Brown Ambition

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’s latest Netflix hit. The convo gets real on how Black trauma is marketed—and why we need more diverse storytelling for us, by us. We also chat about: What it really means to be "financially free" in your 30s The evolving landscape of Black journalism in a post-DEI world How social media impacts our timelines—literal and emotional Why storytelling is political, and who gets to shape the narrative Plus, Elizabeth breaks down how she got into personal finance with no journalism degree—and why she wants you to start investing (even if it’s just \$5). And Han