February 9, 2015

"We can constantly reinvent ourselves if that's what we choose to do. I know I felt pressure to make all the right moves in my twenties, but I've learned I'm most fulfilled when I listen to my inner voice." - Dawn Edmiston

"I do feel like many women feel that their path is more flexible: 'Well, maybe I'll work for a while and then I'll stop.' I don't know that many men feel that's possible for them." - Meg Jay

Dawn Edmiston

This is the second of two shows on women in their twenties. Last time we heard from two young women talking about communication problems, confidence, and the competition they feel they're up against. This time two women in their forties look at the twenties from their perspective. 

First we hear from Broad Experience listener and professor of marketing Dawn Edmiston. She firmly believes that you do not have to have your whole life sorted out by the time you're 30.

Meg Jay

Meg Jay isn't so sure. She wrote her book, The Defining Decade, because she had so many young clients who felt they didn't have to focus on work or relationships in their twenties. She argues now's the time to do that, or you'll struggle later. She has plenty of tips for young women who feel work life is getting on top of them, and some fascinating insights into how the twenty-something brain works. And we finish by talking about men, and how few of them feel they have the same choices when it comes to career/life balance.

January 25, 2015

"Every time I talk to someone about starting my career or being in my twenties everyone says, 'Your twenties are pretty terrible. I don't know if anyone's ever told you that before but your twenties are a hard time.'" - April Laissle

"What I've noticed in terms of getting your first job...is that no one wants to train people...they want someone else to have done that. They want the polished version, ready for work." - Ade Okeowo

22 minutes.

Ade Okeowo

For some the twenties are a fun, relatively carefree time (who are these people?), but for many women this decade is stressful. They're trying to work out how they fit into the workplace, whether they're even in the right career, and how to communicate with older colleagues. The world is far more competitive than it was 20-plus years ago when I started working. But that's not the only thing that's different about the old me and today's twenty-somethings.

I did this show because a listener in London, Ade Okeowo, asked me to. She and Broad Experience intern April Laissle are my two main guests. One is several years into a career, the other is on the cusp of hers. Each has plenty to say.April Laissle

December 17, 2014

“You take a normal body and you make it even more compact and that’s a sign of, quote, femininity, and it’s also a sign of low power.” - Marianne LaFrance

“Quite often I get pulled in for a kiss. And I’ve had one person tell me not to be so formal. I think...some men think a handshake is something you do with men, and kisses are something you do with women." - Elaine Moore

20 minutes.

Christine Lagarde and former Greek Prime Minister Lucas PapademosIn the summer I produced a show about communication at the office. But that show left out one glaring component of all this: body language. So today we tackle hunching, spread legs, eye contact, and kissing - by gender, and all in a business setting. I speak to Yale psychology professor Marianne LaFrance about how men and women play up their power, or lack of it, through non-verbal communication. And Financial Times journalist Elaine Moore talks about how she deals with unwanted male kisses at business meetings. 

November 18, 2014

"If you don't believe in yourself, if you don't believe you're worth what you're charging, other people won't - they'll smell that fear and they'll try to haggle you down." - Adrienne Graham

"There is an expectation in some ways that women are going to give, that we're going to be supportive. It's how we're raised, and the messages we get." - Kathy Caprino

19 minutes.

Women have a problem valuing themselves - both setting prices and believing they're truly worth something in the marketplace. A lot of us charge too little for our work. Sometimes we don't charge at all. Adrienne Graham

It's a complicated, multi-layered issue, and it's part of the reason women earn less than men. As someone who squirms whenever I have to talk about how much I'm worth, I knew I had to tackle the topic on the show. I talk to businesswomen Adrienne Graham, author of a viral Forbes post, No, You Can't Pick My Brain, It Costs Too Much, and Kathy Caprino, who's written extensively about women's relationship with money. If you too find it tough to name your price, tune in - both women have great insights into how we can get comfortable charging what we're worth, and working out what that is in the first place.