Robin Roberts has been in the anchor chair at “Good Morning America” for over 15 years. And while she’s covered some of the biggest news events of our time, she’s also gone through her own off-camera battles. This week, Robin told us why she decided to share her most personal struggles with millions of people – and how to make your own vulnerability your superpower at work. In this episode, Robin shares: Why she pivoted from sports into news How she exercises her “optimism muscle” How she refram...
Apr 20, 2022•25 min
Scarlett Johansson is one of the highest-paid actors in the world, and has starred in some of the highest-grossing movies of all time. But those career defining moments didn’t come easy. She’s had to reframe rejection, say “yes” without looking back, and fight against toxic behavior in the entertainment industry. This week, we’ll ask Scarlett how she had perspective even in the toughest moments — including not getting the original call to be Black Widow — and why she recently took the leap to st...
Apr 13, 2022•26 min
When Michelle Kelly started at Lilly Pulitzer in 2004, her business card read “Major Stores Development Manager.” Now, it says “CEO.” Kelly has held 8 different titles across at least 4 different departments at the company — from retail, to merchandising, marketing, to e-commerce. So in this episode, we chat with Michelle about the art of the pivot. Started from the bottom, now we here. In this episode, Michelle shares: How she got her bosses to let her switch departments How to tell your boss y...
Apr 06, 2022•20 min
This week, we’re thinking about careers like recipes. And it’s not just because we’re talking to Dawn Davis, the editor-in-chief of “Bon Appétit.” For Dawn, every experience she had – from working in finance to founding her own publishing imprint – was an essential ingredient that prepared her to run the famous food mag. And this week, we’re talking to Dawn about how to experiment with your own career recipe. In this episode, Dawn shares: How she made the decision to leave finance Why she left a...
Mar 30, 2022•23 min
Even though Lorna Kapusta is head of women investors and customer relations at Fidelity, she wasn’t always so confident talking about her own finances. But that started to change about seven years ago when she realized: she needed to be in the driver’s seat when it came to her money. This week, Lorna shares her own journey– and gives advice on how to start taking control, from investing to having tough money conversations. In this episode, Lorna shares: How to start having conversations about mo...
Mar 23, 2022•22 min
When Radhika Jones took over Vanity Fair as editor-in-chief, she succeeded a man who had been in the job for 25 years. And taking over a legacy like that isn’t easy — whether you’re EIC or managing a new team at work. You have to explain your vision, win over people who might not agree, learn people’s work styles...all on top of doing your actual job. This week, we asked Radhika how she navigated those early days at VF, and what she wants her legacy to be at the publication. In this episode, Rad...
Mar 16, 2022•28 min
Working for Fawn Weaver isn’t your typical 9 to 5. The founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey operates her business like a family. Think: not just one-on-ones or status meetings, but 24/7 support for employees. So how did she build a company like that? She sought out people who had similar values and fit with her leadership style. And she spent a lot of time on the hiring process. In this episode, Fawn shares. How she found her leadership style – and learned to stop people-pleasing Her...
Mar 09, 2022•34 min
When Laurie Segall first started at CNN as a journalist, she was basically working in the equivalent of “Scriberia” from “Inventing Anna.” But instead of getting discouraged, Laurie used that opportunity to build out CNN’s tech coverage, and created a new role at the company in the process. And she ultimately became CNN’s senior technology correspondent. This week, Laurie shares how she used her different jobs - good and bad - as stepping stones to work towards the career she wanted. Now, Laurie...
Mar 02, 2022•33 min
Ever worn a really uncomfortable bra and thought “Who even invented this?” Michelle Cordeiro Grant was one of those people. She worked for major lingerie and underwear brands before starting her own, Lively, after she saw how other brands didn’t put their customer - or comfort - first. And it turns out: flipping the script worked. Lively sold out of inventory in its first two weeks. And in 2019, Lively was acquired for a casual $105 million dollars. This week, we talked to Michelle about how to ...
Feb 23, 2022•31 min
Anne Wojcicki always followed her interests. From sneaking into figure skating rinks as a kid, to taking her interest in genetics to the next level and co-founding the genetics company 23andMe, Anne told us how she’s built her career off curiosity. And as 23andMe has faced challenges from regulators and privacy advocates over the years, Anne had to dig into her passion even more to boost morale. In this episode, Anne shares: The 23andMe origin story What boosted morale on her team Why she active...
