Emma Grede built a business and media empire (including brands like Good American and SKIMS) without a safety net. Today, she joins Nicole to pull back the curtain on the money mindset, negotiation tactics, and hard-won lessons that got her there.

Emma gets raw about paying herself £45K while paying a male hire £150K to do a worse job, the moment Good American sold $1 million worth of inventory on day one (and why her investors turned on her by noon), and creative strategies she’s used to close major deals. She and Nicole also dig into Emma's exact playbook for negotiating a raise, the traps women fall into with money, and why Emma never lends money — she just gives it.

Then they get into the taboos: prenups, the questions people should stop asking female founders, and whether financial planning and family planning should ever be kept separate.

Pick up Emma's amazing book Start With Yourself

Listen to Emma’s inspiring podcast Aspire

Check out Nicole’s financial literacy course The Money School 

Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole’s company Private Wealth Collective

Watch video clips from the pod on Money Rehab’s Instagram and Nicole Lapin’s Instagram 

Here's what Nicole covers with Emma: 

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab? 

03:39 Emma's Early Money Mistakes

06:00 The £45K vs. £150K Lesson 

07:12 Learning the Language of Business 

10:34 What Wealthy People Know About Investing 

11:48 Good American's $1M Day One — and the Investor Critique 

15:39 What Money Can't Buy (But People Think It Can) 

18:13 Does Money Buy Happiness? 

19:00 Emma's Secret to Always Asking for More 

19:48 The Natalie Portman / Dior Negotiation Story 

21:58 The Secret to Great Negotiations 

22:30 Negotiating a Prenup at a Restaurant 

24:33 Protecting What You Build During Marriage 

26:45 Raise Negotiation Role Play 

33:18 What NOT to Say When Asking for a Raise 

35:01 Questions Female Founders Get That Men Never Do 

38:20 The "Army of Help" and Financial Family Planning 

40:34 Raising Wealthy Kids Without Ruining Them 

43:59 Emma’s Early Hustle

46:00 Secure the Bag

53:15 What’s Next For Emma 

01:01:39 Emma Grede's Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank