Hey there, I’m Jess ✨. On The Signature, I share reflections on beauty, routines, travel, wellness, culture, and everyday life. For those drawn to a calmer, more intentional way of living, I send a free newsletter each month on the 7th. You're welcome to join.
This article is a series I have written about women who inspire me daily, either in fashion, beauty, life in general. I am happy I am adding someone who inspires me professionally too with this profile, and one that looks like she could be a member of my family.
In life you don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate - Emma Grede
Discovering Emma Grede
A few months ago, I was scrolling on social media when I stumbled upon a live with a gorgeous woman in the most gorgeous set of green pajamas. Not only did I love what she was saying in the video, but I found her to be so direct and stylish. Again, in pajamas! I remember screenshotting the live to discover where those pajamas were from and then I discovered the most amazing brand I could not afford.
That is how I discovered Emma Grede. On a live. In her pajamas.
I was very intrigued by her and then, a few weeks later, I saw snippets about an interview where she was sharing her views on how working from home was career suicide for women (more on that later). Those few seconds went viral and were shared for very negative commentary on all sorts of content platforms.
I decided to go deeper and learn more about Emma. I am not only against negatively judging a woman in public but I cannot form a whole opinion on a person based on a snippet of a conversation. I wanted to know more about her and what drives her. And her life is quite intriguing at that.
She is a self-made millionaire raised by a single mother-of-four in East London, who began working a paper route at 12 years old to earn extra money
Emma is the CEO and Founder of multiple global businesses such as Skims and Good American. I recently visited the Skims store in Dubai (and purchased a few unmentionables) and loved the range of sizes and shades it presented.
Skims store at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai - May 2026
Aside from her current business ties with the Kardashian family, she opened her own marketing agency when she was 25 and she is also known for being a guest dragon on Dragon's Den in the UK (known as Shark Tank in the US).
In 2025, she launched her podcast Aspire with Emma Grede, where she invites people to talk about their business and corporate career, the decisions they had to make to succeed in their field and how they made their money. Emma loves talking about money and wants people to get more comfortable with it as well. She has had many famous guests on the show, such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham.
Jess
In 2026, she published Start With Yourself: A New Vision for Work & Life. In the business memoir, she tackles her life, mistakes and conquests through the lens of her family history, her emotions and the money and career trade-offs she had to do in regards to being a mother, a wife and a leader. I purchased the audiobook and decided to save it for the mornings, whilst getting ready or out on a walk, as it is the moment I need to motivate myself the most before I attack the day and people. I love listening to her - she has a delicious voice and humour -, her directness and honesty. I wish I had these types of business and wealth building conversations with friends. As I can't, I listen to Emma.
In the book, she mentions several people who inspired her like Snoop Dogg (I love his "I want to thank myself" speech too), Mark Cuban and Oprah Winfrey. Speaking of the media mogul, I listened to her podcast episode with Emma, where they discuss the book. In the podcast and in the book, Emma speaks candidly and with reverence towards Oprah. I love how famous people are just human like us and can also get starstruck.
Emma's habits and what resonated with me
1 - She gets up early
Emma and her husband Jens Grede have 4 children and she says that as soon as they wake up, the house turns to chaos. So she likes to have quiet time for herself in the morning before that ensues.
I don't have children, but I have woken up early every single day of my life, whether it be a workday, a weekend or a holiday. It is just how my body is wired and I love feeling I have tackled a lot - or just rested my fair share - and it's not even 10AM.
2 - She plans everything
Emma likes to have everything planned and written down.
My friends might know that I love a proper calendar update. If we are booking something, I am writing it down and sharing, because I like to know what I am doing, when I am doing it and check if I have enough alone time to recharge. I get completely thrown off when last minute plans are (un)done - ask my husband! - so structure and energy protection are fundamental for me as well.
Jess
3 - She watches how she speaks to herself
Emma makes sure she is kind, honest and accountable with herself.
It's normal to have an inner judgmental voice in our heads but I don't dwell on it at all. It all changed for me with the movie The Devil Wears Prada in 2006. Don't roll your eyes, let me explain. Do you remember when we used to shut down our phones and we could customize the welcoming message once we turned them on? From my teen to young adult years, the message was "You are worth nothing". I swear. I saw that message on my flip Motorola every morning. That is honestly what I thought about myself.
I changed it after watching the movie and feeling inspired by it - I even moved to Paris because of it! - and the U2 song "City of Blinding Lights". My daily message went from a negative to "You look so beautiful tonight". That simple gesture, 20 years ago, changed my life trajectory. I have a high opinion of myself and I put myself before anyone else in the world, guilt-free. It's working for me.
4 - She takes small decisions off the table
Emma likes to have free room to think about the big stuff so she does not give energy to small decisions like what she eats and what she wears.
I honestly just cannot be bothered with the small stuff. I hate when people get into incredible detail about things. I can fake it with my face but deep inside, I completely zoom out. I don't care about your intricate medical details or what your momma told you in 1973.
Tell me how you feel today and I will connect with you.
Still I have not delegated what I eat to anyone - my husband and I cook 100% of our meals - and what I wear. I don't have a stylist and will never have one. I keep my wardrobe very streamlined and wear the same things week in and week out. Having a mental corporate uniform or formula helps it not become a major decision on the daily. And I love it like that.
5 - She moves her body
Emma likes to move her body on a daily basis, as she says it helps her clear her head.
I honestly also believe that movement is good for me. I have to be better at doing it, as my lazier inner self speaks too loud at times, not forgetting movement and discipline helped me lose a lot of weight a couple of years ago. I love going for a 40-minute walk (I don't come back home if I didn't put in at least 4000 steps!) in the morning or before dinner, whilst listening to an audiobook or podcast and I often do workouts from home. But I need to be more disciplined at it because the benefits are astounding.
