Summary
Overview
Emma Grede, the powerhouse entrepreneur behind multiple successful businesses, joins Jay Shetty for an intimate conversation about breaking through self-doubt, redefining success as a woman in business, and building an empire without sacrificing authenticity. From her early days working in a deli to becoming a fashion mogul, Emma shares raw truths about focus, trade-offs, parenting, and why she's done apologizing for her ambitions. She also launches her new podcast 'Aspire' and gives real-time advice to an audience member with a business pitch.
Breaking Free From Others' Opinions
Emma opens up about her journey from spending her entire life worried about what people think to reaching a point where she decided 'if not you, then who?' She discusses how this mindset shift didn't happen overnight and acknowledges that parts of her still struggle with it, but she's reached a stage where meeting her own expectations matters most. Her evolution from keeping quiet and staying out of conversations to confidently occupying spaces with the world's best investors and leaders marks a fundamental transformation in how she views herself.
- Emma spent her entire life worried about what people thought, and admits parts of her still feel that way
- She reached a point where she thought 'if not you, then who' and stopped trying to prove something
- In her teens and 20s, she missed opportunities by not speaking up, not putting herself forward, and keeping out of conversations entirely
- Being a younger woman in business meant dealing with the idea that everybody knows better than you
- The older you get, the more you realize no one knows anything and everyone is making it up as they go
" I wake up every single day and make a decision to do my very best. And who am I doing my best for? Well, for me, right? I have to meet my own expectations. "
" The older you get, the more you realize no one knows anything. Every one of us, we're making it up as we go along. "
Confronting Fear and Taking Risks
Emma dives into the gendered nature of risk-taking, acknowledging that women are often risk-averse for many reasons, but when the only reason is self-preservation, it becomes limiting. She's spent considerable time thinking about how to park her fear and redirect that energy more productively. The conversation explores how barriers for women in business are real and systemic, not just psychological, which is why Emma deliberately built her companies with women at the helm making key decisions.
- Taking risks is inherently challenging for women, and being risk-averse happens for many reasons
- When self-preservation is the only reason for risk aversion, you need to examine what fear is doing negatively to you
- Study shows men apply for jobs when they meet 40% of qualifications, while women won't apply even when meeting 80%
- Emma built companies with women at the helm because women make better decisions about hiring and investing
- Women face enormous criticism for being braggadocious or getting out of their space in ways men don't
" I've spent a lot of time thinking about how I can park my fear and what else I can use that energy for. "
" The barriers are real, they're really real. And so we should all recognize that. It isn't just about women holding themselves back. "
" Instead of shying away from those conversations, what I do is lean into those conversations. Because the very idea that you have to be demure, that you have to be likable, that you have to lean into a certain convention of what it means to be a woman in business. If you do that and I display that, I'm actually holding women back. "
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