Hey, hey, hey, we're back. We're brown.
Hey, mandra, hey to how's it going.
It's going excellent? Actually, well, I mean I don't know.
I'm in a good mood even though, like you know, everything's falling down.
But you know, hey, I mean I'm alive.
You did the whole. Don't tell the universe it's going good.
No, I don't know. I am in a good mood. Maybe today. I had a good nap today.
So when I've got a good nap day, you know, I feel like I could take on the world.
And oh, I've got the tub.
Oh well, it's the little things, isn't it.
Because it's hard because you know, Superman is sixty six, so my plumbing starts soon and my contractors like, you really need to find a tub. And I didn't want a tub that was gonna like because our bathroom is a good signe but it's not a huge bathroom. But I wanted to stand alone tub and to find one that could fit him but not also like dwarf the bathroom.
So we found one and it's really great.
And people tell you to stay away from acrylic because the krylic cracks and there's just so many things to learn so we got a stone stone resin tub.
Have you heard of those?
I did not choose our tub, but yikes, I do know about Like there's different floor materials. I don't know. I woke up in a cold sweat. This is what happens. I woke up in a cold sweat, and I was like, our bathroom floor tile is too slippery. We're gonna break an elbow. Like we're gonna slip. We're gonna break an elbow. It's gonna be a whole thing. It's like my fear is falling into like slipping in the bathroom, you know. And I'm like it's too slippery and it's too late
because it's been delivered. I mean, I got over it, but I'm definitely at the stage where it you make all these decisions. But the thing is, the project takes so long and you have so much time to like second guess yourself, which is the it's killing me. I'm like, wait, did we choose to fright shower tile? Like we really do we really need? Do we really need two windows there? But they're already put in the walls. Like it's you know, it.
Is it is very very near racking because it's definitely, like especially when it comes down to doing like the big things, like cause framing is.
Pretty easy because literally you can be like, you know what, I changed my mind.
I want it to be a little bit bigger, and they can take down the wood and put it back up. But like plumbing and electric, it's like, oh we're here now.
Yeah, they're starting to patch up walls now, so it's getting real serious. We did, we did have our We haven't had too many like oh god, we found this and now it's going to cost you know, so much more money to fix it. We haven't really had any
of those experiences, but we had. So we have a deck that we are expanding and I noticed there was this big patch that I was seeing because you could see the bottom of the deck through our kitchen ceiling now, and I noticed this big patch of like dark rotted wood and I was like, oh, snap, what is that?
And it turned out to be a leak And it's going to cost us fifteen hundred dollars extra just to patch this little like two foot by two foot section of our deck, which which sucks, but honestly, I mean still knock on food because anything could happen. But we'll have to dip into our contingency fund for that, which makes me kind of I feel like we started dipping into our contingency fund for things that weren't quite contingencies, but more like I really would like a central light fixture.
Let's add that to the electrical plan.
Hmm.
I know exactly what you mean, but like, we've had like contingency fund things where I'm like, so we're definitely using We probably use about half our contingency fund already. I'm just like, I'm hoping because everything's open, so I'm like, well, we should be good now.
Right, because we've already seen everything.
And then at one point the boiler wasn't working, but now it is, so I think we're we're rocking around in My sister's already, like, so can I move in? I'm like, we're not even finished renovating it, and you already want to take this ver bed and.
She's like, I want to work on my dreams. It looks like we already have a roommate. But yeah, the things are going good other than that house. Lie, what did you do this weekend? Oh?
You know, picked up some toilets, normal stuff, got a little I made some decisions around holiday spending. I think we're gonna do We're definitely not doing gifts for each other, but I think my siblings and I, since we're not going to be together this holiday season, I think we're gonna end up doing the whole secret Sanda thing again and just sending each other a gift because I could
pull the whole I'm doing a home renovation. I don't have money for that thing, but I did just spend fifty dollars on a tolet paper holder, so maybe I can afford to get my sister.
A little how much as.
I don't know what it slipped through. I don't know how it happened, but there was a long list of things, and I just said, okay, okay, it slipped through. But if you think about how many times will you use it?
I mean, when you're like renovating, so many things go out the window, and I guess it's like planning a wedding where you're like, I would never spend that amount of money, and then it happens and you're like, but I mean, don't we all need a twenty five hundred dollar tab?
And I was like, what am I doing? What?
Life but anyway, but no, this this past weekend, I did the Texas Women's Conference.
Oh okay, so yeah, that was.
Well, there's a women's conference.
I think it like uh, it like floats around the country. I think it goes to like five different locations and they're pretty big. So the one in Texas it's the biggest, the big biggest women's conference in Texas. It was seventy nine hundred women and doctor Brene Brown, who I love, was there and then also Reese Witherspoon.
They were both keynotes.
So I did a breakout session just like seven ways to Live a Richer life, just the basics like budgeting, credit whatever. But there were just so many women. Honestly, it was really awesome. The energy was awesome. Usually I'm not really like someone who like loves conferences because sometimes
they don't seem so useful, you know. But I have to say, this is my second women's conference, like with it's literally called like the Women's Conference, So I think the last one I did was in Pennsylvania, I think. But I liked them because they really insist that you give actionable steps, so you really leave feeling like, oh I took this, you know, breakout session or whatever, and I left with some actionable items and steps to do. So, like I said, I have to say it was. It
was a really good weekend. And I got to meet this woman named Jessica. I'm gonna mess up her last name, but she like changed my life. So she was just telling me about a business she owned. It this is how you just never know about folks. She was telling me about a business she owned that she started. It's a social enterprise. And for those of you who don't know, social enterprise is a business that really the it's Honegger, that's her last name. It's a business that the purpose
comes before the profit. So you know, of course you want to make money, but really there's like a you know, like a the mission is really purpose driven versus profit driven.
And she started this have you ever heard of Noonday Collection? No?
I haven't.
So she like buys.
Jewelry from what she calls vulnerable populations, so populations where folks really don't have access to the market, but they make, they make their artisans and they make beautiful things. And she started it as a fundraiser because she wanted to adopt a little boy from Rwanda. Her and her husband. Then the recession hit and they were in real estate.
They lost everything, so they purchased some I think some jewelry from his village or I think she purchased it from Uganda, and she sold it to her friends and to say, hey, I'm doing this.
Fundraiser so we can you know, bring my son home.
And then it started to do really well, and then her friends were like, hey, I want to sell jewelry and help people in another country, but also make money too, And I was like, oh, wow, that's really nice. And then she was telling me how they grossed eighteen million dollars this year or last year, and I was like, wait what.
So it just wasn't really speaking with her was a really.
Great reminder of how, like, you know, you can do good work, help good people, and make good money.
So that was just like the most inspiration.
I just happened to be sitting next to her and she was just sharing that she's also the fastest growing privately held company direct sales, and so I just thought, wow, it was just such a great example that, you know, because that's what I'm wanting to do. I'm wanting to make sure that we run a company that is integrity above all else people and purpose above profit.
But it doesn't mean you don't want to make profit.
So just to see that she was navigating that successfully was really inspirational.
How do you feel about I mean, I know that you speak at conferences and stuff, but I wonder, like our listeners, are there conferences that you guys attend, like as attendees, like outside of stuff that you might do for work. Because I've like I've gotten I just got an invite to like the World Business Forum in New York City, which is meant to be for business leaders to come together, and then you hear from people like
Seth Godin and Ariana Huffington and it's focused. It's less of like this will help me as an editor and more this will help me, you know, like as a leader. And some of these tickets are really expensive, like I'm getting because I'm with the media, I could you know, get a comp ticket or whatever. But like if you're out there and you're listening and you guys like you purchased tickets for conferences, I just wonder, like, what are
your favorite ones? You know, what ones have really helped you that you would go to on an annual basis. Maybe it's Essence Fest or I don't know. I went to one that was hosted by Meeker Brazhenski, Like from that show on MSNBC. What can I think of it right now? The know your Worst Tour? Did you speak at that tour?
Yes, okay I did when it first came out.
