Brown Ambition

🎙️ Hey BA Fam!

We’re back with a brilliant BA Q&A! Mandi sits down with Dr. Jatali Bellanton—Angel Investor, financial literacy powerhouse, and founder of Kids Who Bank—to talk about the game-changing power of mentorship and building teams that actually work.

Whether you’re dreaming up your first bu...

Hey BA Fam!
We’re back with a classic BA Q&A. Mandi is joined by Yanely Espinal (aka MissBeHelpful) and Marc Russell from BetterWallet to answer Amber’s question: What should I look for when opening a business bank account—and ...

In this week’s Brown Table, Mandi is joined by Yanely Espinal (@missbehelpful) and Marc Russell from Better Wallet to break down the new “baby bonds” launching in 2025 (if your baby’s already here... sorry, you missed the cutoff 😅).We also get into the mess around the so-called “Social Security tax credit” (spoiler: it’s not a credit), and why that distinction matters—especially for ...

Welcome to Washday Woosah, BA Fam! It's the Sunday slow-down you need, something to listen to while you're doing the laundry, deep conditioning, or simply enjoying a nice quiet moment of relaxation before the Sunday scaries start to hit. 

If you needed a sign to play matchmaker for your friends, this episode is it! Gabrielle and I were "set up" by a mutual friend during the pandemic when he realized we were two media mavens ju...

Hey BA Fam! Mandi's riding solo today for the brown table and sharing insights on the biggest headlines that impact your wallet. 

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Hey Ba Fam! It's Mandi — yes, human me! And yes, I use em-dashes in real life! This ain't Chatgpt! 

Ok, so you might be surprised (hopefully delighted!) to see new episode of the show in your feed on a Sunday. 

I used to reserve my one-on-one guest interviews for our Monday show, but you know what....Sundays make so much more sense. It's wash day. For our bodies, our hair, our dishes, that overflowing pile of laundr...

BA fam, we’re diving deep into the world of credit cards this week! Mandi, Yanely (aka MissBeHelpful), and Chris Browning break down the newest updates to premium cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Amex Platinum, and Capital One Venture X.

From new streaming perks to rising annual fees (hi, $795!), they weigh in on what’s actually worth it and what’s just hype. If you’re thinking about upgrading your car...

BA Fam! We’re back at the Brown Table with your faves—Yanely Espinal (aka MissBeHelpful) and Chris Browning catching up on all the things.

Mandi shares some big news: her dad got a kidney (!!) and the story behind it will have you in your feels and thinking hard about health in our communities. Then we get into the heavy stuff—yes, the U.S. bombed Iran and what that could mean for your wallet (gas, inflation,...

Hey BA Fam! Things are about to get juicy! In this episode, Mandi sits down with the fearless author and activist Mikki Kendall, whose groundbreaking work Hood Feminism is reshaping how we think about feminism, community, and survival.

Mikki dives deep into her journey navigating personal growth, relationships, and the chall...

At the Brown Table this week, Mandi is joined by first-time BA guests Elizabeth Ayoola, host of Smart Money by NerdWallet, and Haniyah Philogene, lifestyle reporter at TheGrio. They dive into the chaotic beauty of career pivots, being Black women in media, and the emotional labor of storytelling.

We talk motherhood, dating, the cost of protective styles (spoiler: $400 braids are wild), and the complex feelings around Tyler Perry&rs...

Brace yourselves, BA fam—this week’s Brown Table gets deep into the dollars and the drama.

Mandi is joined by not one, not two, but three first-time Brown Table guests: Alexa Claire from The Financ...

Whew… this week’s Brown Table is packed, y’all.

Mandi is joined by not one, not two, but three first-time Brown Table guests: Alexa Claire from The Financial Diet, JQ (aka Jonquilyn Hill) from Vox’s "Explain It To Me" podcast, and Yvie Saint-Louis from Blavity. We dive into the news, the nonsense, and everything in between from pop culture and politics to the real-life messiness of being Black, brilliant, a...

🎙️ BA Fam, Let’s Talk Black Capitalism (w/ Dr. Rachel Laryea)

This week’s episode is full of truth, power, and possibility. Mandi sits down with Dr. Rachel Laryea, author of Black Capitalists: A Blueprint for What is Possible, to unpack what it really means to build wealth, c...

BA Fam, Let’s Go! This week’s episode is all vibes and real talk.

Mandi is Beyoncé-bound, and she’s bringing the energy! As she preps for her London trip (yes, packing for a quick getaway is a whole production), she shares exciting updates from the Brown Ambition ...

BA Fam, Buckle up! This week’s episode is a ride.

Mandi sits down with author Cebo Campbell to talk about his debut novel “Sky Full of Elephants”, a bold, emotional story that begins with every white person in North America vanishing and unfolds into a layered exploration of Blackness, identity, and healing.

Cebo opens up about the personal roots of the story, the inspiration behind its unforgettable characters, a...

Hey BA Fam!
This week, Mandi is diving into a conversation that every woman needs to hear. She’s joined by two powerhouse doctors—Dr. Uché Blackstock, author of the New York Times Bestselling book, Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons With Racism in Medicine, and Dr. Jessica...

Hey BA Fam! In this episode, Mandi sits down with the unstoppable comic genius and *Official!* New York Times Bestselling author Zarna Garg to unpack her remarkable journey from stay-at-home mom to comedy superstar in her mid-40s.

Less than a decade ago, Zarna was packing snacks for her kids' sports teams and tracking down missing socks in the laundry. Today, she's celebrating the release of her new book, "This American Woman: A On...

This week on Brown Ambition, Mandi sits down with the powerhouse that is Page Turner—real estate broker, single mom, and the magnetic new host of HGTV’s Love It or List It. Page opens up about her incredible journey from hustling as a single mom to owning her spotlight on national TV. She gets real about what ...

Student loan repayments are officially back, and if you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or just plain confused, you’re not alone. This week on Brown Ambition, we’re diving deep into the chaos with two of our favorite money minds: Yanely Espinal, author of Mind Your Money, and Chris Browning from Popcorn Finance.

We break down what’s really going on inside the federal student loan ...