The Breadwinners

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.  As Congress considers the question of student loan forgiveness, Rachael + Jennifer consider the role that gender is playing in the student loan debt crisis. Lear...

  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 ever-changing 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 f...

In this episode, 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. Please help us grow: Rate, review and subscribe to...

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. Please help us grow: Rate, review and subscribe to The Breadwinners today! Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

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.  Please help us grow: Rate, review...

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. In this episode, Carol Fishman Cohen, CEO and co-founder of iRelaunch, joins The Breadwinners to talk about career breaks, returnships and the impact of the pande...

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. Please help us grow: Rate, review and subscribe to The Breadwinners today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here’s a sobering stat: While more than 11 million firms are women-owned, only 4% generate revenues of $1 million or more. In this episode, 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.. Please help...

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. In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider the research on career transitions, how to successfully take on a new role — and Jennifer’s new dream career. Please h...

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 joins The Breadwinners to talk about her new book, which features nine real-life stories of breadwinning women and the...

Girls Who Code Founder Reshma Saujani and 50 or so influential voices have gathered to ask 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. In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer consider what such a plan might look...

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, joins The Breadwinners to share her work, her thinking and her conversations with employers about how to build workplace c...

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.  “What’s the secret to getting an appointment? It’s the same secret to navigating any American system: have a tech-savvy English-speaking person in your life with ample times on their hands.” — Anne Helen Petersen, “The Secret to Getting a Vaccine App...

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. Please help us grow: Rate, review and subscribe to The Breadwinners today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Please help us grow: Rate, review and subscribe...

Psychiatrist Carl Jung claims there are 12 personality archetypes that “are imprinted and hardwired into our psyches.” In this episode, 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 t...

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, Rachael + Jennifer 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 i...

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.  In this episode, Johnson shares results from her new survey of 2,3000 single moms: “The answer is clear: The more equality that women have with their parenting schedule, the more money they make, the happier they ar...

Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new administration — and 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. Please help us grow: Rate, review...

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.  In this episode, 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 peop...

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. Please help us grow: Rate, review and subscribe to The Breadwinners today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. “One of the biggest myths we believe is that the skills necessary to navigate relationships and sex are ‘soft skills.’ Frankly, there’s nothing soft about these...

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. Please help us grow: Rate, review and subscribe to The Breadwinners today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...

In this episode, Rachael + Jennifer 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. We also say goodnight to Season 2 of The Breadwinners and look forward to waking up to Season 3 in 2021. Until then: Keep Hus...

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. Welcome to the front lines of healthcare in 2020. Cecilia Aviles, senior operations executive for Sutter Health in Northern California,...