When Seema Bansal Chadha was in her early twenties, she was in a very new, long distance relationship with a guy named Sunny. In classic LDR-status, he sent her flowers for Valentine's Day. It was supposed to be a romantic gesture, but the flowers arrived wilted. NBD though. The flop would lead Seema to move to New York to be with Sunny…and to co-found Venus et Fleur with him too. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Seema shares: Why her father’s lighting and plumbing store informed her own entreprene...
Jul 24, 2024•31 min
In 2018, Mandana Dayani watched as the family-separation policy played out at the southern border. It was deeply unsettling. Her family fled as refugees from Iran to the US as an authoritarian regime took over. She asked herself: how could a country that saved my life do this? Mandana quickly learned that civic engagement was the only way things could meaningfully change. Enter: I am a voter., Mandana's org that's on a mission to rebrand voter identity to get young people to the polls. In this e...
Jul 17, 2024•32 min
Most nepo babies deny the privileges afforded to them by their parents. Allison Statter isn’t one of them. She’s never been shy about having entertainment industry titans for parents, or about being Kim Kardashian’s lifelong BFF. But after working at her dad’s management company for 17 years, people started whispering about her legitimacy. To prove she could make it on her own, Allison kissed job security goodbye and launched her own entertainment marketing agency, Blended Strategy Group. Talk a...
Jul 10, 2024•29 min
Today, we’re going back into the 9 to 5ish archives to bring you one of our favorite episodes with journalist Lisa Ling. Despite reporting the news professionally since she was a teenager, Lisa says she doubts herself constantly in work settings. She shares how she quiets the voice in her head that makes her question her worth at work, plus the value she sees in women of color advocating for each other in the workplace. We'll be back with a fresh episode next week. In this episode, Lisa shares: ...
Jul 03, 2024•28 min
Planned Parenthood president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson is a self-described “movement baby" as her parents fought for racial equality during the civil rights movement. As an adult, she mixed pop culture with civic engagement to turn out young voters of color. Even though she credited her success to the women who raised her, she wasn’t specifically thinking about the role of gender in social justice issues. Then she walked by a billboard in SoHo depicting the dire state of reproductive health ...
Jun 26, 2024•35 min
When Sarah Paiji-Yoo became a mom, she started rethinking her serial entrepreneurship life she’d led since leaving Harvard Business School. She loved it, but early-stage startup building isn’t exactly a walk in the park. If she was going to hustle again, it had to mean something to her. Meanwhile, she was learning about the effects microplastics in our water have on us (spoiler alert: it’s scary stuff). Naturally, the serial entrepreneur in her was hungry for a solution to both of these issues. ...
Jun 19, 2024•31 min
SNL called Meghan McCain the “Princess of Arizona”, and she’s embracing it. Her last name is nearly synonymous with Arizona as her father, the late Senator John McCain, led a 30+ year political career in the state. Her family name laddered Meghan up to big career moves, from regularly commentating on Fox News to repping conservative view points on “The View”. And she says: more nepo babies like her should own it, not shy away from it. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Meghan shares: The cringiest ph...
Jun 12, 2024•31 min
Tiffany Masteron’s grandma told her the name “Drunk Elephant” was the most asinine thing she’d ever heard. Granny wasn’t the only one – her friends thought so too. But Tiffany never bent when it came to her vision of the company, even though she was a stay-at-home mom with zero experience in skincare. Instead, she had this gut feeling about her ingredient formulation and trusted it was different enough to take the company far. Spoiler alert: it did. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Tiffany shares: ...
Jun 05, 2024•29 min
In the 1990s, Christy Turlington posed alongside icons like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Linda Evangelista as one of the world’s first supermodels. She retired by 25 before going to college, earning her degree, and getting married. Then came her first baby – and a life-changing birthing experience that would inform her future work and advocacy. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Christy shares: The benefits of her sister marrying her brother-in-law (hint: holidays are a breeze) Why she has “su...
May 08, 2024•33 min
At 59, Edith Cooper never thought she’d make a career pivot. She spent nearly 30 years working her way up at Goldman Sachs, but then, she was approached to co-found a company called Medley. Who was the other co-founder? Jordan Taylor, AKA her daughter. The mom and daughter duo launched Medley, a coaching platform equipping Millennial-aged workers with the skills they need to be dynamic, inclusive, and authentic leaders. In this episode, Jordan and Edith share: Whether Jordan calls Edith “mom” or...
