All the Cool Girls

What’s the difference between 15 seconds of viral fame and an audience that actually sticks around? This week, Laura and Kristina sit down with Kevin Allocca—author of Videocracy and Global Director of Culture & Trends at YouTube—to talk about the real math behind modern internet attention. Before he was tracking global trends at YouTube, Kevin faced his own career derailment: getting let go from The Huffington Post. He shares what that setback taught him, how he pivoted into tech, and why getting fired might just be the best prerequisite for finding your true lane. Plus, Kevin breaks down the vital distinction between chasing viral hits and building a loyal, long-term audience, sharing what creators and brand-builders get wrong about online longevity.

Stacey Duguid had decades of experience at the highest levels of fashion and media. Then she found herself unemployed. After 16 months and more than 150 job applications—many met with silence—Stacey began to wonder if she was the problem. Then a friend gave her some shocking advice: “Botox your CV.” Take off the years of experience. Lose the senior titles. Make yourself look younger. Instead, Stacey got angry—and went public. Stacey joins Laura and Kristina to talk about the shame of unemployment, the brutal reality of ageism, how AI controls who gets seen by employers, and why so many accomplished women in midlife suddenly feel invisible.  And she explains what happened when she told the truth and thousands of women answered: Me too.

Rob Thomas knows what it’s like to be on top—and what it’s like when the industry suddenly decides you’re not. After selling millions of records with Matchbox Twenty, becoming one of the defining voices of the late ’90s and 2000s and building a hugely successful solo career, Rob found himself dropped by his label and facing a question familiar to anyone whose career has taken an unexpected turn: What now? Rob joins Kristina and Laura to talk about the strange afterlife of success, learning not to confuse your job with your identity and why getting comfortable with uncertainty might be the secret to staying in the game.

Financial independence and the currency of personality are just some of the impactful ways Tan France has navigated his personal journey.  Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-cool-girls/id1896879040 Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033syDPsFetgml4RAU7WAk Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthecoolgirlsgetfired Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-brown-20020573/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-oneill/ Send us your thoughts and feelings at dearcoolgirls@gmail.com

Jess Rona never felt satisfied working for someone else. Getting fired fueled that mindset, and set her on a path to continue her passion of grooming dogs. But it was a single spark of creativity along that entrepreneurial journey that changed everything. Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-... Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033syDPsFetg... Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthecoolgirlsg... Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-brown-20... https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-oneill/ Send us your thoughts and feelings at dearcoolgirls@gmail.com

Charity Weeden on getting fired from NASA, letting go of the career ladder, and why following her curiosity led her from space policy to AI and an entirely new definition of success. Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-cool-girls/id1896879040 Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033syDPsFetgml4RAU7WAk Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthecoolgirlsgetfired Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-brown-20020573/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-oneill/ Send us your thoughts and feelings at dearcoolgirls@gmail.com

Lake Bell on getting fired from Boston Legal, finding confidence after rejection, and trusting the quiet ideas that can shape your future. Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-cool-girls/id1896879040 Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033syDPsFetgml4RAU7WAk Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthecoolgirlsgetfired Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-brown-20020573/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-oneill/ Send us your thoughts and feelings at dearcoolgirls@gmail.com

Monica Lewinsky on separating self-worth from public opinion, the power of humor and resilience, and why reclaiming yourself is more powerful than reinventing yourself. Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-cool-girls/id1896879040 Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033syDPsFetgml4RAU7WAk Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthecoolgirlsgetfired Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-brown-20020573/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-oneill/ Send us your thoughts and feelings at dearcoolgirls@gmail.com

Evan Ross Katz on his Netflix layoff and full-circle return, how fandom creates community, and why the internet is never the same as real life. Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-cool-girls/id1896879040 Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033syDPsFetgml4RAU7WAk Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthecoolgirlsgetfired Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-brown-20020573/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-oneill/ Send us your thoughts and feelings at dearcoolgirls@gmail.com

Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times investigative reporter Jodi Kantor on learning to struggle well, why vulnerability creates connection, and how to build a career with purpose. Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-cool-girls/id1896879040 Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033syDPsFetgml4RAU7WAk Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthecoolgirlsgetfired Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-brown-20020573/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-oneill/ Send us your thoughts and feelings at dearcoolgirls@gmail.com

LinkedIn Career Expert Catherine Fisher explains how to navigate one of the toughest job markets in years, build a LinkedIn profile that gets noticed, and make authentic connections that actually open doors. Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-cool-girls/id1896879040 Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033syDPsFetgml4RAU7WAk Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthecoolgirlsgetfired Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-brown-20020573/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-oneill/ Send us your thoughts and feelings at dearcoolgirls@gmail.com

