Aspire with Emma Grede

Success Requires Letting Go of People’s Expectations of You (Jackie Aina) 02.06.2026 1h 6min

Jackie Aina has been building in public for 17 years. She didn't just grow an audience, she helped define what it meant to be a Black woman with a voice in the beauty industry. But influence was never the end goal. After nearly two decades as one of YouTube's most recognized creators, Jackie took $250,000 of her own money and started a fragrance brand. Not a makeup line — a fragrance brand. Her childhood dream. The first thing she ever did that nobody asked for. In this conversation, Jackie sits down with Emma to talk about what it really takes to go from influencer to founder and why the two have almost nothing in common. Jackie shares: Why six million followers doesn't mean six million in revenue — and what creators get wrong about turning an audience into a business How she self-funded Forvr Mood with $250K, sold out six months of inventory in four hours, and nearly had a breakdown closing the laptop The vendor relationship that looked like a smart start and took over a year to untangle What she had to unlearn about being "the strong one" — and why doing everything is actually a disservice to everyone around you Why she deliberately didn't build a makeup brand, and what it meant to finally do something just for herself What's something you've outgrown — even if other people still expect that version of you? Drop it in the comments. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don't miss what's next. We'd love to hear what you think. Please take this survey to help us make the show better for you: emmagrede.com/survey To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Build a Team That Wins: Emma Grede on Hiring the Right Employees 28.05.2026 30min

Hiring is the single most consequential thing you do when you're building anything. Get it right and it compounds. Get it wrong and it costs you years. In today's episode, Emma is sharing the thing she's come to believe is true: the team you build is the most honest reflection of how well you know yourself. This is the real version of what Emma's looking for when she's sitting across from a candidate—the exact framework for how she actually thinks about it, the mistakes she's made, and why she can see past a great resumé to the person underneath. In this episode you'll learn: The three people you need to speak to before you write a single job description Why Emma hires for attitude over experience, and what she believes you cannot teach What to listen for in how someone talks about their wins and losses Why culture fit has quietly become code for comfort How to think about paying for talent when the margins are thin Whether you're hiring for the first time, building a team, or sitting on the other side of the table in an interview, this one is for you. Start With Yourself is available now. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gary Vaynerchuk: Why Truth, Humility, and Kindness Will Become Your Next Superpower 26.05.2026 1h 6min

Gary Vaynerchuk has spent the last two decades understanding where culture and consumer behavior were headed long before the rest of the world caught up. He was early to YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, creator commerce, and live shopping. But this conversation is about more than algorithms and internet trends. In this episode, Gary sits down with Emma to talk about the real reason most people stay stuck: fear. Fear of judgment. Fear of failure. Fear of what other people will think if they try something new. Together, they unpack the insecurity driving modern ambition, why so many successful people are still deeply unhappy, and why Gary believes we are entering a cultural shift where kindness, reputation, and emotional intelligence will matter more than ever. Gary shares: Why most people are living for opinions they don’t even respect The hidden insecurity driving high achievement Why reputation compounds faster than money What social media actually revealed about human behavior How parents unintentionally destroy confidence in their kids Why proximity and visibility still matter in the AI era The business opportunities Gary believes people are still underestimating Why “nice guys finish first” What would change in your life if you stopped making decisions based on other people’s expectations of you? Drop it in the comments — we’re reading. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don’t miss what’s next. We want to hear from you! Take our audience survey and help us shape what comes next for Aspire: https://form.typeform.com/to/eNPvwUY4 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bethenny Frankel: The Business Model Nobody Else Will Share 19.05.2026 1h 3min

Bethenny Frankel turned a TikTok account into a $20-million-a-year business without a plan or a brand of her own. She had a vision and a set of deal terms that no one in the industry has been able to replicate, or get her to explain, until now. In this conversation, Emma gets Bethenny to do the thing she never does: open her playbook. Bethenny shows the work behind it all—the deal structures, the dollar amounts, the model she built that agencies keep trying to reverse-engineer and she keeps refusing to share. Bethenny shares: The Skinny Girl carve-out that started everything and the difference between licensing and ownership that determines whether you walk away rich or walk away with nothing How she built her business with zero exclusivity, equity in nearly every partnership, and why brands agree to terms no one else can get Why she says trust and attention are the only two assets that matter and what that means for anyone trying to build an audience into a business The true cost of building an entire business on yourself and what freedom looks like when you’re more successful in your fifties than you’ve ever been If you’ve ever been put in a box or told your vision doesn’t fit the playbook, let us know in the comments. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don't miss what's next. We want to hear from you! Take our audience survey and help us shape what comes next for Aspire: https://form.typeform.com/to/eNPvwUY4 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How to Build Something Meaningful From Your Worst Chapter (Sarah Jakes Roberts) 12.05.2026 1h 5min

Sarah Jakes Roberts is not a traditional entrepreneur. She’s the daughter of Bishop T.D. Jakes, one of the most prominent pastors in America. Sarah became a mother at 13—and in the years that followed, she carried the weight of that story in public, under a spotlight she never asked for. This conversation is about what happens when the thing you’re most ashamed of becomes the thing you build from. Today, Sarah co-leads a megachurch while raising a blended family of six. But she didn’t set out to lead a global movement, launch conferences that fill stadiums, host a top-ranked podcast, operate more than a dozen revenue streams, or become a bestselling author. She started a blog because she had something to say and an instinct that other women might see parts of themselves in her story. It turned out to be millions of women. In today’s conversation, Sarah sits down with Emma to talk about calling, responsibility, and a feeling she describes as being “willing to do what I’ve been trusted with.” Sarah shares: The relationship between anger and people-pleasing—and why suppressing one feeds the other What Old Thoughts look like when you've been carrying them since you were 13 How she went from a blog with a million views to a global conference and a publishing operation without a traditional business strategy What young motherhood taught her about shame and building something real from the chapter most people would want to erase Where ministry ends and business begins—and how she navigates making millions from a unique calling without losing what built it What’s something in your life that you need to move past? Drop it in the comments — we're reading. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don't miss what's next. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What You Don't Know About Brand Beckham 05.05.2026 1h 18min

Victoria Beckham is one of the most famous women in the world. But behind the headlines is a business story that took nearly two decades to build. She entered fashion with every reason to be dismissed. A Spice Girl. A celebrity. A public figure trying to be taken seriously in an industry that rarely gives second chances. The skepticism was loud. The losses were public. And at one point, she lost control of the company that carried her own name – but she building anyway. Over nearly two decades, Victoria rebuilt her business piece by piece. Through financial pressure, shifting perceptions, and the quiet work of proving she belonged. Today, her fashion business is profitable, her beauty brand is scaling, and the narrative has finally caught up to the work. In this conversation, Victoria sits down with Emma to talk about what it really took to get here — the financial pressure, the imposter syndrome she carried for years, and the moment she decided to put Victoria back into Victoria Beckham. She opens up about building alongside David, what their partnership actually looks like behind closed doors, and why she refuses to feel guilty about following her dreams. And for the first time, she reveals that Harper — who has sat in on product development meetings since she was tiny — is starting her own brand. Victoria shares: What it felt like to lose control of her own company and rebuild from inside it Why staying close to the creative saved the business when nothing else could How she and David have built alongside each other without disappearing into one another The Diane von Furstenberg advice that changed how she thinks about guilt What Harper's brand pitch revealed about legacy, motherhood, and what it means to raise a family of builders What have you stayed committed to longer than anyone expected? Drop it in the comments. What would you build if you stopped listening to the noise? Drop it in the comments — we're reading. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don't miss what's next. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oprah Winfrey Interviews Emma Grede on Her Debut Book "Start with Yourself” 30.04.2026 1h 4min

This one is a little different. For Emma, sitting down with Oprah Winfrey wasn’t just another interview — it was a full circle moment. A conversation years in the making with someone who helped shape how she thinks about success, ambition, and what’s possible. In this special episode, Emma shares her conversation from The Oprah Podcast — one of the most honest conversations she’s had about her debut book Start With Yourself and the journey behind it. Together, they go beyond the highlight reel and get into: The mindset shift that changed Emma’s life Radical self-accountability and what it really looks like in practice The tension between ambition, motherhood, and guilt Why building from purpose — not ego — changes everything How to separate truth from emotion in business and decision-making And the question that can redefine how you move through your life and career Emma also opens up about the mistakes that shaped her, overcoming comparison, and why she believes success starts from within — not from external validation. It’s a conversation that feels as grounding as it is powerful. And if you know Emma, you know — this moment meant everything. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Negativity, Ambition, and Building a Serious Business (Tory Burch) 28.04.2026 1h 7min

