Coffee & Career Hour

Celebrating 50 Episodes: Authenticity, AI, and Career Growth on Coffee and Career Hour

• Armine & Maria Jose • Episode 46

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Join us as we celebrate our 50th episode of Coffee and Career Hour, where we take you on a heartfelt journey from the podcast's humble beginnings in the summer of 2021 to this milestone moment. With personal anecdotes about the initial solo episodes, challenges in editing, and the unwavering support from Armine's husband, this episode is a genuine reflection on how far we've come. We reminisce about our favorite episodes and the evolution of our content, all while expressing deep gratitude for the incredible support from our listeners.

We reflect on our top 5 episodes and explore how transitioning to more genuine, natural conversations has transformed our podcast and careers. We discuss the importance of knowing your material and letting your personality shine through. This chapter is filled with insights on overcoming initial hesitations, embracing your true self, and the power of authentic, dynamic energy in professional growth.

Through compelling anecdotes, we discuss the irreplaceable value of human interaction in career guidance and address concerns about AI taking over jobs. Additionally, we reflect on the inspiring resilience of older clients and family members, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness in making career decisions. Celebrate with us as we reflect on these rich, engaging topics and the incredible journey of Coffee and Career Hour!

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Speaker 1:

Hello, hello everyone. Welcome back to Coffee and Career Hour.

Speaker 2:

It's weird because I feel like saying we are your host, I'm MJ, but that's what's said in the intro. Yeah, so you've heard that. How are you guys doing? Oh, I wish it was like a live conversation.

Speaker 1:

I know, yeah, actually we would love to hear from our listeners. You guys could always send us a message, let us know what you think, how you feel, but we would love to interact with you all.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think that's one of the one of our favorite parts of our of our day job is interacting with clients and stuff like that. So please just let us know how you're doing, what you're liking, what you'd like to hear or if there's anything interesting you want us to continue talking about.

Speaker 1:

Yes, definitely. We have so much career content and we want to actually tailor it to you all. So, whatever it is you're wanting to hear, we're happy to develop content around that, and you can actually reach us on our Instagrams. That's probably the best way. Well, those are active, career confident Latina. Yeah, and career race.

Speaker 2:

I love it, Arminia. Congratulations On On it being your 50th episode of Coffee and Career Hour.

Speaker 1:

Our 50th episode. Yes, so exciting. So this episode is our 50th episode, which is insane because I feel like we just started this podcast yesterday. But 50 episodes, it's quite a bit. You know what's funny? This reminded me when I first started. I was talking to my husband because he listens to a lot of podcasts. I was talking to him about having him as a guest on this podcast and he was like joking with me just to motivate me. He was like after you do like 25 episodes and I see that you're committed, then I'll come and be a guest on your podcast. Oh my goodness. So tonight I'm going to be telling him we did our 50th episode and you are not invited.

Speaker 2:

I love that, I love that, but that's good. That's good that you have a motivation, we have a motivation to continue and it's such a huge, it's a huge milestone in Coffee and Career Hour, so it's so exciting.

Speaker 1:

It is, and in honor of our 50th episode, we kind of want to do a recap of how this podcast has evolved, just reflect on the podcast overall, how we've evolved in this process and our most popular episodes, and just kind of do like a fun reflective episode for you all today.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I love it, let's do it yeah.

Speaker 1:

So how has the podcast evolved?

Speaker 2:

Well, arminia, I think we should start with you, because, my girl, you were solo for quite some time.

Speaker 1:

Oh my gosh, I was. So this podcast started in 2021, specifically in the summer of 21. And okay, so I'll tell you all the backstory, because I remember the first, first episode that I did like a trial recording of, oh my goodness. So the business, my career rise business, started in 2019. End of 2019, I kind of started the Instagram and it was like playing around with it and and then the website developed, so end of 2019. And then 2021. I'm like, okay, I think podcast. I've done some workshops already.

Speaker 1:

By that point I had like had a couple of clients, I had done workshops, I had switched jobs and started working at the Career Center. So I was like like, okay, it's time for me to play around with podcasting. And that's when I had first gotten into podcasting to myself and my husband bought me the microphone and he's supportive of the process, right, he bought me the microphone. It was sitting there for a while and he told me he was one day he was like you better, like use this microphone, like it was bought for you so you could create this podcast, right, so I decided to just play around with it and the first episode I recorded it was never meant to be posted, it was just for me to get a feel of what it's like talking on not on camera on a microphone right behind behind a screen and and playing around with like the apps and the different things. And how do you post a podcast and all of that. There's so much research that I had done, but I remember the very first recording. Every time I had said like, um, or there was an awkward silence and I'm not engaging in conversations, just me talking to the microphone um, there were so many ums and so many different like filler words that I wanted to cut out. So I remember I spent like two to three hours after the trial recording um to clean it up and delete, yeah, snippets. I was like deleting snippets of um, the filler words, and I was like this part doesn't transition well, so let me like cut it out and see if I can make it transition. You are so silly, dude, like three hours. And then I was drained and I was like I don't know if I can do this because, like to put in that much work for one episode, like just three hours of editing, not to mention planning the content and actually recording the content. Yeah, I was like I don't know if I can do this. So after that I like let it sit for a while. Right, I let it sit and foster. And then when I was at the career center doing career counseling, every day, day in, day out, this was always on the back of my mind. And then eventually I finally was like let me sit down and start recording.

Speaker 1:

I tried different things, tried like one time it was just talk about what I'm motivated to talk about. One time it was like actually write out a whole script, so I have everything prepared in advance. Yeah, I tried all these different things. I obviously also listened to other career podcasts to see what topics were being. You know what people like to hear and so forth. So try it out a few different things. And then in my solo episodes there is a couple of solo episodes that actually are part of the top five to this day I love it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but I still feel really awkward listening to those. I actually don't go back and listen to them because it's so weird to me to just be talking without engaging in conversation. So I don't know how I sound in those episodes. But that's how Coffee and Career Hour started. And then I met wonderful MJ at the UCLA Career Center and I remember when you were sharing that you always wanted to have a blog, right, so tell our listeners about that and how it all came together.

Speaker 2:

Yes, Well, before I do that, I do have one question for you. I want to know a little bit more and I don't mean this to sound like an interview, but tell me about your initial goal with it.

Speaker 1:

What was?

Speaker 2:

your goal? What type of? Why did you want to start what kind of content? Why did you want to start a podcast?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, oh, thank you. I love that question platform to share all the career knowledge that I have with the greater community and a larger audience, because in my day job it's only with students and, yes, I am enthusiastic about helping college students, but I feel like there is a whole other sector of our population who is not in college and really needs this information. So the whole goal of the podcast was to make this content more accessible to the general population and it was also because I'm so passionate about this content. It was my like where I could express myself and to not get into the technical side of the career stuff as much and talk more about the bigger picture of career counseling, career exploration, because that stuff really excites me and it's important information for the general population to know. So I felt like it was a good balance of me having space to share my passions and benefiting the community at the same time.

Speaker 2:

I love that. I love that because our mission and our values align a lot when it comes to this kind of stuff, so I've always appreciated working with like-minded people and you know just another sign of how you're a blessing in my life.

Speaker 1:

Oh, likewise. Well that's why when I, when you said oh, I've always wanted to start a blog and for some reason, like you hadn't had that push to do it, I was like come on my podcast. I literally remember the conversation. We were working in our day jobs, yeah, we were in your office.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we were talking about we were doing a training for one of our new staff members, that's true, and it was during that training where we were, of course, talking about all the same career content. And that's when you were like oh, this has always been a passion of mine, and so forth, and I was like this is a good match, so let's try it out.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I, I've always, so I think the blog idea really came from when I was in graduate school. I Instagram has been in my life since I was in high school and I always saw how people would like post stuff. Not just so, I think, in the the beginning, when I started using Instagram as like a high school teenager, and then in college it was more so like post the better versions of yourself or like the edited, not the edited picture.

Speaker 2:

But you know, when you have your hair done and you look nice and you feel good and all that kind of stuff, and it was like, very like filed. It was very filtered, it was very not raw.

Speaker 1:

And I didn't.

Speaker 2:

I didn't. I never really liked my personal Instagram for that reason because I felt like I had to show only my best self. And then when I got into graduate school and I started to notice that there were more accounts that were life experiences, education, um, like, did you know this and let me teach you that? Or like tips and hacks and stuff like that, I fell in love with that idea of being yourself and educating like others on a larger platform. So when I was in grad school, I always wanted to do like a blog of my experience and post it so people could learn and share, and I think that comes naturally from us wanting from us being counselors.

