Financial Feminist

The 2026 job market has been brutal. If you’ve been looking for a job, you know how tough it is. If you already have a job, I’m sure you’ve been told that you should just be grateful. Keep your head down, don’t make waves, ask for a raise when things "settle." My guest today thinks that instinct is completely backwards, and after this conversation, so do I. Kathryn Valentine –– executive coach, one of the country's leading experts on women's negotiation, and repeat guest –– coaches women inside communities like J.P. Morgan, Bain, and KPMG. And her work starts with an uncomfortable finding: women now negotiate as often as men, but succeed about half as often. Today we're talking about what to do when your company says there's no budget, why the timing of your ask matters so much, what AI gets wrong about your salary, and how to survive the messy middle of a negotiation without folding. If you've been telling yourself you'll just wait a year to ask, listen to this first. Kathryn’s Links: 76 Things You Can Negotiate at Work: http://76things.com/ Learn more about Kathryn Valentine: http://worthmorestrategies.com/   Negotiate Like a Woman with Kathryn Valentine: https://herfirst100k.com/financial-feminist-show-notes/negotiate-like-a-woman/ Learn the exact strategies to save money, pay off debt, improve your money mindset, and increase your net worth. Get your personalized plan: ⁠⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod⁠. 00:00 Intro 02:13 Why negotiation matters: career, stress, and $1M 05:24 Women ask now, but with the wrong tools 06:30 Negotiating during layoffs 08:28 The relational ask (and the WSJ advice that backfires) 11:36 Common negotiation mistakes women are told to make 13:12 What to ask for when raises are frozen 15:33 The 76 things you can negotiate 19:42 The gender gap goes way past base salary 26:42 In the room: what to say when it goes off-script 31:08 The three biggest mistakes that sink negotiations 34:15 How to find your market rate 37:32 "Ask a white guy" 40:34 Should you use AI to prep? 44:29 The average negotiation lasts 25 days 45:57 Live calculator: what one raise is worth 50:25 Who to talk to (and who to avoid) during a negotiation 56:54 Changing jobs when the economy is bad 59:25 When to leave corporate and build your own thing 66:27 Why mid-sized companies are best for flexibility 71:07 What to do this week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carleigh Bodrug is back! She's the CEO and founder of PlantYou, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a self-taught plant-based home cook, and the author of the brand-new cookbook Quickies. Her first episode was one of our most-loved ever, so I brought her back to tackle one of the biggest line items on your budget right now: food. We get into why convenience wins at 6 PM, how to actually cut your grocery bill, how to stop throwing money in the trash (literally), and why a food system works the same way a money system does. It's practical, it's shame-free, and there is a salad kit eaten out of a mixing bowl. Carleigh’s Links: PlantYou Quickies book Carleigh's Instagram How to Lower Your Grocery Bill and Stop Food Waste Additional Resources Mentioned: millionaire mindset: parenting yourself episode Ready to take the confusion out of investing? Learn the exact methods to start investing, avoid the mistakes that cost people millions, and how to balance investing while paying off debt inside Stock Market School. Learn more here: ⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod.   00:00 Intro 00:42 What Happens to Healthy Habits When You're Maxed Out 04:16 The Psychology of Pre-Cut Food 07:26 Shop Your Pantry First 11:15 The Deeper Psychology of Convenience 12:51 Cooking as an Investment in Yourself 18:23 Building a System That Beats Willpower 24:52 How "Quickies" Was Born 28:08 What Makes a Recipe Actually Quick 32:00 Perfection Is the Enemy of Good 35:33 Using Every Scrap: Reducing Food Waste 39:31 Cooking Is a Learned Skill 43:54 Rapid Fire Speed Round Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ready to take control of your money and finally start investing? Visit ⁠⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod⁠ to register for our FREE workshop, Stock Market Secrets: Debunking Common Myths for Successful Investing to learn how to avoid common mistakes and how to build wealth without fear or confusion.  