Sh*t I Wish I Knew In My Twenties

Monica Kaufman Pearson is the first woman and first minority to anchor the daily evening news in Atlanta, Georgia, where she worked for 37 years at the leading station, WSB-TV.  She now hosts and produces Monica Pearson One on One, a monthly personality interview program for Gray Media Group. She has won over 33 Southern Regional and local Emmy Awards for reporting, anchoring, and her Closeup...

Award-winning CBS News Correspondent and co-host of CBS Saturday Morning, Michelle Miller, struggled to find belonging for many years.  After the murder of George Floyd, she picked up her phone and started recording her reaction and commentary as part of an assignment. Little did she know her story would resonate with so many and lead to a New York Times best-selling book called, "Belonging:...

Join Debra Alfarone, the dynamic host of "Sh*t I Wish I Knew In My Twenties," as she sits down with the incredible Melissa Eamer. In this week's episode, Melissa takes us on her remarkable journey from restaurant owner to Amazon executive, and now the visionary founder of Modern Age—a groundbreaking company focused on empowering individuals to take charge of their aging process. Drawing from her w...

Denise Dudley is a professional trainer, keynote speaker, author, business consultant, and founder and former CEO of SkillPath Seminars, the largest public training company in the world. Denise holds a Ph. D. in behavioral psychology, a hospital administrator's license, a preceptor for administrators-in-training license, and is licensed to provide training to medical professionals in the United St...

If you want to supercharge your career, talk to Vicki Salemi. She's a career expert for Monster, author, nationally syndicated columnist "Vicki on Careers" for Tribune, keynote speaker, HR people officer/talent consultant, corporate ghostwriter, and friend. Join Vicki in this power-packed episode as she shares invaluable tips to supercharge your career. Discover the art of negotiating for higher s...

Pop culture divas Chaelesse Delpleche and Maria Sellars join me to discuss the epic Taylor Swift vs Beyoncé debate, delve into the captivating world of Scandoval, and indulge in all things Sex and the City. 🎧🔥 Sh*t I Wish I Knew In My Twenties (SIWIKIMT) is a podcast dedicated to helping 20-somethings thrive in their twenties, not just survive. Host Debra Alfarone knows how tough being in your t...

TV Reporter Nora J.S. Reichardt is one of the only transgender TV reporters in the nation. She’s also a GLAAD Media Award nominee.  Nora is originally from Minnesota and now tells stories for Local 5 News in Iowa. She made headlines when she came out as transgender in 2022 on air. When she isn't chasing the news of the day, Nora can usually be found reading at a coffee shop, playing vide...

Join me in this powerful episode as I sit down with the incredible Michelle Li, who transformed a hurtful racist voicemail into a profound teaching moment that sparked a movement across the globe. 🌍❤️ Michelle Li is an award-winning, veteran journalist who co-launched The Very Asian Foundation in January 2022 alongside friend and fellow journalist Gia Vang. This movement landed her on The Ellen S...

This week, host of Sh*t I Wish I Knew In My Twenties, Debra Alfarone, is sharing her personal story about how she went from dropout to dream life, and how one cold call played a huge role.   Sh*t I Wish I Knew In My Twenties (SIWIKIMT) is a podcast dedicated to helping 20-somethings thrive in their twenties, not just survive. Host Debra Alfarone knows how tough being in your twenties can be....

This week, host of Sh*t I Wish I Knew In My Twenties, Debra Alfarone, is sharing some of her personal sh*t about how imposter syndrome can be sneaky and insidious. It comes for us all. Buckle up for a coaching session and learn how you can kick it to the curb. Sh*t I Wish I Knew In My Twenties (SIWIKIMT) is a podcast dedicated to helping 20-somethings thrive in their twenties, not just survive. Ho...

Jen Maxfield is an Emmy-award winning reporter and anchor who’s covered New York and New Jersey for two decades, currently for NBC New York. Maxfield’s first book, More After the Break: A Reporter Returns to Ten Unforgettable News Stories was published by Greenleaf Book Group in July of 2022. More After the Break was an instant Amazon bestseller. In her book, Maxfield revisits the most memorable s...

