You guys, we are here with a very special bonus episode. You thought you only get in one episode this week, but you're actually getting two because we could not wait exact to talk to you guys about this excellent week of Brown Girl Magic those for most those from us. So in the special bonus episode of Brown Ambition, we want to start by talking about the incredible Emmys this past Sunday. I don't think I've ever sat through an
award show. I was on. I was like interested the entire time, from beginning to end.
Really honestly, I'm not gonna lie I didn't watch it, but I did watch the clips that everybody was talking about.
Of course, it was a huge night if you if you didn't watch if You're Living under a Rock, Viola Davis, the incomparable Viola Davis How to Get Away with Mud walked away with the first dramatic Emmy for a black woman in Emmy's history.
Wow.
History was made on that stage.
Yes. And then Regina King, one of my faves on faves, I mean, I used to love Regina Kin from two to seven, okay, and then she walked away with a well deserved Emmy.
For her role in American Crime.
Yeah, and I actually liked that show. She was so good in it.
She's so good in everything. It is so nice to see these, you know, amazing actresses. You know, forget their skin color for a second, but just to see an actress who you've watched, who's been in every one of your favorite movies. Just get that recognition. And not only that, but just there was you know what I noticed during the Emmys. So I don't know if you guys watch, if you've done it, but this movie on HBO called
Olive Kidderidge did not watch it. Apparently it was real good though, because it won like a bajillion awards and one of the lead actress, Frances McDormand, who's this. I think she's one oscar. She's this huge actress, very well respected. When she won up when she walked up there to get her award, she wasn't worrying any makeup. She just sort of looked like she rolled out of bed and she's like, oh, I'm here, and you guys love me and like whatever, like I've been doing this forever and
this is great. Oh, another Emmy. I guess I'll have space for that in my you know, den or something like that, and it was just such a different you know it was it was so refreshing to see someone who really wanted it and who really just like thirsted. Like you saw Regina's acceptance speech and Viola's acceptance speech. We haven't even gotten to Uzo Aduba from Oranges.
To New Black, my fellow Nigerian lady.
They had me. They were literally in tears. And that's what we mean when we talk about really feeling like you have not been represented you're and just being like that affirmation of knowing that your work is being respected and being accepted knowledge, right, So.
What about Taraji? I just love her reaction. She was like, someone said, you were happier than Regina King. Regina was surprised you were excitic.
She was like that Mama happy.
Yes, she said literally like on stage, Yes, I thought that was amazing.
And she gave her those the most amazing bear hug. You could feel the love and that hug and it's just and you know what, Taraji, it wasn't like she was putting up her front because I follow her on Instagram. If you don't follow her, the real Taraji. She has always been posting about Viola Davis. She posts this amazing cover of them on on Ebony magazine from like a million years ago, and wrote a cute little story about how Viola asked her to be on the cover with her.
And there you can just tell from that to that commercial that played you.
Watch I Do Carrie Washington, May J Blige and Taji and Taraji.
Yes, it's not like girl like Brown Girl Magic, just getting along just to see like three first of all, three women of color, just listening to music at home, just dancing with each other, talking about boys, yes, but like just having a good time.
Like when you when you see that on teac, Like just pure positivity, which I love, so a little bit more Brown Girl Magic. Manny and I both attend. Actually it was our anniversary, Mandy what our friend our friend anniversary, our friend of hers, Yes, because I didn't because last year so Mandy had written like a story or two about me, like in her when she worked at a business Insider, but I had never met her personally, and she went to fincann last year for the first time.
Right, is what is FINCN for the people who aren't big vats.
That's true. So fin con is a financial Blockers Conference, but it's really expanded to financial education, blogging, media, brands, companies, all things personal finance. And so it's just a conference for those people who are involved in those avenues and teaching personal finance. And so Mandy went for the first time last year to FINCNN New Orleans and that was my first time as well, and I think I tweeted and we tweeted each other and she's like, oh, you're here.
Oh I'm here. You want to meet me for a beignet or whatever? And I said sure, and we ended up going for a walk and just like hanging out. And so that's when we see the friendship with planting.
I feel like some lovely string music should be having.
