Your First Million

I now listen to 16 daily podcasts about the state of the world and coronavirus, and am going to be breaking down some of my learnings in these episodes so you don’t have to listen to 16!! :) NPR, CNN, BBC, VOX, Pod Save, Politico, Trevor Noah, Maddow, WSJ, NYT, The Economist, all shaken up and stirred with my non-expert, non-journalistic takes.

Visit @Janine on Instagram and Twitter

This morning I wanted to focus on the people who are not only their family’s caretaker, but are running a company at this time of great uncertainty. Let’s discuss how we take care of them and ourselves.

The facts don’t lie. We are putting others in danger if we don’t take social distancing seriously *now*. Let’s take care of each other. + you sent in your voice messages and I’ll continue to air some of them!

The experimentation rolls on. Today I tried anchor.fm’s feature that lets you add listeners to your recording for a dialogue. Quickly posted on twitter to join in, and had 3 amazing conversations that I think are super relatable in these times. Hear from Atlanta, Vancouver, and Abuja, Nigeria.

These are the times for experimentation and getting back to basics. In this case my tinkering around with the anchor.fm app today helped me find a buried voicemail that made my day:) - Arlan

COVID-19 - #3: Friday Q&A about the Coronavirus

Q&A about the Coronavirus, aka COVID-19. I answer 3 questions: 1. How are you personally affected by events being cancelled and postponed, and how are you preparing personally? 2. How does one navigate promoting their work during a crisis? 3. What have you heard from founders who are currently raising about how COVID-19 is affecting them? Is investing now scary or more appealing to investors?

An impromptu episode about the Coronavirus, aka COVID-19. Let's virtual hug it out!

Dr. Nashlie H. Sephus sits down with Arlan in LA to discuss how she and her teammates—including YFM alum Jewel Burks-Solomon— turned their highly technical startup into a successful exit to Amazon in just a few short years. Today, Nashlie leads the Amazon Visual Search & AR team-Atlanta. She received her PhD from the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the Georgia Institute...

Yao Huang visited Arlan’s podcast space in LA from NYC recently for what turned into an impromptu interview. A highly entrepreneurial executive who works with businesses and start-ups in many industries with a focus on technology, Yao focuses on assisting with revenue and funding. She is the founder of The Hatchery, and has just announced a new debt vehicle for women founders. Credits Music by Jef...

Arlan's former tour managing client, Janine, is a New Zealand-born singer, songwriter, producer, and actress now based in Los Angeles. She gives us the real on what it's like to go from signing a major label deal, to indie, and how doing things on her own terms with fewer resources has had a higher upside. This one is for creatives and tech entrepreneurs alike! Credits Music by Jeff Kaale ( 1 , 2...

YelloPain is a rap artist from Dayton, OH whose new song “My Vote Don’t Count” has gone viral in the past few days. He joins Arlan in Los Angeles at her invitation to talk about how he feels the next 10 years can be drastically improved by our right to vote, and how the last few days have been life-changing. Credits Music by Jeff Kaale (1, 2, 3, 4)  

Jurnee joins Arlan in Arlan's podcasting space in Los Angeles to discuss growing up in a family of professional actors, starring in one of the year's most talked-about blockbuster films, Birds of Prey, and becoming the family bookkeeper by age 11! Listen in for this story of creativity, resilience, and authenticity as activism. Links Twitter Instagram Credits Music by Jeff Kaale ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 )&...

In this episode, Arlan plays audio of her friend and apprentice Chacho’s first keynote speech in Detroit. Chacho starts by sharing an incredible story about how he went from working at a cell phone store to the investing business. Plus you’ll learn a lot more about Arlan, her fund Backstage Capital, how she and her team think about investing, building, and access to resources. Links Twitter Video...

Henrik Werdelin launched his career as a fearless executive at MTV Europe, before moving to New York to explore the U.S. startup scene. His companies Prehype and BarkBox have generated millions in revenue, with millions of happy customers. Hear why Henrik thinks success is a team sport, how being from Denmark has influenced his work, and how a vulnerable question he asks Arlan near the end turns i...

On this special episode, Arlan tries something a little different for YFM! You'll hear the entire episode of another person's podcast. This time the tables are turned and it's Arlan who is in the hot seat being interviewed by Nadège August. Links What The Fockery? Credits Music by Jeff Kaale ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 )  

On the premiere episode of Season 2 of YFM, Arlan interviews special guest Jameela Jamil (The Good Place)! They discuss Jameela’s activism, how she made her first million $, how she got her first million online followers, and what they don’t teach you in celebrity school. Links I Weigh on Instagram Twitter Instagram Credits Music by Jeff Kaale ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 )  

The first season of YFM has been such a fun experience, and I can’t wait to show you what I’ve got lined up for Season 2! As we countdown to the end of a year AND a decade, hear which of the 44 episodes made into the Top 10 (by plays). Thanks for listening! Links Gusto Credits Music by Jeff Kaale ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 )

A note from Arlan.

Ellen Pompeo made headlines in 2018 when she re-upped her already record-shattering contract for the long running beloved show Grey’s Anatomy, and became the highest paid dramatic actor on television. In this incredibly candid and open interview with Arlan, she shares her thoughts on power, privilege, and purpose. And we hear what she’ll miss the most if Grey’s ever goes off of the air! Links Inst...

Arlan gives her thoughts on Away. Credits Music by Jeff Kaale ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 )  

In this episode, Arlan announces Oxford's first scholarship for Black scholars. Credits Music by Jeff Kaale ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 )  

Melissa Nightingale has been a startup warrior since the first dotcom boom . She has held senior leadership roles in marketing, pr, and strategy at several fast paced startups, including Wattpad, Edmodo, and Mozilla. Johnathan Nightingale has built and operated organizations from 2 people to 250. He was the Vice President of Firefox for Mozilla during a period of intense turmoil inside Mozilla and...

Jaime Schmidt is Founder of Schmidt's Naturals, the natural personal care brand that she scaled from her kitchen to acquisition by Unilever in 2017. Today, the brand is sold in over 30 countries and 30,000 retailers, and Jaime continues to support their global expansion. Since Schmidt’s breakthrough, Jaime has focused her efforts on enabling other entrepreneurs to pursue their own visions for a be...