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 advoca…

At 59, Edith Cooper never thought she’d make a career pivot. She spent nearly 30 years working her way up at Goldman Sachs, but then, she was approached to co-found a company called Medley. Who was the other co-founder? Jordan Taylor, AKA her daughter. The mom and daughter duo launched Medley, a coaching platform equipping Millennial-aged workers w…

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…

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…

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 conce…

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 – an…

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 fr…

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 epis…

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…

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. T…

Today, we’ve got a special bonus episode of “9 to 5ish” for you. Our guest is Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and former US Ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump Administration. She’s currently running for the Republican nomination for president. In this episode, we talk to Governor Haley about the job she wants, runn…

Fern Mallis – aka “fashion’s godmother” – is a legend in the industry. She’s the founder of New York Fashion Week and the former executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Over decades working behind the scenes, Fern has seen it all – from disasters, to demanding personalities, to less-than-friendly behavior. So it makes sen…

Lori Coulter and Reshma Chattaram Chamberlin are the co-founders of Summersalt, the clothing brand that launched in 2017 with perfect-fit swimsuits. Now, Summersalt has expanded to offer activewear, apparel, and loungewear, and has raised over $25 million dollars. In today’s episode, Lori and Reshma walk us through how they built the brand, why the…

Influencer, Summer Fridays co-founder, and podcast host Marianna Hewitt does everything with intention. She’s become an expert at creating habits and routines that set her up for success and allow her to prioritize her own happiness. Today, we spoke with the beauty creator and founder about how she’s been intentional throughout her career, and abou…

Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler are two-time wellness founders. Their first business, SoulCycle, revolutionized the wellness, fitness, and fashion industries (they basically invented athleisure). Now, their second venture is focused on exercising a different muscle – our relational fitness. We spoke with Julie and Elizabeth about how relationships …

Jane Hertzmark Hudis is one of the most prominent beauty executives in the country. As an executive group president of the Estée Lauder Companies – the organization she’s been at for over 30 years – she oversees some of the biggest beauty brands in the world, including Tom Ford Beauty and La Mer. Her secret to making it to the top? Embrace the beau…

9 to 5ish will be back in your feed in January. Samina Virk is the CEO of North America for Vestiaire Collective, the rapidly-growing luxury fashion resale site. And Samina told us she attributes her rise in the fashion industry to strategic career mapping. Whether it’s engaging in a personal brainstorming session or proactively discussing career p…

Cynthia Williams is the third generation in her family to work in the auto industry. After joining Ford in 1992, she’s now the company’s Global Director of Sustainability, Homologation and Compliance. The key to rising to a top position in the org? Support from higher-ups. This week, Cynthia told us how she navigated and grew her relationships with…

From the outside, you would think singer, songwriter, actress, and TV host Rita Ora has always felt fully in control of her career. But like a lot of us, Rita struggled with self doubt about her career direction – on top of facing industry challenges. Still, none of that stopped her from achieving the multidimensional career she wanted. This week, …

9 to 5ish will be back in your feed on December 6th! Anna Wesche is the brains behind a new podcast from Flamingo, an award-winning body hair and care brand whose mission is to champion women, their bodies, and their choices. In this After 5ish conversation, Anna shares her experience making some major career pivots, creating the opportunities you …

Author, businesswoman, designer, and chef Joanna Gaines used to let guilt and anxiety consume her. As a mom of five children, and as one half of one of the most successful lifestyle brands in the country, Joanna is now battling her burnout by letting go of those feelings. This week, we spoke to Joanna about that shift to free herself from the press…

Annie Jean-Baptiste is Google’s first-ever Head of Product Inclusion. TLDR: she’s a tech executive responsible for making all of Google’s products inclusive for every user. Annie is also the author of the critically-acclaimed book, Building for Everyone, the first book about building inclusive products across the intersections of 12 dimensions of d…

Actress-turned-entrepreneur Cameron Diaz and consumer brand builder Katherine Power (WhoWhatWear, Merit Beauty, Versed) had been friends for years before they decided to launch Avaline, their transparently produced organic wine brand. After realizing the wines they loved were full of additives and hidden ingredients, they saw an opportunity to crea…

