Episode 4: “Up In Here” – Navigating Your Career Without Losing Your Mind

In this laugh-out-loud and deeply practical episode of Just Us, Liz Nolley and Kere Thomas tackle a question many Black women are asking right now: How do I navigate this chaotic job market without burning out or blowing up at work?

From adopting an entrepreneurial approach to managing your career, to using AI tools to uncover transferable skills and new career pathways, Liz and Kere offer real strategies you can use today. Along the way, they unpack purpose, side hustles, career pivots, and the power of reframing your day job as a means—not the mission.

And because music is self-care (until it’s not 😅), the episode wraps with a hilarious and painfully accurate list of “Songs You Should NOT Listen to on Your Way to Work When You’re Already Stressed.”

Come for the career coaching, stay for the culture, the stories, and the laughs. This episode is equal parts strategy session and group chat energy.

Hey, everybody. I'm Liz Nolley.

I'm Kere Thomas.

And welcome to the Just Us podcast, a place for Black women navigating corporate spaces.

Hey, Liz.

Hey, Kere.

Um, before I forget, I wanted to say. We joked around in one of the previous episodes about your shirt that you had on. You were wearing a Prince shirt.

Oh, my game blouses shirt. Shout out to Prince.

To reference to Prince. I wanted to clear that up because I know some people said, 'What shirt did she have on?' Because they were listening to it. But what do you have on today? I like this ensemble.

Oh, you like my baseball shirt? So Mya, my original oldest child. Gave this to me as a Christmas present, birthday present a few years back. But it's a Newark Eagles jersey. All right.

So we need to tell the people about the Newark Eagles.

Wait, Amir, do you know about the Newark Eagles?

Why are you bringing him in?

Because he's sitting here. He's the people. The New York Eagles. So in the Negro Leagues. They were Newark's team in the Negro Leagues. Yeah. And one of my favorite players, who is a... Major League Baseball Hall of Famer. But was also a star on Newark Eagles from my very own hometown of Montclair, is Mr. Larry Doby. And this is his number, and this is his jersey. So since we tape in Newark, and I'm from the Clair, and it's cold outside.

The Clair. She's from Montclair, people.

I'm from Montclair. I thought I would wear this today.

I love it. Shout out to Mya.

Thank you, Maya, for my lovely gift that keeps on giving. So that's the story behind my shirt. What's the story behind your shirt? That's cute. I like that. Don't leave that unattended. Pretty girl boss. Don't leave that unattended. I mean, I'm just...

So in usual sorority tradition. Liz is hinting at, I should give her my shirt.

I said nothing. You didn't hear. I just told her not to leave it around because, you know, you don't leave like a diamond laying around for, you know, like things happen. You protect what's precious, cargo.

There is an unwritten rule, though.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, but that's not for them to know. As long as you know and I know. We know. They don't need to know. We're speaking it. I got you. Wait, some black conversation.

Some Black sorority conversation. Okay. We’ll talk about it. Anyway. How about we get to our teachable moment?

Okay, Kere. That's a great segue. That was so seamless. I saw what you did there. But today's teachable moment. So in our previous episodes, we talked about how the economy, the political environment, the socioeconomic environment here in these United States is having a fairly disparate impact on us. Yes. Black women. Us. Mm-hmm. And so. And, um... So what we wanted to do today, in today's Teachable Moment, was to give the people some strategies for navigating the job market today. I love it. And one strategy. For doing that is to do what I call Adopting. an entrepreneurial approach to managing your career.

You know what I mean when I say entrepreneurial approach to managing your career?

I think I do. Okay. So, as an entrepreneur, You have to think. Outside the box, you have to kind of take control, take ownership. And if you are working for someone else, you can still use those characteristics of an entrepreneur. To catapult yourself in your career. So... taking ownership of perhaps a project. Or leading something in your work that is... outside of what everyone is thinking, coming up with new ideas. Stuff like that.

Love it. Very well said. End of the podcast. We're done. Kere covered everything. So I see you. You always have bars, Kere. That's why I love doing this with you. But yeah, that's exactly right.

For me, the way I would frame that is it's about being strategic, adaptable, and innovative, like you said. Said, in terms of your day job. So it's not necessarily saying quit your job and become an entrepreneur. It's about making your day job work for you as opposed to just having it always be about you working for your day job. Yeah. Right. So. So for me, when I work with clients in my coaching practice, we talk a lot about these things, right? And it starts with a couple of different strategies. And then I'm going to go into how you can use AI to help kind of propel your job search or reposition yourself to. So a couple of strategies real quick. First, it starts with purpose, your goals.

Everybody that follows me on social media knows that I'm a purpose junkie. It all starts with your purpose because once you're clear on what your purpose is, decision-making becomes very easy, right?

