Book Review: Start With Yourself

I was gifted the book Start With Yourself by Emma Grede, and I am so grateful for this gift. Although I was already planning to buy the book, having it gifted to me truly helped me see that incredibly kind people surround me.

I’m sure you heard all the buzz around Emma Grede during her book tour. All about how she’s a three-hour mom, how she’s made her millions because of her husband, and that she’s promoting the toxic “girl boss era” again.

And seeing all the discussion online really made me want to read her book even more (great marketing 😏) because, from what I was reading online, people were doing a lot of “think pieces” without actually reading the book.

So, from someone who actually read the book, here are a few of my takeaways.

First, let’s start with the whole 3-hour mom headline. Emma did not back down from this headline or what she said when asked on tour. There was actually a clip I saw where she said something along the lines of ‘Would you imagine a headline written like this about a male?’ Pretty much stating that we’ve never seen a headline written like this about a male CEO who is also a dad. And it’s true. I don’t think male CEOs are asked how much time they spend with their kids.

If you read the book, you’ll know she mentions making sure she is home for bedtime with her kids every night because she makes it a priority. She’s also very honest about having 2 nannies for her 4 kids. Emma has built a life that supports this. However, we know not everyone has this luxury, but we have to keep in mind that she said what works for her, not that this is the way everyone should parent.

Second, in the money chapter, she mentions that women do not talk about money enough. Because she and her husband are business partners, she says she spends a lot of time with male entrepreneurs and has listened to a few business conversations.

Emma writes that men talk about everything that has to do with money, and sometimes, when they score a big deal or opportunity, they even provide the blueprint to each other on how it happened.

This got me thinking a lot about how I grew up and how money wasn’t really discussed in my family. It just always felt like there wasn’t enough.

And even with all the networking events or business conferences I attend, women don’t discuss money. Thinking about corporate too - I feel like there was an unwritten rule where you don’t discuss how much you make with your coworkers or ask about it either.

But this is exactly how people stay overworked and underpaid.

The last topic that stood out to me in the book was that, towards the end, she honestly shares that she doesn’t do it all. Emma doesn’t cook every day; she has a personal trainer who comes to her house and 2 nannies.

As you know, I wrote an article about how I don’t do everything either. And it’s the only way that I can do all the things I do - is because I don’t do everything, and it’s impossible. It’s truly unrealistic to expect women to do it all.

The book is not for all women. It’s for highly ambitious women who will go for what they want no matter what. I appreciated her insight into where she came from and her journey to get to where she is today.

Not everything from the book is for me because I don’t have a product-based business, but it’s insightful for those who want to understand what is truly possible for them.

It would be very interesting to interview her on my podcast about her immigration journey from London to Los Angeles! One can dream!

With Love, Heidy