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Amplify with Jess EkstromMaking It with Jess Ekstrom is a top rated business podcast designed to help you amplify your ideas, influence and income. Author: Jess Ekstrom
Making It with Jess Ekstrom is a top rated business podcast designed to help you amplify your ideas, influence and income. We have a special focus on amplifying women's voices, but this show is open to everyone. Tune in every other Tuesday to hear from Forbes Top Rated Speaker, Jess Ekstrom as she talks to speakers, authors and entrepreneurs who are crushing it in their own way. Language: en Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Making it to an Audience of 12 Million with the Founders of TheSkimm, Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg
Episode 12
Tuesday, 14 July, 2026
Jess sits down with Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg, the brilliant co-founders of The Skimm. Proving that cold DMs can actually work , Jess dives deep into their 14-year entrepreneurial journey — from meeting during a study abroad program in Rome and quitting their dream jobs at NBC News to building a massive news media empire and raising multiple rounds of venture capital. Carly and Danielle share the raw realities of navigating burnout , maintaining a strictly objective newsroom during highly polarized elections , and drafting a business "prenup" to protect their relationship. They also pull back the curtain on what it actually looks like when a massive acquisition deal closes — bathrobes included.Episode Highlights:The Art of the Cold DM: Jess shares how she booked the co-founders of The Skimm simply by taking a chance and shooting her shot in their inbox.The "Hated by Both Sides" Metric: Carly and Danielle reflect on the early challenges of writing unbiased news, revealing how getting angry mail from both sides of the political aisle proved they were doing their jobs right.Ditching the Coastal Bubble: How The Skimm took on the responsibility of representing millennial women across the entire country, balancing an audience split down the middle politically.The Reality of Founder Burnout: A vulnerable look back at the chaotic pandemic era when business metrics were booming, but the sheer stress of remote management had them ready to walk away.The Co-Founder "Prenup": The exact advice they received from a lawyer that saved their friendship, and how keeping strict boundaries between "friend time" and "work time" preserved their 20-year bond.An Anti-Climactic Acquisition: The hilarious behind-the-scenes story of closing their life-changing acquisition deal over an early morning Zoom call while Danielle was still in a bathrobe.What Money Actually Buys: A candid conversation on why the narrative that "money doesn't buy happiness" is flawed, and how capital buys crucial support networks, childcare, and peace of mind for working mothers.Adapting to the AI Revolution: Carly explains why women must build agency in their careers by staying up to date on technology as AI reshapes the global job market.About Our Guests:Carly Zakin & Danielle Weisberg are media entrepreneurs, journalists, and the co-founders of The Skimm. After meeting in college and working together as producers at NBC News , they left their corporate trajectories to launch a daily newsletter from their couch. Together, they scaled The Skimm into a dominant multi-platform brand that fundamentally changed how millions of millennial women consume news and manage their civic, financial, and professional lives. Through their platform, they have registered over two million voters and championed massive structural transparency around paid family leave. Following their successful acquisition , they continue to advocate for technology education , career autonomy , and structural workplace support for women.
