Why We’ll Be Following Julia Boorstin’s Lead

Rip & Tan: You launched your series, CNBC Disruptor 50, in 2013 to much success—at what point did the research and insight from the series begin to take shape as the concept for a book?

Julia Boorstin: I remember one day in 2019 when I was interviewing the CEO of Rent the Runway, Jennifer Hyman, for a Disruptor 50 segment for CNBC. She said that unlike some other fast-growing companies—she was referencing Uber—she had never had the option of losing a billion dollars every quarter. She knew she was being held to a different, higher standard, that VCs (who are mostly men) were unfamiliar with the need for her service, and that in many ways, there was a target on her back.

I’ve loved interviewing founders and CEOs for CNBC’s Disruptor 50 because it gives me insight into how innovative thinkers are rethinking old industries and inventing new ones. I’ve also been struck by how little access to venture capital women get—about 2% last year, down from an average of 3% in the prior decade. I’ve been so inspired by women who have defied the odds that I wanted to share their stories.

Watching female CEOs—including CLEAR’s Caryn Seidman-Becker and LanzaTech’s Jennifer Holmgren—juggle long-term opportunities with short-term demands and adapt to a changing landscape, I saw that these women weren’t just exceptions to the rule, they were exceptional. What started as a project of sharing inspiring stories turned into a research project to understand and elevate a new model for leadership.

Rip & Tan: Over the course of your career, are there any moments—other than your book—that stand out as career-defining or even just particularly eye-opening?

Julia Boorstin: There have been some high-profile live TV interviews I’ve done when I’ve felt under pressure to prepare incisive questions and to respond thoughtfully—and not let my interview subjects off the hook. There was one interview with Disney CEO Bob Iger when he revealed big declines at ESPN and I remember thinking: this is a huge deal, marking a transition away from old-fashioned TV and towards the future of streaming.

There was another interview I did years ago with Reed Hastings when I first saw his vision for turning Netflix into a studio. And I did a couple interviews with Sheryl Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg about Facebook and had to push her on issues around Cambridge Analytica and him on privacy concerns. I love taking a step back and analyzing business transformation—and every once in a while there’s an interview that captures a key moment of change.

And it was eye-opening to report on the #MeToo #TimesUp movement that resulted in the firing/departure of many CEOs I covered, from Les Moonves to Kevin Tsujihara. It felt like a turning point in reckoning with gender disparities in business, which started a conversation about the value of closing gender gaps, and that ultimately led me to write my book. 

Rip & Tan: Your publishers note that the book serves as a “radical blueprint” for what the world of business can and perhaps ought to be. For those currently adding the book to their carts, what are some of the key characteristics of a future you’d see us strive for? At the end of the day, what does more empathy and vulnerability in the business world bring us?

Julia Boorstin: I want people of any gender to feel liberated from stereotypes of what leaders should look like and act like. I hope the book can serve as a mirror for people to find parts of themselves in the stories of remarkable courage and leadership.

I also hope that the research and stories I share can offer a roadmap for everyone to identify and unlock their leadership superpowers. Traits that people have sometimes associated with weakness can be deployed for immense strength, and superpowers have nothing to do with old-fashioned ideas of power. 

Some key strategies that women are more likely to deploy that are incredibly valuable in business: empathy, vulnerability, gratitude, a communal approach to leadership, a greater purpose beyond just generating profits, and a big-picture approach to problem-solving, looking to understand the forest rather than just focusing on a single tree.

At the end of the day, I think empathy, vulnerability, and the like, lead to more effective leadership, more engaged, successful employees, and companies that are better able to identify problems and create solutions.

Rip & Tan: The concept, however elusive, of “having it all” is a business pressure uniquely placed on women. Do you have any advice for navigating a more modern concept of a balanced and fulfilling life? Or advice for women who feel like they’re often faced with making sacrifices?

Julia Boorstin: Several wise friends have reminded me that while you can have it all over the course of your life, you can’t have it all at the same time.

