there, I say,
it's I organ is nice though too. You get the
quick exit to the forest. I say, San Francisco. It's
kind it's very similar. If you ever go get a
chance to come back out there and go up north,
you'd be right in some like crazy looking forests.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
Nice. Okay, well you know I'm gonna check it out.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
I'm gonna check it out.
Speaker 5 (04:52):
I also feel like San Francisco is so expensive compared
to Portland, but in terms of nature.
Speaker 4 (04:59):
I would give you that have to go check it out.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
That is there, Betimes, you have to live in the
woods there.
Speaker 5 (05:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Right, you said, you said Portland's kind of grungey. But
coming from New York, I'm surprised to hear you say
that because New York could be you know, New York's
got a spots where it's a little you know, while
like New.
Speaker 5 (05:14):
York has its spots where it's a little while, but
I feel like it is in certain areas. I feel
like the entire entirely of Portland downtown is grunge.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
At least from what I saw.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Like cool grunge, like privileged white folks trying to be
alternative grunge, or like.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
Parts are that, yes, some parts of that, and other
parts are just like the grunge that never quite got.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
A little blow up. So god, it's just yeah, it's
all that versus New York.
Speaker 5 (05:38):
I feel like there's it's pockets and you can you
can walk up the block, and all of a sudden,
it's not grungy anymore.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
Now it's upscale. So just depending where you are, you
can really it can change. It colds really quickly.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
But I didn't get that vibe here. Also, I literally
have been here for two days, so I don't know.
Maybe there's just more to see from just the downtown
that I've stayed in.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
All right, we gave them enough free press. Go to
Portland or not, on your way to Hawaii, on your
way away, no business, y'all. You know, May is underway
a rhyme, so she read a thousand children's book a day. Yes,
May is underway, and we're approaching the halfway point for
(06:16):
the year. And I remember back in January, I said,
twenty twenty five smells like money, honey. I think what
I meant to say was maybe like the back hand.
And also I think the universe misheard me. They said, oh,
you want us to cost you a lot of money,
like the bills will get higher, which is like, not great.
(06:40):
But I feel I have shifted my business a little bit.
You know, I started out with Mandy money Makers. I'm
still doing Mandy money Makers. If you're listening, don't worry,
but it's such a great group in a community. And
between the podcasts that writing the book, what really fell
off was my ability to do one on one coaching right,
(07:02):
and I found a way to bring it back. Yeah
it So I'm doing it my my accountability buddy Nakala
shout out to Nakaela from side Hustle Pro. She talked
me into and then talk me into, but she showed
me a path where I could do if I got
people to sign up for a package of coaching, like
a twelve week I'm going to meet with you once
(07:24):
a week over the course of twelve weeks, We're going
to pick a goal and we're going to accomplish it
in that like three months. That I could package it
like that, and I could charge a price that honestly
is a great value considering that it's twelve weeks one
on one coaching. But also I am selfish. I want
to feel good when I have a one on one
coaching session, and the thing about a one off is
(07:45):
that and I'm usually I download. I'm very good at
like assessing the challenge and just like saying what the
other person what she needs to hear to get her
motivated and then action plan and so after like forty
five minutes to an hour or you're off this call.
And this is why I record all of my coaching
calls because I'm like, don't write all this down. I'm
going to send you the transcript. It's going to have
(08:07):
action items and it and then go forth and conquer.
But then the follow up if they don't join the makers,
I you know, I feel like I feel like a
trauma doctor, like an er doctor who you have someone coming.
It's like my leg is broken, I have this like
negotiation I gotta do or this, you know, my resume
is broken, and you fix it and then they go
(08:27):
off and you hope that they follow up with their
primary care and they get you know, so this twelve
week VIP coaching, I'm doing applications only because I really
want to work with women who have a goal in
mind and are very very motivated to achieve it. Because
I want it to be a given a take, like
I want to feel like I have offered a real
(08:47):
transformation of real service, and I want her to feel
like she's actually she's like it's not just that she
knows what to do and has the action plan but
she has somebody to coach her through it. So I'm
very excited. And if you want to apply for Mandy
money Maker VIP coaching, just go to the show notes
and I'll put a link in there, and or you
can go to Mandy money dot com and check it
(09:09):
out there. But it's an application. I think I'm going
to take like three and see how it goes. But
I'm feeling good about it, and I love that now
that I've submitted the manuscript for the book, I think
this is a really good way to spend the extra time.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
Yeah, and honestly I love that. I do think that
that's like the hardest thing I've done one off coaching
where it's just like a one on one for an
hour and then it's like that's got a follow up email,
And like you said, it definitely is really hard to
know if it was applied, if this worked, if there
were challenges that came up, if you need to adjust
course or pivot. Like you it's one and done sometimes
(09:48):
and then or they have to read book, but it's
just not the same. So I really love that ongoing
because that's honestly what coaching should be.
Speaker 4 (09:55):
Or if you go to therapy or if you go.
Speaker 5 (09:56):
To coaching, it's not like you do one session and
then you're like thanks, do like it doesn't.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Work, Like yeah, no, you can't fix you can't fix
anything in an hour.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Have y'all ever done like a VIP coaching like that
yourselves for any aspect of your business career, like kind
of worked with someone to get something done.
Speaker 5 (10:15):
I've only done one hour one on ones. I did
small group coaching when I did, like the Rockerry boot camps,
and people wanted to actually like well in the class
we did like learning to be like, you know, a
couple hundred people in a zoom class, and then the
small groups would the small cohorts of three to five
people who would actually apply, so like we're gonna sit
down and apply what we learned in class. You're gonna
(10:36):
open your account right now, you're gonna ask me questions
along the way, and I'm like literally here handholding along
the way.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
But that was still small groups.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
I've never really done a one on one that goes
on for like a few months, and that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
I'll be sick of me. But I mean, like, for
y'all personally, the one thing the reason I'm excited about
this is because I worked with the coach to write
the book proposal for my book that have went on
to get an helped me get an agent and then
get a book deal. And writing the book proposal, it
was one of those things where I knew what I
needed to do. I had so many friends, I mean, lord,
I talked to Tiffany all the time. She could just
(11:10):
give me. You know, she was like, take my proposal
and you know you can base it, you know, base
the format off of this, and YadA YadA, and you
know several friends who could have done that. Yeah, Ellie,
you've written a book. But knowing that you need to
do it, and then sitting down and like doing the work,
I knew I wanted to get it done in like
a three to four month timeline, and I was like,
I'm going to get pregnant at the end of this,
(11:30):
so I need to you know, I was really playing
in my year and I work with the coach and
it was wonderful because yes, could I have written the
eleven week step or whatever the plan step by step? Sure,
But I also knew that Rachelle was going to be
waiting for me on Zoom she's a very mean, scary lady.