Tory Burch started her company in 2004 with a single store on Elizabeth Street in New York City, a friends and family round of funding, and a belief that purpose and business belong in the same sentence. Twenty two years later, she has 400 stores in 70 countries. And she still hasn't had lunch. In this conversation, Tory sits down with Emma to talk about what it really took to build one of the most recognizable names in American fashion — navigating criticism, surviving a lawsuit that threatened everything she'd built, and rediscovering the creative spirit that reinvigorated the brand. Tory shares: Why ambition is still a complicated word for women and why she refuses to shy away from it How she maintained ownership and control of her company through a very public divorce and lawsuit What she learned about scaling a brand without losing its identity How stepping back from the CEO role unlocked her most creative chapter yet What would you build if you stopped letting other people define your ambition? Drop it in the comments — we're reading. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don't miss what's next. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How to Quiet the Voice That’s Holding You Back 21.04.2026 1h 11min

Emma sits down with Tara Mohr, author of the bestselling ‘Playing Big’, for a conversation that started as an interview and turned into something much more personal. Tara has spent over a decade helping women understand why they hold themselves back — not from the outside, but from within. Together Emma and Tara get into why your self-doubt gets loudest right when something actually matters, the difference between your inner critic and realistic thinking, why chasing confidence is the wrong goal, and the two types of fear — one keeping you stuck, one telling you you're exactly where you need to be. Then Tara introduces Emma to her inner mentor and walks her through the exercise live, on camera. In this episode you’ll learn: What "playing small" really looks like, even when life looks big on the outside How to identify your inner critic and what to do about it How to tell the two types of fear apart The guilt trap and how to know when guilt is actually yours How to stop outsourcing your decisions and become the authority in your own life The inner mentor exercise What's the voice in your head telling you right now and is it actually true? Drop it in the comments. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you never miss what's next. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s Time to Start With Yourself 14.04.2026 43min

Emma’s debut book, Start With Yourself, is out today. This is the episode she’s been building toward since the very beginning of Aspire. She’s doing something she’s never done on this podcast before. She’s taking on your questions about what’s at the heart of the book, including: The core ideas behind her framework for work and life Why this isn’t just a book for someone wanting to start a business What she’d say to the woman who’s been putting herself last for too long The uncomfortable truths she had to face about her own thinking before she could put them on paper for anyone else Then she reads from the book for the first time anywhere, about a moment that completely changed her mindset and became the reason she had to write it. If you’ve felt stuck or scared to go after the next thing, Start With Yourself is for you. It’s available here. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bobbi Brown on Selling Your Name, Getting Fired, and Starting Over 09.04.2026 1h 2min

What does it mean to build something so successful that it outgrows you, and then start again from nothing with your name legally off the table? Bobbi Brown built one of the most iconic beauty companies in the world. She was 37 when she sold it, stayed for 22 years, then eventually pushed out of the business that carried her name. She waited out a 25-year non-compete, and on the day the clock ran out, she launched Jones Road—at 63, with six products, no outside investors, and a completely different playbook. Bobbi shares: What it really costs to sell your name (and whether she’d do it again) Why getting fired from the brand she built was the best thing that ever happened to her The difference between building something massive and building something that’s yours The social media strategy behind Jones Road and why it works The leadership lesson she’s still learning at 68 and what confidence means after decades of trying to be someone she’s not Have you ever built something—a business, a career, an identity—and had to walk away from it? What did starting over teach you? Tell us in the comments. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kimora Lee They Called Me a B*tch. I Built an Empire Anyway 07.04.2026 1h 9min

Emma sits down with Kimora Lee – fashion icon, entrepreneur, and founder — to talk about building one of the most influential brands in fashion and the lessons she learned about power, ownership, and knowing her worth. Kimora helped build Baby Phat into a cultural phenomenon, but behind the success were hard truths about being in rooms, contributing at the highest level, and still not getting what she was owed. Over time, she learned how to navigate deals, advocate for herself, and stop accepting less than she deserved. Now she has Baby Phat back and this time, it's hers. Kimora shares: Why being in the room didn't always mean having power The hard lessons she learned about money, deals and ownership What she wishes she'd known before she signed anything How she learned to stop settling and start advocating for herself Why getting Baby Phat back means more now than it did the first time. Where do you need to stop settling and start taking your place? Drop it in the comments — we're reading. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don't miss what's next. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Her Next Money Move: Cardi B is Tired of Making Everyone Else Rich 31.03.2026 1h 15min

