Work Friends

<p>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?<br /><br />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 ladder, building a brand from scratch, raising money, and finding success on their own terms. Meet industry-shifting women in media, entertainment, business, and more, as they share the ups and downs of their careers, without glossing over the difficult parts.<br /><br />This podcast is for everyone who takes their work (but not always themselves) seriously and believes in radical equality in, and out of, the workplace. <br /><br />Ambition suits you.</p>

Lauren Sherman on the Past, Present, & Future of Fashion Media

Today, Sali is joined by Lauren Sherman, one of the most prominent voices in fashion journalism. The Fashion Correspondent at Puck, writer behind the Line Sheet newsletter, and host of the Fashion People podcast has her pulse on the industry’s major players, insights into how business is done, and—most importantly—is the expert at distilling it to the masses. An adept interviewer, Lauren has the tables flipped today as Sali gets the real story about how she’s built her career. Take a li...

09-08
01:05:56

Trinny Woodall on What Recovery Taught Her About Entrepreneurship

Trinny Woodall is a founder, CEO, author, podcast host, and something of a culture sensation. She was one half of the duo behind the What Not to Wear series—the original one launched in the UK in the early 2000s—and for the past eight years, she has been on a fascinating entrepreneurial journey with her namesake beauty brand: Trinny London. The company was launched with a focus on giving women confidence, at any age or stage of life. And it was not without major pushback. Thankfully, Tr...

08-25
01:01:40

Vicky Tsai on Founding Tatcha & Choosing Happiness

Today, Vicky Tsai shares her incredible story of building a career that aligns with her passion. The founder and former CEO of Tatcha sits down with Sali as they discuss how she built successful careers in finance and marketing before quitting both to seek a more fulfilling path. In 2009, she launched Tatcha, an esteemed beauty company inspired by centuries-old traditions passed down from geishas in Japan. It began with a singular product—the Aburatorigami Japanese Blotting Papers—and grew in...

08-11
01:12:18

Laura Modi Turned Breastfeeding Guilt Into a Formula Company Fueling Confidence

Today, Sali sits down with Laura Modi, the woman changing the way we think about feeding babies. The mother of four is the CEO and cofounder of Bobbie, an organic formula company that was born out of her own feeding frustrations after giving birth to her first child. In 2018, she officially set out to launch Bobbie as a direct-to-consumer, subscription-based company, and it would become the only mom-founded and -led infant formula brand in the world. Bobbie has been at the forefront of ...

07-28
01:06:30

Amanda Litman on Leading Better, Smarter, & With 4-Day Workweeks

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 since the 2024 election alone. Amanda is also the author of the recently released When...

07-14
47:44

LaFawn Davis on Making It to the C-Suite Without a College Degree

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 skills-based hiring and is herself an esteemed C-suite executive who didn't complete co...

06-30
48:07

Shannon Watts, The Activist Who Set Her Life on Fire

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, the mother of five and former communications executive founded Moms Demand Action. Although S...

06-16
56:15

Samina Virk, The CEO Combatting 92 Million Tons of Fashion Waste

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 her current CEO role where she’s passionate about confronting the environmental effects of ult...

06-02
55:54

Karla Martínez de Salas on Her Path to Vogue Mexico and Latin America

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 staunch advocate for featuring a diverse range of voices in the magazine who shape fashion and culture a...

05-19
44:52

Alexa Roussel & Sarah Pierson, From Harvard Roommates to Margaux Co-founders

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 new Argent partnership: Argent x Margaux. But first, they spill exactly how they upended their orig...

05-05
48:31

Amy Williams on Dropping Out of College, Sustainable Fashion, and Good Work

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 sustainability, including introducing regenerative cotton in 2023. Most recently, Amy’s helped pow...

04-21
56:07

Ali Wentworth on Learning to Never Give Her Power Away

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 produced the documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields under her company Bed by 8 Productions, which she runs ...

04-07
01:01:23

Cari Champion on the Undeniable Connection Between Sports and Politics

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 host and report on shows including First Take and Sports Nation. Alongside Jemele Hill, Cari also co-...

03-10
01:03:47

Alencia Johnson on Flipping Tables and the Power of Being a Disruptor

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 activists, as well as the hard-learned lessons she’s picked up along the way that taught her how to find su...

02-24
01:02:18

Mara Roszak, a Celeb-Hair-Stylist-Turned-Founder, on Finding Her Flow State

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 and is currently stocked at major retailers including Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Credo. Mara’s...

01-27
59:08

Molly McNearney on Comedy Writing, Rejection, & Keeping Hope

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-scenes role and there’s quite a lot of mystery around what her job technically entails. Today...

01-13
58:34

Katie Couric on Failing Publicly and Working on the Weekends

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—became the host of her own daytime show, Katie; authored her New York Times bestseller Going There; and toda...

12-09
01:04:25

Errin Haines on Why Objectivity in Journalism is BS

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, The Los Angeles Times, The Orlando Sentinel, and The Washington Post—and she served two terms...

11-25
57:44

Huma Abedin on Women's Ambition & Breaking Down Barriers

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; Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of State under the Obama Administration; and Vi...

11-11
01:01:45

Beth Lynk on Radical Optimism, Pink Suits of Armor, & When We All Vote

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 about: voter participation. Beth, a strategist and communications expert in campaigns, crisis commu...

10-28
56:21

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