She's not, She's so she's so cool. But I it
(11:55):
really worked for me, and I'm someone who really does
get shit done. But I'm hoping to give the same
feeling too and the people I work with.
Speaker 5 (12:02):
Yeah, I mean, coaching is a game changer. I personally
have worked with the coach more so for the types
of goals that are things that I'm not motivated to do,
so fitness training.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
I have a fitness coach. I just feel like for
me when it comes to.
Speaker 5 (12:14):
Like my business, that's like the stuff that like I
wake up going like, oh, I can't wait to do
this or do that, or like, you know, to put
this presentation deck together for this speaking opportunity that I got,
Like I'm so excited. Literally a couple of weeks ago,
I did a partnership with Jordan Brand where I got
to speak to the top sixty athletes in the country
right now at the high school level that are about
to go to college ball and I did financial literacy
(12:36):
training for them. We provided them with a part of yeah,
like a ton of coaching education, and it was just
amazing for me to think, like I would wake up
in the morning and just be like, the one thing
I want to do today is work on my slide deck.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
So I can make it more fun, more engaging.
Speaker 5 (12:49):
I could come up with some games that we could
play so they can like learn credit in a hands
on way. And so for that type of stuff, I
feel like I don't I haven't necessarily needed a coach.
And of course, like when it comes to increasing revenue,
yes I might get a coach for that, But where
I have gotten coaching, it's like the stuff where I
wake up and I go, oh, like I don't really
want to do it, and I need somebody to come
knock on my door and take my ass to the
(13:10):
gym and push me. Because I know that that's not
where necessarily I wake up, like it doesn't spark joy
for me to get up and go, you know, lift
weights or go do cardios. So I've gotten coaching there,
But I will say, just like recently, I've watched my
boyfriend like hire coaches for.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
Very specific things.
Speaker 5 (13:28):
You know. So he saw a software developer and he
wanted to create an app. He was working on it
on his own, and he just hit like this one snack.
He was like, I'm just not getting past this one point.
Speaker 4 (13:38):
So he hired a coach to work with.
Speaker 5 (13:40):
Him on that, and this is like a programmer who
has a lot.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
More experience than him, and that was just amazing for him.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
He was able to actually get this app done and
it's now being sold in the Slack app store.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
And he's got a lot of customers, y'all.
Speaker 5 (13:51):
He's making money off of the Slack app.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
And he will never be able to get past.
Speaker 5 (13:54):
That point if he didn't get the coach to really
just get past that one point.
Speaker 4 (13:59):
Coach, she is a game.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
Changer for sure, and I've seen it and I've experienced it,
so I do think there's definitely something there to the
ongoing coaching or like, hey, from this point A to
point B, we're gonna get to you know, these two
or three things done in that time frame, and having
that coach hold you accountable.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
It can be, it can be make or break.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
It's everything, you know. Like for me, I'm coming from
the opposite side of this where I am not very
self motivated, but I've never hired a coach and I'm
one of those people like don't worry, I'll figure it out.
I just I'll just stress myself out until I get
it done. But they feel like they're always rushing. And
I hearing you two talk about this name, we think like,
maybe this's something I should even check out because like
having someone because I've been like accountability with friends. But
(14:40):
then also, you know, if it's your friends, they're only
going to be so many. Unless your friends, Mandy, they're
only gonna be so many to you, right, They're gonna
be nice.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
You don't want to call you out, but you don't
want due to your.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Coach, who's someone who can like they're not personally invested
in like your relationship in that way where they can
be more real with you and really keep you you, you know,
on it. I kind of like the idea that because
I'm someone who's like I can procrastinate for days, you're different.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
You are it is Hey, ba fam, we gotta take
a quick break, pay some bills, and we'll be right back.
All right, ba fam, We're back. Chris. What would you?
What does popcorn finance? Chris nine?
Speaker 3 (15:21):
You know what, I think, I'm not a very strategic thinker.
Like I can come up with some ideas, I can
do things that interest me, but me I'm thinking like
two weeks ahead. I'm not thinking months or years ahead.
Some last night, what's your plan five years now? Five years?
Let me figure out what's having at the end of
the month, because I don't even know what that's to
look like.
Speaker 5 (15:39):
Yeah, that's a good one.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Actually, you know what, I agree with that I was talking.
It's so funny. I was talking to Tiff the other
day and I'm like, I think I need someone else
for them to help me with the podcast. I think
I need a strategic thinker, and she's like, yeah, there
used to be two of you. But you know, Tip
was never like fully fully on the strategic part with me.
And I'm like, I don't know that. I want to
(16:01):
keep doing like the growth and strategic thinking behind Brown
Ambition and all my big, bold, ambitious plans. I'm such
a this word sounds so douchey, a visionary where I'm
a creative person. I see where I want to go
and I get very excited and I'll do a couple
of things, but then it's like, oh, wait, you have
the day to day that you need to get done
(16:22):
as well, and then those like big ideas sort of
start to So I want to think that far ahead,
but combining the long term thinking with the two week
out thinking is really hard for one person to do,
and so I have been I don't know if it's
a coach I need or just a like a business partner,
someone who is more on like the operations and not
(16:43):
even operations, but like, yeah, the growth monetization strategy. I'm
getting a lot of support from iHeart and I you know,
shout out to iHeart hey, and I'm lucky to have
a weekly call with their team, and they're connecting me
with other people on the network, and I'm learning a lot.
So I'm hoping by the end of this year. I'm
not trying to make any decisions right now, but I'm
(17:05):
hoping by the end of this year, I'll have a
better sense of who I might need to help with
the overall strategy and what even a person like that word,
where do they exist? What are they doing? All? Okay? Why?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Yeah? Right? And how do you find the good ones?
Speaker 4 (17:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (17:19):
That's the part, because you can hire a coach and
then be so upset that it felt like a waste
of money. Because I've heard a lot of horror stories,
especially about coaches that aren't high you know, high high
priced coaching packages. But I think you know pretty quickly,
and that's also on you a little bit to like,
you know, how they say, like manage up. When I
(17:40):
worked with my just my fitness coach, when we first
started working together, it was like very consistent. At the
same time, we had this, you know, a very strict schedule.
And then once she got comfortable, we got a little
comfortable with us, I got a personal relationship, but be like, oh, can.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
I come like a little bit later or a little
bit It would just.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
Start changing all the time and the day of and
so then it's like, okay, if I just allow it
and I'm cool with that, that's now the new normal
for our coaching. And so I kind of be like, oh,
that's not that's not going to.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
Work for me.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
So I really do think like if you even just
have an inkling of like, wait, this coach isn't either
doing what they said they were going to do, or
holding the accountable in the way that I thought they
were going to, or holding the original agreement as it
was agreed upon, like that can meet, but do not
sit on it.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
Do not say okay, but let me see if maybe
it gets better, Like no, no, no, I need a
bit in the bud.
Speaker 5 (18:29):
So you have an opportunity to get the maximum value
from that coach and from the coaching program.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Yeah, it's tricky. Testimonials, recent testimonials all that's really important.
Oh yeah, like talk to I would It's like go
through a referral, you know, if someone worked with them
and raved about them, someone that you trust. That's really
the best way because there is no regulatory body like
out here trying to make sure these one off coaches
are doing a good job. So it is pretty that's.
Speaker 5 (18:55):
True, which is kind of wild about it.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
It really is.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Well what's going on? Well? Business wise? Well, Chris, you
didn't really say what's new with you biz wise?
Speaker 3 (19:07):
You were saying, you know, talking about strategy. I've been
thinking about it for a while, like what's next. I
did take a little pause from the podcast and I've
been doing some other work with you did What does
that mean? So i'n't done an episode for about two
months now, and this is I've never taken a break
from the show. It's a big boss and I've never
taken a break.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
Are you stopping popcorn finance? Is it ever going?
Speaker 3 (19:27):
It's going to come back? But I was trying to
be really strategic about what I wanted to look like
when it comes back, and you know, how do I
want to approach things. That's what I'm kind of been
working through, and I've been doing like other work for
like I still do a host a series for True
Lion Credit Union called money Bursts, So I've been I've
been kind of focusing on that, put some videos together,
put them contic those ideas there, while I'm kind of
thinking about what I want the podcast to look like
(19:49):
when I come back, So I might do some reformatting,
changing up the style a little bit, and I just
want to be consistent with it whatever I do, because
you know, I think sometimes have these ideas like oh, yeah,
this is what I'm going to do. I do for
like two weeks and I'm like, oh hold up, let
me I need to I get too busy. Let me
go back and do it the old way. So I
don't want to do that flip flopping back and forth.
I want to if I make a change, I want
to stick to it. So kind of thinking through that
(20:10):
and an idea for a new show, I shouldn't be
thinking of new things to do while I'm still trying
to figure out the old stuff. But I have a
new concept. I'm in the process of kind of like
really fleshing out a sleep podcast I've been thinking about.
So I'm kind of doing both those at the same time.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Wait, I think I just gave sleep three easy.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
I found out I didn't know these things existed till
like a little while ago. But basically, it's a podcast
that people used to go to sleep. So so it's
something that's not like, oh, complicated or kind of like
draws you in too much. It's like simple enough and
like low stakes enough that you can if you miss something.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
I told you got that Quiet Storms V one O three.
Speaker 5 (20:48):
Voice, he got it, you.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Can get well. Like the calm app has stories, Like
people just tell stories. It'll be like Matthew McConaughey. But
I couldn't. His was very annoying. Yeah, because like people
accent bother me.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Yeah, he didn't have a calming voice. He's too it's
too unique.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Yeah, it's like a children's book.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
I'm just dying that you wanted to sleep.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
I will put people to sleep. So I'm kind of chucking.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
So you're gonna your superpower is how you're boring.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
You lean into it. Mandy's always hating on me, Like,
you know what, this hate is inspiring me. If your
hate makes me money, then I'll take it. Okay.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
People would love to not listen to it.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
All I'm gonna do is start talking about like tech.
I whenever talked to Mandy about her problems that she
always has, And I start going in detail, her eyes
just gonna glaze over, she slumps in her chair. Might
just there we go. That's somebody. I start reading manuals opportunity,
so what?
Speaker 1 (21:47):
But it would be like, yeah, would it be you
like reading something or saying something to make people fall asleep?
Or are you actually like looking at how to sleep?
Speaker 3 (21:55):
No, I'm not an expert to sleep. I couldn't help
you for your how to sleep. But it will be like, uh, what,
I'm trying to figure out. How do I want to
do it. I don't want to go with like finding
short I would love to do like maybe some combination
of finding short stories from like like like small authors
or people want to submit stories that I could read,
or even just a round of I going.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Send me your stories. People can follow.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
Submit your stories. People falls into or go like the
AI route and like get like somebody AI generated very
basic stories and like go through that because someone gave
me the idea of doing things that are very like
scenery and scenic based, like it puts you you listening
to yourself in an environment, but it's very like common
low stakes environment, Like it's like describing what's around you
(22:34):
and like you're going in this direction, so things like that.
So I'm I'm trying to figure out exactly what it'll be,
and I might I'll probably do like some tests recordings
and see which one kind of works and like send
itis and people say, hey, what do you think about this?
Which worsch version do you like? And then yeah, try
to run with that.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
That's cool, that's fun.
Speaker 5 (22:50):
I honestly, I feel like everybody should have a project
that is just like exploratory where you can like a
B test and just learn because there's going to be
things that you're going to take from that that are
applicable to your business and you might not even realize it.
Because I've done and not necessarily because I wanted to,
but I have had to help a lot of like
family members with projects and things, and they just sucked
me into these things, and I'm like, all right, I'll
help you out, and then I end up learning so
(23:12):
much and I'm like, wait a minute, hold on, Like
I can do that, whether it's project management, whether it's
just like ay, be testing things that I then go
and try out, Like you'd be surprised by having something
just like a little bit not related to your business
that you can play with ends up you know, helping
you out a little bit in the end when you
come back with fresh eyes or fresh ears to take
(23:32):
popcorn finance podcasts back to the people.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
You know, that's true because I did That's spend some
time up here with a couple of friends helping them
with like video projects. So I had a friend who
did a live podcast at KAWL, the NPR station here
in San Francisco. So I did the video recording for
him at the at the station, I was helping someone
else with a live event they were doing at one
of these spaces that they were in it. So I
(23:57):
was like, I also, I kind of learned things about
video and auction while I'm doing it. And then also
it's kind of fun to like turn your mind off
on what you're used to doing and do something else.
Kind of I help Mandy and Tiffany with their live
podcasts out in New Jersey, and I doing stuff like
that is like a fun thing. I'm also like considering
that too, So all right now I'm open to like
things that maybe a little more enjoyable and creative that
are given to what I normally do.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Sounds like a good old midlife.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
You know, kidding, that's right, because me and Mandy are
basically forty. So you know how it is.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
To forget that I edit the show, and there's so
much I can just tell.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Yeah, basic is basically forty crew Brandy, you know.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
I So you know, actually I mentioned Nikayla. She's the
side hustle pro podcaster and she and I have the compals,
and she's actually been experimenting with like passive income from
creating YouTube videos of just AI generated like music. Like
she's like, I want to start a jazz channel on YouTube.
(24:59):
People you know just how background music and people just
turn it on kind of like how you go to
YouTube and get the fireplace.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
Yeah, yeah, you.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Know, like get logs on the fire And I was like, okay,
go off, sis, try try that out. Those those little
like yeah, those ideas. But she says that's becoming like
a new potential passive income stream for people using AI. Yeah, Chris,
if you were going to do that podcast idea, I
would be like, for sure AI. I got to read, y'all.
(25:27):
I was trying to get through this article earlier because
it's so related to what we're talking about. Almost. It's
from a LinkedIn executive and it's in the New York Times.
I can post a link, but the headline is, I'm
a LinkedIn executive. I see the bottom rung of the
career ladder breaking. And this executive goes on to basically
(25:47):
outline all these signs of what we've known all along
that's been happening. It's like AI is to today's young
workers and honestly the whole workforce, what like manufacturing and
the net were to excuse me our parents generation and
our parents' parents generation in terms of like taking those
(26:07):
entry level jobs out of the picture, because they're usually
like the lowest, lowest hanging fruit that AI can take over, right,
And I was reading this and I was I also
did an interview with CNBC last week and the guy
kept asking me like and he kept asking me, like
the job market, you know, what are some tips you have,
(26:29):
and I was like, just hang on, y'all, hang on
and learn how to use AI. And the job market
is trash, and you know, that's all I got for you.
And I could feel him like trying to get squeeze
water from a stone a little bit. But in this
article it's just so apparent. So I'll share some of
the I'll try and share someone like the little nuggets.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (26:51):
That makes a lot of sense though, because if you
think about it, those jobs, those jobs are the ones that.
Speaker 4 (26:56):
Are so easily replaceable by AI, like those.
Speaker 5 (26:59):
Entry level position where you're doing stuff like you know,
like the routine office work that are usually like reviewing documents,
filing documents, customer service, or even even in tech basic
coding a I will literally do all of that now.
So his his piece is like, yeah, if it's not
scaring some of these recent grads or like entry entering
(27:21):
into the workforce level kind of entry level employees, and
not necessarily meant to scare them, but it's just the reality.
I think it's really a good point.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Yeah, my home first, like the job I got after
I was laid off from my first magazine job during
the Great Recession, the next job I got was reviewing
legal documents for a newsroom, so that they're and I'm
like that one hundred percent could be automated now with AI.
And those are the types of jobs that are, yeah,
that are disappearing. So there's a shift in the latest
unemployment numbers for college grads. So the unemployment rate for
(27:52):
college grads has risen thirty percent since twenty twenty two.
And meanwhile it's about eighteen it's risen eighteen percent for
all workers. So those younger people, especially, I know, my
my producer intern, Gabrielle is listening like it's okay, growing
out three more years of school, You're safe, but listen.
(28:13):
And then LinkedIn has something called the work the Workforce
Confidence Index. Over half a million professionals answer this and
that it's hitting new lows and because of this uncertainty
and gen z are even more pessimistic about their futures
and any other age group out there. Sixty three percent
of three thousand executives at LinkedIn surveys that AI will
(28:35):
eventually take over. But then it goes on to talk
about how like colleges and universities are trying to train
up you know, their teachers to learn AI. It's too late,
Like for me having come through a journalism program during
the social media digital revolution of journalism, colleges are so behind,
(28:56):
Like it takes so much time to train these professors
and then get the curriculum together. If it's a public university,
you have you know, the board, you have the state.
Like there's all these things in your way that slow
things down, and yeah, isn't a beautiful And so I'm
just for anyone who's in school right now, I really
(29:18):
encourage you, or if you know someone who's on the
younger side, you have to start taking it on your
own to find opportunities to learn the breaking AI technology
in your field. So one of my favorite things, I
think I'm more excited about my producer intern than she's
just like, you're getting so much great experience, don't you know.
(29:41):
But you know she's editing the show, she's editing our
Monday episodes, and I know within Riverside this recording software,
there's an AI tool, and so she's going to get
to experience how AI can make her work easier. I
still need a producer who understands, like how to take
this rough cut that an AA I put together and
make it better and understand nuance. But when I was
(30:05):
doing the CNBC interview, this is where the opportunity lies
for young people. The producer who was producing my segment,
which was also in Riverside, you know, we did the
whole interview on Riverside. And I know when I record
this podcast, I can go click Riverside's AI clip generator
and it'll spit out like twelve sixty second clips. You know,
(30:25):
I can even pinpoint a word. I wanted to, you know, target,
and so I asked the producer. I was like, oh, sorry,
you know, do you get a ton of clips to
use the magic tool on Riverside? And she was like,
oh no, I you know I do. I do my own.
It's organic. And I was like, lady, you better hurry,
you better get comfortable because I could be you know.
(30:48):
It's it's you're not going to be able to get
away with having a whole job doing one Instagram real
a day. When AI can do ten, you can be
more twenty, right, I mean more an hour, right. So
it's really really and but that's the opportunity because the
old fuddy duddies, We're not old fuddy duddies, guys, but
(31:13):
we hung up in my career. No, But when I
was coming up in my career, my editors didn't care
about podcasts or Twitter. They all kind of like roll
their eyes. Maybe Twitter wasn't early was easier for journalists,
but like Instagram and TikTok, and they were all like, uh,
the youths. Meanwhile, who was job popping and getting paid
(31:33):
more and more? You know, So it's just y'all need
don't freak out about it. But don't expect your college
professor to prepare you for today's job market. You have
to be doing that work yourself.
Speaker 5 (31:46):
Definitely, you really do.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
And it's like it's it's utilizing the tools now, right,
Like that's the thing, like you become more efficient at
your job and you kind of have to be because expectation,
the baseline expectation is risen now because you can get
a tool to do a decent job for you for
very cheap, sometimes free, So you need to be able
to do that and some to stand out, which kind
of you know, it sucks because now it's like, you know,
(32:08):
the standards, the base the bar is a little bit
higher than what it used to be, but it can
also make you a lot more efficient and creative, because
I think that's the thing we all want, right. It's
like sometimes we get bogged down, I know for me,
like you know, making stuff like creating them all the time.
You get bogged down with all the little ad many things,
all the little tashit repeat over and over again. And
being able to learn these tools makes you just that
(32:29):
much better at what you do, and it takes some
that weight and pressure off. So yeah, I mean, and
sometimes it's like I have a lot of friends who
are really hesitant to adopt any AI tools out of fear,
but they're starting to see it's like these things are
not going anywhere, Like it's just it'll be integrated more
and more. Everything that latches now has an AI feature,
even if it's not even really AI, they're gonna call
it AI. You better get used to it because that's
(32:50):
what we are. That's a fact.
Speaker 5 (32:52):
That is a fact, and I feel like it should
it should be something that you are proud of. Like
a little bit many of what you were saying was
kind of like a little bit of a sense of
pride and being like, no, I don't use AI. I
handmade these clips and it's like, I know that sounds conintuitive.
It's like you feel like you should be proud of that,
but actually check yourself. What you should be proud of
(33:16):
is the ability to say to them, I actually have
a strategy where my workflow includes AI, so I'm able
to get you twenty clips where typically you might get one.
And so you optimizing your workflow by using AI and
actually being honest and open about that, That's what's going
to be impressive, not saying no, no, I sat.
Speaker 4 (33:34):
There for two hours and listen to.
Speaker 5 (33:35):
Everything again and again and then and then I handcrafted
it clips the way I thought back maybe back in
the day that might have been, or for certain mediums
that might make sense, right, like you, if you're handcrafting,
you know, fashion clothing or a handbag, like okay, sure
there's still a place to charge a lot of money
for something handcrafted or handmade. But in the world of technology,
(33:56):
don't be afraid to like just blatantly include in your
workflow and your process and show how that makes you optimal.
Speaker 4 (34:05):
Versus somebody else.
Speaker 5 (34:06):
Because even for assistance virtual assistance, people are saying, oh,
they're going to go by the wayside. AI is going
to take over all that. Actually, I really don't think
that's true. I think that the AI tasks are still
going to be a little bit of an annoying thing
that takes Even if it takes five minutes, it's five
minutes that I, as the CEO, don't want to do.
So I'm going to hire an assistance to do those
(34:26):
five minute AI tasks. And even if it's something as
simple as like I forward you a transcript video recording
of a meeting that I had with another exec, your
job is to transcri, click a button that transcribes that,
and then synthesize it using whatever AI to give me
bullet points that I can then follow up with that
other exec and a follow up email and say thank
you so much.
Speaker 4 (34:45):
These are the things we spoke about. I don't have
to do that. You do it because it sounds.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
Like, oh, but it's so quick to do it with AI,
But high value people with like the the time is
so valuable.
Speaker 4 (34:55):
Even five minutes of clicking.
Speaker 5 (34:56):
Around AI and transcribing is a task that they don't
want to do so and just using the AI might
be something that they delegate. And that's where you come in,
going I know exactly how to transcribe your notes, synthesize them,
and send you a transcript that you can literally copy
and paste as a follow up email. Where you have
to do nothing that is right there value, but you
(35:16):
have to not shy away from AI, like Mandy said.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
Yeah, and then like the you know C suite, they
can stay, you know, they can focus on their big
strategy and like they know the kids are like, oh
handle the technology for sure, that also gives you an advantage.
Speaker 5 (35:31):
Sure, and not even just the big strategy. But you
know what they do, they smooth and rubbing elbows with
other people with a lot of money, making deals, having conversations.
Speaker 4 (35:38):
If that's the social stuff is.
Speaker 5 (35:40):
Really what those the face of the company does to
you know, obviously keep the relevance of that business in
the industry. And that means I can't be behind a
computer all day clicking AI stuff.
Speaker 4 (35:50):
I got to be out there with people.
Speaker 5 (35:51):
I gotta be on my private jet go into a
meeting in London and then go immediately back to Miami
to I have to be able to move quickly through
the world, and I can't necessarily put all my time
into text. So I do think there's still going to
be a world where the quicker you can get up
on the AI game and then offer that as a service.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
Don't sleep on that.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
Yeah that's a real thing.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Yeah well, Chris, you better get your voice AI before
somebody else comes up with one. You gotta be in early.