Today's episode is a little different from our normal format. It's my conversation with Jasmine Star on The Jasmine Star Show, and we're sharing it here because it goes deep into something I don't usually get asked about on my own show: the actual business mechanics behind Her First $100K. We talk about the $49 coaching sessions that started it all, the money story I inherited from my parents (and had to unlearn), the exact logic I used the night before I quit my job, and why "done is better than perfect" has become my whole content philosophy. If you're building something of your own, or thinking about it, this one's for you. Jasmine’s links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasminestar  Website :https://jasminestar.com/  00:00   Intro & the story behind the name "Her First $100K" 02:25   Documenting the money journey publicly — and why that built accountability 04:27   Rebranding to Her First $100K, and her dad's reaction 06:30   The $49 coaching sessions that started it all 08:01   From coaching, to a $97 workshop, to a course 10:30  Tori's money story: safety, risk, and her parents' fear 14:19  Why women are conditioned to avoid risk 15:35  The night before she quit her job 18:54  "Give your dollars a job": the psychology of scaling income 24:21  Her First $100K's revenue model today 28:33  What's stayed the same (consistency) vs. what she let go of 31:58  Building an email list early, and current team structure 33:53  What Tori loves doing vs. what she's delegated 42:04  The "chin video" strategy: why imperfect content wins 44:54  "Done is better than perfect": hiring, imperfection, 2026 content trends 50:05  Owning success without performing false humility Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Almost everything you've ever been told about working out was tested on men. Today's guest is here to hand you the actual playbook for your body. The one that accounts for your hormones, your cycle, and your life stage instead of pretending you're just a smaller man. In today’s episode we’re talking to Dr. Stacy Sims––exercise physiologist, nutrition scientist, and one of the leading voices on training women's bodies––about why lifting heavy protects your brain (not just your muscles), why "toning" isn't even a real thing, how to actually train through menopause instead of white-knuckling it, and why your smartwatch might be lying to you about how tired you really are. If you've ever felt like the fitness industry wasn't built with you in mind, you're absolutely right, and Dr. Sims is going to tell you exactly what to do instead. Dr. Stacy’s Links: Website: https://www.drstacysims.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drstacysims Ready to take control of your money and finally start investing? Visit https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod to register for our FREE workshop, Stock Market Secrets: Debunking Common Myths for Successful Investing to learn how to avoid common mistakes and how to balance investing with paying off debt so you can build wealth without fear or confusion. 00:00 Intro 00:50 The Fitness Industry's Blind Spot 02:14 When the Research Is Only About Men 04:16 Why Women Need Heavier Weights 05:42 Lifting Heavy Protects Your Brain 07:26 Strength Over Thinness 10:36 100 Healthy Years, Not Just 100 16:27 Why Women Fear Lifting Heavy 17:04 Pushing to Failure Is the Point 21:35 Where to Start: At Home, 10 Minutes 24:58 Why You Shouldn't Train Fasted 30:03 What to Eat Before You Lift 31:52 Training for Menopause, Not Against It 35:41 The Hormone Therapy Pendulum Swing 38:16 Why Girls Really Quit Sports 40:36 Your Smartwatch Is Lying to You 45:35 Relearning Your Body's Signals 46:57 Fitting Fitness Into a Busy Life 52:22 What Successful Women Know About Health 54:36 The 80/20 Rule for Life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm answering your biggest questions about investing, retirement, and what to do with your money when the headlines start screaming recession. I get these questions constantly in my DMs, so I'm pulling the most asked — mortgage payoff vs. investing, the actual logistics of retirement withdrawals, what to do with an old 401(k) you've been ignoring, and how to finally get out of Edward Jones — and giving you real answers. My advice doesn't change based on who's in office or what the market's doing this week. It changes based on math, and I'm walking you through the math. Additional resources: How to Start Investing: https://herfirst100k.com/financial-feminist-show-notes/how-to-invest/ What You Need to Know About Mortgages with NerdWallet’s Kate Wood: https://herfirst100k.com/financial-feminist-show-notes/how-to-get-a-mortgage/ Learn the exact strategies to save money, pay off debt, improve your money mindset, and increase your net worth. Get your personalized plan: https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod. 00:00 Intro & Investing Mindset 04:41 Paying Off Your Mortgage vs. Investing 09:56 How to Withdraw Money in Retirement 16:51 Rolling Over Old Retirement Accounts 21:02 How to Leave Edward Jones 30:31 Wrap-Up & Credits Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices