Bossed Up

How do you rest and recharge when the world feels chaotic? After an unexpectedly hectic December, the Bossed Up podcast is back with a look at what recharging really requires—and it’s not quitting everything or carrying on as usual. I’ve come to realize that the sweet spot, at least for me, is somewhere in the middle. 

This episode breaks down the balance I’m seeking to find this year, and I’d love to hear how it compares to your approach to the New Year. Between seriously scary news cycles and never-ending schedules, it’s all too easy to overlook gratitude in lieu of existential dread and getting everything done. Consider this your invitation to take a beat, drop a ball (or two), and approach 2026 with a healthy dose of self-compassion.

Join me in recalibrating for 2026 so we can recharge for real:

• How we can strike a balance between pushing forward and being present;
• The role gratitude plays in staying realistic about the future;
• When and where to decenter social media and lean into the analog;
• A reminder to give your personal calendar a bit of love.

Related Links:

• TAKE ACTION - https://www.bossedup.org/takeaction
• Get a copy of The Husbands by Holly Gramazio - https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-husbands-a-read-with-jenna-pick-a-novel-holly-gramazio/658e8495219fe107
• EP 525 “Resisting Despair: Coping Tools for a Declining Democracy” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode525
• Try out the BePresent app - https://www.bepresentapp.com/
• Bossed Up job search resources - https://www.bossedup.org/free-resources/job-search
• The Definitive Guide to Negotiating as a Woman - https://www.bossedup.org/negotiation
• Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/
• Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/

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How can you advocate for yourself when you’re operating in a broken system? We’re gearing up to face even more unprecedented times in 2026. And recent research shows, unsurprisingly, that inclusive and DEIB policies continue to be phased out while hostile work environments expand. Many of us are all too familiar with the lack of resources out there to help us cope with all this, especially options specific to Black women and Women of Color, who face the brunt of this ongoing shift.

That’s the landscape that prompted Sarah Boyd to found The Formation, an app that serves up “real talk, real resources, and real tight-knit community” for Black women navigating the realities of corporate America. She joins me to break down her evidence-backed recommendations for how we should protect ourselves while we fight the bigger fight of fixing our broken systems.

Start documenting everything and finding your career clarity as we cover:

• How corporate changes are impacting Black women and Women of Color;
• Why you need to keep your work receipts—all of them;
• How to frame your stretch work and find your ideal audience;
• The innate gap-filling gift so many women have, and how to maximize it.

Related Links:

• Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahwilliamsboyd/
• The Formation community - https://www.weareyourformation.com/
• The DISRUPT program - https://www.weareyourformation.com/our-program
• Women in the Workplace 2025 - https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/women-in-the-workplace
• Language Bias in Performance Feedback 2024, Textio - https://textio.com/feedback-bias-2024
• “Get Unstuck: Make a Plan to Move Your Career Forward”, LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/learning/get-unstuck-make-a-plan-to-move-your-career-forward
• Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/
• Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/

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What can you do to help turn the widening gender pay gap around? For 20 years, American workers watched as the discrepancy between men’s and women’s incomes slowly lessened. Then, this October, a new report showed that the positive trend is reversing. Women in the U.S. are now making 76 cents for every dollar men make—a difference of around $14,000 a year. 

In this episode, I’m breaking down why we’re seeing this shift and what we can do about it. 

Do your part to close the gender wage gap:

• Learn 3 powerful ways you can make a positive difference in the fight for pay equality;
• Hear which 36 million households bear the brunt of this impact;
• And what the data has to say about this shift in momentum.