Emma sits down with Cardi B, global superstar, entrepreneur, and now founder, to talk about what actually changed once she understood where her power sits. Cardi didn’t come into this industry with a co-sign. She came in figuring it out in real time, investing her own money, navigating bad deals, and slowly realizing she’d been making everyone else rich before herself. Now, as a two-time Grammy winner and a mother of four, she’s launching Grow-Good, her own haircare brand, and stepping into a new level of ownership. Cardi shares: Why getting burned early became her best business education What she looks for in partners now, and what she won’t tolerate How she shifted from quick money to ownership and equity Why this moment feels urgent, and what she’s building toward How she’s balancing motherhood, relationships, and ambition Where do you need to stop settling and start taking control? Drop it in the comments, we’re reading. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don’t miss what’s next. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From a Basement to a Billion Dollar Brand: The Greatest Founder Story You Never Heard 26.03.2026 1h 20min

Monique Rodriguez built Mielle Organics from her basement into a billion-dollar brand and did it without a blueprint. In this episode of Aspire, Monique shares the real story behind building one of the fastest-growing beauty brands in the world–from bootstrapping with her husband’s paycheck to risking their home, navigating criticism, and ultimately selling to Procter & Gamble while remaining CEO. But this isn't just a business story. It started with loss, a leap of faith, and a decision to bet on herself before she felt ready. This is a conversation about what it really takes to build something meaningful… and what happens when you finally reach the other side. In this episode, Monique shares: Why you don’t need to feel ready before making a life-changing decision How personal adversity can reshape your ambition and clarity What founders get wrong about scaling too early How to know when it’s time to bring in experienced operators Why building with the end in mind changes how you run your company The real risks founders take behind the scenes How to navigate criticism as your company grows What it actually means to lead after a major acquisition How to protect your vision while growing at scale Why success doesn’t always eliminate the feeling of having something to prove Monique Rodriguez’s story is proof that you don’t have to be ready to start, you just have to be willing. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The AI Lessons That Will Change How You Operate 24.03.2026 1h 14min

Allie K. Miller has been working in AI for nearly 20 years, and she says most of us aren't even close to using these tools to their full potential. Today, she's going to teach us exactly how to change the way we work, think, and operate with AI. Allie built teams at IBM and Amazon, advises companies like Google, OpenAI, and Salesforce, and TIME named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in AI. Nearly two million people follow her because she's one of the clearest voices translating AI for people who aren't engineers, which is why she's the right person to have this conversation with. In this episode, Emma and Allie get into the practical, actionable side of AI that most people never hear about—from the systems Allie has built to run her life and business, to the mistakes that keep most people stuck at the surface level. You'll learn: Why treating AI like a search engine is the biggest mistake people make and how to start treating it like an employee who works for you around the clock The prompting shift from "senior analyst" to "CEO" that changes the quality of everything you get back How to build a context document about your life, business, and beyond that makes every AI interaction more useful The automated briefing system Allie uses to manage her calendar, goals, and priorities every morning The study that shows how using AI the right way can make you more creative What's driving the 25% gender gap in AI adoption and what women can do about it right now If you've been holding back from using AI because this all feels overwhelming, or no one's ever taught you how to use it well, start here. What's the first thing you're going to try with AI after this conversation? Drop it in the comments and come back and tell us how it went. For more conversations like this on business, leadership, and leveling up how you work, subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you never miss what's next. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Money Rules Everyone Should Know 19.03.2026 1h 16min

In this episode, Emma sits down with financial educator and entrepreneur and everyone’s RichBFF, Vivian Tu to unpack why women are still the least likely to talk openly about money and what it ultimately costs them. Vivian grew up translating bills for her immigrant parents and then went on to earn six figures on Wall Street before walking away from a $625K salary to build something on her own terms. She knows exactly what financial confidence looks like from the inside and what keeps most women from getting there. Vivian shares: How to negotiate a raise and actually win it Why stability has to come before wealth (and how to build it) The quiet ways lifestyle inflation erodes your progress How to think strategically about benefits, taxes, and retirement The mindset shift that separates earners from builders Why women talking openly about money changes everything This isn't a conversation about becoming rich. It's about becoming someone who knows what they're worth and stops leaving it on the table. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What Growing Up in Chaos Actually Teaches You (Rich Kleiman) 17.03.2026 1h 30min