Does it align with your purpose? Does it not?

That's it. Because if it aligns, you say yes, and you move forward. If it doesn't, you say no. Now, there's always some gray area in there. And what you have to do in that case is talk about, all right. What are my non-negotiables? Right. Can I get to a yes, but I might turn that no to a yes, but on my terms and my conditions. Right. And shameless plug coming into. In my book, Staying Power. I map out a 30-day process to identifying your purpose. And using it to level up your career, to make decisions and win at work and build your brand and be a boss in the boardroom. So that's one resource that people can use to figure that out if they don't know it or to just reaffirm it and then action it every day in their careers.

When you wrote that book, I was in a different space because I was still in corporate America. And it was very helpful for me then. But now I'm thinking, can I revisit that in my entrepreneurial space?

Yeah, absolutely. That's the beautiful thing about purpose, right? Purpose. It's not a static. Thing. Right. Like you look at somebody like Colin Kaepernick. I might have to wear his jersey on a future show.

You should.

So you look at somebody like him in high school. And he was a baseball standout. And he was a two-sport athlete, I want to say, in college, baseball and football. And he had to make a decision in his heart of hearts. He was a football star, even though he was drafted into Major League Baseball before his football career took off, but he was like, 'No, no, no, no, I'm a football player.' And everybody thought he was crazy, but his purpose at that time was— to become an NFL player, right? Even though he had all these other energies pulling him, he said no to that stuff and focused on where he was being called to do, right? And so... Then fast forward. Wins the Super Bowl, takes the knee, and everything changes.

And his purpose today isn't football. Football is a platform for him to live his purpose as it has evolved, as he has evolved as a human being and the world around him has evolved, right? So that, you know, so... That's how purpose works. It's not a static thing. So that's why it's really good to come back and revisit it because your purpose could be the same thing for 20 years. 20, 30, 40 years. Or you could have more of a Colin Kaepernick kind of a journey where your purpose today takes you from here to here. And then you recalibrate and say, 'OK, why am I here?' Because, and that's exactly what happened to me in my own career trajectory. Right.

Like I thought my purpose for one major portion of my life was one thing— climb the corporate ladder, do all the corporate moves and everything like that. And now... you know, that has provided a foundation and a platform for helping other people realize and live their purpose. ‘

Yeah. Thank you for the free coaching. Appreciate it.

Anytime. Wait. Anytime. You know I have to do this on like every episode.

She's still doing it, y'all. I've tried.

Even though I'm too old for that. So anyway, so that's the first thing you need to do. To do to navigate today's job market. And that is being clear on what it is that you want, right? Because a lot of us get recruited by jobs and stuff like that.

That and I have a friend who's a coach and she coaches around purpose but from a spiritual perspective and Dr. Angie Gray and she says it this way, every good opportunity is not a God opportunity and a God opportunity is one specifically for you. Right. So you get offered a lot of things. You could do a lot of things, which is great, which is beautiful, especially as a multi-passionate professional. Right. But. You got to leverage your purpose to discern which ones are actually for you. Otherwise, you spread yourself too thin, trying to be all things to all people, and then you're no good to anybody, you know? So. That's step one. Start with your purpose. Again. Plug, if you need help either identifying or recalibrating on your purpose. Seriously, pick up my book.

It's a 30-day action journal. You can get through each lesson in less than 15 minutes a day.

I'm gonna do it. Again, and then I'm going to report back. So if anyone out there. Is also going to try it. Please report back and let us know. How it worked for you.

Awesome. Awesome. Thank you. And it's the same process that I personally followed in my own purpose journey. So everything in the book, I've already done. So I know it works. And hundreds of other women who have read the book or who have attended my courses, my workshops and stuff like that, because I teach this stuff in a lot of different ways and stuff like that. Um they'll tell you it works too, but you got to do the work. Yeah.

So that's step one. Get clear on your purpose and your goals so you know what fits and what doesn't. Step two is thinking about moving inside your organization in an entrepreneurial way. Right. And that could involve all the things that you said— developing, like taking on new assignments and developing new skills. You can move horizontally into another department to learn a new business or a new part of the operation. Or you could raise your hand for an assignment in a new geography. You know, it's all about adding new career experiences to your career portfolio. And I talk a lot about this process. Second shameless plug coming in three, two, one. In my very first book, Great Work, Great Rewards, and it's about breaking the performance punishment cycle.

You know, that thing that happens when... when the only reward for... Good work is more work. If that's you, this is the book for you, for real, for real. But in it, I talk about, you know, you have options for moving. in your career. You can move up in the organization. And a lot of times you don't have control over moving up. Yeah. But a lot of times you have more control over moving. Horizontally or moving across, raising your hand for a stretch assignment, raising your hand for a temporary assignment at a new location or a new geography, new country, if you work for a global company or what have you.