Related Links:

• National Partnership for Women and Families, “America’s Women and the Wage Gap” - https://nationalpartnership.org/report/americas-women-and-the-wage-gap/
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, “Executive Order 11246” - https://www.eeoc.gov/history/executive-order-no-11246\
• Bossed Up, “The Definitive Guide to Negotiating as a Woman” - https://www.bossedup.org/negotiation
• LinkedIn Learning Course, “Negotiating Your Compensation Package” - https://www.linkedin.com/learning/negotiating-your-compensation-package
• Episode 462, “Understand Pay Transparency and Your Rights as a Job Seeker” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode462
• Episode 444, “Are Pay Transparency Laws Working?” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode444
• Episode 422, “What Actually Creates Gender Equality at Work?” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode422
• Episode 317, “Making Progress on Equal Pay Day” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode317
• Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/
• Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/

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As managers and employees, how can we ensure that we support equitable disability accommodations for everyone? The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) offers a wealth of protections, but many workers and leaders are unaware of what these protections entail. Luckily, there are experts like Rachel Shaw out there to shed light on their intricacies and help educate us all.

Rachel is a leading strategist in workplace inclusion and disability compliance and the author of “The Disabled Workforce: What the ADA Never Anticipated.” She joins me to add clarity to the laws in place to protect people with disabilities—including mental health and pregnancy—and ensure we have access to an equitable work environment that allows us all to be productive contributors, whatever differences of ability we might experience in our lifetimes. 

Understand your rights and responsibilities around disability inclusion:

• The most proactive and effective way to ask for an accommodation;
• The essential accommodation process every organization needs to develop;
• How much it really costs companies to approve employee requests;
• What’s missing from the ADA and how it’s being addressed.

Related Links:

• Connect with Rachel Shaw on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-shaw-00037745/
• Learn more about Rachel’s work - https://rachelshaw.com/
• Buy “The Disabled Workforce” - https://www.amazon.com/Disabled-Workforce-What-Never-Anticipated/dp/1544708599
• Episode 390, How to Manage ADHD in the Workplace - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode390
• Episode 460, Balancing Work with a Complicated Pregnancy - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode460
• Episode 123, Pursuing a Promotion While Pregnant - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode123
• Episode 335, What do mom-friendly Workplaces look like and how to create them - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode335   
• Episode 311, How to Talk About Marital Status, Parental Status, and Pregnancy in the Interview - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode311
• Episode 315, How to Talk About Disability or Chronic Illness in the Job Interview - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode315
• LEVEL UP: a Leadership Accelerator for Women on the Rise - https://www.bossedup.org/levelup
• Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/
• Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/

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How do you find contentment in the face of career compromise? So many of us want to “have it all,” but the weight of trying to be it all is crushing - and totally unrealistic. So if you find yourself struggling to keep your head up while navigating necessary trade-offs, today’s episode is for you. In order to even come close to our ultimate career goals, we need to accept that compromises are part of the package. In this episode, I take a look at how we can reframe those tough choices as steps to success, rather than as a failure to measure up. 

Start to see your career compromises in a new light by learning

• How to come to terms with the work–life trade-offs you might need to make;
• How to ensure you’re not sabotaging yourself when faced with imperfect opportunities;
• And a practical way to create a container for your ultimate career strategy.

Related Links:

• Episode 504, Girl Power and the Faux Feminism of the 1990s - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode504
• Episode 523, What Our 2025 Community Survey Reveals About Women, Work, and Burnout - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode523
• Episode 498, The Case for the “Good Enough” Job - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode498
• Episode 340, Why a Career Strategy is Important and How to Create a Plan - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode340
• Negotiating Your Compensation Package LinkedIn Learning Course - https://www.linkedin.com/learning/negotiating-your-compensation-package?trk=course_title&upsellOrderOrigin=default_guest_learning
• Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/
• Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/

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How would a one-month mini-retirement benefit your mental health? I know I’m not alone in feeling burnt out these days. And while the idea of four weeks away from work—to rest, to recalibrate, to pursue a passion—might feel out of reach, Jillian Johnsrud knows firsthand how to make it happen.

Jillian’s book, “Retire Often,” is the culmination of everything she’s learned from her own dozen short sabbaticals and from coaching hundreds of fellow mini-retirees. If you’ve been feeling dragged down by work stress, now is definitely the time to get inspired by Jillian’s philosophy and how it’s changed her life, transforming her into a middle-aged mom of five with the energy to seize every day with creativity and positivity. 

