Skimm'd from the Couch: Jennifer Justice

May 13, 2020

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Jennifer Justice is an expert negotiator. As an entertainment attorney (for Jay-Z) and now as the CEO and founder of The Justice Department, she’s a pro at getting people what they deserve. Tune in for her best negotiation tips, and the number one mistake she thinks people make. Hint: don’t go in with your best offer. 

On Negotiating 

Carly: What's the number one mistake you see women make at the negotiating table?

Jennifer: Don't ever offer the first thing. And don't negotiate against yourself. Let them come to you.

Danielle: Do you think that [hiring someone to advocate for you] is a tactic that anyone should use? Or do you think women specifically need that buffer?

Jennifer: I think men do it all day long. They absolutely need it. Look, women pay a lot of money to get their hair done, their nails done, and child care. Why is it in business that you think you got to be, like, "Oh, I can do this all myself?"

On Imposter Syndrome: 

Carly: It sounds like you were such a rising star growing up and in the schools that you were in. Did you... have that confidence that you were the star?

Jennifer: ...You start going, "Okay, well what makes me different? And how can I separate myself? And what is my star?” Because it's different than the other people, regardless of how you were brought up. 

So it was scary and [I had] a lot of imposter syndrome. Should I be in this room? Which, when you have that and you have that as women and you have that just as a child, you have that for your entire life. And it's just something that I have to talk to myself constantly about.

On Having Kids 

Danielle: I want to talk about your decision to become a mom. I think that it's something that a lot of our listeners think about…You have a different story. 

Jennifer: We just talked about this amazing career I had. You know, I was making money. I had every bag I needed… But… I came from nothing. I'm sitting in New York City, living in my great apartment in Tribeca with all these great bags. 

...I was so hyper-focused [and had] tunnel vision of my career... because I never wanted to go back to where I was from. And then I was like, "Wait, what am I doing this for?" And so I was like, "I have to have kids."

...I looked into adoption and IVF and everything all at the same time. And I was going forward with all paths at the same time. I was very quiet about it. I didn't tell anybody about it.

This episode was recorded in February 2020, before we started working from home because of COVID-19. 

Danielle, JJ, Carly

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