You can take on a lateral move. On previous episodes of the podcast, I talked about how... You know, I raised my hand for an assignment and it connected me with new people who are now in leadership positions. So you can do that. Or you could stay where you are in your current role, but just take on new assignments, new tasks. Like if your boos is trying to work on a major department-wide initiative and is forming like an informal committee, you know, you can raise your hand and say, 'Hey, you know, I'd really like to help out with that.' Yeah. You know, to get that new experience added to your career portfolio.

Right. Enhance your skills that way. Or by taking on, like you said, a lateral move. Yeah, so it's not always about leaving the job. It's not always about getting promoted or whatever. Sometimes, right where you are, is a wealth of opportunity. Opportunity to expand your career portfolio and so that you can grow. So I encourage people to look at those opportunities because they're. There may be more opportunities than they realize. Or you could take a look at whatever your challenge is. I actually have been coaching a lot of... Women lately whose organizations are going through challenges and everything. So I guess that's why they're reaching out for coaching support. Like, how do, what do I do? And, and these women, a lot of them are team leaders. So I've told them and I've given them templates and tools. Be that person to be a play consultant in your organization, right?

Develop your proposal for what is the new target operating model for you. Your division look like? Put that in front of your boss. You know, you can stretch and grow and and develop your consulting skills, your strategy skills, your what, you know, like all of these softer skills that you need— no matter where you go— right in your current role. And that's what I mean by being entrepreneurial and thinking about in a way such that, if you do decide to leave, maybe that lights a fire and you become like a consultant or something. But, you know, so there's a lot of opportunity right in front of you, which you don't want to do is withdraw and just suffer in silence. Oh, I'm not suffering in silence. Or be passive. Okay. Or be passive.

If I'm suffering, we're all suffering. No, I agree with you. Don't suffer in silence. Don't be passive. Make an effort to find something that is going to support your purpose.

Exactly. And then those things, those types of skills, once you do the projects, you can add that to your resume, you know, and if you have to make an exit, then you're better positioned.

That experience you have that's now beefing up your resume.

Exactly. So that's the second strategy. The third tool or strategy is all about the side hustle. You know, nobody's saying—don't do like they do in the Hallmark movies where they quit the big job in New York City and move to Christmasville, USA to start over. I mean, if you have it like that, rock on, do that, and then call me and tell me how you did it.

Listen, I love my Hallmark movies because they are unrealistic.

Oh, but if you have it like that, rock out. But for everybody else, for the rest of us that don't have that, like you can work on your side hustle and then your day job becomes a means to a different end. As opposed to the means and the end all in one.

Yeah, my day job was able to support. My side hustle. For a few years and then I was able to go off on my own and do my side hustle, my multiple side hustles now. And they became my main hustle. Yeah.

Now it's still a struggle, but... Hey, listen, nothing's easy. Because if it were easy, everybody would do it. You still got to work at it. So don't give up the main hustle before you're ready. That's another point.

Bars. No, and don't. get in trouble on your day job working your side hustle. But it's but it reframes the way that you think about this day job that has you so stressed out and worried and unhappy and whatever. The minute. I know for myself, my own journey. The minute I started seeing the day job as a means to an end, i. e. my purpose. The things that had me so stressed out and seemed so big and so this and so heavy at work didn't really matter because it was like, OK, I'm wired for excellence. I'm not going to just phone it in at the day. Like, that's just not it's just not who most of us are. Right. Right. But. So I still want to do a great job and bring my best work to the day job and stuff like that. But my whole perspective about the things that went on there. It wasn't all consuming. It wasn't 100% of the pie. It suddenly became an important 10% of the pie because I pay my bills and all of that kind of stuff. But it wasn't the whole pie. The pie became something else, outside of that. So sometimes it's about reframing how you view it and resetting your perspective. And the side hustle allows you to do that.

Stop eating that cherry pie and have some sweet potato.

Bars. Bars on bars. It's better for you anyway. I don't pay you enough, Kere. Oh! Okay. Sorry, you can laugh it back.. But you got bars, Kere. I love it. Thank you. Thank you. No, no. Thank you, Kere. Might have to start putting your name first on this thing.

So that was it. So that's the third strategy. And the last strategy, I promise— I will talk about how you can use AI to sort of, once you started to move differently, how can you use AI to kind of get unstuck? Like if you're not sure or whatever, or maybe you... Thank you.

You've done the purpose work and you think a career change or whatever, but you're not sure how to go. And this example is actually inspired by my oldest. Mm-hmm. Um, who had a Quarter life crisis? Is that what you have when you're 25?