Start planning your first mini-retirement equipped with Jillian’s advice, including

• Practical considerations that make it possible;
• Why mini-retirements affect women differently than men;
• How to convince your boss to sign off;
• Why the American workplace shuns the idea of extended time off.

Related Links:

• Buy the “Retire Often” book - https://retireoften.com/book
• The “Retire Often” Podcast - https://retireoften.com/podcast/
• Work with Jillian - https://retireoften.com/group-coaching/
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Paid Leave Benefits” - https://www.bls.gov/charts/employee-benefits/paid-leave-sick-vacation-days-by-service-requirement.htm
• Pew Research Group, “The ‘Leisure Gap’ Between Mothers and Fathers” - https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2013/10/17/the-leisure-gap-between-mothers-and-fathers/
• Episode 501, “Four Best Practices to Navigate Layoff Anxiety & Uncertainty” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode501
• Episode 521, “In a Tight Job Market, Job-Hugging is on the Rise” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode521
• Episode 516, “The Power Pause: Rebranding the Stay-at-Home Mom” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode516
• Episode 468, “Disrupting Elder Care: We Need To Talk More About Working Daughters” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode468
• Episode 463, “A Different Approach to My Second Maternity Leave” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode463
• Episode 402, “How to Financially Prepare for Layoffs” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode402
• TAKE ACTION with Bossed Up - https://www.bossedup.org/takeaction
• Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/
• Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/

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How do we advocate for equity amidst federal policy changes that actively widen gender and racial gaps?

Since April, a record-low unemployment rate for Black Americans has skyrocketed, surging from below 5% to 7.5%. At the same time, the unemployment rate for white Americans dropped slightly to below 4%. The economic position for Black women in particular was just beginning to get better, and today, slashed public sector jobs and a slew of other factors are causing a rapid backslide.

When people of color, and especially Black women, lose ground, it’s a flashing neon warning sign of systemic cracks that, ultimately, impact us all. In this episode, I’m breaking down the of data that highlights just how heavily our current economic problems are impacting American workers, families, and communities.

The numbers don’t lie. Here’s what they show:

• The federal and public sector job cuts are disproportionately impacting Black women;
• Attacks on DEI programs are stifling improvements that had barely begun;
• Good leadership today looks like advocating for equity and opportunity for all.

Related Links:

• Joint Center for Economic and Policy Research, “The Best Black Economy in Generations – And Why It Isn’t Enough” - https://jointcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The-Best-Black-Economy-in-Generations-Final.pdf
• Economic Policy Institute, “What’s behind rising unemployment for Black workers?” - https://www.epi.org/blog/whats-behind-rising-unemployment-for-black-workers/
• The New York Times, “The Racial Wage Gap is Shrinking” - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/19/briefing/juneteenth-racial-wage-gap.html
• The New York Times, “In Trump’s Federal Work Force Cuts, Black Women Are Among the Hardest Hit” - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/31/us/politics/trump-federal-work-force-black-women.html
• MSNBC, “300,000 Black women have left the labor force in 3 months. It’s not a coincidence.” - https://www.msnbc.com/know-your-value/business-culture/300000-black-women-left-labor-force-3-months-s-not-coincidence-rcna219355
• The New York Times, “Black Unemployment Is Surging Again. This Time Is Different.” - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/business/economy/black-unemployment-federal-layoffs-diversity-initiatives.html
• The New York Times, “Trump Fires Black Officials From an Overwhelmingly White Administration” - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/us/politics/black-leaders-trump.html
• The White House, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” - https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-illegal-discrimination-and-restoring-merit-based-opportunity/
• The New York Times, “How Corporate America Is Retreating From D.E.I.” - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/13/business/corporate-america-dei-policy-shifts.html
• Brookings, “Black wealth is increasing, but so is the racial wealth gap - https://www.brookings.edu/articles/black-wealth-is-increasing-but-so-is-the-racial-wealth-gap/
• Episode 526, The Double Tax: What It Really Costs Women of Color to Succeed - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode526
• TAKE ACTION with Bossed Up - https://www.bossedup.org/takeaction
• Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/
• Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/

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We tell women to negotiate harder, lean in, and ask for what they’re worth. But what if the system was designed to make that impossible? Economist Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman calls it the double tax—the compounded price of racism and sexism that drains women of color’s time, money, and energy just to show up and succeed.

