Podcast Summary: Work with Erika Ayers Badan

Episode: Gen Z Is Making Their Parents Talk to Their Bosses
Release Date: September 8, 2025
Host: Erika Ayers Badan
Guests: Jessica Rose, Jack Fisher, Nadja Sayej, others

Overview

In this lively episode, Erika Ayers Badan dives into the shifting dynamics of work and workplace culture—especially how Gen Z's relationships with their parents are impacting the professional world. Through a blend of real-life anecdotes, commentary on viral news, and conversations with guests from diverse backgrounds (finance and media), Erika delivers an unfiltered, insightful, and often humorous look at leadership, generational change, resilience, and building a meaningful career.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Travel, Planning, and Lessons on Conscious Preparation

[00:10–04:55]

• Midwest Business Travel Mishaps: Erika and Jessica Rose comically break down the mishaps of booking a business trip to Minneapolis, highlighting the complexity of travel logistics, time zones, and the lack of direct flights.
  • Erika shows the importance of backward planning for business obligations: “You got to do the work backwards. Plan.” (04:03, Erika)
• Teachings for New Team Members:
  • “It's not lashing. It's a lesson in Midwest travel, which is a good life lesson for anybody in business. It takes a little bit longer, and not so many options.” (04:40, Erika)
  • Jessica admits her inexperience with Midwest travel, eliciting laughter and empathy.

2. Work Like a Girl / AI Like a Girl Takeaways

[06:01–08:00]

• Event Recap & AI Cautions: Erika summarizes key lessons from the "Work Like a Girl, AI Like a Girl" event:
  • Don’t commingle work and personal data if the company pays for your AI tool.
  • Notably, people are using AI to script difficult personal workplace conversations.
  • Erika observes an ongoing fear of AI adoption among women—which risks them falling behind. Her call: just start and try things to build fluency.

"The more women can just start and try something and do something, the more adept and fluent you get." (07:39, Erika)

3. Learning from Failure at Axon

[08:01–09:52]

• The Reality Behind Successful Companies:
  • Axon's founding stories highlight the omnipresence of near-failure—even the most successful companies nearly go bankrupt, overthink small purchases, and face repeated setbacks.
  • Takeaway: positivity, optimism, and not giving up are crucial at every career stage.

"Not giving up is a great skill in life, obviously, but it's also a really, really important skill if you have a dream at work." (09:07, Erika)

• Positivity as a Leadership Skill: "Positivity and optimism, even in the face of incredible stress, is the single greatest thing that a leader can bring to the table." (09:41, Erika)

4. Viral Business Story: CEO Revenge & The Door That Opens

[09:53–13:46]

• IHOP CEO’s Viral Revenge: Former Applebee’s exec tells how—after being denied a deserved promotion—she became the CEO of IHOP and ended up acquiring Applebee’s, dismissing the former CEO with his own words.
  • Erika champions: Always leave on good terms—you never know who you'll meet again in business.
  • Message: When one door closes, another opens—but don’t burn bridges.

5. Current Events: Brian Chesky on Innovation and the Future

[13:47–14:37] with extended reflection

• Key Quote from Brian Chesky, Airbnb CEO:

  “Always be the first to adopt a new platform, never be the last. ... The future belongs to whoever wants to go there first.” (13:52, Brian Chesky)

• Erika’s Analogy:
  • The companies that innovate first (Barstool, Microsoft, Yahoo) grow fastest.
  • But it’s hardest for large companies to pivot away from their core.
  • Get ahead—“skate to where the puck is going.”

“The future waits for no one. It's not beholden to anyone, and it's granted to the people who get there first.” (14:34, Erika)

6. The Headline Topic: Gen Z, Parental Involvement, and Workplace Resilience

[14:40–23:40]

• Wild New Statistic: Nearly half of Gen Z have their parents talk to their bosses; three in four took their parents to job interviews.
  • Parents help with reviews, assignments—even lunch-packing.
• Erika’s Reaction:
  • Cites an anecdote about interviewing a candidate who wanted his wife involved in the hiring process.
  • Reflects on how parents’ over-involvement and constant tracking removes discomfort and independence from kids, delaying critical life skills.

“If someone was like, I need you to talk to my mom about my performance review, I would be like, your performance review is over. I don’t think you should work here.” (16:47, Erika)

• Discussion on Parenting Trends:
  • Millennials were tough-parented; many turned to ‘gentle parenting.’
  • Predicts Gen Z may react with more structure for their own kids.

"Things that people used to struggle with as little kids, they now struggle with as big kids and things that big kids used to struggle with, you know, or adults used to do ... It's all getting pushed uphill." (21:23, Erika)

7. Guest Segment: Jack Fisher on Finance, Transparency & Challenging Authority

[24:11–34:07]

• Building Trust in Teams:

  “The greatest lesson I've learned is how important it is to build trust with the teams, the individuals that you're working with...” (24:17, Jack Fisher)

• Finance as Company Backbone:
  • Erika and Jack agree FP&A is essential for operational success, seeing around corners, and driving company value—not just “bean counting.”
• Should Junior Execs Challenge Senior Leadership?

