No One Knows What They're Doing

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From Poverty to Millionaire | Jim Keyes Mar 06, 2024

Show notes

In Episode 03, Erin interviews Jim Keyes, former CEO of 7-11 AND Blockbuster (and pilot, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author!)

Jim climbed out of poverty, being the only person in his family to go to college. He graduated with an MBA from Columbia and went on to climb the ladder to become CEO of both 7-11 and Blockbuster during the 90's into the 2000s. In this episode, Erin discusses Jim's career and the differences between their two generations—Erin straddling Gen Z and Millennials and Jim, a Baby Boomer. They discuss the importance of education, being strategic and adaptable, imposter syndrome, and what the heck happened to Blockbuster. There is so much to learn in this episode for the average worker—but especially anyone looking to forge their own path and create a new life for themselves.

➞ In this episode:

0:00 Intro

2:04 Rapid fire Q&A

6:11 From poverty to Columbia MBA in NYC

9:09 First job to 7-11

11:26 Climbing the Ladder to CEO

17:35 CEO of 80,000+ Stores

18:41 The IDEAL Slurpee

19:56 Selling 7-11 (and cashing out $$)

21:51 Jim almost BOUGHT Blockbuster!?

23:54 Taking on Blockbuster as CEO

28:09 What Could Have Saved Blockbuster?

29:10 Day in the Life of a CEO (+ leadership tips!)

31:12 Why Jim Wrote a Book about Education

33:01 What's at stake here?

35:31 The price of college in 1980 vs. 2020

38:45 Should 18-year-olds Go to College?

40:06 Jobs Don't Require Degrees? "It's a Bubble."

42:16 How Jim Would Fix Education System in America

44:53 Tuition-Free University: Yay or Nay?

46:41 Having Beliefs & Being Open-Minded

49:36 What Should Americans Believe In?

50:40 #RealAdvice with Erin + Jim!

Connect with Jim:

Follow Jim on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jkeyesauthor/

Buy Jim's Book: https://amzn.to/49STGCp

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

Rejection, Imposter Syndrome, and Doing Everything "Right" | Julia Yorks Feb 29, 2024

Show notes

The incredible screenwriter and actress Julia Yorks joins Erin on the pod today. Julia's impressive accolades include writing the film 1UP for BuzzFeed/Lionsgate, working with Peacock and DreamWorks on several productions, and writing animated episodes for Hulu. Acting-wise she was most recently featured in an episode of Law and Order!

Julia’s tale of navigating how to work in the film industry (i.e. if you can’t get in through the door try a window) is super inspiring! One of the double-edged sword realities of the film industry is there is no one path, so truly anything can happen. Her biggest tip here is persistence. Keep chipping away, and you will grasp the thing you want.

Julia’s experience starting out her acting career in Los Angeles until relocating to New York City is a true insider's breakdown of what it's like to “make it” in each place. One thing COVID taught everyone in the film industry is that you don’t have to be in L.A. anymore to make your mark. Julia goes on to offer hot takes on the recent 6-month WGA and SAG-AFTRA union strikes and the overall impact they had on her career and the industry.

During the writers’ strike, she pivoted, or rather broadened her writing skillset and passion, to include screenwriting. The essence of screenwriting is helping brands tell stories and problem-solving, which Julia is oh-so good at doing. In the spirit of transparency, one of Julia’s core values, she shares how she works with agents, managers, lawyers, and bookkeepers. Super juicy!

All New Yorkers have a quintessential living-in-NYC story and Julia’s is *chef’s kiss.* Picture this: she’s at the MET for the screening of Geroge Clooney’s latest film, wearing TJ Maxx’s chicest all-black comfy ensemble, runs into Anna Wintour, crashes the after-party at the Polo Bar and… well you’ll have to listen to find out!

