Emma Grede, co-founder and CEO of inclusive fashion brand Good American alongside Khloé Kardashian, and founding partner of Skims with Kim Kardashian, has had a boardroom seat to the billion-dollar impact social influence can have on business. But she says it takes a lot more than influence to turn ambition and ideas into lasting success, and she has plenty of advice from her path to self-made millionaire to offer other women.

In Grede’s new book “Start With Yourself“, which came out Tuesday, she writes that women are often held back by how they are conditioned to think about money, leadership, and the permission to pursue their ambitions.

“There’s a lot of social conditioning that happens to us … ‘she’s a good girl,’ and it teaches you to be small and be quiet and to be a pleaser,” Grede told CNBC’s Julia Boorstin during the latest episode of the “CNBC Changemakers and Power Players” podcast, which was also released Tuesday.

That conditioning early in life can leave a long and lasting negative impact on women, Grede says. “If you sit in fear about sticking out or doing something wrong, it’s going to be really hard for you to start something new because you’re so fearful. And if you’re a people pleaser, you’re probably not going to say what you really mean. … And if your ambition to make a lot of money only lives inside of you, and you haven’t really vocalized it, then why should anybody pay you more?”

Grede was named to the 2025 CNBC Changemakers list.

Here are a few more key takeaways from her CNBC podcast appearance where she discussed many of the themes in her new book.

Being honest with yourself may need to be the first step in ambition.

Among Grede’s primary advice to women is take a hard look at what may be holding them back. “Why don’t we just get honest about some of this stuff and recognize what in our emotional lives is holding us back? Because once you understand it, you can start to correct it,” she said. 

And that will help to have the confidence to pursue ambitions.

“I always talk about this idea of ambition being a little bit uncomfortable, and you need to be able to learn to lean into that discomfort,” said Grede, who grew up in East London and was raised by a single mom with limited financial resources.

Then ambition has to be coupled with vision and a plan, and a lot of hard work. “Ambition needs to find you working,” Grede said.

Ideas are never enough.

Her long-running, successful partnerships with the Kardashian family are built on more than just celebrity endorsements. “You have to be able to have an intrinsic understanding of what your partnership brings and what it does together,” Grede said. “You have to be able to trust each other.”

The Kardashians did bring cultural reach, fame, and confidence, and Grede says she brought operational experience from having already run a successful business. And both backgrounds have been critical to building structures that helped Skims and Good American grow in the areas of shapewear…

The third annual CNBC Changemakers list of women transforming business and philanthropy, which launched on Wednesday, recognizes leaders at the forefront of AI and innovators across traditional fields, from finance to healthcare, retail, entertainment and sports.

The 2026 Changemakers range from startup founders to high-profile stars such as Kim Kardashian, who grew Skims to a $5 billion valuation with a big Nike partnership, and Selena Gomez, whose Rare Beauty has been valued by outside sources at close to $3 billion and includes a philanthropic organization tackling mental health issues.

AI is a key trend on this year’s list, with a range of female leaders innovating the fundamental technology and its applications. Mira Murati, former OpenAI chief technology officer, launched Thinking Machines Lab to push the boundaries of next-generation AI. Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo, expanded autonomous driving into new cities and forged multiple transportation partnerships. Applying AI to fixing the foster care system, Binti CEO Felicia Curcuru launched responsible AI tools for social services in collaboration with Anthropic.

Curcuru is a perfect example of a leader pursuing purpose along with profits, which is the mission of many of the business leaders on the list. Gilead Sciences chief commercial officer Johanna Mercier introduced and expanded access to a first-of-its-kind HIV prevention medicine around the world. Lupin CEO Vinita Gupta spearheaded a landmark effort to reshore medicine manufacturing. Paragonix Technologies CEO Lisa Anderson developed a new device to transport kidneys for transplant. 

Several of this year’s Changemakers are growing the business and audience of women’s sports: U.S. Ski & Snowboard president & CEO Sophie Goldschmidt, F1 Academy founder and managing director Susie Wolff, Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Jayna Hefford and Amy Sheer, and Monarch Collective & Angel City’s Kara Nortman, who is investing in women’s teams around the world. Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman has broken barriers and is reconfiguring college athletics. 

Our goal in launching the Changemakers list in 2024 was to highlight leaders who have defied the odds.

Women still comprise just 11% of Fortune 500 CEOs, and that’s a record high. For the 11th consecutive year, women remain underrepresented at every level of the leadership pipeline, starting at manager, with 29% of C-suite roles held by women, steady with the prior year, according to McKinsey. New female board appointments fell to the lowest level recorded by Equilar in the third quarter of 2025. And for the first time in over 60 years, the gender pay gap widened for two years in a row.

By those metrics, and many others, CNBC Changemakers have succeeded despite the odds, and are, by definition, exceptional. Their stories of grit, innovation, and creativity reveal how a wide variety of backgrounds and leadership styles can enable anyone to thrive. We…

Kim Kardashian’s Skims brand has raised $225 million in new funding led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, valuing the shapewear and apparel company at $5 billion — up from roughly $4 billion after its 2023 round.

The deal comes as Skims nears $1 billion in annual net sales, six years after its 2019 launch, and marks one of the largest private raises for a U.S. consumer brand this year. BDT & MSD Partners’ affiliated funds also joined the round, Skims said Wednesday.