  “If you're not challenging assumptions, you're kind of fucked.” (29:01, Jack Fisher)

  • Stress on presenting both problems and solutions, and tailoring communication style to your audience.
• Transparency in Company Finances:
  • Share broad metrics and progress—but not all the “nitty gritty.”
  • Surprised how little financial literacy (and curiosity) there is at all levels.

8. Guest Segment: Nadja Sayej—Journalism, Gig Economy & Resilience

[34:41–59:50]

• About Nadja:
  • Longtime journalist, agency founder, celebrity interviewer; based in NYC but with international experience.
• State of Modern Journalism:
  • Decline in editorial integrity, rise of “pay for play,” lack of budgets for fact-checking and real reporting.
  • PR exerts more control than ever; journalists are now “minions.”

“The shift of power is like, we are just, you know, these small little minions, you know…” (37:02, Nadja Sayej)

• Podcasts as Journalism’s Bright Future:
  • “People want to tune into conversations...it’s like you’re in somebody’s living room at a party, overhearing a conversation.” (38:55, Nadja Sayej)
• Navigating the Gig Economy:
  • Gig workers are highly disposable—no mistakes allowed.
  • Self-investment and constant self-promotion are critical.

"There’s no investment in people who are working in the gig economy. So you have to invest in yourself." (44:47, Nadja Sayej)

• Advice for Creatives:
  1. Be objective—“Channel your inner Aquarius” for non-emotional decisions.
  2. Stay inspired—let inspiration fuel your work and network.
  3. Exceed deadlines—deliver early, show respect, gain reliability.

"If you mess up in one instance with the wrong person, you may never be used by that company ever again. Because you're just a gig person ... You have to invest in yourself." (43:12/44:41, Nadja Sayej)

• Handling Rejection: Resilience is key; treat rejection as routine and persist anyway.

9. Industry & Culture: Celebrity, Women, and the Machine

[51:21–54:48]

• Book Recommendations and Musings: Erika recommends Girl on Girl—a cultural history on women in media—and Nadja shares how her books explore “female gaze” in celebrity photography.
• On Beauty Standards & Conformity: Discussion of pressures, double standards, and how the machine of celebrity and journalism rewards conformity over individuality or strength, especially for women.

10. The Strategery Phrase: “Let’s Take It Offline”

[59:50–end]

• Meaning and Use:
  • Used to move complex or tricky topics out of the main meeting for efficiency.
  • Erika finds it a bit cheesy but necessary.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The future belongs to whoever wants to go there first." (13:52, Brian Chesky, Airbnb CEO)
• "It's not lashing. It's a lesson in Midwest travel, which is a good life lesson for anybody in business." (04:40, Erika Ayers Badan)
• "Not giving up is a great skill in life, obviously, but it's also a really, really important skill if you have a dream at work." (09:07, Erika)
• “[If your company pays for your AI,] be careful about how many personal questions you put in there.” (06:50, Erika)
• “If someone was like, I need you to talk to my mom about my performance review, I would be like, your performance review is over.” (16:47, Erika)
• "If you're not challenging assumptions, you're kind of fucked." (29:01, Jack Fisher)
• "The more women can just start and try something and do something, the more adept and fluent you get." (07:39, Erika)
• "There’s no investment in people who are working in the gig economy. So you have to invest in yourself." (44:47, Nadja Sayej)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:10–04:55 Midwest travel mishap story & business planning lessons
• 06:01–08:00 Takeaways from Work Like a Girl / AI Like a Girl event
• 08:01–09:52 Learning from Axon: company failures and the value of optimism
• 09:53–13:46 Viral story: IHOP CEO's revenge and business bridges
• 13:47–14:37 Brian Chesky on futureproofing and innovation
• 14:40–23:40 Gen Z and parent involvement in the workplace; resilience, comfort, and parenting cycles
• 24:11–34:07 Interview with Jack Fisher: finance, transparency, and challenging executives
• 34:41–59:50 Interview with Nadja Sayej: journalism, gig economy, celebrity culture, advice for creatives
• 59:50–end "Let’s take it offline" strategery; episode wrap

Tone & Style

• Authentic, candid, slightly irreverent.
• Erika mixes humor, real talk, and hands-on advice.
• Guests are encouraged to be honest, direct, and unvarnished—surviving and thriving in modern creative and business roles.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is a sharp, funny, and sometimes sobering look at how the boundaries of work, ambition, family, and culture are rapidly changing—in ways both exhilarating and alarming. Erika and her guests leave listeners with practical advice: be proactive, be unafraid to challenge assumptions, stay positive in the face of adversity, and, above all, invest in yourself. Whether navigating a flight to Minneapolis, surviving the gig economy, or setting boundaries with family in your career, the message is loud and clear: the workplace is evolving, and resilience, adaptability, and optimism are your sharpest tools.