Aspire with Emma Grede

Sarah Jakes Roberts is not a traditional entrepreneur. She’s the daughter of Bishop T.D. Jakes, one of the most prominent pastors in America. Sarah became a mother at 13—and in the years that followed, she carried the weight of that story in public, under a spotlight she never asked for.  This conversation is about what happens when the thing you’re most ashamed of becomes the thing you build from. Today, Sarah co-leads a megachurch while raising a blended family of six. But she didn’t set out to lead a global movement, launch conferences that fill stadiums, host a top-ranked podcast, operate more than a dozen revenue streams, or become a bestselling author. She started a blog because she had something to say and an instinct that other women might see parts of themselves in her story. It turned out to be millions of women.  In today’s conversation, Sarah sits down with Emma to talk about calling, responsibility, and a feeling she describes as being “willing to do what I’ve been trusted with.”  Sarah shares: The relationship between anger and people-pleasing—and why suppressing one feeds the other What Old Thoughts look like when you've been carrying them since you were 13 How she went from a blog with a million views to a global conference and a publishing operation without a traditional business strategy What young motherhood taught her about shame and building something real from the chapter most people would want to erase Where ministry ends and business begins—and how she navigates making millions from a unique calling without losing what built it What’s something in your life that you need to move past?  Drop it in the comments — we're reading. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don't miss what's next. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Victoria Beckham is one of the most famous women in the world. But behind the headlines is a business story that took nearly two decades to build. She entered fashion with every reason to be dismissed. A Spice Girl. A celebrity. A public figure trying to be taken seriously in an industry that rarely gives second chances. The skepticism was loud. The losses were public. And at one point, she lost control of the company that carried her own name – but she building anyway.  Over nearly two decades, Victoria rebuilt her business piece by piece. Through financial pressure, shifting perceptions, and the quiet work of proving she belonged. Today, her fashion business is profitable, her beauty brand is scaling, and the narrative has finally caught up to the work. In this conversation, Victoria sits down with Emma to talk about what it really took to get here — the financial pressure, the imposter syndrome she carried for years, and the moment she decided to put Victoria back into Victoria Beckham. She opens up about building alongside David, what their partnership actually looks like behind closed doors, and why she refuses to feel guilty about following her dreams. And for the first time, she reveals that Harper — who has sat in on product development meetings since she was tiny — is starting her own brand.  Victoria shares: What it felt like to lose control of her own company and rebuild from inside it Why staying close to the creative saved the business when nothing else could How she and David have built alongside each other without disappearing into one another The Diane von Furstenberg advice that changed how she thinks about guilt What Harper's brand pitch revealed about legacy, motherhood, and what it means to raise a family of builders What have you stayed committed to longer than anyone expected? Drop it in the comments. What would you build if you stopped listening to the noise? Drop it in the comments — we're reading. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don't miss what's next. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This one is a little different. For Emma, sitting down with Oprah Winfrey wasn’t just another interview — it was a full circle moment. A conversation years in the making with someone who helped shape how she thinks about success, ambition, and what’s possible. In this special episode, Emma shares her conversation from The Oprah Podcast — one of the most honest conversations she’s had about her debut book Start With Yourself and the journey behind it. Together, they go beyond the highlight reel and get into: The mindset shift that changed Emma’s life Radical self-accountability and what it really looks like in practice The tension between ambition, motherhood, and guilt Why building from purpose — not ego — changes everything How to separate truth from emotion in business and decision-making And the question that can redefine how you move through your life and career Emma also opens up about the mistakes that shaped her, overcoming comparison, and why she believes success starts from within — not from external validation. It’s a conversation that feels as grounding as it is powerful. And if you know Emma, you know — this moment meant everything. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tory Burch started her company in 2004 with a single store on Elizabeth Street in New York City, a friends and family round of funding, and a belief that purpose and business belong in the same sentence. Twenty two years later, she has 400 stores in 70 countries. And she still hasn't had lunch. In this conversation, Tory sits down with Emma to talk about what it really took to build one of the most recognizable names in American fashion — navigating criticism, surviving a lawsuit that threatened everything she'd built, and rediscovering the creative spirit that reinvigorated the brand. Tory shares: Why ambition is still a complicated word for women  and why she refuses to shy away from it How she maintained ownership and control of her company through a very public divorce and lawsuit What she learned about scaling a brand without losing its identity How stepping back from the CEO role unlocked her most creative chapter yet What would you build if you stopped letting other people define your ambition? Drop it in the comments — we're reading. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don't miss what's next. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emma sits down with Tara Mohr, author of the bestselling ‘Playing Big’, for a conversation that started as an interview and turned into something much more personal. Tara has spent over a decade helping women understand why they hold themselves back — not from the outside, but from within.  Together Emma and Tara get into why your self-doubt gets loudest right when something actually matters, the difference between your inner critic and realistic thinking, why chasing confidence is the wrong goal, and the two types of fear — one keeping you stuck, one telling you you're exactly where you need to be. Then Tara introduces Emma to her  inner mentor and walks her through the exercise live, on camera.  In this episode you’ll learn:  What "playing small" really looks like, even when life looks big on the outside How to identify your inner critic and what to do about it How to tell the two types of fear apart  The guilt trap and how to know when guilt is actually yours How to stop outsourcing your decisions and become the authority in your own life The inner mentor exercise What's the voice in your head telling you right now  and is it actually true? Drop it in the comments. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you never miss what's next. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices