Insights by Emma Grede zipped

Good morning! In today’s newsletter series, we dive into Emma Grede’s remarkable journey, featured in the On Purpose podcast. Emma, celebrated for founding fashion powerhouses like Good American and SKIMS, has climbed the ranks to become one of America's wealthiest self-made women, as recognized by Forbes. This discussion is about building a career, finding joy in life, and continually seeking to grow, personally and professionally.

Today's Feature Podcast Summary

Hosted By: Jay Shetty
Podcast: On Purpose
Guest Spotlight: Emma Grede, the entrepreneurial force behind brands that champion inclusivity and innovation.

Quick Listen:

• Success Through Service: At any job there is something learn. Make the best sandwich. Work hard even in small roles.

• Growth Equals Discomfort: If it's scary, it's good. Fear means you’re growing. Ok and bad times means your growing.

• Work-Life Harmony: There's no "perfect balance." Kids and work can coexist. Live out your dreams. Your happiness teaches them to pursue their own.

• Be Selfish to Be Generous: Think about yourself. It’s okay. Remember that you are not better than the people on the top and vice versa. Put your goals and dreams first.

• Decision-Making: Choose and move on. Decisions lead to action. Don’t overthink. Every choice teaches you, even if it’s hard at first.

Let’s break down these lessons from Emma Grede’s life, showcasing how simple, yet profound, principles can guide us towards a life of achievement, balance, and continual self-discovery.

Insightful Takeaways

Embracing Every Role: Lessons from Emma Grede’s Journey

Emma gave her all at any job: She delivered papers, worked in a deli, and later for a fashion show production company. She believes you can start with any job and learn something.
Opinion: One thing you will learn for sure is soft skills. Specifically in today’s age with technology easing a lot of hard skills for employees, soft skills are crucial. According to a research by Harvard and Stanford University, soft skills account for 85% of job success (National Soft Skills). Even in a classic service jobs such as waitressing, you can learn to put dedication and deliver quality in every task. This approach cultivates a strong work ethic and builds the resilience and adaptability necessary for long-term success.

Gateway to Growth: The rule of thirds

Emma’s approach to growth is straightforward – seek the fear, and the discomfort, because that’s when you grow and everything in life should be about growing: “If you're not working on yourself then you're not really living”. Today she is searching for the things that scare her because in those moments you grow the most.

The rule of thirds further guides this journey: feel happy for a third of the time, ok for another third, and crappy for the remaining third.
Today, when Emma realizes she has been “too happy for too long”, she knows she is not challenging herself enough and goes out to seek that fear.

By recognizing fear and pain as signals of growth, we learn to see these experiences not as obstacles but as opportunities.

Redefining Balance: Real Life, Not Perfect

… Even if that means missing the school gala. There are still misconceptions about what you are allowed to be when being a mom. Statistics show that over half of working moms (55%) say they need to but also want to work. Yet, 50% feel that being a working mom makes moving up in their career harder. (Flexjobs)

Opinion: This perception is important because there are only so many hours in your day and if you decide to continue doing business whilst raising kids, then this is what you need to do to avoid the feeling of giving yourself up.

Emma's advice? Focus on what's important, not on being perfect. Learn to understand your kids and what they need from you. Be honest about what you can do and what you can't. “There is no balance”, instead, make work and family fit together in a way that works for you.

This way, you live your truth, and your kids learn to chase their dreams too, just like you.

Self-Care as a Path to Generosity: Embracing Selfishness Wisely

Emma Grede introduces a thought-provoking angle on self-care: Be more selfish. Not only are individuals who practice regular self-care better equipped to manage stress and have more resources—emotional, physical, and mental—to share with others. But they also increase their self-esteem. Emma’s life embodies this principle; by prioritizing her ambitions and leveling herself with any ultra-successful person out there, she got ahead. She challenges us to rethink our approach to selfishness, seeing it not as a flaw but as a necessary practice for sustaining our ability to be generous and effective in our roles.

Decisive Action: The Power of Choice

Central to Emma Grede’s philosophy is the power of making decisions confidently and sticking to them. You avoid getting distracted by the vast opportunities out there. Instead, you learn from the choices made rather than being fearful of making the wrong one. You keep going by reminding yourself of where you will be: “Getting up and thinking about the end goal when you're nowhere even close to it, but you can see a pathway”. This approach ties again into applying a constant growth mindset and welcoming fear.

Parting Inspirational Quote to Ponder

Notion Handbook