Erika Learns Gen Z Slang & Breaking Down Career Astrology

Summary

Work with Erika Ayers Badan

Episode: Erika Learns Gen Z Slang & Breaking Down Career Astrology

Date: September 22, 2025
Host: Erika Ayers Badan
Guests: Jessica Rose, Summer, Noah Tannen, Alice Hu

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Episode Overview

This episode features a mix of humor and insight as Erika and her team navigate two big themes:

1. Deciphering Gen Z (and some Gen Alpha) slang, with guidance from their intern Summer
2. Exploring how astrology, especially career astrology, can inform work and life transitions, led by guest expert Alice Hu.

The episode blends playful banter about office snacks, dating apps, and workplace routines with deep practical advice on managing change, both personally and organizationally. Memorable moments include Erika gamely trying Gen Z slang, fresh perspectives on workplace astrology, and personal stories from the team.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Office Banter & Modern Dating (00:02–04:04)

• Brief chat about office snacks, eating habits (peaches vs. jerky), and Jessica Rose’s dating adventures using a non-traditional app where people match and pay for dates upfront.
• Quote:
  • “You're going to an unknown restaurant with an unknown person that some piece of technology matched you up." – Erika (01:23)
• Jessica Rose discusses dating as a trans woman and being transparent on her profile for safety and clarity.

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2. Behind-the-Scenes: Podcast Guest Booking (04:04–08:08)

• Jessica Rose and Erika discuss how podcast guests are booked and how the booking process could become more streamlined post-talent booker (Georgia).
• Erika expresses openness:
  • “I just think you should do what you’re doing now and just send them." – Erika (06:57)
• Emphasis on flexible, open communication versus rigid structures.

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3. Decoding Gen Z Slang with Summer (08:13–21:40)

Host Meet: Summer (intern, certified Gen Z), led the team through a crash course in current slang:

• Mogging (09:04): To be outshined or dominated, especially in looks or confidence.

  • “I met Jacob Elordi the celebrity last week, and he mogged me.” – Summer
  • Erika pushes for simpler language: “Why not just say ‘he’s hot’?”

• Cook (10:36): To crush it or do extremely well.

  • “If you had a guest on and they did super well, it'd be like, she totally cooked that.” – Summer

• Gas (11:36): Something that's really good/excellent.

  • “Justin Bieber cooked. His new album is gas.” – Summer (12:27)

• No Cap / Cap (12:40):

  • “No cap” = No lie, being serious.
  • “They’re capping” = Lying.

• Dead (13:49): Used to express finding something hilarious.

  • Erika claims the term isn’t new: “We’ve used that before you all came along. You’re capping on that.” (14:18)

• Riz (14:22): Charisma or flirtatious charm, can be used as a noun or verb.

  • “If someone's got Riz, they've got charisma.” – Erika (14:36)
  • Can also mean “to flirt.” (15:20)

• Bet (15:53): Agreement or affirmation, like “okay.”

• Mewing (16:24): Making the jawline more pronounced for photos, popular for “looking good” on social media.

  • “Now they just show their jaw. They're like, look at my jawline. You're like, he's mewing.” – Erika (17:12)

• Gen Alpha add-ons:

  • Skibidi: Meme from “Skibidi Toilet,” lacks concrete meaning (18:40–20:38)
  • 6, 7: Reference from a song, turned into a meme in sports and youth culture.

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4. Movie Inspiration: Working Girl (21:09–21:40)

• Erika encourages Summer to watch “Working Girl” as essential viewing for ambitious young women in NYC.
  • “You live in New York City and worked in New York City when you’re young and poor and ambitious. It is a wonderful story.” – Erika (21:25)

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5. Food52 Perspective with Noah Tannen (21:44–26:44)

• Noah's Role: From test kitchen creator to “talent,” sharing what it’s like to have a public-facing creator's job.
• Three words that describe Food52 experience: Honest, chaotic, freedom (22:06)
  • “It’s a very weird job.” – Noah (22:42)
• Identity: Resists label “chef” or “mixologist”; prefers “influencer”—sees it as accurate, not derogatory.
  • “People work for that title...and I’m not, like, ‘we need to bow down at the altar of the chef.’” – Noah (24:54)
• Audience: Curious, engaged community interested in storytelling and trying new things.

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6. Career Astrology with Alice Hu (26:44–43:11)

Guest Intro: Alice Hu, career & business astrologer

Eclipses and Work Transitions (29:06–34:36)

• Eclipse season: Brings change, transformation, and “what you need—not necessarily what you want.” (29:06)
• Current season: Heightened by recent Mercury retrograde, leads to restructuring, AI integration, emerging need for real community.
  • “Eclipse season brings a lot of change and transformation. Expect unexpected news and surprises.” – Alice Hu (29:09)
• Industry Examples: Noia House shut down abrupting, Soho House goes private. Markers of workplace and community flux.

Astrology as Career Tool (27:45–38:51)

• Alice’s practice focuses on using astrology to clarify career pivots, side hustles, and business-building.
• Mercury Retrograde: Period for introspection, communication issues, planning buffer time.
  • “Mercury retrograde is always about an inward time, inward reflection and introspection.” – Alice Hu (30:51)
  • “During this time…travel and technology…can get really like, messed up.” – Alice (31:00)
• Scorpios at Work: Thrive on autonomy, intuition, ambition but need recognition; struggle if under-utilized or disrespected.
  • “Scorpios are always dealing with change, whether they like it or not. They constantly need to transform…they need a lot of autonomy in their jobs.” – Alice Hu (35:27)
  • “It's very important to pay attention to your intuition because it will always lead you the right way.” – Alice (36:58)

How to Use Astrology for Career (38:14–41:20)

• Resource: Alice built yoursaturn.com for free career astrology reports with plain language, no jargon.
• Her Journey: Astrology helped her through her “Saturn return,” a period of personal/professional transformation, uncovering insights about identity, values, and direction.
  • “When you understand yourself, there's just a lot more clarity around how you can contribute.” – Alice (40:09)