Yeah, you make the rounds. But like, there were so many women at that conference. I remember Elizabeth Warren spoke. She was one of the keynotes at that conference, and like the crowd was crazy. I'm just thinking, like, who are these women who aren't getting free tickets, who are actually spending money to go to these conferences. Yeah, I
don't know. I just I'm curious if you guys email us at broad Ambition Podcast at gmail dot com dot com, if you have a conference that you like, or anything to say about conferences that have helped you or in your business or personal life. Just just curious.
No, that's awesome.
Yeah, I wonder if you were at the same one, because I was there when Elizabeth Warren's books.
I'm like, I want if we were in the same room.
I think we were. I I covered it because I was I was at Yahoo Finance then I was a reporter and I was doing a story on Mika's new book, Know Your Value, and then she tried to she like launched it into a mini tour. So I was there. I interviewed Hoda and I interviewed.
Yes, I was there. That's so crazy that we were in the same room.
Yeah, and Andre Leon Talley, who was really sweaty and hot and he is very, very very That is the visceral memory I have of that interview.
But no, that's awesome.
So yeah, because you know, there are definitely some conferences where you're like, why did I come?
Oh, yes, spill the tea on the ones that you didn't think were worth your time. It's also like the end of your time, and I know I'm I'm about to Like deadlines are if you're like leadership institutes or trainings out there, a lot of their deadlines are in the fall. I have to submit an application for a
I'm trying to do. Last year, I did an leadership institute for or young or diverse I think it was diverse editorial leaders at the Pointer Institute, And I'm doing I'm going to apply for another program that's focused on women, but same similar thing. Women leaders in journalism, and it's through the Online News Association. It's like a one week accelerator program. And I'm going to try to keep doing
at least one of these a year. And if your company, you know, would reimburse you for something like that, then you know, see what deadlines are out there, if there's anything that interests you for twenty nineteen, because some of them have deadlines now.
So I think to consider I feel like I feel like, you know, extended learning is always you know, it's always a good thing. So if you can, you know, if you can sign up for something where you know you're actually going to take something away. I always think to myself like it's less to me about like the woman on the stage or the man on the stage or whoever. And I really try to make it my business to connect with the person sitting next to me because you never know, like look at Jessica Harr.
I'm gonna say her name wrong.
But you know, like look who I met. You know that wasn't she just was sitting next to me. Honegger, Sorry Jessica.
Oh what Honegger? H O n E g g E r hoenegger mm hmm a dry So yeah, So I'm like, you know, I just think that.
I think sometimes a lot of times when people go to conferences, they think like you know, or they're wanting to connect with the person that's speaking, which is obviously you know, dope, But sometimes the people who are sitting next to you are like way doper and just turning to the lesson to the right and asking questions and connecting. So yeah, I'm not a huge conference fan, only because sitting sometimes, unless like the speaker is really dynamic, I get like bored easily.
But but when.
It's a really good speaker and I get some actionable things to do, then I'm all for it.
Cool. Cool. What else is happening in the world. California is burning?
Trump is tweeting, Yeah, what you know, we do have the house, So there's that.
But is that your response to California's burning?
I got a house.
No, No, I didn't meant the half I met like the Democrats got the house.
Oh, I was like, no way that.
I thought that was off personality, I mean off brand for you, off brand.
Now I met that, like you know that. Politically, Yeah, some change happening.
I have been on like tenter hooks. Who I've never used that in a sentence, tenter Hooks. I'm so, you know, it's a good word because what's happening in Georgia right now with the I think last week even on the show, we talked about the election results, but at Stacy Abrams and Brian Kemp, there's still not a declared winner. Like it's like a week later, it's not a declared winner, and they're recounting every single vote, and I'm just like, it's nail biting right now.
Sometimes you know, I plug in and I see what's going on with the world, and other times I'm like, you know what.
I gotta plug out. I can't do I can't do it. But you know, I mean, definitely the midterm election.
What it did make me excited for was to see just how many people participated.
It felt like we were voting for president.
Like I'd never seen that many people out for midterm, So that's always a good thing.
Did you see that Starbucks is laying off five percent of its workforce? No, why, I don't know. I guess business is not booming.
But millennials killing coffee too, because you know, they blame you off everything.
Yeah.
