Skimm This

Jen Psaki on Working at the White House, Seeking Feedback Throughout Her Career, and Raising Her Kids

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This is an episode of the podcast "9 to 5ish with theSkimm". Listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts.

When Jen Psaki became President Obama’s White House Communications Director, she was pregnant. Later, she became President Biden’s Press Secretary, and she had to navigate her role as a mom and as the White House’s chief spokesperson. A big challenge, considering when you work for the president, you’re expected to be on call 24/7. Today, we spoke to Jen about what doing both actually looked like for her – from the hard realities to the help she got along the way. 


In this episode, Jen shares: 

  • What a job interview with the president is like 
  • Why she regrets not seeking feedback early in her career
  • Her non-traditional approach to mentoring 
  • What she learned from not getting the job she wanted the first time  
  • How she set boundaries, even when on call 24/7 

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