No One Knows What They're Doing

Hosted by Erin McGoff

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Oct 2024

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About the show

Join Erin McGoff (aka, AdviceWithErin) as she introduces you to new people, new careers, and new ideas to inspire you to confidently design a life that makes you truly happy. In this show, Erin dives into topics that are top of mind for folks in their 20s and 30s ranging from career advice and financial literacy to relationships and self-esteem. Erin will bring on experts to give advice on questions like, "Should I move to Europe?" and "How do I negotiate my salary?" and "How do I find a work-from-home job that isn't a scam?". Listeners can expect to hear from various guests—psychologists, authors, CEOs, filmmakers, detectives, chefs, etc. There's more to life than the Sunday scaries, resumes, and the 9 to 5. In this show, you'll gain access to tangible opportunities, secret advice, and proven strategies to help you craft a life you love.

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14 recent

October 2, 20241 hr 1 min

Expert Advice for your 20s (ft. Dr. Meg Jay)

In Episode 13, Erin interviews Dr. Meg Jay, a developmental clinical psychologist who specializes in 20-somethings. A recent New York Times profile called Dr. Jay “the patron saint of striving youth” and her TED talk “Why 30 Is Not the New 20” is among the most watched to date. Erin and Meg discuss the current mental health crisis, pros and cons of medication, what the research shows about your 20s, and advice on how to spend your 20s (especially when it comes to feeling stuck or behind in your career!). Enjoy! ➞ In this episode: 0:00 - 3:39 Introduction 3:40 - 7:09 Meg Jay's Background 7:10 - 11:54 Realistic life working as a therapist 11:55 - 14:09 Fascinating 20-somethings research 14:10 - 15:39 Why your 20s aren't the best years of your life 15:40 - 17:24 Advice if you don't know what to do with your life 17:25 - 22:00 How to pick a job in your 20s 22:01 - 24:21 Thoughts on a "dream job" 24:22 - 27:30 Opportunity cost + decision making 27:31 - 32:34 What is "identity capital"? 32:35 - 35:59 Gen Z mental health crisis 36:00 - 38:59 Labels & self-diagnosis 39:00 -<a...

August 21, 20241 hr 8 min

Rejection, Politics & Paid Family Leave in the USA (ft. Reshma Saujani)

In Episode 12, Erin interviews Reshma Saujani, founder of GirlsWhoCode and MomsFirst, an activist and leader with over a decade of experience advocating for women & girls empowerment. In this interview, Erin asks Reshma about being the first Indian American woman to run for U.S. Congress, getting rejected from Yale Law School (but persisting and eventually getting in!), founding GirlsWhoCode and MomsFirst (organizations that have impacted 500,000+ women across the world), paid family leave, childcare affordability, feminism, motherhood penalty, and more (including our love for dogs!). ➞ In this episode: 0:00 Meet Reshma! 2:22 Reshma’s Childhood + Background (& dogs!) 4:41 Growing up the daughter of African/Indian refugees 6:13 School bullies, immigrant parents & growing up as a minority 9:30 Rejection + Yale Law School 19:33 Why we should stop talking about “Imposter Syndrome” 23:23 Current feminist wave 27:37 Running for public office in NYC (and losing) 34:09 Starting GirlsWhoCode 35:50 What is MomsFirst? 38:35 Paid Family Leave in the US 41:22 Why we “don’t love moms” 58:52 Taking care of mental health 1:00:00 PaidLeave.ai 1:03:51 Advice with Reshma + Erin ~~~~~~~~~ ↳ Follow Reshma on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reshmasaujani ↳ Follow Reshma on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reshmasaujani ↳ Check out GirlsWhoCode! https://girlswhocode.com/ ↳ Check out MomsFirst! https://momsfirst.us/ ↳ Need some help? Write to us for a chance to have your question answered (anonymously) on the show: https://bit.ly/nokwtd

July 10, 202447 min

Going Viral Overnight (ft. Grace Wells)

In Episode 11, Erin interviews Grace Wells, a Gen Z content creator, filmmaker, and self-made commercial director. During the pandemic, Grace was finishing up her bachelors degree in Linguistics when she discovered her passion for video. She self-taught herself how to film, edit, animate, and produce videos. She started sharing her hobby online and went mega-viral overnight. Today, she has over 3 MILLION followers, was awarded Creator of the Year, signed on as a commercial director with Tool of NA, signed with Whalar, and has been hired to create ads for brands such as Maybelline, Celsius, Pampers, Amazon Prime Video, Adobe, QuickBooks, Old Spice, Kiehls, Cascade, Loreal, and many others. We also talk about managing finances, social anxiety, COVID, and more. This episode is perfect for anyone looking to work for themselves, become a content creator or filmmaker, especially if you're in your 20s! ➞ In this episode: 0:00 Meet Grace! 3:11 Grace upbringing + background 4:14 Working as a content creator/director 6:28 Going to school in Scotland 11:10 Switching majors & COVID in the UK 19:20 Social Anxiety & Going Viral 22:47 How to teach yourself skills online 25:10 Monetizing internet videos 32:49 Long-term goals/plans/strategy 34:10 Managing finances as a content creator 39:33 Advice with Erin & Grace ~~~~~~~~~ ↳ Follow Grace on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gracewellsphoto ↳ Follow Grace on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracewellsphoto ↳ Check out Grace's COURSE! http://bit.ly/3Lh0HC9 ↳ Need some help? Write to us for a chance to have your question answered (anonymously) on the show: https://bit.ly/nokwtd

June 24, 202456 min

Special: Best Career & Life Advice From My Dad (ft. Chris McGoff)

LIVE from Yosemite National Park : Episode 10 is our first ~ Special Episode ~ ever! Erin interviews her dad, Scranton-born, Maryland-living business owner, speaker, and author (and father of 6 kids). We discuss topics ranging from planning beers, UFO, answering questions in job interviews, deathbed confessions, and much, much more. If you're looking for good ol' fashion life advice from a Dad, you found it! ➞ In this episode: 0:00 Meet Chris McGoff 1:14 Growing up in Scranton in a funeral home 5:19 The Planning Beer 8:55 Seeing a UFO 11:20 Because of/In order to 14:00 Choose vs. Decide 17:04 "Enjoy the Gap" 22:28 How to work with someone you don't like 32:45 Business Card 32:24 Best Career Advice 38:25 Best Financial Advice 40:00 Best Piece of Life Advice Ever 48:49 How to answer "why do you want to work here?" 50:53 Relationship Advice after 43 Years of Marriage 54:40 Concluding Beers & a Dad Joke ~~~~~~~~~ ↳ Connect with Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismcgoff/ ↳ Buy The Primes: https://amzn.to/3KX3New ↳ Buy Match in the Root Cellar: https://amzn.to/3VRtLpT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 🎙️ Listen on Apple → https://apple.co/3SNBpPu 🎙️ Listen on Spotify → https://spoti.fi/3I6j6Qz ~~~~~~~~~ → Mics are Rode 🎙️ → Chairs are from Target 🪑 → Table is Article 🍸 https://bit.ly/42HJU37 → Plants are from Bloomscape 🪴 https://bit.ly/48hjC8Y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ↳ AdviceWithErin Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/advicewitherin/ ↳ NOKWTD Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/nooneknows.show/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ↳ Need advice? Submit here → https://bit.ly/nokwtd ↳ Get my emails → https://advicewitherin.com/show

May 30, 20241 hr 7 min

Should Americans Move To Europe? (ft. Helene Sula)

In Episode 09, Erin interviews Helene Sula (aka @heleneinbetween ) to talk about why and how she moved to Europe (twice!). Helene, a Texas native, explains how she left the corporate world to become a full-time travel blogger and content creator. She explains how she moved to Germany, then back to the US, and then to the UK—with her husband and two large dogs. We discuss healthcare, maternity leave, monetizing your social media, being childfree by choice, and the pros and cons of living abroad. ➞ In this episode: 0:00 Meet Helene 2:12 Helene’s childhood + upbringing in Texas 7:52 - Helene quitting her corporate job 12:30 - Side hustles + toxic corporate jobs 18:58 - Moving to Nashville 20:33 - Moving to Germany 23:24 - Moving to Europe with a dog 27:28 - How to monetize blog/social media 29:00 - Being childfree by choice 33:35 - Should you move to Europe? 36:11 - Erin living in the UK 37:42 - Why do Europeans care about US so much? 39:41 - NYC EARTHQUAKE! 40:36 - Advice for people moving to Europe 44:00 - Maternity leave US vs Europe 47:39 - Visa + immigration hurdles 49:20 - Favorite part about living abroad 50:52 - Experience living in Germany 56:00 - Happiest countries in the world? 58:00 Advice with Helene & Erin ~~~~~~~~~ ↳ Follow Helene on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heleneinbetween ↳ Check Out Helene's BOOK! https://www.amazon.com/OClock-Tuesday-Trevi-Fountain-Unconventional-ebook/dp/B0C9ZDP2YK ↳ Need some help? Write to us for a chance to have your question answered (anonymously) on the show: https://bit.ly/nokwtd

