In this powerful episode of Being Brown at Work Live, I am honored to welcome back the visionary Deepa Purushothaman. Deepa is a former Senior Partner at Deloitte, an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, and the author of the internationally acclaimed book, The First, The Few, The Only.

We dive deep into the "status quo of ambition" and why high-achieving Black and Brown women often find themselves outworking everyone else—only to realize the system is taking a physical and emotional toll. Deepa shares her personal journey of how a lack of boundaries led to a severe health crisis, and why she now advocates for a leadership model that prioritizes "health and wealth" over mere endurance.

Key Takeaways from Our Conversation:
The "Outworking" Superpower: Deepa and I discuss the common narrative for daughters of immigrants and women of color: "Work harder, do more, and don't complain." We explore how to transition from simply outworking the room to strategically thriving in it.

The Cost of "Vacation Phobia": Deepa highlights the phenomenon where senior leaders spend the first few days of vacation simply "unplugging" from the stress. We discuss how to break this cycle by integrating boundaries into your daily practice, not just your time off.

Model the Behavior: Shifts in culture don't always come from the top down; they happen when individuals and teams start modeling healthy boundaries. We discuss how being clear about your "non-negotiables" actually strengthens your power and engenders respect from colleagues.

Compromise vs. Settling: Especially in a difficult economy, it's easy to fall into the trap of saying "yes" to everything out of fear. Deepa challenges us to stay clear on our limits, reminding us that being choiceful is exactly what highly successful leaders do to stay in the game long-term.

Deepa's Advice for Leaders:
Getting clear on your emotional clarity starts with internal reflection. Identify the 6 to 12 things that define how you want to show up in the world. Once you have that filter, you can stop reacting to every request and start leading with intention.

Connect with Deepa: Pick up her book, The First, The Few, The Only, follow her on LinkedIn, and check out her think tank, the re.write, for more insights on advancing a new story of work.

Join our free community! The AMA Collective

Ready to take control of your career and earn what you're truly worth? This episode is sponsored by the Salary Bump Accelerator. If you're ready to make thousands more in your next salary negotiation, the Salary Bump Accelerator is your proven system. Packed with everything you need to prepare like a pro, negotiate with confidence, and land a total compensation package that reflects your value, this program is designed to get you paid what you deserve.

As a loyal listener, you get 15% off with the code BEING15. Go to https://thesalarybump.com/salary-accelerator/ to get started.

In this episode of Being Brown at Work Live, I finally sat down with the incredible Natalie Parker, founder of Natalie Parker Enterprises and host of the podcast "So Your Boss Sucks, Now What?"

Natalie and I stripped away the corporate "safe-speak" to talk about the real work of 2026: Self-Preservation. We explored why Black and Brown women often default to service and performative excellence at the expense of our own health and purpose. Natalie's own 2022 near-death experience served as a powerful reminder that we have "one life to live", and we shouldn't spend it all putting points on someone else's scoreboard.

• The Performative Trap: We discussed how we've been conditioned since childhood to work for the "gold star." But in the corporate world, that 80-hour week often leads to burnout, not the promotion you were promised.

• The "Oven Drawer" Reality: Just because you've always used your career a certain way doesn't mean it's its true purpose. Your job is a transactional agreement—it is a tool for your life, not the totality of it.

• Managing Up in a Self-Awareness Vacuum: With only 8–12% of people possessing true self-awareness, your manager might be "sucking the life out of you" without even realizing it. We discussed why their lack of training is not your burden to bear.

Join our free community! The AMA Collective

Ready to take control of your career and earn what you're truly worth? This episode is sponsored by the Salary Bump Accelerator. If you're ready to make thousands more in your next salary negotiation, the Salary Bump Accelerator is your proven system. Packed with everything you need to prepare like a pro, negotiate with confidence, and land a total compensation package that reflects your value, this program is designed to get you paid what you deserve.

As a loyal listener, you get 15% off with the code BEING15. Go to https://thesalarybump.com/salary-accelerator/ to get started.

Connect with Natalie:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-renee-parker/

Instagram: @natalieparkerenterprises

In this high-octane season premiere of Being Brown at Work Live, I deliver a "no-sugarcoating" analysis of the current corporate landscape. Drawing on the newly released Lean In 2025 Women in the Workplace Report, I break down the sobering reality of the "crooked pathway" Black and Brown women are navigating today.

This episode moves beyond simple motivation to provide a strategic survival and advancement guide for 2026. I explore the critical difference between mentorship and transformative sponsorship, sharing personal stories of how sponsors opened doors to board seats and executive education.

• The Burden of Race: 1 in 3 Black women worry their race will hold them back, despite being among the most highly educated demographics in the U.S..

• The Burnout Crisis: 8 out of 10 Black women in leadership report high levels of burnout due to increased scrutiny and the constant pressure to prove their value.

• The Corporate Priority Gap: Only 46% of companies view the advancement of women of color as a high priority, a double-digit drop from the general priority for women.

1. Environmental Awareness: "Call a thing a thing." Acknowledge the reality of your surroundings without taking on the burden of fixing others' discomfort.

2. Foundational Self-Awareness: Use high Emotional Intelligence (EQ) to understand your unique persona and set non-negotiable boundaries.

3. Strategic Community: Don't be an island. Seek out accountability partners and build a trust-based inner circle.

4. Narrative Control: If you don't define your excellence and your story, the organization will do it for you—often to your detriment.

5. Psychological Safety: Prioritize your peace. Protecting the "person who produces the excellence" is your most important job.

I want to leave you with a powerful reminder: the rules may be different and the field may be uneven, but with clarity and a different approach, you can successfully shape a career that remains firmly in your own hands.

Join our free community! The AMA Collective

Ready to take control of your career and earn what you're truly worth? This episode is sponsored by the Salary Bump Accelerator. If you're ready to make thousands more in your next salary negotiation, the Salary Bump Accelerator is your proven system. Packed with everything you need to prepare like a pro, negotiate with confidence, and land a total compensation package that reflects your value, this program is designed to get you paid what you deserve.

As a loyal listener, you get 15% off with the code BEING15. Go to https://thesalarybump.com/salary-accelerator/ to get started.

In this episode, I continue my conversation with tech executive Obi Ihenacho (Corporate Engineering at Robinhood, Ex-Meta), who shares his actionable, personal playbook for building a powerful network that defines career success.

Obi shares real-life strategies, including the incredible story of how a genuine connection at a coffee shop led to an opportunity at Twitter that created a full-circle career win.

We dive into essential steps for growth:

• The Power of Proximity: Strategically positioning yourself at conferences and events to meet people who align with your goals.

• Small Wins, Big Confidence: How starting small—like having a simple "elevator pitch" ready—boosts confidence and propels you toward bigger wins.

• The Two-Way Street: The critical importance of making relationships mutually beneficial and remembering how you make people feel, not just what they can do for you.

• Networking in a Volatile Market: Why a strong network is essential for securing referrals and providing a safety net in an industry facing uncertainty.

This episode is packed with practical tips to help you transform your approach to networking, turning connections into career leverage and long-term professional success.

Join our free community! The AMA Collective

Ready to take control of your career and earn what you're truly worth? This episode is sponsored by the Salary Bump Accelerator. If you're ready to make thousands more in your next salary negotiation, the Salary Bump Accelerator is your proven system. Packed with everything you need to prepare like a pro, negotiate with confidence, and land a total compensation package that reflects your value, this program is designed to get you paid what you deserve.

As a loyal listener, you get 15% off with the code BEING15. Go to https://thesalarybump.com/salary-accelerator/ to get started.

Connect with Obi Ihenacho:

• Socials: @theobisystem
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obinnaya-ihenacho/

In this episode, I welcome Obi Ihenacho, an accomplished IT professional with a decade of engineering experience at companies like Robinhood, Meta, and Twitter. We kick off a crucial discussion on why relationships, not just technical skills, define career success and leadership influence.

Obi immediately provides a powerful framework for growth, outlining three vital relationships every professional must cultivate:

• The Relationship with Yourself: Centered on self-confidence, self-awareness, and believing you deserve your seat at the table (essential for combating imposter syndrome).

• The Relationship with Your Work: Understanding that your work product speaks to your personal brand and value.

• The Relationship with Others: The need for intentional, strategic connections.

We dive into why networking must be strategic (not just serendipitous) and how finding common ground breaks the ice. Most importantly, we cover the critical role a cultivated network plays in today's volatile job market, serving as an essential safety net and leverage point for securing interviews and your next opportunity.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where Obi will share his best practices and actionable "how-to" steps for building and nurturing a powerful network that propels your career forward.

Join our free community! The AMA Collective

Ready to take control of your career and earn what you're truly worth? This episode is sponsored by the Salary Bump Accelerator. If you're ready to make thousands more in your next salary negotiation, the Salary Bump Accelerator is your proven system. Packed with everything you need to prepare like a pro, negotiate with confidence, and land a total compensation package that reflects your value, this program is designed to get you paid what you deserve.