I read a story this week that millennials are killing the pet food industry because they're shopping for fancy dog food and the bad like the cheap stuff that like my cat ate when not dogs, but pets in general, the cheap stuff like what did my cat eat? Like
parina or like kibbles and bits or whatever. Like, millennials are spending twice as much as they were on dog food, like the organic y Yeah, like just spending so much money now that the yeah, the ones who make the cheap stuff aren't doing so good, which.
Seems so weird because it's like at the same time they're like millennials are broke, you know. They tell you, guys, everything but a child of God.
When it comes to pets, people are just not It's nonsensical.
Yes, somebody posted in my on Facebook you don't have the DreamCatcher group, And somebody posted, you know, I'm really struggling with my finances. I'm really thinking about giving up my dog, like you know, like you know, either giving it to a friend or whatever.
People were livid. I couldn't believe it. I had to turn off the comments. They were like, would you give your child to your friends? And I'm like, oh no, she could that's a human, I know.
And it wasn't like she wasn't saying like I'm going to leave my dog outside, you know, and walk away. She was just like, you know, you could tell she's like I obviously I love my dog, but it's to the point where I can't afford my life and I'm trying to figure out what what do I do? You know, what do you guys think? And so I just was
just reminding folks, you know, to keep it kind. But you know, I mean, yeah, I had to turn off the comments because people were really angry, like how yeah, how dare you even consider like leaving your dog who was clear a human with your friend or you know or whatever that Like, Like I said, it wasn't like she was gonna euthanize her dog. She just was like I just can't afford And someone was like, well, be homeless with your dog. I'm like, you know what, block black
crazy lady. So yeah, so I just thought, like, you know, people are very, very very attached to their animals.
I don't have any animals. I have them as a kid, I.
Do in my dreams.
I don't want a dog.
I don't in my in my imagination all the time. I'm like, I'm gonna steal that dog. I haven't done.
Just so many dogs are so stinky. Sorry, people with dogs, I'm sorry. I'm half my friends with dogs, I'm like, oh, I know you have a dog.
You know I don't want to fight with you. Right now, it's the holidays almost, let's not let's not start talking trash about dogs, who are just God's gift to the world.
I mean, I can live with the you know, cats, I could deal, you know, but I mean, and honestly, I don't. I actually like dogs, but let's not pretend like they don't come with a little bit.
Of I mean, some of them more than others, is true. Everyone loves Corgi's. They stink and they shed like a mother. I need to know though, from our listeners. Another question for the listeners. Email us and tell us what is like an embarrassing amount of money you spent on your pet. I know people out there who've gone to debt for their pets. They take out these credit cards to pay for their pet at the veterinarian and end up paying
those cards off for years, no joke. So if you, I mean, this is a safe space you can be anonymous. I want to know your pet. I want to know how much you spent on your pet and what crazy things you've purchased for them. M Grandomission Podcast at gmail dot com dot com.
All right, are we going to take some question on I do.
I have a question from an anonymous listener who is torn between two job offers. First of all, what a nice place to be just the first and foremost.
Okay, that is a nice place, but she can't.
Decide which is the right opportunity, so let's hear from her. She says, I'm currently evaluating two job offers. One is a very exciting it's with the company that I'm not sure about, though they specialize in debt collection. The role would be in corporate philanthropy, though, which is a dream job for me. However, I don't feel like working. I don't feel that working for a debt collection company reflects my values. Is there anything redeeming about the debt collection industry?
I think I already know the answer to this question. The other job is with the more reputable company, but it seems a bit boring and everyone is much older than me. My husband's encouraging me to take this job. Because the benefits are better and he wants me to be sensible. It's hard to talk to him about finding a job I love because he's too practical. He's a work at the boring job for thirty years kind of guy. I'd love some advice. Dot dot dot dot dot. So
what she should do? Work for the shadier company that's the perfect job for her, or the more sensible company that could be boring but has good benefits.
So how is the detection company the perfect job? Again?
It's incorporate philanthropy, which she says is a dream job for her. If the company has a philanthropic arm, maybe they're not. I mean, she doesn't give us a name with the company at all, but I mean not all. Yes, many you know a lot of debt collection. You know, firms get a bad rap, but it's you know, it's a it's a reality in this country that we have a debt based not a debt based economy. But a lot of people use debt and a lots some people can't pay it back. So we need to have institutions
that can get it back. Some institutions are really shady about it, and they break the law and they do things that are you know not you know, not that aren't kosher, like harassing people. But some companies are just doing what they need to do. You know, they're hired to recoup debts, and they're not all shady. The fact that this one has a like a foundation of some kind,
maybe they're one of the less shady ones. So I wonder how much research she's put into the company itself before deciding that, like painting with a broad brush, that it deals with debt collection. So it must be you know, a terrible place.
Yeah.
So so honestly, like so she's not actually going to be the doing that that collecting it would be exactly Honestly, that is hard because that whole that collecting part, I mean, and honestly, I would look, I mean, I'm I'm assuming you looked on glass Door.
If you haven't, you should.
That's where you can kind of see like what it's like, what employees say about working and take it with a grain of salt.
But still, you know, it's true.
It's a good idea, you know.
Yeah, I mean, just because it's that collection doesn't necessarily mean they're shady, like Mandy said, and especially if you're working in a department where it's in alignment with what you want to do with your life.
You might have like a one year plan there, like I'm going to work.
In the philanthropy department here and then move on to another philanthropy department in a company that I feel even more comfortable with, because you have to think of My sister would always tell me when you're going from job to job that it's a building block.
That that's what you have to think about it as.
So if I'm assuming you have a foundation already, so if this is a block that you're building, if this is like a brick, a layer of brick that you're building on the eventual house of your ideal job and career and whatever, does this add to that foundation? Because it sounds like a boring company doesn't like it's not bringing you closer to where you eventually want to be, you.
Know what I mean.
So normally I'd be like, ah, that collection, you know I have, the crossing is you know, like yo, don't go it. But it sounds like that the actual job itself is in alignment, So maybe I would focus on that personally.
As a hiring manager, I review. I've probably reviewed hundreds of resumes over the last three months, because I've been hiring, like, you know, eight or nine positions, and when I'm looking at resumes, this is my personal this is how I personally do it. I know every hiring manager or an industry is different. I'm looking for job title, length of employment, and sometimes I do focus on the layer, especially if
it's like, you know, a similar company. It's nice for me to know that you know, you have worked for a company that I recognize, because I have a sense that you would at least fit in with our type
of structure. But job title is important too, And like Tiff said, if this is the career that you want to work in corporate philanthropy, then I, as a hiring manager, I would I would just see, oh, she's got eighteen months or three years of experience with a corporate philanthropy team, and I would weigh that a little bit more heavily versus the company itself, with the caveat that if it's a if it's like one of these companies that I would recognize, and I would know, oh, that's a shady
you know, I saw a story about that in the news, and it's shady af like it might taint my judgment of you a little bit. So do some research, like hop on Google, you know, see if this debt collection company has been in the news, if there's been a ton of lawsuits file by consumers who have claimed that
it's been harassing them. Because at the end of the day, you do want to work for a company that you believe in and that makes you feel good about yourself, and you're finding that there's a ton of red flags out there, then even though it's the right fit, you know on paper, maybe it wouldn't be happy. Maybe you wouldn't be happy there in the long run because you wouldn't feel proud to say you work there.
Yeah, yeah, exactly, And I, like I said, I can understand like feeling that way. But at the same time, the other place doesn't sound like it serves you at all, you know. So my assumption is if your your husband likely has the good insurance enough for the both of you, if he's the tacked to work at the boring job for the good insurance. So you know, sometimes you know, having one person in the family with the insurance job is enough you get to fly if you're able.
You know, everyone doesn't have that opportunity.
So tangy girl, you know, with the with the mindset of like, this might not be my last stop. I'm gonna look to expand beyond this, but I'm leaving here with the experience to be able to move to the next space.
Absolutely, And even though the people at youre new at this other job may seem oh they're older than me, and maybe they won't be as fun, but think about what their experience could do for you, what you could learn from them. And also it's I mean, I've been in jobs where it's fun to be at a young company where everyone's around the same age and has the same you know, beliefs in the same points of view, and hangs out the same bars. But after a while you're like, is there a grown up in this piece?
Like can we get some direction? It's nice to have people with different levels of experience, so it may not be totally negative that you're working with more seasoned people, even if it seems maybe like not the best fit for you, because you might feel like on the younger side, everyone loves the young kid. Come on, I do.
They'll bring you food.
They'll bring your food. That is too true. Shout out to fran at Reader's Digest, who was my first boss, who used to bring this giant sandwich for us all to share from his deli. Oh, I just had a flashback.
Because they always think that the young person doesn't have any money for food, even though you're like, but I work here with you.
Well, thanks for your question, good luck. Okay found the next question. So this comes from listener. I guess she wants to be anonymous. I'm not seeing a name here. She wants to know. On our last episode last week, we talked about some of our favorite credit cards. I gushed about the credit card I'm using for my home renovation, the City Double Cash Card, because it gives you ooh, this is something that I wanted to clarify. I said,
it gives you two points back on your spending. But it's one point when you purchase it, in one point when you pay. So as long as you pay off your expenses that you charge to the card, you do get the two points back. But I wanted to clarify that because I forgot that was the caveat Anyhow, sometimes there's so many credit card options, So this listener wants to know if she should use credit cards dot com
to check to search for the best credit card. She says, I currently have a Bank of America credit card with a five hundred dollars limit, and I'm looking for a higher credit limit. I requested a credit increase from Bank of America and it was denied. So which credit card website should I use to find a card that gives me a higher limit?
Well one, did they say why they denied you?
Did they ever do that when you get denied for a credit card? Do they say? I don't think they do.
No.
I mean sometimes you can ask, but yeah, I mean, I'm just wondering, is it because your credit scores now where ought to be?
It's because of your income?
Because typically, right they ask you the questions they ask you when you're asking for a limit. They want to know like what your income is because they want to know obviously can you pay it back?
So they need a reason to raise your limit out of the blue?
Out of the blue exactly?
And if are you using your card in a way that would reflect you needing another higher limit? You can always apply for another card someplace else, and you know, potentially get another limit, but then you're going to get the inquiries, so you have to ask yourself, is it worth losing a few points temporarily to open up another.
Card, knowing that she has a BAA card but the limit of just five hundred dollars. I feel like we're talking to someone who's like a beginner, yes, someone who doesn't have a long history of credit. And it could be that you got denied because your credit history it's not long enough, or you've missed payments in the past, or maybe they don't see any change in your income or your credit score to justify increasing your limit.
It might be best. I mean, I know that you already have a credit card. I mean you could look into potentially, you know, getting a secured card to give yourself a little extra boost, because they tend to right after you do right by a secured card after six months to a year to like like Superman when he got his secured card, it was five hundred, and then like after like six or eight months something like that, he you know, he was he paid it off every
month and was doing right by it. So then they they they brought him up to like a thousand and fifteen hundred.
So I don't know how much.
You're looking for, but you're likely not going to get to like, you know, three thousand dollars from five hundred right away, because you're at five hundred for a reason. So you might, you know, you might look into, like like I said, getting a secured card and working it
that way. To me, the best secured cards are the ones that are are given during banks, like from a bank like, because then the bank will make the secured card unsecured once you've used it properly and you don't have to like apply for another card or you just be you know, just be patient.
Like my guy says that if she's looking for a card with a higher limit, she's trying to spend more than five hundred dollars, And with secured cards, you put money up front and then you kind of pay yourself back over the year. So if she's wanting extra room, and you have to ask yourself that too, like why do you want to hire a credit limit? Is it so you can charge something that you can't afford to
pay off right away? And if that's the case, maybe it's better that you can't get one, because you know, when you carry a balance like that, it ends up being really expensive over time. You don't mention what your credit score is. And if you know your credit score, that can give you a sense of what types of credit cards you can qualify for. It might even answer the question of why you might have been denied for
a credit card increase. But a lot of there are credit cards that are more stuited, that are more willing to work with people with poor credit, you know, average credit or excellent credit. Some credit cards you know you have to have excellent credit. They never qualified you if
you didn't, but once so check your credit score. And in terms of finding a card for you, credit cards dot Com actually has a really cool tool called card Match, which I love and I have no problem, you know, uh, calling them out, shouting them out for that tool because it's awesome. You put in a couple of details and they kind of match you with the card that can be a fit for you. So, if you know your credit score, I assume they ask that they can probably
give you a sense of options for you. Just be careful applying for new credit, like Tiff said, because you will get dinged for it on your credit score. Earlier, Tif you also you kind of hinted at this, like are you are you using the card in a way that they'd want to raise your limit. And by that,
do you mean like this happened to me? You know, I had I had a really low limit card too, but I kept getting I kept maxing it out but then paying it off in full each month, and then they were like, oh, here you go girl, and gave me more ways.