You gotta get out there. The sleep podcast.
Speaker 3 (36:22):
It's in the works. I gotta get some down. You
know what I'm saying, Bye bye?
Speaker 4 (36:26):
What is it?
Speaker 3 (36:27):
May by June, I have something some test runs ready
to go.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
By then I'll tell you it was only like a week.
Speaker 4 (36:32):
I'll be a tester. I I like to sleep.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Do them for kids.
Speaker 4 (36:38):
You know.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
My son and I are doing sleep meditations at night.
Like I just pull up the Peloton meditations and I
just it dawned on me one night. I was like,
I use this to go to sleep. He's just twitchy
and he's a five year old, you know, and he's like,
I want water, I want but he's so tired. But
he'll fight his sleep and he actually really enjoys it.
And now he asks, he's like, are you to do
(37:00):
our meditation? And we do one in the morning too,
But you know that's just breathing and grown up music
and stuff. So if there was like a fun one
I don't.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
Know, an adult any kid version ideas.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
Yeah, like what if you just told stories about the moon,
you know, like stuff that were like dinosaur fossils, like
shit that five year olds are obsessed with. Why do
caterpillars the most?
Speaker 4 (37:24):
You know what?
Speaker 5 (37:25):
You can then just go and get the children's series
for national geographics. I remember when I was a third
grade teacher. I had all these thin little like my
first reader, and it would be about all these random
topics like oh, different types of clouds in the sky
and like the ones that can tell your storms coming,
like and if you literally just like teach.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
That and like talk about it, that would probably pop
off for the kids.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
Oh yeah, I mean, don't tell everybody it's not geo
because like copyright now, but you change it.
Speaker 5 (37:52):
Up, you change it up, you use AI to change
it up.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
Okay, yeah, but then but then the fact checking, that's
where you need a human because like what if AI
doesn't making shut out like it does be.
Speaker 3 (38:03):
Doing right, that's I don't want to be educational because
then I might have to really proof read it just
make give some nonsense.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Yeah, well okay, fine by June, all right, well, should
we take a break and come back with a brown booster,
a brown breck. Let's do it right, ba family, right
back with one of my favorite times of the brown table,
brown boost, brown brick, and we're back. All right, We're
(38:31):
gonna do brown boost brown break. Just to remind y'all,
we're either going to boost something that we're excited about,
we that's giving us life, that's sparking joy, or something
that we are sick of and need a brown break from.
And if my memory serves me, Chris is never ready
and usually prepare like wants me and you Nelly to
go first so he can come up with something.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
I'm ready. I can't.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
Is it related?
Speaker 3 (38:56):
Oh well, I mean that was a great story, But
now I got something new. I can't ready this time.
So once in my life I can't prepared for this. Okay,
so my brown boost come doing a boost this week.
Is a book I just finished reading. It's called James
by Percival Everett. He wrote the book Erasure, which the
movie American Fiction was based on a couple of years
(39:18):
ago with Jeffrey Wright. Really good movies, Jeffrey Wright. It
was sterling K Brown. I always forget that I call
her Maxine because that's all. I just remember her from
living single. I always a real name. Yes, it was
such a great movie. So I watched the movie, loved it,
one of my favorite movies. A year so I read
the book Erasier and then this year, I guess, like
towards the end of last year, at the beginning of
this year, he wrote a new book called James, which
(39:40):
is the story of Huckleberry Finn told from the perspective
of the slave Jim or James. And he just won
the Pulitzer Prize for the book. And it is so
good because I don't I don't remember Huckleberry Finn very
much from school. I just remember it was racist and
said the end word a bunch of it.
Speaker 5 (39:59):
Remember too, they were on a boat in the river,
and that's all I remember.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
The little white girl in my English class asking the
teacher why she couldn't say the N word.
Speaker 3 (40:08):
Oh, that's what I hated. That come up so you
could tell the kids who were who were nervous, and
the kids who couldn't wait for their term for that
word to come around in their little section to read.
Why we're reading this book out loud in class? I
don't know, but but this book, it flips the story
on his head and it's all from James's perspective, and
so you get to see him talking about how like
(40:28):
basically colde twitching, how like teaching him his family's kids
and other kids on the plantation how to speak with
broken English so that the white people will kind of
like not pay too much attention to them, and they
won't and it'll make them feel comfortable because they think
it makes them think that you're done, but you know
you're not. And the story of how he ended up
with huck Finn, and there's like points in time where
(40:49):
they separate, so you can see what happens to James
when he's still running and trying to find his freedom,
because basically in the story, he leaves because he finds
out he's going to be sold and he doesn't want
to leave his wife and his dark behind, so he
leaves and he passed a goal and then come back
and get them. And so you're following the story of
him dealing with huck Finn try like kind of like
treating him like he's dumb, but then slowly realizing he's not.
(41:11):
I don't want to spoil it. But it's so well written.
I love this book. I went through it in like
a week and I read along with with b. We
we had a little mini book club reading the book
and so it's so good, so good. I highly recommend
you it.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Rigue set me up. I was like, that was one
of our resolutions, was to read books together. He was like, okay,
start with this, Like he likes a DaVinci code. Shit,
I mean sorry, then, well we know how you feel
about that.
Speaker 3 (41:39):
Right.
Speaker 6 (41:40):
There's a smart, you know, attractive white guy who is like,
gotta find the code the secret of like this ancient
religion religious section in Italy and tombs and all kinds
of Vaticans and stuff that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
And I read this thick book and tell me why
he hasn't read my choice? For him, it wasn't as exciting.
Speaker 3 (42:04):
What was the book?
Speaker 1 (42:06):
Well, there were a couple of different ones. The one
that I wanted him to read really badly was called
The Unconscious Parent. See, his books are for fun, but
I was like trying to pass trying.
Speaker 4 (42:17):
To do homework, trying to do homework.
Speaker 7 (42:21):
Joy reading.