May 16, 20241 hr 2 min

Ex-CEO of Barstool (ft. Erika Ayers Badan) | Episode 08

In Episode 08, Erin interviews Erika Ayers Badan (aka @WorkWithErika ) to discuss being the first (and only) CEO of Barstool Sports, a company she just left after 8 years. We also discuss boundary setting, taking feedback, working with Dave Portnoy and the "pirate ship", handling criticism, the media landscape, being a woman in the workplace, hiring and firing people, and tips for navigating your career. ➞ In this episode: 0:00-1:27 Introduction 1:28-3:13 Leaving Barstool After 8 Years 3:14-5:43 Growing Up in New England 5:44-8:12 What is Barstool? 8:13-9:24 How Barstool Makes Money $$ 9:25-10:14 Barstool Staff Breakdown 10:15-12:44 Growing Barstool from $5M to $300M 12:45-17:43 Advice for Hiring & Firing 17:44-20:01 Judgment Taking CEO Job at Barstool 20:02-23:24 How to Handle Criticism 23:25-30:38 Being the CEO of Barstool as a Woman 30:39-34:39 How to Make Hard Decisions 34:40-41:00 Thoughts on Workplace Boundaries in 2024 41:01-46:13 People Don't Want to Work Anymore? 46:14-47:15 Is Social Media Ruining Us? 47:16-51:41 People Pleasing & Likeability 51:42-52:49 Lesson Erika Learned the Hard Way 52:50-55:28 Erika's New Book: No One Cares About Your Career 55:29 Real Advice with Erin & Erika ~~~~~~~~~ ↳ Follow Erika on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erika/ ↳ Check Out Erika's BOOK! https://amzn.to/4dJfcvt ↳ Need some help? Write to us for a chance to have your question answered (anonymously) on the show: https://bit.ly/nokwtd

May 2, 20241 hr 2 min

Career Pivots & Legal Job Tips | Episode 07 (ft. Attorney Ryan)

In Episode 07, Erin interviews Ryan Stygar (aka, @AttorneyRyan ) to discuss Ryan's crazy career journey (from SoCal firefighter to running his own law firm). We also discuss employee rights & legal issues regarding salary, job interviews, career changes, discrimination, pregnancy, and much more! ➞ In this episode: 0:00-2:18 Introduction 2:19-3:42 Growing Up in San Diego, California 3:43-6:18 Parents Careers + College 6:19-7:20 Majoring in Philosophy + First Job 7:20-16:55 Working as a Firefighter 16:56-20:36 Firefighter to Law School 20:37-28:49 Rejected from 13 Law Schools!? 28:50-31:20 Worst Advice EVER 31:21-34:45 WATCH THIS PART (trust me) 34:46-36:38 Lesson Ryan Learned the Hard Way 36:39-38:04 Fake Cases 38:05-41:20 How to Ask a Lawyer a Question 41:21-44:50 Thoughts on Capitalism 44:51-46:51 Missing Paycheck? Try this! 46:51-50:58 How to Quit a Toxic Workplace 50:39-52:21 Asking Coworkers About Salary 52:22-54:20 What are PIPs...? 54:21-55:55 "Right to Work" & "At-Will Employment" 55:56-58:00 Advice for Business Owners 58:00 Real Advice with Erin & Ryan ~~~~~~~~~ ↳ Follow Ryan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/attorneyryan/ ↳Contact Attorney Ryan: https://linktr.ee/attorneyryan ↳ Need some help? Write to us for a chance to have your question answered (anonymously) on the show: https://bit.ly/nokwtd

April 17, 20241 hr 9 min

Selling $75M Morning Brew & Grief (ft. Alex Lieberman) | Episode 06

In Episode 06, Erin interviews Alex Lieberman (aka, @alexlieb) to discuss how he co-founded the wildly successful newsletter, Morning Brew, and sold it a few years later for $75 million—all before 30. We talk about entrepreneurship, being a CEO, starting a newsletter, monetizing online business, raising funds for a startup, dealing with the sudden death of his father, dating, terrible advice, amazing advice, and why Alex didn't buy a Rolex or Ferrari when he became a multi-millionaire. ➞ In this episode: 0:00-2:33 Introduction 2:34-5:39 Growing Up in Jersey 5:39-9:50 College & Caddy-ing 9:51-14:54 Starting Morning Brew 14:55-18:11 Monetizing a Newsletter 18:12-22:35 Quitting His Job 22:36-31:43 Pitching Investors & Raising $750k 31:44-34:43 Selling Morning Brew for $75M 34:44-40:20 Seeing $$$ Hit His Bank Account 40:21-51:30 Alex's Father Dying + Grief 51:31-55:55 Alex's Morning Routine 55:56-56:40 The Worst Advice Alex Received 56:41-58:48 Advice That Changed Alex's Life 58:59-1:00:28 Alex's Role Model 1:00:29-1:01:42 The Definition of Success 1:01:43-1:03:13 How Alex Met His Wife 1:03:14 Real Advice with Erin & Alex ~~~~~~~~~ ↳ Follow Alex on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexlieb/?hl=en ↳ Subscribe to Morning Brew: https://www.morningbrew.com/daily ↳ Learn about StoryArb: https://www.storyarb.com/ ↳ Need some help? Write to us for a chance to have your question answered (anonymously) on the show: https://bit.ly/nokwtd

