Heyba fam, we are five years into making this podcast that we love so much called Brown Ambition, and we could not do it without you. We've gone from me and Tiffany sneaking around my old office building trying to find places to record, and thanks to you, guys, we now have one hundred thousand downloads per month for this little show called Brown Ambition. We would love to ask y'all for a small favor as fans of the show. Tiffany, what are we looking for?
Here's what we'd love from you, guys. We already have over a thousand reviews and a five star rating on iTunes, but you know it's better than a thousand reviews two thousand reviews. If you get head on over to iTunes, go to our Brown Ambition page, scroll on down to the bottom, subscribe and leave us a five star rating and review. So subscribe, rate review. Not too much to ask, right easyps. We love you guys, and thank you so much for making Brown Ambition what it is. The last
five years have been amazing and it's all things to you. Hey, hey, Hey, we're back.
We're black and brown.
Hey mandra Hey, Happy Brown Ambition Monday or Wednesday. Yeah, when do we tape, when do we record? It's all blurring together.
It is all a blur.
How are ya you know I'm doing okay. I'm technically on vacation this week, and by technically, I mean I put on my vacation responding email out of office email. But then I accidentally answered some emails today because they seem really important. I'm kind of I'm struggling to unplug, but I'm gonna It's only Monday. I have the whole week to like get my act together and relax. Right, Yeah, I'm trying. It's so hard.
I was having a good Monday, but then everybody's favorite bonus baby, Supergirl, tried it today, so.
Ba, well, so Supergirl.
I guess she's like feeling herself. She's thirteen now. And for those who don't know, I call my husband Superman and my bonus daughter, my stepdaughter Supergirl, and.
So I don't know. I mean, it's been good.
Remember earlier, if you listened to any earlier brown A Vision episodes, you know there was a bit of a power struggle when he and I got together and got married, when.
He got married, when you got married, we got married. Y's so cute.
So, but since then it's been so great. I thought everything was amazing.
Oh no, no, So today I guess her mom must have come to pick her up. And I went to the hallway, and I see a note on her door, not just a note, like a piece of construction paper, like nicely drawn out and like it literally says, do not not is outlined in red do not enter, police exclamation. Blinds are already drawn. Already drawn, is squiggly lines or green squiggly lines around it. Because I will go into her room to open up the blinds, and when she's
not here, you know, let some air and things. Do not enter, please, blinds are already drawn. Who this is a kicker. If you need underline underline undernead to get in contact with me or my mom, contact with me or my mom underline underline thank you, supergirl. This girl told me that while she's not here, don't go in her room. And if you have to go in my room, make sure you call me or my mother. When I tell you the way that that sign came down and was ripped in half. So I took a picture of it.
I said this to Superman. Of course he was, you know, equally as angry, and then I sent it to her mother because I tried to call her, but I forgot that she was acting up last night, so we took her her cell phone. You know that's why, because I was like, she just got here, lead you think, oh, that's right. She's pissed to her father for taking her cell phone. So I guess that was her way of being like, y'all, don't you know, don't come into my
personal space. But one of the reasons why. I mean, first of all, one, I can go anywhere in this house obviously, but I only ever go into her room really to turn off all the lights and the fans and all the things that she leaves on whenever she goes, like to her mom's house. So I guess she's like because I heard her telling her dad once like, does anybody go in my room when I'm away? And I'm like, well, girl, if you turned off lights and fans, I wouldn't have
to go in there. And secondly, I can't go anywhere, So that's what I told her. So I set a screenshot to her mom and said, can you please have her call me when she gets a chance. And when I tell you, I'm not a voice phraser. I'm not you know, I'm not really a fusser of Custer, none of that. Like, I taught preschool for ten years, so there's like nothing I haven't seen. I mean, kids have spit on me, literally tried to knock me out using
their big noggins. I mean, I've been through it all, so I usually have like a lot of patients, and I can honestly say, this is probably only the second time that I've used elevated volume.
That's what I'll say.
With her once when she was like sick and she was angry because we didn't get her something from Marshalls, and she ran into the street and almost got hit by a car.
So that my good.
So that was the only other time because I'm not I know, I was not really I'm not really a yeller, but when I tell you, I'm not going to say I yelled, but I was like ring ring rings.
So she called me hello. I said hi.
I was waiting to like a heart like, I give her a little beat to see she was gonna apologize.
I said, I saw your sign. She was like mm hmm.
I said, let me tell you it's the height of disrespect, and she was quiet, Like what I said, One, you don't get to tell two people who pay the bills in this house where they cannot cannot go.
That's one.
Two, you don't instruct me or your father to not go in your room unless we ask you or your mother, I said, because I know her mother was listening. I said, as much as I like your mother, she has no agency here. She doesn't get to decide in my house where I can go, just like I can't tell you in your mother's house where she can go. Doesn't that sound crazy if you were to tell your mom, hey, don't come in my room unless you ask Tiffany. It
sounds crazy right because it is. And I was like the tone I'm music now, I'm like, now, Manny, this is a way calmer tone because I was I'm like stressed out.
I was not calm. I was like, what in the world when I tell you?
I was livid because I'm like, You're gonna tell me I can't come into this room unless I call you or your mom?
What in the have you?
You're going to take the door off the hinges?
No, what I did and said it was like, which is not my proudest mom, but whatever. So I made sure she could hit my footsteps. I said, you hit these footsteps, I'm walking into your room. I'm in here now.
Now what Petty I did?
And I'm both ashamed and I don't care because I was like, hey, you gonna tell me?
I was like, girl, I can I can sleep in this bed.
And I didn't tell her that, but I was thinking about solf I can sleep in this bed if I wanted to, Like, I just couldn't believe that. Like it's one thing to say, hey, Tiffy, you know, you know I you know, even if she would have asked me, like, you know, please don't go in my room, I'd be like, girl, I'm going to my your room if I want to, I'm like, I make it a habit. Obviously I knock if she's home to make sure, but typically I just go in our room to air it out because you know,
kids are so stink. But I told her, I said, parents can always go and should always go in their children's room. I said, because we are doing so to make sure that you are safe and that no one is harming you or that you're not harming yourself. So there is no there's never a time when your father and I will not go in your room freely, because that is our job to make sure that you're safe. So that's first and foremost. And second of all, you don't pay a bill in this house, so you don't
own anything here. You don't get to tell adults where to go. And because my Superman and I the whole third floor is our floor, because it's like it's like a suite or whatever. And so she has this thing where she'll just come up because we haven't bought we have a washer dryer on the third floor. We haven't bought one for the basement yet, so she'll come up
to do laundry. I was like, aren't you the same person who I have to keep reminding that before you come up to the third floor to knock, you know. I was like, so you're asking for like whatever this is, but you don't even give that to us. You just come upstairs with wild abandoned. And then I said, the fact that you have not apologize speaks volumes, honestly, I told her. Once I stopped being like mad, I said, you know, I'm really disappointed. I said, it's like fine, sorry,
I said, no, no, no, you're not sorry. And that's okay, that's how you feel. But I said, when you do something wrong, Because she always complains that her dad apologizes so much, I said, you always tell me they're like, oh, daddy apologizes too much, And I said, that's him. Apologizing is an indication of someone of good character.
And that's what I told her.
I said, when you're wrong and you're confronted with your mistake and you realize that you're wrong, it is your job to make that thing right and to apologize sincerely, and the fact that you haven't is very disappointed and I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed of the way you're behaving. And that's what I could tell. She was like, oh, man, that's what I think. Who knows, she might be like forget utivity, who knows.
But I just was like, and I just need to take some notes.
So I just said. I just was just like, yeah, I just you know, And honestly I was. I was really because when I tell you, literally, this is the first time, other than that time when she was like seven and ran in the street, that I've ever used elevated an elevated tone.
I'm usually pretty chill, like.
You know, I'm I know, how to can check a kid without like, you know, raising my tone. But I just was like, when I tell you, I was like hot all over. I just wish I'm gonna text you the sign. When I read not underscore underscore, I just I was like, who who are you talking to?
In my house where I paid bills?
You know. Yeah, it's really hard for me because honestly, I was such a brady teenager. I just want to tell you it gets worse, I.
Know, relatify to this day.
The day that lives in infamy in my house is I don't even know what my mom and I thought about, but I stormed into my bedroom locked the door. And it's one of those flimsy door knobs with like you know, you can get like a penny or a nickel or something and pop the lock open. And my mom was like, oh, hell no, you're not going to lock your door in
my house. We're still having this argument, and I'm in there and I blast, you know, I have big ass boom what do you call those big radios used to have like boom Baugh with the CD tower and all that and the five CD changer not to flex but anyway, and I put on Pink Pink's album Misunderstood, and I, oh, absolutely absolutely, and I put on just like a pill, and I just played the entire album on full, full blast, and I put my hand on the knob and twisted it.
So my mom even though she was trying to like get the little locked pop open with like whatever she had, like a butter knife or a quarter or whatever she had, she could not get in. And we and a poor mom. I just all night. It was a huge standoff. It was like a hostage. It gets better, You're like, it gets word nah. And I wasn't even the kind of kid who I mean whatever.
Yeah she was. That's the thing.
Supergirl's not like some old you know, I mean, as far as kids go, she's a good kid. Like I mean, are there like, you know, definitely attitude issues, yeah, but like it's not like she's drinking on the corner, you know, But it's just that kind of thing where you know, she has a thing about like not apologizing and there's
definitely like undertones of disrespect. But I told Superman he was giddy because he always tells me that, Like, you know, he's like, you never pop off, you know, because I'm.
Always like well, you know, I'm pretty calm, Like, well, he's like behind you, hyping you up. What he was so geek.
Because he always feels like he's the bad guy, and I'm always like, well, let's talk about it all right, let's you know, Tom, let's be calm, let's remain calm.
So this is like, you know, the one time he was like, oh, Tiphany snacks alone.
I said to you, I don't know if you have your phone off, but I set you so you can see for your own eyes, just like the level of and so the this one is really smart, the supergirl slick. So she tried to say no, I just put that sign up there because I'm redesigning my room and I wanted to do a reveal and didn't want you to cea. I said, girl, So girl, you tried, you tried and failed. Just say I'm sorry I was being a brad. Did you get a chance to take a look.
It's just hold on, I'm taking my phone off airplane mode. Don't hurt me. And Kelly, there's a little beeping sound. Oh I didn't get it. Ye, come through, come through. Well, I feel like teenagers. It's all about wanting to define yourself in your territory. And it's just something about that stage. You just don't want anything to be associated with your parents. You want to carve out your own identity in that room.
I remember that feeling. I remember that feeling of like this is my space, and I basically wanted to piss over everything. So I put like collages on the wall and wrote on things and just made it my own. Even though you're right, I think it was Will Smith, and I just always stuck with me. Years ago, maybe he was on Oprah or when she used to have a TV show and he was talking about how he told his kids, you are living in my house for free.
You're basically a squatter. You maybe have squatters, right, this is my room. This is not your room.
It's my room.
And this and that and this and that, and I'm like, man with that, just when his kids turned out a little funky. But anyway, that always stuck with me, that idea. I remember being terrified of it. I was like, let my mom, let me turn this up with my mommy kids.
I didn't even know what. Yeah.
I definitely was like, no, the only two adults that pay bills in this house are your father, and I so.
I think that that.
I think the part that, really, I guess pissed me off the most was I would have been like regular angry just to see the note like please don't come in my room. I don't be like, girl, you tried it, And I honestly just would have said, Melissa, you tried it.
I'm you know, I'm gonna come to this room.
But it was the part where she was said that in order for me to come in her room, I had to contact her and her mother.
Don't her mom know about that? No?
No, no, of course not, because me and her mom are super cool.
Yeah, you know, it doesn't seem like, yeah, I've heard about y'all's relationship.
You know she's super cool.
But that part is like the part that like she thought that I was going to ask an adult that does not live here or pay bills here about agency in my own house where I could go.
I'm like, I said, picture that girl. I couldn't believe it.
I'm like, oh, child, so and if y'all have teenagers, because I'm just entering into I mean, although I feel like she gave us pre teenage anks, but now we're entering to real teenage zone, if you have any suggestions for me, I don't even Yeah, I feel like I.
Got a long road ahead.
Certainly, Ig messaged me, you know, tweet me the budgetista. I don't know, like, what are some things that worked? What are some things that didn't work? Am I just gonna be like girl, buckle up for the ride? This is what it looks like now. I mean, I don't even know. Honestly, I'm just and I usually, like I tell you, it doesn' it takes a lot to get
me like angry. But when I was almost I was like, okay, Tiffy, you don't call right now because you are I was baking hot, and I was just like and even like I said, I knew I wasn't gonna like cuss her like you know, cause I just don't.
But I knew that I didn't want to use a tone.
That was really like, you know, harsh, but I felt like, you know, it was enough to let her know. And I told her I didn't call you for your apologies because I know you don't feel sorry.
I called for clarity. Are we clear? She was like yes, I said, okay, bye.
I feel like kids keep you sharp, though my debate. Skills are going to be on.
Yes, I do keep you sharp, but yeah, so that's my day, that's your day. Well, I have to last people.
We talked about what's happening with the next stimulus check proposal. I guess that's what we can call it. But it's another relief package. Basically, everyone's waiting because those about extra six hundred dollars per week that the federal government was financing for people who unemployed. Still tens of millions of people are unemployed, which is bizarre to just such a huge number. There's so much strife going on right now,
and of course in Congress. The good news is that Republicans do seem like they're amenable to the idea of extending that extra federal unemployment benefit to unemployed people, but it may go down from six hundred dollars to two hundred dollars. People like Mitch McConnell and his and his his lackeys, they hate the idea of people like and my dad has even said this. My dad is a public but public city bus driver in Atlanta. He and I think he earned something like it was less than
twenty dollars an hour. My dad earned and it's true with the extra simulus bills, he's doing better than he would have been a little bit better than he would have been if he had been working his regular hours doing his job. And that is what really gets Republicans pissed off, the idea that this is disincentivizing work in their opinion. And I'm just like my dad and I are laughing because I'm like, you're not at You're not
at like a casino gambling away your money. Like, okay, so you have a little bit extra money to put in your emergency fund or you know, for groceries or whatnot. But it like Republicans are actively trying to keep people under financial insecurity. That's that's genuinely what they're working towards. And it's just kind of astounding to me. And it's
I don't know what it is, you know. And I was telling my dad, I'm like, if you want more proof that America needs to pay people more and praise minimum wage, which in the state of Georgia is still ridiculously low, it's like seven dollars or less than that.
Even it's the fact that.
People are doing better unemployed than they were when they had jobs like that it's just it's mind boggling to me. But wanted to give y'all the latest if you're still if you're listening to this on Wednesday, we're taping a couple of days early, so it may not be exactly what's happening, but I'm watching it closely and I'm very curious to see what they end up doing, and especially for small businesses, because you have states that are now
reclosing or scaling. Didn't they scale back the opening And yeah, it just seems like it seems like people's minds have maybe moved forward, but nothing has exactly changed, you know, in the climate of the pandemic and the economic crisis, and we genuinely just need government to work for us. And you know, it's one hundred days till the election, about one hundred days till the presidential election. So if y'all are not feeling the way this whole situation's working out,
please vote, Please vote, put on a mask and vote. Actually, Stacy Abrams my my favorite from my favor from Georgia. She's become she's actually in the running for Joe Biden's vice presidential candidate. But anyway, she when she lost the
gubernatorial race in Georgia. She created this Fair Fight Action organization because the reason one of the many reasons she uh, well, not the many reasons that she lost the election, because it was a very very tight election, and Stacy Abrams had her life work basically to expose the way that governments, state governments, the parties in power are trying to diminish the power people's rights to vote, especially black and brown people, because they know when we come out to vote, it's
usually not in their favor. So her organization they have this mask that just says vote. It's a bright purple
mask and it has a vote on the front. And I love this because even in states where they are because you know, right now, if you heard all the debating about should people be allowed to do mail in ballots, you know, is there any way that we can create a safe voting environment because you know, people are genuinely worried about catching COVID waiting in line, you know, for elections, and when you factor in the social distancing, I mean those little polling boots where you go to vote, I
mean those are the cool by imagine, yes, but and that's scary because you want people to go and vote. It's never been the stakes have never been higher, and yet I think that's what the party in power is hoping, is that people will be dissuaded from going Wait, how did I say that? Just waited from going to vote? And so Stacy's creation of that mask, which you can check out post a link in the show notes because I think some of the proceeds go towards organization and voters' rights.
But yeah, that mask is just like saying, Okay, we know it's scary out there, but let's do it anyway.
We have to vote, Yeah, we have We literally our lives depend on it. Absolutely, Like literally, there are people who voted for the current administration. They're like, oh my god, what's the worst that can happen? Literally, this is this is the worst that can happen. We're here now, pandemic quarantine, death, destruction, civil unrest, like we are in the worst case scenario. So your vote, your vote created an environment for this to be for those of you who voted for the
current administration. I will not name that person that leads to current administration. He does not see who must be named exactly, But WoT I mean we can maybe say this for for our questions, but my mom asked me a question today and I thought we should address it, so maybe we'll save it for the questions segment.
Wait, a special question from Mama Aliita. Okay, I'm all here for it. All right, Well, let's take a quick break and we'll be right back to answer your questions. Guys. All right, we are back. Thank you so much for sending us your questions again. You could reach out to us on Instagram at Brand Ambition Podcast or hit us up by email. We are Brand Ambition Podcast at gmail dot com dot com. Before we get to Mama Leecha's question now, which I'm very curious about, I want to read.
Last week, we asked some of you guys if your parents or you have children that you're taking care of at this time. Many of you, like I and Tiffany, you know, we're working taking care of children, taking care of ungrateful children, and juggling that with our full time jobs, and I wanted to kind of hear. We wanted to hear from you guys and see how you're dealing with it, and I just wanted to share a note from We
got several responses, so thank y'all. This comes from listener Ellen, and Ellen says, I have an eleven month year old I start work next week from being on maternity leave for the school year because I'm a school counselor not only do I have to worry about what distance learning is going to look like, I also have to worry about finding childcare for my son. COVID nineteen has me scared as all hell, but a nanny is too damn expensive.
I live in the Bay Area and paying a nanny a living wage full time, it's almost the amount of my take home pay. Childcare is scary because you are exposing your kid to more people, but it's what I can afford and what we had planned on doing before the pandemic. Mom guilt right now is settling in real hard and just hearing Mandy ask about what people are
doing for childcare made me feel less alone. I know I can't work from home without some kind of childcare, so I just cross my fingers and pray that my son will stay healthy. Thank you. We feel for you.
Ellen.
I mean, that's the sad truth. There's no answer. It's just it's hard decision, hard decision, hard decision. Pick a door, you know, take a door and walk through it. And the fact that schools are asking teachers to come back when you worked at that daycare with that private or public.
That was private, it was a nonprofit. So but I wonder what's.
It like even for a private I mean, I know you haven't worked in that in a daycare for a long time, but do you have a choice, mean when they say come in, I mean, you can choose not to come in, right, but it's probably a choice between getting a paycheck and not.
And that's literally what it is.
Because there'd be moments like, for example, like just say something as benign as a snow day, where like the snow would be pretty bad, and we as teachers were like, well, this is not fair because for example, typically they don't call a snow day until like like eight or nine. But I used to have to go to work by seven.
So if you're gonna say, oh, schools are closed and you tell parents by nine, what would happen is I would go to work by seven, People drop their kids off by seven, They close schools by nine, and some parents wouldn't get there until like one, two, three, you know, So it was hard because it's like, do you not go and not get paid because when they tell you
it's open, it's open, and you not going. I mean, you can use the sick day if you have it, but then sometimes you would get in trouble because you can. It's like a no call, no show. So it's just it's not easy for teachers just not to show up.
That's why, you know, hopefully more there are teachers who are in unions, and then the union can help force the hand of some of the towns that might be trying to force teachers to go because you yourself individually, it's going to be hard for ten teachers to say that because they have families as well. So it's like, do I put my family at risk one way or the other by not having enough money.
To support them or me potentially getting sick?
And I hope that parents. You know, I don't have a school age child, but I have. I am a part of the local Moms of you know insert city name here Facebook group and the one mom got you know one she was posting inventing about the quality of distance learning at the school that she goes to and how she's thinking about going private because it's been so bad, and I mean she was she was just dumped on and dragged. But you have to give you have to
understand the other side. It's not like you as parents. Yes, I mean schools are so crucial and you know now we're really realizing the value of them, which is sad. Teachers in school to mean they offer childcare, they offer learning. I mean, they're so crucial to the fabric of our society and and our you know, children's development, but they also are dealing with this pandemic. They are humans too, and I think we just need to and they also
have choked too many Learning is new to them. They have gets at home, and they're trying to teach your kids, and like imagine you being home with your kid and having to not just take like figure out childcare, but like teach your kid, like teach other kids kids, or teach other parents' kids. It's it's it's such a difficult situation and I just think we just need we have to lower the expectation for twenty twenty. Okay, listen, we just it's just not going to be like it was before.
It's not going to be as good. We've just got to We've got to create a new measuring stick. For situations and for people and services, and just relax a little and get people like, we just need empathy. I talked about empathy last week. I just wish empathy, empathy, empathy. Stop yourself from judging or writing a terrible review or complaining about someone else, and just ask yourself what is their situation, what might they be going through right now
in these crazy times? And pause before you judge. Try to at least.
Yeah, now more than ever, empathy is. It's critically important because you're going to need it as well. So are you ready for Mama Lee Chase question?
I can't wait. Mama Lee Chase remimy again. Is she she's retired? Right?
Does she retire? She's a nurse? Well, she was a nurse.
She was a hospital nurse and then became a school nurse and then not last year, but year before last year. Retired, So just in time, because so she called me and was like, hey, daughter, it's like hello mother, she.
She said, So I have a leased car.
She's like, I'm barely driving it, but I think it doesn't make sense to continue with the lease. Wouldn't it be better if I just purchased the car instead? And so once she asked me, you know, like should I get my financing through like the car company. She has a Toyota like a Wrap four And I said.
Wait a second, So she has been leasing and she wants to purchase it.
Yes, she wants to purchase that Leas's car.
How long has she had her lease?
