Femme Hive

"I think we still have this image of retirement where we sit in our rocking chairs on the porch, drinking lemonade, watching the world go by. That is NOT the modern day retirement."

On this week's episode, our host Thamina is joined by Stephanie McCullough, Founder and CEO of Sofia Financial, whose mission is to empower women to make wise financial decisions and reduce their money stress.

According to Stephanie, society's traditional understanding of retirement is outdated as more and more people want work to become optional earlier in life or take sabbaticals. Saving for modern-day retirement is therefore all about freedom creating options for oneself. However, unfortunately, many women still lack confidence when it comes to managing their money and are faced with a particular set of problems around the goal of retirement. The traditional financial services industry is ill-equipped to handle this problem.

Stephanie and Thamina highlight the fact that investing and saving is not about being perfect or knowing the answer to all financial questions. It is about getting started and aligning your money habits with your priorities in life.

Did you feel a bit lost after graduating from college and facing the real world? Did you feel like you have no clue what you were doing? You are not alone.

Our host Thamina vulnerably shares her experience with post-graduation depression and how she was struggling to adjust to post-college life. It was bumpy ride but eventually led her to founding Femme Hive to help young female professionals be more confident while navigating this challenging transition in life.

Figuring out how to get through those situations without feeling like a nervous wreck, and how to do it successfully? On top of it all is the question of how to create a career that aligns with your purpose in life (if you know what that is). Whew. It can be daunting. But that's what Femme Hive is here for.

How can I get promoted? How do I get noticed by hiring managers at my company? How can I pivot and join a different team?

On this week's episode, we welcome Dr. Nicole Tschierske to talk about how we can increase our visibility at work to land those amazing internal opportunities.

Nicole is passionate about helping overlooked women in STEM become influential, so they can confidently unlock new opportunities for themselves, get their employers saying “we need you on this job!” and have a bigger impact. As a Scientist and Positive Psychology Coach, Nicole helps her clients strategically turn their career frustrations into a renewed love for their work.

Nicole and Thamina talk about strategic tactics to build your personal brand, self-promotion, finding sponsors and how to become more comfortable with networking.

2020 has been so tragic in many different ways. We have lost loved ones. People - especially women - have lost their jobs. Family members and couples were separated due to travel restrictions.

Our host Thamina has had her fair share of tough luck the first half of 2020. She was so so close to finally fulfilling her biggest dream of being able to move back to the United States through a company transfer and moving in with her cross-continental long-distance partner. Then a hiring freeze and visa ban hit and Thamina's dream burst like a soap bubble. Her mental health was really suffering.

Luckily, things got better in the second half of the year. Thamina shares how the pandemic turned out to be somewhat of a blessing in disguise due to all the important lessons she was able to take away from this past year, which resulted in an invaluable shift in priorities and mindset.

As young female professionals in our 20s, we all want to find fulfillment and purpose. But sometimes fear and societal pressures can make that quite challenging.

On this week's episode, our host Thamina is joined by Miracle Olatunji. Miracle is a student, entrepreneur, public speaker, and author of “Purpose: How To Live and Lead With Impact”. She is the founder OpportuniMe, an organization which empowers the next generation of leaders to realize their full potential and make an impact in their careers and in their community. Recently, Miracle was part of Barbie's #YouCanBeAnything #MoreRoleModels global campaign aimed at closing the dream gap and inspiring women and girls around the world.

Miracle and Thamina talk about nudging yourself out of your comfort zone to gain new skills and confidence, and how fear can lead you closer to finding your authentic voice. Miracle highlights the importance of showcasing your passions to the world and not being afraid of putting your goals out into the world while also giving yourself permission to be human.

Do you work long hours and don't get paid for overtime? Do you feel like your to do list never ends? You are not alone.

On this week's episode, our host Thamina shares some tangible tips on how to set boundaries at work and why it is so important to do so. After all, having a work life balances benefits so many aspects of your life, including your mental & physical health, your productivity & performance, your relationships as well as your overall mood & happiness.

Despite refusing to work on weekends, taking every single of her 30 vacation days, and not working past 6:30pm, Thamina has gotten two promotions and a 60% salary increase in under two years. Because people who set boundaries gain respect because they show respect for themselves.

Should I get my Master's? Should I get my PhD? Should I go to Business School?

When you've been in the workforce for a few years and a lot of your friends are going back to school to pursue an additional degree, you might be wondering whether you should do the same. The external pressure is real.

On this week's episode, Ada Aka, Doctoral Student in Marketing & Psychology at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, talks about how to figure out whether pursuing a PhD is the right professional move. Ada sheds some light on the differences between the undergraduate and the graduate school experience and shares some valuable tips on how to best approach the application process.

"Other people's urgency is not your emergency."

On this week's solo episode, our host Thamina is getting real about how she manages her time, juggling a demanding 9-5 job in tech sales and Femme Hive while also trying to have a social life, maintaining a long-distance relationship and practicing self-care.

Thamina highlights the importance of aligning your time management with your energy management and how setting boundaries has made her more successful. Most importantly, Thamina introduces us to the Eisenhower Matrix, which has become a great tool to help her prioritize based on importance and urgency.

Rolanda Evelyn was working in a role that many would consider a dream job: product marketing at YouTube in New York City. And while she was thriving professionally, Rolanda had always dreamt about working in fashion.

In February 2020, Rolanda left Google to wholeheartedly pursue that fashion dream. Little did she know that a global pandemic was awaiting that would have a significant impact on the retail industry. After months of uncertainty, Rolanda finally landed her dream role: Product Marketing & Customer Strategy Manager at Rent the Runway - a true full-circle moment after she had served as an on-campus ambassador for the company while she was still in college and had always admired Co-Founder and CEO Jennifer Hyman.

On this episode, we talk about how Rolanda's passion, tenacity, and convictions allowed her to manifest her dream of working in fashion. She shares some great advice on how you can increase your own odds of lading your dream job. We also chatted about how Rent the Runway pivoted amidst the global pandemic and about Rolanda's side venture "Other Cards", which produces greeting cards that are more inclusive towards minorities and help erase stigma around topics like menstruation, abortion, and sex.

Your credit score is your adulthood GPA. But why is it so important to have a credit history in the first place?

In this week's solo episode, our host Thamina explains how a good credit score or the lack thereof can impact many aspects of our day-to-day lives, most notably interest rates on loans. Working on establishing good credit can save you tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Thamina talks about the do's and don'ts and highlights why not only Americans but also Europeans should care about their credit history. In addition to the US model, we also take a look at how credit works in the UK and Germany.