Working Girl's Guide #11: Boomers are crushing it and everyone's still in Europe

I’m back from the potato state, I found the only jean shorts that don’t feel like a straight jacket on my butt, and I’m chilling with Will Arnett! Pinch me?? Today: why Boomers are living their best lives, the case for working from the clouds, and launching Demoted LIVE.

Let’s get into it.

Boomers Have All the Fun

If you’ve witnessed my sweet mom playing pickleball/attending Barry’s/generally living her best life via my socials, this probably comes as no surprise, but Boomers are having way more fun than we are: they account for about 45% of spending in the US, many have paid their houses off, and in places like Georgetown, Texas, they’re spending their money on sky-diving, classic cars, and activities. “We have more fun than our daughter,” said one of these Boomers to a WSJ reporter. Uh, Mom and Dad? You didn’t tell me you were interviewed in a major publication?

Ohio Beer Wins It All

Do I have any readers in Ohio? If so, can you please visit Third Eye Brewing in Hamilton and report back? Apparently it’s the best beer in the country, across a field of more than 9,000 beers. I’m personally not a huge beer girl, but I’m always on the hunt for break-the-ice trivia or new fun facts to use on Zoom calls, and will therefore definitely be dropping the names of the winning beers in my next meeting: Spoken Wisdom, Tears of Our Enemies, and Simple Illusion. Pretty good names, right Bruce?

Does It Seem Like Everyone Is in Europe?

If your feed is all summer dresses in Italy and white wine in France, it’s not just FOMO: everyone you know really is in Europe this summer. The US dollar is strong compared to the Euro, making a European vacation relatively affordable compared to in past years. The downside: cost of living is skyrocketing; in Barcelona, locals have taken to spraying water guns at tourists in protest.

I spent the 4th of July weekend in Sun Valley, Idaho, and got my nature on, which you can tell because our matching hats perfectly match the bright blue sky. New appreciation for cabins that protect us from huge scary bugs, which there are a LOT of up there! Boat + Goldfish + perfect weather! Dreamy! Life is good.

It feels like the 4th makes it officially summer, which means I’ll be living in these shorts until Labor Day (and beyond tbh). This is a great fit for bopping around when it’s super hot out, but you want something a little more polished than the tank plus soccer shorts from eighth grade look: the jean shorts are casual and comfy, but the top feels dressy — even though it’s light and airy and super wearable! I am SO sorry to say the shoes are vintage Prada (amazing find by me), but these are a similar vibe and look equally easy to walk in.

If you have a relatively flexible job or a job that’s heavy on the individual work and light on meetings, I highly recommend scheduling any planned travel for weekdays. Flights tend to be a lot cheaper if you can swing a Thursday-Monday weekend, and the real clincher is there is nothing like the focus I get from an up-in-the-air Diet Coke and the hum of airplane noise. I truly don’t know why, but I am never as productive as I am when flying! Maybe it’s because there’s nothing better to do on the plane than work, or perhaps it’s because I usually only connect to WiFi on one device at a time (bye, TikTok) but productivity and air travel really work for me. Obviously you can’t take any calls/Zoom meetings while in the air, but that’s kind of a great bonus, IMO. Sorry for ignoring you while I was en route to Idaho, Annie!

I’m chillin with Will Arnett (literally wtf), singing to avoid confrontation (wish I could say this was just a skit), and obviously prioritizing my sleep.

Ross and I did a secret live show (listen here), in which we grilled interviewed ZoomInfo’s CEO, Henry Schuck, confronted him with terrible GlassDoor reviews, discussed pre-game routines, and asked his best advice for advancing your career. And we had so much fun (not sure if he can say the same!!) that we’re planning to do more! If your company is interested in hosting a live show, we’ll invite your CEO up on stage and absolutely roast them (in the most humanizing way possible, of course). Email [email protected] if you’re in.

Thanks for reading!