Episode Outline:

1:40 Intro

1:41 Acting in Law & Order

4:35 Making $$ in Screenwriting

6:02 Background Q&A

9:08 Breaking into the film industry

14:30 Dealing with rejection

16:50 Networking & schmoozing

20:35 Biz of Professional Screenwriting

23:20 Agents vs. Managers

23:47 Joining the WGA (union)

26:12 Fighting Imposter Syndrome

27:20 The 2023 Film Strikes

31:11 George Clooney, Crustaceans & TJ Maxx

44:15 LA vs. NYC

45:35 Erin & Julia give Advice

Connect with Julia Yorks:

Julia Yorks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliayorks/

Julia Yorks Website: https://juliayorks.com/

Julia Yorks YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV4D-IAZcEyrxZfwtgQ5BTA

Julia Yorks TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/Julia-Yorks?lang=en

Connect with Me:

↳ AdviceWithErin Instagram → https://bit.ly/40hgztK

↳ NOKWTD Instagram → https://bit.ly/3ULVKaz

↳ Submission form for advice → https://bit.ly/nokwtd

↳ Get my emails → https://advicewitherin.com/show

How to Make Friends as an Adult | Danielle Bayard Jackson Feb 23, 2024

Show notes

Making friends as an adult can be so weird! In this episode, Erin and special guest Danielle Bayard Jackson dive into the sticky yet mega-important world of adult friendships. Danielle is a certified women's coach and friendship expert, and she's known for pairing research with real life to help women experience more joy in platonic relationships with other women. She’s become Bumble BFF's official spokesperson and has become a go-to source for the media as a guest on outlets like CBS NEWS, NBC News, and even daytime talk shows!

Danielle kicks off the episode with her story and her very nonlinear path of becoming a friendship expert. She’s so honest and vulnerable and reminds us just because she’s an expert doesn’t mean she’s perfect or that she was a nice girl in high school (spoiler, she wasn’t).

One cause of modern friendships becoming so weird is the shift to remote work. Work is where we spend most of our time, and that proximity automatically makes it the perfect place for friendships to form. However, without that in-person work culture, now more people than ever are feeling friendless.

The thing is, we all need friends! Just because we can go for periods of time killing it on our own doesn’t mean we should isolate ourselves 24/7, introverts and extroverts alike! Top tip: the more we are around our friends and make it normal to make new friends, the easier it gets. Knowing what qualities, values, and the time we are able to devote to our friendships, all things Danielle’s new book will help you master, are crucial to forming better relationships.

Men and women view their friendships differently, Danielle’s got the research receipts to prove it, and the ways in which men and women friends make new friends and like to spend time together are very not the same. For instance, women tend to see friends as siblings, and men tend to see friends as cousins. The intimacy is real!

Erin and Danielle then explore the sometimes awkward social norm of selecting bridesmaids and groomsmen, three different types of loneliness, and how to combat each. This first smash episode wraps with some #RealAdvice time!

Episode Outline:

0:30 Introduction & Danielle’s background

2:10 Rapid fire Q&A

3:25 Why Danielle switched careers

5:11 Being the shy/mean/popular girl in high school

7:03 How Danielle got out of teaching and into coaching

12:50 Is working from home killing our friendships?

16:22 Dunbar's Number

18:00 Making friends as a remote worker (or else you'll get weird)

19:00 Harvard 100-Year Study on Happiness

20:35 What are "quality" friendships?

21:42 Introverts vs. Extroverts

23:10 Female vs. Male Friendships

29:40 How men can make more friends

31:19 The stress of picking bridesmaids & groomsmen

37:05 Types of Loneliness (+ how to get more friends)

39:30 #RealAdvice Time!

Connect with Danielle:

Follow Danielle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/3wjQpNn

Or visit www.betterfemalefriendships.com

Danielle’s new book: https://bit.ly/49mS5US

Connect with Me:

↳ AdviceWithErin Instagram → https://bit.ly/40hgztK

↳ NOKWTD Instagram → https://bit.ly/3ULVKaz

↳ Submission form for advice → https://bit.ly/nokwtd

↳ Get my emails → https://advicewitherin.com/show

Introducing No One Knows What They're Doing Feb 07, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to "No One Knows What They're Doing"! A show where Erin McGoff, aka AdviceWithErin, dives into topics that are top of mind for people in their 20s and 30s. Erin, a career educator, filmmaker, creator, and classic multi-hyphenate with millions of followers, admits she's still figuring things out herself. She's here to remind you that it's okay not to have all the answers.

From surgeons to teachers to CEOs, no one was born knowing everything. But that's the beauty of it – we're all in this together, just winging it. Erin's on a mission to introduce you to people from all walks of life, exploring careers you might never have considered. And hey, she's not afraid to tackle the tough questions, like “Should I move to Europe?” or “How do I negotiate my salary?” or “How to find a work-from-home job that isn’t a scam?”

So, grab your drink of choice, whether it's coffee or something a bit stronger (no judgment here!), and hit subscribe. 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.

Connect with Erin:

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