Laura Brown and Kristina O’Neill had the kind of jobs most people only dream about. They were the women behind some of the world’s most glamorous magazines — InStyle, Harper’s Bazaar, WSJ. Magazine — sitting front row at fashion week, rubbing shoulders with celebs on covershoots, and setting the cultural agenda.

But then, both of them got fired.

In an industry built on power, prestige, and appearances, being shown the door at the very top should have been devastating. Instead, it sparked a friendship, a book, and a movement. Their manifesto All the Cool Girls Get Fired is about stripping away the shame of job loss and reframing it as a rite of passage.

In this conversation with Kate Langbroek, Laura and Kristina open up about what it’s really like to lose your dream job, the night out that led to their viral “all the cool girls get fired” post, and how even icons like Oprah and Lisa Kudrow have their own firing stories.

It’s about friendship, resilience, and reinvention — and why getting fired might just be the best thing that ever happens to you.

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CREDITS:

Guests: Laura Brown and Kristina O'Neill

Host: Kate Langbroek

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Bree Player

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

Video Producer: Josh Green

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.