And so it's our f anniversary. So I'm like, you said, Mandy, I didn't get you anything, but you know, your presence is a present. And so we went to FINCN. We just got back. It was in Charlotte this year and it was just such a beautiful brown magic moment.
Moments, many moments.
Yes, what was your favorite brown magic moment?
My favorite thing about finn CONN this year was so there. FINCNN, first of all was a record year. There was over I think eight hundred different I saw nine hundred, okay, nearly one thousand financial bloggers all gathering, just taking over Charlotte, and there was a very there's a very small group of brown bloggers, and I know that it's grown since the fincann's been around five years. I heard that it was a handful of the first year and now we're
up to like, I don't know, maybe fifty. So it's a very small and a small group and it's hard to find each other when you're in this huge conference and there's always people around. And something Tiffany did that I want to point out was she arranged this group dinner for all of us to get together, and by the way, had its answered by Prudential. Shout Outdential, you know, and I think Prudential, what you thought they were going to have like ten people and then it was like fifteen.
Well no. Originally the woman from Prudential, Alicia, who I love, she was like, oh, you know, let's have dinner me, you and two other brown personal finance you know, just experts that she knew. And I said, well, you know, there's a bunch of other brown folks that I think that you should meet, and she said sure. So the list grew and grew and grew, and what was supposed to be three you.
Just said it was free food. So I think you exactly.
So what was supposed to be three people balloon that I want to say, oh, maybe like twenty.
It was over twenty yeah, like twenty five, twenty six packed the room.
Yeah, And so it was just amazing because we got to kind of express ourselves in a way that only brown folks can and just share our experiences and our stories. And it was just such a beautiful time.
We had Lynette Calathani come.
Oh my gosh, she walked in. We were all like the godmother, the fairy Godmother of Brown personal find has entered the room.
And we're not going to give too much away. She is our guest on next week's podcast. You guys have to stay tuned because she literally gave us life, yes, and all of our ambition tonight.
And it was just so awesome because it was just a great place for us, you know, to kind of just be ourselves and just express, you know, how we felt being brown bloggers and brown financial educators and brown writers. And it just was just so much love in the room. We took so many pictures and ate such great food there for three hours. Yeah, and we could have gone longer, could have, but we were just like I think the restaurant was closing. They were like, get out, brown people.
They knew it was up when they saw us walking. They're like, oh, this is gonna be a long night.
And it was.
So I've told you guys before just what it's like that I haven't I haven't had the privilege to work with another woman who is African American in a very long time, like someone I could just look to and like oh I understand, or like yeah, girl, yeah, I like that kind of recognition. And it's I I was just sitting back like, man, I'm a lucky chick me
in the club. I'm so glad. It's so nice to sit here and be like, yeah, all the stuff that I'm going through as a woman, you know, in business journalism, as a woman of color and business journalism, I can actually look around the room and just like nod and everyone just gets it.
Yes.
We didn't even have to like bring up all these data challenges, just like you just look at each other and you're like, I know, and it's in the struggle real and we're doing it together exactly.
And that's what I liked about it. There was just this air of positivity, like you're right. There wasn't a whole lot of oh, isn't it so hard? Isn't it so terrible? Being brown and personal finance. It was really just this is how I got here. What I really heard a lot was I'm here because of service, and I really want to help, and you know, I've made my own mistakes, so I'm trying to help other people. It was just like, honestly, love on love.
Right, And when how often do you get to sit around a room with like how often do we in our daily daily lives sit around and just look at accomplished people of color talking about their accomplishment exactly? It was it was pretty extraordinary. So and it wasn't just girls we have to say brown girl magic, but brown guy magic too.
Yeah, there was a few. There were like five and then So not to toot my own horn or anything. Actually, I'm gonna let me do it, Okay, good god you goines.
Tiffany Alice, the Budget Neist to Herself is the Plutus Award winner for the best Financial Education program of twenty fifteen.
They're like, what does that mean? So Polute a big deal. So Polluta is what I really love about Plutus is like, there's no real awards for personal finance. A few, not for blogging, yes, not for blogging. And so they started the Pollutus Awards and maybe like five years ago, maybe a little longer, and it's kind of like what I like to say, it's like the Oscars Grammys, even though I don't know if that's true, but it sounds good. The Oscars Grammy slash what's the other one? Emmy's for
personal finance bloggers. And so to win an award like, you know, nine hundred people and to win an award for the Live Ritual Challenges, it just was so amazing, And honestly, I was not expecting it. I was sitting in my seat. I was already told that I was gonna lose.
