Subscribe today:

SEASON SIX

Episode 185: Is Healing the New Hustling?
In the first episode of this season and the “SHIFTING the Hustle Series," Rachael delves into her personal transformation journey, exploring how a pivotal moment led her to change her approach to coaching and consulting. She sets the stage for the series, emphasizing the need to adapt and thrive in the evolving world of work through the lens of the SHIFT Framework: Security, Horizon, Impact, Fluidity, and Ties.

SEASON FIVE

Episode 184: Do I Have to Tell My Boss About My Side Hustle?
We close out Season Five of The Breadwinners with a look at side hustles. This week we consider what and who you need to tell about your other work — and whether it’s time to retire the phrase “side hustle” forever.

Episode 183: How to Choose Between Two Job Offers
Lucky you, with two competing job offers to consider! In this week’s episode, Rachael and Jennifer map out the important factors to consider when choosing between job offers. What can you learn — or ask about — in your job interviews to set yourself up for success?

Episode 182: I Work Too Much
This week Jennifer + Rachael consider what happens when your work begins to overtake your life. Are you a workaholic? We talk about the symptoms and what drives them — and how to build the guardrails you need to have a little more of the life you want.

Episode 181: Riding the Wave — of Layoff Anxiety
This week Jennifer asks Rachael her own burning question: What’s the best way to deal with the anxiety of job instability? In this latest era of layoffs, bankruptcies and even bank failures is anxiety just a given we all must live with now?

Episode 180: When Should I Tell My Boss I’m Pregnant?
This week Rachael and Jennifer break down the timing and the talking points — and welcome you to a new chapter as a working parent!

Episode 179: I Hate My Boss!
What to do when your boss is blocking you? Rachael unwraps internal considerations while Jennifer rips into the external ones. Together, we aim to give you the gift of next steps to take!

Episode 178: There’s No Crying in Baseball, But How About Work?
Jennifer + Rachael consider the perception paradox — or how women are still seen by men as being too emotional — and its impact on our careers. Put away your hankies and break out the tea because it’s time to SPILL!

Episode 177: Is It Time to Grow My Business? Or Not?
Jennifer + Rachael consider what to do when your client asks you to grow your business — and you’re not feeling ready. How should you respond?

Episode 176: Am I Being Set Up for Failure?
This week, Jennifer + Rachael consider what to do when your dream job starts off with a bang — as in, landing in a war zone between two warring factions. Is it even possible to broker a cease fire?

Episode 175: Should You Run for the Hills? This week, we share what to do when you’re promoted into a manager role that comes with a demoralized team — and yes, running for the hills is certainly an option.

Episode 174: I Need a New Job with my Old Benefits
The Breadwinners is back for Season 5 and we’re tackling your stickiest work-life questions! This week, Jennifer + Rachael consider the classic breadwinner quandary: Is it time to look for new job?

SEASON FOUR

Episode 173: Season Four Finale with Carol Evans!
In 1978, Carol Evans helped launch Working Mother magazine. In 2001, she returned to become the first and only working mother to own it. In between, she would launch the Working Mother Best Companies as a way to encourage companies to compete to do better for their employees. In our Season Four finale, Carol shares the history, impact and legacy of the Best Companies — and what work still needs to be done to support all working parents.

Episode Links
A Brief History of Carol Evans
This Is How We Do It: The Working Mothers' Manifesto
The 100 Most Influential Women in Advertising History
Intrepid Women: Carol Evans, CEO, SHARE
2021 Working Mother Best Companies

Episode 172: Sheryl Sandberg
A billionaire executive, author, philanthropist and working mother of two, Sheryl Sandberg has long been one of the most influential — and controversial — breadwinners in the world. This week, we dive into Sandberg’s “sort of a feminist manifesto,” Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, to consider its legacy nearly 10 years later.

Episode Links
Why Women Still Can’t Have It All — Anne-Marie Slaughter
Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders — Sheryl Sandberg TED Talk
The 2012 TIME 100: Sheryl Sandberg — Muhtar Kent
Lean In’s Sheryl Sandberg Problem — Nellie Bowles, New York Times
I Was a Sheryl Sandberg Superfan. Then her “Lean In” Advice Failed Me — Katherine Goldstein, Vox
The End of Leaning In: How Sheryl Sandberg’s Message of Empowerment Fully Unraveled — Caitlin Gibson, Washington Post
Stop Leaning In And Start Fixing The Real Problem — Mona Andrews, Forbes
What Sheryl Sandberg’s ‘Lean In’ Has Meant to Women — Emma Goldberg, New York Times

Episode 171: Marissa Mayer
In 2013, new working mom and newly minted tech CEO Marissa Mayer announced a bold new policy: no longer could employees work from home. The change not only impacted hundreds of employees at Yahoo, it sparked a debate that roiled workplaces nationwide. In this episode, Jennifer tells that story and how it prompted the launch of #NationalFlexDay.

Episode Links
Zooming Into a Very Different National Flex Day
How to ask your boss for a more flexible work schedule
Marissa Mayer's No-Flex Policy Old School for Young Mom CEO
Back To the Stone Age? New Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer Bans Working From Home
Just Relax, NoFlex Boss: Flex Is a Boost Not Bust for Your Workplace
Yahoo Says That Killing Working From Home Is Turning Out Perfectly — Greg Lindsay, Fast Company
Marissa Mayer, Who Just Banned Working From Home, Paid To Have A Nursery Built At Her Office — Nicholas Carlson, Insider

Episode 170: The Four-Hour Work Week
In March 2007, Tim Ferriss told a room of over-caffeinated tech engineers that they were working too hard. That he was more successful doing much, much less. From that day on, Ferriss because known as the “4-hour guy,” turning his passion for productivity into a one-man franchise. This week, we take the time to consider how to save it, use it and even, waste it.

Episode Links
Revisiting ‘The 4-Hour Workweek’ ­-- Cal Newport, The New Yorker
Tim Ferriss Is Everything That's Wrong With the Modern World (and Why You Should Follow his Lead) — Michael Schein, Forbes
Tim Ferriss, the Man Who Put His Money Behind Psychedelic Medicine — Benedict Carey, The New York Times
How Tim Ferriss Beat Depression and Became an Inspirational Icon — Richard Feloni, Inc.
From Productivity to Psychedelics: Tim Ferriss Has Changed His Mind About Success — Clay Skipper, GQ

Episode 169: Work From Home
When the pandemic forced non-essential workers home to work from the kitchen table, the bedroom, the backyard, they benefited from decades of improvements to technology and collaborative tools. In this episode, Rachael reveals how the modern era of work from home began — and its powerful impact on today’s changing workforce.

Episode Links
Dad in Viral BBC interview Speaks Out
Our Favorite News Reporters Working From Home Bloopers
How the Coronavirus Outbreak Has – and Hasn’t – Changed the Way Americans Work

Episode 168: Summer Vacation
Today, the typical public school year is 180 days long, leaving about 16 weeks of child care to be covered by working parents who have only two to three weeks of paid leave (if they have any at all). How did we get here and what happens when we try to change tradition? Jennifer + Rachael break out their calendars this week to track it all down.

Episode Links
The History of School and Summer Vacation — By James Pedersen
Year-Round Schooling Explained — By Jaclyn Zubrzycki
Popularity Grows Anew for Year-Round Schooling — By Madeline Will
The Pros & Cons of Year-Round School — By Brooke McGuire
First Days of School, Decade by Decade — By Elizabeth A. Harris
School's in: The History of Summer Education in American Public Schools – By Kenneth Mark Gold
Agrarian Roots? Think Again. Debunking the Myth of Summer Vacation’s Origins — By Saskia de Melker and Sam Weber
First Day of School — New York Times

Episode 167: TV’s Working Moms: A Short History
From Ann Romano to Clair Huxtable to Jane the Virgin, this week The Breadwinners take a deep dive into how modern working mothers have been portrayed on TV. Rachael shares her favorite takes, considers the time that the NYTs’s front page asked, “Is Murphy Brown really a tramp?” and lets Jennifer belt out the theme song to “One Day at a Time.” Sing along!

Episode Links
That Time ‘Murphy Brown’ and Dan Quayle Topped the Front Page — Jacey Fortin, The New York Times
Clair Huxtable's feminist rant — The Cosby Show
Working Women On Television: A Mixed Bag At Best — Neda Ulaby, NPR

Episode 166: The Wage Gap
Shocking news: Paying women less is nothing new. Back in the 1860s, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton made a case for bridging the wage gap even as they fought for our right to vote. Jennifer and Rachael consider what’s happened since as well as the impact the pandemic is having on women’s wages now.

Episode Links
Batgirl Teaches Batman a Lesson about Equal Pay
Quick Facts About the Gender Wage Gap — Robin Bleiweis, Women’s Economic Security for the Women’s Initiative at the Center for American Progress.
Why Salary History Bans Matter To Securing Equal Pay — Robin Bleiweis
Gender pay gap statistics
Women still earn less than men for comparable work in 2022 America — Greg Daughtery, Investopedia
Canadian women make 89 cents for every dollar men earn. Can new federal legislation narrow that gap? — Nick Boisvert, CBC News
The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap — AAUW
5 Facts About the State of the Gender Pay Gap — Janelle Jones, Department of Labor
The gender pay gap situation in the EU — European Commission

Episode 165: Rosie the Riveter
With her red polka dot kerchief, blue work shirt and confident “We Can Do It” pose, Rosie the Riveter emerged an icon for working women during WWII. The men who created her, however, never meant for her to be permanent. In this episode, Rachael tells her story, from her birth to her disappearance in the 1950s to her rebirth — and shares what it took to make her possible in real-life.

Episode Links
Saturday Evening Post (1940s vs 1950s)
“Good Work, Sister” poster, 1940s
Sorry Beyoncé, Rosie the Riveter Is No Feminist Icon. Here’s Why
Commerce Child Care Center brochure

Episode 164: Breast Is Best
When it comes to feeding infants, we seemingly all agree that “breast is best.” In 2015, CDC reported that 83 percent of U.S. babies start out that way. But we didn’t always think this way. In this episode, Jennifer and Rachael dive into the pressure on new moms to not only breastfeed, but to breast pump as well and how it has impacted the workforce and public policy.

Episode Links
Lactivism: How Feminists and Fundamentalists, Hippies and Yuppies, and Physicians and Politicians Made Breastfeeding Big Business and Bad Policy — Courtney Jung
Where does the United States stand on breastfeeding? — Laura Santhanam, PBS Newshour

Episode 163: The Great Resignation 2: Quittin’ Time
Pandemic pressures have pushed millions of women out of the job market. What will this mean for their careers and earning potential — and what really needs to change in order to support working parents’ ability to support their families? In this episode, Rachael and Jennifer dive deeper into The Great Resignation’s impact on women.

Episode Links
Women are leading the way in the ‘Great Resignation.’ Here’s what it means for employers and job seekers — Michelle Fox, CNBC
Why the Pandemic Is Forcing Women Out of the Workforce — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker
Women in the Workplace 2021 — LeanIn.org, McKinsey
During the "Great Resignation," women are changing jobs like never before — Aimee Picchi, CBS News
A Real-Time Look at The ‘Great Resignation’ — Luke Pardue, Gusto
2022 Employee Experience Trends: The 4 things your people need you to know — Qualtrics

Episode 162: Work Life Balance is a Crock
Yet another phrase created with the influx of working moms into white-collar professions in the 70s and 80s, work-life balance has stuck around as the concept we love to hate. Where did it come from and where will go from here? Jennifer + Rachael break it all down.

Episode Links
Work–Life Balance: History, Costs, and Budgeting for Balance — by Siva Raja, MD, PHD and Sharon L. Stein, MD, FACS, FASCRS
A Brief History of the 8-Hour Workday, Which Changed How Americans Work — by Marguerite Ward
Managers and Employees Have Very Different Views of Work-Life Balance — Advisory Board
What Is Work–Life Balance & Why Is It Important? — Alicia Nortje, Ph.D.
Beyond Work Life Integration — Joan C. Williams, Jennifer L. Berdahl, Joseph A. Vandello
Indeed Study Shows That Worker Burnout Is at Frighteningly High Levels: Here Is What You Need To Do Now — by Jack Kelly

Episode 161: Paid Leave: I’m Just a Bill
When the Family Medical Leave Act passed in January 1993, supporters hoped it was the first step to paid leave but here we are, still waiting. This week, we track the long and bumpy road to FMLA, look at what it actually offers and to whom, and try to name the five other countries that still don’t offer paid leave.

Episode Links
Getting Paid While Taking Time: The Women’s Movement and the Development of Paid Family Leave Policies in the United States — by Megan Sholar
The World ‘Has Found a Way to Do This’: The U.S. Lags on Paid Leave — by Claire Cain Miller
Paid Leave Is Incredibly Popular — Even With Republicans — by Gregory Svirnovskiy

Episode 160: The Great Resignation
When 4.3 million workers in America quit their jobs in one month, they might be telling you something. In this episode, Rachael and Jennifer consider the factors driving the job market today — and whether calling it “The Great Resignation” is the right way to go.

 Episode Links
‘I quit’ is all the rage. Blip or sea change? — Christina Pazzanese
The Great Resignation: Why More Americans Are Insisting on Work-Life Balance — Matthew Kolinski
The ‘Great Resignation’ is burning out those who stay. Here’s what they can do — Sharon Epperson and Michelle Fox
The Great Resignation has employers sweating. It’s time to escalate the pressure — Erika Rodriguez
The Great Resignation: Why People Are Leaving Their Jobs In Growing Numbers — Audie Cornish

Episode 159: When Did We All Become ‘Working Mothers’?
Women with children have been working as long as there have been women, babies and work — but the phrase “working mother” is a modern description. This week we launch Season Four with a deep dive into its complicated history.

Episode Links
Employment Characteristics of Families — 2020
Nation’s Working Mothers Increase 800% Over Last 150 Years
It’s Time To Retire The Phrase “Working Mom” — by Katherine Goldstein and Jo Piazza
A Blast From the Past: 10 Cringeworthy Ads from Past Issues of Working Mother
The Working Mother as Role Model — by Anita Shreve
The Triumph of the Working Mother — by Stephanie Coontz

SEASON THREE

Episode 158: Women + Invisible Work — with Dr. Marianne Cooper
In her most recent Women in the Workplace report, Stanford University sociologist, research and author Dr. Marianne Cooper reveals who is holding our workplaces together during the pandemic: “Women leaders are disproportionately doing the work to make their companies be better and do better. Their companies should do better by them.”

Episode Links
Research: Women Leaders Took on Even More Invisible Work During the Pandemic
Women in the Workplace 2021
Cut Adrift: Families in Insecure Times

Episode 157: Creating Healthy Financial Relationships — with Dr. Mary Bell Carson
At age 16, Dr. Mary Bell Carson was already starting her financial career, working as a bank teller in her hometown. After a career as a financial behavior expert in the military and government sectors, Dr. Carson now brings her expertise to Chief Financial Mom, where she helps moms make smart money decisions and have healthy financial relationships.

Episode Links
Chief Financial Mom

Episode 156: Tracking Your Digital Footprint — with Christopher Huziak
Tracking passwords and logins can be a hassle enough for ourselves, but how about our parents and loved ones? Christopher Huziak of Final Security shares about how his company is helping the Sandwich Generation deal with its digital legacy, whether for themselves or their parents and loved ones — and why it’s so important to protect.

Episode Links
Final Security

Episode 155: Getting Smart About Money — with Chelsea Brennan
When Chelsea Brennan left her hedge fund career, she had one goal in mind: to help more moms build thriving relationships with money — and teach their children the money lessons we never got. Today, Smart Money Mamas is helping thousands of women create lasting financial change for themselves and their families.

Episode Links
Smart Money Mamas

Episode 154: Parenting a Biracial Family — with Cecilia Aviles
As a senior operations executive at Sutter Health, Cecilia Aviles oversees a $1.4 billiondollar budget, 4,000 employees, and more than 1,000 clinicians located in multiple facilities across California’s Bay Area. She is also the mom to two biracial daughters who teach her something new everyday about race, gender and the next generation. In this episode, Cecilia shares what’s most surprising about her life in the Sandwich.

Episode 153: Changing Family Dynamics — with Tamar Smith
A working mom of two, Tamar Smith first met Jennifer in those heady first days of childcare drop-offs and pickups, when their toddler daughters chose each other as their first-ever friends. Now with their girls off to college, Tamar and Jennifer reconnect to talk about life as a family of three at home, responding to “how do I?” texts from our freshmen daughters — and how we plan to pay for the next eight years of college tuition.

Episode 152: Uncovering the real costs of health — with Jeanne Pinder
Have you ever price-checked a medical procedure — or even considered it? ClearHealthCosts CEO Jeanne Pinder is bringing transparency to the healthcare industry by gathering data on medical costs from providers, patients and government price lists. In this episode, she shares the questions we should all be asking our healthcare providers.

Episode Links
ClearHealthCosts

Episode 151: Building Wealth — with Deborah Owens
After two decades in the investing industry, Deborah Owens is now an author and wealth coach on a mission to help women overcome their fear of investing through coaching, accountability and support. On this episode, she shares why financial ignorance is so expensive — and why you can’t save your way to wealth.

Episode Links
Visit WealthyU
A Purse of Your Own: An Easy Guide to Financial Security
Nickel and Dime Your Way to Wealth and Confident Investing

Episode 150: Talking Life Insurance — with Jake Tamarkin
Jake Tamarkin, co-founder of Everyday Life Insurance, is on a mission to change his industry. His goal: to help people with average incomes find just the right amount of coverage to protect their families. In this episode, Jake shares his advice for doing just that — and what Jennifer should do when her own term policy ends.

Episode Links
Everyday Life insurance

Episode 130: True Tales of Working Fatherhood with Brett Sonnenschein
For our season three finale, long-time listener, first-time guest and working dad of two Brett Sonnenschein joins Jennifer to share his view of breadwinning and parenting. From rushing to pick ups and impacts on his career to tackling chores and juggling responsibilities at home, Brett recalls how the never-ending hustle has come to define his life and family.

Episode Links
Engaged Dads and the Opportunities for and Barriers to Equal Parenting in the United States
What’s Keeping Men From Doing More at Home? Actual Caregiving Experience
Lifting the Barriers to Paid Family and Medical Leave for Men in the United States
The End of the End of Men

Episode 129: A Simple + Bold Vision for Working Parents: Daisy Dowling
Even with 52 million Americans working and parenting at the same time, working parenthood can still feel like a lonely (and exhausting) proposition.. Global talent expert and coach Daisy Dowling joins Jennifer to consider the challenges currently facing working moms and dads — and shares solutions from her new book, Workparent.  

Episode Links
Workparent: The Complete Guide to Succeeding on the Job, Staying True to Yourself, and Raising Happy Kids
A Way Forward for Working Parents
A Working Parent’s Survival Guide

Episode 128: Would You Rather Quit Than Commute?
The world is coming back online — and workplaces are too. But many employees say they aren’t ready to return to their desks. In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider a new survey that finds 39 percent of employees would consider quitting if their employers weren’t flexible about remote work. (Among millennials and Gen Z, that figure rises to 49 percent.) Are you ready to commute again? 

Episode Links
Employees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From Home

Episode 127: On Being a Financial Grown Up With Bobbi Rebell
Author, speaker and Money Tips for Grownups podcast host Bobbi Rebell joins Jennifer to talk about learning to launch our kids into their financial futures the right way, mistakes and all — and how we’ve each learned our own breadwinning lessons too. 

Episode Links
How to Be a Financial Grownup: Proven Advice from High Achievers on How to Live Your Dreams and Have Financial Freedom
Money Tips for Financial GrownUps podcast

Episode 126: Staying Sane in a Pandemic: Anxiety-a-Go-Go Outside
To mask or not to mask, that is the question we all have as we step into a changed world. In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider this latest stage of the pandemic: reopening and the impact of what some scientists are calling COVID-19 anxiety syndrome. 

Episode Links
COVID-19 anxiety syndrome: A pandemic phenomenon?
The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use

Episode 125: Where Does the Joy of Success Hide?
Feeling dissatisfied, disconnected, and maybe even a little bored, management consultant Tina Berger asked herself: Surely this can’t be all there is to life? That question led Tina on a spiritual quest to reawaken the inspiration she lost on her way to success. Her book, Coming Around, shares lessons learned by questioning not only how we judge accomplishments but the hidden systems that too often get in our way. 

Episode Links
Coming Around: Surprises and Surrender on the Path to Inspiration
Why Empathic Leadership Is Essential

Episode 124: Is the Road Back to Work Becoming a Highway?
With the number of vaccinated Americans growing, CEOs are now turning to returning to work — with some handling the transition better than others. In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider the pushback some leaders are facing as they consider post-pandemic office life, especially one that comes without school or child care services firmly in place.

Episode Links
Employees Are Feeling Burned Over Broken Work-from-Home Promises and Corporate Culture ‘BS’ As Employers Try To Bring Them Back to the Office
Washingtonian Staff Protests C.E.O.’s Article on Remote Work by Refusing to Publish
WeWork CEO Says Least Engaged Employees Enjoy Working From Home
WeWork Report: The Future of Work Is Hybrid
Who Works Where [and Who Cares?]: A Manager's Guide to the New World of Work

Episode 123: Raising Up the Next Generation of Breadwinners
At last count, the U.S. was home to about 10.3 million teen girls (15 to 19) thinking about who they want to be — but not quite sure how to get there. That’s where former M&A lawyer Illana Raia comes in. Illana has founded Être, a mentorship platform to connect girls in the U.S., Canada and India with female leaders to help them see potential futures for themselves.

Episode Links
Être: Girls, Who Do You Want to Be?
How a Former Skadden Lawyer Founded a Mentorship Program for Girls
Meet Four Middle School Girls Changing the World Through Science

Episode 121: When Woke at Work Goes Wrong
Since its birth in the late 90s, Big Tech has fostered a culture of young employees encouraged to express themselves. But as society has begun to reckon with the impacts of systemic racism, sexism and white privilege, so too have such sensitive and painful topics come to work across the tech industry (and more mature ones as well).

