Skimm'd From The Couch

Lauren Bush Lauren has diplomacy in her blood. Former President George HW Bush is her grandfather, and President George W Bush is her uncle. But Lauren has built a legacy all her own. She’s the CEO and co-founder of FEED Projects, the company that sells products like bags and accessories...and uses the sales to help distribute food all around the world. Lauren came up with the idea in college while working with the UN. Flash forward a few years, and FEED has donated more than 100 million meals to people in need. On the couch, Lauren talks to us about asking for advice, taking maternity leave, and starting a company -- without any other job experience.

We're baaaack. With vino. And Barbara Corcoran. You know Barbara as one of the sharks on “Shark Tank.” But the show is just one part of her story. After college, Barbara took a job as a teacher. She quit after a year and moved on to waitressing. A little while after that, she started her own real estate business...and turned it into a multi-million dollar empire. She sold it in the early 2000s. Since then, she’s been using her money to help other entrepreneurs get their ideas off the ground at "Shark Tank," and on her own podcast, “Business Unusual.” On the couch, she talks to us about the 22 jobs she had by age 23, the loan that helped her make it big, and how to negotiate.

Midterm elections are in T minus 6 days. Politicians are trying to convince you to hire them. And behind every politician...is a communications director helping them get the word out. So we brought in two of them to talk to us about how they do their jobs -- and how they made it to the top of the political game. Episode 2: Jennifer Palmieri. Jennifer has a long history in politics, starting when she interned for then-Senator Leon Panetta (D-CA) in college (Panetta was later President Bill Clinton’s chief of staff). Later, Jennifer got into the White House herself. And she became President Barack Obama’s communications director. After that, she was the head of comms for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Now she’s also an author. Her new book is all about stories and advice for the next generation of female leaders. On the couch, she talks to us about crying at work, supporting her female colleagues, and managing up...when your boss is the president.

Midterm elections are in T minus 6 days. Politicians are trying to convince you to hire them. And behind every politician...is a communications director helping them get the word out. So we brought in two of them to talk to us about how they do their jobs -- and how they made it to the top of the political game. Episode 1: AshLee Strong. AshLee has worked in communications roles all over Washington, from the House of Representatives, to the Senate, to the White House. She was even the senior communications director for Governor Scott Walker’s (R-WI) 2016 presidential run. These days, she’s the national press secretary for one of the most powerful Republicans in the country: House Speaker Paul Ryan. On the couch, she talks to us about what a comms director actually is, how she created a network in Washington, and what it’s like to disagree with your boss...when he’s the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

When Sylvia Acevedo was 7 years old, she was a Girl Scout. One night, her troop leader caught her looking up at the stars...and encouraged her to pursue that interest. Sylvia took that advice. And became a rocket scientist at NASA right out of college. Eventually, she switched tracks and went down the business-leadership path. She’s been a leader at companies like Dell, Apple, and IBM, and she even worked for the White House. But since 2016, Sylvia has been the CEO of Girl Scouts, where she’s helped build out the Scouts’ alumni network, and introduced new badges and programming around STEM. And yes, she’s earned her science badge along the way. On the couch, she talks to us about being a servant leader, investing in herself, and being persistent...at cookie sales and beyond.

Katie Couric is one of the most recognized faces in journalism today. You’re probably one of the millions of people who have tuned in to one of Katie’s shows over the years, whether that was “Getting There” with us at theSkimm, the TODAY Show, or the CBS Evening News. Which -- by the way -- made her the first solo female anchor of a major nightly news broadcast. But that’s not where her story starts: Katie started out by interning at local news stations in high school. And after college, she worked as a desk assistant. The rest is history. On the couch, she talks to us about her most memorable interviews, being persistent, and getting told she’d never make it on air.

Tory Burch is the founder, chairman, and CEO of … Tory Burch. You know her as the woman (and the name) behind so many of your favorite clothes. But way before she created those iconic Reva flats, she built a career in fashion PR, working for designers like Ralph Lauren and Vera Wang. Tory eventually made the switch from PR… to designing her own clothes, and running her own business. That was 2004. These days, her clothes are sold in more than 250 Tory Burch stores and over 3,000 department and specialty stores around the world. In 2009, she launched the Tory Burch Foundation to help empower female entrepreneurs. And now, she’s got a brand new initiative to help get out the vote. On the couch, she talks to us about how to negotiate, her Oprah moment, and taking negative feedback when your brand is your name. 

You might know Taraji P Henson as Cookie on “Empire,” or from her roles in movies like “Hustle and Flow” and “Hidden Figures.” But you might not know the rest of Taraji’s story. She’s always wanted to be an actor. But she didn’t take her passion seriously until she flunked out of precalculus in college. After school, she moved to Los Angeles to chase her dreams -- with just $700 in her pocket. And she made it happen. Now, Taraji’s using her voice to create change in a new way. She started the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation to tackle the stigma around mental health in the African American community. On the couch, she talks to us about rejection, not giving into fear, and what it’s like to negotiate in a quickly-changing Hollywood.

Nancy Brinker started the Susan G Komen Foundation in 1982 after her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. Back then, she had just $200 and a list of potential donors. Now, it’s one of the largest cancer charities in the world. In the 40 years since the organization got started, Nancy and the foundation have raised $3 billion to help fund cancer research. On the couch, she talks to us about starting the Susan G Komen Foundation, motivating a team, and taking breast cancer from a taboo subject… to a national cause.

