Podcast Summary: She’s So Lucky – “How to Invest Like Emma Grede”

Host: Les Alfred (preceded by Rachel Bonetta as interviewer in this episode)
Guest: Emma Grede (CEO of Good American, founding partner of Skims)
Date: April 14, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of She’s So Lucky dives into the mindset, habits, and strategies that have empowered Emma Grede to build renowned, billion-dollar brands and, crucially, to invest in herself along the way. The conversation is part of the "Lucky Girls Invest" series, aiming to demystify wealth-building for women by going beyond surface-level financial advice into topics such as vision, self-leadership, relationships, and negotiating value. Emma shares the lessons she would teach her younger self and offers unfiltered advice on building, maintaining, and leveraging power—not just financially, but in every facet of life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power and Practice of Self-Investment

[02:51 – 04:50]

• Emma's Philosophy: "I put myself very, very high on my list of priorities... I don't think you can be successful unless that is your attitude." (Emma Grede, 03:05)
• Success for Emma begins with investing in the self—developing clear vision, self-leadership, and unapologetically prioritizing one’s wants and needs, even as a mother and wife.
• Vision versus Manifestation: Emma distinguishes real vision—knowing exactly what kind of life she wants and how to get there—from trendy but vague approaches like vision boards.

Notable Quote:
"People tend to overestimate what you can do in a year and underestimate what you can do in 10. But unless you have a very, very clear vision for your life, you won't get what you want."
—Emma Grede [04:32]

2. Evolving Identity: From Brand Builder to Self-Authority

[06:25 – 10:47]

• Emma describes frustration at media narratives focusing on glamour over gritty reality, stressing the importance of being honest about the hard work and non-linear path to success.
• She wants to serve as a real example—someone who not only looks the part but also "brings other people up" and supports honesty about the journey.

Notable Quote:
"You can't compliment me on all of this great stuff...without understanding my journey. You need to know what it's taken. You need to understand the mistakes."
—Emma Grede [08:13]

3. Visibility versus True Work

[10:47 – 13:32]

• Social media, networking events, and visibility can distract from the actual work that drives results.
• Emma stresses intention in her public presence and willingness to only amplify messaging that aligns with her mission, rather than pursuing empty visibility.

Notable Quote:
"The cake is still the cake...you've got to keep your eyes on the prize. You can't get distracted by a panel, especially when a lot of that stuff actually isn't moving the needle."
—Emma Grede [12:19]

4. Money Mindset: Scarcity, Wealth & Profit

[16:52 – 21:56]

• Emma’s relationship with money is shaped by growing up with little and her ongoing vigilance—even after immense success.
• She emphasizes distinguishing vanity valuations from actual profit and “cash is king.”
• Profit is Sanity:
  “Valuations are vanity. Profit is sanity, and cash is king.” —Emma Grede [18:22]
• For Emma, success isn’t about headlines—it’s about actual bank account outcomes.

On Profitable Businesses:
"If you are not making a profit, what you have is a hobby. An expensive one...The point of being in business is to make money."
—Emma Grede [20:09]

5. Learning to Think Like an Investor

[22:20 – 24:58]

• It’s critical to understand the motives of investors—they want return, not just your dreams realized.
• Investing is not for everyone; Emma urges listeners to only invest what they can afford to lose, and always start by investing in themselves, “the best bet you’ll ever make.”

Notable Quote:
"Start with yourself, because you're the best bet, right? It's like you are the best bet you'll ever make, and you're in control of that."
—Emma Grede [23:10]

6. Investing in Yourself: Learning, Feedback & Self-Care

[25:30 – 30:08]

• Emma views ongoing learning as foundational. She invests in therapy, business coaching, and curates her circle to ensure constant personal, professional, and psychological growth.
• Actively seeks feedback as a tool for evolving.
• Treats “self care” (e.g., therapies, rest, family time) as critical and non-negotiable for sustained performance: “I treat it like a meeting. It goes on the schedule.” [28:13]

7. The Tradeoff Dance & Repeated Visioning

[29:09 – 32:39]

• Emma discusses the necessity of prioritizing, understanding tradeoffs, and regularly revisiting her vision/goal-setting.
• Has a structured approach: a ten-year plan, yearly goal broken down by birthday, and weekly (often more) check-ins.

"I look at it every Sunday... when I get in a panic or overwhelmed, I go back to the list... a headline for the year."
—Emma Grede [30:49]

8. The High Value of Relationships

[36:56 – 41:39]

• Choosing a supportive partner has been foundational for Emma’s career and well-being.
• She invests heavily in relationships that reciprocate—social, romantic, and professional—and avoids one-sided situations.
• Advocates candor and clear expectations in all dealings, rejecting the idea that transactional value is negative.

Key Lesson:
"How you are with people, how you treat them, what your follow up is... that stuff matters because now I need them to write nice stuff about me. And they will because I treated them well."
—Emma Grede [52:42]

9. Gatekeeping & Sharing Value

[41:39 – 45:53]

• Emma is actively against gatekeeping—especially around pay, business opportunities, and contacts—and encourages women to be direct, self-valuing, and to demand appropriate compensation.

"We have to share and have an ease of that information because the gatekeeping is what’s keeping us, holding us back."
—Emma Grede [42:54]

10. Case Study: Jara, Community Expectations & Self-Prioritization

[47:10 – 51:13]

• On public criticism faced by Black founders who transition from one business to another: Emma reframes this as self-valuation, and argues for women, especially women of color, to make decisions in their best interest—community pressure shouldn’t override self-investment: “Who is Jara in service of? Her community or herself and her own family?” [48:08]

11. Rapid-Fire Takeaways & Memorable Advice

[53:24 – 56:50]

• Biggest Leverage Builder: “Start with yourself” [53:29]
• Women are Undercharging: "Absolutely everything." [53:38]
• Opportunity She’d Say No to Today: "Starting any brand." [54:10]
• Most Overrated Business Advice: "Stay in your lane." [54:35]
• Most Underrated Wealth Move: "Really living within your means." [54:48]
• Leadership as an Innate Trait: “I always felt like my voice was important. I’m a great cheerleader... I can move people.” [55:19]
• What People Get Wrong About Emma: “While they’re getting it wrong, I’m getting it all the way right.” [56:47]
• Final Nugget: "Ambition really requires discomfort... every single day, just wake up and be like, what can I do today that means that I’m starting with myself? And I promise you, if you do that every single day, it’s going to change." [56:57]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:51 – 04:50: Emma’s approach to self-investment and the necessity of clarity in vision
• 10:47 – 13:32: Social media, visibility, and focus on real work
• 16:52 – 21:56: Money mindset—scarcity, satisfaction, and profit over headlines
• 25:30 – 30:08: Investing in learning, feedback, therapy, and purposeful self-care
• 30:42 – 32:39: Goal setting, planning, and staying centered
• 36:56 – 41:39: Choosing the right relationships—romantic and professional
• 41:39 – 45:53: On gatekeeping; encouraging transparent sharing among women
• 47:10 – 51:13: Supporting fellow women in business, community responsibility vs. self-investment
• 53:24 – 56:50: Rapid-fire wisdom: leverage, negotiation, leadership, and underrated wealth moves
• 56:57 – 58:36: Final advice: “Ambition requires discomfort, and daily self-investment pays off”

Memorable Quotes

• "Start with yourself, because you're the best bet you'll ever make, and you're in control of that." – Emma Grede [23:10]
• "Valuations are vanity. Profit is sanity, and cash is king." – Emma Grede [18:22]
• "You can't compliment me on all of this great stuff that I've done without understanding my journey. You need to know what it's taken. You need to understand the mistakes." – Emma Grede [08:13]
• "Ambition really requires discomfort... If you want money and you want to be, you know, earning what you're worth, then you're going to need some audacity." – Emma Grede [56:57]

Key Takeaways for Listeners

• True investing starts far before you move money—it requires clarity of ambition, a practice of honest self-reflection, and the discipline to focus on what actually creates value.
• Emma makes a strong case for brutal honesty, purposeful relationships, and transparency about money among women.
• The “work” is not just what happens on social media or at events but in the decision-making, planning, and daily commitment to one’s vision and values.
• Women, especially, should refuse to undercharge, should share critical information, and should normalize transactions as an empowering, not shameful, part of life and business.
• Success is not linear and requires regularly recalibrating vision and priorities, investing in learning, self-care, and reciprocal relationships.

For more inspiration on investing in yourself and building authentic, audacious, and sustainable success, be sure to check out Emma Grede’s new book and the rest of the ‘Lucky Girls Invest’ series.