Emma Grede, the multimillionaire entrepreneur who built Good American and co-founded Skims, has a blunt message for anyone chasing extraordinary success: forget about work-life balance. It's not real.

The Honest Truth About Balance

Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast last May, Grede didn't mince words about the mythology surrounding work-life balance. People who claim they've reached elite levels while maintaining perfect equilibrium? They're not being honest, she says.

"If you are leading an extraordinary life, to think that extraordinary effort wouldn't be coupled to that somehow is crazy," Grede explained. She went further, challenging anyone to prove her wrong: "Tell me who she is, and I'll show you a liar."

It's a provocative stance, but Grede isn't speaking from a place of grinding for the sake of it. She's built a business empire estimated to be worth between $300 million and $400 million, so she's presumably learned a thing or two about what success actually requires.

The 150% Standard

These days, Grede enjoys her weekends in Malibu and takes time away from work. But she's clear that reaching this level demanded something different. High achievement, she argues, requires sustained intensity that most people aren't willing to acknowledge.

"Have to have a level of honesty about what it takes to be really successful," she said, emphasizing that ambition often means waking up most days ready to give "150%."

Her perspective comes from experience. Raised by a single mother in East London and Essex, Grede started working at age 12. The work ethic formed during those early years shaped how she approached building her businesses later in life.

The CEO Consensus

Grede isn't alone in rejecting the work-life balance narrative. Last year, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan said outright that true work-life balance doesn't exist. His take? "Work is life, life is work." Though he noted that when conflicts arose, he prioritized family. Yuan also suggested that artificial intelligence might eventually make shorter workweeks possible, which would be a nice development.

Billionaire Mark Cuban shares this skepticism about balance, at least for those pursuing exceptional outcomes. He's argued that nonstop work isn't a sacrifice but a personal choice—one he made himself when building his first business, going years without taking vacations.

Even former President Barack Obama has acknowledged that extraordinary achievement demands periods of seriously unbalanced effort. He pointed to the 18-month intensity of his first presidential campaign as an example of what reaching the highest levels actually looks like.

The common thread? These leaders aren't advocating for burnout culture or suggesting everyone should work themselves to exhaustion. They're making a narrower point: if you're aiming for extraordinary results, the path requires extraordinary effort. The question isn't whether that's fair or ideal—it's whether you're willing to be honest about what the journey actually entails.