9 to 5ish with theSkimm

In 2018, Mandana Dayani watched as the family-separation policy played out at the southern border. It was deeply unsettling. Her family fled as refugees from Iran to the US as an authoritarian regime took over. She asked herself: how could a country that saved my life do this? Mandana quickly learned that civic engagement was the only way things could meaningfully change. Enter: I am a voter., Mandana's org that's on a mission to rebrand voter identity to get young people to the polls.  In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Mandana shares:  The culture shock of being a refugee in the US How she went from being a lawyer to a brand strategist to the co-founder of a political org The advice she got from Mom's Demand Action founder, Shannon Watts (spoiler alert: women get sh*t done) How trust in existing brands and celebrities jumpstarted I am a voter.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most nepo babies deny the privileges afforded to them by their parents. Allison Statter isn’t one of them. She’s never been shy about having entertainment industry titans for parents, or about being Kim Kardashian’s lifelong BFF. But after working at her dad’s management company for 17 years, people started whispering about her legitimacy. To prove she could make it on her own, Allison kissed job security goodbye and launched her own entertainment marketing agency, Blended Strategy Group. Talk about a full 180.In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Allison shares:  A fact about Kim K that most people don’t know  How her parent’s working relationship stayed strong despite separating multiple times How a temporary 2-week stint at her dad’s company turned in 17-year long career  Why the stakes are so much higher working in a family business  How she’s learned more launching a company than she has her entire career Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we’re going back into the 9 to 5ish archives to bring you one of our favorite episodes with journalist Lisa Ling. Despite reporting the news professionally since she was a teenager, Lisa says she doubts herself constantly in work settings. She shares how she quiets the voice in her head that makes her question her worth at work, plus the value she sees in women of color advocating for each other in the workplace. We'll be back with a fresh episode next week.In this episode, Lisa shares: The reporting experiences she had as a teen (alongside Anderson Cooper) Why her two male agents told her to leave negotiating to them The one lesson she wishes her young self learned How having kids reframed her boundaries around how far she’d go for her job Why it’s key for women of color to learn to advocate for each other in the workplace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Planned Parenthood president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson is a self-described “movement baby" as her parents fought for racial equality during the civil rights movement. As an adult, she mixed pop culture with civic engagement to turn out young voters of color. Even though she credited her success to the women who raised her, she wasn’t specifically thinking about the role of gender in social justice issues. Then she walked by a billboard in SoHo depicting the dire state of reproductive health care for Black women. It quickly became all she could think about. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Alexis shares:  Her go-to bagel order as a certified Jersey girl  The biggest lesson her mom taught her about community organizing Why a Princeton professor thanked her after she called out his racial prejudice How she finds time to plan for the future of the org with so much uncertainty  Her secret to getting people to see her perspective on politicized issues like abortion  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Sarah Paiji-Yoo became a mom, she started rethinking her serial entrepreneurship life she’d led since leaving Harvard Business School. She loved it, but early-stage startup building isn’t exactly a walk in the park. If she was going to hustle again, it had to mean something to her. Meanwhile, she was learning about the effects microplastics in our water have on us (spoiler alert: it’s scary stuff). Naturally, the serial entrepreneur in her was hungry for a solution to both of these issues. She found it in her plastic-free cleaning product company, Blueland. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Sarah shares:  The classic new-mom research rabbit hole she fell in  Why she hid from her in-laws that she wasn’t working for a year after having her son How having unclear choices as a consumer and mom led her to found Blueland Why recruiting her #1 pick for the Head of Product was crucial to Blueland’s success The difficulty of being a sustainable business while being beholden to outside investors Advice for listeners who feel too small to make an impact (hint: no action is too small) Psst…this episode of “9 to 5ish” is brought to you by New York Life. Their financial professionals can help you navigate life’s decisions, big and small. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SNL called Meghan McCain the “Princess of Arizona”, and she’s embracing it. Her last name is nearly synonymous with Arizona as her father, the late Senator John McCain, led a 30+ year political career in the state. Her family name laddered Meghan up to big career moves, from regularly commentating on Fox News to repping conservative view points on “The View”. And she says: more nepo babies like her should own it, not shy away from it. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Meghan shares:  The cringiest photo op she had to do as the Senator’s kid  Why opting out from having an opinion was never an option growing up  How her family settled political disagreements and why all politics are celebrated in her family The event that changed her views on paid family leave – and why all moms deserve it Why she’s not voting for Trump or Biden, and what her dad would do  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tiffany Masteron’s grandma told her the name “Drunk Elephant” was the most asinine thing she’d ever heard. Granny wasn’t the only one – her friends thought so too. But Tiffany never bent when it came to her vision of the company, even though she was a stay-at-home mom with zero experience in skincare. Instead, she had this gut feeling about her ingredient formulation and trusted it was different enough to take the company far. Spoiler alert: it did. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Tiffany shares:  Why she chose to disrupt stay-at-home mom life to become an entrepreneur When she realized her first entrepreneurial journey was kinda sketchy  How she discovered the Drunk Elephant “Suspicious Six” philosophy – and why it works  The moment she knew her company had “made it” (hello, Sephora)  Her response when consumers claim Drunk Elephant markets to kids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1990s, Christy Turlington posed alongside icons like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Linda Evangelista as one of the world’s first supermodels. She retired by 25 before going to college, earning her degree, and getting married. Then came her first baby – and a life-changing birthing experience that would inform her future work and advocacy. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Christy shares:  The benefits of her sister marrying her brother-in-law (hint: holidays are a breeze) Why she has “survivors’ guilt” about getting out of the modeling industry unscathed  Her thoughts on building a career out of being a supermodel  Her traumatic birthing story and how it led to the founding Every Mother Counts Advice on how to advocate for yourself in medical settings  Psst…this episode of 9 to 5ish is brought to you by New York Life. Their financial professionals can help you navigate life’s decisions, big and small.PS: A new episode of 9 to 5ish will be back in your feed next month.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At 59, Edith Cooper never thought she’d make a career pivot. She spent nearly 30 years working her way up at Goldman Sachs, but then, she was approached to co-found a company called Medley. Who was the other co-founder? Jordan Taylor, AKA her daughter. The mom and daughter duo launched Medley, a coaching platform equipping Millennial-aged workers with the skills they need to be dynamic, inclusive, and authentic leaders. In this episode, Jordan and Edith share:  Whether Jordan calls Edith “mom” or “Edith” in the workplace The parts of her Wall Street HR career that Edith misses  Why we forget to support middle-level managers – and how Medley solves for it The moments Jordan relies on Edith as “mom” vs. “co-founder”  Why boundary setting is crucial to success as co-founders who are friends or family Psst…this episode of “9 to 5ish” is brought to you by New York Life. Their financial professionals can help you navigate life’s decisions, big and small.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kentucky-born model Molly Sims never met a biscuit she didn’t like. Her southern charm brought her to college at Vanderbilt University, where she made the boldest move of her career: quitting her pre-law studies to become a full time model. Molly was in her early 20s, alone, and homesick halfway across the world. But with placements on the cover of Sports Illustrated, French Vogue and more, it’s safe to say she made a name for herself.  In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Molly shares:  Why southern sorority culture wasn’t for her  How her mother encouraged her to think beyond the US for her career + life experience Why she’d never want her daughter to become a model  The secret to building resilience and the “thick skin” that helped her survive the modeling industry How confronting her mental health challenges helped her be OK with work curveballs Check out Molly's beauty brand, YSE Beauty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices