Work Friends

Amanda Litman has a clear vision for what the next generation of leadership looks like—and it may include a four-day workweek, among other things.  As the co-founder and president of Run For Something , Amanda leads an organization that recruits and supports young, diverse candidates to run for office—backing over 3,000 rookie candidates to date, and receiving an influx of over 60,000 new hopefuls...

This week, Sali is joined by LaFawn Davis, the Chief People & Sustainability Officer at Indeed. Her work leading culture, diversity, and inclusion at major tech companies—including Google, Yahoo, PayPal, eBay, and Twilio—spans over a decade.  In addition to her incredible leadership, LaFawn is a STAR, otherwise known as a professional who’s Skilled Through Alternative Routes. She’s an advocate for...

Our guest today is Shannon Watts , the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America —the largest grassroots movement in the country. Back in 2012, Shannon began her career in activism when she posted a call to action on Facebook to end gun violence, in response to the horrors of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Her message was met with an overwhelming response, and soon after,...

Our next guest, Samina Virk, is the US CEO of Vestiaire Collective and leads one of the largest luxury resale companies in the world—the first to be a B Corp.  Her resume spans over two decades in fashion and tech, with stints at Target and eBay, before she helped launch the Paris-based Vestiaire Collective in the States in 2014. Samina left Vestiaire in 2017 only to return a few years later in he...

Karla Martínez de Salas is a powerhouse editor and the Head of Content for Vogue Mexico and Latin America . She’s held the role for nearly a decade, following incredible stints at US Vogue , T Magazine , Interview , W , and more. An El Paso, Texas native of Mexican descent, Karla has been incredibly instrumental in helping to shape the all-too-often slow-to-change fashion industry. She’s been a st...

Today is a Work Friends first! We’re welcoming two guests: Alexa Buckley Roussel and Sarah Pierson, co-founders of Margaux. These two started their careers as undergrads at Harvard and have grown their business into a one-of-its-kind shoe brand that’s disrupted the footwear industry—one that’s historically male-dominated and very traditional. Alexa and Sarah are also here to discuss an exciting ne...

This week, Sali sits down with Amy Williams, the CEO of Citizens of Humanity. She launched her remarkable, multi-decade retail career after dropping out of college,  joining iconic denim brands, Gap and Lucky Brand, in the ‘90s and early ‘00s. Since taking the helm at Citizens of Humanity in 2011, Amy has transformed the denim giant—which includes the AGOLDE brand, as well— into a leader in sustai...

This week, Sali is joined Ali Wentworth , an actress, comedian, producer, and a New York Times bestselling author. Her credits include appearances on iconic television shows like In Living Color , Seinfeld , and as a correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno . Later, Ali created and starred in the series Head Space and Night Cap . More recently in 2023, she produc...

Our next guest is a force and a joy. Cari Champion is a sports journalist with over 25 years of experience reporting on the biggest, most formidable athletes of our time. She’s a regular contributor on CNN and host of the Naked Sports with Cari Champion podcast. An LA native, Cari's early career included the Tennis Channel, covering icons like Serena and Venus Williams, before joining ESPN to...

Today, Sali sits down with Alencia Johnson , an award-winning cultural commentator, political advisor, and leader who sits at the intersection of social impact and culture change. She’s also the author of the forthcoming Flip The Tables: The Everyday Disruptor’s Guide to Finding Courage and Making Change . They dive into her incredible career working alongside iconic political leaders and activist...

In this episode, Sali is joined by Mara Roszak, a celebrity hair stylist whose clients include Zoe Saldaña, Emma Stone, Michelle Yeoh, Natalie Portman, Kate Mara, among many others. However, in 2021, after the birth of her first child, Mara set her sights on a new venture and launched RŌZ (www.rozhair.com), an incredible line of clean haircare products. The brand has been met with massive success...

Our first guest of 2025 is the incredible Molly McNearney, the Emmy-winning Co-Head Writer and Executive Producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live! With over 20 years at the late-night show, Molly is the powerhouse behind iconic segments like “Mean Tweets” and “Handsome Men’s Club,” and has written for the Emmy Awards and the Oscars.  While Molly’s work has a massive audience, she usually plays a behind-the-s...

This week, Sali is joined by Katie Couric, an industry icon (a term we don't use lightly). Katie is an award-winning journalist, podcaster, documentary filmmaker, and best-selling author. She started her career working at CNN and NBC News in the ‘80s and, most famously, was the host of the Today show for 15 years. She then went on to anchor the CBS Evening News —the first woman to do so—becam...

In today’s episode, Sali is joined by Errin Haines , a journalist, an MSNBC contributor, the Editor at Large at The 19th* , and host of the podcast, The Amendment . In a conversation recorded just a few weeks before Election Day, we’ve caught Errin in her busiest season of work as she’s been covering it extensively.  An Atlanta native, Errin has a prolific career reporting for The Associated Press...

This episode of Work Friends was recorded on October 3, 2024.  In this episode, Sali is joined by Huma Abedin who, for over 25 years, has worked alongside Secretary Hillary Clinton in a number of leadership roles. Beginning as an intern in the then-First Lady’s office in 1996, Huma rose to Senior Advisor to then-Senator Clinton; Traveling Chief of Staff for the Clinton 2008 presidential campaign;...

Today, Sali is joined by Beth Lynk, the Executive Director of When We All Vote . Recorded right on the heels of the Voting Suits You launch—the viral joint campaign to maximize voter participation in the upcoming election, in partnership with Argent and the nonpartisan organization founded by Michelle Obama, When We All Vote—this conversation addresses something Sali and Beth are both passionate a...

Our next guest, Melissa Winter, has a career that’s so remarkable and, yet, hard to pin down. In fact, that’s the point. Melissa has been the Chief of Staff to former First Lady Michelle Obama for the past seven years. She first joined Mrs. Obama’s staff 17 years ago when President Obama was a Senator in Chicago, and would go on to serve all eight years of the Obama White House administration as D...

In today’s episode, Sali—Argent’s resident NBA superfan—is joined by Malika Andrews, journalist and host of ESPN’s NBA Today and NBA Countdown . Malika stands out in a league all her own. In 2018 she was named one of the youngest-ever sideline broadcast reporters; in 2021, she was the youngest person to host the NBA Finals Trophy ceremony; and in 2022, she was the first woman to host the NBA Draft...

Anjali Sud is the CEO of Tubi, the free streaming platform that houses the world’s largest library of movies and TV series. Since she’s taken the helm last year, the platform has hit a record number of viewers. But Tubi is far from Anjali’s first rodeo as far as CEO tenures go.  She first stepped into the coveted role several years ago at Vimeo when she was just 33 years old, and successfully tran...

This week, we’re joined by Monica Padman, the co-host and producer of the wildly successful Armchair Expert podcast. Her career story is nothing short of inspiring as she’s gone from aspiring actress and babysitter to Dax Shepard (her Armchair Expert co-host) and Kristen Bell’s children to the all-around creative force behind the whole umbrella of Armchair Expert shows. She joined us on the heels...

Laura Brown has been a fixture of fashion media for over two decades, since arriving in New York from her native Australia. She was the creative force behind Harper’s Bazaar for 11 years before joining InStyle as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief where she continued to work her magic, notably leading the publication through the pandemic. Then in 2022, she was ceremoniously “eliminated”—AKA fired....

Ai-jen Poo embodies what it means to be a caring leader. She’s the Co-founder and President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance , an organization focused on the rights of 2.2 million domestic workers across the country, as well as the Co-Founder and Director of Caring Across Generations and Co-Founder of Supermajority . A MacArthur "Genius" Award recipient, Ai-jen has over 25 years...

Symone Sanders-Townsend is the embodiment of speaking truth to power. Whether in her role as the host of MSNBC’s The Weekend or on her own social media accounts, Symone has become a go-to source for navigating the country’s rapidly changing (and often alarming) news cycle.  She first came to prominence as the national press secretary for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign when she was just...

Meet Betsy Beers, the Executive Producer of Shondaland. For over 20 years, Beers has been helping to fuel our collective cultural obsessions by producing shows like Grey’s Anatomy , Scandal , How to Get Away With Murder , and, of course, Bridgerton . But Betsy’s path was not without roadblocks—and she hardly knew what a producer even did before she became one. Join her and Sali as they get into it...

Secrets to success? No, thank you. Welcome to Work Friends, a podcast for sharing upfront and unfiltered career stories—the good, the bad, and the unapologetically ambitious. Because what’s better than a bit of real talk among friends? Each episode, Sali Christeson, Founder and CEO of women’s workwear brand, Argent, hosts one of her Work Friends for a conversation about climbing the corporate ladd...