Episode Links
What Really Happened at Basecamp
Inside the All-hands Meeting That Led to a Third Of Basecamp Employees Quitting
Basecamp CEO Apologizes to Staff In New Post: "We Have a Lot to Learn"
WWD in Turmoil After Staffer Behind Grievance Forum Canned

Episode 121: Families on Mental Overload
This year’s Bright Horizons survey of working families finds that the stress and mental loads are bigger than ever. Yet it’s not only us parents who are struggling. Chief Marketing Officer Kristy Cunningham joins Jennifer to share how children are managing their own mental loads and what’s worrying parents right now in terms of the impacts on our children’s social skills, cognitive development, and overall childhoods.

Episode Links
7th Bright Horizons Annual Modern Family Index

Episode 120: Twice the Hustle: Juggling More Than One Gig
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s quiet commitment to maintaining her teaching career at Northern Virginia Community College even as First Lady has us thinking about the growing numbers of Americans, especially women, who hold more than one job at a time, how we’ve done it ourselves — and 21 suggestions for side hustle gigs.

Episode Links
Share of U.S. Workers Holding Multiple Jobs Is Rising, New Census Report Shows
21 Ways to Make Money Online for Beginners
Jill Biden Gives Quiet Lesson in Juggling First Lady Role With Outside Job

Episode 119: Charting Your Own Career Transformation
We’ve all experienced a career transition (or two) but a career transformation is something altogether different. In this episode, Pat Roque of Rock on Success joins Jennifer to share how she’s helping women find the mindset, skill set and tool set they need to create the career and life they truly want.

Episode Links
Rock on Success Free Soul-Searching Assessment
The $68 Trillion Transfer of Wealth In America Is Evaporating Amid Crisis

Episode 118: No Is a Complete Sentence Rarely Said
In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider Anne Helen Petersen’s insightful essay, “Against ‘Feel Free To Take Some Time If You Need It’,” which considers the internal and external pressure to stay productive at all costs.

Episode Links
Against ‘Feel Free to Take Some Time If You Need It’

Episode 117: Re-finding the Lost Art of Connecting
To Susan McPherson, founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies, there is much more to connecting than sending a generic LinkedIn invite. Known for her extensive, vital and vibrant network of contacts, Susan joins The Breadwinners to share her passion for connection as well as her new book, The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Relationships. 

Episode Links
New Survey Reveals 85% of All Jobs Are Filled via Networking
The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Business Relationships

Episode 116: Finding Resilience When You’ve Got the Blahs
Vaccines are rolling out nationwide, meaning that life is shifting once again. In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider how the pandemic is prompting some people to see opportunities for change and action, while Jennifer experiences a deep case of the Blahs.

Episode Links
Out of the Pandemic, Chances for Another Future
Feeling Blah During the Pandemic? It's Called Languishing
Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change
How Resilience Works

Episode 115: Doula Download: No Question Off Limits
Nearly 4 million babies are born every year in the U.S., and yet it seems like we all start from zero when it comes to learning what we want — and need — to know as new moms. Certified doula and author Bailey Gaddis joins Jennifer to talk about her new book, Asking for a Pregnant Friend: 101 Answers to Questions Women Are Too Embarrassed to Ask About Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood — and shares the answers that surprised even her.

Episode Links
Why I Celebrate My Naked, Honest Postpartum Body Loud And Proud
13 Secrets of People Who Always Have a Clean House
Asking for a Pregnant Friend: 101 Answers to Questions Women Are Too Embarrassed to Ask About Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood 
​Feng Shui Mommy: Creating Balance and Harmony for Blissful Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood

Episode 114: Anywhere But Here: Summer Travel Plans?
As vaccines reach more adults and older teens, families with younger kids have a new equation to solve when it comes to making summer plans. Will this be the second year of no summer camp, limited travel and shocking amounts of screentime? (#askingforafriend)

Episode Links
Family Travel Gets Complicated Without a Covid Vaccine for Kids
You’re Vaccinated. Your Kids Are Not. What Now?
Summer Vacation With Unvaccinated Kids: Here's What You Can Do

Episode 113: Finding Clarity in a Pandemic
A time of isolation and stress can also be one of clarity, helping you to answer the essential (and eternal) question: What is your Why? Executive and personal coach Shoshanna Hecht joins Jennifer to share how she works with high-achieving women to take concrete and powerful actions toward their goals — and how lessons we’re learning now will impact our lives as breadwinners in the future.

Episode Links
These Work-from-home Tips Can Help You Take 'control Over Your' Day
Could the Coronavirus Pandemic Shift Gender Roles Once and for All?

Episode 112: The Fight for Predictable Hourly Work Schedules
In a move to increase job satisfaction and lower hardship, Seattle has passed a law requiring major employers post schedules 14 days in advance. Rachael + Jennifer consider the 58 percent of U.S. workers paid an hourly wage (82 million) and the impact that unpredictable work schedules can have on their lives and families.

Episode Links
Seattle’s Secure Scheduling Ordinance: Year 2 Worker Impact Report

Episode 111: Breadwinning and Buying Gender Fair 
One of the biggest weapons in the fight for gender equality comes from how we spend our money. Since 2014, journalist Amy Cross has been working to make it easier for consumers to do just that by assessing thousands of companies through Gender Fair.

Episode Links
Five Minutes With Amy Cross, Founder of Gender Fair
Gender Fair App on Apple App Store, Google Play Store and Chrome Extension.

Episode 110: Entrepreneurship — Or Winning Your Own Bread
In 2019, American women were starting an average of 1,817 new businesses per day. In this episode, Rachael and Jennifer consider what drives women to cut their own path, share their own experiences with entrepreneurship and revisit Morra Aarons-Mele’s excellent essay on the dangers of “entrepreneurship porn.”

Episode Links
The Dangerous Rise of “Entrepreneurship Porn”
Fly Female Founders: How She Build That Event
SCORE: The State of Women Entrepreneurs
Women.NYC

Episode 109: Caring (and Fighting) for Kids with Special Healthcare Needs
Today 20 percent of U.S. children have an ongoing health issue related to physiology, development, behavior, and/or mental health — and that number is rising. Sehreen Noor Ali, co-CEO of Sleuth, a guide for early childhood health that helps parents identify solutions, resources and cures through shared stories and smart technology, discusses the fight parents face to get the care their kids need from our health and education systems.

Episode Links
Work-Life Imbalance: Parenting a Child with Healthcare Needs

Episode 108: Drawing a Roadmap to Return to Work
As some employers begin to reopen offices, a new survey finds that half of all workers wish to remain remote permanently. In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider how leading firms are considering the answers to the important questions when, how, and why should employees return to the workplace? And why no one size ever fits all.

Episode Links
SHRM: Half of Workers Wish to Remain Remote Permanently

Episode 107: Think Like a Breadwinner — Not a Budgeter
In her new book, financial expert, author and first-ever return guest (!) Jennifer Barrett returns to reframe what it means to be a breadwinner. By dismantling the narrative that women don’t — and shouldn’t — take financial responsibility to create the lives they want, Jennifer reveals not only the importance of women building their own wealth but the freedom and power that comes with it.

Episode Links
Think Like a Breadwinner: A Wealth-Building Manifesto for Women Who Want to Earn More (and Worry Less)
Could The Coronavirus Pandemic Shift Gender Roles Once And For All?
Why We All Need to Think Like Breadwinners
Women and Investing: The Gender Wealth Gap Nobody Talks About

Episode 106: Breadwinners Are Mad as Hell
The question is, will that anger equal action? In this episode, we consider Helen Lewis’ insightful new essay, “The Pandemic Has Given Women a New Kind of Rage,” and remember how spot-on she was a year ago as the pandemic erupted. (Revisit that one in Episode 11: Breadwinning + Caregiving in a Pandemic)

 Episode Links
The Pandemic Has Given Women a New Kind of Rage
The Coronavirus Is a Disaster for Feminism
Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights

Episode 105: How to Think Like a Writer — Even if You’re Not One
Former magazine publishing exec Deborah Burns shares what she learned about writing after completing her memoir. It’s a lesson she now shares with brands and executives alike as they seem to invent — and reinvent — themselves in her new book out this month.

Episode Links
Saturday’s Child
Authorize it: Think Like a Writer to Win at Work & Life

Episode 104: Breadwinning in a Childcare Desert
Before the pandemic, the price of childcare already rivaled that of many college tuitions — and that’s if you could find it. Now, researchers estimate that at least 20,000 childcare centers have closed in the pandemic, with thousands more expected to follow suit.

Episode Links
20,000 Day Cares May Have Closed in the Pandemic. What Happens When Parents Go Back to Work?
Middle-income and Rural Families Disproportionately Grapple With Child-Care Deserts, New Analysis Shows
Interactive Childcare Desert Map

Episode 103: Breadwinning in the Changing World of Work 
When it comes to navigating careers, author and thinker extraordinaire Lindsey Pollak says the most successful and happy professionals describe themselves as frequent and deliberate recalculators, constantly considering where they want to go next. In Recalculating: Navigate Your Career Through the Changing World of Work, she shares actionable advice for activating your own personal GPS to avoid obstacles and get where you want to go.  

Episode Links
23 Essential Tips for Working Remotely
Recalculating: Navigate Your Career Through the Changing World of Work
The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace

Episode 102: Breadwinning + Debt: So Much Interest
Between receiving less help from their parents, earning more college degrees than men — and oh yes, the gender wage gap, women now hold two-thirds of America’s student loan debt, according to the American Association of University Women. We consider the role that gender is playing in the student loan debt crisis.

Episode Links
Student Debt Forgiveness Is a Women’s Issue
American Women Hold Two-thirds of All Student Debt — Here’s Why
The Double X Economy The Epic Potential of Women's Empowerment

Episode 101: Crafting a Breadwinning Career
From her love of crochet, quilting and crafts, Linda Permann has built a career as a talented writer, editor, designer and teacher, working for such brands as Adorn, Craftsy and Bluprint. Today, she is on the other side of the business, serving as Yarn Manager for One Big Happy Yarn Company, where she is building a store from scratch, while also creating content — and raising two future crafters as well.

Episode Links
Linda Permann’s Designs on Ravelry
One Big Happy Yarn Co.
Crochet Adorned
Little Crochet 
Sugar and Spice

Episode 100: Don’t Call Her ‘Super Mom’
Rachael + Jennifer consider the power of words, especially those by Claire Trageser in her essay on Elle.com, “Stop Telling Women They're Amazing.” From real-life stories of Mom-Life to Rachael’s grandmother’s favorite Erma Bombeck column, we consider how to see and talk about what we’re all experiencing now as breadwinning moms.

Episode Links
Stop Telling Women They're Amazing
'I Thought It Was Going to Break Me': Covid's Brutal Toll on Working Mothers
Katherine Goldstein on Twitter
I Am the One Woman Who Has It All
Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less
Untamed

Episode 99: Have You Heard the One About the Breadwinners?
Lynn Harris, founder and CEO of Gold Comedy, an online platform for funny women and nonbinary folks to learn about writing and telling jokes, assembling a standup comedy set and trying out material, joins Jennifer to talk about the power of a good joke and how comedy fosters confidence.

Episode Links
The Radical Power of Becoming a Funny Girl
Statistics Show Dudes Still Get Majority Of Bookings at Stand-up Comedy Shows

Episode 98: Staying Sane in a Pandemic: Part IV
As vaccines start to roll out and friends and family report some success in accessing them, the pandemic’s end seems so close and yet so far away. In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider the latest research on our collective mental health, consider whether phone calls are making a comeback and share how they are navigating the pandemic’s latest long chapter.   

