Sima Sistani, Former WeightWatchers CEO, on Embracing GLP-1s, Leading Through Controversy, and Facing Uncertainty with Conviction

28:51And so now that we know better, let's do better than Maya Angelou quote. And the other thing is it's important to have advocates. I don't want to like say, I just, I did this all on my own. Like I said, we had scientists at the company who also were very much like in this corner. I had some board members like Oprah who were very much in this corner and agreeing with the moves that I wanted to make. So, so there was, there, there were, there, there were also, in fact, some, some members of my team who had started to, to utilize the GLP-1 medications because you don't come to work at a company like Weight Watchers, unless you are somebody who has struggled with their weight at one point or another.

29:38And so there were people who were in the company starting to see success and being like, oh my gosh, this is a game changer. Like I'm dealing with my food noise. I'm like, I'm in a better place now. So advocates are important. There's so many other benefits too of like what I've heard for women with like PCOS having less intense periods or even like mood disorders. I've had friends that have had that like PPMS and they said that it takes away all of their symptoms when they're going into their period. So I think it's just interesting to see how this will evolve. But helps with fatty liver disease, helps with sleep apnea, helps with heart disease.

30:14one in five, like you're 20 % less likely to have a stroke, cardiac condition. You know, it's just, it is a truly amazing innovation. And the reason we just don't talk about it as such is one, it happens to be something that isn't covered by insurance. And so we put it in this category of aesthetic along, you know, with ED medications, but yet this is a life-saving medication for a lot of people. Don't get me started. I was actually just going to say, like, if I think about weight and society, people are obsessed with it. How does it feel to have like, had the opportunity to lead something that is so pivotal and in so much of the news that we consume is like, wait, this star's lost this, this star's on a Olympic, this star's like Oprah, even like just having her be like almost the face of Weight Watchers.

31:10Like, how does that feel as a woman to be the steward of such an important conversation in America? I felt a lot of responsibility. And I thought that if we wanted to change diet culture, our best way to do that was from the inside. And I really think that I, you know, I wish CEOs would take more responsibility when they realize that their company, their brand is went from, you know, doing good in the world to jumping the shark, you know, and I've, I've said this before, like what, I believe that when Zuck started Facebook, that he had all of the good intentions. Well, I mean, there's a little bit but like, let's say people at Facebook.

31:57And how powerful would it be for him to say, you know what, we're going to change this social media culture from the inside, we're going to do that, Or like food manufacturers where we have all of these additives and we know that the food system is working against us. What if they would stand up and say, we're sorry, we got it wrong. We know better now. We're going to do things differently. Or device makers where we have all of this problem with our attention span. And we're talking about the anxious generation. And I think about my kids and their addiction to these devices. What if Tim Cook got up and was the first to say, this is a problem.

32:36Let's do something about it. Schools. Let's ban phones. And here I was in that situation to be able to do that for weight. To be able to do that for diet culture. To be able to release stigma. Because there's stigma and there's shame. Shame is internalized stigma. Stigma is structural. It's a society. And who helps form that? Big institutions. Big institutions. like the one I was leading. So I was going to be the first out there to say, this is what we got wrong. This is what we're doing about it. And, you know, people started calling it like the apology tour and I got a lot of flack for it, but I feel really, really proud.

33:18And I can like wake up and look at myself in the mirror. I have chills when you say that. I think like women already have so much responsibility on them. And I think, especially as we get into this phase of life where it's like our actual investment thesis at HSR Ventures, when we are invest is like women are now earning the same, if not more than like their male counterpart, if they're in a heterosexual relationship, yet they still are the primary caregiver. They are the primary house manager. Even if they are not physically doing the work, they are managing that schedule. Even if you have the most supportive husband and partner, inherently the roles that we have when we have a child and you decide to breastfeed, like you are the one up in the middle of the night.

33:58So even if you have a supportive partner, like you still carry that burden. So we look for services and tools and technology and products that really alleviate some of that for women. And what I hear you say is like, you had so much responsibility on you. And it's interesting because when you become a publicly traded CEO, you're not only like when you're in a startup, a privately held company, it's like, it's a different level of pressure, but not everyone knows everything about you. Not everyone feels the right to your personal life, which you made a decision when you decided to take this role that like this was going to affect you, this is going to affect your family, this is going to affect when you wake up and you're checking your phone, like you're seeing your name in the headlines for better or for worse.

34:38And it's interesting because you didn't disclose the acquisition number that you got when you sold House Party to Epic Games. But when you become a publicly traded CEO, your salary, your comp package is out for the public. and especially for women with money. It is so interesting when you already have all of the responsibility of your day job and then people are starting to scrutinize and know like how much you're getting paid. Like you, in 2023, it was disclosed, you made like roughly 8.8 million in a comp package. Is it uncomfortable or was that an uncomfortable shift when you had people know kind of those ins and outs of your life that didn't really as much as it was, yes, it's related to the job, but it's also like the way you're taking care of your family, like the sacrifice that you're making.

35:26Like how did that feel to have people know that information about you? This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Checking off the boxes on your to-do list is a great feeling. And when it comes to checking off coverage, a State Farm agent can help you choose an option that's right for you. Whether you prefer talking in person, on the phone, or using the award-winning app. It's nice knowing you have help finding coverage that best fits your needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

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36:46It's good accountability. And I will say, yes, so that's what the comp package is, but it's so based on equity. So at any given moment, it actually could mean something totally different than in terms of what you get as cash, what you get as bonus. And then so much of that compensation is really equity. I mean, people even talk about it being called CEO poor because you get all of this equity, but you also you don't want to sell it because it would send a wrong signal to the market. That's what I mean. It's like everything is scrutinized that you're doing. And it was more pressure than I had bargained for.

37:23I don't think I had really thought about what it was going to be until I was sitting in it. That's the honest answer as I think about it now. And then once I was in it, the hardest thing for me, which is something I think you're trying to do with your brand, is worrying about seeming unserious in any situation. Because I'm like, oh, people know I'm getting paid this much or I have this much responsibility or I'm having to do this earnings call or I have to show up in this way for my team. And I'm a girly at heart. I love to have fun. I thought of you in like the first five minutes we were talking.

38:04And so, you know, I remember before, like, when it really felt real and I was about to take the role and like they had, they brought up like all my, like my social profiles and they were like, we need you to go delete all this and this. And that's hard. That's hard where you worry like, oh, I'm out with friends. And like, I'm the kind of person who would have gotten up on the table. Start dancing. I like, no way. I was so afraid. In fact, I remember I was on a vacation with a friend, Steph Simon, you know who you are. And she posted this photo of me dancing or this video of me dancing at the pool.

38:43And it was just us girls too, by the way, it was like a private retreat for women. And I had to call her and be like, Steph, you've got to take that down. Like I have, you know, all this crazy like activism happening and people can't see me like, you know, dropping it like it's hot. You know, in Mexico, like that's it's a bad vibe. Yeah. And I think that to me was the hardest is just having to put my personality away a bit and just be this one thing. And I think, you know, some of the best CEOs out there, we're multidimensional. We have a lot of different parts to us. And so I love that you have this provocative brand and that you're saying these things because I do think it's true.

39:28We want to be all kinds of things. And I think it's so interesting because what you said earlier of like connecting the gut to the business decision is like women. And I say this all the time and I'm sure people are so tired of me saying it, but we do control 85 percent of consumer spend. Like what makes us fundamentally good in business and as investors and leading companies is because we understand what people are buying, what we're consuming, what we're giving our kids, what we're taking away, where the trends are coming. And it's so interesting to me that it's like as soon as we're in the work world, it's like take all of that away, put on your armor, pretend like you are masculine.

40:05And I don't know why it is that way, because it may be if we embrace a little bit more of that femininity or like what makes us those community builders or like what we're doing in our personal life. If we bring that into the work world, like maybe there's a way in which like that number of 2 % of venture capital goes to women, like maybe that increases. do you feel like looking back now that you're out of that role and you get to be this like girly girl version of yourself like do you feel like there's a part of you that would have made better decisions or be different in the role if you hadn't had to feel that sense of like I need to put away who I am at my core to be this leader here no because I didn't put her away okay She was still very much with me at all times.

