9 to 5ish with theSkimm

Cindy Eckert co-founded the company Sprout Pharmaceuticals, which created the first FDA approved drug for low sexual desire in women (read: female viagra). In a made-for-TV twist, she sold the company for $1 billion… but then, had to take the company back. Intrigued yet? Same. Now, Cindy’s the founder of the investment and management firm, The Pinkubator, with the goal of making other women “reall...

Every weekend growing up, Christine watched her mom and grandma go to the Korean bathhouses, rubbing things like tea and spoiled milk on their skin. And she’s been hooked on skincare ever since. Now, she’s the co-founder and co-CEO of the skincare brand, Glow Recipe. But before leading this new venture, she actually worked her way up the corporate ladder at L’Oreal. In this episode, Christine give...

Before Rathi Srinivas became the co-founder and CTO of Droplette, she got her PhD in chemical engineering from MIT. NBD. And now, she’s developed an award-winning skincare device that’s grounded in science and backed by NASA. This week, Rathi joined us to share how she thinks about making stuff that’s never been made before – that can have a real difference for women everywhere. In this episode, R...

It’s no secret that more diversity is needed in the investing world. So as an immigrant woman of color, Gargi Pal Chaudhuri didn’t see a lot of people who looked like her or understood her background when she first stepped onto the trading floor two decades ago. Since then, she’s climbed the ranks, broadened her network, and become the Head of iShares Investment Strategy, Americas at BlackRock. Tu...

The day before Melissa Ben-Ishay started her famous cupcake business Baked by Melissa, she actually got fired from her job. But she’s proof that your worst moments can lead to some of your best. This week, we spoke to Melissa about how she found her confidence as she was getting started, and how she learned to embrace obstacles.   In this episode, Melissa shares… Her decision-making tactics  Her a...

Robin Roberts has been in the anchor chair at “Good Morning America” for over 15 years. And while she’s covered some of the biggest news events of our time, she’s also gone through her own off-camera battles. This week, Robin told us why she decided to share her most personal struggles with millions of people – and how to make your own vulnerability your superpower at work.  In this episode, Robin...

Scarlett Johansson is one of the highest-paid actors in the world, and has starred in some of the highest-grossing movies of all time. But those career defining moments didn’t come easy. She’s had to reframe rejection, say “yes” without looking back, and fight against toxic behavior in the entertainment industry. This week, we’ll ask Scarlett how she had perspective even in the toughest moments —...

When Michelle Kelly started at Lilly Pulitzer in 2004, her business card read “Major Stores Development Manager.” Now, it says “CEO.” Kelly has held 8 different titles across at least 4 different departments at the company — from retail, to merchandising, marketing, to e-commerce. So in this episode, we chat with Michelle about the art of the pivot. Started from the bottom, now we here.  In this e...

This week, we’re thinking about careers like recipes. And it’s not just because we’re talking to Dawn Davis, the editor-in-chief of “Bon Appétit.” For Dawn, every experience she had – from working in finance to founding her own publishing imprint – was an essential ingredient that prepared her to run the famous food mag. And this week, we’re talking to Dawn about how to experiment with your own ca...

Even though Lorna Kapusta is head of women investors and customer relations at Fidelity, she wasn’t always so confident talking about her own finances. But that started to change about seven years ago when she realized: she needed to be in the driver’s seat when it came to her money. This week, Lorna shares her own journey– and gives advice on how to start taking control, from investing to having...

When Radhika Jones took over Vanity Fair as editor-in-chief, she succeeded a man who had been in the job for 25 years. And taking over a legacy like that isn’t easy — whether you’re EIC or managing a new team at work. You have to explain your vision, win over people who might not agree, learn people’s work styles...all on top of doing your actual job. This week, we asked Radhika how she navigated...

Working for Fawn Weaver isn’t your typical 9 to 5. The founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey operates her business like a family. Think: not just one-on-ones or status meetings, but 24/7 support for employees. So how did she build a company like that? She sought out people who had similar values and fit with her leadership style. And she spent a lot of time on the hiring process.  In th...

