Brown Ambition

Happy Brown Ambition Wednesday! That's right — Brown Ambition is now airing Wednesday mornings.  On today's show...  -Mandi shares the truth about struggling at work — sometimes the struggle is really proof that you're growing.  -Tiffany has a housing update! Find out what happened with the foreclosure property she and Super Man placed a bid on this month. Today's Question: Did my credit card company really just cancel my account because I fell behind on payments?   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sorry, Tuesday, Brown Ambition found a new bae called Wednesdays. Beginning Wednesday Sept. 13 catch new episodes of Brown Ambition every Wednesday! Sorry in advance for all the bad hump day jokes... On today's show: -How to get out of a bad auto loan? -How do I know it's a good idea to move cities? -Tiffany's house hunt continues Brownambitionpodcast.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ATTENTION BA FAM: Beginning Sept. 13, Brown Ambition will be airing on Wednesday mornings! We are giving you a heads up so we don't catch anyone by surprise.  Enjoy the show! As ever, please send us a note at brownambitionpodcast.com. And while you're at it, please leave us a review! :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's finally here, BA Fam! A show entirely dedicated to YOUR questions about student loan debt.  To find a list of resources mentioned on the show, check out this link > http://bit.ly/2vavfwP We are joined by Angela Howze, a financial aid expert and owner of the Financial Aid Strategist, a nonprofit company that aims to help students and their families plan and pay for college without drowning in debt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's show, we discuss the importance of being your own self advocate in your life and especially in your career — even if it feels like the most uncomfortable thing in the world. Thank you for your continued support! Please leave us a review on iTunes to let us know how you feel about the show. xx Yours in Brown Ambition, Mandi & Tiffany Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Evita Robinson, Founder of the Nomadness Travel Tribe, joins the show to talk about how she created the company from scratch at the forefront of the black millennial travel movement, her plans to grow and how she deals with her competitors. This episode originally aired June 27. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We wish you all a happy Black Women's Equal Pay Day. Check out this report by the Economic Policy Institute on the gender/racial pay gap that is effecting women of color in the U.S. — and some myths about why Black women are still so far behind in the fight for equal pay. As always, stop by brownambitionpodcast.com to reach out with questions. And please don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes! Your support helps us keep growing more and more with each episode.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's show, we swap medical billing nightmares and take a question from listener Latoya who says she was pursued for a medical debt she didn't owe. We offer tips on how to fight back when debts appear on your credit report that you know you don't owe, and share how Latoya was able to resolve her own medical billing nightmare. As mentioned on the show, here's a link to https://clearhealthcosts.com/, where you can compare prices for many medical procedures in different ZIP codes.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's show... Tiffany does a quick debrief on Jay Z's 4:44 album and the financial lessons hidden in the lyrics... Mandi recaps her visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. Tiffany gives us a big health update after an awkward (?) yet educational visit to the doctor   We take a question from a listener who wants to know how she can prepare when she knows she'll be laid off and has nearly $40,000 worth of debt at the same time.  A recent survey found the average U.S. employee has only taken about half (54%) of their PTO days in the past 12 month. And we have just one question: BUT WHY THO??? Link mentioned in the show:  MagnifyMoney's Balance Transfer comparison tool Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are BACK with a packed show. On the agenda for today: Tiffany reveals how she got $18k of her student loan debt *POOF* forgiven! And we are spinning off this segment into an entire show dedicated to student loan debt. That means we need YOU to send us your student debt questions by visiting brownambitionpodcast.com or sending us an email at brownambitionpodcast[at]gmail[dot]com.  We discuss Essencefest and Tiffany's observation that some of the most powerful women in business are secretly...MISERABLE? Apparently money can only buy so much happiness.  Then we take your questions:  -How do I remove myself as a cosigner on my relative's auto loan?  -Should I get a credit card outside of my credit union? (As promised, here's a link to MagnifyMoney's credit card search tool) -How do my husband and I split the mortgage now that we're married? Other updates: Check out the latest issue of Fast Company! Brown Ambition was listed among the top 10 business podcasts to listen to. Thank you for your support!   Learn

In September 2011, Evita "Evie" Robinson created the Nomadness Travel Tribe, "an online social community for travelers all around the planet, who have the similarity of an urban background and were looking for likeminded travelers to connect with around the world." What she did was kick off a new travel revolution, spurring thousands of travelers, the majority of whom are millennial black women, to pack a bag and see the world.    These days, Evie is laser focused on how to take Nomadness to the next level, from hosting events around the world to purchasing vacation properties and, of course, staking her claim as the mother of the black travel movement. This Fall, her first TED talk, in which she discusses the history of travel in African American communities from the days of Jim Crow and segregation to Nomadness today, will hit the web.  On facing adversity: "Sometimes the universe edges you into things. Life is really rough with me because I think it knows I can handle it. Sometimes it'll just kick you off

