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.

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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.

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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:

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.

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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.

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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.

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Emma’s debut book, Start With Yourself, is out today. This is the episode she’s been building toward since the very beginning of Aspire. 

She’s doing something she’s never done on this podcast before. She’s taking on your questions about what’s at the heart of the book, including: 

The core ideas behind her framework for work and life

Why this isn’t just a book for someone wanting to start a business 

What she’d say to the woman who’s been putting herself last for too long

The uncomfortable truths she had to face about her own thinking before she could put them on paper for anyone else

Then she reads from the book for the first time anywhere, about a moment that completely changed her mindset and became the reason she had to write it. If you’ve felt stuck or scared to go after the next thing, Start With Yourself is for you. It’s available here.

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What does it mean to build something so successful that it outgrows you, and then start again from nothing with your name legally off the table? Bobbi Brown built one of the most iconic beauty companies in the world. She was 37 when she sold it, stayed for 22 years, then eventually pushed out of the business that carried her name. She waited out a 25-year non-compete, and on the day the clock ran out, she launched Jones Road—at 63, with six products, no outside investors, and a completely different playbook. 

Bobbi shares:

What it really costs to sell your name (and whether she’d do it again)

Why getting fired from the brand she built was the best thing that ever happened to her

The difference between building something massive and building something that’s yours

The social media strategy behind Jones Road and why it works

The leadership lesson she’s still learning at 68 and what confidence means after decades of trying to be someone she’s not

Have you ever built something—a business, a career, an identity—and had to walk away from it? What did starting over teach you? Tell us in the comments.

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Emma sits down with Kimora Lee –  fashion icon, entrepreneur, and founder — to talk about building one of the most influential brands in fashion and the lessons she learned about power, ownership, and knowing her worth.

Kimora helped build Baby Phat into a cultural phenomenon, but behind the success were hard truths about being in rooms, contributing at the highest level, and still not getting what she was owed.  Over time, she learned how to navigate deals, advocate for herself, and stop accepting less than she deserved.

Now she has Baby Phat back and this time, it's hers.

Kimora shares: 

Why being in the room didn't always mean having power

The hard lessons she learned about money, deals and ownership 

What she wishes she'd known before she signed anything

How she learned to stop settling and start advocating for herself

Why getting Baby Phat back means more now than it did the first time.

Where do you need to stop settling and start taking your place? Drop it in the comments — we're reading. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don't miss what's next.

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Emma sits down with Cardi B, global superstar, entrepreneur, and now founder, to talk about what actually changed once she understood where her power sits.

Cardi didn’t come into this industry with a co-sign. She came in figuring it out in real time, investing her own money, navigating bad deals, and slowly realizing she’d been making everyone else rich before herself.

Now, as a two-time Grammy winner and a mother of four, she’s launching Grow-Good, her own haircare brand, and stepping into a new level of ownership.

Cardi shares:

Why getting burned early became her best business education

What she looks for in partners now, and what she won’t tolerate

How she shifted from quick money to ownership and equity

Why this moment feels urgent, and what she’s building toward

How she’s balancing motherhood, relationships, and ambition

Where do you need to stop settling and start taking control? Drop it in the comments, we’re reading. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don’t miss what’s next.

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Monique Rodriguez built Mielle Organics from her basement into a billion-dollar brand and did it without a blueprint.

In this episode of Aspire, Monique shares the real story behind building one of the fastest-growing beauty brands in the world–from bootstrapping with her husband’s paycheck to risking their home, navigating criticism, and ultimately selling to Procter & Gamble while remaining CEO. 

But this isn't just a business story. It started with loss, a leap of faith, and a decision to bet on herself before she felt ready.

This is a conversation about what it really takes to build something meaningful… and what happens when you finally reach the other side.

In this episode, Monique shares:

Why you don’t need to feel ready before making a life-changing decision

How personal adversity can reshape your ambition and clarity

What founders get wrong about scaling too early

How to know when it’s time to bring in experienced operators

Why building with the end in mind changes how you run your company

The real risks founders take behind the scenes

How to navigate criticism as your company grows

What it actually means to lead after a major acquisition

How to protect your vision while growing at scale

Why success doesn’t always eliminate the feeling of having something to prove 

Monique Rodriguez’s story is proof that you don’t have to be ready to start, you just have to be willing.

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