Speaker 2:

So, and that was, for me, creating an impact, exactly what you're saying, creating an impact. And then I've always focused on like how can I do it in the most equitable manner? And and I mean, a lot has happened since then, but I've always wanted to do it and I never felt that I was the I had the personality to do that, until I met you. And it wasn't until we had that conversation and I was like, dang, if Armanay can do this and she's doing, she has a business, she has the Instagram, she has a podcast I can at least do one of those things. Um, and it was like two in one, because that's kind of how career confidence uh, what used to be career confidence on instagram now is career confident.

Speaker 2:

Latina grew to be and it and it was a combination of mj's personal experiences and the business itself. But now, on instagram itself, it has evolved into my own personal blog on instagram and I love it. I can see so much more of myself since it transitioned rather than when it was just career confidence. Um, not to get it confused that my business is still called career confidence, which is so cool. It has a, it has a LinkedIn page, it has its own website. I have clients very infrequently but they're still there. It's really amazing. I've been invited to UCR and like so much has grown and it's all because you gave me that push and that spark of inspiration. You were the fire to my match.

Speaker 1:

I love that. I'm so glad that I was able to kind of and it all happened, naturally, because I saw that you have, you have it in you and I think you just needed to see that for yourself and this was that avenue to you just needed to see that for yourself and this was that avenue, yeah, to kind of help you see that and, um, with that said, like both of our uh, businesses have grown so much and we've grown so much because of this, yeah, this, this platform itself, though the podcast has really only emphasized my, my confidence in myself behind, behind the mic, I mean, I can hear how much more sure I am of when I'm speaking, and that translates into my job.

Speaker 2:

And that translates into when I'm talking to others. It translates when I'm giving guidance and counseling. It's so amazing how this platform and allowing me to elaborate on the content we offer has only bettered my skills and bettered my inner confidence.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I love that and I see that in you because for our listeners when we first started it was MJ. I remember the first meeting we had.

Speaker 2:

I know I was so structured.

Speaker 1:

So structured, came in. Oh my gosh, armine, let's have detailed notes of every single thing we're going to say, because and that's how I felt too, that's why it took me three hours to edit my very first episode that never got posted right, because you're thinking that, oh my gosh, this is going out into the world and it has to be absolutely perfect and people are going to listen and judge and this and that, and so you want it be top-notch. But then what? We've both come to realize me in my own way and you in your own way that the more authentic you are yeah, and actually you also have to truly know the material. Right, like to go behind a screen or behind a microphone and speak like. You have to know your stuff, yeah, but as long as you naturally already know it.

Speaker 2:

The rest, you let it flow naturally and and allow your personality to come through absolutely right, but when you plan every single word, you're not going to be able to do that yeah, I I want to say that there was always been a part of me that has hesitated a lot when it came to this, because, if you can piece together my journey, it hasn't been that long as a full-time professional and I feel like my maturity makes it sound like I've been in the field for like 15 plus years, but in reality I've only been in here for less than five, so there has always been a sense of hesitation and like wait, am I sure?

Speaker 2:

Or like I'm nervous, or even even when I meet with clients for my own business, I still feel nerves, but at work when we were, when we're in the office doing whatever we need to do, I never feel nervous anymore. I think it only comes like when some leadership is around or we're doing like bigger things or whatever. But you know the day to day. Really, I have zero nerves when it comes to our job. So it's good, though, because it's challenging you in different spaces, and I've only, I've only learned so much, not only from you, but just from this experience, and I think that the dialogue helps a lot, because you and I naturally bounce off of each other when we have an idea. It just keeps going and going.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So here it's just like 10 times that, and it's for ourselves.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I love it. Yeah, that's true, the energy. That's why sometimes we'll have hour-long episodes and we're like, oh my gosh, that was so. How did a whole hour pass by, you know? And that's what happened in the very first time, when you came and we were trying this out. And then, after you left, my husband because he was at home he heard our whole session and us planning everything out and he was like, yeah, you guys are a natural, I think you guys are going to do really well, and it's true, but it's because our goals are aligned and our vision is aligned and we have similar foundations and knowledge about the topic we're talking about.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's also because Armin is a badass, but yeah.

Speaker 1:

So are you? So that's how Coffee and career hours started and the name actually came from. I love coffee and the whole idea was that like we sit down and have coffee and talk about careers yeah, um, and I I remember like bouncing around with different names and ideas when I was first creating it. But when I thought about the coffee time and I think there's a cultural component to it too, because in Armenian culture there's a whole thing of like come over for coffee and then like we'll have a whole conversation, right, so I think that was like be underneath the meaning of it. I love that, yeah. So it was like coffee and career hour. And then people started to like coffee and career hour. And then people started to like compliment on the name and they were like, oh my God, it's such a fun name and everything, so it really like resonated.

Speaker 2:

I love that because, in you know, as a Latina, I'm having coffee all the time. Yeah, I'm having cafecito all the time, and especially at night. It reminds me a lot of like when everyone's asleep in my house and I'm sitting there with my mom and my grandma at the dinner table and it's like 9 pm and we're having coffee, um, with like pan dulce or like anything like a piece of toast with peanut butter or whatever, and it reminds me of that too.

Speaker 2:

So it means I think unintentionally a very. It hits home for me a lot as well, and I mean I don't know when there's a day when you and I don't have caffeine to do what we need to do.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, 100% yeah, and as you're describing that scene I think that a lot of us and a lot of our listeners can relate to, but it's like a very intimate conversation that usually happens around the coffee, absolutely Right, and for those of you who are not coffee drinkers, it could be around tea or whatever other beverage of your choice. But, like, the idea is that you have these intimate conversations, yeah, and so I think that's where because career development is very intimate, and so that's the whole whole meaning behind all of this. I love it, it's beautiful, yeah. So, with that said, some of our top five episodes that we are so happy to share.

Speaker 1:

The first one is Striking the Balance Chat GPT Efficiency vs Authenticity in Resumes and Cover Letters. Liking the balance chat GPT efficiency versus authenticity and resumes and cover letters. This remains to be the top episode ever since we've recorded it, which is so not surprising, right? Because AI is taking over our lives, not completely, not completely. Yeah, ai is there, it's here, it's not going anywhere, and so I think that, with our listeners, everybody is curious as to how AI can help with their career development process. Specifically, resumes and cover letters, especially cover letters, tend to be really daunting, so it's only natural for people to want to use AI to make the process easier for them, and so I think that's why this episode is our top rated one.

Speaker 2:

So, honestly, ai has really changed the game when it comes to a lot of the technical things that you and I do for our clients. And I'm curious from our listeners if you want another episode, or maybe like a few episodes, on how to use AI in career development, whether that's how you job search, how you do career exploration, how do you prep for an interview or anything from there, because I think when you and I created no, when you and I made that episode, we were both very like no you got to be human and this and that, and I think we've evolved.

Speaker 2:

We've evolved over time and Armand and I have a lot of we've had like work trainings on it as well, so it has really we have a different opinion. Yeah, so we're human beings and we evolve, and tools and resources and this type of stuff has changed and you and I have used it in different ways. That I don't think either one of us has expected. I do say that I'm still a skeptic because we were trained to do this job by other humans. So the fact that a robot, a piece of technology, can do parts of our job is insane, but it does allow for a lot of efficiency when, when we're talking about like menial things in a job search, like writing a cold email or a linkedin message or like rewriting a bullet point.

Speaker 1:

So I think both of us have kind of evolved in that sense oh, definitely, yeah, it's funny because the people in my life will joke around, joke with about me being so against ai. Yeah, but it's like I'll I'll joke about it and and make it seem more extreme than than it really is. But yeah, there is a component of like us being a skeptic. For that reason, someone asked me one time when I was doing a presentation through career rise for a graduate program. They asked me aren't you afraid that um ai will take over your job? Yeah, and I said no, I'm not, because as a career counselor, there's such a big human component to helping people that I don't think a robot can ever fill.

Speaker 1:

Yes, maybe the robot can help with resume writing and the other technical aspects of the job, but there is a need for emotional connection. When a client is applying to a job and stressing out about that, and they need that human-like support and validation. Or when they're freaking out about their interview, or when they're freaking out because they don't know how to make, they don't know what they want to do long-term and they need to talk it out with someone, I don't think a robot can ever fill that space, that need of validation, or that someone to just like tell them. Let's take a deep breath and it's all going to be okay, yeah.

