This week, Sali is joined Ali Wentworth, an actress, comedian, producer, and a New York Times bestselling author. Her credits include appearances on iconic television shows like In Living Color, Seinfeld, and as a correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Later, Ali created and starred in the series Head Space and Night Cap. More recently in 2023, she produced the documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields under her company Bed by 8 Productions, which she runs with her husband, the journalist, George Stephanopoulos.

Ali has led an inspiring, multifaceted career, and—for better or for worse—has learned many lessons along the way that she shares on today’s episode, including:

• combatting blatant sexism in the entertainment industry.
• trusting her gut and not giving power over to people she assumed knew better.
• getting fired up, not defeated, when she hears “no”
• and how to navigate the many ups and downs of being a creative professional.

Work Friends Credits 

Hosted by Sali Christeson @salichristeson

Produced by Gina Marinelli @ginaalilbit

Edited by Desta Wondirad 

Theme Song by Karina DePiano @sheplaysdepiano & Melanie Nyema @melanienyema

Recorded at Podstream Studio @podstreamstudio

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Our next guest is a force and a joy. Cari Champion is a sports journalist with over 25 years of experience reporting on the biggest, most formidable athletes of our time. She’s a regular contributor on CNN and host of the Naked Sports with Cari Champion podcast.

An LA native, Cari's early career included the Tennis Channel, covering icons like Serena and Venus Williams, before joining ESPN to host and report on shows including First Take and Sports Nation. Alongside Jemele Hill, Cari also co-hosted the Vice show, Cari and Jemele: Stick to Sports.

Cari’s work squarely sits at the intersection of sports, politics, and culture—even when some may not understand why. Today, she gets into it all and shares the unfiltered stories of:

• falling in love with basketball, all because of her grandmother.
• becoming a “one-man band” to break into broadcasting.
• navigating double standards and clashing with the boss.
• covering the so-called “rivalry” between WNBA stars Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.
• and why some can ignore, but certainly can't deny, the connection between sports and politics.

Work Friends Credits 

Hosted by Sali Christeson @salichristeson

Produced by Gina Marinelli @ginaalilbit

Edited by Ryan Woldoff

Theme Song by Karina DePiano @sheplaysdepiano & Melanie Nyema @melanienyema

Recorded at Podstream Studio @podstreamstudio

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Today, Sali sits down with Alencia Johnson, an award-winning cultural commentator, political advisor, and leader who sits at the intersection of social impact and culture change. She’s also the author of the forthcoming Flip The Tables: The Everyday Disruptor’s Guide to Finding Courage and Making Change. They dive into her incredible career working alongside iconic political leaders and activists, as well as the hard-learned lessons she’s picked up along the way that taught her how to find success on her own terms. You may want to take notes as Alencia shares:

• how she networked (and maybe even manifested) her way to a role on the Obama 2012 reelection campaign.
• what it was like working—and nearly getting arrested—alongside the incredible late Cecile Richards, former President of Planned Parenthood.
• fighting for funding as the founder of her own consulting company, 1063 West Broad.
• and, why she began writing a book about disruption on the heels of the Covid pandemic and working on the 2020 Biden presidential campaign.

Work Friends Credits 

Hosted by Sali Christeson @salichristeson

Produced by Gina Marinelli @ginaalilbit

Edited by Ryan Woldoff

Theme Song by Karina DePiano @sheplaysdepiano & Melanie Nyema @melanienyema

Recorded at Podstream Studio @podstreamstudio

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

In this episode, Sali is joined by Mara Roszak, a celebrity hair stylist whose clients include Zoe Saldaña, Emma Stone, Michelle Yeoh, Natalie Portman, Kate Mara, among many others. However, in 2021, after the birth of her first child, Mara set her sights on a new venture and launched RŌZ (www.rozhair.com), an incredible line of clean haircare products. The brand has been met with massive success and is currently stocked at major retailers including Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Credo.

Mara’s interest in hair started as a teen when she first taught herself how to tame her frizz, and soon she found that doing hair—for herself and others—brought her confidence. By 16, Mara was enrolled in beauty school, followed by a stint at the famed Chris McMillan salon, and eventually landing her first celebrity client right after graduation: Sarah Michelle Gellar, circa peak early-aughts fame. In this episode, we’ll get into it all, including:

• finding career purpose at a young age and putting herself through beauty school.
• moving quickly from doing friends' and family’s hair to styling Sarah Michelle Gellar for the red carpet.
• struggling with confidence and finding her “flow state.”
• red carpets, photoshoots, and world tours—what the work of a celebrity hair stylist really looks like.
• and the absolute hardest part about being a female founder.

For more Mara, check out her Work Friends profile: www.argentwork.com/blogs/work-friends/mara-roszak

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Our first guest of 2025 is the incredible Molly McNearney, the Emmy-winning Co-Head Writer and Executive Producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live! With over 20 years at the late-night show, Molly is the powerhouse behind iconic segments like “Mean Tweets” and “Handsome Men’s Club,” and has written for the Emmy Awards and the Oscars. 

While Molly’s work has a massive audience, she usually plays a behind-the-scenes role and there’s quite a lot of mystery around what her job technically entails. Today, we’re excited to get into it all, including:

-what the work of a writer and producer for one of the biggest late-night comedy shows actually looks like.

-what prepared Molly most to navigate a male-dominated field with confidence.

-writing comedy, even in the face of constant, intense breaking news.

-the best way to handle rejection...and when to push back, too.

-and, learning to give yourself the same pep talk you would give to your best friend.

For more Molly, check out her Work Friends profile: https://argentwork.com/blogs/work-friends/molly-mcnearney

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

This week, Sali is joined by Katie Couric, an industry icon (a term we don't use lightly). Katie is an award-winning journalist, podcaster, documentary filmmaker, and best-selling author. She started her career working at CNN and NBC News in the ‘80s and, most famously, was the host of the Today show for 15 years. She then went on to anchor the CBS Evening News—the first woman to do so—became the host of her own daytime show, Katie; authored her New York Times bestseller Going There; and today is the founder of Katie Couric Media. 

Sali and Katie dive into all things confidence, representation, and, yes, failure. And, like any great work friend, Katie candidly shares how she's navigated them all—more often than not, in front of the camera. Plus, don't miss:

• Katie's perspective on work-life balance, or lack thereof.
• how she found confidence, even when she was asked to never appear on air ever again.
• learning to lean on mentors and dealing with terrible, inappropriate coworkers.
• the power she's found in sharing her story. Even the most personal parts.
• how media has changed since the '80s, and how it hasn't.
• and why Katie will never stop talking about politics.

For more, follow Katie on Instagram @katiecouric and check out her Work Friends profile: www.argentwork.com/blogs/work-friends/katie-couric

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

In today’s episode, Sali is joined by Errin Haines, a journalist, an MSNBC contributor, the Editor at Large at The 19th*, and host of the podcast, The Amendment. In a conversation recorded just a few weeks before Election Day, we’ve caught Errin in her busiest season of work as she’s been covering it extensively. 

An Atlanta native, Errin has a prolific career reporting for The Associated Press, The Los Angeles Times, The Orlando Sentinel, and The Washington Post—and she served two terms as vice president of print for the National Association of Black Journalists. Then, in 2020, she joined the founding team at The 19th*—a nonprofit, independent publication that reports on gender, policy, politics, and the many ways they intersect. 

Errin not only has a front-row seat to history but plays a vital role in helping to record it. In today’s episode we’ll dive deeper into:

• how her Atlanta upbringing enabled her to believe she could be anything she wanted.
• why she lives by her mother's advice: “Your 20s are for you.”
• navigating major career setbacks when your job isn’t a fit. 
• why objectivity in journalism "is bullshit. "
• and the Twitter DM that changed the course of her career entirely and led her to The 19th*.

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

This episode of Work Friends was recorded on October 3, 2024. 

In this episode, Sali is joined by Huma Abedin who, for over 25 years, has worked alongside Secretary Hillary Clinton in a number of leadership roles. Beginning as an intern in the then-First Lady’s office in 1996, Huma rose to Senior Advisor to then-Senator Clinton; Traveling Chief of Staff for the Clinton 2008 presidential campaign; Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of State under the Obama Administration; and Vice Chair of Hillary for America in 2016. 

Today, Huma continues her work with Secretary Clinton, but has paved a unique career path as a New York Times bestseller, co-host of Morning Mika, MSNBC contributor, and, through her work with the annual Forbes 30/50 Summit and Vital Voices Global Partnership, a staunch advocate for women’s ambition. Huma has led a storied career and shares so much of it in today’s conversation, including:

• her childhood overseas and earliest understandings of feminism and equality.
• her first White House internship where she was assigned to the First Lady’s office.
• overcoming feelings of self-doubt and being unqualified.
• how Anna Wintour encouraged her to write her memoir, Both/And.
• how she learned to be the central character in her own play.
• and, reflections on the 2016 election and why the world needs to see a woman in the commander-in-chief role.

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Today, Sali is joined by Beth Lynk, the Executive Director of When We All Vote. Recorded right on the heels of the Voting Suits You launch—the viral joint campaign to maximize voter participation in the upcoming election, in partnership with Argent and the nonpartisan organization founded by Michelle Obama, When We All Vote—this conversation addresses something Sali and Beth are both passionate about: voter participation.

Beth, a strategist and communications expert in campaigns, crisis communications, and strategic planning, also shares the unique career story that landed her at the helm of When We All Vote and what it really means to be an organizer. Plus, there’s much more, including:

• Beth’s family history in civic organizing and her first job in the Obama administration.
• her work with the US census, ensuring every voice us heard.
• how imposter syndrome almost stopped her from becoming Executive Director at When We All Vote.
• the 3 reasons people don’t vote, and endless reasons why we all need to.
• as well as all things pink suits and Voting Suits You.

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Our next guest, Melissa Winter, has a career that’s so remarkable and, yet, hard to pin down. In fact, that’s the point. Melissa has been the Chief of Staff to former First Lady Michelle Obama for the past seven years. She first joined Mrs. Obama’s staff 17 years ago when President Obama was a Senator in Chicago, and would go on to serve all eight years of the Obama White House administration as Deputy Chief of Staff. 

Since 2017, Melissa has moved away from public service and started a new chapter working with The Obama Organization, Higher Ground Productions, and When We All Vote. 

She is the ultimate get. it. done. professional, who ensures everything in the background operates smoothly so her principal can meet her goals. But Melissa never expected to be here and on this episode of Work Friends she tells us all about it, including:

• the very unexpected internship that brought her to D.C.
• why she didn’t want to work for Mrs. Obama, and what changed her mind.
• what a Chief of Staff job actually looks like.
• the life-changing experience of entering, and exiting, the White House.
• and the vital work she’s focused on at When We All Vote.

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

In today’s episode, Sali—Argent’s resident NBA superfan—is joined by Malika Andrews, journalist and host of ESPN’s NBA Today and NBA Countdown. Malika stands out in a league all her own. In 2018 she was named one of the youngest-ever sideline broadcast reporters; in 2021, she was the youngest person to host the NBA Finals Trophy ceremony; and in 2022, she was the first woman to host the NBA Draft on ESPN. And she won an Emmy that year, too.

While age is just a number, it’s worth mentioning that Malika has achieved all this while still under 30 years old. This week, Sali chats with her about her incredible meteoric rise and some of the things you may not find on her resume, like:

• the truth about how she picked her college major.
• finding mentors in truly unexpected ways.
• navigating imposter syndrome early in her career, and today.
• the significance of making history and honoring the women who paved the way.
• and why she practices self-kindness. Always.

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Anjali Sud is the CEO of Tubi, the free streaming platform that houses the world’s largest library of movies and TV series. Since she’s taken the helm last year, the platform has hit a record number of viewers. But Tubi is far from Anjali’s first rodeo as far as CEO tenures go. 

She first stepped into the coveted role several years ago at Vimeo when she was just 33 years old, and successfully transformed the business: turning it from a video streaming site into a software company. But it was definitely not a smooth ride to the top. Anjali shares it all on this week’s episode, including:

• her upbringing in Flint, Michigan and how it’s shaped her view of business.
• getting turned down by nearly every investment banking job she applied to.
• finding power in being impatient and vulnerable.
• debunking myths about becoming a CEO (twice!), and being a working mother.

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

This week, we’re joined by Monica Padman, the co-host and producer of the wildly successful Armchair Expert podcast. Her career story is nothing short of inspiring as she’s gone from aspiring actress and babysitter to Dax Shepard (her Armchair Expert co-host) and Kristen Bell’s children to the all-around creative force behind the whole umbrella of Armchair Expert shows. She joined us on the heels of a massive deal announcement with Amazon and Wondery, so we get into that, too. Tune in to hear more of Monica’s story, including:

• landing her first acting gigs and moving to Los Angeles.
• going from babysitter to co-host of one of the biggest podcasts in the world.
• what being an assistant and a producer have in common.
• finding her voice and learning to let go of control.
• Plus, Sali and Monica play a game of “Would You Rather?”!