Practical Wisdom

• Alice advocates astrology as an empowering framework for better self-understanding, not fortune-telling.
  • “Very rarely will I do a reading for someone and it's a complete surprise. There's always a little bit of an inkling.” – Alice (41:08)

Community Focus

• “Community is a huge thing that I've seen astrologically over the last few years…this is what people want and need, especially with so much AI and technology these days.” – Alice (41:45)

Where to find Alice Hu:

• Instagram: @woowooco
• Free career astrology report: yoursaturn.com

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I'm having a peach... Please not say, I'm going to town on the peach.” – Erika (00:09)
• “I think you just text or slack me and you’re like, hey, would you...Do you think having a conversation with this person would be a fit?” – Erika, about podcast guest booking (05:32)
• “Why not just be like, he’s hot?” – Erika, challenging Gen Z lingo (09:46)
• “Mercury retrograde is always about an inward time, inward reflection and introspection.” – Alice Hu (30:51)
• “Eclipse season…giving us what we need. Maybe not what we want, but definitely what we need.” – Alice Hu (29:09)
• “A very summer movie network.” – Erika, on the importance of “Working Girl” (21:14)
• “When you understand yourself, there's just a lot more clarity around how you can contribute.” – Alice Hu (40:09)
• “There's a power in that…to help people navigate things not through a place of fear.” – Erika (40:22)
• “I'm not going to go around calling myself a social media chef because…people just shit on that.” – Noah Tannen (24:55)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |-----------|--------------------------------------------| | 00:02–04:04 | Snack banter & Jessica’s dating story | | 04:04–08:08 | Guest booking process behind-the-scenes | | 08:13–21:40 | Gen Z slang decoding with Summer | | 21:09–21:40 | Working Girl movie reference | | 21:44–26:44 | Creator chat with Noah Tannen | | 26:44–43:11 | Astrology deep-dive with Alice Hu |

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Tone & Style

The episode maintains an upbeat, conversational, and often humorous tone. Erika is unfiltered, practical, and curious, while her guests blend self-deprecating stories, professional insight, and contemporary cultural references. The language is informal, contemporary, and accessible.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode bridges generations—language, culture, and workplace trends—by mixing irreverent office chat and Gen Z slang with tangible insights into how astrology can serve as a pragmatic tool for navigating career changes. Underneath the humor and pop culture references, Erika and her guests model curiosity, openness to change, and the value of self-awareness—no matter your age or astrological sign.

Transcript

[Alice Hu]

Lemonade.

[Jessica Rose]

Good morning, Erica.

[Erica]

Hi, Jessica Rose.

[Jessica Rose]

How you doing?

[Erica]

I'm having a peach.

[Jessica Rose]

Going to town on the peach. That's a no.

[Erica]

Please not say, I'm going to town on the peach. Getting my fiber.

[Jessica Rose]

Okay. I don't. I never eat fruit.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

Really?

[Jessica Rose]

I'm trying to eat more now I'm ordering fruit for the office. More.

[Erica]

Really?

[Jessica Rose]

Yes, I am. I'm dedicated.

[Erica]

All snacks suck.

[Jessica Rose]

I mean, what do you. What would you like? What would you like?

[Summer]

You really like.

[Jessica Rose]

Oh, God. Okay. I can add it back.

[Erica]

Is it expensive?

[Jessica Rose]

It is expensive. Out of all the snacks that we've had here, it's ironically one of the more expensive.

[Erica]

Yeah, because turkey jerkies and stuff like that.

[Jessica Rose]

We can get it. Okay, let's get turkey, like beef jerky and stuff. Yeah, they can get little. Little snack packs of that.

[Erica]

Okay, fine. Okay. So sorry, Jessica.

[Alice Hu]

Gross.

[Jessica Rose]

No, it's okay.

[Erica]

So you're trying to eat more fruit.

[Jessica Rose]

I'm trying to eat.

[Erica]

Or vegetables. Are you eating vegetables? Probably not much.

[Jessica Rose]

No, I don't. Like.

[Erica]

What are you gonna have for dinner tonight?

[Jessica Rose]

I don't know. I'm going on a date.

[Erica]

Do you have a date?

[Jessica Rose]

I do.

[Erica]

Well, where are you gonna go?

[Jessica Rose]

Okay. It's a weird app that matches you with someone and you don't really get to talk to them. It's like, you like their profile. They like your profile. It matches you and you, like, don't really chat. It just sends you to an affiliate restaurant and you pay for it upfront. It gives you.

[Erica]

Wait, so you split the bill up front.

[Jessica Rose]

Yes. And then you get.

[Erica]

You're going to an unknown restaurant with an unknown person that some piece of technology matched you up.

[Jessica Rose]

But it's in the. It's called. Oh, my gosh. What's it called? I have to look it up. I forget.

[Erica]

Okay.

[Jessica Rose]

But yeah, it's very interesting. It's like a kind of unique.

[Erica]

So you put your profile on the app, then the other. And did they match you or did you match them?

[Jessica Rose]

So they liked my profile? I liked their profile. It matches you. And rather than like, have the endless chatting features like that Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, all those have.

[Erica]

You're like, fuck it, let's have this thing be.

[Jessica Rose]

It literally, like, has. It says, okay, pay for your date. Now, if you want to continue to go to this date, pay for the date. We'll select, like, put in your availability, and based on your availability, will that matches up? We'll put you at an affiliate restaurant that we work with, and you basically pay for, like, Your first drink. And then if you want to keep.

[Erica]

So who pays?

[Jessica Rose]

Both of us split the bill. Split? Yeah. So you pay for yourself? Basically. You're paying for your first drink? Basically.

[Erica]

And then the rest you pay when you.

[Jessica Rose]

And then the rest. If you decide that you want to stay and continue the date and have dinner, then you stay at the restaurant.

[Erica]

Okay, so you're going straight from work?

[Jessica Rose]

No.

[Erica]

What time is that? Okay, that's not.

[Jessica Rose]

It's a rooftop bar thing.

[Erica]

And then do you know this person's picture?

[Jessica Rose]

Yes, I have seen them. Like, I, like, know what they look like, and I can see some of their interests and hobbies. It's like a regular dating app.

[Erica]

Can I just ask you, is this, like, what gender is this person?

[Jessica Rose]

Straight man.

[Erica]

A straight man. Jessica Rose.

[Summer]

That's who go.

[Jessica Rose]

Yes. That's who goes after me.

[Erica]

Really?

[Jessica Rose]

Yes. Only. Yeah, pretty much.

[Erica]

What do they think they're getting?

[Jessica Rose]

No, they know. They know I'm trans.

[Erica]

How do they know you're trans?

[Jessica Rose]

Because it's in my profile.

[Erica]

What do you mean you're like, I'm trans?

[Jessica Rose]

Yeah, I have the flag right next to my name, and I say it, like, multiple times in my profile.

[Erica]

Wait, okay, so I don't even know.

[Jessica Rose]

If your audience really knows that, but that you're trans?

[Erica]

Yeah, I think they do.

[Jessica Rose]

They might.

[Erica]

Wait, okay, that's so fun. So, like, what are you gonna talk about? What's your opener? So sorry, do you want him to pay for the date?

[Summer]

Like, how do you.

[Jessica Rose]

No, I never expect that.

[Erica]

How old is this person?

[Jessica Rose]

I think he's 30.

[Erica]

Okay, what happens if he's a psycho?

[Jessica Rose]

Then I leave and I block him. The good thing is we haven't exchanged any information, really. It's only through the app.

[Erica]

So he doesn't have your phone number?

[Jessica Rose]

He doesn't have my phone number. He has my Instagram.

[Erica]

Okay.

[Jessica Rose]

I give that out. I don't care. I can block people.

[Erica]

Okay.

[Jessica Rose]

I'm like, what are you gonna do? I dare someone to try and pull up on me. I dare them.

[Erica]

Oh, okay. All right. Well, I'm so excited for you. I hope it goes great. Yeah, Just be careful.

[Jessica Rose]

Oh, I'm always careful. I'm fine.

[Erica]

Just be careful. Okay, so let's back to work. Okay, so back to work. What is our topic du jour?

[Jessica Rose]

So, I wanted to talk about today. Actually, ironically, I wanted to talk about work. The podcast. This podcast. This podcast. Okay, great. And how the booking for work works or doesn't work. And how it doesn't work. And I want your advice on how to do it better, because. So we used to have a talent booker here, like an official talent booker here@food52 that would just present people to me. Georgia. Yes, Georgia. Shout out, Georgia, we miss you. Georgia was great, and she would come to me with people.

[Erica]

So people pitched Georgia that people actually want to come on this podcast.

[Jessica Rose]

So initially, I was getting people booked through her. Then after she left, it became. I had random PR agencies that would reach out to me or Mary Busby or Then Daniel Iglesias did a few and Margo did a few. There's like, it's been very smile, basically, is what I'm saying. So I'm getting asked from all sides, and I generally. Unless, like, I go, I do check, I look at their profiles, I look at the people. If there's people. There have been people that I'm like, I don't. There's no correlation here. Okay. And I say, no.

[Erica]

Okay, well, why wouldn't you just ask me?

[Jessica Rose]

Well, because they don't want to bother you. That's okay. That's my question. I don't want to bother you with it because I know how busy you are.

[Erica]

I think you just text or slack me and you're like, hey, would you. Do you think having a conversation with this person would be a fit?

[Jessica Rose]

Okay.

[Erica]

Because I'm very random and I'm.

[Jessica Rose]

I think you like to kind of just go in blind to it, too. So I think, like, that is also an element that I think is in my brain when I'm booking stuff where I'm like, you stick me with a stranger. Well, because I think you, you know, like you said earlier, I give you the breakdown and you're like, whatever. You know what I mean? Okay. Okay.

[Erica]

No, you should always ask because I'm sure there's probably some interesting people in there.

[Jessica Rose]

Oh, yeah.

[Erica]

You know, and, like, I think that.

[Jessica Rose]

Most of the people that have come on here are really good matches for this.

[Erica]

Yeah, for sure.

[Jessica Rose]

Like, I don't think there's anything that's not bad. Personally, I don't know if you feel differently, but.

[Erica]

No, I think they're great.

[Jessica Rose]

Yeah. So. Okay, so.

[Erica]

So you'll just start to.

[Jessica Rose]

I'll start to pass them to you, but I guess, is there a central source or is there someone that I should be pursuing in terms of booking people for this that you would think would be like, should I go?

[Erica]

There's anybody I want to talk to. I just DM them, like, idea. I have the guest coming at. My mom gave Me, this book, the girl on Girl book. I've talked about it, and then I DM'd the idea, the writer, and I.

[Jessica Rose]

Was like, and she'll be here in November.

[Erica]

November. So if there's somebody I want to talk to, then I'll just reach out to them.

[Jessica Rose]

But I mean, in general, like, for.

[Erica]

I'm.

[Jessica Rose]

I'm not me booking is there. Like, should I go to Danny lagrua? Is there.

[Erica]

I just think you should do what you're doing now and just send them.

[Summer]

Okay.

[Erica]

You know, cool. We don't need to have a production for it, although we probably. If we go our new route, we should have authors and stuff. But let's see. Okay. I'm not worried about it.

[Summer]

Okay.

[Jessica Rose]

Okay.

[Erica]

Thank you, Jessica Rose. All right, welcome back to the work podcast. I had recorded a beginning of this Eating a Peach, because I love peaches. And my question was, do you know who the artist is who made an album that said, eat a peach? And there is not one person in this company who has probably ever heard of this band or listened to them or was born when they were around. But whatever. We're having a special episode. We've got Noah Tannen. So Noah is one of our Test Kitchen artists, creators, you name it. We have Alice Hu, and Alice Hu is a career and business astrologer. Summer is back, and Jessica Rose has a date tonight. So that's what we're doing on the work podcast and have a listen now.

[Summer]

Work.

[Erica]

Okay, so for anybody here who doesn't know, Summer is our intern, and Summer's continuing as our intern. So Summer, we're so lucky. We're so excited. And Summer and I agreed that we would do this thing for LinkedIn, which is called decoding Gen Z slang. And Summer, are you Gen Z? You are Gen Z, right?