Speaker 2:

One of our students said to me once AI or ChatGPT or whatever they were using at the time, they're like it can help me, like redo my bullet points, but it can't help me feel better like you did yeah and I was like, oh, that's how I know robots not gonna take our job, because, you're right, there's a human element to it where a lot of it is talking.

Speaker 2:

You have to talk to someone to kind of even if you know what you want to do, like talking it out with someone and saying, hey, like it's like having a sounding board, it helps you really come up with different ideas or more clarity or figure out something that you're missing. So I again, I agree with you, I'm not really nervous that we're gonna go away oh yeah, I can't tell you.

Speaker 1:

There's countless times where we'll have a client who oh yeah, I can't tell you. There's countless times where we'll have a client who comes in and it's not like we give them this whole new idea of like what they need to be doing, even like step by step process. They've already been doing what they should be doing, but they feel a lot better after talking to us because they're able to get things off their chest and like get someone to either validate them or question something or challenge them on something, but overall it's not like they haven't been doing the right steps already. You know so there's many times that that happens too in a career counseling session, where it's just a matter of like you talking it out and just feeling better.

Speaker 2:

Even if you're not, there's nothing new that you you're gonna go and implement after that session I agree, even because it's pure validation and reassurance that hey, I am, I do want to do what I want to do and I I was thinking about this the right way and that's I don't think something that ever, like someone who's not engaging in conversation with you, will ever be able to give you that validation. Now, the people who sit behind computer screens all day, maybe, but the normal average people will need someone like us.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, no, definitely. But all that to say that AI is here to stay and it will continue to evolve. And I actually saw a statistic today that AI is going to add like over 20,000 jobs in the job market by 2025. Wow, right, isn't that insane? So the job market is going to evolve so much too. There's going to be a lot of positions that will no longer exist and a lot of new positions that we can't even imagine right now, until AI is, like, ready to take over.

Speaker 2:

Well, they're like implementing it in phones and stuff already for to come out, like this year. It's insane. I think, like one of the google or pixel phones already has like and it's what in the world? That's insane. I just worry. I worry a lot about the older generation, and I say that just having my dad call me today and not know how to fill out like a, a medical assessment, like and it was as easy as like just click whatever questionnaire thing. And I'm like can you imagine like these human beings, the older generation, who's not used to this technology, navigating this complicated world? Well, we're able to still navigate it and process it, but but not them, I don't know. I thought about that today with him it's gonna be tough.

Speaker 1:

I mean, there's gonna be so many new aspects for us too that, like, the younger generation is gonna pick up on a lot faster than us, because, like, wasn't it in a recent uh workshop that you were saying, like we're still the google generation, where we google I love that. That is so on point, because literally we still google stuff, but then we have our students or gen zers, who are like fresh out of high school, coming into college and they're not googling the way we do, they're using chat, gpt or other types of software.

Speaker 2:

It's funny because I'll now use the, the verb like you're, chat gpt or ai um, which is insane. Yeah, because that's what they're doing. And then some of them will look at me like no, I'm not. And I'm like yes, you are, yes, you are, I know you are. I love it, though.

Speaker 1:

I love acknowledging it because it normalizes it for them because a lot of them might think like, oh, they shouldn't know it's a bad thing because you shouldn't use it for like class, I mean like to write your papers and stuff.

Speaker 2:

But when it comes to career things, for the technical things and aspects of it, we have a different opinion.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, and it's going to evolve as AI evolves too, and as we all learn more about it and how to use it and how it can be beneficial. It's going to evolve. But I was watching a show.

Speaker 2:

If any of you have watched it, it's called abbott elementary.

Speaker 1:

Have you seen it? No, but I've been told to watch it. It's a really good show. If you like the education, if you're in the education system or you enjoy it. Yeah, if you enjoy that kind of um setting it, it's actually a really good show.

Speaker 1:

So I was watching it and it was funny because these teachers they were talking about one of them sends a newsletter and the people who respond to him, as co-workers, they used AI to send a thank you. And he was so upset because he was like I put hours into my newsletter to send you guys all this, like you know, this whole email that I've written up and you don't even take the time to like, write me a thank you response, you're gonna use ai to write me a thank you response. He was so upset about that. I thought it was hilarious, um, because it's true, like people use ai for email generating and things like that, and it could, yes, make our job a little bit easier and make our allow us to be more efficient with our time. But then, like, where is that fine line? Right? Because if you're writing an email, there should still be a component of like humanity where you connect with the other person on the other end.