Episode Links
Nearly Half of U.S. Workers Suffer From Mental Health Issues Since Covid-19 Pandemic Hit, Report Finds
‘What’s the Point?’ Young People’s Despair Deepens as Covid-19 Crisis Drags On
Helping Your Remote Team Be Positive w/Leah Bonvissuto of PresentVoices
The Humble Phone Call Has Made a Comeback

Episode 97: Getting Back to Work as a Breadwinner
Before the pandemic, 2.2 million non-working moms with college degrees said they wanted to go back to work. With thousands of women leaving the workforce due to caregiving, homeschooling and job losses, it’s a number that’s sure to rise. Carol Fishman Cohen, CEO and co-founder of iRelaunch, joins to talk about career breaks, returnships and the impact of the pandemic on women’s return-to-work plans.

Episode Links
Ted Talk: How to Get Back to Work After a Career Break
Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay-at-Home Moms Who Want to Return to Work
To the 865,000 Women Who Left the Workforce Last Month…
Women With Career Gaps Are Being Tapped for Talent Pool

Episode 96: Breadwinning + Retirement: Is It Still Possible?
Nearly 3 in 4 women with at least $100,000 to invest now say the pandemic has negatively affected their ability to retire. In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider the pandemic’s impact on the existing gender gap in retirement savings.

Episode Links
Women and Retirement Income: 7 Important Facts
Is FOMO Preventing You From Spending Instead of Saving? Try ‘Mastering Your Money’ Instead
New Advisor Authority Study Reveals COVID’s Impact on Women Investors
Covid-19 Has Hurt Women's Retirement Accounts ― Here's How To Rebuild

Episode 95: Building a Runway for Your Business to Take Flight
Here’s a sobering stat: While more than 11 million firms are women-owned, only 4 percent generate revenues of $1 million or more. Aliza Freud, founder and CEO of SheSpeaks, an influencer marketing agency founded in 2007, talks about what it takes to grow from solo-preneur to payroll-paying business as well as the pros and cons of seeking investor funds to grow your company.

Episode Links
Women Business Owner Statistics: National Association of Women Business Owners

Episode 94: Breadwinners + Transitions at Work: The First 90 Days
According to famed executive coach Michael Watkins, about a third of a company is in transition at any one time as people change roles, responsibilities and employers, impacting everyone they were working with as well as their new team. We consider the research on career transitions — and Jennifer reveals her new dream career.

Episode Links
The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins
Navigating the Emotional Side of a Career TransitionHow to Start a Job Remotely
Understanding The Hierarchy of Competence
Change and the Bridges’ Transition Model
The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career

Episode 93: Breadwinning + Getting Paid What You’re Worth
When it comes to know what you’re worth (and seeing it in your paycheck) it helps to have friends — as in those who will share their stories, strategies and tips for negotiating your full compensation package. Consider Claire Wasserman, founder of Ladies Get Paid, that friend. She shares her new book, which features nine real-life stories of breadwinning women and the steps they took to get paid. 

Episode Links
Ladies Get Paid: The Ultimate Guide to Breaking Barriers, Owning Your Worth, and Taking Command of Your Career
Friends Who Talk About Money podcast
7 Career Coaches on the Most Important Advice They’re Giving Clients Right Now
Want to Get Paid What You’re Worth? Claire Wasserman and the Ladies Get Paid Network Are Here to Help 

Episode 92: What Would a Marshall Plan for Moms Look Like for Breadwinners?
Girls Who Code Founder Reshma Saujani and 50 or so influential voices have asked President Biden to consider creating a “Marshall Plan” to help the millions of working moms pushed out — or at least weighed down — by the added caregiving, homeschooling and not to mention, job losses impacting them and their families.

Episode Links
Techies take out full-page NYT ad to propose "Marshall Plan for Moms"
See Reshma Saujani’s Tweet Photo of the NYT ad
Read the Letter at Marshall Plan for Moms
We Should Not Pay Women to Be Moms | Opinion
Melinda Gates: Why Women's Voices Must Be at the Center of Rebuilding After COVID-19

Episode 91: Flexible Work: What Needs to Come Next?
With nearly half the U.S labor force now working from home full-time, employers and employees see flexible work very differently than they did a year ago. But what should post-pandemic office life look like? Manar Morales, founder and CEO of Diversity and Flexibility Alliance, shares her work, thinking and conversations with employers about how to build workplace cultures that truly work for all.

Episode Links
The COVID-19 Crisis Provides an Extraordinary Opportunity for Business Leaders
How to Build A Diverse and Inclusive Workforce as a Small Business
Google Will Let All Its Staff Work 2 Days From Home as Part of a 'Flexible Work Week' Starting September 2021

Episode 90: Breadwinning and the Hidden Burden of Pandemic Vaccinations
In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider our never-ending to-do lists, the joy of white boards and the job of getting our loved ones vaccinated: “In a time like now — amid literal insurrection and thousands of pandemic deaths a day — it’s easy to lose sight of just how thinly stretched half the country’s population is.” — feminist author Jessica Valenti, “Women Will Bear the Burden of Getting Our Aging Parents Vaccinated.”

Episode Links
Women Will Bear the Burden of Getting Our Aging Parents Vaccinated 
The Secret to Getting a Vaccine Appointment

Episode 89: The Power of Storytelling — and Story Listening
What makes a good story? Thaler Pekar, master storyteller, joins The Breadwinners to talk about how she and her team work with organizations to find, develop and amplify stories that foster critical support — and why story listening is so important for us all.

Episode Links
Every Perspective Has a Story

Episode 88: The True Cost of Bad Bosses + Toxic Workplaces
Despite an estimated $15 billion spent annually on manager training and leadership development, a recent study finds 75 percent of Americans still say their “boss is the most stressful part of their workday.” In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider the research and share their own experiences and tips for dealing with workplaces that don’t work.

Episode Links
Time’s Up for Toxic Workplaces
The 3 Signs of a Toxic Leader (And What to Do if You’re Working for One)
What to Do When You Have a Bad Boss
Does Having a Bad Boss Make You More Likely to Be One Yourself?

Episode 87: Hero, Sage, Explorer: What’s Your Brand?
Psychiatrist Carl Jung claims there are 12 personality archetypes that “are imprinted and hardwired into our psyches.” Entrepreneur and branding strategist Kristi Faulkner joins The Breadwinners to talk about how Jung’s archetypes can help brands — and individuals — better understand the way customers/audiences perceive them as well as how to speak more clearly to those you want to reach.

Episode Links
Solid Advice For Finding A Job In A Suddenly Shaky World
Brand Archetypes
Co-Star app

Episode 86: Breadwinning + Working for Free: No More #MoocherMondays

When Tiffany Haddish was invited to host a three-hour pre-telecast ceremony for the Grammys for no pay, she had two words to say: “No thanks.” In this episode, we consider the attraction (and pressure) to work for free, whether speaking at events, writing thought leadership, weighing in on a proposal or the like. When do the factors of free work add up in your favor — and when is it all just a big fat zero?

Episode Links
Why Women Should Say No to Unpaid Speaking Engagements (and Other Freelance Jobs) 
Why Tiffany Haddish Turned Down Hosting the Grammys Pre-Telecast
For Love and Honor
Meet Liz Kressel + Lizard Strategy

Episode 85: Breadwinning + the Single Mom
When it comes to breaking down gender norms at home, author and activist Emma Johnson argues that one of the best tools society has is shared parenting agreements in cases of divorce. Johnson shares results from her new survey of 2,300 single moms: “The answer is clear: The more equality that women have with their parenting schedule, the more money they make, the happier they are and the better they feel about themselves as moms.” 

Episode Links
The Kickass Single Mom: Be Financially Independent, Discover Your Sexiest Self, and Raise Fabulous, Happy Children.
The Parenting Fantasy that Holds Women Back
Self-care for Single Moms
8 Things You Should Never Say To a Single Mom
Moms for Shared Parenting

Episode 84: Breadwinning + Running for Office
A new administration marks a new chapter for the hundreds (thousands?) of women who successfully ran for office in 2020. In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider the rising numbers of women running for office, why we need even more female voices in politics and the awesomeness of creating a new tradition of Second Gentleman.

Episode Links
Mothers Made History in the 2020 Election
There Are More Moms in Congress Than Ever Before 
Sen. Duckworth Makes History, Casts Vote With Baby on Senate Floor
“How Does She Do This?”: Mothers in Congress | US House of Representatives
She Should Run
The Campaign School at Yale University
Vote Mama PAC

Episode 83: On Becoming an Anti-Ableist for People with Disabilities
Conversations regarding diversity at work often focus on questions of race and gender, leaving little room to discuss the needs of employees with visible and non-visible disabilities. Dr. Jennifer Sarrett of Disruptive Inclusion and Emory University’s Center for the Study of Human Health joins to consider questions of language, stigma and accommodations in the workplace for people with disabilities — and what it means to be an anti-ableist.

Episode Links
Language Matters: Ableism in Everyday Language
Interviews, Disclosures, and Misperceptions: Autistic Adults' Perspectives on Employment-Related Challenges
Persons With a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics — 2019

Episode 82: What’s Your Number? Breadwinners and the Value of Money
Do you talk about how much you make? Would you ever? In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider how our relationship to money is tied to our values — and how we value ourselves. We also consider how not talking about money impacts the wage gap for women.

Episode Links
Why You Should Tell Your Co-Workers How Much Money You Make
How to Talk About Your Salary with Co-Workers
Amanda Clayman: What Does Money Mean To You?

Episode 81: Love (and Sex) in the Time of Covid
There’s no getting around it: relationships take work. In this episode, sex and relationships therapist Cyndi Darnell shares her insights on how the pandemic is impacting our sex lives, the power of being vulnerable and relationship myths.

Episode Links
How To Make Sex Better For Her: 8 Tips To Pleasure a Woman
Revealed: The Five Things You Can Do To Keep Sex Smouldering - Even in a Long Term Relationship
I'm A Sex Therapist. Here's What My Dating Life Is Like.

Episode 80: How About a New New Deal for the New Year?
Child care, elder care, health care, and housing. As we turn the page on a new year and a new administration, Rachael + Jennifer mark the first anniversary of The Breadwinners by considering what a worker-centric approach to the economy should — and could — look like.

Episode Links
Economic Rights as Industrial Policy
Build(ing) The Future: Bold Policies For A Gender-Equitable Recovery

SEASON TWO

Episode 79: ‘Ungaslighting’ and Other Stories for Breadwinning Moms
Jennifer + Rachael consider Indiana University sociologist Jessica Calarco’s research on “mothers grappling with parenting, partners, anxiety, work, and feelings of failure during the pandemic,” featured in a great interview with writer Anne Helen Petersen.

Episode Links
‘Other Countries Have Social Safety Nets. The U.S. Has Women.’