Emma has known Rich Kleiman for 20 years. In all that time, they've never talked about where he actually came from, until now. What came next was one of the most honest conversations we've had on the podcast. The hardest story to change is the one you tell yourself. For Rich, it wasn't a lesson, it was survival. He grew up navigating a volatile home on the Upper West Side. With a mother battling addiction and no one to watch him, Rich was left to figure life out on his own. Today he manages Kevin Durant's business empire, has built Boardroom from scratch, and is one of the most respected operators at the intersection of sports, music, and culture. In this conversation, he and Emma get into how chaos became his competitive advantage, what it really takes to build a partnership that lasts, and why legacy means more to him now than money ever did. Rich shares: How growing up around instability shaped his instincts in business. How his ability to navigate chaos made him a better leader. Why notoriety and success aren't the same thing Why the stories you tell yourself matter – and how truth outways comfort. Why making peace with your past changes how you move through the world. What's the story you keep telling yourself? Drop it in the comments — we'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode of Aspire with Emma Grede. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How to Change Careers Without Starting From Scratch 12.03.2026 24min

Sometimes you can reach a point in your career when everything looks right on paper, but feels completely wrong. And wanting something different doesn’t make you ungrateful, it signals growth. But the next step is where a lot of people make emotional decisions. They quit without having a plan, waiting to feel ready before they make a move, or talking themselves out of it entirely. In this episode, Emma talks about what a real career pivot actually looks like. Not the fantasy version where you walk away from everything and magically figure it out, but the strategic version where you build on what you’ve already done. She gets into how to tell the difference between burnout and a real signal that it’s time to change, why the best pivots are usually closer than you think, and how to move forward without starting from zero. You'll learn: The Pivot Audit: a framework for making big career moves strategically How to de-risk a career change before you take the leap Why being "too late" is a myth and what the data actually says What's one part of your career you've quietly outgrown? Drop it in the comments — we'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode of Aspire with Emma Grede. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why Financial Education is the Best Investment You Can Make (Tori Dunlap) 10.03.2026 1h 34min

The truth is, most of us weren’t taught how to manage our money, we were taught not to talk about it. From salary transparency and investing to honest discussions about debt and risk, women are left out of the conversation. Today’s guest, Tori Dunlap, is trying to change that. She’s built HerFirst $100K into a multi-million dollar education platform by helping women reshape their relationship with money and start building wealth. In this conversation Emma and Tori get into the real reasons why so many women avoid looking at their bank accounts, how money narratives impact our decisions before we are even old enough to understand them and why waiting until you're ready to invest is ultimately costing you your future. Tori also speaks candidly about why she believes women in relationships should keep separate accounts, how the trad wife trend can be misleading and why getting rich isn’t something women should ever feel guilty about. You’ll learn: • Why “I’m bad at math” is keeping women broke • What most of us get wrong about investing and how to do it right • What today’s economic uncertainty actually means for your money • Why financial education is the highest-return investment you can make What's your biggest money block right now? Drop it in the comments, we'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode of Aspire with Emma Grede. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Negotiation Starts Before You Enter the Room 05.03.2026 1h 5min

Mori Taheripour is one of the leading negotiation experts in the country, but her most important lesson may be this: negotiation has nothing to do with conflict and everything to do with knowing your worth. The Wharton professor has spent the last 22 years teaching people how to ask for what they want, not by using scripts or tactics, but by rebuilding the self-belief that life slowly chips away at. In this episode, Emma and Mori get into the fear, guilt, people-pleasing and inner work that sits at the heart of every negotiation you’ll ever have. They explore: Why negotiation is a life skill, not a boardroom tactic How fear of rejection stops us from asking for more Why people pleasers struggle to advocate for themselves How to stop taking no personally Why your biggest negotiation is always with yourself Why leverage is often perception How to ask for more without guilt or apology This is the episode for every woman who has ever talked herself out of asking. You already have what it takes and Mori explains exactly why. What's your biggest negotiation challenge right now? Drop it in the comments, we'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode of Aspire with Emma Grede. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices