Episodes

  • YSE Beauty Founder Molly Sims on Leaving a Job with Dignity

    YSE Beauty Founder Molly Sims on Leaving a Job with Dignity
    Apr 24 2024
    Kentucky-born model Molly Sims never met a biscuit she didn’t like. Her southern charm brought her to college at Vanderbilt University, where she made the boldest move of her career: quitting her pre-law studies to become a full time model. Molly was in her early 20s, alone, and homesick halfway across the world. But with placements on the cover of Sports Illustrated, French Vogue and more, it’s safe to say she made a name for herself. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Molly shares: Why southern sorority culture wasn’t for her How her mother encouraged her to think beyond the US for her career + life experience Why she’d never want her daughter to become a model The secret to building resilience and the “thick skin” that helped her survive the industry How confronting her mental health challenges helped her be OK with work curveballs
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    28 mins
  • Drybar Founder Alli Webb on Scaling a $200+ Million Dollar Business without a College Degree

    Drybar Founder Alli Webb on Scaling a $200+ Million Dollar Business without a College Degree
    Apr 17 2024
    Alli Webb was a stay-at-home mom for five years when she realized she needed to get out of the house more. So she started a mobile hair business. She’d go house-to-house and offer $40 blowouts to moms in LA, something that pretty much no one was doing at the time. She soon opened her first brick and mortar and called it Drybar. 100+ locations later, Alli sold the company for more than $200 million. All without a college degree or formal business training. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Alli shares: The sunshine and beach-haired days of her childhood growing up in Boca Raton How having parents who operated a small biz gave her life lessons in entrepreneurship Why it felt intoxicating building and scaling Drybar, plus the mental cost that came with it How her divorce, son’s visit to rehab, and burnout led to her book, “The Messy Truth” Why she felt intimidated when fundraising + curating the Drybar board – and how she got through it
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    30 mins
  • Christine Blasey Ford on Detaching Yourself from the Outcome

    Christine Blasey Ford on Detaching Yourself from the Outcome
    Apr 10 2024
    Before September 2018, the public didn’t know Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. She was a busy mom and professor at Palo Alto University and Stanford. Then, she leveled a sexual assault accusation against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a SCOTUS nominee. She testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee and 5 million people tuned in. From then on, any concept of a private life went out the window. Christine needed security to go…well, anywhere. Strangers sent her and her family death threats. Five years later, Christine shares how she navigates her new normal, plus the story behind the headlines and soundbites. In this episode, Christine shares: The behind-the-scenes leading up to her testimony against Judge Kavanaugh What she makes of her unique connection to Anita Hill Suggestions on what to say to sexual assault survivors instead of “I believe you” What parts of working on her memoir, “One Way Back”, were therapeutic – and which were re-traumatizing Content warning: this topic deals with sexual assault. Please take care when listening.
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    26 mins
  • Zibby Owens on Starting a Career Later in Life

    Zibby Owens on Starting a Career Later in Life
    Apr 3 2024
    Zibby Owens witnessed first-hand the payoff of great entrepreneurship as she watched her father build his company, Blackstone, from the ground up. She freelanced as a writer earlier in her career. She focused on raising her kids for 10+ years. Then her marriage ended. So she spent her weekends without the kids rekindling her love of literature – and developing a media empire focusing on all things books. In this episode, Zibby shares: The story behind her iconic color-coordinated bookshelf What she learned watching her father build his private equity business, Blackstone Her recent Vogue article she published – and why she almost wishes she hadn’t How her podcast became the vehicle to sell her first book Why building your personal brand is key in almost any industry today
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    31 mins
  • Ancestry CEO Deb Liu on Taking Your Power Back at Work

    Ancestry CEO Deb Liu on Taking Your Power Back at Work
    Mar 27 2024
    Ancestry CEO Deb Liu grew up in one of the only Asian families in South Carolina. To avoid being teased, she mostly kept to herself. It wasn’t until Deb got to Stanford Business School when she realized: she had to learn to speak up. That realization spurred her long career in Silicon Valley. But Deb says, without some openness and vulnerability from herself and others, it never would’ve happened. In this episode, Deb shares: Why she should’ve been fired from her first product management role How being open and vulnerable with her boss actually helped her career Key moments from her tech-heavy product career at eBay + Facebook Why being a “strategic introvert” allowed her to contribute more effectively at work Her most used tip from her new book, Take Your Power Back
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    29 mins
  • Mandy Moore on Not Letting Competition Distract You

    Mandy Moore on Not Letting Competition Distract You
    Mar 20 2024
    The late-90s bubblegum pop music defined Mandy Moore’s career. She always knew she was her record label’s answer to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Mandy also knew she’d never be them – and that was okay with her. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Mandy shares advice on how to know your competition without becoming distracted by it. In this episode, Mandy shares: The boy band she’d tour with again Why having parents who didn’t want to manage her was the secret to her success How she managed to be unbothered by the pop industry’s comparison loop Her go-to practices for easing her public speaking anxiety A skimm of her latest project, The Boars’ Nest
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    25 mins
  • Alex Wagner on Being Persistent to Get What You Want

    Alex Wagner on Being Persistent to Get What You Want
    Mar 13 2024
    Growing up with a politico father in Washington D.C., Alex Wagner initially swore off any career that dealt with politics. 25-ish years later, Alex is the primetime anchor of MSNBC's “Alex Wagner Tonight,” a show about the news and politics shaping our world. Talk about a 180. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Alex tells us how doing everything she was not “supposed” to do jump-started her media career. In this episode, Alex shares: How a pair of vintage heels nearly ruined her job interview with George Clooney The influence her father’s political work had on her own career How she wiggled her way into media with zero connections in the industry Why writing her memoir was the hardest thing she’s done professionally The lessons she learned from Rachel Maddow when she took over her primetime slot
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    29 mins
  • Ava DuVernay on How Listening Will Help You Level Up Your Career

    Ava DuVernay on How Listening Will Help You Level Up Your Career
    Mar 6 2024
    Award-winning director and producer Ava DuVernay, known for her groundbreaking films like “Selma,” “A Wrinkle In Time,” and “Origin,” didn’t actually start her career behind the camera. She spent years working in public relations before taking the plunge and pivoting in her 30s. Spoiler: it paid off. And she’s got an Academy Award to show for it. To kick off our new season of "9 to 5ish," we spoke to Ava about how she embraced change and found joy in her career. PS: Ava’s film, “Origin,” will be streaming on demand starting March 12. In this episode, Ava shares: Why she’s intentional about finding joy in her work What “ear hustling” is – and why it’s helped her level up in her career How she’s learned to embrace change in her industry The secret to a good working partnership (plus, what she’s learned from Oprah)
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    22 mins