40:53And I remember I would start meeting sometimes being like, okay, guys, like here's our affirmation or, you know. So it was just I had to be very aware of what was public in that way. So but I was still showing up very much. Yeah. As who I am in all of those spaces, both at Weight Watchers and in my companies before. Like when I, at house party, I was eight months pregnant when we raised our series C. And I mean, I was like pushing payroll between contractions and, which I don't recommend. And it was my second baby. But then I, I remember I was in this meeting and oh my gosh, this poor consultant who was there and I just like had my baby on my boob and was like just doing all this stuff.

41:41And so I feel very much like I bring that person is who I am and is how I show up. And I do a better job bringing her with me. It's just a matter of how much of her was available to be out on display because of the public scrutiny. Was your husband, has your husband been extremely supportive of your career, especially as you grew bigger? and more successful and like you definitely have a name to you like how did you find the right partner to take you through all the different iterations of SEMA? Alex is an amazing partner and I probably don't tell him enough I'll make sure to clip this and show it to him and he has been so supportive so especially let's go back to like the startup times you know he's been, I remember my maid of honor in our speech said that Alex is the harbor to weather SEMA's, the storms of SEMA's like ebbs and flows or something.

42:47She said it so beautifully. But like he had, he was such a harbor so that I could go and just run, run and try, try to do these like wild ideas and things. And so when, you know, when we were building the startup, you know we relied on his paycheck during that time and so I was able to do that or you know when we first thought about house party I actually we published it in the app store under his name because he has like no social following or anything we were trying to keep it down low and so we published it under his name and then it took off and he got into he's in like growth Capital. And so he has all these like LPs, which are, you know, investors and their funds.

43:36And they were like, wait, what, Alex, what are you doing? What is this? Because he's like, he's in like healthcare investing. It had nothing to do with that. And he was like, oh my God, you got to get my name off of this. And so he's shown up for me in all of these different ways. But most incredibly, when I took this role, I was like flying back and forth to New York and, and all of our off, you know, offices, Weight Watchers is a global company. Um, and I couldn't have done it. Um, I have a 12 year old and an eight year old. They were obviously younger at the time. I couldn't have done it unless he was like an all in parent.

44:12And he actually takes so much offense to when I'm like, don't forget this. Don't forget. He's like, I got it. I got it. I got it. Um, and so he's been, he's been like the biggest supporter and champion by just like being there and being available and, and being such a big part of my dreams. It's so interesting because I feel like when you're dealing with, I should say though, I just like it's on, I made it sound so rosy and I, one, he didn't want me to take the job. He didn't. No. But when I did take it, he was like, all right, let's go. You've got this. but he didn't want me to take the job because when I, after I had sold house party to Epic, I was like, this is it.

44:54And when we were done with it, I was done. Yeah. I was like, I'm going to work at Epic and I'll stay here forever or until the company goes public or until I'm done. But like, I'm, I'm, we're going to move to North Carolina. And I thought we were living, leaving Bay area. Like I'm out of that world. I'm nobody anymore. And then you went back into like traveling on an airplane all the time. Like having a, I'm sure you had a team around you that was just massive at all times. And there was, again, to your point, no privacy in your personal life as well. So I do want to share that. He was very cautionary about that.

45:28But then once I wanted it, he could see I wanted it. He was really supportive of it. When you were in that role, did you ever have something that was such a public failure or apology that you had to come to terms with and deal with head on and just be accountable to it? So many, because it is public. You know, especially like when I was there, there was a lot of activism. But I think the thing that really moved me the most, and that still stays with me, is when there's a woman named Katie Storino. And she is a body advocate and just fabulous. She has a great, she's an entrepreneur. She has a company called Mega Babe.

46:20And she had done this special on ABC with Oprah. And she had gone on Instagram and talked and did several stories about, you know, how the CEO of Weight Watchers should have apologized. And she should have done this and she did that. And it was funny because I was, when I was watching it, my first reaction was like, I did. I said, we should have done better. I said, we should have done this. And then I rewatched it and I was like, I did not say the words, I'm sorry. And I, and she, she was, it was really hard for me to hear from her because I had her book. and she was somebody that I really respected, that I followed and tried to incorporate a lot of what she had taught around body positivity to bring it into the work that we were doing.

47:12So her calling me out felt, and it felt personal. And so once I got out of that mindset, I was like, she's right. She's so right. and I talked to the PR team about I want to address this and I got a lot of like no no no don't do that I got a lot of you know legal you know just this that whatever and then I was on this flight at the time I was going from New York to San Francisco and I worked myself up the whole flight and it was like I know what I want to say to her I'm just going to do it so I just got on my Instagram and did a story back and just was like, Katie, like, I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry from like the bottom of my heart.

48:02I'm sorry for anything that you, you know, felt any, you know, shame that you have carried in your life. And so we, we had this like very public exchange and And, you know, it turned into then a bigger conversation that we ended up really devoting a lot of time and attention to supporting it. Because once she did that, my DMs like blew up with people who had similar stories to hers. So I was like, we've got to do something more with this. And I was just like chatting with Oprah, who already by then had actually stepped off of our board. But she continues to be a mentor in my life. And I was like, this happened.

48:49And it was funny because it was very fresh when I was talking to Oprah about it. And I had like tears in my eyes. And she was like, let's do something about this. And so we ended up doing this three-hour live special about making the shift. And we brought Katie on. And we had the conversation live. And we had all these other people join us. And I ended up funding a podcast for her and some other amazing women. We ended up getting Lemonada to produce it and just have this conversation about body positivity, about weight, about being good with ourselves. Because none of this other stuff matters if, like, on the inside you're not able to appreciate it.

49:35And I want to quote Katie, but she was always saying how at some point she just started giving up because she would meet women who were like her ideal and they weren't happy. And so if you're always striving for ideal, there's always something better, right? And so it was more about that. It was about self-esteem. It was about confidence. And anyway, so that was the time. And it was Katie and I remain friends to this day. I love that. She's got a startup she's working on. What's it called? It's called Click. Give it a shout out. Click. So they're raising. I should introduce them to you. But, but I, yeah, it was, it was public.

50:15And, and then it was a time for, of amazing expansion for, for like so many people, I think. And like kudos to her because she, she went on there and said some really hard things. And I was, I'm so glad she did. everything that you've done has been so public when you've been at Weight Watchers, including when you decided to step off of the Weight Watchers grind. And I think you've been on this hamster wheel to your point, like your husband didn't even want you to take it because you had been putting your blood, sweat and tears into like, whether it was Goldman to like building at CAA to building startups to being in San Francisco, like going to Epic Games.

50:54Once you stepped off of the hamster wheel. How did that feel? Like even just the act of stepping off, there's titles of like business insider, Weight Watchers CEO embraced Ozempic. Now she's out of the company. Having been on the hamster wheel for let's say 20 years, stepping off with headlines like that, what did you feel? Oh, it feels terrible. Does it? It feels terrible. Why?

51:28because your ego gets wrapped into it and even when you're able to separate your ego from your identity which I worked very hard to do doing that job my identity got wrapped up into it as well and I think that is something that's very true for women we have to give so much of ourselves when we pull from our relationships to feed into work. So to get on that plane and leave my kids and my husband and my family and my community every week, my mission became my purpose. So it wasn't just my ego because then I was able to work through that. Right. All right. But like was like trying to actually pull my identity back and say, okay, no, I'm not that.

52:26I still root for this brand. I still root for that team. I'm still so excited about the new leadership there. So that mission is still one that I believe in. But the day-to-day becomes like. But my identity is me is different. And I had to remember that. And that took work. And until I got there, I would say it felt it, it, it felt not good until it felt great. It's so interesting because I went through a glimmer, not to the same extent at all. But when I met Courtney, my whole life changed. Like it was the first person that for me felt like I don't need to keep running or keep building alone.

53:11And like my whole thing has always been just to like protect myself and be independent. And I think when I met him, it was like the first time where I allowed myself to be something other than like what I was doing in my career. And to really, like I say, sacrifice things like for us and for our family that we're building and the relationship that we have. And it's interesting because as like my brand started building and it was like all amazing things were happening. It also was the time where it's like, wow, I'm traveling for the first time and I'm like falling in love and we're buying a house and there's other things that are happening.

53:43and it was actually like a really interesting feeling of feeling like this season of my life is not just work for the first time it's other things and it was a really scary it still is a really scary thing to feel like I'm not giving myself a hundred percent at at work right now and that's the first time in my life literally since I got into college that I've ever even wanted to be in that way but even just that glimmer of like maybe a distraction or a difference of priorities or what I've actually said to myself that's made me come to terms with it is like, there are seasons of your life and reading Amy Griffin's book where she was like, I was out of the workforce for 10 years.

