The Diary of a CEOEmma Grede: Work-life balance is your problem to solve
Through grit, action, and zero qualifications she built her brands; why employer-led balance, evenings, and weekends are not the path to number one.
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 2:00
Work–Life Balance, Ambition, and the Myth of ‘Having It All’
The conversation opens with Grede’s provocative stance that work–life balance is an individual responsibility and fundamentally incompatible with being ‘number one’. She sets the tone by rejecting feel‑good narratives and demanding honesty about the sacrifices elite success requires.
- •Grede declares that work–life balance is not an employer’s job to design.
- •She argues you cannot be at the very top and keep all evenings and weekends free.
- •Frames the episode’s theme: uncompromising realism about what success really costs.
- 2:00 – 13:00
East London Upbringing, Responsibility, and Early Grit
Grede recounts growing up in East London with a single mother and three younger sisters, effectively becoming a co‑parent. Financial precarity, early responsibility, and lack of a carefree childhood forged her maternal instincts, reliability, and determination not to repeat her mother’s struggles.
- •Raised by a single mum; dad left when she was young; four girls in the family.
- •As the eldest, she made lunches, ironed uniforms, got siblings to school—sometimes skipping her own.
- •Early exposure to unpaid bills and stress created a deep aversion to financial anxiety.
- •She sees her tough childhood as a gift that made her gritty and hyper‑responsible.
- 13:00 – 24:00
Money as Escape and Visualizing a Different Life
She describes idolizing money as the pathway out of a ‘shit’ environment and using fashion as a fantasy escape. Childhood drawings of an ideal Christmas scene later manifested almost exactly, illustrating how long‑held visions coupled with work can materialize.
- •As a teen she dreamed of being a fashion designer despite no industry contacts.
- •Money was worshipped, despite having none; she clearly differentiated ‘us’ from those who had it.
- •She repeatedly drew a dream home Christmas scene that later became her real Clerkenwell townhouse moment.
- •She emphasizes that manifestation only works when built on top of meticulous planning and hard work.
- 24:00 – 33:00
From Fantasy to Action: Focus, Talent Enabling, and Noise
Grede explains how she translated dreams into action: laser focus, incremental self‑improvement, and a refusal to be derailed by others’ opinions. She realized she lacked design talent but excelled at enabling others’ creativity and turning vision into reality.
- •Her core strengths: deep focus, continuous improvement, and ignoring external ‘noise’.
- •She’s an enabler of talent rather than the creative herself.
- •Gives concrete examples of action bias: hundreds of calls, hand‑delivered letters to agencies.
- •Differentiates between drowning out unhelpful noise and intentionally seeking informed feedback.
- 33:00 – 42:00
Feedback, Gut Decisions, and the ‘Personal Board of Directors’
The discussion turns to decision-making: how Grede gathers perspectives then ultimately trusts her own judgment. She describes her informal ‘board’ of trusted advisors, particularly her husband Jens, whose blunt feedback shifted her from an ‘employee mentality’ to CEO thinking.
- •She calls multiple knowledgeable people before big decisions but expects conflicting opinions.
- •Customer feedback is treated as inherently valid because it reflects their lived reality.
- •Introduces the concept of a personal board of directors—people you can call for high‑stakes decisions.
- •Jens’s comment about her ‘employee mentality’ transformed how she showed up in board meetings.
- 42:00 – 49:00
Rethinking Mentors and Learning From Whoever Is Around You
Grede challenges the obsession with finding formal mentors, advocating instead for radical curiosity and extracting learning from bosses, clients, and anyone nearby. She stresses that the best mentors are often too busy to ‘mentor’ you traditionally, so you must self‑direct.
- •She never had formal mentors; she learned by observing bosses and copying their sales lines and even outfits.
- •Advises asking smart questions of every senior person you encounter, instead of ‘finding a mentor’.
- •Points out that many seeking mentors already have limited access, so questions and initiative are the real leverage.
- 49:00 – 56:00
Defining Grit and Its Origins in Early Life
When asked which quality, if removed, would ensure she never became who she is, Grede names grit. She believes her early life—co‑parenting siblings, financial scarcity, and East London mentality—created an ‘I’ll do that’ reflex and a belief she’d do something special.
- •Identifies grit as her core defining trait; references Angela Duckworth’s framework.
- •She was the kid who always raised her hand for extra responsibility at work.
- •Her early family role (being the ‘mum’ to sisters) maps directly onto her workplace behavior later.
- 56:00 – 1:03:00
Can You Teach Grit? Remote Work, Office Culture, and Learning by Osmosis
Grede reflects on whether grit can be developed and laments the loss of in‑person learning in a post‑COVID, hybrid world. She insists the formative ‘osmosis’ of sitting near high performers and copying them is almost impossible to replicate over Zoom.
- •Believes people can become grittier if they truly want it, but not primarily via remote work.
- •Credits in‑office proximity with allowing her to immediately test and adapt her boss’s sales techniques.
- •Argues that current hybrid norms erode dynamic learning and rapid cultural transmission.
