• Quarterback Tom Brady announced Tuesday that he will leave the New England Patriots and sign with another NFL team in free agency after months of rumors and speculation.
• Brady and his wife, Gisele Bündchen, comprise one of the most successful celebrity power couples.
• Bündchen is one of the most successful supermodels in the world; Brady is widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time.
• The couple has owned several homes and have been known to take lavish trips around the world.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen are leaving their fabulous life in New England behind.

The quarterback announced Tuesday that he will leave the New England Patriots and sign with another team, Insider reported. The departure will be a major lifestyle shift for Brady and Bündchen, who are often regarded as one of the country's best power couples.

Bündchen was the highest-earning model in the world for 10 consecutive years, according to Forbes. Brady earned six Super Bowl rings and three league MVP awards as a quarterback. Bündchen and Brady married in 2009 and together they lead an extremely fabulous life.

Keep reading to learn more about Brady and Bündchen make and spend their money.

Tony Manfred contributed to this report.

SEE ALSO: Rockstar Energy's extravagant billionaire founder Russ Weiner just sold his company to PepsiCo for nearly $4 billion. Here's how the son of a far-right talk show host built a multibillion-dollar energy drink empire.

DON'T MISS: The US has a shortage of coronavirus tests, so the ultra-wealthy are paying concierge doctors to do their own

Supermodel Gisele Bündchen and superstar quarterback Tom Brady are one of the most powerful celebrity couples on the planet.

Brady is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time after earning six Super Bowl rings and three league MVP awards throughout his long NFL career.

Source: Spotrac

Bündchen reigned over the modeling world for well over a decade and was the top-earning supermodel for 10 consecutive years. Even though she retired in 2015, Bündchen was still one of the top-5 highest-paid models of 2018.

Source: Boston.com

In his last season with the Patriots, the team paid Brady $23 million. He has regularly agreed to discount contracts throughout his career to help keep New England competitive.

Source: NBC Sports

He is the fourth-highest-paid player in NFL history, having already earned $235.2 million in his NFL career.

Source: Business Insider

Brady has also made an estimated $12 million annually in endorsement deals with companies like Under Armour, Intel, Beats by Dre, and Shields.

Source: Forbes

Brady's earnings sound enormous, but it's actually nothing compared to his wife.

Forbes reported in July 2016 that Bündchen had earned an estimated $30.5 million throughout the prior year.

Source: Forbes

She's had a number of extremely lucrative endorsement deals with major brands, including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, and Pantene.

Source: The Street

Additionally, Bündchen has made tons of money by allowing companies to monetize her name and likeness. She had a sandals line with Grendene, lingerie brand with Hope, beauty line with Sejaa Pure Skincare, and others.

Source: Latin Trends

Brady has also had some exciting endorsement deals, including a partnership with Aston Martin.

Source: The Drive

Aston Martin even produced a limited Tom Brady edition of the Vanquish S Volante. Only 12 were produced and they went for $360,000 each.

Source: CNN Money

Together, Brady and Bündchen once owned a custom-built, $20 million mansion in Los Angeles.

Source: Today

It had a moat and a chicken coop so they could eat fresh eggs.

Source: Today

But in 2014, they sold the estate to Dr. Dre for a reported $40 million.

Source: LA Times

In 2013, they were reportedly searching for a new apartment in NYC. They were spotted looking at a $11.5 million duplex in Manhattan that spring.

Source: Trulia

They eventually settled on a glassy skyscraper condo that they purchased for $14 million in 2013.

Source: Bleacher Report

In 2016, they put that condo back on the market with a price tag of $17.25 million.

Source: Business Insider

That's because they reportedly dropped $20 million on a new waterfront apartment in Tribeca.

Source: Business Insider

Prior to New York, they lived in a Boston condo, but sold it for $9.2 million in 2012.

Source: CBS

The homes are basically Brady's only lavish purchases.

Outside of his Aston Martin, his cars aren't too gaudy. He got in an accident in 2010 while driving an Audi sedan.

Source: ESPN

He told ESPN that he's a homebody and has to talk to his friends' kids about music so he knows what's popular.

Source: ESPN

He even likes to do silly things like welcome a rescue dog to the family with a "Lion King" video on Facebook.

Source: Facebook

He does attend lots of high-profile events though, from the Kentucky Derby ...

Source: NBC Sports

... to Brazil's famed Carnival ...

Source: Bleacher Report

... to the Met Gala. He and Bündchen were co-chairs of the event in 2017.

Source: Vogue

The duo also attended the 2014 FIFA World Cup and were spotted hanging out with Ashton Kutcher.

Source: Getty Images

But Brady insists that he prefers to avoid a flashy lifestyle. He doesn't own a private jet, but sometimes arranges one to bring his parents to visit him.

Source: ESPN

He's just a dad who likes making sand castles with his kids.

Source: Instagram/Gisele Bundchen

Brady also spends time raising money for various charities, including $6.5 million for cancer research by buzzing his hair in 2018.

Source: Business Insider

Bündchen also prioritizes her philanthropic work. She donated a whopping $1.5 million to relief efforts in Haiti in 2009 and regularly supports the United Nations, WWF, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, (RED), and St. Francis Food Pantries and Shelters.

Source: Style Caster, Look to the Stars

She also works with a number of nonprofits to help benefit her birth country, Brazil. She donates a percentage of the profits from her sandals line to protect Amazon Rainforest water sources while supporting other Brazilian initiatives like Y Ikatu Xingu, Nascentes do Brasil, De Olho nos Mananciais, and ISA.

Source: Look to the Stars

More recently, it seems like most of Brady's and Bündchen's big spending is health-based.

Brady and Gisele have a personal chef who has them on a strict diet that includes no sugar, no tomatoes, and avocado ice cream as a treat.

Source: Business Insider

The chef even has the couple's children on a strict diet that is about 80% vegetables.

Source: Business Insider

In 2016, Brady wrote a $200 diet book that sold out almost immediately when it was first released.

Source: Business Insider

In 2017, Brady had a more modestly priced book drop. "The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance," is less than $20 and is being called "The Athletes Bible."

Source: Business Insider

He is also strict on alcohol, even putting Rob Gronkowski on a drinking diet. But Brady does splurge occasionally, — including on New Year's Eve, apparently, as he said on Instagram that he was curing his hangover with some TB12 electrolytes on New Year's Day 2018.

Source: Business Insider

Bündchen is also a stickler for clean eating habits, prioritizing home-grown foods.

Source: Gisele Bundchen on Instagram

Brady also employs a 'body coach' and health guru, Alex Guerrero, who works with Brady at least once every day and whose duties include spiritual guide, counselor, pal, nutrition adviser, trainer, and massage therapist.

Source: Business Insider

Bündchen, meanwhile, regularly practices yoga and mindfulness.

Source: Gisele Bundchen on Instagram

She even practices with her kids.

Source: Gisele Bundchen on Instagram

She sometimes exercises at Brady's gym — TB12 — in Boston and does martial arts.

Source: Insider

And, on occasion, the duo will play some football in their backyard.

Source: Gisele Bundchen on Instagram

Brady and Bündchen take offseason vacations with the family to places like Asia (on behalf of his partnership with Under Armour, of course).

Source: Tom Brady on Instagram

Brady even did some sumo wrestling in Tokyo in 2017.

Source: Under Armour on Instagram

They've also visited Qatar.

Source: US Weekly

But despite the occasional lavish trip, Brady and Bündchen are the rare celebrity couple that can actually afford to live a megastar lifestyle, but opt to live more modestly — relative to other high-earning megastars, at least.

• Humans have a short attention span. This can make it difficult to get work done. 
• Petr Ludwig, a productivity expert and author of "The End of Procrastination," told Business Insider that to increase your focus you must improve your ability to say "no" and develop intrinsic motivation, or, in other words, drive that is developed internally. 
• We've rounded up a list of strategies that will help keep your focus. 
• Click here for more BI Prime content.

Americans have about an eight-second attention span.

That's less than a goldfish.

But we can improve our powers of concentration by, for example, finding clever ways to eliminate distractions, hacking our workflows, or working on our mindsets. 

Petr Ludwig, author of "The End of Procrastination," a book offering strategies for productivity, told Business Insider that intrinsic motivation, or the drive that comes internally for a project, is a key element to staying on track. 

"If we don't see a purpose in our activities, then we feel disconnected, and we postpone those tasks," Ludwig said. "If you use your strengths on a daily basis ... at the end you procrastinate much less and you are more fulfilled." 

To that end, here are a few takeaways from Quora threads and a productivity expert that tackle attention. 

1. Invest in your sleep. 

Not sleeping enough makes people distracted, fat, and unethical, so be sure to get your rest. While everybody's needs are different, it's generally between six to nine hours. And invest in some nice sheets. —Yishan Wong

2. Exercise your body.

Harvard Medical School has found that exercise improves your memory and concentration. You don't have to be a Channing Tatum, but it's important that your body is an asset, not a liability. —Achintya Prakash

3. Exile your distractions.

Close email, Facebook, Twitter. Put your phone on airplane mode. Turn off anything that blinks, dings, buzzes, or vibrates. Don't even give yourself the chance to multitask — since it erodes your attention span. —Bill Hall 

"If you turn off all notifications, then you are much more focused than when you are restricted every five minutes or 10 minutes by a new Instagram or Facebook message," Ludwig said. "Improving focus is quite crucial these days." 

4. Keep a routine.

If you sleep, work, and relax at irregular intervals, you'll spend unnecessary energy trying to organize your time. Like French novelist Gustave Flaubert said, "Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work."—Frederick Javalera

5. Use the Pomodoro technique.

Taking its name from a Pomodoro timer, which runs for 25 minutes, the Pomodoro technique is a practice of focusing intently on something for 25 minutes and then taking a five-minute break to get coffee, go to the bathroom, whatever. —Selene Chew

6. Wake up at the same time every day.

The regularity lets your hormones get into a rhythm, giving you the most energy, clarity, and focus through the morning. —Michal Ugor

7. Take a stance on email.

Is your job to be on top of things — to respond to everything as quickly as possible? Or does it require long hours of studying and concentration? If the latter, email might remain urgent, but it's not important. So only check it a few times a day. —Xi Cheng

8. Know what your life goals are. 

If you don't know what they are, read a good book on the subject (BI's favorite: "Flow" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). Because when you know what you want to do, it's easier to not do everything else. —Rolfe Dlugy-Hegwer

9. Do things you enjoy focusing on.

It takes "emotional labor" to do work that you don't engage with, so try to arrange your work day around that engagement, and hack it when it's not there. —George Mortimer 

10. Write out your obituary.

It helps you identify what you actually need to get done. —Dan Webster

11. Take a break when you're making awesome progress on a task.

You'll come back to it quicker and with more energy. Like Ernest Hemingway said, always "leave some water in the well."—Pratik Mhatre

12. Put noise-canceling headphones on.

Not only do they reduce noise, they signal to your colleagues that you're not to be bothered. —Dave Concannon

13. Find a partner in crime.

Teaming up with a coworker will keep you accountable — if she's coding while you're checking Facebook, you'll feel foolish.

14. Read physical books.

It will train you in paying attention to an object for an extended length of time — something the digital world doesn't provide very well. —Murali Veeraiyan

15. Listen to music.

It helps you stay in your workflow, since the sound occupies the part of your brain on the lookout for "danger, food, sex, or shiny things."—Amir Baer

16. Break large projects into smaller pieces. 

Then, instead of having vague goals, set clear deadlines. Execute against those to guide your focus. —Farsheed Atef

According to Ludwig, when we have too many priorities on our plate, we face decision paralysis, or in other words, we feel overwhelmed and push off a task until later. Instead, he advised people to cut larger projects into smaller bits. 

"Complexity increases procrastination," Ludwig said. "Then we have chaos. We have a higher rate of the stress hormone, cortisol, and it's going to undermine our productivity." 

The easiest way to put these skills into practice is to reject non-urgent tasks. 

"It's often about the courage to say no," he said. "Basically, if you get 50 emails, those 50 emails are not about your priorities. They are mostly about the priorities of others." 

SEE ALSO: 8 tips to nailing a video job interview in the age of coronavirus

Join the conversation about this story »

• Small businesses represent about 99% of all US businesses and employ about half the workforce, according to the US Small Business Administration.
• Economists expect a recession triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, and that is likely to hit small businesses and self-employed workers especially hard.
• Government and private institutions have many resources to help them, but some may exclude certain businesses for different reasons.
• Knowing where your company fits can help identify which of the many small-business resources and opportunities you are eligible for.
• Visit BI Prime for more stories.

Ask a friend or neighbor how they define "small business," and they will likely give overlapping answers, with a lot of individual variation around the edges. Small businesses come in many shapes and sizes, so it can sometimes be hard to know where yours fits in the picture. 

It's basically the same way with institutions. Governments tend to be more specific than private companies, just like the policy and business worlds use different precision in their language. Lobbyists and interest groups tend to take the broadest view, since that makes for better numbers.

If you ask the US Small Business Administration (or SBA), it'll refer you to a reference table or its handy quiz to see if you're eligible for one of the federal government's many small-business contracts.

In addition to the Federal Reserve's definition being the most complex, its definition is also the most important one to get right as it pertains to your business. It not only defines which firms are eligible for small-business-designated US government contracts but also extends those constraints to other institutions that use federal funding to partner with small businesses.

Adding to the complexity is the fact that the statute is subject to periodic review and revision. One such revision occurred in summer, when the nominal revenue limits were adjusted for inflation for the first time since 2014. That meant that more than 90,000 businesses that had been too big in July were suddenly "small" in August.

The simpler and more conventional definition of small business comes from the Gartner IT consultancy. Gartner says firms are "small" when they have fewer than 100 workers or less than $50 million in revenue.

Here are the common elements of a small-business definition for you to keep in mind when you explore government contracts, financial support, and business partnerships.

How many people do you have?

Are you self-employed? If so, congratulations, you're a small business. The US Census Bureau does distinguish between businesses with employees and without, so you would be counted as an owner but not an "employee."

For firms with employees, 100 is the upper limit defined by Gartner, the New York City, and several other entities. NYC even has a "very-small" category for businesses with less than 20 workers. 

Gartner calls firms with between 100 and 500 workers medium size, hence the shorthand "small and midsize businesses" for companies with fewer than 500 workers.

On the other end of the scale, the US government allows companies in certain industries to have up to 1,500 workers and still classify as small. 

Meanwhile, financial institutions told Business Insider they are more concerned with the complexity of your banking needs than the staff on your payroll.

With respect to the self-employed, the rise of the gig economy, side hustles, and so forth, more people are now independent contractors, which means they are a business. 

Even if you don't think driving for Lyft or designing websites on the weekends makes you a business, Lyft — and more importantly, the Internal Revenue Service — think you most definitely are.

How much money do you make?

Again, according to Gartner, the upper bound for annual revenue or sales is $50 million for small firms and up to $1 billion for midsize ones. 

The US government takes a more conservative position and is more tailored to the specific business. At the top of the range, industries with high financial and physical-capital requirements can receive up to $41.5 million in annual revenues, whereas most agriculture businesses are capped at $1 million. 

Those numbers reflect a recent inflation adjustment that the Small Business Administration said extended access to 90,000 companies that had gradually lost eligibility because of rising prices across the economy. They were small, and then they weren't, and now they are again — politics.

The banks Business Insider spoke with are more interested in the complexity of your transactions. It's a lot easier for them to manage large sums of cash moving around the US than it is for them to process transactions that go through complicated financial products and international currencies. 

The small-business division will happily help you with as much of the former as you can bring in but may ask you to visit the commercial side if you start bringing in the latter.

If you don't have the revenue or credit profile to get lending from a bank, they will likely send you to a community development financial institution. CDFIs and community development corporations partner with traditional banks to provide capital to businesses that otherwise might not have access.

There are a million and one reasons why someone might be denied at the bank. If all goes well, the CDFI's client "graduates" to a conventional private bank, and the CDFI counts it as a success. 

What is your industry and market?

Different industries involve extremely different levels of human and capital resources, and a dollar goes a lot further in Manhattan, Kansas, than it does in Manhattan, New York. 

Financial institutions especially care about this, since it bears directly on how they will rate the risk of your business plan. Another way to look at it: How big of a fish you are really depends on where you're swimming. 

And while the SBA has district and regional offices around the country, small business owners' first call should be their Town or City Hall. Business Insider can't tell where that is for you, but the SBA is a reasonable place to start. 

What are your goals for those 3 things?

If you've made it to this question, you're probably a small business. The next question is, do you plan to stay that way? And if your answer is no, then how are you planning to grow and scale?

Sometimes it can seem like every entrepreneur wants to be the next Facebook or Google, but that's far from what gets most people into business for themselves. 

If you're trying to grow your business and hire a team, you'll be using a lot of cash. And cash has to come from somewhere. 

Option A: the really, really hard way — using your own funds and anything you can pull together from your social networks. 

Option B: the really hard way — if your idea has the potential for explosive growth and a massive long-term scale, venture capitalists may be willing to give you their money in exchange for an ownership stake in your business. 

Option C: the hard way — if you are looking at lower year-over-year growth, or a smaller long-term scale, you may be eligible for a loan from a consumer bank or CDFI.

There is no easy way. 

For most business owners, option C has the most reasonable levels of management control, financial liquidity, and riskiness.

So how does Business Insider define small business?

In a sense, Business Insider has covered small businesses from the very beginning, when we were called Silicon Alley Insider. The main difference was that most of the small businesses we covered were tech startups in a race to secure venture funding. 

Business Insider is still a pioneering source for journalism about Silicon Valley and Wall Street, and the introduction of a dedicated small-business desk marks a widening of our focus to include more Main Street businesses.

Here's our working definition of small business, in bullet form:

• Up to 500 employees (Insider Inc. has about 600 … wait, are we small?).
• No limits on revenue (surprise us). 
• North American markets (most relevant to the majority of our readers).
• Privately owned and operated (we're interested personal stories).
• Bootstrapped or debt-financed (we already have a team covering ventures and equities).

This definition is what guides our coverage of small business, but in our newsroom, the boundaries between beats are even more blurry than the competing definitions of small business.

What we care about here is finding good stories and useful information for our readers, so whether you're a team of one or 501, we're here for you.

If you or someone you know runs a small business with a story to share, please email Dominick Reuter at dreuter@businessinsider.com.

SEE ALSO: The best startup competitions of 2020 for first-time founders to win up to $1 million to grow their business

DON'T MISS: Bank of America's small business chief tells us the common challenges and opportunities facing her 12 million clients, like growing your team in a tight labor market

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• Not all tech jobs are for coders, and landing a job at a tech giant like PayPal takes more than technical skills.
• In 2019, PayPal ranked #5 on Forbes' list of the world's 250 best-regarded companies. This, combined with PayPal's long history in Silicon Valley, makes it one of tech's most sought-after places to work.
• We spoke with PayPal's head of technical talent acquisition to understand the soft skills they're looking for in all their new hires.
• Whether for internships or full-time roles, candidates need to ask the right questions, show a history of challenging the status quo, and be active and engaged in their communities.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

PayPal has hundreds of job openings, from software engineers to product managers to communications to sales. And it's not just hiring at its San Jose headquarters. PayPal is recruiting in several regions including North and South America, Europe and the UK, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific.

In 2019, PayPal ranked #5 on Forbes' list of the world's 250 best-regarded companies, which measures how well firms do as employers, as well as their trustworthiness, quality of products, and social conduct.

This, plus PayPal's long history in Silicon Valley, makes it one of tech's most sought after places to work.

While the payments giant doesn't disclose the acceptance rate for its job applicants, a spokesperson said it's competitive.

The tech and payments giant was founded in 1998 by a team including Max Levchin, founder and CEO of Affirm, and billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel. In 2002, the company went public, then got bought by eBay, who in turn spun off the company in 2015.

PayPal has since grown to 23,200 employees and has 50 global offices.

Business Insider spoke with Michael Kascsak, global head of technical talent acquisition at PayPal, to understand what it takes to land a job at the tech giant. 

Resume dos and don'ts

PayPal, like most companies, lists its open roles online, and interested candidates can apply by submitting a resume and cover letter. At this stage, PayPal looks for candidates who can clearly articulate what they're doing, what their goals are, and why they're interested in the company.

And while candidates often worry that their resumes won't be seen unless they plug in the right keywords in their resume, Kascsak cautioned against that notion.

"Sometimes a recruiter will look at a resume, and all it has is a bunch of keywords on there because they think that there's an algorithm that's going to pull their resume to the top, and that's all that they do," Kascsak said. 

That's not to say that candidates shouldn't use keywords in their resumes, but that they need to be deliberate in their use. 

"You've got to be able to share what you're doing with those with the keywords," Kascsak said.

How to ace the phone interview 

If your resume and cover letter stand out, the interview process kicks off with a phone conversation with a PayPal recruiter. During this interview, candidates typically discuss their past experiences, but also what they're looking for in future experiences, Kascsak said.

"It's really an opportunity for you to give the recruiter your story, and where you see your career going," Kascsak said. 

If the recruiter thinks the candidate is a good fit for PayPal, they offer a recommendation to a hiring manager.

The hiring manager, or a member of their team, will also conduct a phone interview, which is typically more focused on the candidate's expertise. 

"That's dedicated to really talking through the tangible examples of what you've accomplished, what you know, and what your expertise is," Kascsak said.

If the hiring manager thinks the candidate is a good fit for the role, that's when PayPal invites them on campus for in-person interviews. At this point, PayPal is really looking for a culture fit.

On-campus interviews

If you get invited to PayPal's campus for a day of in-person interviews, the company starts looking at more than just your technical qualifications.

"We've gotten you to the point where we know that from an expertise perspective, you are somebody we're interested in," said Kascsak. "So now we really want to get to know you as a person."

On that day, PayPal tries to keep it to four or five interviews per candidate, Kascsak said.

"We feel that if you come to our campus, you should come and meet all the people you need to meet," Kascsak said. PayPal focuses on a candidate-friendly approach, he said, aiming to make the process as streamlined as possible.

"For those that come onto our campus, we want to make sure that it is an inviting experience for you," Kascsak said.

Not only is it an opportunity for candidates to sell themselves to PayPal, but PayPal is also pitching itself to candidates.

"We want to make sure you understand all of the value props that we have to offer as an employer," said Kascsak.

The day often includes a tour of the office, and gives candidates opportunities to ask more questions about what it's like working at PayPal.

PayPal also has policies around diversity for its hiring process, Kascsak said.

"We want to make sure that we're creating a diverse set of candidates to give to our hiring managers," Kascsak said. "In return, we also want our candidates to be able to interview with a diverse set of hiring managers as well."

Kascsak said that PayPal talks about diversity as "a mirror and a window."

"We'd like to make sure that you're able to see, inside of PayPal, all of the diversity and people from all different walks of life," he said.

"But also you want to be able to see the mirror," said Kascsak. "You want to be able to see and talk to people from your background, and share your thoughts and ideas with them."

The on-campus day should mark the end of the interview process, Kascsak said.

Whether it be in your application, over the phone, or in person, there are a few things that PayPal looks for every step of the way, no matter the type of role you're applying for. Here are some of the soft skills that will land you the job.

Demonstrate an innovative mindset

"Getting the attention of PayPal, it's showing true examples of your work," said Kascsak. Both recruiters and future teammates want candidates to showcase innovative or disruptive projects they've worked on, which demonstrate the ability to challenge and change the status quo, Kascsak said.

And PayPal pays attention to candidates who are eager to showcase these skills.

"We try to create as many opportunities for you to showcase your expertise and your abilities as possible," said Kascsak. Whether it be through LinkedIn or at meet-ups that PayPal organizes, candidates should take advantage of these opportunities to ground their skill sets in experiences.

"Make sure you're presenting examples, and make sure you're showing tangible results, whether it's through your resume, through your cover letter, when you're at a meet-up," said Kascsak.

For students and graduates, this could be a school project. And for professionals, it's important to demonstrate the ways you've innovated in previous roles. Doing so is a key way to stand out in a competitive job market, Kascsak said.

Leverage your network

Aside from LinkedIn and meet-up networking, having an employee referral at PayPal is helpful.

"The employee referral program is one of the most utilized sources of employment for any company really, when you're doing it right," said Kascsak. 

And that goes both ways, Kascsak said, in that his team occasionally asks current PayPal employees for recommendations of candidates they should reach out to.

"Great talented people know great talented people," he said.

Don't be afraid to ask about what matters to you

Before extending an offer, PayPal wants to make sure that both the company and the candidate think it's the right fit. And that's why Kascsak stressed the importance of asking questions.

"Every candidate has their own priorities and passions that they want with their career. So you should ask us how those fit into your goals," said Kascsak. "Any hire should always be a mutual fit and we aim for that to happen."

Whether that be around company culture, diversity and inclusion, or even the day-to-day experience of working at PayPal, candidates should be inquisitive about the things that are important to them.

"We never want to hire someone without them having the opportunity to interview us as well," said Kascsak.

Be engaged in your community

Demonstrating a sense of community engagement is important, Kascsak said.

"We look for people that take care of themselves and take care of other people," said Kascsak.

Whether through philanthropic initiatives at the company or the various affinity groups, PayPal is looking for employees who want to be involved. PayPal has several affinity networks including black employees, Latinx, LGBTQ+, specially abled, and women. Each network is open to all employees.

"We are very much vested in our community, and so we like people that care about their community," said Kascsak. "We always say we don't want to be guests in our own community. We want to be active participants." 

Look for internships, recent graduate programs, and other targeted hiring opportunities

For PayPal's most junior positions, internships and recent college graduate programs are the two major points of entry.

The 12-week internship program is for current students, and Kascsak said that on average, PayPal extends full time job offers to between 70% and 80% of participants. 

The recent college graduate (RCG) program is targeted toward those looking for full-time work. In addition to their daily responsibilities, RGC employees are given career development resources like mentors and buddies and networking opportunities to get them situated within the company.

PayPal also has a veteran hiring program, and a 16-week paid technology bootcamp for women returning to the workforce after a career break. 

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SEE ALSO: Payments giants like PayPal and Amex are making hundreds of startup bets to transform how we shop and pay — and it's part of a $1 billion-plus wave of VC investment

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• On Tuesday, the Trump administration said it is "looking at sending checks to Americans immediately" to help offset the financial burden the novel coronavirus.
• Senator Mitt Romney proposed the idea of giving every US adult $1,000 — or an interim universal basic income — on Monday. 
• This concept, called universal basic income is a government guarantee that each citizen receives a minimum amount of money.
• The ideas behind a universal basic income, or UBI, is centuries old, but has been gaining traction in recent years thanks to former 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who used the idea as a key part of his campaign, as well as billionaire Elon Musk, who's been an outspoken advocate for it. 

• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday that the White House is considering giving cash handouts to Americans to help offset the financial hardship the novel coronavirus pandemic has caused. 

"We are looking at sending checks to Americans immediately," he said at the Tuesday news conference. "Americans need cash now and the president wants to get cash now. And I mean now, in the next two weeks."

The Trump administration's announcement comes one day after Senator Mitt Romney publicly called for the government to give US adults each $1,000 during this financially trying time. The idea is an interim, or an emergency, universal basic income (UBI) of sorts. 

The long-simmering, but newly urgent, policy proposal has received high-profile support over the past year. Entrepreneur-turned-presidential candidate Andrew Yang made UBI the cornerstone of his candidacy. His plan was to implement what he called the Freedom Dividend. His plan consisted of guaranteed payments of $1,000 per month, or $12,000 per year, to all U.S. citizens over the age of 18. 

Elon Musk shared his support for Yang and UBI. In a series of brief tweets, Musk said that he supported Yang, who previously founded Venture for America, and that UBI is "obviously needed." 

UBI is gaining newfound interest, but the system itself stretches back to the 16th century, when Spanish-born humanist Juan Luis Vives praised a system of unconditional welfare. "Even those who have dissipated their fortunes in dissolute living — through gaming, harlots, excessive luxury, gluttony and gambling — should be given food, for no one should die of hunger," Vives wrote in 1526.

Over the next few centuries, political scientists and sociologists honed the idea of a minimum income even further. In 1797, the American revolutionary Thomas Paine advocated for a "national fund" in the pamphlet "Agrarian Justice,"  for which every American would be awarded fifteen pounds sterling when they turned 21, with another ten pounds per year after age 50. 

Even Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. declared his support for basic income at a Stanford lecture in 1967.

"It seems to me the Civil Rights Movement must now begin to organize for the guaranteed annual income and mobilize forces," King said, "so we can bring to the attention of our nation this need ... which I believe will go a long, long way toward dealing with the Negroes' economic problem and the economic problem many other poor people confront in our nation."

In his final book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?, King observed that "no matter how dynamically the economy develops and expands it does not eliminate all poverty." Hence the need for the nation to create full employment — or create incomes. 

