Morgan DeBaun was one of the only Black women working in Silicon Valley when she quit her job and started Blavity, a news media company focused on serving Black Americans. But as Morgan started to learn, raising money isn’t easy - especially when so little funding goes to women and women of color in the first place. This week, we spoke to Morgan about raising capital, overcoming obstacles, and selling your story to investors. In this episode, Morgan shares: Bootstrapping your business and delaye...
Sep 14, 2021•32 min
When Alexandra Fine co-founded Dame, a women-founded sex toy company looking to close the pleasure gap, not everyone was on board with her vision. She got a lot of pushback - from traditional investors to advertisers - as she sought to change how the world looked at sex toys and pleasure. So this week: we spoke to Alexandra about how she navigated those obstacles and came up with creative solutions to get Dame off the ground. In this episode, Alexandra shares: How they funded the businesses when...
Sep 07, 2021•31 min
We spend a lot of time - if not most of our time - at work. And that means: the relationships we have with our colleagues matter, and can impact how satisfied we are with our jobs. So this week, we talked to world-famous psychotherapist Esther Perel about how to create meaningful relationships with our coworkers. And why our interpersonal skills are just as important as any of the skills we list on our resume. In this episode, Esther shares: How to have difficult conversations in the office How ...
Sep 01, 2021•34 min
Mentors at work. We know they’re good to have, but there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to finding one. They can be someone on your team, someone in your company, or someone in a totally different line of work. But no matter who it is, there are some best practices when it comes to starting - and maintaining - those relationships. This week, we talked to Rashida Jones, president of MSNBC, to learn how she found mentors - and how she sustained those relationships throughout her career. In this e...
Aug 25, 2021•29 min
We heard from a lot of you that you have questions about whether to pursue your MBA or another business degree. So we asked an expert. Erika James is the dean of the Wharton School at UPenn, the oldest business school in the country. So she’s got tips on how to know if you’re ready to get that degree - and how to know if an MBA isn’t the right path for you. Plus: she tells us the do’s and dont’s of the application process. In this episode, Dean James shares: How to evaluate if you’re ready for a...
Aug 18, 2021•28 min
Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or working at a big company, everyone has a personal brand at work. And everything from your LinkedIn profile to your resume to your interview style adds to that brand. So this week, we sat down with the master of creating a personal brand, Paris Hilton, to talk about how she built hers. She’s not only the OG social media influencer, but she also created a persona that took the world by storm. And spoiler: investing in her brand paid off. Now, she’s got dozens ...
Aug 11, 2021•24 min
What does it actually mean to know your worth at work? This week, we asked the queen of confidence (and of morning TV), Gayle King, how she found hers. She told us her self worth came from years of salary negotiations, building strong support systems, navigating setbacks, and dealing with tough bosses. In this episode, Gayle shares: Her mindset going into negotiations How she gained a sense of self worth as a junior reporter Why tough moments and failure can add to self worth How she leans on he...
Aug 04, 2021•30 min
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are underway. And as we all started cheering for the athletes on our TV screens, it got us thinking about winning - and losing - at work. Maybe you got the promotion. Or maybe your long-time project wasn’t a success. How should we navigate the ups and downs? To find out, we called up an expert: 2008 Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin. She’s had some high highs (hello, gold medal)...and also some low lows (injuries, falls, and haters). In this episode, Nastia shares: How ...
Jul 28, 2021•29 min
Whitney Wolfe Herd is one of the biggest women in business. She founded Bumble in 2014, and became the youngest ever female CEO to take a company public when it IPO'd this year. So we decided to ask the best of the best for her tips on how to think about getting started. In this episode, Whitney shares: Why founders need to communicate (read: over-communicate) their vision for the company How she used “no’s” she got early on as motivation Her advice on how to hire (and potentially fire) friends ...
Jul 21, 2021•33 min
Meet our revamped career podcast, 9 to 5ish with theSkimm. We're bringing you the work advice you need, from women who’ve been there. Every week, join the co-founders and co-CEOs of theSkimm, Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg, as they help you get what you want out of your career by talking to the smartest leaders they know. New episodes drop every Wednesdays, starting July 21st. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a single ep. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 14, 2021•2 min
Jenna Lyons was the Executive Creative Director and President of J.Crew Group. And she also became the face of the brand and a brand herself. But then...she left J.Crew after 26 years at the company. This week, Jenna sat down with us to talk about how to build an authentic personal brand and leadership style. And how to maintain that sense of identity (and hold onto your confidence) even when you leave your job. In this episode, Jenna shares how she stopped micromanaging, why she was surprised n...
Jun 30, 2021•28 min
Ursula Burns is one of the most notable business leaders in America. She ran Xerox from 2009 to 2016, and when she took the top job, she also became the first Black woman to run a Fortune 500 company. This week, Ursula sat down with us to share why leaders in 2021 can’t just be focused on profits or increasing a stock price - they have to be focused on people. In this episode, Ursula shares why being an executive assistant changed her life, how she created accountability on her leadership team, ...
Jun 23, 2021•35 min
Last year, when the world was locked down, Amanda Kloots gave us a window into the toll that COVID-19 has taken on individual families. The former Broadway dancer and Radio City Rockette lost her husband, Nick Cordero, last summer due to complications from COVID. She put her journey up on social media - and the world supported her and grieved with her. This week, Amanda sat down with us to talk about navigating grief and the impact it has on work and career. In this episode, Amanda shares how sh...
Jun 16, 2021•42 min
This week, we're throwing it back to one of our favorite episodes from last year, with Olympian and soccer star Abby Wambach. Abby knows a thing or two about winning a gold medal - she actually won two while she played for the US Women’s National Team. And the soccer star hasn’t slowed down in retirement. She’s now a bestselling author and an equal pay activist. In this episode, Abby shares what it was like to play with her idols, including Mia Hamm, how she’s developed her leadership style on a...
Jun 09, 2021•43 min
Whembley Sewell is the youngest editor at a Condé Nast publication. And she’s the EIC of its newest publication, them. And when you’re the youngest at the newest, cue: pressure. But Whembley told us she doesn’t let the challenges of the job get to her because she stays focused on them’s mission of celebrating the stories and voices of the LGBTQ+ community. In this episode, Whembley shares how to create meaningful relationships with an audience, her advice for fostering an inclusive work culture,...
Jun 02, 2021•30 min
Once Ayesha Curry’s family started expanding, so did her culinary career. Ayesha built her brand one blog post and YouTube video at a time. And now: she’s one of the most recognized personalities in the food world (think: multiple cookbooks, a magazine, and a foundation to end childhood hunger). This week, Ayesha sat down with us to tell us how she found her career calling after she became a parent. In this episode, Ayesha shares how she taught herself about business, why she emphasizes collabor...
May 26, 2021•26 min
Whether it’s getting that promotion or starting your own business, it can be intimidating to map out your career goals. But this week, Stacey Abrams told us to try one simple approach: write it down. The voting rights activist, politician, and author has a lot on her plate at any given time, from getting out the vote to writing romance novels. And she keeps her eye on the prize...literally keeping a spreadsheet. Tune in to hear her tips on how to stay focused on your goals. And why being honest ...
May 19, 2021•37 min
Kendra Scott built her jewelry brand (also called Kendra Scott) with a $500 dollar investment out of a spare bedroom in her house. And now, it’s a billion dollar business. That didn’t just happen overnight. In this special live (on Zoom) episode, Kendra told us how she’s been able to turn her biggest failures into her greatest successes. And how she turns a 'no' into a 'yes.' In this episode, Kendra shares where her resilience comes from, how her relationship with money has changed, and her advi...
May 12, 2021•32 min
Welcome to our special Mother’s Day episode. Skimm’d from the Couch is a career podcast...and we can’t talk about work and career without talking about how that changes when you become a parent. This past year has also created new challenges for working moms, while exacerbating existing ones. Which, PS: often go unrecognized. So we wanted to know: what can we do about it? To get some answers, we invited Reshma Saujani back on the show. She’s the founder of Girls Who Code, the leader of the Marsh...
May 05, 2021•33 min
Cindy McCain’s life has been in the American political spotlight for four decades. Her late husband, Senator John McCain, was elected for six terms in the Senate. And he ran for president twice. Cindy was by his side for all of it. But before the White House races and the political spotlight, Cindy was a 20-something from Arizona who had to find her strength as a newbie in DC. And in 2018, she had to tap into her strength again in the face of personal tragedy. In this episode, Cindy shares her j...
