Personal Finance Advice for Real Life: Mandi Woodruff-Santos of Brown Ambition Is Up+Adam

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParkingWhat does wealth actually look like?For years, Mandi Woodruff-Santos thought the answer might be financial security, a bigger paycheck, or climbing the career ladder. After being laid off just three months into a dream job in New York City, she made a promise to herself: never again would she feel financially vulnerable. That promise launched a remarkable journey that led her from journalism to becoming one of the most respected voices in personal finance.Today, Mandi is the co-host of Brown Ambition, the award-winning podcast helping people build wealth, navigate careers, negotiate better opportunities, and create financial freedom on their own terms. In this conversation, Adam and Mandi dive into money shame, career setbacks, financial planning, entrepreneurship, motherhood, mental health, and the surprising lessons that come from rebuilding after life throws a curveball.They also explore why so many people tie their self-worth to their financial accomplishments, what those of us in our 30s and 40s should be doing right now to strengthen our financial futures, and the moment Mandi realized the financial decisions she'd made years earlier had given her something more valuable than money: options.Learn more about Mandi Woodruff-Santos:• Website: https://www.mandimoney.com• Brown Ambition Podcast: https://brownambitionpodcast.com• Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-brown-ambition-31122656/• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandimoney/Listen to Up+Adam wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe for more conversations that are inquisitive, clever, engaging, and thoughtful.*********PORTABIDET: UP+ADAM IS AN OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON FOR PORTABIDET - USE THIS LINK FOR UP+ADAM LISTENERS TO LEARN MORE AND GET YOURS!Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:Official Website: adammontiel.comApple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple PodcastsSpotify: Up+Adam on SpotifyiHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadioYouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music********CHECK OUT OUR WOODS HUMANE PET OF THE WEEK!********ADAM’S TEDX VIDEO IS HERE!********FOLLOW ADAM ON INSTAGRAM*********Sincere Thanks to the current supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!Life ElementsCity of SLOWoodsHumaneSocietyTin City DistilleryOriginal Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner CollectiveMoonshiner on Spotify HEREPlease Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com©2026 Up+Adam with Adam Montiel / LoBro Studios, All Rights Reserved.