Mandi is back for a solo BA Q&A, answering a juicy listener question about balancing student loans, grad school, a possible home move, and a new car payment—all while chasing Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). She breaks down how PSLF *actually* works, why “qualifying payments” matter so much, and when it can make sense to pause extra payments and redirect cash toward savings and other priorities instead.

What we dive into:

- How PSLF really works and what counts as a qualifying payment.
- Whether you should keep paying loans that are in in-school deferment.
- How to prioritize between:
- Building a 3–6 month emergency fund.
- Saving for moving and homebuying costs.
- Paying down a high car note.
- Why three months of savings may no longer be enough in today’s economy.
- Practical next steps to confirm your PSLF status and get your paperwork right.

Listener Question Highlight
Sydney, a 34‑year‑old nurse working toward PSLF, asks whether she should keep making a $500 monthly student loan payment while her loans are in deferment—or pause to focus on savings, a future move, and her car note.

Links:

Federal student aid and PSLF info: studentaid.gov

Stay Connected
- Email your questions: brownambitionpodcast@gmail.com.
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This week on Brown Ambition, Mandi is joined by author, activist, and democracy defender Stacey Abrams for a powerful, timely, and deeply grounding conversation about where we are as a country and what we can actually do about it.

Recorded during a moment of collective grief, fear, and exhaustion, this episode centers honesty over platitudes and action over despair. Stacey breaks down her 10 Steps Campaign, explains how authoritarianism takes root in real time, and offers a clear framework for resistance, resilience, and rebuilding without pretending this moment isn’t heavy.

Together, Mandi and Stacey talk about protecting your peace without disengaging, finding joy as an act of resistance, navigating financial shame and career disruption, and why your power doesn’t disappear just because your platform changes.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, frozen, or unsure where to start this conversation is for you.

What We Get Into

• Why this moment feels heavier and why that feeling is by design
• Stacey Abrams’ 10 Steps to Autocracy and how to recognize them in real time
• The 10 Steps to Freedom & Power and how everyday people can activate them
• Why we can’t return to “how things were” and must demand something better
• How to talk to your kids about what’s happening without passing down fear
• What to do when you’re exhausted, caregiving, working, and barely holding it together
• Why joy is not escapism — it’s resistance
• Financial shame, job loss, and why debt is not a moral failure
• Stacey’s unsexy but life-changing money habits
• Building freedom funds, changing lanes, and investing in yourself and others
• Government shutdowns, budgets, and why “business as usual” no longer applies
• Why status is no longer safety and what collective action really looks like

Key Takeaways

• You don’t have to do everything — but you do have to do something
• Your position may change, but your power stays with you
• Nonviolent resistance is effective — and it’s not the same as being passive
• Financial setbacks don’t cancel your dreams; they may redirect them
• Democracy isn’t abstract — it’s about our ability to thrive

Resources Mentioned

• Stacey Abrams’ 10 Steps Campaign
• Assembly Required podcast
• Level Up by Stacey Abrams
• Stacey Abrams’ children’s book series (Stacey Speaks Up)

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This week, I'm revisitng my interview with the brilliant Jasmine Marie breathwork practitioner, founder of Black Girls Breathing, and author of Black Girls Breathing: Heal from Trauma, Combat Stress, and Find Your Freedom. From surviving the corporate grind to creating wellness spaces rooted in cultural relevance, Jasmine gets real about her journey into entrepreneurship, healing work, and what it truly takes to hold space for Black women’s mental and emotional wellbeing.

We talk about everything from the power of a deep breath and surviving burnout, to funding a business on your own terms and growing a team the *smart* way. Jasmine even leads us through a mini oceanic breath session at the end — don’t miss it

We talk about:

- Jasmine’s transition from corporate beauty marketing to breathwork and mental wellness

- Why most wellness spaces *don’t* center Black women's lived experiences — and what she's doing about it

- Building a company without VC funding: how Jasmine bootstrapped and scaled BGB

- The importance of listening to your body (and your breath) when trauma speaks

- Balancing healing work with entrepreneurship and how not to burn out

- Tools in Jasmine’s toolkit: EMDR therapy, acupuncture, daily walks, and more

- Real talk on grief, generational trauma, and creating new blueprints for Black wellness

Join the Movement:

• Visit https://www.blackgirlsbreathing.com to learn more and access free mental health resources

- Follow Jasmine on IG @blackgirlsbreathing

- Subscribe to *Brown Ambition* and leave us a 5-star review if this episode gave you life!

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In this episode of Brown Ambition, host Mandi Woodruff-Santos dives into the pressing financial trends of 2026, focusing on inflation, interest rates, the job market, and student loans. Mandi emphasizes the importance of understanding these trends and how they impact personal finances, encouraging listeners to adopt manageable habits to protect their financial well-being. She highlights the significance of tracking spending, conducting inflation audits, and being proactive about budgeting to navigate the economic landscape effectively.

Mandi also discusses the challenges posed by rising interest rates and the cooling job market, particularly due to AI-driven layoffs. She advocates for a 'career resilience hour' where listeners can research industry trends and network to enhance their job security. Additionally, she addresses the looming issue of student loan wage garnishment, urging listeners to stay informed about their loan status and take proactive steps to manage their debt. By the end of the episode, listeners are equipped with actionable strategies to take control of their finances amidst these economic challenges.

WHAT WE GET INTO

• Introduction and Overview of 2026 Financial Goals
• Understanding Inflation and Its Impact
• Interest Rates: What to Expect in 2026
• The Job Market and AI: Navigating Changes
• Student Loans: Preparing for Wage Garnishment
• Conclusion and Actionable Steps for Financial Control

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• "We want to get that money in what I love about the success of that episode is how simplistic a lot of what I discussed in that episode truly is."
• "You do control how you budget, how you save, how you prepare for your career and how you respond when the economy starts acting up."
• "Lifestyle creep is the biggest killer of wealth, okay?"
• "If you are lucky enough to see an increase in your income for 2026, look at how you are using those extra resources."
• "We have to bring it back to what those goals and that vision for ourselves in 2026 want and how can we actually feed those goals."

👉 Want more Brown Ambition?

• Join our Patreon for ad-free episodes, behind‑the‑scenes content and deeper dives into money, career and entrepreneurship: Join the BA Fam!

• Follow us on Instagram @brownambitionpodcast for daily money and career tips, episode updates, and community conversations.

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This week on Brown Ambition’s Friday BA QA, Mandi answers a listener question that hits right at the intersection of money, values, and activism. A listener asks: If we’re boycotting a company, should we also sell the stock?

Using Target as a real-life example, Mandi breaks down what it really means to invest during a boycott, the difference between individual stocks and index funds, and why long-term investing often requires emotional discipline. She also dives into the ethics of investing, socially responsible portfolios, and how to decide when holding — or selling — is the right move for you.

As always, this is not financial advice — but it is real talk about aligning your money with your values.

👉 Want more Brown Ambition?

• Join our Patreon for ad-free episodes, behind‑the‑scenes content and deeper dives into money, career and entrepreneurship: Join the BA Fam!

• Follow us on Instagram @brownambitionpodcast for daily money and career tips, episode updates, and community conversations.

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This week on Brown Ambition, Mandi sits down with award-winning producer, filmmaker, and breakout actress Kiah Clingman for a powerful conversation about rejection, reinvention, and trusting the long game.

From getting rejected by Howard’s theater program to becoming a Howard alum who quietly built a producing empire… from working a demanding corporate job at Deloitte to quitting two weeks after getting a mortgage… from not booking an acting role for four years to landing a nine-episode arc on Hulu’s Reasonable Doubt — Kiah’s story is a masterclass in resilience, patience, and betting on yourself even when the timeline doesn’t make sense.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever wondered if they waited too long, started too late, or took the “wrong” path. Spoiler: you didn’t.

WHAT WE GET INTO

• Why Kiah almost didn’t submit the audition that changed her life
• The reality of going years without booking work as an actor
• How a hotel-room self tape (trash can + ring light included) landed her Reasonable Doubt
• Being rejected from Howard’s theater program — and why it turned out to be a blessing
• How Howard University and Delta Sigma Theta shaped her identity and confidence
• Working a high-pressure corporate job while producing films at night
• What it really means to be a producer (and why people misunderstand the role)
• Quitting Deloitte two weeks after buying a home — and the fear that followed
• Losing a series regular role after putting it all on the line

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Rejection can be redirection — even when it hurts
• Your “pivot” isn’t failure, it’s strategy
• You don’t need constant wins to be on the right path
• Corporate skills can fund and strengthen creative dreams
• Seeds planted today may not bloom for years — and that’s okay
• Betting on yourself often feels reckless before it feels rewarding

👉 Want more Brown Ambition?

• Join our Patreon for ad-free episodes, behind‑the‑scenes content and deeper dives into money, career and entrepreneurship: Join the BA Fam!

• Follow us on Instagram @brownambitionpodcast for daily money and career tips, episode updates, and community conversations.

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This week on Brown Ambition, MandiMoney is back with a simple, shame‑free money reset for 2026: 3 wealthy habits you can actually stick with, even when life is lifing. Instead of overhauling your entire financial life by February, this episode walks you through small, repeatable moves that quietly build wealth in the background—whether you’re fighting inflation, juggling childcare, stuck in a “starter” home, or piecing together entrepreneurial income.

👉 Want more Brown Ambition?

• Join our Patreon for ad-free episodes, behind‑the‑scenes content and deeper dives into money, career and entrepreneurship: Join the BA Fam!

• Follow us on Instagram @brownambitionpodcast for daily money and career tips, episode updates, and community conversations.

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It's January and the pressure is on to go harder, save more, invest more, and transform your entire life by next year. But piling on intense goals doesn’t always lead to motivation — often it leads straight to anxiety, comparison, and money shame when life inevitably throws a curveball.

In this episode, Mandi welcomes back listener‑favorite board‑certified therapist, speaker, writer, and financial therapist Aja Evans, author of Feel Good Finance. Aja helps us rethink how we set money and career goals so they actually fit our real lives — kids, cold weather, surprise plumbing bills and all — instead of sending us into a shame spiral when we “fall off.”

You’ll hear Mandi and Aja talk about:

• Why January might not be the best time for your most ambitious goals, especially if you’re in hibernation mode and running on low energy.

• How to get brutally honest about your time, energy, and responsibilities so your goals reflect the life you actually have, not the one Instagram says you should have.

• The mindset shift from “I’m starting back at zero” to “I handled that emergency and I’m still on my path,” even when a surprise $1,000 home repair blows up your plans.

• How “under‑promise and over‑deliver” with your money goals can quiet that inner “shitty committee” and help you feel proud of your progress instead of chronically behind.

• Simple reminders from Aja — “be realistic and be nice” — and why it really isn’t that serious if your timeline moves from March to July. If you’ve ever looked at your accounts and thought, “I should be further along by now,” or felt like one unexpected bill erased all your progress, this conversation will help you reset your goals with more compassion, more honesty, and way less shame.

Stay tuned at the end of the episode for Mandi’s note about how to send in your juiciest money and career questions for upcoming BA Q&A Fridays in 2026.

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