Apr 28, 2021•35 min
At the age of 31, Aja Brown made history when she became the youngest mayor ever elected in the city of Compton. But when she was first running, people said, “Are you even old enough to be mayor?” Well, it turns out age really is just a number. Mayor Brown was one of the most qualified people to ever run and win that office. And now she’s basically the CEO...of a city. This week, we asked Mayor Brown for her best management tips (think: don’t micromanage) that she’s learned over her two terms in...
Apr 21, 2021•25 min
Bela Bajaria is the woman who makes the decisions about what’s going to be your next binge-watch. She’s the head of global TV for Netflix, and has helped bring some of our favorite shows, like “The Queen’s Gambit” and “Bridgerton” from the page to the screen. So how’d she actually get her dream job? Perseverance. Because she started as an assistant…and now she’s here. And btw, she also lost a job along the way. This week, she sat down to tell us how you can still get the Hollywood ending for you...
Apr 14, 2021•31 min
Diane von Furstenberg (aka DVF) knows the secret to a long and successful career. Hint: it’s reinvention. She’s been in the fashion business since the 1970s. But she’s changed her direction, and her brand, more than a few times. This week, DVF joined us to tell us how to embrace change (even when it’s hard) so you can be the designer...of your own life. In this episode, DVF shares how she deals with fear, why you should own your vulnerability at work, and how she’s embracing change during the pa...
Apr 07, 2021•26 min
Welcome to our Women’s History Month series on Skimm’d from the Couch - where we’re bringing you the women who made history this past year. Meet: Dr. Laura Forese. Dr. Forese is the COO of New York Presbyterian, one of the largest not-for-profit hospital networks in the country. And one that’s been instrumental in caring for COVID-19 patients. Also under her leadership, the hospital rolled out a comprehensive paid parental leave plan that includes extended leave for up to six months and continue...
Mar 31, 2021•36 min
Welcome to our Women’s History Month series on Skimm’d from the Couch - where we’re bringing you the women who made history this past year. Meet: Dara Treseder. She’s the head of global marketing for Peloton — a brand that’s made at-home fitness viral during the pandemic. Case in point: Its membership has more than doubled in the last year. But this isn’t Dara’s first ride. She’s also got GE, Apple, and Goldman Sachs on her resume. So basically she’s at the top of the leaderboard. In this episod...
Mar 24, 2021•36 min
Welcome to our Women’s History Month series on Skimm’d from the Couch - where we’re bringing you the women who made history this past year. Meet: Dr. Kathrin Jansen. Dr. Jansen is the head of vaccine research at Pfizer. So she literally helped develop the COVID-19 vaccine that’s being distributed in the US and around the world. But why stop there? It turns out, she’s developed other breakthrough vaccines throughout her career. Like the one that fights HPV. In this episode, Dr. Jansen shares how ...
Mar 17, 2021•37 min
Welcome to our Women’s History Month series on Skimm’d from the Couch - where we’re bringing you the women who made history this past year. Meet: Alicia Garza. She’s the Principal at Black Futures Lab and co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network — the movement that sparked a global rallying cry last summer. Black Lives Matter has since been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, as the world recognizes the groundbreaking work Alicia and her co-founders started. In this episode, Alicia sha...
Mar 10, 2021•39 min
Welcome to our Women’s History Month series on Skimm’d from the Couch - where we’re bringing you the women who made history this past year. Meet: Kristen Welker. She’s the Chief White House Correspondent for NBC News, and the co-anchor of Weekend TODAY. You probably recognize her from moderating that final presidential debate of 2020...which she calls the biggest moment in her professional career. This week, Kristen joined us to talk about how she prepared for that moment - and how she kept cool...
Mar 01, 2021•38 min
Jessica Lessin has broken some of the biggest stories on the tech companies we all know (think: Facebook, Google, and Apple). Now, after years of covering founders and entrepreneurs, she’s become one herself. She started The Information - a subscription-based digital media company covering technology and business. This week, she told us how her perspective has changed since going from employee to founder. And what she’s still trying to learn on the job. In this episode, Jessica shares how to tra...
Feb 24, 2021•32 min
Emma Grede is one of the only guests we’ve had on this show who told us she loves negotiating. Early on, she realized that it was her strong suit. And she’s honed that skill throughout her career...especially while she built her own fashion brand alongside a Kardashian (hi, Khloe). Tune in to hear Emma give us a negotiating lesson...and her advice for how to enjoy the process more. In this episode, Emma shares her tips for negotiation 101 (9:30), how to lean into your strengths when networking (...
Feb 17, 2021•36 min
