Happy Thanksgiving week, beloved BA Fam! As a special treat, I wanted to share a crossover episode with Nerdwallet's SmartMoney Podcast, featuring their incredible hosts Sean Piles and Elizabeth Ayoola.

We had SUCH a good conversation about career strategies, salary negotiations, and how to navigate this wild job market we’re in right now.

We talked about everything—from how I 10x’d my salary by quitting my way to the top, to why you need to stop being loyal to companies that won’t pay you what you’re worth. We even got into the power of storytelling in your career, building community, and why you should always be taking those recruiter calls even when you’re not looking.

I hope you enjoy this episode and that wherever you find yourself this holiday week, you're surrounded by loved ones and make time to take care of yourselves as well.

Much love,

Mandi & Team BA

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This week, Mandi Money sits down with powerhouse executive coach and host of Ambition Without Compromise, Monique R. Shields a woman whose mission is simple but profound: to liberate the professional imaginations of women of color.

From being a “lost English major” to coaching leaders across mental health, tech, and corporate spaces, Monique shares the honest, unfiltered truth about taking up space, transitioning careers, and surviving this messy middle season so many of us are navigating.

Together, Mandi and Monique dive deep into:

• The pressure high-achieving women feel to fix everything through achievement
• What it really looks like to slow down, pause, and rest — especially when the world feels on fire
• How motherhood becomes a catalyst for clarity and self-possession
• Moving through anxiety, identity shifts, and the comparison trap
• Why community and group coaching are lifelines, not luxuries
• The behind-the-scenes of building a coaching practice while keeping your peace

This conversation is the hug, the truth-telling, and the collective exhale you didn’t know you needed.

✨ About Monique R. Shields

Executive Coach • Podcast Host • Leadership Developer

• Instagram: @MoniqueRShields
• Website: moniquershields.com
• Podcast: Ambition Without Compromise

🎧 Call to Action

• Follow Brown Ambition on your favorite podcast app
• Leave us a review — it helps more listeners find the show
• Share this episode with someone who needs a reminder that slowing down is not giving up

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Hey, hey BA fam! This week we're revisiting two intense listener questions:

Financial Infidelity: When Your Partner Invests Behind Your Back

Listener Robin's husband made an over $50,000 investment on credit cards without telling her—and lost it all. Mandi breaks down how to protect yourself: separate your finances, secure bank accounts with strong authentication, and get a family law attorney involved ASAP to understand spousal debt laws.

Workplace Sexual Harassment: When Do You Speak Up?

Our second listener is dealing with sexual harassment, an HR department that dropped the ball, and a toxic team at her financial services firm. She's ready to leave but wondering: should she put her grievances in her resignation letter? Mandi gets into documenting everything with dates and evidence, weighing career risks, and deciding if speaking up can create change for others.

Have a question you'd like me to answer on an upcoming episode? Email me at brownambitionpodcast@gmail.com or DM me on IG at @brownambitionpodcast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.