Episode 78: Crisis, Care and Creativity in the Pandemic
Just when you think your health care team has seen it all — pivoting to create outdoor urgent care, drive-up testing services, and a parking-facility x-ray center to serve patients in a pandemic — wildfire smoke drive you back inside to learn about air exchangers. Cecilia Aviles, senior operations executive for Sutter Health in Northern California, joins Jennifer to talk about how her massive team of 4,000 employees and 1,000 clinicians are finding new ways to serve patients, what a vaccine will require once it finally arrives — and how her experience and education has led to this incredibly important leadership moment.

Episode Links
Flu Season Faces Never-Before-Seen Challenge: Covid-19
18 Women Leaders Selected for Carol Emmott Fellowship

Episode 77: Staying Sane in a Pandemic: Holiday Edition
Winter is coming, the holidays are looming and the pandemic is still here. Are you feeling as anxious and stressed about all of this as we are? In this episode, we consider the stress we’re under normally this time of year — and how the pandemic is compounding it. Oh, and we talk about ways to cope too.

Episode Links
5 Things to Do This Fall That Will Make Your Pandemic Winter a Little Easier
Healthy Lifestyle: Stress Management
Five Ways to Recharge Your Personal Batteries

Episode 76: When a Mama Bear’s Claws Come Out
When Amber Briggle called her county sheriff out for his anti-transgender comments in 2016, little did she know it would lead to an invitation to the White House. What she did know, however, was the importance of learning, advocating and growing into her role as a breadwinning parent of a middle school son who is transgender — which he argues is the least interesting thing about him. (He can do triple back flip, after all!)

Episode Links
Transgender Kids Are Just Kids After All
Meet Max on GenderCool.org
The Texas Attorney General Promised to Remember My Transgender Son. His Recent Actions Show He's Forgotten
Research Brief: Data on Transgender Youth

Episode 75: Why Are Women Leaders Better at Leading Through Covid?
An analysis of 194 countries finds that infection and fatality rates in the first three months of the pandemic were generally lower in countries with female leaders. In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider what we can learn from these countries’ leaders — including Angela Merkel, Jacinda Ardern, Tsai Ing-Wen and Erna Solberg — reporting significantly lower rates of infection and death due to Covid.

Episode Links
Are Women Leaders Really Doing Better on Coronavirus? the Data Backs It Up
Female-Led Countries’ COVID-19 Outcomes “Systematically and Significantly Better”
6 Things We Can Learn From How Women Leaders Have Handled the Pandemic
Why Are Women-Led Nations Doing Better With Covid-19?
Power Over: Power With/To/Within - Brene Brown

Episode 74: Grief, Resilience + Holidays in the Time of Covid
The holiday season normally be hard enough when we’ve lost a loved one but add in a loss of normality and you’ve got a recipe for sadness and stress. Grief and resilience expert Allison Gilbert visits The Breadwinners to share her insights for remembering our loved ones, finding joy, and new ways to celebrate and honor those we’ve lost through meaningful virtual memorials.

Episode Links
Allison Gilbert eCourses
Passed and Present: Keeping Memories of Loved Ones Alive
Parentless Parents
Rejecting the Name My Parents Chose
That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief

Episode 73: Can You Get Promoted in a Pandemic? Men Can. 
Turns out as with all things gender and work, there’s a promotion pandemic gap too. In this episode, we consider new research showing that one-third of men working remotely with kids at home have received a promotion during the pandemic versus just 9 percent of women in the same situation — not to mention the raises that go along with them.

Episode Links
Not in the Same Boat: Career Progression in the Pandemic
Pandemic Fallout: Men Got 3 Times More Promotions Than Women

Episode 72: Answering Real-Life Questions of Diversity + Breadwinning
In this episode, Dr. Vanessa Weaver, diversity expert and CEO and founder of Alignment Strategies, joins Jennifer to talk about her three decades of work to bring equity and belonging to companies’ cultures of success; how the conversation around racism changed this year; and where it needs to go in the years to come.

Episode Links
Taking Bold Steps on Shaky D&I Ground
Protests Nationwide — Diversity/Inclusion Expert Dr. Vanessa Weaver Breaks It Down

Episode 71: Must We All Have Side Hustles Now?
Research finds that more than a third of all American workers have a side hustle now — a result fueled in part by the pandemic’s decimating impact on jobs and wages. In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider what economists mean by “gig economy” versus the “passion economy” or “hustle economy” — and what it means for all of us breadwinners to be working so much right now.

Episode Links
The Gig Economy Is Failing. Say Hello to the Hustle Economy
Covid Pandemic Turns America Into a Nation of Freelancers

Episode 70: The Kids Are Back to School. Now What?
It seems like yesterday that we were all just trying to figure out what the school year might look like — now it’s about dealing with the day-to-day of life, lessons and learning. Work-life expert Michelle Birnbaum joins Jennifer to talk about the new rules, etiquette and stresses impacting working parents — and their employers — as well as to share her guide for navigating it all.

Episode Links
Life in the Q: Tips and Resources for Working Parents
Now It’s Personal: Summer 2020 & COVID-19
Resuming School During COVID-19: A Resource Guide for Parents
Planning a Socially Safe Summer During COVID-19 - Workplace Options

Episode 69: Is the ‘She-Cession’ Real? Spoiler Alert: Yes.
Before COVID, recessions were typically “man-cessions,” impacting male-dominated industries like housing construction and manufacturing. Like all things now, the pandemic has upended the norm, fueling significant job losses for women working in restaurants, hotels and retail, to name just a few.

Episode Links
Four Times More Women Than Men Dropped Out of the Labor Force in September 
Women’s Unemployment During the Pandemic Vastly Outpaces Men’s
Impact of the Covid-19 Crisis on Women’s Employment
Breadwinning + Caregiving: Why We Won’t Just ‘Figure It Out’
Welp, That Sucks: Moms Are Taking It on the Chin 

Episode 68: You’re Included — But Do You Really Belong?
Michael Collins, Chief of Staff for Employee Engagement at Google, joins Jennifer to talk about the evolving nature of diversity, equity + inclusion efforts; the central role that whiteness still plays in these discussions; and the importance of building a culture of belonging for all employees at Google.

Episode Links
Google Diversity Annual Report 2020
Kerry Washington Opens Up About Diversity Issues in Hollywood: 'We're Still Centering Whiteness'
Diversity During COVID-10 Still Matters: McKinsey
Don’t Let the Pandemic Set Back Gender Equality

Episode 67: Women at the Helm — What Do We See?
Six women vied for the presidential nomination this year. Today, one of them — Sen. Kamala Harris (D., CA) — is a major-party candidate for vice president, navigating the racial, ethnic and gender biases that continue to impact our daily lives. We consider the research into how Americans view female leaders and consider what still needs to change since Victoria Woodhull became the first woman to run for president nearly 150 years ago.

Episode Links
Women and Leadership 2018
Work-Life Conflict & Women in the Workplace
She Should Run
Women Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates: A Selected List
Barbie Unveils Election-Inspired Dolls — Including a Black Woman Running for President!
Surge, the Movie

Episode 66: Sex and the Breadwinning CEO
Barbara Cook, CEO of Lovers, a female-founded sexual wellness retailer and brand with stores in five states, joins Jennifer to share how she is navigating the pandemic’s impact on retail, learning more about remote work than she had ever expected, and working to rebrand Lovers to reignite passion in the nearly 40-year-old brand.

Episode Links
Lovers store locator
What Entrepreneurs Need To Know About the Sexual Wellness Sector in 2020
Why Retail Is Short on Women Leaders—and What Retailers Can Do About It
U.S. Sexual Wellness Market Stats

Episode 65: The Past, Present and Future of Flexible Work
We mark the 8th annual National Flex Day, the holiday that spotlights the power of flexible work. Jennifer + Rachael consider how our collective take on workplace culture has changed since 2013 — as well as since March when the pandemic forced 42 percent of the labor force to work from home full time over night.

Episode Links
Zooming into a Very Different National Flex Day
Is There a Business Case for Returning to the Office?
Upsides for Some Remote Workers; Lost Pay and Security for Others
Study Reveals Gender Inequality in Telecommuting
Working from Home While Black
Stanford Research Provides a Snapshot of a New Working-From-Home Economy

Episode 64: Get Ready for National Flex Day on October 20!
FlexJobs’ Brie Reynolds joins Jennifer to talk about a Bizarro world where 42 percent of the labor force now work from home full-time — something only 5 percent of us were doing before the pandemic. As we all learn what we like and don’t like about flexible work, most of us still want to keep at least some aspect of it going forward.

Episode Links
3 Great Ways to Join in Events for National Flex Day!
What Makes Workers Feel Disconnected and Powerless at Work
How Flexible Work Benefits Companies and Employees

Episode 63: ‘Gender Blind Is Not Gender Neutral’
In a recent op-ed for Foreign Affairs, philanthropist Melinda Gates laid out ways our typical pandemic responses leave women behind. Rachael + Jennifer consider Gates’ argument as well as UN recommendations for supporting women here and globally to ensure we don’t exacerbate existing inequalities even as we fight the pandemic’s daily impact on aspects of our lives.

Episode Links
The Pandemic’s Toll on Women
UN Secretary-General’s Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on Women
The Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19 on Women of Color
IFundWomen

Episode 62: Breadwinners + Eldercare: Trapped in the Sandwich
At The Breadwinners, we often talk about caregiving as parents. But how about as children caring for our parents? In this episode, Jeff Bevis, CEO of FirstLight Home Care, an in-home care provider, joins Jennifer to talk about trends in eldercare and the pressures on caregivers, especially breadwinners.

Episode Links
Caregiver Statistics: Work and Caregiving — Family Caregiver Alliance
Most Retirees Prefer to Stay Put — AARP survey
More Workers Than You Realize Are Caregivers — SHRM

Episode 61: Why Is It So Hard to Be a Good Friend in a Pandemic?
Before work, family and life intrudes, making and keeping friends seems almost as easy as breathing. Now the pandemic is making relationships harder than ever to sustain. Rachael + Jennifer consider the power of friendship to improve our lives, grow our brains, and create a biweekly podcast on work-life issues.

Episode Links
Friendships Are Crucial To Survive the Isolation of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Why Do They Feel so Hard?The Unraveling of Friendships During COVID-19
How the Coronavirus Rekindled Our Need for Nuturing Friendships
Stress From the Pandemic Can Destroy Relationships With Friends — Even Families
Friendship, interrupted: Disconnection in the era of COVID-19

Episode 60: Breadwinning + Tech: Asking the Big Questions
When it comes to where we want to be as a community, nation and world, we all have a role and responsibility to play. But first, we need to decide where we want to go. Kristina Libby, Chief Science Officer at Hypergiant, joins Jennifer to talk about the role that tech, art and soul plays in our lives — and why we need diverse viewpoints asking important questions at every stage.

Episode Links
Deepfakes Are Amazing. They're Also Terrifying for Our Future.
Women in Tech Statistics for 2020 (and How We Can Do Better)
How to Reframe a Negative Mindset and Shift Your Perspective

Episode 59: What Choice Do We Really Have When It Comes to Work + Family?
Writing in The New York Times, columnist Claire Cain Miller points out the essential breadwinners truth: “Framing how to balance work and family as personal choices… distracts from the bigger structural issues that force these choices. Individuals are left to figure out how to make it work — and feel guilty when it doesn’t.” In this episode, we go back to basics to consider what we all need to work and live during a pandemic.  