I believe, I want to say, she said, at least for a while, you know what, I believe the lease is up. So that's so she's at the end, so maybe like I want to say, between three and five years, because she basically said, I have to make the choice this week, so that let me know that the lease
is basically up and she has to decide. She said that she's severely under her miles, so I think, like, you know, they give them like I don't know, like what do they usually give them, like thirty six hundred miles or something like thirty six thousand miles?
Thirty six thousand.
Yeah, And she said that she's been averaging like ten thousand miles a year, so it's like, yanke, she barely uses it. And she's just like, but she doesn't want a car, but she doesn't want to, you know, pay for a lease that she's not going to be using those miles, but they have to have a car in the house obviously. So one I was like, okay, well if you're going to do so well, One I wanted to address like whether or not you should even you know,
like whether you should purchase your lease. And here are some like kind of like things I told her. I was like, well, if you're way under or way over, it might make sense. So if you're for my mom, she's way under right, and so as a result, she's like leaving value on the table because you know, she paid for for thirty six thousand and she's used one third of that. Or if you're way over, like I remember when I was in college, my dad got my sisters and I a truck that we all shared at lease.
Like it was like a pathfinder and woolf child. That pathfinder saw every corner of this fleet. I mean, you know the number of miles we put on that thing. They were like, did you take this overseas? So way over? You might want to purchase the car to offset you know, the miles that you're that you've put on, So you know, you don't want to leave money on the table by like because because you used too little, and then you don't want to have to pay these extra fees because
you use too much. So that's one one indication of maybe a buying your lease might be a good idea. Also too, if you had a lot of like excess wear and tear, because like my mom's cars like in pristine condition. But let's just say, you know, you lease the car for your kid and they kind of tore it up, and you know, the penalties are going to be crazy, so you're like, you know what, we might as well just buy the car because by the time we paid these panelties, we might as well have bought the car.
Anyway.
Now, the only caveat, and the biggest caveat is that what are they going.
To And that's what this is where I'm gonna help.
My mom is a really good negotiator, so I've gotten my negotiating skills from her. She learned her negotiating skills
in the market place in Nigeria, no place better. So I'm going to tell her that don't let them try to sell you the car at retail price because the leasing company, they're gonna save money on shipping and auction fees, so they need to be passing on that to you and to try to aim for her to buy a wholesale And on top of that, like literally leasing companies, their number one buyers are these like Hurts and these rental car companies that are not buying cars because people
are not renting cars and people are not buying as many cars.
So she's able to get point.
So she should be leaning, she should go hard. But like I said, my mom's an ex exactly and her so one thing she did ask me is she said, should I read finance or should I get the least and get financing through the through like Toyota. I said, absolutely not, And I said, not even your big bank.
I told her to go to a credit union because credit unions are typically nonprofit based organizations, meaning that the interest that they're charging you is moderate in comparison to like a big bank, because their aim is not to make money off of you know, that interest, it's to keep the doors open, because that's what literally nonprofits are. Their aim is not to make a profit, but to help the community. So I told her, and there are many credit unions that she can join today and apply today.
And her she was just asking me about where she should get her. I told her she should know her credit score because the credit union is going to ask for it so she could start shopping around. And she was like, okay. I told her, like to go to credit scorecard dot com and she said, do they ask for your social Security number? I didn't remember that they did. I told her, no, of course they do. And now she's like, I don't want to get it. I'm like, oh, ma'am, so yes. I mean I just trust yes, and I
can understand that. But wherever you go, they're going to pull your credit score. So it's just it is what it is like, they're going to I told her, Mommy, when's the last time you borrow any money? Now, of course they're going to ask you for your not only your credit score, but they're going to ask you for your Social Security number. When you borrow money, they need to attach that debt to you. Should you run away with it?
And she was like mmm. I was like this woman, so yeah.
So if you're thinking about purchasing your lease, actually, typically I would say it's not the greatest idea because it's very difficult to negotiate them down sometimes to get them down to as close to wholesale pricing as possible, but now more than ever. You know, if you got you know, if you're a good negotiator, you can certainly get a great deal on your on your lease if you want to purchase it.
That's good to know, because husband tricked me into get in the lease right before I gave birth. He caught me in a real he caught me in a really like blue blue mood and took me lease shopping like a week before I went into labor. Anyway, now we have a second card. First car is paid off, and now we have a second car with a really cheap least but still we do. We ended up not needing that second car obviously in the pandemic, and I'm just like,
damn it, thirty six more months with this thing. That's okay, live and learn well, I know, Mama. Do you feel like your parents listen to your advice? Did they ask you just so they can contradict you like my dad does?
And no, so like I feel like my mom listens and my dad to a certain degree, but my dad's like girl with my whole degree in finance and economics and my BA in my MBA in economics. Cute but who taught you? So I feel like my dad kind of listens, but my mom more so listen. So as soon as we hang up, I'm going to remind her, like, mommy activate Nigerian market negotiating skills.
She's like, oh, you ain't say nothing but a word like my mom is.
I'm telling you when whenever we had to like go to get something, I would call.
Her and be like, Mommy, can you come. They're not trying to give me this?
Oh I'll be there, let me put let me put my pants on. What she lives for negotiating, So when I tell her that she should negotiate, she's gonna be like, oh, yes.
Like my dad always says.
He's like, your mom is better than me at negotiating like so like, but it's commonplace, like you know you go to the marketplace, it's it's the marketplace in Nigeria. So many women are the ones who are buying and selling trading goods and services.
So so yeah, so.
I'm I'll tell you give to give you guys the updates if you know what she was able to do. Did she get her her loan through a credit union and was she able to get the price down, which I'm sure she would.
She she will be able to.
So love it. On another episode, not today, because we're almost done, But I've got to tell you about my dad's mortgage. I found out something interesting about how he has a private mortgage today, which I didn't know was a thing he lended. He bought his mortgage is through a person not okay, and I'm fascinated. And I looked into it and it's legit. I haven't talked to the guard today and I'm like, yes, excuse me, mister John, you ow you have my dad's mortgage.
