Hey, hey, hey, and we're back. You guys know you missed that. Hey hey, hey, Mandy specifically requested.
That I brought it. Did I bring it back?
It's not Brown aditiongot but hey, hey, hey, and.
We're back back back back, back back back.
So this is the last show of twenty sixteen, I mean fifteen. Whoa, whoa.
So you're dropping the gun there. Wow, that's crazy. So how long how many months has it been? I feel like we've been doing this for like forever and then not forever at the same time.
For four it's been four months.
Wow, we're so young.
We're going to go into the new year stronger than ever.
I believe that.
Thank you guys so much for sticking with us. And before we get the show started, I wanted to do a special since everyone has resolutions, I feel like Brown Ambition Podcast, this is a great time for you to give us your feedback so then we can make the show even better in twenty sixteen, right, twenty sixteen, twenty sixteen, because we've sort of been flying by the seat of
our little brown pants. Yeah yeah, and just sort of like feeling things out and trying to get a structure, and we want to know what you guys like and what you don't like. Yeah, sure, so send us your thoughts. Tweet us at the BA podcast, email us at Brown Ambition Podcast at gmail dot com. Let us know what you like, what you don't like. Do you want more interviews? Do you want more certain kinds of tips? I don't know, tip, what do you think?
I mean?
You know, I think we're rocking socking, but I mean, if you have things that you'd like us to do, you know, like, for example, I forget the THEBA listener that said, you know, I'd love for you to share like your favorite books when feasible, and so I think that's a great, you know tip.
So we're always open to doing better.
But the theme for today's show may get to it anyway. For the tip section especially, it's going to be all about getting your money right in twenty sixteen, which ties in perfectly with Tiffany's new venture, well not new old new venture, yeah, which he'll tell us all about later. Yup. So, without further ado, let's talk about what's buzzing buzzworthy.
Well, I kind of want to crack it open with so Japan apparently denied women they were championing, or they were fighting for a law to be able to maintain their surname, basically their last name, just like here in America. You know, if I get married a superman, I'd be Tiffany Smith. In Japan, they're saying no, that couples must keep must have the same last name. I mean, to be fair, they don't say that the women has to take the man's name. The man can take the woman's name.
But we all know how that goes down. So what do you think about that? About changing your name? Because I know, you know, Mandy's newly engaged.
What do you think? What are you gonna do? You decided?
You know what surprised me is, Yeah, well, I know it would be weird saying my last name with my fiance's last name together, So I'm not down with the hyphenated. Okay, there's nothing that goes with Woodruff really, It's kind of like it's like one of those weird colors. It matches nothing.
But you know what, I'm a writer and I've been writing with under Mandy Woodruff for how many years now, almost a decade, So I feel like I'm definitely gonna keep my name professionally I honestly haven't figured out what
I'm going to do. I don't even know if it's important to my fiance what I do, but I have I've talked to my girlfriends who have gotten married, and some of them said that their husbands cared more about them changing their name on Facebook than they did like doing it on their license and so you know what I mean, like the real stuff that they were just they cared about their friends knowing and like seeing that they hyphenated or changed their last name.
But okay, yeah, I never thought about that, because you're right, because since both of us do things that require you know that so publicly, and we're known for those things, I likely will keep my last name or at the very least hyphenated, just because by then I've built a whole brand around my name, you know.
Yeah, And I think that I feel like especially women in America, I think that we're so we just think differently about the importance of having you know your spouse's last name. I mean, maybe, if you're doing it, it's like for romantic reasons or I mean, honestly, it's your choice, but I don't see the need necessarily at least, and I think it can even hurt you professionally in some cases, especially if you're building a brand.
Mm hmmm. I agree for sure.
Cocacoola wouldn't change its name if it marries PEPSI.
Yeah, I mean, but look at Beyonce Beyonce card Knowles.
But she's Beyonce. And Plus I was like, I'll do this for you Jay, just say, you know what I mean, Like she was probably doing it for him. She didn't need his last name.
To like, look at Kim Kardashian, people don't really call her like, it's not like Kim really West, you know.