[Summer]

I am Gen Z and probably the most chronically online person ever. So this will be good.

[Erica]

Okay, great. All right, so, Summer, we're going to decode how you speak.

[Summer]

Okay. I pulled a list of words. The first term we're going to start with is mogging. And mogging. I have a prime example for this one that I love to use. So I would say I met Jacob Elordi the celebrity last week, and he mogged me is how you'd like, use the term.

[Erica]

I mean, I think it sounds like mugging, like he jumped. I don't know who Jason. Jason Elordi is or whoever this is, but which is also probably making me irrelevant for Gen Z, but whatever. Does it mean to get jumped or, like I feel like it's like somebody climbing over your back.

[Summer]

Not quite. It means when someone outshines or dominates you in looks or fitness or confidence. So basically someone who's, like, way more attractive than everyone else around them. So.

[Erica]

So you say. You say Jason, whoever, mogged you because he looks so good.

[Summer]

Yeah, because he looks, like, perfect.

[Erica]

Make it like it's an. Like an assault. That's like an assault. What's wrong with you guys? Why don't I just be like, he's hot.

[Summer]

He's both. So it's okay.

[Erica]

Okay. All right. So mogging means, like. So if I had a big meeting with a CEO, which I did this week, and I was super impressed. I was like, her fit's great. Her brain's amazing. She runs the best business ever. I would be like, so and so. Mogged me.

[Summer]

We could say she mogged you if. Yeah, if her fit was great.

[Erica]

Or I would be like, I was so mogged by Blank. Blank. CEO of Blank. Is that what I would say?

[Summer]

Yeah. I mean, it could work if she's slay.

[Erica]

Okay.

[Summer]

She's mogging.

[Erica]

She's slain. Okay, great. What's our next term summer?

[Summer]

Okay, the next word is cook. So we could say like, Erica cooked this podcast.

[Jessica Rose]

Let's.

[Erica]

It's not like, let's cook.

[Summer]

I've heard of let's cook that, like, also works. Yeah.

[Erica]

Like, I. I thought let's cook was like, let's go. I thought that was like a hockey term. Like, let's go. Like, let's do it. Or does it mean you crushed it?

[Summer]

It means more you crushed it. Like, if you had a guest on and they did super well, it'd be like, she totally cooked that. Or. But let's cook also works in a similar way as you're saying, like, let's go. But then when someone cooks, they just do it really well.

[Erica]

So in when someone does a good job, you're like, they cooked.

[Summer]

Yeah, exactly.

[Erica]

You say this, like, it in your day to day.

[Summer]

Yeah, they cooked.

[Erica]

Okay. Okay.

[Summer]

The next one is gas. Like gasoline for your car. But it's like just gas.

[Erica]

You just say the word gas.

[Summer]

Like that's gas or gas.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

You're gonna use it in a sentence.

[Erica]

Is it gas? It's like someone's farting. It means a good thing.

[Summer]

It means, like, really good. Like, Justin Bieber just dropped an album, and if you think it's good, you say his new album's gas. So it means it's like, really good.

[Alice Hu]

Yeah.

[Summer]

So hopefully you can start using that.

[Erica]

In you would say, sorry, summer. So you'd be like, justin Bieber's new album cooked. It's gas. That's a sentence you would use.

[Summer]

We would say, justin Bieber cooked. His new album is gas.

[Jessica Rose]

Okay.

[Erica]

There's, like, a grammar that goes. Okay, what's the next one? Summer.

[Summer]

Okay, the next one is the term no cap. How would I use that? You could say, no cap. Yeah. What do you think?

[Erica]

Like, no limit.

[Summer]

Like, like, okay, total potential, kind of. It means, like, I'm being super serious. So if I say Food52 was the best internship ever, no cap. It means. Yeah, like, I'm being super serious. This is really legit.

[Erica]

Like, I'm not lying.

[Summer]

Yeah, I'm not lying.

[Erica]

Like, no joke.

[Summer]

Yes, exactly. No cap, no joke. Those are definitely interchangeable.

[Erica]

One thing I appreciate in this is that Summer will not be like, no, you're totally wrong. She's like, try clothes. Yeah, no cap means no lie. Like, total being totally serious. Okay.

[Summer]

Yeah.

[Jessica Rose]

Wow.

[Erica]

Okay. Okay, so the flip.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

That is also cap. So you can be like. If you want to say someone's, like, lying. You, like, they're capping.

[Erica]

They're cap.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

They're capping.

[Erica]

Oh, they're capping.

[Noah Tannen]

They're capping.

[Erica]

Oh, okay. All right. I like that. Okay.

[Summer]

Yeah, that's a good one. Okay, this is the term dead, but the way you'd use it in a sentence is like, that social clip had me dead. Or I'm so dead.

[Erica]

Like, it killed me. It was so good. Like, it was so much. It, like, killed me.

[Summer]

Yeah. So good. I'm specifically so funny. Like, when something's so funny, you're like, I'm so dead.

[Erica]

Oh, that's not new. I'm sorry, you guys don't get that one.

[Summer]

Okay?

[Erica]

We've used that before. You all came along. You're capping on that.

[Summer]

Great usage. Oh, my God. Okay, this one. The term is riz.

[Erica]

Oh, Riz. I know this one. Riz is charisma.

[Summer]

Yeah, exactly.

[Erica]

I used it with my teenagers, and they were like, please don't ever say that again, ever, in front of anyone. So if someone's got Riz, they've got charisma. Like, so you would be. You would say, like, sarthix got Riz. Or your actor guy. He has Riz. Right? That's how you would say. Is that how you say it? Yeah. Yeah.

[Summer]

Or it can be like a term like, Jacob Elordi Rizzed me. He didn't, but I wish he did. But that would be the term.

[Erica]

Jacob Elordi Rizzed me means he had so much charisma, it zapped me kind of thing.

[Summer]

It means, like, he, like, flirted with you. Like. Yeah, he was charming and you were like, yeah.

[Erica]

Oh, oh. So it means to flirt.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

Yeah, it's interchangeable. So it's like charisma, but it can also mean, like.