54:21Like I wasn't doing anything. And then now to look at what she's done or to be with women like you, I'm like, there is, it is okay, Maggie, or anyone that's listening that feels like they're in a season where work is not the number one priority for them. And it doesn't mean that that's forever. It just means that that's maybe a season that will pass. What season of your life are you in right now? I'm going to answer that question, but I have to say something because you said something. You were like, I'm not giving 100 % at work, but that is like whose definition of 100 %? Because if it's what you can give, it is 100%.

54:54Yeah. Wow. That's such a good way to think about it. Um, sometimes when we are type A people, we, our expectations, even of ourselves are like so much more above and beyond what is actually, we, we are actually capable of. So my guess is knowing you, you are giving absolutely a hundred percent. It's just, um, you know, the circle has shifted. Yeah. But, um, the season of my life that I'm in right now, I'm in the season of freedom. and that was the thing that I had to come to and remember was all of this hustle and work I had set up for myself an ambition of having a certain amount of financial security and I achieved that I achieved that before I took this role and I told myself when I when I did get to that place, that I would incorporate a life that is liberated.

55:59And that means being on my own schedule. And I can't do that if I'm the CEO of a thing. That is not my thing, a publicly traded company. You know, I am at the behest of those shareholders, of our members, of, you know, the the team. And what is this all for if I'm not getting to what my end game was, which was always freedom. And this part of my life right now is about stepping into things that bring me joy, that excite me, that are the things that I said I would always do if money was not an issue. So I just taught my first yoga class. I saw, it's amazing. I always wanted to deepen my practice.

56:54So I did my 200 hour teacher training, actually signed up for it literally two weeks after I left Weight Watchers. And so I've been working on it since that time. And that was, that has been amazing. It's given me beyond just like the asanas and the practice of yoga, spiritual framework to move forward with. And I have, it's been such a blessing. I continue to serve on boards. I'm on the board of another publicly traded company and do private work as well. I'm a fellow at the Aspen Institute. And I really wanted to give back and have impact. And so I have developed a new curriculum for a course that I'm going to be teaching at Duke this fall called the Women's Leadership Lab.

57:44And, you know, I'm picking and choosing. I'm living what some people call a portfolio life. And this is the time for me right now. And I, I'm not saying that I won't ever step into the seat of CEO again, but I don't see that happening in the next at least five years, to be honest, because one, I don't want to be CEO while this administration is in office. And two, I want my kids to be older. Because I know I'm not leaving North Carolina. And so unless I build in my backyard, I'm probably getting on a plane again. And I'm not willing to do that at this point. And I love traveling. And I'm still getting on a plane.

58:28I'm in LA here for, you know, a week. And And but I do it on my terms. Yeah. You have recovering CEO in your Instagram bio. What does that mean?

58:44I wonder if I should change that. So I love it. Like, I actually love it. But I want you to explain, like, because I've never actually seen somebody say that. Yeah, it meant to me it was that work that we just talked about. It was that separation of my identity as an executive, as well as living a life where it was all based on outcomes. My life right now is based on energy. And that is what I am moving towards. And I talk about, we talk a lot as, I think, probably if you're listening to this podcast, I bet you're somebody who has heard about manifesting, who believes in manifesting. And I think that something that we need to think further about is reflection.

59:34And to me, recovering CEO is reflection. This is a practice as much as manifestation is. is like if manifesting is about your future and creating that alignment to your future, reflection is taking the data from your past and using it to figure out, you know, which path am I going to be on? And so I think about it in terms of energy versus outcomes. I think about it in terms of alignment versus ambition. And I think about it in terms of shedding versus starting. Do you think that it is possible? I love what you just said about outcomes versus energy. And it's actually funny. One of the pieces of advice that Courtney said he noticed about me was when he first met me, I was so focused on the outcome.

1:00:18I was like in everything, personal life, like even sexually, like even professionally. And now like I really feel like over the last year of like the work I've put in, it's really around the process, the energy, the feeling that's possible in the line of work that I'm doing. Do you think that is possible when the stakes get higher? Oh, absolutely. Because energy is about what is depleting you and or what is, you know, lifting you, filling your cup. And so when the stakes are higher, it's even more important. It's more important, one, to, from a business perspective, right? I'm talking about reflection as a personal endeavor.

1:00:58But reflection, I mean, that's like postmortem, right? That's the business term for it, is what worked, what didn't? What are we going to repeat again? What aren't we going to do again? Um, so I think, I, I think it's important, especially when the stakes are high. Yeah. Now that you, otherwise you're on this inertia, like you can let, you can let the status quo move you. And if we're being hot, smart, rich, we are not living in that world. I love you so much. I loved you after our first phone call. And one of the things I wanted to say and ask you publicly, because we talked about this a little bit.

1:01:33I think there's so many people that listen to this. There's like the young girls that are in college that want to be like the girl boss, but have this balance. And then there's like the 20 year olds that are right in the thick of it, the 30 year olds, the four year olds, the 50 year olds. We had a conversation around hustle culture. And I think a lot of people listening to this will be like, okay, like I want to embrace energy versus outcomes. But we both had this alignment on like, there are just seasons of your life where it's like, you have to earn the right to be in the position that you're in right now.

1:02:02Right. And so I think the message I want you to share to those people that are in the thick of it or have these aspirations, like, is it possible to find balance or what is your words of wisdom to like remain true to yourself while still putting it in the work? Yes. And, and, and that is so, yes, I now I'm remembering when we talked and I was like, I'm doing all this. You're like, that's amazing. That's what I want. And I was like, okay, but hold your horses because maybe you are still in the season of like, get that shit done because that's a season two, that still means you want your energy to be in the right place.

1:02:41Because if you're doing it all and it's depleting you, you're either in the wrong career or you're surrounded by the wrong people because your work should bring you joy. I mean, this was great advice that my managing director at Goldman Sachs gave me. She said, you're going to spend, and I say she, I had one, I had a great unique opportunity of having an MD, one of the few at the time, female MDs. And she said, you know, you're going to spend more of your time at work than with your family, with your friends, sleeping, eating, doing anything. So you better fucking love it. And I have always taken that to heart.

1:03:22So assuming you love your work, then this is the time. Like you go after it. You go after it and you go after it with gusto. And you will know, and that's why the reflection is so important, when you have come to a different season where your goals are changing. And that's why I say the alignment versus ambition, because the ambition is just, unless unless I achieve this, I am nobody versus achieving this makes me feel so good. And then at some point you might reflect and say, you know what, actually, I want this, my stack rank of priorities has shifted. And so I'm going to realign. But I can tell right now that this is, this is a, you know, you're in it and it's feeling good.

1:04:11And so that's where you just have to calibrate. And the word balance is so dangerous. It's impossible. Like ladies, stop. It's impossible. And I think that balance implies 50-50 and the rule should be 100. And what I mean by that is you give 100 % of your presence to the thing that you're working on when you are working on it. But when you shift gears, then you are a hundred percent in that other zone. So like when I was in, you know, New York or having to do a town hall or whatever, I'm a hundred percent there. I am a hundred percent there. And I joke about how multitasking is my superpower and it is, but, and I would have to train myself out of like, not trying to do an Instacart list in my head while I was like doing something, but I was like, I'm a hundred percent here.

1:05:07And then when I go home. And I would tell people like, I would have like my exercise blocks on the schedule. I would say like from here to here, you know, usually it's like from six to eight, I'm with my family, I can get back on later. So the idea that we are going to be doing it all and all at the same time, I think is wrong. And so what I always strive for is 100 % presence. When I would take vacations, I would say Slack is gone. Gmail is gone. If you need anything, you call me. There will be 30 minutes or an hour in the day where I check those things on a laptop. Yeah. But it's not on my phone.

1:05:48And that kind of calibration, I think, can get us through these times so that you make sure that all of the different cups are are moving along and. You'll get it wrong and you just have to give yourself grace and just try to keep going back to it. Okay. You're like, I'm going to have to have you on again, but I have some more. Rapid fire, because I feel like I could talk to you all day. You can only pick one, SEMA, for the rest of your life. Coffee, cocktail, or matcha. Eczema isn't always obvious, but it's real. And so is the relief from EBCLIS. After an initial dosing phase, about 4 in 10 people taking EBCLIS achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks.

