9 to 5ish with theSkimm

Latest Episodes:

Special Episode: Governor Gretchen Whitmer on the Stakes for Women in this Election Jul 25, 2024

Show notes

Today, we’ve got a bonus episode of “9 to 5ish” for you with a guest whose name has been in the news a lot lately. Our guest is Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, the co-chair of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, and author of the New York Times bestseller “True Gretch: What I’ve Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between.” As a popular governor of a swing state, Governor Whitmer’s name has been floated in convos about who might be on the Democratic ticket since Biden ended his re-election campaign.

In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Governor Whitmer shares:

Whether you’ll see a Harris-Whitmer ticket in 2024
What politicians can do to stop political violence
How democrats should think about reaching conservative and independent voters
What most people are surprised to learn about her after reading her book

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Venus et Fleur Founder Seema Bansal Chadha on Protecting Your Customer Jul 24, 2024

Show notes

When Seema Bansal Chadha was in her early twenties, she was in a very new, long distance relationship with a guy named Sunny. In classic LDR-status, he sent her flowers for Valentine's Day. It was supposed to be a romantic gesture, but the flowers arrived wilted. NBD though. The flop would lead Seema to move to New York to be with Sunny…and to co-found Venus et Fleur with him too.

In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Seema shares:

Why her father’s lighting and plumbing store informed her own entrepreneurship
How she rationalized starting a biz with her boyfriend of less than a year
The moment Venus et Fleur blew up (shout out to the Kardashians)
How the hustle of the early days compares to the hustle now
Why protecting your existing customers sometimes outweighs trying to attract new ones

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Mandana Dayani on What's Motivating Millennial Voters Jul 17, 2024

Show notes

In 2018, Mandana Dayani watched as the family-separation policy played out at the southern border. It was deeply unsettling. Her family fled as refugees from Iran to the US as an authoritarian regime took over. She asked herself: how could a country that saved my life do this? Mandana quickly learned that civic engagement was the only way things could meaningfully change. Enter: I am a voter., Mandana's org that's on a mission to rebrand voter identity to get young people to the polls.

In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Mandana shares:

The culture shock of being a refugee in the US
How she went from being a lawyer to a brand strategist to the co-founder of a political org
The advice she got from Mom's Demand Action founder, Shannon Watts (spoiler alert: women get sh*t done)
How trust in existing brands and celebrities jumpstarted I am a voter.

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Allison Statter on Leaving the Security of a Family Business Jul 10, 2024

Show notes

Most nepo babies deny the privileges afforded to them by their parents. Allison Statter isn’t one of them. She’s never been shy about having entertainment industry titans for parents, or about being Kim Kardashian’s lifelong BFF. But after working at her dad’s management company for 17 years, people started whispering about her legitimacy. To prove she could make it on her own, Allison kissed job security goodbye and launched her own entertainment marketing agency, Blended Strategy Group. Talk about a full 180.

In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Allison shares:

A fact about Kim K that most people don’t know
How her parent’s working relationship stayed strong despite separating multiple times
How a temporary 2-week stint at her dad’s company turned in 17-year long career
Why the stakes are so much higher working in a family business
How she’s learned more launching a company than she has her entire career

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Rebroadcast: Lisa Ling on Conquering Self Doubt Jul 03, 2024

Show notes

Today, we’re going back into the 9 to 5ish archives to bring you one of our favorite episodes with journalist Lisa Ling. Despite reporting the news professionally since she was a teenager, Lisa says she doubts herself constantly in work settings. She shares how she quiets the voice in her head that makes her question her worth at work, plus the value she sees in women of color advocating for each other in the workplace. We'll be back with a fresh episode next week.

In this episode, Lisa shares:

The reporting experiences she had as a teen (alongside Anderson Cooper)
Why her two male agents told her to leave negotiating to them
The one lesson she wishes her young self learned
How having kids reframed her boundaries around how far she’d go for her job
Why it’s key for women of color to learn to advocate for each other in the workplace

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Alexis McGill Johnson on Paving a Path for Planned Parenthood’s Future Jun 26, 2024

Show notes

Planned Parenthood president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson is a self-described “movement baby" as her parents fought for racial equality during the civil rights movement. As an adult, she mixed pop culture with civic engagement to turn out young voters of color. Even though she credited her success to the women who raised her, she wasn’t specifically thinking about the role of gender in social justice issues. Then she walked by a billboard in SoHo depicting the dire state of reproductive health care for Black women. It quickly became all she could think about.