Yeah, I was gonna say that because ultimately they're like, let's just say I have five hundred dollars card and you're swiping ten dollars a month on and paying it off in full.
They're like, well, what do you need to hire a limit for?
You don't use it anyway, So not that you have to max it out, but using it, you know, like the key is to pay it off every month, obviously because you don't want to carry that balance and pay that interest. But if you're not using it consistently in a way that would make them say, hey, more of
a limit makes sense. And sometimes that's not necessarily true, Like for example, I've got a card that I never use and they keep bumping me up, so like I'm at thirty thousand dollars now, and I tell you I hurdly ever use that card, and it's a bank of.
America card, but also to two.
Sometimes cards will judge you on the usage of like other things that you're doing. So I've got my As my credit score raises, Bank of America was continuously increasing my credit limit, So even though I wasn't really using my card, my credit score was raising and it was reflect it in that just like credit. When my credit score declined, Bank of America actually lowered my because they're able to do so, lowered my my card limit, and so just be mindful of that.
It all comes down to a credit score and usage.
If you ask me, and if what you're wanting to do is make a purchase that's higher than five hundred dollars that you know you want to carry on the card, if your credit score is good, I mean again, check your credit score. There's a bunch of free tools out there. Discover scorecard is a good one if you're if you're looking to make a purchase and you want time to pay it off, maybe that Bank of America card if
it charges interest, which I'm assuming it is. Maybe if you have good credit, excellent credit, you may be able to qualify for a card with a zero percent intro APR for purchases which you know you can make a purchase with and then pay it off without having those interest charges up front. That's an option, maybe a better option if what you're looking for is just, you know, a more wiggle room, so you could make a big
purchase and pay it off over time. But of course, just make sure you pay it off before the promo period ends. I always feel like I'm just one asterisk after the next. But credit cards are an awesome tool when you use them wisely. I just like always get nervous talking about them because I'm like, please, don't get into credit cards dead Around the holidays.
It's time for breaking a boost and a break a boost. Are you ready to break or boost?
I was born Ready?
Do you want to go where? Brown? Breaker? Boost?
I'll do first, because you're going to be positive. Mine's going to be a little niggy.
I don't know, you know what I'm going to lean toward positive. Well, we'll see, we'll see.
I'll let you go for it, Okay, mystery. So I just wanted to share a stat Actually, we had someone from my company in the office last week, someone from the executive level, and we had a really interesting candid conversation around the lack of women in leadership at our company, and this is like a no thing at the company, and it was great to hear him actually acknowledging it. And he's not the first person I've heard acknowledge it.
Clearly they've been talked to by somebody. And I just got an interesting just some statistics around women who actually hold board seats and leadership seats in corporate America that I wanted to share because it's really really depressing. And while I feel like we've made big gains at least in representation among employees at some companies, it's still really difficult. And this just shows how difficult it can be to
actually get to the highest levels of leadership. So this is a report by an organization called the Rising Tides. They found that only four point three two percent of board seats and four point oh seven percent of leadership's leadership seats are held by non white women. They analyze the composition of boards of directors and executive leadership team
teams at again the Fortune fifty companies. They were scored on the placement of women, women of color, and people of color on their boards of directors and leadership teams, and this stat just really broke my little heart and it also just made just was really sobering to think that just four percent of and we're talking like board
seats and executive leadership. I mean, these are the real decision makers in companies, and the fact that there's so little progress and diversifying at the highest levels that these major companies is you know, I don't think we were like super surprised, but it is just four percent, Yeah, it is.