[Erica]

It's also a verb.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

It's also. It can be used as a verb.

[Erica]

Yeah, he rizzed me.

[Jessica Rose]

Yeah.

[Erica]

So I'd be like the so and so of the such and such company I met. If I had, like, a really good meeting, they rizzed me. Or is it only like, in a sexual sense?

[Unknown Male Colleague]

More in, like.

[Erica]

Yeah, like a dating.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

Dating sense.

[Erica]

So Jessica Rose is gonna have her date tonight. She's gonna be like, this guy rizzed me.

[Alice Hu]

Yeah.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

Yeah, if it goes away.

[Jessica Rose]

Exactly. Okay.

[Erica]

Or the guy's gonna be like, jessica Rose rizzed me.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

Yeah.

[Jessica Rose]

Okay.

[Erica]

Okay, great. Summer. I got that one.

[Summer]

Okay, you did get that one. Okay. This one, the term. We have two more. This one is bet. So if someone says, let's go do this, you would say bet.

[Erica]

Like, okay, great.

[Summer]

Yeah, exactly.

[Erica]

It's just like, you bet.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

Yeah, like, you bet.

[Erica]

Okay. I'm also not going to give you.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

We dropped you. It's just like.

[Erica]

Yeah. You guys are just, like, so efficient.

[Jessica Rose]

Right?

[Erica]

Okay, now you're scrolling in bed.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

Yeah.

[Jessica Rose]

Right.

[Summer]

The last one is mewing.

[Erica]

Mewing. That sounds like what a cat does.

[Summer]

So mewing is like.

[Erica]

I'll use it in a sentence.

[Summer]

Okay, I'll use it in a sentence. Okay. So it'd be on Instagram, and I see a picture of a guy, and I'd be like, oh, my God, he's mewing.

[Erica]

He looks so good.

[Summer]

It's a very draining. It's a very, like, niche part of looking good. Specifically when a guy wants to, like, show off his jawline.

[Erica]

What is wrong with you people?

[Summer]

It's, like, a really mainstream term now.

[Erica]

Oh, it is. Okay, Sorry. So when a guy wants you to see the angle of his jaw, and he's like, guys used to show, like, their abs and stuff, or their pecs, and now they just show their jaw. They're like, look at my jawline. You're like, he's mewing. Do girls.

[Summer]

Girls also can mew? Yeah.

[Jessica Rose]

It'S like making your jawline more pronounced by, like, sticking your tongue at the top of your.

[Erica]

So I go like this. And I'm mewing. I'm mewing right now. Summer, are you mewing?

[Summer]

No, but I. For A picture. I probably could or probably would, honestly.

[Erica]

Well, so mew for me right now. Give me a mew. You have to.

[Summer]

I can't. I can't. Dictionary. I can't be the actor.

[Erica]

So you just have to be like this.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

Well, so the point is, like, you use your tongue to, like, point it up to the. Touch it to the roof of your mouth.

[Erica]

I mean, I look scary, but you're.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

Supposed to close your mouth. So, like, there you go. Yeah.

[Erica]

Summer, that's so great. I learned so much that I will never use again, but I wish your generation so much luck.

[Summer]

Please pray for us.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

Okay, Summer, do you have any Gen Alpha terms?

[Erica]

Are there new terms for alpha people?

[Summer]

I don't know.

[Erica]

I have some Gen alphas.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

I don't know, like, skibidi and all that. Like, I don't know. What does skibidi mean?

[Erica]

What's skibidi? Oh, just use it in a sentence.

[Summer]

This is a whole nother rabbit hole. Skibidi stemmed, like. I actually don't really know. Skibidi stemmed from a meme that was, like, called Skibidi toilet.

[Jessica Rose]

Yeah.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

Like, that's like, gen alpha.

[Jessica Rose]

And then.

[Summer]

Yeah.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

Is it? And now there's like. What do you know about the 6, 7 thing?

[Summer]

I was literally about to say. Have you heard of six, seven?

[Erica]

Daughter does it all the time. Six, seven, seven.

[Jessica Rose]

Yeah. What is it?

[Erica]

What does it mean, Summer?

[Summer]

I actually just went on a deep dive of this the other day, so I think it came from the song. Like, there's a song that says 6, 7 that were making a lot of sports edits and, like, sports highlights to the song. And then, like, athletes and stuff started saying six, seven, and, like, using it as a meme to kind of get clipped and then get videos made about them. And now it's just, like, a thing people say all the time. Like, yesterday we were playing pickleball, and when the score was 6, 7, we all were, like, dead, as one would say. Yeah.

[Erica]

And skibidi means bad.

[Summer]

I don't even know if skibidi has a meaning, to be honest.

[Jessica Rose]

No, I got it.

[Erica]

Oh, Jessica Rose.

[Jessica Rose]

So I think is the song. So they put. It's this weird thing where it's like a toilet that has a head pop out of it. Like. Yes. A human head.

[Erica]

Yeah.

[Jessica Rose]

It's like, all animated. Okay. And skibidi, I think, is the song that plays over it. So it's like a. It's a scat song, basically. So they're making the joke that. You know what I mean?

[Erica]

No, I I have no idea what you're saying. Like, you say skibidi or like, it's. Yeah, like. Yeah, but what does it mean?

[Jessica Rose]

It doesn't really mean anything. It's just the. It's just this series of, like. It's this head in a toilet that comes out, and then there's a camera that, like, pursues them because it's crazy. It's literally the weirdest thing ever. It's just.

[Unknown Male Colleague]

I'll play a snippet.

[Jessica Rose]

We'll play a little skibidi toilet.

[Erica]

Well, skibidi day.

[Summer]

Thank you. Right back at you guys.

[Erica]

Okay. I appreciate you. You're gonna meet Lindsay this weekend?

[Summer]

Yes, exactly. On Saturday.

[Erica]

I think we're gonna call the link the Work Like a Girl newsletter. The Working Girl Edit or something. Or the Working Girl Weekly. And the image I want to use is from the Working Girl movie. Have you ever seen Working Girl?

[Summer]

I haven't seen it, but I know it.

