5 Questions With Dan Schawbel

5 Questions With Dan Schawbel


Episode 211: Carly Zakin

October 31, 2022

My guest today is entrepreneur and author, Carly Zakin. Carly, along with Danielle Weisberg, co-founded theSkimm, a media company dedicated to helping millennial women live smarter. We talk about founding the company, raising capital, and political activism during this episode.



This episode is proudly sponsored by Proximity, a workspace management company that streamlines how companies operate and manage their hybrid workspace. Go to www.proximity.space/fivequestions for a free Workspace Efficiency Audit.





The 5 questions I ask in this episode:



  1. What was it about your co-founder Danielle that made you want you want to launch theSkimm with her when you met in Rome and how was it reinforced when you worked at NBC?
  2. When you were originally pitching to get investors, like most entrepreneurs, you got a lot of rejections. Why was hearing “no” a blessing in disguise for you?
  3. Reflecting on your last 10 years of being in business, what are you most proud of and what would you have done differently?
  4. Using theSkimm platform, you have inspired hundreds of thousands of people to vote in elections and more recently pushed companies to offer paid family leave to working women. What responsibility do you, and theSkimm have, in impacting change in how we work and live?
  5. What is your best piece of career advice?

Video interview:



Follow Carly’s journey: