
On Negativity, Ambition, and Building a Serious Business (Tory Burch)
From Aspire with Emma Grede by Emma Grede | Audacy
April 28, 2026 · 1h 8m
About this episode
Tory Burch discusses her journey in building a successful fashion brand while navigating challenges and redefining ambition for women.
Tory Burch started her company in 2004 with a single store on Elizabeth Street in New York City, a friends and family round of funding, and a belief that purpose and business belong in the same sentence. Twenty two years later, she has 400 stores in 70 countries. And she still hasn't had lunch. In this conversation, Tory sits down with Emma to talk about what it really took to build one of the most recognizable names in American fashion — navigating criticism, surviving a lawsuit that threatened everything she'd built, and rediscovering the creative spirit that reinvigorated the brand. Tory shares: Why ambition is still a complicated word for women and why she refuses to shy away from it How she maintained ownership and control of her company through a very public divorce and lawsuit What she learned about scaling a brand without losing its identity How stepping back from the CEO role unlocked her most creative chapter yet What would you build if you stopped letting other people define your ambition? Drop it in the comments — we're reading. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don't miss what's next. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit…
People in this episode
Host: Emma Grede
Guest: Tory Burch
Topics covered
- business growth
- female ambition
- fashion industry
- entrepreneurship
- navigating criticism
- brand identity
Keywords
- Tory Burch
- Emma Grede
- business
- ambition
- fashion
- entrepreneurship
- brand identity
- criticism
- lawsuit
- creativity
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Tory Burch
Places: New York City
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