Emma Grede: #1 Trick Successful People Use Every Day (THIS Will Open Doors You Didn’t Know Existed!)

Summary of Emma Grede: #1 Trick Successful People Use Every Day (THIS Will Open Doors You Didn’t Know Existed!)

by iHeartPodcasts

48m•November 19, 2025
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Overview of Emma Grede: #1 Trick Successful People Use Every Day (iHeartPodcasts)

This episode features Emma Grede in conversation with Jay Shetty (live at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco). Emma—entrepreneur, CEO, and founder of brands and ventures—shares the mindset and daily practices that opened doors in her career: self-awareness, focused excellence, rehearsed courage, strategic use of fear, building complementary teams, and honest trade-offs between work and family. The discussion blends practical advice, personal stories (including parenting and launching her podcast Aspire), and a live audience pitch exercise.

Key takeaways

  • Self-awareness is foundational: know your strengths, weaknesses, and the narratives you tell yourself.
  • Competence builds confidence: get excellent at something first, then let confidence follow.
  • Focus is a force multiplier: deep, repeated practice in one area produces disproportionate returns.
  • Say “I’ll do that”: volunteer for opportunities to force growth and create momentum.
  • Test-and-learn beats waiting for permission: start small (YouTube/Instagram) to validate bigger media ideas.
  • Honest trade-offs beat performative balance: define your non-negotiables, ask for help, and stop pretending perfection.
  • Women face both internal and systemic barriers; leaning into visibility and refusing to be demure helps shift standards.

Topics discussed

  • Early insecurities and overcoming fear of judgment
  • Gender differences in applying for roles (study cited: men apply with ~40% fit vs women with ~80% fit)
  • How to choose a career path: don’t chase “passion” — find what gives you energy and what you’re good at
  • The value of saying “I’ll do that” and taking opportunities first, figuring things out later
  • The importance of knowing and articulating your strengths (Emma recommends StrengthsFinder)
  • Focus and depth (Bruce Lee quote: fear the person who practices one kick 10,000 times)
  • Building teams to cover your weaknesses; surround yourself with complementary people
  • Parenting, marriage, and work: trade-offs, non-negotiables, and being transparent with kids about work
  • Emma’s new podcast: Aspire with Emma Grede
  • Live elevator-pitch mentoring (audience member Kate’s food TV show pitch)

Notable quotes & insights

  • “If not you, then who?” — on stepping up and stopping the need to prove oneself to others.
  • “I’ll do that.” — Emma’s mantra for career acceleration; volunteer for things that stretch you.
  • “Focus is a force multiplier.” — concentrate energy on one thing to unlock exponential gains.
  • “Competence builds confidence.” — practice and skill create sustainable confidence, not the reverse.
  • Bruce Lee referenced: better to master one thing than to be mediocre at many.

Actionable advice (how to apply Emma’s lessons)

  • Start with self-awareness:
    • Take a strengths assessment (e.g., StrengthsFinder) and list top strengths + top weaknesses.
    • Write your personal non-negotiables (family events, annual trips, etc.).
  • Build competence:
    • Pick one skill/role and aim to be exceptional at it — practice deliberately and repeatedly.
  • Use “I’ll do that” to create opportunities:
    • Volunteer for tasks outside your comfort zone and learn by doing.
  • Test ideas fast and cheap:
    • Prototype content on YouTube/Instagram or a mini-series before pitching big networks.
  • Create a support network:
    • Hire/partner with people who have complementary strengths; ask for help early and often.
  • Be transparent about trade-offs:
    • Tell your family/kids the truth about work commitments; model joy in work instead of guilt.
  • Manage fear productively:
    • “Park” fear by assigning that energy to preparation and strategy rather than avoidance.

Live audience moment — elevator pitch coaching (example)

  • Audience member Kate pitched “STAJ,” a food TV show mixing celebrity challenges, high-end culinary tasks, and industry exposés (Triple D + Dirty Jobs vibe).
  • Emma’s feedback:
    • Celebrate the courage to stand up.
    • Recommend testing the concept on smaller platforms (YouTube/Instagram) with localized, lower-cost episodes.
    • Use a test-and-learn approach to iterate before scaling to networks.

Where to find more / recommended next steps

  • Emma’s podcast: Aspire with Emma Grede (subscribe on major platforms)
  • Practical tools she recommends:
    • StrengthsFinder (to identify top strengths)
    • Start a small content test (YouTube/IG) if you have a media idea
  • Re-read the key mantra: practice competence → confidence; say “I’ll do that” more often.

Final note

This episode blends candid personal stories with clear, repeatable practices for career and life growth: choose focus, lean into your strengths, test boldly, and be honest about the trade-offs that come with ambition.