MS NOW’s Stephanie Ruhle on leaving Wall Street, the career risk that landed her on TV, and why you don’t need everyone’s approval. Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-cool-girls/id1896879040 Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033syDPsFetgml4RAU7WAk Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthecoolgirlsgetfired Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-brown-20020573/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-oneill/ Send us your thoughts and feelings at dearcoolgirls@gmail.com

Phoebe Robinson on how getting fired opened the door to comedy and why she no longer has anything to prove. Hosts: Laura Brown and Kristina O’Neill Guest: Phoebe Robinson Executive Producers: Laura Brown, Kristina O’Neill, and Chris Corcoran Production, Design, and Collaboration: Alex Lewis, Yassel Iglesias, Alex Lieberman, Alli Armstrong, Cassidy Green Sponsor: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code COOLGIRLS at https://www.oneskin.co/COOLGIRLS #oneskinpod Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-cool-girls/id1896879040 Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033syDPsFetgml4RAU7WAk Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthecoolgirlsgetfired Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-brown-20020573/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-oneill/ Send us your thoughts and feelings at dearcoolgirls@gmail.com

Warner Bailey on why you need to embrace the cringe, lose the shame, and bet on yourself. Hosts: Laura Brown and Kristina O’Neill Guest: Warner Bailey Executive Producers: Laura Brown, Kristina O’Neill, and Chris Corcoran Production, Design, and Collaboration: Alex Lewis, Yassel Iglesias, Alex Lieberman, Alli Armstrong, Cassidy Green Sponsor: Honeylove.com/coolgirls #ad Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-cool-girls/id1896879040⁠ Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033syDPsFetgml4RAU7WAk⁠ Follow us on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/allthecoolgirlsgetfired⁠ Follow us on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-brown-20020573/⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-oneill/⁠ Send us your thoughts and feelings at ⁠⁠dearcoolgirls@gmail.com⁠⁠

Brooke Baldwin on how getting fired from CNN helped her find her voice, and why learning to trust herself changed everything. Hosts: Laura Brown and Kristina O’Neill Guest: Brooke Baldwin Executive Producers: Laura Brown, Kristina O’Neill, and Chris Corcoran Production, Design, and Collaboration: Alex Lewis, Yassel Iglesias, Alex Lieberman, Alli Armstrong, Cassidy Green Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-cool-girls/id1896879040 Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033syDPsFetgml4RAU7WAk Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthecoolgirlsgetfired Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-brown-20020573/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-oneill/ Send us your thoughts and feelings at dearcoolgirls@gmail.com

In the first episode of All the Cool Girls, Laura Brown and Kristina O'Neill revisit the firings that changed their lives, the bestselling book that followed, and how a simple selfie between friends turned into a community of Cool Girls around the world. Hosts: Laura Brown and Kristina O’Neill Executive Producers: Laura Brown, Kristina O’Neill, and Chris Corcoran Production, Design, and Collaboration: Alex Lewis, Yassel Iglesias, Alex Lieberman, Alli Armstrong, Cassidy Green Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-cool-girls/id1896879040 Subscribe to All The Cool Girls on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033syDPsFetgml4RAU7WAk Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthecoolgirlsgetfired Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-brown-20020573/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-oneill/ Send us your thoughts and feelings at dearcoolgirls@gmail.com

All the Cool Girls… launch a pod on June 11th! All the Cool Girls is the video and audio destination for transforming career setbacks and unexpected life events into powerful comebacks. Hosted by Laura Brown, former Editor in Chief of InStyle, and Kristina O’Neill, former Editor in Chief of WSJ Magazine, All the Cool Girls is about embracing change, rethinking your emotional attachment to your career, and moving on with resilience and purpose. After losing their jobs at the height of their respective careers, Laura and Kristina turned vulnerability into a movement. They famously posted, “All the coolest girls get fired” alongside a picture of the two of them together, owning their experience and ready to take on the next chapter. Following the release of their bestselling book, All the Cool Girls Get Fired, Laura and Kristina are continuing the conversation with the Cool Girl community with a brand-new podcast. Each week, they’ll be joined by influential trailblazers and experts to share a roadmap of information and stories, united by optimism and resilience. New episodes begin Thursday, June 11. Subscribe on YouTube and listen wherever you get your podcasts. Advertising: inquiries@inthearenastudios.com Bookings: aa@laurabrownmedia.com Thoughts and Feelings: dearcoolgirls@gmail.com