That's what you have. Okay. Well, let me say this first because I think I think this is important too, because AI is... growing at a rapid pace in how... the world works. So being able to be somewhat proficient in how you use it and using it for purposes like this makes a lot of sense. So I'm happy that we're going to tell people something that they can do and they can start to use AI in a way that might be more comfortable for them than thinking like, you know, they're going to take over the world.

Right, and I'll just add on to that to say, it still needs to sound like you. Whether it's written or it suddenly has to sound like you were in it, because it's very clear to other AI users when AI is being used, right? So don't lose your voice, your identity, your personal brand in the process. But I'm going to give folks a couple of prompts to help them sort of... Retool themselves, reposition themselves for today's job market, if they're kind of stuck in trying to figure out, okay, where do I go? How do I get there? And Shatiana, that's my that's my oldest, my other oldest.

She went to school, as you know, but I'll tell the people, she went to the school for criminal justice, got a job working in military intelligence, actually, and it wasn't what she thought it was going to be. And so she wasn't excited to be there. And so her original calling. What she thought she wanted to do when she was younger, younger, before she went to college, was in the healthcare field. So she got trained, went back to school, got certified, became a surgical technician. And there's things about that that she likes, and there's things about that that she doesn't like. But there's still this kind of pull towards the intelligence field in her. But the place where she was didn't feel right either. So now, so she came to me and, you know, that's my kid so I got to give her some free coaching.

Of course. Just regular old mom advice too.

Yeah. Yeah. That, that, that too. Right. So first of all, it was fluff up. Not that bad. It's not the end of the world. It's okay. You know, I have to figure. all of life's mysteries out by the age of 20-something. You do not. You know, it's great if you do, but for the rest of us, some of us, it takes our whole lives. We're still working on it. But... But basically, what I... suggested to her was, I was like, don't panic. And here's why, because you have transferable skills from both your criminal justice and intelligence backgrounds, and from your health care background, you know, and you also have natural talents.

Also, you know, you're inquisitive, you're organized, you know, and things of that nature. And so what you need to do is kind of have a think about. Where are the points of connection? And instead of just jumping from one thing to the next, to the next, to the next, and not building anything, how can you connect those dots into a foundation that builds into? Not just a series of jobs, but a whole career pathway. That kind of is an abbreviation, a nutshell of the conversation I had with her. So because she is a go-getter. What she did, and because she's 20-something and a digital native, right? Isn't that what they call young people that grow up with technology that we didn't have? Right. Okay.

So what she did was she was just like, 'Huh, okay, mom, that makes sense.' She went away and she put a couple of prompts into AI. And totally. Charted out a whole new Pathway for herself. So these are the prompts. And you can write these down, play these back. We'll bookmark them in the show notes.

But the first prompt that she put in was: she uploaded her resume. Mm-hmm. And then she put, 'Identify the transferable skills in my resume.' Okay. Because she didn't. She was trusting me because I'm her mom, but she didn't really believe that she had transferable skills.

She said that I'm going to ask the AI to confirm this. Before I make a fool of myself.

Like, seriously, she told me, like, later on, because she's like, she's coachable, you know. My child is very coachable, but sometimes she's not 100% a believer, but she'll, you know. But she's coachable, and I appreciate that about her.

Yeah, she likes reinforcing the message.

Yeah. Even if she didn't 100 percent understand it, because she was like, what transferable skills do I have? Like that was her, you know. storytelling inside her head was around that. So she uploaded her resume and entered the prompt, identify the transferable skills in my resume. And it kicked out a bunch of things. And then from there, she said, what kinds of jobs and roles, job opportunities are there for people with my transferable skills? So that was the second prompt that she put in. Because she was just like, 'Okay, there's a whole laundry list of things here.

Like, oh, wow, I have all these skills. I'm pleasantly surprised. Go me.' She was like, 'Well, what can I do with it?' Right. And so then she put that second prompt in there. What kinds of roles or job opportunities are there? For people with my transferable skills. And it kicked out a whole thing around cybersecurity and healthcare. Oh, okay. And she just went down her whole rabbit hole of investigating because she does research and everything. And she was so excited. And now that's the pathway that she's creating for herself. And so I said, 'Well, I said, that's amazing.' How did you get to cybersecurity? So she told me her process and what she did.

She told me, 'Yeah, mom,' and then I asked, 'It to kick out, help me write a resume, retool my resume based on the outcome of that prompt.'

The resume that's going to fit the cyber and health care connection.

Exactly. Exactly. And I said, 'OK, that's fine.' But did you go back and did you edit it and cross-reference it against actual job descriptions or job opportunities to make it sure that it sounds like you? And she was just like, 'Of course,' because you're always saying AI has to sound like me.

It does. It requires a little bit more work than just cut, paste, whatever you created in the AI.