Feb 16, 2022•34 min
Victoria Beckham has switched industries three times so far during her career: trading in the Spice Girls for a solo career, then launching her own fashion label. Now, she’s in the midst of her third big pivot: a foray into beauty, via a sustainable luxury brand. And she brought in Sarah Creal, a lifelong product developer who’s worked with everyone from Bobbi Brown to Estée Lauder. In this episode, Victoria and Sarah talk about: Building credibility by putting product first Refining long-term b...
Feb 09, 2022•33 min
Nancy started her career at Goldman Sachs — but she always knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur. She had grown up helping her grandmother and her mother make natural home-remedies for hair and skin, and realized there was a gaping hole in the beauty market. But she didn’t quit her day job right away: instead, she stayed on the trading room floor for another four years and worked evenings and weekends to run her own business, Briogeo, on the side. Talk about time management skills. In this episo...
Feb 02, 2022•27 min
This week, we’re throwing it back to one of our favorite episodes from last year. 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 junio...
Jan 26, 2022•29 min
Lindsey Vonn isn’t just physically tough – she’s also known as one of the most mentally strong athletes. She started competing in international skiing competitions when she was just nine years old, and went on to become the most decorated female skier in history, including winning three Olympic Winter Games medals. And along the way, Lindsey dealt with a number of terrifying injuries, which challenged her mental and physical strength. After retiring from professional skiing, Lindsey’s switched a...
Jan 19, 2022•29 min
Melissa Wood-Tepperberg went from working in nightclubs and modeling to becoming one of the first people to start streaming workouts online. That turned into her own health and fitness app, which now has thousands of paying subscribers. Today, Melissa has almost one million Instagram followers and her app, Melissa Wood Health, is a case study at Harvard Business School — despite the fact Melissa never went to college herself. In this episode, Melissa talks about: How meditation changed her life ...
Jan 12, 2022•33 min
Fran Lebowitz found fame as a writer in the 1970’s, when she started out writing movie reviews and magazine columns. She went on to publish two essay collections containing her observations of New York City and the people around her — cementing her as a definitive voice of a generation. In this episode, Fran talks about: Finding her writing process Networking without the internet Improvising when she got writer’s block Refusing to follow the crowd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...
Jan 05, 2022•28 min
Dana Canedy is a Pulitzer-winning reporter who’s set goals for herself since her first internship. But halfway through her career as a reporter Dana lost her fiancé, which shaped the rest of her life and her career. And Dana figured out how to keep going — becoming the first person of color, the youngest, and first female administrator of the Pulitzer Prize and the first Black person to head up a major US publishing imprint. In this episode, Dana talks about: How she set goals for herself early ...
Dec 22, 2021•29 min
Sheila was at Harvard Business School, rifling through the Yellow Pages to find care for her infant son and her elderly father when she realized finding care should be easier. But unlike some Silicon Valley founders, Sheila wasn’t in a rush: instead, she prioritized building her leadership and management skills before she launched Care.com. In this episode, Sheila talks about: Figuring out what skills she needed to learn before launching a company What qualities she looks for in potential manage...
Dec 15, 2021•35 min
Carly worked her way up from management trainee at AT&T, going from fighting for respect from her male colleagues to taking the top job at Hewlett-Packard and becoming the first female CEO of a Fortune 50 company. She oversaw a contentious merger, job and pay cuts. And after she was fired, Carly served as an advisor to John McCain and Mitt Romney’s presidential campaigns — in between beating breast cancer and running for President herself. She’s no stranger to criticism and tough feedback, a...
Dec 08, 2021•31 min
Brooke Shields has been a household name ever since she did her first commercial, at just 11 months old. As a teenage model and actress being managed by her mother, Brooke found her own image sexualized — but refused to play along with the media’s expectations. Since then, she’s acted on Broadway, starred in sitcoms and TV dramas, raised two daughters and written two memoirs. We spoke to Brooke about how to survive and stay sane amid intense public scrutiny. In this episode, Brooke talks about: ...
Dec 01, 2021•32 min
Shawna Thomas has always stood out — from winning a prestigious college scholarship when she was 13 years old, to working her way up the ranks at NBC News from intern to senior producer. Over the course of her career, she’s won multiple Emmys and a Peabody, among other awards. Today, she’s in control of one of the nation’s top morning news shows, CBS Mornings. Listen to this week’s episode, where Shawna talks about how to shine in front of your boss and potential employers. In this episode, Shaw...
Nov 17, 2021•35 min
When Emily Ratajkowski was asked to appear in a music video in 2013, she didn’t expect it to catapult her to overnight fame. Since then, she’s appeared in movies like ‘Gone Girl,’ walked the runway at New York Fashion week and launched her own swimwear line. And last year, Emily’s essay for ‘The Cut’ about objectification and power imbalances she experienced went viral, landing her a book deal for her new essay collection, ‘My Body.’ This week, she’s joining us to talk about how she learned to a...
Nov 10, 2021•32 min
It’s impossible to know how Hillary Clinton’s life would have run without Huma Abedin. From the late '90s through 2016, Huma occupied a central role in running Hillary’s life as an aide and personal advisor. She remained private even when both her personal and professional lives were embroiled in simultaneous crises, from her previous husband’s infidelity to Hillary’s emails. Now, she’s setting out to define herself in her own words. In this episode, Huma talks about: Staying connected to her ro...
Nov 03, 2021•33 min
When she was in college, Alexa von Tobel realized she knew nothing about personal finance. And she couldn’t find any good tools out there to learn. So she set out to learn about managing her own money — a journey that led her to dropping out of Harvard Business School after just one semester, writing two books, and starting two multi-million dollar businesses. We spoke to Alexa about the basics of business, money management, and what makes a successful start-up. In this episode, Alexa talks abou...
Oct 26, 2021•33 min
This episode mentions sexual assault, which could be triggering to some listeners. Tarana Burke coined the phrase “me too” to help young Black girls in Selma, Alabama talk about sexual assault over a decade ago. But when #MeToo went viral overnight in 2017, Tarana had to figure out how to share her life’s work and its resources with a broader audience. Today, Tarana’s facing new challenges: how to offer sexual assault survivors the resources they need over the internet, and learning to balance h...
Oct 20, 2021•33 min
Julianna Margulies went from pouring G&Ts and filming commercials in Manhattan to being one of the most-awarded actresses on television. She’s famous for roles on “E.R.,” “The Good Wife,” and “The Morning Show” — and despite always having a backup plan, Julianna’s biggest decisions have been guided by her intuition. We spoke to Julianna about making big life decisions, taking risks and turning down lucrative offers. In this episode, Julianna talks about: Planning for the future Trusting that...
Oct 13, 2021•36 min
This week, we’re throwing it back to one of our favorite episodes from last year. Erica Williams Simon is a writer, host, and the CEO of Sage House media. Her new book reveals how she re-wrote her life story and shares how you can do the same. She walked us through how she makes tough decisions, starting with how she quit a perfect-on-paper job and changed her life. In this episode, Erica shares: What growing up in a church community taught her How she made the decision to quit How to navigate t...
Oct 06, 2021•34 min
Rea Ann Silva spent two decades working as a makeup artist for music videos, movies, and television. And on the side, she started developing a tool to make her work easier: the Beautyblender. Little did she know, she would end up transforming the beauty industry. And what helped her along the way - from movie sets to becoming CEO - was her relationships and her network. So this week, we’re getting her advice on how to start - and grow - your own. In this episode, Rea Ann shares: How she climbed ...
Sep 29, 2021•31 min
Gabrielle Union hit her big break as an actor more than 20 year ago. Today she’s a household name in pop culture, as well as an advocate and author. And along the way, she’s had to learn one of the biggest (and hardest) career lessons: how to stand up for yourself. From navigating toxic workplaces, to challenging inequity and bias in Hollywood, to speaking out about pay parity, Gabrielle’s a hero to many for standing up to broken systems - and for how open and honest she is with her fans and her...
Sep 22, 2021•26 min
Welcome to a special bonus episode of 9 to 5ish with theSkimm. A few weeks ago, theSkimm's co-founders and co-CEOs Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg hosted a Back to "Normal" power panel, talking about what a return to “normal” in the workplace looks like amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We were joined by… Tina Tchen, then-president and CEO of Time’s Up Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center Ai-jen Poo, co-founder and executive director of the National Domestic Worke...
Sep 17, 2021•51 min