In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Alexis shares:

Her go-to bagel order as a certified Jersey girl
The biggest lesson her mom taught her about community organizing
Why a Princeton professor thanked her after she called out his racial prejudice
How she finds time to plan for the future of the org with so much uncertainty
Her secret to getting people to see her perspective on politicized issues like abortion

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Blueland Co-Founder Sarah Paiji Yoo on Reimagining the Role of Work as a New Mom Jun 19, 2024

Show notes

When Sarah Paiji-Yoo became a mom, she started rethinking her serial entrepreneurship life she’d led since leaving Harvard Business School. She loved it, but early-stage startup building isn’t exactly a walk in the park. If she was going to hustle again, it had to mean something to her. Meanwhile, she was learning about the effects microplastics in our water have on us (spoiler alert: it’s scary stuff). Naturally, the serial entrepreneur in her was hungry for a solution to both of these issues. She found it in her plastic-free cleaning product company, Blueland.

In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Sarah shares:

The classic new-mom research rabbit hole she fell in
Why she hid from her in-laws that she wasn’t working for a year after having her son
How having unclear choices as a consumer and mom led her to found Blueland
Why recruiting her #1 pick for the Head of Product was crucial to Blueland’s success
The difficulty of being a sustainable business while being beholden to outside investors
Advice for listeners who feel too small to make an impact (hint: no action is too small)

Psst…this episode of “9 to 5ish” is brought to you by New York Life. Their financial professionals can help you navigate life’s decisions, big and small.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meghan McCain on Being a Nepo Baby and Owning It Jun 12, 2024

Show notes

SNL called Meghan McCain the “Princess of Arizona”, and she’s embracing it. Her last name is nearly synonymous with Arizona as her father, the late Senator John McCain, led a 30+ year political career in the state. Her family name laddered Meghan up to big career moves, from regularly commentating on Fox News to repping conservative view points on “The View”. And she says: more nepo babies like her should own it, not shy away from it.

In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Meghan shares:

The cringiest photo op she had to do as the Senator’s kid
Why opting out from having an opinion was never an option growing up
How her family settled political disagreements and why all politics are celebrated in her family
The event that changed her views on paid family leave – and why all moms deserve it
Why she’s not voting for Trump or Biden, and what her dad would do

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Drunk Elephant Founder Tiffany Masterson on Trusting Your Gut in Business Jun 05, 2024

Show notes

Tiffany Masteron’s grandma told her the name “Drunk Elephant” was the most asinine thing she’d ever heard. Granny wasn’t the only one – her friends thought so too. But Tiffany never bent when it came to her vision of the company, even though she was a stay-at-home mom with zero experience in skincare. Instead, she had this gut feeling about her ingredient formulation and trusted it was different enough to take the company far. Spoiler alert: it did.

In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Tiffany shares:

Why she chose to disrupt stay-at-home mom life to become an entrepreneur
When she realized her first entrepreneurial journey was kinda sketchy
How she discovered the Drunk Elephant “Suspicious Six” philosophy – and why it works
The moment she knew her company had “made it” (hello, Sephora)
Her response when consumers claim Drunk Elephant markets to kids

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Christy Turlington Burns on Going from Model to Maternal Health Advocate May 08, 2024

Show notes

In the 1990s, Christy Turlington posed alongside icons like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Linda Evangelista as one of the world’s first supermodels. She retired by 25 before going to college, earning her degree, and getting married. Then came her first baby – and a life-changing birthing experience that would inform her future work and advocacy.

In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Christy shares:

The benefits of her sister marrying her brother-in-law (hint: holidays are a breeze)
Why she has “survivors’ guilt” about getting out of the modeling industry unscathed
Her thoughts on building a career out of being a supermodel
Her traumatic birthing story and how it led to the founding Every Mother Counts
Advice on how to advocate for yourself in medical settings

Psst…this episode of 9 to 5ish is brought to you by New York Life. Their financial professionals can help you navigate life’s decisions, big and small.

PS: A new episode of 9 to 5ish will be back in your feed next month.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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