Christina Tosi started baking at home with her family. And after going to college for applied mathematics, she decided to get back to those baking roots. She went to culinary school and worked in a few different restaurants around NYC. Eventually, Christina landed at Momofuku – where she started the franchise’s first bakery, Milk Bar. She serves as its founder and CEO. Today, the bakery has expanded all across North America, and it’s earned Christina a spot on the show “MasterChef.” On the couch, she talks to us about finding mentors, thriving under pressure, and baking as stress relief.

Susan Lyne’s career isn’t easy to Skimm. She grew up in Boston, and after going to college for a while, decided to skip school and get straight into her career. Susan was a journalist. Then she switched into entertainment, and even started her own magazine. Since then, she’s been an exec at major companies like Gilt, AOL, Martha Stewart, and ABC. Meaning, yes, you can thank her for “Grey’s Anatomy.” In 2014, Susan made another change: she started her own venture capital firm to invest in companies with female founders. It’s called BBG – Built By Girls. On the couch, she talks to us about networking (cough, stalking) your way to the career you want, prioritizing your time, and why introverts make great leaders.

Kat Cole started her career as a waitress at Hooters. At first, she was just helping out her family. But in her second year of college, she decided to turn that side hustle...into her main hustle. So she went to work at Hooters corporate instead of graduating. And at 20 years old, she was helping the company open franchises all over the world. A couple years later, Kat became a VP at the company. Eventually, she got a business degree and took over at Cinnabon, where she helped grow the biz to a billion-dollar brand. Now she’s the President and COO of FOCUS brands, aka the parent co of companies like Cinnabon and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. On the couch, she talks to us about addressing negative feedback, choosing to go to business school without a BA, and “the brutal leadership mirror”. We’ll let her explain.

Margaret Brennan is the moderator of “Face the Nation” and a senior correspondent for CBS. But she didn’t always plan to be a journalist. At first, Margaret thought she wanted to be a diplomat, so she studied foreign affairs, the Mideast -- she even learned Arabic. But then she interned at CNN in college. And decided journalism was the path for her. Since then, she’s covered business news for CNBC and Bloomberg TV. At CBS, she’s covered everything from nuclear negotiations to US tensions with North Korea. On the couch, we flip the script and ask Margaret the questions. She talks to us about what it’s like to cover Washington, thinking through maternity leave, and the responsibility to cheer on younger women.  

You know Arianna Huffington as the woman who put the Huffington in The Huffington Post. But she’s got a lot more on her resume. Including ‘best-selling author’ and ‘ran for office.’ But in 2007, after working 18-hour days, she collapsed in her office. And decided it was time to focus on herself more. Enter: Thrive Global. Aka the company Arianna started to help people reset, recharge, and get a lot more sleep. On the couch, Arianna talks to us about being a proud outfit repeater, the time she interviewed Skimm B for a job, and putting your phone to bed. Literally.

Michele Promaulayko fell in love with magazines as a teenager. Since then, she’s gone from dreaming about magazines...to building a career in publishing, working at places like Women’s Health and Yahoo Health. Today, she’s the editor in chief of Cosmopolitan. Meaning teenage Michele is very happy. Oh, and she’s trained in transcendental meditation, too. NBD. On the couch, she talks to us about when male models ruled the world, managing up, and navigating how her industry has changed over the years.

Growing this B was not easy. Translation: we ask our family for advice all the time. In this episode, we talk to our dads about some of the things that we’ve learned from them along the way. And we play a game. It's inspired by the new Netflix dramedy "Like Father," about a father-daughter relationship. Listen in here.

Melanie has a personal rule for herself: if she hears about something three times, from three different people, she has to try it. That rule has led her to new books, restaurants, and… SoulCycle. Which she did while she was a VP at Equinox. Melanie eventually came on as Soul’s COO, and helped grow the biz from a few NYC studios...to more than 80 around the world. Now, she’s the company’s CEO. And yes, she taps it back multiple times every week. On the couch, she talks to us about taking over a community she didn’t create, managing instructors’ brands within SoulCycle’s, and having a millennial mentor.

Katrina Lake spent the first part of her career watching other entrepreneurs pitch their companies to her VC firm. But then she decided she wanted to try it out herself. So she went to Harvard Business School and started her own company. Today, you know it as the multibillion-dollar online styling service Stitch Fix. And when she took Stitch Fix public in 2017, Katrina became the youngest woman to lead a company to IPO. Ever. NBD. On the couch, she talks to us about deciding to go to business school, hiring and managing a team, and not taking her dad’s advice.

Mindy Grossman graduated college at 20 and was on her way to law school. But then she changed her mind – so she broke her engagement, packed her bags, and moved to New York City. Luckily, that gamble worked out: today, she’s on Forbes’ list of the most powerful women in the world. Over her career, Mindy’s headed up companies like Chaps Ralph Lauren, the Home Shopping Network, and NIke. In 2017, she took her talents to Weight Watchers. On the couch, she talks to us about building teams, giving tough feedback, and stalking your business idols – politely. Oh yeah, and what it’s like to disagree with Oprah in the boardroom. 

Tyler Haney is the CEO and founder of Outdoor Voices. Today, you know OV as one of your favorite brands to wear to the gym...or to walk your dog around the block. Tyler got the idea for her company when she was on a jog. Since then, she’s grown it into a multi-million dollar national brand. And this week, Tyler is our guest on the couch. She talks to us about turning an investor's no into a yes, learning from mentors, and hiring passionate people. Leggings, on.