Work Friends

This week, Sali sits down with Amy Williams, the CEO of Citizens of Humanity. She launched her remarkable, multi-decade retail career after dropping out of college,  joining iconic denim brands, Gap and Lucky Brand, in the ‘90s and early ‘00s. Since taking the helm at Citizens of Humanity in 2011, Amy has transformed the denim giant—which includes the AGOLDE brand, as well— into a leader in sustainability, including introducing regenerative cotton in 2023.

Most recently, Amy’s helped power Argent’s newest partnership with Citizens of Humanity: Good Work, a sustainably produced modern workwear capsule that blends what each brand does best. We can’t wait to share more and get into Amy’s career, including:

• how her love of fashion inspired her work in retail.
• the pivotal moment she dropped out of college to pursue her career.
• working at the Gap in the ‘90s, and what eventually made her leave.
• making significant strides in sustainability as a fashion brand, and what others can learn from it.
• and, how the Good Work capsule came to life, starting with a phone call about a year ago. 

*The Argent x Citizens of Humanity Good Work capsule is now available! The modern workwear collection is designed with a shared mission to create a better future–one that’s responsibly sourced and empowers women to look and feel their best. Explore sharp linen suiting, sleek denim silhouettes, and incredible basics for styling it all together at argentwork.com, citizensofhumanity.com, and neimanmarcus.com.*

Work Friends Credits

Hosted by Sali Christeson @salichristeson

Produced by Gina Marinelli @ginaalilbit

Edited by Ryan

Theme Song by Karina DePiano @sheplaysdepiano & Melanie Nyema @melanienyema

Recorded at Podstream Studio @podstreamstudio

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to [email protected] for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Sali is joined Ali Wentworth, an actress, comedian, producer, and a New York Times bestselling author. Her credits include appearances on iconic television shows like In Living Color, Seinfeld, and as a correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Later, Ali created and starred in the series Head Space and Night Cap. More recently in 2023, she produced the documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields under her company Bed by 8 Productions, which she runs with her husband, the journalist, George Stephanopoulos.

Ali has led an inspiring, multifaceted career, and—for better or for worse—has learned many lessons along the way that she shares on today’s episode, including:

• combatting blatant sexism in the entertainment industry.
• trusting her gut and not giving power over to people she assumed knew better.
• getting fired up, not defeated, when she hears “no”
• and how to navigate the many ups and downs of being a creative professional.

Work Friends Credits 

Hosted by Sali Christeson @salichristeson

Produced by Gina Marinelli @ginaalilbit

Edited by Desta Wondirad 

Theme Song by Karina DePiano @sheplaysdepiano & Melanie Nyema @melanienyema

Recorded at Podstream Studio @podstreamstudio

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to [email protected] for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our next guest is a force and a joy. Cari Champion is a sports journalist with over 25 years of experience reporting on the biggest, most formidable athletes of our time. She’s a regular contributor on CNN and host of the Naked Sports with Cari Champion podcast.

An LA native, Cari's early career included the Tennis Channel, covering icons like Serena and Venus Williams, before joining ESPN to host and report on shows including First Take and Sports Nation. Alongside Jemele Hill, Cari also co-hosted the Vice show, Cari and Jemele: Stick to Sports.

Cari’s work squarely sits at the intersection of sports, politics, and culture—even when some may not understand why. Today, she gets into it all and shares the unfiltered stories of:

• falling in love with basketball, all because of her grandmother.
• becoming a “one-man band” to break into broadcasting.
• navigating double standards and clashing with the boss.
• covering the so-called “rivalry” between WNBA stars Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.
• and why some can ignore, but certainly can't deny, the connection between sports and politics.