Speaker 1:

So I guess it depends on the context and the situation, but there is a fine line too, I think, of where you should stop using it yeah, I agree, dang, that's hilarious yeah, lots to think about, though, in terms of ai and how that that is evolving, but as two counselors here who are learning more about it, um, our approach definitely has shifted a little bit since we've recorded that episode.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I'd be excited to hear a new one. Yeah, let us know if that's something that interests you.

Speaker 1:

Yes, let us know, Go on our Instagram, send us a message or reach out on our website. Either of us and we would be happy to record an episode if this is something you all want to hear about, Absolutely.

Speaker 2:

All right, what's our second top episode?

Speaker 1:

Oh, my goodness. So the second one is one of the solo ones that I did back early on. This is episode 10 coffee and career hour. Was a baby at that time? The number one people problem people face when making a career decision. What is it? Armena tell us that episode was all about self-awareness and the number one people that people number one. What is it? Armanay Tell us, external noise as opposed to taking the time to like, look internally and really learn about themselves and identify what their values are or, my favorite question, what problems they want to solve in the world. Yeah, skipping that and moving to external factors, and that takes away the depth of like making the right career decision that's aligned with you absolutely long story short.

Speaker 2:

If you don't know who you are, you don't know what you want yeah, yeah, it's true.

Speaker 1:

Um one of our other counselors. I was presenting with her today and she said self-awareness, or self-knowledge, is the first step to wisdom, or like the foundation to wisdom, and I love that and I love that? Yeah, it really is Like if you want to have wisdom, the first thing is you got to know about yourself.

Speaker 2:

That's so funny. I was supporting someone today, interview prep, and we're talking about, like inner confidence, and I said, well, if you don't have that in you, I don't think you can present that. You can't fake that. Yeah, and you have to know what you're walking into and why you're. You know the best candidate or why this and why that. And I was like, for example, myself, like I knew for this interview who I was coming into, what skills I was going to bring. Yes, of course I was nervous everyone's always nervous um, but I had that confidence and and and it works like it. Not it works like if it was something I could turn on and turn off, but you know what I mean. Like it is something that you have to have and and self-discovery, self-knowledge, self-awareness is the biggest part and for me, I always believe that that bleeds into the other phases of career development. It doesn't stop and you don't move on to the next. It's always happening because you're constantly learning about who you are and what you want and who you want to be.

Speaker 1:

Yeah for sure. And the thing about confidence that I've learned is that it has its ebbs and flows. It's not like you become confident and then that's it. You're confident forever, and life is amazing. There will be times where you're still you question yourself. I mean, happens to us regularly. You know, even in the work that we do as much as we are confident in our knowledge or our skills and our abilities and as much as we love what we do, there will be days and projects and challenges that we face that make us question ourselves, and that's that's part of that self-reflection and self-awareness process is like taking a step back and like, ooh, why am I doubting myself in this situation? Right, and reflecting on that and going from there. So, with all that said, that message remains true and probably will always remain true in the realm of career counseling is like the first step is knowing yourself, and if you skip that step, then that is one of the problems you're facing and making a an aligned career decision.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I agree, and you're big on that, which is why I loved observing Armine when I first started. It was just beautiful career counseling.

Speaker 1:

Oh, thank you, I love it. Yeah, I do. I really do love talking about that stuff, please please go have a career session with her.

Speaker 2:

Even if you know what you're doing, you don't Go see Armin and she'll clarify it for you.

Speaker 1:

I love it. Thank you. Yes, I would be happy to guide that conversation with anyone.

Speaker 2:

All right, my dear.

Speaker 1:

Number three Drum roll. Number three is being your authentic self at work, which is so cool because this was our very first episode together. I love it. Yes, this happened in 2022, when you joined Coffee and Career Hour in January, no, 2023. January 23 January, my bad, yes, 23 January and it is episode 11 this one, oh man, this one.

Speaker 2:

I think by this time you all knew Armin A and for new listeners, if you haven't listened to it, please go. It is such a good like wholesome get to know you and I and our personalities and where we come from. And I talked a lot about being a first first gen Latina and what that meant to me and how I bring my whole self to work, but that's something I had to grow into, not something that I naturally came into. So definitely that one I love a lot and I I'm honestly I should go back and listen to it, because I'm pretty sure that we both have changed a lot since last year.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we should, we should. That's like a year and a half ago, so yes, but it is a very wholesome episode and I think that if you want to get to know us a little bit better and why we do what we do, I think this episode really answers that question.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely, I love that yes.

Speaker 1:

And then the next one, which is number four, is conquering fear and manifesting your dream career through growth mindset.

Speaker 2:

This one, I want to say, is your favorite, is one of your favorites because this is where Arminie got to tell us all about manifestation and what it means and all of the different things, and she's such a hard manifester. Oh, everything I've learned I've learned from her oh my gosh, you're so cute.

Speaker 1:

But yes, I mean, I love that episode because it we also talked about growth mindset and that is like the foundation of what we do. One of the foundations of what we do with our, in our work with clients and students, is helping people see that failure is not really failure, like failure is part of growth and that every step you take, even if it's a step back, it's going to propel you two steps forward. So it's really kind of talking about using this kind of growth mindset to manifest or reach your career goals and not letting setbacks discourage you from your goals.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, growth mindset is something you should implement at all stages of your life. It really goes hand in hand when we say career and life development. Growth mindset is there through the thick and thin. I recently was in a meeting where they talked about how this is how they looked at life, with the Lend of Growth mindset and how each experience, each day is something to learn, something new, and I thought that was so beautiful because it's so like open to new experiences, new situations from all different perspectives.

Speaker 2:

So, go listen to it. You'll definitely feel a lot better.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I love it. And anytime I work with someone like a client and it's usually, I will say it's usually my older students or clients they really the ones who have faced so many challenges. Actually, there's one client that I had worked with recently that you you know of MJ, that I had worked with recently, that you know of MJ.

Speaker 1:

I literally get emotional every time I work with this client because they have had so many ups and downs in their life and so many challenges, even from immigrating to a different country and corruption and family problems and so many different things and that person is still not discouraged. They are about to embark on a new educational journey and go above and beyond what they've ever dreamt of doing and they don't let any setback discourage them. So it's usually the older students or clients that I work with that demonstrate the skill and I think I always get emotional or feel some type of way because I get inspired by them. And even myself, having an understanding of all of this, I still would say that I need to work on having a growth mindset myself. I'm still learning to develop that skill set. I know what it is and I understand the importance of it, but I'm still learning it, but when I see it in people who have a lot more life experience, it inspires me.

Speaker 2:

It's funny because I think of when I think of growth mindset. One of the people I think about is my grandma and how much she has she's. She's like a resilient human regardless, but I always think of how she immigrated to a new country. Well, when she was in el salvador, she went to this like organization to get a job and she had no idea and she was open to then coming to america. And then she came to america, literally had no idea where she was gonna stay or sleep or eat or do anything, and just kept. Every day was a new experience that she learned from, and all of the triumphs and accomplishments and I don't want to call them failures, but learning lessons, yeah, they've only have made her better at who she is as a human being and absolutely she knows exactly who she is and that's where she gets all her wisdom from too yeah, oh, there you go.

Speaker 1:

She's a prime example, but it's always. It's always those folks who are more experienced in life, who have left their whole, everything they know in their country, left it back and was like I will figure it out when I get there, and whatever step backs they face in the new country does not discourage them from trying harder to make it in this new country. It's always the people who have taken that leap of faith and like move to a new country. Sometimes I think about, like if I'm in middle age and if I were to move to a whole new country where I didn't know the language or anything and my degree meant nothing over there, would I be able to do something like that? And then I think about how my parents did that.