Exactly, exactly. And she knew that. But for the people, I just want to say, if you're doing this kind of a process at home, make sure you don't just copy and paste that into the resume. Go in, add, you know, add all the things that make up for winning resume like you know, like your accomplishments, metrics, success, you know, and all those things. But she said it was great because it gave her a good place to start that she couldn't— that she was having trouble finding on her own. Yeah. And then the last thing she had it. Um, produced for her, she entered the fourth prompt which was 'create a cover letter and an elevator pitch based on that.' Hmm-hmm. And. So again, then she did the same thing.

She re-edited it using how she would talk about it and how she would speak about it and everything. And so now she's on her way applying for jobs and doing her whole thing and her whole quarter life crisis, at least for this week, is over.

But for the people, those are four great prompts that you can use to figure out sort of where to go. If you're one of these people who needs to sort of retool yourself or just check the vibe on your resume to make sure that you're in the right place and attracting the right job.

And things like that. Now, nothing beats a career coach. And if you need a career coach, I've got several that I refer clients to. Hit me up, let me know. But nothing replaces the human side of it. But to get you started, to prove to yourself that you have options, those are some helpful prompts that you can leverage AI to help you sort of chart a new pathway or to strengthen your position in this crazy job market of today.

I love this. Thank you for sharing that. I think it's important for people to really take a look at what their purpose is. In terms of their work or where they want to grow in their careers. Absolutely. And, you know, that's something that requires... a little bit of effort, a little bit of time.

Like, don't just go to work every day. Rather, set aside some time to think about what's important for you, what your purpose is in terms of work, because it really will help you figure out where you want to go and what you should be doing. Some stuff that you can stop doing even, if it doesn't fit your purpose. And things that you can work on, things that you can enhance. Good lessons, and getting used to AI. Yeah. Very good lessons.

Oh, good. Yay. Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

So. Next, in the vein of finding out your purpose. When you're going to work every day, sometimes it can be great. You're ready for work. And some days going to work can really... Just elevate your stress when you think about all the stuff that you've got going on. And I know, especially for some of our friends who are going through a little bit of what I went through with, you know, corporate reorg after reorg. The stress of having to deal with that, not knowing what's going to happen with you next. I thought. What we should do is tell people. Don't get stressed out, especially before going to work. So I would like you to ban these 10 songs from your morning commute.

Let's go. Let's go. And, you know, it's funny because music is a form of self-care. It is. Right? Yes. Because it changes your neural pathways. And I mean, this is neuroscience. Yeah, exactly. So music does have healing properties and everything, but it also has some other properties if it's the wrong song on the wrong day.

So listen to me, people. If you are stressed out and going to work, please do not listen to these top 10 songs on your way to the office. Okay. Actually, I have two bonus tracks I'm going to start with. Okay. Honorable mentions. Honorable mentions.

Okay. The first bonus track, No More Drama by Mary J. Blige. Oh, dude. See? Thanks for watching! See you next time. day. day. Because if there's one thing about Mary—she's gonna give you the struggle and the strife. Yes, she is. And you do not. You definitely. Don't want to go into the work in this mindset. Mary’s the queen. I'm about to say it. My other bonus track.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. But when you leave the work. You can put on your shades, your blonde wig. That's the time to do it. And your knee-high boots. That's the time to do it. Is that okay? That's when you listen to that one. Because you're leaving the drama behind. All right. All right. I'm here for that. Okay. I actually knew that one. Go me. Okay. Good. This next one is. I can't wait to see where this goes.

9 to 5 by Dolly Parton. By Dolly Parton, the OG. Yes. They made a whole movie about it. This song is fun. So the reason I say don't listen to this song on your way to work is because you're going to think about how your boss behaves when you're listening to this. You're in the rigmarole of going to work.

And that might kind of reverse your mindset. Now you're just thinking, like, 'I'm just a peg in a cog and nobody's giving me any respect.' Because that's kind of what this song conveys.

100%. Like, the movie does, too. I love that movie. That movie was so good. It's probably on Tubi. I don't know if it is, but. Go watch the movie too. Just saying. I don't know. I'm just making stuff up. But it's a fun movie. It's a classic movie. But it's an even better song. Great choice.

hree women that I really enjoy watching. Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin. Awesome. And Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda. Top tier. Yes. All right. So now let's get to the top 10. My first one, number 10. Uh-oh. Bust the windows out your car. Bust the windows at your car.

Yes. This song is so violent adjacent. You really don't want to walk in with this one on your mind on the wrong day.

If you... Say something to me? And I'm not in the mood for it. Watch out. Ha ha ha! Good.

In my head, I see like, Gomez and Morticia doing... The tango. Oh. Oh my god, it does! Like, that's the best. You know, and she might, like, chop your head off, like, like Morticia cut off the top of the roses. Or Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Maybe that's more contemporary. That's a good one, too. It's giving me those vibes.

It's violence-inducing. It's totally violence-inducing.