[Erica]

I got to watch that movie Summer. That's your job before you meet Lindsay.

[Summer]

Okay, perfect.

[Jessica Rose]

Awesome.

[Erica]

Best movie ever.

[Alice Hu]

Oh, yeah.

[Erica]

The Secretaries with Their Hair.

[Jessica Rose]

I really like that movie.

[Erica]

Have you ever watched it?

[Jessica Rose]

No. You talk about it a lot.

[Erica]

One of the best movies of all time.

[Jessica Rose]

Okay, I gotta watch it.

[Erica]

You live in New York City and worked in New York City when you're young and poor and ambitious. It is a wonderful story.

[Jessica Rose]

All right.

[Erica]

And you're not sure who you are and where you came from, and you have so much ambition for who you want to be. It's great. All right.

[Summer]

Sounds like it'll hit home for me. So thank you. Thank you so much.

[Erica]

A very summer movie network. I'm here with Noah Tannen. Noah is one of our formerly known as Test Kitchen creators. Now maybe just creator. Give me three words that would describe your food. 52. Experience.

[Noah Tannen]

Three words.

[Erica]

Yep. Honest.

[Noah Tannen]

Honest. I mean, chaotic would be one.

[Erica]

Chaotic.

[Summer]

Yeah.

[Noah Tannen]

But also freedom.

[Summer]

Yep.

[Noah Tannen]

Creative freedom. That's two words.

[Erica]

But that's okay.

[Noah Tannen]

Qualifier for one word.

[Erica]

And.

[Noah Tannen]

What's the third word? All the words gone from my brain now. I mean, I guess. Unique. This is not a job.

[Erica]

It's a weird job.

[Noah Tannen]

It's a very weird job.

[Erica]

And you've had a lot of iterations of the same job.

[Noah Tannen]

Well, this is my. Yes. I've worked sort of like straddling this line between food and media for a long time. This is my first job as, like, as talent.

[Erica]

Yep.

[Noah Tannen]

And that is just a very unique job.

[Erica]

Do you like being talent?

[Noah Tannen]

I like it. In some ways. I find it deeply uncomfortable in Other ways. Overall, I like it.

[Erica]

It's funny because I'm more like you. Where it's difficult, there's pieces of it that are just uncomfortable.

[Noah Tannen]

Yeah.

[Erica]

You don't have the talent. I wanna be on camera all the time. Every time.

[Summer]

I don't care.

[Erica]

Why, Just put the camera on me.

[Noah Tannen]

Yeah, I don't really. It's interesting. Cause, like, I've never had a job where I'll be, like, walking around the office and I'll look over people's shoulders and they're, like, working on me. Like, there's like, slide decks that are, like. That are, like. That are like Noah Dot, version two. And it's like my face and my voice and like, that. That is like, kind of the weird part to me. But I like creating and being talent as, like, a vessel for the things that I'm interested in.

[Erica]

You like your community and the storytelling and connection with your audience. How would you describe your audience?

[Noah Tannen]

I think that my audience is like me in some ways. Like, maybe I'm just.

[Erica]

What's that mean?

[Noah Tannen]

I think that. I think that I am. I pride myself on being a really curious person and being really interested in a lot of different things.

[Jessica Rose]

So. Sorry.

[Erica]

Okay.

[Noah Tannen]

I like to think that I've nurtured a community that is sort of, like, similarly curious in that way.

[Alice Hu]

Are you.

[Erica]

Would you describe yourself as a chef?

[Noah Tannen]

I would never describe myself as a chef.

[Erica]

Would you describe yourself as a mixologist?

[Noah Tannen]

No, I would not.

[Erica]

What would you describe yourself as?

[Noah Tannen]

I'm an influencer. I don't think that that's, like, a dirty word. What else am I? I mean, like, chef. The thing with the word chef is that, like, people take it so seriously.

[Jessica Rose]

Yeah.

[Noah Tannen]

And I.

[Erica]

You're like, I'm not. I don't want to.

[Noah Tannen]

I don't even want to get involved in that. Like, Like, I'm not going to go around calling myself a social media chef because, like, people, they just shit on that. Yeah. People work for that title. And I'm not. I'm also not like, like, oh, my God, chefs. Like, we need to bow down at the altar of the chef. Like, Escoffier, whatever. But I'm also, like. I don't need to call myself that because it makes people upset and it's just, like, not accurate to what my job is. And then a mixologist. I'm just like a guy that likes cocktails. I like to be able to make the things that I like to eat and drink myself. Like, going out to restaurants and bars is cool, but for Me, I want to be able to create those experiences for myself and other people in my house.

[Jessica Rose]

Yeah.

[Erica]

I think that's actually what the audience likes about you is the curiosity, obviously. And then you're approachable. You have, like a nice smile. You have an open face. And you're also always trying unique combinations. Like, I was watching you do something yesterday, I forget you were pouring like tomato juice into a can. Like, do you know what I mean? Like, you're always willing to try things, and I think that's great.

[Noah Tannen]

Yeah, totally. I think. I mean, like, I love to discover new flavors or dishes. I don't believe in not liking something or I don't believe in. I mean, I know people have food aversions and stuff, but, like, in my world, I don't believe in that.

[Erica]

That's not for you.

[Noah Tannen]

I want to like everything and I want to know about everything, which you never can, but that's the goal.

[Erica]

It's good to try.

[Jessica Rose]

Yeah.

[Erica]

All right, well, thank you for coming. Tell people how they find you.

[Noah Tannen]

I am on Instagram. I think I'm on Everything is Oatanan. That's T A N e n Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, also all over the Food52 social media, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, substack Noah Tannen.

[Erica]

Awesome.

[Noah Tannen]

Look me up.

[Jessica Rose]

All right.

[Erica]

Thank you for doing this. That's great. Okay, so I'm just going to introduce Alice by her first name. Alice is joining us. And one night, I don't know how long ago it was, it was like a Thursday or Friday night, I stumbled into the astrology channel on the work like a girl Slack, which was an epic find because it was in one of those, like, Mercury is in retrograde periods where, like, everything in your life goes wrong and you're just cranky and have anxiety and you hate everything. And then I stumbled into the channel. Alice has an astrology podcast, is an astrology expert. I think you have a day job too. Jessica Rose gave me a whole write up on you about your day job. I was like, I didn't even know she had a day job.

[Alice Hu]

No, I don't. This is my full time thing.

[Erica]

Well, I love that. That's even better. Then I think she looked up somebody else. I was like, no, no, I'm not talking to this person about that. So tell us, tell us, tell us about the stars.

[Alice Hu]

So I am specifically a career and business astrologer because I think that astrology is an extremely powerful tool to understand yourself, especially during, like, times of transition for your career. Or let's say you're looking to create a side hustle or a business. And astrology is so much more than a meme.

[Erica]

It.

[Alice Hu]

It just has incredible insights, especially when you're going through a period of transition in your life or just looking to do something different, finding more alignment in your life.

[Erica]

I am very excited about this. So where do you want to start, Alice? I'm always looking for more alignment and to start a business. It's like two things I want to do all the time.

[Alice Hu]

We could talk.

[Erica]

Tell us what's happening.

[Alice Hu]

Sorry.

[Erica]

Alice, let me ask you a question. Do people hire you as like an astrology coach?

[Alice Hu]

Sometimes they do. It depends on how many sessions they want to book. So sometimes someone will come to me once and that's all they need. Sometimes people hire me for a couple months to kind of really figure out what's next for them.

[Erica]

That's amazing. I love this. And tell us. So we're in September, we're entering into the fall. I find this time of the year, there's a lot of energy this time of year. But tell me, what do you want to talk about? Where do we start?

[Alice Hu]

Well, this month is very special because it's eclipse season. And eclipse season happens twice a year. One time in the spring, one time in the fall. The exact days change, but we are in the thick of it now. Eclipse season brings a lot of change and transformation. Expect unexpected news and surprises. And I like to describe eclipse season giving us what we need. Maybe not what we want, but definitely what we need. So especially now with the new moons in Virgo, we had a full moon lunar eclipse in Pisces, we are dealing with letting go of control, letting go of the plans we've had for ourselves so that we can create new ones as well as tap into our intuition, our imagination and creativity.

[Erica]

Okay, and do the eclipses always follow retrograde or does are those two not related?

[Alice Hu]

They always do, but some. There's usually a little bit more space. Like last year we had a bit more space. Sometimes it's like the same time. It really just depends. So we finished a Mercury retrograde in August, but really shortly after we are starting to feel some of the energy of the eclipse already. So it's been a very interesting last, like month or so, as I'm sure you and others have felt.

[Erica]

And then how do you help people? What, what are people, what should people expect from a retrograde?

[Alice Hu]

So Mercury retrograde is a time of introspection.

[Erica]

Sorry, Alice, can I interrupt you? Are there more that. Are there different Types of retrogrades. Is it like Mercury retrograde and others? I'm as ignorant as you get on this subject.

[Alice Hu]

Yes, like, pretty much all planets will go into a retrograde some time, like during the year. Sometimes it's not every year, sometimes it's every other year. Mercury retrograde is the most popular one because it happens very frequently. And Mercury retrograde is always about an inward time, inward reflection and introspection. And during this time, because Mercury is a planet of communication and also travel and technology, those types of things can get really like, messed up. So always give yourself more time when you are traveling. Make sure that you give yourself buffer time between meetings and very importantly, to give you and yourself, like you and others, grace when it comes to conversations. Because people may feel tongue tied. They might feel just like kind of like, like, like word vomiting and there might be typos. You might be really quick to react. So again, Mercury retrograde is a really introspective time because afterwards you have a lot more clarity, but not without the confusion and the tongue tiedness that can come with it.

[Erica]

Okay, this is so great. So Mercury retrograde makes you have trouble communicating. You need buffers because the systems can all go haywire and you don't want to feel caught in the lurch or rushed. And in our case, we had that in August, and now we're in eclipse season, which is help, which is bringing you what you need and helping you let go of what you don't. But what you need might be different than what you want.

[Alice Hu]

Yes. You can think of it as a cleansing, a cleaning from the universe in terms of anything that is meant to leave your life will leave during eclipse seasons. That's why they can feel so intense, because the energy is amplified. And specifically, this month's eclipse season really amplifies the lessons we are learning not only in 2025, but also 2026. So we're letting go the ways that we want to control, recognizing there are different ways to do things, different way of working. This is like a huge year and a huge month related to work operations. And so we're stepping into a place that is more of trust and faith that working out. So I like to say that we're moving from like logical thinking to intuition led living.

[Erica]

Alice, you're so smart. I love this. I love the idea of business astrology. Okay, so how long does the eclipse season last for?

[Alice Hu]

So we will probably be feeling the energy, this one in particular, until around like, like mid October. It's not like kind of like heightened energy the entire time it kind of goes up and it goes down. And this month you can expect announcements about like reorgs about like different reporting line structures, the implementation of AI, but also the announcement of a lot of new different services and products like AI you can use at work. And it marks the start of a six to seven month process where a lot of organizations and companies will be thinking about how to rework their workforce, the human capital and the AI quote unquote capital. And so it is really interesting to kind of see things unfold right now because this season of change deals a lot with work environment and co workers. And as I'm sure you've heard, Noia House shut down abruptly like last week, leaving a lot.

[Erica]

Oh really?

[Alice Hu]

Yes, it shut down, leaving people really displaced, which I'm like, I didn't expect this, but it goes in line with. And I'm like, yeah, like your work routine is going to change. Soho House has gone private and we're gonna see a lot more private members clubs changing. But also the desire and the drive for community, like the community that you have created. And I'm sure things like popping over, people want to work together, collaborate, co work, you know, that type of stuff.

[Erica]

Okay, this is so great. So tell me, I'm a Scorpio and let's say you're a Scorpio and you're faced with all sorts of change and you know there's just change. How do you help people? Like what do you say to, to the different people of different signs about how they should navigate this?