Meanwhile, I'm on periscope, I was ready the film on Tiffany Walks on the stage.
I just knew I was good. Like literally, someone told me earlier, Oh, I saw the voting and you're losing. So I was like, oh, okay. So I was really prepared, not to win. And so I'm sitting in my seat next to my my fin Con roomy and they read the nominees. Are you know they read my name. I'm like, oh, that's cute. And then they say live Richer Challenge. And as I was getting up, I was so full of emotion. I said, don't cry, don't cry, which of course made
You're gonna cry. So I get up there, I'm crying. And I didn't know you weren't allowed to do speeches, so I'm like, why is he not handing me the mics? So I totally did the brown Mama thing. I was like, give me the mic. I took the mic, and I like squeaked out in my tearful voice, thank you. And I walked off the same thank you.
And I walked off stage and dignified.
Yes it was, and yeah, so you're not stiffening.
It was so awesome, especially since the Literature Challenge, I mean a year ago. When I met you at the last pin Con, you were just like the Literature Challenge was just getting off the ground. You were looking for sponsors and you were hearing a lot of nose.
Yeah, a lot of nos. And honestly, it hadn't even started yet. I was just signing people up and honestly, literally everyone said no everyone, So it was kind of cool.
Except for thirty thousand women around the world. Oh yeah, yeah, you signed up?
Oh yeah, yeah yeah, hell yeah.
Tiffany's driving the ship. I'm on it.
But you know what I really love about the challenge that it's not about me. A lot of the women who sign up literally don't know me. They just know each other, and so it's just this awesome community of women, especially women of color. And just to see the reception a year later, there was this one bank in particular that I just really wanted to work with and last year they weren't really that interested, and they literally leapt at the chance to sit down with me this year.
So it's just a lesson in that that just because something is hard doesn't mean it's not working. And so it's just a reminder of that. And it was, just, like I said, a lot of brown awesomeness, brown girl magic.
So proud of you.
Thanks.
And the Literature Challenge is still going on right.
Yeah, so I'm going to be launching. So what I diday is that every year we'll do a new live Richer Challenge every January, so in about November I'll start sign up again.
What's the website?
People can go live Richer Challenge dot com. Excellent, Thanks and it's free. You know, I love me some free.
Three niney nine.
So I think that's it. This is a good bonus. Any other bron Girl magic things you want to share?
I don't know, Viola, Tiffany, Ali, Taraji, Regina, Carrie, Mary J. Blige. Uzzo Adoba did I mention that Uzzo Adoba is gonna am? I saying her name? Right?
Yeah? I. Uzzo Odoba's a Nigerian sister, so Uzo, she's Nigerian. Actually met her and she's Ebo, which is my tribe.
You met her? What does she smell like?
She actually was really med at first. She was a little weirded out because I wanted to She was her backwards to me and I didn't know how to get her attention, so I lightly tapped on her shoulders. She looked like, why are you touching me? Yeah? Exactly. It was a creeper and then I quickly said, Uzo, I just want to thank you for being you and do you and allowing because you have followed your dreams. You have made it more acceptable for a Nigerian woman like
me to do the same. And she totally lit up and like grabbed my hand and said, thank you so much for that, because she knows how hard it is to be a child of Nigeria and not choose doctor, lawyer, you know, pharmacist, engineer.
For another podcast, we're gonna talk about that, disappointing your Nigerian parents, your career choices, Uzo, and she's gonna be starring in The Whiz.
Just some a little amazing this.
I mean, you know we should have her on the podcast.
I know you think she'd come Stretch goals.
Stretch goals maybe in the future.
Well that's it.
That's your bonus. Brown Ambition. Hope you guys enjoyed us.
Yes, and you can find us, do not forget. You could always email us at the Brown Ambition Podcast at gmail dot com.
Find us on Twitter at the BA podcast, or on Facebook. The group is called Brown Ambition Yes more time. Have a lovely rest of your week, guys. Thanks for joining us.
Stay brown.
If you're not Brown, it's okay.
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