I mean, and that's the hyphenated thing too. It's not like she's changing. I think what really matters is what you know, the kids are probably going to have the husband's last.
Night, Oh for sure, Yeah, for sure.
I think that's what you're right, That's what really matters, Like for most men, I would assume.
Plus, it's a pain in the butt to like change your last name. Yeah, my mom's been divorced like more than once. I'm not going to call her out, but it's just like, damn it again. Sometimes I still call her by my dad's last name, which has been like how many years eighteen years. I'm like missus Woodruff. Good boy.
You know I changed my name when I was nine. My name is not originally Tiffany. I picked Tiffany.
Did I ever tell you that?
Yeah?
You have.
We talked about that. Well, no, we should. Yeah, I talk about it a little bit because that's common among a lot of immigrant families, right, you come to the US and you change. Yeah.
So I was born here in America, but my father and mother thought that they were going to raise us in Nigeria. So I had a Nigerian name on my birth certificate. It was Adochi. So my name was Adochi Alice. And then after staying here for a number of years and Nigeria just was not doing well, so my father was like, you know what, actually, we'll just stay here. And so we were moving to a town with hardly any brown people. So we were living in like kind
of like a multicultural town in New Jersey. And then we were moving to a town that was largely like Jewish, and he was like, you know what, in the effort to fit it in, fit in, how about you go ahead and pick yourself an American name. And at the time I didn't realize the significance. All I thought at like, I think was I nine year? Like nine, was like, whooo, I get to pick my name.
And so first I kids dream, I feel like I know it is.
So I was like, ooh, I totally want to be Jenny, can you imagine?
And he was like yeah no.
And then I was like what about Renee and he was like yeah. And then I've always liked the name Tiffany. Actually it was between Tiffany and Symphony. Why Symphony?
Why? Thank god?
Symphony?
Yes, just because I'm nine. I mean I'm nine.
Sounds like a princess's name.
Yeah, I can see.
And so Tiffany was a go. And literally it took me two years to get acclimated to the new name. People would call me and I'd look at them like who are you talking to?
Oh? Right, that's me.
People would call the house and my mom and my dad and my sisters would be like, there's no Tiffany here.
Oh that's right because we all changed our name. So it was a very confusing time.
But yeah, you like, forget your sister's name, new names for sure.
So when someone called me adochi, Like if I'm like out in public and someone says Hey, Adochi.
I know, like, whoa, you really know me?
You've known me before I was nine, So it's strange when someone calls me that, because even my dad called me Tiffany now, which is weird, Like this has been the last few years, you know, because I just grew up being called Adochi by my family and friends. So yep, that's my name change story.
I didn't know I had a lot of African friends. I knew I had a lot of black friends, but not like of Africa, you know, moved here from Africa until I got to college and like like, oh hi Simeon, Oh no, no, I don't go by Simon anymore. My name is Obina or something like that. I'm like, oh, okay, they all dropped their American names when they got to college.
I tried that.
I'm not gonna lie. I tried A girl was too hard. Everybody was messing up Adochi like crazy succi ado I was like, you know what, actually, just call me Tiffany again. I tried to go back to Africa as well. I remember that time.
Well, your name is so important, and I feel like, yeah, whether you keep your lot, your husband's or your wife's surname, or whatever. It has to work for you. But it's unfortunate that people in Japan don't even have the choice, you know, yeah, it is. Well, I saw something else that was pretty interesting, I think from overseas well and also America. Remember how there's been all this like controversy over how black women in the military.
Wear their hair, Yes, I remember, so recently.
The Marines have made it possible. I don't know what legal is the right term, but now female Marines can wear their hair and locks and twists, which is huge. You know, this is a this is a huge one I think for women in the military and just for inclusiveness.
You know.
Yeah, that's so dope because you know, I have locks that I've had locks for like it's been seven years, maybe a little bit longer, and so I love that and just just so beautiful.