Yeah, And that's why.
I mean, the work that you do with running your team and the work that I do with running a business, that that's why it's so critical to one be an example of what's possible, but too to also bring women on board.
You know, I hope that more companies. You know, in Silicon Valley, there was a big movement around publishing your diversity statistics, and we saw like Facebook and Google and Apple, I think they all have published their diversity stats and they were even worse. I think. I mean, I don't know, maybe it was maybe I'm thinking of the wrong stat but some of these companies like diversity was so so low, but by publishing it, by by forcing each other to
publish it. It almost it's like you can't ignore the problem. And I feel like that's the issue is like you, especially at a company, you know, are you know, working for companies as I have that have hundreds of employees, it's hard for you to know just what the diversity makeup is because you don't see everybody you know on a continuous basis. So some companies are making moves to to improve that. But you know, you're right. I mean, we're sort of in small ways trying to fix that.
But I'm you know, I can only do what I can do and vice versa. At a certain point, you have to look to like the people, the people at this level who are largely white, they need to realize it and be and get on board. You know, we can't do it ourselves for working from the ground up. You know what we need is change from the top down.
Yeah, meet someplace in the middle. I agree, exact, I agree. Well, I just have just a quick little boost. I thought this is interesting.
Forbes reported that fifty eight percent of women elected to Congress during our last minimer elections were girl scouts. How interesting is that?
Oh that's cute for high but now and it just basically says that, like, you know, basically, you know, girl Scouts.
Clearly they you know, they they they create leaders And I just thought that that was really beautiful. So if you've ever thought about putting your girl girl Scouts and you think it might be in alignment, just know that, you know, leadership is a is a clear tenant of being a Girl Scout. And I just thought that that was you know, that was really cute, right.
Yeah, shout out to girl Scouts. I mean, there wasn't it a record number of women elected to the House this year? It was House I think, yeah, House were Senate one of them. Like dozens of women won seats across the country, and that is that's a that's a huge turning point, like the women waves they're calling it.
And then you saw it like in Texas, I think it was like nineteen judge seats were up for election.
And nineteen women won them. I just thought that was awesome.
Oh, that's amazing mm hmm.
So there's definitely strides. I mean, you can only ripple, you know, from where you are. Everyone's not going to be on the world stage.
But if you ripple out where you are, you'd be surprised how far I can go, So there's hope yet.
And also get your kids and girl Scouts, like stat.
Maybe so, I mean we couldn't afford girl Scouts. My mom was like, yeah, no, but sounds cute. But I mean that that's.
Why I had to drop out. My mom never told me.
She was like, yeah, girl, we don't have it anymore. We just never I never joined, even though I wanted to. I wanted to do brownies.
Remember Brownie.
I was a Brownie for like a year I think in the first grade, and then never again.
Oh you know, well, so that's I saw my cookies.
That's my little end of the end of the Girls, I mean end of the podcast, a little boost. Oh and our first Lady or forever first Lady, her book dropped again.
I was about the sales, like I need to go because I have the audio book waiting for me, and I can't wait. It's nineteen hours long. I did the math, it'll take me like two weeks to get through it. But I really just needed to hear her voice. So I got the audiobook version.
And do you see, I was just so happy that I did not notice that she too had a hard time getting pregnant and had her both her daughters via IVF.
I say, yeah, I did see that. I thought that right, Yeah, I tried to avoid spoilers, but I saw that headline.
Yeah, so I just thought that that was really I was honestly really encouraged by that because I said, wow, that was like, I'm glad that she shared it, and she was just like, you know, as we as women, sometimes you would just feel like if your body doesn't do what it feels like it should naturally do, that you've done something wrong. So it's just nice to see that, like, wow, both of her daughters, and so I'm like, yay, I start my first cycle, hopefully soon within the next within
a month. So a cycle is just like when they take the egg and it takes berm, they put it together and they they hopefully something happens. And so I could be pregnant within a month. I could not who else, So send me your baby dust. You guys have already been doing. So I was gonna say, send any baby juices.
I was like, wait, baby dust, baby Jesus, you know what I mean. Good vibes only