The decade between 1969 and 1979 marked a crucial turning point in the basic income movement for two reasons.

The first was President Richard Nixon's 1969 proposal of the "Family Assistance Plan." The legislation promised to give an additional $10,400 (in 2016 dollars) each year to families who had kids, depending on income. While the FAP easily made it through the House of Representatives, it ultimately died in the Senate.

The second was the "Mincome Program" that took place in Manitoba, Canada. Between 1974 and 1979, residents in the city of Winnipeg and smaller nearby town of Dauphin received additional monthly income, again based on their income levels.

It wasn't until University of Manitoba economist Evelyn Forget discovered the Mincome files 20 years later that anyone realized what a success the program had been.

Forget's research showed hospitalization rates fell by 8.5%, high school completion rates went up, and new mothers could afford to work less. And in general, few people stopped working — one of the key fears that's often cited about basic income.

By nearly all measures, the conclusion was clear: Basic income held serious potential as a way to lift people out of poverty.

Forget's research was critical because it helped revive the basic income movement after two decades of dormancy. Advocates had been praising the concept all the while, but only within the last decade have mainstream economists considered putting it back into action.

Some of the biggest names in business, particularly the tech world, have endorsed UBI, including Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Richard Branson.

In over a dozen countries and many more cities around the world, academics and policymakers have launched basic income experiments of their own — some completed, some ongoing. Many of the projects have already replicated the effects Forget found in the late 1970s. Much of the contemporary research on UBI and related programs has been carried out in the developing world; the World Bank largely found that the global poor spend the money on household goods, health care, and that various costs that come with schooling. 

As has been observedelsewhere, the biggest issue with basic income is that it still needs more large-scale, years-long empirical study in developed countries to figure out where or not it "works." Given that UBI remains something of a political Rorschach test — the term "government handout" remains a lightning rod in 2020 — it needs more to be more tested than debated. (Though the financial havoc the novel coronavirus is causing Americans may change that). As UBI becomes more mainstream, it stands a stronger chance of being better researched — and ending up as viable policy.

Chris Weller contributed to an earlier version of this post. 

SEE ALSO: The World Economic Forum and the World Health Organization are launching an emergency coronavirus task force of 200 business leaders — including execs from Alphabet and KPMG

Join the conversation about this story »

• Investment banks including JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley have predicted that the COVID-19 outbreak will cause an economic contraction, potentially worsening to a recession.
• But not all jobs are at risk. ZipRecruiter labor economist Julia Pollak analyzed the jobs expected to grow during the next economic downturn.
• Jobs increased for healthcare professionals — like nurses, physical therapists, and personal care aides — during both the Great Recession of 2008 and the 2001 recession.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The novel coronavirus outbreak poses a major threat to American workers — and it might spur a full-blown economic recession, too.

Analysts at Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan Chase, and Goldman Sachs have issued various forecasts assuming an economic contraction for at least part of the year. Already, 18% of US workers have lost jobs or hours due to the outbreak, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

About 2.6 million US workers lost their jobs during the Great Recession of 2008, according to the US Labor Department. A recession is when a significant decline in economic activity— measured in GDP, spending, and employment — persists for more than a few months.

But even in a recession, the need for some jobs grows.

Julia Pollak, a labor economist for ZipRecruiter, conducted an analysis and predicted what jobs will increase during the next economic recession. For instance, she said many jobs in healthcare will likely increase, citing the aging population and wealthier populations that care about wellbeing.

"When people look at jobs, the two things that they care about most are pay and location," Pollak told Business Insider. "But I would say that they should really add a third, especially as the objective economic recession risk models all seemed to start ticking upwards."

"That means, especially for recent high school graduates or recent college graduates, perhaps recession-proofness should be front and center as they make a career choice," she added.

Here are 25 jobs that ZipRecruiter predicts will grow during the potential next economic recession.

SEE ALSO: 'We're grossly unprepared': Nurses share their frustration as the coronavirus spreads with little direction from the government or hospitals on how to mitigate it

SEE ALSO: Coronavirus will likely cause a massive hiring slowdown before the end of the first quarter, recruiting experts predict

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk is right: You don't need a college degree to fill the most in-demand jobs in America

25. Massage therapists saw a 30.8% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 14,120

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 10.3%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 2,540

24. Physician assistants saw a 21.2% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 14,260

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 11.6%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 6,420

23. Mental health counselors saw a 15% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 14,330

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 23.2%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 15,250

22. Court, municipal, and license clerks saw a 13% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 14,430

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 1.4%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 1,380

21. Logisticians saw a 16% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 14,460

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: N/A

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: N/A 

20. Guidance counselors saw a 6.3% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 14,630

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 10.8%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 20,340

19. Pharmacists saw a 5.9% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 14,920

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 3.2%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 6,730

18. Cafeteria cooks saw a 4.1% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 15,250

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 0.6%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 2,610

17. Recreation workers saw a 5.5% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 15,360

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 9%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 22,210

16. Police and sheriff's patrol officers saw a 3% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 18,420

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 4.6%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 26,440

15. Physical therapists saw a 11.4% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 18,430

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 8.2%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 9,880

14. Coaches and scouts saw an 11.4% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 18,870

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 28.6%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 19,500

13. Paramedics saw a 10.2% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 20,560

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 8%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 13,170

12. Restaurant cooks saw a 2.5% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 22,320

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 11.4%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 73,460

11. Health-specialist teachers saw a 26.9% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 30,710

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 9%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 7,090

10. Pharmacy technicians saw a 10.5% increase in job growth during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 31,550

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 8.6%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 16,440

9. Childcare workers saw a 6% increase in job growth during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 34,600

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 14.6%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 58,170

8. Management analysts saw a 7.3% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 36,670

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 9.8%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 35,060

7. Social and human service assistants saw a 13% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 41,120

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 11.7%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 30,500

6. Nursing aides/attendants saw a 4.4% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 60,830

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 4.4%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 55,850 

5. Medical secretaries saw a 16.5% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 69,980 

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 18.7%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 53,050

4. Medical assistants saw a 20.4% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 88,720

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 9.4%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 31,130

3. Personal care aides saw a 15.2% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 90,680

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 21.5%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 79,760 

2. Home health aides saw a 17.8% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 148,260

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 1.5%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 8,550 

1. Registered nurses saw a 7.6% increase in jobs during the Great Recession.

Number of new jobs added during the Great Recession: 186,680

Employment increase during the 2001 Recession: 2.3%

Number of new jobs added during the 2001 Recession: 49,860

• Jen Glantz is a bestselling author and the founder and CEO of Bridesmaid for Hire, a boutique services company that offers professional bridesmaids who "take care of all your wedding dirty work."
• Due to the coronavirus outbreak, many companies are encouraging employees to work from home — which can be a great opportunity to work on your public speaking skills.
• Many people have a fear of public speaking, but most of us will have to face it at sooner or later whether in a formal or informal setting, such as giving a presentation at work or toasting the bride and groom at a wedding. 
• Glantz suggests practicing talking to yourself in a mirror, and recording your speech on video to watch back and catch any unnecessary filler words that you may use without noticing.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Public speaking used to be my biggest fear a couple of years ago. I was so shy and reserved that when people asked me a simple question like "What's your name?", my face would flush red and my heart would race. I would have rather done other things that I was fearful of, like bungee jumping or hanging out with spiders, than say yes to speaking at conferences.

But I've since changed. For the past few years, public speaking has become something I enjoy doing and actively look for opportunities to do more of. How? Rather than take any fancy public speaking course, I instead did consistent routines of self-practice right in my living room, in front of nobody but myself. Understanding my nervous tics, my body language, and even the way I use my voice, helped me become the kind of strong speaker that now is up on stage in front of hundreds of people, with a ton of confidence.

So if you're finding yourself eager to improve your public speaking game, here are the five activities you can do every week to become less nervous and more of a professional for that next speech, conversation, or presentation you have to give.

SEE ALSO: 5 ways to get the most out of any networking event in 25 minutes or less

READ MORE: I founded a bridesmaid for hire business and made the mistake of not immediately setting a price. Here are 5 ways to figure out how much to charge when you start a business no one else has.

1. Talk to the wall

Challenge yourself to speak to the wall for at least two minutes straight. Why? One of the biggest things that'll instantly lower your confidence and energy levels when you speak to an audience are their facial expressions and reactions. Even though, most of the time, those don't have much to do with you. People's facial expressions are based on their thoughts (which rarely have to do with you) and the way their face rests.

If you can practice getting through an entire conversation, or part of your presentation, with the same level of energy and volume you hope to use in real-life, you'll get good at carrying on a presentation or speech even when the audience isn't smiling back at you.

2. Record yourself speaking

One of the fastest ways to create a public speaking to-do list is to watch yourself speak. Put the camera on and record yourself talking for a couple of minutes. When you play it back, get over the self-judging and instead, start writing a list of body language improvements you can make as well as any nervous tics you have (from touching your hair to using verbal tics). First watch the video back with volume and then watch it again on silent to see how your nonverbal communication adds or distracts from your overall message.

3. Speak to the mirror

After you've learned from watching yourself on video, head to the mirror. Pretend to have a conversation, answer a question or give a 1-minute speech about what you had for lunch. While you're talking, focus specifically on your facial expressions, since that's what helps amplify your emotion toward a topic. Match your facial expressions to the tone of your speech so that it can help drive your message home and be engaging toward your audience. 

4. Watch good videos

Take a break from watching yourself and head to YouTube or a TED Talk. When you watch other powerful and professional speakers, start to pick apart what they do with their voice and their body language to capture your attention and draw you in. Find five things they've done well that you can start incorporating into your home practice sessions.

5. Start to count your 'umms'

Make it a new goal that whenever you're talking to people on the phone or to someone that you live with, you stay conscious about how many times you use verbal tics and filler words (such as: umm, uhh, so, like, actually, etc.). This will help you pay attention to your word choice and the frequency of how many of these slips into your sentences. Want to get rid of them all together? Make eye contact when you speak. That'll help you focus and use less of these words. If you're talking on the phone, speak at a slower rate so you can control yourself when you're about to say the word um. 

• Mariel Townsend is a freelance consultant, content writer, and traveler.
• After years of working in finance making a six-figure salary, she felt burnt out and uninspired, and decided to take time off to travel around Latin America.
• Instead of a traditional vacation, Townsend set a strict budget for herself, and even found ways to make money remotely while she traveled.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Everyone has that friend who seems to always be jet setting around the world. As that girl, people often tell me, "You're so lucky! I could never afford to do what you're doing!"

But the secret most remote freelancers won't tell you is that traveling and working online can be done for less than the average cost of a vacation ($1,979, according to a 2019 study by Bankrate). With a little research and planning, you can travel the world and get a taste of local culture all without sacrificing your financial security.

So how do you do it?

My story is a pretty typical one. I was working at a bank in the US making a six-figure salary, but was unhappy with my work, stressed out, and unsatisfied with my two weeks of vacation each year. 

After returning from a vacation to Costa Rica, I thought, why can't I lounge on the beach and practice Spanish full time? I decided to make it a reality and spent the next 18 months visiting 15 countries across Latin America and Europe, all on a budget of $1,500 a month.

Here's how I did it:

SEE ALSO: My husband and I left our full-time jobs to travel the world for 6 months — and only spent $288 from our savings. Here's how we found remote work.

DON'T MISS: I'm a former professional matchmaker who found love while traveling solo — here's why it prepared me for a strong long-term relationship

Set a budget and have some emergency savings

I had $15,000 in my savings when I started traveling, which was great to fall back on if I had an unexpected expense. It also gave me peace of mind as I looked for new work, allowing me to be choosy about which gigs I accepted. 

I also planned to spend my time in countries that were relatively affordable. One of my favorite sites, Nomad List, allows you to search for locations by average cost of living. For example, I lived in Salta, Argentina ($700 a month), Lima, Peru ($1,200 a month), and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico ($1,500 a month).

Find remote work

The more you travel, the more you will want to keep traveling. Finding a remote job is a great way to keep the funds flowing. It's best to consider your options before you quit your full-time gig. 

I had a background in cybersecurity, but wanted a change of pace. I love learning languages, so I decided to teach English online.

The requirements are relatively simple — most companies require you to have a Bachelor's degree, be a native speaker, and have some prior experience with students, whether it be teaching, volunteering, or mentoring — and it's possible to start generating income quickly.

I worked primarily for VIPKID teaching English online to Chinese children, and after a few months I was making $1,500 a month working 20 hours a week, enough to keep me going without dipping into my savings.

Turn your passion into a new income stream

There are a lot of other ways to turn your passion into a remote income stream. I also pursued freelancing work, and found a copy writing gig with Creatives On Call, where I also currently work creating content for cybersecurity training online. Other sites like Upwork provide freelance opportunities in everything from coding to travel writing. There are also Facebook groups you can join (one of my favorites is Digital Nomad Girls Community), where other travelers post about their experiences and advertise remote gigs. 

With any remote job, a key requirement is fast internet access. There are coworking spaces, such as Selina, available in most countries that provide high-speed internet from $5 a day to $150 a month. Working from your accommodation is also a possibility.

Stay in budget accommodations

The average cost per night of a hotel in the US is about $131, but if you're traveling in a more affordable part of the world, it's possible to keep your costs much lower — I recommend aiming for $500 a month. I rented a room on the best surf beach in Mexico for less than $300 a month. Hostels are also a great budget option, especially if you want to meet other travelers. 

Wherever I stay, I ask hosts to do an internet speed test. For most remote work involving video conferencing, it's advisable to have 10 mbps download, 2 mbps upload, and under 100 ping. For jobs that require less intensive bandwidth, lower speeds are doable.

Keep your transportation costs low

I stretch my funds further by keeping transportation costs low. Searching sites like Kayak and using their flexible dates filter allows me to find the cheapest fares. With Google Flights, you can enter a starting point and view a map of global destinations and their associated prices, helping you to get the biggest bang for your buck.  

Another site, Rome2rio, allows you to compare travel methods between destinations and pick the cheapest option. I opted for an eight-hour bus ride between Mendoza, Argentina and Santiago, Chile and paid $12, compared to a $220 flight. 

When traveling locally, public transport is a fraction of the cost of a taxi. For example, a colectivo to the beach in Puerto Escondido, Mexico costs $0.45, whereas a taxi costs $13. Google Maps has public transport maps for most destinations, and Moovit also provides bus routes in many places.

Invent your own sightseeing experiences

When it comes to sightseeing, I try to skip most organized tours. With a little research on Culture Trip or a similar travel site, you can get to most destinations on your own for much less. 

One exception may be when going to an extremely remote location, or visiting multiple sights in one day. In this case, a tour might be worth the cost. GetYourGuide provides a variety of options which include reviews from other travelers, and Airbnb also offers great experiences run by locals. One of my favorite tours was a hike to the hidden waterfalls in Puerto Vallarta for less than $30.

Learn the language

One of the best ways to save money while traveling is to speak the local language. Companies like International Travel and Study Institute provide classes with locals in person and online — I took a class with a friendly Guatemalan woman for $10 an hour.

Once you're abroad, don't be afraid to try! Most locals will be happy to practice with you, and speaking the language will save you money. For example, if you speak a little Spanish, you can easily go to a market where the locals eat and order a meal for $5, versus about $25 in a restaurant that caters to tourists. 

Why it's worth it

By using the strategies I've shared here, I was able to travel abroad for a year and a half, became fully immersed in the culture of seven Latin American countries (and some European ones as well), and made lifelong friends from all around the world along the way. I visited the Mayan ruins, kayaked in secluded nature reserves, ate Mexican mole sauce, Argentinian empanadas, and Uruguayan chivito, and sampled mezcal, malbec, and aguardiente.

Not only did I travel on a budget, but I managed to earn and even save money as well. My Spanish improved drastically, and I learned to be more flexible, adaptable, and resilient than I ever had been before. I especially grew to more deeply appreciate the cultures and perspectives of different countries. With careful planning, courage, and a little bit of luck, you can begin your budget travel journey, too.

Mariel Townsend is a freelance consultant and content writer. She spent over five years in traditional corporate roles working in data analytics and cybersecurity policy and strategy for consulting firms, the Federal government, and financial institutions. She now develops elearning content for cybersecurity professionals, with a focus on diversity and inclusion in tech. In her free time, she enjoys improving her Spanish, connecting with new friends around the globe, traveling, and writing. Connect with her on Instagram and LinkedIn.

• The Oracles is a networking group of the world's most prominent entrepreneurs and CEOs. 
• As successful businesspeople, they know that confidence is the key to success, regardless of the industry you're in or whether or not you want to pursue a different career path. 
• It's important to build inner confidence, through meditation and positive affirmations, as well as outer confidence by continually developing skills and building competence in order to excel at your job.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Confidence is key to success. But how do you develop it and maintain it when things don't go your way? These captains of industry and Advisors in The Oracles share their best advice for building confidence that is unshakable, no matter what life throws at you.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk says college is 'for fun' and not learning — and these 8 business leaders say you don't need a college degree to be successful

DON'T MISS: The biggest mistakes that ruin a first impression, according to Jay Leno and 8 other millionaires

1. Pursue something you believe in wholeheartedly

Conviction creates confidence. I have so much energy because I so deeply believe in my impact and have zero doubts about my execution. You have to believe in what you're doing, surround yourself with people who push you and have similar aspirations, and avoid those who bring you down. On top of that, consume content from experts, face your fears headfirst, and develop gratitude.

— Gary Vaynerchuk, founder and CEO of VaynerX, five-time New York Times bestselling author of "Crushing It!"

2. Convert setbacks into fuel

Recognize that setbacks are actually gifts which set you up for even greater success. The bigger the setback, the bigger the springboard. They always come with a lesson that gives me the energy to push forward. While you might get emotionally wrecked for 36 hours or three days after a major setback, it then fuels you to make things happen. Choose to see negative experiences as opportunities to turn losses into wins.

— Grant Cardone, founder of Cardone Capital, a $2 billion real estate empire. Follow Grant on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube

3. Focus on what you can control

Anyone pursuing big goals will face rejection, self-doubt, and hard times. Don't get discouraged: Pick yourself up, and try again. Be empowered knowing that the struggle is a normal part of the process. It may feel like hard times are due to factors outside your control, but that's not true. If you visualize what you want to achieve and focus on what you can control, such as your strategy, you'll find that you have the power to change the outcome.

— Melanie Perkins, cofounder and CEO of Canva, valued at over $3 billion, one of the youngest female CEOs leading a billion-dollar company

4. Build your competence one day at a time

Confidence comes from competence. The better you get at your job, the more confident you'll be. To master your craft, you have to put in the work after hours. When you tell yourself you'll do something, do it — today, then tomorrow, and the day after that. Take it one step at a time, day by day. Learn to "untangle the angles" around every corner until you start to keep your promises to yourself. Once you trust yourself, your confidence will soar, and everyone will see it. This leads to more conversations, more opportunities, and exceptional relationships based on trust and confidence — especially your relationship with yourself.

— Matt Mead, founder and CEO at Drivonic, cofounder of Mead Holdings Group, The Epek Companies, and Grayson Pierce Capital

5. Meditate

When you love and respect yourself, it's hard to break your confidence. Attach to something higher than yourself, whether that's God, nature, or your yoga master. I use meditation to connect to a higher power and myself in the morning and before bed, even if it's just for five minutes. I start with a gratitude prayer and breathe in love and breathe out negativity. This quiet time restores calm that is critical during tough times. Continuously challenge yourself to grow and push forward. You must make yourself uncomfortable to feel comfortable. No pain, no gain.

— Holly Parker, founder and CEO of The Holly Parker Team at Douglas Elliman, award-winning broker who has made over $8 billion in sales. Connect with Holly on LinkedIn and Instagram.

6. Create a board of advisors for your life

Confusion kills confidence, so be incredibly selective about who you listen to. Life is challenging enough without conflicting opinions from friends, family, and social media. I have one (and only one) mentor for each area of my life. I only take advice from them, which means I don't share my problems with my parents or friends. When things get rough, I pick one solution from my mentor and commit to it — which usually works. My confidence comes from knowing my next step, and having one advisor makes that easy.

— Corrie Elieff, cofounder and chairman at YESA, founder of Cardone Canada, currently the No. 1 global franchise partner for Cardone Training Technologies

7. Practice affirmations

When the feds were calling me and I was being sued for $500 million, I found that you just have to laugh, cry, and pick up the pieces. No matter what you're facing, the only solution is to stop complaining and blaming others, and soldier on. No one will save you but you. Breathe and tackle one issue at a time. Yard by yard, it's hard — but inch by inch, it's a cinch.

Silence the negative voices in your head and reassure your mind with affirmations, replacing "I" with  "me." So, instead of "I am confident, I can do this," say, "Me is confident, me can do this." It doesn't sound right, but "me" hits deeper because it's hardwired into your subconscious. Then do the Rocky victory pose, jump around and get some exercise, and you will feel better immediately.

— James Daily, founding partner of Daily Law Group, which helps high-profile clients with fiduciary abuse litigation, including fraud, crisis management, and business and family disputes; connect with James on LinkedIn 

8. Welcome uncomfortable situations

Everyone faces challenges. As motivational speaker T. Harv Eker explains, successful people have fear, doubts, and worries just like everyone else; but they don't let that stop them. Being prepared for tough times begins with your psychology. Train your mind to welcome uncomfortable situations as developmental tools.

Unshakable confidence comes from a solid foundation built on faith in something dependable. If your confidence is based on external circumstances or validation, it will be shaky. Mine is rooted in my relationship with God and love for my family. With that security, I can find immovable strength and perspective within to handle all of life's curveballs.

— Tom Shieh, CEO of Crimcheck, advisory board member to Defy Ventures, and advisor to Tiny Devotions. Connect with Tom on Facebook.

9. Keep your word to yourself

If you feel like an imposter, it's often because you don't trust yourself, which lowers your self-esteem. Confidence is a byproduct of credibility with yourself, which you create by keeping your promises to yourself, big and small. Stack small wins throughout the day, then stack those days on top of each other. Wake up with your alarm instead of hitting snooze, and complete your to-do list. If you commit to working out five days a week, do it. This proves to your subconscious that you are a person of your word. Then when you have to make a big decision, you'll do it with confidence.

— Bedros Keuilian, founder ofFit Body Boot Camp, a high-profit, scalable gym franchise driven by impact. Connect with Bedros onInstagram,Facebook, andYouTube.

10. Try things and fail

You must have courage to ideate and create. No one is born with courage — you develop it when you fail or things don't go your way, and when you acknowledge that the punishment is never as bad as we fear. Failure is not absolute, so embrace it. The challenges that result from failure force you to figure out solutions. Over time, you become confident that no matter what happens, you can figure it out. But you cannot fail if you don't try — so first, you have to try.

— Jonathan Goodman, founder of thePersonal Trainer Development Center and the first-ever certification for online fitness training, theOnline Trainer Academy. Connect with Jonathan onFacebook andInstagram.

11. Believe in yourself

We are entrepreneurs because we want to shake stuff up and make big things happen. We are at our best when we are living in stupid confidence; so even if life throws you a curveball, trust that you know how to handle it. Breathe, think, and take a calculated step toward a solution. Ask mentors for advice if you need to, but ultimately, trust yourself and your gut!

— Michelle Luchese, cofounder and chief product officer of wedding band company Manly Bands. Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn.

Want to share your insights in a future article? Join The Oracles, a mastermind group of the world's leading entrepreneurs who share their success strategies to help others grow their businesses and build better lives. Apply here. Follow The Oracles on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

• Billionaire Citadel founder Ken Griffin has built one of the most well-known brands in hedge-fund history, and those who have worked for him have benefitted.
• A Business Insider review has found dozens of funds started by an alum of Citadel or connected to Griffin in some way.
• While Griffin isn't in the business of seeding top producers in the way Tiger Management founder Julian Robertson or George Soros were, Citadel's pod structure gives portfolio managers the chance to run a team.
• In recent years, when new hedge funds have struggled to launch, some of the biggest start-ups have come from Citadel, including Woodline Capital, Cinctive Capital, and Candlestick Capital. 
• "Great firms drop the seeds of future success stories," Griffin said at an Economic Club of New York event in February. 
• Visit BI Prime for more Wall Street stories.

Ken Griffin modeled Citadel after Goldman Sachs' old-school analyst program. And, just like Goldman, when employees leave Citadel, they have a leg up in the industry. 

While Tiger Management founder Julian Robertson remains the gold standard for hedge-fund networks, the hedge funds with connections to Griffin's Citadel are growing in both number and prominence. 

A review of LinkedIn, past media, and industry sources led Business Insider to pull together a list of roughly 80 funds that were founded by someone who worked at Citadel or by someone who worked at a fund run by a Citadel alum. The research showed that roughly an eighth of the funds on the list are running more than $1 billion. 

Well-known funds like Alec Litowitz's Magnetar Capital and Anand Parekh's Alyeska Investment Management highlight the generation of Citadel alums to first come about. Recently, some of the industry's biggest launches have been former Citadel heavy-hitters like Jack Woodruff's Candlestick Capital, Brandon Haley's Holocene Advisors, and Mike Rockefeller and Karl Kroeker's Woodline Capital. 

While Cinctive Capital's founders are best known for their old fund Diamondback, Richard Schimel also led Citadel's now-shuttered Aptigon unit for a couple years. 

This year, we have already reported on Prashanth Jayaram, a former healthcare portfolio manager who worked at Citadel and Tiger Cub Maverick Capital, who is launching his fund Tri Locum Partners. 

A majority of the list has launched since the financial crisis, when Citadel lost $8 billion in assets and was in danger of closing (Griffin told The Wall Street Journal in 2015 that it took the firm three years and 17 days to earn back the losses).

Since then, the firm has added billions in assets, built out new teams and businesses, and cemented its status as one of the marquee names in the hedge fund industry with $30 billion in AUM. The firm's flagship Wellington fund has an annualized return of 18.7% since its launch nearly 30 years ago, and there are 950 investment professionals on more than 100 teams for the Chicago-based firm. 

"Citadel has always focused on attracting and developing the world's top investment talent, and making significant investments in tools and resources to provide them with a platform where they will be most successful. Over the years, a handful of our successful portfolio managers have leveraged what they honed at the firm and decided to launch their own firm," the firm said in a statement provided to Business Insider.

Unlike Tiger, where many of the hedge funds launched by Robertson's disciples traded like him, Citadel's multi-strategy structure means spin-offs invest across the board.

Jonathan Graham's Aquatic Capital Management is a quant fund, while Renee Yao's Neo Ivy Capital uses machine-learning to trade equities globally (Yao did not manage money for Citadel during her time there). Matthew Smith, who was included on Sohn's rising stars list, founded his energy-focused hedge fund Deep Basin Capital in 2015 after working as an energy PM for Griffin. 

The list of names includes people that made it to the highest ranks of Citadel as well as though who were only analysts before jumping to another fund or deciding to try and launch their own with limited experience. Michael Cowley founded Sandbar Asset Management in London after working as a portfolio manager for Izzy Englander's Millennium but was also an analyst at Citadel in the mid-2000s. Rushin Shah was at Citadel for less than two years before he founded Nine27 Capital Management at the beginning of this year. 

Roughly half of the list of alums were portfolio managers or heads of businesses at Citadel before launching their own fund, while the other half were analysts, researchers, and developers who often went to another hedge fund before setting out on their own.

Not all alums have left in good standing. Citadel sued Misha Malyshev roughly a decade ago for stealing the firm's IP to start his own high-frequency trading firm, Teza Technologies, and a court fined Malyshev $1.1 million. 

At one point, Citadel ran a seeding platform, known as PioneerPath that managers like Clint Murray's Lodge Hill Capital and Todd Cantor's Encompass Capital came from. But it was short-lived, lasting roughly two years from 2008 to 2010, before becoming a part of Surveyor, one of Citadel's three equities businesses. 

Griffin himself is not in the business of backing many launches either. Most of his personal money is invested in Citadel funds, though he did back Woodruff last year. Citadel, as a firm, has no money invested in outside hedge funds either. 

Talking at an Economic Club of New York event last month, Griffin said he was proud of the fact so many people from Citadel are running their own shops. While the 30-year-old hedge fund always wants to keep its top talent, Griffin is proud people can "stand on their own two feet" after leaving Citadel. 

"Great firms drop the seeds of future success stories," he said in a conversation with Goldman Sachs President John Waldron. 

Search Griffin's quickly expanding web 

SEE ALSO: Billionaire Citadel founder Ken Griffin explains why he modeled his firm after Goldman Sachs' analyst program — and says future leaders can't expect a 9-to-5 lifestyle and a 'great weekend'

SEE ALSO: Julian Robertson's Tiger Management is at the center of a quarter-trillion-dollar web linking billionaires, the Pharma Bro, and a 'Big Short' main character

SEE ALSO: Citadel, BlackRock, and D1 Capital are racking up hundreds of millions in gains as coronavirus fears tank airlines, cruises, and movie-theater stocks

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NOW WATCH: How networks treat the Democratic debates like reality TV

• With the outbreak of the coronavirus, families are facing tough decisions on how to take care of each other, especially those relatives over the age of 60 who are at a much higher risk.
• Erica Hauver is the founder & CEO of Cook Keto, and an expert on Keto Nutrition Therapy and chronic disease reversal.
• Last week, Hauver drove to her elderly parents' home in Maryland to bring them supplies, and have a hard conversation about the dangers of COVID-19 and the necessary precautions they needed to be taking, but weren't.
• On Twitter, Hauver documented the conversation with her parents — with her permission, we've shared her Tweets.
• While social isolation may be important to curb the spread of the disease, Hauver notes that "avoidance is not an act of love," and that we should still be providing care for people most at risk.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

As I drove to my parents' home north of Baltimore on March 13 — with a trunk full of disinfectant, hand sanitizer, a thermometer, and nutritious meals for their freezer — I couldn't stop thinking about how our definition of "acts of love" needs to change during this crisis.

I pulled into their driveway, sanitized my hands, and took the supplies as far as their back door. Their faces fell when I told them I wasn't coming in. I suggested we sit on the back deck, my chair a good distance from theirs. I told them we needed to talk about the pandemic.

I asked them what they were doing to protect themselves. "Everything we can." When I probed what that meant, it was clear they were not implementing most of the basic steps, let alone exercising the vigilance required for those in their 70s and 80s.

My mom was aware of the recommendations about basic coronavirus precautions, but was discounting their importance. Weeks of messaging about politically motivated overreaction & comparisons of COVID-19 to the flu had become entrenched in their social circles.

My father does not watch the news or own a single screen other than their TV. He is a sports fanatic though. The announcements from the NCAA, NBA, MLB to cancel or postpone the remainder of their sports seasons shocked and worried him. He asked, "How bad is this?"

My internal GPS kicked in. Education was my top job today. But they were starting from different places. If my mom does not embrace the changes they need to make, they won't happen, so we started with the "not much worse than the flu" myth.

Graphs are super helpful for these COVID-19 conversations. My dad nudged my mom, "They've never shut down the entire sports industry for the flu."

Sports & school announcements raised the obvious question: Why is there such a gap between the relatively low number of cases/deaths versus these extraordinary public health measures? We discussed this graph.

Then I explained why we were having our conversation outside and at quite a distance from one another. "We have no idea in America how many people are actually infected, and therefore infectious." No blame, just fact.

My dad asked how long the extreme measures would last. I explained how the runaway spread of coronavirus had overwhelmed Italy and China's healthcare systems, which is why everyone is now focused on taking preventative steps.

The "flatten the curve" concept has circulated widely for weeks in some media circles, but it is important to recognize that most people have not seen it or had it explained to them. It is a powerful tool for visualizing the cost and benefit of the sacrifices we are all making.

My dad asked about treatment. I described the spectrum of  COVID-19 clinical experiences and then opened up the most difficult, but important, part of our conversation — their personal risk profiles by age and underlying health conditions.

This conversation was somber and did the job. My dad said, "I guess the dinner we are hosting tomorrow night will be our last for a while."

My parents were finally ready to discuss the practical changes they need to make to reduce their risk of exposure. The helpful information recently posted on the CDC website had not yet made it into their orbit.

But I knew that information was unlikely to make a big impression, so we sat a while longer, running through practical scenarios, agreeing what new habits they need to form. The difference between a conversation and a website might be the difference between life and death.

As they accepted this new reality, different worries emerged — about their quality of life and fear of isolation. Their family, friends, and church community are the sources of so much meaning in their lives. There are so many ways to solve these problems, together.

This was all reassuring, but I could feel the big question hanging in the air. "What will happen if we get sick?"

I shared what symptoms to look for and the importance of contacting me at the very first sign of trouble so that we can make fast decisions together. This was hard for them to accept. They are used to being self-sufficient.

Then they began to worry about infecting us if we step in to help them. I took them back to this graph and pointed to the bars where my husband, children, and I fall. Relief flooded my dad's face. He said "thank you"— closer to tears than I have ever seen him.

My family is fortunate to be physically close to my parents. But the Atlantic Ocean separates us from my in-laws. Both scenarios require similar honest, loving conversations, even if the scenario planning looks very different. Avoidance is not an act of love. We all need to give, and be willing to receive, a lot more love in the time of coronavirus.

Erica Hauver is an expert on Keto Nutrition Therapy and chronic disease reversal. She is the founder & CEO of Cook Keto. Connect with her on Twitter.

SEE ALSO: I left my home in Wuhan for a weeklong beach vacation with my son and husband. Now we can't get back in — and we're giving up on trying.

READ MORE: An American student living in Italy describes what it was like to watch the country shut down as the coronavirus panic spread

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• Learning new skills online is often far more convenient and inexpensive than in-person enrollment.
• Online learners tend to appreciate controlling the pace, paying a lower fee, and in some cases, having access to the course materials for life.
• Below are six of the best and most popular options for online learning, including Udemy, Coursera, and MasterClass.

There's a reason people are turning to online learning en masse. Students can learn on their own schedule, save money on commuting, boarding, and a host of other expenses, and can often download course lectures for convenient offline reading. Plus, some options let you have access to classes forever once you've paid for them. Some are free, and some sites let you take as many courses as you want for a small payment. You can pick up professional certifications online, skills that help you get hired in a quickly changing market, and even masters degrees.

Whether to advance your career or to pick up new hobbies that help you enjoy everyday life, online courses are one of the best perks of the 21st century, and one way the internet is democratizing information — even in the form of free Ivy League courses. All you need is internet access. 

Below, find six of the most popular online learning communities:

Udemy

Browse Udemy classes here >>

Udemy has probably the largest selection of online courses, with more than 100,000 video courses and new additions published every month. With sale prices as low as $10.99 per course, it's often one of the most affordable options as well. Currently, there are more than 30 million students using the service and courses available in more than 50 languages. 

Topics range from business to IT & software to music and more.

How to get started: Sign up with an email address to browse courses. 

Popular classes to consider:

• The Complete Financial Analyst Course 2020
• An Entire MBA in 1 Course
• Character Art School: Complete Coloring and Painting Course
• Machine Learning A-Z: Hands-On Python & R In Data Science

Coursera

Browse Coursera classes here >>

Coursera has thousands of classes taught by top instructors from some of the world's best universities and educational institutions, including Stanford, Penn, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Columbia, and Yale. You can even earn degrees and certifications through the site.

Topics range from data science to personal development to linguistics to social sciences and more. 

Each course is like an interactive textbook with pre-recorded videos, quizzes, and projects. You can connect with thousands of other students to debate ideas, discuss course material, or get help in mastering the concepts. You can earn certificates for your work, and share your achievements with friends, colleagues, and employers.

How to get started: Sign up with an email address. On average, individual courses range from $29-$99 each though there are free courses you can audit. 

Popular classes to consider:

• Machine Learning by Stanford University
• Learning How to Learn by McMaster University
• Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python) by University of Michigan
• Python for Everybody Specialization by University of Michigan
• Chinese for Beginners by Peking University

Skillshare

Browse skillshare classes here >>

Skillshare has more than 25,000 classes taught by creators, entrepreneurs, and professionals from around the world. For instance, I enrolled in a class run by one of my favorite authors.

Course topics span categories: design, illustration, business, technology, photo and film, entrepreneurship, and writing. 

Each class has short lessons and a hands-on project for you to work on, which can be shared in class for feedback and collaboration from the community. Skillshare will also recommend classes and "lists"— essentially a curated curriculum for a topic like graphic design or branding — based on your interests.

How to get started: Get a free account with just an email address. You'll have access to free classes on web and mobile. For full access to all classes and offline viewing, you'll need a premium membership. A premium Skillshare membership is $15 billed monthly, or $99 up front for the year ($8.25 per month). Enroll in one or multiple classes with no extra charge.

Popular classes to consider:

• Fundamentals of DSLR Photography
• Productivity Masterclass: Create a Custom System that Works 
• iPhone Photography: How to Take Pro Photos On Your iPhone
• Intro to Procreate: Illustrating on the iPad Pro
• Investing 101: Understanding the Stock Market

CreativeLive

Browse CreativeLive classes here >>

What CreativeLive is: CreativeLive is a learning platform designed specifically for creators, with more than 1,500 classes taught by more than 650 industry-leading experts. Each class falls under one of five categories: photo and video, art and design, music and audio, craft and maker, or money and life. Ultimately, the classes are centered around making creativity a habit, be it for personal or professional use.

How to get started: Sign up with an email address. Classes are as low as $20, and you can buy and own them forever — just in case you one day need a refresher.

Popular classes to consider:

• Adobe Photoshop CC Bootcamp
• How to Make a Living Selling What You Make
• Color Fundamentals
• Workflow, Time Management and Productivity for Creatives

EdX

Browse edX classes here >>

EdX is similar to Coursera in that it hosts classes from some of the world's leading universities, nonprofits, and institutions. EdX was founded by Harvard University and MIT, and it's currently the only leading MOOC provider that is both non-profit and open source. 

EdX has more than 100 institutional partners, including Berkeley, MIT, and Harvard, and offers courses in everything from the arts to architecture, economics, law, and more. You can also enroll in MicroMasters, Masters programs, and get professional certificates.

How to get started: Sign up with an email address. Except for professional education courses, edX is free to enroll and audit. If you want a verified certificate, there is a fee ($50 - $300 typically). 

Popular classes to consider:

• Teaching Critical Thinking through Art with the National Gallery of Art
• Thinking & Acting like an Entrepreneur by RWTH Aachen University
• Blockchain Technology by University of California, Berkeley
• Design Thinking Fundamentals by Rochester Institute of Technology
• Analytics Storytelling for Impact by Microsoft

MasterClass

Browse MasterClass classes here >>

What MasterClass is: MasterClass offers online classes created for students of any skill level, taught by world-renowned instructors in each field, like Dan Brown, Margaret Atwood, and Serena Williams, among others.

Masterclass has more than 75 classes with 20 10-minute lessons per class on average. Each class was created by the instructor and typically includes pre-recorded video content, a PDF of a class workbook, interactive assignments, and community activities. Periodically, MasterClass may have opportunities for students to submit work to instructors for feedback.

How to get started: Find a class or classes you'd like to take. Students who purchase classes individually ($90 each) will have unlimited access to every lesson in their chosen course. Students with an All-Access Pass ($180 per year or $15 per month) can enroll in any MasterClass. They can access course lessons for as long as their subscription is active.

Popular classes to consider:

• Will Wright Teaches Game Design and Theory 
• Jimmy Chin Teaches Adventure Photography
• Dominique Ansel Teaches French Pastry Fundamentals

• A 2019 study by Intuit QuickBooks revealed that nearly 70% of small business owners struggle with cash-flow challenges.
• Business Insider rounded up 11 company founders and small business owners to recommend their favorite podcasts for learning to manage their company's finances.
• Their suggestions include "Secrets of Wealthy Women" by The Wall Street Journal, "CFO Thought Leader" by Jack Sweeney, "Inside the Strategy Room" by McKinsey Strategy & Corporate Finance, and "Her CEO Journey: The Business Finance Podcast for Women Entrepreneurs" by Christina Sjahli, among others.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

As a company founder you may be an expert on your product, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you have a firm grasp on financial matters. 

A 2019 study by Intuit QuickBooks revealed that nearly 70% of small business owners struggle with cash-flow challenges. Many other money matters may keep entrepreneurs up at night as well, from securing loans and other financing to organizing financial paperwork to avoid tax-time panic.

To help you get comfortable wearing that CFO hat when your title is CEO of your startup, Business Insider rounded up 11 company founders and small business owners to recommend their favorite podcasts on this topic.

1. "The Entrepreneurship Elevated Podcast" by Michael Michalowicz

"Every entrepreneur who'd like to be their own CFO should be listening to 'The Entrepreneurship Elevated Podcast,'" said Justin Kerby, the founder of Something Great Marketing, a digital marketing agency in Vancouver and Denver. The podcast "dives deep into the principles that would-be CFOs should know before taking over the finances of their business," Kerby explained.   

He added that the bestselling book "Profit First," written by the podcast's host Mike Michalowicz, has "forever changed the way I think about accounting."

2. "Secrets of Wealthy Women" by The Wall Street Journal 

The No. 1 podcast that Joanna Loughran — the director of business development at InteliKINECT, an integrated call center that she founded — religiously listens to is the WSJ's "Secrets of Wealthy Women."

"This podcast not only talks about the success of these women, but also the pitfalls and trials they went through that helped get them to where they are today," said Loughran. "This podcast helps me think about the bigger picture when it comes to my company." 

The business owner and founder added that the podcast helps her consider additional ways she can add value to her clients. 

"The women in this podcast hold high positions in big companies like Road Runner and Vogue, and they are not afraid to take big risks and shoot for the stars when it comes to building up their brand," she said. "In each episode, the introduction says, 'Help women empower themselves financially,' and it does just that. It empowers me to make money moves for success." 

3. "The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startup" by Shubham Datta

"As a self-funded cofounder, I'm guilty of having done our own payroll and bookkeeping," admitted Tyler Rooney, the chief product officer and cofounder of Format, a portfolio-building website for creative professionals. Rooney noted that while nothing can replace having an experienced financial operator or CFO at the helm, it helps in the founder's position "to have a scope of what 'you don't know.'" 

To that end, he recommended "The Backbone" with Shubham Datta as "a great podcast" he has recently come across, which bills itself in its tagline as "a journey inside finance at a startup."

"[Datta's] guests include a wide variety of financial operators from both VC and self-funded tech businesses," said Rooney. "They discuss finance on the high level as well as nitty-gritty details about what can be big wins or a total flop. There's definitely something for everyone."

4. "CFO Thought Leader" by Jack Sweeney

As the CEO and director of his own multipractice dental firm, G4 by Golpa, Dr. Mike Golpa often has to wear many hats — CEO, CFO, and dentist. Golpa told Business Insider that podcasts are one thing that helps him manage the administrative side of his business. 

Golpa's favorite is "CFO Thought Leader," created and hosted by Jack Sweeney, which is billed on the podcast's website as "all about inspiring finance professionals to take a leadership leap."

"I like how they interview each guest with pretty much the same format — what do you struggle with? How do you overcome those struggles? What makes you good at your job? The guests come from all sorts of backgrounds and niches, which is also enjoyable," Golpa said. The CEO emphasized that it's "refreshing" to hear that others have struggled and overcome many of the same struggles that he has.

