Skimm'd From The Couch

Bela Bajaria is the woman who makes the decisions about what’s going to be your next binge-watch. She’s the head of global TV for Netflix, and has helped bring some of our favorite shows, like “The Queen’s Gambit” and “Bridgerton” from the page to the screen. So how’d she actually get her dream job? Perseverance. Because she started as an assistant…and now she’s here. And btw, she also lost a job along the way. This week, she sat down to tell us how you can still get the Hollywood ending for your own career.  In this episode, Bela shares how she convinced her first boss to take a chance on her, what you should do if you get let go from your job, and she tapped her network to land at Netflix.

Diane von Furstenberg (aka DVF) knows the secret to a long and successful career. Hint: it’s reinvention. She’s been in the fashion business since the 1970s. But she’s changed her direction, and her brand, more than a few times. This week, DVF joined us to tell us how to embrace change (even when it’s hard) so you can be the designer...of your own life.  In this episode, DVF shares how she deals with fear, why you should own your vulnerability at work, and how she’s embracing change during the pandemic. And Carly reflects on the time she received an unexpected phone call from Diane as a teenager.

Welcome to our Women’s History Month series on Skimm’d from the Couch - where we’re bringing you the women who made history this past year.  Meet: Dr. Laura Forese. Dr. Forese is the COO of New York Presbyterian, one of the largest not-for-profit hospital networks in the country. And one that’s been instrumental in caring for COVID-19 patients. Also under her leadership, the hospital rolled out a comprehensive paid parental leave plan that includes extended leave for up to six months and continued benefits coverage. Oh, and we forgot to mention that she’s an orthopedic surgeon.  In this episode, Dr. Forese shares how she asked for maternity leave during her residency, why she transitioned into management, and how she communicated with her team during the pandemic. 

Welcome to our Women’s History Month series on Skimm’d from the Couch - where we’re bringing you the women who made history this past year.  Meet: Dara Treseder. She’s the head of global marketing for Peloton — a brand that’s made at-home fitness viral during the pandemic. Case in point: Its membership has more than doubled in the last year. But this isn’t Dara’s first ride. She’s also got GE, Apple, and Goldman Sachs on her resume. So basically she’s at the top of the leaderboard.  In this episode, Dara shares how she receives critical feedback, why she sets OKRs for her family, and her advice for starting a new job remotely. 

Welcome to our Women’s History Month series on Skimm’d from the Couch - where we’re bringing you the women who made history this past year.  Meet: Dr. Kathrin Jansen. Dr. Jansen is the head of vaccine research at Pfizer. So she literally helped develop the COVID-19 vaccine that’s being distributed in the US and around the world. But why stop there? It turns out, she’s developed other breakthrough vaccines throughout her career. Like the one that fights HPV. In this episode, Dr. Jansen shares how she deals with resistance and skepticism (15:28), how she balances listening to her intuition and data (13:36), and the moment when she found out just how effective the Pfizer vaccine was (26:38).

Welcome to our Women’s History Month series on Skimm’d from the Couch - where we’re bringing you the women who made history this past year.  Meet: Alicia Garza. She’s the Principal at Black Futures Lab and co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network — the movement that sparked a global rallying cry last summer. Black Lives Matter has since been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, as the world recognizes the groundbreaking work Alicia and her co-founders started.  In this episode, Alicia shares the secret to building relationships (14:10), her tips for overcoming rejection (16:20), and what she does to stay invigorated in her work (30:10). 

Welcome to our Women’s History Month series on Skimm’d from the Couch - where we’re bringing you the women who made history this past year.  Meet: Kristen Welker. She’s the Chief White House Correspondent for NBC News, and the co-anchor of Weekend TODAY. You probably recognize her from moderating that final presidential debate of 2020...which she calls the biggest moment in her professional career. This week, Kristen joined us to talk about how she prepared for that moment - and how she kept cool under pressure.  In this episode, Kristen shares what to say to your boss when you want more responsibility at work, what it’s actually like to be a White House reporter, and why meditation helps her with public speaking.

Jessica Lessin has broken some of the biggest stories on the tech companies we all know (think: Facebook, Google, and Apple). Now, after years of covering founders and entrepreneurs, she’s become one herself. She started The Information - a subscription-based digital media company covering technology and business. This week, she told us how her perspective has changed since going from employee to founder. And what she’s still trying to learn on the job.  In this episode, Jessica shares how to transition an internship into a full time job (4:50), why it's hard for her to show her personality during WFH (9:51), and what she thinks the future of social media companies will look like (22:00).

Emma Grede is one of the only guests we’ve had on this show who told us she loves negotiating. Early on, she realized that it was her strong suit. And she’s honed that skill throughout her career...especially while she built her own fashion brand alongside a Kardashian (hi, Khloe). Tune in to hear Emma give us a negotiating lesson...and her advice for how to enjoy the process more.  In this episode, Emma shares her tips for negotiation 101 (9:30), how to lean into your strengths when networking (15:00), and what you’d be surprised to know about Khloe (34:40).  PS: We're calling all Skimm'd from the Couch listeners. Help us help you by filling out this five minute listener survey. Find it at theskimm.com/podsurvey.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas is one of the most recognizable people in the world. She started her career as the winner of the Miss World pageant, and later took the global entertainment industry by storm. Along the way, she’s had to develop her confidence, resilience, and self worth. This week, Priyanka sat down with us to share her career journey - and how her relationship with herself has evolved.  In this episode, Priyanka shares how her relationship with confidence has changed (8:14), her advice for dealing with difficult emotions (11:42), and how she’s confronted pay inequity in her industry (22:09). PS: We're calling all Skimm'd from the Couch listeners. Help us help you by filling out this five minute listener survey. Find it at theskimm.com/podsurvey. 

Do you ever feel like you don’t show your real personality at work? Our guests this week, Dr. Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas, say unfortunately, that’s pretty common. They teach at Stanford’s business school. And through their research, they found it’s okay - and important - to show your coworkers that you’re human. Which includes having a sense of humor. This week, they sat down with us to share why laughter really can be the best medicine...especially in a Zoom meeting.  In this episode, Dr. Aaker and Naomi share tips on how to read the room - or the Zoom (22:08), why managers can build stronger relationships with their team using humor (18:32), and how humor can help you land a job (29:20).  If you want to learn more, you can buy their new book. It’s called “Humor, Seriously.” Seriously. Buy it here: https://www.humorseriously.com/buy.  PS: We're calling all Skimm'd from the Couch listeners. Help us help you by filling out this five minute listener survey. Find it here: theskimm.com/podsurvey.

Ever feel like you don’t have the "right" resume for the job you’re applying for? Rachel Hollis has. The motivational speaker and author didn’t receive a formal education. And didn’t have a network or connections when she was starting out. But the secret to her success? Pure hustle. This week, Rachel shared why showing an employer how hard you work will get you hired...fancy degree optional.   In this special live (over Zoom) episode, Rachel shares her advice for dealing with burnout (19:23), her favorite question to ask in a job interview (23:20), and what she won’t share on social media (27:23).  Editor's Note: We asked Rachel to address the controversy and criticism surrounding her lack of inclusivity and accusations of plagiarism. Listen at 29:19. PS: We're calling all Skimm'd from the Couch listeners. Help us help you by filling out this five minute listener survey. You can find it at theskimm.com/podsurvey

Maria Sharapova spent years playing tennis five hours a day, seven days a week. The result? Five grand slam wins. And an Olympic medal. Her career is a lesson in grit and determination. And shows that hard work really does pay off. Now, she brings that same determination to her business career. This week, Maria shares the secret to staying motivated in any job…even if you aren’t a world class athlete.  In this episode, Maria shares what she was like as a competitor (9:58), how she turned pressure into motivation (13:50), and why she’s a fan of 'dressing for the job you want' (28:33). Stay tuned at the end for a spotlight on Clare, a company simplifying the paint-shopping process, so you can create a home you love. Want to be featured? Submit yourself or a friend here. 

“The pivot is real.” That phrase has defined Tamron Hall’s professional and personal life: from walking away from her job at NBC News, to hustling to get her own talk show on air, to her IVF journey. This week, Tamron told us how she approaches life’s unexpected moments. And how she turns setbacks into success. In this episode, Tamron shares how she turned an early-career demotion into motivation (8:45), her advice for picking yourself back up after a setback (15:40), and what it’s like to be the boss of her own show (25:40).   Stay tuned at the end for a spotlight on Essence Nutrition, a group of registered dietitians who provide evidence-based nutrition counseling tailored to your individual needs. Want to be featured? Submit yourself or a friend here. 