When Laurie Segall first started at CNN as a journalist, she was basically working in the equivalent of “Scriberia” from “Inventing Anna.” But instead of getting discouraged, Laurie used that opportunity to build out CNN’s tech coverage, and created a new role at the company in the process. And she ultimately became CNN’s senior technology correspondent. This week, Laurie shares how she used her d...

Ever worn a really uncomfortable bra and thought “Who even invented this?” Michelle Cordeiro Grant was one of those people. She worked for major lingerie and underwear brands before starting her own, Lively, after she saw how other brands didn’t put their customer - or comfort - first. And it turns out: flipping the script worked. Lively sold out of inventory in its first two weeks. And in 2019, L...

Anne Wojcicki always followed her interests. From sneaking into figure skating rinks as a kid, to taking her interest in genetics to the next level and co-founding the genetics company 23andMe, Anne told us how she’s built her career off curiosity. And as 23andMe has faced challenges from regulators and privacy advocates over the years, Anne had to dig into her passion even more to boost morale. ...

Victoria Beckham has switched industries three times so far during her career: trading in the Spice Girls for a solo career, then launching her own fashion label. Now, she’s in the midst of her third big pivot: a foray into beauty, via a sustainable luxury brand. And she brought in Sarah Creal, a lifelong product developer who’s worked with everyone from Bobbi Brown to Estée Lauder. In this episod...

Nancy started her career at Goldman Sachs — but she always knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur. She had grown up helping her grandmother and her mother make natural home-remedies for hair and skin, and realized there was a gaping hole in the beauty market. But she didn’t quit her day job right away: instead, she stayed on the trading room floor for another four years and worked evenings and week...

This week, we’re throwing it back to one of our favorite episodes from last year. What does it actually mean to know your worth at work? This week, we asked the queen of confidence (and of morning TV), Gayle King, how she found hers. She told us her self worth came from years of salary negotiations, building strong support systems, navigating setbacks, and dealing with tough bosses.  In this episo...

Lindsey Vonn isn’t just physically tough – she’s also known as one of the most mentally strong athletes. She started competing in international skiing competitions when she was just nine years old, and went on to become the most decorated female skier in history, including winning three Olympic Winter Games medals. And along the way, Lindsey dealt with a number of terrifying injuries, which challe...

Melissa Wood-Tepperberg went from working in nightclubs and modeling to becoming one of the first people to start streaming workouts online. That turned into her own health and fitness app, which now has thousands of paying subscribers. Today, Melissa has almost one million Instagram followers and her app, Melissa Wood Health, is a case study at Harvard Business School — despite the fact Melissa n...

Fran Lebowitz found fame as a writer in the 1970’s, when she started out writing movie reviews and magazine columns. She went on to publish two essay collections containing her observations of New York City and the people around her — cementing her as a definitive voice of a generation.  In this episode, Fran talks about: Finding her writing process Networking without the internet Improvising when...

Dana Canedy is a Pulitzer-winning reporter who’s set goals for herself since her first internship. But halfway through her career as a reporter Dana lost her fiancé, which shaped the rest of her life and her career. And Dana figured out how to keep going — becoming the first person of color, the youngest, and first female administrator of the Pulitzer Prize and the first Black person to head up a...

Sheila was at Harvard Business School, rifling through the Yellow Pages to find care for her infant son and her elderly father when she realized finding care should be easier. But unlike some Silicon Valley founders, Sheila wasn’t in a rush: instead, she prioritized building her leadership and management skills before she launched Care.com.  In this episode, Sheila talks about: Figuring out what s...

Carly worked her way up from management trainee at AT&T, going from fighting for respect from her male colleagues to taking the top job at Hewlett-Packard and becoming the first female CEO of a Fortune 50 company. She oversaw a contentious merger, job and pay cuts. And after she was fired, Carly served as an advisor to John McCain and Mitt Romney’s presidential campaigns — in between beating breas...

Brooke Shields has been a household name ever since she did her first commercial, at just 11 months old. As a teenage model and actress being managed by her mother, Brooke found her own image sexualized — but refused to play along with the media’s expectations. Since then, she’s acted on Broadway, starred in sitcoms and TV dramas, raised two daughters and written two memoirs. We spoke to Brooke ab...