Aspire with Emma Grede

Rachel Zoe on Making Your Next Act the Best One

2026-10-27

Today, Emma Grede sits down with her longtime friend Rachel Zoe. Long before everyone had a personal brand, Rachel built one almost by accident. She was making $23,000 a year as a fashion assistant when a single Britney Spears music video (you might know the one) paid her more than her annual salary. At 25, she went freelance with nothing lined up. What followed changed how so many of us think about style and turned the person behind the clothes into someone we all wanted to know.

Now 55, Rachel says she’s in the freest chapter of her life. She and Emma talk about the guilt she carried over how much she earned in her twenties, and why she never slowed down long enough to enjoy any of it. Rachel also reveals why she sold The Zoe Report when she did, and what her sons told her before she said yes to reality TV again.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

How Rachel built a world around her name and the decisions she would make differently todayWhat younger builders get wrong when they try to engineer a personal brand without the work to back it upWhy she regrets going into business with her husband, and what she wishes they had put in place from the beginningThe financial structure she now believes every woman should have, married or notWhere the money comes from in the Rachel Zoe business todayWhat Rachel is building her next chapter around, and why she believes it's her most exciting one yet

No. of episodes

97

Latest episode

2026-10-27

Where can you listen?

Build the life of your dreams and learn from the world’s most successful people.Emma Grede, one of America’s richest self-made women, wants you to make the most of your life. On ‘Aspire with Emma Grede', learn through thought-provoking conversations with some of the most successful and smartest minds on the planet, including goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow, investor, philanthropist and former chair of Starbucks Mellody Hobson and international bestselling author and “On Purpose” podcast host Jay Shetty. Each episode will unpack their habits, philosophy and strategies, covering career advice, well-being, psychology and of course how to win in business. The show offers personal stories, data-driven advice, real-world strategies, and the experience you need, to turn your dreams into reality. Emma Grede is a founding partner and chief product officer of SKIMS and CEO of Good American. She also made history as the first Black woman to serve as an investor on Shark Tank.