Last week, Planned Parenthood’s former president, Dr. Leana Wen, parted ways with the organization. After just eight months on the job. But even before she took the helm at PP, Dr. Wen was a rising star in the public health sphere. She was Baltimore’s Health Commissioner, an ER physician, and wrote a book calling for more transparency in medicine - all before she was 35. We sat down with Dr. Wen a week before she and PP parted ways. On the Couch, she talks to us about how she developed the drive to overcome huge obstacles in her childhood and start college at the age of 13 (6:30), how to find and keep mentors (8:50), and how she’s dealt with haters throughout her fast-track career in medicine and public health (17:00). Listen and subscribe to get in on it. 

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ICYMI, we wrote a book: How to Skimm Your Life. It’s all about making it easier to navigate allll the tricky parts of being an adult. From reading a wine list. To negotiating a raise. And then: we took the book on tour. In ten cities across the US, amazing moderators flipped the script and asked us the questions. We had so much fun that we decided to share it with you. Here’s our conversation with Ashley Graham, in our hometown: New York City. We'll be back next week with fresh new episodes from the Couch.

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Tina Sharkey is the powerhouse behind Brandless, the direct-to-consumer company that’s all about community. But before she started Brandless with her cofounder, she spent her career building communities online for major companies like AOL and Johnson & Johnson. Tina’s also been on the investing side and has helped out in tons of startups … including ours. Thanks, Tina. On the Couch, she talks to us about how her family taught her hustle (3:51), how she thinks about mentorship (10:18), and why she decided to step down as CEO in March (25:00). 

PS: Our book – "How To Skimm Your Life" – is finally out. Get it here: https://theskimm.com/book

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ICYMI, we’re on tour for “How To Skimm Your Life” (https://theskimm.com/book). While we’re away, here’s a quick chat we had with Sarah Larson Levey. She’s the co-founder and CEO of Y7 Studio, the yoga company she founded with her now-husband in 2013. Back then, she worked in fashion full-time. And their studio was a small weekend pop-up in Brooklyn. Now, she’s built it into a national chain. On the Couch, she talks to us about turning her side hustle into a main hustle (3:00), working with her husband (8:31), and scaling her brand (11:45). We’ll be back next week with more “Skimm’d from the Couch.” 

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Eileen Fisher started her career as an interior and graphic designer. But that changed in the 80s. Eileen took a trip to Japan, where the kimono inspired her to start her own fashion brand. With no experience in clothing design. It’s worked out for her: These days, she’s the woman behind – you guessed it – Eileen Fisher. On the Couch, she talks to us about how she started her business (4:15), growing her company as an introvert (9:20), and why her company doesn’t have your average leadership structure (15:30).

PS: Our book is (finally) out. It covers allll the most important parts of being an adult, like negotiating your salary, saving for retirement, and reading a wine list. Get it here:https://theskimm.com/book

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Valerie Jarrett started her career as a corporate lawyer. But in the late 80s, she made a change and headed to work in the mayor’s office in her hometown of Chicago. That’s where Valerie hired a young Michelle Robinson. Who you might know now as former First Lady Michelle Obama. Fast forward a few years, and Valerie is now the longest-serving Senior Advisor to the President in history. And in 2016, she was the guest on our first-ever Facebook Live. Guess which one is higher on her resume. On the Couch, she talks to us about her new book (2:04), how to advocate for women at work (9:52), and what it’s like to challenge your boss … when he’s the president of the United States (30:45). 

PS: Our Skimm Reads this week is “Every Tool’s a Hammer” by Adam Savage aka the star of “Mythbusters.” The book is all about the metaphorical tools he’s put in his toolbox in his 40-plus years as a creative. Add it to your toolbox (shopping cart) here: https://skimmth.is/2HURiR0

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Erika Nardini has spent her career growing and marketing brands, heading up big-name companies like Microsoft, Yahoo!, and AOL. She was living in Boston when a tiny sports publication called Barstool Sports got started. And Erika became a superfan. So when she got the chance to come on board as Barstool’s CEO in 2016, she didn’t hesitate to take it. Even though it was controversial. On the Couch, she talks to us about dealing with criticism, being the boss of her company’s founder, and leading a company where she’s not the target demographic.

PS: Our Skimm Reads this week is … us. In case you haven’t heard, we wrote a book. It’s basically a crash course in adulting. If you haven’t pre-ordered it yet, what are you waiting for? Get it here. https://skimmth.is/2UgoeXq

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Hannah Bronfman knows a thing or two about hustle. She’s been a professional DJ, the cofounder of an app, and an author. And now, she’s the founder of the lifestyle brand HBFIT. One of our favorite bullet points on her resume: she’s one of the moderators on our book tour. On this episode, she talks to us about where she got her entrepreneurial spirit (8:45) and how she makes sure she’s taking care of herself (20:24). Plus she takes a few questions from our LIVE audience (26:00).

PS: Our Skimm Reads this week is … us. In case you haven’t heard, we wrote a book. It’s basically a crash course in adulting. We cover everything from your finances to the right wine pairings. If you haven’t pre-ordered it yet, what are you waiting for? Get it here. https://skimmth.is/2UgoeXq 

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Poppy Harlow is an anchor on CNN Newsroom. She’s the host of the podcast Boss Files, where she talks to badass leaders about how they made it to the top. She’s interviewed everyone from Warren Buffett… to Jay Z. And if that wasn’t enough, Poppy’s also a mom of two. On the Couch, she talks to us about how having kids made her more efficient at work (8:00), why she chose journalism (14:03), and that time she interviewed a sitting Supreme Court Justice… while wearing a diaper (22:29). And she takes a call from a very special guest.

PS: We’ve been thinking about money a lot at Skimm HQ. Lucky for us, our good friend and adviser Alexa von Tobel wrote a book about it. It’s called “Financially Forward,” and it’s this week’s Skimm Reads. Get it here. 

https://skimmth.is/2PZ70N5

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Both Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini started their careers when they were really young. Christina shot her first commercial before she could walk and talk. And Linda’s first big role was in college, on “Freaks and Geeks.” They’ve been everywhere since then. But if you’ve logged into Netflix in the last week, you might know that they’re now co-starring on Dead to Me. It’s a new series that’s part comedy. Part tragedy. And allll binge-worthy. On the Couch, Christina and Linda talk to us about how Time’s Up has changed the way they negotiate and how they handle not getting a callback. Plus they take a few questions from our live studio audience. 

PS: This week’s Skimm Reads is brought to you by … our team. They recommended “Grit” by Angela Duckworth. It’s all about how success takes hustle and, yes, grit. Get it here.

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