Jenny Blake is a podcaster and the author of three award-winning books, including Pivot (2016) and Free Time (2022), with a podcast for each. Listen, there’s a reason why her podcasts have a million-plus downloads. Jenny used to teach people how to "career" at Google; now she’s teaching EVERYONE.  One of my fave lessons she shares is how being a “daymaker” is a goal to strive for. My other fa...

Alice Chun is a social entrepreneur, professor, humanitarian, and award-winning inventor featured in Hilary and Chelsea Clinton’s new Apple TV+ series, “Gutsy.” In 2015, Chun invented Solar Puffs, the world’s only self-inflatable, portable origami solar light, in order to bring light to places that have none. We may take light for granted but it’s a matter of life or death in third-world area...

Emmy award-nominated journalist Lisa Mateo embodies the word “versatile.” The mom of two reported every type of news there is in NYC, from reporting traffic from the chopper, to hard news, to weather, to hosting a show with celebrity tastemakers - before setting off for the national stage. She’s done radio, TV, public speaking, fitness coaching, and now covers business news for Bloomberg.   C...

David Begnaud is the lead national correspondent for  "CBS Mornings" based in New York. He joined the Network in 2015 and his reporting has earned him some of journalism's most prestigious awards. One of his most notable assignments was his coverage of Hurricane Maria when it  hit Puerto Rico  in October 2017.  He spent more time covering Puerto Rico's recovery than any ot...

Femi Redwood is the Podcast Manager at 1010WINS in NYC and the Host of the Beyond Black History Month podcast, Co-chair of NABJ's LGBTQ+ Task Force, and a Board Member for NLGJA.  In this episode, the former award-winning TV Anchor and Correspondent shares how 90s icon DaBrat helped her to come out when she was 19. She shares how if you're gonna wear vintage, you just might hav...

Tamsen Fadal is an Emmy award-winning TV Anchor at PIX 11 in NYC, an Author, and a Midlife Enthusiast. She's also a wife, a bonus mom to two, and a fur mom to a 17-year-old Chihuahua. As you'll hear, Tamsen is passionate about sharing inspiring stories about women who are changing their lives in a BOLD way. She recently turned 51, sparking new experiences, insights, and questions about this mid-li...

Alex Berg is an on-air host, creative director and journalist telling stories from in front of and behind the camera. Alex is currently a producer and director of the documentary series Authentic Voices of Pride for LGBTQ Nation, the largest publisher of queer news, the co-host of the I’m From Driftwood Podcast, where she talks about LGBTQ+ topics for the eponymous storytelling organization, and a...

Today's guest, A.J. Jacobs, is an author, journalist, lecturer and human guinea pig. He has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, science, humor and a dash of self-help. In this episode, the author of The Year of Living Biblically shares how his latest book, The Puzzler, took him on a rollicking journey to understand the enduring power of puzzles: why we love them, what they...

Nick Gray throws parties. Memorable parties. He's also the Founder and CEO of Museum Hack and recent author of a new handbook that will help you build big relationships, make new friends, and even boost your career. It's called The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx tal...

Amanda Hanson is a clinical psychologist turned transformational life coach for women. Her brand Revolutionizing Midlife is about redefining and reclaiming what it means to be a woman 40+. She is a self-proclaimed paradigm shifter & her contagious approach is one of limitless possibilities. Where most see roadblocks she sees opportunities. In this episode, Amanda shares why the odds are actual...

CBS News Anchor Jericka Duncan talks with Debra and shares the secret she held onto in her twenties as her journalism career was taking off, what she originally wanted to do with her life, and her reflections on covering racial gun violence in Buffalo, New York. She also shares how smoothies are life, stress sweats are the worst, and the one hair/makeup memory she wishes she could erase from her t...

Welcome!  We're so happy to welcome you to Sh*t I Wish I Knew In My Twenties - the podcast! Host Debra Alfarone is a Network TV Correspondent, and she used to be a high school dropout. Debra learned all her life lessons the hard way and now she wants to share them with you.