Jess
6 - She asks what she doesn't need to do
Emma believes not everything needs her hand to move forward. If it can be systemized or delegated, she will not do it.
In my corporate life, I am a true believer in the power of delegating too. I don't feel my power comes from doing and deciding everything myself, I believe in being surrounded by the right people and I am here to guide, help and... recruit them. In my personal life, I delegate my housekeeping (from cleaners to gardeners to drivers) but I like doing some things myself, like my Sunday ritual of doing my own nails instead of spending money at a nail salon.
7 - She turns her phone black and white
Emma makes her smartphone less appealing by removing the colours.
I had never heard about this feature and I find it spectacular! I do doomscroll often but I have a system where I only do it on specific times on weekdays and I turn off my phone by 9PM every night and grab a book. But I fall right back into it on weekends, I confess.
8 - She reads a lot
Emma is a high school dropout and did not pursue graduate studies but that did not stop her to keep on learning every day of her life. In her book she shares her thirst for knowledge and how she would listen to other people - especially women - talk, negotiate and win deals around her. She started by copying them, and then perfecting her spiel with time and confidence. Furthermore, she is not scared of asking questions, even if people around her find her stupid. She asks, investigates, reads, tries, fails, succeeds and asks again.
I think that is a great life lesson. I have a demanding corporate job and I love being surrounded with people who know more about things than me. I ask questions all the time, even if it is frowned upon by the older generation that surrounds me. I do believe in education but it will not further your career if you only stand by it. Reading is one of the staples of my permanent self improvement too. Life happens and updates arise all the time, I want to feel prepared and in the know.
Jess
9 - She goes out of her way to help people
Emma loves helping people even if it means just doing a phone call or writing a recommendation.
I truly believe that I will not have (or continue having) success in my life if I don't share it with others. When I get a raise, I raise the people who depend on me too. I periodically donate to social causes I believe in. I have sent most of my friends resumes around (even if it backfired from both sides, several times!), I have recommended dozens of people to friends and colleagues (and it has bitten me in the bottom too!) and many people ask for my corporate or wealth building advice. I try to be generous with it because I believe in the power of mentorship or a helping hand. I need(ed) those myself often.
10 - She finds at least one thing she can do for herself
Emma has a busy life so she focuses on doing something nice for herself like a massage or a walk.
I honestly need to get better at this. I rarely book myself massages - my husband books them when we are on holiday and asks me to join. If he didn't, I know I wouldn't! - but I am very protective of my time, so that I can regenerate and put on my social face when I need it.
My take on working from home (for women)
My opinion on her "working from home is career suicide for women" snippet, after properly listening to the full chapter on the matter in the book: I get where she comes from.
Emma can only speak from her experience and what shaped her own perspective. But I have to say I was a firm believer in full remote work and now I am not 100% on board any longer, after 10 years of doing it and seeing the world expand to it from 2020 on. I don't think remote workers are lazy: I work way more when I am home than when I am constantly interrupted when at the office. But I also remember when my husband would come back home during the pandemic: he would leave early and expect a tidy home when he'd come back. "What have you done all day?" he asked the one time I did not take my breaks and pauses to make the bed, put the laundry in the wash and remove the dishes from the dishwasher. The house was just like he left it. And he had the unspoken expectation that if I were home, it meant I had time to both work professionally and on our chores too. Working from home was making me tackle a double working journey on a daily basis. It knocked me down.
Furthermore, I felt very isolated and without structure when I started working in my pajamas, not putting make up on, not even getting out of bed during my incessant video calls. It messed with my brain having all days go by without proper seams and structure. I took some time to learn I needed to dress properly - even if only from the waist up! - that I should put on some makeup - I started using lipstick daily during the pandemic, to make my lips pop on camera! - and started taking proper breaks to eat or walk outdoors, because I had stopped doing those too. Nowadays, I go to the office every day.
For the past 6 months, I have not had a full remote day. I decided to use flexibility on a daily basis and not on a "I will work on tuesdays and thursdays from home" one. I go to the office every day and I am there at 8AM sharp. I see my teams - the ones who are also at the office - every single day. I stumble upon them at the coffee corner, in the lift, they come to me, I go to them. Those more casual -not-on-the-calendar moments are so important for office relations and culture.
Sometimes I stay until close of business but most days, I leave by lunchtime or in the afternoon. Sometimes I take a break and head to the waxing salon or fit in a workout. Other times, I just work from home before dinner but in more comfortable clothing. I just ask my team to keep calls and meetings when I am in the office and only communicate in writing - if necessary - in the afternoon, to protect my energy. Some people don't like talking in the morning before they have had their first cup of coffee. I don't want to talk to anyone else but my husband when I am home. Video fatigue is real and I am completely tired of it, honestly.
That is why I understand that a full remote life can hinder people from corporate visibility and success: they not only lose casual moments with their teams, but it can also mean losing structure and tackling double or triple workloads from home. Yet I am also aware not everybody has these issues or sees these as issues.
Final thoughts on Emma Grede
All in all, if you got here, you might have gathered that I am very complimentary of Emma Grede. I admire her and I am aligned with her values, her ambition and how she puts herself in the world. I feel seen to see a biracial woman being so successful.
Nevertheless I honestly don't think she is for everybody. Not everybody is into the corporate world, not everybody wants to invest, not everybody wants to be a business mogul. I truly think people should just keep scrolling instead of lashing out when what is being said doesn't suit them. I want more from Emma Grede and her energy in the world. Cannot wait for what else she builds and shares in the future.
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