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1:07:53It's cocktail. I love it. What's your cocktail order? I will get a Tito's martini with, um, I, and I get it dirty, but I always preface that I want it like PG 13, not rated R dirty. So, cause like, if it's so salty, you wake up and you're like, your rings don't fit and everything. Um, but I know this about me because I have tried to give up alcohol and it's just, it's, it's too fun. So I, you know, I, I try not to drink during the weekdays unless I'm traveling and I have business meetings, but like on the weekend, a cocktail just like makes me so happy. Although, you know, I came in so hot today being like, I need coffee.

1:08:35Was it a good coffee? It was a great, I think it's almond milk or it's a different kind of milk. What type of milk is it? Almond milk. I knew it. It tastes good. It's almond creamer actually. Oh, that's why. Cause I was like, almond milk usually separates, but this didn't separate. Okay. Pick one for the rest of your life. Pilates or strength training? strength training okay how many days a week do you do that i do um well depends on what you qualify lifting heavy i do twice a week but then i do tracy anderson the other days okay remotely or orange theory okay um you can only pick one for consuming calories would you rather drink them or eat them eat yeah same yeah i'm like there's no question for me yeah is that your guilty pleasure nachos.

1:09:20Yes. Ever since college, my, I have a girlfriend, Alicia, and we used to always make late night nachos and, um, it's my go-to forever. I love that. Okay. Who was your favorite comfort creator? Oh gosh. So many good ones. There's a new girl I just found. Oh man. I really want to look it up and make sure I get her name right. I think it's Alicia Lynn. Okay. I'm going to, I really, can I look? Okay, we'll look it up. But she, she, um, um, she does the like food prep. Okay. And she, she's like, she's like this for her kids or something. No, she's like single girl food prep, which is also where I'm like, this is just my dream refrigerator and it's my dream.

1:10:04Like just, I'm not worried about like, you know, Adrian who doesn't want pasta, Ari who doesn't want beef. Like everybody wants something different. Alex is like low sodium and I'm just like, oh God. Can we all? So anyway, so I watch her content and I, and I really enjoy it. And then there's another one who I'm forgetting her name as well. Um, I, if I, I'm sure they would be the first to pop up on my TikTok if it, if it came up, but she does, it's her, um, eating her lunch every day, but she like a mukbang. Yes, but it's like not really about the sound. Okay. It's more how beautifully she packages it.

1:10:44Like she brings like her little like yogurt with homemade granola. And then she has like a beautiful matcha that she has in these like to-go containers. And then her lunch and her snack. And she's just like, it's such a ritual for her, you can tell. And I love that. I love when people take a normal everyday thing and make it beautiful for themselves. And this is why I will never like it makes me so upset when women my age make fun of the girlies doing the morning rituals and that whole thing. I love it. I think you have to do that every morning. Make it special. Make it feel good. Make yourself feel like you're at a spa.

1:11:26Why not? I love it. It's so funny you say that because I think it's all about romanticizing your life. And when I'm actually having a really down day, like I do have ups and downs of my mental health. And I always feel better when I'm like, okay, let me just film this for TikTok. And I have to make it beautiful. And I think that is something that is such a misconception about social media because it's like we often say it's so toxic and so negative, which yes, it can be for sure. But I think to your point, the ritual, the making of beautiful things is something that I love and appreciate. So I actually love when people romanticize their life.

1:12:00And sometimes when people are like, it's so much effort to do that, but it's like people enjoy watching it. It's just like using boundaries to actually make sure you're not consuming too much of it and comparing. But if it's just for pure enjoyment, I actually love when people romanticize their life. There's somebody you should follow. Her name's Coffee Bay. She's so good. She does it with drinks. And she like uses her straw and like goes with the ice. It just sounds amazing. I'm obsessed with it. I love that. What is the first app you open in the morning? Oh, gosh. It's changed. Well, it was Slack.

1:12:30Yeah. But now it's my Aura app. Oh, really? every morning you just look at your sleep. I do, but I also don't look at my phone first thing in the morning. Okay. But the first time I open it, I will, I will, if there are no text messages, because like if there are text messages, then I probably just opened that and I looked at the texts. Um, but I have a lot of my notifications on off. So, um, that would be the only thing that would prompt me. Otherwise I'll go to aura and I'll just check in on how I slept and what it says my recovery is for the day. Okay. You can only pick one for the rest of your life, podcast, book, or movie book.

