Jay Shetty Podcast#1 Business Expert: Here’s how I went from $0 to 7 BILLION EMPIRE … (and how you can too)
Jay Shetty and Emma Grede on emma Grede’s blueprint: self-belief, focus, and starting before ready.
In this episode of Jay Shetty Podcast, featuring Jay Shetty and Emma Grede, #1 Business Expert: Here’s how I went from $0 to 7 BILLION EMPIRE … (and how you can too) explores emma Grede’s blueprint: self-belief, focus, and starting before ready Grede explains that worrying about others’ opinions blocks people from speaking up, taking risks, and putting themselves forward, and that progress comes from meeting your own standards instead.
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Emma Grede’s blueprint: self-belief, focus, and starting before ready
- Grede explains that worrying about others’ opinions blocks people from speaking up, taking risks, and putting themselves forward, and that progress comes from meeting your own standards instead.
- She highlights real gender barriers and double standards in business, arguing that women must name them, stop playing by “likable/demure” rules, and lead openly to avoid holding other women back.
- Her career approach emphasizes starting with yourself: be excellent at what you do today, volunteer with “I’ll do that,” and let competence (not vibes) build durable confidence.
- Rather than “finding your passion,” Grede recommends following what you’re good at and what gives you energy, then using deep focus as a force multiplier to create outsized results.
- In life and parenting, she rejects the myth of balance, advocating honest trade-offs, asking for help, and choosing personal non-negotiables instead of living by external standards.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasStop auditioning for others; build to your own expectations.
Grede’s turning point is shifting from proving yourself to others to meeting your own standards—what lets you sleep well at night becomes the benchmark, not outside approval.
Name real barriers, then refuse the “likable” trap.
She acknowledges structural obstacles and harsher backlash for women, but argues the response is to lean into truth and visibility so you don’t reinforce restrictive norms for those who follow.
Career momentum often comes from volunteering before you feel ready.
Her three-word mantra—“I’ll do that”—captures how taking on opportunities creates the pressure and reps that build capability, credibility, and access.
Excellence is portable—mastery in small roles signals bigger potential.
From “amazing sandwich maker” to “amazing jeans,” she stresses that doing today’s job exceptionally well is how people notice transferable skill and offer larger chances.
Don’t chase passion; track energy and aptitude, then deepen your focus.
She argues passion can be misleading, while strengths and energizing work are more reliable; going deep in one area unlocks compounding learning and standout performance.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesI honestly got to a certain point in my life where I thought, "Well, if not you, then who?"
— Emma Grede
The older you get, the more you realize no one knows anything.
— Emma Grede
So I've just decided, like, I'm not playing that game anymore. I'm gonna do me, be me, and everyone else-... is gonna have to like it.
— Emma Grede
I think that the three most important words for career acceleration is, "I'll do that."
— Emma Grede
You've got, like, one big relationship, one big love in your life, and that's you.
— Emma Grede
QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN THIS EPISODE
5 questionsEmma says “If not you, then who?”—what practical exercise helps someone move from proving themselves to meeting their own expectations?
Grede explains that worrying about others’ opinions blocks people from speaking up, taking risks, and putting themselves forward, and that progress comes from meeting your own standards instead.
How do you recommend women differentiate between internal imposter syndrome and external structural barriers, and what actions change each one?
She highlights real gender barriers and double standards in business, arguing that women must name them, stop playing by “likable/demure” rules, and lead openly to avoid holding other women back.
Your mantra is “I’ll do that.” When is saying yes strategically wrong—what red flags signal you should decline?
Her career approach emphasizes starting with yourself: be excellent at what you do today, volunteer with “I’ll do that,” and let competence (not vibes) build durable confidence.
You advise people not to “look for passion.” What are the concrete signals that something gives you energy versus just novelty or adrenaline?
Rather than “finding your passion,” Grede recommends following what you’re good at and what gives you energy, then using deep focus as a force multiplier to create outsized results.
You call focus a force multiplier—what are the top distractions or commitments you’d cut first for an early-stage founder?
In life and parenting, she rejects the myth of balance, advocating honest trade-offs, asking for help, and choosing personal non-negotiables instead of living by external standards.
Chapter Breakdown
Live stage setup: Emma Grede joins Jay Shetty in San Francisco
Jay opens the live event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, welcoming Emma Grede and setting an energetic tone with the crowd. They frame the night around ambition, confidence, and building a life on your own terms.
Breaking the habit of living for others’ opinions
Emma explains how worrying about others’ judgments shaped her teens and 20s—and how she began shifting toward meeting her own standards instead. She emphasizes deciding daily who you’re doing your best for.
The hidden cost of comparison: staying quiet and missing chances
Emma recounts how believing “everyone is watching” led her to not speak up or put herself forward. As she gained experience, she realized even powerful people are often improvising, which reduced intimidation and increased her willingness to take risks.
Double standards for women in business—and why Emma leans in anyway
They discuss real structural barriers and the different standards applied to men vs. women, especially around self-promotion and public criticism. Emma explains why she refuses to play the “be likable/demure” game and builds companies with women in decision-making roles.
Start with yourself: ambition, excellence, and making your goals known
Emma advises early-stage builders to center decisions on what matters to them and never apologize for ambition. She argues that excellence in your current job—no matter how small—creates momentum and expands how others perceive your capability.
Career acceleration mantra: “I’ll do that”
Emma shares her three-word mantra for saying yes to opportunities before you feel fully ready. Jay connects it to the idea of learning by doing and letting responsibility pull you upward.
Visualizing the life you want and choosing empowering self-talk
Emma describes how visualization (what many call manifestation today) helped her aim beyond her circumstances. She emphasizes that your primary relationship is with yourself—so the story you tell yourself determines how far you’ll go.
Don’t chase passion—follow energy, skill, and what you can get great at
Emma challenges the common advice to “find your passion,” arguing it can be misleading. Instead, she recommends tracking what energizes you and leaning into natural strengths; Jay adds that competence is what builds durable confidence.
True focus as a force multiplier (and what destroys it)
Emma and Jay explore why focus separates high performers from dabblers, using Bruce Lee’s “one kick 10,000 times” principle. Emma argues modern culture pressures people to be everything, but success comes from going deep on a repeatable core skill.
Know your strengths, admit your weaknesses, and build a complementary circle
Jay discusses tools like StrengthsFinder to identify what you uniquely do well, and how naming strengths changes decisions. Emma stresses that no one succeeds alone; you win by surrounding yourself with people who cover what you’re “horrendous” at.
Motherhood, work, and rewriting the guilt narrative
Emma shares how her kids perceive her work and how she stopped apologizing for loving her career. Jay reflects on his mother’s work ethic and argues that time is not the same as love—presence and emotional safety matter more than constant availability.
Define your non-negotiables and stop borrowing others’ standards
Emma explains how she clarified what truly matters to her—what she will show up for and what she won’t do (like “Instagrammable lunches”). She recommends regularly reassessing standards as life changes, then protecting personal rituals that sustain you.
Trade-offs, asking for help, and telling the truth about ‘balance’
Emma rejects the myth that anyone ‘has it all’ without sacrifice, emphasizing trade-offs and extensive support systems. She argues honesty about what you give up—and comfort asking for help—liberates others from unrealistic expectations and ‘toxic positivity.’
Audience pitch moment: test small, iterate fast, start tomorrow
An audience member pitches a food-industry show concept, and Emma coaches her to scale down and test the idea on accessible platforms first. Jay reinforces the message with his own story of a rejected TV pitch that led him to start the podcast.
EVERY SPOKEN WORD
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