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Laura Brown has been a fixture of fashion media for over two decades, since arriving in New York from her native Australia. She was the creative force behind Harper’s Bazaar for 11 years before joining InStyle as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief where she continued to work her magic, notably leading the publication through the pandemic. Then in 2022, she was ceremoniously “eliminated”—AKA fired.

Today, she’s the founder of LB Media and is working on releasing her first book with co-author and former Editor-in-Chief of WSJ Magazine, Kristina O’Neill. The aptly titled All The Cool Girls Get Fired releases January 2026, but first, Laura joins Sali to share her own career story, including:

• the power of being “guileless.”
• building a career in fashion.
• the forthcoming All The Cool Girls Get Fired.
• what to do if you suddenly lose your job.
• and releasing shame and embracing a world of opportunity.

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Ai-jen Poo embodies what it means to be a caring leader. She’s the Co-founder and President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, an organization focused on the rights of 2.2 million domestic workers across the country, as well as the Co-Founder and Director of Caring Across Generations and Co-Founder of Supermajority.

A MacArthur "Genius" Award recipient, Ai-jen has over 25 years of experience advocating alongside, and on behalf of, some of the most essential members of our community.  

In this week’s episode, Ai-jen joins Sali to share what it means to have a career as an advocate, including:

• the “privilege" of being able to fail. 
• the widely overlooked care economy.
• stepping into the spotlight (even if reluctantly).
• the worst job she’s ever had.
• why women should celebrate their wins—and each other’s, too.

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Symone Sanders-Townsend is the embodiment of speaking truth to power. Whether in her role as the host of MSNBC’s The Weekend or on her own social media accounts, Symone has become a go-to source for navigating the country’s rapidly changing (and often alarming) news cycle. 

She first came to prominence as the national press secretary for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign when she was just 25 years old, before joining President Joe Biden’s campaign as a senior advisor in 2020, and eventually becoming the chief spokesperson and senior advisor for Vice President Kamala Harris. Though she’s still usually one of the youngest among her professional peers, her experience in politics and media is remarkable, as is her ability to distill breaking news for the masses. 

In this episode of Work Friends, she shares more about how her career has played out, in front of and behind the camera lens, including:

• experiencing imposter syndrome.
• learning to dream BIG, and encouraging young girls to, as well.
• the many emails she receives about her signature nails.
• “unhinged” work moments (because who hasn’t had one?)
• breaking down barriers and overcoming discrimination.

Plus, she answers a question from a Work Friends listener!

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Meet Betsy Beers, the Executive Producer of Shondaland. For over 20 years, Beers has been helping to fuel our collective cultural obsessions by producing shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder, and, of course, Bridgerton. But Betsy’s path was not without roadblocks—and she hardly knew what a producer even did before she became one. Join her and Sali as they get into it all, including:

• saying goodbye to being an actress and learning to be a producer.
• surviving sexist job interviews.
• meeting her long-time creative partner, Shonda Rhimes.
• making Grey's Anatomy and why it was "hell."
• the importance of being a mentor, and a mentee.

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.

Secrets to success? No, thank you. Welcome to Work Friends, a podcast for sharing upfront and unfiltered career stories—the good, the bad, and the unapologetically ambitious. Because what’s better than a bit of real talk among friends?

Each episode, Sali Christeson, Founder and CEO of women’s workwear brand, Argent, hosts one of her Work Friends for a conversation about climbing the corporate ladder, building a brand from scratch, raising money, and finding success on their own terms. Meet industry-shifting women in media, entertainment, business, and more, as they share the ups and downs of their careers, without glossing over the difficult parts.

This podcast is for everyone who takes their work (but not always themselves) seriously and believes in radical equality in, and out of, the workplace. 

Ambition suits you.

Work Friends is produced by ARGENT (www.argentwork.com), a women’s clothing label on a mission to redefine workwear and drive forward women’s progress.

For more, follow ARGENT on Instagram, @ARGENT, and subscribe to the ARGENT YouTube channel, @ARGENTWork, for clips and bonus content.

To be featured on a future episode, email your work questions and dilemmas to WorkFriends@ARGENTWork.com for a chance to have one of our amazing guests weigh in with advice.