Rachel Zoe & Anine Bing Talk Career Challenges & Dreaming Big

In the Climbing in Heels podcast, sponsored by Genesis, Rachel Zoe interviews female powerhouses across different industries. Through her warmth and humor, listeners hear about the challenges and successes of female entrepreneurship, balancing work and family life, and how these boss women navigate the changing landscape of business in a post-pandemic world. Because with Genesis, it’s easy to find your reason, your passion, and your inspiration to Keep Beginning.

Back before blogs were a thing, Anine’s World was an online destination for style inspiration and flea market finds. Started by designer Anine Bing, the website served as the impetus for her now decades-long career and eponymous fashion brand. Today, the Danish-born, Swedish-raised, LA-based designer is known for her global sensibility and self-described “affordable luxury” with a signature “rock and roll twist.”

In this episode of Rachel Zoe’s podcast Climbing in Heels, Bing opens up about taking her brand from a tiny digital journal, to a makeshift store in her garage, to an international business with 20 stores around the world — plus everything that happened in between.

“There have been so many turning points along the way,” Bing tells Zoe of her journey, citing Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wearing her jacket and opening a storefront in Paris as two of the most impactful. “So many amazing little moments have led me here,” she says. “It’s been really organic how everything came together.” But it wasn’t without its challenges: “In Scandinavia, they have this thing called jante where you don’t want others to succeed,” she shares. “But in LA, people didn’t judge that I was in a band before or that I was a model. But I also didn’t give a shit. You cannot listen to those voices, or else you won’t succeed.”

The same goes for juggling motherhood and a major career — something both Bing and Zoe are familiar with. “It’s harder for women because we have to choose,” Zoe says. That’s why Bing is proud that she made her own path and is setting that example for her daughter to create her future.

“The biggest mistake young people can make is trying to architect their life,” Zoe says. “But you have to let life just happen, because opportunities hit you at different points. And the dream you had, it changes so much — and that's OK. I think it's dangerous to get stuck in those plans.”

And Bing agrees: “Since I’ve been a little girl, I’ve been writing down my goals and dreams. So I have big dreams, but it’s also about listening to your gut and going with the flow.”

Listen to the full episode here.