5. "Inside the Strategy Room" by McKinsey Strategy & Corporate Finance 

McKinsey & Company's "Inside the Strategy Room" features frank talk with the consulting firm's partners and executives on "the challenges they face creating lasting strategies in a fast-changing world."

"'Inside the Strategy Room' is one of the few podcasts I've found that provides practical financial strategies while also covering a range of interesting topics," said Jason Field, the founder and CEO of BrainStation, which offers digital skills training and has trained more than 70,000 professionals. 

Field reported that this podcast is "useful not only to CFOs, but any entrepreneur looking to think more strategically about money."

6. "So Money with Farnoosh Torabi" by Farnoosh Torabi

Financial strategist, TV host, and bestselling author Farnoosh Torabi is the host of this popular podcast, which has been recognized as the top female-hosted podcast by Entrepreneur magazine and the top podcast to grow your business by Inc. magazine.

"In 'So Money,' Farnoosh Torabi uses a financial angle to talk to some of the greatest minds in entrepreneurship," said Field. "From investing to personal finance, it's great to hear her interviews with leaders in business and finance."

7. "How I Built This with Guy Raz" by NPR

This crowd-pleasing podcast was also selected by Business Insider's expert panels as almost as good as getting an MBA and among the best VC podcasts to listen to.

Field put it on his list because he said it "helps entrepreneurs be more wise with early-stage capital, providing tactics to help business owners avoid spending too much money too quickly."

8. "Financial Fluency: How Women Thrive Outside of the 9 to 5" by Jenn Turell

Stacy Caprio, who is the founder of Accelerated Growth Marketing, which offers full-service Google Adwords account creation and management, recommended "Financial Fluency" as "a great podcast to listen to if you want to start wrapping your mind around what it takes to be your own CFO." She said that the podcast gives plenty of insight into the different aspects of managing a company financially.

"The Financial Fluency podcast meets you where you're at as a business owner and doesn't try to overcomplicate things, making it one of the best in its genre," said Caprio.

9. "Freakonomics Radio" by Steven J. Dubner and Stephen Levitt

In his role as the owner and founder of a private investigation firm, North American Investigations, Inc., chief investigator Darrin Giglio admitted he is "not the most savvy guy when it comes to the CFO stuff." 

Giglio said that's why he likes what he hears on "Freakonomics Radio" so much. "Just like the book, the podcast addresses economic topics with easy-to-understand, everyday examples and language," he pointed out. 

"Sometimes, what they discuss may not seem related to finances, the economy, or anything at all remotely CFO-related, and then suddenly, they show you how important and relevant it really is," Giglio explained.

10. "Planet Money" by NPR

"I found these guys on the radio, and then discovered their podcast," Giglio said. "Like the 'Freakonomics' hosts, they put everything in plain talk." 

Giglio also appreciates that the show has a sense of humor. 

"It's not all financial stuff, all the time," he said. "While knowing all about the latest tax legislation is nice, knowing how the protests in Hong Kong, or the summer's floods in the Midwest might affect my small business in the New York/New Jersey area, is more important to me."

11. "Her CEO Journey: The Business Finance Podcast for Women Entrepreneurs" by Christina Sjahli

Linda M. Lopeke — who is the founder of SMARTSTART Omnimedia, which specializes in strategic business development— said that while she isn't generally a podcast listener, she became one for "Her CEO Journey."

"This one is so interesting, I've made an exception by taking time to catch new episodes," said Lopeke. "You won't find any boring accounting speak here! Women share the truth about their business success stories as told by their numbers. Some lessons are learned the hard way — no shame or judgment here — but regardless of the challenges, financial and otherwise, these women simply don't give up and go on to live their business dreams!"

She added that she often learns something new and encouraging despite having been a successful business owner herself for over 40 years.

Sandra Shorter, the owner of online scratch bakery The Naked Cupcake in Orlando, Florida, also noted that the host "wants her audience to understand that they can't ignore the business finance side and [determining] what are the best processes to put in place as they are growing their business."

And Erin Rollenhagen, a 12-plus-year tech entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Entrepreneurial Technologies Inc., described the podcast as "for women who are navigating the tricky financial waters of entrepreneurship." 

"She shines a light on both successes and failures we can all learn from and really dives deep on the stories of female entrepreneurs in a variety of industries," Rollenhagen concluded.

12. "DeductRight" by Thomas J. Williams

Thomas J. Williams, a tax accountant, author, and cofounder of Deducting the Right Way, alerted Business Insider to his podcast, "DeductRight," which he said "empowers small business owners to tackle their business finances."

"The podcast gives them a deeper understanding of the CFO, CEO, and CTO (tax) role by narrating the articles found on the Deducting the Right Way blog," Williams explained. 

Recent episodes tackle issues that small business owners will appreciate, including a temporary fix when you can't afford an accountant and how to claim mileage from your home office.

This article was originally published on Business Insider November 24, 2019.

SEE ALSO: Required reading: These are the books top professors at the best business schools in the country are having their MBA students read

READ MORE: 24 podcasts picked by industry leaders, successful executives, and business school professors that are almost as good as getting an MBA

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How networks treat the Democratic debates like reality TV

• Escaping the 9-to-5 and becoming your own boss is hard. 
• Nearly 16 million Americans are self-employed, according to a 2019 study by Pew Research Center.
• Business Insider asked four professionals who quit their jobs to start new careers what their favorite books were and compiled a list of 10 essentials. 
• From step-by-step guides to novels written in first person, here's what they recommend.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

Despite what pop culture has conveyed, quitting your job is a big decision. Walking out, theatrically telling off your boss, or deciding to leave on a whim generally doesn't happen. Instead, pivotal career changes can be stewed over for months — or even years. 

If becoming your own boss or starting your own business has been at the forefront of your mind for quite some time, it may be best to hunker down and study the wisdom of those who have done it themselves.

Business Insider reached out to four professional entrepreneurs with books of their own to see what their top choices were for readers looking to leave their cubicle days behind. 

1. "The Big Life: Embrace the Mess, Work Your Side Hustle, Find a Monumental Relationship, and Become the Badass Babe You Were Meant to Be" by Ann Shoket

Nicole Lapin is a bestselling author and self-described "finance pro"— but before she was writing books and coaching the internet on what to do with their paychecks, she was a news anchor with nearly $20,000 in debt. Not wanting debt to control her life, Lapin left her job in broadcast news and decided to start a production company. She shared how she learned from her money mistakes with her millennial audience — Lapin's third, and latest, book, "Becoming Super Woman," tackles what to do when you feel burnt out and find yourself working hard but not moving forward. 

Lapin finds that Ann Shoket's book speaks to millennial women with aspirations beyond climbing the corporate ladder. In "The Big Life," Shoket includes personal anecdotes about her decade-long post as editor-in-chief of Seventeen Magazine and expands on the idea that one should craft a passion, not a career, to achieve meaningful success. 

"It reminds you to stop and think if you're living a life you're proud of, and if you're not, to do something about it," Lapin said. 

2. "Leave Your Mark: Land Your Dream Job. Kill It in Your Career. Rock Social Media" by Aliza Licht

Lapin recommended Licht's first book, "Leave Your Mark," for those looking to start over in their careers the right way. 

Like Lapin, Licht left her "dream job" as a public relations professional after 17 years to build and market her own brand. Since then, Licht launched a career-focused podcast and became a digital consultant. 

In "Leave Your Mark," Licht talks about what it is like to make a momentous career change, what skills are needed to succeed as an entrepreneur, and how to harness social media to grow a new business. Licht's advice is also littered with "'The Devil Wears Prada'-like moments and insider secrets," Lapin said.

3. "168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think" by Laura Vanderkam

For more than 15 years, Jon Acuff was a marketing executive, working to tell the stories of dozens of companies. Today, he is a full-time public speaker and author of six bestselling books, hosting events for companies like Walmart, Nissan, Microsoft, and Comedy Central. His own book, "Do Over: Make Today the First Day of Your New Career," talks about how to sharpen your skills, even when your career hits the ceiling. 

But Acuff finds Vanderkam's "168 Hours" to be the perfect explainer of why "busy" doesn't mean what we think it does. 

"People are constantly telling me they are too busy to pursue new endeavors — but if that's true, why does the average American over 18 have time for 4.5 hours of TV a day?" said Acuff. "You have a lot more time than you think to work on the things you care about, and Vanderkam does a wonderful job explaining that."

Vanderkam notes in her book that successful and happy people allocate their time differently than most. And for a more well-rounded life, people need to drown the daily grind and make room for their true priorities. 

4. "The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles" by Steven Pressfield 

Acuff said that although Pressfield's book isn't necessarily about entrepreneurship, he recommends it to nearly anyone about to embark on a new adventure — fairly synonymous with starting a business. 

"Pressfield's unflinching look at resistance — that potpourri of fear, doubt, and anxiety that accompanies big decisions — has helped me dozens of times over the years," said Acuff.

"The War of Art" is described as a practical guide for homing in on creative breakthroughs. Pressfield writes that recognizing your obstacles is the answer to beat "self-sabotage" and procrastination.

5. "This Is Marketing: You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn to See" by Seth Godin

Cathy Heller, host of the podcast "Don't Keep Your Day Job" and author of the book with the same name, has made a career out of helping people become their own bosses. But before all that, she was a recording artist, licensing her music out to TV shows and movies. After a while, Heller found herself teaching other artists to license their work when the idea of becoming a career coach clicked. 

Heller believes Godin's book "This is Marketing" to be "the only book people need to read on the subject."

"Seth teaches us that marketing isn't sleazy, it's the opposite," said Heller. "Marketing is having radical empathy and making sure you are effectively communicating that you made the thing that people need."

In "This is Marketing," Godin, a former dot-com business executive, argues that good marketing should never solely solve the problems of the company, but of consumers. The book touches on the idea of trust and how to implement new-age communication techniques through Godin's own intuitiveness and real-life examples, added Heller. 

6. "The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level" by Gay Hendricks

"'The Big Leap' is such a powerful book because everyone plays within the limits of what they decide is possible," said Heller. "We stay small and we suffer unnecessarily ... Hendricks helps us see how we confine ourselves and shows us a way to break through this upper limit."

Hendricks' bestselling book was first released nearly a decade ago and includes anecdotes from his personal life as an executive career coach, as well as insights into the careers of other successful people, including Dell Computer founder Michael Dell. Heller said Hendricks encourages readers to tap into their "zone of excellence" to unleash "a whole other realm of genius"— a message "everyone needs," Heller added.

7. "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance" by Angela Duckworth 

The New York Times calls Duckworth "a scholar you have to take seriously"— one that has coauthored bestselling books and was awarded the MacArthur "genius" fellowship for her analysis of the noun prominently displayed on her 2016 book. 

For Heller, however, Duckworth's "Grit" not only provides commentary on the character trait many strive for, but the need for optimism when searching for success. 

"This book highlights that what matters most isn't talent or your zip code," said Heller. "It's not about being dealt a lucky hand, it's about having persistence."

Duckworth, a psychologist and researcher by trade, uses examples of success from history, follows cadets as they traverse through West Point, and interviews heavyweight executives like JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. 

Though what may be the most compelling parts of "Grit" are Duckworth's analysis of her own success, confrontation with her lack of genius, and discovery that what's needed most to fuel grit is optimism, said Heller. 

8. "Starting a Business All-in-One For Dummies" by Bob Nelson and Eric Tyson

Sophia Amoruso first started out slinging vintage clothing on eBay in 2006 as a high-school dropout, harnessing social media to help her grow it into one of the fastest growing retail businesses, NastyGal. Her 2014 memoir "#Girlboss" regales her path to success. In 2015, she left the company she created to build another, Girlboss Media, a professional networking community for women. 

Amoruso recommended "Starting a Business All-in-One for Dummies" because it was one of the first business books she ever picked up. 

"They're super comprehensive and cover all you need to know about establishing a business," said Amoruso, "from legal to finance to the nuts and bolts of getting set up."

The number of people who've quit their jobs and started their own businesses is on the rise. Nearly 16 million Americans are self-employed, according to a 2019 study by Pew Research Center, and 30% of the US workforce works for self-employed individuals. 

9. "The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers" by Ben Horowitz

"Horowitz has had an ultra-influential blog for years, and this book is a culmination of his incredible experience both building, scaling, and investing in startups," said Amoruso. 

Horowitz is the other half of Andreessen Horowitz, the titan of Silicon Valley venture capitalist firms. An avid music fan, Horowitz does something fairly unconventional in his book: He dissects business lessons from his favorite rap lyrics. 

"The Hard Thing About Hard Things" is described as a mix of humor and hard lessons, lessons from Horowitz's own experience building a successful venture fund, as well as his own experiences gleaned from being an entrepreneur himself, Amoruso said. 

"An essential," she added.

10. "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by Greg McKeown

Amoruso said that for any entrepreneur, "focus is key."

"That's one thing I've learned the hard way," she said. "As an inspired entrepreneur, it's easy to pursue all of your ideas at once, but vetting them and phasing them strategically is incredibly important."

That's why Amoruso recommended "Essentialism": A book that enthusiastically tells readers to review the requests made of them in their careers, reevaluate their priorities, and be okay with saying no. 

McKeown interviews entrepreneurs and executives across industries to see what their career turning points were — where they stopped answering every email, attending every conference, and committing to late nights in the office. He also provides helpful venn diagrams and graphs to make decision-making proactive for those who want to become an essentialist.

This article was originally published on Business Insider February 12, 2020.

SEE ALSO: The 14 best books to read to break into venture capital, according to successful investors, founders, and professors in the VC space

READ MORE: Required reading: These are the books top professors at the best business schools in the country are having their MBA students read

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What's inside these 8 unique creatures

• The side hustle has become a popular supplement to full-time work, often in the form of starting a business or freelancing.
• Successful side hustlers excel at their full-time job first to ensure that others don't question their extra work.
• Keep your hustle and full-time career in the same circles, keep a strict schedule on and off the clock, and focus on the quality rather than the quantity of your work.
• Also remember to practice good self-care techniques while working around the clock.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

Taking on a second job while already employed in a full-time position used to be called "moonlighting." Today, it has morphed into the near ubiquitous side hustle, a practice that has exploded in the gig economy — with a new twist. Instead of doubling up by working for two employers (one after hours), the side hustle now often refers to launching your own small business or startup and/or taking on freelance gigs. 