Episode 58: Picturing the Not-Perfect Pandemic Life
When art director and photographer Natalie Kocsis decided to document her daily pandemic life as a breadwinning single mom with a pre-K son at home, little did she know she’d still be doing it 170 days later. In this episode, Natalie shares her caregiving, career-pivoting and cemetery-walking story with Jennifer as they both embark on very different new school year experiences as working moms.

Episode 57: Remembering RBG’s Radical Impact on Work, Women + Law
In this episode, we consider just a few ways Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s work changed the way female breadwinners are treated and protected in the workforce through her “sense of strategy and careful selection of cases,” which served to persuade “the all-male Supreme Court, one case at a time, to start recognizing the constitutional barrier against discrimination on the basis of sex,” according to her New York Times obituary.

Episode Links
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Helped Shape the Modern Era of Women's Rights – Even Before She Went on the Supreme Court
The Case That Helped Define Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Gender Equality Fight
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Hero For Pregnant Women
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court’s Feminist Icon, Is Dead at 87
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Advice for Living
When Everything Changed by Gail Collins
15 Memorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg Quotes
RBG Rap with Pete Davidson and Chris Redd SNL

Episode 56: The Good, Bad + Ugly of Pandemic Life
What happens when more than half of all working parents co-work from home? That’s the question Yale University’s Emma Zang and Thomas Lyttleton set out to answer with their latest research released by the Council on Contemporary Families.

Episode Links
Before and During COVID-19: Telecommuting, Work-Family Conflict, and Gender Equality
Pandemic Childcare Is Way More Stressful for Moms Than Dads
Council on Contemporary Families

Episode 55: My Bad: When (and How) to Admit That You’re Wrong
When our kids do something wrong, our first move is to help them learn how to empathize and apologize. Somehow it becomes much harder when it’s our turn to say we’re sorry — especially when serving as a leader. In this episode, we consider the research regarding how and when to apologize — and when really, we shouldn’t have to. #sorrynotsorry

Episode Links
Intellectual Humility: The Importance of Knowing You Might Be Wrong
When Should a Leader Apologize—and When Not?
5 Reasons Why Some People Will Never Say Sorry

Episode 54: How Do Working Moms Decide What to Juggle?
There are lots of data about the changes working women make once they become moms, but very little understanding of how or why behind their decisions. In this episode, Sarah Deming, PhD student in the Department of Sociology at Washington State University, shares research from her survey of 1700 working moms.

Episode Links
The Push and the Pull: Where Motherhood Converge

Episode 53: Why Do Men Get First Dibs on the Home Office?
For those of us working, schooling and living in the same place, a quiet home office is a luxury — that typically goes to the man of the house, according to a recent survey. Rachael and Jennifer consider the new book Easy Living: The Rise of the Home Office by Elizabeth Patton — and why women are the ones left searching for space to work at home during the pandemic.

Episode Links
In the Work-From-Home Battle for Space, Women Are the Reluctant Nomads
Survey Reveals How People are Working from Home
HFA Survey: A Look Inside New At-Home ‘Offices’
Easy Living: The Rise of the Home Office
A House to Make Life Easy (Popular Mechanics, June 1952)
A Room of One's Own

Episode 52: Imagining a National ‘CareCorps’ for Families
In this episode, Katherine Goldstein, host of The Double Shift podcast about the lives of working mothers (and soon-to-be homeschool teacher to a kindergartener), makes the case for a national “CareCorps,” putting young adults to work supporting working families.

Episode Links
The Mothers Of America Need A Bailout. This Could Be The Answer.
Embodied: Radical Mothering And Pushing Back Against The Mental Load

Episode 51: What Impact Will the Pandemic Have on Our Kids?
We’re back from our summer rerun mini-series to consider what we know about the pandemic’s long-term impact on our children’s future lives. (Spoiler alert: not much.) In this episode, we consider the historical events researchers are pointing to, what they’re seeing in their own families and communities — and the meditative joy of a Law & Order marathon.

Episode Links
Will the Pandemic Have a Lasting Impact on My Kids?
How Covid-19 Is Changing the World’s Children
COVID-19: Reducing Long-Term Impact on Children's Mental Health

SUMMERTIME SPECTACULAR

Episode 50: Digging Deeper on ‘Choice’ vs ‘Chance’ Breadwinners: The Sequel
More than a quarter of all partnered working moms outearn their spouses — and yet most say they do not consider their work a career. Could this be because the majority of breadwinning moms—72 percent—fell into their role by chance or luck? 

Episode Links
Who Are the Breadwinning Moms?
That Moment Women Realize They're the Breadwinner
Record-High 56% of U.S. Women Prefer Working to Homemaking
Stay-at-Home Moms and Dads Account for About One-in-Five U.S. Parents

Episode 49: How We Talk About the Rest of Our Lives at Work: The Sequel
Six months into the pandemic and the novelty of sharing our home lives with our work partners has long ago worn off — and yet, it continues apace. From our daily anxiety and stress to our kids, partners and pets, we consider the impact of all-day Zoom meetings from our bedrooms, closets and patios — and revel in the delight of an old-fashioned/no-camera conference call.

Episode Links
What Comes After Zoom Fatigue
The Implications Of Working Without An Office

Episode 48: Breadwinning + Caregiving in a Pandemic: The Sequel
When the pandemic first closed schools and child care centers, it was a shock to our barely stitched-together systems. Six months later, it’s an extreme reality that working parents, kids and employers are living through day after day. In this episode, we consider new research that finds that 47% of parents aren’t sure they’ll be able to return to work due to their child care needs — and share how we’re muddling through.

Episode Links
In April, 6% of Parents Expected to Quit Their Jobs Because of Covid-19. Now That’s Up to 27%
Disney World May Be Open, But Most Kids in The U.S. Have Nowhere to Go
Their Summer Camp Tried to Be Safe. Kids Still Got Sick.
Nationwide Survey: Child Care in the Time of Coronavirus

Episode 47: Staying Sane in a Pandemic: The Sequel
Like the pandemic itself, the pressure it’s placing on our mental health is never-ending — as in one-third of all Americans are now showing signs of clinical anxiety or depression. In this episode, we consider fresh research surfacing regarding our nation’s collective mental health and what’s changed in how we are living, five months later.

Episode Links
This Is Not a Normal Mental-Health Disaster
A Mental Health Pandemic: The Second Wave of COVID-19
A Third Of Americans Now Show Signs Of Clinical Anxiety Or Depression, Census Bureau Finds Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Reflections in Times of Crisis

SEASON ONE

Episode 46: Mindfulness 101: ‘It’s Not About Being Happy. It’s About Being Real.’
We know it matters — and that it helps us focus — but what exactly is mindfulness? Harriet Stein, founder and president of Big Toe in the Water, joins Jennifer to break it down and build us up on how to pay attention in our busy lives, with a special focus on the needs of essential healthcare workers.

Episode Links
Mindfulness in the Workplace: Does It Really Work?
3 Guided Practices to Find Calm and Equanimity
Mind Full Or Mindful?

Episode 45: Deadline Decade: Revisiting Gail Sheehy’s Passages in a Pandemic
Written 44 years ago, Passages by Gail Sheehy is a seminal work focused on common themes of men and women living through their late 30s and early 40s, or what she called “The Deadline Decade.” In this episode, we consider the sudden time-squeeze of adult life that Sheehy identified — and how the question of “Will I have time to do it all?” manifests today.

Episode Links
Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life 
Catch-30 and Switch-40s Are Just Two Stages of Growing Up Adult, Says Gail Sheehy
Dr. Sally: The Deadline Decade
Composing a Life by Mary Catherine Bateson
The Career Mystique: Cracks in the American Dream
The Corporate Lattice: A Strategic Response To The Changing World Of Work

Episode 44: Why You Can’t Just Push Through Chronic Stress
A sobering stat: 70% of startups fail. So why do so many entrepreneurs feel that running at 110 percent all day every day is the only path to success? Rational Confidence founder Kathleen Stetson joins The Breadwinners to share her research into start-up stress, self-awareness and sustainable self-care — and the power of mundane mindfulness.

Episode Links
Passion for Your Startup Doesn’t Have to Mean Constant Stress
Typical Self-care Practices Don’t Work for Startup Founders. Here’s One Thing That Does
MIT Sloan Accelerator Announces Results of First Self-awareness Program for Entrepreneurs
339 Startup Failure Post-Mortems

Episode 43: Well, Well, Well, It’s Time to Talk about Wellness and Breadwinning
A survey of midlife women found that 66% of us feel only "somewhat in control" of our health while nearly 90% describe their stress levels as "moderate to high." We consider why nearly half of all women, ages 30 to 60, aren’t taking time for health (including getting regular screenings) and share what we were doing (pre-pandemic) to put ourselves on own to-do list.

Episode Links
Self-Care Isn't Selfish—Or Why I Love Pilates
‘HealthiHer’ Survey in REDBOOK Magazine Shares New Insights On Women's Well-Being

Episode 42: Why Are Women Doing So Much Homeschooling?
Even before the pandemic, men and women were changing their minds about breadwinning — and yet, new studies find that women are still left holding the bag when it comes to homeschooling. Stephanie Coontz, director of research and public education for the Council on Contemporary Families, joins to consider the pandemic’s impact on family dynamics.

Episode Links
Coronavirus Is Killing the Working Mother
Pandemic Changing Family Dynamics
Men and Women Agree: During the COVID-19 Pandemic Men Are Doing More at Home
A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique and American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s
The Way We Never Were - American Families and the Nostalgia Trap
Stephanie Coontz 2020 Evergreen State College Commencement Address
Nearly Half of Men Say They Do Most of the Home Schooling. 3 Percent of Women Agree.

Episode 41: The Thin Line Between Love + Hate — of Feedback
Employee surveys find that nearly everyone likes receiving feedback. Indeed, “people believe constructive criticism is essential to their career development,” says one report. In this episode, we consider the research behind constructive criticism and positive encouragement — and why it matters so much how you do both.

Episode Links
Feedback: You Need to Lead It
Your Employees Want the Negative Feedback You Hate to Give
Overcoming Feedback Phobia: Take the First Step

Episode 40: Breadwinning + Caregiving: Why We Won’t Just ‘Figure It Out’
Oddly enough, workplace policies created long ago by straight white men for straight white men who didn’t have caregiving responsibilities don’t seem to be working these days. In this episode, Julie Kashen, director of Women's Economic Justice and senior fellow at The Century Foundation, joins us to talk about our nation’s approach to child care — and why the time for change is now.

Episode Links
Fear and Hoarding in the Time of Coronavirus: Invest in Child Care, Not Private Jets
Child Care for All: A Blueprint for States
‘I Had To Choose Being a Mother’: With No Child Care Or Summer Camps, Women Are Being Edged Out Of The Workforce
Coronavirus Pandemic Could Lead to Permanent Loss of Nearly 4.5 Million Child Care Slots
The Child Care Industry Is About To Collapse. There’s No Bailout Coming.

Episode 39: Can We Learn Resiliency? (Asking for a Friend)
Psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, stress and tragedy — but how do we find resilience in the first place? We consider the research into skills resilient people use to get up, dust themselves off and step forward during difficult times — and what we can learn for our own lives.

Episode Links
What Makes Some People More Resilient Than Others
Resilience Is About How You Recharge, Not How You Endure
How People Learn to Become Resilient
Why Self-Compassion Trumps Self-Esteem
An Online Optimism Intervention Reduces Depression in Pessimistic Individuals

Episode 38: Break the Silence: Race, Culture + the Infertility Journey
Studies suggest Black women may be almost twice as likely to experience infertility as White women — and much less likely to seek medical help to get pregnant, let alone talk openly about it. In this episode, media executive Kim Sealy shares her infertility story. From the costs of IVF to the sadness of miscarriages to the stress of responding to her Caribbean family’s traditional views, Kim encourages Black women to share their stories — and seek the help they need to start the families they desire.

Episode Links
Why Are So Many Black Women Suffering Through Infertility In Silence?
This Is Why We Chose To Talk About Black Women And Infertility
Here’s Why Many Black Women Are Silent About Their Struggle With Infertility
What No Talks About at Work: Infertility and Miscarriages
Infertility and Impaired Fecundity in the United States, 1982–2010: Data From the National Survey of Family Growth

Episode 37: To Tell the Truth: When Honesty Is Too Painful at Work
We’ve all experienced a toxic workplace — but have you ever stepped up to speak out about the problem? In this episode, we consider the research regarding employee voice — speaking up when we see or hear something that troubles us — and what happens when we feel silenced.

Refinery29 Top Editor Christene Barberich Steps Down After Backlash Over Lack of Diversity, ‘Racist Aggressions’
The 'Bon Appétit' Test Kitchen and the Myth of the Happy Workplace
Create a Workplace Where Everyone Feels Comfortable Speaking Up
The Neural Bases Of Social Pain: Evidence For Shared Representations With Physical Pain

Episode 36: All Together Now: Laid Off and Looking for Work in a Pandemic
It’s never good news when HR unexpectedly joins a meeting with you + your manager — and such was the case for Betty Wong Ortiz, editor extraordinaire, who like millions of others was laid off at the start of the pandemic. In this episode, Betty shares her job search story — and how being honest on LinkedIn led to a viral post of 23,000 views as well as a supportive network of connections and potential new job leads.

Episode Links
I Got Laid-off Over Zoom This Year, But Found an Incredible Community Because Of It
With Jobless Benefits Set to Lapse, Congress Is at Odds Over an Extension
More People Will Be Fired in the Pandemic. Let’s Talk About It.
United States Unemployment Rate

Episode 35: Break It Down: Uncoding Macho Job Descriptions
Ever read a job description and immediately decide it’s not for you based on the language alone? We certainly have. In this episode, we consider the research and impact of coded language in job descriptions — and how we can hire better.

Episode Links
How To Take Gender Bias Out Of Your Job Ads
Gender Decoder for Job Ads
You Don’t Know It, But Women See Gender Bias in Your Job Postings
Four Ways to Make Job Descriptions More Inclusive

Episode 34: Breadwinner by Choice: The Conversation Continues
Even before they got pregnant, Stephanie and Ethan Huckel started talking about breadwinning — as in who would be the primary earner for their family and who would take the lead on caregiving. Today, that conversation continues to evolve as Stephanie leads on the work front and Ethan leads at home.

Episode Links
Why I No Longer Call Myself an Ally
How to Navigate the Gender Landscape at Work
How to Make Your Marriage Gayer
What Gay Couples Get About Relationships That Straight Couples Often Don’t
How to Balance Two Careers Without Arguing

Episode 33: Who Doesn’t Need a Mental Health Day Right Now?
We know that sleep is good for us — and who doesn’t love a day off? And yet, both are so much harder to come by when you’re demanding systemic change on day 4,325 of a COVID pandemic. We consider the research regarding our need for rest, our inability to find time or space for ourselves right now, and why it's important to put our mental health on our to-do list.

Episode Links
Why Can’t You Sleep During a Quarantine?
‘Coronasomnia’: Sleep Issues and Insomnia During the Coronavirus Outbreak
When You Should Take a Mental Health Day

Episode 32: What If You Paired the Golden Rule with a Golden Roledex?
Laura Mignott, master marketer and events entrepreneur, knows the answer. From the major events she produces to the brands she counsels to the podcast she hosts, Laura makes connections everywhere she goes. Today, she is sharing her best tips for growing a strong network in a new course, called One Degree of Connection.

Episode Links
Event Planners Sound Off on the Future of the Industry
The Secret To Launching A Successful Podcast
Meet The Woman Responsible for Giving Women of Color More Visibility on Stages Across America
The Reset podcast
Fly Female Founders
One Degree of Connection course

Episode 31: Mirror Image — or Why Your Network Looks Just Like You
Take a moment and look at your LinkedIn contacts. How many look like you? In this episode, we consider the research regarding cross-racial relationships, the unconscious biases we hold and the impact it has on who we recommend, mentor and hire.

Episode Links
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?
Diversity as a Second Job
Code Switch: Cross-Racial Relationships
The Dark Side of Networking
Why Journalists Are Walking Out of Newsrooms in Protest
Thick: And Other Essays 
White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences Through Work in Women's Studies

Episode 30: ‘What We’re Seeing Now Is a Reckoning and an Opportunity to Create New Narratives.’
Christina Blacken of The New Quo, a narrative intelligence consultancy, joins to talk about narrative intelligence, how she works with leaders to integrate the values, emotions and needs of their listeners to get them where they need them to go, and why it’s always important to match story and narrative with lived action.

Episode Links
Sway Them in Color podcast 
How Being 'Different' Helped These 14 Female Entrepreneurs Find Their Niche and Made Them More Successful
Understanding and Dismantling Racism: A Booklist for White Readers
75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice

Episode 29: It’s a Thin Line Between Inspiration vs Motivation — Especially in a Pandemic
Most of the conversation regarding our pandemic home lives centers around maintaining motivation for work and school, but how about finding inspiration? We consider how to reach for the stars when you can't go outside. Is it possible to create new ideas right now — or are we all just overworking ourselves in an effort to control an uncontrollable situation? (Asking for a friend.)

Episode Links
The Difference Between Motivation & Inspiration
Motivation vs. Inspiration: How to Achieve Your Goals in the Long-Term
Why Inspiration Matters 
All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood
Clear Health Costs
The Surprising Reason the Best Ideas Come to You in the Shower

Episode 28: Breadwinning vs Budgeting and the Gender Wealth Gap
Women not only earn less than men, they invest less too — meaning we miss opportunities to grow our wealth. Jennifer Barrett, Chief Education Officer of Acorns and founding editor of Grow, joins Jennifer to talk about the messaging women hear about money from childhood on — and why it’s so important to embrace your financial future.

Episode Links
Could The Coronavirus Pandemic Shift Gender Roles Once And For All?
Why We All Need to Think Like Breadwinners
Women and Investing: The Gender Wealth Gap Nobody Talks About

Episode 27: Ok, Boomers. Whassup, Slackers: Why We Need to Work Together
Today’s workforce is comprised of four generations of breadwinners — Boomers, GenX, Millennials and GenZ — all of whom come to work with different views, styles, needs and concerns. We consider how we can, and should, work together to thrive and grow at work.

Episode Links
Why We Need Multigenerational Workplaces
What Are the Different Generations in the Workplace? Your Definitive Guide
How Millennials Today Compare With Their Grandparents 50 Years Ago

Episode 26: ‘It’s Time to Have a Reset About Who We Are as a People’
Brigid Schulte, director of the Better Life Lab at the New America Foundation, joins us to talk about work and life in the time of Covid — and the work that still must be done to support both in the U.S.

Episode Links
Overwhelmed: Work, Love and Play When No One Has the Time
Crisis Conversations — Live from Better Life Lab
Tear Up Your Pandemic To-Do List
Which Companies Still Aren’t Offering Paid Sick Days?

Episode 25: Is There a Business Case for Returning to the Office?
As some employers start to reopen their workplaces, two-thirds of Americans say they are worried about returning to their desks. Rachael + Jennifer consider how much of our work still needs to be done onsite versus at home.

Episode Links
Is America Ready to Return to Work and Get Back to Business?
Working From Home is Here to Stay, Even When the Economy Reopens
Twitter Will Let Employees Work From Home Permanently
I’m a Psychologist. Here’s How Employers Can Help Workers Get Through This Pandemic

Episode 24: It’s Time to ‘Carpe the Chaos’ and Take the Lead
Jennifer is joined by Gloria Feldt, co-founder and president of Take The Lead, which aims to propel women to take their fair share of leadership positions across all sectors by 2025. Its 50 Women Can Change the World leadership program is now focused on serving women in journalism and healthcare and taking applications now!

Episode Links
No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power
The Ms. Q&A: Gloria Feldt Wants More Women Empowered and in Power
Leading In Chaos: How Resilient Are You?
Lean In: Women in the Workplace 2019
Pew: The Data on Women Leaders

Episode 23: Why Are So Many Essential Breadwinners So Underpaid?
Women represent nearly two-thirds of the workforce in the 40 lowest-paying jobs, many of which are now considered essential. Nevertheless, at least 36 percent, or 13 million, of these workers earn less than $15 per hour. We consider breadwinners in low-paid occupations such as food services, healthcare and retail and the added struggles they currently face in the pandemic.

Episode Links
When Hard Work Is Not Enough: Women in Low-Paid Jobs
Snapshot of the COVID Crisis Impact on Working Families
States Are Stepping Up with Emergency Child Care Solutions for Frontline Essential Personnel in Response to COVID-19
22 Million Americans Have Now Filed For Unemployment In The Last 4 Weeks
Tens of Millions of Americans Are Risking Their Lives for Less Than $15/Hr
Fear and Hoarding in the Time of Coronavirus: Invest in Child Care, Not Private Jets

Episode 22: Why Do So Many Men See Women Doing Well in the Job Market as a Threat?
Today a majority of men believe they face at least some discrimination in the workplace due to their gender — and thus, any gain for women is seen as a loss for them. In this episode, Rachael + researchers Yasemin BesenCassino (Montclair State University) and Dan Cassino (Fairleigh Dickinson University) consider their research into breadwinning’s impact on masculinity, gender disparities, and relationships — and what it might predict about our post-pandemic lives.

Episode Links
Women Academics Seem To Be Submitting Fewer Papers During Coronavirus. ‘Never Seen Anything Like It,’ Says One Editor
Why More American Men Feel Discriminated Against
Emasculated Men Refuse to Do Chores—Except Cooking
The Cost of Being a Girl: Working Teens and the Origins of the Gender Wage Gap

Episode 21: The Myth of Multitasking and Reality of Busyness Burnout
How often do you end your day having done so much but accomplished nothing of note? The average person checks their email about 15 times per day. But researchers find that when people limit checking their email to just three times per day, their stress levels decrease significantly.

Episode Links
How to Overcome Your (Checks Email) Distraction Habit
How Busyness Leads to Bad Decisions
Preventing Busyness from Becoming Burnout
Beware the Busy Manager

Episode 20: What Do 3 Million College-Educated Women Have in Common?
Even before the pandemic hit, more than 3 million college-educated women were trying to return to the workforce after years away. Aprés CEO Stacey Delo (co-author of Your Turn: Careers, Kids & Comebacks: A Working Mother's Guide) joins us to consider why women leave the workforce — and how best to help them return when the time is right.