May 01, 2024•35 min
Kentucky-born model Molly Sims never met a biscuit she didn’t like. Her southern charm brought her to college at Vanderbilt University, where she made the boldest move of her career: quitting her pre-law studies to become a full time model. Molly was in her early 20s, alone, and homesick halfway across the world. But with placements on the cover of Sports Illustrated, French Vogue and more, it’s safe to say she made a name for herself. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Molly shares: Why southern sor...
Apr 24, 2024•28 min
Alli Webb was a stay-at-home mom for five years when she realized she needed to get out of the house more. So she started a mobile hair business. She’d go house-to-house and offer $40 blowouts to moms in LA, something that pretty much no one was doing at the time. She soon opened her first brick and mortar and called it Drybar. 100+ locations later, Alli sold the company for more than $200 million. All without a college degree or formal business training. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Alli share...
Apr 17, 2024•30 min
Before September 2018, the public didn’t know Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. She was a busy mom and professor at Palo Alto University and Stanford. Then, she leveled a sexual assault accusation against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a SCOTUS nominee. She testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee and 5 million people tuned in. From then on, any concept of a private life went out the window. Christine needed security to go…well, anywhere. Strangers sent her and her family death threats. Five years ...
Apr 10, 2024•26 min
Zibby Owens witnessed first-hand the payoff of great entrepreneurship as she watched her father build his company, Blackstone, from the ground up. She freelanced as a writer earlier in her career. She focused on raising her kids for 10+ years. Then her marriage ended. So she spent her weekends without the kids rekindling her love of literature – and developing a media empire focusing on all things books. In this episode, Zibby shares: The story behind her iconic color-coordinated bookshelf What ...
Apr 03, 2024•31 min
Ancestry CEO Deb Liu grew up in one of the only Asian families in South Carolina. To avoid being teased, she mostly kept to herself. It wasn’t until Deb got to Stanford Business School when she realized: she had to learn to speak up. That realization spurred her long career in Silicon Valley. But Deb says, without some openness and vulnerability from herself and others, it never would’ve happened. In this episode, Deb shares: Why she should’ve been fired from her first product management role Ho...
Mar 27, 2024•30 min
The late-90s bubblegum pop music defined Mandy Moore’s career. She always knew she was her record label’s answer to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Mandy also knew she’d never be them – and that was okay with her. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Mandy shares advice on how to know your competition without becoming distracted by it. In this episode, Mandy shares: The boy band she’d tour with again Why having parents who didn’t want to manage her was the secret to her success How she managed t...
Mar 20, 2024•25 min
Growing up with a politico father in Washington D.C., Alex Wagner initially swore off any career that dealt with politics. 25-ish years later, Alex is the primetime anchor of MSNBC's “Alex Wagner Tonight,” a show about the news and politics shaping our world. Talk about a 180. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Alex tells us how doing everything she was not “supposed” to do jump-started her media career. In this episode, Alex shares: How a pair of vintage heels nearly ruined her job interview with Ge...
Mar 13, 2024•30 min
Award-winning director and producer Ava DuVernay, known for her groundbreaking films like “Selma,” “A Wrinkle In Time,” and “Origin,” didn’t actually start her career behind the camera. She spent years working in public relations before taking the plunge and pivoting in her 30s. Spoiler: it paid off. And she’s got an Academy Award to show for it. To kick off our new season of "9 to 5ish," we spoke to Ava about how she embraced change and found joy in her career. PS: Ava’s film, “Origin,” will be...
Mar 06, 2024•23 min
Today, we’ve got a special bonus episode of “9 to 5ish” for you. Our guest is Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and former US Ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump Administration. She’s currently running for the Republican nomination for president. In this episode, we talk to Governor Haley about the job she wants, running against her former boss, and her positions on reproductive rights, the economy, and more. At theSkimm, we’ve mobilized hundreds of thousands of wo...
Feb 22, 2024•30 min
Fern Mallis – aka “fashion’s godmother” – is a legend in the industry. She’s the founder of New York Fashion Week and the former executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Over decades working behind the scenes, Fern has seen it all – from disasters, to demanding personalities, to less-than-friendly behavior. So it makes sense that Fern told us her best piece of career advice is refreshingly simple: Just be nice. Your move, Miranda Priestly. In this episode, Fern shares: ...