- 1:03:00 – 1:12:00
Spotting Stars: Excellence, Attitude, Flexibility, and T‑Shaped Leaders
She details what makes someone stand out as a future star in her organizations: mastery of their current role, curiosity across functions, and flexibility even in senior hires. Conversely, she explains why hiring people fixated on work–life balance is a non‑starter.
- •Stars first excel at their current job before asking for more responsibility.
- •She hires for energy, winning mentality, and cross‑functional curiosity (T‑shaped leadership).
- •Red flags: inflexibility in seasoned execs and interview questions focused on work–life balance.
- •She views work–life balance as an employee’s design problem within a flexible but performance‑driven company.
- 1:12:00 – 1:22:00
The Work–Life Balance Debate, Hustle Backlash, and Honest Trade-Offs
Grede and Bartlett dig deeply into the cultural backlash against hustle and founders’ post‑pandemic confusion. She holds that leaders have been ‘gaslit’ by online discourse and reiterates that building a great business requires prioritizing enterprise needs over universal employee comfort.
- •Many candidates now rank work–life balance above excellence, competition, or leadership.
- •Grede sees profit and performance as prerequisites for workplace flexibility and benefits.
- •She rejects the idea that you can be extraordinarily successful without regularly working beyond 9–5.
- •Insists leaders can’t please everyone; you must prioritize enterprise outcomes and accept criticism, even online.
- 1:22:00 – 1:35:00
Leadership, Downsizing, and the Emotional Cost of Firing
The conversation moves to leadership lessons, especially around layoffs and restructuring. Grede recounts firing 15 of 60 employees at her first agency and how it forced her to mature as a leader, share information, and bring her team into problem‑solving.
- •Her first major downsizing felt like the end of the world; she carried all the anxiety alone.
- •She learned to zoom out regularly (quarterly/bi‑annually) to assess market reality, not just internal stories.
- •Embraces the analogy of being a manager on the sidelines, not a player scoring all the goals.
- •References Bill Gates’s reading weeks as a model for stepping back and gaining perspective.
- 1:35:00 – 1:40:00
Paranoia, Competition, and Being Copied
Grede admits to being ‘rightly paranoid’ given how often her brands are copied, but she treats imitation as a lagging indicator. By the time competitors have replicated something, she aims to be 18 months ahead.
- •She’s accustomed to working with ‘the most copied’ brands in the world.
- •Copycats don’t bother her because her team has usually moved onto the next iteration.
- •Healthy paranoia keeps her scanning competition and customer experience without becoming reactive.
- 1:40:00 – 1:50:00
From Agency Owner to Good American: Equity, Talent Deals, and the Khloé Pitch
Grede traces the evolution from running ITB, an entertainment marketing agency, to founding Good American. Frustrated by talent equity deals where she only earned flat fees, she decided to create her own brand and bring talent in as true equity partners, leading to the Good American concept and her pitch to Kris Jenner and Khloé Kardashian.
- •ITB sat at the intersection of brands and entertainment, doing endorsements and early influencer work.
- •She brokered early equity deals for talent but only got flat fees, missing the upside.
- •Realized she should build a company herself and partner with talent for equity to capture value created.
- •An investor’s insight into plus‑size retail plus her denim exposure sparked Good American’s inclusive denim idea.
- •She pitched Kris for access to Khloé; Khloé said yes, launching an 8‑year partnership.
- 1:50:00 – 1:59:00
Inclusive Sizing, Product Truths, and What’s Changed Since 2018
Grede explains Good American’s core bet: no separate plus‑size section, just one product range in 19 sizes and the same sexy cuts for all bodies. She details how early digital arbitrage helped but didn’t define the brand, and how board members pushed her toward profitability over growth‑at‑all‑costs.
- •Good American refused to separate plus sizes; same styles and slits for all sizes.
- •Market response proved that many women weren’t being served at all, not that they didn’t want bold styles.
- •2016–2019 offered cheap social ad arbitrage, which is now largely gone.
- •Contrarian board members warned her not to overspend on acquisition, insisting on a profitable model and multi‑channel strategy (DTC, stores, wholesale).
- 1:59:00 – 2:06:00
Brand Building in 2025: IRL Experiences, Community, and Purpose
The focus shifts to how to build brands now. Grede highlights experiential activations like the SKIMS 24/7 diner, community‑building, and purpose‑driven positioning as more potent than purely digital marketing. She also unpacks Good American’s move to B Corp status and how that aligned with internal values.
- •In‑person experiences create powerful emotional memories and deeper brand relationships.
- •She sees physical presence at point‑of‑purchase (e.g., supermarkets for drinks) as vital for new brands.
- •Community now often means owning more of the customer experience and standing for a clear purpose.
- •Good American’s B Corp certification responded to staff and customer values, especially around sustainability in denim.
- 2:06:00 – 2:13:00
First Principles of Business: Conviction, Knowing Your Gaps, and Risk
Looking back at a photo of herself at 15, Grede outlines the core principles she’d teach that younger version: trust your gut, know what you don’t know and hire into your gaps, and accept that risk is unavoidable if you want more than a safe, predictable life.