In this episode, we unpack how that hidden tax shows up at work—from policing what it means to be “presentable” to the unconscious stereotypes women of color navigate before they even get the job —and what it means for the ways women negotiate, lead, and thrive. 

Anna breaks down the numbers and the stories behind them, revealing why individual fixes aren’t enough and what real equity could look like when we stop asking women to bear the cost alone. Tune in now to learn: 

Listen in to learn:

• Just how widespread the “double tax” really is;
• The deeply ingrained politics of presentability every woman navigates;
• How biases and stigmas follow women of color throughout their careers;
• Why building connection is the foundational step we need

Related Links:

• The Double Tax by Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman - https://annagifty.com/
• Connect with Anna on LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/annagifty/
• Follow Anna on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/itsafronomics/
• Follow Anna on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/itsafronomics.bsky.social/
• Episode 322, How to be a Leader People Actually Like - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode322
• Episode 456, How Connection Can Cure What Ails Us - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode456
• Episode 497, Where Have All the Good Friends Gone? - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode497
• HIRED: a job search accelerator video course - https://www.bossedup.org/hired/
• Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/
• Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/

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How are you dealing with our nation’s constant onslaught of frightening news? Witnessing democracy itself under attack has me feeling despair more often than I’d like, and I know I’m not alone. To be honest, talking about job search strategies and leadership best practices feels a bit futile while our nation flirts with fascism.  So, on this episode, I’m taking a look at how we can continue to function when we’re faced with crisis after crisis, day after day.

Let’s talk about how we can help—ourselves and others who may be feeling despair, too:

• How the overwhelm campaign is a deliberate strategy designed to shock us into submission;
• Why we need to start by checking in with our basic needs;
• The deep damage of doomscrolling;
• How the combination of finding meaning and taking action can create change.

Related Links:

• American Psychological Association, Stress in America 2024 - https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/stress-in-america/2024
• Frontline interview with Steve Bannon - https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/interview/steve-bannon-3/
• Vox, “Flood the zone with sh*t”: How misinformation overwhelmed our democracy - https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/1/16/20991816/impeachment-trial-trump-bannon-misinformation
• American Friends Service Committee, “How allies can defend against ICE raids” - https://afsc.org/news/how-allies-can-defend-against-ice-raids
• National Immigrant Justice Center, “Know Your Rights: If You Encounter ICE” - https://immigrantjustice.org/for-immigrants/know-your-rights/ice-encounter/
• Episode 293, What 2020 Taught Me (About F-Off Funds) - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode293
• TAKE ACTION with Bossed Up - https://www.bossedup.org/takeaction
• Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/
• Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/

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How do you push back against the “overqualified” label in interviews when you’re an experienced leader? The job search is daunting today, to say the least, and when you’re going in with a decade or more of experience, it can be a real confidence-killer, too. 

Loren Greiff is the founder of PortfolioRocket. She directs her wealth of experience as a recruiter and advertiser to ending “career victimization by elevating, accelerating, and celebrating one executive over 40 at a time.” We talk about how those with significant career experience can reframe and reclaim the job search experience. 

Shift your job search mindset to rise in the recruitment ranks:

• How to transition from a passive to an active application approach;
• Honing in on and clearly explaining your unique unfair advantage;
• What interviewers actually mean when they say you’re “overqualified”;
• What to stop doing before and during your interviews to really set yourself apart.

Related Links:

• Episode 523, What Our 2025 Community Survey Reveals About Women, Work, and Burnout - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode523
• Work with Loren - https://www.portfoliorocket.com/
• Connect with Loren - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/
• Listen to the “Career Blast in a Half” podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/career-blast-in-a-half/id1670977528
• Download the “Unlock the Hidden Job Market” ebook - https://programs.portfoliorocket.com/unlock-website
• HIRED: a job search accelerator video course - https://www.bossedup.org/hired/
• Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/
• Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/

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