I've ned that.
Yes anyway, all right, well, thank you Mama lee Ja for your question. Let's take another quick one. This one's comes from Instagram from a new listener named Kristin. Kristin says, Hey, I listened to your podcast called are You Really an Ally? And I loved it. Question for both of you on
suggestions for recruiting. Oh so, on this episode. A few episodes ago, we talked about ally ship, especially from an employer in a business perspective, because so many companies are coming out and saying they really value inclusivity and stuff. All right, So Christian says Kristen says, how do you make your recruiting inclusive? Obviously the training around biases and interviewing is important, but I'm wondering how to cast a wider net. I'm currently recruiting for a board I sit on.
We have a diverse staff and a somewhat diverse board, but I wondered if you had any suggestions on inclusive recruiting, tiffany where do you go to find all the talented people will diverse people of your business?
To be fair, it's I typically recruit from my audience, so I feel like it's not really an alignment with how.
Y'all would recruit.
Meaning so like I serve black women for the most part, Like you know, my core audience is Black women, although we don't turn anyone away and we definitely have seen an uptick and like other types of women and even some men, but that's my core audience. I'm a Black woman and that's who listens. So whenever I'm looking for something or someone, I will go to the audience and say, hey, we are looking to hire dot dot dot, and you know,
when they email, I don't know their race. But because my audience is largely Black women, that will be like ninety five percent of the resumes and things that will get But I will say that I am more intentional, Like now I have a potential show TV show on the table, and so I was I'm interviewing for entertainment attorneys right now, and I've reached out to my friends who are in the entertainment business, and I specifically said, hey, I would like to be represented by a black woman.
I want someone who because I've had representation in the past, and I want someone who understand stands why I don't want to do certain things and won't even bring them to my table. Like I've had folks who are like, like, I always say that prepaid cards are the malt liquor of financial financial I don't even know tools or financial Yeah products, right, people, what does that mean?
I'm like, Well, malt.
Liquor is alcohol that is especially egregious for the body. It's really piss poor alcohol, and it is pushed to black and brown communities and communities that don't have access to like wealth. And so that's what prepaid cards are that it is a terrible for the ninety nine percent of them are terrible because they're fee like yo, prepaid cards.
Will charge you to think.
They're going to charge you to open it, charge you to close it, charge you to load it, charge you to swipe it, charge you to if you have a transaction canceled.
They charge you for so much.
They charge you for inactivity, They charge you for stop paying, if there's a monthly fee, they charge you for additional cars. So and there are they are purposefully presented and advertised to black and brown communities and communities that that fall below a certain earning power. And so that's why I say they're the malt liquor of financial products and services.
And so there are certain I've had people who I've worked with before that have brought things like that to me, and I'm like, what did I tell you about this?
You know?
And so that's why there are certain instances where I specifically ask for I want a black attorney, a black woman attorney.
I'm wonder glad you said that, because my first tip would be, do not be shy about telling people you are looking for referrals, but you're really trying to find an inclusive as inclusive be inclusive as inclusive as you can and find diverse recruits. And you need to tell people that, because you know, people may not even think before they refer you to this, you know, the three people they have top of their mind, who may all look the same or come from the same college, or
have the same you know, socioeconomic background. But if you tell them, hey, we're really looking to diversity recruit candidate, do you know any good candidates? And keep that in mind as you're thinking of people, they may think about someone they don't interact with day to day and pitch that to you. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with going into recruiting and being open about it. It's not shameful,
it's not illegal. So's it's better for your business in general if you're just upfront about it in my opinion, and I think the more people you have involved in the process the better.
So And didn't you.
Say before you can go to like colleges, like historically black universities in colleges and reach out to like that platform there.
Yeah, a lot of times, you know, it depends on how big the company is, but college recruiting is really important to many companies. It's a key it's a key way that they fill the pipeline. You get people young, and you get them motivated and they stay with the company for a long time. And they often will recruit
on college campuses. And if you're not getting a diverse, you know, pool of candidates from the colleges you're recruiting from, you know, ask yourself why, you know, talk to the people at the campus, because of course that campus wants their graduates to be known as great job applicants and they want to you know, satisfy the businesses that often pay money to come recruit on their campus. Right, so
tell them what you're looking for. Say, we will come to your job fair, but we want to be sure that, you know, we're seeing a diverse group of students. And if they can't deliver on that, then maybe it's you know, going to HBCU colleges or colleges that have a higher
representation of minorities. Just being really intentional about it. And I would say, you know, especially I've worked at all types of places, and often when you're doing your when you have recruiting going on, it's it's your you know, you have a need, especially at a small company, you feel like you don't have enough time to do like in depth recruiting. You just need someone who's talented, who can do the job quickly so that they can fill
that gap. Or you may not even have a huge recruiting team to help you and it ends up falling on one person to do the recruiting. And I think that's why you proliferate these you know, these this lack of diversity in different in different offices is because the group of people who are doing the recruiting is very
very small. And I think if you especially for senior level positions, higher you know, people coming out at a higher title, higher pay, which is often where the cliff kind of drops off for black and brown employees at companies. Maybe we're down in the first entry level position, but the higher you get, the wider it gets. Being really intentional with those senior positions and saying, listen, we're going to have a hiring committee. It's going to be three people.
They're going to be diverse, and we're going to be the checks and balances for the whole thing and make sure that we are getting a diverse pool. So that's my advice, be intentional. Tell people you are actively recruiting, you want to be inclusive, you want diverse candidates, Go find them. Wherever they may be for your profession. There's tons of professional organizations, yes that associations that are for black and brown professionals.