Speaker 1 (42:22):
It's supposed to be about the other person's interest, you know,
like taking an interest.
Speaker 5 (42:29):
Like y'all should I feel like ya should have an
interest in him, y'all should know. I feel like y'all
should be reading that together, like a chapter before bed
together or something.
Speaker 4 (42:37):
So yeah, because you're trying to make him read that alone.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
It's myself the bar so low for these men.
Speaker 5 (42:44):
But you want to read.
Speaker 4 (42:45):
But you want to read that, girl, y'all got to
read that together.
Speaker 3 (42:48):
Man, He's like, all right, from my mind, I'm picking
the encyclopedia. We're going to go through Q.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
For husbands who need to learn their wives, like relearn
the love language post kids. You know, love languages change. Yeah,
it's a little more passive aggressive. I should have picked
a novel. Maybe we'll do James, we gotta start a
Brown and Mission book club.
Speaker 5 (43:08):
This was supposed to be Brown Brak.
Speaker 4 (43:10):
Sorry, that's for Brown book Club.
Speaker 3 (43:14):
To inspire some better books.
Speaker 1 (43:18):
What tell me that? To my face? I didn't hear you.
Speaker 3 (43:22):
We're trying to inspire Mandy to pick some better books
because that was not a good time.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
But The Conscious Parent is an amazing book that I've
already read, which is why I know my husband should
read it. I've been voracious. I think that's how I
can tell that life with two kids like my also
Remy's turning two this coming weekend, which is crazy, but
that I'm having more like time to actually devour novels
(43:48):
and listen to my nonfiction. I like to read novels
with the with the physical book, and it doesn't matter audiobook,
the nonfic. But I have all these books going at
different times, and I'm just like falling back in love
with reading and it's really great. So you might be
saying a little something, ba fam, I think a Brown
Ambition book Club makes so much.
Speaker 4 (44:07):
I love that mm hmm.
Speaker 1 (44:09):
And I won't just have it be my book. It'll
be great. It'll be a mix. It's got to be
a mix. I don't like only personal finance books. I
rarely read them because I do it's all the time.
I love novels, I love historical fiction. I love Yeah,
I love you know a business strategy, and and and
like books that explain what the hell is happening in
(44:30):
this world. And I think we should always have a mix.
We need our Kennedy Ryan's, and we need our Percival
what's his name Everett and Katanji Brown Jackson's. You know
of the word of the world altogether.
Speaker 5 (44:45):
That's right, all right, Well, did you do your brown
bo brown break?
Speaker 1 (44:49):
Not yet?
Speaker 5 (44:51):
Okay, why don't you?
Speaker 1 (44:53):
Okay, I I have to do a break, even though
I kind of wanted to do a boost, but I
have to do a break because there was this crazy
on Instagram that someone I think a BA listener had
sent me about this woman and this actually, like I
don't know why I was so surprised, but I guess
I was just hoping in twenty twenty five it wouldn't
be this case wouldn't be the case. But there is
(45:15):
a woman who create who was having a really hard time,
like so many of us are getting calls back or
getting responses to applications for jobs. And this was from Essence.
Oh yeah, Essence magazine. The headline is black qualified and ignored.
One woman's LinkedIn experiment exposes job discrimination after months of
(45:36):
job rejections, Aliah Jones posed as a white woman on
LinkedIn to uncover racial bias and hiring. I think uncover
is a bit hyperbolic because, like it has been this way,
there's studies already that have been done to show that
there's racism and bias and hiring and I'm just you
know what, I'm not gonna. I will boost Aliyah for
(45:57):
doing the hard work, for doing the do the legwork
to show that this shit is still happening. So I'll
post a link in the show notes if you want
to see. She did a whole series on TikTok about
it and how it you know, over the course of
eight months when she was Emily, she got calls back,
she was able to get you know, interviews, and that
(46:20):
never changed. Like Emily would get lots of interest and
then Aliyah would not. And like I run a coaching
community of black and brown women and this kind of
shit is heartbreaking, but it just reminds me how much
more important, Like I think the James's and the Emily's
(46:41):
of the world can get by with a strong resume,
a good cover letter, you know, a strong LinkedIn profile,
But those strategies alone and we don't have. We can
talk about how unfair it is and how it's not right,
but the reality is we need something extra. And because
we need, we have to like defend ourselves against that
(47:01):
bias on the other side and what we can own, No,
we can't stop the bias from happening. We just have
to accept that it's going to happen. And what we
can own is how we can disarm people with our presence,
our personalities are like our humanity, by actually forming relationships
with people and getting referrals so that you know, I
(47:22):
had my you know, one of my favorite managers over
the years. I used to call him my like what
did I call him? Well, his name is Nick, but anyway,
he was as cis white dude. I didn't call him
to his faith, what did I call just my white
like fairy godfather. Because Nick would be in rooms and
because he endorsed Mandy, I could come in and be
(47:44):
my full authentic self and I never really had to
worry about what I said because Nick had endorsed me,
and literally all the other white guys around the C suite,
I'd be at tables with them, but I was Ni's Mandy,
you know, and by virtue of him endorsing me, that
helped them get over whatever barriers there might have been
to them welcoming at that table or seeing me in
a leadership role and all of that. And did it
(48:06):
suck that I needed to have a Nick, you know,
to to help smooth that path? Yes, And yeah, I
shouldn't have to wow, but that's like the reality. And
so yeah, thank you to Aliah for doing this work.
It's a sobering but necessary reminder that the shit still happens.
So if you are someone who is struggling, just know
(48:29):
what I have been trying to tell y'all for so long,
and why the CNBC reporter who keeps talking to me
is so tired of me saying relationships. But that really
is a secret sauce and it's a survival mechanism for us,
especially who have names that sound different, look different. Maybe
my success in my corporate careers because my name is
Mandy Woodruff and on its face like maybe, and I
(48:52):
know I'm light skinned and I was wearing my hair straight,
so you know, passing for little racially ambiguous probably did
help me, you know. So anyway, I say all that
to say it is happening, and there are some things
that we can do to counteract it. But yeah, it
doesn't feel great. It's not nice to see it.