What's beautiful, too, is just the photos. I'm looking at this article on huff Post and it's nothing but like photos of badass black woman with locks and dreads and like twists and braids after another doing like amazing. You never see these kind of images of like black women in combat. This is awesome.
Ooh, I have to go look.
But Verines you know, in alignment with that. Have you heard about the She's missed Jamaica or missus Jamaica. I never know how it starts when it comes to the beauty contest. So she's in line to be Miss World. I guess that's the or Miss Universe? Is it Miss World?
No Miss World? So she's going to be in.
That competition, and she has locks, and she's like the first contestant to ever have locks in the Miss World competition, and she is dropped dead gorgeous.
I feel like we could call twenty fifteen the Year of the Locks at this point, because we had has Zendaiya, Yeah, gorgeousness. What was that the Golden Globes with the Grammys or something like that, where she came out with the locks and all that all that press for the e entertainment like host too called her out for the dreads or whatever, like all that bad press for that entertainment. Host it wonders for Zendia, I feel like it did. And then we had Ava Duverne's Barbie Dolls.
Yes, yes, beautiful hair.
Now the military is rising up.
Exactly, and now we have this Missworld contestant rocking her locks. You're right, it is the Year of the locks.
It is. Maybe I should re examine the lord ones. I need help because I'm in a bad situation right now with my transition.
Oh my god, that transition is serious.
I'm so glad I'm half that stage because my locks just make my life so much easier.
I don't have to do nearly as much work as when I had my hair out.
I'm giving myself one more year, and if it doesn't work out by then, I'm just like, I don't know what I'm gonna do.
You can always buzz it.
No, that would look crazy. Well no, because I know some girls who like they look amazing with like the buzz cut.
Oh my gosh.
You know, hair is really important. When we've talked about this before, hair and also just like how you present yourself in the workplace. And I feel like calling this year the locks. All the more people see images of women with locks, braids, whatever twists, natural hair, the more accepted'll be and they won't ever be a question of like you know that young girl who was kicked out of school and Mosada, Yeah, that won't happen because people will be used to seeing it. Ah.
The joints of being a brown girl with natural hair.
And lastly, well, just to go to the last sort of topic, it doesn't really have like, you know, a money slamt, but I feel like every brown woman can relate to this. So apparently Mark Jacobs has a line of makeup, like as every major brand does, and they sent this prominent beauty blogger like a kit of all their new foundations and it was kind of it's comical
but then also sad. But it's like twenty two different shades of foundation, and two or three of them are for anyone, you know, a shade a shade or too darker than like lily white. Yeah, and definitely not for anyone who's dark skinned. And people were sort of you know, people were rightfully so I think calling them out, but I know I shouldn't be surprised because this is obviously a well known issue that there's just not enough variety of color. But I feel like even now, like come on.
Yeah, And the thing is, you know what's so crazy as a designer, like if you had any sense, you know that women of color really buy so much, like they spend so much money.
In the beauty in the streets.
Yes, I mean like, so even if you're just like, you know what, it's a financial thing.
I mean, hello, Like.
It's just so crazy to me because you're right Like I used to when I first started wearing makeup, like in high school, like going to like you know, writing or wherever.
It was just like so.
Cause I'm brown, I'm not like, oh, you know a little bit coco. No, No, I'm just straight brown. So it's difficult to find things that were my shade. Even now it's difficult.
No, I'm looking on Sephora right now, the darkest shade. The two of the last three dark shades are the only ones that are sold out, the only ones that tells you that people are hungry for this, Like why you this is a bad this is bad marketing upon or not marketing, but like business strategy upon upon their uh their they're what am I? What word am I looking for?
I don't know, Like whoever made these chorices? A plague upon their house?
Drinking some mold wine? Right now, I think it's getting to me.
Yeah, I'm just gonna say, a plague upon your house, mark your foundation, kids, Yes, a plague upon your founday.
You have Russia's and xits for us.
So hopefully, like you know, I'm sure, just he better.
Just hope black Twitter doesn't get a hold, because you know, Mark doesn't want to get dragged. So that's it for Buzzworthy. Right now, It's time for breaking time. It's breaking time.
