Aspire with Emma Grede

Episode: Love, Family, and Business: How to Work with a Partner (Guest: Jens Grede)

Date: October 7, 2025
Host: Emma Grede
Guest: Jens Grede (entrepreneur & CEO of Skims)

Overview

In this deeply personal and insightful episode, Emma Grede sits down with her husband and long-time business partner, Jens Grede. Together, they explore the dynamics of building both a family and several successful ventures, including SKIMS. Their conversation delves into Jens’ upbringing, risk-taking, overcoming anxiety, complementary differences, strategies for working with a partner, and the philosophies that drive their shared and individual successes. The episode is rich in practical wisdom for anyone building a business, navigating partnership—romantic or professional—or managing personal well-being under pressure.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jens’ Upbringing and Early Career (04:07–08:52)

• Creative Roots and Early Independence

  • Grew up in a “small working-class community” south of Stockholm with a filmmaker father and tapestry artist mother.
  • Left home at 16 to pursue skateboarding in Stockholm, feeding a restless and aspirational spirit.
    "I was a big daydreamer. I spent most of my school years daydreaming. I certainly didn’t spend them studying." (07:59 – Jens)

• Nonlinear Path into Fashion

  • Broke into the industry without connections by offering to work for free at a magazine in Stockholm.
  • Moved to London at 19 with just £300, motivated by both romance and ambition.

2. Transition to Entrepreneurship & Taking Risks (08:52–18:19)

• Creating His Own Opportunities

  • Started his first business at 24 out of necessity, unable to land a job for both himself and his best friend.
  • Emphasizes that seeking opportunity within dysfunction or imperfect settings can be an advantage. "If you work in an environment with some dysfunction... you'd be great. You will stand out." (10:48 – Jens)

• Career Philosophy

  • Describes himself more as a coach than a CEO, preferring the role of visionary and facilitator.
  • Warns against getting caught up in titles or being a "CEO" for status sake. "I couldn't care two shits about those things." (13:11 – Jens)

• Excellence Over Circumstance

  • Dismisses the myth of overnight success: it's all about skill and perseverance. "I've never seen excellent people fail." (16:37 – Jens)

• Reinvention & Risk

  • Advocates for continual reinvention every 5–7 years. "The biggest risk you can take in life is not taking any risks in life." (17:12 – Jens)

3. Emma & Jens—Building Love and Business Together (21:20–34:59)

• How They Met & Early Working Relationship

  • Met through business, initially with Emma joining one of Jens' agencies.
  • Developed professional rapport before romance—something they both credit as vital. Emma: "It has been a gift and a blessing that we had a working relationship…before we actually started dating." (26:17)

• Combining Differences for Success

  • Acknowledge stark contrasts in their work styles: Emma is emotional and personable; Jens is stoic and objective. Emma: "Not like Mars and Venus. No, like galaxies apart." (30:23)
  • Align deeply on values, taste, and vision, which forms their foundation at home and at work.

• Rules for Working Together

  • Their guiding principle: “Whoever cares the most gets to decide.” "If you care that much about it, I'm going to let you have it." (32:01 – Jens)

• Decision-Making and the Value of Action

  • Emphasize moving on quickly rather than agonizing over decisions. "Just make a decision and move on. Companies and ideas fail not because of good and bad ideas, but because people cannot make decisions." (33:13 – Jens)

4. Gut Instinct, Learning, and Trust (36:33–40:55)

• Understanding and Training Intuition

  • Jens describes “gut feel” as the product of accumulated experience, curiosity, and learning. "Your gut is really your collective memory, your collective experience and learnings...that becomes your gut." (36:55 – Jens)

• Examples of Gut-Led Decisions

  • Trusted his gut when meeting Kim Kardashian about SKIMS—felt compelled to act on the opportunity. "Once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it." (39:47 – Jens)
  • Points out that ignoring his gut has consistently led to poor outcomes.

5. Navigating Disagreements and Roles (41:42–47:48)

• Grace in Business and Marriage

  • Allowing space for each other’s styles and decisions is a form of grace. "You’ve got to give each other grace and allow one another to be who you are." (42:35 – Jens)

• Advice for Working with Partners and Friends

  • If you have to overthink roles or compatibility, maybe the partnership isn’t right. "If you have to have the conversation, maybe you shouldn't be partners." (46:47 – Jens)
  • Admiration and respect for a partner’s unique skills are essential.