Jan 31, 2024•34 min
Lori Coulter and Reshma Chattaram Chamberlin are the co-founders of Summersalt, the clothing brand that launched in 2017 with perfect-fit swimsuits. Now, Summersalt has expanded to offer activewear, apparel, and loungewear, and has raised over $25 million dollars. In today’s episode, Lori and Reshma walk us through how they built the brand, why they decided to partner with each other, and what people don’t tell you about being an entrepreneur. In this episode, Lori and Reshma share: How they cre...
Jan 24, 2024•26 min
Influencer, Summer Fridays co-founder, and podcast host Marianna Hewitt does everything with intention. She’s become an expert at creating habits and routines that set her up for success and allow her to prioritize her own happiness. Today, we spoke with the beauty creator and founder about how she’s been intentional throughout her career, and about her most successful habits and hacks. In this episode, Marianna shares: How growing up living between Ohio and Germany influenced her career Her pro...
Jan 17, 2024•34 min
Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler are two-time wellness founders. Their first business, SoulCycle, revolutionized the wellness, fitness, and fashion industries (they basically invented athleisure). Now, their second venture is focused on exercising a different muscle – our relational fitness. We spoke with Julie and Elizabeth about how relationships have been the key to their success, and how they’ve learned to navigate hard professional and personal conversations. In this episode, Julie and Eliza...
Jan 10, 2024•33 min
Jane Hertzmark Hudis is one of the most prominent beauty executives in the country. As an executive group president of the Estée Lauder Companies – the organization she’s been at for over 30 years – she oversees some of the biggest beauty brands in the world, including Tom Ford Beauty and La Mer. Her secret to making it to the top? Embrace the beauty of connections, find mentors, and hire a team you can learn from. In this episode, Jane shares: Why it’s crucial to hire people who are smarter tha...
Jan 03, 2024•27 min
9 to 5ish will be back in your feed in January. Samina Virk is the CEO of North America for Vestiaire Collective, the rapidly-growing luxury fashion resale site. And Samina told us she attributes her rise in the fashion industry to strategic career mapping. Whether it’s engaging in a personal brainstorming session or proactively discussing career plans with mentors and higher-ups, Samina explained how setting intentions can yield big results. In this episode, Samina shares: Her approach to negot...
Dec 20, 2023•25 min
Cynthia Williams is the third generation in her family to work in the auto industry. After joining Ford in 1992, she’s now the company’s Global Director of Sustainability, Homologation and Compliance. The key to rising to a top position in the org? Support from higher-ups. This week, Cynthia told us how she navigated and grew her relationships with company leadership, and got their guidance and support for her career journey. In this episode, Cynthia shares: Why the best opportunities come to pe...
Dec 13, 2023•22 min
From the outside, you would think singer, songwriter, actress, and TV host Rita Ora has always felt fully in control of her career. But like a lot of us, Rita struggled with self doubt about her career direction – on top of facing industry challenges. Still, none of that stopped her from achieving the multidimensional career she wanted. This week, we spoke with Rita about how she remained intentional and purposeful in the face of setbacks, and how she grew her brand and her confidence. In this e...
Dec 06, 2023•30 min
9 to 5ish will be back in your feed on December 6th! Anna Wesche is the brains behind a new podcast from Flamingo, an award-winning body hair and care brand whose mission is to champion women, their bodies, and their choices. In this After 5ish conversation, Anna shares her experience making some major career pivots, creating the opportunities you want, and how Flamingo’s brand new podcast, “Unruly”, centers female stories. In this episode, Anna shares: Why she struggled to find purpose early in...
Nov 16, 2023•15 min
Author, businesswoman, designer, and chef Joanna Gaines used to let guilt and anxiety consume her. As a mom of five children, and as one half of one of the most successful lifestyle brands in the country, Joanna is now battling her burnout by letting go of those feelings. This week, we spoke to Joanna about that shift to free herself from the pressure of expectations and what it’s unlocked for her, professionally and personally. In this episode, Joanna shares: How she and Chip built a loyal and ...
Nov 15, 2023•36 min
Annie Jean-Baptiste is Google’s first-ever Head of Product Inclusion. TLDR: she’s a tech executive responsible for making all of Google’s products inclusive for every user. Annie is also the author of the critically-acclaimed book, Building for Everyone, the first book about building inclusive products across the intersections of 12 dimensions of diversity. Annie's work has inspired a movement at other tech companies and in other industries to prioritize equity in design. In this episode, Annie ...
Nov 08, 2023•27 min