Throughout her entire career in the banking industry, Marsha Barnes was always a diligent saver. But she never understood what she was saving for until two years ago. It was then that she decided to launch The Finance Bar, a startup mobile — yes, as in wheels — personal finance hub meant to empower people to take control of their finances. The journey wasn't always easy — Marsha sunk over $35,000 of her own savings into the business and didn't make money right away. When she finally quit her job in December 2016 to focus on the business, she took a huge gamble — on herself. "What if you just wake up one day and there's something different that you want to do in life? How do you pivot?  For me, one day I woke up and I said 'I want to leave my job to do something that I really love to wake up and do.' And that is why I was saving money all along. I just didn’t realize it."   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode has it all! We are joined by our favorite money and career expert, Lynette Khalfani-Cox aka "The Money Coach".  Lynette went from a career as a journalist to an entrepreneur commanding $12,500 speaking fees, authoring over a dozen books, and crafting financial courses for consumers and businesses alike. Her website is Askthemoneycoach.com.  On the show, Lynette shares her best advice on how to negotiate on the job. Her biggest tip? Know what your minimum salary requirement is before you even walk into an interview! And she has tips on how to find YOUR perfect number on today's show.  Then, Lynette not only answers YOUR questions about managing the cost of college, she tells you personal lessons she learned after sending off her eldest daughter to college last year.  Like many kids in college, her daughter struggled to adjust and when her GPA dropped below the 3.5 minimum for her tuition scholarship, Lynette and her family were suddenly faced with a $50,000 out of state tuition bill. She tells Br

Our hearts are with the families and victims of last night's attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.  Spread a little love in the world today, BA fam — we could all use some! -- Want to ask a question or share a story with us? Hit us up on our Facebook page: Facebook.com/brownambition Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As mentioned on the show, check out these helpful resources to find about more about student loan refi options:   MagnifyMoney Loan consolidation vs. refinancing    Curious about opening an FSA? Check out these explainers.  What's an FSA? - Healthcare.gov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're back!  If you're new to the show and want to show your support, we would so appreciate it if you could leave us a review on iTunes. It gives us a huge boost and helps others find the show! Yours in brown ambition, Mandi & Tiffany Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks for letting us take a mini hiatus, BA Fam! We are back with a packed show. So. Much. Has. Happened!    Serena's preggo? Bill O'Reilly is out of a job? Shea Moisture lost their damn minds? We cover it all. And today's reader question comes from D: Was I right to tell my sister I wouldn't co-sign her mortgage? Then, don't miss our interview with Blavity.com co-founder Morgan DeBaun, who's talking all about her new lifestyle brand 21ninety.com and how she's working to help other women -- including herself -- take better care of themselves both at work and at home.      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is our last episode before we take a brief hiatus so that Mandi can enjoy her honeymoon! We will be back the week of May 8 with a brand new episode! In the meantime, we are going out with a bang.  On this episode, we're cleaning out our inbox and answering some of your burning questions:  1. How did Tiffany really build her six-figure business? She is opening up and telling us the REAL truth -- the ugly truth -- about entrepreneurship.  2. What do I do if I'm not happy with my employer's 401(k) options? 3. How am I supposed to balance work, life, relationships and health?    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You know how family sit coms used to always do one "wedding episode" and the entire thing revolved around all the drama surrounding the Big Day? After a year of planning, our girl Mandi is FINALLY tied the knot April 7 in Savannah. Tiffany was there and she's spilling all the details.  Check out some pics of the Big Day below:    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*Today's show is dedicated to Titi Branch — a phenomenal woman, entrepreneur, and sister. We love and thank you for every contribution you made toward helping women embrace their natural beauty.* Miko Branch, the phenomenal cofounder of Miss Jessie's sits down with Mandi and Tiffany to talk about creating the Miss Jessie's hair care line with her big sister Titi in their Brooklyn brownstone over a decade ago.  The sisters mixed their products in the kitchen of their Brooklyn brownstone and bootstrapped the company themselves without any of the usual trappings of entrepreneurship (they didn't have MBAs, or a team of wealthy investors to back them). Word spread about their signature product, their "curly pudding", and soon enough they went from begging NYC-area stores like Ricky's to carry their products to lining up deals with major retailers like Target. But, of course, there were some bumps along the road to success.      After Titi's sudden passing in 2014, Miko has made it her mission to not only continue