Emma Grede, the powerhouse entrepreneur behind some of the most talked-about brands in fashion and lifestyle, is stepping into a new spotlight—this time as an author. On October 21, 2025, just a day before her official announcement, Grede sat down with Harper’s Bazaar and appeared on the TODAY show to unveil her first-ever book, Start With Yourself. Scheduled for release through Simon & Schuster on April 14, 2026, the book promises to be more than a typical business how-to; it’s a candid, practical guide for anyone looking to carve their own path, whether in business, life, or both.
Grede’s journey to mogul status is as unconventional as it is inspiring. Born and raised by a single mother in East London, she dropped out of high school—a detail she’s never shied away from. Instead, she credits her upbringing and early struggles for fueling her relentless ambition. “I’ve made no secret of the fact that I grew up with very little and I dropped out of high school. Wherever I go, I’m always asked about how I’ve done what I’ve done,” Grede reflected in her interview with Harper’s Bazaar. “I think people are not asking how I did it. They actually want to know for themselves.”
That desire to demystify her path—and to offer something genuinely useful—shaped Start With Yourself. Grede is adamant about steering clear of empty platitudes or the kind of “toxic positivity” that she says has become all too common in the self-help world. “I’m allergic to toxic positivity,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “I can’t bear being told bullshit. I can’t bear that idea of being gaslit. And so, to me, I wanted to write something that was super honest and super practical and useful and something that people could identify themselves in.”
Her resume is nothing short of impressive. Grede co-founded the denim brand Good American alongside Khloé Kardashian, is a founding partner of Kim Kardashian’s culture-shifting shapewear line Skims, and launched both the cleaning-products line Safely and the sports-fan apparel line Off Season. As if that weren’t enough, she hosts weekly episodes of the business-focused podcast Aspire, Baby2Baby, where she interviews other leaders and innovators. According to TODAY, these ventures have cemented her reputation as a modern business mogul with a keen sense for what consumers want—and how to build a brand that resonates.
But what sets Start With Yourself apart in a crowded field of business books? For Grede, it’s all about starting with honest introspection. She’s not interested in offering a one-size-fits-all checklist for success. Instead, she encourages readers to get clear about what they truly want—and to stop apologizing for their ambition. “So many people say, I have this big dream or I just want to do this, but they haven’t really distilled it down into a clear vision for themselves. I think that you need to be able to articulate that and not hide behind your ambition,” she explained in her Harper’s Bazaar interview. “I don’t think that we need to go around apologizing for our ambition.”
This message, Grede believes, is especially resonant for women, who are often conditioned to feel guilty for pursuing their goals or for needing support. As a mother of four, she’s quick to dispel the myth that success must be a solo effort. “I have an unbelievable amount of help,” Grede said. “We were never supposed to raise kids all alone. When I was a kid, you had a neighbor that looked after you and some auntie that pitched in. It was a communal thing.”
Her approach challenges outdated ideas about gender roles and child-rearing. Grede wants her readers—especially women—to define success on their own terms, whether that means climbing the corporate ladder, starting a business, or, yes, making heart-shaped sandwiches for their kids’ lunchboxes. “A lot of the conditioning in the culture tells us that you have to do things a certain way. We should be up. We should be making these insane lunches and cut our kids’ sandwiches into heart shapes,” Grede observed. “If that’s important to you, fine, but let’s make sure that what you are doing and what you’re killing yourself over, they’re the things that matter to you. I just think that I want women to get really, really clear about what it is that they care about deeply.”
According to TODAY, Grede’s new book is as much a guide to life as it is to business. The TODAY show segment on October 21, 2025, highlighted the blend of practical business advice and life philosophy that runs through Start With Yourself. Grede herself summed it up best: “It’s so funny because I started out and I was like, This is going to be a straight business book. And then as I started writing it, I was like, No, this is a vision for work and for life because you can’t have one without the other,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “If I looked at this book now, I’d be so happy. To me, it’s very, very truthful and very, very useful. And that’s really what I wanted to write.”
Grede’s candor and practicality have already resonated with audiences. Her TODAY show interview delved into the life lessons and business insights she shares in the book, reinforcing her reputation as a straight-shooter who’s not afraid to challenge the status quo. The episode, published on October 21, 2025, celebrated her achievements as an entrepreneur and podcast host, underscoring the anticipation for her upcoming book.
In an era where business books often promise easy fixes or “silver bullets,” Grede’s message stands out for its realism and empathy. She doesn’t pretend that success is simple or that there’s a universal formula. Instead, she invites readers to do the hard work of self-reflection, to own their ambitions, and to seek out the support they need along the way. It’s advice that feels both refreshing and necessary—especially in a world that often demands perfection while offering little grace.
As the release date for Start With Yourself approaches, the buzz is only growing. Grede’s story is proof that there’s no single path to success—and that sometimes, the best place to start is with an honest look in the mirror. For anyone searching for guidance that’s as practical as it is heartfelt, her book may just be the blueprint they’ve been waiting for.