Sometimes for me, that means that I spend a few days out of town and just work non-stop in that time—away from my kids, no self-care, nothing relaxing. But then on the weekend, I make a point to put away my phone and just focus on being with my family totally undistracted. I try to think of that balance as not existing every day—it usually doesn’t—and more about the balance I’m finding within each week, month, or year.

I find it so easy to get swept up in work I think it’s really important for me to make clear plans with my kids or schedule dates with my husband, to make sure I’m being intentional about how I’m spending my time, otherwise a week has flown by and I haven’t gotten to do the things that are really meaningful to me. 

Rip & Tan: With that said, can you offer any advice—whether from personal experience or your conversations with other female executives—for women experiencing burnout?

Julia Boorstin: I love my job but realize that no matter what you do, and how much you love it, you can definitely feel burnout—I don’t think I know anyone who hasn’t felt it at some point.

Sometimes I can bounce back after a relaxing weekend, but sometimes I know I need a week away from my schedule, to get enough sleep, and recharge my mind and body. I’m also trying to get better at understanding what fills my bucket and letting myself off the hook of what I expect myself to be doing or accomplishing.

I laugh when my high-powered female CFO friends tell me about the hours of reality TV they binge or when I spent an afternoon baking some ridiculously complicated recipe with my kids. We all have our outlets. I’m working to find more ways to slow myself down and stop overscheduling myself so I don’t reach that burnout phase. 

Rip & Tan: When Women Lead features 60+ women out of hundreds you’ve profiled over the years. We can only imagine narrowing down that list was a bit daunting. Can you speak to the process of deciding which stories felt most pertinent to tell?

Julia Boorstin: I wanted to highlight amazing leaders who were not well known (like Cityblock Health’s Toyin Ajayi or Bitwise Industry’s Irma Olgin Jr.) along with new takes on familiar names (like Gwyneth Paltrow and Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd). I ended up interviewing about 120 people for the book and I quoted about 60 of them, focusing on a few dozen stories. I could have filled many volumes with the amazing stories I heard, and narrowed them down by focusing on the diversity of the stories, ideas, and leadership styles.

Rip & Tan: As women, our relationship to competition is nothing if not nuanced. How can we balance the competitive drive often needed in business—startups especially—with a team sport, lift-each other-up mentality?

Julia Boorstin: Be competitive as a team! There’s some really interesting research I write about in my book about why female athletes are so successful in business—and it’s not because they’re used to competing against other people. Athletes learn to fail often (you’re not going to win every game) and they are trained to measure their own progress and set their own benchmarks. The best teams are full of individuals who are creating their own goals and a path to get there and urging each other on. You will all succeed together.

Rip & Tan: Though there’s many, what’s one of the biggest misconceptions you’ve experienced or witnessed in regards to female leadership? Any thoughts on how we can combat it?

Julia Boorstin: There are too many but one that underlies so many assumptions about women leaders is the stereotype that they are supposed to be warm and nurturing all the time. When they don’t fulfill that stereotype—which of course they often don’t—they’re judged harshly for it. It’s happened to me many times; people tell me that when I ask questions in a direct way in a neutral tone that I sound “harsh” or “mean.”

I think the best way to combat that stereotype is to understand it so you can identify it. Then, if you can see a comment as simply the result of a stereotype or misconception, it’s easier to not let it bother you and to figure out how to most effectively move past it, either by addressing it head-on or ignoring it.

Rip & Tan: When you’re not reporting on industry disruptors or penning your next best-seller, what are a few of your favorite ways to recenter or simply unwind? 

Julia Boorstin: Long morning hikes with my friends are the best–we share what’s bothering us and work out so many different things. With my kids, I love visiting museums and art galleries, baking, and reading to them—we’re working our way through Harry Potter. I love cooking and hosting dinner parties at our house—it’s fun to experiment with recipes and bring friends together in a cozy, relaxed setting.

And to clear my head after a crazy work day, a run around my neighborhood is a game changer—the combination of the exercise and fresh air helps me reset and let my mind wander, which sometimes yields my best ideas. My husband and I love to travel and we’ve been enjoying lighting some candles in our living room and planning our next adventure.