Work Friends Credits 

Hosted by Sali Christeson @salichristeson

Produced by Gina Marinelli @ginaalilbit

Edited by Ryan Woldoff

Theme Song by Karina DePiano @sheplaysdepiano & Melanie Nyema @melanienyema

Recorded at Podstream Studio @podstreamstudio

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to [email protected] for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Sali sits down with Alencia Johnson, an award-winning cultural commentator, political advisor, and leader who sits at the intersection of social impact and culture change. She’s also the author of the forthcoming Flip The Tables: The Everyday Disruptor’s Guide to Finding Courage and Making Change. They dive into her incredible career working alongside iconic political leaders and activists, as well as the hard-learned lessons she’s picked up along the way that taught her how to find success on her own terms. You may want to take notes as Alencia shares:

• how she networked (and maybe even manifested) her way to a role on the Obama 2012 reelection campaign.
• what it was like working—and nearly getting arrested—alongside the incredible late Cecile Richards, former President of Planned Parenthood.
• fighting for funding as the founder of her own consulting company, 1063 West Broad.
• and, why she began writing a book about disruption on the heels of the Covid pandemic and working on the 2020 Biden presidential campaign.

Work Friends Credits 

Hosted by Sali Christeson @salichristeson

Produced by Gina Marinelli @ginaalilbit

Edited by Ryan Woldoff

Theme Song by Karina DePiano @sheplaysdepiano & Melanie Nyema @melanienyema

Recorded at Podstream Studio @podstreamstudio

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to [email protected] for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Sali is joined by Mara Roszak, a celebrity hair stylist whose clients include Zoe Saldaña, Emma Stone, Michelle Yeoh, Natalie Portman, Kate Mara, among many others. However, in 2021, after the birth of her first child, Mara set her sights on a new venture and launched RŌZ (www.rozhair.com), an incredible line of clean haircare products. The brand has been met with massive success and is currently stocked at major retailers including Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Credo.

Mara’s interest in hair started as a teen when she first taught herself how to tame her frizz, and soon she found that doing hair—for herself and others—brought her confidence. By 16, Mara was enrolled in beauty school, followed by a stint at the famed Chris McMillan salon, and eventually landing her first celebrity client right after graduation: Sarah Michelle Gellar, circa peak early-aughts fame. In this episode, we’ll get into it all, including:

• finding career purpose at a young age and putting herself through beauty school.
• moving quickly from doing friends' and family’s hair to styling Sarah Michelle Gellar for the red carpet.
• struggling with confidence and finding her “flow state.”
• red carpets, photoshoots, and world tours—what the work of a celebrity hair stylist really looks like.
• and the absolute hardest part about being a female founder.

For more Mara, check out her Work Friends profile: www.argentwork.com/blogs/work-friends/mara-roszak

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to [email protected] for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our first guest of 2025 is the incredible Molly McNearney, the Emmy-winning Co-Head Writer and Executive Producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live! With over 20 years at the late-night show, Molly is the powerhouse behind iconic segments like “Mean Tweets” and “Handsome Men’s Club,” and has written for the Emmy Awards and the Oscars. 

While Molly’s work has a massive audience, she usually plays a behind-the-scenes role and there’s quite a lot of mystery around what her job technically entails. Today, we’re excited to get into it all, including:

-what the work of a writer and producer for one of the biggest late-night comedy shows actually looks like.

-what prepared Molly most to navigate a male-dominated field with confidence.

-writing comedy, even in the face of constant, intense breaking news.

-the best way to handle rejection...and when to push back, too.

-and, learning to give yourself the same pep talk you would give to your best friend.

For more Molly, check out her Work Friends profile: https://argentwork.com/blogs/work-friends/molly-mcnearney

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to [email protected] for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Sali is joined by Katie Couric, an industry icon (a term we don't use lightly). Katie is an award-winning journalist, podcaster, documentary filmmaker, and best-selling author. She started her career working at CNN and NBC News in the ‘80s and, most famously, was the host of the Today show for 15 years. She then went on to anchor the CBS Evening News—the first woman to do so—became the host of her own daytime show, Katie; authored her New York Times bestseller Going There; and today is the founder of Katie Couric Media. 

Sali and Katie dive into all things confidence, representation, and, yes, failure. And, like any great work friend, Katie candidly shares how she's navigated them all—more often than not, in front of the camera. Plus, don't miss:

• Katie's perspective on work-life balance, or lack thereof.
• how she found confidence, even when she was asked to never appear on air ever again.
• learning to lean on mentors and dealing with terrible, inappropriate coworkers.
• the power she's found in sharing her story. Even the most personal parts.
• how media has changed since the '80s, and how it hasn't.
• and why Katie will never stop talking about politics.

For more, follow Katie on Instagram @katiecouric and check out her Work Friends profile: www.argentwork.com/blogs/work-friends/katie-couric

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to [email protected] for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, Sali is joined by Errin Haines, a journalist, an MSNBC contributor, the Editor at Large at The 19th*, and host of the podcast, The Amendment. In a conversation recorded just a few weeks before Election Day, we’ve caught Errin in her busiest season of work as she’s been covering it extensively. 

An Atlanta native, Errin has a prolific career reporting for The Associated Press, The Los Angeles Times, The Orlando Sentinel, and The Washington Post—and she served two terms as vice president of print for the National Association of Black Journalists. Then, in 2020, she joined the founding team at The 19th*—a nonprofit, independent publication that reports on gender, policy, politics, and the many ways they intersect. 

Errin not only has a front-row seat to history but plays a vital role in helping to record it. In today’s episode we’ll dive deeper into:

• how her Atlanta upbringing enabled her to believe she could be anything she wanted.
• why she lives by her mother's advice: “Your 20s are for you.”
• navigating major career setbacks when your job isn’t a fit. 
• why objectivity in journalism "is bullshit. "
• and the Twitter DM that changed the course of her career entirely and led her to The 19th*.

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to [email protected] for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Work Friends was recorded on October 3, 2024. 

In this episode, Sali is joined by Huma Abedin who, for over 25 years, has worked alongside Secretary Hillary Clinton in a number of leadership roles. Beginning as an intern in the then-First Lady’s office in 1996, Huma rose to Senior Advisor to then-Senator Clinton; Traveling Chief of Staff for the Clinton 2008 presidential campaign; Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of State under the Obama Administration; and Vice Chair of Hillary for America in 2016. 

Today, Huma continues her work with Secretary Clinton, but has paved a unique career path as a New York Times bestseller, co-host of Morning Mika, MSNBC contributor, and, through her work with the annual Forbes 30/50 Summit and Vital Voices Global Partnership, a staunch advocate for women’s ambition. Huma has led a storied career and shares so much of it in today’s conversation, including:

• her childhood overseas and earliest understandings of feminism and equality.
• her first White House internship where she was assigned to the First Lady’s office.
• overcoming feelings of self-doubt and being unqualified.
• how Anna Wintour encouraged her to write her memoir, Both/And.
• how she learned to be the central character in her own play.
• and, reflections on the 2016 election and why the world needs to see a woman in the commander-in-chief role.

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to [email protected] for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Sali is joined by Beth Lynk, the Executive Director of When We All Vote. Recorded right on the heels of the Voting Suits You launch—the viral joint campaign to maximize voter participation in the upcoming election, in partnership with Argent and the nonpartisan organization founded by Michelle Obama, When We All Vote—this conversation addresses something Sali and Beth are both passionate about: voter participation.

Beth, a strategist and communications expert in campaigns, crisis communications, and strategic planning, also shares the unique career story that landed her at the helm of When We All Vote and what it really means to be an organizer. Plus, there’s much more, including:

• Beth’s family history in civic organizing and her first job in the Obama administration.
• her work with the US census, ensuring every voice us heard.
• how imposter syndrome almost stopped her from becoming Executive Director at When We All Vote.
• the 3 reasons people don’t vote, and endless reasons why we all need to.
• as well as all things pink suits and Voting Suits You.

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to [email protected] for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.