So they call them that.
They'll have like Black Accounting Association, Black Lawyers of New Jersey.
So that's an amazing place.
Because there was one company that you know, came to me and they're like, oh, you know, because they wanted me to work with them, but they didn't have any black employees, or any brown employees, or any anybody except for white men for the most part. And I was just like, I'm just not interested in being that black band aid And they were like, no, no, I sure you're Our next person would be black. But they said it in a way as if they were doing black people a favor.
I'm like, ma'am, do you know black people actually go to college.
They're actually really smart black folks who could make this organization better. Like and I you know it's clear that like, no, look for qualified applicants, but widen your scope. If you only ever throw your net where there are salmon, you're only going to catch salmon, and then you're going to say salmon are the best fish.
No, there's a whole wide open ocean.
Cast your net wider, you will find other amazing fish that are equally as talented as salmon. Okay, so like yeah, that's that's really it. It's like because no one's asking for a favor, I don't think people get them. When you have a diverse range of ideas and thoughts and just people bringing something different to the table, it actually makes your business better. I don't think, like, I don't get like, with racism, everyone loses, you know, like you
just do. I had to tell the other business like yo, I tell the other brand. I'm like, yo, we're eight figures a year? Are small little business filled with the black women that you're not looking to hire? Like bruh, These women could be working for you too. You could have an amazing company. I mean, I don't know how big their company is, but and I'm just like, so you think that, like you, cutting people out is harming them.
Your business doesn't grow as much. This is why you have to try to cut to me to run affiliate links for you, because you don't know how to speak to this audience. Maybe you'd know if you actually hired people that look like me, you know, maybe you know you wouldn't have to make this faux pas with your fake black box talking about blackout Tuesday, but literally means nothing,
you know. So it's just that part is frustrating, like police like go out and you know it doesn't like find qualified applicants like you know there are can I appreciate this question because people really wanted to know, But there are folks who quite honestly don't care and think that they're doing something by blocking people out. But the truth is there's a tide changing and more and more people are learning to find wealth and to make money
outside of traditional systems. There are four women on my team who just had their first six figure month. Meanwhile they work for me. I'm not paying them six figures a month, and they're not necessarily making six figures a month, but they have their side hustles and they've made six figures and meanwhile they still work with me. And I ask, you know, are you sure you still want to work here? That they're like, no, I love working here. I work here for the mission, I love working here for the
other women. I love working for you, Tiffany. And so what I'm sharing that to say that you keep thinking you're holding people back from making money. Not you the woman who's you know obviously wrote this in But like folks who like you know, try to keep these jobs yourself.
Keep it.
Shoot, there are people out here making seven figures a year off their own ingenuity.
It's your loss.
That's the same talent that could literally be in your business right now who are killing it. I know at least ten women right now that have since the beginning of this pandemic have made six figures in the last month, if not two months. Like, just think about how much amazing talent you've pushed out because of racism.
And think how much amazing talent you'll be able to tap if you start hiring and looking outside you know, traditional traditional sources to find that to find that talent. But thank you Kristin for your question, thank you for being open to it. I hope people, I hope you're not the only one at the board, on the board that you said on that things. This is very important, and I hope that other people hold you accountable in the best way for bringing those diverse applicants. I love it,
and thank you for listening to the show again. You can email us your questions at Brandibision Podcast at gmail dot com dot com or hit us up on Insta. We are at Brand Ambition podcast. All right, Boost and Break time.
Yes, Boosy break youcy break, Boosy break. Are you an a boost Mandy or are you going to bury?
I'm going to do a quick boost because homeboys downstairs and needs to go to bed and I'm occupying his bedroom right occupying the nursery. My boos is going to be for Peloton. I finally got my peloton. Oh, I got it on Wednesday. I was not ready to ride until Saturday. I just had to get in the right headspace, you know. And things were really insane at work because I'm taking this week off and everything. But I am so far a huge fan and people have asked me like,
is it worth it? I mean, it's only been a week, not even a week yet. But for me, I don't know if you guys used to know this or you know this, but I used to be a pretty avid biker, like a bicycle.
I remember I had a bike blog.
I used to do one hundred mile bike tours. I was real, real into biking, okay, and that was because I was too poor to afford affoid, too poor to afford a monthly subway ticket way back when I first moved to New York, and so I got like a fifty dollars bike on Craigslist and used to bike my little butt around and it was actually great for my wallet and my waistline.
But you know, yes, I remember baby.
Man, so it really and so I thought, if I'm going to get back to exercising, I don't live very close to a gym. Even if I did, I would not be going because you know COVID. So for me, it became even more financially uh, you know it, maybe even more financial sense once I once I realized I'm probably working from home the rest of the year, I need to be physically active. And I will tell you just the first twenty minute little beginner rides that they
have have been really fun and I've really slow. I'm not going to create like crazy goals I usually do for myself where I'm like, I'm going to do fifty miles in a day and I'm going to lose like fifty pounds in a month. I'm just going to take it easy. I don't want to get burnt out, and I'm really yeah, I'm super happy with it. And you know, whether it's Peloton or you know, there's a lot of freeways.
You can work out at home too. And my mood, my mood is definitely better, definitely better now that I'm moving a little bit more and not just walking around, you know, my neighborhood.
I love it.
Yeah, I'm going to do a quick boosty boost too. I'm going to do a boost to Black Girls Lead. So I'm sure y'all have heard of Black Girls Rock. It is this amazing award show that was started by DJ Beverly Bond. She's awesome and Beverly was like, why is there not a ward show to honor black women who are doing dope things? And so she started one and it's just grown to be huge and the last few years it's been taped to Newark, and I've had an opportunity to go. I mean, like Chacy Ellis Ross
has been the host, Queen Latifa. It's just an amazing like Michelle Obama has come to speak at Black Girl's Rock, and so they have this summer camp called Black Girls Lead. So every year since the inception, I think this is year four that I've done the financial component for a Black Girls Lead and typically they do it at Columbia University and the city and the girls come in and like literally they fly in from all over and they get I guess they stay on campus and it's just
a whole experience for them. But obviously Covid said not this year, although the devil is a liar because they're still having black girls lead summer camp. But instead it's going to be virtual. And let me tell you the women. The women Mandy, So I'm speaking, but who am I?
You know who's speaking? Michelle Obama?
You know her?
You know who else?
Misty Copeland, Oh, yes, the principal dancer and for the American Ballet Theater and an author of the first Black woman to do so m hm.
You know who else?
Tamik A d You might have seen her. She's an activist, an organizer. She's one of the leading activists right now with our with this civil unrest, and she's just amazing. Also Unique Jones Gibson, she's a friend of mine who she's the one who started because of them we can.
I don't know if you remember a few years ago.
That's my favorite Instagram.
Yes, yeah, so she's yeah, so she's amazing. Also oh, Missy Elliott, get your friends. Also have been doing boom after each name this time Kamala Harris, Oh she's speaking, m oh Estelle, Okay, hey boo. Elaine Welter Roll. You might have seen her on TV. She's a New York Times best selling author, a producer. I mean, just amazing, Like that's not even that's just literally just a few of the women that are speaking, so just to be counted in their number, I'm not gonna lie, is that big deal?
I mean, just what you're talking about feels.
What's your segment, what's your what's your Are you doing the keynote or are you doing a court like I don't even know what it's like.
Are you doing a color so black girls?
So, yes, it's a class, so they're they're there are a series of so usually that they do have like a keynote, which I'm assuming I mean, obviously Michelle Obama is clearly going to do that, but everybody else. That's kind of like back when it was at Columbia, we would do breakout classes where we would have like all the girls and so I used to do like all these different types of segments. But this time my class that I taught today. I actually prerecorded it today for
the girls is. I called it how to Be How to Be a Millionaire because I wanted to lift up the veil that you young black women because it's like ages, I think, like I want to say thirteen to like maybe like eighteen or something like that, that you young black women.
That that's outside of your reach, because that's just.
That I didn't realize it was the same like young audience as Black Girl's rocket is. That's beautiful, and it's all about kind of like inspiring a generation of leaders, not just yes yeah exactly.
So teaching them all these things that they might not otherwise have access to. And so yeah, I talked a class today of like how do you become a millionaire? Like what does that actually look like?
You know?
What is investing? How do you start that? Should I start a business? Like you know that these things are within your reach? And and it's honestly, I mean I miss the energy of the girls because it would just be so awesome because afterwards they'd be so excited giving you hugs and like we would take all these pictures together. So I miss that, but I'm glad that black girls lead is still happening because Black Girl's Rock is about
honoring Black women. But Black Girl's Lead is to make sure that these young women grow into those Black women that we later honor. So it just just what's an honor and a blessing and that's my brown, my extra black brown boost.
Well, if we have anyone who's listening and has like a teenager that they or what about Supergirl, I mean she'll be in time out or restriction whatever you call it these.
Days, but I'm gonna let her. Like, no, she's gonna do that. That's the one thing. How behind is doing.
Still or is it closed?
Yes? No, you can still red.
So you can go to Black Girls Rock dot com. You could try, because I mean every year they do it, so I'm certain that there might be a waiting list as well. But yeah, you can go to Black Girls Rock dot com and see if there's any spaces left and try your best to register. And yeah, like I said, it's just awesome, Like what Beverly has been able to do in creating Black Girl's Rock and Black Girl's Lead, it's just it's an amazing thing to witness and to be a part of.
I love it. And speaking of Supergirl, your picture just came through finally. I mean, I don't feel the I don't feel any malicious intent in the in the I'm trying to look at it like a child's psychologist would. I mean, the colors are very nice. I mean, she took great care and was very neat with her writing. But I do feel the tude. I do feel h It's that like.
Do not that. I was like, oh she otlighted in read several times.
Oh okay, oh yeah, I love it. I mean I don't love it, but this would be funny. I'm glad you took a picture of it because you can just drag her for this ten years from now too.
I know, like remember this and that if you need, I could relieve you underline need and contact me or my mom.
Please contract Like grown, like, how does she know this language?
And first of all, maybe I'm home, like this is what this girl wrote and put on her door and left. I was like, yeah, she didn't even say goodbye.
Actually looked. I was like, super Grid, supergrad. I was like, where'd she go?
I had to call her father. She's like, she didn't tell you, because that's her. That's our thing. We always try to remind her, like, don't just leave, you know, let Tiffany know that you're going, even if it's a text, because I don't want you know, God forbid, the house cast is on fire. I don't want to run in looking for you and you're not there. So yeah, so yeah, I mean I don't I don't think it was like malicious in that, like I hate you, but definitely it
was like don't go in my room. It was definitely that. And I was like, okay, so I'll give you know, I'll give you the update to see like what. I'm sure she won't be back for a little while because she's never really heard me get stern. So I'm sure right now she's I'm everything but her bestie right now.
Girl, I know she loves you deep down, but maybe she maybe she needed that conversation, needed that talk.
Yes she did, because I never, like I said, I like, she's gotten over for a long time.
So I'm sure she loves me deep deep deep deep deep. We there.
Wait, I remember when we celebrated her turning double digits.
I know, a whole decade and now look writing notes talk about where adults can go.
Keep an eye on that one. Okay, well, thank'd for another week, another show, and we'll see y'all next week. See, I'm gonna go try to do on vacation now I can remember how to do