Break it down for me.
Yes, it's breaking time. You it's breaking time. Say what, it's breaking time, Say what. It's break break break, breaking time. Somebody is gonna get on me like Tiffany, stop it. I don't care.
It's a little sh had a long day I did. How long day? You guys?
I am loopy and it's the only thing keeping me up, So bear with me. You'll be fine.
No sanity, hate mail.
Well, it's the holiday season. Obviously. I cannot believe Christmas is only five days away. I know, but I can believe how much in pain I am from my credit card bill. Break. Yeah, I'm taking a brown break from my credit card. This happens every year, though I need to take a little break, even though I save up for Christmas every year, just the actual act of racking up all those charges, you know, because I spend more.
I spend more money in the month of December than I do at any other time during the year for the holidays. So for January, I'm going to go on a little like you know, you'll do detoxing or like a body cleanse. I'm going to go on. I'm going to go on a money cleanse.
I like that.
I'm just gonna leave the plastic at home. I'm going to get back to cooking in the kitchen. I've been so busy. I've been ordering seamless, you know, using my meal service and stuff. So I'm just going to get back to back to basics and hopefully recover slowly.
Take the IVY out of your the credit card IVY out of your arm.
I will be taking my rewards points though those are coming handy, Oh.
Yeah for sure, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't honestly if you aren't using your credit card and not getting rewards honestly, honestly, I'm like looking at the screen, like, honestly, stop, like, don't have a card and not have rewards, whether it's cash back, whether it's flight miles, gas. If you're gonna use your card, you might as well make money on money.
That's like shopping online and not using like like a yeah yeah, not using groupon or not at least checking like a retail me not or not shopping through portals like you promise to say, hey can I get cash back? Like it doesn't make sense honestly now not to shop with kind of like this added edge when those edges are free.
You know, you know a lot of credit card companies. When I first got my very first credit card in college, there was no crazy reward programs like there are today. But I went back and I was like, do you have can you upgrade me to the next level or whatever? And they're like, oh, yeah, ease. They tried to yes, you know, a cash rewards card just because I asked, And there was no credit check, no, none of that
kind of stuff. So it's easy, but just be careful with those, Like I would say, this is the time of year where there's a lot of bonus offers. You know, sign up now, I'm go'll give you fifty thousand miles. I don't have to do is spend two thousand dollars in the next month.
No, I don't do those.
I just say, like, like you said, Mandy, same thing. Like I had a car since I was eighteen. I didn't know like that I could have been getting like, cause you're right, they had none of these rewards. And then maybe like two or three years ago, like I was talking to them on the phone about some charge and then she casually mentioned, like, you know, we can make this a travel card. And I was like what, I tried to get all this stuff retroactive.
And she was like yeah. Now.
Meanwhile, I'm like, what I had I spent enough money in ten years to get like, you know, so many different flights.
But yes, if you have an old card, go see that.
If they are rewards attached to it, they're not taking advantage of because you might have some money sitting there, or you might could just transfer it over and make it a travel card, a travel or a rewards card. So yeah, that's good. To take a brown break. I'm like the opposite of you. So I'm taking a brown break just from Christmas shopping, which is strange because I have yet to do it.
Oh, we're just trying to avoid the problem.
Yes, honestly.
So I took off Tuesday, which is what two days before Christmas, the day before Christmas E And I'm like, I'm gonna go Tuesday morning and I'm dreading it. I hate Christmas shopping, So I'm not gonna lie about three of you listening, my friends. You're gonna getting stuff that's came from my closet that I've gotten over the year in swag. I'm like, oh, this is nice Christmas gift for you. You won't know who it is, though, so no judgment. But other people, honestly, I'm like, oh my god, I
hate grey Christmas shopping. So I'm just gonna go Tuesday and just trying to knock it out. But I spent no money on Christmas. I should have ordered online, but I.
Just hey, Amazon dot com still has two days if you have Prime.