Episode Links
Your Turn: Careers, Kids, and Comebacks--A Working Mother's Guide
7 Things Employers Can Do for Working Moms During COVID-19
Balancing Work and Family Starts with the Right Mindset

Episode 19: The Parents Are Not All Right — We Never Were
Microsoft is now offering 12 weeks of paid leave to its working parent employees as schools remain closed during the coronavirus crisis. Will other employers attempt to match — or even, beat them? We consider how employers are responding to the pandemic and what benefits and policies might remain going forward.

Episode Links
Microsoft Is Giving Workers 12 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave Because of School Disruptions
The Parents Are Not All Right
How Fortune 500 Companies Are Utilizing Their Resources and Expertise During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Episode 18: Social Media in the Covid Era: No One Wants To See Your Perfect Life
Influencers have seen their work completely upended by the pandemic, prompting a shift away from aspirational posts back to more authentic takes on life. Jennifer and Danielle Wiley, founder and CEO of Sway Group, consider the authenticity shift, the ongoing pay gap for female influencers, and how brand campaigns may change going forward.

Episode Links
Women Make Up Majority Of Influencer Community, Still Earn Less Than Male Influencers
Social Media Fact Sheet
Top 10 Things Everyone Should Know About Women Consumers
15 Strategies To Engage Followers And Stay At The Top Of User Feeds

Episode 17: Nein, Nyet, Nope — Can You Say No in a Pandemic?
As a Pandemic Breadwinner ™  can you ever say no to work? How about as a homeschooling parent? In this very particular and stressful era, choosing what’s right for you can be even harder to do. In this episode, we consider what “there’s only so much time in a day” means in an era of extreme job instability and family pressure.

Episode Links
Fed-Up Mom Pens Viral Thread On Why She’s Not Making Her Son Do Virtual School
How Learning to Say No Saved My Career (and My Sanity)
8 Ways to Set Boundaries Between Work and Kids
Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother’s Will to Survive

Episode 16: Yes, You Can Network in a Pandemic
With everyone working from home, the days of networking are over, right? Not at all. There are ways to keep your connections growing and Ellevate is here to help. Kristy Wallace, CEO of Ellevate Network, joins us to talk the hows and whys of fostering fresh professional connections — as well as what employers should be doing to maintain their ongoing diversity efforts in this difficult time.

Episode Links
Ellevate Network Squads
Ellevate Podcast 
Women Are Now the Majority of the U.S. Workforce — But Working Women Still Face Serious Challenges

Episode 15: The Neverending Story: Staying Sane in a Pandemic
Some Breadwinners have passed a month in isolation working, homeschooling and everything with no end in sight. It’s no wonder many of us are experiencing more bouts of anxiety, depression and loneliness than ever before.

Episode Links
Coronavirus: How to Protect Your Mental Health
Mental Health Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic
Mental Health in a Time of Pandemic
Brandy: Sittin’ Up in My Room
Houseparty, Donut, Lunchclub

Episode 14: Share the Load: Is Job Sharing Right for You?
You’ve likely heard of job sharing but do you know what it really means? Melissa Nicholson of Work Muse joins The Breadwinners to talk about the least-used weapon in the flexible work arsenal — and consider how it might help our stunned #pandemic economy.

Episode Links
How to Work from Home With Kids
Why Job Sharing Is Like 'Having a Secret Superpower'
The Smart Way to Save Jobs in the Time of Coronavirus

Episode 13: Full Disclosure or How We Talk About the Rest of Our Lives at Work
Can you bring your whole self to work? Experts say you should… to a point. In this Coronavirus Era, we are all sharing more of our personal lives than ever before — whether on video calls with cats and kids passing by or sharing stories of feeling nervous or isolated.

Episode Links
Building Trust Through Skillful Self-Disclosure
Be Yourself, but Carefully
Assessment: When and Where to Share
Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships
Homeschooling While Working From Home During a Global Pandemic Bingo
Humblebrags: Self-Isolation Edition

Episode 12: Mind the (Pay) Gap Because It Isn’t Getting Any Smaller
Women outnumber men in the workforce. We earn more college and graduate degrees. We’re the primary breadwinner in 40% of families. And yet, we still earn about 80 cents for every male dollar — and for women of color, the gap is even wider. We consider why the gender wage gap is so hard to shrink, what role pay negotiating plays and share their holiday plans for Equal Pay Day.

Episode Links
Equal Pay Days 2020
The Fatherhood Bonus and The Motherhood Penalty: Parenthood and the Gender Gap in Pay
Gender Equality Is Within Our Reach
Are we closing the wage gap? Employers and Employees Sound Off
Pay Equity & Discrimination, Institute for Women’s Policy Research

Episode 11: Breadwinning + Caregiving in a Pandemic
“The coronavirus crisis will be global and long-lasting, economic as well as medical,” writes Helen Lewis in The Atlantic. “However, it also offers an opportunity. This could be the first outbreak where gender and sex differences are recorded, and taken into account by researchers and policy makers.” Join us as we consider how the equation of breadwinning + caregiving will add up for women during, and after, the coronavirus pandemic.

Episode Links
The Coronavirus Is a Disaster for Feminism How Working Parents Can Prepare for Coronavirus Closures

Episode 10: Paid Sick Leave and Flexible Work in the Coronavirus Era
For #breadwinners, staying home to care for yourself or your family — or to work from home — only works if you have paid sick leave and flexible work policies to support you. Join us as we consider the current state of work in the #Coronavirus Era and what lasting impact this might have on how we all work going forward.

Episode Links
Paid Sick Leave Laws by State
Coronavirus Brings a New Legislative Push for Paid Sick Leave
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the New York City Earned Safe and Sick Time Act
Avoiding Coronavirus May Be a Luxury Some Workers Can’t Afford
Paid Sick Days Are Good for Business
Coronavirus May Finally Force Businesses to Adopt Workplaces of the Future
The Coronavirus Could Actually Make Working From Home More Commonplace

Episode 9: Let’s Hear it for the Boy: Men & Breadwinning
Men today spend an estimated 18 hours per week on housework and childcare. While lower than women’s hours of unpaid work, it’s still much, much more than our fathers or grandfathers did at home. In this episode, Jennifer + Rachael women-splain the breadwinning dad experience.

Episode Links
The Chore War Is Real—and Your Marriage Is Losing
For Millennial Moms, Success At Work Is Tied To Dads Giving Up Breadwinner Status
A Japanese Politician Is Taking Paternity Leave. It’s a Big Deal
Many American Men Have a Skewed View of Gender Inequality, TIME Poll Finds

Episode 8: School Daze: Adding Up Child Care for Older Kids
You thought finding child care after your maternity leave was hard? Try finding afterschool care for your bigger kid, not to mention the 29 days they’ll have off from school this year (not counting summer vacation!).

Episode Links
Why working moms struggle the most when kids start school
Maternal Optimism: Forging Positive Paths through Work and Motherhood 
How schools are failing working parents — and how some are helping
Here's what the average American family spends on childcare in every state
Kamala Harris Wants to Extend School Day 
After-School Fact Sheet 

Episode 7: Chief Cook vs Bottle Washer: Who Does What at Home?
Studies find that men still don’t spend as much time on household chores as their breadwinning wives — indeed, in female-breadwinner households, the greater the income disparity, the less housework the husband does. Except when it comes to cooking.

Episode Links
Among U.S. Couples, Women Do More Cooking and Grocery Shopping Than Men
It's So Much More Than Cooking
Emasculated Men Refuse to Do Chores—Except Cooking
Young Men Embrace Gender Equality, but They Still Don’t Vacuum

Episode 6: Feel the Burn(out): Are We to Blame for Workplace Stress?
According to Gallup, 23% of employees report feeling burnout at work very often or always, while an additional 44% reported feeling it sometimes. But what does burnout really mean — and who’s responsible for fighting it? We consider how burnout is tracked, its impact in our lives and its very real costs to employees and employers.

Episode Links
Burnout Is Real, says the World Health Organization (and Mothers Everywhere)
Breadwinner Moms: Mothers Are the Sole or Primary Provider in Four-in-Ten Households with Children; Public Conflicted about the Growing Trend
Only the Overworked Die Young
Employee Burnout, Part 1: The 5 Main Causes
World Health Organization (WHO) International Classification of Diseases.

Episode 5: What No Talks About at Work: Infertility and Miscarriages
Infertility was officially designated a disease by the American Medical Association in 2017 — and yet, full fertility treatments still aren’t covered by most company health insurance plans. We talk about the costs of infertility treatments — financial, emotional, and time — and what many of us feel you can (and can’t) talk about at work when it comes to infertility and miscarriages.

Episode Links
“My Boss Said, ‘I Understand What You’re Going Through, but You Have a Job to Do’”
I.V.F. Coverage Is the Benefit Everyone Wants
All the Pregnancies I Couldn’t Talk About
I Went On A Babymoon, But Didn’t Have A Baby

Episode 4: On the (Job) Hunt
According to a CivicScience survey, more than 41 million American will be searching for a job this year — or just about a quarter of the population. What are the added joys of job hunting when you’re also supporting a partner, kids, parents, loved ones — and what do the numbers about the best ways to find a job you’ll love?

Episode Links
How will you find your next job? Networking, probably
Job Searching — It’s Who You Know
On Getting Rejected a Lot (and Liking It)

Episode 3: In the Friend Zone or Why We Never Hang Out Any More
Friends are the first thing to go once life overwhelms with too many diapers, too many projects, too many aging parents, too many anything. And it’s not just you. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Time Use Survey, the average American now spends less than four minutes a day “hosting and attending social events.”

Episode Links
Happiness Is Other People
Why You Never See Your Friends Anymore

Episode 2: Don’t Let Your Mental Load Weigh You Down
What is the mental load — and why do we persist in carrying so much of it? Research finds that women not only serve as parent and caretaker for their families, but also as the “unofficial keepers of where the entire family needs to be and when, and perpetual guardians against anything falling through the cracks.” Jennifer + Rachael consider the invisible weight that hides in plain sight and how to let go of at least a bit of it.

Episode links
“Women Are Overburdened With Their Families’ “Mental Loads”
Jeannie's story: Jim Gaffigan on his Wife's Brain Tumor
2017 Modern Family Index
“How Couples Share ‘Cognitive Labor’ and Why it Matters”

Episode 1: Are You a ‘Chance’ or a ‘Choice’ Breadwinner?
For our first episode, Jennifer + Rachael consider the prime number of breadwinning: According to Pew Research, a record 40% of families are led by breadwinning moms. Most women didn’t expect to be the primary earner for their family. What does it mean when you’ve landed here by chance versus by choice — and how does this impact our roles as parent, partner, friend and family member?

Episode Links
Pew Research: Breadwinner Moms
Breadwinning Mothers Continue To Be the U.S. Norm
Breadwinner Mothers by Race/Ethnicity and State 

Episode 0: Introducing The Breadwinners!
The Breadwinners is a new podcast about the never-ending hustle and its impact on all aspects of our lives. From our finances to our relationships to our kids to our health, we’re interested in what it takes to keep it all going. In every episode, work-life experts Jennifer and Rachael consider the research and share their takes on what they’re learning every day about breadwinning.

Our music is “Run for your Money,” by Devil and Perfects.