Wait... What's Next?
đď¸ Wait⌠Whatâs Next?
Pull up a chair. Sip your Americano. And breathe.
Pull up a chair. Sip your Americano. And breathe.
Wait⌠Whatâs Next? is the podcast that feels like running into two friends at your favorite coffee spot, except the conversation goes places most people are too polished to go. Weâre talking career pivots you didnât plan, relationships that changed you, and the version of yourself youâre still figuring out, all with a cafecito in hand and zero judgment.
Hosted by Laura Alba, a Colombian-born marketing professional who built her life from scratch after moving to the U.S. at 15, and Amanda Brilhante, a former national news anchor turned event host, two women whoâve navigated more than a few âwait⌠what now?â moments of their own.
Every week, they pull up a seat either to talk through their own in-between moments or alongside guests whoâve shaped their paths through real transitions in career, relationships, health, and identity. They dare to have the honest conversations you wish someone had with you sooner, getting real without the filter.
Join us every week. New episodes drop on Thursdays.
Come for the deep talks, the occasional gossip, and the safe space where youâll feel a sense of belonging and leave with a little more clarity, at the very least, in your heart.
Happy sips â
with Laura (@l_alba_z) & Amanda (@amandakbril)
Intagram: @waitwhatsnextpod
Tiktok: @waitwhatsnextpod
Episodes
32 episodes
Rock Bottom Isnât Always Loud: Burnout, Identity Loss & Finding Yourself Again
What happens when youâve drifted so far from yourself that you no longer recognize who youâve become?This weekâs conversation goes there. Fully, honestly, and without the polished version of healing weâre so used to seeing online.
My First Solo Episode: Building a Podcast on the Side While Working a 9â5
This episode is a little different⌠my first solo episode.Because life happens. Showing up for your dreams doesnât always look perfect. It looks like doing what you can with where you are.As the host of this podcast, that means co...
Coachella Recap, Bieber Fever & The Lessons Weâre Taking With Us
In this episode, weâre catching up on everything. A full Coachella recap, the energy, the moments, and yes⌠the Bieber fever that had everyone talking. But beyond the fun, we come back to real life and sit with what actually stayed with us....
The Unwritten Chapter: Healing and Rebuilding Your Life on Your Terms | Morgan Wijay
Sometimes the hardest transitions are the ones that ask you to question the life youâve built.In this episode, Laura sits down with Morgan, a mother, former athlete, and a woman who lived the traditional life society often expects, to ta...
Alexa, Play âYounger Youâ⌠We Grew Up But Miss Who We Were
Lately, it feels like everything we grew up with is turning 20.The shows. The music. The versions of ourselves that once felt so certain about who we were going to be.And somehow⌠in the blink of an eye, we realize weâre the adult...
Fear, Anxiety, and the Emotional Side of Growing Up
Growing up comes with layers no one really prepares you for.In this episode, we dive into the emotional side of life transitions and how the ups, the downs, and everything in between start to shape the way we think and feel. We talk abou...
The Essentials and Learning How to Skincare as you get Older
Skincare can feel overwhelming fast.In this episode, Laura and Amanda dive into skincare routines from a real-life perspective. No complicated 10-step routines or unrealistic expectations. Just honest conversations about how to take car...
What Happens When You Say Yes to the Scary Decisions
Facing a big decision? Sometimes the biggest leaps we take in life are also the ones that lead to the most growth.In this episode, Laura and Amanda talk about what it really looks like to make bold decisions before you have everything f...
Understanding Heartbreak and How to Choose Healthier Relationships
Relationships tend to shape us and how we date. In this episode, Laura and Amanda dive into the growth that comes from the relationships we experience throughout life. The heartbreaks, situationships, and more.They talk about h...
Why leaving your dream job can be the best decision
This week we went deep into Amandaâs career story⌠how did things evolve over a decade?Reconnecting as adults showed us we all go through the same motions in different seasons of our lives and even when the industries look completely di...