1:13:14Really? What book are you reading right now? A million. I, I start so many at the same time. I start so many books and I have actually, I was thinking I should post about this because I put books all over my house. I have like poetry and affirmation books by my bedside table. I have a little reading nook. So that's where like all the fiction books are. In my office, it'll be like, you know, 48 Laws of Power and like whatever, like business type books I'm reading. And in my Kindle, it's not safe for work to say. That's where the stuff goes that like, nobody should know what I'm reading nobody needs to know um but let's just say it's chili peppers okay but book interesting do you listen to podcasts oh yeah okay I listen to podcasts um on my on I do my like podcast walks okay and then also the nice thing about North Carolina you are in your car a lot yeah so that's driving always always unless my kids are in the car and then they steal my phone and they play music their their choice of music which I love that's the one thing about podcasts is I do feel like I get, I've gotten out of the habit of just having music on.

1:14:26So when I'm home, there's always music playing on our speakers. Yeah. I actually felt that this morning I was listening to your episode on the skinny confidential. And I was like, I usually listen to podcasts when I'm cleaning, like cooking dinner, walking. I never listen when I'm driving. And I was listening to you this morning, like for the second time. And I was like, huh, I miss listening to music in the car, but I like would never listen to music while I'm like cleaning or cooking or something like that. It's very interesting, the habits that people adapt. Yeah. Are you a nighttime or a morning girly?

1:14:55I'm now a morning girly. Okay. It just happened suddenly. I used to be nighttime and now I honestly, I'm blaming my LASIK surgery. My eyes get tired. Yeah. And I'm just like, okay, it's time for me to go to bed. And then you just read a book and fall asleep. Okay. Last one, solo founder or co-founder?

1:15:20Oh, buddy. You know, I want to say co-founder because it is so nice to have a partner. But I just say that with so many asterisks. You have to find somebody who compliments you and you have to go to therapy together. Like, you know, there are there you can get coaches that work with you because it is it is like it is a marriage. It's a marriage. And so it's so important to have great communication and to make sure ahead of getting married that you have talked through all of the different outcomes that you might each want, the different ways you want to lead, the different things that bring you excitement to work on.

1:16:03And so if you can get those things right, co-founder is amazing. But when you get those things wrong, and I've heard so many stories around this, it's not a good situation. Seema, I am seriously so honored that you came on. I feel hotter, smarter, and richer. And I just feel like, like I said to you on our first phone call, there's like certain people that come into your life at certain times. And you were like the exact person I needed in my life. And I hope that everyone that's listening to this feels that too after this interview. I genuinely like can't wait to see what our personal and professional lives look like.

1:16:40And just, I know they're going to be so intertwined. And honestly, like Courtney has met a lot of people in his life and the pure joy and like brightness that got brought to his face when he heard that we were doing this. He actually wanted you to come at like 8am so he could just like see you this morning before he left. I just can't thank you enough. And I know people are going to have a ton of more questions for you. One of the things that people have asked me to ask guests that they're really impressed with is, what are you working on that people can get involved in or get behind or get excited about?

1:17:08Like, what are ways that the HSR community can support, can be a part of, like anything that comes to mind? Oh, that's great. So I just started a sub stack, which I'm excited about. I'm trying to take some of these experiences and musings and, you know, all the things that inspire me and hopefully inspire others. And so to the extent that they want to join, it's called, well, I'm still figuring out Substack. It's my name, but I call the publication Default Settings. Okay, love that. Because, you know, the whole idea is, you know, we kind of go through life with all of these playbooks and everything kind of written out for us.

1:17:51And especially for people who want to be entrepreneurs or live intentional lives, we have to question the default settings and look for opportunities to put in our own widgets. Love that. But I'm on Instagram, I'm on TikTok, and I look forward to staying involved in your community. We're so lucky to have you. Thank you so much. We'll put everything in the show notes, you guys. Please follow Seema. She is incredible. And if you have any other questions, of course, you can email us and we will definitely be having her back on. So thank you so much, Seema. Thank you. Mwah.

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