A 2019 report from Bankrate.com showed that almost half of US workers now rely on a side hustle for extra cash, whether to pay their bills, boost their savings, or have discretionary funds at the ready.

Business Insider tapped three part-time freelancers with high-paying side gigs to find out what this modern-day moonlighting looks like in practice — and how to make these two seemingly conflicting roles fit together seamlessly.

Excel at your full-time job first and foremost

Talya Miron-Shatz is a professor at the Ono Academic College and CEO of her startup Buddy&Soul, a platform for personal development, and earns a comfortable six-figure salary.  She's also a freelance consultant on patient and prescriber behavior. She does consulting work through her own company and consults for other companies as a freelancer — and brings in $10,000 or more per side project.

She suggested that if you go above and beyond in your full-time position, it helps to create goodwill among colleagues about your freelance activities as well.

"Your boss might be wondering why she's paying you full time when you're otherwise engaged," she explained. "Don't get there. Be sure to give your organization all it deserves, and then some." 

To this end, Miron-Shatz said that she works hard to be the "most productive faculty member at the school of business administration." 

"I bring in grants," she said. "And since I study medical decision-making, which is a hot topic, especially now with COVID-19, I'm constantly interviewed, which goes through the college PR and everybody sees. This way, nobody flinches when I am also CEO of Buddy&Soul, or tells me it comes at the expense of my performance."

Create overlap between your role and freelance work

Miron-Shatz also suggested that you can simplify your life by creating synergy between your dual roles. 

"Promoting two careers is hard enough, but if you do it in parallel, it's easier," she said, pointing out that if you're a carpenter who writes poetry, you can't exactly pander your rhymes to people who come in for custom shelving. 

In her case, she avoids this disconnect by ensuring that everything she does — both as a professor and an independent contractor — revolves around medical decision-making. 

"My day job is at the faculty of business administration, where I study medical decision-making and teach consumer behavior. I have over 50 academic publications, which create unique knowledge and give me expertise and credibility, which my consulting and my startup benefit from," she shared.

Practice strict time management outside your 9-to-5 — and be ready to hustle

In addition to working a full-time job as a lead UX designer for a Fortune 500 company, Becky Beach also runs two businesses — an ecommerce store and the blog Mom Beach LLC, a work-at-home resource for moms that gets more than 50,000 pageviews per month — in her spare time. 

"The reason why I started side hustling was because I was wasting too much time watching TV after work and wanted to do something productive," said Beach, who has, since launching her business in the summer of 2017, made over $500,000 in sales through her online boutique and makes over $1,000 a month with her blog. As a result of her successful side hustles, she has paid off over $150,000 in debt. 

While acknowledging that she makes a full-time income from her side-hustle businesses alone, she finds her day job as a UX designer "very satisfying," which is why she hasn't left her corporate job to become a full-time freelancer.

Doing double duty like this does take some planning, though. The UX designer and blogger starts the day by getting up at 4 a.m. to work on her freelance businesses. Then, she works on them again during her lunch break, and at 8 p.m. after her four-year-old son goes to sleep. 

Beach practices "time blocking" to accomplish all of this, which involves dividing her day into discrete blocks of time dedicated to a specific goal or task. The theory is that this approach helps you avoid wasting time figuring out what to do and when, given a long to-do list and conflicting priorities, since you've already indicated on your schedule exactly what you plan to do with each hour of your day.

And it works for Beach. "I will use the Pomodoro time-blocking method to distribute my time into 25-minute blocks," she said. "For five minutes between my blocks, I will get up and stretch and walk around the house." 

The 25-minute time block favored by the Pomodoro Technique is thought to be "long enough to get meaningful work done, but short enough not to exhaust a person," The ONE Thing blog states — a good benchmark for freelancers who have limited hours to get their client work done.

Focus on quality rather than quantity of clients

In addition to time management, figuring out an effective approach to client management is another piece of the puzzle for those who are both full-time workers and freelancers. 

According to Peter Czepiga — who works in marketing full time as growth marketing senior analyst at Bespoke Post, a men's subscription and ecommerce brand, and also freelances as a part-time media buyer — a key part of client management requires limiting how many freelance clients you agree to take on. 

Czepiga, who is currently freelancing for the culinary brand Momofuku, helping them leverage paid social ads to drive online reservations, said his biggest piece of advice to avoid overdoing it is to work with only one freelance client at a time. With this in mind, he tries to keep his freelance rates competitive; depending on the job, Czepiga charges either a percentage of media spend or bills hourly at roughly $120 an hour, working between eight to 10 hours a week. This nets him roughly an extra $1,000 a month on top of his full-time salary, or around $12,000 more a year.

"Freelancing is a saturated and competitive way to make a living," Czepiga said. "Since you are selling your time, in order to produce high-quality work that meets your client's expectations, it is far more productive to build one deep client relationship rather than produce low quality work and leave multiple clients dissatisfied."

Czepiga admitted that in the past, juggling several clients led to his own underperformance across the board, which resulted in actually losing multiple clients simultaneously. 

"I thought multiple clients would be more cost effective, but I was stretching myself way too thin!" Czepiga said. "I have been far happier and found far more long-term success since sticking with my one-client-at-a-time approach." 

He explained that the way he parsed his client list down to one was simply by being pickier about who he worked with. A good way to go about doing this is by raising your rates. 

"The odds are that you are undervaluing your services in the first place, and clients who truly value your contributions more will be more willing to compensate you at a competitive rate," Czepiga said. "Clients who are looking for a cheap fix rather than a long-term partnership will likely drop off." In either case, Czepiga pointed out that it's a win-win situation because you can then reinvest that freed-up time back into your one quality client.

Czepiga also advised that it's important to make sure you understand the scope of work that your client expects from you so that you have a good idea of when you should start looking for new clients. In his case, he asks his clients to provide a rough timeline of how long they expect to need his freelance services. 

"Once I have that peace of mind, I can stop worrying about business development/onboarding potential new business and focus on performing the highest quality service possible for my client," Czepiga said.

Practice self-care and don't overdo it

Taking intentional steps toward creating better balance — between not only their two roles but between their personal and professional life — becomes critical for people who work full-time as well as freelance. Otherwise, they risk burning the candle at both ends.

"To succeed in a career — and even more so, in two careers — you need to have some mental reserves," Miron-Shatz said. 

But how can you make this happen in a world where there is always reason to stay by your desk? Miron-Shatz explained that it's about creating good habits and sticking with them. With this, she exercises daily through swimming, yoga, or walking.

"I never skip exercise more than twice a week. When I get to work out with my daughters, that's a bonus," she shared.

Another way that Miron-Shatz preserves mental reserves is by carving out Friday night as date night with her husband. 

"I never work that evening, ever — which keeps me sane and gives me a mental relaxation horizon," she said.

Another self-care rule includes not pulling all-nighters — a lesson she learned the hard way.

"I did this once for a huge project, which was presented in the UN Special Assembly on non-communicable diseases," she said. "Sleep equals health plus sanity."

SEE ALSO: 5 work-from-home freelancers who earn over $100,000 a year from their sofas share how they stay productive while making bank

NOW READ: 6 CEOs and executives who've been managing remote teams for years share the tools they use to keep their employees motivated and happy

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Kroger, the nation's largest grocer, is giving all of its employees $25 worth of credit for groceries on their loyalty cards.
• "While this is just a small gesture, we hope our associates realize the tremendous value they bring not only to our organization but also to our customers," a Kroger spokesperson said in a statement regarding the gift cards. "We could not be weathering this storm without them."
• But the company does not offer paid sick leave for all of its employees. 
• Those who have contracted the virus or are in mandatory quarantine are eligible for two weeks of paid leave, the company confirmed to Business Insider.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The coronavirus outbreak has many major retailers rethinking their employee benefits and paid leave policies. 

Kroger, the nation's largest grocer, is offering its more than 450,000 employees $25 worth of grocery credit on their loyalty cards to reward their hard work during the pandemic, which has made life difficult for retail workers across the US.

A Kroger spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that this represents an $11 million investment in total.

Politics newsletter Popular Information reported the news on Wednesday and included an apparent clip of Dennis Gibson, president of Kroger subsidiary Fred Meyer, in a voicemail sent to 30,000 employees in which he described the new gift card initiative.

"With this gesture, we hope you will realize the tremendous value you being, not only to Fred Meyer, but also to our customers," Gibson says in the voicemail.

The grocer still does not offer all of its employees paid sick leave. However, those who have contracted the virus or have been put in a mandatory quarantine are eligible for two weeks of paid sick leave, Kroger confirmed to Business Insider.

"The past few weeks have been unprecedented for country, our associates and our customers. Kroger's store, warehouse, distribution, food production and office associates are working around the clock to keep our stores open for our customers," a Kroger spokesperson wrote to Business Insider. "The situation demands us to respond quicker, move faster and work harder to maintain the safety of our associates and the well-being of our customers and communities."

SEE ALSO: 'I'm scared to lose my job and I'm scared to die': Retail employees describe working conditions as coronavirus panic heightens nationwide

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Camel milk can cost $30 a litre. Why is it so expensive?

• Some flight attendants are worried about job safety as flights are suspended or canceled in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
• The salaries of flight attendants vary depending on experience, hours worked, and base airport.
• Pay differs among major carriers as well. Some flight attendants reported their salaries on Glassdoor and PayScale.
• Here are what some flight attendants say they make on different airlines.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Flight attendants are concerned about their jobs as demand for air travel continues to decrease during the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Flight attendants, who are in very close proximity to customers in an enclosed space, have a high chance of being exposed to the coronavirus, according to Business Insider's analysis of occupational work characteristics and measures. 

And members of this occupation may be worried about making ends meet as more flights get canceled during the outbreak because a flight attendant's earnings isn't a straightforward metric.

Airlines pay flight attendants for each hour they're in the air — meaning they could be on duty for 14 hours yet get paid only for a six-hour flight, according to Taylor Garland, a representative for the Association of Flight Attendants union.

Base pay also varies depending on a flight attendant's level of experience, which part of the plane they serve, total hours worked, and the airport they fly out of.

"Flight attendants can fly high (a lot of hours in the air) or low (part-time)," Garland told Business Insider. "It's really up to contract provisions and what best suits their needs."

Working as a flight attendant comes with a particular set of challenges, from dealing with disrespectful passengers to exhausting schedules. But they've also faced more serious challenges. For example, flight attendants on Delta airlines told Business Insider new uniforms cause them to break out in hives, lose their hair, and cough uncontrollably. 

In addition to these issues, pay has fallen significantly for flight attendants over the past 40 years: Median hourly wages dropped by 26% from 1980 to 2007, adjusting for inflation, according to the Population Reference Bureau. Some flight attendants work overtime to pay bills and even qualify for food stamps.

Another major factor contributing to flight-attendant pay variance is which carrier they fly on. While flight attendants in the US earn on average about $50,938, the pay can vary depending on whether they work for Alaska Airlines, Southwest, or Spirit. Pay for flight attendants on regional carriers can be about 45% less than that of workers of main airlines.

Some flight attendants have reported their salaries on job-listing sites like Glassdoor and PayScale to help prospective applicants get a better sense of their hours. These salaries are self-reported to the websites and are an average of all flight attendants who chose to write in — counts ranged from under 10 to over 100. 

Here's how much flight attendants say they make on 10 major carriers, according to data on Glassdoor and PayScale.

SEE ALSO: From baggage handlers to pilots, here's how much everyone who works in air travel makes

Delta flight attendants say they earn $29 to $31 an hour.

PayScale average hourly rate: $31.05
Delta flight attendants who reported to PayScale: 47

Glassdoor average base pay: $29
Delta flight attendants who reported to Glassdoor: 127

American Airlines flight attendants say they make about $35 an hour.

PayScale average hourly rate: $34.82
American flight attendants who reported to PayScale: 66

Glassdoor average base pay: $38,192 a year (Hourly rate not available on Glassdoor.)
American flight attendants who reported to Glassdoor: 153

Flight attendants for United Airlines say they make about $28 to $45 an hour.

PayScale average hourly rate: $45
United flight attendants who reported to PayScale: 56

Glassdoor average base pay: $28
United flight attendants who reported to Glassdoor: 325

Southwest Airlines flight attendants say they make $32 to $36 an hour.

PayScale average hourly rate: $35.85
Southwest flight attendants who reported to PayScale: 43

Glassdoor average base pay: $32
Southwest flight attendants who reported to Glassdoor: 101

JetBlue flight attendants say they make $21 to $24 an hour.

PayScale average hourly rate: $21.34
JetBlue flight attendants who reported to PayScale: 15

Glassdoor average base pay: $24
JetBlue flight attendants who reported to Glassdoor: 62

Allegiant Air flight attendants say they make $22 to $25 an hour.

PayScale average hourly rate: $24.88
Allegiant flight attendants who reported to PayScale: N/A

Glassdoor average base pay: $22
Allegiant flight attendants who reported to Glassdoor: 51

Flight attendants for Spirit say they make around $22 an hour.

PayScale average hourly rate: $21.94
Spirit flight attendants who reported to PayScale: 7

Glassdoor average base pay: $22
Spirit flight attendants who reported to Glassdoor: 54

Flight attendants for Frontier Airlines say they make $20 to $21 an hour.

PayScale average hourly rate: $19.89
Frontier flight attendants who reported to PayScale: 16

Glassdoor average base pay: $21
Frontier flight attendants who reported to Glassdoor: 63

Alaska Airlines flight attendants say they make $23 to $35 an hour.

PayScale average hourly rate: $35.03
Alaska flight attendants who reported to PayScale: 7

Glassdoor average base pay: $23
Alaska flight attendants who reported to Glassdoor: 22

Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants say they make $20 to $35 an hour.

PayScale average hourly rate: $20.49
Hawaiian flight attendants who reported to PayScale: 5

Glassdoor average base pay: $35
Hawaiian flight attendants who reported to Glassdoor: 6

• Online learning sites Coursera and edX allow you to audit classes from top universities for free.
• For additional fees, you can gain access to course certificates, assignments, tests, and even receive a final grade. 
• Course topics vary widely — from business management to social justice, food science to structural engineering — there's something for everyone.
• Now that social distancing and shelter-at-home policies are in place across the country due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, taking an online course is a good opportunity to pass time, learn something new, or advance your career. 

Every year, US News & Reports releases its ranking of the top universities in the country. These schools are renowned for their rigorous academic and research programs, professors and faculty members with resumes packed with accomplishments, and beautiful campuses — but they're not easy to get into, nor are they affordable to attend. 

Thankfully, online learning sites like Coursera and edX are helping to increase access to high-quality education for everyone. Their free and low-priced courses are taught by instructors from the best universities and academic institutions around the world, allowing anyone to advance their education, professional goals, or personal interests. 

Both Coursera and edX allow you to audit any course for free. You get access to course materials and follow along with the class as it progresses. For an additional $40 to $160 (depending on the course) on edX, you receive a verified certificate that you can include in your resume or on your LinkedIn profile. If a course is listed as "Archived" on the site, that means you can't get the certificate, access to the course staff on forums, or graded assignments, but you can still take the course.

Meanwhile, expanded access to Coursera courses includes assignments, tests, and a final grade, and costs $29 to $99 per course. 

Coursera and edX also each offer in-depth specializations that require some more commitment and help learners develop the professional skills that are in demand in their industries today. 

A decade ago, you wouldn't have been able to easily take classes from these top-ranked schools. Now, you can. We rounded up the Coursera and edX courses from each of the schools so you can skip directly to your favorite university, or browse all that each has to offer. 

Note: The following list includes Archived courses on edX. They are designated with an asterisk (*). 

Take these online classes from top 10 universities in the country:

1: Princeton University

Browse all courses from Princeton University at Coursera here

• Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies, 18 hours, available at Coursera
• Effective Altruism, 15 hours, available at Coursera
• Imagining Other Earths, 47 hours, available at Coursera

Browse all courses from Princeton University at edX here

• Making Government Work in Hard Places, 8 weeks, available at edX
• The Art of Structural Engineering: Bridges, 8 weeks, available at edX

2: Harvard University

Browse all courses from Harvard University at edX here

• CS50's Computer Science for Business Professionals, 6 weeks, available at edX
• Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science, 16 weeks, available at edX
• Masterpieces of World Literature, 12 weeks, available at edX
• The Opioid Crisis in America, 10 weeks, available at edX
• Contract Law: From Trust to Promise to Contract, 8 weeks, available at edX

3 (tie): Columbia University

Browse all courses from Columbia University at Coursera here

• Construction Management Specialization, 5 months, available at Coursera
• The Age of Sustainable Development, 38 hours, available at Coursera
• Financial Engineering and Risk Management Part I, 32 hours, available at Coursera

Browse all courses from Columbia University at edX here

• Statistical Thinking for Data Science and Analytics, 5 weeks, available at edX
• Artificial Intelligence (AI), 12 weeks, available at edX*

3 (tie): MIT

Browse all courses from MIT at edX here

• Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science, 9 weeks, available at edX
• Just Money: Banking as if Society Mattered, 16 weeks, available at edX*
• Supply Chain Analytics, 15 weeks, available at edX*
• Design Thinking for Leading and Learning, 6 weeks, available at edX*
• Circuits and Electronics 1: Basic Circuit Analysis, 5 weeks, available at edX

3 (tie): Yale University

Browse all courses from Yale University at Coursera here

• The Science of Well-Being, 20 hours, available at Coursera | Read our review of the course
• Introduction to Negotiation, 27 hours, available at Coursera
• The Global Financial Crisis, 25 hours, available at Coursera
• Essentials of Global Health, 24 hours, available at Coursera

6 (tie): Stanford University

Browse all courses from Stanford University at Coursera here

• Algorithms Specialization, 4 months, available at Coursera
• Organizational Analysis, 28 hours, available at Coursera
• International Women's Health and Human Rights, 48 hours, available at Coursera
• Child Nutrition and Cooking, 9 hours, available at Coursera
• Social and Economic Networks: Models and Analysis, 25 hours, available at Coursera

6 (tie): University of Chicago

Browse all courses from University of Chicago at Coursera here

• Critical Issues in Urban Education, 21 hours, available at Coursera
• Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life, 50 hours, available at Coursera
• Internet Giants: The Law and Economics of Media Platforms, 25 hours, available at Coursera

Browse all courses from University of Chicago at edX here

• Modeling Climate Change, 4 weeks, available at edX*
• Critical Issues in Urban Education, 4 weeks, available at edX*

6 (tie): University of Pennsylvania

Browse all courses from University of Pennsylvania at Coursera here

• Business Foundations Specialization, 6 courses, available at Coursera
• Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content, 6 hours, available at Coursera
• Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society, 26 hours, available at Coursera

Browse all courses from University of Pennsylvania at edX here

• Intellectual Property Law and Policy: Part 1, 6 weeks, available at edX
• Hollywood: History, Industry, Art, 4 weeks, available at edX

9: Northwestern University

Browse all courses from Northwestern University at Coursera here

• Content Strategy for Professionals Specialization, 4 months, available at Coursera
• Social Media Marketing Specialization, 5 months, available at Coursera
• Career 911: Your Future Job in Medicine and Healthcare, 15 hours, available at Coursera
• Scaling Operations: Linking Strategy and Execution, 15 hours, available at Coursera
• Modern Robotics, Course 1: Foundations of Robot Motion, 19 hours, available at Coursera

10 (tie): Duke University

Browse all courses from Duke University at Coursera here

• Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business Specialization, 7 months, available at Coursera
• Behavioral Finance, 9 hours, available at Coursera
• Think Again IV: How to Avoid Fallacies, 11 hours, available at Coursera
• Dog Emotion and Cognition, 12 hours, available at Coursera
• Sports and Society, 12 hours, available at Coursera

10 (tie): Johns Hopkins University

Browse all courses from Johns Hopkins University at Coursera here

• Mastering Software Development in R Specialization, 3 months, available at Coursera
• Systems Thinking In Public Health, 12 hours, available at Coursera
• Major Depression in the Population: A Public Health Approach, 17 hours, available at Coursera
• Health for All Through Primary Health Care, 16 hours, available at Coursera
• Toxicology 21: Scientific Applications, 26 hours, available at Coursera

• May Habib is the CEO of content AI platform Qordoba. She analyzed the language in dozens of tweets by President Donald Trump, US Senator Bernie Sanders, and former Vice President Joe Biden.
• Habib examined the politicians' tweets for levels of anger, negativity, passive-aggression, personal attacks, and hierarchy.
• President Trump's tweets were most likely to display anger, while Sanders' tweets were the most passive-aggressive.
• It's unclear how the politicians' divergent content strategies on social media may affect voter attitudes overall.
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When it comes to politics, words matter, and Twitter is an increasingly popular platform for promoting political messaging. Studying the 2020 presidential candidates' tweets could show us their strategic messaging approaches. President Trump, in particular, has created a special bond with his supporters because of his specific communication style, seen as speaking truth to power and speaking like members of his base.

My company, Qordoba, uses machine learning to analyze language. We pulled hundreds of tweets sent by President Donald Trump, US Senator Bernie Sanders, and former Vice President Joe Biden and evaluated them for words associated with anger, negativity, and passive-aggression.

We also looked into hierarchical language, or "us versus them" verbiage, because Trump is widely believed to use these speech mechanisms to unite his base. We analyzed both personal attacks and hierarchical language because we wanted to see whether Biden or Sanders were trying to motivate their own bases similarly after seeing Trump's approach.

In total, we analyzed 770 tweets by Biden, 616 tweets by Sanders, and 436 tweets by Trump from December 6 to March 10. Here's what we found out from this analysis.

1. Trump uses anger and personal attacks the most of the three

Trump is most likely to use language that's associated with anger or that contains personal attacks on people or institutions. Trump's tweets read angry about 51% of the time, while Biden was angry 33% of the time and Sanders about 30%. Trump's most commonly used terms have been "mini Mike,""Trump,""Bernie,""border," and "fake news."

When read at the sentence level, anger appears in each candidate's tweets. For Trump, common angry terms include "witch hunt,""to embarrass,""illegally spied," and "impeachment hoax."

Biden's anger is revealed in terms like "hate-filled attack,""bigotry,""violence," and "moral failure."

Sanders' angry tweets includes words like "corruption,""greed,""has ignored," and "continuing to lie."

Of the candidates, Trump's messaging is the most focused on attacking his rivals. At this stage in the campaign, he's more focused on calling out Sanders — "It is happening again to Crazy Bernie, just like last time, only far more obvious. They are taking the Democrat Nomination away from him, and there's very little he can do. A Rigged System!" he tweeted Feb. 14— than he is attacking Biden: "I will protect your Social Security and Medicare, just as I have for the past 3 years. Sleepy Joe Biden will destroy both in very short order, and he won't even know he's doing it!" he wrote March 6. 

But the reasons behind this seem complex: Even as Trump attempts to undermine Sanders' mental stability with the "Crazy Bernie" moniker, he promotes a common conspiracy theory around Sanders' failure to gain the Democratic nomination in 2016.

It might be an effort to prop up the candidate he feels is easiest to beat. When Trump attacks Biden, it's simply an attack — and he's redoubled his efforts against the former vice president since Biden's Super Tuesday success.

At the same time, Biden frequently mentions Trump in his messages: His top five most-used words are "Trump/Donald Trump,""president,""country,""nation," and "time." Biden focuses on directly attacking Trump, often tweeting about the nation, the presidency, and Trump himself, much more than Sanders does.

Meanwhile, Sanders' messaging is goal-based rather than opponent-based. His tweets focus on his platform, bringing people together, and enacting change.

2. But Trump also balances negativity with positive talk

Despite Trump's tendencies to use angry language and personal attacks, he is the least likely to register a negative tone because he also talks about himself and his perceived successes a lot.

His most commonly used word is "thank" because he doles out praises to his administration and political allies. Some recent shout-outs include, "BEST USA ECONOMY IN HISTORY!" and "Great job being done by the @VP and the CoronaVirus task force. Thank you!"

Trump spends a large proportion of his Twitter time framing his administration's work positively and thanking supporters. His tweets read negatively a little more than 7% of the time, balanced out by more positive terms such as "strong,""win,""loves," and "wow."

By contrast, Biden's Twitter content read as negative about 13% of the time; Sanders was negative in about 12% of his content. Examples of commonly used words connoting negativity include "end,""defeat," and "damage."

3. Biden speaks on hierarchies the most, but it's pretty even across the board

Biden is most likely (by a slight margin) to bring up the differences between groups in our society, such as economic and racial inequalities. He touched on those issues about 28% of the time, which is only slightly higher than Sanders' 27%.

For example, "99.9%— that's the percentage of African-American voters who have not yet had a chance to vote in this nomination process. You cannot and should not win the Democratic nomination for President without the support of black and brown voters," Biden tweeted on Feb. 11.

Meanwhile, Sanders tweeted March 4: "Working people aren't struggling to afford health care, prescription drugs, and higher education because of bad luck. Our government and our economy are rigged in favor of the wealthy. We need an economy that works for working people, not just the 1% and huge corporations."

The Democratic candidates commonly use hierarchy to illustrate that they're in touch with the work yet to be done.

Interestingly, US Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has since left the presidential race, was the most likely to deploy hierarchy in her messaging; Warren addressed the disparities among societal groups about 31% of the time. She also tweeted messages that read more negatively than those of Trump, Sanders, and Biden, according to our analysis. However, she was also the least likely to use an angry tone or personal attack in her comments.

4. Sanders is the most passive-aggressive

Of the three candidates, Sanders is the least likely to attack someone head-on, but that doesn't mean he stays silent. His most commonly used words include "people,""Trump,""campaign,""country," and "movement." On Jan. 28, Sanders tweeted: "It's no secret that we're taking on the political establishment and the big money interests, who are now running attack ads against us in Iowa. But we have the people, and our grassroots movement will prevail."

Without calling out opponents by name, Sanders maintains an "us versus them" campaign message.

That said, Biden still retweets (and occasionally subtweets) Trump with commentary like: "A wall won't stop a virus. Racism won't stop a virus. Do your job."

5. All three accounts average a sixth-grade reading level

Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level readability scoring system, we saw that all three candidates' tweets fall into a sixth-grade reading level and could be read easily by at least 80% of Americans, ensuring the candidates can reach large swaths of voters.

Readability may be more a function of the short-form medium than the candidates' actual rhetoric and messaging strategies, but Sanders' readability scored 6.4, Trump's a 6.2, and Biden's a 6 (the simplest).

Overall, Biden's and Sanders' messaging strategies seem more alike than different as they have a similar use of angry and negative tones as well as mentions of social hierarchies. They contrast with Trump's vacillations in tone between his feelings of anger and victory and his penchant for making tweets personal.

We'll learn more about which strategy succeeds in November — and we'll have a clearer Twitter blueprint for future presidential candidates.

SEE ALSO: Trump reportedly tried to poach German scientists working on a coronavirus vaccine and offered cash so it would be exclusive to the US

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• California schools are anticipated to stay closed for the remainder of the academic year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Governor Gavin Newsom said, according to a Politico report.
• Almost 99% of California schools are currently closed, but the announcement sets expectations for students, parents, and educators to be prepared to settle into a virtual-learning routine. 
• Kansas was the first state to call off classes for the rest of the year, but other states like California might start to follow suit.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom told residents that schools are unlikely to re-open before the end of the school due to intensifying efforts to combat coronavirus, Politico reported Tuesday.

"I don't think the schools are going to open again," Newsom said.

Kansas was the first state to cancel classes for the remainder of the school year and California may well be next.

Newsom has not yet required California school systems to shut down because of the burden such a mandate could impose on low-income families, Politico reported. However, nearly 99% of schools are already closed in response to the COVID-19, which sent California into a state of emergency since March 4.

Newsom signed an executive order ensuring schools would still receive their funding if they did decide to close, and advised districts to use funds to help transition students into the digital learning setting, as well as support families that rely on school assistance for services like meals, Politico said.

Newsom also filed a request with the federal government to halt standardized testing requirements for the time being.  

Schools and families are working together to continue education in a virtual setting, but adjusting to a completely new way of life is not easy for students, parents, teachers, and administrators in what would be the longest stint of school closures in California.

As the situation with COVID-19 progresses, the governor sees the probability of schools remaining closed until summer break to be an increasingly likely reality.

"This is a very sobering thing to say," Newsom said about his comment that schools would probably remain closed. "I don't want to mislead you."

Newsom explained that he told his own daughter, "Honey, I don't think the schools are going to open again," and that he had to be just as honest with Californians. 

The announcement comes just a day after the San Francisco Bay Area was ordered to 'shelter in place' until April 7 in an effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

So far, California reported 455 active cases Wednesday.

SEE ALSO: Colleges are extending spring breaks amid the coronavirus, and students are taking advantage of the cheap flights amid travel fears to book low-cost trips

READ MORE: You can get free Spectrum internet for 60 days if you live in a household with a K-12 or college student

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