Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What do you do when your life asks you to become someone you don't yet feel qualified to be? I sit down with Krissy Cela, founder and creative director of Oner Active, for an honest conversation about building a bootstrapped business on track to generate close to $300 million this year.
Before Oner, Krissy spent a decade building a fitness audience and business from a student laptop, long before either was considered a real career path. Today she owns 50 percent of one of the fastest-growing brands in the category. But people still look for reasons not to credit that success to her.
This episode is about starting before you feel ready, letting go of the need to prove yourself, and growing into the leader your business actually requires.
In this episode, Krissy shares:
- Why feeling underqualified shouldn't stop you from building something big
- How she turned an online audience into a loyal customer community
- The early legal and partnership mistakes that shape how she operates today
- How people-pleasing weakened her leadership, and what changed when she stopped
- Why the ones who doubt you are rarely the ones who end up mattering
Hey Darlings đź’›, don't forget to SUBSCRIBE HERE: youtube.com/@EmmaGrede?sub_confirmation=1
#KrissyCela #OnerActive #FemaleFounder #BootstrappedBusiness #FitnessEntrepreneur #EmmaGrede #WomenInBusiness
0:00 Introduction
9:03 The Oner Active story
12:16 The $25 PDF that started it
15:43 Learning her own worth
19:22 Ad Break
22:55 Landing the Oner deal
27:19 The Austrian legal mistake
35:03 Lessons from her community
39:19 The doubters don't matter
41:16 Ad Break
44:32 Pivoting the brand
50:06 How people-pleasing hurt her leadership
55:29 Why she didn't want to be CEO
57:56 Knowing her own value
1:00:18 Ad Break
1:11:52 Am I unqualified?
1:14:08 Rapid Fire
_____
Emma's book START WITH YOURSELF is out now — grab your copy at emmagrede.com or wherever books are sold.
_____
ABOUT ASPIRE WITH EMMA GREDE
Build the life of your dreams and learn from the world's most successful people.
Emma Grede, one of America's richest self-made women, wants you to make the most of your life. On 'Aspire with Emma Grede', learn through thought-provoking conversations with some of the most successful and smartest minds on the planet, including goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow, investor, philanthropist and former chair of Starbucks, Mellody Hobson, podcast host Jay Shetty, billionaire entrepreneur and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban, rapper and cultural icon Cardi B, fashion mogul Kimora Lee Simmons, actress and entrepreneur Issa Rae, bestselling author and motivational powerhouse Mel Robbins, and public luminaries like Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Charlamagne Tha God, Jessica Alba, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos. Each episode will unpack their habits, philosophy, and strategies, covering career advice, well-being, psychology, and, of course, how to win in business. The show offers personal stories, data-driven advice, real-world strategies, and the experience you need to turn your dreams into reality.
LISTEN TO ASPIRE WITH EMMA GREDE
link.pscrb.fm/f0281/Aspire_YT
_______
ABOUT EMMA GREDE
Emma Grede is a founding partner and chief product officer of SKIMS and CEO of Good American. She also made history as the first Black woman to serve as an investor on Shark Tank. Learn more at: emmagrede.com
_________
SYNC ID - MB01XYHXWWFPZSF
What do you do when your life asks you to become someone you don't yet feel qualified to be? I sit down with Krissy Cela, founder and creative director of Oner Active, for an honest conversation about building a bootstrapped business on track to generate close to $300 million this year.
Before Oner, Krissy spent a decade building a fitness audience and business from a student laptop, long before either was considered a real career path. Today she owns 50 percent of one of the fastest-growing brands in the category. But people still look for reasons not to credit that success to her.
This episode is about starting before you feel ready, letting go of the need to prove yourself, and growing into the leader your business actually requires.
In this episode, Krissy shares:
- Why feeling underqualified shouldn't stop you from building something big
- How she turned an online audience into a loyal customer community
- The early legal and partnership mistakes that shape how she operates today
- How people-pleasing weakened her leadership, and what changed when she stopped
- Why the ones who doubt you are rarely the ones who end up mattering
Hey Darlings đź’›, don't forget to SUBSCRIBE HERE: youtube.com/@EmmaGrede?sub_confirmation=1
#KrissyCela #OnerActive #FemaleFounder #BootstrappedBusiness #FitnessEntrepreneur #EmmaGrede #WomenInBusiness
0:00 Introduction
9:03 The Oner Active story
12:16 The $25 PDF that started it
15:43 Learning her own worth
19:22 Ad Break
22:55 Landing the Oner deal
27:19 The Austrian legal mistake
35:03 Lessons from her community
39:19 The doubters don't matter
41:16 Ad Break
44:32 Pivoting the brand
50:06 How people-pleasing hurt her leadership
55:29 Why she didn't want to be CEO
57:56 Knowing her own value
1:00:18 Ad Break
1:11:52 Am I unqualified?
1:14:08 Rapid Fire
_____
Emma's book START WITH YOURSELF is out now — grab your copy at emmagrede.com or wherever books are sold.
_____
ABOUT ASPIRE WITH EMMA GREDE
Build the life of your dreams and learn from the world's most successful people.
Emma Grede, one of America's richest self-made women, wants you to make the most of your life. On 'Aspire with Emma Grede', learn through thought-provoking conversations with some of the most successful and smartest minds on the planet, including goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow, investor, philanthropist and former chair of Starbucks, Mellody Hobson, podcast host Jay Shetty, billionaire entrepreneur and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban, rapper and cultural icon Cardi B, fashion mogul Kimora Lee Simmons, actress and entrepreneur Issa Rae, bestselling author and motivational powerhouse Mel Robbins, and public luminaries like Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Charlamagne Tha God, Jessica Alba, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos. Each episode will unpack their habits, philosophy, and strategies, covering career advice, well-being, psychology, and, of course, how to win in business. The show offers personal stories, data-driven advice, real-world strategies, and the experience you need to turn your dreams into reality.
LISTEN TO ASPIRE WITH EMMA GREDE
link.pscrb.fm/f0281/Aspire_YT
_______
ABOUT EMMA GREDE
Emma Grede is a founding partner and chief product officer of SKIMS and CEO of Good American. She also made history as the first Black woman to serve as an investor on Shark Tank. Learn more at: emmagrede.com
_________
SYNC ID - MB01XYHXWWFPZSF