Naomi Hirabayashi and Marah Lidey are the co-founders and co-CEOs of the self-care start-up, Shine. And while starting a business from scratch and working in self-care may sound like an oxymoron (hello, fundraising and 24/7 hustle), Marah and Naomi told us they’ve been able to find balance and take time for themselves. Their secret? Finding strength in their partnership.  In this episode, Marah and Naomi share what makes their partnership work (17:02), how Shine went from being their side-hustle to main hustle (20:30), and their number one piece of self-care advice (29:48).  Stay tuned at the end for a spotlight on Coco Shop, an independent, Antigua-born brand making high-quality cotton clothing. Want to be featured? Submit yourself or a friend here.  PS: Our How to Skimm Your Life New Year’s Challenge started January 3. It’s 21 days of Skimm’ng your way to a smarter life, from work to your wallet, health, pantry, and more. And it's not too late to get involved. Go to theskimm.com/challenge to check out th

Kara Swisher has been called the most feared and well-liked journalist in Silicon Valley. She’s been covering tech industry leaders for decades...and is famous for making them sweat. Just ask Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, or Elon Musk. Her secret to building those relationships with entrepreneurs? She’s not afraid to pick up the phone (or slide into a DM) when she has a question.  In this episode, Kara shares why you shouldn’t hide your personality at work (14:18), the reason she considers herself a “bad employee” (21:29), and who she wants to interview next (30:30). 

If you’re looking for a promotion at work... Elaine Welteroth has some tips. She’s got a lot of “firsts” on her resume - from being the first Black beauty director at Condé Nast to being the youngest editor-in-chief in the publisher's history. This week, Elaine told us she hit those milestones by being intentional about everything she did. From the emails she sent to who she sought out as mentors.  And since we recorded this interview, Elaine’s adding something else to her resume. She’s just been named as co-host of "The Talk" on CBS. You can tune in to see her starting January 4.   In this episode, Elaine shares where her entrepreneurial spirit comes from (6:52), how seeking out mentors changed her career trajectory (10:52), and why the “firsts” we celebrate are indicators of how much progress we still need to make (18:30).  Stay tuned at the end for a spotlight on Hungry Bunny Virtual Donut Shop, a virtual donut shop serving the nation with 100% cruelty-free cake donuts. Want to be featured? Submit yours

Even Cindy Crawford isn’t confident 100 percent of the time. But you’d never know it. Because she told us that she’s a big fan of faking it till you make it - even on the bad days. She learned that strategy early in her career… and it paid off, as she became one of the most famous supermodels in the world.  In this episode, Cindy shares how she learned to advocate for herself (9:10), what she’s learned from taking risks (18:30), and the advice she gives her daughter Kaia (22:31).  Stay tuned at the end for a spotlight on Rebel Girls, an edutainment company on a mission to inspire and instill confidence in girls and young women. Want to be featured? Submit yourself or a friend here.

Linda Johnson Rice is the CEO of Johnson Publishing Company, the former publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines. This week, Linda told us that she didn’t make it to the top by going it alone. The secret to her success? Listening to her team. Because even CEOs need to ask for advice.  In this episode, Linda shares what she learned about management from her parents, who founded Johnson Publishing (7:12), her advice for dealing with imposter syndrome (12:45), and why she’s a big fan of thinking out loud with her team (26:40).  Stay tuned at the end for a spotlight on Ivy’s Tea Co, a pop culture and Hip-Hop inspired holistic health brand that sells herbal teas and herb-infused sweeteners. Want to be featured? Submit yourself or a friend here. 

Noura Sakkijha is the co-founder and CEO of Mejuri, the buzzy jewelry company that sells affordable, quality pieces directly online. While Noura’s the third generation in her family to go into the industry, she had to navigate brand new challenges on her own. This week, Noura told us about the struggles she faced in the beginning…and how she learned self care was important for her health and the health of the business.  In this episode, Noura shares how she’s learned to separate her personal life and her work life (14:28), why therapy has helped her get through the most challenging parts of being a CEO (10:11), and how she’s built her company culture to prioritize honest feedback (20:58).