Yeah, I do have Prime, and I'm like I ordered honestly. So one thing I did get, like Superman and Supergirl, Well, Supergirl wanted a fitbit, which obviously she does not need because I'm like, what do you need a fitbit for You're not, So instead I got her, like, you know, like one of these little like fake fitbits because she does no name brands for like thirty bucks versus a fitbit for eighty.
So I did get her that. So she's gonna be so.
Excited like it's a fitbit. I'm gonna say sure, and then her mom, Supergirl's mom.
She's awesome. I call her Supermom. She's super dope.
So she wanted a fitbit, so together, Superman and I got her an actual fitbit for Christmas. So that was like one of the few things. I ordered it yesterday and they came today. I was like, go ahead, Amazon.
Prime, Oh you got that for Superman.
I got that for a super super Mom.
That's Supermom, okay, because she's.
So nice and she's so dope. She's just such a great mom and like just we get along so great. So we're kind of like a blend. Not kind of, but we're like a blended family. So Superman has a daughter who's nine with super Mom, who were the same age. She's thirty six, just like me and super super cool. Honestly, we're like to our birthdays. Yeah, we're like two days
apart our birthdays. And she's just honestly sometimes like he'll lead to do something and come back and be like you guys are still here talking Like we have such similar personalities. I'm like, ah, I see your type. She's silly, she's fun. Like, if there's any ever issue with Supergirl, we all sit down and talk about it as a family, like what's going on? So, yeah, it's just been a great experience with her. So I wanted to make sure
we got her something nice from for Christmas. So she's getting her fitbit.
I hope she doesn't listen.
I know, right, I'm like great, I mean, sid, you're not getting that.
I got my family fitbits throughout the entire past year. It's it's become really fun.
Really oh yeah, maybe I'll get one.
You become addicted to it, then you get really competitive. Then it takes over of your life. Like there are days when I'm like, why should I go to the Like I'll leave the house without it, and I'm like, what's the point of walking? Now? It doesn't even count?
You know?
Is that amazing? You have these crazy thoughts?
Oh my god, you know what, You're gonna have to take a brown break from fitbit.
So you know, I've gone through in my dark fitbit time. I'm healthy now, I've recovered. My dad is I got my dad one for this past birthday and he's now he's like, Mandy, why don't you Because you can join like weekly challenges, huh. You can compete against your friends in one little group and he's like, you haven't. You haven't accepted my weekly challenge this week where you been.
I love that though, Oh that's actually really cute. Maybe I'll do that.
Maybe I'll do my sister idea. I mean it's better. You know, at least you're gonna encourage people to be moving, even though it can get pretty dirty.
Yeah. No, I like that.
So people are like, oh, so you're running in place. You're running in place exactly.
I came home one night and I like, I was like, nine, you have to get ten thousand and hit your goal. You know, you can set whatever goal you want, but ten thousand and then it like blinks at you and buzz is all exciting. And I was really close. So I just like walked in circles around the apartment like a crazy person.
I love that, though, But you get your exercise.
Crazy, Yeah, I guess. So, So what's what's your brown break tip?
So that's why bron bake. My brown bake is.
Yeah, duh, they blended. So they blended so seamlessly.
To cat, No, they did. Your brown break is spending for Christmas shop and mine is Christmas shopping in general.
Just spending in general. Actually, yeah, I need a little little break break.
Are we onto winds Now? We're gonna do some tips right and tips.
So I thought it would be great since Tiffany has this amazing annual challenge starts every January, perfect time, like, if you are dedicated to getting your money right in twenty sixteen, Tiffany has the challenge for you.
Yes, it is called the Live Richer Challenge Richer like money and you can sign up at Live Richer Challenge that net Any Tea And so the way the challenge works is, honestly, it's kind of my way to give back to my girls, because so many women would hit me up around the country and they'd be like, oh my gosh, Tiffany, I need help with budgeting, I need help with savings, I need help with my credit. And I couldn't physically, obviously be everywhere, and I couldn't answer
every single question. And so teacher I'd heard, I was a school teacher for over ten years, and I thought, well, what if I create some sort of like program, some sort of like classroom but virtually online. And so twenty fifteen was the first big launch and my goal was ten thousand women and we hit twenty thousand women and collectively we saved over four million dollars and paid off
over half a million dollars worth of debt. And I was super excited, and I was like, woo hoo, and this feels really good when like other women, brown women, not brown women, all kinds of women will come up to me and say thank you so much.
I took my daughter on vacation for the first time.
Or one woman told me I've never paid a bill on time ever in my adult history.
I'm on time now.
And so just to see that shift in women in particular, and so I said, you know what, I'm going to do it again.
January coming up.
And so we have the new Live Richer Challenge that starts in January, the first Monday in January, January fourth. But sign up now because you get all these free goodies if you sign up early and again it's free. And this one is really focusing on saving and abundance. And so I chose savings because every challenge, I was asking all these questions, like, you know, well, what are your challenges, what's going on? Like what are you having
difficulty with? And the number one thing that women would say, hands down was I can't save. So I was like, well, let me teach you how to do it. So the way the challenge works is you sign up at Live Richer Challenge dot net. Then once the challenge starts, every day for twenty two days, you get one small easy task delivered to your inbox that says, hey, do this small, easy,
actionable thing. And then you're not alone because I created this private Facebook group that you could report back to if you're part of the challenge, and there are literally thousands of women there who are there to support you, encourage you, hold your accountable, and answer any possible financial question you have, and the supporting, loving environment because I do not allow negativity, negative post comments that people are
deleted immediately, and so you can ask. I mean, we've had women say stuff like I'm in a homo shelter, what should I do? I can't pay my mortgage? What should I do? There's no shame in that group. And so you could come there and report back and ask questions during the challenge and throughout the year and just receive like support. It's like my favorite, It's like my Sometimes you have things that are like your heart's work. Like I said, I don't get paid off the challenge.
It's really just like my heart's work. It's just something that I've done that has grown. And we're at nearly fifty thousand women for the new challenge. And just to know that there are fifty thousand women out there in the world, and we're at seventy one countries as of yesterday out there in the world who are collectively working together to make our lives better using money as a tool. And so yeah, it's just like, you know, just.
A little something I like to get back to my folks. So hopefully some of our BA podcasts. Honestly, I know some of you guys are listening because so we call ourselves Dreamcatchers. Mandy's in the group too, So Dreamcatchers are the people who are part of this challenge group, and.
So a ton of you listen. So I want to shout out to my dcs, my dream Catchers.
Woo woo.
You know, we turn up, Mandy, however, you can tart. So we challenge rat party fun. Yeah what I remember you told me, Mandy, like, how is this the financial party?
We're doing the wobble?
We had so much fun, honestly, and so to me, money can be fun. Finance can be fun. It doesn't have to be this dry boring thing. It could be fun, it could be exciting.
Well obviously if you're involved, it's not gonna be a dry, boring anything, nothing but fun, you guys. And I'm not even I don't really I'm not active in the dream Catchers group, but I love reading all the posts and like and I feel like people get like that's even like ninety percent of the benefit. It's just having this community of women and uh, just to go to afterward and just to affirm what you're doing and to support you.
It's it's a beautiful thing. Especially on the internet can be quite like a dark and a dark and not very supportive place. Sometimes it's such as it feels like a really safe place for people to better their finances. I love I'm excited for it. I wish i'd had this five years ago when I was a hot mess.
I'm like, man, I wish I had.
Because you know what, I find that women work best in community. I mean, like, we go to the bathroom together, Okay, we.
Thrive within community, and there's nothing wrong with that exactly. You know, that's why we need more women Tiffany the Budget Nesta in positions of an educational position when it comes to money, because I feel like we understand how women work and so often, like I get every every week without a pause, there is a new email saying women are not confident about investing. You know, financial firms
desperate to reach new women. I'm like, you're not reaching them because ninety five ninety nine percent of your staff is like white men. Yeah, especially and it's not like it's nothing against them, Like they just don't speak the language.
Yeah, they don't.
They're not going to. You can't teach it. You know what you can teach, you know, you can hire more women, which would be helpful, get more people like the budget deista, you know, in front of your clients, Like that's what people are craving, what we need because it's.
Just a different language said, because there's certain things that we say differently, like you know, I mean, like just even like how we open with hey, hey, hey, just fun.
Like I think that men in general are just different in the way that they like to receive information.
You know, women are more open to being vulnerable to say like I don't know, or I'm afraid or so creating an environment where they can say that it's critical. And that's that's really kind of the difference. Because men always ask me, can I join the challenge? I feel like it should be for men too, and I'm like,
you could totally join. It's just that in the challenge, I'm going to definitely address you like you're a woman, but like the principles of like and the tips that you're going to be doing, and the tasks they're all going to be something that men women. Doesn't matter, you could do them. But it's just that the languaging is really going to be geared toward women. But as long as you don't mind that, I don't turn any men away. Of the like fifty thousand, I think we have maybe
like seven hundred men who've signed up. So yeah, everybody's welcome.
Yeah. So if you have a partner living with someone, yeah, get them involved too. It can be a nice little a nice little couple gift. Yeah, people's experience. I'm so excited for it. Congratulations, thank Yeah. So everybody's gonna go to liberature dot net right now, right yeah, challenge, Oh, Liberty Challenge dot I closed the link on the on Darnianbition podcast dot com too. So moving on to wins
we want to end twenty sixteen twenty fifteen. Good lord, I know it's like star I saw Star Wars today and I feel like I'm like looking into the future now or past press. I don't know, there's like lightsabers. Anyway, my brain is fried. So my win for the week I have to I'm such a Harry Potter nerd. I don't know if I've ever confessed this before you have, but it I love. I've just always been like a bibliophile.
But also Harry Potter means a lot to me because my little brother and I like never got along when we were growing up until we like connected over the Harry Potter world. So it pretty much saved my sibling relationship. But it means a lot to so many people, and one of the central characters in the book Hermione Granger, who for so many reasons has become like a feminist icon. She's a badass, she gets in the action, she's smart,
super smart. It's not all about who she's gonna, you know, end up with in the end, although it kinda is. But one of the things about the book is that if you read the book blind, if you've never seen the movies, and you heard the way hermione was described, you know, big bushy hair, very curly, unruly. She could have been any race, especially African American or like, you know, a sort of a mix, like you know, a mix
of different races. But in the movie they cast her as the beautiful Emma Watson, you know, and I love Emma Watson. But there's always been this sort of like in the Harry Potter fan fiction world, some people have made her African American. And I'm so excited because they're coming out with a Harry Potter play the Theater in London next year, twenty sixteen in the summer, and they've cast a South wait South African. Oh my god, my god, let me check swat no swa. They cast a black
actress as hermione. I'm gonna check out where she's from originally. But she is a Allaurience Olivier winning actor. I'm pretty sure that's the Oscar of theater. Oh yeah, she is South African and she moved to England when she was a child as hermione, which is like so huge.
I think so you guys don't even realize.
Like when when Mandy and I first talked about this, she was like literally like nearly pissing her pants. She was like hitting the wall. So she is totally calmed down. She's turned down for what for a little bit, but she is like super geeked. I mean, like, I love me some Harry Potter. I have all the books, I've read them, but no, man's at another level.
It's just so incredible because you I feel like some people get so stuck in what they've seen already and like for I mean, how many iterations, I don't know, what movie can I think of has been like remade a million times with the same color cast. You know, the Star Wars came out, you know, I so honestly this weekend, my fiance forced me to watch the first no, yeah, the first three Star Wars movies to prepare me for
the new one that can came out. And I'm sitting here like, man, I'm like, where is the brown people at There's no brown people in the past, like technically, or we were browner in the past than we are now, right right, and so you know, and you start to miss that sort of thing. And in the new Star Wars, though finally they cast prominently a black actor Nigerian man, as you know when the central character is not giving too much away. So y'all don't like flame me online
and Nigeria woo whoo exactly. So I just I just think it's exciting whenever a fresh pair of eyes from a different generation takes a look at an old story and just reinvents it and gives it new life. And I'm just I'm so this is so dope, and like, not only is she being cast as hermione, but I already have tickets to Harry Potter or the play in London for next October, because that's as soon as I saw was coming out, I got my little brother and
I tickets, so I was already planning to go. And now I am like one hundred percent more hype than I ever was before.
It's like, maybe your geek is showing. I can't tell you it.
I bleed red and yellow for gryffindor Oh my god, sorry read and god ready go ready, go bad. It's my roon. Let me let me be accurate. Oh and me, she has a name also. Her name is no Noma Duma's Wenny I think I'm saying that or Noma do do Meswhenny do mez Wheney.
Sounds okay, yeah, it sounds like, okay, Noma do Meswinny, that's.
Beautiful, awesome, so excited for her, cannot wait to see the play in twenty sixteen.
And I'm trying to think, what's my win? I don't know. I think my win is just health and happiness. I mean, it's the end of the year.
We look back and I think to myself, all the amazing things that have happened just being on this podcast, Like this podcast is actually rocking out. Sometimes I forget did we walk out? Until someone like randomly on the streets like yo, loving the podcast. I'm like, what, so that's probably my win.
I haven't gotten caught on the street yet.
Man, Well, because people will stop me as like the Budgetnista.
You're already and you're already like a new is the celebrity and.
No, I'm not quite that.
But I mean when people saw me as the Budgeonissa, sometimes the first thing out of their mouth is really the podcast, And so that's probably my win. Like just thanking Mandy for like asking me to come on board. You were just like, so I'm thinking about doing a podcast, you want to do it?
I was like, okay, no, well thank you. And every week we get another show out. I'm always a little bit surprised. I'm like, dam this is still happening, because you know how many goals you set for yourself and they don't ever happen. Yes, and this was one of the ones that I really didn't know if it was ever going to happen. And it couldn't have happened without you. I mean it could have, but it wouldn't have been the way it is or as good as it is. So thank you so much for joining us, and thank
you to the listeners. Yes forgetting about. We're getting over a thousand per episode now, which is crazy. Oh, I like it. This is stuff you been telling your friend I know you have, and like I said, we really want to make the show you know, as good as it can be in twenty sixteen. So if you have any thoughts, you know, feel free to you know, critique or whatever. Send us what you like, what you don't like. Email us at Brown Ambition Podcasts at gmail dot com, or yep, tweet us at the BA podcast.
Or Facebook us.
Just type in brown ambition and you'll see two brown girls like laughing, like, hey, that's us.
Maybe you should send us your resolution since it's coming up on the New year.
Yeah, I love that. I'd love to read some of them.
Financial resolution, career resolution, business.
Resolution, relationship resolutions.
We always have those.
Yes, always.
But I'm happy because Superman changed his profile picture to the two of us.
I said, look at you, because you.
Know, guys are not sometimes they're not so outrdly like lovey dove I mean, well that's not true. He's really pretty lovey dovey, but he's not really big on social media. And so I woke up in the morning like a nice little stretch, rolled over as usual, picked up my phone and I was like.
What what's this? And I was like, oh, so you know I had to go and change.
Mine relationship status.
I know.
It's so corny, but it just put a smile on my face, like oh, I mean, of course I know he loves you, but it's just nice to be like, oh, I look at you showing the world.
So I love when he does that.
Good job, Superman.
Now, if only I can get that, are I n G wing?
I feel it coming in twenty sixteen.
I feel it too.
Also, you're not being very subtle. I feel like he can probably sure you know.
He's out there, Brad, He's probably like, here we go.
It's probably like it's probably in his back pocket right now, digging an indention into his little button, and he's like it's coming. Dang. Just stop talking.
About Also, have a happy holiday, bandy. I know.
I'm sure we'll chat before then. But as far as BA family is concerned, you guys have awesome holiday if you celebrate Christmas, hope you get everything you want and everything you need, and happy New Year. Just you guys have been great.
So you guys in twenty sixteen
Right, I need you out right