Office Baggage

Today on Office Baggage, we're addressing the difficult and sometimes controversial topic of office dress codes. Are certain things "off limits" in the workplace? Or is a dress code sexist? Rae and Marcy share their own "do's" and "don'ts" of office attire and how they navigate judgement, slut shaming, and other frustrating topics related to women's attire in the office. What image are you working to portray and is your clothing helping or hurting your brand? And as a bonus, it's Marcy's birthday and we kick off with a fun discussion on age and setting goals at different ages.

Many of our prior episodes have explicitly or implicitly addressed male privilege. Today, we're taking this taboo discussion another step by addressing the topic of white privilege. Privilege is a difficult and often controversial topic in today's atmosphere, but what we know for sure is this: real leaders don't shy away from their baggage, and great leaders know they always have more to learn. We are joined by two special guests to share their personal perspective on this topic. Their stories may shock you, but it's imperative we get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Join us.

For professional women, looking professional is key. Every professional woman has a "bad manicure" story, and we're just plain sick of it. Enter ezza. The incredible women behind new business venture, ezza salon, join us for a candid discussion on entrepreneurship, manicures, femininity and more. Opening their first location in Chicago this fall, you'll want to hear about this revolutionary new concept in nails. And like Rae, we know you'll ask, "When is it coming to my town!?"

Office Baggage, every week, brings you the perspective of two corporate women. Today, however, we bring you the first of what we hope will be many versions of "the panel." Three corporate men join Rae and Marcy to discuss topics ranging from sexual harassment to "locker room talk," from double standards for women and men to safety and judgment for both genders. We look forward to more opportunities to bring incredible, enlightened and willing men to the podcast to answer your questions and talk about their own office baggage.

A certain someone's famous daughter wrote a book recently on "Women Who Work," and it sparked quite the conversation on Office Baggage this week. What does it mean to be a "woman who works" and how do we support one another without being catty or selfish? In the same week, another woman testified before Congress and impressed us so much, we've coined the term #badasssallies. Join us and find out what it takes to be as bad ass as this Sally.

We met last September as we began our journey through Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University's Executive MBA program. Since then, countless people have asked us why we decided to get an MBA, what our program is like, and how others might make the same decision. Today, we're talking through both of our journeys to B-school, the reasons we're here, and the lesson's we've learned in our first 200 days at Kellogg. Whether you're in B-school, considering B-school, or just want to relish in your own free time since we have none, listen in!

In today's episode, we're following up on our conversation about power for women last week. Are we more powerful than we give ourselves credit for? Then, we're taking on a big big big topic for women everywhere - motherhood. There's the old adage that an issue is easy to agree on when it's like "motherhood and apple pie." But does that adage really ring true? We don't think so. In fact, motherhood might just be one of the more controversial topics for women today.

Eight months ago, we had the opportunity meet one of the most incredible women we've ever known. On this podcast, she's going by the pseudonym "Nic" to protect her identity. She is a female pilot for a major U.S. carrier. Her journey to pilot, her life story as the mother of three boys, wife of a pilot, MBA student, and cancer survivor inspired us and we know it will inspire you too.

Women have great power. It's inherent. Hell, we literally birth other humans! But far too often, we usurp our inherent power in small but meaningful ways. Whether in our bodies, our language, our fears or our apologies, we are the arbiters of our own power and often that means we are the destroyers of it as well. In today's episode, we unpack the power women have in their 20s, whether we have it in our 30s and 40s, and then dig deep into the language women self-destruct with in the office.

Emotional labor (a.k.a. giving a f*ck) is the process of managing feelings and expressions as part of fulfilling the requirements of any job.   Like any labor, any one individual’s ability to perform it is finite and has value (nobody has an infinite supply of f*cks to give).  This week on Office Baggage, we talk about allocating our care and concern to the highest value items and avoiding low return, brand damaging, emotional labor.  This includes everything from soothing bruised egos, to smiling hollowly when someone makes a worse version of a joke we told, to worrying about friends and colleagues that have gotten themselves in to charged situations. Articles/books/ other reading mentioned in today’s show   Podcasts are the new Xanax Top Podcasts Hosts ask their Listeners to ‘Try a Pod’ Spousenomics About Emotional Labor The Price of Unpaid Emotional Labor   Listen now: Photo courtesy of davidw

We celebrate women who bring their whole selves to work in order to drive maximum value. . . but how much authenticity is too much? On this episode of Office Baggage, we talk about boundaries. Should Miki Agrawal have sensed that somewhere between grabbing her employee’s breasts and calling into meetings from her toilet, her actions had gone from creating a culture that destigmatizes women’s bodies to creating a hostile work environment? As we develop close relationships with colleagues and teammates, are we making the same mistakes as Miki?

For women in the corporate world, our problems are real right here at home in the U.S.of.A., but things become even more complicated when you add in cultural differences. Marcy found herself in South America this week dealing with a host of hilarious foibles. This leads us to recap (better late than never) International Women's Day, and begin to question the real differences between men and women in the working world.

Each week, we work to choose topics that are applicable to all of our friends in business, no matter their gender, but we unashamedly come at these topics from the perspective of corporate women. This week, we’re talking about some of the things women in business have to deal with that men usually (not always, but usually) don’t. What words are you being called behind your back? How do you think about sexual harassment in the office? And how do you tackle safety in general in your life?

Rae and Marcy met in Kellogg’s Executive MBA program and bonded over sarcasm and raw ambition. In fact, this entire podcast was originally titled “The Fat Chick and the Token Jew.” On this first mini episode, Marcy and Rae introduce themselves and discuss their process to launch this cast.

No matter your age or tenure in business, chances are, if you’re a woman in business, you’ve been “mansplained.” What is mansplaining? To mansplain, a verb, (of a man) explain (something) to someone, typically a woman, in a manner regarded as condescending or patronizing.