April 3, 20241 hr 5 min

Depression, Burnout & Therapy (ft. Dr. Judith Joseph)

In Episode 05, Erin interviews Dr. Judith Joseph, MD-MBA (aka, @drjudithjoseph ) to discuss a range of topics from high-functioning depression, workplace burnout, neurodiversity, social media, anhedonia, medical school, scholarships, MBA/business school, mental health crisis, growing up in the evangelical church, how to find a therapist, attachment styles, and much more! ~~ Important Links: ↳ Anhedonia Quiz ↳ Need advice? Submit here ↳ Get my emails ~~ ➞ In this episode: 0:00-01:44 Introduction 01:45-6:00 Background Q&A 6:01-7:10 Scholarships 7:11-10:19 First & Current Job 10:20-10:50 MBA AND Med School at the Same Time!? 10:51-13:12 Balancing 3 Companies & Mental Health 13:13-15:34 Pros & Cons of Being a Psychiatrist 15:35-19:15 Do We Really Have A Mental Health Crisis…? 19:16-21:00 Social Media & Mental Health 21:01-23:00 Mental Health Content Creators? 23:01-24:29 Pros + Cons of Social Media Mental Health Consumption 24:30-25:30 How to Find A Therapist 25:31-27:55 Advice Judith Ignored 27:56-28:29 Hardest Thing Judith’s Done 28:30-31:50 Thoughts on “Neurodiversity” & Autism 31:51-44:19 What is “Anhedonia”? Or “High Functioning Depression”? 44:20-46:34 Opinions on Mental Health Labeling 46:35-51:54 The 4 Attachment Styles 51:55-53:50 Something You Need To Know About Depression & 53:51-59:28 Advice for Burnout & Boundaries 59:29-01:00:58 Are People Attached to Their Mental Illnesses? 01:00:59-01:05:58 Real Advice from Erin + Judith ~~ Connect with Me: AdviceWithErin Instagram → https://bit.ly/40hgztK NOKWTD Instagram → https://bit.ly/3ULVKaz Get my emails → https://advicewitherin.com/show Need advice? Submit here → https://bit.ly/nokwtd

March 11, 20241 hr 2 min

Negotiate Salary, Job Hopping & Pay Transparency | Hannah Williams

In Episode 04, Erin interviews Hannah Williams , founder of Salary Transparent Street. Hannah graduated from Georgetown University in 2019 and hopped 5 jobs in 2.5 years, taking her salary from $40k to $150k, creatively paying off her college loans in full. In 2021, she quit her job as a Data Analyst to launch Salary Transparent Street, a social media account that simply visits different cities across the U.S. and asks random people on the street what they do for a living and how much they make. Since then, STS has blown up into a viral sensation leading Hannah to be featured in publications such as The Washington Post, NYT, TIME, Business Insider, Good Morning America, CNBC, and 2023, Hannah was named one of Forbed 30 Under 30. In this episode, Hannah transparently breaks down how she achieved her goals, how she makes money, and the struggles she's faced along the way. ➞ In this episode: 0:00 Intro 1:45 Forbes 30 Under 30 3:16 Background Q&A (growing up overseas, community college, etc.) 14:20 Working as a Telemarketer Post-Grad 17:24 Job Hopping 20:20 Best Career/Job Interview Advice 20:47 How Hannah Found Out She Was Underpaid 26:19 How YOU Can Find Out If You're Underpaid 28:40 How Hannah Filmed Her First TikTok 29:51 Do People Lie About Their Salaries...? $$$ 31:46 Why Hannah Blocks People (Sometimes) 33:30 How Hannah Went From $150k to $1m in ONE YEAR 35:39 Salary Transparency Trends 37:03 Can You Talk About Salary With Coworkers? 38:57 Why You Should Negotiate Your FIRST Job Offer 42:48 Thoughts On "Lazy Girl Job" or "Quiet Quitting" 48:00 Advice Hannah's GLAD She IGNORED 49:30 Hannah's Smartest Financial Decision 51:43 Highest Salaries Hannah's Documented 53:16 Lessons Hannah's Learned The Hard Way 55:18 #RealAdvice from Erin & Hannah __ 💚 Follow Hannah/Salary Transparent Street on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salarytransparentstreet/?hl=en 💚 STS Salary Database: https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database 💚 STS Free Market Research Guide: https://sts.myflodesk.com/marketresearchguide __ Connect with Me: AdviceWithErin Instagram → https://bit.ly/40hgztK NOKWTD Instagram → https://bit.ly/3ULVKaz Get my emails → https://advicewitherin.com/show Need advice? Submit here → https://bit.ly/nokwtd