Speaker 5 (49:13):
Yep, to be reminded, especially with data to back it up,
because of course a lot of people will claim it's anecdotal,
that's your experience, not mine the data. The data is
not life, so that's important.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
Human experiences can be data. It's called qualitative.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
Okay, that's right. That's right.
Speaker 5 (49:31):
Qualitative and quantitative. They both matter, y'all.
Speaker 4 (49:35):
They both matter.
Speaker 5 (49:36):
Well, I'm gonna switch things up.
Speaker 4 (49:37):
My boost is gonna be.
Speaker 5 (49:39):
I got Beyonce tickets, y'all. I'm going to see Beyonce
in Houston her home sound opening nights Saturday, June's twenty eighth, Okay,
and I'm so excited because I wanted to see Beyonce
life for so many years. I've seen Beyonce in person
one time on accident. That was because on accident. Listen
(50:02):
to this.
Speaker 4 (50:03):
My first day with Jamil.
Speaker 5 (50:04):
He took me to a jay Z concert at the
Brooklyn that Stadium because he know I'm from Brooklyn and hello,
hold on, I love Dizzy. So we're at the concert
and the very last song, Beyonce comes out and they
performed Forever Young together to close the concert. So I
did not expect to see Beyonce, but clearly I'm still
with this man thirteen years later, and because of that first.
Speaker 1 (50:24):
Date early out of the park.
Speaker 5 (50:28):
So you've never seen Beyonce Beyonce concert live because the
first time, she was really torrented. I couldn't go. I
was in a really deep debt payoff journey, and I
was like, I'm not I'm not going to do it,
like I really want to treat myself and do it
when I'm in a position financially that I that I
want to be in. This time, I was so sad.
(50:50):
I went through the tour dates and none of the
tour dates worked for me because I'm traveling NonStop except
for one day or one weekend, which was June twenty eight.
That one weekend I actually happened to be free, and
so I got tickets.
Speaker 4 (51:04):
Y'all. I'm gonna be seeing beyoncea in Prision.
Speaker 5 (51:07):
Finally. I'm so excited, like I think it's going to
be so much fun. I need to get me a
little pair of Drango boots and a little cowboy hats.
Speaker 1 (51:16):
Girl Dingham Bandana arrived today. I'm so not d what
is it, Paisley Bandana? Because I have been I literally
created a canva and I canva like project and I
pieced together. I legit. I was like this shoes and that,
and I cannot wait. I'm going to see him and
(51:36):
I'm going to see her in London in two weeks
in London.
Speaker 5 (51:41):
That's amazing, a whole trip out of it.
Speaker 1 (51:45):
So excited. I'm so so excited. I will be in
the bucking pit and I'm just saying, London, you better
bring it. I better see lots of I want to
see you.
Speaker 5 (51:53):
I want to I better see posts from you, many
tech I want to get text message videos from you
in the pit.
Speaker 1 (51:59):
All right, I know that, girl. I don't want to that.
I don't want to miss it like those people who
used to die, like pass out my during Michael Jackson's concerts.
You missed the whole.
Speaker 3 (52:09):
Thing, other money just to pass out exactly.
Speaker 1 (52:13):
No, no, no, those tickets were not they were. I
think our tickets were eight hundred dollars. Oh yeah. Oh
look I did fourteen for Nisans fourteen hundred, yes.
Speaker 7 (52:26):
A lot, so I think our tickets were four hundred
so for there just yeah, so yeah, I probably paid
eight hundred for both.
Speaker 5 (52:36):
But of course, you know when you start going through
to pay and you see the fees and the taxies
and the service fee and this fee and the digital
transaction fee and this, and I'm like, what in the
hell it's at three hundred and fifty when I first.
Speaker 1 (52:49):
Went on here. I hope all those fees go to
the kids college fund. I hope that Blue Ivy, you know,
gets her a little spending money drew me like she's
set on.
Speaker 7 (52:59):
Don't vote me.
Speaker 5 (53:00):
They go to stuff gets get Master and all them
trashy trashy ticket It's true.
Speaker 1 (53:09):
It's so true.
Speaker 3 (53:10):
It's just yes. And also, did you guys get stuck
with like the ticket resealer resellers or we be able
to buy it directly? I know that's sometimes the problem.
Or they prices get like jacked up because everyone bought
all the tickets and they're trying to sell them back
to you later.
Speaker 5 (53:23):
I got them on vivid seats, so I think they
were resale, but I didn't get I didn't get a
terrible price compared to the original price.
Speaker 1 (53:30):
Yeah, that's a great price. Some people did make out
better by waiting because the demand was so high to
begin with, so the prices were like totally jacked up.
But either way, you're going.
Speaker 5 (53:41):
And you're gonna have a good time and we'll be
in the house.
Speaker 4 (53:44):
I'm so excited, y'all.
Speaker 5 (53:45):
I'm so excited to finally get to see Beyonce for
more than a three minute song with.
Speaker 1 (53:50):
Jaz all right, be a fan. Well, I'm going to
close out this week's Brown Table. Thank you, yan Ellie
and Chris for joining me. It's always a good time,
NBA fam. What do I have to say to you?
Speaker 3 (54:05):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (54:05):
Leave a review, share a show with a friend. I
hope you enjoyed Monday's bonus episode with the Mayel Organics
Monique Rodriguez and we'll see you Friday for the baqa.
Bye va fam, okay va fam. Thank you so much
for listening to this week's show. I want to shout
out to our production team, Courtney, our editor, Carla, our
(54:27):
fearless leader for idea to launch productions. I want to
shout out my assistant Lauda Escalante and Cameron McNair for
helping me put the show together. It is not a
one person project, as much as I have tried to
make it so these past ten years. I need help, y'all,
and thank goodness I've been able to put this team
(54:48):
around me to support me on this journey. And to
y'all bea fam. I love you so so so so much.
Please rate, review, subscribe, make sure you signed up to
the newsletter to get all the latest updates on upcoming episodes,
our ten year anniversary celebrations to come, and until next time,
talk to you soon via bye
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