When Jen Psaki became President Obama’s White House Communications Director, she was pregnant. Later, she became President Biden’s Press Secretary, and she had to navigate her role as a mom and as the White House’s chief spokesperson. And considering when you work for the president, you’re expected to be on call 24/7, that's a big challenge. Today,…

Jada Pinkett Smith’s memoir, Worthy, has made a big splash for its bombshell revelations … and it hasn’t even been out for a week. But the book from the award-winning actress and talk show host is not just tabloid fodder – it’s also a critical part of Jada’s “reclamation journey”. In this episode, Jada tells her career story – how she’s navigated H…

Michelle Crossan-Matos, the CMO of Ulta Beauty, is one of the most prominent marketing executives in the country. And she told us she didn’t just get to her position by crunching the numbers and digging into data. She used her intuition and gut instinct to launch new campaigns, solve problems, and grow brands. Today, we spoke to Michelle about how …

Joey Wölffer didn’t ever think she’d take over her family’s business, the Wölffer Estate winery. But over a decade after surprising herself and becoming the co-owner and chief brand officer of the beloved vineyard, Joey has transformed the brand and the business. You’ve probably seen their famous Summer in a Bottle rose or their sparkling ciders on…

Colleen Cutcliffe, co-founder and CEO of the groundbreaking probiotics company Pendulum Therapeutics, started the company with a big goal in mind: changing the way people think about their gut health. And on her journey, she’s had to challenge traditional – and sometimes outdated – thinking from the medical community and investors. In this episode,…

Alicia Menendez, MSNBC anchor, award-winning journalist, and host of the Latina to Latina podcast, was so concerned about being likable at work that she wrote a whole book about it. She even created a name for that pressure women feel to be amenable in the office – "the likability trap." And as an on-camera journalist, she’s fallen into that trap t…

For over a decade, Emily Tisch Sussman was one of the top political strategists in the country, advising Democratic candidates and campaigns. Then, after having three children in four years, and faced with no childcare during a global pandemic, Emily realized she couldn’t get back to the top of her game… or back in the game at all. So, she stepped …

When Hill House Home first started, founder and CEO Nell Diamond wasn’t focused on selling the now-famous “Nap Dress”, or cultivating her Instagram presence. Rather, the brand started as a bedding company, and Nell’s Instagram was a space for her creativity. Seven years later, the Nap Dress is a cult-favorite, selling out in minutes, Nell’s created…

Elizabeth Chambers has been through… a lot in the past few years. But the founder and CEO of BIRD Bakery isn’t letting her ex-husband or the headlines define her. She’s focused on expanding her business (which now has four locations) and helping her family heal. This week, we spoke to Elizabeth about how she’s found professional and personal stabil…

Ashley Merrill, founder and chairwoman of the restwear brand Lunya, started the company when she was pregnant. As she built her brand, she was also growing her family, and her big career moments and her big parenting moments always seemed to align. On this episode, we spoke with Ashley about the misconceptions that being a parent is just a part tim…

For most of her career, Isa Watson felt like she was living somebody else’s life. She started out as a chemist working her way up the academic ranks, and then she became a world-traveling VP at JP Morgan. And a lot of people online started to take notice of her impressive career. Isa felt she was always chasing the validation of a ‘30 under 30’ or …

Lauren Wesley Wilson worked for politicians and crisis comms firms for years before she decided to start her own organization, ColorComm. ColorComm started as a luncheon series over ten years ago, and now has grown to become the nation’s leading women’s platform addressing diversity & inclusion across the communications, marketing, advertising, and…

You know Erin and Sara Foster as the sister-act behind the VH1 hit show “Barely Famous”, the co-founders of the fashion brand Favorite Daughter, and as the creative minds who’ve helped brands such as Bumble and the Mirror. After growing up in the entertainment world, the sisters not only decided to take on that industry, but also to take on fashion…

Nyakio Grieco has been paving the way for inclusive beauty and supporting Black entrepreneurs for her whole career. She launched her first beauty brand, Nyakio Beauty, in 2002. Then in 2020, she launched Thirteen Lune, the e-commerce platform dedicated to elevating Black and Brown beauty founders. While Nyakio is one of the most celebrated entrepre…

