SKIMS co-founder Emma Grede has lent her expertise to a wellness venture launched by Hoda Kotb.
Leaving ‘Today’
Kotb, a Virginia Tech University graduate with a degree in broadcast journalism, had been a host on the “Today” show since 2007, ultimately becoming co-anchor. She left many in shock when she departed the show on Jan. 10 after turning 60, according to NPR reports. She shared that the decision resulted from reaching a peak on television and wanting to have more time for her family.
Joy 101
Kotb has now turned to entrepreneurship, serving as the founder and CEO of Joy 101, a wellness company that offers intimate retreats and happiness hours with live conversations held on Zoom between Kotb, guests, and experts, according to its website. The company also launched an app with a daily joy plan backed by research tools and led by experts, with courses that center on various topics such as self-love and acceptance, mental health, reclaiming joy, and calming anxiety.
“When I was leaving the ‘Today’ show, I mean, who would ever leave that job… Sometimes you leave something you love, and then you find something you love,” Kotb explained during the 2025 Forbes Power Women’s Summit.
Advice From Emma Grede
While the venture is a labor of love, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t come with its learning curves. Variety reports Kotb admitted that “being an entrepreneur is hard” and that she is “learning how to be a boss.”
Well it appears, she’s learning from one of the best. Kotb said at the Women’s Summit that Grede sits on Joy 101’s board. Grede carries expertise from SKIMS, a shapewear company she co-founded alongside Kim Kardashian with a $4 billion valuation, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. She also co-founded Good American with Khloe Kardashian, which reportedly had a $3.2 billion valuation by November 2023.
Kotb reveals one key piece of advice that Grede has shared: Hire thoughtfully.
“Her suggestion was spend 25% of every single day focusing on hiring,” Kotb said on stage during the Women’s Summit. “If you hire the right people, you don’t spend all of your time checking to see what they’re doing, if it’s right, like micromanaging.”
She continued, “And the other thing I learned too is when I hire now, unbridled enthusiasm wins the day every single time. I don’t care where your degree’s from. If you come in saying, ‘I’ll do it.’ If I said, ‘Who can do it?’ ‘I’ll do it.’ If you’re the one with your hand up, you’re the one I’m choosing. So, I’m hiring based on that. And I’m also hiring based on love.”