6. Anxiety as a Superpower (49:00–64:32)

• Open Conversation About Anxiety

  • Jens reframes anxiety from weakness to a driver of success—helping him anticipate problems and stay grounded. "You're not just successful despite your anxiety, you're successful because of them." (49:00 – Jens)
  • Accepts anxiety as a wave; the challenge is not letting it shrink your life.

• Coping & Tools

  • Honesty with others about anxiety is grounding; developed “exit strategies” for high-stress moments (e.g., having the option to leave situations).
  • Meditation and reflection foster resilience and sharp instincts. "Meditation allows us to ground ourselves so we can make better decisions..." (95:00 – Jens)

• Paranoia as an Edge

  • “Paranoid” awareness of risk and change led to timely pivots and smart investments. "I've always planned for the next chapter while I was in my current one." (63:06 – Jens)

• Advice to Young People with Anxiety

  • Go after your dreams regardless—action expands your life, avoidance shrinks it.

7. Lessons for Parenting & Personal Philosophy (76:30–87:19)

• Instilling Independence in Children

  • Wants his kids to “write their own story,” not live in their parents' shadow. "I want my children to write their own story. ...I want them to be them." (76:30 – Jens)

• On Success and Happiness

  • The most important thing: building a life to be proud of—not titles, money, or external recognition.
  • Advice to his younger self and others: "It's going to be okay." (83:55 – Jens)

• Ownership, Resilience, and Gratefulness

  • The power comes from owning your journey, embracing change, and staying grateful through ups and downs.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Early Growth & Daydreaming
  "I was a big daydreamer. I certainly didn't spend my school days studying. I Never went to college." (07:59 – Jens)

• On Opportunity in Dysfunction
  "If you work in an environment with some dysfunction...you will stand out and you'll get opportunities because you will be there and you'll do a better job." (10:48 – Jens)

• On Reinvention and Risk
  "The biggest risk you can take in life is not taking any risks in life." (17:12 – Jens)

• On Complementary Partnership
  Emma: "We are so different... but in our home lives and what we care about and who we are, we're incredibly similar." (29:17)
  Jens: "Galaxies apart [in style]...but that's small stuff." (30:23)

• Decision-Making Mantra
  "Just make a decision and move on...Make more decisions. Don't sweat it." (34:59 – Jens)

• On Trusting Gut Instinct
  "Your gut is really your collective memory, your collective experience...that becomes your gut." (36:55 – Jens)

• Grace in Relationships
  "You've got to give each other grace and allow one another to be who you are." (42:35 – Jens)

• On Anxiety as Fuel
  "You're not just successful despite your anxiety, you're successful because of them." (49:00 – Jens)
  "My fear is always driving me to see around the corners...But it actually is a superpower to constantly live and work in the future." (59:56 – Jens)

• On Partnership Rules
  "Who cares most? Because if you're passionate about it, it's important for you to see that through. ...Isn't it much easier to go, if this is really important to you, we're going to do it the way you want?" (33:12 – Jens)

• On Marriage and Ambition
  Emma: "There's seasons to this shit. ...Sometimes it's all about me, sometimes it's all about you. ...We are in constant conversation about these things." (68:00)

• On Building a Life
  "The most important thing is that I built the life that I'm proud of." (83:46 – Jens)

• Ultimate Wisdom
  "If it's not okay, that's okay too. ...Moments don't last forever. There's still water on the other side of the wave. And if you're going for hell, you gotta keep on going." (87:19 – Jens)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Jens’ childhood & motivation: 04:07–08:52
• Early business lessons & risk: 08:52–18:19
• Meeting Emma & partnership dynamics: 21:20–34:59
• Decision-making philosophy: 32:45–34:59
• Gut instincts & trust: 36:33–40:55
• Rules for working together: 31:30–33:13
• Open discussion on anxiety: 49:00–64:32
• Advice for working with friends/family: 46:47–48:28
• Lessons for children & balancing ambition: 76:30–69:34
• Biggest achievements & advice to 20-year-old self: 78:59–85:04
• Rapid-fire Q&A (personal routines, values): 88:17–96:09
• Meditation, presence, staying connected: 93:28-94:54, 96:27–98:14

Conclusion

This episode offers a rare, unguarded look at one of business and culture's power couples. Packed with practical frameworks—such as grace over ego, the value of decisive action, feeding your gut instinct, and the radical acceptance of anxiety as a strength—Emma and Jens deliver advice not just for entrepreneurs, but for anyone striving to balance ambition, relationships, and personal well-being.

If you’re looking to build not only a business, but a meaningful life and partnership, the lessons shared here will leave a lasting imprint.