Black Hosted Podcasts that Get Me Through the Workday: Hustle and Personal Finance Edition
For some reason when it is time for me to focus on work, I usually can’t listen to music. I’ll start googling the artist, scrolling their Instagram, and I just get sidetracked. Instead, I listen to podcasts. For some reason listening to the stories, banter, and laughs helps me to focus. The podcasts that I will be mentioning in this post, inspire me to get my projects and finances together and align them with my my personal and professional goals. I can be productive at work and I can listen to episodes that will help me to maximize my productivity outside of work. It’s a win-win situation if you ask me.
I hope the title does not come across as if I dislike my job in any way. Listening to something, especially something I can learn and grow from, makes the day go faster and it inspires me. These podcasts also have helped me improve my methods at work and I’ve become more productive and confident. I listen during my 9-5 mostly, but sometimes I listen while sewing or working on other projects on the weekend.
I wanted to combine side businesses or hustles with personal finance because they honestly go hand in hand. If you're starting a side hustle, it might be because you need to aid your finances. Your personal finances may be great, so you have the extra time and money to explore a side hustle. Either way you SWOT analyze it, they are connected.
I’ve never been a “girl boss” girl, but listening to the stories of others that have jumped and landed before I have is helpful. I would not even consider this to be “girl bosses” because while they would be considered “experts”, none of these women use a patronizing or deceitful approach. Also, these three wonderful podcasts are hosted by four incredible Black women and what I love about them is they showcase other Black women.
This first one I am going to mention is Side Hustle Pro by Nicaila Matthews Okome. This podcast gives me so much life throughout the day and I am always quoting the gems that I get from listening. Nicaila is so personable and she’s great at interviewing. It sounds like she’s talking to one of her girlfriends when those girlfriends are the faces behind some of your favorite brands. She actually reminds me of Issa Rae, who is one of my favorites. They have a similar tone when speaking and a hint of that same awkwardness. Nicaila coaches you on how to start, manage, and balance your side hustle(s) while dealing with every thing else in your life.
She comes across as genuine and authentic. She previously worked for NPR while quietly launching her own podcast, meaning she’s qualified to talk the talk. Not only that, but she recently started a new side hustle which is her YouTube channel titled NicailaTV which shows us, she’s continuing to do the work and exploring new avenues.
I recommend listening to each episode even if it’s not something that you think applies to you. Nicaila conducts a lot of interviews with Black women that run their own side hustles while working a 9-5, women that have completely broken off from their 9-5, and even women that work a 9-5 full time. You learn about their accomplishments and failures. I see this podcast as a guidebook for what to do, what not to do, and also great for just some midday encouragement. You hear people talk about “free game” a lot, and honestly, it’s the bare minimum most often. In this podcast, you actually hear about people that have the visible and accessible credentials to back up their message.
Some of my favorite episodes are listed below:
7 Tried and True Tips for Side Hustling When You Don't Have a Lot of Time
How Black Women Can Build Legacy Wealth
How to NOT Let Fear Cripple You When You're Starting Your Side Hustle
I would recommend joining her Facebook Group linked here: Side Hustle Pro Community
If you’re really about your money, you may want to give Brown Ambition with Mandi and Tiffany a listen. If you have ever decided you needed to save some money, work on a budget, or just get your finances together, you have probably heard of The Budgetnista aka Tiffany Aliche. You might even be in one of her LIVE RICHER Facebook groups. Tiffany is relatable and honest about her successes as well as her shortcomings. She experienced it so we don’t have to or so we know how to pull ourselves out of it.
Co-host and executive producer, Mandi Woodruff, is a journalist who has focused on and worked in personal finance the majority of her career. Which is why, she’s able to communicate something that’s honestly not that exciting of a topic (personal finances) in a way that is enticing and makes you want to listen until the very end. Mandi always has some amazing tips and advice when it comes to working corporate roles.
This a strong duo. I recommend their podcast over any other personal finance podcast because they have the experience and knowledge without the inherited privilege that you will find in other podcasts. They also talk about some real sh*t — racist appraisers, marrying “up”, and how health can affect your finances. Things that you may actually encounter in life without sugarcoating and being all rainbows and butterflies.
Listening to Mandi and Tiffany is like listening to that favorite professor or club advisor you had in college that gives you advice that isn’t dated. You enjoy them, you love them, but you always take notes.
Must Listens:
Can I Save When It Seems Like There Isn’t Enough
Take A Dream Job From A Shady Company or Nah?
The Choice Between Paying Down Debt and Building Your Business
In 2015, Sakita Holley launched the The Sakita Method formerly known as Hashtags + Stilettos. This is another helpful podcast that helps you get out of your head and honestly get your sh*t together. Seriously. The first episode titled “Done is Better than Perfect” will get you hooked. I highly recommend listening to it especially if you are a recovering perfectionist. If you are like me and struggle with sidelining your perfectionism, you know that a lot of times it manifests into anxiety, procrastination, and stress. Sakita is going to let you that you have to get started. She’s right. What is the point in stressing over something that doesn’t even exist yet? The key really is to put something out there and you can get it close to perfect later. Just launch already!
She offers a tough love-esque approach that is not exactly harsh, but it’s pretty much her silencing the voice in your head that is full of self-doubt and insecurity. The Howard alum struck out on her own after a corporate gig and started her own PR firm at 23 — so yeah. She definitely knows and understands the highs and lows of being an entrepreneur.
You’ll find interviews in her podcasts as well, one of my favorites is listed below in my “Must Listens.” The interviews and light and informative. Not the stiff atmosphere you would expect from a lot of entrepreneurs and business owners. It’s like listening to that big sister or cousin who is not that much older than you, but because they are so headstrong and independent, they seem as if they have been here before. I placed this podcast last because, the hosts prior have a lot more corporate experience and I think it’s great to highlight someone that didn’t go the corporate route for as long.
Must Listens:
Stop Talking Yourself Out of Sh*t
Melissa Kimble on #BlkCreatives and the Creative Process Behind the Movement
These podcasts have really given me that push to get started on all the ideas in my head and to finish and launch all of these half-finished projects. You can thank them partially for what I am about to release and you can thank yourself after giving them listen. Trust me. Stay tuned for that by signing up for my newsletter and subscribe and check out their podcasts if you have not already.