Welcome to an all new season of THE BIG PAYOFF! Rachel and Suzanne are back from summer break and thinking all about “adulting” – who dreads it, why, and how to put on your Big Girl Underpants™️ and grow the f$@! up.

As we get ready for our summer break, we thought we would take a quick look back at an episode from March of 2018 that really felt life changing for us. So we kept the tape rolling and did a quick check in to see if we have taken our own advice- did what we learn in fact stick? Well, we thought it did. Until our producer, who NEVER wants to be heard on air, just couldn’t hold back this time.

Stanford and Wharton MBA programs have rolled out new classes with a “touchy feely” curriculum. These are the softer skills– you know silly things like interpersonal dynamics, relationship building and how to authentically engage with others. Basically, everything we cover in this podcast. You’re welcome. What’s incredible is that these more intangible skill sets, the ones that make us better at our jobs and life, are not part of EVERY business school curriculum. We have thoughts, caught on tape.

Okay graduates, job seekers, professional networkers or anyone who writes emails– this show is for you. You want to write a killer email to someone you haven’t met. Maybe you’ve been referred to them, maybe this is a cold call to someone you really want to meet. The truth is a cold call or email will very likely be ignored, missed, or, even worse, DISmissed. Ouch. This episode will tell you what you need to know to get noticed and maybe, just maybe, make the person on the other end WANT to talk to you. Just like right now– you WANT to listen to this episode.

The mics were hot when Suzanne and Rachel started chatting away about Mr. Big- turns out he is what inspired the conversation for our last show, “At Your Service.” Think about it, SATC super fans- didn’t it make you crazy when our Carrie was at Mr. Big’s beck and call? In what has to be one of Suzanne and Rachel’s shortest conversations ever, they dig in.

We’ve talked a millions times about this over cocktails and for sure on this show: men and women do things differently. What starts off as a conversation about how we use email opens up into a wider discussion of the role women so often take on in service to someone. Yes, it’s cringeworthy listening at times. But today’s episode will help by showing you a new path forward.

Imagine being in a baseball game and going up to bat without having a clue about the situation of the pitcher, the state of the team you’re facing, and what else is happening on the field as you approach the mound. If you did that, you’d risk getting smacked with a curve ball. Well, that’s what happened to us- not on a baseball diamond, but in the rooms where we play OUR ball games. We hope our stories will help you see the bigger game you’re always a part of, whether you realize it or not. That way you’ll hit the ball out of the park every time you’re at bat.

We’re trying a new segment called Hot Mic– where we’re just yackin’ and the tape keeps rolling. We’re talking about whatever’s on our mind at the moment. This time, we share our take on college admissions scandal, where fancy parents paid fancy $$ to falsify documents so their kids would get into fancy places. Spoiler alert: this ain’t just about the benjamins.

“I don’t hire positions. I hire athletes”- Bill Bowen, former President of Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Rachel’s beloved mentor, etched these words on Rachel’s brain, and this episode pays it forward. What did he mean…and what does this mean for you? Hint: it’s not about sports. But you’ll need a hoist a pen to note the 5 qualities that will change your mindset about what you need to succeed (and what qualities you want on your team).

A new study is out that says most successful women surround themselves with just a few close women. We couldn’t help but wonder if this is true for us, and if it is….why is that? We have different answers from the study and arrive at a new strategy for how you should approach networking that could make all the difference to your success… and it’s not just for women.