To wrap up this season of 9 to 5ish, we’ve got a bonus episode with author Avery Carpenter Forrey. She was one of the first employees at theSkimm, who pivoted her career to become a writer. Her highly-anticipated debut novel, Social Engagement, drops on May 23rd, and explores millennial wedding culture, class, and relationships. This week, we spoke…

Today, we’re going back into the 9 to 5ish archives, to bring you one of our favorite episodes from last year - with Glow Recipe co-CEO and co-founder Christine Chang. We hope you enjoy Christine’s advice on how to make the jump from a corporate job to a startup, and we’ll be back with fresh episodes next week. Until then, please enjoy our conversa…

When Anastasia Soare started her brand Anastasia Beverly Hills from one room salon back in the 1990s, eyebrows were pencil-thin and an afterthought. 25 years (and one legendary appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show) later, she’s become synonymous with eyebrows, created a multi-billion dollar brand and revolutionized the beauty industry. Today, we sp…

Mary Celeste Beall’s life drastically changed in 2016, when she lost her husband Sam in a tragic ski accident. Just weeks later, her professional life also changed, when she was asked to step into the role of proprietor of the legendary Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain resorts, a role Sam had occupied for years. We spoke to Mary Celeste abou…

Kristin Cavallari created the archetype for the reality-TV star-turned-mogul. She was on the OG reality show, Laguna Beach, when she was in high school. And she turned that fame (and notoriety) into a business empire. She’s now the owner of a jewelry and skincare brand and a New York Times bestselling author. And she made the jump from TV to the bo…

Two-time entrepreneur Jessica Rolph is embracing what she calls “micro failures” at work. You know, when you say the wrong thing to a team member, make a mistake on a project, or you don’t communicate about something. These moments can feel small, but they can take a big toll on us. But Jessica believes it doesn’t have to be that way. As the co-fou…

Thasunda Brown Duckett, the President and CEO of TIAA, had a “meteoric rise” in the world of finance. As the former head of Chase Consumer Banking, and now as one of two Black women who currently leads a Fortune 500 company, she realized early on that “work-life balance” was a myth. Instead, Thasunda lives her life like it’s a diversified portfolio…

Kaitlan Collins, co-anchor and chief correspondent for CNN This Morning, is no stranger to sleeping four hours a night, or packing up to travel at a moment’s notice. Which is great if you love the news…but it’s not so great if you love your boundaries. This week, we spoke to Kaitlan about how she’s learned to set boundaries – from the anchor desk t…

Debra Lee was the chairman and CEO of BET, where she worked for over three decades. But even though she was a leader in the entertainment world, Debra said her biggest career weakness was being “too nice”. This week, we sat down to talk about Debra’s new memoir, I Am Debra Lee, and how she stepped into her power as a leader – from taking back contr…

Bozoma Saint John is one of the most celebrated marketing execs out there. She’s worked for Apple, Uber, Endeavor, Pepsi, and Netflix…just to name a few. But while those big names are on her resume, Boz told us about the other titles that have influenced her and her career. Like ‘single mom.’ And ‘widow.’ This week, Boz explains how her story of lo…

Chantel George had a plan to go to law school. Then, she found out she was good at sales. Really good. In fact, she became one of the best sellers in the tech world. Chantel’s experience learning how to turn a ‘no’ into a ‘yes’, asking tough questions, and challenging the status quo convinced her she needed to start her own sales community. So in 2…

For Amy Griffin, being one of the most successful venture capitalists actually has a lot in common with being a college athlete. Amy played volleyball at the University of Virginia, and now as the founder and managing partner of G9 Ventures, she helps early-stage startups perform their best in a different kind of arena. And some of the companies sh…

From navigating war zones to negotiating with affiliates of terrorist organizations, Emily Hikade lived for the thrill of working as a CIA officer. But a near death experience at work made her realize: it was time to try a different kind of adventure. While in East Africa, Emily worked nights to start her luxury sleepwear brand, Petite Plume. Today…