Number nine. Truths Hurts by Lizzo. So this one is going to give real. Wait, let's do it. Oh, I've heard this! Yeah, yeah. See that? See what that brought out in me? That brought out all my attitude. So when I go to work, I will talk like this if I listen to that song. Right. Okay. Here for it. Here for it. I never knew the name. Okay. I did not know the name of this one, but yes. Yes, it definitely, it is fire. It definitely brings out.

Yeah, you don't want to go into the Monday morning staff meeting. You do not have to listen to this. And be hit with the wrong microaggression with this on the brain. And start responding to it. Exactly. And dropping Lizzo lyrics on your boss in the staff meeting. You don't want to do that.

Because that is definitely my attitude. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Y'all see why I'm an entrepreneur?

Real talk. That's the attitude that they expect from us. Like, for real. For real, for real. For real, for real. And. Real talk. Our white counterparts. I'm talking about white women in particular. Some of them bring... They cosplay that energy and they can get away with it.

And, but then. When they're pushed back on, it becomes... Oh, I feel attacked. Victimhood. She's the angry black woman. I feel unsafe. Yeah. And everything like that.

Listen, this isn't calling anybody out. It's just. This is what we see in corporate America. So it has to be said. So if it's offensive to someone, then maybe take a look. Exactly. See. Well said. Number eight. It's one of my favorites. Warning. By Biggie Smalls. Bye. Bye. Who the... This... 5. 46 in the morning.

Yeah. I used to ask myself that every day when I had to. Get up to go to New York City. Why is my alarm going off at 5:46 in the morning? And they're telling me I overslept. Right. So, yeah, just having to get up. This song will make you frustrated about being bothered going to work. About getting up early to go. Deal with some stuff. Right.

And then you do think your work is a caper. Man, listen. Yeah. All right. I'd rather live in a space of it was all a dream. It was all a dream. Number seven. And there's a reason why I picked this one for the list. Okay. It's 'Today Was a Good Day' by Ice Cube.

This is why you don't listen to this song on the way into work. Okay. Because it is the perfect day. Nothing you do on that day at work is going to make you feel how you feel listening to that song. So don't listen to it. Don't listen to it.

For those who don't know, Kere and I met because Kere was my intern when she was in college and my first job at the PR agency. Every day. I don't know why we started doing this, but every day, like, I think it started because I had, like, on sticky notes, motivational quotes from my family. I had something from like Arthur Ashe on there or something from like Nelson Mandela or whatever. And my well-intentioned white... liberal woman of a boss who's always trying to connect with me on the basis of some black stuff versus some human stuff. She will come into my cube and say, you know. I saw... Bill Cosby on TV last night.

And I thought of you. And I'm like, why? Like, you know. Why would that make you think of me? This was. Bill Cosby was acceptable, so you know, like, this is back in the 90s, so you know, like. But anytime she saw anybody black or whatever, or heard some black stuff on the way, she would come in into my cube and try to bond with me over some black stuff, as opposed, you know, as opposed to, and if there's any white women in corporate America watching, don't do that. Just bond on some human stuff. Yes. You know, like, you know, just say, 'Oh, I watched an episode of Cosby Show last night and I enjoyed it.' Did you, you know, whatever, you know, kind of say, 'Do that.' Just do that.

Don't. Anyway. So I would put these quotes up and... I think one day I picked some random rap lyric and left one in Kere’s cube because we would joke about some of the microaggressions and some of the tone-deaf things. What happened to us at work. And, and I left, I can't even remember what I left in Carrie's cube, but the very next day I came in. Work. And on my monitor was, I got to say it was a good day in quotes. And you know how you attribute the quote and it said I period C period. And I was like. It fell out my chair. The craziest thing. I was like, that Kere, she got me. Now I got to find another quote to put in her office. It became a thing. It became a whole thing. It totally became a thing. But what was even funnier was... I forgot that that was the one. That was the one that sent me. I remember doing that, too. I think I might still have that posted somewhere. My boss came in and was like, 'Oh, wow, who's I. C.? Is that like a philosopher? I was like, yeah, he's a poet.

I was thinking about some of the silly stuff that was... I don't know.

So we're not new to this, Amir. We didn't start this with this show. We've been like this forever, ever. But yeah, that is one of them. I love me some Ice Cube. He's one of my favorite artists, period, of any genre.

That's right. That is how you can characterize us going forward. The Corporate Gangsta Podcast. That will forever be one of my favorite. That would forever be one of my favorite ice cube songs. Yes, always always that was my joint back then. Um, Okay, let's number six. Protect your neck. Well, y'all know we love the Wu-Tang Clan. We're still waiting for our merchandise. We love the Wu around here.

This song is angry. Very angry song. Wu-Tang again? Hehehe. This one thing about Wu-Tang is they get you hyped. Yeah. and as we referred to back in one of the previous episodes, it's a whole bunch of them.

So this just makes you want to just you want to call your people enrolled deep into work to correct all the incorrections that need correcting in the board meeting. And you walk in, and all of your imaginary crews behind you, and you're the only one talking about. And then you're like, 'Oh, my bad. My bad. Oops.' Was that out loud?

I was listening to Wu-Tang on the way here. I'm sorry. Was that out loud? I need this job. Yeah, exactly. That's when you step away from the conference room. I would say that goes for probably the majority of Wu-Tang tracks. Just don't put them on rotation. Now, I'm going to say number five, you should not listen to because that's going to have you cursing your boss out. Oh. If they say the wrong thing to you. This is one of my favorite Rihanna songs. Oh, okay. Beep. Better have my money.

Don't let that happen. Don't let it drop on a Friday. On payday. Right?

Don't come in my cube! Saying it to me. It's payday. Okay. Thank you. And she better remember me at bonus season, too. And remember me at bonus season. And don't talk to me about a bell curve. This is all I'm saying. All I'm saying.

You're right. It's performance review time out there, y'all, so be careful. And all you compensation managers, be careful. Thanks for watching! Be careful. Somebody could be listening to that, but don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it.

And... to go along with that. Do not listen to... Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe by Kendrick Lamar. That's number four. He was a sinner.

He's probably going to sin again. Because if you're in the right vibe, you do not want someone to kill your vibe. You don't. And who's the most likely person to kill your vibe? Don't kill my vibe. Don't kill my vibe. I might be liable to say this straight out to someone. Right. Bitch, do not kill my vibe. For real, for real. You don't want to say it that way. Number three. And you will definitely feel this one. Fight the power, Public Enemy.

Now, if anything is going to get you in the wrong mindset, the 'I am wronged, I need to be... I need to speak for my people' vibe. It's going to be 'Fight the power.' Ha ha ha!

Did I tell you about the time I wrote a whole college essay in college? No. Comparing. So... I wrote a college essay comparing 'Fight the Power,' 'Lift Every Voice and Sing,' and the Star Spangled Banner. Um... What? Because those are three anthems. Three national, three anthems. Okay. And my... We had to analyze a piece of pop culture. And I called it. I told my roommates who thought I was crazy. They were like, 'You're really going to do that?' Write a paper about it? I was like, 'Yeah, this is...

It was a long time ago, guys. But I put a cassette in like a plastic bag and stapled it to my essay with the three songs on there and everything. Because I, you know, I didn't take it for granted that my Southern college professor at a PWI had ever heard either of these songs. Either of our anthems. You know, and I said, 'No, no, no.' Watch. I'm gonna get an A minus on it because I know I can write and I know I can put a well-articulated argument together. So it's not going to— I'm not going to get any points taken off on the content of it. Like, because that's easy work for me. And it's going to be well-researched and well-argued and well-written.

I said, but he's not gonna give me an A. Because even the most liberal white man at a Southern institution isn't going to be able to co-sign what Chuck D says about Elvis and John Wayne and the fact that. I'm using that to strengthen my argument about why this anthem makes more sense for people like me than the Star Spangled Banner does. But at the same token, those same sensibilities aren't going to let him give me less than the... grade that I really deserve. I said, so the happy compromise, even though it deserves an A+, he's not going to give me an A or A+, but he knows it doesn't deserve anything in the B range, so the only logical grade I could get is an A-. I got an A-.

Name one comparison that justifies why. Um... Fight the Power is more a representative of our national anthem.

Because at the time— Fight the Power was an anthem of the streets, right? And at the time, you had Eleanor Bumpers. So you had— all of these things happening, albeit in New York City, but I was, what, 19 years old when I wrote this paper. But, you know, you had all of these sort of racial tensions in an otherwise liberalized America, right? Like the... um. There was still radio back then; it was still segregated. Right.

There were black stations and white stations. Yeah. Like not like today where everybody plays. And it's all music and you can really get about the genre of the music and everything. So there were a lot of racial tensions. You had the Central Park Five. You had a lot of things happening back then in the late 80s that were very racialized and Public Enemy was the voice of all of that madness. You know, and, and, but taking, but giving us, the power. It was an empowering voice speaking out against, yo, like, you know, y'all got this pop culture over here, but your pop culture ain't for me. But here's some FUBU-level stuff. This is for us, by us. This is our voice.

And it was all based on history, facts, and everything like that, and it captured the spirit of our generation back then, because we were the young kids making good trouble. Like back then, right? Fighting the power. You know, and so, and, you know, but you have to pay homage to Lift Every Voice and Sing, the original. Negro national anthem.

Absolutely. James Weldon Johnson, native of Jacksonville, Florida. Shout out to my Duval family.

Yeah. So, you know, and a lot of us, I mean, I went to a PWI, a lot of us, like I knew that song through my parents and just being cultured. You know, cultured kids that went to HBCUs, grew up singing it and stuff like that. So it was still our anthem for all the reasons why. And it was interesting because. All the reasons why Lift Every Voice became our anthem. Were... on 10. At the time that Fight the Power dropped, Wow and then um, so the rationale still applied. It was just an updated, instead of it being gospel-y, adjacent, inspired, it was just hip-hop, which was the language of our Generation and it was the language of us appropriating mainstream culture, which was stolen from us, but we were taking it back and making it ours. That's hip hop. Like, you know, so and, you know, Public Enemy saying the black man is public enemy number one in this country. And I mean, that's the spirit of Muhammad. Ali, like all of these things, you know? So that's why, that's where that comparison came from.

Cause I thought it was the anthem for our generation back then. And I wasn't wrong. My A minus says I wasn't wrong.

The A- said so. That man agreed with you. I'm just, I'm just, I proved my case. Well, in a similar vein, another popular public enemy song is our number two Don't listen to these songs before you go into work. Welcome to the Terror Dome. The terrordome? That's where I'm walking into. I gotta fight for my life. In this place every day.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Oh no! Oh no! LOOK AT THEIR FACE BUT— Yeah, y'all know nothing about that. You surprised I know something about that. Amir's face. Amir's just like, what? Amir's just like, what? They don't even know. They don't even know. They don't know.

You know he already thinks of us. He was like, 'These women, proper ladies, coming today.'

Hey, this is the music. This is the soundtrack of my youth. So shout out to them. But, like, I was working somewhere. I won't say where. And one of my coworkers walked in. And she said, 'Good morning, Liz. Welcome to the Terror Dome.' And I just... Wow. Thank you. I just fell out. .So. Good choice. Shout out to Public Enemy, Chuck D, Flavor Flay, the S1Ws.

And now. The number one song not to listen to before work if you are stressed out. Uh-oh. And I made the mistake of listening to this in our most recent joint company. Yeah. This is Party Up by DMX. And y'all know what that means. Please do not listen to this song on your way to work. The one time somebody says something twisted to you, you will be like... And you know who I'm referring to. And I was like, you about to make me lose my mind up in here. Oh my gosh. Thank you. Woo! Yeah, yeah. Shout out to my former colleagues who held it together for me.

I worked with a guy and all I had, I would just walk by his cube and say, 'Up in here, up in here' and keep it moving. I didn't even know exactly what I was talking about. Yeah, that's not just violent, adjacent. That's just a violent, aggressive record. Yeah. Right there. It will make you. Yeah. Do all the stuff he says. It'll get you in touch with your inner Rottweiler real fast. I'm going to lose my mind. I'm going to act a fool. I'm going to go insane. And you got to enjoy every waking moment of it while you do it. Exactly. Because it's a party up in here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He'll bring out your inner German shepherd real fast. Like, for real, listen to it.

Shout out to DMX, RIP, brother. Yeah, rest well, King. Rest well. And thank you for that. But as soon as you hit that parking lot. Hey. Hey. You could lose your mind all you want. Yeah. Same for all the other songs too. But. Turn them up. But turn them off if the police put you on. Right. Same. Same theory applies. Same theory. Wow. Stranger. Thank you. Strange. Why does she do that? Yeah. We may have to. Did I forget what? We may have to put. What'd I miss?

Oh, wow, wow, hey, I feel attacked. I feel unsafe. I feel unsafe in the tag. I love this song, though. You know I do.

Yeah, this is a little aggressive too. This is a little aggressive. Thank you for the triple bonus. Tell the people the name of the bonus track. Hit him up by Tupac. Rest in heaven King. Rest well. Good, good, good, good, good list, Kere.

I’m shocked but not surprised that I actually knew almost all of those songs. You knew. You knew all of them. I just didn't know the names of some of them. Or the lyrics. Not that that's... stops me from singing them. Exactly. But you know, listen to the music. We may have to put all of those tracks together on a Spotify playlist. Oh, I love it. Yes. And drop it into the show notes for this one. Done. Yeah. Okay. Cool. Thank you. Good job. So, That's it. That's it. That concludes this episode, the Up In Here episode. The Just Us with Liz and Keri podcast. Thank you, Kere. Any final words? To the people before we sign off.

Figure out your purpose. Stay in power. Great work, great rewards. Check them out.

Thank you, Kere. You're welcome. They're at LizThePurposeCoach.com/books.

Also, shop our merch.

Oh, and shop the store. Shop the store. lizthepurposecoach.com/store. Like, subscribe, and share. Thank you guys for watching. And we will see you in the next episode.