[Alice Hu]

Well, astrology is very nuanced. It's so much more than just your sun sign. It's, that's one part of a larger picture of who you are. But as you said, you are a Scorpio sun. And Scorpios are always dealing with change, whether they like it or not. They constantly need like transform. They're very intuitive. They really are good at sensing. They can get a good, an excellent read of people and also like a room, a situation. And when Scorpio placements, whether it's like a sun, a moon or rising, come to me for a reading, more often than not I tell them that they need a lot of autonomy in their jobs. And, and, and looking at what you do, I'm like, it makes a lot of sense. You also have the freedom to work on other projects as well. When a Scorpio doesn't, isn't well resourced at work, doesn't have the autonomy to get the job done because they get the job Done. They're very ambitious. It can be extremely frustrating for them. And, and if they're not in the right work environment, when people really see their true talents and skills, there can be a lot of sabotage that happens. Getting passed up for promotions, not being seen for the excellent work that they do. And so I always tell my Scorpios that it's very important to pay attention to your intuition because it will always lead you the right way. Logically, you may have all the data points, you may have all the information. You're like, why would I think X, Y and Z is going to happen when everything in front of me is telling me the opposite? Well, there's information that not only you don't know, but other parties involved don't know yet. Your intuition is picking up on it.

[Erica]

Okay, and when are Scorpios not good?

[Alice Hu]

Like I said, it is when they feel they don't have enough resources and they're not respected at work to do something that is of value to them and that their hard work is going somewhere. Like I said, they're very ambitious. If they are being underutilized at work or if they are not getting promotions and raises like they deserve, they're. They're going to check out.

[Erica]

They get bitsy. Yep. Okay, and then how do you, like, what would you recommend to people? You're, you know, I think you're astute to say it's more than just your sun sign. But how would people get smart about really an intuitive makeup that is really what you're saying astrology is. It helps you have a better understanding of who you are and what is inside of you. And I think to a degree why you react to certain things the way you do. How does someone get smart on that?

[Alice Hu]

I actually made a website a couple years ago, your saturn.com, where people can get their free career astrology report that tells them a little bit about themselves as well as kind of like ideals, jobs and businesses to pursue. It really makes astrology easy to understand because it's a couple paragraphs, like, you know, like if we're talking right now, just like really easy to understand. Because sometimes people can get really confused and intimidated by astrology. Rightly so, because there's a lot of jargon. So I removed all the jargon, creating this report.

[Erica]

That's so smart. So your saturn.com and then how did you get smart about it?

[Alice Hu]

Well, we all go through something called a Saturn return in our late 20s, early 30s, then again into our mid to late 50s and mid to late 80s. And I went through an existential crisis like a lot of us do during this time and changing of careers and I just started to explore other avenues, other opportunities. And you know, I started off with yoga and mindfulness and then I dived into astrology because it really helped me honestly to do deep therapy work on myself, but didn't feel as intense. It's like, what are my values? What do I want? If not the career that I have and slash had, then what else is available to me? Because I think that especially in America, we align our identity with our jobs so closely when we no longer want that job anymore, when that dream role becomes like, oh, like I don't think I really want this anymore. Yeah, who are we? And astrology really helped me unpack who I am, what my desires are and just a better understand myself as a person. Because when you understand yourself, there's just a lot more clarity around how you can contribute.

[Jessica Rose]

Yep.

[Erica]

I also think it's really great where it helps you not look for control in places you shouldn't look for it. Like if you're more confident about, hey, here's who I am, here's here, I know I'm good in this situation or I know I like this and I know I'm not great at that. There's a power in that that I think helps, helps people navigate things not through a place of fear. And I think what you're describing is this is another tool to help people, women or you know, anyone really be able to navigate their journey with more assurance.

[Alice Hu]

Absolutely. There's just so many different types of astrology and styles of doing an astrology reading. And my style and my intention is always for the other person to feel, feel seen and empowered. Cuz ultimately at the end of the day, like I've done so many readings, very, very rarely will I do a reading for someone and it's a complete surprise. There's always a little bit of an inkling of like, you know, I've always dreamt about that or I have been already thinking about this, you know, it's just, it's within us and I'm just helping you excavate what is already there.

[Erica]

I love that. Okay, so let's change gears for 30 seconds. What do you think about Work Like a Girl? How did you find Work Like a Girl and what do you think about it?

[Alice Hu]

Oh, I found it through LinkedIn. Someone that I had connected to I think ages ago when I worked at a PR agency in Shanghai and I was like, oh, what is this? And so Then I joined the Slack channel and it's honestly been a really fun community.

[Erica]

There's so many conversations, right?

[Alice Hu]

Yeah, so many different channels. I'm in the LA one as well as DC Emergency from the DC area area. And so I'm hoping to meet up with some of the ladies soon. But yeah, I think it's a really supportive environment and community is a huge thing that I've seen astrologically over the last few years and especially, you know, over this next year too. Like this is what people want and need, especially with so much AI and technology these days.

[Erica]

Totally, totally, Alice. Thank you so much. Just remind people where they can find you and if they would like to get a reading and just remind everyone how they get connected to you.

[Alice Hu]

Yeah. So again, I'm a career and business astrologer. You can find me on Instagram at woowooco. So W o o w o o c o And then you can get your free career astrology report from your Saturn dot com.

[Erica]

Woo. Wooco is a great name.

[Alice Hu]

That's the name of my first business.

[Erica]

Really? Oh, so you don't use that for this business?

[Alice Hu]

Well, just to make it a little clear, you know the website name is Saturn and the is your saturn.com but it is a part of like the larger company Woo Woo company.

[Erica]

Oh, I love that. Well, I love how it sounds. Thank you so much Alice. I'm gonna go navigate my change boldly and I appreciate this and I'll see you on the slack.

[Alice Hu]

Yeah, sounds great. Thank you.

[Erica]

Okay, thank you. Talk to you later.

[Summer]

Now work.

[Erica]

All right, that's it. So subscribe to the podcast. Give us a listen or a watch or a follow or a like or a subscribe wherever you may be seeing this. We're going through a whole bunch of changes ourself. You heard us talking to Alice Hu. So we're gonna navigate this eclipse season with grace and we will be back to you next week.