Season 2, Weâre Back: Bigger Plot Twists and Even Bigger Life Transitions
Season Two just walked in, and she looks good.If you are navigating a career change, questioning your relationship, moving cities, rebuilding after burnout, or quietly reinventing yourself⌠welcome. Youâre in the right place.This ...
Wait⌠Where Did 2025 Go? Recaping Motherhood, Careers, and Surviving the In-Between
Itâs here. The season finale of Year 1. đĽšWe started this podcast with nothing but Amazon microphones, chaotic voice notes, and a shared delusional dream⌠and somehow â weâre wrapping 2025 with 1,000+ downloads and a whole communit...
Learning to Swim With Sharks: She Walked In and Owned the C-Suite
How do you build a career when no one hands you the blueprint?This week, we sit down with Jennifer McAlpine, whose story takes us from a blue-collar childhood in the Central Valley to leading marketing and education across luxury brands,...
Consumerismâs Final Boss: The Algorithm Made Me Do It
What does it really mean to feel rich? Not the dollar-sign kind, but the soul kind.The kind that sounds like belly laughs, morning sunlight, shared meals, and knowing you are already enough without needing anything extra to sponsor your hap...
The Sun Left Early: Weâre Living on Vitamin D Shortages & Emotional Support Candles
You know that moment when you look outside and think itâs midnight⌠but itâs 4:47 PM? Yeah. Welcome to the season where vibes are confused and our serotonin levels are doing the absolute most.In this episode, we tackle the yearly identit...
Designing Whatâs Next: Ashleyâs Story of Human Reinvention & Alignment
Some stories donât begin with a grand plan; they start with a quiet tug.A subtle shift in your gut that says, youâve outgrown this version of yourself. This week, we sit down with Ashley, a creative force whose c...
Not the Villain, Just Miscast: Ask for Forgiveness, Not Permission
Sometimes, being the villain in someone elseâs story is exactly what it takes to become the hero of your own. In this episode, we get candid about the moments that required us to stand up for what we believed in, even when it meant swi...
Eat, Pray, Log Off: The Story of a Corporate Soul Reset
This week, we sit down with Kyle Ewing, who spent 18 years at Google helping scale the company from 8,000 to 180,000 employees, until one day, she hit pause. Burnt out from the hustle, succe...
Spanglish State of Mind: Bicultural, Brave & a Bit Delusional
What happens when you grow up with a foot in two worlds? One where every goodbye lasts 45 minutes and everyone eats until the last guest leaves, and another where a wave or handshake does the trick? This week, Laura & Leni dive ...
He fumbled me, chaos claimed me... but I still landed in New York
In life, we tend to overplan, but as the saying goes, âlife is what happens while we plan for the next move.âWhile we obsess over timelines, checklists, and end goals, the universe quietly builds its own version in the back endâŚ...
The 20s vs. 30s Debate: Who Let Us Adult?
In our 20s, we could pull all-nighters, survive on iced coffee and vibes, and still make it to class looking semi-put-together. Now? One glass of wine, and we need a recovery plan. đ This week, weâre taking a walk (okay, a light jog) down...
The Journal of a CMO: Kelly Atkinson (Part 2)
If you thought Part 1 was good⌠Part 2 is the page you didnât know you were waiting for. This week, Kelly Atkinson is back, and sheâs answering the question we left dangling: how she advocated for women in the workplace by ...
The Journal of a CMO: Kelly Atkinson (Part 1)
What happens when you put a powerhouse exec in the hot seat and ask her to spill the real story behind becoming a CMO? You get this conversation.In Part 1, Kelly takes us back to the firsts that shaped her career, her first mana...
Here, There, and Everywhere: Leniâs Story
What does it mean to grow up caught between cultures, languages, and worlds, and still carve out a space that feels like yours? In this weekâs episode of Wait⌠Whatâs Next?, Laura flips the script and interviews co-host Len...
Colombian Girl in a California World: Laura's Story (Birthday tbt)
What happens when a 15-year-old girl trades cafecito mornings in Colombia for cafeteria chaos in California? In this episode, Laura gets real about starting over, new country, new language, new culture, and a teenage crash course in belonging.&...