- •Gut conviction and strong feelings have guided many of her best decisions.
- •A superpower: accurately knowing what she doesn’t know and recruiting complementary talent.
- •Moving to the US with a toddler and a newborn to start a new venture was a high‑risk but necessary leap.
- •She sees risk as essential for escaping limiting circumstances and accessing bigger opportunities.
- 2:13:00 – 2:23:00
Sales, Storytelling, and Trusting Intuition vs. Excitement
Grede discusses why the ability to sell—ideas, products, vision—is non‑negotiable for founders she backs. She explains her own sales approach as passion‑driven and problem‑solution‑oriented, and how she distinguishes deep gut intuition from fleeting excitement, especially in investing.
- •She will not invest in a founder who can’t sell their idea convincingly.
- •Her pitch pattern: define the problem, show her unique solution, articulate clear value and pricing.
- •She’s a ‘born salesperson’ whose decisions are rooted in feeling and conviction rather than spreadsheets alone.
- •Separates emotional resonance (heart‑hit intuition) from shallow thrill (‘that looks like money over there’).
- 2:23:00 – 2:31:00
Prejudice, Identity, and Not Internalizing Others’ Biases
Prompted by a question on prejudice, Grede reflects on being a Black woman in business and the danger of internalizing stereotypes. She feels her race and background often distinguished her positively in UK rooms, while acknowledging race operates very differently and often more negatively in the US.
- •She rarely knows when prejudice has occurred and refuses to let it define her behavior.
- •As a lone Black woman with an East London accent among privately educated peers, she was often asked for her view, which she treated as an advantage.
- •Warns against internalizing stereotype threat; prejudice is real but should remain others’ problem, not your limitation.
- •Contrasts her UK experience with the more intense, everyday racial dynamics she’s observed in America.
- 2:31:00 – 2:38:00
Caring Less About Others’ Opinions and Overestimating How Much People Watch Us
They explore how to care less about what others think. Grede notes that people vastly overestimate how much others are paying attention to them and emphasizes placing far more weight on your own self‑assessment than on external judgment.
- •She has high self‑worth and places more value on her own opinion than others’.
- •People imagine texts and posts are deeply analyzed when in reality they’re often dashed off without thought.
- •Her mantra: “Nobody wakes up and thinks about me as much as I do,” which is freeing.
- •Hate or criticism from strangers (‘Dave in Swindon with an egg emoji’) shouldn’t be allowed to ruin your day.
- 2:38:00 – 2:49:00
Fertility, IVF, Miscarriage, and the Journey to Surrogacy
In one of the most personal segments, Grede recounts her fertility journey: two easy pregnancies followed by unexplained infertility, multiple failed IVF rounds, and three miscarriages. She ultimately chose surrogacy, which brought her twins and a profound sense of gratitude and perspective.
- •First two pregnancies at 30 and 33 were quick and straightforward.
- •At 38 she faced unexplained infertility, went through several IVF rounds, and experienced three losses (9, 11, and 16 weeks).
- •Describes that period as ‘soul-destroying’ and obsessive—everything in life narrowed to wanting a baby.
- •Chose surrogacy during COVID; had an “unbelievable” experience with a selfless surrogate who asked for nothing beyond the contract.
- •Felt initial shame and a sense of being ‘robbed’ of carrying again, which transformed into gratitude for a unique, profound experience.
- 2:49:00 – 2:59:00
The Silence Around Fertility and the Biological Clock
Grede laments how rarely women openly discuss fertility struggles, even among close friends, and highlights the risks of assuming you can ‘get around to’ kids whenever. She urges more planning and realistic understanding of timelines and options like egg freezing.
- •Recounts being on a boat with five women, all privately dealing with fertility issues that no one discussed openly.
- •Notes that many women spend years focused on not getting pregnant, then are shocked when the choice is no longer entirely theirs.
- •Argues the biological window is narrow and often misunderstood; egg freezing is helpful but not a perfect safety net.
- •Encourages anyone who might want children to be proactive and intentional rather than deferring indefinitely for career or financial goals.
- 2:59:00
Aspire: Scaling Mentorship Through Podcasting and Representation
The episode closes with Grede announcing her podcast, Aspire, designed to ‘scale mentorship’ by sharing her lessons and those of under‑represented guests. Bartlett underscores the unique representational power she has as a Black British woman who has built billion‑dollar US and UK businesses.
- •She already does informal 30‑minute mentoring calls most mornings and wants to reach more people at scale.
- •Notices podcasting and business content are heavily male‑dominated; many of her invitees have never done a podcast.
- •Aspire will focus on realistic, non‑toxic discussions about success, especially for women, with an emphasis on hard work and trade‑offs.
- •Bartlett emphasizes that her visibility could create ‘100,000 Emmas’ and may become the most important part of her legacy.
- •Grede feels a responsibility to serve listeners the way Oprah once inspired her.
