When Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg hit send on the first Daily Skimm email from their couch, they had no funding and no business background—just a clear vision and the courage to build what didn’t exist. That one email grew into TheSkimm, a trusted digital media brand that now reaches over 16 million women and was recently acquired by Everyday Health Group. In this episode, we talk about what it really takes to build something from the ground up: the late nights, the doubt, and the mindset to keep going when no one else sees the vision. They share the leadership lessons they learned the hard way, the power of partnership, and why betting on themselves was the smartest risk they ever took.
Show Notes
- Carly and Danielle’s lives before TheSkimm (1:51)
- The moment they realized TheSkimm had real traction in the market (4:18)
- How Carly and Danielle noticed their friends tuning out the news, then built a brand that spoke to them. (8:07)
- Sometimes betting on yourself is the safest option (10:00)
- How do you “do it all?” You don’t. (15:14)
- The biggest leadership lessons as founders (18:25)
- Learning to trust what you’ve built when other people are telling you it won’t work (21:12)
- Make a decision and iterate (25:14)
- The challenges that women are facing today and why they aren’t waiting for the public sector to solve them (26:37)
- The potential of Famtech (family tech applications) to alleviate the mental load on women (29:03)
- (30:19)
- Supporting the sandwich generation—women caring for both kids and aging parents. (31:59)
Resources / People Mentioned
- TheSkimm
- Everyday Health Group Acquires Leading Digital Media Property TheSkimm
- #ShowUsYourChildCare
- Simone Biles
- Sara Blakely
Recommended For You
Did you enjoy this episode? Then listen to:
- Eve Rodsky on The Hidden Costs of Doing It All
- How to Lead Without Waiting for Permission with Shelley Zalis
- Reshma Saujani on How to Be Brave, Not Perfect
Thanks for checking out Game Changers with Molly Fletcher. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app and leave a rating or review.