As a loyal listener, you get 15% off with the code BEING15. Go to https://thesalarybump.com/salary-accelerator/ to get started.

Connect with Obi Ihenacho:

• Socials: @theobisystem
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obinnaya-ihenacho/

In this highly actionable episode, I continue my conversation with the revolutionary Ngozi Cadmus (TEDx Speaker and CEO of Happiworkers) as she shifts the focus from healing to hustle and strategy. Ngozi argues that AI is the great leveler and a powerful tool for achieving "ease of living" and financial control.

We dive deep into:

• The AI Imperative: Why mastering AI is crucial for future-proofing your career and business. The person who masters AI will replace the person who doesn't.

• Time Optimization: Practical ways to use simple AI tools (like Copilot and generative AI) to save hours on administrative tasks, effectively ending your workday earlier.

• Digital Storytelling for Wealth: Ngozi shares how Black and Brown entrepreneurs can use AI to create viral-quality video ads and films for less than a traditional budget, turning lived experience into income and visibility.

• New Digital Ventures: Ngozi gives a sneak peek into her work creating autonomous AI agents, non-biased image generation platforms for the global majority (True Tones), and courses that democratize app creation and advanced AI skills.

This episode is a powerful call to action, offering a clear blueprint for taking control of your destiny and leveraging technology to create wealth, visibility, and legacy.

Join our free community! The AMA Collective

Ready to take control of your career and earn what you're truly worth? This episode is sponsored by the Salary Bump Accelerator. If you're ready to make thousands more in your next salary negotiation, the Salary Bump Accelerator is your proven system. Packed with everything you need to prepare like a pro, negotiate with confidence, and land a total compensation package that reflects your value, this program is designed to get you paid what you deserve.

As a loyal listener, you get 15% off with the code BEING15. Go to https://thesalarybump.com/salary-accelerator/ to get started.

Connect with Ngozi Cadmus:

• Socials @ngozicadmus
• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ngozicadmus
• Website: https://happiworkers.health/

In this episode, I sit down with the revolutionary Ngozi Cadmus, TEDx Speaker, Psychotherapist, and CEO of the UK's leading anti-racist mental health platform. Ngozi brings her unique global majority (BIPOC) lens to a raw conversation about the "why" behind the struggles of Black and Brown women in the workplace.

Join our free community! The AMA Collective

Ready to take control of your career and earn what you're truly worth? This episode is sponsored by the Salary Bump Accelerator. If you're ready to make thousands more in your next salary negotiation, the Salary Bump Accelerator is your proven system. Packed with everything you need to prepare like a pro, negotiate with confidence, and land a total compensation package that reflects your value, this program is designed to get you paid what you deserve.

As a loyal listener, you get 15% off with the code BEING15. Go to https://thesalarybump.com/salary-accelerator/ to get started.

Connect with Ngozi Cadmus:

• Socials @ngozicadmus
• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ngozicadmus
• Website: https://happiworkers.health/

I'm absolutely thrilled and humbled to announce that Being Brown at Work has been named one of the Top 35 Brown Podcasts by FeedSpot!

This week, I'm joined by the incredible strategic business consultant and executive coach, Jeanette Jordan. She brings her unique perspective, shaped by her own career pivot from engineering to tech marketing after the 2008 financial crisis, to discuss the crucial decision of whether to leave or stay in your current role.

Jeanette provides key insights and actionable advice on:

Paying attention to market conditions and company dynamics as early warning signs for a potential career pivot.

The importance of documenting your wins and accomplishments weekly to build your professional narrative.

The "illusion of safety" in corporate jobs and the courage to bet on yourself.

A powerful framework for making career decisions based on your goals, your "why," and what you are truly optimizing for.

Strategies for a planned exit, including negotiating a severance to give yourself time to rest and strategize your next move.

Enjoy this episode!

Join our free community! The AMA Collective

Ready to take control of your career and earn what you're truly worth? This episode is sponsored by the Salary Bump Accelerator. If you're ready to make thousands more in your next salary negotiation, the Salary Bump Accelerator is your proven system. Packed with everything you need to prepare like a pro, negotiate with confidence, and land a total compensation package that reflects your value, this program is designed to get you paid what you deserve.

As a loyal listener, you get 15% off with the code BEING15. Go to https://thesalarybump.com/salary-accelerator/ to get started.

Connect with Jeanette Jordan:

• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/jeanettecjordan
• Instagram: @jeanettecjordan
• YouTube: @jeanettecjordan