Speaker 1:

Started from scratch while having three kids to raise. Can you imagine? I really don't know how they did it. We should interview your mom. Yeah, I know right, let's just bring our parents, Bring your grandma. I love that. Yeah, and it's these kinds of life experiences I think that help people develop that growth mindset, Whereas when you're a little bit younger and like, especially if you're following all the right steps, you graduate from school and then you get a job or you go to college and then you go to grad school. It's like you haven't really faced big challenges or haven't had leaps of faith where you had to really truly embrace growth mindset to be able to survive.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I always think of um. My mom always tells me about a story about when she um was very young and she and she was either choosing to like stay here in LA, um with my grandma or go to San Francisco with the family. My mom's a nanny and a housekeeper and at the time she was taking care I think her boss was pregnant or or had a small child and they were like offering her to take her over there and have her go to college and give her a better life and have her live with them and all these wonderful things. And I always think of that situation and how resilient and what, what the choices my mom made and how she's grown from that as a human and how now she reflects on it in different perspectives that she has. So it's kind of crazy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, oh my gosh, so amazing. So these topics inspire us, as you can all hear um even, and no matter how much we talk about it, we still get inspired when we see people who really embrace and are able to live these skill sets. You know they're not easy to do. I love that All right.

Speaker 1:

The last but not least, top five episodes, so this is the fifth. One is called Own your Shit and this is also one of the solo ones. This is episode seven and this one is all about imposter syndrome. So I talk about actually, mj and I have an episode together on imposter syndrome as well, so we revisit it together in a dialogue, but when I first introduced it in the podcast is in the solo episode and talk about all about what imposter syndrome is and how it shapes our experiences and really the importance of asking yourself these questions, reflecting on on these aspects of what stops you from taking that leap of faith, what stops you from taking action, moving forward, how you can own those limiting beliefs and understand, like, okay, this belief is limiting me from taking a step forward toward my goals.

Speaker 1:

Right, so that we all have those imposter syndromes, but to not allow those to hinder our progress. Right, and that's the key here, because I don't think anyone can ever like just completely let go of all their limiting beliefs. You know that's just naturally. As part of human beings, we're all going to have them, based on our upbringing, our culture, our society. Whatever messages we're getting from the external world, it's always going to cause us to have limiting beliefs, but it's that ability to not allow it to hinder our progress.

Speaker 2:

But it's that ability to not allow it to hinder our progress. Imposter syndrome man, I feel imposter syndrome all the time. I think, no matter the amount of confidence that I can share or that I exude or that people tell me that I bring. I do experience imposter syndrome very frequently and I think it's something important to talk about. And just like how we're talking about confidence ebbs and flows, so it is imposter syndrome very frequently and I think it's something important to talk about. And just like how we're talking about confidence ebbs and flows, so it is imposter syndrome and the way you feel in everyday life, like Armin and I are always learning something new, right, so it really does change the game. And I think it's something where it's very internal. It is extremely internal and it's sometimes an internal battle with yourself and where you believe your capabilities are. And that goes into a whole self-efficacy discussion which we can have maybe later.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, there's an episode on self-efficacy too. I think it's one of the solo episodes. Yeah, it is, it is.

Speaker 2:

And it's such a great, I don't know. For me, imposter syndrome is something that can be very hindering to someone, but it's also something that when you take a step forward in that direction of I don't want to say not necessarily beating it, because it's always there, but healing it and growing from it it really is a beautiful know it's so deep, these beliefs are so ingrained in how we see ourselves that it's not easy to fight those battles.

Speaker 1:

You know they really run deep. And so to be able to work on that, find awareness in that and then not let it hinder you, is like that strength, that strength and resilience right there. I love it. So these are our top five episodes uh, over the course of three years. At this point, oh my goodness three years, yeah, because this started in summer of 2021. So, uh, 50 episodes in. We love every single episode we've recorded. Yeah, very proud very proud yes, and we've, we've.

Speaker 1:

I hope that you can all hear the enjoyment in our discussions and our tone and the way that we because we're always smiling when we're recording these podcasts and even though it's not video podcasts, um, it usually you can hear the smile in people's voices absolutely very exciting stuff. So we appreciate. We are so grateful for our listeners. We have our, our community of listeners who are always there like hardcore. We know. We know the certain number of people that always listen to our episode that first day that it posts yeah, literally that by that evening there is always the same exact number of listeners because you guys are our hardcore or like og community. So we love you, we appreciate you. We really do want to hear from you all on either what you're experiencing in this podcast or what topics you would like to hear, or just overall your reactions, because this is all for you guys. So let us know so we can actually cater even more topics to you all and continue to build this community together.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. Don't be afraid to pick our brains, and we'll love to hear from you soon. See you in the next one.