Skims plans to use the new capital to accelerate brick-and-mortar and international expansion, as well as product innovation and category diversification. The company has 18 stores across the U.S. in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Austin and Atlanta and one in Mexico, with plans to open additional stores overseas in 2026.

Skims said it’s laying the groundwork to become a “predominantly physical business” in the coming years, a pivot for a company that built its reputation as a digital-first direct-to-consumer brand.

“This milestone reflects continued confidence in our long-term vision and coupled with disciplined execution, positions Skims to unlock its next phase of growth,” CEO and co-founder Jens Grede said in a statement.

The new funding follows the debut of NikeSkims, a partnership with Nike that launched earlier this year and sold out within hours. The collaboration signals Skims’ ambitions to scale beyond its core shapewear products and into activewear, apparel and performance categories, pushing the brand further into the mainstream athleticwear market dominated by Lululemon, a handful of upstarts and Nike itself.

The new capital infusion could further delay an IPO from Skims. The company has been eyeing a public debut since at least 2024, based on statements by Grede.

The consumer IPO market has been largely stagnant in 2024 and 2025, with few fashion or beauty brands debuting as investors turn cautious on discretionary retail. By raising new private funding, Skims can continue to scale without immediate pressure to list.

“Skims stands as a solutions-driven apparel innovator, pioneering new categories and redefining everyday wear,” said Beat Cabiallavetta, global head of hybrid capital at Goldman Sachs Alternatives. “We look forward to partnering with management to pursue significant opportunities and deliver disruptive, sustained growth.”

Since its launch, Skims has built a cult following with its inclusive sizing, minimalist aesthetic and high-profile campaigns featuring global athletes and celebrities. Kardashian, who serves as chief creative officer, said the new funding marks “an exciting new chapter” for the company.

“We can’t wait to take Skims to the next level as we continue to innovate and set the standard for our industry,” Kardashian said.

Nike‘s highly anticipated activewear line with Kim Kardashian’s intimates brand Skims is set to launch this week after it was pushed back due to production delays, the companies announced Monday. 

The partnership, dubbed NikeSKIMS, is a key part of the sneaker company’s strategy to win over more female shoppers and take back market share from brands like Lululemon, Vuori and Alo Yoga, which cater more closely to women. 

The new line will launch on Friday with three core collections – Matte, Shine and Airy – that will be updated seasonally. It will include around 40 new styles and pieces that can be worn in and outside of the gym. 

Beyond the core apparel line, NikeSKIMS will also debut a handful of seasonal collections – including a vintage line and layering pieces that can be used to create an activewear look. 

After the companies announced the partnership in February, they were set to launch an initial collection in the spring, with a global rollout planned for 2026. But they pushed it back in early June due to internal production delays that weren’t related to a supplier or shipping issue. 

NikeSKIMS is marketing the new line alongside a slew of top female athletes, including former tennis star Serena Williams, track and field Olympian Sha’Carri Richardson, gymnast Jordan Chiles and snowboarder Chloe Kim. 

The launch will help Nike move toward a number of goals it set under new CEO Elliott Hill. The assortment’s dual focus on performance and lifestyle will allow Nike to capture both female athletes and regular shoppers who are spending on activewear at competitors. The new styles include Nike’s drying technology, making them suitable for intense exercise, but also knit pieces and layers that can be incorporated into everyday outfits.

Under Nike’s former CEO John Donahoe, the company focused on its lifestyle side of the business – shoes and apparel that weren’t just for exercising – which helped it grow its annual sales to north of $50 billion. However, that heavy focus on lifestyle led some of Nike’s core athlete customers to shop elsewhere over criticisms it lost sight of innovation.

Hill, who took over as Nike’s top executive in October, is working to bring sports and athletes back into the center of Nike’s strategy. The partnership with Skims helps the company reach athletes but also has a lifestyle bent, which expands its total addressable market. 

In turn, Skims, which was last valued at $4 billion, will get access to Nike’s manufacturing and development capabilities and gains the opportunity for more growth. While buzzy and well known because of its connection to Kardashian, the brand is still relatively small compared to competitors. 

“NikeSKIMS is more than a collaboration — it’s a new brand redefining activewear,” Skims CEO Jens Grede said in a news release. “With this launch, we are establishing a platform to grow NikeSKIMS, reach consumers worldwide, and set a new…

Kim Kardashian fans are going to have to wait a little longer for the highly anticipated NikeSKIMS line.

The activewear line will launch later this year instead of in the spring, like the companies had originally announced, because of production delays, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to speak candidly. The person added that the delays are internal and not because of a supplier or shipping issue.

No date has been determined for the new launch date, the person added.

The person also said the relationship with Kardashian and the brand is still strong and that everyone is on the same page, but they want to make sure they take their time and get the products right.

Nike first announced the Skims partnership in February and said it would include apparel, footwear and accessories. Since then, Heidi O’Neill, one of the key leaders behind the partnership, has left the company.

New Nike CEO Elliott Hill has been betting big on the Skims brand as he looks to reinvigorate the company after recent declines in sales and its business. For Skims, which was last valued at $4 billion, the partnership with Nike brings a growth opportunity as it expands into athleisure.

Nike’s stock is down more than 20% year to date.

“The origin of NikeSKIMS is rooted in a desire to bring something new and unexpected to an industry that is craving something different, and to invite a new generation of women into fitness with disruptive product designed to meet their needs in both performance and style,” the company said about the line when they introduced it.

The news was first reported by Bloomberg.